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I went to the break room for coffee today and then thought, this coffee really bites. Why not drive over to BAM for a real cup of Joe. So I did. I snapped this photo walking out to my truck. The coffee was great and I enjoyed the nice break from the office so much, I stayed an hour. For the last 3 days I’ve been chained to my desk for 10-12 hours a day, no lunch break, only fast trips to the “washroom”.

I am a computer guy… have been since 1979. Since then I have used UNIX, CP/M, DOS, GEM, Windows, OS/2, and Linux. The one popular OS I’ve never used is Mac OS (or Mac OS X). I am ready to try it out. I want to see for myself if the Apple tax is worth it. If not, I’ll have a great laptop I can load Linux on that will last a long time.

I am 90% sure I want to go with the 15″ Mac Book Pro, not sure if I’ll take the processor or RAM upgrade yet. In addition, I think we’ll try the iPad once it comes out. I believe Wendy would love it. Why?

I have had the iPhone 3G for one year now, this month. It still looks like new, it still works like new, and still blows my mind with how useful and fun it is to use. I take it everywhere, I use it for everything. I feel like I have a Star Trek worthy tool with me at all times. It can guide me from anywhere to anywhere, driving or walking. I can reserve movies with a couple clicks at a Red Box or buy tickets at Fandango on the spur of the moment. I can read any news any where, major publications like USA Today, New York Times. I can tap into any news network, communicate with anyone in my social media network in half a dozen different ways at any time. People I specify can “find” or track me with GPS wherever I go, as long as I’m carrying my iPhone. I can check for any business such as a restaurant or a product such as a Book, and the iPhone will not only tell me the closest place it’s available, but the cheapest as well, and the GPS will guide me there. I can snap a photo of any book cover and get a synopsis and rating of the book. I can park in the great outer reaches of a crowded mall and the iPhone will guide me back to my car. I can scan a bar code of any product for price shopping and comparison.

It would be a shorter list if I listed what the iPhone can not do for me. (And there’s a wife for that.)

Speaking of Wendy, I can see her now, curled up in her chair with her iPad, browsing the kids latest videos and photos, reading her novel of the month, all the while listening to one of her many Donnie Osmond albums. Maybe, just maybe, she may even use her email!

Many times while watching a movie or program we’ll wonder about what some actors name is or what they played in before – well there would be an app for that on the convenient iPad sitting right there next to her. It’s small, light, has long battery life, easy to use. You can browse your TV schedule without flipping through the TV screen menus or program pages, and probably will be able to use it as a remote control even.

As much as I love Linux and open source, as easy as it would be to settle for Windows 7, and even as cheap as I am, I think it’s worth the risk of paying a little more, for what some say is the best laptop made.

I never would have considered it had it not been for the iPhone. Maybe that’s the genius of Apple marketing.

The iPhone camera is not as good as most digital cameras, but it’s not bad compared to other phone cams. There’s a well done article about the iPhone camera on Roughly Drafted Magazine, that actually covers a lot about digital cameras in general.

All that aside, the ease of use, portability, availability, and the ability to instantly share, make the little camera really fun to use. Sites and apps are easy to find for iPhone cam fans.

Here’s some of the latest I took on my phone.

From iTookThisOnMyPhone

From iTookThisOnMyPhone

From iTookThisOnMyPhone

From iTookThisOnMyPhone