Mobile Dad

Just say no

Apple iPad has fired up an industry that dragged it’s feet for the last decade. The reason why tablets sucked in the past was the fact that they were old dogs with cheap new tricks.  UI, software and hardware that did not work as a unified experience prevented mainstream folks to grasp the need for such distinctive products.  What made it worse were hybrid products like the one to the left that confused the public and gave a false sense of security with a keyboard and touchpad to keep the mindset deeply rooted into a laptop mentality, far from what a tablet is trying to achieve.  Sadly I wish the product to the left was from the past but unfortunately it is an upcoming release from Panasonic.  It is just another reminder that PC vendors still do not get it.  Thank goodness for Apple and Microsoft.

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Mornings are always hard. Kids making beds, taking showers and just getting ready is a routine we enjoy stretching out when the weekends arrive.  Though weekdays demand that we stay on track, nuggets of casual and interesting conversation still flutters in the mist of chaos.

As my daughter ate her morning breakfast, she ask me to tell her some more about the iPad. After telling her my feelings of how Apple missed a great opportunity, she asked me something intriguing.

“We have Apple computers at school, will I get to use this iPad there too?”

I put my spoon down and thought for a second, did I miss the point of why Apple created the iPad? continue reading…

This morning, my son and daughter were both excited.  It will be a half day at school, which mean they will have a bit of free time to play before evening duties kick in.  The other thing that made my son jump for joy was the fact that he would be out of school in time for the official announcement on Apple’s latest product, the strangely named iPad.  I had to break my son’s spirit a bit as I will not be home to pick him up at the time of the announcement, however he will get a different bedtime story tonight. A story filled with confusion and lost opportunities. continue reading…

Silence fills the dojang.  Students line up in front of Master Chris.

“Cha-ryut. Kukki ae Dae-ha-yo. Kyung-net,” calls out the class senior (today it is my son).  Everyone comes to attention and bow to the flags of Korea and the US.

“Cha-ryut. Sabum-Nim kae.  Kyung-net,” as everyone bows to the master.

As  the students sit taking in deep breaths, I look around at parents that are either watching their child with pride or with heads down banging away on some device, just like me.  Those with their heads down, have young children keeping themselves entertained.  What do you think was keeping the attention of the younger siblings? Books? Coloring? No, the children were texting or watching Youtube on either their own iPhone or their parents.  Some as young as three are already connected to web media. What does that say about us?

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Today I ran, seriously, ran from person to person at work as I scrambled to make printers, websites, digital repositories all sing in techno harmony (interestingly enough, I ran at lunch to help burn off excess energy, go figure).  As I moved from person to person, I took notes, jot down ideas and dictated conversations on my trusted graphing paper notebook.  The sad thing is, the damn thing is falling apart.  Pages are pulled and folded, order is only known by me.  The notebook would represent chaos to anyone else, but it is my safe haven for my thoughts, work and doodles when I am stuck.  I trusted my security blanket until today. Today I ached for a slate.

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