Reno is fantastic!

Instagram @bradtastic

I'm absolutely loving it here. I just wish I had more time and energy each day because unpacking is time consuming. I suppose I have too much stuff... in addition to everything from my previous place, a bunch of furniture from the office came with.

Still sorting and organizing a month in, but even with the still packed boxes everywhere, it already feels like home. Many friends and acquaintances from the Bay Area were puzzled by my decision to move here — some called Reno boring — they really have no clue. Reno has just about everything I'd want in a city, and it's not that far from Lake Tahoe.

I just got my iPad replaced at the local Apple Store, and it's running great. It's encouraged me to work on iPad art again! And hopefully I can finish a few projects that have been held up due to my health issues. Perhaps it's too soon to get excited, but the atmosphere here is overall, more comfortable. I've only had one migraine thus far!

Also, I'm hoping that I can refocus on writing as well. Writing is a depreciating skill, and I'm somewhat out of practice. Although I've outlined many different ideas, I haven't been able to focus on publishing decent content. The environment and atmosphere in my new condo by the river should be much more conducive — all around, I feel better here, for whatever that's worth.

Hopefully things are good wherever you are, too... but if not, consider Nevada!

Now, if only we could do something about Harry Reid...

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Merry Christmas!

Too many people saying Happy Holidays. On Christmas. What’s with that?

It’s a national holiday here, and according to a recent poll, 9/10 American families celebrate it in some way, so why all the reluctance to just say Merry Christmas? Seems like tolerance and political correctness is a one-way street.

This time of year, and this day, I think is an important time to reflect on family and friends, the year as a whole, and dreams and ambitions for the coming new year. For people working retail, it’s doubly stressful, as the hectic shopping rush leading up to Christmas is overwhelming, chaotic and emotionally draining. A lot of people are running around sick, too… and got Stephanie sick with this horrible cough and aches.

And then she got me sick.

So here I am, trying to make the most of it, and I’m in front of my computer (that I somewhat reluctantly upgraded to OS X 10.9 Mavericks because of all the glowing reviews published on the major tech blogs), and I find out today that my Boot Camp Windows drive is entirely broken and unreadable. I read about it online, and it seems like the best course of action is to delete, repartition and reinstall… and everyone keeps saying backup, backup, backup like a mantra.

The thing is, with the cloud and online backups, there’s really not much to “save.” Everything is already, has already been saved, platform agnostic. The major problem? Reinstalling the apps. Mostly really large ones. I think I’m going to wait to tackle this problem. Too stressful.

Should clean out the OSX side of things, first. Lots of files to tag and rearrange. My big I’m sick Christmas Project that I probably can’t finish by 2014. I know it seems like minor annoyances, but when you’re dealing with years of chronic pain and physical problems, every little minor annoyance becomes extra stress that seems to compound and exacerbate the real issues.

But, I’m going to try to focus on the positives. I think that that’s a good practice, insofar as it’s within reality and reasonably objective. Hopefully I won’t be sick (this time) for long!

Again. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Stay warm and safe.

23andMe, SaysBrad 2013, and screw the FDA

Dealing with medical problems and disability, I missed out on a lot of things this year. It's easy to just get upset about that — and everything else going on in the world — it's extremely easy to forget how amazing life is and how much technology has changed everything, for almost everyone.

Sometimes, it seems like the Internet is just full of complaints. And cats. Much of it is superfluous, and I've spent some time on this blog trying to point that out to people. But some complaints are valid, and the Internet has given a voice to many who would otherwise remain silent.

I mention this, because the FDA has blocked 23andMe, a DNA analysis company, from releasing medical information related to DNA as part of their $99 mail-order test kit.

Personally, this genetic information could be very valuable; it could tell me if I'm a carrier for the condition that killed my two brothers, why my nervous system responds the way it does and how best to treat my chronic pain, muscle spasms and disability.

I found out about 23andMe because of their Black Friday sale and ordered a kit, only to find out the day the kits arrived, that 23andMe would only be able to supply ancestry related information.

Basically, the FDA is stopping me from seeking affordable advice about my own DNA.

And I'm upset about that.

I've tried to distract myself with technology and blogging, and even managed to figure out how to stop the spam problem that I was having for quite awhile here at Says Brad. I was contacted by a few blog readers, which is super, as well as an app developer (so I'll be reviewing a new note taking app soon).

