I'm super proud of the Little Boy - he took 10th yesterday at the Marin cross country championships. The amazing thing is how much he improved relative to recent performances; in three previous races this year, his best place was 25th. The best I could explain such a big leap is a. he's been training very hard these past few weeks. I ran with him last Friday and for the first time ever, had to really work to keep up with him 2. he finally learned how to "race." I think in his previous races there's been some gas left in the tank.
Whatever the reason, I'm very proud of him and he is very proud of himself. He was all smiles last night and he didn't take his medal off (medals only went to the top 10 finishers) until he went to bed. He nabbed the last one, which he said was a big motivator over the last 200 meters.
The most important lesson in this and one I think he finally understands; hard work yields results. If you're reading this; great job Kid. I'm super proud of you. Now apply this lesson to other parts of your life too (like - your homework!).
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
Miscellaneous
I have to say that my Everday Carry posts proved to be more popular than I anticipated. I received emails from several people telling me they were really into both the site as well as the notion of an every day carry. If you have a photo of your carry, please send it my way; I'd like to get a few more posted. Dad, if you are out there and know how to take a picture with that antiquated phone of yours, please do. Lord knows I'd be interested in what you are carrying.
Nothing too much else to report. I read a great book over the weekend, The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson. It was a breezy but interesting read. I plowed through it quickly so I could start the Steve Jobs bio.I'm about 10 percent of the way in and so far, so good. More on this later - I have to get back to watching the World Series. I don't care much for either team, but have to admit this is a hell of a Series so far.
Nothing too much else to report. I read a great book over the weekend, The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson. It was a breezy but interesting read. I plowed through it quickly so I could start the Steve Jobs bio.I'm about 10 percent of the way in and so far, so good. More on this later - I have to get back to watching the World Series. I don't care much for either team, but have to admit this is a hell of a Series so far.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Wiley's Carry
Note that the Blogger iPhone app seems to cut photos off. If you are seeing an abridged view of this for some reason, just click on the photo and it should enlarge.
Wiley is the one who got me into this nonsense. His carry includes:
IWC chronograph
Etymotic iPhone earbuds
Paul Smith pin-up girl wallet
Hand carved skull keychain (gift from Dylan)
Victorinox midnight manager (includes knife, light, pen, bottle opener, scissors, flathead and Phillips screwdrivers)
Car key in leather pouch
Wallet pen
Carmex
iPhone 4 (not pictured)
Wiley is the one who got me into this nonsense. His carry includes:
IWC chronograph
Etymotic iPhone earbuds
Paul Smith pin-up girl wallet
Hand carved skull keychain (gift from Dylan)
Victorinox midnight manager (includes knife, light, pen, bottle opener, scissors, flathead and Phillips screwdrivers)
Car key in leather pouch
Wallet pen
Carmex
iPhone 4 (not pictured)
My Carry
iPhone 4s in BookBook combination wallet case
Panerai GMT
Ironman buds with ear lock technology
Moseley Tribe sunglasses
Victorinox Midnight Manager swiss army knife. Small enough to fit on key chain and includes knife, can opener, small pen, flashlight and scissors.
Panerai GMT
Ironman buds with ear lock technology
Moseley Tribe sunglasses
Victorinox Midnight Manager swiss army knife. Small enough to fit on key chain and includes knife, can opener, small pen, flashlight and scissors.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Everyday Carry
My boy Wiley turned me on this this website, which is starting to become a quasi-obession. I guarantee that my brother Neil gets really into this too; I know that dude all too well.
Wikipedia describes Everyday Carry as follows:
Every Day Carry refers to a small collection of tools, equipment and supplies that are carried on a daily basis to assist in tackling situations ranging from the mundane to the disastrous.[1] The term EDC also refers to the philosophy or spirit of 'preparedness' that goes along with the selection and carrying of these items. Implicit in the term is the sense that an EDC is an individual's personal selection of equipment, arrived at after deliberation, rather than a standardized kit.
