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Happy Birthday: The Mac @ 30!

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It’s amazing that the Mac is now 30 years old!  I will never forget my first Mac. It was a  lime green iMac and it replaced an old Mac Performa I inherited from my Dad. It went with me everywhere.  From my Appalachian State apartment to my job at the photo lab to vacations at the beach.  It was so portable.

lime imacThat lime green iMac out hustled the PC my photo lab boss and his ditzy wife had built prior to me showing up. Some computer geek convinced them to spend untold amounts of money just so he could build a computer. Problem was the stupid thing never printed true color.  It was probably the first time I ever said those immortal words, “shoulda bought a Mac.” I’ve said it countless times ever since. From that point on, I hauled my iMac in to the photo lab everyday. Photoshop ran smoother and I never had a problem printing any of my digitally restored photos again.

Clinton Library MacsThe practicing of taking my Macs with me on the go continued with what I considered to be the best iMac ever made. I received a beautiful white flat panel iMac as a college graduation gift from my Dad. Not wanting to leave it behind on my study abroad trip, I actually had it shipped to Keele University in England. While it may have not been the most economical decision, it did help me make friends fairly quickly. Everyone was impressed with its design and the ground breaking OS X software that made Windows look like stale bread. From my 3 A.M. listening of the infamous Duke-Carolina game where Coach Doughtery threatened fisticuffs to my endless ripping of CDs for all my dorm-mates, that iMac helped me settle in quite nicely. I’ll also never forget explaining to one of the network engineers at the Keele library how I got my Mac to work with their backwards Internet protocol. He responded in a toasty English accent, “I’ve never seen a Mac before!” Makes me laugh to this day. That and the fact that I saw that very same iMac model enshrined at the Clinton Library in Little Rock.

These days, I carry a Macbook Pro everywhere I go. While it’s not the same as strapping in an iMac with a seatbelt, my new Retina model packs way more punch than those old CPUs. While I hope to write a full review someday of my new machine, for now I’ll just say it represents the most seamless computing experience I’ve ever had.

Funny thing is, all my family’s old Macs still work. My Granddad inherited my lime green iMac but he now prefers to work off an old MacBook Pro my Dad gave him. I’ll never forget him showing me the Baltimore Orioles homepage and asking me if I had ever seen it before. The man loves baseball and that computer brought it right into his living room. My brother still has an old bondi blue iMac and G4 tower that have yet to breathe their last breaths.  The white flat panel iMac I mentioned is operating in my office and it can still kick out a jam or two.  Best of all, my Dad’s old MacPlus still works to this day. You can even insert his MacPaint floppy disk and make cool retro art!

MacPlus

What a great 30 years of computing. And according to MacWorld and the Apple Executive team, the Mac is here to stay.  Check out their article, Apple executives on the Mac at 30: ‘The Mac keeps going forever.’  What else is there to do but say, “Thank you Steve Jobs! Thank you Apple.”

 

 

Music to Rock Your Christmas Eve

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As promised, I am posting my favorite Christmas albums.  Hopefully this music will help you rock your Christmas Eve parties and holiday gatherings. At the very least the list can serve as a reminder of your favorite albums of holidays past. Merry Christmas everyone!

A Very She & Him ChristmasA Very She & Him Christmas is by far my favorite holiday album.  There is nothing better than hearing M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel sing the classics.  The production is timeless and will liven up any Christmas themed playlist. The album is also special to me because I gave it as a gift to my wife.  To my delight, Lunchbox Records had cool album themed wrapping paper and a Christmas pen to go with it.  What a great record store! Anyways, this made the gift more special. My wife loves the album and we play it during many special Christmas occasions.  This year the record comes with an a Yule Log app. Crazy!

The GatheringFor some North Carolina flavor, look no further than The Gathering. The Wall Street Journal featured the project as one of six holiday albums worth picking up last year, writing: “Five established folk-roots artists gathered in a Greensboro,N.C., house to record this unusual album. The first six songs by singer-guitarist Laurelyn Dossett were commissioned by the North Carolina Symphony and tell the tale of a wandering daughter’s return to her family home on a winter’s night. The next seven tracks are a mix of traditional and old-time holiday folk songs. Three voices work in harmony backed by banjo, mandolin, fiddle, guitar and bass. What the season must have sounded like before shopping and Irving Berlin.” And The Chicago Sun-Times hailed the album: “Collections of Appalachian holiday tunes have come along before, but one of the finest is now ‘The Gathering.’” Needless to say, the record is great!

Christmas with the Rat PackAnother one of my all time favorite albums for gift giving and holiday celebration is Christmas with the Rat Pack.  There’s nothing quite like hearing Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and Frank Sinatra swoon over the very best holiday standards.  The songs on this album set a very high mark and very few artists have ever met it.  The record has everything from “White Christmas” to “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” While Sammy and Frank deliver the goods, Dean Martin outperforms them all.  If you want to know what Christmas sounds like, listen to the Rat Pack.

A Very Special ChristmasLast but not least is a A Very Special Christmas. This compilation album of Christmas songs has everything: Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, Whitney Houston, U2, Sting. If an artist had any traction in the 1980s they are on this benefit album.  While all the songs are great, my Brother and I were floored that our mom had actually bought a CD with a RUN DMC track on it. And she liked it! Another special album highlight is Stevie Nix’s “Silent Night.” There’s nothing like having the witchy woman herself sing about the birth of the Saviour. in addition, the record is still very popular and continues to help raise money and awareness for the Special Olympics.

