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.

Christmas Colors and December News

Yesterday and the day before, I modified the color scheme here at Says Brad. Some simple updates, but sticking pretty closely to the same RWB Americana theme. (RWB just made me think of RWBY, a cool show by Rooster Teeth) Earlier today, while I was planning and writing my upcoming notes apps’ reviews, I thought about the theme change and decided to give it Christmas colors.

Why not? Squarespace makes it really simple.

At least if you’re using a desktop browser. Modifying the theme in SS5 is basically impossible on iOS.

Because of both of these two elements — simple, but difficult away from desktop browsers), I wanted to keep it really simple and be able to switch back after New Year’s. With a click, you can duplicate your current style and create a new name for it, make the appropriate changes, and save it alongside the old theme. Since the two sit side by side, I can simply enable the original when the Christmas theme is no longer relevant. (I suppose that at any other time of the year, it just looks Italian.)

I need to figure out how to do this at WordPress or Squarespace 6… or wherever I start my disability blog at. I know I said that I was going to get right back to writing about apps and stuff, but the recent ruling regarding NSA data-mining and the White House press release, I think it’s appropriate to discuss privacy, 4th Amendment protections (the word “privacy” is absent from it) and a bit about how that is applied (or not) to internet communications and virtually everything else in the surveillance cities and states of the world (London comes to mind). Is all of this information harvesting making us any safer, and if it is, is the price too high? Although political, I think that it’s a tech-related issue.

I also saw this Reason-Rupe poll today that says 58% of Americans think that police militarization has gone too far.

That includes a full 60 percent of both Democrats and Tea Partiers. Opposition is under 50 percent among non-Tea Party Republicans.

I think that this is particularly important as well, because although the primary tools are still primarily various firearms, high-tech weaponry is becoming increasingly affordable and available, and I don’t want to be hit by a microwave weapon gone awry.

So that’s what’s going on.

I just got a copy of Ulysses III from the wonderful, awesome people at The Soulmen, and as it interacts with Daedalus Touch, I’m going to review the two together. I can already recommend Daedalus Touch, especially if you like to work on multiple projects simultaneously or need to organize and reorganize text dynamically. It’s the smoothest, easiest to use document management tool on the iPad and iPhone.

I’m also trying my best to pack and move, but doing that with a disability is very difficult. It’s inspired me to write a bit about the major changes that occurred slowly over the past five or six years that I only notice when I think about it (like a distinct change form extroverted to introverted). In my mind — much of the time — I’m the same… but the reality is often completely different.

Black Friday Thoughts

Note: began this entry last week. Been exhausted. :-(

Thanksgiving was the day after dinner with my parents, so I was pretty tired. We started to say what we were all thankful for but the conversation sidetracked, and never refocused. With the FLOTUS' suggestion in mind, we spoke about ObamaCare and politics... but I won't get into that here and now. I'm truly thankful for two wonderfully supportive parents and the relationship I have with my family now. Also, although we give each other a hard time, Stephanie does a good job taking care of me and reminding me to eat. I forget about that sometimes when I get involved in a project or, well, sleep.

It hasn't always been easy or fun, but I don't think I could get by without them and their support. Disability really sucks like that. Thank you. And a shoutout and thanks to all of the wonderful internet people — hopefully you know who you are. Your generosity, kindness and encouragement, thoughts and prayers are cherished and appreciated. I hope you have a great, merry Christmas! (...and a happy New Year!)

Now to Mainstream Sheeple Consumer (yes, very bleak—err, black) Friday thoughts.

I really miss Steve Jobs.

Mostly in an abstract way; it's not like I knew him personally, but insofar as a man (or woman) can be known by their great works and contributions, it pains me greatly that his direction and insight is no longer a constant.

Although Apple might honor and carry his legacy through their refinements and further developments of his breakthrough products, they've lost their prodigal navigator and are thusly adrift. It's impossible for me to know whether or not Steve would've allowed the iPad mini to exist, but I cannot fathom his acceptance of iOS7 on it.

Some people claim to run iOS7 just fine on first-gen minis. Many others, myself clearly included, believe that the tablet is just too slow for it. It's clunky. Glitchy. It crashes and lags.

It's ruined the mini experience for me. The mini was my favorite tablet, one of my favorite things, even with the iPad2-like specs and unimpressive screen. It gave me the iPad experience that I love on a device that I could use all day — the iPad 3 is just too heavy to hold up for hours. With iOS6, the mini was quick and stable.

