iPhone Review: Thumbs Up!

I am in the process of watching several videos produced by Apple for the new iPhone that will be sold this coming Friday evening at 6 p.m. nationwide within each respective time zone.

The only downside that I currently see is that AT&T is the exclusive network provider.  Other than that, you really have to consume a ton of haterade in order to dislike the device.

The visual display rotates depending on how you hold it and it offers the same website display as any computer would without distorting what you would think you would see.  There are no awkward finger combinations needed to do anything.  It works more like the computer displays within the Tom Cruise movie "Minority Report" than anything I have seen released for public usage.

Even without a keyboard, the device has a way to prevent automatic turn ons while it is kept within your pocket or purse.  I just wonder how strong the screen will be to avoid scratches.

E-mail, videos from YouTube, movies, and iTunes content all work seamlessly on a single device as if it was an iPod, laptop, and let us know forget--a cell phone.

I had a first generation Treo by HandSpring (now Palm) back in the day and can tell from a distance that if my network provider offered the iPhone, I would be on it:)

Clearly the iPhone is going to make users wonder how using a Mac will feel like once they realize how pleasant it is to use an iPhone.  As a Macbook owner, the operating system is either a cousin or child of OS X and possibly includes aspects of the upcoming operating system Leopard to provide Mac users a few surprises when it is released later this year.

The hype is indeed real and there are people already gathering around various Apple and AT&T stores nationwide just to be the first-day owners of the device.

I am sure that there will be some type of first-generation quirks and upgrades revealed later, but Apple is going to make a ton of money and create opportunities for unique partnerships and other distribution opportunities for technology geeks like myself.

If and when you get your own iPhone, how about sending me a photo of it?

I have not heard much about a camera phone aspect of the device, but seeing Google Maps, widgets, and movies on it sure earned my vote.

Peace!

Self-destruction on Yahoo's Flickr due to Google's Acquisition of Feedburner

Flickr once had a nice feature that would make any search result appear as a RSS feed.

But now the feature has disappeared from their website while it still works for past searches created and saved.

I wonder if Google's acquisition of Feedburner had anything to do with the decision?

The development is clearly strange although Flickr would not be harmed by Feedburner since having RSS feeds further expands Flickr's reach.

So Flickr, what gives?

Peace!

Photos from this past Sunday's ordination on Father's Day

Here is a link to photos from this past Sunday's ordination on Father's Day!

http://picasaweb.google.com/roneysmith/MyOrdinationOnFatherSDay

Peace!

Ordination on Fathers' Day

I am scheduled to be formally ordained as a Baptist minister next Sunday at Bethesda Baptist Church in Austell, GA at 11:30 a.m.  It will be a memorable occasion indeed.  My uncle, the Rev. Dr. Truman C. Tart, is going to bring the morning message as well.

Video will be recorded and the weekend is going to be one for the record books all around.

Having just celebrated my 11th ministerial anniversary, it is always something special whenever a pastor and church feel that one is worthy of greater expectations and responsibilities.

With the season of breakthrough that is currently upon us, it is very important to remain humble and allow God to present new direction and empowerment to go according to what only God can bring to pass.

So we will hope to move forward and higher!

Peace!

After the Movie Review: Lord Help Us

I'm Giving Away Opportunities for You to receive $5 for yourself and other multiple times!

Last week I discovered a new service that has pleasantly surprised me to say the least.

It is amazing when you can try a new service and instantly "drink the kool-aid" without wondering if there is going to be a downside further down the road.

Lo and behold, today's mail brought a new debit card provided for free by this dynamic service that is going to throw a monkey wrench within a company that most will consider a competitor to the new service.

Just send me an e-mail or reply with your contact info and I will hook it up for you.

No spam, no regrets, and no worries--it is just that smooth!

Peace!

Check Out The Movie Lord Help Us!

Lord Help Us

If you are looking for a great flick to check out and enjoy the warmth of good laughter, intense acting, and a solid good time without the ickiness that Hollywood may often give you, then by all means pick up a copy of "Lord Help Us" at your nearest Target or Wal-Mart today!

I knew the movie was being released in a direct-to-DVD fashion several months ago, and it is great to have my own copy after seeing it this past weekend at Target.

Be sure to support director-writer-editor-executive producer Shavar Ross who is getting his Spike Lee on for the first of many to come!

Once you get your copy, let me see your photo of your copy (no Blackbuster copies either) online.

Peace!

If US Spy Agencies Actually Can Document This, Then The Consequences Have Been Intentional All Along

Reuters is reporting that the Bush administration was made aware of the consequences before the war in Iraq was begun.

If this is indeed proven true and I believe that it will from multiple directions, then every result of such activity undertaken within the country of Iraq has been the effect of intentional causes.

