Category: Deep Thoughts

Deep Thoughts, Life, Technology

The Most Skippable iPhone?

Like a kid at Christmas, there I was doing my part. I waited patiently. I was ready. This year though, Apple had other plans.

I have been anxiously awaiting this years iPhone release for more than a year. It has been my customary tradition to upgrade my most used tech device every 2 years. Even when Apple introduced their now infamous “Upgrade Program,” I still held off. Because frankly, I like keeping my phones for 2 years. I don’t why, I just do.

So around June-ish the rumors started to hit pretty heavy that the new upcoming iPhone is not what we thought it may be. It’s not redesigned, it’s not exciting and most notably it’s not even garnering the most attention. Turns out this year, the next next iPhone is getting more attention then the soon anticipated one. The rumors started to hit hard that Apple was working diligently on a revolutionary, edge to edge screen design for the 10th anniversary iPhone that would release in 2017. This was a first. I didn’t know what to think about this. Essentially my mind translated all this into: this new, unreleased iPhone (2016) is already outdated.

I didn’t like this. Who would? Here I am intentionally waiting for the new hotness, only to start hearing rumors that the new hotness is not the new hotness. I thought to myself, “Be Patient”. Wait and see. And wait I did…

Fast Forward…. Enter September 7, 2016. Apple officially reveals iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. The rumors were dead on. Not newly designed. Not exciting. Not new hotness. To be fair, the iPhones 7 have a lot going for them. This marks the first time Apple has ever made a design 3 times in a row. At this point I would assume they have perfected it. So a big benefit is naturally, if your buying an iPhone 7, your receiving a very well polished, solid device to surely last you 2 years.

So there I was faced with this unusual situation I never chose to be in. I waited, I did my part. Apple showed their cards and I’m kind of left scratching my head. What do I do? I thought about this a bunch. I didn’t want to waste my upgrade on a phone only to be left out in the dark when/if Apple does release this magical, unicorn, 10th anniversary iPhone next year. Also another huge element in my decision making was Apple’s new operating system, iOS 10. In my mind, iOS 10 was going to make or break my decision. If it ran awful on my current iPhone 6 my choice would be an easy one. If it ran silky smooth. That would pull me in the keeping the 6 camp.

On the other hand, iPhone release week is a fun time to be an Apple fan. You get caught in the excitement extremely easy and naturally, you want to be a part of it and on my traditional 2 year cycle, I usually am. Another huge benefit I was to gain is simply having a new phone. My current phone is 2 years old and showing some age. The great thing about buying a new phone every 2 years is really receiving upgrades from 2 new phone generations, not 1.

So honestly speaking, the night preorders hit, instead of my usual super excitement, I set my alarm for 2:55 AM with an indecisive (who me?) mind. My alarm sounded, clock showed 2:55. Here I go. Pull out my trusty laptop. Apple.com here I come. Do all my preorder set up and come to the moment of truth: the “place order button.”

Excitement got the best of me. I preordered feeling “OK” about the decision but also in the back of my head knew iOS 10 dropped in 3 days. If iOS 10 would run smoothly on my current iPhone 6 and I wasn’t impressed with the 7, the plan of action would be pretty clear: my usual return policy which is return everything! Lindsey now calls it my “ride of shame” which I laugh at because it unbelievably accurate of my emotions when I’m driving to the Apple store with a receipt and a box.

So, iPhone 7 preordered and coming on launch day and awaiting iOS 10. The day of iOS 10’s release I was excited. Kinda like the excited I used to be for new iPhone releases. And that spoke volumes to me. I asked myself why? The truth I came to find out was simple. I really didn’t want the iPhone 7. In many ways I was hoping to pass on it. If I passed on it, I would have many, many options for next year.

iOS 10 released and I honestly think my phone runs better then it did on iOS 9. The big things checked out: battery life, responsiveness, all good! I was excited. I felt confident my 6 would be good to last another year, Then my 7 came in the mail. And to give Apple credit, the phone is gorgeous. I ordered the matte black model and boy I’m happy I did. Even without a new design, somehow Apple made this phone better looking then ever. I was tempted briefly to keep it (of course I was) but after some clear thinking and adding up all the moving parts: iOS 10 performance on my current phone, next year impending magical phone and keeping my upgrade intact. I just couldn’t do it. Ride of shame, we meet once again.

So thats it, thats my story (so far). The back up plan is if something happens to my third year iPhone that deems it unusable, I’ll bite the bullet and head on over to Apple and pick up a 7. Until then I feel at peace with my decision. An odd choice ill be the first to admit. I’ve never had a cell phone for 3 years. So we will see how that pans out.

I should note, people have mentioned the obvious to me. What if Apple’s magical unicorn phone does not come out next year? Do you hold on to your iPhone 6 a 4th year? The answer: I don’t know. I doubt it, but we’ll see. For the record, I’m really hoping Apple comes through.

Like many reviewers currently out there, I can’t bash Apple. My decision was based on what I wanted and not what Apple did or did not do, if that makes sense. Sure the iPhone 7 didn’t ring my bell this time around. That doesn’t mean it’s not a great phone. In fact it is a great phone. Any time Apple makes something 3 times over you better believe its a solid product. You also have to give Apple props that my current daily driver (iPhone 6) is 2 years old and simply running better then ever. What other tech company can boast about something like that? So in one way the iPhone 7 is Apple’s most skippable phone. In many others, Apple’s most conceived phone. Its all in how you look at it.

If you ordered an iPhone 7 or 7 Plus. Be excited. It’s a worthy representation of the newest iPhone. But as for me, When I returned mine I finally got to play with one in the store. The best way for me to sum up my hands on experience of an iPhone 7 is simple. IPhone 7: next year’s iPhone hidden in this years casing. Its extremely clear to me that this years iPhone is a transition phone until next year. And you know who can’t wait to be excited again for a new iPhone announcement? This guy.

Deep Thoughts, Life

How I learned to Stop Avoiding & Read My Bible

I’ve heard and later learned that the first step to fixing a problem is acknowledging you actually have one. The realization of said problem’s existence is key in the repairing process. Usually such a phrase is found in the depths of addiction interventions. The beautiful thing about allowing yourself to believe such a notion is quite frankly, freeing. Admitting you have a problem (big or small) is you being honest with you.

Before we go any further let me put something on the table. This post was extremely hard for me to publish. There were late nights of pondering if publishing this would produce criticism of myself or help to someone. Like many posts on this site, this is personal. But particularly this one is different. The bible seems to be a dividing subject for people. So let me be clear. Nothing in this post is meant to hurt. Only to help, if no one else, then just me.

I have a problem: I don’t read my bible. There it is, I said it. In blind site standing naked; a simple, honest truth. In a consistent manner, I have never read my bible. Sure from time to time I will pick it up and pretend to understand a chapter or two. I think we all do. But if I’m being honest, I was barely even doing that. My other problem: I’ve never read the bible all the way through (obviously). After much time of reflection on this, I am somewhat disappointed in myself, but thats the reality. My life is busy and finding time to give the bible the attention it deserves has proven to be difficult. Of course thats an excuse, but a persuasive one that was effective, until recently.

A while ago I started really thinking about this. You know, really analyzing the situation from all angles. My family and I go to church 3 times a week. I hold a pretty time consuming position in our media situation at church. I claim to be Christian and yet why, when I leave church, I could honestly care less about reading the bible.

The realization hit me hard. There was something wrong and quite honestly I was sick of it. You see its important you understand, I had to be honest with myself. I had a problem and no one was going to fix it except for me. Thats scary when you actually believe it.

I had to analyze my situation. I go to church. Why? Honestly, why? Why do I spend so much time somewhere called church and how has reading the bible slipped (really never started) from my life. Its certainly not the Pastors fault. I have been really blessed to have had only two Pastors my whole life and they are both in their own way, exceptional. Can’t blame them. I had to direct the blame towards me. And a few months ago, I did.

