Two Reviews: Potter/iPhone

Two great experiences, two expanded reviews:


iPhone: what an amazing little product. I really have very few complaints if any. I suppose there are small things that come up every once in a while that I think could be better, but this is rare at best. From what I read online, people have taken this unbelievable technology and looked at all the shortcomings without realizing how much this product can change lives (for good or bad). Here is the list:

Screen: Crystal clear pictures with vivid colors. If you haven't looked at one up close yet you will be shocked at how great it looks. The touch screen is very responsive and you really get used to its functionality over time. Typing is great, I am now two-thumbing with ease, and the auto-correction works nicely. No scratches on the surface and smudges come off with a wipe of a t-shirt. Good stuff.

Phone: Convenient in a lot of ways, with dial by touch, easy to use contacts list, and visual voicemail. That is one of my favorite features- no signing in, no "you have, one new message, and, five, old messages"- just push and listen, rewind on the spot, whatever you need. Only complaint is that at times it can take four or five pushes just to make a simple call, but this is so fast it doesn't really bother me.

Internet: WOW. The number one complaint is that the EDGE network is too slow, but if you evaluate with some honesty, it really is not that bad. It is fast for most things I do, and with the new web apps coming out all of the time, things speed up even faster. But full internet in your pocket is fun and convenient, and we use it all the time on the road. And let's face it, it is just fun to have something to do while you wait in line at the grocery store, or stuck in traffic.

iPod: Steve Jobs said it is the best one ever, and he was so right. The music sounds unbelievable on the phone; this was not something that initially excited me about the phone, but after listening to it, things sound great! The videos look really nice as well, and the screen is just big enough to enjoy it without squinting.

Mail: Really convenient push email- now I don't have to spend 15/20 minutes at home checking mail because I read so much of it when I am out and about.

Other: Maps is nice to have in a jam, camera takes nice pictures as long as the subject is pretty still. Calendar could use some more features but is easy to use.
As you can tell, I really love the iPhone, and it is more than I expected it to be. This is saying something, as I check Macrumors.com more than 10 times a day and watched all of the iPhone videos online, even before I had no intention of buying one.


Potter 7: A great ending to a thrilling series. Boy, if you have not read Potter I hope that you get a chance to pick it up soon. The pages fly through all the books, and Rowling has great storytelling ability. Some sections of Deathly Hallows were slow, but all of the books are like that at some point. The ending was somewhat hard to understand, but upon reflection the logic is consistent.
The genius of Rowling's writing in Potter is that her main characters are all flawed and all have to wrestle with conflicting motivations. In the end, Harry is tested and revealed as a great man not because he was perfect or made all of the right moves, but that he made choices that others were not able to make. Dumbledore says as much, acknowledging that all of his wisdom and power does not compare to Harry's integrity. The fact that Dumbledore is revealed in the end to somewhat 'use' people to accomplish noble ends only shows that great figures are indeed human- they have to wrestle with their decisions, they make errors in judgment, they give into temptation after years of not giving in. Also, the epilogue was a bit hokey, but needed to let the audience know that Harry's tale is over, and that Happily Ever After does belong in the story.
All this from a children's book.
Anyways, here is my list of Potter books, from least favorite to favorite:

7) Chamber of Secrets- Overall slow and not a very compelling plotline.

6) Order of the Phoenix- Basically a setup for the final two books. Story of the prophecy brought little intensity.

5) Sorcerer's Stone- Hate to rate it so low because it is such a fun book, but you have to make these hard decisions in life.

4) Half-Blood Prince- Great ending, that makes it.

3) Deathly Hallows- Again, so hard not to rank this higher because it was so satisfying, but...

2) Prisoner of Azkaban- Enjoyed this book so much, a great read, good adventure, new characters. It probably is my favorite, but...


1) Goblet of Fire- No one can deny the force of this book. So much longer than the first three, compelling overall story arch, great subplots, complicated emotions, surprising ending, represented a turn in the tone of the series.
There you have it. I am now a bigger dork than you may have thought I was. Yeah.

