As my readers know I recently switched to BlackBerry.  That transition has changed my perspective of the entire social media world.  With my BB I have a number of apps available for Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, and more.  I didn’t want to waste them so I decided to give these sites another try.  I still find no interest in MySpace, mainly due to younger users and god-freakin’-awful design.  I have grown quite attached to Facebook and as more of my friends and family join it has become a sort of connection hub for most of us.  The one that I have latched onto the most though is Twitter.  When I first tried Twitter I didn’t really see the point.  It seemed almost like a voluntary stalker program and the content was less than thrilling.  After looking into it more and finding some ways to connect to interesting people I now get why so many enjoy it.  It can be a casual and fun way to joke and connect with others.  It can be a great networking and scheduling tool.  It can be a local information finder.  It can also be a fast and random news aggregator.  It is easily molded into my BlackBerry addiction as well and simply one more reason to look at that marvelous little screen.

Maybe it’s my new found mobile experience and maybe it’s just the timing, but I am quickly becoming hooked on social media/sites.  It also gives me another topic to blog on, so stay tuned for that.

Feel free to connect with me on my social accounts.  You can find me at Twitter, FriendFeed, Facebook, Flickr, Last.fm and MySpace.  I am usually on Twitter and Facebook.

Why is it that so many people have such a hard time with basic apartment living etiquette?  There are a few rules I think should be regulated severely by management for every apartment complex.  Nothing ruins life in an apartment more than having a neighbor who can’t seem to grasp these basic rules.

1. If someone lives below you, STOP STOMPING AROUND YOUR APARTMENT!  It’s not a difficult thing to ask, just walk like a normal person and refrain from playing freakin’ leap frog and dropping bowling balls all day and night.
2. Your smells travel.  If you smoke outside of a person’s open window, it will make it’s way inside their apartment.  If you try and experiment with Indian food, the smell will travel!  Our apartments usually come equipped with exhaust fans, so USE THEM!
3. Not everyone thinks your kid screaming “CATCH ME” at the top of their lungs for hours is cute.  Be a parent and teach your kids some self control!
4. Your music is not everyone’s favorite sleeping soundtrack.  Communal living in the form of apartments often require a pair of freakin’ headphones!
5. It’s wonderful that our apartments come with a common trash area.  There are a few things that may not go into the trash cans though such as your old couch, that TV you no longer need, or your poor departed cat.  It’s also a nice idea to actually get your trash into the massive freakin’ dumpster.  I know that rotten pizza is very heavy but you can do it, I swear.

I guess it’s a good thing I don’t own or manage an apartment complex as there would rarely be anyone living there.  I would require an IQ test, common sense aptitude test, and DNA testing to check for inbreeding.  Around here that would likely mean an empty apartment building.

I wanted to share the top programs I have added to my phone and use the most often.  There are so many programs provided by RIM already that I didn’t need to look for many alternatives.

• BeeJiveIM ($20-$30) - Multi IM client that supports AIM, ICQ, Yahoo, MS Live, and GTalk.  Best looking IM client for BlackBerry by far, though it doesn’t tie into the contacts system as completely as the default IM clients provided by RIM.  There’s a price to pay for having them all together like this.
• Opera Mini (Free) - Much nicer web browser than the default one on BlackBerries.  The only thing you can’t do with it is OTA (Over The Air) installs of software.  I have also discovered there doesn’t seem to be any way to set it as the default browser on the phone.
• Google Mobile App (Free) - Use all of Google’s applications from one place.  It supports Docs, Notes, Maps, News, Reader, Gmail, Calendar, Picassa, and Sync.  This one just came out a few days ago.
• TwitterBerry (Free) - Update your Twitter page right from your BlackBerry.  You can also see friends feeds and get updates. with user icon support.
• NFL Mobile Live (Free) - Sprint only NFL app (it works on Verizon though) that lets you watch games, get recent scores, listen to live games, and much much more.  A must have for American football fans.
• AutoLock (Free) - A simple program that adds the option to have your phone lock automatically.  You can enable or disable it and choose how long after the backlight goes out to lock it.
• Viigo (Free) – RSS, News, Weather, Entertainment, and more all on tap in a great application.

There are quite a few other programs out there I have yet to discover or try.  If you have some favorites I haven’t listed please feel free to leave a comment and tell me about them.

The first few moments you use a Blackberry the menus and navigation are absurd and confusing since they are so different from any other mobile OS.  It took me a few hours of messing around before I became comfortable with the device.  It was about this time that I discovered why they have gained the nickname, “Crackberry”…

PUSH, PUSH, PUSH!

Of the absolute beauty of push email, messages, updates, weather and more!  No more having to sync my phone or check my mail every few moments as everything is delivered to me with style and notification.  No having to set up Microsoft Exchange services anymore for me.  The sound (I use the sonar ping) is music to my ears as my latest fix of information is offered up to me without effort.  There are plenty of other incredible PDA features to the phone as well but the push services are the icing for sure.  People like me should be given a stern warning of the powerful addictive qualities of the Blackberry before purchase.  It should be known beforehand that if you are an information junkie this device will truly be your downfall.  I think I have finally found the type of devices that work for me!