I feel many Christians are utterly incapable of admitting reading the bible is difficult and a daily task we push off intentionally because frankly, we find many more things much more enjoyable. Becoming a Christian late in life I guess has helped me in the sense of common sense. I’m not afraid to say my bible knowledge is nowhere it needs to be because I have no one to impress, I have no expectations to live up to. I can’t cling on to the excuse that growing up my family read the bible 3 times a day because we didn’t. So I’m left looking in the mirror with my kids in the rearview.

Sometime ago I was unsure of some topics and I intentionally delved into them on my own. I didn’t tell anyone, I just jumped in privately. Surprisingly, I loved the experience. I enjoyed no influences and I really got excited when I discovered something in my bible, on my own. To be clear for some people, I can intelligently discern between influences and guidance. I welcome guidance and am thankful for it, but sometimes influence makes me nervous. To me, digging on your own builds character, it shows dedication and most importantly it produces a relationship between God and I. Almost like building memories. And then it hit me; thats what was missing, memories.

Like I mentioned early and can’t be stressed enough, I started to ask why. Like a lot. Why don’t I read daily? More importantly, why don’t I want to read daily? I should want to know this stuff, right? Sure life happens, but thats no excuse. Especially if you claim that the Bible is God’s written word. So with the fire burning and ready to begin. I stopped asking why and began asking how. A scary, but good first step.

I set a goal. The goal would be a simple one. Read the Bible through in 1 year. For me this was going to be extremely hard, but long overdue. If my intention was to read through the entire bible, I knew it couldn’t be a me thing. I clearly don’t have the drive to complete such a task on my own and I have to be honest about that. It would commission much prayer and (in my case) intelligent use of what I have a good understanding of, technology. I know, I know… But please keep reading.

I decided early on I wanted a double dynamic experience. I wanted to hear and read simultaneously. So I knew turning to apps was the right move. I didn’t want to just read, for me hearing and experiencing help me understand much, much better. So I found an app for my iPhone that has dramatized and non-dramatized versions of KJV. Also accompanying that app is an actual reading plan to keep me honest and organized and ensure my finish date. So I don’t have to guess if I am on track, the app will tell me “OK, this is what you need to do today.” Also and for me most critically, an 1828 Webster Dictionary App to know what these words meant near the time of being penned. That’s really important to me, maybe it’s my writing/filmmaking/storytelling background. But intentions and meanings are vital in written narratives. So after some researching I settled on a bible app, that included reading plans, vocal read back and reminders combined with a capable 1828 dictionary app. I was set. Well, the setting up part.

I should note, all of this planning made my nerves roll. Just because I’m doing all this research, doesn’t mean I’m going to actually follow through. And the truth was, I really felt like this was my last shot. I know that sounds silly. But I felt like, if this doesn’t work when I’m this ready and willing, it will never work. I didn’t really know what was going to happen. I knew I felt confident my plan was appealing to me and I set the right tools in front of me, but who knew what would actually happen. I certainly didn’t.

So I started.

Here’s where the story gets interesting.

I remember day one very clearly. I opened the my Bible and paused on the cover page for Genesis 1. I said a prayer and asked God; “if you want me to learn about you, please just help a little.” I was nervous. I didn’t want this to fail. I know this will sound funny but, I also wanted to actually like it. I smirk when typing that but its true. I heard so much about this book from so many people. I really didn’t want to be the guy who didn’t enjoy it. I ended my prayer, took a deep breath and pressed play on my app. Here we go. The narrater started and my eyes moved in unison. My 3 chapters for the day were finished. “That wasn’t that bad” I thought…

The first couple weeks I slowly began looking forward to what would happen next in Genesis. Then merging into Exodus I felt extremely accomplished finishing my first book. This may sound extremely elementary to you professional Bible readers, but that wasn’t enough to discourage me. I was starting to catch my stride. I was excited/learning about God. For the first time in my life, I could honestly say that was true.

I continued and pretty soon, none of this felt like work. Sure in the beginning it was difficult (like any new habit). But after time reading the bible was just part of my day. The fact that I went from no interest in the Bible to actually looking forward to opening it daily is nothing short of a miracle to me. Currently, on this publish date I am exactly half way through. Im not sitting here saying I’m on the road to finishing. Because I’m not. But I could say I am enjoying my time with it. I am thrilled to be putting my focus on something that matters. And I know if it ends tomorrow, I will have done more than not doing anything at all.

Looking back now, I can honestly say I sold the bible short. I took for granted it’s scale, it’s style of writing. I completely overlooked how beautiful the stories are told. I ignored God’s effortless storytelling. I forgot that the Bible is a collection of an epic narrative. I think we all do. And truthfully it’s not our faults. We go to church so much and have information spoon fed to us, we are obnoxiously numb to God’s magnificence in his written word. We lose the hunger to see and experience the bible for what it is. A masterful book which is so epic in proportion no one in its existence has come close to pinning down every detail. It’s a book of mystery, of betrayal, of companionship and revenge. It’s the ultimate and original love story to the unworthy. It truly has all you would want. The bible spawns life lessons with ease. What other book captures all these elements and is able to put a bow on top?

I guess what I’m trying to say is do what works for you and try, read and get excited. For me, it was much prayer and adding technology. Daily reminders, reading plans and dramatized audio in combination with an 1828 Webster dictionary app ready to go. But please don’t misunderstand me, i’m not saying that’s the right way for everyone, I’m saying there is no right way. Just find what works for you and begin learning about God. For real.

As a new(er) Christian I honestly thought church and fellowship was sufficient. And I could totally see how anyone else would also. But, maybe we should stop thinking of Christianity as a group effort and start executing a solo plan and take responsibly for ourselves, our actions and our knowledge. Stop thinking of reading the bible as an act of the establishment and start thinking along the lines of you being personable with God. Stop thinking attending church is sufficient enough when it’s your duty to understand the Bible and live its principles.

To not read is to not experience what is the most prolific, miraculous groupings of words ever assembled in my opinion. To not try for me was the most worn out, faded sweatshirt that just didn’t fit anymore. I was the best at pretending, now I just want to be decent at trying. Like I mentioned, I don’t know what lies ahead. I know I want to remain faithful and surge on. I am really, really enjoying reading. I admire how it has become a part of my everyday life.

Building any relationship is difficult. Especially when one person just isn’t interested. In this case, I was the uninterested. The biggest takeaway I’d like to tell people is nothing magical, yet mundane. To build a relationship with God, like any other entity, a requirement is time spent together. Since starting my reading plan, I feel a closeness I’ve never felt. I find myself caring about what God cares about. I’ve discovered less of me and more of Him is extremely wise. I believe, to truly feel these emotions, they can’t be fabricated overnight. They can’t be manufactured after a really good church service. Like any relationship hard work and dedication are a must. Mine and God’s relationship was no different. You can’t spend zero time with someone and claim to love them. It just doesn’t work, and whats more heartbreaking; that other someone will never believe you love them.

If your intention is to read the bible and learn about God but are stuck in a rut, step 1 is being honest with yourself. Then try anything that may help: Read half a chapter a day. Read a verse day. If you think I’m joking, I’m not. Because I was there and maybe i’ll be back there. Please, do whatever it takes to get you to open this book. I promise you It was made to be opened, something I’m grateful to be learning day by day.

Deep Thoughts, Life

Goals

Every ride home from work, I drive by a park with a basketball court, play area, and large soccer field visible. During the week, in afternoons and evenings, the park is full of excitement. Parents sit and talk, children play, teenagers ride skateboards, grown men show up to play basketball. But early on a Sunday morning, the park tells a different story. It is quiet and completely empty—except for one person who, without fail, works out in the field every weekend.

For as long as I can remember, every Sunday when I drive by that park, I see a young man (high school age) exercising there, running sprints and working on his football skills with a private coach. Some weeks, I find him running 40-yard sprints while his trainer tracks his time with a stop watch. Other weeks, I find him high-stepping through tires, weaving through cones, or back-peddling quickly to improve his foot speed.

By the time I drive by, he is clearly exhausted. Often times I have seen him complete a drill and walk slowly back to the starting line. He will put his hands on his knees and take a deep breath—the physical pain obvious even from my vantage point. And then, with a heavy sigh, he will put his fingers on the ground, arch his back, wait for the whistle, and push himself again.
I know nothing of this young man. I don’t know his name, his exact age, or where he lives. I only know that he inspires me.