It allowed me to create.

iOS7 was deliberately designed to be sleek and minimal — two qualities I don't have an issue with — however, it feels like style over substance. Over-engineered, unavoidable. Apple won't let dissatisfied users go back to 6, and even pushed the update install to devices. It seems like a marketing tactic to throw out at keynote speeches. Almost all of our users are on the latest version of iOS, while Android devices are split between...

Compounding my tablet frustrations are blogging woes.

Squarespace 5 has started getting hit with referral-link spam. At first it was maybe a few a week, then a few a day, now maybe a dozen per day. This nuisance isn't easy to take care of on an iPad, and has obscured legitimate comments, emails, questions... I've got to do something about it.

Sorry for the trouble here but I'll be happy to assist you. We will continue to maintain Squarespace 5 for customers. However, updates and apps that are released in the future will be geared toward the Squarespace 6 platform. – Squarespace Customer Care response

So it looks like I'm blogging on an obsolete platform. Simply move to their Squarespace 6? And perhaps in a few years, they'll grow tired of that, release version 7, and cut support/updates for 6.

I get that things progress and change is necessary for business, but because the systems are incompatible and there's no automatic 5 to 6 conversion tool, it's extra stress that I don't want.

So I've been looking into alternatives. I found two articles particularly informative.

• The 15 best blogging and publishing platforms on the Internet today. – The Next Web
• 6 New Blogging Platforms that Debuted in 2013 – AGBeat

I'd like to focus more on long form content and less on blog design; unfortunately, so many "blogging platforms" (CMS) are setup for full-site management and treat the blog as a secondary item and focus.

Perhaps more importantly (at minimum, of equal importance) is sustainability — Internet immortality. Permanent links. Link rot sucks. Importing and exporting content sucks — there's always loss and errors. That makes something like Posthaven — at least at face-value — very attractive. Their promise, for $5/month is a service that will last forever. I blogged at Vox, played with Pownce, tweeted at Jaiku, shared with Posterous — all gone.

I think my only real reservation with Posthaven at the moment is that I don't like the look, and it seems like there's no choice with that. No templates or themes, or CSS or whatever. Just pure, simple blog — take it or leave it. I don't think it's attractive or very usable. On their site, they indicate that custom design is something that they're working on implementing, so I'll have to keep an eye on it. If you use Posthaven, I'd love to know what you think of it, and how it compares to similar blog only services (like Medium, Ghost, Postagon, Roon, etc).

And then there's this: Web Design is 95% Typography – Information Architects — thoughts from the genius Oliver Reichenstein. I've read his thoughts on typography (I love typography and handwriting), and agree with most of it. It's particularly true for this blog, since I tend to post fewer, write longer (instead of many/short). This theme just looks bad with big type. If only I could work on it from my iPad.

I'm not good with code. I know a bit — enough to understand it when I see it, but I can't use code like I use a pencil (or stylus). I can't wield CSS as a design weapon, and that limits what I can customize on my own. If only I had more time, more years of life.

Squarespace (like many other visually fancy UIs) is difficult to modify on a tablet. There are a lot of JavaScript effects and overlays, menus and some drag-and-drop. Stuff mobile Safari doesn't do well (at least as Squarespace has coded it — I've seen some neat interactive HTML5 stuff on iPad, like FiftyThree's site). I really think that they could do away with all that or offer an in-app option, but alas, the limitations of small company. And they're based out of New York — not my first pick for a business.

My goal, of I can ever manage it, is to write about the tech, games and design that I love, disability and pain management, and politics (local, national, international). I believe that it's important to our first amendment and culture to express controversial and perhaps unpopular opinions, always remaining truthful and forthright. I don't like political correctness and white lies, and I don't want to live in a world where government tells me what I can buy, where I can go, whether or not I can own a gun, airplane or anything else. I don't want to live in a world where creativity and ingenuity is stifled and suffocated under the burdens of taxes, regulations, penalties, local, state and federal ordinances requiring prior authorization and approval, etc...

...but I really, really don't like all the public insults, flame wars, death threats, obscenities and personal attacks hurled at strangers online and elsewhere in our society today. There's an awful tension and hostility and a lot of hate — so I plan on contributing to debates without attacking others or responding to personal insults. I won't instigate persecution and I will report threats (and hate speech, where applicable), because it isn't right or productive. We do not have the right to never be offended, but we do have protection against battery, libel and slander. I encourage debates where people vigorously defend their positions and say "you're wrong," but I condemn the "you're an idiot and you should die" that seems to occur online with alarming frequency. Liberal or conservative, it doesn't matter who's saying it — this type of attack is wrong, and if I see or hear it in the mainstream media or popular blogs, I'll flag it — because I think character is important and people need to be aware of it.