Every bullet, every death, every terrorist recruit, every disfigurement, every drop of oil lost or unaccounted for, every bitter taste in the mouths of once die-hard, starry-eyed, voting Americans, and every dollar wasted will be purely classified as earned income for all involved and the direct and indirect objects of their very desire.

I clearly remember the military analysts and other news commentators giving their opinions and analysis prior to the war and their very words have been proven true.  The number of "I told you so" pundits have been kept surprisingly silent somehow.  Is there a silent agreement in place somewhere?

I now believe that this administration within largely Cheney, Bush, Rove, and Rumsfeld have made history as the greatest market makers and middlemen in history to profit from the death and destruction all around.

The only upside to this war has been the enlargement of the private trust funds that will serve their descendants in perpetuity until the end of time.

I shudder to think of the possible revolt and anarchy that the working-class Republicans and Democrats could mount if it suddenly became widely accepted that this foreign and domestic policy was not based upon retribution or revenge for 9-11, but to use the American flag, our country's founding principles, and every internal struggle before, during, and since 1776 as toilet paper for the current leadership's country gouging efforts both foreign and domestically.

Even in the midst of having their own prophecies self-fulfilled through the rhetoric of "If we do not fight them on foreign soil, then we will have to fight them at home", the same bandits have already established the necessary means to further profit from future actions of terrorists and the financial repercussions of future conflicts worldwide.

It was all a global set up bottom line.

They actually want the U.S. and other countries to go down the drain and suffer to the extent of causing massive economic losses to further profit.

The American flag should be flown at half-staff for every day the current administration has been in office.  The young men and women who have died clearly were victims of the pimpish quality of the current administration. 

The dishonor among thieves will surface monthly for years to come as each participant and supporting cast member attempts to wash their hands of stench of bureaucratic lackeys.  More tell all books and interviews will come to the light as the levels of remorse will only grow.  Mysterious deaths and accidents cannot be too far behind either.

I feel truly sad for those with blind political faith and claims of the great American way for them to see that they were truly used as pawns and not really part of the process after all.

Just as Senator Trent Lott has discovered in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the problems are not yours until it happens to you and then you finally realize that you are outside of the inner circle.

I guess that we will see that their memberships do not have ultimate privileges after all.

Even if misquoted or solely later recanted, President Carter was truly right in his summation of the worst president in United States history.  We clearly have a present winner and champion that only the Anti-Christ can further leverage and challenge for the title.

Heaven help us all.

Peace!

Recent spike in blog traffic

Using Google Analytics to measure the success of various blogs has been exciting and a challenge.

A repeat episode of Kirk Franklin appearance on Oprah to discuss an addiction to pornography must have recently aired since a rush of traffic was related to the episode.  I had commented on the episode online about the particular show.

The biggest challenge right now is staying focused on the many opportunities and matching the right resources to each opportunity while maintaining a sense of balance and family if that is not a mouthful:)

But as always--when it rains, it pours, so each opportunity has to be maximized as much as possible.

I do anticipate having a full projects completed and ready for public consumption within the upcoming month or two.

More to come!

Peace!

Vision Received This Weekend

Through an interesting series of conversations during this weekend, I keep seeing a glass within my spirit that appears to be empty to the human mind but is continually being poured out with the substance only hoped for to produce the evidence of the faith contained within and around the glass.

My question to myself and to you is whether God is in glass since God is indeed everywhere and if it is the definition of faith to attempt to pour the glass when it appears to be empty?

Also, are we the empty glass, is the emptiness of the glass our seed, and resulting blessing poured from the glass our fruit of our seed or faith?  I know that faith is both a seed and fruit.

Inquiring minds want to know:)

Peace!

Who's Having More Fun on Daddy's Birthday?

Who's Having More Fun on Daddy's Birthday?
Originally uploaded by wysiwysell.

Spoons with Cake and Ice Cream, you cannot beat them!

Candles, you're going down!

Candles, you're going down!
Originally uploaded by wysiwysell.

Daddy & His Fruit with their Monster Squeezes!

Daddy & His Fruit with their Monster Squeezes!
Originally uploaded by wysiwysell.

I've had a great birthday today and we stayed out of traffic as much as we could by having dinner at Artuzzi's in Sandy Springs. It was our first time there (several in metro ATL) and had some ice cream, birthday cake, and gifts upon returning home.

There was no disturbing of this groove!

It's my birthday, it's my birthday!

My Favorite Music Store: American Musical Supply

Right now I am so pleased with American Musical Supply (http://www.americanmusical.com or AMS) that I cannot express my gratitude.

Their zero percent interest, multiple payment plans have made acquiring music equipment over the years a no-brainer in terms of being a repeat customer.

They do not have an affiliate program that I am aware of, but anytime you need to buy or just feel froggy to buy something that costs over $249.99 (one or multiple items I was recently told), it qualifies for the multiple payment plan.