He reminds me that a goal without action is not really a goal at all.

He reminds there is a big difference between saying you want something, and actually working to make it happen.

In my mind, I imagine this young man from the park plays on a football team at one of our local high schools. His team is full of other high school students. Many of which would tell you they have a goal: to one day become a professional football player.

There are countless boys who claim they want to play in the NFL… but there is only one I see up early on Sunday morning running sprints until his legs hurt. There is only one working his tail off to make it a reality. And I am inspired because that is the dedication required to become a professional football player. I won’t be surprised if he makes one day.
The whole scene reminds me of a conversation I witnessed shortly after someone I knew graduated college. I overheard this exchange and it has stuck with me ever since. 2 Men were talking, “Man #1” made this statement, “I want to buy a Corvette.”

“Man #2” responded to his desire quite frankly, “No you don’t.”
“What do you mean? Of course I do. I’d like to own a Corvette.”
“Man #2” responded with words I have never forgotten, “No, you don’t really want to buy a Corvette. You see, if you really wanted to buy a Corvette, you could buy a Corvette. You could sell your home and maybe also your business. Then, you would have enough money to buy a Corvette. You say you want to own a Corvette… but if you really wanted to buy a Corvette, you’d be changing your life to do exactly that.”

I learned a valuable lesson that day from unknown “Man #2”, “Saying you want something is one thing, but actually doing something about it is very different.” We prove what we desire most by our actions, not by our words.

We see this and experience it all the time.

We want to get out of debt, but continue to spend money on unneeded things. We want to get in shape, but never make the changes in our diet or exercise habits to accomplish that. We want to start saving for retirement, but never pursue the answers we need to get started. We desire to start a business or change jobs, but continue to spend our evenings and weekends watching television.

Personally I have been working very hard on something, a goal you can say, in my professional life for about 6 months now. Not everyone is on board or comfortable with this goal. But I’m working diligently to achieve it. Thoughts and memories of what I expressed in this blog continually help me move forward towards my goal.

It’s not easy, nothing worthwhile is. Normalcy is weariness in situations like these. But if you’re out their working against the odds, I’m here to tell you, you’re on the right track. If you feel worn down, good! Keep going. Your right where you need to be.

Saying you want something is one thing, doing something about it is very different. We prove what we desire most by our actions, not by our words.

After all, a goal without a plan is just wishful thinking.

Deep Thoughts, Life

Too Much Stuff

With Christmas around the corner and black Friday just in our rearview mirrors, I decided to do some research on financials and numbers on the holiday season.

This started last week while at work. The news was on and all they were speaking of was gift ideas and black friday this and Christmas lay away that. I got thinking; how much money is really spent in the holidays season? What I found was kind of staggering. The statistics are really quite unbelievable.

The average American home has nearly tripled in size over the last 50 years yet, over 50% of us with two-car garages have room for only one vehicle inside. Our homes contain more televisions than people. (crazy)

We spend more on shoes, jewelry, and watches ($100 billion in my findings) than on higher education. And the average American woman owns 30 outfits, one for every day of the month—in 1930, that figure was 9, yes 9. Home organization, the service that’s trying to find places for all our clutter, is now an $8 billion industry, growing at a rate of 10 percent each year. Decluttering is today’s dieting industry and gym membership paradigm. Good intentions, poor follow through.

Our living spaces have become filled with possessions of every kind: our countertops are crowded, our closets are stuffed, our bedrooms are filled, and our drawers are overflowing. And yet, this Black Friday weekend, we have accumulated more stuff. It is estimated 140 million Americans went shopping last weekend.

We spent $50 billion last weekend. And over the course of the entire holiday season, we will spend $600 billion adding more and more things to our already crowded homes.

Let’s start here: Before buying a whole bunch of stuff for your loved ones this holiday season, maybe you should ask if they even want a whole bunch of stuff. You might be surprised by their response.

This money we are spending actually holds within it enormous potential. Consider this: Nearly half the world’s population, 2.8 billion people, survive on less than $2 a day. To put that into perspective, Americans will spend, on average, roughly $400 per person this weekend… in just three days, we will spend more than half the annual income of 2.8 billion individuals.

Which is fine, I think, if we were buying things that actually improved our lives. But, in reality, most of the stuff we buy these days doesn’t.
If you know me personally, you know the thought of excess and extras really bother me. I try and try harder to live simple and efficient. But the pull is strong. As the young ones say, the struggle is real.

This isn’t a “trying to change the world” post. But just food for thought. I think numbers are really interesting. And the numbers and statistics I’ve found on American spending during the holiday season is somewhat crazy and excessive.

Deep Thoughts, Life, Technology

Me & Apple Watch

At the beginning of all this, I confessed my history of Apple products and my pending “issue.” In the past I have had some problems with keeping devices for a variety of my own reasons, but mainly caused by my personal indecisiveness. To be sure this wouldn’t happen again, I documented and held myself accountable for the research that went into my decision to purchase an Apple Watch. Well, I said all that to say I returned my Apple Watch after the 14 day grace period. Largely in part of another project I am committed to that needed some expensive software from Apple and that situation very quickly became a need vs. want thing. Need being the software and want being an Apple Watch. Although I enjoyed my time with Apple Watch, there were some bumps in the road. All in all, Apple Watch and I didn’t sail into the sunset together, but made a few lasting memories that certainly weren’t all bad. Below is my ramblings of what the 14 day experience for ME was like.

This is I guess you can say, my review. But really the word “review” would be setting this up for failure. I’ve tried really hard to not be biased (because I am huge Apple fan) and give a fair account of my opinions on Apple Watch. It is important to keep in mind that all these words are indeed opinions. Meaning no one can have a “right” opinion or a “wrong” opinion. It is also equally important to note that I only used the Watch for 14 days. So in no way is this meant to be an in depth review or even really a valid one. Just one guy’s thoughts, that’s all.

THE PREORDER

I guess its fair to start with my situation since we last spoke. I was on the fence regarding Apple Watch. So, update time: I did indeed preorder a 42mm Space Grey Sport, but not at 3am like my usual practice. I actually showed some resilience and waited until I was dead set on the size. I’ve never worn a watch before and was completely unfamiliar with the sizing. I didn’t know what a 38mm or 42mm watch felt like. Once I went to the Apple store to try on the Watch, I settled on 42mm and was ready to preorder. The issue was, by this time (4 days after preordering started) the watch was pushed back till June. That didn’t matter to me. And the preorder was executed.

I received the watch on June 3. I was excited! There was so much possibility of fresh and new ways to interact with people. I reminisced of the iPhone’s release and how I could never have known the impact that device would inevitably have. I looked at the watch similarly which maybe was my first problem. I thought the watch could be a revolutionary thing that changed the way I personally communicated.

So the Watch arrived! I was psyched, like a kid on Christmas morning. I strapped it on. Immediately it felt odd. Not anything of Apple’s doing, but because the realization hit me that i’ve never worn a watch before. Funny, I was looking forward to the Watch, even convinced myself it had a place in my life, but I forgot it was indeed a watch. It was like being really excited for cheese and then when you eat it you realize you’ve never ate cheese before. Anyways….

HARDWARE

First things first, I don’t mind saying without hesitation this is bar none the best physical product Apple has ever made. I purchased the “cheap” model and it still was “take your breath away” stunning. Apple never ceases to amaze me. I can spend months staring at promotional pictures of a product and when I finally see it in person, it’s still amazing.

Jony Ive and team completely outdid themselves. I mean I can’t say enough on the quality of the device. My best friend has the stainless steel model and a fancier band, and they are well worth the steeper price point. The craftsmanship shown on the device is breathtaking. The digital crown moves as smoothly as you would imagine, with a slight bit of resistance but enough slide to achieve a luxurious feel.

Personally I loved the feel of my sport band. It was supple, yet strong. It fit like a good glove. The actual Watch I decided on was the Space Grey model. From the get-go I really clung to the look and I stayed with it. Even seeing all in person I ended up happy. Again, it was awesome. There is so much positive I can say with absolute zero negative comments, that I’ll just end on it’s a flawless design!

