iPhone love

This is one of those posts I've had on my mind for some time, but haven't followed through on ... until now.

Man, I love my iPhone. And its capabilities continue to amaze me and surpise me and simplify my life every day. This summer, Kates joined the iPhone nation, too.

In the meantime, Apple continues to roll out these heart-tugging, emotion-packing commercials that make me stop in my tracks every time I see one.

Advertising almost never has an impact on me the way this campaign has. And I already own the product.

I saw "Music Every Day" for the first time shortly after I returned from my trip to Los Angeles. So many of the images in the campaign resonate with me because several of the scenes were our reality in L.A. alone, not to mention the last few weeks in our home ...




Then I saw "Photos Every Day" for the first time shortly after we returned from our summer vacation to Wisconsin. It resonated with me because I'd just taken hundreds of photos during our trip, not to mention in L.A. ... on my iPhone. My digital camera bag hasn't moved from its spot on my desk chair since the day I got my iPhone last year ...




And then the other night, I saw "FaceTime Every Day." It resonated with me because of the meaningful minutes we've spent talking with loved ones. Face-to-face via my iPhone. Even though we're standing hundreds of miles apart. While in L.A., the iPhone gave me the opportunity to say goodnight to my girls ...



This stuff amazes me. This is the kind of technology we read about as children in the Weekly Readers or saw in the movies and television shows like The Jetsons. And still it seemed lightyears away.

Sometimes it's still hard for me to believe this stuff exists and I'm lucky enough to have access to it.
Life is good.

Sunday reading

Some of the reads that caught my attention during the last week ...

Baseball ...
a Dawson, Smith getting a raw deal
a Deal Or No Deal
a Whatever Yankees Want ... Great editorial from The New York Times.
a Willie, Bloomquist and the Dunn

The "Miracle in the Hudson" ... You can't deny this was the most fascinating story of the week, perhaps even the year. The pilot even has a Facebook page with hundreds of thousands of fans and counting ...
a After Splash, Nerves, Heroics and Comedy
a As Jet Was Ditched, Nearby Ferries Went Into Rescue Mode
a Pilot who ditched jet safely in Hudson River flew fighter planes for Air Force

Politics ...
a In the Beginning ... A good take on the inaugural oath.
a Donor fatigue setting in for some Obama supporters ... Amen.
a The Long, Lame Goodbye
a Exit Bush, Shoes Flying
a Why We Have to Look Back
a 10 Take Aways From the Bush Years
a Palin is getting in her own way

Media & the Internet ...
a At First, Funny Videos. Now, a Reference Tool
a Can CNN, the Go-to Site, Get You to Stay?
a CBS Pumps Up TV.com to Create a Destination

TV ...
a O'Brien, Fallon see late-night challenges ahead

Technology ...
a Can Apple Fill the Void?

And finally, my favorite photo of the week.

Sunday reading

The good reads that caught my eyes over the last couple weeks ...

Baseball ...
a Cubs' selection Sunday fast approaching
a Piniella settles on batting order
a Wrigley Field sale to state looking like latest Cubs loser
a Lasorda and the Dodgers say goodbye to Vero Beach
a Emotional day at Dodgertown for Lasorda
a Do-it-all Bill Hall returns to infield for Brewers' new defensive look
a Brewers slugger Prince Fielder now eating a Field of Greens
a Q & A with Brewers' owner Mark Attanasio
a Brewers owner: Yost dynamic leader who gives stability to club
a Japan Trip on for Red Sox, Athletics ... an extraordinary move indeed.
a Keeping up with Jones: Aside from closer, Tigers' bullpen is a big concern ... Not good.
a Why it's so Grand to be Tigers' Granderson
a Nobody's calling for Barry Bonds, and the phone won't start ringing soon
a Suspicion lingers in wake of Report
a Nats' Food Will Tag More Home Bases

Other sports ...
a Knight's ESPN gig could provide a bleeping good time ... From what I've seen, it has been.
a Rodgers ready to play for Packers

TV ...
a TV series alter time

Music ...
a Apple Said to Weigh Unlimited Music Deal
a Nine Inch Nails scares up sales with 'Ghosts'
a Judge Portrays McCartney's Ex As 'Out of Control'
a Judge says Heather Mills 'her own worst enemy'

Politics ...
a '3 a.m. call' Clinton-ad actress gets rude awakening
a What we don't know about Obama hurts him

Media & the Internet ...
a Wikipedia starts to look a bit less wiki
a In a newspaper war, we must mind our p's and q's ... an update from the Trib's big contest win.

Travel ...
a Mount St. Helens' booming history
a Restoring the Mall From 'Disgrace' to Showcase

Life & other stuff ...
a Hey, It's Your Funeral
a Dump the penny
a Starbucks tips ruling is made to order for baristas
a Neighbor 'ghosts' haunt drama on deadly summer ... I remember that summer -- and the heat -- well. It was the first time I'd ever been to Chicago, and every night on the news there were reports of more deaths ...

Sunday reading

Good reads that caught my eyes during the last couple weeks ...

Sports ...
a Kids' area to be part of Miller Park renovations ... This is great, but shouldn't parents be watching their children and not the game?
a Cubs execs try to calm stomachs
a Hearings confirm success of the Mitchell Report
a 2 wrongs only double the offense
a Atomic apples spoiling this bunch
a Observations from a nearly perfect NFL weekend

TV ...
a Suzanne Pleshette, sexy star of 'Bob Newhart Show,' dies at 70
a If the directors cut the right deal, it could save Hollywood from civil war
a 'American Idol' returns as a bright spot on strike-stricken horizon

Media & technology ...
a Thinly Sliced Laptop Polishes Apple's Image
a Baltimore Sun's 'Wire' Portrayal Fuels a Hot Debate

Politics ...
a Romney and reporter tangle at press conference
a Why Obamamania? Because He Runs as The Great White Hope

Life & other stuff ...
a Chihua-wheels: Disabled dogs get rolling
a The Battle To Remold the Mall
a Band of Scouting Misfits Attains Eagle Ranking
a Is Decade Doomed To Anonymity?
a No Assembly Required: For Ikea's Live-In Weblebrity, Reality Comes at a Discount

Sunday reading

Some of the stories that caught my eyes during the last week ...

Music ...
a All I Want for Christmas Is Not To Hear That Song

TV ...
a Schulz: The Good and The Grief ... Admittedly, this story is past due (and I did watch the program; it was pretty darn good). But it's still a worthy read.
a TV breeds the new male star

Baseball ...
a If they hear it once, they'll hear it 100 times: It's been a century since Cubs' last title
a Fukudome is a quality import
a State looks to buy Wrigley

Politics ...
a As a Republican, I'm on the Fringe
a Bill and Hillary Clinton’s Pitch in Iowa: ‘I Love the ’90s’
a The Front-Runners: Understanding the Leading Presidential Candidates
a The Ghost of a Father
a Obama's Cheering Section Ups The Volume
a The two Andrew Jacksons: Was 'Old Hickory' a great president or an American Hitler?
a A Miracle on Pennsylvania Avenue

The Internet and media ...
a About Facebook! Forward March! Scholars Are Falling Into Line to Maneuver Through New Territory
a News flash: Donald Trump sells Brooklyn Bridge
a The wide open world of widgets
a Gathering news not only for the next day but for now

Life and other stuff ...
a Chicago ... without us
a Granny Got Game: Wii's Move-Around Style Appeals to a New Demographic
a Expecting The Expenses: $25 Diapers, $12,000 for Day Care, And What to Do About College?
a Study finds humans still evolving, and quickly
a Study: Why Pregnant Women Don't Topple
a 6 tales of financial revenge
a The Elite Apple Corps: A Hundred Million Strong, Every One of Them Cool
a Riding the zip line at Moaning Cavern in California

Sunday rambling

Toured haunted houses on Friday night ... Worked around the house yesterday ... Stayed up late to watch the Sox-Indians game last night ... And just finished watching the Packers-Redskins game, which neither team apparently wanted to win today ...

Now I'm wondering where the weekend went again ...

* * *

Kates and I just finished eating supper. Pierogis with sausages and an array of peppers. Good stuff.

Afterward, Kates tells me “You’re on dish duty.”

“Wha?” I say. “I got a baseball game to watch.”

“Whatever. I got papers to grade. Masters papers to write. I got people calling me. I’m a busy woman.”

Whatever? I’m always on dish duty. We need a dishwasher …

* * *

I still can't stop listening to Regina Spektor ...

Here's two weeks worth of good reads that caught my eyes ...

Entertainment ...
a To Leno, it's guilty until proven innocent
a Can Lindsay save herself from Britneyville?

Music ...
a Sell your old CDs at your own risk. It won't be long before you get a yen to sing along with them again
a Sting tops Blender’s list of worst lyricists
a Are record companies still relevant?
a The folks who brought you 'American Idol' turn voters loose on bands
a Josh Ritter Eschews Politics for Heartland Rock on 'Historical Conquests'
a Kid Rock has an 8-track mind
a Radiohead, the savior of 21st century rock?
a 'Kurt Cobain About a Son' an intimate portrait of the artist

Business...
a Is Apple losing some of its shine?
a The end of the Wal-Mart era
a Newspapers, bloggers now on same page

Washington & politics ...
a Arlington National Cemetery Plans to Move Beyond Its Borders
a Hillary Chuckles; Pundits Snort
a Chill out: Stop fighting over global warming -- here's the smart way to attack it.

