Seedy…

Blech! It’s so hot out. You know it’s bad when you start choosing your route home based on where there’s shade.

You know what I love? Trader Joe’s. That store is so sweet. I’ve only been there three times in my life, but I’ve been eating their food longer than that (thanks, Mom). I just feel so much better shopping there with all their natural and organic foods. Hmmm…hippie-riffic. It’s a bit more expensive of course and they don’t have a store near me, but when I go, it’s a treat.

I made one find that I was especially excited about. You see there’s a Trader Joe’s right across the street from where I was staying in Chicago and I found something awesome in my friend’s cupboard: Hemp Plus Granola organic cereal. How sweet is that? I had to go buy myself a box to bring home. It’s very tasty. I also picked up a little flaxseed meal. Goes great in oatmeal or yogurt. I put some on my cereal in the mornings now too. My friend Marla introduced me to flaxseed. It’s extrordinarily good for you and has a nice nutty flavor. Ya know, being a hippie isn’t so bad. I even picked up some veggie sausage for breakfast (by accident) and defiantely enjoyed that (although Chad was less thrilled).
Everyone stay cool and drink lots of water. I’m off for a little barbeque action.

iPods Built ‘Till Asked Fore Yours

::Post written on Saturday evening 7/29/06::
Well, I’m back on the rail. The Muse concert was sweet. They’re a very energetic band and a lot of their new stuff is really good. The album is called Black Holes and Revelations. I haven’t embraced it like I did with Absolution, but it’s worth checking out. I’m bringing the album home with me so I may have more thoughts after I get to know the lyrics and music a little better.

Several days ago I caught an article on Digg with the headline “iPods Built to Last Four Years.” I thought it was a little strange to put such a specific cap on that sort of thing. Electronics don’t last forever, but who would build them to last exactly four years? (and admit that to the public) So I got a big kick this weekend when I glanced at my screen and caught another headline: “iPods Built to Last For Years, not ‘Four Years.’” Stupid homonyms.

A lot of problems with Apple products get blown out of proportion because of a few complaints being circulated and getting a lot of attention, but iPods and computers are complex electronic devices and as such are prone to a certain amount of failure. So here are some thoughts about what to do in case you ever come across a sad Mac.

1. Think about the sheer number of people who own Apple products. Most of them aren’t complaining. Check online to see if a lot of people are having the same issue and if it might be user error. There is probably a fairly easy way to get your problem fixed or your product replaced so save yourself some stress and do a little research.

2. If you have a problem with your iPod or computer or anything else, call Apple. Their customer support is very well rated. Even so, it can sometimes take some assertiveness to get your problem taken care of (especially if it’s not one that Apple trains their employees to handle) so…be assertive.

3. Buy AppleCare. Especially for laptops and iPods. It’s so worth it.

It’s easy to get frustrated when you plunk down a few hundred dollars and get a shiny white paper weight in the mail, but keep your cool and review your options – you might be facing a very simple solution. Plus customer support folk tend to be much more agreeable when customers show them calm and understanding.

The Forever Train

Coming to you live from a borrowed G4 iBook on the Amtrak headed toward Chicago. Well…I guess this post isn’t live since I don’t have a wireless card and I doubt the train has wireless access even if I did. Wouldn’t that be something? Wireless internet on a train. Has anyone come across such a thing? Ok, so…

Revolutionary Error is recorded in front of a live studio audience.

And we’re back. I could be using the train ride to get some work done, but this seems like a more worthwhile endeavor at this point.

So Chicago. I’m on my way to see my pal Chad and go to a Muse concert. Chad got me into Muse last year and we ended up going to their Chicago gig last year. It was a blast – lots of energy. Then they were promoting Absolution which is a great album; one that I recommend. Now I guess they have a new one out. I’ll have to spend some time listening to it at Chad’s. I’ll let you know how it is.

If you want another solid music recommendation, check out “The Sunlandic Twins” by Of Montreal. I’ve been very impressed with Of Montreal in the last few months. They have catchy beats, bizarre ballads, and smart lyrics. The music is dense and layered and creative. I honestly can’t decide on a favorite from the album so here are a few tracks to check out:

• Oslo in the Summertime – a bit more brooding but this one is probably my favorite
• Forecast Fascist Future – One of the happiest bleak songs I’ve hear
• I Was Never Young – Catchy, pop, complex, und now is ze time un sprockets vhen ve danc!
• The Party’s Crashing Us

And if you want one of those weird, trippy ballads, definitely check out “Death of a Shade of a Hue.”

Of Montreal has this great way of producing tonal iron – that is, the tone of the song contrasts the lyrics. Tonal irony probably isn’t a real thing, but no matter.

Working on this laptop has really motivated me to practice my keyboard shortcuts and find a few new ones. I’m not a huge fan of track pads and the iBook and MacBook only have USB ports on the left-hand side. I guess the lefties have to have their day too. Actually…do any of you lefties use your left hand for the mouse? I don’t know that I’ve ever actually seen anyone do this. Anyhoo, there’s no room to use a mouse and I don’t have one… You know, I like to leave the most important details for last…

Moving on – My favorite keyboard shortcuts:

• cmd tab – This switches which program is on top and if you hold down cmd you’ll see icons for all the programs you’re running (except invisible ones) and you’ll be able to choose which one to switch to by repeatedly pressing tab or clicking the mouse.
• cmd ` – (I don’t know what that key is called, but it’s the one with the tilde on top) This switches windows within an application. Sweet.
• F1 – F13 – I’ve got F keys setup to control iTunes regardless of what program is on top (play/pause, forward, backward, volume, rate songs), I’ve got some set to control Dashboard and Exposé, and some to control brightness. Very handy, let me tell you.
• Launchers – My favorite launcher right now is QuickSilver which I can call up with ctrl space. Type a few letters and hit enter to open applications, websites, you name it.
• Spotlight – I actually like spotlight better for finding files and folders. So this one gets the default cmd space.
• option cmd left/right – this switches browser tabs and some combination of these will usually help you move about in other programs and menus.

Well, that’s about all for now, time to give the lappy a rest. Everyone enjoy the reset of their week and stay shiny.

~Typo

Sidenote

More fun things.  I requested a book through a library that’s connected to my school and was able to finally pick it up today.  The Cult of Mac.  Sweet.

Patent Pending

Coming to you from a 1Ghz eMac.

I’m home in Aurora again for the long weekend. I’ve had lots on my mind and lots on my plate. Something has had me pretty stressed out this weekend. I’m not totally sure what, but I just got back from sharing a pitcher with my buddy Jeff and I’m feeling much more relaxed after a chill night and some good conversation. It was a much needed time to chill and catch up. The weekend has been very different from what I had envisioned, but I think some good has come out of it.

Disc golf has become a staple of home visits recently. I’ve been having a blast doing that. I’ve gone multiple times per weekend the last few times I’ve been back in Aurora. My brother’s letting me borrow a few discs too, so watch out Chambana-folk. I should give a shout out too: My brother just aced a hole today playing disc golf. It was sweet to watch that disc just glide into the basket.

More exciting news, I recieved a new book in the mail today. Apple Training Series: Desktop and Portable Systems. It was a gift from my parents to help me along on my new goal: Apple Certification. Yes, pretty soon I may be qualified to take apart your laptop. Well…I’d be able to anyway. I’m pretty excited about this. I’m already looking for computers to practice on, so if you’ve got an old Mac that I could toy with, let me at it!

Well that’s all for today. Have a good 4th.

PS – Happy Birthday, Heather!