To me this is even more impressive considering hey, Apple has never made a Watch before! Or any wearable for that matter! They make screens and keyboards! Amazing they were able to nail and I mean nail this on their first try.

SOFTWARE

OK, here is where things get a little hairy (for me). So let me speak on the good first. The Watch faces are fantastic. Simply put, I loved, LOVED the watch faces and the “complications” (little widgets in the corners displaying info) Some days I would sit there and just play with the faces. They were polished, well done and purposeful. Bravo Apple!

The BEST, BEST, BEST feature of the watch in my opinion was the fitness tracking. I absolutely loved it. Apple really cares about Health and it shows in how much attention they put into fitness. I constantly was checking my 3 rings and was obsessing over filling all of them. The one feature I will miss the most no question. I really think the mark of something great, whether it be film or anything is learning or discovering something new about yourself. Apple’s take on fitness really made me more aware of my situation and was a delightful feature that made my experience really special.

So the bad, (again these are opinions) if you swipe up from the Watch face you will find “Glances.” These are supposed to be quick references you can flick through to get some fast, but needed info. The idea sounds great and reciprocates the philosophy of Apple Watch. But when I started to use them problems became very apparent. Besides the little dots on the bottom of the screen, you have no navigation whatsoever. It was odd. Glances were meant to be fast and efficient , but overtime I tried to use them I would lose my place and have to swipe around to find where I was at in my list. Also, they needed to be refreshed every time you accessed them.

I will give Apple a bunch of room for error here because I’m aware it’s a first gen product. But my sports app “glance” was stuck on the Mets game from 6 days ago and just wouldn’t update. I’m unsure if this is Apple’s issue or my App. Either way it made for a bad experience for me personally.

Lastly is the App grid. Press in the digital crown and you will be introduced to an array of tiny app circles that move impressively as a grid. This also turned into an overwhelmingly frustrating. I completely understand why Apple has included this, and why Apps will be a very big deal. But it just seems it was handled somewhat clumsy. I found myself actively trying to avoid going to the screen which i’ve never done on an Apple product before.

REAL LIFE USAGE

Like I said, I loved using the Watch faces. I found myself checking them all the time just to see what time it was, which was cool. I never wore a watch before so this could have been just the new effect of having time on my wrist but either way, I enjoyed it.

Also its important to note I am a firefighter 1 day out of 3 and I learned very quickly the Watch was a no go there. The job is just too physical and wearing it just one day produced a scratch on my screen. This wasn’t a deal breaker for me, but it bummed me out seeing those activity rings being blank 1 day out of 3!

Real life usage is where I had a love-hate relationship with the Watch. I can break these down into 2 simple groups:

LOVE = The way the Watch makes me aware of my surroundings.
HATE = The way the Watch enabled me to interact with people.

Lets talk about LOVE first :) There were some aspects of the Watch that really spoke to me. It sounds silly, but knowing the moon phase and current temp was super fulfilling to myself. I don’t know why but I loved being informed of my surroundings. And I admired how they updated. Apple Watch made me feel connected to the Earth in a way no other tech product has. I really enjoyed this, and will miss it severely.

OK now hate, I had high hopes for notifications. I thought the process of feeling a non invasive tap would be great. Would put my mind at ease knowing OK, when I have time I will check that. But, it never worked that way for me. Instead, just like I would check my phone when a notification came in, I would immediately lift my wrist when I felt something. To the point where I couldn’t control it and would display open rudeness to my loved ones and strangers alike. I do understand this could be a “me” problem and not a “watch” problem, but these were my experiences.

That was my biggest issue. I really felt like I was making people feel unimportant. I would check out of a conversation and try to do heavy tasking with a watch the minute I was tapped. Whether that be reply to a simple text message or try and expand some notification into an action. It felt morally wrong and more so, like complete overkill with a small device. The last thing I wanted this to do was give myself another screen to manage, and at the end of 14 days, instead of being an efficient person with more free time for loved ones, I was an overly rude conversationalist with too many devices.

Honestly, I got to the point where I even asked myself: “Do I wanna be a guy who needs to know every alert as fast as possible?” And for me, that answer is no. I have a good system on my iPhone where my phone is always on silent besides phone calls. Meaning, my phone works for me, I’m not a slave to its noises. I understand everyone’s needs are different, so the idea of getting up to the second alerts on wrists may be amazingly enticing for some, for me it turned exhausting.

CONCLUSION (yes, there is one)

Looking back I should have stuck to my mind’s first thought when the keynote took place. I was puzzled. Personally I thought the Watch did too many things and it was a “confused” product. I never really got a clear message of what the watch wanted to be. Over the months of researching and podcast listening it seemed either I forgot about that or I just was really hoping I would find a use for it. After using the Watch for 14 days, I must admit I am still a tiny bit confused. But I also want to be clear, I’m sure there are thousands of people for which the Watch is great and fits perfectly into their lives. For me it was just more of jamming a puzzle piece in the wrong spot. I’m still unsure as to who’s fault that was, me or Apple Watch.

I am more than willing to admit 14 days is way too short of a timespan to make a valid opinion on any device. But like I said, this was my attempt. It’s not at all that Apple Watch is bad. It’s very, very far from that. And maybe theres a day in the future where Apple Watch and I reunite? I wouldn’t say no if history has taught me anything. I’m also extremely aware I am not great at change in general. So maybe the 14 day period was enough for me to roll Apple Watch into my life comfortably?

At some point I think we all have to realize that EVERY device is not for everyone all the time. The Watch and I clashed on many levels and were in perfect unison on many other levels. It was a tough decision to return it, but like I mentioned earlier, other factors played heavily and I had to make choice based on priorities. I feel I made that right one. I am at peace with my decision, Who knows what the future holds, but my present day status is the Apple Watch is a Phenomenal, 1st-gen device. Just not for me, just not right now.

Deep Thoughts, Memories of Nonni

A Walk in the Park

My early teen years were very difficult for me. My parents divorced and many things were changing. I don’t take well to alterations in my life for some reason and back then all I knew was constant change. I was consistently was on edge. I wanted to tell this story first and foremost because it paints a very clear picture of my Nonni and her kindness. Secondly and less important, someone once told me the way to really find out who you are is to be open and transparent and above all honest in aspects of life you are not proud of. The moment these acts played out, they were meant to be told, I just haven’t told anyone until now.

High School is a tough time for anyone I think. Maybe not by Junior/Senior year, but Freshman year for certain . I was going into high school with a large focus on sports. I didn’t know many people going to my school but I knew some members of my future basketball team because we were already practicing the summer prior to freshman year.

This story begins on one of the first Fridays of the school year. Everyone I knew at that point in school were talking about meeting up with girls and hanging out at an undisclosed location. I remember feeling uncomfortable and pressured so when it came time to say if I was in, I nervously backed out. It wasn’t that I didn’t like girls, but my self confidence level at this point in my life wasn’t very high. The last thing I wanted was to be put in a situation that people could make fun of me. I played it safe and backed out.

As I look back at that point in my life, I let a lot of people use me as a punching bag. They knew I wouldn’t hurt anyone, so they always took jabs at me, verbal jabs that is. I let it pass, quite honestly because I thought it made people feel good. And coming from a broken house, I would do just about anything to make someone feel good, unfortunately even at my own expense.

I wouldn’t be going to the “gathering.” Instead a perfectly good night was going to be spent working on a short film and re-watching Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo. I remember being in a Vertigo funk. I had a theory that James Stewert’s character actually died in the first sequence and I needed to do some re-watching to fill some holes in that theory. Sounds riveting, doesn’t it? But that was me in early high school days, a film nerd who could tell you unhealthy amounts of film facts from decades before my birth. It wasn’t that I was unsociable, I just had my own little world that I felt comfortable in and when that space became hindered I always fell apart.

When I got home from school that Friday, my mom informed me that I wouldn’t be staying home that night. She told me my Nonni needed help moving some big furniture and asked if I could aid. As much as I loved and would do anything for my Nonni, I didn’t want my night of movie watching to be disturbed. It was one of those “I know this is wrong to not help and I just don’t care” moments. But my mom didn’t care and off I went being driven to Nonni’s house on a Friday night.

