Digital Impulses

iPhone Release Date Confirmed: June 11th, 2007

According to this story on CNet, Cingular Wireless has confirmed a release date for the much anticipated, much hyped, iPhone from Apple.

So.  74 days and counting...  I really wonder just how many of thees units Apple and Cingular will actually sell AFTER the hype and the euphoria and the reality distortion field dissipates. 

I suspect that once people get a chance to put the iPhone through its paces and start bumping up against the battery life, the small storage size (4 or 8 GB is *nothing* to hold video podcasts, movies, etc), and the still-to-be-determined actual usefulness of the on-screen virtual keyboard, the word-of-mouth emanating from having spent north of $500 on it may be slightly less than rosy.

It will be very interesting to see what happens and what the sales are like after the iPhone has been out 3 months, 6 months and a year later.

Death and funeral of a friend and co-worker

So, does it really matter that I only knew this guy for less just over 3 years?

That is the question that I am struggling with as I put together my thoughts on what transpired today and over the last few week or so. A person I worked with and spoke with on a daily basis, has been unexpectedly ripped from our midst never to be seen again.

This morning i was at work until 12:00 P.M. and then left work to go to the funeral home where services were to be held for my fallen co-worker. 

Arriving there, I parked my car and walked around until I encountered the group of people from work who were gathered outside the funeral home, waiting for the services to start.

The service was very nice and I was very happy to see how many people from work made the time to attend the service, including various people who flew in from out of state and even former co-workers who made time to be there also.

After the service, we proceeded to the burial site where we witnessed the rites of burial under an absolutely stunning blue sky devoid of nary a cloud, just a prototypical Southern California afternoon.

Once that was completed, I drove back to where my car was parked and came home, having the rest of the afternoon and evening to contemplate how truly ephemeral the dividing line is that keeps us here on this plane of existence.

This whole episode has really put things into perspective for me, including causing me to question whether I am actually working on the truly important things in my life.  *sigh*.

Turbulent Thursday: Further Drama with the Teenager

As if burying a co-worker tomorrow afternoon was not enough of a mental guillotine, this evening a very relaxing dinner at Havana Mania was *ruined* by further drama with the Teenager.

This time the drama involved an incident wherein he had nothing better to do than get entangled into the middle of a fracas involving some friends of his that got into a disagreement with some local ner'dowell's.

Eventually, the whole sad affair was straightened out and he returned home just a few minutes ago.

And tomorrow the funeral for Mark Shimko.  I suspect that will be an indescribably sad and highly emotional affair.

Rest in Peace, Mark.  I'm thinking of you, Bud.

Bummer.

Bummer.

Just realized that a domain name that I registered and developed back in 1999, oasisconsulting.com lapsed and has been poached by someone unknown to me.

Thankfully, my hosting bill at Tierranet is paid up and I can still reach my content via IP address.  So, this evening, I will be dedicating time to pulling down said content for safe keeping and future preservation.

One item off of the never-ending, always full, ephemeral "to-do" list.

Stagnating

Bleh.

Things never work as planned.  In the middle of a web design project, I am unable to work from my main machine, as FrontPage 2003 is *crashing* in Windows Vista, as amply evidenced by this Google resuilts page when I search for the terms "Frontpage 2003 crashes Windows VIsta":

No fix forthcoming from Microsoft, so I have loaded Frontpage 2003 on my laptop and will have to work from there for the time being.  Rats.

Death at work.

I walked in to work this morning to some shockingly sad news.  A co-worker passed away unexpectedly overnight while on a business trip.

Reeling.  No way to 'handle' or 'process' this correctly.  The finality of this is mind-bending.  I feel like screaming.  I want to stop time and pull my friend back from the void he has fallen into.  This is unfair.
People around me are carrying on like normal. 

'Normal' is NOT 'normal' anymore.  I don't want to hear laughter.  What's wrong with the world when the weight of a death burdens some more than others???

Not in a good place.

Microsoft Expression Web

Just returned from my local Comp-USA store in Redondo Beach, CA which is slated for closure in 4 to 6 weeks.  I just picked up a copy of Microsoft Expression Web with a 10% discount.  Microsoft Expression Web is the successor to Microsoft FrontPage. 

I look forward to learning this tool and using it to supplement my income in a positive way.

Another Dentist Visit: SUFFER

Jesus.

Just returned from another hellish medieval torture session at the Dentist's office.

Not only does it suck to have to go there and be prodded and poked and impaled by different metal instruments of varying sharpness, but I also have to endure the 140 minutes of a round trip in mind-bendingly snarled traffic on the 405 San Diego Freeway, right smack in the teeth of rush hour commute.

I am paying for something I did i n a previous life.  Must be.  *sigh*

Nice Sunday: Mom gets an All-In-One device

Stopped by Mom's house to install a new LexMark 5400 Series All-In-One unit that I bought her for her birthday.  It was a little stressful because my mom has a huge Wall-Unit type desk that has an enclosure for the PC and the inevitable rat's nest of cables are very hard to get to.

Eventually, I got the entire unit connected up and we tested the Fax, Scanner, Copier and Printer functions and they all worked great.  Most importantly, Mom can now fax ANYTHING from ANY Windows app just by "printing to fax".  No more printing the document and then taking it over to a stand-alone Fax machine and sending it manually.

Afterwards, we went to Chilis for brunch, then to the bank and to Borders book store.  After that, we drove over to my sister's pad where I installed my mom's old HP LaserJet 1100 printer for her and now my sister to is more productive.

I am gonna hit the sack soon, since I have to go in to work tomorrow morning at 5:00 A.M. in anticipation of a large volume of calls related to the early DST impact on the computer systems where I am employed.

Peace, Out.

Comp-USA is closing over HALF of it's stores

In sad news, a breaking story all over the web is the decsion by the owners of the national retail chain of computer stores called 'Comp-USA".

I have been buying stuff at Comp-USA for at least 15 years and have known people who worked there.  The store that I go to in Redondo Beach on Hawthorne Blvd next to the South BAy Galleria, has been there since the early 90's and used to be further up Hawthorne Blvd. in Torrance, CA.

Here is Comp-USA's official 'Realignment Strategy' announcement:

 

DALLAS, Feb. 27, 2007 - As part of its plan to realign the organization, CompUSA today announced a comprehensive strategy to improve the company's financial status. The realignment includes a cash infusion, store closures, major expense reductions and a corporate restructuring.

As part of CompUSA's realignment strategy, the company will receive a $440 million cash capital infusion. The financial boost will be designated to improve the company's balance sheet.

"Based on changing conditions in the consumer retail electronics market, the company identified the need to close and sell stores with low performance or non strategic, old store layouts and locations faced with market saturation. The process began last week with the closing of four CompUSA stores and over the next 60-90 days, the company will close a total of 126 stores in the United States to focus on initiatives that enhance its top performing locations," said Roman Ross, chief executive officer, CompUSA.

CompUSA will continue to offer products and services at 1-800-CompUSA and online at compusa.com, providing more than 80,000 items for consumers and small and medium businesses, along with top-notch technical service from CompUSA TechPro.

Today's announcement allows the company to focus its efforts and ensure a strong presence in its 103 stores in 39 states and Puerto Rico.

I , for one, am sad to learn of this, because the store in Redondo Beach is on the list of stores slated for closure and this is the store where I have gone to the Midnight Madness events for the release parties of Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows XP, and just a few weeks ago, the release of the long-awaited Windows Vista.

The end of an era is upon us, I fear.  *sigh*.