Love ya
Nate

Random Ponderings

Ok, so it looks like Nate and I will have both posted within 24 hours of each other after the long absence. My post is going to be a little conglomeration of different things I have been thinking about or experiencing over the past week or so.
1. Does anyone else think that ventriloquist's dummies are kinda freaky? I had always thought that but it was reiterated in my mind as I rented a movie called Dead Silence. Now, I would not really recommend this movie to anyone since it doesn't have a great plot or anything, but I gotta tell you, ir freaked me out! I can't quite figure out what it is about these stupid dummies, perhaps the strange look on their faces, their slow movement, or some sort of fear instilled in me from seeing the killer dolls of the Child's Play movies back in the day, but I can tell you with complete sincerity that I do not think I will be going to see any ventriloquists performing in the near, or distant, future.
2. I was ditched the other night for a movie called High School Musical. I cannot express clearly enough to you what this has done to my self-esteem.
3. I have been thinking that if I don't find a ministry in the near future, as in about two weeks, I should head back to Middletown to work with some of the most amazing kids I have ever met in my life.
4. Did anyone else think that the Democratic Youtube debate had a lot of "fluff" questions that we have heard the answers to over and over again?
5. I have been rethinking the Church. This comes as the result of reading Jesus Mean and Wild as well as listening to Derek Webb's album, She Must and Shall Go Free. I think it is really easy to attack the Church and focus on it's flaws. Maybe that isn't even a bad thing to do every now and then, in order to evaluate the mission and purpose of the Church. However, sometimes I feel myself getting really down and frustrated and thinking that the Church is a downright failure, and it is this mindset that I am wanting to rid myself of. Derek Webb said in his cd jacket that the Church is both wretched and radiant. And Mark Galli points out that ever since the Church was created, it has been falling short of its mission. However, Christ continues to love the Church just as He continues to love us individually even though we continually fall short of the mark and go through times when we are as effective as a bag of rocks. There is room for change and we should constantly be striving to be a light to those around us, not only as individuals, but also all together as the Church. Having this mindset really helps my attitude not only towards those around me, but even towards myself.
6. I really want to write a book, but I fear my A.D.D. would kick in right around page 3.
7. I was talking to my Aunt Kathy today (Mom's sister) about her son, my cousin David. He is in the Marines and has had a bit of a shaky life every now and then in the past, like we all have. Anyways, he is home right now and is married to a lovely young woman in Texas and I was surprised to find out that he is chomping at the bit to get back to Iraq. Aunt Kathy tells me that he talks all the time about the progress being made for the Iraqi people along with the new opportunities they are able to take part in. As I was discussing this with Aunt Kathy, I realized how extremely proud of David I am. Like the war or not, you gotta love the fact that he is wanting so badly to help people, and for this, I have never been more proud of him.

Ok, it's about 2 A.M. I really should be in bed, so I hope that all of you are having a wonderful week so far. May God bless you and show Himself to you in new and amazing ways!

-Ernie

Potter-mania!

Hello all-

Both Ern and I have been quite busy since we started this blog, so it may appear that we have already lost interest, but I am visiting my family right now out of state and Ern is seeking new employment, so that is the excuse for now...
Anyhoo, wanted to chime in about my visit to Borders on Friday for the midnight sale of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows. For those of you unfamiliar with these books (yes it is hard to imagine) this is the final book out of 7 Potter books. The final climax between Harry and Voldemort, good and evil, awaits, and all mysteries will be revealed.
I ignorantly arrived at Borders around 9 pm with a backpack full of grad school homework, fully expecting to avoid the madness, find a quiet spot in the cafe, grab a hot beverage, and work through several hours of work until the book buying would begin. This anticipated evening was based on the fact that I bought the last book at midnight in Chicago at Borders and barely waited 30 minutes for a copy. Oh, how wrong I was.
From the minute I walked through the door I was being pushed and pulled, receiving wrong information and standing in a very long line- incidentally, the line snaked back through the store back into the cafe where I thought I would be spending my quiet evening. And besides, the line was merely for receiving a bracelet that indicated what color group you belonged to. I received silver star, thinking that it sucked, but just wanted to get the book at some point. One highlight of the night was that my dad visited me at Borders- he wanted to see all the fuss in action. It was cool that he came to chat for a bit, and eventually we did find a seat and I managed through some homework.