When I arrived Nonni always greeted me with a smile. To my shame this particular time, I didn’t give one back. Nonni didn’t care. Little stuff like that didn’t faze her in the least. She was just happy I was there.

I helped her move the furniture which was a small end table . I still remember thinking that she could have done all this on her own. I was upset because I felt like my time there wasn’t really needed and all the while I could have been home working on my short film and ultimately smoothing out some bumps from my Vertigo theory. I was selfish.

After the furniture got moved Nonni asked me if I wanted to go to the park for fresh air. A routine we did consistently since I was young. Reluctantly, I went. In an even worse mood that I had when I arrived.

She never took the direct route to the park. She was big on talking so Nonni didn’t mind taking a longer way to the park. When I was younger I really enjoyed this. But at this time it just added to my frustration.

The sun was just setting and the weather was exceptionally good for a walk. Nonni had a habit of picking up a flower and touching it during our walks. She did this while talking almost professionally. I couldn’t tell you what we talked about and I don’t remember much but unfortunately what came next is one of the more stark memories I can recall.

We were walking back to her car. The night was finally over. All I had to do was wait for my mom to pick me up at Nonni’s house. As we were about half way to her car a bunch of loud Honda civics and racing type cars pulled up to the park parking lot. I looked and sure enough these cars looked familiar. They were people from my High School. In some weird coincidence they picked the exact park to have make out sessions in that my Nonni and I were walking at.

It didn’t take long. They recognized me instantly and began belittling me. Making fun of the fact I was walking with my Nonni at sunset in a park. One of my most treasured memories as a kid was now being ripped apart by my new day to day life of school. I began getting nervous and anxious. The insults kept coming in and I just dropped my head and closed my eyes. It felt like I was being hunted and had a gun pointed at me. I was helpless and frozen.

Nonni sensed all this and she softly held my hand to try and comfort me. Almost immediately the laughter and insults grew. I quickly snatched my hand from her, angrily.

I don’t exactly remember how it all finished but, we ended up in her car. It was quiet and I was a combination of humiliated and ashamed. Nonni gathered and very gently asked:

“Whats wrong Danny? Are you ok?” And I said “No, I’m not ok!” almost shouting. And she’s like “whats wrong?” And I said “Don’t you understand Nonni? Im not who you think I am.” And Nonni innocently says “Well, what do you mean Danny?” I say “Nonni I’m a loser.” She says ” oh no your not, why do you think that?” I snap. And I say “I’m here with you on a Friday night, look at me, I’m a loser.” She just stared at me with a confusing look on her face.

We drive away in silence, I had never rose my voice before to anyone in my lifetime and that moment sort of cemented I would try my best to never again. Honestly speaking, I learned I’m the type of person who gets hurt more than the receiving end of me yelling at someone. This situation was all different for me and I remember crystal clear shaking as we drove home in silence.

We get back to her house and she quietly puts sauce on the stove and slowly but surely I start to smell it. Im just sitting there watching her do this. She’s not saying anything to me and this thick blanket of shame pours over me because I feel immensely bad for lashing out at her. I remember feeling I disappointed her. More devastating, I remember the familiar feeling of doing something to someone you love who didn’t deserve it. It hearkened to my parents divorce days, and this time I was the one on the ugly end.

A little time passes and things are still very silent. By the time the pasta has finished and Nonni makes me my bowl and places it in front of me. Her usual ritual would be to sit across and make small talk while she watched her “shows” out of the corner of her eye. She didn’t do that though. She just stayed behind me, standing. It seems odd and all I remembered thinking about at that point was she was going to yell at me at any second. The silence was so much. I had to break it. So I broke the air with “the pasta really is good, Nonni.” Nonni nodded her head and gently puts her hand through my hair and she says effortlessly “you got such a nice haircut, you look so handsome.” She paused and said: “I hope you know your the best boy Danny, I hope you know.”

The next Monday at school was bad to say the least. I heard it from everyone, asking if I was taking Nonni to the prom or if she was picking me up to walk home and hold hands. All stuff I expected I guess. But I was surprised it didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would. I just let it go. It went away after a while and basketball season started. And in an odd turn of events, I became uncomfortably popular throughout my High School career.

Nonni has been gone for years now and when I used to live in Connecticut I would make it a habit to revisit that route. I would drive to Nonni’s, wait there a bit. Then take her specialized directions to the park and walk around for a while in the same way we did. Drive back to her house and just sit in the parking lot and think of her. Think of how calm she handled that situation. A shameful young boy as insecure as the anyone who lashed out at a person who loved him with all her heart, yet she was loving. It was still important for her to make me feel good. To be supportive. She had an unwavering positive image of me that I don’t quite understand or know how to place.

In the time that Nonni has passed, I try to do everything I can to be the person Nonni saw me as. The truth is i’m not that person. I’m mostly selfish and always considering myself before others. I don’t have an inch of Nonni’s genuineness in me. I may try and trick myself from time to time, but its fails compared to Nonni’s meekness. She has set the bar so high for me that sometimes I stand amazed by her and she provides a good reminder for myself to always try and improve, if not for me, for others around me.

If she were here today I would do anything to take her to that park for a walk on a Friday evening. I wouldn’t care who saw me. Because she didn’t. All she cared about was being there with me. As look back, I wish I could have said the same.

Deep Thoughts, Technology

Uncertainty & iDevices

From time to time, I reevaluate my tech devices and their place in my life. Anyone who knows me will tell you I actually obsess and take extravagant amounts of time to decide what devices I need. An exhaustive process that seems required research at this point in my life.

I genuinely enjoy researching the tech world and following its pulse. Im continually aware of much of the happenings and usually know whats coming to market before most people in the tech world do. So, on that note, Lets begin:

I have made some great purchases in the tech world. Purchases that improved my life, saved me time and enabled me to create some lasting memories. This post is not about those. It’s about the others, the messy ones and most importantly, the possible future.

Allow me to give you a little insight into my previous history in my travels of owning and purchasing 2 particular devices before we get to the subject matter:

IPHONE HISTORY
It took me until the iPhone 4 to be comfortable enough and deem the iPhone platform worthy of my full time usage. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t make the attempt previously. I owned every iPhone before the 4th (that’s 3 different models) and to be honest, during the “3GS” era I bought and returned 4 of them (for those counting that’s 6 iPhones). Just a merger of indecisiveness and not being able to fully use the device for my personal needs. When the iPhone 4 came out, I think what really sold me was the technology that it was boasting was too far ahead of what I was using, and seamlessly, a nice friendship ensued. I’ve owned a 4,5 and now a shiny 6.

IPAD HISTORY
I actually didn’t own the first generation iPad. Truth being told, I had doubts it was a going to succeed. BUT, the iPad 2 came around and all it’s shiny marketing, I gave Apple my money. Returned the iPad 2 and felt good about the decision. Almost a month later I started to want an iPad again and I couldn’t understand why. I just did, which is very unlike me. I decided I was going to wait until the iPad 3 came out and spring for that. They announced it a few months later,I preordered, received and a week later, returned. iPad 4 announcement, I purchased, I returned. iPad Air announced, I purchased and sold on eBay. Currently I don’t own an iPad, but it should come to no surprise, that the iPad Air 2 is constant bait hanging in front of me.

Hopefully by now you get the gist. Now give me some time to defend myself. You are probably asking why the uncertainty? Why the indecisiveness? Well, I have no clue. So you can stop reading if you thought I solved this equation. But I have thoughts….

Here are some of my needs to keep devices, or actually anything for that matter:

Need #1
Most importantly, I need to feel I can use the item to its full potential. The iPhone took some time because I lived my whole life without one. We all did, and then all of sudden it was there. I felt uneasy for the first 3 iterations. Like I mentioned, once the 4 came out it was time and it just clicked, It didn’t take work for me to want one. It was natural.

With the iPad, I am still in this ocean of uncertainty. I don’t think I can ever purchase one again unless I can fully use it as my laptop replacement. Having both the devices seems wasteful to me. I love my mac and it pretty much goes everywhere with me. I write on it, edit video, manipulate files, save great articles, index picture categories, work on the back end of my blog, so much. Until I can do all this as easy with an iPad I just cant see myself owning one.

