Rumor: Apple to bring iPhone to Sprint | iPhone Atlas - CNET Reviews

Oh please let it be so…

Rumor: Apple to bring iPhone to Sprint | iPhone Atlas - CNET Reviews

For an Apple position to be based in Kansas City, that could be saying a lot about development of (finally) a Sprint iPhone.  I’ve always said that if the iPhone ever came to Sprint, I’d be all over it!!

May it truly be so. 

A new day for Starbucks: Starbucks Coffee Company Brand Evolution

Have you heard? Starbucks will be modifying their brand logo this Spring! Read the links below for details:

A Look at the Future of Starbucks

Basically, they're removing the wording from the logo itself. Rather than the Siren being encircled by "Starbucks Coffee" above and below, it will simply be the Siren icon expanded to the edges. For a list of reasons why, read their FAQ page on the topic.

Personally, I think I'm going to miss the big block lettering. There's a personal satisfaction I get from reading "Starbucks Coffee". Perhaps some folks around the world get confused, especially if they're not ordering coffee... but I'm often buying just a simple cup of coffee and enjoying every drop of it. *Sigh*

Onward...

Taking a break from Facebook

I can't believe I just clicked that button.  I've thought about it in the past, but today I did it.

I deactivated my Facebook account.

For a while now, I've been wishing that I could slip out of the Facebook grid for a time, but felt guilty about permanently removing my FB presence from so many people.

Until today.

Today, I realized that I could go back to where I was by simply logging back in with the same user login info.  Who knew!?  Well, that made the choice easier.  So I did it.  One obvious answer would be "For someone as social as you, why did you do it?"

I'm sure there are truly a number of reasons.  But in case anyone is wondering, no, I am not depressed, suicidal, or anything of that nature.  I'm sure it's natural to assume something is really wrong when a self-proclaimed (and assessment-proven) sanguine person such as myself would disconnect from the world's biggest social network.  But just so everyone who knows me knows, I am just fine.  Really.  I mean it, I'm fine.  Stop looking at me like that, I said I was fine.  ;-p

Anyway, in all seriousness... here are a few reasons:

1. I wanted to experience the freedom to exert control over whether anyone could look into a big online repository of  my personal life for a while.  Call me a control freak, but I just wanted to make sure I could feel in control of my identity in the online world of Facebook. 
2. I want to experience not being on Facebook for a while. I think I've been participating for about the last 4-to-5 years, so it's nice to just take a break.  Vacation, baby!
3. I can go back to having a presence, just the way it was, so no big deal bowing out for a little while, right?
4. I've realized that I used to really love blogging, but since becoming a Facebook user, my blogging had all but vanished.  I want to write something meaningful and personal, and have folks engage me within the context of topical intent, not just the all-powerful 'news feed' within FB.  Besides, the conversations tend to be pretty short within FB.  I want to be inspired to connect over substance again.  
5. I'm not required to use Facebook.  ;)  

So, there you have it.  I'm going off of Facebook.  How long, I don't know.  And even when/if I fire up my account again, it will most likely be for the sake of the people I know, and to propagate my Tweets and Blog(s) to my network instead of just the occasional FB comments.  

Time will tell.  Thanks for taking the time to read this post, and I invite you to comment away! 

Roseville Parents & Kids - Be on the lookout!

Be watching for a suspect in a vehicle as described below. I just received this forwarded email from Roseville Police Department:


"On 09-01-10 at 3:30 pm on Laurel Crest Dr (by Thomas Jefferson Elementary) a blue mini van/station wagon pulled partially into a driveway blocking two 9 year olds walking home from school. A White Male Adult in his 30’s asked the kids to help find his little black dog. The kids were uncomfortable and ran away.

Karl Dyer
Sergeant
Roseville Police Department
Community Services Division
1051 Junction Blvd.
Roseville, CA 95678"

The power of words

Here's a great little joke my good friend Joel forwarded to me.  I just had to share it on my blog! 

