Well it’s that time again where I think of a bunch of new years resolutions that I’ll probably forget. Here are a few off the to of my head:
Well, write these down and come back in a year to see how many I’ve forgotten. Happy New Years from Kerry and I.
~Jonathan Duty
Last weekend Kerry, Art, and I saw the movie “Sideways”. This is a dramatic comedy about a struggling novelist and wine lover who is going through a rough period in his life. I liked this movie because not only was it very funny but the main character, played by Paul Giamatti, does a great job expressing a period we have all gone through where our life seems neither to be moving forward nor backwards but caught in this rut of sideways motion. If you like low budget dramatic comedies I highly recommend this movie.
Official Movie Web Site of “Sideways”
Being the proud parents of two cats, Kerry and I just couldn’t wait to give them their Christmas presents. This year we got them both beds, but it looks like we may have bought one a few sizes too small. Sorry Hershey!
I just recieved the best birthday card EVER! Leave it to my buddy Dan to bring both a laugh and a disturbing thought to my day. Thanks man!
This semester we adopted a music major, literally. One of our friends, Rob Graham, is a “Masters in Base Trombone Performance” student at the University of Michigan. During his last semester his wife had to go to Texas to start her new teaching job so Rob moved in with us for the remainder of his degree plan. Kerry and I have really enjoyed having him around but now he is leaving us. Rob has finished his degree and is completing the move down to Texas to be with his wife, Janelle. While Kerry and I are sad to see both of them go we are glad that they get to put this living apart thing behind them and start their great new life in Dallas Texas.
[UPDATE] 12/16/04 - 1:49 PM EST - We recieve word that Rob has completed the 17 hour trip from Ann Arbor, MI to Dallas, TX.
So I’ve been using my iPod for a few hours now. When I first went to got it, I felt a little weird about spending the extra $50 on the U2 edition, being that it is no different that then regular except for the outside. It was either that or wait until January for the back-orders to catch up. The iPod 20Gig seems to be the hot item this Christmas.
Outside:
I really like the black and red, it looks clean and blends into my other belongings a little better than the traditional white. The whole device is about the size of a deck of cards so I’m glad I sacrificed size for space (the iPod mini is a little smaller but only has 4 gigs of space). One thing I really like about their design is the fact that it feels so solid. There are no switches on the front or on the sides, just the click wheel and the metal case. When I hold it in my hand I don’t feel or hear plastic flexing, to me that is a big deal when I start carrying this thing around. It just feels like it is put together very well.
Setup:
Like most electronic devices it needs to be charged first. If you have a mac you can plug it into your box using the fire wire adaptor, your computer will then charge it while you are using it. If you have a PC you need to plug it into the wall for a few hours, then you can start using it (USB doesn’t supply enough juice to charge it).
I plugged it into my Mac using the fire wire adaptor and immediately my Mac recognizes it, updates the firmware in it. Next it opens iTunes and starts syncing my music library (I already had music on my laptop). Within 5 minutes I had my iPod running and my entire music library on it ready for me to use. Oh, and I think I actually had to press maybe 3 buttons, wow, great job Apple! The integration is amazing.
Usability:
I’m not sure anyone could build a simpler interface if they tried. All music can be accessed on the iPod by Artist, Albums, Genre, Song Title, or Composer (and this was automatic, I was not required to do any cataloging). I select “Artist”, then a list of all artists is displayed, then I select “U2” and all their albums are displayed, then I select an album and then the song. Using the new scroll wheel makes this task a snap and only requires your thumb.
Sound:
Sounds perfect, I was not able to use the little white earphones because my ears are too small, but on my own pair it sounds great. Plus, if you really want to get fancy you have the option to set equalizer settings or choose from a list of configurations (classical, base, stadium, etc).
Conclusion:
This has to be the most streamlined device I have ever held. I think its important to note that even though this has a calendar and address book, this is not an “Everything device”. The iPod was designed to play music and it does that very well. I think Apple gave up on more than that after the Newton crashed.
Oh and the best part, the iPod actually has a hard drive it in, much like the one that is in a laptop. So when you plug it into your computer, you actually see a drive there, which means you can also store files on it and use it as a backup or transfer storage device.
This Sunday is my 26th birthday (yes, I know, 4 years from 30). For that special day my parents got me an iPod mini! It was the silver one and looked great. But, I really wanted more than 4 Gigs of space, so I took it back and exchanged it for the 20 Gig iPod. I was expecting to just get the regular version, but everywhere in town was on back order (its the hot item this year). The the manager cut me a deal and for a little extra cash I got the U2 edition with the extended apple care plan. I like the colors and since I am a U2 fan I’m not complaining. I’ll post a review of it later after I’ve had some time to play with it.
Thanks to Mom and Dad for this gift, I’m already enjoying it!
~Jonathan
Most people know Kerry spent a good part of her youth in music programs. Recently Kerry has joined our church orchestra. This Sunday they will be performing a “Christmas Contata” filled with some great music. If you are in the area you should go!
[UPDATE 12/13/04]
The Contata was awesome! The Orchestra did a great job, especially the flutes 
Here is a list of what they played:
The Bells of Christmas
- Carol of the Bells
- I Head the Bells of Chrismas Day
- Ding Dong Merrily on High
O Come All Ye Faithful
A Light Still Shines
Soli Deo Gloria
Mary, Did You Know?
Carol of the Kings
Christ is Born!
Cradle Worship Medley
- O Little Town of Bethlehem
- O Sacred Head Now Wounded
- O Come to Us
Still He Came
We Have Seen the Light
O Come All Ye Faithful
Hopefully soon I’ll be able to post a recording of some or all of the performance. Kerry did an awesome job!
Just finished reading “The Bourne Supremacy” by Robert Ludlum. This is the second out of 3 books in the Bourne Series. I was really happy with the first book and couldn’t wait to get at this one. The story is very well written with many plot twists and complex characters. I enjoyed the movies also but I think its important to understand that the books are NOTHING like the movies! Both have different characters and VERY different plots. If you like mystery and action, pick this up.
Well, I’ve decided to make my world more difficult and change my blogging engine. I was using b2evolution but it was just too much. So I’ve decided to switch to the most popular Word Press and I like it. Its very light weight and simple which is exactly what I was looking for. Hopefully it won’t take too long for me to get everything back up and running.