As the clock finally hit midnight a loud roar was heard, and I proceeded to a line that was backed up the escalator and around the corner, a great view down into the mess. Once I made it downstairs, I figured out that the orange wristbands were first to get into the holding tank for receiving books, which ended up being a human funnel into the purchasing area. I waited anxiously as silver was the next color to be called. By the way, I want it to be clear that throughout this whole ordeal I was not stupid enough to think that this was an enjoyable or quick experience, but rather that each new line and each new phase was bound to be another letdown...
Finally silver is called, but NOT silver stars. Question- if you are going to distribute wrist bands, instead of putting shapes on the colors, why not just include more colors for the wristbands? Eventually me and my new found friends, who in mere moments would be separated from me and never considered again, made our way through the tip of the human funnel and into the line that actually led to the cashier counter and a living copy of the real book. While waiting in this ultimate phase I busted out my iPhone and started reading Book 6 chapter summaries, which of course then made me into an instant, short-lived, minor celebrity, with everyone asking about the buttons, fingers, smudging, and the like. As fun as that can be for a minute, it honestly makes me question my faith- can a true Christian even have an iPhone? Yes, I am being a bit dramatic, but still....
OK, let's finish this up. So end of story, I buy the book, and as of right, the first minutes of Tuesday morning, I have less of a quarter of the journey left. I fully expect to finish tomorrow at some point, but as Ernie pointed out, I am well below my average for 30 hours for finishing a Potter book. However, I now have the greatest daughter I could dream of and am with my family who I see less and less each passing year, so at least I can say I have some of my priorities in their correct order.
If you made it this far, hopefully soon I will write my review of the book and of the whole series. I should probably write a real iPhone review now that I have had my chance to play for a few weeks.
Until then, God bless you and your thoughts this day.

Nate

Gram and Gramps

So this post will be a bit more random than normal, but it all centers on on two people, my Grandma and Grandpa Stone. Ernest and Thelma, two unique and loving people who I have been watching a lot lately and learning quite a bit from them as well. I guess what brought me to want to blog about them was simply listening to them talk to my Dad yesterday. Nate and I went over early in the afternoon to change a flat tire and found out that we needed to get it repaired, so we took it in to get fixed. After dinner, Dad and I went back over there to put the tire back on and when finished, we all sat on the patio and talked for a bit. Now lately, Dad and Val (my sister) have been doing a lot of research on our family tree, especially on Granpa's side. The quick story is that in 1909, Grandpa's father came over from Germany and got a job to get enough money to send his wife and kids to the states from Germany as well. Thus, Granpa's mom and siblings came over on a boat the following year (over a decade before Grandpa was even born) and they all settled into Lincoln, IL. Now I say all of this because while we say on the patio last night, Dad was telling Grandpa about some of the stuff he and Val have been learning in their research and Grandpa's face just lit up in a way that I have not seen in a really long time. They sat there and talked all about our family history while I asked Grandma a lot of questions concerning the same topic. It's funny because I have never really been all that interested in my heritage but hearing Grandma and Grandpa get really excited about it really stirred quite a bit of interest inside of me. We talked all about some of Grandpa's earliest memories as well as what happened to all of his siblings and relatives. I have to admit, it was really interesting to hear a lot of the stories that Grandma and Grandpa shared.
Story number two is a little less sentimental, but one that I just find really cool and somewhat humorous. Both Grandma and Grandpa love sitting outside, even in the heat of the afternoon. One of the activities that they have started to do is feeding the birds that happen to be in the yard at the time. So there is a small, plastic jar filled with bread crumbs on the patio table and when either Gram or Gramps see a couple birds out, they will start throwing some crumbs on the ground and the birds will come to eat them. The cool thing about it is that birds will come right up to our feet in order to get some of the bread; I really don't think I have ever seen birds up that close before! But the best part of the story is that there is one robin in particular that is a younger bird and so it has not yet developed that bright red breast and so instead, it has a black and white almost checkered breast, which my Grandma thinks looks absolutely horrible. Thus, she and Grandpa have given it the name "Tacky" and every time they go outside, they start yelling, "Here Tacky" and tapping on the patio table to get Tacky to come eat some bread. It honestly cracks me up every time I see them doing and I have decided if I ever get a pet, more than likely it's name will be Tacky.