In my experience, the racism, discrimination and flaming comes from:

• people with an intellectually, factually indefensible position — perhaps thusly, they believe that their only option is to end discussion entirely or redirect it from information and ideology to personal attacks,

people so arrogant and/or narrow-minded that they believe that there's no possible way that they can be wrong; thus they are unwilling to even hear or entertain the opposing argument or view — and often in anger, shut down civilized discourse with disdain, using statements ranging from cynicism and snide remarks to outright vile hostility and threats of violence.

Sometimes it's difficult to contain anger, I understand that. But even if someone is wrong — stubbornly so — it would be far better to simply withdraw from dialogue than resort to conversational (or actual) thuggery.

So in the spirit of American Christmas, those are my stresses, wishes and cold-weather! winter worries. And now that I've shared them,

I can get back to blogging about fun stuff like iPad styluses and the joys of iPhone 5S. PLUS: why I won't ever switch from iOS to Android, and why I simultaneously want Android to always be awesome!

Happy December!

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)

Thanks, Brave American Heroes! (Veterans' Day fights at home and abroad)

Today is Veteran's Day — our troops deserve honor and respect. The brave men and women of our armed forces have been engaged in the longest conflicts in American history, and are 100% volunteers. 100% badass!

At this very moment, while I sit in my cozy apartment typing this entry, one of my good friends is away from his home, family and friends, guarding us against known terrorists — enemies of civilization. And while we squabble over the economy, ObamaCare and amnesty, Americans are risking life and limb on the front lines overseas, within several minute missile range of dangerous enemy states.

It's all too easy during this time of year to forget about the thousands of terrorists in the world, all of whom would like to destroy our way of life and kill you and your loved ones (as well as me and mine). While we silently and privately pray for our brothers, sisters, best friends, mothers and fathers overseas to make it back alive, it's important for us to keep morale up and keep the economy stable.

I want America to be better than it was when they left. I want our troops to return to a freer, more affordable, more prosperous United States. Sadly, I have ideological enemies here who don't want the same things; they see profit as bad, capitalism as anathema and the Tea Party as greedy, racist gun nuts.

(I don't believe anyone with that opinion of the Tea Partiers has spent any time around those conservatives and libertarians... a Facebook friend posted yesterday about attending a Clinton family fundraiser wearing orange — she was treated horribly and discriminated against because she was wearing the wrong gang colors. It's not surprising to me; Tea Party Patriots' rallies don't end with confrontations with law enforcement, arrests! and damaged property.)

I bring up conservatism here because while our troops are fighting the serious, no-room-for-error, hardball battles, I'm fighting the softer but very serious social and political battle here at home. Most of America's elite are conservative, from SEALs on down — I'm not saying that there aren't liberals in our armed forces, just that they're not the majority. I love America like our troops do, and want to preserve the America that they are risking their lives for.

That's why Benghazi, Extortion 17 and the World War II memorial closure is such a big deal to me. It's not about winning the political fight — lives were taken by enemies of America, sacrifices were made to keep us safe. Our troops and their families deserve the best... and they just aren't getting that right now.

I can't contribute to America like they can. The Obama administration doesn't want to profile terrorists, and while our president orders Predator JDAM strike after strike, our state department talks about winning the hearts and minds of our enemies. I don't think jihadists can simply be persuaded... but I think Americans with good intentions can be. We have serious problems with poverty unemployment, an overburdened, overtaxed middle class and crime and imprisonment, and our government has been putting band-aids on these wounds that won't go away. Congress keeps passing continuing resolutions instead of creating a budget. Our debt ceiling as been suspended, and we now owe an obscene amount of money that could quickly outpace our GDP.

And while health care and the economy are very troubling, there are social matters as well. My opponents claim that minorities and women are being singled out, targeted and abused along with the LGBT community. This needs to be addressed also, or the division between Americans will only widen. I know I don't have all of the answers, but I have to try and contribute to the discussions and debates. Conservatives aren't always good at clearly expressing their views and that's creating huge misconceptions about the GOP. In addition, there's a split between progressive establishment Republicans, so-called RINOs, and true small-government, free-market conservatives.

The main misconception is that all conservatives want to limit freedom, discriminate and control people's lives — in most cases, the exact opposite is true!

