Dinner Tonight

I'm making homemade lasagna for dinner tonight. It's a fairly difficult thing to make ordinarily but the baby has been sick all day. He keeps throwing up just about everything he eats. The poor little guy is acting like himself playing and laughing. It s so sad and hard to watch. The only thing you can do in cases like this is make sure they stay hydrated and wait it out.  I'm hoping its a 24 hour bug that will pass soon since its been about that long already. The Lasagna is a little different than I've made in the past. I usually make it with browned Italian Sausage. This time I'm using frozen precooked meatballs. I cut them up in order to add them into the layers of Lasagna. We've had these meatballs before on sandwiches and spagetti so I know they're good but this is a little different. One nice thing about making Lassgna is the fact that you can make it at noon, throw it in the refrigerator and then bake it 1 hour before its time to eat. I still have to make the garlic toast but that's child's play, which I'm sure I'll burn now that I said that. I also got 3 loads of laundry washed, dried and folded today so it has been a fairly productive day which is good because tomorrow is Monday for me and the beginning of another exciting work week.

Fireworks last Night

Last night we went with my in laws and my sister in law to watch fireworks with our 2 boys. The 4 year old loved the show and has been talking about it all day. He told us last night that he would be careful when we got home because he was going to light his own fireworks. He's at that age where just about everything he says is hilarious. Our 18 month old wasn't nearly as thrilled with the fireworks, I think the noise was to much for him. He didn't cry but he definitly wasn't enjoying it. I'm very tired today because I stayed up pretty late to watch the fireworks but it was worth it to see the amazed look on my son's face.

Fun in the Sun

It's been a fun weekend the last 3 days in Phoenix. Yesterday was 118 degrees and felt hotter. Today was only 108 but the humidity shot way up so it was miserable. Tomorrow we will hopefully get to enjoy some fireworks and time with family in celebration of the United States' 235th birthday. I have a sad feeling that if the Founding Fathers were around today the would be delighted and apalled at many aspects of modern America. The horror of a huge and overreaching government and a victim mentality among the citizenry would most likely sadden them. At the same time the shining beacon that this country has become to much of the world as well as the continuation of the Republic they established would probably delight the likes of Jefferson, Adams and Hamilton. Happy Birthday America, and France sucks; that is all.

Vacation

I just got back from a nice relaxing vacation with my wife in San Diego. My awesome mother in law kept our two boys so we were on our own. This trip was for our 10th anniversary o we planned quite a while ago. We drove in on Sunday afternoon. We checked into the hotel and then went to the beach. After the beach we went and had a nice relaxing dinner and then back to the room. On Monday we went to the San Diego Zoo, a ferry ride around San Diego Harbor and a tour of the USS Midway a retired aircraft carrier. We then went to downtown San Diego where we walked around had a nice Italian meal with a good bottle of pale Ale to wash it down. To be Continued...............

The iPad 2

     Apple held a little event today in San Fransisco where they announced a little thing called the iPad 2. It's largely a feature update of the original iPad. A dual core processor along with dual cameras were the big improvements announced.  The battery life, screen and storage all stayed the same. One of the best parts is the price point which stayed the same with the lowest tier starting at $499. They also dropped the price of current models by $100 as well. You can now order a refurbished wifi only 16 gig for $349 with free shipping. That's a help of a bargain. I believe if you have a first generation iPad its not worth spending the money to upgrade but if you don't and have any interest in a tablet the iPad 2 represents the best value for your money today.

7 inch tablet vs 10 inch tablet

      I recently got my wife a first generation iPad for her birthday.  She seems to really like it. This also provided me with my first oppertunity to spend some real quality time with the iPad. My opinionson the device itself include, ips really is simple to use and the number of apps available is astonishing.
     Im really interested in discussing the form factor of the device. The 10 inch form factor of the ipad really makes web browsing and watching videos a real pleasure. Typing on the device I find a but akward given its not big enough for two handed keyboard typing but its to big for convenient thumb typing. Gameplay. On the iPad is also alot of fun. The weight of the iPad can be a bit much after holding it for a while and you end up looking for a place to prop it up. All told the iPad is nice to use as a tablet but a little akward to deal with as something you hold.
     The other tablet in our house is a rooted Nook Color. This is an Android device that is significantly different from the iPad in terms of operating system. I like Android better than ios personally.  I like the coustomization options available and the hacking possibilities Android offers. The number and quality of apps available in the Android Market isn't quite up to the level of the Apple App store, but that gap is closing every day. The whole Android vs ios debate is a matter of opinion and otherwise just a useless need war.
     The other big difference between the Nook Color and the iPad is the physical size. The Nook Color is about half the size if the iPad. Its still about 2/3 the weight. I have to say for me the smaller size makes it easier to use and hold. Typing is easier as well since thumb typing in portrait mode is very nice,  not much different than a smartphone. Now its not all roses with the smaller size since many things you want to use a tablet for are more enjoyable on a bigger screen. Particularly web browsing and video watching are just better on a bigger screen. Gaming I call a draw because im not a big gamer and haven't spent enough time on each to declare a winner.
      The small vs big debate in the tabplet wars is just starting and it certainly wont be decided anytime soon.  You really have to consider what you'll use a tablet for and where. If you mostly want to browse the web and watch youtube while sitting on your couch then definitely get the ten inch tablet. If you want a more portable device that can slip in the pocket then get the seven inch. One is mire comfortable to use and the other is more comfortable to hold.

My review of Android Podcasts.

Android Central Podcast on Thursday Nights at 9 pm central.
     This show is hosted by Phil Nickinson whose also the Editor of Android Central. He's joined by Jerry Hildenbrand, Micky Paplon and Corey Streater. I have to be honest and say that this is by far my favorite Android Podcast. These four gentleman have a great interaction with each other.  They each have some specialized knowledge from Jerry's Linux background to Micky knowing everything about the way the cell systems actually work. Phil was a newspaper journalist before becoming a blogger and it shows in the way he reports stories and his Editorial policies for the site. The Android Central Podcast is in my opinion the most professional one of tjem all. If you are only going to listen to one Android Podcast thisould be my recommendation. 4.5/5

Android Guys Monday Night Podcast
     This is the longest running Android Podcast and its not a bad one in my opinion. The host Scott Webster also writes for Cnet and runs the Android Guys site. The panel discusses many of the most relevent Android stories of the week and for the most part they do it fairly well. The sound quality unfortunately suffers greatly on this show from week to week. Scott sometimes seems like be has a hard time keeping the show on focus and to the point but some of his cohorts are very knowledgeable.  The Android guys Monday night podcast is like a slightly less polished version of the Android Central Podcast and worth a listen. 3.73/5

Android Guys Thursday Nights.
     AGTN as they call themselves is the Android Podcast for those interested in getting the most of their device. This show is hosted by Ray and is really interesting to those interested in rooting and hacking their phone. It's a bit more amateur than Android Central and the Monday night show but still a good listen. They have interviews with app developers that are pretty good and give you a good insight to what a developer goes through and what they are working on. 3/5

Cnet Android Atlas Weekly
     The sound quality in this show is the best of them all. You can tell when listening that this is done in a studio not a home Skype job. That being said in my opinion its the most boring of them all. The hosts don't even come accross as fans of Android. Its important to be enthusiastic about your subject in a podcast like this that is targeted towards fans. I listen to Android Atlas weekly sometimes but only if I don't have any other tech podcasts in my que. 2.5/5