A Digital Irony

And now for a bit of digital irony... I just don't care for eBooks.

Some context: I don't read the newspaper. I read articles online, usually saved to my all-time favorite app, Instapaper. I get nearly 100% of my news from the Internet. I don't print my photos – I post them. I don't write in a journal – I blog. I am full-on immersed in a digital lifestyle from news to tv shows to movies to music.

The thing is, though, I just don't care for eBooks. And it certainly isn't from a lack of trying. Looking back through the archive on my iPad's Kindle app I have nine books that I have read all the way through, about ten more in various stages of not-yet-finished and one that I'm actively reading, Arguably: Essays by Christopher Hitchens.

Its just that neither the Kindle app or iBooks really suit me as a way to read a book. I really enjoy the feel of a paperback book in my hands. I like that the weight of the book tells me how much work it is going to be to get through. I love the immediate tactile feedback that the thickness of each side of the book gives about how far along I am toward the end of that particular literary journey.

These are experiences that apps and eReaders just cannot duplicate. For sure, I think these technologies are great. Anything that makes reading more accessible is a big positive in my book. But, as a matter of personal preference I would rather have the old-fashioned paper version of a book in my hands.

Note: This post originally written with pen on paper.

La Mer de Pianos

A look at one of the last piano repair shops in Paris. Specifically, the oldest still around.

(via kottke.org)

A Look Back

They thinned out Beatrix’s file at daycare last week. We got some of the progress cards from her first year there. That really took us back. It is a bit overwhelming to see how much she’s grown up in just three short years.

BFFs

Ainsley and Beatrix at Lake Anna.

Snow Years Eve

Some photos from Snow Years Eve 2011-2012.

The road to our cottage…

The party started on the 30th…

You can guess who was handing out the tequila…

New Year’s Eve at Lake Anna.

Didn’t get many photos that night…

‘Bye, bye, lake!’

Pigtails

My new favorite photo of the girl. Taken by my wife this morning on her crap old 3GS.

The Wall of Death

The family that rides together…

Jotly. Rate Everything. A+.

I am just as bad about new social apps as anyone else (Path, Stamped, etc.) but Jotly is pure tongue-in-cheek awesomeness. I love it.

From Jotly.co:

Rate Everything.

Everything about your life is exciting. To Everyone.

With Jotly you can:

• Rate anything. Even yourself.

• Rate nothing. This will be fascinating to friends and foes.

• Sign up without Facebook or Twitter.

• Move about freely. The app will automatically follow you.

• Earn influence points and build (street) credit.

• Earn a living.

My first jot…

A Trip to Mars

I’ve been following the progress of the Curiosity rover on it’s way to Mars, you know, because I’m a giant nerd. Here are a couple of Nasa videos that describe just how incredibly hard it is to send something–let alone a fully-functional science lab–to Mars.

And, just for bonus nerditry, here is the video of the actual launch. This video was a big hit with my daughter.

Weird Al Time Lapse

Cool time-lapse look at the set up, performance, and breakdown for a Weird Al show set to my favorite Weird Al song.

Reminds me–a lot–of working stage crew in Wilson Hall at JMU. And just like those shows the before and after take much more time than the actual show.