Nelson Mandela (1918-2013)

Mourning Mandela

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“We would like to create a world familiar with the smiles of children rather than their tears” – Nelson Mandela

Last night my wife tasked me with filling out the current events section of my son’s baby book. Adding hit TV shows and songs was a breeze. Popular entertainers were no problem. It was only when I got to adding the top 2013 news headlines that I became stuck. I desperately wanted to add a positive story. Instead, my mind circled around tragedies like the Syrian Civil War, the Boston Bombing and the flooding in the Philippines. Then, just when I thought my heart could hang no lower, my AP Mobile app notified me of the passing of Nelson Mandela. Needless to say, I went to bed last night worrying about the world my son is inheriting.

Luckily, this morning I came across this blog post by Roberto A. Ferdman and Ritchie King:

IN MEMORIAM: The wisdom of Nelson Mandela: quotes from the most inspiring leader of the 20th century 

Nelson Mandela’s life was an inspiration! I still feel an overwhelming sense of loss, but it is no small consolation to be reminded of his many great deeds, his resiliency and, above all else, his words. While the Nelson Mandela’s of the world are in short supply, I know my life, and my son’s life, will continue to populate with positive leaders that shine light on the dark corners of the world. The efforts of these people, and those that follow their light, consistently renew my faith in humanity.

I believe strongly that we can all have a positive impact on the world. Small acts of kindness do not go unnoticed. Tolerance and understanding are teachable traits. Love is in far greater supply than hate. For every conflict or tragedy, there are a thousand helping hands reaching out to those in need. For all of these reasons we are far better off today than we were a half-century ago.

On behalf of my son and a mourning world, thank you Mandela. Rest in peace.

Best Block:  Nelson Mandela, 1918–2013: Remembering an Icon of Freedom (Richard Stengel)

The Internet and J.D. Salinger

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This morning I awoke to news that three J.D Salinger stories were leaked online.  Within three minutes I was able to find a torrent link and download a copy for myself.  Surely, Mr. Salinger never anticipated the power of the Internet to undermine his publishing wishes.  I felt strangely at odds with myself over the download.  On one hand I wanted to respect the wishes of the revered author.  Despite myself, I also wanted to read something new from the man whose writing had considerable influence over my teenage years.  With Black Friday being the ultimate impulse shopping day, I relented and secured a copy.

J.D. Salinger's Ocean Full of Bowling Balls Screen shot

I look forward to reading the works once my baby-boy settles down for a nap.  I am a bit weary, however, given the fact that so little is published by Salinger.   For this reason, the reading does risk disappointment.  I had a very similar feeling when Nirvana released “You Know You’re Right.”  Fortunately, the posthumously released single did not disappoint.

Too often the Internet’s commenting class ruin these type of releases because they overly criticize, judge and rehash the past.  Check out the YouTube comments that go with the Nirvana link above for proof of this trend.   In actuality, it’s just a song.   It’s just a story.  I think J.D. Salinger’s Buddhist sensibilities would appreciate this approach.  For this reason I will let you all decide if the works are worth reading.  There is, however, reason for intrigue.  According to the Guardian Newspaper:

The stories include An Ocean Full of Bowling Balls, which has only been available under lock and key to scholars at Princeton library.

The tale is an early version, originally written for Harper’s Bazaar magazine but withdrawn before publication, of The Catcher in the Rye. The narrator is the older brother of Holden Caulfield, the teenage narrator of the later book.

The other stories, entitled Paula, and Birthday Boy, were held by the University of Texas under similar conditions.

Enjoy.

Best Block:  JD Salinger’s unpublished stories leaked online (Maev Kennedy)

John Lennon: The Bermuda Tapes

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John Lennon's Bermuda Tapes

The app I am sharing today is one of the best examples of why I believe the iPad is still the greatest tablet ever made.  Nowhere is the superior experience of the iPad more clear than in interactive album apps like John Lennon: The Bermuda Tapes.  The app itself is gorgeous and it sheds light on the last productive period of John Lennon’s life.  The experience is immersive as the user learns about the key inspirations behind Lennon’s last album, Double Fantasy.

App highlights include:

• Intimate demo recordings from John and Yoko
• Audio explorations that reveal John’s songwriting process
• A new interactive storytelling experience where users take the helm of the Megan Jaye, visit locations on Bermuda special to John, and listen to John and Yoko as they write the music of Double Fantasy.
• Newly discovered photos of John aboard the Megan Jaye
• Interviews of John and Yoko
• John’s hand written lyric sheets

This type of app would not be possible on another platform.  While Angry Birds can pretty much be downloaded from anywhere, users will only find unique content like The Bermuda Tapes on the iPad.  If you want to learn about the app’s creation check out the link at the bottom of today’s post.  If you need added incentive to buy the app, all proceeds go to WhyHunger.org.  With 1 in 6 Americans food insecure, I could not think of a better way to give 5 dollars to a worthy cause.

Another cool download for the holidays is the interactive children’s book  A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.  The app is a lot of fun and brings back plenty of childhood memories.  If you enjoyed last year’s standout, A Charlie Brown Christmas, you will love the Thanksgiving app because it brings an interactive touch to an already classic story.  In addition to these two great children apps, the iPad product line is now even more compelling because Pages, Keynote, Numbers, Garage Band, iMovie and iPhoto are all free to those who buy new Apple devices.  This is a huge win for the Black Friday crowd and the Christmas shopping public.  No matter how you look at it, no tablet on the market can compete with such a sweet deal and cool user experience.

Best Core: John Lennon: The Bermuda Tapes – An interactive Album App by Design I/O