Droid 1- Dell 0

I still need to write a blog about my amazing phone! It has proven its amazingness through many feats. One being when it fell on my computer today. The Droid is unscratched, the Dell is scuffed. Indestructible phone? Check!

Things I Want

The sun, A tan, A margarita, A beach, A book,
A gift, A publisher, A cat, A lake, did I mention the sun?

Exciting!

I was quite excited when I opened my mail box today! Here's the story...

I have a Citi credit card for students and it accumulates "thank you" points. I only use the credit card for small things and pay it off every month. I therefor do not pay the card company any interest and I get the special points. These points add up quickly, especially if the card gets paied off each time, which it does. The points can be used for multiple types of gift cards, electronics, dvds and more.

As my readers know, I have a Sony Reader. One of the gift cards available from the "thank you" points is a Sony Style card. I wanted to buy a gift card that would buy the books for my Reader but they did not have one. So! I bought the Sony Style gift card. A one hundred dollar gift card at that, for nothing! With this gift card I can go to the Sony Style Web site and buy Reader gift cards. To be exact I can buy four $25 gift cards! Oh the books!

Credit cards are a wonderful thing, when used responsibly. Anyone who says they are not is irrisponsible with their money.

Bloging From The Droid

I final figured out how to blog from the Droid! That reminds me that I still need to write a blog about my beloved gadget. Later about that though. I'm taking a capstone class on rhetoric and it is quite interesting.

I hope to be a magnificent rhetorician by the time its done. Then I will persuade the world to believe what I believe(insert evil cackle). But really, everyone should read some Plato. It's more interesting that you may think. His beliefs are the grounds for Judeo-Christian beliefs. Just trying to phsyc myself up for the semester!

The Monday Rant

I worked all day today and I felt pretty darn productive and happy until I came home. It's frustrating to want to share a day with someone and them not seem to care. We've all been there and it happens everyday to tons of people, but it sucks.

So I sit here alone blogging which makes me feel even worse for some reason. Makes me feel that much more alone. That I have to revert to writing on my own wall to an empty audience.

Me being annoyed with life has lead me to work out for extended amounts of time at the gym though! Spent an hour and a half there yesterday and today. They have televisions on the machines and I quite enjoy watching E! or the Bachelor when I work out.

I'll probably be up till three in the morning so a few more blogs may pop up.

What Future?

This week my lovely employer informed me that my internship will end when I graduate in May and I will not have a full time job after that. Poo...

So I'm scrambling to find jobs. The question is do I look for jobs around where I live or do I look for jobs anywhere? Do I get up and leave everything to find a job? Do I wait around the area until my current employer has an opening?

The funny thing about all of this is my supervisors response, which was the same as my school advisor. My employer can keep me as an intern if I stay in school so my supervisor asked if I HAD to graduate in May!!!! Excuse me, she's seen me freak out for the last four months about getting my graduation papers in order. My advisor tried to do the same!

Being a perpetual student is not productive and people do not produce for the world if they are in school for half of their lives. I do not understand people who think the solution is to stay in school for life. I want to graduate, pay my loans, get a job and be productive in the wold. PRODUCE! It may be a hard concept for academia but they should take a lesson from the working world.

I Tried! I Really Did!

Today I wake up motivated to work out! I go to my DVDs to find my cardio work out...can't find it. It's OK, I'll go to the gym.

I go to my car only to hear it sputter and click when I turn the key over. *Obscenities*

I try multiple times. It almost starts once. I give up, some higher power does not want me to work out today.

On a second thought, this is why I want newer vehicles. I debate with my car-hugging boyfriend about this all the time.

BF: Old cars are the best!
ME: Some yes, but I want a dependable car.
BF:Old doesn't mean its not dependable.
ME:But shit is worn out on those vehicles.

Today's happening: a great example of why when I get a job after graduation and make enough money I'm buying a newer car.

I Guess Mondays are for Ranting and Raving

So, with the new year comes new resolutions. Many of these resolutions revolve around weight loss and health. This is a good resolution. A healthy body and mind does the world good. But! I am sick and tired of the women who post pictures of themselves on Facebook and any other public outlet they can get their grubs on. Half the time these pictures are of them trying to look "crappy" with a caption saying, "oh my I look horrible." They wait for responses from their friends validating them and saying they are beautiful.