Baseball ...
a As Bonds and Giants Part, BALCO Limps On
a Cubs' baggage gets heavier
a Song Makes a Comeback Along With the Cubs
a GM job of no interest to Stone ... thank goodness. I got a little bit nervous this week when I read he could be the GM.
a Yanks' loss may mean end of an era
a A-Rod could solve a lot of problems
a On the Mark: A-Rod fails to shine again
a Meet the Mets: They're not what they seem
a Where does Mets' collapse rank?
a Oh baby, what's a Sox fan to do?
a Times change. To his credit, so did Bud

Life & other stuff ...
a Whatcha Doing Now? ... And Now?

Aunt Threatens To Devour Helpless Newborn's Toes

WALDEN, TN—While family members stood silently by and did nothing, visiting aunt Debbie Koeler proclaimed her desire to consume the "tiny...

Sunday reading

The week in review ...

Technology & the Internet ...
a Apple Puts Wi-Fi in iPod Touch, Revamps Other iPods
a Apple credits iPhone buyers ... What a croc. If I was Steve Jobs I would've said "Sorry, folks. That's what you get for being idiots who stand in line all ga-ga over a phone ... " People should know better ...
a Shutting down big downloaders: Comcast cuts Internet service to bandwidth hogs
a Blogger wrote the book on driving a cab in Manhattan

Politics ...
a The Magic Touch? Winfrey Lends Her Brand and Her Empire in Support of Obama's Presidential Bid
a Watergate Bares All: Hotel to Sell Everything to Prepare for Face-Lift. Will the Deals Be Scandalous?
a Presidential Politics Roil Observance of Sept. 11

Entertainment ...
a Your Anniversary? Here's To You, Mrs. Robinson.

Baseball ...
a Report: Ankiel received shipments of HGH ... Uh-oh ... Not such a Hollywood story anymore now are we, Mr. Ankiel.

Other stuff ...
a Guilty in the Duke Case
a Thrown off plane for outfit deemed too skimpy
a The Flop Heard Round the World: When the Edsel Debuted in 1957, It Became America's Most-Hyped Failure ... I gotta admit, until coming across the Ugly Cars last week, I'd never heard of the Edsel ...

Sunday reading

Some of the good reads that caught my eye over the last week ...

Tech stuff ...
a Apple expected to unveil a new iPod
a Is Facebook the New MySpace? ... I'm still finding my way on this whole Facebook stuff. And I still like MySpace better ...
a MySpace could lift ban on commerce

Entertainment ...
a Britney reportedly earns $737,868 per month
a Watch out Lindsay! Daddy’s coming to visit

Media ...
a Katie Couric to Report From Iraq, Syria
a It's back to basics for Katie Couric's newscast ... Now they're thinking over there at CBS. I didn't buy their schmaltzy "new and improved" newscast for a minute. The traditional format doesn't need tinkering. Just give me the news of the day straight up with a couple heartfelt human interest stories and that's all I need ...

Baseball ...
a Stretch run turns into a stress run for fans ... Got that right. I'm feelin' it this year.
a Charles Albert Comiskey II: 1925 - 2007
a Knocking at death's door with no answers: Amazing that '05 champs have fallen so far, so fast
a Guillen's rant is sent in the wrong direction

Other stuff ...
a Mining Our Treasures: An 1872 Law Paves the Way for a Rush of Claims in the West
a Enter the world of Sokolow
a A wave of disapproval greets Cardiff surf statue
a White House Vet Ari Fleischer, Back to Fight for The Surge in Iraq
a Out-of-body experience created in labs
a Big Mac marks big birthday
a Study Predicts More Severe U.S. Storms ... Scary

Onion reads

Apple Unveils New Product-Unveiling Product

SAN FRANCISCO—Apple claims the iLaunch can garner the same amount of press attention as a major scientific discovery, high court ruling, celebrity meltdown, or natural disaster at 200 times the speed of a traditional media-fostered launch.

'No Bunting' Rule Somehow Finds Way Into Updated MLB Rulebook

MILWAUKEE—The MLB Rules Committee announced the addition of a controversial new "no bunting" provision in the MLB rulebook Tuesday,...

Sunday reading

Some of the good reads I found from the past couple weeks ...