I even bought my Black Macbook from them without any hesitations when it was released last year.  I was pleasantly surprised to find out that they offer the same terms for computer equipment as well.

I typically will visit local music stores to get a hands on feel any prospective purchases and then buy it from AMS also to benefit from the no tax that has to be paid as well.  This feature saves more than the gas cost required to visit a local store.

Check them out whenever you can!

Peace!

US Copyright Process Needs To Be Digitized for Faster Processing

With so many new outlets being available to distribute and sell digital content, the U.S. Copyright laws and process needs to be revamped in order to allow creative individuals and groups to quickly register their digital content as soon as possible without any unnecessary delays.

The current process has one downloading PDFs to register their works, mailing the items via the U.S. Postal Service and then waiting for an undetermined amount of time to receive either the certified mail receipt or official documentation that the works have been registered.

It would be great that a process would exist for digital works to be directly uploaded to the Library of Congress and have the registration process completed within seconds versus months.

One should be able to register a digital work as fast as it takes to register a domain name for use on the internet.

I have several items of digital content that registering appears to be a long line to stand in but it has to be done within this day and age regardless of the existing delays.

Peace!

Awesome Gospel Song by Brian McKnight

I just heard an amazing song by Brian McKnight from his "Ten" CD entitled "Don't Take Your Love Away"!!!

It has the rhythm of Janet Jackson's "I Get Lonely" and he is having a conversation / prayer with God.

It is one of those songs that will not appear on your radar unless you are listening for the lyrics.

Check it out on iTunes!

Peace!

Get Centralized with your Other Ego

I will blog more about this new website later, but check mine out now:

http://otherego.com/profile-seedoflife.aspx

Gangsta Rap Promoted By Major Labels Is Now On Its Deathbed

With the firing of Don Imus from his radio show, anyone that is not on an independent label clearly has to think twice about using negative words or sending a negative vibe if their company has stockholders.

I immediately see any artist that has traditionally had to place a parental advisory sticker on their CDs have their stock value take a nose dive within eyes of the major label.

People will have to turn to MySpace for a limited time in order to get their fill of profanity and adult oriented lyrics other than someone selling music on the streets or out of the trunk of their cars.

Such artists quickly become a liability versus a cash cow.

Has America found religion?  Not as much as I think so, but the pendulum has clearly swung too far in one direction and gravity is correcting any momentum once perceived.

I now wonder which recording artist is going to follow Imus off the plank intentionally or be deceived into doing so?

I wonder which sports or entertainment celebrity will be suspended or banned by their league indefinitely?

The decision on the part of CBS now makes it easier for any other corporate board to begin to clean up their act voluntarily or face their shareholders' wrath.

Is it over? Clearly not and the fun may have just begun.

Peace!

Two Indispensable Internet Tools: Protopage.com and Del.icio.us!

Years ago, I would surf my favorite websites away from home on Blink.com until they changed their business model and dropped the primary feature that I was using of storing favorite pages and websites (although many times one will never revisit them--but you can be a digital pack rat on the internet and no one will ever know until they need something from you).

Now I use Protopage.com and Del.Icio.us for the same reason but in a different way.

Protopage.com is my preferred method of visiting my most often websites at any given time.

I have it saved within Firefox as one of two home pages that load everytime I use either my Macbook or desktop computer at home.

I also visit the page daily at work and keep it open throughout the day.

I use Del.Icio.us primarily for saving and categorizing pages by keywords called tags.  I also use it to recommend links to friends who either have created an account as well as to save myself some research time by locating hard to find websites that other people have saved with similar tagged keywords that I would use.

Both websites work together like a pair of hands.  Del.Icio.us would be my right hand and knock out punch on the internet while Protopage.com is used to keep things steady and jab my way into new territory:)

Try them yourself and open up a new world of productivity as a gift to yourself!

Peace!
 

Great Weekend In Spite of the Silliness

I have had a wonderful weekend in spite of some silly people this weekend especially yesterday.

One overzealous security guard flexed her authority in getting me to move our car while other vehicles were virtually abandoned at the time.

Then a speeding driver on I-285 minutes later passes up multiple free lanes to get boxed in behind me and then proceeds to blow his horn as if a nuclear attack occurred.

Later that evening, a driver in the far left (a turning lane only) acts as if I cut him off when only my center lane had the choice of turning either left or going straight ahead.

I was about to feel that it was "Blow your horn at Roney" at that point.

I was already checking myself to make sure I did not wreck myself, but the Bible says to answer a fool according to his folly and that fool despise wisdom.

So versus getting caught up in someone else's drama, I had to shake it off like Mariah recommended:)

Haters need someone and something to hate, so when they put themselves in such a position to get whacked like a mole, those of us empowered by God must do so to keep the universe in balance:)

Peace!