100 Great Children's Books
Great list from the New York Public Library. I love The Story of Ferdinand, Goodnight Moon, Harold and the Purple Crayon, and The Very Hungry Caterpillar. We’ll have to load up Mia and Graecyn’s collection with others on the list.
Lorde at The Fillmore
General admission. Standing room only. A combination I do not look forward to in a concert. But if the artist and venue are right, I will endure. And Farrah and I did endure this combination, at The Fillmore, to see Lorde.
I was lucky enough to snag two tickets back when they went on sale a few months ago, before Royals was getting regular mainstream radio play. I don’t know if I’d be lucky to get tickets now seeing how big Lorde has become. Funny thing was when they went on sale, they seemingly sold out immediately. But I persisted for a few minutes and was able to grab two tickets.
We arrived a few minutes late to The Fillmore. Friday night traffic going up to San Francisco was ugly as usual. We caught a few songs from the opening act, Until the Ribbon Breaks. They sounded great on stage, so I immediately added a few tracks to a Spotify playlist. After their set people milled around, as usual, waiting for Lorde to take the stage.
The crowd started to fill up as Lorde’s set time was getting closer. The crowd was a good mix of ages, as The Fillmore can be depending on the performer. We were situated in a good spot, center and further back on the floor. Unfortunately, to Farrah’s left, a group of unruly 20-somethings decided to talk and bump around people through the whole performance. One couple just wanted to make out all night. In front of us was an older couple, probably in their early to mid 50’s. Made me wonder how many concerts do they attend?
Getting back to Lorde - she performed well for someone who hasn’t performed often on tour. She sounded well, though the bass was on the heavy side, making her voice sound muddled. From another review of the concert, it seems it was her idea to crank up the bass. She had energy, working the stage very easily. She talked between a few songs, using Thank you, San Francisco, often, which elicited approval from the crowd.
Her set was short, about 12 songs or so, lasting a little over an hour. No encore performed with the lights coming up after her last song. I thought she could have done a few more songs, as her album came out that day in some places.
The annoyances of the general admission crowd are worth it sometimes, especially when seeing an up-and-coming artist. It is always nice to see an artist on the rise, seeing them before they get too big, in an intimate place like The Fillmore.
Other reviews of the show are at SF Gate and San Jose Mercury News and SF Station.
The Average Woman
Images of women from 41 different ethnicities were laid over one another before a computer programme deduced the common look
Unfortunately, there doesn’t appear to be an average Filipino woman in the mix. ffff
Han Shot First
A short video with four simple rules to make the next Star Wars movies great. They seem to be all valid points.
A Gold Samsung Galaxy S4
Seriously Samsung? I wonder what shade of gold it will be. The Samsung Galaxy S4 has an excellent plastic feeling back, so the gold may be the gaudy type. We’ll see.
Not Enough Demand
The Apple iPhone 5s and 5c sold a estimated 9M units this past weekend. Not bad for devices that lack innovation.
Success!
I knew how I was going to purchase a new iPhone on launch day. I was going to do it online, not stand in line at an Apple Store. I had heard the best way to purchase online would be through the Apple Store iPhone app. Something about using APIs versus the storefront would be faster. I don’t recall where I heard this from, but I assumed it couldn’t be worse than watching a browser try to load.
Since the iPhone 5c was already available to order before Friday, I went through a few test runs on the app to see how the purchasing process would be. I noticed that the app is phone specific when purchasing the iPhone, meaning you are choosing to replace the iPhone you are using the app on with a new iPhone. I then asked Farrah to load the Apple Store app on her iPhone, since I was upgrading her phone as well. I would be doing simultaneous purchases using both phones.
I watched as midnight rolled around on our phones. I launched the Apple Store app. I chose the colors and GB size of the iPhones. I confirmed our current voice plan. I also reconfirmed our Unlimited Data plan (sneaking AT&T trying to make me choose otherwise). I then chose AppleCare for each phone. I clicked submit. Within 30 seconds I was done! It wasn’t even one-minute past midnight and I was successful in ordering both iPhones!
Now comes the hard part, waiting for the phone to ship.
Check Those Expiration Dates
Eggs, for example, can be consumed three to five weeks after purchase, even though the "use by" date is much earlier. A box of mac-and-cheese stamped with a "use by" date of March 2013 can still be enjoyed on March 2014, most likely with no noticeable changes in quality.
My confusion is with the flash pasteurized milk. The expiration date is so far ahead in the future. But once you open it you only have about 7 days to use it - according to the side of the box.
Battling Wardrobing
Wardrobing is the purchasing clothing, using it, and then returning it to the store for a refund. I was aware of the practice but did not know it had a name. (This practice also applies to tools, electronics, etc.) Looks like Bloomingdale’s is trying to do something about this problem.
Apps Before and After Pics
Do you wonder how the look and feel of apps change before upgrading to iOS 7? Well, tapframe’s page can give you a sense of the changes.
Upgrading to iOS 7
Thinking of upgrading your iOS device today? You should read this article on Macworld on how to prep for the upgrade.
Google releases a new version of Google Wallet dumps NFC requirement
When the iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s were announced, people in the office I work in commented, “And it doesn’t have NFC?!?!?” Looks like Google is slowly moving away from NFC, or at least hedging their bet in case adoption stalls.
Overall, I’ve only heard negative comments from my Android friends about the new iPhone presentation. A funny thing I’ve always noticed, and just realized, regarding my Android-using friends: they always want to talk about how much better Android is than an iPhone (not iOS, but the iPhone). It’s as if they need to justify the choice they’ve made on the phone they are using. All I can say to their criticism is if it works for you then great. An iOS device just happens to fit my needs.
Racist Rants About Miss America Winner
But within minutes of winning the title, Davuluri, whose talent routine was a Bollywood fusion dance, was the target of racist social media comments.If you’re #Miss America you should have to be American," said one on Twitter.
“WHEN WILL A WHITE WOMAN WIN #MISSAMERICA? Ever??!!” asked another.
Davuluri, however, brushed aside the negative comments.
“I have to rise above that,” she said. “I always viewed myself as first and foremost American."
Social media often shows the ugly side of people. I suppose the only thing to do is take the good with the bad. fff