2012
by PunditGuy | Apr 21, 2012 | Politics | 0 comments
2012
Good Morning America Beats TODAY Show, and…
They had to take a picture.
Why didn’t they put Stephanopoulos on a box or something? I mean really. Look at him next to Robin Roberts for goodness sake! She’s like a foot and a half taller than him. Where’s a phone book when you need it?
Awkward.
My REAL iPad 3 WiFi Problem
First of all, it’s legit.
Whenever new gadgets come out, there is always a group of people who are first to complain about some software bug, some hardware foul up, some blemish that results in the purchase being the biggest waste of time in their life (up to that moment). I usually look at these things as the normal 2% allocation of complainers. And low and behold, the manufacturer usually comes out with a “it’s not our problem, you’re doing it wrong” answer.
I’m not doing my iPad 3 wrong.
It first started when I was in my living room. I’ve had an iPad 1, iPad2, and now I have number 3. The first and second version never had any problem holding a strong WiFi signal. Granted, back then I had my WiFi router in the room with me. I recently moved the router upstairs next to my home office so I could get an even stronger signal there where I’m typically doing the heavy lifting. When the iPad 3 WiFi was flaking out, I blamed it on the fact that the router was now upstairs, dozens of feet away, with plenty of obstruction possibilities.
Funny thing though. My iPhone worked great. And my download speeds were strong and consistent.
I had problems in places I shouldn’t. Starbucks. My corporate WiFi connection at work, where the signal is bullet proof and blazing.
I had to investigate. I searched around the normal bulletin boards, the support forums, the usual. As expected, all I found was the complaining. And then, I found this, the so called iPad 3 “Death Grip”.
I tested it. And guess what?
I EXPERIENCED THE EXACT SAME THING!
WiFi antenna blockage just where you don’t want it. Where you hold the bloody device. Turn the thing upside down, and WOW – LIGHTNING FAST INTERNET!
Uh, ahem, Apple. Let’s chat.
This machine I have in my hand cost me greater than $600. The WiFi should work, flawlessly, because it is, uh, a MOBILE APPLIANCE!
That means I walk around with it and it connects to the Internet flawlessly. You know, just like your ad says it does. Just like the wonderfully written ad copy on your website.
Three words.
FIX IT NOW.
Until then, I have to hold the machine like a dork, with the home button on top instead of where it should be, next to my thumb.
That is all.
Dick Clark is Dead
He’s a teenager no more.
Dick Clark, the creator of "American Bandstand" and "Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve," died Wednesday morning, his rep tells FoxNews.com.
He was 82.
Clark suffered a massive heart attack after entering St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica Tuesday night for an outpatient procedure, according to his family.
Attempts to resuscitate were unsuccessful.
I guess I’ve expected this for some time. The guy really seemed to have a tough time coming back from that terrible stroke he had in 2004. At the time it was reported as “minor” but it was anything but. It took the life out of him.
And then he returned to air, and he was a pro, but it wasn’t the Dick Clark we remembered. Still, he gave it his all.
I loved American Bandstand.
Every Saturday throughout the early 70’s, my mom would turn on AB and we would watch. She loved the dance contests. I remember seeing performances (albeit, lip sync) from so many influential bands. The Jackson Five, The Guess Who, KC and the Sunshine Band. I saw them all, when they were new, singing their first big hit. And we can all thank Dick for that magic.
An end of an era, for sure. So, long.
MORE: TMZ has his last on screen appearance, photos, and twitter reaction.
The Final Days of Levon Helm
The drummer for The Band, that influential group whose members were accomplished musicians in their own right, is about to leave the stage, of life.
Levon Helm, the drummer with the Band, has reached the final stages of his battle with cancer, according to a note posted on the musician’s Web site. Mr. Helm, 71, received a diagnosis of throat cancer in 1998 and nearly lost his voice, though he has continued to sing on albums and at concerts. The note, signed by his daughter and wife, asked fans to send “prayers and love to him as he makes his way through this part of his journey.”
I’ll never forget the first time I watched the documentary The Last Waltz. I wasn’t used to seeing a drummer sing. I’d seen drummers sing backup, but never the lead. Helm sang “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” with real passion. He didn’t even have to focus on his drumming, which obviously came naturally. His attention being put squarely on the words of the song. The soul of it. It remains one of my most favorite performances.
God Speed, Levon.
UPDATE: Helm dies.
Rippin’ Off Tom Petty
I hate stories like this. Yes, they are rich rock stars and they can afford to buy any instrument. Yes, most instrument makers are willing to give away equipment just to get the rock star to play it or get their picture taken with it. But what most people may not know is that most of the real artists out there, the ones that have paid their dues and have been around awhile, own one guitar, one bass, one drum kit, an amp, or even a mic that they wouldn’t give up for anything in the world. They record masterpiece rock songs with it. They tour with it. That one instrument is what makes their “sound”.
