Gunfighter: A Modern Warrior's Life

Win A Barnes & Noble Nook! (for the Dad in your house)

You might remember that I told you all that I wanted (but did not receive) a Nook for Christmas, right?  Of course you do…. What’s that?  Some of you don’t know what a Nook is?  Well, I’m not talking about a little area in your house where you keep your bric-a-brac, I’m talking about the Barnes & Noble Nook, the newest major player in the electronic reader market.

The Nook is of a similar size and capability of the Amazon Kindle, so if you are familiar with one, you will sort of have a handle on the other.

I suppose that I should quit babbling, here and get to the point of this post:  Well, here it is:  my blogging pal, the very smart (and very cute) Tech Savvy Mama is giving away a Barnes & Noble Nook!  Tell me that isn’t cool! 

 

 

If you would like to participate in the giveaway, you’d better hurry, because today is the last day.  So, hurry up and go clickety-click over to her blog and enter.

OK, seriously… why are you still here?  Didn’t you hear read me saying that you needed to go clickety-click?  So go!  Now!  There’s a good fellow.

 

 

 

So... if you are wondering what this post has to do with Fatherhood... let's just say that dads read, too!  I mean, you have to realize that we rockin' dads aren't just domestic studs and killers of vermin.    If you have a moment, head on over the The Dad Blogs and see what my brother fathers (and sister mothers) are talking about today!

 

Announcement:  Next week at A Modern Warriors Life, we will be talking about the American Civil War... and Beer. Yeah, I know that those things really don't have anything to do with each other, but they are both things that I feel strongly about at the moment. 

 

Be here.

 

Aloha

The iPad

Look at this thing, will you?  It looks like an iPhone, or an iPod Touch on steroids... but holy cow, all the things that it can do!

Yesterday, Apple unveiled the much-anticipated, and much-ballyhooed computer tablet.  That's right, a tablet.  How cool is that?  Of course, the tablet has been the stuff of science fiction even before Yeoman Rand started using one for Captain Kirk to read and sign memoranda on the Enterprise.  A tablet was the educational and entertainment platform of choce for Andrew "Ender" Wiggin and his friends at the Battle School.  How can a man who was raised in the 60's and 70's not appreciate or be excited by the arrival of such a piece of technology?

The iPad isn't the first touchscreen computer, and it isn't the first tablet, but it will be the first one of these items to make it into mainstream use.  Having the Apple brand behind it with all of the available applications and media buzz that goes with being an Apple product, the iPad seems certain, in my estimation, to be destined for success.

Along with the coolness factor, the iPad comes with an attractive initial price point, starting at $499 for the most basic model, with 16 GB of memory, and $829 for 62 GB.  There will be two versions of the iPad, one with Wi-Fi access, and one with Wi-Fi and 3G access.  I'm telling you, my friends, this is going to be big.

So what is the big deal about a tablet?  Well, first,  A touchscreen takes the place of a monitor and keyboard so no more folding and unfolding your laptop.  This cool gadget will play/store music; play video at great resolution; help you shop for and read books; and will have immediate success with over 140,000 iPhone applications(I hate the techy-term "apps"... I will not be assimilated, damn it!),which will make all of the iPhone people salivate.  More importantly than it's usefulness is the fact that the iPad has "cool" written all over it.  Seriously.  It's cool, and you know that I am right.  Even better than cool, the iPad is sexy.   This gadget is going to be a blessing to the social lives of no small number of people in the very near-term for reasons I shouldn't have to explain (and if you need an explanation, email me).

So, it's useful, techy, cool, sexy, innovative, forward-looking, and practical.... does that translate into sales?  For that price, you bet your ass.  The iPad isn't going to cost much more than a mid-range laptop, and will do a lot more than many laptops... but I won't be buying one.  Nope, not me.  Why? for several reasons: First because my computing needs are minimal, all I really need a computer for is to blog; send/receive photos and email; word processing; and surfing the 'net.  Second; I have a perfectly fine platform sitting on my desk at work.  Third; I have a perfectly fine platform on the desk in our home office.  Fourth; I already have a laptop.  Fifth (and this is important to me); This is first generation stuff... I'll be watching to see how it all evolves.

Oh, and a final word for those who believe that the iPad will be a Kindle-Killer:   Fat effing chance.  It isn't all about brand loyalty, either.  I say all of this as a (new) Kindle owner, but, I already have a laptop, so I don't need to replace it just to have a place for my books.  I suspect that there are plenty of people who will enjoy using their iPads as a reader, but I really don't think that the Amazon Kindle has anything to worry about.

So, there you are.  The iPad.

What say you?

Calling All Web Designers

I have a problem:  My blog is a mess.

I'm not very techie... which is to say, I 'm completely non-technical.  I could blame it on my age, but I don't think that will really fly with most people... especially those 8 or 10 people that will actually read this.

Having said all of that, let me get to the crux of the matter.  I want a professional re-design of my blog, and I want you, yes... YOU, to help me.

I want you to give me a great re-design... no, I don't really want you to give it to me... that is unless you enjoy doing that sort of thing for free... No, this will involve money.  Real money.  Not Monopoly money.

What say you, O conjurers of designs/themes?

Can you help a brother out?

PS:  If you are reading this and aren't a designer, you can help by A) Turning me on to your own designer, or someone that you know who does this sort of stuff, or B)  Putting a designer call out to the people that read your own blogs.

Cheers,

GF

A Personal Revelation

When I posted, yesterday, about my military service, I revealed something of myself, that many of my readers have never seen.  As a result, some people have com to know me better.  I think that this is a good thing.

Today, I am going to take that theme a little bit further.

I am going to tell you about a grievous sin that I am guilty of.  It’s something that I grapple with on a daily basis as temptation is thrown in my face.  I am trying to be strong, but I fear that it may already be too late.  No, I’m not talking about my well-documented love affair with Rachel Maddow… I’m talking about something a little closer to home.  I’m talking about envy.

Envy.

It’s a terrible thing, envy.  It can poison the best of your intentions.  Envy can destroy relationships, ruin trust, and be the wreck of honest and good ambition.

In this instance, the subject of my envy is all of you people out there with iphones!

That’s right. 

I want an iphone. 

There, I said it. 

You people that can email and Blog, and Facebook, and Twitter, and all sorts of things, really irritate me… not because you are bad people, mind you.  You know who you are… you have iphones and I still have tons of mad Gunfighter-love for you (and Gunfighter love is good!  I give great hugs, don’t I?), but I want one of those freakin’ phones, too.

Sure, when I got promoted, recently, my job gave me a Blackberry… and that’s cool, but it’s a secure Blackberry, which means that our network administrator, the dirty so-and-so has disabled the video camera.  We are also prohibited from using the Internet with it.  All of which I can understand, but leaves me wanting a bit more capability.

I’ve never really been an envious guy.  I enjoy my lot in life.  My wife pays attention to me… most days.  My children love me.  I am respected by my colleagues.  I don’t even care about having the latest model cars (although I wish cash for clunkers would last until I get back from vacation, I need a new car).  Am I a bad person because I want (and Mrs. Gunfighter wants) a swanky new phone(s)?

In my late night wanderings, I have found that I can buy a refurbished iphone G3 for only 79 bucks, direct from AT&T, which really beats the crap out of $299 for the new 3GS phones.  After all, I don’t really need the video thing.

So.  Help me out, folks.  Gunfighter needs an iphone.  Should I go with the refurb, or not bother?

Help a brother out!