The High Touch of the HP TouchPad

Just placed my order for the HP TouchPad.

While the “I’m interested” was handled online & confirmed via email, the reserve and subsequent order were both handled over the phone. The reps on the other end were very courteous and comfortable, and non-pushy. They even reminded me of their 21 day return policy.

An experience that made me think HP is really committed to the success of the TouchPad and the experience of it’s early adopters.

I’m excited for this devices, primarily because the WebOS operating system seems much more like how I expect the UI on these devices to work. Rather than this hunt-and-peck application selection model of iOS and Android devices. To Android’s credit, I have been able to fake an ambient information display and get the screen icons much more granular than iOS supports.

Lastly, I think Apple’s decision to de-emphasize the Dashboard/Widget model betrays their inability to innovate on the software side.

Not Like I Actually Collect Viruses

It’s Friday and I’m about 95% of normal.

For the second time this year – I collected a strange virus. I found this one Monday afternoon. It’s similar to the flu in that it takes you out for days on end. Though, unlike the flu – there was no fever. And I caught it in June, not January.

Here’s how to identify it on the street:

  • a constant, massive, throbbing, unthinkable, headache for 4-days straight
  • just enough nausea to make you not trust eating
  • chills and heat flashes cycle through a couple of times a day
  • whole body aches for the first 2 days
  • swollen glands and a scratchy throat the 2nd 2 days

I treated it with 10-15 hours of sleep a night and a few doses of regular-strength acetaminophen.

It was unpleasant, unexpected, disorienting, and nameless. I hope we never meet again.

“The term for what I did is opt-out.”

Back in May, I wrote Turn On, Tune In, Opt Out. I’m increasingly confident that it’s the next big trend in technology.

For the past 7 years, my bellwether for innovative, compelling, new technologies has been Dave Winer. Even before Google+ has been opened up to the general Google public – he’s taken a look and said, no thanks.

“I wish they didn’t use words like ‘downgrade’ and ‘deleted in the opt-out process. That’s so super-dramatic, self-important and one-sided. And makes me want to not try it again, even if you make some of the changes I’d like to see. I don’t see it as a downgrade, I see it as restoring sanity. And I didn’t delete anything because I never created anything in your stupid social network. Lighten up. The term for what I did is opt-out. That’s what you should call it.” – Dave Winer

DuckDuckGo is looking more attractive every day.

No Map Between Us

I always been a fan of Tim Coyne’s ‘Unkempt’ series. Tim’s delivery and storytelling is honest, vulnerable, and funny. And, most of all, I can relate to his overarching theme: the challenges of maintaining long term relationships despite a parents’ divorce fucking it up from the start.

Tim’s drive to run away from the problems of a post-divorce home in Mirage map frighteningly close to the me of 15 years ago.

The latest Unkempt concludes with this line:

“I want my dad to know me….it shouldn’t be too hard. I’m him, if he had chosen the dream.” – Tim Coyne

It’s only been in the past 6 years that my dad and I have started to reconnect. It’s still hard, and we both can say, ‘yes, this is hard, let’s keep going’.

If memory and math serve me, when my Dad was my age, he decided to build a house for his family.

By hand.

In the woods.

Where even today, there still isn’t a paved road.

And that’s where my memory starts.