And then some idiot decides it’s a good idea to bust in and steal it.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were rehearsing for an upcoming tour, and some low life broke into a sound stage and stole 5 guitars. Not just any guitars either.
Last Thursday, someone got into the studio in Culver City and made off with two of Mr. Petty’s prized instruments – a 1967 12-string Rickenbacker electric and a 1965 Gibson electric. Also missing were three other rare guitars belonging to the bassist Ron Blair, the rhythm guitarist Scott Thurston and the lead guitarist Mike Campbell.
To the guy who is sitting in his apartment right now strumming away on the guitar that helped Tom write “Breakdown” and “American Girl”. Watch your back.
A reward is offered for the safe return of the gear.
Update: The guitars are recovered!
Dan Rather, The Forgeries and the Tarnish on the Tiffany Network
8 years ago, the internet erupted with news that CBS, and specifically Dan Rather, reported a politically timed story aimed at damaging George W. Bush’s reelection. When the dust settled, there were forged documents, firings, and the unceremonious retirement of Mr. Rather.
TexasMonthly recounts the story in all its glory.
A Few Reasons Why I’m Not Attending the London Book Fair
For the first time in 8 years, I’m not at the London Book Fair. While it is strange not walking the aisles at Earl’s Court, it is also a relief. At this point, I just can’t do another LBF, or any book publishing convention. There are a few things I’m just flat out tired of experiencing.
- Companies that don’t know how to exhibit. There is nothing more annoying that walking up to a booth (or “stand” as they like to call them in Europe) and not being noticed. You feign interest as you browse the books they have on the shelf, waiting for someone, one of them, to come over and ask if you have questions or if you are there to see anyone. Nope. Standard procedure is to pretend you are not there.
- Guards at the “Big” publishing companies. You know them. They are the publishing house employees whose job it is to filter you from publishing executives. No way are you going to just walk up to a booth and meet with someone. Nope, you have to face the person whose job it is to keep the riff raff away as they look at you and say, “do you have an appointment?”. When you say you don’t, but that you were hoping to just speak with someone for 15 minutes about what you’ve traveled thousands of miles to communicate, they look at you like you’ve just thrown up in public. They glance at the (ahem) paper diary book in front of them flipping the pages furiously while sighing and mentioning that everyone is completely booked up. Meanwhile, you can see that the person you want to talk to is just shootin’ the breeze with their fellow employees a few feet from where you stand.
- The high cost of convention food/drink. You’ve got 10 minutes between appointments, and your mouth feels like the Sahara Desert. There’s no time to run outside to find a corner store. You have to go to one of the approved food vendors on the show floor where you find that the 8 ounce box of water you so desire is 4 Pounds British Sterling (almost $8 US). No choice. You do it, and regret every gulp.
- Aisle walkers who are oblivious to anyone else around them. These are the people who are walking the hall with the luggage on wheels. They’re walking right down the middle of the aisle about 3 steps slower than anyone else. You always find these people just when you are 5 minutes late to your appointment, and they just won’t get out of your way. So, you walk behind them, going just as slow as they do, waiting for an opportunity to pass to their left or right so you can get to your meeting. If you’re lucky, you’ll encounter no less than 5 of these people on your way.
- No shows. You’ve spent weeks making appointments. A flurry of emails have confirmed every last detail. Date, time, booth number, and contact person. You show up, not only on time, but a couple of minutes early, and all you find is an empty booth. No one is there. Oh, they’ve been there alright. You can see that morning’s used coffee cup. Business cards from the meetings they bothered to show up to. Maybe even an appointment book with your appointment etched so neatly inside. But your contact is a no show, and you’ve just wasted 30 minutes, not to mention all the money it took to get you there.
- The permanently distracted. These are the folks who you’ve come to meet, but they aren’t interested in what you are saying, or anything else about you. They’re watching everyone else pass by. They waive at their friends that stroll past the booth. They do their “shout outs” to old colleagues. They stop you in mind sentence and say, “oh, sorry, just a moment” and they dash over to slap a guy on the back and let out a big guffaw about something completely uninteresting. 2 minutes, and they run back to you apologizing. Meanwhile, you are in mid-product pitch, and they’ve heard nothing of it.
I could go on and on.
So, instead of sitting in an over-priced hotel with bad Wi-Fi right now, I’m at home, enjoying the fact that I’m no where near Earl’s Court.
Farewell London Book Fair.
And yes, I’m taking appointments for Frankfurt. 