Hey Blackberry, what's the deal???

I have been looking for a new cell phone for a while. (I know that most anyone will just answer back to that "Get an iPhone." And while I wouldn't mind some of the functionality, as long as I am limited to only using one on AT&T its not going to happen.) Sprint & Blackberry recently released a new phone and I was excited to see it. I have done some research on Blackberry recently and was surprised to see such a paradox in thinking. Some of the newest & fastest technology combined with something as simple as E-Mail that hasn't changed in almost 10 years. To this I have to ask, "What's the deal RIM?"

This is supposed to be the cell phone for the enterprise. Yet it does not natively support something as simple as communicating with an MS Exchange Server. Almost every other smartphone does this without a second thought. Rim has decided that going an entirely new route of going back to the ancient (in tech years) times and have a server for companies to add to their mail system to provide this service. Well thats sounds fine and dandy, but it isn't. They chage a hefty penny not only for the server, but for a license for each phone & an anual support contract for the license. (Just wondering...how many licenses break so that they need a support contract?)

I guess this isn't a huge deal for me. I won't be adding their server so it will make my experience with the phone worse and I won't be able to recommend them as highly. (I don't even have one and was driven to write this.) Its just a company that knows how to bleed its customers without them knowing.

If someone at RIM would like to comment about this I would love to know if I am missing something here. Is there some feature that is worth charging for that the others give away for free?

I think this is where I'm supposed to attack Sprint, AT&T, Verizon, or any of the others for their billing practices. (Unlimited does not mean a lot, it means without limit. Look it up.) I'm not going to do that. It looks like the technology that's the backbone for RIM products is where any other weirdness of these phones come from.

Come on Blackberry, lets get with the program and develop the world best phone, not just the best phone if you use your phone exactly how we tell you to.

Windows 7: A First Look for IT Pros

Windows 7: A First Look for IT Pros

A new year and a new OS for everyone to drool over. Microsoft has released the Windows 7 Beta to the world. Here are a couple of the new features and improvements that I have found interesting.

The Problem Steps Recorder
Its a terrible name for a long needed feature. How many times have you wanted to show someone a problem with an application only to find out that they can't get the same problem to happen. With the new Problem Steps Recorder you can record snapshots of each step and error message into an HTML document that can be emailed easily.

Bitlocker and Bitlocker to Go
While Bitlocker is not new, it is improved. Bitlocker allows for encryping entire drives to protect your data from getting stolen through physical means. Bitlocker needs an unencrypted volume to place some of the required boot files. In Vista that meant having a second hard drive letter. Any information stored on that drive was not encrypted. In Windows 7 that has been fixed so that while there still is a second volume, its generally not accessable by the user.

They have also added Bitlocker to Go. This allows for encryption of smaller storage devices such as memory sticks.

Prop 8 - A reaction to the reaction

Well the election has come and gone. I for one am thrilled for it to be over. Now the government can get back to avoiding work like the rest of us. Something new is happening after this election though. I can't ever remember a time where more discussion of a proposition happened after the election than before.

California had Prop. 8 on the ballot. A constitutional change to state that marriage is only recognized between a man and a woman. OK, that seems a bit odd to have in a state constitution. Dictionary, Encyclopedia- sure. But constitution? Does Pennsylvania have the definition of a cheese steak in their constitution? Is it in the Philadelphia city charter? I know, I know, this is more serious than a sandwich.

Prop. 8 passed. Kind of. It still needs to go back to the courts. The courts that this proposition was trying to overrule get to decide if its valid. (I love government.) In the mean time though, more attention is getting focused on Prop. 8 now than before the election when it really mattered. Some good, but there is also a lot of bad attention too. I understand protests, walks, marches, & sit ins. (Understand is probably the wrong word, accept would be more accurate.) They are the accepted methods passed down from past generations for making your point.

My problem is with the attacks against supporters of Prop. 8. Spray painting "No on 8" on a church is not the brightest way to win support for your cause. It fosters the fear that went into the writing of the proposition in the first place.

I have been a supporter of the California Music Theatre in the past. When I heard a story about Scott Eckern donating money to Prop 8, I admittedly was confused. California Music Theatre always seemed to be a very accepting group. When that story started becoming calls for boycotts I was very disappointed. Not in Scott or CMT, but with everyone "calling for his head". Scott had every right to donate money to whoever he wanted. It was his money. Was there a call out to get someone to educate him? No, they just could not accept that he as someone working in the theater community was not in agreement with them. Scott has made statements of his beliefs and graciously stepped down to not hurt anyone else involved in CMT. I am just amazed that people who are asking for others to be open minded can't be open minded themselves.

Since you have been reading this far I guess you want to know how I feel about the issue. I wish I had something interesting to tell you. I fall into that third category of people that don't really care either way. I want people to have the right to do what they want. Marriage is a religous concept that the government uses. Maybe the government should get out of the marriage game. Make everyone domestic partners. Then you can go to church and get married or or not and still have the same rights. I just want people to think before asking someone else to change their minds. If you can't be accepting of how they think, then try and change their mind. If you don't want to be thought of as freaks and monsters, don't act like freaks and monsters.

Diet Root Beer

There is something wrong with Diet Root Beer. It doesn't taste like other diet sodas. Don't get me wrong, that's a good thing. I hate the taste of most diet sodas. But it is missing the happy feeling that a regular Root Beer gives you. Its a very subtle thing. I get the feeling that it wants to be something else. Not Root Beer, and definitely not diet anything. Maybe it wants to be an accountant.

Election '09

I started to write a small essay on the positives and negatives about the candidates. That quickly got out of hand. I then started to jot down a scientific analysis of the issues and related costs to each candidates proposed programs. HAHAHAHAHA like that is even easier. Everyone knows that most of the campaign promises won't come to fruition. So I finally decided to just come out and declare my support for a candidate. Ummmm, yeah.

I would like to declare that it is time to search for some new candidates. None of the candidates for any position I know of are worthy of the jobs they seek. Well ok, I shouldn't say that. Their campaigns have made them all look like they are not the right people for the job. I want to hear from the candidates, not a speach writing commitee.

I have always had a core belief when it comes to elections. I will only vote FOR something. I don't vote against something. I can't vote for one guy just because he is less revolting than their competitor. I vote to leave any initiative alone unless it is for some kind of change that I completely support. (Thats usually hard because I have to read carefully to make sure if a No or a Yes means "leave it alone".) I am not afraid to leave a box unchecked. I have the right to leave it unchecked. I am still voting.

One closing note try and stop my rambling. When actors declare their support for a candidate, I lose respect for both the actor and the candidate. Unless the actor has some involvement with an issue I just don't care what their opinion is. I want to hear experts. I know its a petty thing for me. I realize that a lot of actors have a ton of time to research these things and are quite possibly more educated on some problems than I am. But why should I care? I didn't care when you ran over the photographer. I didn't care when you bought some huge house. I didn't care when you adopted some chiild from a distant land. I only care that you are there to entertain me on occasion. Thats what you get the big checks for.

Its's 2:45 in the morning. Someone save me from these politicians.

How long could you survive chained to a bunk bed with a velociraptor

I could survive for 1 minute, 3 seconds chained to a bunk bed with a velociraptor

Created by Bunk Beds Pedia

Albert Einstein's Wristwatch

Albert Einstein's Wristwatch is going up for auction. Whoever wins it better be someone that can understand the implications of what they have there.

Also they should be warned that if it is placed with Henry Ford's Keyring, Steve Wozniak's Soldering Iron, and Thomas Jefferson's Ink Well a pandimensional portal could open. The world's very existence is truly at stake this time. (Not like the last time.)