OK.. already. Yes, I know I need to write something.

OK.. already.  Yes, I know I need to write something in my blog.  I am up to $4.66 in ad revenue and if I think about this too much I will realize I am way behind on even making minimum wage writing this blog.  Not that I do it for the money, and I am trying oh so hard not to change what I write based on money.  But, gee look at all the media tycoons and wonder if they started this way.

Speaking of tycoons, and to prove I do have a capitalistic notion, I was thinking about Oprah Winfrey.  I remember that she did a few of her favorite thing shows and man I wondered if I did the same could I get a few more hits that way.   I mean she can buy a lot more stuff than me, and frankly she doesn't pay for it.  In my case, I did and I like them and I won’t promote something that I didn't like.  Like the automated soap dispenser from Bed Bath and Beyond or that funky gadget that tipped of the side of my thumb.

So.. here it goes.. here are a few of my favorite things as of late and if I can keep the mentality up I might actually tell you some more of the things I dislike.

Likes:

Pandora:  I really am a basic user, but I think it just works.  I amazed not only how well it works on my TV, on my iphone, iPad mini, and Xoom Android tablet but that it does it well.  I also like that is smart enough to cache enough of the music in the device that it works for my walks in the morning without wifi.   A few of my favorite channels of late:  George Michael, Nora Jones, Anita Baker, Gloria Estefan, Bee Gees, and Annie Lenox.  I was informed this past weekend that if you keep liking and un-liking songs.


Bose iE2 Headphones:  This is simply the best set of headphones I have owned.   If you have those that cover your ears and head.. your ears get sweaty.  (mine do anyway)  If you have those that are just ear buds stuck in your ears they either don’t really fit correctly or they start to bother my ear.  Bose has the best compromise.  These sit in your earlobe and not in your eardrum.  They have attachments that are different sized to fit your ears.  They stay comfortable and sound great on long flights, and even my morning walks.  To top it off, they aren't the most expensive and they come with a nice leather case that is actually the right size for my iPhone.  So, yes I like them, and even have two pair and have given one as a gift.

OXO SteeL CorkPull Wine Opener/Corkscrew:  Now, there are very simple ones that work quite well.  I see the bartenders using them and it is nice to watch and see.  But, let’s be honest, it is a party and you have guests how often to you fumble trying to get that cork out of the bottle.   There are electric ones that seem to do magic.  But this one is as good as it gets to me… it has hidden in the top a foil cutter.  Then you sit the cork screw on the bottle and just screw the top and miraculously the cork comes up.. you don’t have to yank or pull and worry about spilling any wine.  It also will amuse your guests, and makes a good and reasonable gift and no batteries required.

Apple TV:  Yes, I have a love hate relationship with Apple and frankly another gadget was just not what I needed.  But, I did give up cabletv.  What I love about the Apple TV is it is relatively cheap ($99) and gives you access to content on Netflix, Your own music, and pictures in the cloud.    The photostream  and music in the iCloud allow my phone to be a phone.  Nothing worse than using your phone for music (Bluetooth) at a party and every time someone calls to be let in the music stops.  Cause the AppleTV accesses my content in the cloud  I know what is out there cause it is the same music in my phone or ipad.  Only gripe I it would be great if it had Pandora but with iRadio on its way I wouldn't hold my breath.


Lenovo Twist Thinkpad:  OK, this is what I am typing on.  I like to love it a great deal.  It has a touch screen, the screen can lay flat on top of the keyboard (e.g. twist) and turns the laptop basically into a Windows 8 Tablet.   I like it and was a great advantage at a business meeting to have the presentation running flat on the table so the laptop is not distracting the customer.  I can’t wait for Windows 8.1 to come out in final form.   I get frustrated that so little of even MicroSoft’s apps are Metro ready so they seem to all jump back to the old start screen for Windows.

Parmalat Milk:  Yes, this may not fit in but this is one of my favorite things so here we go.   I started keeping a carton of this milk in my fridge.  Then when I wake up in the morning, or am getting back late from a business trip I know I have milk.

HP Laserjet P1102W Printer:  I have to say this maybe the best printer I owned since my first proprinter from IBM decades ago.  It is laser, fast, and quiet.  Works extremely well with WIFI, and setup was easy.  Connect to laptop and run some software and almost as easy as that it was printing.  I printed 44 luau invites in just minutes.  It also stays asleep but wakes up quickly for printing. I can also print easily from my iphone or tablets.

Dawn Dish Detergent:  OK,  I was sitting at a bar one night.  No, this is not a joke or a set up for one but is true.  This guy was talking to me, and mentioned that when P&G invented Dawn it was a true breakthrough in dish detergent.   Must be true, it cleans dishes and if you dilute it will clean most anything gently including my stove top and counters.  If you soak a pot or anything over night usually it just cleans magically easy the next day.

OK.. as promised a few things I don’t like:

Best Buy:  The idea without paying attention you are applying for a credit card if you don’t say no art checkout.  They don’t ever ask if I need help and find it is getting more disorganized with the store in a store concept.   I have spent money there over the years, but really!  Also, I hate the winding lane to get to the registers to try and spark impulse buys. I know many stores do it know but still not my favorite thing.  They make me want to buy from Amazon.


iPhone 5:  Honestly, this is my third iphone and I have to say that it is not made as well as the iPhone4 I had.  This machine will reboot itself about every other day.  I think it is because it is overloaded.  I also figured out this cloud business makes it almost unlimited the amount of content I can buy for the phone cause it isn’t all stored there.  I think the camera maybe is the highlight here, but because of the cloud business it doesn’t’ play nicely with my car either not near as nice as the iPhone4 I had.   I believe I use the phone more than most around apps, pictures, music and the like and I have grown dependent on it.  But, I can’t imagine the Apple Store believing me about the reboots because I can’t make it happen then I can’t prove it either.   I hope this is not the Apple of the future, and what comes out next is better made.  

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