Siri Gets an Attitude



Random Thoughts 10/25/11

• Missouri appears to be all but gone from the Big 12.  It appears they'll be here for another year and start in the SEC in 2013/14.  What a truly stupid move for Mizzou.  Here's why: 1) It throws away over 100 years of tradition.  2) It really hurts the KC area.  3) Mizzou sports will struggle more, both in competition and recruiting.  4) Missouri has sided with the South before; how'd that work for ya?  5) Missouri just fits better as a Midwest school.  Oh well, the divorce is on and we're not changing her mind.  It's just a crying shame.
• I've been having crazy bad migraines about once a week, including this morning.  I'm going to the chiropractor tomorrow.  This one only lasted about two or three hours, compared to 8 or 10 hours most times.
• And if Mizzou leaves, I'd rather Kansas NEVER schedule them again.  Ever.
• How is the Big 12 improving?  West Virginia announces leaks today and announces tomorrow that they are joining the Big 12.  Also Notre Dame sounds like they might be affiliated with the Big 12, allowing non-revenue sports to play in our league.  Notre Dame's football would schedule a few non-conference football games with us.  Notre Dame football's official absence would open the door for BYU's football team to join the conference, which makes a lot of sense but is only speculation right now.
• I hate to admit my Belgian comic book ignorance, but before the movie trailers I had no idea who "Tintin" was.  I'm still not sure I care…
• Announced today: Kemper Arena is getting torn down and replaced with a small rodeo arena.
• It looks like it'll be Sharia law in Libya.  So much for freedom and such.
• Andrew Luck may be out of the question, but it sure is nice to the Chiefs smack the Raiders around!
• Kansas City made the top-10 destinations to visit in the world.  Seriously.  I love KC, but I'm a little surprised.

Cute but Not Helpful

This is my daughter helping me help the electrician wire the new oven:

Random Thoughts 10/19/11

• The best news I've heard today:  Keith Olbermann's new show on Al Gore's television network is down to a mere 46,000 viewers.  Olbermann's national numbers are less than what some cable affiliates get in mid-sized cities.  That's catastrophically bad!  And it's costing Al Gore $10 million per year.  Times are good.
• I did not know you could buy stamps at QT.  Is there anything they can't do?
• My little girl has a terrible habit of running into my arms yelling, "My Dadda!"
• I had piranhas for about five years, but I didn't know that they bark at each other.  I guess I wasn't listening.
• I've done some more reading on youth football.  As the father of four boys, I'm going to seriously consider keeping them away from contact sports until puberty.  The risks of brain injuries is a lot higher than you'd think.
• The "99%" can't do math.  That's their problem on so many levels.  Go get a job, pay your bills, and shut your trap.  Stop playing Xbox, smoking pot, and complaining about how rough your life is after six-plus years of college.  Spoiled brats.
• So was Rush Limbaugh right about Donovan McNabb being over-rated?
• Who thinks Mizzou going to the SEC is a good idea?  Missouri fans.  Personally, I think they'll be cannon fodder there, which might be what the SEC schools are thinking too.  Regardless, if Mizzou leaves, Kansas City loses, unless…
• …What if the loss of the Big 12 tournament and college football games in Arrowhead frees enough sports dollars to entice an NBA franchise to relocate to KC…  It's unlikely, but who knows.
• Basketball tonight at Wallula.  8:15-ish.  Be there!

Random Thoughts 10/18/11

• Sorry for the lack of blogging lately.  I've been consumed with upgrading our phones to iOS 5 and moving and weddings and all sorts of other stuff.  Busy, busy, busy!
• Speaking of iOS 5, most of the problems I was having were fixed by doing a complete "restore," reloading everything from scratch.  I wish it had gone smoother but I'm a loyal Apple customer and I'm not going anywhere soon…
• Holy cow, Missouri.  Stop beating around the bush, if you're going to leave, just leave already!  I can get over that bad news in about five minutes because, like most KU fans, I see rivals in teams like Duke, Kentucky, and North Carolina instead of team we're beating 19-5 in the last decade.  That said, I hope they don't.  Mizzou's departure from the conference will be devastating to the Big 12's presence in Kansas City.
• Do you have an iTunes account for your family through which you purchase apps but you don't want to share the iCloud with your wife and kids?  Then don't!  Have one "family account" for purchasing purposes and then separate iCloud accounts for each family member and their own devices and data.  Read more here.
• The Jayhawks lost their second and third freshman this week.  Three incoming freshmen, Braeden Anderson, Jamari Traylor, and Ben McLemore are all ineligible to play this year.  Anderson won't be coming to KU at all, while the other two will practice in the second semester and play next year.  All three had unidentified eligibility issues largely stemming from attending multiple high schools and prep academies. 
• Harold Camping still says the world will end on October 21st.  For real this time.  I'm making plans for this weekend anyhow.

Random Thoughts 10/13/11

• Happy 236th Birthday, Navy.
• Basketball officially begins tomorrow night.  For KU fans, it can't happen soon enough.
• Speaking of Jayhawks, your computer needs this.
• We started a new study last night at Wednesday Family Night.  It's a harmonized study of the birth narratives, specifically the first two chapters of Mathew and Luke and well as John chapter one.  This will take us through December, appropriately enough.
• Here's a rant about the Wall Street protestors and the failure of the American Educational system.
• I finally got iCloud working (mostly) between my MacBook Pro and my iPhone 4.  Very cool.
• I also finally got into my Game Center account, but it's under an old email, which complicates things…
• I've got a wedding rehearsal tonight and a wedding tomorrow.  With another wedding to do in a few weeks.  Funny, this doesn't feel like wedding season.
• My fantasy football team is 3-2.  I feel like my team is solid but they're just not putting up the points I need.

iOS 5 Upgrade Wows and Woes

I was ready to upgrade my iPhone to iOS 5 and iCloud yesterday afternoon…

…24-hours later, I'm still not completely there but what I do have is really cool.