I has my septum pierced twelve years ago in an old-school process that helped it remain forever healed open.  I found my septum ring today and found that it does indeed still easily fit into the hole.  I stopped wearing my septum ring shortly after meeting my wife.  She wasn’t terribly fond of it and I reasoned that I was probably getting too old for it anyway.  The problem with giving up something so simple is that I still enjoy it, am proud of it and still feel it reflects something personal to me.  I’m thirty now and reaching the age when many of my peers have moved away from their trends to settle into something more resembling a Martha Stewart episode.  It’s not that I drag my heels completely against conforming to my age, it’s the fact that my ideas and passions still have a touch of the youthful within them.  I enjoy my ink and rings.  Again I have to ask, at what age do we have to conform?  I hope to instill an excitement in my children for all things different and unique.  I hope to spark in them a passion for the creative.  I hope to inspire them to crave all things musical and artful.  How do I do that living a life of conformity?  Maybe it’s a selfish pursuit but I hope to keep a little bit of my unique past within me for my children to share.

One of the greatest things about moving back to a city is the selection of stores we have to choose from.  In the rural town we lived in before you were limited to Walmart or traveling for most items and needs.  I have no illusions about the great integrity of many other companies but none have been quite a blatant about their employee and community abuse as Walmart.  My wife works for a direct competitor and it’s great to be able to help support her company more.  We also have more eco-friendly choices here in Salem as well.  As time goes on I find myself wanting to reduce my carbon footprint more and more.  With more options here it is easier to make choices that help us buy less, reuse more and generally impact the planet in a better way.  If you haven’t seen the video “The Story of Stuff” with Annie Leonard your missing something great.  It doesn’t address any company in particular but rather us as consumers.  Check it out below and see how it impacts you.  It sure made an impression on me.

There was a time when I assumed there was nothing much worse than the never ceasing changing of diapers.  The smells, monotony and disgust of the entire process were almost more than I could handle.  Of course that is something every parent gets over very quickly.  I find I can now change the worst of specimens quickly and without issue.  This new found skill though did nothing to prepare me for toilet training.  For those who have gone through it I’m sure you have a smirk on your face right now.  For those who have not had the pleasure, next time you use the toilet get super excited and praise yourself then physically clean out your toilet while giving yourself praise.  Ok, that doesn’t really give you the entire experience but you will quickly see the ridiculousness of it.

Kellen has been doing better than we expected.  He has days when he uses the toilet on a regular basis with joy and others when he reacts to it like a dark entity out to capture his soul.  I haven’t quite figured out the difference in his opinions of the contraption yet.  My next goal will be to get him to transition to the adult toilet because cleaning out a training toilet is about as much fun as tax preparation.  The time will come and just when everything is going smoothly and I am starting to recover from the ordeal, Emma will be ready to have me go through it all over again.

1) It does everything I can think of.

I have not found a program yet that I could not run well or find an easy alternative.  Every task I need to perform on a daily basis (RSS, FTP, blogging, digital design, 3d design, gaming, video, music, etc…) just works out of the box for me.  Most of the driver issues of the early days of Vista are much better and my system works perfectly with very little interaction on my part.

2) It looks great.

Aero is clean, modern and sleek as hell.  I used Mac for a while and found Aqua to be childish in design.  I love the professional look of Aero and the clean fonts, window decorations, transparency and color themes are perfect for me.  Yes, Aero has high system requirements but seriously, the vast majority of newer computers come very equipped to meet these demands.  It’s true that older systems may run into trouble when running Aero, but it’s called progression and if your system is dated then it’s hard to demand the latest interface.

3) You name it, it has it.

With Vista Ultimate they have included every feature known to Windows.  I have Media Center, Movie Maker, BitLocker, Photo Gallery, and much much more right out of the box.  Many people see this as bloat but I see it as convenience.  With the additional Windows Live tools Vista is tied together for all my multimedia needs.

4) Window Live Writer rocks.

Microsoft did some great things with their new Live tools but the shining crown is Windows Live Writer.  This blogging tool is the best I have ever used and blends perfectly with Vista.  I guess this isn’t really a true “Why I love Vista” reason though since you can use it on XP as well.

5) Come on, XP sucked.

Windows XP was a disaster in my opinion.  It was almost unusable due to conflicts at first and then dragged itself on for almost a decade.  It’s a pretty solid system now but with thousands of patches it damn well better be.  While we enter a new era in computing that involves better memory, CPU management, lower power consumption and tighter integration with mobile tools, XP is being left behind.  Let it go people, it’s over.  It’s like holding a campaign to demand Fedora stick with Core 6 forever.  It’s not going to happen so please, let it go.

There are plenty of other reasons I have grown to like (see like, not love) Vista this past year.  I don’t want to hear about the superiority of OS X (I don’t buy it.  I used it and it’s not that great) or Linux (I like Linux but it’s not going mainstream any time soon).  I like Vista, there I said it.  I enjoy using my computer and my OS.  I’m not ashamed to show people my Vista system and have to snicker a little every time I read a fanboy bash on it.  It works, it’s obviously sticking around for a little while, and I plan on enjoying it while it’s here.

Of course, Windows 7 is just around the bend and you bet your ass I’m moving on when the time comes.