Cons

• Of course, everyone knows about the antenna issue. iOS 4.0.1 did seem to make the antenna meter a bit more accurate (now I get about 3 bars max at my house instead of bouncing between 5 & 1), but of course the hardware issue is still a hardware issue.
• Case availability, as usual, is terrible. It’s improving now, but still a bit lacking. Luckily the 3G cases kinda sorta fit. I finally ended up going for a cheap case that is a bit too padded. It nearly doubles the thickness of the phone. This lack of cases is especially bad, considering the ‘antenna issue’.
• Multitasking can be a bit annoying - particularly that non-multitasking apps go to the launch bar too. It would be nice to be able to exclude apps from multitasking so they actually exit when you exit them. There are some apps that just don’t need to be backgrounded.
• Proximity sensor issues - when talking on the phone, the sensor doesn’t always sense that the phone is by your head. This might have improved a little with 4.0.1, but not much.
• Weird audio bug - after using an app with its own volume level, such as Pandora or YouTube, you have to reboot to adjust the ringer volume. This was resolved with iOS 4.0.1.
• They skimped a bit leaving out the microfiber cloth that came with the 3G. Perhaps the oleophobic coating is supposed to make this unnecessary.

Pros

• Seriously fast. This is even more pronounced since my 3G was running iOS 4 and had seemed to be slowing down even before that. Even little things like contact scrolling are noticeably faster. The iPhone 4 may pay for itself just in app launch time.
• GPS seems faster & more accurate. GPS based apps lock on a lot faster than with the 3G.
• FaceTime works great once you turn it on. It seems that some phones default to having it off, others have it on. I’ve used it a couple time now & it’s pretty smooth.
• Text is gorgeous. No, really. Small text on the new screen is amazing. Reading on the new phone is a lot more comfortable than the old one.
• The new cameras are pretty good stuff too. The video quality & photo quality is quite good for a phone. One oddity with iMovie is the inability to split clips. That seems like something that should be doable. Perhaps implementing it in the interface was too much of a challenge. I’m hoping to get it after launch. Along with the ability to put titles over photos. & upload 720p to YouTube.

Those’re the basics. In short, yes it’s worth it. The only long term issue is the antenna debacle. Perhaps they’ll come up with a more permanent solution than using a case. Oh, another thing: Developers, update your apps. Especially the icons. The bundled Apple apps are so much purdier than most of my 3rd party apps.

So, I called. Closed of course.

Then I tried to submit feedback using the link at the bottom of the black page. Upon submitting the feedback I got an error that Safari couldn’t connect to the server. Nice. It finally went on the 3rd try, but now I’m annoyed, so I’m posting this just to let Buena Vista Home Entertainment know how incredibly incompetent I think they are. Apparently Disney sucks a the Internet. And technology in general.

Around a dozen toads attempting to mate in my rain diluted, but still chlorinated swimming pool. I hope they don’t expect their endeavors to be successful. It’s amazing how loud they are.

I’m not looking forward to skimming out all the eggs tomorrow.

UPDATE: I rescued 15 live male toads this morning … 3 dead ones. One of which was the female. :^/ Most of them were in the skimmer. So I had at least 18 out there last night.

Just a thought.

Not soon enough, dangit!

I was up a bit late anyway, so I thought I’d brave the extra half hour just to see if they enabled the pre-order at midnight Pacific. It looks like they’ve started the process at least. *sigh*

The paper isn’t quite as glossy as I expected, but the overall quality is quite nice. I think I’ll be making more blurb books in the future.

So, my “lifetime” average is up to 38.5 now.

I’m trying out the B5 from Green Spot Market for this tank. It’s pretty convenient, just the other side of the lake.

This is a project for my Photography and New Media (ARTS-3340) class this term. But it has been fun to do, so I may continue it. From the About…

Think of this as an alternate reality. A series of candid photos of complete strangers, with stories added from someone’s warped imagination. Sounds like fun, no?
Names, places and even faces have sometimes been changed to protect the (not so) innocent. While the photos are true (mostly), the text is pure fiction (in most cases — who knows, perhaps the fiction is accurate).

The inspiration for this project actually came while wandering the Dallas Auto Show and occasionally getting interesting candid shots of people in addition to the cars. The most interesting things about the entire project was that I was mostly unnoticed while wandering around with a digital SLR and a 55-250mm zoom lens. I had a couple people apologize as they walked through a shot, and one general comment as I walked by ("Now that’s a photographer” or something like that).

WARNING: This is a work of fiction. All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

You have common sense and a lot of charm.

So the Golf gets 62.5% more miles per gallon of fuel than the TT. Plus the fuel is cheaper (diesel is running about equivalent to mid-grade gasoline & the TT takes premium).

The Street Garden:

The Lounge:

There are many more after the break … I don’t usually break posts, but you’ll see why I did when you click below…

This year I think I actually planted too much out there. I’ll try to get some pics of it tomorrow. But for the odd friends of mine that want to know what I planted, here it is in no particular order:

• Lithodora Grace Ward (Lithodora diffusa)
• Sneezeweed Dakota Gold (Helenium amarum)
• Pincushion flower Butterfly Blue (Scabiosa columbaria)
• Creeping phlox Emerald Blue (Phlox subulata)
• Superbells Saffron (Calibrachoa hybrid)
• Dalina Midi Sumatra (Dahlia hybrid)
• Then to fill things in: Marigolds, Blue Ageratum & 2 types of Society Garlic (Tulbaghia violacea and an unknown variegated variety, I had the variegated in a pot by the door last year)

Then for the pots that I have by the sidewalk & bench I got:

• Tuberous Begonia (Begonia tuberosa) - this big pot also has some more Marigolds & Blue Ageratum along with a green sweet potato vine (Ipomoea batatas) and a purple one (Ipomoea ‘Blackie’)
• 2 colors of Gerbera (a bright orange & a red-orange) in 2 little pots
• An Ornamental Pepper with cool purple & white variegated leaves for a purple pot with a teal base

Hopefully most of it lives.