Mumphf Lather Repeat... Mumphf

"I had a dream about you. I said green was blue and yellow, and you said green was yellow and blue. You were like that with everything I said, taking the exact opposite stance, 

yet completely agreeing with me. That's how I knew you love me."

~Jarod Kintz

The Titanic Would Never Have Sunk

 If It Were Made Out Of A Sink

I am having a love hate relationship with technology. I have been since my brand new camera went missing last October. I still can't imagine what happened, but maybe some technology mysteries simply aren't meant to be solved. Sigh. Anyway, as I count down the days until I upgrade my current phone, I am busy saving files, and pictures that I want to transfer to the new phone. I have been trying to decided if I want to keep certain songs, and PDF folders that seem very important right now, but probably won't in 6 months, as that is the usual amount of time I hold onto a file. Hmmmm. Mumphf.

It's going to be a weekend of scratching my head about what to do. 

Do I pay my phone off all at once?

Do I take that stupid Next plan of AT&T's?

Do I go with a brand new carrier?

It's down to the wire, and frankly, I would rather not think about it.

But at least when the sun comes up on Monday, and new phone will be on it's way to me. 

Why can't stuff be simple anymore?

"If I didn't care for fun and such

I'd probably amount to much

But I shall stay the way I am

Because I do not give a damn."

~Dorothy Parker

Enough Rope

Mood: Scattered

~Me :)

7 Ate 9

"I know there's a proverb which that says... 

To err is human, but a human error is nothing to what a computer can do if it tries."

~Agatha Christie

Hallowe'en Party

Okay, remember the other day when I told you that I will be getting a new cell phone soon, well that's true and it's only six days away now! I have it nailed down to one of the following three devices...

Samsung Galaxy S5

LG G3

HTC One M8 Featuring (Windows 8.1)

The last phone on the list has me intrigued, but I am going to be honest, overall I am NOT a fan of Windows 8.1. For me, it's an awkward operating system, and when it comes right down to things, the pretty of the build doesn't make up for the the stuff that just plain makes it a strange Internet ride. I have found a lot about it is unnecessary, like the stupid extra screen. What's that about? I mean I am sure folks who take the laptops to the movies, shopping, and the occasional romantic dinner like the extra step, but speaking as someone who can take days off from connecting to the web without imploding, I just find it annoying. I selected the Brooklyn Bridge as the face of that extra screen, in fact it's on all my Windows 7.1 devices, because, well, I know that if I should get frustrated enough to pitch my computer into a body of water one day, the Hudson River seems like it would be a lovely place to do so, especially in autumn. Everything is much lovelier in autumn!

Nah, I would never do that. But don't think the thought hasn't crossed my mind once in a while. I don't like Windows 8.1 the same way I don't like Window's Vista. Remember that gem of computer nonsense? Uh huh... don't feel bad if you don't, it's the operating system no one wants to remember. So we don't. Now when Microsoft came out with Window's 7, all was forgiven. Windows 7 was easy to make go with, it answered all the needs of Windows XP and it was much better thought through than Vista had been. Had Vista been what Microsoft promised it would be, that would have been awesome, instead it was... well... a turd. Well... a turd blossom. It was really pretty, I gotta give it that! Without the little search dog, and wizard, it seemed a little more grown up. That was a good thing, although I have to admit, I missed the doggie a bit. If only it could have been more grown up but keep a little of it's immature side, like the dog and wizard. But you can't pleasing everybody I guess.

Anyway, back to the phones. The HTC phone intrigues me because it is a great phone, above and beyond the Windows program, and I am familiar with the company. My current phone is the HTC Vivid. As I said before, it's the best camera I have ever owned, but as a phone it absolutely SUCKS. But the phone I had before the Vivid was the HTC Aria, which was an amazing little phone. It never gave me any trouble, it simply ran it's course, as all things will eventually. Still, HTC is promising to roll out the next generation of the M 9 later this year and will be getting a release date pretty soon. Just in time, I expect, for the debuts of other things that will be happening later this year, like the release of the Windows 10 operating system upgrade for PCs, and other devices.

You can upgrade to Windows 10 right now, if you sign up for their Beta program. It crossed my mind to do so, and I looked into it, decided to wait until the full version is ready to be rolled out. I did Beta testing for AOL some 15 years ago, and I learned a lot about computers, and how to fix minor things that go wrong, but I was testing on an older computer, and the whole project was really hard on the computer, and caused several crashes of my machine. That's how I leared about the ever important BACK UP thing. Live and Learn. Still, I am glad I did it then, but it's not for me now. So, we will see how things go, and in the autumn, when it's rumored to be released, I will probably give it a try on at least one device, but more than likely, not on my phone.