Democrats will staunchly disagree; I hope to convince them though and have reasonable, respectful dialogue, but so far I've found people — so convinced of their world view — that they are unwilling to even listen to me. I've been defriended and cursed at, have had numerous insults hurled at me (usually, but not always, from behind the veil of relative anonymity provided by the Internet) and have been personally attacked — because of the people I support, associate with, and the way I'd want my family, friends and me to live.

Our troops fight for freedom very literally, while my battles are without bloodshed. My fight is my way of being grateful to our troops and supporting their efforts abroad and around our borders. I want to ensure their way of life and their freedom (from government intrusion), and help to clarify our position. If liberals are going to hate my friends and me for being conservative, they should at least hate us for who we actually are and what we actually believe.

I'll be fine with it, if at the end of the day we have irreconcilable differences and can't agree, provided we disagree with what each other actually stands for and wants. I just don't want people hating each other over hype and falsehoods; it's all too common because each side is too often unwilling to hear from the other. In these scenarios, no one wins. So I won't personally attack and insult people over politics and try to see things from their points of view. It isn't an easy thing to do, but it's far simpler and safer than what our veterans went through. I feel like I owe them, at the very least, my sincere efforts to try to make America always better.

Freedom isn't free; it's cost millions of lives, billions of hours, trillions of dollars, and it will never be completely secured. I love this country and its patriots, I'm proud of it — and I want to always be worthy of it, as our Veterans surely are.

Birthday

"Happy Birthday, dear Bradley..."

On Monday, my birthday passed by quietly. No Hawaiian vacation, Disneyland trip or Reno excursion... just a quiet evening with family (sans sister, unfortunately, due to proximity) and it was just fine by me.

It's been a difficult year. Illness and disability has kept me inside for most of it. Spent a lot of time reading; some writing, some designing, some sketching. Researching politics and world history has led me to reevaluate many things — it's been very troubling and somewhat disheartening, to really understand the dark and ugly truths behind American government, the Federal Reserve Bank and our fiat money system, and the push toward disarming America and moving toward a globalist, collectivist authoritarian government. Post 9/11 America — post-Bush, post-Obama America, how much free speech and independence will we have?

A worthy cause...?

At a minimum, it's inspired me to want to spread information and ask more questions, difficult questions. We should always question and scrutinize our government and leaders. We should always be skeptical of government and its messages — especially when they've told us they not only have and will continue to lie, but they have an obligation to. For our safety and security, they claim.

To that end, I will be working vigorously on my new website project, aimed at asking hard questions and unveiling inconvenient truths. Americans have been locked in an increasingly hostile left vs right paradigm for over 100 years when we should really be looking at individualism vs collectivism.

But that doesn't mean I want to give up on having some fun.

I still love art. I love the good in the world. Technological innovations and video games. One minute after my birthday ended, Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto V released — a sort-of belated present, I suppose. I installed iOS 7 also, though I must admit to being slightly overwhelmed by it.

I miss the tweet/post widget in Notifications. I think I'll leave my phone on iOS6 for now because of it. I never updated my iPad 2 to 6 because of YouTube. Now I have devices on each OS from 3-7.

If you have PSN, add me: rainfault — especially if you want to play VITA games like Soul Sacrifice, Dragon's Crown, Earth Defense Force 2017... or Diablo III for PS3. My GTAV copy is also PS3.

Life.

I was listening to an interview with survival guy Blake Sawyer — he thinks that 90-95% of Americans will be dead within 5-15 years. According to him, he's researched some of the same stuff I've been looking at, but for the past 35 years, and it's time to bail — flee America for safer, better, libertarian nations.

But I love America. I believe it's worth fighting for. I believe in The Constitution, and I believe that there are millions of Americans willing to fight and die for the freedoms here, at home. Mass exodus won't solve the problem.

It comes down to this: are you willing to die for what you believe in. Are you willing to die for the things you love?

Not just people, but things. Maybe sports, or movies, or video games, or bike riding. What would you give up to stay alive?

The thing is: everybody dies. Sometimes early, sometimes late in life... fulfilled and unfulfilled. My family is here. My dreams are here. And I am not alone.

So this post got kind of serious fairly quick. But that's what I've got. I'll try to get that new site up soon (it shall be, as soon as the content is written well enough), so this blog can go back to being about tech and toys.

Take care, stay safe, and have fun. While you can. Dun dun dun...

Posted with Blogsy

Post-Independence Day Post!

