From Razr to IPhone 4 - Welcome to the 21st Century!

Recently, I made the move into the 21st century by purchasing an IPhone 4. This is the first smartphone I've ever owned (last 2 phones were Motorola Razrs), and it would be tough to ever go back.

Much has been made of the poor quality of the AT&T network. However, here in Minnesota, the network performs quite well. Call quality has been good, though I have dropped a few calls. This seems to happen in one place on my way home from work, where there's clearly some sort of gap in the network. Since I got the free case from Apple, I haven't dropped as many calls.

The fact that this thing is a PHONE, however, is almost an afterthought. Here are a few of my favorite features:

1. Voice Dialing - hold down the home button, then say "dial John's mobile" and the phone will make the call automatically. It usually does a very good job of recognizing my voice, and works well with my bluetooth earpiece to make for a hands free experience that is pleasant and safe.
2. Display - the Retina display is really impressive. Bright and easy to read even outdoors.
3. Performance - the device is responsive and quick, without the hesitation often seen in other devices (i.e. Pocket PC). Movies on the IPhone 4 are truly amazing - no stuttering at all.
4. IPod software - Having been a dedicated Ipod Touch user, I'm very pleased with the Ipod functionality in the IPhone 4. I love listening to podcasts, and really like the fact that, when listening to my earphones, I can take a call by clicking on the earphone remote, have the call, and when I hang up, the podcast resumes from the same spot.
5. Camera - still photos and 720p High Definition video.
6. Apps - truly amazing. There are now nearly 300,000 apps in the Apple App Store. I'll say more about these in my next post (which will come soon - promise!).

While there are many great things about the IPhone 4, there's one thing that is truly bad: the included earbuds - for a company with the reputation for quality that Apple has, it is inconceivable that they include such TERRIBLE earbuds with their product. I've exchanged several earbuds from Apple because they break almost immediately. Truly CRAPPY products!

Overall, however, my experience with the IPhone 4 has been fantastic. I strongly recommend this product for anyone interested in getting into the smartphone world.

Next time, I'll give information on some of my favorite IPhone applications.

Slumdog Millionaire - Big Winner

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a big movie fan. I go to movies every other week, and am a consistent Netflix user, watching several films a week.

The reason I go to movies is really about hope. Most movies I see are mediocre at best. I keep going/renting, however, because I HOPE that, every once in a while, I'll see one that truly impacts me in some way. I want it to transport me to another time and place. I want to see heroes that deserve my admiration and support as they make their way through the plot. Speaking of plots, I want one that keeps me intrigued but that is not ridiculous, one that keeps me guessing but doesn't bewilder me until I'm convinced I'm the densest person in the theater. I want a sound track that supports the movie, but doesn't either send me into a coma or make me wish "music" had never been invented. Finally, I want to come away MOVED in some way. I don't always have to be giddy or thirilled. I'm equally moved by films that frighten me (like the really good "Descent"), sadden me ("Sophie's Choice"), stir my imagination (the incomparable "Lord of the Rings" trilogy), inspire me (check out the great "Dirty Pretty Things"), startle me ("Aliens"), or just make me feel SOMETHING, even if I can't explain it ("The Green Mile").

Given that introduction, I'd have to say that Slumdog Millionaire is a great movie. In fact, I'd say it's one of the top ten movies I've ever seen. I was transported, terrified, devastated, thrilled, inspired - in short, I was truly entertained. If you don't see another movie this year, you've got to see this one.

The movie is really well written. The acting is great, especially from the kids. The setting is amazing. Even the soundtrack is fantastic.

The movie follows the lives of three orphans in India into young adulthood. The things experienced by the "three musketeers", as they call themselves, are at times humorous, and at times sobering. Ultimately this story is about evil, goodness, and the power of love. Stop reading this blog and go see this movie.

The Kite Runner

This week, I watched a great movie through my Netflix subscription. The Kite Runner is one of the best DVD's I've rented in a while. Set in Afghanistan, the movie follows the lives of 2 young boys who are childhood friends. One is a rich boy named Hassan, and the other is Hassan's family's servant boy, Ali.

Circumstances (including some really disturbing stuff, where the rise of the Taliban isn't even the worst) separate the boys for many years. Because of their wealth, Hassan and his family are able to get to America, where he becomes a writer.

On the day that his first published book arrives at his home, Hassan receives word that Ali has died, and that Ali's son needs someone to take care of him. This leads Hassan on a harrowing trip to Afghanistan. We see firsthand some of the atrocities of the Taliban. We also see Hassan's journey to redemption from the failures of his past.

This is a terriffic film. You really feel like you've been to Afghanistan. You see both the ugliness of evil, and the heroic power of selflessness. Definitely a must see.