I found out that the new iPad Air might have some problems detecting and interacting with pressure-sensitive styluses, and read a bit more about the new iPad mini. I'm now reconsidering it as the superior (personal) choice for all-around use, despite the color accuracy/range issue.

I was going to write about testing blogging platforms such as Roon and Postagon, questions and thoughts that I have about pure blogging options Posthaven and Ghost, as well as testing — and my likely move to — Squarespace 6, but it's been hard to focus on with all of the issues I'm having and becoming aware of concerning the Federal government. I want to make Says Brad purely about design and technology (mostly apps and mobile products), but I haven't had the motivation to do anything about it yet.

Perhaps getting this rant out of the way will help. I know that lack of interest and general depression is a byproduct of chronic pain and the medicines used to treat it, and that awareness is usually accompanied by a resolve to push past it and try to do something — anything...

I really put a lot of hope and faith in my DNA results that now, at least anytime soon, won't be able to get... unless I can find some reliable, affordable expert to help me interpret the raw genetic data that I can still get from 23andMe.

Maybe if enough people out pressure on their Congressman (and women), something can be done about the ridiculously backward, prohibitive, abusive and dictatorial federal government and FDA. I don't think that that will happen, however, unless things get much, much worse. Congress is part of the problem — it's systemic, and it's affecting people. Small businesses, individuals, people with medical problems. I don't want government handouts and help. I want them to get the fuck out of the way.

Well.

Hopefully now I can get back to graphic design and the fun stuff. That is, after I stretch and take a few hour's nap. Word of warning: if your health is good and your body works (at least somewhat) as it should, take care of it and don't take it for granted. Chronic pain and disability is a neverending nightmare.

Before Christmas. Happy holidays. Oh, and don't be offended if you don't like or celebrate Christmas, but someone says Merry Christmas or whatever. Just say thanks. Don't be miserable.

Bradtastic supports Blogsy

Holiday Exhaustion

Hey everyone! I hope that you had a great Thanksgiving holiday, or if you're not American, a great last week of November.

:-)

I have some draft posts that I've worked on and was going to post last week, but I've been so tired from all of the outings and festivities, I haven't had energy to write (and format images, blog stuff, etc).

Hopefully things will start becoming more regular again as I've had some time to rest. Also: FiftyThree is really cool! They've sent me a Pencil and it should arrive later today!

I'll share thoughts on that as well. Lots of Apple-related comments, coming soon! (Hint: I don't like iOS7)

Content & Thank You!

New content coming soon, I promise. I've been really sick — fever and infection for six days now, so I haven't been able to do much of anything except drink water, sleep, and a few less pleasant things... the fewer details, the better, yeah?

Talking to some friends about the blog has inspired me to streamline the content and focus on he fun stuff that I like to write about — and what's popular. That means: more app reviews, product reviews, tech insights, tips, suggestions, maybe some games, that sort of thing. My other writing will go elsewhere. Also, I'm going to try to reorganize the categories and tags to be more efficient and usable — I'm also going to make a few adjustments to the layout, so if you see something broken, please let me know!

Thanks for your support; I think I'm starting to feel a little better (2013 has been one rough year!), so this weekend I hope to update. Also, if you haven't already, you can follow me at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr — all @bradtastic — I post links and photos there throughout the day.

A BIG thank you to the people using my Amazon links to buy stuff — getting a few bucks per week helps me stay motivated to write, and the Amazon credit allows me to get a few new things to review each year! If you have an app or product you'd like me to review, please get in touch!

(Estylo guys! I hope you read this, I've been trying to reach you to talk about the Estylo stylus — I hope all is well!)

My birthday is less than three weeks away — I hope I'm healthy enough to have dinner with my family!

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Brad's Personal Update No. 2

Hi everyone, I just wanted to let you know that I think I’m starting to feel a bit better. But I don’t want to jinx it. I do, however, want to share a few things. I downloaded the update for Paper by FiftyThree and I’m so happy about the new zoom tool. Although I think it still needs some tweaking, it’s a very clever way to achieve a blend of style and functionality that fits the theme and mission of the Paper sketching app. If you have an iPad, you need Paper, even if you don’t consider yourself an artist or creative. It’s just that cool.