Hey, everyone! Did you have a good holiday? The Fourth of July is a pretty exciting day. Not just for the fireworks — the United States of America is an amazing place, despite all of the crap that goes on.

I've been busy preparing a bunch of posts for Says Brad, controversial pieces, and spent the past few days confirming Squarespace Terms of Service with their wonderful support team to make sure that my content wasn't in violation of their ToS . It isn't, so soon I'll share thoughts on violence and video games, racism, race baiting and the parallels between the Oscar Grant and Trayvon Martin.

And of course, that's not all! More about the NSA and their spy capabilities, controversial laws and ways to protect your freedoms, and as always, app and game reviews, art and, well, whatever else I feel like sharing.

For more frequent updates, cool links/videos and artwork, check out my Twitter, Tumblr and Facebook page. (Also: 360/PSN/vita gamers, I'm currently playing Borderlands 2, Soul Sacrifice, and a few others — if you want to play, message rainfault and let me know who you are and how you found me! I'm also on Guild Wars 2, but less frequently this month: Bradtastic.1623)

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NSA Needs No Warrants

Rep. Jerrold Nadler has blown the lid off of something big.

Not that I didn't already know this was happening, but now there's confirmation. Naive Americans, oh-so-trusting of big government, believed that there's nothing to worry about — we're just being paranoid. Understand this:

The NSA can listen to your calls, read your email or text messages in secret, without a warrant, and that data is being stored on servers.

Also, President Obama could be fucking your liberty. Do you remember that movie Enemy of the State starring Will Smith? Unfortunately, this isn't a movie.

Director of National Intelligence Michael McConnell indicated during a House Intelligence hearing in 2007 that the NSA's surveillance process involves "billions" of bulk communications being intercepted, analyzed, and incorporated into a database.

They can be accessed by an analyst who's part of the NSA's "workforce of thousands of people" who are "trained" annually in minimization procedures, he said. (McConnell, who had previously worked as the director of the NSA, is now vice chairman at Booz Allen Hamilton, Snowden's former employer.)

If it were "a U.S. person inside the United States, now that would stimulate the system to get a warrant," McConnell told the committee. "And that is how the process would work. Now, if you have foreign intelligence data, you publish it [inside the federal government]. Because it has foreign intelligence value."

McConnell said during a separate congressional appearance around the same time that he believed the president had the constitutional authority, no matter what the law actually says, to order domestic spying without warrants.

Read the full details at CNET. Be upset. Share it with friends and family. No matter what the law actually says?! It's not that surprising. However, it is horrendous and people should be pissed.

The technology exists, why wouldn't they use it? Why wouldn't someone abuse it?

People are fallible; is it unreasonable to assume that some analyst with an axe to grind would use his power illegally? Maybe about as unreasonable as the IRS selectively targeting Conservative groups (based, in part, on keywords in the organizations' names) for audits and denying these groups tax exempt status, bankrupting law-abiding, taxpaying citizens and costing them hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Happy Father's Day.

Posted with Blogsy

Happy New Year

Well, I guess those Mayan calendar December 21st 12/21/12 people have something in common with those Y2K doomsday preppers. Earth is still here! Assassin's Creed III had me really worried…

If you haven't seen it, I recommend watching the Showtime series Penn & Teller Bullshit. Enlightening and fun! Unless you're easily offended. But if that's the case, why are you reading my site?

Happy new year, friends and family. More real content coming soon. It looks like a few of my scheduled drafts never actually posted, so there'll be those, too, after I edit them a bit to make them more relevant.

And of course, stuff about apps.

It looks like Adobe canned their Touch Apps Collage and Proto, as well as Kuler. Damn. If it means that Photoshop Touch and Ideas are going to be better, however — maybe it's okay.

Hopefully you snagged a few discounted apps and games during the holiday — lots of cheap and free apps!

Don't die today

Happy 236th Birthday, America!

Three cheers! Fourth of July! Independence Day. Declaration of Independence. Fireworks, BBQ, drunk people. The United States of America. Three sheets.

I love America. Today is a great day to celebrate — but let's not forget what it's about. Looking across my backyard, Oakland (east, west and south of Lake Merritt), I've seen fireworks sputter and explode and in the sky since June 29. The pace is frenzied, the explosions progressively larger.

Believe me, it's beautiful. Unfortunately, it's dangerous.

These displays aren't set off by professionals in safe, controlled environments; hobbyists are firing off large fireworks from rooftops, alleyways, parking lots and street corners. Last night I saw the flashes of M-80s and M-1000s, along with a procession of gunfire.