Have a great day!
-Ernie

I'm Lovin' It

Ah, the greatness of McDonalds. Say what you want about how the food has no nutritional value, how you just watched Super Size Me and will never eat there again, but McDonalds has an allure and an aura that is undeniable to those caught in its trap. I, of course, am one of those people, constantly tempted by Ronald and his minions.
Plus, McDonalds is a great American company. They provide food for millions, provide jobs for millions, and are constanly trying to improve their business operation.
What brings this rant on, you say? Our fam went to McDonalds the other day because they have a great play place for little ones, with all this protective stuff so they can bust their head on it and it won't hurt. The PlayPlace, a great way for McDonalds to attract customers. Anyways, I am still on a bit of a diet so I swore to myself that I would not order anything and just enjoy the time with my daughter. Alas, the temptation of the cheeseburger was too much, and I was soon enjoying a delicious double cheeseburger for a buck. The dollar menu, another great McDonalds idea.


So I guess what I am saying is....growing up, McDonalds was always a treat, because I didn't go every day and my mom didn't want me eating crap all the time, but when we went it was a great time as a family and a magical experience of food, no matter how gross it truly may be. And now that I have my own family and am supposed to be grown up, McDonalds is still a treat for me every time I go. Many society types may look down on me during these days of rampant obesity, but I choose to embrace the harmful effects and gain with them the magic of childhood, the experience of family, and a nasty, greasy, unhealthy, amazingly tasty set of fries.

-Nate

Great Music

Nate and I went to a concert last night and I gotta say, thus far we are 4 for 4 when it comes to having good music played at the concerts we attend together. First we went with some people to see Wayne Shorter at Jazz Fest in Chicago about 5 years ago. Right around that time, we went with Kate Kennedy to see Bela Fleck and Edgar Meyer play a show together at College of Dupage. This past year, we went to see Nickle Creek perform at Wheaton College with Bob and Charissa. Now, quick summary of those shows: Wayne Shorter's ensemble was amazingly tight, which is very difficult to do when the music you are playing has strange rhythms; Bela and Edgar showed their mastery (is that a word?) of their instruments (banjo and upright bass respectively) and the best part of the show was Edgar mimicking everthing Bela did on his banjo with the upright bass, seemingly quite difficult; Nickle Creek was by far the best concert I have been to, even topping the Dave Matthews Band concert that Ali got me a ticket for and the show was highlighted by Chris Thile blowing us all away on the mandolin. All this to say, these three concerts were absoultely phenominal in their own ways and it's great that Nate and I got to experience them together.



That being said, last night we went to Northerly Island in Chicago to see John Mayer play live. Not only did we get to see him, but we also got to see one of my personal favorite musicians, Ben Folds, open for him. Now, the reason that I wanted to write this post is because I was absolutely blown away once again by the musical talent of these guys. I guess that I had gotten into this rut where you hear all this stuff on the radio by people who write meaningless lyrics over the top of a few repeated basic chords, and sometimes you are lucky to get even that! So you might hear a catchy tune with a great bassline, but everything is so cheapened by a lot of the music that is getting airtime these days. Sadly, it even carries over into the great musicians when their music is played. What I mean by this is that you hear a song by someone who really knows their stuff but you don't even recognize how great the music is that you are hearing... that is, until you hear a great musician play live and in person. This is what I experienced yesterday when hearing Ben Folds and John Mayer. Ben Folds has an energy unlike anyone I have ever watched play music... almost like seeing John Tesh with about 14 Mountain Dews and 30 Red Bulls inside him. Nate and I were pretty sure that he missed probably about 25% of the notes he was supposed to play because he pounds his hands so hard on the piano, but you never even notice a missed note because of the energy with which he is playing. Absolutely wonderful musicianship.



Then came John Mayer. Now I know that some people don't like his voice or his music for a variety of reasons, and that is perfectly fine, but that guy is an amazing musician. His voice is great live and he commands respect with his ability to play the guitar. So many times throughout the night, his music completely drowned out everything going on around me and brought me to a place of awe and serenity. Every single time he would solo, he simply left my jaw on the ground. He had a spirit of humility and the only problem with the entire show was the songs that he chose to close with. All in all, it was once again an amazing concert that I will remember for quite a while. The show restored my failing faith in musical talent in our world and simply reminded me of what great music can do for the mind, soul and spirit!
Until next time,
Ernie