Let me make one thing clear though, I desperately long for that day to come. As you can see from my purchase history, I have attempted many, many times to squeeze an iPad into my life. Ive heard all types of comments from many people:

1. “It’s a leisure device”
2. “You don’t have to use it for everything”
3. “Just use it to browse the web, etc”

While I completely admire and am infinitely jealous of people who can rationalize owning a device for a few select uses, I just cant. So these suggestions never have helped me much.

Need #2
The device needs to have some legs. What I mean by that is whatever device it is, it needs to last a long time. Physically it needs to hold up and so naturally, build quality is important but technology wise, the device needs to not be “sherlocked” 6 months later by newer, better tech.

This is why I usually spring for Apple products. Apple is not so paranoid about specs. They make their devices with the idea of the “whole” product. This seems to make for a long lasting, great experience with their product.

So I constantly ask myself why? Why do I want one if I know I don’t. I think at least half the issue is a philosophical element. When the iPad works, it does things extremely well. It’s not clunky like my Mac, It’s smooth. The limited tasks it does, it handles exceptionally well. Sure my mac can do everything, but it’s not an elegant experience anymore. iPad is a single purpose, streamlined convertible. My mac is a multi purpose, gas guzzling truck. Couple that with the fact the iPad is less than half the weight of my mac and the battery life is extremely efficient. It just gives off different vibes.

So why write this? Well, the future draws nigh:

Lets fast forward a little bit. In April I have it on good sources Apple will venture into to untraveled seas and start selling a new category. Enter Apple Watch. Disclaimer: I don’t wear watches. I’m not really a jewelry person and I certainly wouldn’t consider myself a “flashy” individual. Yet Apple is slowly selling me on the idea of a Watch. The other day, I re-watched the Apple Watch keynote and more and more, I see it playing a big role in my future.

Part of the reason for this post is to try and work the demons out. I don’t want the watch to be another iPad incident, where I buy and return 5 of them. (eek, not proud) And i’m confidently sure my wife would appreciate an efficient transaction now and again. So I’m aiming for one or none actually.

So at this moment I plan on purchasing but I am puzzled. How can I be extremely excited about buying a watch when I don’t like wearing them? This is stunning to me! Nonetheless, here I am.

An all too familiar feeling.

Stay tuned for part 2 of my  uncertainty of iDevices as thoughts on Apple Watch permeate and release nears!

Deep Thoughts, Family, Life

#2

It’s funny how things play out. When Lindsey and I first found out she was pregnant with Liam I had really mixed emotions. Sure I was happy and extremely grateful. But speaking honestly, I was scared and felt supremely unprepared. In my mind who wouldn’t be? How can anyone honestly say they are completely at ease with realizing they will be inevitably responsible for a human being? I just felt a mixed bag of emotions for 9 months. And honestly I didn’t understand how nobody else felt this way.

When Liam finally came I was blown away. The mixed emotions suddenly vanished and I felt completely at ease. In a way that I couldn’t have imagined he accepted me as his father. Sure, he didn’t have a choice you could say. But honestly, I found and still find that inspiring. When he started to talk, he called me “dad”. He wasn’t ashamed to. He loved me regardless of my faults. Oblivious or not, he loved me for me. As he grew older, he entrusted in me to play catch with him. To teach him how to shoot a basketball. He wasn’t watching closely if I was teaching right. Liam just smiled and took my word for it. Thats a big deal to me and I appreciate him for it.

Say what you will about me. An unsure, too aware, too sensitive person who thinks way too much for his own good. Liam doesn’t say anything like that about me. He calls me his “hero.” He’s proud to call me his “daddy.” He looks forward to seeing me when I feel I cant bring anything to the table, which is always. The truth is Liam brings out the best in me whether I can identify it or not. He enables me to be a good dad because on my own I am unequipped. His observations of me are not my obligations, they just exist and succeed in Liam’s head. I don’t have to work at being anything to Liam, I just am. That’s good enough for him and fortunate for me.

I am blessed to say Lindsey is pregnant again. I don’t deserve such a privilege twice in my life. Things are different this time for me. I know what to expect. I know the challenges, I fully understand what the potential of what the future may hold. In many ways Lindsey’s pregnancy proves to be a great reminder to not be so full of myself. To once again realize that life isn’t about me. I now have 3 people in my life who’s lives I will earnestly attempt put before mine.

I have been thinking a lot about how I want #2 to be different. And I don’t know the right answers. But I know 2 things for sure. This time around I want to be a better husband for Lindsey in her pregnancy. I want her to know that when she is feeling weak i’m going to be there to pick up the pieces. I want her to know that this time I will be there mentally as well as physically. I never want a day to go by where she isn’t praised for A. being a great mom and B. for being an even better wife. She deserves someone better than me and i’ll try and be that person throughout her pregnancy,

Secondly, I want our new child to know more than ever that he/she will be loved not by a model parent who does everything right and crosses his T’s and dots his I’s. Not by a perfect parent who will have expectations and self realized goals for his child to meet before they arrive at k-3. No, thats just not me. I want my future child to know he/she will be raised by a non-perfect, loving parent who although he will make many, many, many mistakes. He will always get up, dust himself off and try again.

I don’t claim to be many things. But I am proud to proclaim I try my very best to by my very best for the people I love in my life. I make a conscious effort to improve daily. I’ve never said I am succeeding and certainly will never “arrive.” But baby #2 I just wanted to tell you, no matter how you look or what your like. No matter how many fingers you have or how smart you turn out, if I achieve nothing else as a parent I pray you will learn one thing from me. The quest of being perfect is wrong and unobtainable. Being honest and humble is of utmost important. Realizing all you can do is your personal best (no matter how that is gauged) and put the rest in God’s hand.

Our relationship is brand new. A clean slate you can say. I hope when the colors start to emerge on this blank piece of paper, they create something beautiful. I hope you realize later in life that my failures will be unachieved, honest attempts. I hope you realize that no matter what anyone calls you or says to you, the only thing that matters is you finding your happiness. I found mine. My family. I cant provide for them like I wish or would have predicted earlier in my life and certainly have proven to not have the mental strength they deserve or need. But I try my best. And that’s all you can do.

Baby #2, No matter how God chooses to craft you, I already love you the way you are. Because my expectations don’t matter . Not now, not ever. I will try my very best to be the very best me I can be for you.

I don’t care if your a boy or a girl, I don’t care if you are athletic or smart. I will never care if you are popular or not. I do supremely care that you know I love you no matter how God chooses to make you.

I cant wait to meet you.

Deep Thoughts, Life, Technology

The Haunting & Inevitable Future of Facebook

It’s no secret that technology is in constant change. If you’re not privy to this, do yourself justice and look around. 10 years ago nobody was face-planted into a 4 inch device, yet here we are. Technology is an extremely powerful outlet. It effects every aspect of our life, and whether you agree with it’s existence or not one thing is certain,  technology is here to stay.

As a tech follower for sometime now, I have learned a few things that remain true. The most important aspect and guarantee you can take from the tech industry is: it won’t stay still. It’s here to progress. It has to. Because it’s customers do. New customers (age groups and demographics) bring new needs. Different trends spawn fresh redesigns and feature sets. Nothing in tech is by accident. This is an important fact to remember simply because we are the customer and we should be aware of what is trying to target us, our time and our priorities. We should enjoy the product to an extent but also be knowledgable of why it is doing what it is doing. For example: When google starts asking you why you are searching for something instead of just searching for you, that should raise a bright red flag.

The future of the tech world is of immense interest to me. I find it fascinating how culture shifts with plastic tech products. I am always thinking of what could come next. These answers aren’t hard to gather if you look closely and due diligence in research. Like I mentioned, Tech’s target is us. What do we want? Do we even know? Some companies think we do. Some think we don’t. But no other company as of recent has fascinated me more than Facebook. In my opinion, the most influential company in the world.

