Shouting Grounds

Hi guys! I know this probably isn’t your bag, but I’m asking you to please vote for Brian and I in the David’s Bridal contest linked below. We could potentially win $5,000 in products to help with the wedding next year. You can vote once a day, if you’re really ambitious and care about your friends, the bride and groom
Thanks for considering,

“Peachy”

VOTE FOR BRIAN AND I!

Well…Friday I waited in line for over 2 hours to finally give ‘ol Steve some of my hard-earned dosh. I’ve bought Apple products before, but unless I’ve given them as gifts, never kept the fucking thing. This is the first Apple product that I bought for MJS exclusively… I’ll recount the experience before I weigh in on my first 72 hours with the product.

The cats in Cupertino decreed that the new 3G iPhone could only be bought in Apple and AT&T stores starting at 8a on Friday. Guaranteed lines of zealots at the Apple stores…prompting me to think that I’d be safe arriving an hour early to an AT&T store mere miles from an Apple store. Not so much. At 7a there were 35 people in front of me…and every single fuck around me had an EDGE iPhone. I’m not exaggerating. Every goddamn person had a 1-year old, perfect-working-condition iPhone.

Now…I’m moving up from a Samsung a900 on Sprint, so the iPhone is whole milk to me. But I’ve spent some time with the EDGE iPhone and don’t find it to be incredibly handicapped compared to the 3G. The web access is faster, but all iPhones will get the 2.0 software…so we’ll be on a nearly-level playing field from what I can see. The most obvious advantage being that my phone was “only” $199, whereas the earliest adopters got horn-fucked last year.

Back to the lines. AT&T had deployed some Zealot Wranglers to keep the natives in czech, trained in the fine art of counter-intel. The agent for our portion of line was particularly vicious…claiming illogically that she was incapable of counting how many iPhones were available for purchase and beckoning everyone to eschew their jobs and stay in line no matter what happened. Luckily I was able to forward the trouble phone to my cell and remain away from the office until I had blown my wad…others were not so lucky. Two seething and sweaty IT pro’s in line behind me couldn’t handle the pressure and rolled out of the firing line mere minutes before I secured my prize.

With regards to the process, Apple screwed the pooch in my opinion. Last year some anti-zealots hacked their phones and whatever…so this year’s plan was to activate at the store on purchase. That plan will probably be fine after a few weeks…no so much on Friday. The entire central time zone was struggling to activate through iTunes starting at 8a. Case in point, it took the first guy in line over 30 minutes to reemerge with his activated phone. Luckily for us, the AT&T order-takers quickly decided to dump the activate procedure and I got my phone activation-free. And thus the activation process took about 3 minutes later on in the day.

So…you’re saying “MJS, how’s the fuckin phone?”

Pretty goddamn swell. I tried to give it a well rounded rinse over the weekend: making some long-distance calls, listening to a podcast (thousand cuts, y’all), watching a trailer, downloading some free apps from the new apps store, using google maps to find a Panera Bread, etc. Good shit. About half of my interweb browsing was done via my home wifi, but I was most impressed by how quickly the phone hopped from wifi to 3G to Edge when the signal strength demanded it. Definitely some quality there.

I’m impressed so far, and I’m certainly finding every reason to use the thing. However, I vow not to become the asshat zealot that will whip out the phone to counter a pilot when he claims our plane is delayed due to weather. Fuck him.

Video tutorial: unlock iphone

By running Apple Software Update you should see iTunes version 7.7 now available for download.  Even though the App Store doesn’t seem to have a direct link on the iTunes storefront.  A simple search for Super Monkey Ball will let you get to the App Store tab. 

With this single move you can download and purchase a shit tonne of goddamn applications.  Free apps include (finally) AIM, Facebook App, MySpace Mobile App, eBay App, IGN Game reviews, NetNewsWire, Evernote, and all sorts of little games and productivity applications. 

Pay software includes, Bejeweled, Super Monkey Ball, OmniFocus, Band, and christ there’s too much to name.  Seriously, tomorrow is going to kick all forms of ass when the 2.0 software is avaiable.

Or you could just download the 2.0 iPhone update yourself, right now.

Of couse, I can’t guarantee that that update will work properly, and it is known that updating your iPhone or iPod touch with 2.0 software will wipe the phone and attempt to restore from a backup created just before the wipe.  The backup checks what is available and authorized in your iTunes library for the restore so make sure (if you do this) to update using your main iTunes library.

This program is an example of why the App store and iPhone combo is going to be awesome.

Tags: iPhone, iPod, iPod touch, iTunes, Apple, App Store, iPhone 2.0

The update includes the much sought-after in-game XMB (so you can play custom music from your library and interact with the XMB without quiting your game) and trophy support.  Of course these features have been available on the xbox360 since launch, but it’s nice to have these options on the PS3, knowing how it adds to the palyability and entertainment of the console. 

Tags: ps3, firmware 2.40, XMB

I just saw this on CNN. We’ve lost a true visionary. Though the man, the material has died, the ideas and humor live on.

Amen, brother

And while we’re at it, Magic will like this and this.
and all will love this.

Have a blessed day.

Who the fuck is bumping our “fisting” search status? These stats are for the month of June. Summer’s in the air.

UPDATE

Another stat listing…also discouraging

yay! It’s been a long time since I posted, so I figured this would be a good post to get back on the wagon with.

It was pretty badass to run through the Soldier Field concourse and through the actual gate that the Bears use on gameday, onto the grass and out to the 50.The adrenaline rush was unparalleled.

And with that, I’m buttoning up my distance running for the summer. I still plan to run for fitness and such, but no more training for long distance this year. Gonna focus on other things.

again…yay!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

I’ve updated WordPress from 2.3 to 2.4 and I’m testing it out. If you all could take a look around the new interface at your leisure and see if there are any problems with the new setup I’d be must obliged. the post editor seems a lot more robust. And specifically there are add media button right above the post window that seem pretty handy.

Full post ahead!

chessarms-video

*tap tap tap*
(feedback)
“is this thing on???”

*cough*
HELLO!!! We’re ENGAGEEDDD!!!!

Sorry just had to scream. I know he’s already told you.

By the way, I love all of you dearly. Truly. And I can’t wait until the three (four if Dang is out there) of you can share the special day with us.

*mwah*