"The Power of Words"

The pastor asked if anyone in the congregation would like to express praise for answered prayers.  Suzie Smith stood and walked to the podium.  She said, "I have a praise.  Two months ago, my husband, Tom, had a terrible bicycle wreck and his scrotum was completely crushed.  The pain was excruciating and the doctors didn't know if they could help him."

You could hear a muffled gasp from the men in the congregation as they imagine the pain that poor Tom must have experienced.

"Tom was unable to hold me or the children," she went on, "and every move caused him terrible pain."  We prayed as the doctors performed a
delicate operation, and it turned out they were able to piece together the crushed remnants of Tom's scrotum, and wrap wire around it to hold
it in place."

Again, the men in the congregation cringed and squirmed uncomfortably as they imagined the horrible surgery performed on Tom.

"Now," she announced in a quivering voice, "Thank the Lord, Tom is out of the hospital and the doctors say that with time, his scrotum should
recover completely." All the men sighed with unified relief.  The pastor rose and tentatively asked if anyone else had something to say.

A man stood up and walked slowly to the podium.

He said, "I'm Tom Smith."

The entire congregation held its breath. 

"I just want to tell my wife the word is 'sternum'."

I am so NOT happy with Flixter!

Okay, so I am officially putting in my DISAPPROVAL of Flixter.  The way that they have you sign up for their service is tricky and INVASIVE!  I had a few people send me invites, and at the time I was rather puzzled by the people sending me the invites.  They were usually from people I rarely hear from.

Well, now I know why!

When you decide to try out Flixter, one of the things it does is allow you to check your contact list (GMail, Yahoo Mail, MSN Mail, etc.) to see who on your contact list is already using Flixter.  But... (and this is the big but), if you don't review the entire page, you'll see that it also selects EVERYONE in your contact list by default, and sends them an invite at the same time you think you're only selecting which people to add as buddies that are already using Flixter.  I have around 400 people or so in my contact list.  Additionally, I have a private email address that I can use for posting to my blog by sending an email.  Well, you can imagine the mess that caused!  Thanks, by the way, to my wife and a few friends who pointed out my blog was getting blown up with posts due to Flixter emailing account info to it left and right!

So, if you were one of those folks who received a Flixter invite from me, I do apologize.  I thought that I was only adding a few Flixter users to my list of friends, and now I know that everyone in my contact list was basically spammed.  I am so sorry.  You can bet I've removed my account from Flixter at this point, and I recommend doing the same.  That kind of campaign for getting new users is deceitful, and I certainly don't condone it. 

The Turner Family Birthday Tradition

A few years ago, Charlotte and I unknowingly began a new tradition with our birthdays.  It was 2005, and I was turning 28.  She woke me up early in the morning the day of my birthday and took me to a local coffee shop.  We had 'just us' time in the wee hours of the morning of my birthday.  We sipped our coffee and had a few pastries.  Her parents were home with our kids, so we were free for it to be just us for a few hours.  It was wonderful. 

She also had an alterior motive:  After we got started with our coffee and pastries, she told me that she wasn't sure, but that she had thought maybe she was pregnant.  She had taken a pregnancy test before I got up, but it wasn't looking like it was positive.  However, a week later, she was still feeling like maybe she was pregnant, so we ended up going out for coffee again, and sure enough... the test was positive.  #3 was on his way!

After that birthday, we decided to make it a tradition for both our birthdays.  Once our oldest reached his fourth birthday, we decided to extend that tradition to our kids, too.  We felt that four-years-old was an appropriate age, and that it would be more appreciated by waiting until then.  And thus it not only became a tradition, but also a sort of 'rite of passage' for our family. 

So, that little guy whose imminent arrival began this tradition, Micah, turns 4-years-old tomorrow morning, and we'll be taking him out for an early morning hot chocolate and pastry.  Just him with Mommy & Daddy, while all his siblings are still in bed. It's going to be quite special! 

Happy Early Birthday, Micah-Bear!

In case any of you are freaking out... my mom lives with us, and she doesn't leave for work until after we need to be back to get the rest of the crew going in the morning.  No, we don't leave our children unattended while they're sleeping.  Disclaimer done.  ;)