Technological Evolutions I’m eagerly awaiting …

I have a love/hate relationship with technology.  Printers – it’s mostly hate.  Mobile internet – it’s a mix.  User interface cleverness – it’s mostly love.

Here’re six things I’m waiting on for technology:  (I’ll cross-out these as they develop)

  • Region-free iTunes purchasing agreements.  Ordering UK albums shouldn’t be so difficult for American consumers.  Thankfully, there’s always amazon.co.uk , where I got the Downton Abbey soundtrack.
  • Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited on the iPad.  I’m a sucker for good plot … ‘nough said.
  • Communication Arts as either a periodical or app with in-app purchases on iPad.
  • WordPress meta-support for taxonomies as there is for post types.  For the non-geeks, this isn’t a big issue.  But I’m ready for my wp_ update functions on taxonomies to include all the additional custom meta fields I add to the category user interfaces.  (I have at least 4 projects waiting on this … which means I should carve out the time and try to tackle it …)
  • Scaling bandwidth limits for Verizon Mifi mobile internet plans.  If Google can raise my total storage incrementally each day, why can’t my bandwidth limit also increase at such a rate?  (Oh wait, it’s quarterly earnings season … I know why now …)
  • Widespread 3G access across rural parts of midwest U.S. on Verizon’s network.  “Can you hear me now?” The classic Verizon ad would now be “can you download me now?”  And in many churches I travel to across Iowa and Minnesota, the answer is “well, give me a couple of hours, and those pictures will come down …”  Having 3G as a base speed would be nice.  I realize it’ll take some bandwidth upgrades for the remote cell towers … but seriously, my grandma in Fairfield, IA has fiber internet in her home.  Pick up the pace, you pseudo-monopolistic, great company!

On vacation

It is common today to locate one’s “true self” in one’s leisure choices.  Accordingly, good work is taken to be work that maximizes one’s means for pursuing these other activities, where life becomes meaningful.  The mortgage broker works hard all year, then he goes and climbs Mount Everest.  The exaggerated psychic content of his summer vacation sustains him through the fall, winter, and spring.  The Sherpas seem to understand their role in this drama as they discreetly facilitate his need for an unencumbered, solo confrontation with unyielding Reality.  There is a disconnect between his work life and his leisure life; in the one he accumulates money and in the other he accumulates psychic nourishment.

On the other hand, there are vocations that seem to offer a tighter connection between life and livelihood.  Can such coherence be traced to the nature of the work itself? …

“Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work – by Matthew B. Crawford

I’m off!

As I seem to only update this blog on vacations, I wanted to recap/foreshadow my experiences.

I just got back from officiating my cousin’s wedding in Sundance, Utah.  Not only was it scenic, but the couple (Jenny + Jake) are themselves exemplars of beauty.

Heidi and I are mid-trip for a fun week with friends in Portland, Maine. This is the second year in a row that we’ve taken this trip and it’s GREAT. While the “reds” in the tree leafs aren’t as vibrant as in the past, the friends and food are even better than we remembered (both here and on the way here …).

Here’re shots from the train: