Apple taking business for granted?

I recently completed an 8 part series on how I buy music and audiobooks on iTunes Store (~95%) and amazonmp3 (~5%).  Using a common sense, fair use approach, I access and grow that collection on both my work WinXP and my home Kubuntu machines, using a Windows-formatted iPod as the sneakernet between the two.

The iPod I use to accomplish this is a 60GB iPod Photo, which (according to a wikipedia timeline) I must’ve purchased in late ‘04 or early ‘05.  I chanced upon this article yesterday which makes me question whether my approach will continue to work if I choose to buy a newer iPod.  If this is an intentional move by Apple, it certainly is a curious one.

I couldn’t make this stuff up…

… I’m not creative enough.

On the drive into school this morning, I was giving my two youngest sons a fairly standard pep talk:  Keep your grades up, study hard, don’t make the teacher’s job harder than it already is, don’t believe everything they teach you, smile and regurgitate what they want to hear when necessary (concerning global warming, for instance)…

My 4th grade son piped up and said yeah, my teacher teaches us that global warming stuff because she has to.  She says they make her teach it so she can get paid.

Remember the bad old days of New Math?  I think it’s fair to say that this qualifies as New Science.

connecting generations

The highlight of my weekend was a morning of skeet and trap shooting with my uncle, first cousin, and oldest son.  My cousin brought his boyhood .410 so my son could learn to shoot.  He also brought his Beretta over-and-under 12 gauge, which was a joy to shoot.

My uncle didn’t shoot much, except to prove to us young guys that there was nothing wrong with the .410 except operator error.  He went 2 for 2 at a longer distance than the rest of us struggled greatly from (even though my cousin’s a good shot).  So my uncle’s earlier claims of not being the shot that he once was turned out to be somewhat modest.  Thanks, Henry & George!  I feel a new hobby coming on…

profanity concern is (apparently) *so* 2004

My oldest son and I rooted hard for the Celtics during the NBA Finals.  I’ve never been a big Lakers fan, and I really enjoy watching high quality basketball because of its similarity to lacrosse.  I often use NBA games to reinforce flow concepts that I try to teach my sons on the lacrosse field.

a good belly laugh

Last Tuesday, my son and I watched Hillary repeat the story of the boy who sold his video games and bike, and sent the money to Hillary’s campaign.  I completed Hillary’s sentence for her on that occasion, “…and I TOOK it.”  We both rolled with laughter.

Leonard reflections

My oldest son’s graduation from Space Camp this morning began with the national anthem.  I was singularly focused on Leonard’s sacrifice throughout.  I also reminded my son after lunch that this was the 4th anniversary of Leonard’s death.  He asked how it happened, so I retold the story.  He says he still remembers Leonard’s funeral at Arlington.  I hope he never forgets.

Virginia William Gordon

Mom told me today that Virginia William Gordon passed away last Friday, February 22 (obituary from the Daily Progress). She occasionally cared for my brother and me when we were very young. I don’t have many specific memories, other than sitting downstairs with her by the woodstove. I remember my brother and I not minding a bit when she was scheduled to come watch us. Mostly, I remember her as an unusually kind and patient lady. She always seemed happy, and I remember her smile and heart warming laugh.

hometown history

Mom & Dad gave me a great Christmas present this year: a day-long historical tour of Orange County, Virginia (where I grew up) and surrounding areas. Mr. Frank S. Walker, Jr. guided me for this one-on-one Civil War-themed tour.

Connections are the “hook” that draw me to history, and there were quite a few personal ones for me on this day. Mr. Walker’s wife, Mrs. Bernice Walker was my science teacher through most of my formative years at Grymes Memorial School. Truth be told, I never was Mrs. Walker’s best student. My interest in growing the biggest crystals in the class had far more to do with a crush I had on lab partner Ms. Phillips than it did with any true interest in science. I also remember Mrs. Walker calling me aside after class one day and telling me that she didn’t care whether I sat in the back of the room not listening, passing notes, and throwing spitballs. She did insist, however, that the peers with whom I was distracted truly did need to pay attention.

Chief Justice’s honey-do list

Mom and I had a good laugh about this as we were digging through some old family keepsakes today:

freedom is not free

I went to the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington DC yesterday. I also visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the 56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence Memorial for the first time. Despite the fact that my grandfather Thomas Nelson was one of the signers, I was most moved by the Korean War Veterans Memorial. I was brought to tears by the following message inscribed in large brass letters in the walkway at the point of the triangle that the 19 soldier statues are walking towards:

Our nation honors her sons and daughters who answered the call to defend a country they never knew and a people they never met.