Lunedi Lunacy

Just as a word of warning to a friend of mine who is talking about getting an iPhone4s or another one of those fancy-smancy does-everything smart(ass)phones.

Just saying Marco!


07 novembre/November - San Prosdocimo di Pavoda

The New Boy Toy

Don't get all excited I said "Boy toy" not "toy boy". Big difference. Though at my age I get more excited over the former than the later!

Here she is - don't ask me why but if you have to allocate gender, and my generation does, she's a she - posing with her bigger relatives in my little MAC family.

Last week I went to the only Apple Store in town out at the Roma Est shopping mall - I really must write one day about how I get overwhelmed in shopping malls - and picked myself up an iPhone4. Yes I made Steve Jobs a bit richer but I've also greatly enriched my life - yeah I know hyperbole but then when you become a Mac freak no hyperbole is too hyper.

The service at the Apple Store was quick, friendly and a normal Italian bureaucratic nightmare was solved in two minutes!!!! I was sent out into the milling mall crowds within 10 minutes of arriving, my Apple bag clutched firmly in my hot little hands.

And that was a dead give away when I walked into the Vodaphone shop up the next level. Diego, the very friendly sales person, gave me a big smile, put his hand to his forehead like a fortune teller and said, "You have just bought an iPhone and are coming to buy a new SIM card and have your number switched over." "The bag gave it away, did it?" I asked. "That and your smile, sir" he said with a smile as big as mine.

Again the processing was done quickly and in the friendliest way possible. When I said I didn't need a long term plan because I was moving back to Canada, Diego's face assumed a sympathetic look. "Oh, I am so sorry," he said "that means you will have to deal with Rogers." For the third time in less than half an hour my jaw dropped. "How do you know about Rogers?" I asked. "Everyone in the business knows about Rogers" was his quick reply with a shake of his head.

So new SIM in place, iPhone activated I headed out into the world of Apps and Notifications. I've been playing with it ever since - amazing and boring all my friends with the bells and whistles of my new boy toy!


20 aprile - Santa Sara di Antiochia

Finger Painting

I'm constantly amazed by what creative people can do with computer programmes. Its not that I'm computer illiterate but I've had Adobe Suite sitting on the desktop for several years now and all I ever use is basic Photoshop. You know the sort of stuff - auto colour/contrast/levels and resize for web.

But over at The New Yorker, Jorge Colombo shows what he can do with Brushes on his IPhone with what he calls finger painting. A click through the videos there shows his amazing talent.

Hell I couldn't do that with real finger paints!

08 lulgio - Sant'Adriano Papa