Year: 2009

  • My Favorite Android Apps

    When I got my Droid, one of the first things I did was tap into Android’s vast app market  to check out apps and widgets (modules you can throw on one of your home screens for instant access to some app or information). I’ve had the device about a month now and there are a few apps that have proved themselves useful and/or awesome. Here is a list of my favorites. (more…)

  • Big Day for Baseball

    I’m not a Hot Stove blogger by any stretch, but today’s baseball news is too much to pass up!

    • Possibly the biggest news of the day is the Blue Jays deal Doc Halladay to the Phillies while the Phillies send Cliff Lee to Seattle in a 3-team trade. This is expected to be finalized in the next couple of days.
    • Meanwhile, John Lackey has been signed by the Boston Red Sox.
    • The Angels may have lost an Ace pitcher, but they did sign Hideki Matsui to a 1 year deal
    • Finally, the Yankees lighten their load even more by releasing Ching Ming Wang. Now they are in need of a number 4 guy (they may have been anyway, knowing Wang’s shakiness for the last 2 years). Rumor has it the are looking at Justin Duchscherer and Ben Sheets, as well as Jason Marquis and Joel Pineiro.
  • Droid Does

    droid

    Those of you who know me might be surprised that I got a Droid less than one year after I got the Blackberry Storm. Those of you who really know me aren’t surprised one bit. As soon as I saw an Android phone come to Verizon, I was interested. I’m highly dependent on Google (Gmail, Contacts, Calendar, etc. etc.), I missed a physical keyboard, and I did my thesis on Android, which means I can program on the platform. I’ve had it for about 3 weeks now- here are my thoughts.

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  • Tis the Season for Video Games

    ps3When I started playing video games again in September, it was after almost a year of not playing (I’m back on wagon?). In my defense, there was a lot of great video game going-ons this season. Between the tried and true Xbox 360 and their online environment, and the newly priced Ps3, there is a wealth of choices for the video gamer this holiday season. Here is a rundown of what could be some great video game gifts this year.

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  • Lots of Stuff at Manifest Development

    This week I made several announcements over at Manifest Development:

    If you have any questions about my or Manifest Development, feel free to get in touch!

  • lala for Music

    lala_logoWow! It’s been a while and I apologize. I’ve been keeping busy with Cognition Media (which is finally getting off the ground), but am back on track here. Today starts the first in a series of posts I’ll be writing to help with tech oriented gifts for the 2009 holiday season. Up first is a service I’ve been using for a while now (7-8 months) and am very happy with: lala.

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  • Using Google Voice for Business

    google voice logoAs a freelancer, I don’t have an office, or employees, or all the extra stuff that one might have as a business. I work from home, with my laptop, my cell phone, and if I need to offload some work, I have a group of subcontractors I can call. This of course makes it harder to separate personal and professional life, especially if I’m giving people my cell phone number as a means of contact. That has changed with Google Voice.

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  • The Yankees and the World Series

    Celebration

    Since the last time the Yankees went to the World Series in 2003 I’ve: Graduated college (MS and BS), started a company, grew my business, and much more. Since the last time they won in 2000 I’ve: graduated high school, started web design, started programming, started driving, and much much more.

    This is the Yankees 4th trip to the Fall Classic this decade, and the 7th in my lifetime, winning 4 of them. Some people would said I’m spoiled; that I’m lucky my team has made and won it even once in my lifetime, something a lot of people I know probably can’t say, and definitely couldn’t say by the time they were 11. But I’m a Yankees fan and I thank God for that. I say that because I was born in NY, and my allegiance had to lie within the state. And it just so happens that my grandmother grew up a few blocks away from the stadium. Both my parents are Yankee fan and so am I.

    Because of this, I expect more- not because I’m an asshole, but because of our history. With Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Whitey Ford, Yogi Berra, Thurmon Munson, Reggie Jackson, Don Mattingly, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, and so many more, how can we not be the best? And this team is the best we’ve had since our record breaking 1998 team. I see a lot of parallels- the camaraderie, the veterans, the great young talent, the raw power, and the drive. It’s not a given that we will win every game, but we don’t count ourselves out and we know that we can win every game- especially now.

    So to the Phillies (and their fans) I say bring it on. And to the Yankees and their fans: let’s finish this decade that same way we started it- with a championship.

  • Since the Last Time I Went to a Yankees Postseason Game

    Yanks 10

    Since 1998, the last time I went to a Yankees Postseason game (Game 1 vs. the Texas Rangers in the ALDS, to be exact), I’ve:

    • Watched the Yankees enter 5 and win 3 World Series
    • Graduated grammar school
    • Entered and graduated high school
    • Started, stopped, and started again playing the drums
    • Had 2 surgeries: 1 on my hip and 1 on my shoulder
    • Started driving
    • Held at least 11 different jobs (some concurrently, I didn’t get get hired and fired a lot)
    • Got my Bachelor’s in Media/Info Tech with a minor in CS
    • Got my Master’s in Software Engineering
    • Started my own freelance web design/development operation
    • Started a web applications company
    • Saw my first concert
    • Saw 50+ more
    • Gone to Ireland
    • Totaled a car
    • Got my thesis published

    Wow. It’s been 11 years, and a lot has happened! I’m very excited to go to Game 6 (whether it’s tonight or tomorrow). Let’s go Yankees!