Sports ...
a MLB wants balls kept in temperature control ... 'bout time.
a Owner explains Bonds' new contract to fans
a Hank Bauer dead at 84
a Bears fan prepares to become Peyton Manning
a Brett Favre says he will play in 2007
a 30,000 and counting: ESPN's SportsCenter still going strong

Music & TV ...
a LPs? Hold that swan song -- Several innovative bands may be demonstrating how the rock-album concept can retain its relevancy in an ever-evolving digital world.
a Network patience (yes, it exists) pays off -- Four sophomore series -- 'Close to Home,' 'Supernatural,' 'Bones' and 'How I Met Your Mother' -- benefit from careful nurturing.
a 'Heroes' saving NBC
a The hot button of a casual embrace -- Interracial relationships abound on TV now, but they're often colorblind. How real is that?
a Josh Holloway on his bad-boy 'Lost' persona
a The 10 worst Super Bowl ads of all time
a General Motors to edit robot ad ... Seriously?
a Where a lack of talent is its own reward
a 'American Idol': Point/Counterpoint
a Web site builds links to music connection
a Music Preview: Symphony celebrates Gibson, Robinson, Aaron
a Apple Revs Up Ad Attacks on PCs, Vista

Politics ...
a Putting 9/11 into perspective
a Many young Bostonians think city overreacted
a Obama's kickoff is steeped in symbolism

Everything else ...
a Intrepid armchair explorers -- Paper maps are a cartographer's view of the world, whereas digital versions in Google Earth, Google Maps and Microsoft's Live Search Maps are sophisticated collages -- moments captured by satellite and airplane cameras and blended to create a digital world that's irresistible to armchair explorers ...
a What Drew Us to Anna Nicole?
a How Smith's death hit Page 1

iPod dreamin'

So close …

As Kates was coming to wake me up this morning I was in the middle of a vivid dream involving Joel agreeing to buy me an iPod if I washed his car. Kates woke me up just as I was sitting down in front of a computer -- I think it was an iMac -- and showing Joel exactly what type of an iPod I wanted …

And then I woke up. … and groaned in disgust that my dream was over …

The dream (and the obsession) continues …

* * *

I rediscovered Fiona Apple this summer … I’d acquired her Tidal CD several years ago and it fell to the bottom of my CD stack after only a few listens until I pulled it out this summer in one of those crazy-cool moods when you long to hear anything but the packaged pop crap that gets played over and over and over and over on the radio … The decision had me listening to ‘Tidal’ this summer about as much as I listened to ’Songs for Silverman.’ = A LOT. …And during one play I said to Kates, ’Whatever happened to Fiona Apple?’ … It was like a week later that I learned about the illustrious ’freefiona’ campaign and her soon-to-be released and long-awaited new album …

Today, one of my cohorts lays the latest edition of ‘Entertainment Weekly’ on my desk and, lo and behold, there’s Fiona on the cover with Sheryl Crow. Awww yeah. … I immediately read the cover story and enjoyed every word. She’s an amazing talent, in my opinion, who’s simply misunderstood -- and under a lot of pressure. I think it’s cool that she took so much time off and I hope she continues to record her songs her way …

-

10.06.05 UPDATE: Fiona Apple's long, tortured trip to musical happiness

* * *

Ok. ‘Lost’ last night -- the best part was like the last 20 seconds when we actually got to see ’the others.’ … Sure, it was cool to see all the stuff that wasn’t shown in last week’s episode (a la Kate being tied up and crawling through the heat duct while Locke negotiates with the crazy man and before Jack even enters the hatch’). But seriously, spending half the show with Michael and Sawyer arguing on the raft about whose fault it was that they shot off the flair, lost their boat and Walt was kidnapped was a little much …

… the 'Will & Grace' live premiere? Awesome … I was amazed and impressed with how well the cast kept their focus in front of the live audience -- although Debra Messing did break into a giggle fit a couple times including one bit with Sean Hayes that deserved a good laugh. Plus the show played up a couple gimmicks and political jokes for the live audience …

Grace: "I'm just going to close my eyes and do what I want. Ha! I'm George Bush!"

* * *

The White Sox clinched today …. Yay. They’re the hometown team, but geez, it would’ve been pretty sweet to see the Indians come back and put ‘em away ….

I guess Ozzie finally got his guys motivated: “Most of these guys have never been in this situation, but I have, and I have to lead them. You might want to go to your room, call your mom and cry, but when you come to the ballpark and put on the uniform, you have to be a man. I have 30 men to lead.”

I still hate the White Sox broadcaster's homerun call with a passion ...You can put it on the board -- blah!

Here's a couple good Sox stories...

a 3 nights in September

a The White Sox, baseball's other historically pathetic team

a Falling White Sox can't win for losing

* * *

Four people were found dead today in a suburban Chicago subdivision where Kates student taught …

CRA-zy!

* * *

By the way, no burnt popcorn tonight … woo hoo!