People lose flesh, fingers, and lives from firecrackers and DIY explosives… I've seen some screwed up stuff on YouTube. It sucks that Oakland is too broke to afford an official firework show, but there are many across the bay area. There is, however, a family-friendly event at Jack London Square starting at 11am.

Oakland spent over $1M on Occupy clean-up; that could've been one heck of a firework show!

Second, don't let anyone drive drunk. Drunk drivers cause a majority of automobile fatalities. Take a cab, crash on a couch, safe a life. Thanks.

Sorry for being a buzz kill. I just want those I care for to be okay tomorrow, and don't like to hear about people's holidays ending in the county jail, ER, ICU or morgue. I'll watch the news tonight and tomorrow, and sure enough… but hopefully, I won't see you, or someone you know.

America is a wonderful place. Enjoy it. Let everyone else enjoy it.

See your friends and family. Laugh. Dance. Sing. Put a silly outfit on the dog/cat/baby/grandparent. Take pictures. Post the funny ones on Facebook.

And go to bed, safe and intact. Because tomorrow, people will be as serious and grouchy as ever.

Posted with Blogsy

Happy New Year! 2012

Kiss 2011 goodbye, welcome 2012. I think it'll be a better year. Still trying to deal with the disability. I'll try to be easier to reach in he new year; no guarantees, however. With the nerve problems, it's hard to "do" sometimes.

Talk to you next year!

iPad for Christmas

It's a strange time of the year. People act weird, in the bay area, even the weather is weird. Me, I started juicing today. Stephanie and my mom convinced me to watch Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead and it got me thinking — I could try this juice thing.

The first glass I could hardly get down and keep down. It was partially the taste, and had something to do with the texture, smell, and the way it felt like it was rolling through my system. I suppose it was mainly the smell and knowing what was in it. I suppose that the color had something to do with it, too.

Anyway, that's all beside the point. I was thinking about things that I'm thankful for — some years ago, I made a Thanksgiving shout out style blog entry that I'd thought about recreating/updating... oh well — and my iPad is pretty high on the list of the things. I could go on for hours about the people and events, but that's likely beyond superfluous.

This device gives me the power of a notebook computer with enhanced functionality. With it, and apps like Splashtop, I have a device that lets me do basically everything except finalized design work. I can create and conceptualize, doodle and sketch, write, browse the web, play games, talk to people, watch videos, movies and TV, and perhaps most importantly, I can forget about my pain and disability for a few minutes here and there.

The device is so powerful and the App Store has so many great apps. Just recently, Rockstar released the 10 year anniversary iOS edition of Grand Theft Auto III! A few weeks earlier, I got The Bard's Tale, an epic action RPG from some years ago released on PC and PS2. They both look great on the iPad 2. I like to play games on 360 and Playstation 3, but I'm not always physically feeling up to it. (Sad, I know.)

I don't have the 4S, but I'd probably like Siri just as much.

Anyway, there's a lot going on in the world right now, European debt crises, Occupy, upcoming primaries and presidential election... it's a complicated place. The iPad greatly simplifies things for me, putting together several devices and what would be hundreds of pounds of magazines, books, and other resources into one simple, fairly lightweight device. iOS may not be for you, maybe you like Android, or you don't like tablets at all. I'd really like a WACOM tablet or Cintiq screen, but I don't know if I need those things urgently. If I had a MacBook Air, I would probably love that thing a lot, too. iCloud is pretty cool.

Happiness may be hard to come by, in short supply, but find it wherever and however you can. The games I play and the other media I consume makes me a better designer and artist. The articles I read make me a better thinker, and hopefully someday, a better citizen.

Hopefully I can write before Christmas and 2012, but if you don't hear from me or see me, know that if you were ever at all important to me, I've thought about you a lot, and for now, I think I'm doing sort of okay. I could really use some help, too, but I'll manage for a little while. Don't just ignore people around you in pain; someday, it could be you or someone you care about, and you might want someone to care about you.

[Oh! I can help with your app needs, at least. I know a lot about iOS and its goodness. Check out Infinite Sketchpad and AppShopper.]

The big day

Tomorrow marks one quarter century of authentic Bradtasticness. It's worth celebrating! It's not too late!

Coming soon: my thoughts on e-cigs (Electronic cigarettes that vaporize propylene glycol and sometimes nicotine instead of burning tobacco; sometimes referred to as "digital" verus "analog" smoking, though it's not really smoke.) technology, science, law, and more practical things, like which is the best and why. I've also thought about the used video game market — why it works so well, and why it's really bad for gamers.