I guess it’s only fair if I tell you my personal relationship with Facebook. Consider the source right? I joined Facebook in 2006. Right as myspace was slowing down. It was actually quite fun at first. There wasn’t many people on, you basically friended your friends, which was nice. And the end result was a nice compartmentalization of your life, nice and neat. It wasn’t long before everyone came in and flooded the servers of Facebook. And personally, it just got to be too much for me. It was too much to control, too much content to take in intelligently and too overbearing. When a tech product starts to control me, I leave. And I did. Sure countless people asked me why and how it was dumb to leave. But as for me? I knew it was the right move personally.

Facebook did something really clever before I left though. They prompted a screen in the exit process. First off, they wouldn’t let me delete my account. Only to add that they knew best and they would intelligently “deactivate” my account. (RED FLAG #1). This didn’t seat well with me . Maybe to an uninformed regular human this doesn’t matter. But to me it meant I was still living on Facebook’s servers. Since there is no option, I had to agree and so I did. I would rather be “deactivated” on their servers than participating in the confused nonsense. What also bothered me and is the point of this post is what came next: The “don’t leave, your friends will miss you page.” (RED FLAG #2). Facebook intelligently took my closest (most interacted with) friends and placed them in JPEG holders and proudly stated “they” would miss me. As if they didn’t exist beyond my computer screen. As if they weren’t real people living in the real world.

As of present day, It almost feels like everyone is attending a party that I chose and continually choose not to attend. As an introvert, this kind of makes me feel good, but as a human being , I still peak in from time to time. Facebook is attractive. It gives you up to the second news feeds of people you seemingly care about and continually refreshes to birth a new stream of content at an exhausting rate. Although in print, that description probably seems crazy, in real life usage it actually works quite well and is extravagantly addictive.

Facebook as a company fascinates me. More so, Facebook’s future as a company is the most interesting future any tech company has to offer in my opinion. Not Apple, not Google, not Samsung, not Tesla, not Twitter but Facebook.

DISCLAIMER: I would like to run at a disclaimer at this point: I am not a shareholder of any Facebook stock. Besides Apple Inc, I don’t have any internal knowledge of future product roadmaps (hardware, software or services) of any tech company. Everything I am about to put on the table about Facebook’s future is completely speculative. But it should be stated that these are informed guesses from obtainable information that any individual can dig and find on the interwebs.

PAST

To look at Facebook’s possible future we first have to look at what Facebook is capable of. The best way to do this is to simply look at their past. This is a company that started at a small university level, a limited social network that grew like no company in the history of any industry in the terms of users and marketing profit margins. So to make a long story short, Facebook has set the gold standard for a rising startup. They quickly spread and grew across the world, flicking the switch in an obscene amount of time in a ridiculous amount of places.

They also are a company who is ran by a very smart man. Enter Marc Zuckerburg. Since Steve Jobs, the smartest man in technology in my opinion. We all know Zuck’s story. Its what every young college computer science major wants to do. Start a company, be a billionaire, change the world. But personally, I don’t think Zuckerburg wanted the first two nearly as bad as he wants to change the world. And he did it and he’s doing it now. But this article will focus on how he will continue to do it.

PRESENT

By the end of 2013, Facebook boasted 1.23bn monthly active users worldwide, adding 170m in just one year. According to Facebook, 757m users log on to Facebook daily, as of 31 December 2013. Maybe you didn’t get that because those numbers seem fairytale-ish. But 757 million user log in daily. Thats an extreme amount of people giving you information, Personal information as well as public.

As good as those numbers sound though Facebook is actually on the decline in the present day. Internally they are struggling to reach core demographics of teenagers believe it or not. Twitter is actually getting more and more teens by the day, Many analysts think this is because teens do not desire to be on the same social media outlet as their parents. So the problem for Facebook now is they have too many users and they are “sherlocking” their own product. Actually that is quite fascinating and funny all at the same time.

All of this success has not made Mark Zuckerburg ignorant though. He understands as well as anyone that revolutions come from below. A small start up could one day dethrone a big giant who is basking in their own success. The innovators dilemma – where you get so caught up in your own innovation you miss the next wave of real innovation. Zuckerburg knows this all to well and he is consistently on the look out for the next big thing. Take into account his three big recent purchases:

1. Instagram – A social networking photo service that works flawless and simple. PURCHASE PRICE: 1 BILLION
2. whatsapp – A multi-platform, worldwide messaging service that was highly successful for teenagers mostly in Europe. PURCHASE PRICE: 19 BILLION!
3. Oculus Rift – A virtual reality start up that was leading the charge in real time virtual reality creation. PURCHASE PRICE: 2 BILLION

Do you notice anything about those companies? They’re all about connecting. Here it is: Facebook is about connecting you with data, in a simple sentence we have just discovered Facebook’s mission statement. Data is their business. They collect everyone’s data and literally sell it to companies and then you will see smart ads pop up on the sidebar of your pages. Coincidentally with content of your interest. This is no coincidence .

FUTURE

You see the truth and future of Facebook is right in front of you and users hardly realize it. Your information, your tendencies, your likes and dislikes your time spent on and off. Your friends, your new friends your old friends, the friend you just unfriended, the boy or girlfriend you just broke things off with, your husband, your wife, your kids, your kid’s kids, your grandchildren, their friends and your pets. Are you getting the picture yet? They keep EVERYTHING logged and they use it to their advantage, literally. It’s their business to know you. Remember YOU are the reason they exist. And they take complete advantage of such information.

Lets fast forward now and take a look down the road:

APPS
Down the road Facebook will no doubt continue it’s mobile presence. They already are turning out new iOS apps almost weekly by some of the best designers in the industry. Mike Madas and Loren Brichter just to name a few. They have released (in addition to a new revamped official app):

1. Facebook Messenger
2. Instagram
3. Facebook Page Manager
4. whatsapp
5. Facebook Paper

These are all available on iOS platform, and you may think to yourself so what? But if you look even 2 years ago, none of these existed under Facebook’s authority except their official app. Its clear Facebook is making a huge push into mobile. But why?

They are working extremely hard to be mobile-only and they will certainly continue down that road because mobile is the future and Facebook needs to be there. And they will be. Thats where the users are. Thats where the data is.

HARDWARE
This is quite tricky actually. Facebook has attempted hardware in the past, most notably the HTC Facebook phone. As far as numbers show, the phone was introduced with subpar selling number and since HTC has halted production.

Facebook’s purchase of Oculus Rift is very interesting though. Oculus Rift is an actual headset you wear to turn your world into a virtual world. So is Facebook trying to make a Facebook headset you wear to create dystopia for you to live in? Im skeptical of that, but it can’t quite be put to bed either. The jury is still out on a hardware future for Facebook.

SERVICES
Ah, here is where I want to land. This is the backbone of Facebook. Internet Services, data consumption and “connecting” users. Surly, Facebook’s future depends on this. But how? How will they and Mark Zuckerburg ensure no small start up does something fresh and unique to make Facebook look like a dinosaur. Simple answer in my opinion; They use what they already have: “data.” Your data, my data, everyone’s data; living and dead. Yes, dead.

If you’ve made it this far then I applaud you bearing my ramblings. But at last, here is my prediction:

VIRTUAL IMMORTALITY

Facebook, one day will allow you to “connect” with dead people. I know this is a dark subject but please bear with me (for a little longer). Think about that as a feature and don’t be so naive to tell me its impossible. Consider these points:

A. No one can delete anything from Facebook’s servers. Ever.
B. We’ve already established they are data hoarders.
C. Their main source of income is information.
D. Their company goal is to “connect” people.

So don’t tell me they can’t. They most certainly can and most probably will. Facebook is a publicly traded company which means numbers matter. Profit and growth matter. What better way to make growth happen to keep users “active” after they die.

The idea of replicating a personality is quite interesting. Isn’t that what actors do? They get into a different mind set for each role they play. Well, why is Facebook any less capable? If anything (in theory) they’re much more capable. An actor has to go out and do many hours and days of research on his or her role. Facebook’s research is already done. You have already given them the data. They know your personality, they just have to mirror it.