I’m writing this blog entry from the official (semi-janky) Squarespace app because for some reason, my favorite, go-to app Blogsy isn’t able to load my categories. I don’t yet know if that’s a Squarespace problem or a fomola (Blogsy devs) issue, but I emailed Lance (fomola Big Boss aka CEO aka awesome friend) to find out. [I’m still very interested in migrating from Squarespace to WordPress, but I don’t have the knowledge or energy yet to start making that happen — I’d want a nice WP theme and don’t know how to go about putting that together.]

Paper by FiftyThree art

Inspired in-part by the Guild Wars 2 Mesmer profession (which reminds me of Accel World’s Kuroyukihime character), this purple abstract butterfly was created on the iPad mini using Paper specific tools (primarily the pencil and watercolor) in order to familiarize myself with the color wheel and zoom. Although it’s still work-in-progress in both forms, one is a screenshot showing off the new zoom/magnifying tool. It took a few minutes to get used to, but in general, I like it; although I might’ve preferred a more traditional zoom functionality, this style does have advantages because you can see exactly where you are drawing relative to the whole page/screen, without zooming in and out, back and forth. It’s also very fast with a decent margin for error, and doesn’t interfere with the undo/redo feature.

I’m excited, because Paper is finally an app I can use start to finish for my style of design. Until now, it’s been a rough ideas and sketching tool; first it was limited by a restricted color palette — they fixed that — and now they’ve added zoom. I’d still like to see a smaller eraser tool (or a variable one with opacity adjustment) and portrait mode, but as is, it’ll work well. I’ve come to prefer the two-finger circular undo/redo and now wish that other apps had it.

Next

I have to take things slow and pace myself, but I’ll see about adding new sketches and designs to dribbble along with more blog entries here such as app and stylus reviews & tips. Until then, take care, enjoy life, and wish me luck. Thank you all!

I'm alive, I think

Just wanted to let everyone know that I'm not dead, but I haven't been well. I am trying to catch up on contacting people but it is very difficult and I've been relying on a lot of help from people, for everything — including this update. I am trying to get back into a normal routine as quickly as possible without injuring myself or making things worse. It's still very hard to talk and I've been needing a lot of sleep.

Thanks for the kind words and support. Also, I'm glad that my previous blog entries were helpful for some people.

Posted with Blogsy

Says Brad Update

Some have been wondering what's been going on and why I haven't been very active online and off this year. I've basically been very sick. I don't want to go into all of the details here, but my disability (mainly) — as well as cold + flu — has kept me resting indoors, attempting to recuperate.

The iPad & capacitive touch stylus + Siri & Dictation have been a tremendous help to me, these past few weeks in particular. Although not sophisticated nor accurate enough to effectively blog with, Dictation has helped me compose a few emails. Definitely going to look at integrating Dragon speech recognition software into my computer usage.

I sincerely hope that February is a better month for me. December 2012 and January 2013 has been a whole bunch of bad. When I'm feeling better, I hope to share some new sketches and stylus & app reviews.

Posted with Blogsy

Pain and Sickness

I seem to always get sick around holidays. My disability is making it harder to recover. I'm doing the things I'm supposed to do, diet, nutrition, etc... but my throat is raw and my nose won't stop running. I'm running out of tissues and my temperature keeps fluctuating. Oh joy.

I hope tomorrow is better. I've been sleeping during two-thirds of the day and I'm still exhausted.

Quit smoking, save money!

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Writing about e-cigs takes time because there's a lot of ground to cover, a lot of misinformation on the internet, skepticism and criticism. I'm putting together a review of sorts, mixed with the story of how I found electronic cigarettes, and used them to quit smoking. The FDA prohibits e-cigs from being marketed as smoking cessation products, but that's what I used it for.

It's an amazing thing; my car is cleaner along with my lungs, my clothes don't smell like smoke, and I don't have to deal with ash anymore.

If you're ready to make the switch, or if you want to help someone you care about quit smoking, the e-cigarette is a powerful tool. I first saw it as a novelty – no way I'd give up real smoke – but then, it happened... I realized that I preferred the taste and feeling of vapor, i could throw away my Camel Filters!

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More about e-juice, vapor, ecigs and smoking cessation coming soon!