I finally have an iPad

Last Friday, 23rd July, the iPad was finally released in New Zealand.  I lined up at 6:00am to get mine.  Yes, I was first in line...and last for a very long time.  Obviously no-one else wanted it as much as me.  When the next person arrived, about 30 mins before opening, I didn't want to leave my place in queue to get a coffee in case I lost my place in the queue!  Nonetheless, I got my iPad and life is great with it.

The crowd behind me until opening

The crowd in front of me!

eBook Readers

I saw a Kindle for the first time the other day and I’m interested in how the business model must work for International data charges because the relationship you would have with the Kindle is with Amazon, not the local telecommunications provider.

Everyone knows when roaming outside their local country, data charges are incredibly high. Yet, I can buy a Kindle and download ebooks for a relatively low price. How does that work?

Getting ready for the iPad

As you know I'm highly excited about getting an iPad, so when it is released down under, I hope to be one of the first.  Apple hasn't advised yet whether NZ will get both models at the same time, - the wi-fi and/or the 3G, and I'm still not sure which one to get myself.  But nonetheless, the one question I have that will help me make my mind up is will the wi-fi model support Internet tethering with the iPhone?

iFart - do you feel like a laugh?

I have found one of the coolest iPhone apps ever!  It's called iFart and I'm sure you can guess what it does! 

iPhone 4 Revealed!

This is kind of exciting!  A prototype of this phone was purportedly found in a bar in California.  A technology company got hold of it and have disassembled it.

Check for full details here: http://gizmodo.com/5520164/this-is-apples-next-iphone

It seems like the exterior has changed quite a bit, and it has a camera in the front as well.  That's kinda cool, because it means you 1-1 video conferencing becomes much more realistic.  Also, the external facing camera also has a flash which moves it very definitely into the all-in-one consumer space.

Anyway!  I can't wait!  iPad or iPhone 4?!

Balloon Bears

These cute bears are made out of a single 260Q using the standard 7 small bubbles for the head, with 2 ear twists for the ears.  I like bears with a little neck as it is easier to lock in the arms and the legs.   The little flowers they are carrying are each single 260Q with a small puff of air which is then tulip twisted.

A flower for a friend

I've started having a play around with the Qualatex160Q's which are delightful little balloons.  They are about an inch in diameter and 60 inches long fully inflated.

These balloons are very easy on the hands and great for a bit more detail in the design.  This 6 petal flower is very easy to do compared to the 6 petal 260Q flower which I still struggle with!

Are you an iPhone Newbie?

Well, I've created a new site for all the iPhone Newbies out there!  The intention of this site is to keep it simple, but provide useful information that will jump start new iPhone users to being productive quickly.

Sign up and keep informed of iPhone developments!

http://iphonenewbie.com

Blocked - Do you answer a blocked call?

One of the nice things about mobile phones is the ability to have Caller Line ID or caller display which displays either the number or the name of the person calling you.  This means you can filter calls if and when you need to. It is on by default, and most people leave this turned on quite possibly because they don't know it's even there there.

But when a contact does turn Caller Display on, are you more inclined to answer because it says Blocked?!  I know I am, and I put it down to curiosity.  Who on earth could be phoning me and trying to hide their identify before I answer the phone?  Are they that sure if they did display their number I wouldn't answer?!

Well, it works for me.  If you hide your caller display, I will always answer.

Chickens

My sister has a lifestyle block of about 3 acres about an hour from town. We went out there today to have the 'great easter egg hunt' for the kids. On their farmlet they have a wonderful small island, two dwellings, some chickens and a couple of boxer dogs one of which is in pup. The gestation period is 62 days for boxers. Is that all dogs? I must find out. The chickens wander around, hide their eggs and roost in the trees at night.

My brother-in-law is a fantastic engineer and diy guy. He is building an outside bar on the property at the moment, and will soon be building a dog run for the pregnant boxer and her soon-to-be born offspring. My question is what would be the difference between building a dog box and a chicken coop? Can you combine both? Check out http://www.buildingachickencoopfast.com and http://www.buildeazy.com/doghouse_imp.html

Can you teach an old dog new tricks?

In Office 2007 Microsoft introduced their ribbon toolbar. This completely changed how core fucntionality in Microsoft Office was accessed.

Having used Microsoft Word since version 1, I found my whole world tipped upside down when 2007 was installed on my machine. I'm hope I am not the only one. No longer could I click on various menus to access features I'd been using for 15 years. Suddenly my toolbar was populated with icons, that changed everytime I clicked on something.

My core productivity toolset had changed and after special office and ribbon training, 2 years of using the product, and many robust discussions with colleagues, my productivity has still not increased from the depths it has dropped to.

To add to my despair, the soon to be released Outlook 2010 has also been dressed in the same clothes.

Yes, those users who have not had Office embedded in them over the last 20 years of their professional career will no doubt find their productivity increases as Microsoft tries to make our lives easier, but you cannot teach this old dog new tricks. Just call it a classic menu and I'll be happy.

Does twitter have a purpose?

I got a twitter account about 2 years ago now, maybe even longer. I sent a few tweets on it, but I cannot think of anyone who would actually care that I tweeted about every second of my day. if they did, they must be weirdos. Yet somehow twitter has taken off and there seems to be a constant mindless babble of twitter all over the world. Have I missed something?

Acne Treatment tips

After many years of sitting on the sidelines of the web, but working with technology I have taken the first steps into the online world. I have a new website called www.acnetreatmenttips.net. Why this topic? Why not I ask you?!

iPad

I really do want one of these! Might need to get a bigger handbag, however I'm liking the idea of using it more as an eReader, or surfing whilst I'm out and about. Even for the kids to watch movies or play games.

Still tossing up whether to get just the wireless or the 3G model...I assume with the wireless model you could just Internet tether with an iPhone anyway and only have one set of data charges.

http://www.apple.com/ipad/

Bump

This has to be one of the coolest iPhone apps available! It's called Bump and lets you transfer your details (e-mail, phone etc) to another iPhone user simply by 'bumping' your iPhone into another iPhone. It vibrates as it does so....

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=305479724&mt=8

When I became a SLOB associate

I became a SLOB associate about 10 years ago. My partner and his group of friends from school used to play rugby together for Suburbs. They got old and decided to call themselves the ' Suburbs Leisurely Old Bastards'. Wives/girlfriends became 'associates' of the SLOBS....and since then I have lived with a SLOB -:)