Check out the site if you get a chance; it's pretty cool and has a cult-like following. And how about this for an idea - in the spirit of the site linked above, send me a picture of your Everyday carry that I can post. I'll do the same tomorrow.
Monday, October 17, 2011
iPhone 4S Review
A lot of folks have been asking me what I think of the iPhone 4s, so here are my thoughts.
To kick things off, if you are a 3gs user (hello, Wife!) and your contract is up for renewal, it's a complete no brainer. Nothing to discuss; just do it. If you are an iPhone 4 user you are probably ok unless photography is important to you. The camera is actually THAT good; it's like finally having a solid point and click in your pocket. Same holds true with video as well. I'm constantly taking pictures and video of the kids - I would have upgraded simply for this one aspect (though who am I kidding? I was upgrading even it was the exact same phone).
What else to like? Siri is cool and is clearly the future of mobile. It hasn't been working that great for me thus far - it requires a connection to Apple's servers which appear to be massively overwhelmed. But when it connects it generally works well and you can see that it is without question the future pf mobile. It's a game changer for Apple and I expect that it will iterate quickly - it's currently considered a beta product by Apple - and once API's open up to other apps and services, the potential is sky high. Right now it sits a bit on the novelty side of the fence, but it's something to watch and an excellent differentiator for Apple.
It's fast too, but that's to be expected.. Next to zero latency when opening other apps.
And then there's iOS5 which is fantastic and almost like having an entirely new OS. The best aspect of iOS5 for me personally is the new notification system. I'll do a separate post some time soon on iOS5 but the bottom line is that it delivers on its promise.
There's only one question mark. I have some real concerns about the battery. I've only used it over the weekend - and my use was relatively light, especially for me, but the battery appears more like the 3gs than the 4 and that is not a good thing. I suspect it's due to the new notification system and so I havbe made some modifications, but we shall see. Given how much I travel for business, battery life for me is a huge issue. So we shall see - I'm going to keep my yes on this.
So, bottom line; it's another solid winner from Apple and despite the fact that the exterior remains the same (why mess with near perfection?) it's very much a new product.
To kick things off, if you are a 3gs user (hello, Wife!) and your contract is up for renewal, it's a complete no brainer. Nothing to discuss; just do it. If you are an iPhone 4 user you are probably ok unless photography is important to you. The camera is actually THAT good; it's like finally having a solid point and click in your pocket. Same holds true with video as well. I'm constantly taking pictures and video of the kids - I would have upgraded simply for this one aspect (though who am I kidding? I was upgrading even it was the exact same phone).
What else to like? Siri is cool and is clearly the future of mobile. It hasn't been working that great for me thus far - it requires a connection to Apple's servers which appear to be massively overwhelmed. But when it connects it generally works well and you can see that it is without question the future pf mobile. It's a game changer for Apple and I expect that it will iterate quickly - it's currently considered a beta product by Apple - and once API's open up to other apps and services, the potential is sky high. Right now it sits a bit on the novelty side of the fence, but it's something to watch and an excellent differentiator for Apple.
It's fast too, but that's to be expected.. Next to zero latency when opening other apps.
And then there's iOS5 which is fantastic and almost like having an entirely new OS. The best aspect of iOS5 for me personally is the new notification system. I'll do a separate post some time soon on iOS5 but the bottom line is that it delivers on its promise.
There's only one question mark. I have some real concerns about the battery. I've only used it over the weekend - and my use was relatively light, especially for me, but the battery appears more like the 3gs than the 4 and that is not a good thing. I suspect it's due to the new notification system and so I havbe made some modifications, but we shall see. Given how much I travel for business, battery life for me is a huge issue. So we shall see - I'm going to keep my yes on this.
So, bottom line; it's another solid winner from Apple and despite the fact that the exterior remains the same (why mess with near perfection?) it's very much a new product.
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