The Other October Update

This October is wrapping up in spectacular fashion.

Sweet and Chunky

This past Friday was a bit surprising for me. Work was "meh" at best, but I got through it knowing that I had a full weekend ahead of me. Friday night turned out to be very interesting. I ended up at the Toledo Museum of Art (for which I am a member now) with Aryn for a dessert-themed wine tasting. This was the sweetest set of wines I have ever had. The final of the four was a delicious cabernet sauvignon port that came with a perfect punch of sweet and alcoholic. I enjoyed it so much I bought a bottle.

After the museum we ended up at (our usual?) Doc Watson's. I am definitely warming up to Doc's, and I made an awesome discovery - Doc's wins the boneless chicken chunk battle. I judge almost all sports-eateries / bars on their boneless chicken chunks. It is one of my favorite junk foods and Doc's nails it: actual chunks of chicken right off the bone, deep fried in a thick, meaty batter, and tossed in one of a few sauces. That Doc's only offers five sauces says something about these chunks - it's all about the chicken, and there is no screwing around here.

Sorry, Jeds. There will always be a time and place for your Fireballs, but when I want the perfect chunk, I am off to Doc's.

P.S. - Wonder Showzen. That is all.

Where are the Bagels?

Ann Arbor's Day of .NET was this Saturday, and it was a decent day, but certainly not as awesome as my last AADODN. On the plus side, the drive to Ann Arbor is painless and perfectly manageable, which means I have no excuses to not visit the city from time to time.

The first session I attended focused on how to properly use data in a mobile environment. Most of this talk was focused on some generally good practices that apply across most software development: use asynchronous requests when talking to services on the web, store data locally, and make the mobile user experience paramount.

The second session focused on operating as an independent software developer. This is much more involved than simply finding a contact job and rolling with it. Michael Eaton covered the process from top to bottom - managing time, the importance of having quality a lawyer/accountant/insurance agent, time tracking, and various other topics.

The third session I went to covered iPhone development using C# / .NET. I can only say one thing about this: given all the effort and expense that it takes to get a C# app developed in the MonoTouch environment, it is probably worth just learning Objective-C.

The Coding Season

As this fall season slowly-but-surely transforms into winter, I am looking ahead to my next big project. Since I tend to spend a lot more time inside during the winter than during the summer, I tend to do a medium-to-large programming project. This winter I have a couple of projects in mind: additions to the BrandonBruno.com website and working on my Android development skills. In addition to the redesign of my website that rolled out last month, I hope to move some additional changes live in November.

Alright, now I am off to enjoy this wonderful Saturday night.

B3 out.

The CodeMash Explosion

This past January I attended my first CodeMash in Sandusky, Ohio. This upcoming January, I will be attending my second CodeMash, but unfortunately it most likely will not be as sweet as my first.

CodeMash 2012 has proven to be immensely popular. Tickets for the 1,200-person conference sold out in just twenty minutes. Luckily myself and everyone at work got tickets. Not so lucky: my chances of staying at Kalahari during the conference. The hotel was completely booked just hours after the tickets went on sale, and I was unable to get a room for the entire stay. Instead I will be staying outside of Kalahari (probably just commuting, to be honest), which ruins the best part of the CodeMash experience.

Waking up in my own private hotel room at 7am, stumbling from my room to a CodeMash breakfast buffet, then returning for a quick shower... this was the best part of my first CodeMash. I will definitely miss the comfort and convenience of staying at Kalahari this year.

Despite this minor setback, I am looking forward to the conference. January cannot come soon enough.

The October Update

It has been a fairly busy October for me this year. The first half of the month was spent exactly as it is every year: I celebrated my birthday, went to the Apple Butter Festival in Grand Rapids, and wrapped up the last of my summer and fall activities. Now I look forward to a few more unique events in the coming weeks: a sleep study this Thursday, Ann Arbor Day of .NET, a possible concert in Toledo, and three major video game launches in November: Minecraft, Super Mario 3D Land, and Skyward Sword. Do not even get me started on Skyrim. I will be hearing plenty about that from my sister, no doubt.

I have been making some excellent progress with writing as of late. I am working on two working drafts of Meltdown and both are coming along nicely. I think either of the drafts could end up becoming a final story someday. Or not, who knows.

Anyway, I have plenty to keep busy with this week, so I am off to get back to writing!

B3 out.

A Few Words About Steve Jobs

I make a special point to keep my banter on my blog as positive as possible, but sometimes something comes along that requires me to bend the rules a bit.

Today, October 5th, 2011, Steve Jobs passed away.

Death is not necessarily a time for mourning, although it is hard to not tear up at Apple.com's bleak memorial to the company's visionary leader. Rather than mourn the loss of a great individual, I instead briefly reflect on the incredible influence Steve held over the entire technology industry and the world beyond.

I have never been a huge buyer of Apple products, but I have always been a relentless fan of Apple products. Apple's pricing and walled-garden ecosystems have been my primary turnoffs, but these very elements have helped to cast a certain sheen on Apple products. iPods, iPhones, and iPads are premium products of tremendous attractiveness, quality, and most importantly, an ease of use that makes these high-tech toys accessible to everyone.

The iPod changed how we listen to music. iTunes changed how we buy music. The iPhone, Apple's riskiest product launch ever, forever changed how we use mobile technology to interact with one another. The iPhone was not the first smartphone, but it was the one to get it right for the everyman. Go back to 2006 and try using a "smartphone" - the experience is night and day from what we take for granted now. The iPad has yet to prove its staying power and influence, but it sure has had the right start.

Steve made entire industries bend to his will, sent competitors scrambling to create countless copycat products, and ultimately proved that second chances do exist. Steve was the best of the best of the best. He was a leader for our generation. He was the first celebrity death to bring me to tears.

Steve, you will be missed. Rest in peace.

B3 out.

Twenty-Seven

Today is the portrait of aging.

I am twenty-seven; lots to reflect on.

B3 out.