True Colors

ODB.org

The devotional this morning talks about the author "showing his colors" for his favorite team by wearing a team tshirt to one of their away games. He was proud to declare that he was a fan, but had to wait a little while to show his colors due to the cold weather. He had a sweatshirt over the the tshirt hiding his colors.

This is one of of those devotionals where I think "Oh, how nice. Someone will get something out of this". Those are the ones that usually hit me between the eyes eventually. Please forgive me if I mentioned the church tshirt joke in a previous entry. Today's devotional reminded me of that joke. I hesitate from wearing the tshirt that identifies me as attending a great church (at least I think it is great because I go there!). Wearing that shirt identifies me as a "fan" by showing my colors. Identifying yourself with a baseball team or a church or as a follower of the Jesus Christ means something. So like the Cindi Lauper song, True Colors (and NOT the Phil Collins version!), can we all show our true colors today? Will we show the colors of God?

Technology Thursday

I decided to make Thursdays "Technology" day. I love technology and gadgets. You never know what I will talk about on these days. I keep up with a lot of technology things and enjoy writing about them. For those who despise everything to do with Apple, you should skip to the Other stuff section now. Today's topic is about recent Apple releases.

iPhone 4: Owners of the new iPhone 4 received a mix bag of gifts and gags. Yes, the phone is thinner, faster, has more features (some that do not make sense), a snazzier screen, and new operating system. On the bad side, the much-aligned antenna problem and some manufacturing issues with the screens and the white version of the phone, continue to plague Apple. Personally, I want to wait until the updated iPhone 4 next year that will fix most of these issues and maybe even support 4G networks. I can live with my 3GS for now (especially since they fixed my rebooting issue with iOS4.0.1).

iPad: Is it revolutionary? Yes. Is it useful? It can be. Is is the must have device of the year? Not sure. I absolutely love my iPad. I use if for the original purpose of my iPod Touch -- to have a relatively small, easy to use device to carry around the house for checking email, surfing the 'Net and other cool stuff. It works very well for me. I am hesitant to take it with me everywhere because it was expensive in my mind (as a early technology adopter, these things usually are). If you like iTunes, you won't mind using the iPad. It is NOT a typical laptop. It is like a big iPod Touch or iPhone. You can get the iPad in a wireless networking only model or a 3G model. The wireless networking model works with home and free public wireless networks such as McDonalds or Starbucks. The 3G version requires a separate data plan from your iPhone that allows you to access the Internet wherever you can access a ATT's 3G network (or you can use a wireless network as well). Check it out. Be sure you understand what you are getting before you buy it. The lack of a usb port, a SD card slot or a DVD drive is a deterrent to many folks. I found the onscreen keyboard very easy to use after getting the right case for it (one that props up at an angle).

iMac: Apple came out with an updated line of iMacs yesterday. I LOVE these one piece computers, but they are too expensive in my opinion. If I ever won the lottery or just felt like blowing some money, I would buy one immediately. Until then, I will build my own Windows-based computers for less than half the price (and way less cool factor).

Other Stuff

I had to go to an ENT yesterday because of an ear infection that was getting worse each day. ;-( He worked on my left ear and checked out the right ear, my nose and my throat. I do not have a sinus infection, for which I am thankful. I have to put drops in my ears twice a day for several days for the infection to heal.

I scheduled my certification test for Tuesday, Aug 3. Yikes! I didn't do as well on the practice exam as what I wanted. I will study each day until the test. I will let you know how it goes.