Facebook can and will intelligently replicate you after your death. Keep your profile active and operating. Think of it. If a dear love one of your’s passes away but their Facebook profile stays and more than that, you can interact. Facebook has grown so intelligent in their data consumption and Ai intelligence that they can easily reproduce your likes, dislikes, tendencies, views, opinions, past experiences, memories, photos, videos etc. You see it is all at their disposal. And don’t be so naive to think the human mind can’t be replicated. Because in reality, their not attempting to replicate your brain. Their attempting and will succeed at replicating your personality.

Who wouldn’t want to do use that service. Who wouldn’t want to ask a dead loved one a question and get a real, intelligently generated response. Of course you would. The kicker would be the accuracy level. It would be immensely sharp. All the data they have stored can easily replicate a person because they already know everything about you. They already know your family, your vacations , your pictures, your videos, your ex girlfriends and boyfriends and your already passed relatives. Your political views, your religious views your opinions on everything from newborn babies to a funeral of close friend. They know you in many ways, in a better more organized manner than you know yourself.

It’s not that this doesn’t scare me. It truly does and I’m not sure why. It could be because were so far along in a tech familiar world that this would just be another feature set of Facebook. Another software update that people just tap “update.” We are extremely numb to things that make our life convenient, me included. Facebook knows this, any tech company knows this.

Which is more horrifically scary? That you can’t delete your account from Facebook, you can only deactivate? Or that in Facebook’s agreement that we all have accepted, they have the right to do whatever they want whenever they want with your information, your photos, etc. Basically paving the way for such a service. It’s almost too simple for them. Its scary world we live in. Not only outside your computer screen, but inside internet servers. Indeed, one day my son will be able to talk to me after I’m dead through the features of Facebook. I just hope I get around to making an updated Facebook account before I die. If not for me, to transcend my content from living to afterlife, from reality to digital. But then again what is reality and what isn’t? Ask Facebook and their answer may surprise you.

Deep Thoughts, Movies

Grand Budapest Hotel Analysis

Rather than trying to show the naysayers that he’s capable of more than they think, Wes Anderson has instead devoted himself to proving the value of what they think he is – rather than broadening his film universe, Anderson has narrowed, deepened and dimensionalized it, the difference between The Royal Tenenbaums and Moonrise Kingdom being similar to that between a 2d painting and a 3d experience.

The framing device of The Grand Budapest Hotel would be enough in and of itself to continue Anderson’s inward trajectory, the story unfolding via a simple nesting doll structure that allows the filmmaker to practically incept himself. But The Grand Budapest Hotel isn’t the most Wes Anderson film because of how densely it delivers all of the familiar tropes and fetishes (Miniatures! Orphans! Characters dangling from high places!), no, his eighth feature is a great leap further down the rabbit hole of his own imagination because it’s the first Wes Anderson movie that’s about Wes Anderson movies, in my opinion.

A four-tiered confection that moves with the wild energy of Fantastic Mr. Fox but lingers with a more brutal, weaponized version of the wistfulness that haunted Moonrise Kingdom, The Grand Budapest Hotel is a caper comedy about how the rise of fascism in the 1930s robbed an entire continent of its civility. It’s Wes Anderson’s third consecutive home run, but more importantly it’s the only one of his films to make all of them better.

Here’s my theory: Like Inception, there are four different levels, the ones here representing four pointedly different periods. Unlike Inception, The Grand Budapest Hotel never depicts parallel action across the threads – one is the bunk bed, the other is the ladder. We start at the top, descend to the bottom, and climb back up to leave. Lest anyone be confused, Anderson and his longtime cinematographer Robert Yeoman cleverly assign separate aspect ratios to each of the time periods, the various picture sizes reflecting the look of movies endemic to their era.

Timeline 1: Present Day. A young girl with a good book in her hands visits the memorial of a late writer (the inscription on the bust simply reads: “Author”).

Timeline 2: The 1980s. The nameless Author – now a fleshy Tom Wilkinson – reads an excerpt from his treasured book, The Grand Budapest Hotel.

Timeline 3: The 1960s. A fictionalized version of the Author (Jude Law) visits the institution, which rots atop a snowy peak in the fictional Republic of Zubrowka. The lodging is obviously a pale ghost of its former self, the hollowed out home for a skeleton crew of employees who make Jack Torrance look busy. It’s there that the Author encounters Mr. Moustafa (the great F. Murray Abraham), the warm but palpably sad man who owns the worthless estate. Moustafa invites the Author to join him for dinner in a barren ballroom, and there the old man tells his guest with the story of how he first came to The Grand Budapest Hotel in the early 1930s, when he was a bright but penniless kid named Zero.

Timeline 4: The 1930s. The vast majority of the film transpires in the hotel’s majestic pre-war period (shot in boxy 1.37:1 to capture the lobby’s awesome vertical span), where a young immigrant without a family or a home is reluctantly hired as the new lobby boy by legendary concierge Gustave H (Ralph Fiennes, delivering his best work since Schindler’s List, not to mention the single most dynamic lead performance a Wes Anderson movie has ever known or required). I have no issues making that statement.

Fractured further into five separate chapters, each of which seems possessed by a different genre, The Grand Budapest Hotel welcomes you in fits and starts. It lacks the cohesive forward momentum of Anderson’s last two films, the story little more than a flimsy means of making you fall in love with its setting. The Republic of Zubrowka is like a snow globe with the hotel loosely glued to the bottom.

Gustave isn’t only the heart of this film, he’s also its soul. Both the character and the film around him are hilarious and uncommonly vulgar, but neither is ever coarse – this is by far Anderson’s most violent and unforgiving movie, his coldest in every which way, but it treasures the sweetness that survives. Likewise, Gustave may accept acts from the rich old ladies who frequent the hotel, but he does so gallantly and with pride (despite being as outwardly queer as would be allowed of a character in an early ‘30s farce). When one of those rich old ladies (Swinton) is murdered and Gustave learns that he’s the sole benefactor of a massive fortune, the dedicated concierge is far more shocked than he is satisfied, the restless plot kicking into gear as the thuggish son of the deceased (Adrien Brody) and his henchman (Willem Dafoe) seek to forcibly reclaim their inheritance.

Gustave runs the place as though he were both the king and caretaker of a self-contained fiefdom in which every detail is ruthlessly selected so as to protect the hotel from the steady march of time. The Grand Budapest Hotel is Gustave’s Moonrise Kingdom, but he gets to live there. Why give up a fantasy world if reality is a nightmare?

The Grand Budapest Hotel is a Wes Anderson movie, but The Grand Budapest Hotel is also a Wes Anderson movie. While each and every one of his movies has mirthfully celebrated the bond instilled by a shared vocation (just think of Team Zissou and its interns), The Grand Budapest Hotel sanctifies that solidarity with The Society of the Crossed Keys, a brotherhood of concierges that serves to explicitly underline the significance of what some people may have previously dismissed as an easy affectation.

Sure, its concierge is so desperately clinging to the illusion of permanence that Zero has to descend a mountain in order to fetch a newspaper, but he only shields himself from the growing fascist threat because he understands the full extent of what’s at risk. Gustave recognizes that an unyielding commitment to such individuality is itself a profound rebuke to oppression, and if you mourn how the hotel is callously gutted by the outside world – and you will – it becomes impossible to deny the value of Wes Anderson’s work, or his decision to double down on what makes it unique. Sight unseen, it might sound like cinema as defensive posturing, but The Grand Budapest Hotel locates the human element at the heart of Anderson’s style, in the process becoming his most stylish film to date.

What lazy viewers might see as more of the same, others will recognize as Anderson testing the limits of his control, the precision of his filmmaking increasing in tandem with the frenzied pace of his plot. In fact, things move and resolve so fast that the movie’s reservoir of pain almost feels iced over, like you’ve lost something but can’t quite remember what. Yet the film’s final cut is so abrupt that it’s tempting to think it instructive. After all, like the book that a girl brings to its Author’s grave, the movie will always be waiting for you to return, its story surviving what its setting could not.

Of course, at the end of the day it’s really pretty simple: either you want to see a movie in which a bearded Jeff Goldblum plays a character named Deputy Vilmos Kovacs, or you don’t. But trust me, you do. You really do.