Later!

Birthday, 7 Days Away!

Because you're awesome, and I'm worth it.

I've been told that my blogs have been a little depressing lately, and frankly, I agree. My blogging doesn't include my actual voice, and I think some of my thoughts on disability and chronic pain have been lost in translation. So... to change that...

September 16th, one week away, my birthday!

I got the Sony PS3 wireless headset and some Blu-Ray movies... and later this month, we can play Gears of War 3 and (hopefully) Dead Island (I don't have it yet — I read that the 360 version is better).

I am very excited! I've been reading, writing, and watching US Open Tennis (Roger Federer is playing so well! Swiss Maestro, greatest of all time). In a few weeks, SLF and I are going on a wonderful little trip to the so-called happiest place on Earth. She's really never been there, so this will be fantastic. Epic. Eventually, we'll come back to reality. But that's okay! It means medications, doctor appointments and everything else, but because of my birthday, I'll have some presents!

You can send me something, too; make sure I remember your birthday!

My ThinkGeek Wish List starts at $4.99 and almost everything is under $35. It's mostly fun, but there are some very useful, potentially life-saving tools and gear on the list as well. The big item, the only one over a c-note, is a laser stars projector. It's rad; I can ponder the importance of ethyl formate while eating raspberries and think about the cosmos, while looking at my own in-home galaxy! (Did you know that the warp drive is theoretically possible, powered by negative energy?)

I've also updated my Amazon Wish List with inexpensive items that I'd love to have! I've loaded it with books, movies and interesting, useful things.

A little something for my birthday goes a long way toward making me feel 'tastic! A few dollars really improve life. I'm such a kid... I love presents. I can always use iTunes gift cards for iOS apps — I'll review them, too! (App devs, I'd love to review your software!)

Also, if you have Netflix service, can you please call them for me and request the addition of Judging Amy to their "watch instantly" offerings? It's not available on DVD and had been off-air for years (was on TNT until 2007 or 08 I think). gmc recently added it to their lineup, but because it's a Christian family channel, they not only sensor language, they skip tons of episodes. Being able to watch that show again would be a great present. (Weird, I know.) Also, while you've got them on the phone, mention Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as well. (You could mention that it's part of Amazon Instant Video.) It's the only series absent from the Netflix line-up.

Chronic pain is such a downer. Enjoy things like sports and other physical activities whenever you can — I never imagined that my athleticism could be taken away so quickly, and I really miss it.

Last wish list item, "gift of time" (not for the faint-hearted):
Please let me know if you'd like to help me hit some tennis balls on the weekends. You don't need to know how to play — I can't really "play" (crippled) — I can rent a ball machine and fire away without running around.

Thanks, everyone!

If you don't have the funds presently, that's okay. Christmas is coming soon enough!
;-) much love.

My birthday wishes!

My birthday is two weeks away! (September 16)

I hope everyone enjoys the long Labor Day weekend. If you feel like being awesome, you could think about sending me something cool. I took a few moments to tweak my Amazon wish list — I added a bunch of books (including Kindle books) for under $10, some stuff and things for under $20, some games, and the Sony Playstation 3 Wireless Headset (I'm particularly interested in that). You can get me something that I want, and it doesn't have to cost a lot!

If you don't feel like sending me a Kindle e-book or something else, perhaps you can send a donation to your favorite charity for me. You can even donate in ways that cost you nothing! Click here to donate to The Hunger Site — you can even help animals, too.

I'd really appreciate a gift off of my wish list. However, I know that sending a gift to a cripple isn't high on everyone's list... you might not like me, or know me, or have the means. That's okay. Take care of yourself. There are so many things that I cannot physically do these days; I used to take my health for granted and I assumed that I'd stay fit and invulnerable. Life is short, and as we get older, time seems to fly by even faster. Try to enjoy each day — each moment — live a good life and do good things... tell me about it or don't, if you're making things better for someone, that's a good gift, too.

My sister turns 18 tomorrow. I can so very clearly remember her first birthday — cake everywhere! Time really does fly by. Make the most of it.

Update on 2011-09-05 16:00 by Bradtastic

Hey everyone! I just created a wish list at V2Cigs! Brad’s V2 wish list — help me make the switch to the highest quality American e-cigarette! I read reviews and have personally tried other models… this two-piece looks like a winner.

