Walt's Corner

I’m back. Not that anyone was really looking for me in the first place. More of personal endeavor. Facebook and twitter are ok for random bits and pictures, but I was really missing my corner. Some place to write at length about my thoughts. My binary diary of sorts.

I don’t really use a computer anymore. This iPad has more computing power than the last computer I was using and has met my meager computing needs for many years now. At some point, I just didn’t care enough anymore to keep my blog and MySQL database up to date resulting in the inability of WordPress to display my website. I fixed that this morning and I’m getting back in the game of writing.

So much has happened in the last 11 years since I touched Walt’s Corner. Traveling these states in our Lance. The passing of my father and father-in-law. Promotion at work. Getting closer to my real retirement date. COVID.

Lots to catch up on. So here’s my test of making sure Walt’s Corner is back up and running. Wherever that may lead.

This began as a story about being addicted to smartphones but ended up being about notifications in iOS 5 instead. A recent article from CNN claims that we are addicted to our smartphones and launches a list of reasons and symptoms to support his claim, and finally gives a solution – lock your devices up in another room when you go to bed.

Seriously, if you are losing out on sleep because of a temptation to “check your devices,” I suppose you really do have addiction issues and probably should remove that temptation. Not being someone who is addicted probably makes me more cynical and critical of those who are.

I value my sleep and refuse to let any of my devices interfere with my slumber time. My devices are there to serve me, I’m not a slave to them. Both my iPad and iPhone are on my nightstand all night. The iPad ends up resting there because I read before going to bed. A simple flip of my mute switch ensures the device won’t be interrupting my rest. The iPhone stays next to me for two reasons. First, I listen to the pzizz sleep app to put me into my deep sleep. Second, my iPhone is my alarm.

The only complaint I have about the new iOS 5 is the way notification settings are implemented. In the previous iteration of notifications, I was able to turn off all notifications with one simple swipe in the settings. In fact, I could even specify a period of time that notifications were not to bother me at all. I had all notifications disabled between the hours of 10PM and 7:30AM. This worked for all seven days of the week for me. All I had to do to keep the iPhone quiet through the night was to disable the cellular radio. Notifications made sure I wasn’t bothered by any apps, and Airplane Mode guaranteed I wouldn’t be bothered by any drunk calling or texting to the wrong number, which inevitably would always seem to lead directly to my number.

In iOS 5, however, the notifications have to be enabled/disabled individually for each application, making my job silencing the iPhone for the night a bit more complicated. Yes, I could simply put the iPhone into Airplane Mode, but that would defeat my iCloud backup that now occurs when wifi is enabled, plugged into power, and asleep – during the same time that I’m asleep. But this is exactly what I do throughout the work week because it’s the most simple solution – put it in Airplane Mode and I’m never bothered. On Saturday I’ll risk being awakened in order for my backup to go through. After all, I can sleep all day if I wanted to that day.

But I digress. This was supposed to be about moving these devices out of our rooms at night so that we wouldn’t be bothered by them. As the final couple sentences of this article implies, get rid of these distractions. “You sleep better.”

Everyone seems to be weighing in with their thoughts on the iPhone event next week. There’s going to be an iPhone 5. There will be a new iPhone 4. OMG! A dirt cheap iPhone 4, called the iPhone 4s!

This should come as no real surprise to us. Yes, there will probably be an all new and improved iPhone dubbed the iPhone 5. I think too much time has passed for there to be simply an incremental update like there was between the iPhone 3G and 3Gs. I could very well be wrong, but that’s what I think. New features? The obvious are faster processors, better cameras, and possibly a slightly different form factor. Other improvements/features have already been revealed to us in the iOS 5 announcement, and I’m sure there will be a few surprises about iOS 5 that we haven’t heard of yet.

The news that motivated me to pen this post is the shock and awe that seems to stem from a cheaper iPhone 4. Duh. Of course there will be a dirt cheap iPhone 4. Every year when Apple announces the new iPhone, guess what inevitably follows? That’s right, last year’s new model then becomes this year’s cheap model. There should be no real surprise there.

That brings me to the supposed iPhone 4s. The iPhone 4 has been out for well over a year now. There is even a newer version of the iPhone 4 for Verizon. That version of the iPhone has some improvements worked into it, such as an improved antenna layout. It would make sense for Apple to redesign the iPhone 4 in order to streamline and economize production for sales to multiple carries. Not to mention the fact that because this iPhone has been out for so long, I’m sure Apple has determined other cost or performance improvements that could be worked into the current iPhone 4 design. And it wouldn’t surprise me if Apple titled this phone the iPhone 4s, the normal progression of the less expensive model iPhone.

That leaves me with the final shock of more memory configuration. Again, no big deal there. The iPad and iPod touch is available in up to 3 different RAM configurations that the market seems to support. Would it be a surprise if Apple tried the same thing with the iPhone? Not to me.

By next Tuesday afternoon all questions will be answered, and my next iPhone will be chosen.

This is a tongue-in-cheek post, but still portrays my thoughts. I did my yearly Ash Wednesday duty and received the ashes. But as always, I leave feeling just a little bit dirty. Not because of having ashes on my forehead, although that should qualify, but because it appears we are doing the exact opposite of the point that our Gospel reading was trying to get across.

Yesterday’s reading is brought to us by the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 6. Of particular interest is the part on fasting.

“16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” ”

What do we do immediately following this reading? Put ashes on our faces, get told to fast for Ash Wednesday and Good Friday and not to eat of beast or fowl on Fridays during Lent. Now didn’t Jesus just finish telling us to wash our faces before we go out so that people don’t know we are fasting and praying? Seems kind of ironic to me.

I understand the meaning of the ashes. They remind us that we are all sinners and will eventually die, but isn’t there a better way to remind ourselves that we are of dust, and to dust we shall return? Like maybe put it someplace on us where WE WILL SEE IT? Putting ashes on my forehead does nothing to remind me. I don’t even see it. But everyone else can. And maybe that’s the point, I don’t know. Maybe we are assuming that there will be so many people that will carry this mark that I will be reminded of it, and I am also part of the collective that is reminding others. Either way, it still seems to contradict the point of Gospel reading.

It seems that some parishes get this too, because someone else I know says their priest puts the ashes on top of their head, where it’s not really visible at all.

Oh, look at me. I’m wearing ashes. I’m fasting and praying because it’s Ash Wednesday.

Guess I already have my reward.

I won’t be jumping to the new iPad 2. That’s not an indication to a lack of features, but a testament to the perfection Apple achieved in the release of their original iPad. I pre-ordered the 64GB 3G model when it was first released and that workhorse is still chugging away perfectly. So perfect in fact, that I am not compelled in the least bit to order the iPad 2.

When Apple released the iPhone 3G I so wanted to get one because it gained features that I desperately wanted. But I was held back because of the 2 year contract I incurred with AT&T. Because of that 2 year contract I am forced to leapfrog generations of iPhones. That is not the case with the iPad. Nothing is keeping me from buying the next generation except how well the first generation is performing.

The iPad 2 gains dual cameras, lighter weight, thinner form and a faster processor. I have no need to use a camera, although admittedly I’m sure I would use it occasionally for video conferencing if I were to find myself with that capability, but i also know that when I buy my new iphone this year, ill gain that option anyway. The lighter weight and form factor and faster processor aren’t enough to sway me to throw down another $900+. The memory sizes have not changed and I still find myself at the high end version of memory.

So I’ll just wait until the 3rd iteration of the iPad comes around and see if that adds any features that might sway me. Again, that just testifies to the perfection of the original iPad. If someone hasn’t bought the original version yet then this proves to be an even greater value.