Wows!

• Notifications.  This is how notifications should work.  I have a lot of apps and get a lot of text messages and this centralized list is absolutely awesome!  It's perfect!
• Customized alert sounds.  Finally!  I've had custom alert tones sitting among my ringtones for over a year and now I can finally use them.  When you my mother-in-law leaves me a voice mail, I hear Yoda say, "Hmmm… message from the Dark Side there is."
• iMessage.  Very slick.  Text messaging on the iPhone is even better now.

Woes

• Installation.  It took me multiple attempts and a few hours to verify my update with Apple's servers.  I know there were 100 million of us trying to do that at the same time, but still, very frustrating.
• Account management.  I stayed up to the wee hours of the morning trying to verify how my family can share the apps we've bought but have different iCloud accounts.  I think I have the answer but I still don't know because…
• iCloud verification.  Like the installation, iCloud will NOT send me the verification email I need to get started.  Grrrr…

As soon as I'm fully up and running, I'll get Shannon's iPhone set up and we'll be in business.  I just wish the process had gone smoother…

Random Thoughts 10/11/11

• Have you ever played Portal?  It's a game where you're like a lab rat in a maze, trying to escape from an evil computer named GlaDOS.  This video shows what the iPhone's new computerized personal assistant would sound like if it were a manipulative, computerized sociopath.
• Glad to hear it's official, welcome TCU to the Big 12-ish.
• Missouri is burning its bridges before they even have a secure second option.  They're going to ensure that by the time you eventually leave, they'll never be missed.
• How did Herman Cain become such a politically attractive front-runner?  I'm liking his consistent conservative message more and more.
• For those protestors on Wall Street, here's a sign for you.
• I'm upgrading my iPhone 4 to iOS 5.  Yay!  But I am having a few issues getting it going…

Thank You

Here's a big thank you to everyone who helped us move last week.  Lots of other good friends have helped us in the days since on projects ranging from installing appliances to gardening to hauling rocks.  But I wanted to take a moment to list the folks that gave up part of a week day to make our move happen:

Dale D.
Richard & Anita A.
Kennie G.
Leonard & Bertha H.
Harrison H.
Mike B.
Chris & Cindy C.
Jenny H.
Alanna A.

Thank you!

The Woz Remembers Jobs

Random Thoughts 10/6/11

• What is wrong with you, Missouri?  The Big Ten didn't want you; they have "no interest."  The SEC doesn't want you right now and can't get a majority of presidents to accept you.  And now you're burning bridges with the Big 12?  If you stay with the Big 12, which is one of your best options, you're going to do it with double the egg on your face.  Why can't you stay put and play nice?  Do you have to throw a fit?
• Welcome, Texas Christian University to the Big 12!!!  Hopefully you'll be on the schedule as soon as next fall!
• Steve Jobs died yesterday at 56 years old.  I got the news on my iPhone.
• The SEC isn't anymore "stable" than the Big 12 is now with its new developments.  But if Missouri goes, they'll make less money from revenue sharing, pay a $28 million penalty to the Big 12, lose a 104 year conference relationship, all for the privilege of gettin their heads beat in by the SEC football powerhouses.  Mizzou has to stay, for their own good.
• We've been working like crazy to set up our new home.  We are so blessed.  We're finally getting set up.  The WiFi is working.  The television is working.  Most of our appliances are installed.  And the cardboard boxes are getter fewer and fewer…
• Bill Self says that if Mizzou leaves the conference that Kansas won't schedule them in basketball.  And why should they?  Missouri's departure from the Big 12 would be a critical blow to the Kansas City area.  In fact, KC might suffer worse from it than the Big 12 would.
• The British Army has come under scrutiny because they have more generals than tanks and three times more generals than Apache attack helicopters.  Oops.  An overabundance of 55-year old bureaucrats doesn't win many wars.

Random Birthday Thoughts, 10/4/11

• Today I turn 35.  That's cool.
• We still don't have internet at home (maybe tomorrow) but a big thank you needs to go out to whoever "Crimmy" and "Zanatta" are for leaving open Wifi networks in the neighborhood.
• I've hardly blogged at all the last several days or been on Facebook either.  With the move and work and spotty internet access, I've been way too busy to sit down and collect my thoughts.
• Robin Hood Tanner just gave Eli another dollar for losing a tooth.  I asked Tanner, "You don't have a job.  Where are you getting money?"  Tanner, paused… "You know Mom's purse?"
• Apple announced the new iOS and iPhones will be coming out in the next week or so.  Though I'm not looking to upgrade phones right now, it all looks very cool but I haven't had the time to sit down and absorb it all.
• Facebook on your birthday is awesome.  For everyone who secretly wants a parade in their honor for their birthday, this is the next best thing.  Thank you everyone for the birthday wishes!
• I just saw a prototype for the new design of next year's camp t-shirts.  Awesome!!!
• I'm completely head-over-heals in love with my wife.
• We're talking about taking the kids to the zoo today but nixed that idea.  We're all so exhausted… walking around the Kansas City Zoo when you're already worn out is NOT a good idea.  Besides, it costs almost $90 just to get a family our size in the gate.
• Instead, we're cleaning out the garage, unpacking boxes and organizing.  It's not as fun but it's ten times more satisfying.  I'm having a great day.