I love Swedish candy! (Blame Maddy) If you feel like sending me something really special, go to swedishcandy.es — tell the manager (his name is Urban) to send Brad some hallonbatar and zoo. They accept Paypal only (I think)

I can always use iTunes, Gamestop, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Playstation Network gift cards. I used to think that cash was better than a gift card, but I’ve changed my mind about that.

Lastly, I’ll actually be around the bay area on and around my birthday this year, too! Let me know if you want to get coffee or something. I’ll be out by the 20th, however. I want to try and hit tennis balls, if you’re into that kind of thing. I can’t really “play” the game anymore, but I can hit straight!

Enjoy Labor Day! (US Open 2nd week on CBS, ESPN & Tennis Channel)

Happy Easter, and other superfluousness

Christians, have a blessed day.

Everyone else, enjoy chocolate bunnies or whatever. A day off of work, maybe, or the end of a long-ish weekend, if you got to take off all (or part) of Good Friday.

Today is also my friend Peter Morrison’s birthday; so I wish him a good one, and a grand show tonight at The Marrakech Magic Theater.

If you’re around the bay area, you should check out Peter Morrison’s magic show. It is far from a typical magic show, and far better than you might expect (and I do know my magic). A blend of clean-comedy and classical magic, The Marrakech Magic Theater is open four nights per week — two shows on Saturday — and I promise, Peter will amaze you as performer and host. Bottom line: it’s Bradtastic Approved — you, your family, date, or whomever, will have an incredible night. Tickets and showtimes available at the magic theater website.

However, if you leave a comment (with a way to get in touch), I’ll fill you in on a super way to save some money and get some discounted tickets. Make sure to tell him how you heard about the show, too! (It’ll raise your coolness factor by at least nine, and help me look good, too.)

The edges of the canvas.

I’m using this time today to reflect on things, get some writing done, and organize my digital files and software. There’s a lot going on in the world; I watched Meet the Press this morning as usual, and it’s no doubt that others out there feel the pressure of impending change in our nation — and the worldwide repercussions.

I’d also like to say, that while I’m not exactly a Donald Trump fan, I’m intrigued by what he’s doing. It looks fun. As a megalomaniac, he sure looks happy! Most of them seem sorta pissed off all of the time; and while he’s arguably upset a lot, too, he clearly marvels at his own greatness — we should all do that sometimes… by “we” I mean, y’know, people with some modicum of success or talent. “Count your blessings,” or something like that.

As I’ve stated, I’ve decided that I’ll no longer hold back my every idea and witty remark; things like “hope” and optimism are in shorter supply, along with quality cynicism and satire — I blame YouTube… and fast food. While the quality of American public education is questionable piss-poor in many areas, the availability of information to the masses here is unprecedented. Those with determination — drive, the will to succeed — should have the resources to achieve.

For every few poorly written, meaningless blogs out there, someone must stand up, rise to the challenge — the call of duty — showing the rest of America and the world what we’re truly capable of…

Because… it’s probably not going to be me. Not with a blog called superfluous — NOT superfluous, I mean. (Hey, don’t hate the messenger or the game.)

I’m painting with a bigger brush.

In all seriousness, I will share more art, thought pieces, general cool information, essays, opinions, and whimsy.

It’s important to me. As important to me as piña colada flavored Yoplait yogurt, and if you know me, you know I take that stuff really seriously.

(And if you don’t know me) I’m not really sure why you’re here… but I’m glad that you are, and hope you visit again soon. Lots to discuss!

Please share your thoughts!

If you don’t want to comment, please feel free to email, or send me a link to your blog, forum, rants, whatever. I’m not exactly lacking for community, but quality dialogue is an inspiring thing. Because of us, someone may do something magical and change the world* (for the better). We need as much of that as we can get.

HAPPY EASTER!

*I’m personally not responsible for the crazy-honey-crusted-nut-bars out there. At least, I don’t think I am. I’m not sure how to know for sure.

Well...

I'm going to move to Japan, and live there for at least a few years. I'm leaving soonish.

Merry Christmas was her name...

... She's so damned hot today, I don't know what to say.

It's too sunny, too hot. I'd intended to post something pithy, poignant and possibly maudlin... like last year.

Today, I just want the sun to drop and I want rain. In the bay area, burning logs is illegal tonight. Yay, spare the air!

Stephanie gave me really nice presents.

I'll write and share later, perhaps about etiquette, respect and value. It's not very festive, but it's on my mind.

I heard it's going to rain tomorrow and the day-next. That'll make me happy.