The Android platform has so much potential even with its weaknesses.  If they could component-ize and make available on the Market every part of the OS, Google would be able to get around the update issues caused by the manufacturers and mobile carriers (customized UI, additional apps, etc).  Then the user of the phone would be able to swap out the Samsung TouchWiz interface or HTC Sense camera app for the stock Android interface and application.  Users could also easily upgrade most parts of the phone (keyboard, UI, apps) even if they were on an older OS version.

I think the Market is Android’s greatest strength, but it has plenty of room to improve.  The ability to create lists of  installed apps and easily separate them by device would be wonderful for me.  I have the Xoom and I have the Samsung Galaxy S Captivate.  Each has different sets of applications installed with some apps overlapping on both devices.  The Market is great at keeping track of my purchased apps, but it didn’t remember my free apps when I installed a new ROM on my phone.  On the bright side, having single marketplace to install apps on phones and tablets from many different vendors with a few clicks of the mouse on a browser is a really powerful advantage.  I think we’re going to have a long future with the Android OS.

Depending on how long I have to save up for the down payment, I might even be able to get a used model and save a big percentage on the value of the car. That would be perfectly fine with me!

On the drive to Florida, we were able to take a detour through George, so now I’ve been to a total of 30 states! It was good to take a vacation with the family again. Now I’m looking to February to go see one of the last shuttle launches.

I have absolutely no budget for these, so they will just have to wait. The heart wants, but my wallet is in control. I have other more pressing purchases coming up (car, house, etc).

I think I’m going to save up for a EOS 5D Mark II or its replacement model. Not quite top of the line, but pretty far up there. It will unfortunately be a couple years before I’m going to take the plunge and upgrade, unless a bag of money falls in my lap.

This picture, for example, isn’t of the greatest quality, but it conveys a feeling, an emotion.  The photo’s job is done. Photography is the art of conveying a story, feeling, emotion, or event to others visually and empathetically.

Another thing she said was that she didn’t have the artistic skill to take good photos.  That may be, she might not be the next Ansel Adams, but you don’t have to be.  With the abundance of digital photography, most people taking pictures aren’t going to be great photographers.  But the pictures you take have meaning to you and the people you are with.  That is what’s important. Does your picture remind you of the emotion of the moment?

The picture below is probably my favorite picture I’ve taken recently.  It’s not that great a picture, but when I look at it, I’m flooded with memories of my Dad and the opportunities we have to share going forward.

So, no matter your skill or camera, get out there and take some pictures!  Because they are for you and your loved ones, it doesn’t matter how good they are!

Smith & Wesson 22A

The main purpose for my purchase of this gun is target practice.  I wanted an inexpensive gun with inexpensive ammo to go plinking.  We have a wooden snowman setup on my Dad’s Back 40 to use as a target.  He’s pretty hole-y at this point.  .22LR, .30-06, .338, and 12-gauge ammunition have all be fired at the snowman.  (I’ll take a picture the next time I’m out there.)  I plan to bring some cans the next time I go.  The should make for a more satisfying target; maybe some water balloons, too.

I’m not a terrible shot, but I definitely need some practice.  I bought 1575 rounds for about $60 when I got the gun, so this is a relatively cheap hobby.  I’m looking forward to the cooler temperatures of autumn to go out an practice more regularly.

There have been no major hurricanes as of yet.  It will be interesting to see if the oil spill will have any effect on the Gulf’s ability to evaporate, there by release heat.

I’ve been trying to eat better food for the past couple months.  I’ve successfully reduced my soda intake, increased vegetable and fruit consumption, and decrease my primarily meat dinners.  As a result, I’ve felt better and leveled out my weight gain at a healthy level.

I haven’t take a lot of pictures lately.  Maybe I’ll have some material to shoot this weekend!

I’ve been a little burnt out lately.  I think I may be take a vacation very soon.

I took this picture from my parent’s house to get a clear shot of it without light pollution.  Smugmug and Flickr.  I want to get better lens to zoom in further and get a clearer shot, but until then this is the best photo I’ve taken of the Moon.

The festival’s theme was steak and wine.  There were local vendors selling crafts, clothing, jewelry, and food.  A grape stomp took place throughout the day.  There were things for kids to do.  Admission was free, wine tasting was a buck or two (select versus premium wines), and we got engraved souvenir wine glasses.  The weather was quite good for a Texas summer day, but I wouldn’t mind if it had been a tad cooler.  If you are in the Bryan/College Station area, make a point to go next year.  It is a neat local event.

There are so many things in life to enjoy, but oft we fail to even appreciate the most obvious.  The beauty of nature, the flavors of fresh food, a good strong wind through your hair, a clear starry night sky, a long hot shower, the love of one’s family, the company of friends, God’s unending blessings.  We’ve been given taste, touch, smell, sight, hearing, and our minds  to observe the world around us, experience it, learn it, use it, and understand it.

There are times when I get caught up in the day to day and loose track of when it is.  April has just disappeared.  I’ve just let it disappear.  I need to make a change and appreciate everything and every moment God has given to me.  Life is a wonderful, one-time only experience; I want to make the most of it.

But, today (2/22/2010) I am making a stand.  I am forcing myself to do things.  I’m going to clean the apartment, make a grocery list, make a non-grocery shopping list, and then go about carrying out my tasks.  I want to make a permanent change and remove this procrastination from my life.

Click for larger picture.

Fortunately, I downloaded the backups beforehand, as you are supposed to do in the upgrade process.  I created a new 5.0 MySQL database, uploaded the backup (after a few tweaks to the SQL to make it work right), and reconfigured my WordPress installation on the hosting server.  After that it worked correctly.  I didn’t lose anything, nothing was corrupted, and I didn’t have to re-upload my files and photos for the links to work.

If you are going to have an upgrade failure, this is the one I would recommend.  It only took about 45 minutes to get everything working after it failed.

I love my new Canon EOS Rebel T1i.  I’ve got a lot to learn, but ever since I got my first digital camera in 2002 photography has been a passion.  These two photos are a few of the things I’ve bought to fill out my apartment.  Most of the dishes are dirty at the moment, so the cabinet seems a bit empty.  It’s normally full to the brim.  I have enough settings for 8 people.

I’m looking forward to the coming months.  I’m planning a holiday party for some of my coworkers.  This will be a good début of the dishware, my cooking skills, and my hosting abilities.  Amanda, my sister is due in January.  I’m very excited about the addition to our family.  Plus, babies can be used as chick-magnets .  I’ve also started planning for the purchase of a house.  It probably won’t happen until after 2010, but I want to get a fixer-upper.  I don’t want it to be falling apart, but it could be in need of a remodel.