No, I think my new phone will definitely be an Android device. My Androids have been great. I am hoping whichever Android I choose, it will serve me well for at least 2 years, when my next contract will be up, and I will be ready to go through this all over again! Perhaps by then Windows 10 will be out long enough that all the bugs will be stamped out, and the phone will just behave like it should. At any rate, I will have had Windows 10 on my other devices long enough that I will know how to feel about it for myself, rather than having to go on some stranger's opinion. Do you know what's kinda strange though? Microsoft decided to call it's new operating system Window's 10, rather than Windows 9. I guess it's kind of understandable though, much in the same way Microsoft didn't want us to think about Vista when they rolled out Windows 7, they probably don't want us to think about Windows 8.1 either so they decided to just skip over 9 and go straight to 10 to make us believe that there is nothing attached to Windows 10 that resembles Windows 8.1. . Although from what I have seen, it combines the best of 7 and 8, at least regarding the Start menu. And I can live with that.

I Guess Windows 7 Ate Windows 9. :)

 :)

As for my new phone, I will keep you posted.

Mood: Hopeful
~Me :)

Windows 10 Preview ( Microsoft )

Windows 10 Ambitious But Realistic ( PC Magazine )

It May Just Be Everything Windows 8 Should Have Been ( CNET )

Extremely Stupid And Incredibly Useless

"Technology offers us a unique opportunity, though rarely welcome, to practice patience."

~Allen Lokos

Patience: The Art Of Peaceful Living

Finally, in just about two weeks my contract with AT&T will finally be up and I can unload this piece of crap cell phone! Sigh. I hate to say that because while it might be the worst cell phone ever, for reasons I will get to, it is one of the best, if not the best point and shoot camera I have ever owned! In fact, long after I choose a new cell phone, I will still be charging this phone... urrr... camera to take along with me when I go on photo jaunts. It is excellent in low light conditions, it takes crisp macro shots, and even the action shots come out amazingly crisp and clear looking! The camera really is amazing in that it is only 8 megapixel. The pictures it takes are really quite lovely!

 Here are a couple examples...

The HTC Vivid is not the first phone by HTC that I have owned. My phone just prior to this one was the HTC Aria. That phone was great, in fact it never gave me a moment of trouble. I decided to upgrade to the Vivid because the Aria was quite small and I felt I needed one that fit a little better in my hands. Not that I have big hands or anything, I just felt a bigger phone would make some things easier. Anyway, I liked the company a lot, but I have been noticing that their products don't get the ratings they used to, so I will probably be going with a completely different manufacturer next time.

I have been shopping around and I think I have it narrowed down to the Samsung Galaxy S5 or the LG G3. We'll see. Sometimes I wish my cell phone wasn't necessary, but let's face it, the cell phone may have just been a fun gadget at one time, but in the world we live in, it's become many other things, such as a household tool, a safety device, a learning device, a media device, and a source of entertainment. I could live without a cell phone prior to 9/11 but now... not so much. I appreciate being able to communicate with Alan should the unthinkable occur again. I feel safer knowing that I can get an alert from local news and CNN, although sometimes I dread reading the news alerts I get. Like the day Robin Williams died. I heard the alert tone, looked at my phone, and then couldn't function for the next few hours. I couldn't even say the words that I saw on my phone, when Alan asked me what was wrong... I just handed to him.

Even now... looking at the words... it just seems so incredibly unreal. Alan and I were crossing the bridge into San Mateo, when I heard an alert on my phone. I didn't check it because we were having a deep conversation about our friend who had taken his own life a few months earlier. All night, the night before, I had been ruminating on suicide. Not mine, but just in general, and I didn't know why. So, as we drove along, I was asking Alan if he had noticed if some of our other friends seemed unusually preoccupied or seemed unusually depressed. To my relief he said no, our circle of friends were coming to terms with what had happened and would process verbally to him if needed. A few minutes later we stopped at a little bagel shop, Alan went in, and I stayed in the car, tired from lack of sleep. I decided to check the alert, and there it was! My heart... my heart began to pound out of my chest. I knew he lived just across the bay, and suddenly the world, especially the bay, seemed so damn dark. It's a feeling, I hope I never, ever experience again! It took me over a month to erase that alert off my phone. I didn't want to let go. But I did eventually. We have to... right?

So, like everything else that's ever been invented, the cell phone is a constant source of help and hurt. Of crisp, clear January days, and days spent in happy frolic to moments of fear and sorrow. The cell phone lets us keep in touch while on the go, and keeps us up to date on what we need to know right now. I get to play word games with friends, and capture sunsets with its camera. I can save a recipe and take the recipe shopping with me. Owing a cell phone is fun, much more fun than it is heartbreaking. We live in a world where we can face dangers we didn't 20 years ago, and we have had to adapt to new ways of living. I just wish our government wasn't tapping in! But, if they feel they need to know what recipe I am making for dinner, or that I don't let go of love easily well, that's fine. Who knows maybe I can make them feel less alone. If anyone is listening in. One can't worry about everything, right?

A cell phone, my cell phone in particular, might be extremely stupid and incredibly useless, but it is, however, the best necessary evil in my life. Hey, it's not all bad, at least it entertains as well as breaks my heart.

That's Life.

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

HTC Vivid

Photographed 1/15/15

11:00 PM

Nikon CoolPix S3500