If a woman thinks they look like crap in the picture they will not post it for the entire Web world to see! Am I correct?!

The other half of the time these women are smashed into clothes three sizes too small while sucking in their guts and turning to the side while they wear slutty heals that stick out of their trashy jeans. This is not appealing. The whore/clown make up is not appealing either. Unless you'd like to attract clowns.

The one good thing that comes from these photos is the fact that it motivates me to work out and try to not EVER look like them. Even if I looked like Heidi Klum I would never post such vain photos of myself on anything.

Women, get a life, we don't care how small a pair of jeans you can squish your saddle bags into.

Already Invented?

To follow up on my stories about my Sony Reader, here is a new gadget, the Entourage Edge.

And here's the link to the story http://content.usatoday.com/communities/technologylive/post/2010/01/ces-e-readers-with-two-screens/1.

I know this is a competitive market with the Kindle, Sony Reader and the Nook, but really! Let me describe this new device to you and maybe it will make you think of one that is already around, probably very close to you at the moment.

The Entourage Edge a dual book (see picture) from Entourage Systems weighs in at a whopping three pounds! It is part reader part tablet notebook with a 10.1 inch LCD screen on one side where you can email or browse the Web and a 9.7 inch gray scale E ink display on the other side.

This device also has a camera and 4 GB internal memory and runs on Google's Android operating system.


Evidently the screens are connected so you can access a link in an ebook and see the link in the browser screen.

OK so let me get this strait this new ebook has two screens, one that browses the Web just like a laptop. This device looks like a laptop. There is a camera mounted in it just like a laptop. It carries Google so it would be like browsing on a laptop. The sucker weights three pounds: some laptops weigh that much.

By God! This new electronic reader is a crappy laptop, only with an E ink reader on one side.

So for $490 bucks you can buy a crappy laptop that displays books on an E ink reader.

Go out and buy a Sony Reader, you'll save some money and not look like a moron trying to read on what looks like a laptop turned sideways.

Not Much Else

So, I haven't blogged in a few days. Work took up a large amount of my time and I didn't have my computer the other amount of the time, making it impossible to blog. I've tried blogging from my Droid, I can't seem to get it to work. Evidently Droid does NOT blog on blogger.com.
The other reason is that I can't seem to think of anything to blog about. My life is just that boring. So here's an update on what I did this week and maybe I'll come up with a good story.

Throughout work this week I've learned I hate the English language at times and that there are fifty different grammar styles and the place I work at does not incorporate any of those styles that I learned in college. Why did I even go to school?! I left early on Friday because I couldn't take sitting in my cubicle for one more minute. The gray walls and sterile lighting wear on my soul. Plus my back and neck still hurt from the accident in 2009. We do not speak of this car wreck because 2009 is gone, never to return, thank God.

I am reading a new book on my Sony Reader though: How the States Got Their Shape by Mark Stein. It's exactly what the title says it is. The story behind how the states are shaped. He summarises the history into quick chapters about each state. The information is categorized into the north, south, east and west boarders of the states and he adds comical quips to make the read fun. I've made it to Illinois and will have a book report up once I finish the reading.

I still have to write a blog about my Droid, the other electronic gadget that has entered my life. More to come about school and work also. Hopefully something outrageous happens in life and I'll have a good story next time.

There's a First for Everything

I've never written a book review. No, not even in elementary school. Yes, I know, I was a deprived child. With my new gadget in hand, my Sony Reader, I am reading more books and am going to review them on my blog.

The first book I read on my Reader and the first book that wasn't a text book that I've read in a long time was The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks. I'll admit that I read it because I saw a preview for the movie while I was at the theater. Yes the movie includes Miley Cyrus as the lead but I was hoping the story would make up for her annoying tweeness. It did.

The story revolves around a broken family whose two children are sent to visit their father on the coast of the Carolina's. Ronnie, Cyrus' character, is a troubled, wild teen, fit with a purple streak in her dark hair. Fighting the system and her family she refuses to enjoy herself.

Her little brother, who she cares for and brings out her loving side, is a quirky, intelligent young person who accepts their father and simply wants to be a kid and fly kites and spend time on the beach.