By the way, you may have noticed that I'm maintaining a list of recently read books in the right side of this blog. I'll add a list of the top 5 movies and top 5 dvd's (in my humble opinion) of 2009. Hope you find it interesting!

Branching Out

With Sylvester's permission, I've decided to branch out to talk about some other things here in my blog. By the way, Syl's sleeping out on the deck right now during a "heat wave" here in Minnesota. It is over 40 degrees for the first time since Truman was president (roughly).

Today's our son Matt's 12th birthday. He's really excited that I am going to take him and 2 of his friends to Buck Hill to go tubing this afternoon. If you never see another post in this blog, you'll know I didn't make it.

In the mean time, I hope to share some other things with you that you might find interesting. I really enjoy movies, and watch them a lot (at the theater and through my Netflix subscription). So, I'll throw in a review now and then. I'm also a bit of an "accidental techie" (that's a person who's into technology though he doesn't have formal training as a computer scientist), so I may comment on Web sites or gadgets of interest. Finally, you may just hear some musings about my family from time to time - I'm blessed with one of the best!

OK, so here goes....

HoliCat

Well, let's just say that Sylvester likes to "throw himself" into holiday festivities with enthusiasm. As you can see from the HoliCat slide show that accompanies this post, he found himself at the center of most everything. By the way, none of these are "staged" photos. Syl got himself into each of these spots all by himself. I think he may have read the previous post (The Omnipresent Feline) and wanted to prove me right by being in all places at all times while we were celebrating Christmas and New Years'.

Fortunately, Matt (my son) caught him before he had finished climbing all the way up the ladder into the attic where we keep our Christmas decorations. He had reached the 6th rung when Matt rescued him from his own curiosity, and very likely a cold night or two in the unheated attic. Let's just say that an unheated attic in Minnesota in January is not exactly a place of "comfort and joy!" Rest assured, if he had reached the attic, he would have quickly found a place to hide and would have become the Non-present Feline when I tried to retrieve him.

Well, we've all had a great holiday together. Jess (our 20 year old daughter) has been home from college, and Matt had a good week and a half to enjoy his new Wii. Hope you and yours had a great holiday season!

The Omnipresent Feline

The word "omnipresent" isn't used much these days. It's a theological reference to the fact that God is able to be in all places at once. Now, Sylvester hasn't shown very many Divine qualities, let me tell you. However, the ability to be multiple places seemingly at the same time is one he's got mastered.

When it's time to...

• Change the sheets on the bed - Sylvester's there. He hops on the bed immediately when we want to change the sheets. He's completely fine with being trapped beneath the fitted sheet or buried with the comforter.

• Play any board game - Sylvester's there. There's nothing more invigorating than having a cat walk through a game of Stratego after you've spent 30 minutes setting up the board!

• Write a blog post - Sylvester's there. He reserves the right to edit any comments (by walking across the keyboard or simply blocking the author's view of the monitor).

• Brush my teeth - Sylvester's there. Running water is both fascinating and satisfying - Silly likes to drink straight from the tap.

• Open any drawer in the bedroom (where there might be treats) or the kitchen (where there might be canned cat food) - Sylvester's there - for obvious reasons.

• Give attention or food to any other cat in the house - Sylvester's there. Heaven forbid that any OTHER cat should be given attention, entertainment or food without Syl's blessing.

It would be great to see Syl attempt to imitate the Almighty in more positive ways. Say, perhaps, try being selfless or giving or loving. But for now, it appears that the one attribute he's got down is omnipresence. Let's just say Hermione and Charlie (our other cats) should be glad he doesn't have a shot at that other Divine "omni" - omnipotence!

I am Sylvester's Human

Anyone who owns a cat knows that, from the cat's point of view anyway, you belong to the cat, and not vice versa. So, with that reality in mind, I consider myself to be not Tom Gossett, husband of 21 years to Monica and father of Matt (11) and Jessica (20), but rather Sylvester's Human. As you can see from his confidently restful pose, Sylvester (or Syl or Silly, for short - and for good reason) is quite confident that I have the proper view of things.

As Silly's homo sapien, I have to say that I'm "owned" by quite a cat. This year old tabby can do the following:
1. Open any drawer in which a treat is hiding
2. Open any bag in any drawer in which a treat is hiding
3. Extract a drinking straw from a glass container full of straws (with a lid) without knocking over the container or spilling the other straws
4. Eat all of his food AND have time to make sure that "his" other cats (Hermione and Charlie) are unable to eat their food until he wolfs down half of it.

In this blog, I'll give you an update of Silly's activities, post photos of his latest antics, and maybe even opine about things of interest to his human. Syl won't mind if I occasionally talk about things like the rest of his human or cat family, technology, movies, project management or other things I care about. And if he does - that's tough (please don't tell him I said that).