Why I Dropped My iPod Like a Hot Rock

I remember all my iPods. I loved them. I've had a 2nd, 4th and 5th gen iPod classic as well as several iPod nano/minis. In all cases I loved them more than I hated them. The actual hardware was well designed and beautiful. The UI was annoying at times, but functional. I listened to music, podcasts, and audiobooks. But when I realized that greener pastures were availible I dropped that iPod like a lava hot rock. The reason for this warp speed drop is simply summed up into one word... iTunes!
What initially started as an awesome program that acted as a jukebox, music store, and sync interface has ballooned into the biggest joke of the retail/tech world. It is bloatware in the cyber-flesh. The fact that so many Apple products require iTunes in order to sync, reset, and so forth is a testiment to how one company can be so full of itself that it fails to see when it's star innovation is now crapware. And iTunes was innovation in its time. It was a unifying idea that caught on, but that time as past. Now is the time of the cloud, the app, the web browser. I think of my current setup for music, audiobooks, and podcasts, and I shudder at the thought of having to re-install iTunes if I were to move back to an Apple product. The mere removal of that program alleviated such a large load off of my laptop & desktop's system. Compairing syncing, uploading files to my smart devices, backing up info, and much more anything more than basic "click & drag" like function is just way too much. So dear iPod, I didn't abandon you because of anything you yourself did. No, I abandoned you because you medlesome parent iTunes just kept getting between us. Know I have found another in Android. As I once listened to you, I know listen to her more because I do not have interuptions like that of you parent iTunes. Can't you see this is for the best? I hope we can still be friends!

Why Steve Woznik is My Tech Hero & Why He Should Be Your Too

Steve Wozniak is like Santa Clause, except Santa wishes he was that cool. No seriously, Wozniak, or The Woz, is such an awesome guy I would invite him to my birthday party even though I've never met him. Here's why. Despite the fact that he hitched his proverbial horse to the Apple cart (pun intended), the Woz is so very chill about different techs and OS's co-existing. Over the years since I've gotten into tech I have heard one major voice that has talked about how great each tech is and how they build off of each other. That was the Woz. While other major "inventors/innovators" such as Steve Jobs mutter threats about going nuclear on the competition, the Woz has consistently said what he likes and dislike about each OS and the celebrates the fact that both exist.

The Woz is essentially like George Takei when George step in between two major stars of the Star Trek and Star Wars genres when they were having you pissing match over which was better. George essentially said its all good. They both have their advantages and disadvantages. He then pointed out the true enemy which is Twilight and its fans. The Woz is essentially try to do the same thing. While Wozniak prefers iOS devices over Android, he still enjoys both because each offers a different take on what personal electronics make.
What I think the Woz has failed to do is point out the true enemy to Android and iOS fans. The true enemy is Patent Trolls. Sadly this enemy has taken root in companies such as Apple and Samsung. The real losers when Patent Trolling happens is us, the end users. If this behavior is allowed to continue the end result will be stagnation in electronics and technology. Apple paved the way with user interface. Google paved the way with availability of smartphones and improved notifications and user control. Both companies have borrowed ideas from each other. The most notable borrowing which has happened is with Apple's release of iOS 6, which borrowed ideas from Android's notification and integration features. Is this bad? NO! Its good! The over all user experience for Apple users has improved. Does this mean I'd go iPhone over Android? No. I've bought into the ecosystem of Android AND I feel like I have more freedom. But that doesn't mean I can't be friends with Apple users. That doesn't mean I have to be a hater. When I trash on any company it is because of patent trolls. If you were to ask me which is better, Android or iOS, I would say Android. I freely admit I am biased. But that does not mean I cannot point how what iOS does better than Android. Heck, there were things WebOS did better than either and that OS is essentially dead because HP screwed up royally. The message of this entire rant is this, the reason I think Steve Wozniak is cooler than Steve Jobs and Bill Gates or any other heavy hitter in tech is because he has talked the talk and walked the walk of a true blue techy. He loves innovation. He loves creativity. He isn't a snob who doesn't want the "little people" to have what he has. He promotes ideas, knowingly or not, that will make the world better. That is why when it comes to tech, despite the fact that I don't agree with him in all things or even because of it, Steve Wozniak is my Tech hero.

For more information on Steve Wozniak's stand on the OS battles, check out this article by the Android Authority.

George Takei (Sulu) in his now famous request for peace between Star Wars and Star Trek fans:

Down with Twilight!!!