A circle of occurrences including a ken like volleyball player bring the story to a happy place of love and acceptance. The love story between Ronnie and Will make the novel a page turner and the angst that is felt when they both have to leave makes the reader yearn for more.

The story takes a depressing turn toward the end and I was brought to tears by the relationship between Ronnie and her father. The ending may be cliche, but it is happy. We all want a happy ending.

It's a fairly easy and quick read that let me escape reality for a quick love story on the beach of the Atlantic. I'd give it four and a half out of five stars.

Beyond Paperback

Drum roll please...one of my new gadgets is the Sony Reader Pocket Edition! I've been wanting to read more books, but between classes and work I haven't had the time to go to the bookstore and buy multiple books that eventually add up to a whole in the pocketbook.

Solution. My brother got me this 5 inch pocket reader for Christmas. Multiple books located in one small, light display. I'd been obsessed with the Kindle for some time but didn't want to spend $400 on a piece of technology that would be obsolete the second I bought it. I'd briefly heard about the Sony version of these ebooks but had never looked into one.

This new version of the Reader is more affordable. With the decreased cost comes some decline in what the Reader is able to do but there are other versions for the people who want a more advanced gadget. For the person who wants to simply read a book and carry multiple books on one device this is the Reader for you.

Features
This tiny gadget, 6 1/4 in by 4 1/4 in, and only weighing 7.76 ounces, can hold up to 350 books that can be purchased on the Reader Library, which works like Apple's Itunes store and library. When the Reader is plugged into the computer using the USB cable, the Reader Library opens and detects the device. Users can brows through thousands of books in the Reader Library Store.

After choosing a book, the site leads you to a check out area that allows you to enter your payment options, and the book downloads in about two minutes. Drag the book on to the Reader located in the left panel and tada! you bought a book from the comfort of your home and received it immediately.

The best feature, in my opinion, is the E Ink Viziplex paper-like screen. The gadget reads exactly like a book would. No strain on the eyes like you get from staring at a computer screen. Sunlight or artificial light does not hinder reading and the print is extremely sharp and clear. The screen has an option to view the font in small, medium, and large. To turn the page simply press down on the arrow keys. The Reader saves where you stopped reading so there is no more worrying about losing your page when you set a book down.

The Reader supports PDF, and can access books from public libraries, Google Books, and the Reader Library.

The batter thus far seems to be amazing. The Sony site says the battery will last for two weeks of reading or 7,500 continuous pager turns. I believe this! I haven't had to charge my Reader since I began using it on Christmas and I've finished one book already.

This little reader comes in three fun colors including silver, pink and navy and there are tons of fun and stylish accessories to protect the Reader.

Problems
With the Reader itself I've had no problems. The main complaint I have is that there is no back light on the display. I thought about this, and firstly, if there were a back light it may act like a computer screen and be hard on the eyes, and secondly, why do we need a back light when traditional paperback books do not have back light? It's simple enough to read in a lit room or buy a reading light like we've done for years with paperback books.

The other problem is Sony's Web site. It can be a huge pain in the ass. On Christmas day it was impossible to download the software because the site was so busy. This was not Sony's fault but navigating the site and trying to find help was impossible.

The device does not have the ability to connect wirelessly and therefor must be connected to the computer to download books is another problem I could see people being annoyed with. This doesn't bother me. I have to do the same with my Ipod. With the money saved on this gadget I will gladly connect it to my computer for a few minutes to receive my book.

Summary
For under $200 this device is amazing. It lives in my purse and I pull it out whenever I have down time. I pull it out for lunch at work and am bombarded with questions asking "what is that?" and "how well do they work?"
Browsing the Reader Library from my couch is delightful. I don't have to drive to the bookstore and squeeze my way through crowds to find a book I want to read.
My brother earned massive points with this gift. I guess I owe him big now.

Blogging For a New Year

I've tried multiple times to start a blog. All have failed. This year, as my New Year's resolution, I promised myself I will use my blog.

The next question was "what do I write about?" Throughout my daily life I see and read things that make me go "WTF!" or "Why?!" so I will use my blog to write about these observations.
I also love technology and have acquired some fancy gadgets over the last few months. I will use my user insight to write about my technology friends.

One of my new gadgets has prompted me to read more books, so I'm going to use this blog to review some books that I will hopefully read on my new device. More to come on this fancy-schmancy device.