Most Recent Status

Don’t worry, I’m still here.  My life has been full of sh– I mean surprises.  Some good and some bad – but I’m not here to bore the fuck out of you by talking about my life, my work, and my inability to knit – I’m just trying to say, I’m still here and refocusing my attention to what’s actually important in life.

Oversized iPhone

While technologists everywhere are condemning the iPad because it’s not a thin, small, touchscreen MacBook, I’m excited as I see this as the start of a new era of computing.  But I didn’t start that way.  I was just like the rest of them.  And it started with the name, iPad.  I had difficulty saying it.  My brain wanted to say iPod so it came out like iPo..ad or i {long pause, heavy concentration} Pad.  Just the name had given me a stutter.  I agreed with the others that said it was just a big iPhone deluxe, I called it the MaxiPad and I laughed when a good friend of mine described it as, “Now I can experience exactly how my 18-month-old daughter must feel when she picks up my iPhone!”

But then it occurred to me, give this device a LCARS interface and I can put on my Starfleet Uniform and pretend I’m on Star Trek The Next Generation!   I also realized that this device could actually become the ultimate supplement to my existing computer system.  Half the work I do on the computer is researching topics for my blog, podcast, lunches with my boss and romantic evenings with my girlfriend.  Although once I got mixed up and planned a romantic evening with my boss - got me promoted - but he doesn’t call me anymore. Having the iPad could give me the ability to be surfing the web, reading magazines, and making notes - no matter where I am.  I know there are some people saying I could do that on the iPhone, but let’s face it, I’m no spring chicken and I need a bigger screen!  It would also be great to hold all my technical manuals (including my Star Trek Enterprise Technical Manual) so I can reference them while on my system or someone else’s.

I mentioned taking notes, but I don’t see the iPad as being my writing device.  That’s why I have Scrivener on my Mac.  Would I listen to music on it?  Maybe, but I have the 80 gig iPod for that.  I wouldn’t watch movies on it either - that’s why I have my Vizio TV and Blu-Ray player; and I wouldn’t being playing games on it - that’s why I have a PS3.  That may make me a iPad prude, but that’s fine with me.  Content, content, content - that’s my credo.

It will also be a great device for when I am out stalking my ex-girlfriend.  It's gets boring in the car all night waiting for her to leave her current boyfriends apartment.

As for no Flash support?  Don’t care.  I’m fine with that.  I’m getting tired of websites with elaborate Flash - give me good content over Flash any day.  And without Flash, I wouldn’t spend all day playing Farmville, unless there’s an app for that.

I see the iPad as an addition to my computing environment, not a replacement for anything.  And this is just the beginning.  Once people starting using this device, it’s true nature will come through - give it some time.

One more thing. I tend to drop, sit on, step on, or dump soda pop on - every device I own.  So once they make it unbreakable and waterproof - it will be prefect!

I’m so sorry you had this.

Taking a Podcast Break till 2010

Since June 29, 2008, I have been recording a weekly podcast and only twice in 74 episodes have I completely missed my mark and did not post one.  And while I have successfully recorded many episodes, sometimes I’ve struggled to get it recorded and posted for all to hear.  Well now the struggle is over as I am going to take a break.  While I consider this a monumental failure on my part, please consider the next 3 weeks (maybe a few more) a vacation from listening to my voice and be glad to have 40 minutes a week back in your life to do something more productive.

But don’t worry.  Although I don’t know the exact return date or schedule for the show, I WILL podcast again. This is because I, like Dexter Morgan, have a dark passenger that is always there, lurking, hiding and waiting to get out.  My passenger is creativity, not killing people, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have the same power over me as his has over him.

To keep you entertained, here are a myriad of reasons why I struggle to record a podcast on any given week.  They are in no particular order:

• There is a holiday like Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, Independence Day, Arbor Day, etc and I’m spending time preparing for them and spending time with the family. This includes some birthdays (significant ones, not the piddly little ones).

• I’m on vacation in some remote location with no internet access with a beautiful woman and she demands all my attention.

• Sometimes it’s best to get away from the online world and live in the real one.

• I’m in jail. Hey, shit happens.

• Work. Any work that involves getting paid will take priority over podcasting which pays nada.

• I’m sick, injured or dead. I might be able to podcast from beyond the grave - I’ll work on that.

• Technical difficulties. This includes computer malfunctions, software issues, internet issues, hosting issues and/or website issues.

• I’m attending some really cool event, con, or award ceremony where I am the center of attention.

• There’s a naked girl.

• Sometimes I just don’t care.

That’s the way I see it and I’m so sorry you had to read it.

Blogging Hell

I started blogging many years ago, long before it was called blogging.  My first “blog” was an essay about how any pathetic loser (including myself) could make themselves a web page, express themselves for all to see and completely mess up the ability for search engines to return useful information.  And while that was true all those years ago, it is even worse now.

Ever since mainstream Web 2.0 threw up on pop culture with MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Pownce, Jaiku, Plurk, Identica, Rejaw, Laconica, Friendfeed and a myriad of other similar services, it has allowed every moron and their pets to think they are bloggers as they express themselves in status messages that are about 140 characters long.  This phenomena, known as microblogging, has been the worse thing to hit the internet since HTTP.

I'm Afraid of Americans

I’ve always said I’m not political.  And when I say that I mean I’m not a republican, democrat, liberal, or even a conservative.  As a matter of fact, I don’t even know what it means to be republican or democrat.  And that’s because I believe in freedom, safety, privacy, the pursuit of happiness and common sense - most of which has nothing to do with politics anymore.  I believe there should be equal power among the house and senate between both parties (which may never be possible) and there should be a better voting mechanism to allow more bills/issues can be voted on by the public.  I also believe that a bill should be brief and too the point and contain only 1 subject.   But this isn’t the issue I want to talk about.

New Promos!!!

Check out my new promos for my netcast, I mean podcast, I mean - you know what I mean. They are only about 30 seconds each - download, enjoy, share with your friends or share with your enemies.

http://regisjack.com/main/podcast-promos/

Where's TRJE #55?

I know a lot of people are .... well a bunch of people are .... ok, well, maybe 2 people are wondering where is this weeks podcast?  Why isn't there a personally crafted episode of the Regis Jack Experience?  Well, there seems to be a lot going on at the moment - including moving from one town to another that is interferring with my ability to podcast - but rest assured, I'll get back to them as soon as normally returns.  And I can wait for normal until the cows com home.

What is normal anyway?

Where is home?

What are cows?