Jon Kunze’s Blog

Two Months with a Magical Device Called the iPad – Part 1

Well, it’s been almost a year since my last update, so I figured writing my experiences with my new iPad would be a good way to break the silence.

When the iPad was announced, I thought it looked like an amazing piece of technology. The power of a good netbook in the form factor of a magazine. With all of the traveling I do in my professional life, I thought it would be great. But alas, it was going to be expensive, and I already had an iPod Touch that got the job done. So, I held back the urge to pre-order one.

When the wifi model hit the streets, I started hearing about how great it was. A few days after it’s release, I was in L.A. on business with a buddy from work, and we decided to head to the nearest Apple Store to check one out for ourselves.

When we got there, we had to wait in line just to play with the display model. People were all over these things. When we finally got our turn, we started checking out the browsing experience, gaming, all kinds of stuff. It was clear to me after about 10 minutes that this device was magical. It could do 95% of what I need to do on a daily basis. Things like checking Facebook, Twitter, the news, sport scores, this thing could do all of those things. Sure, there are some power-user computing things it can’t do, but that’s why I have a desktop PC. For my mobile computing needs, this thing could do everything I needed.

We left that Apple Store impressed, but also empty handed.

When I returned home that weekend, I told Tera all about the iPad. She was curious, and as is typically her style, wanted to take a field trip to check it out for herself. We packed up the kids and headed to the Apple store in Columbus. When we finally arrived, I let her go in to see the iPad for herself while I let the kids run around outside. As was my experience at the L.A. area store, it was packed with people checking out the hottest new thing from Apple. When Tera returned from the store, she carried the news that I had anticipated. They were completely sold out.

At this point, I think we both got consumed by the excitement of finding an iPad, so I did first thing that came to mind and called the closest Best Buy I could find. I was informed that they did have some in stock, so we headed over there and picked up a 32G Wifi model and headed home.

After a few days of using the iPad, I truly saw how useful it was for me. From being able to type this blog entry, surfing the web, to playing games, and watching movies via Netflix, the possibilities continue to expand. The one thing missing for me, was the fact that I needed Wifi to be able to do these things. That can be difficult when you work it a place without a public access network. Within a few days, I realized what the benefit of the iPad 3G would be for me to be able to use it anywhere I had a cell signal. And so I decided that I needed to find a way to sell/return my wifi iPad and get one with 3G….

TBC….

Blogging from the Back Yard

The best part of July Shutdown is the time I’ve gotten to spend with my children and wife. Right now, I sip on my coffee and post this from the back yard while watching my son play. It’s been a wonderful break from the usual grind of work.

I’ve managed to get quite a bit done around the house while on shutdown, but there’s always so much more to do. Tonight, we clean carpets, and this weekend, we continue getting ready for Ava’s big 1st Birthday Bash. Busy Busy.

Rod Said I Should Update, So Here It Is

Wow, so it’s been over 5 months since I posted something here, and after getting harassed by my bud Rod, I figure it’s time to update people on what’s been going on in my life.

I’ll start with that fact that I got promoted at work. Back in April, I became a full fledged Project Manager for Honda. No more assisting for me, in fact, I get my own assistant now! That’s pretty exciting. I wish I could say more, but due to the nature of the Research and Development Business, I have to leave it at that. It does include some more travel in my schedule, but we’re adapting, and having a great wife to take care of the kids puts my mind at ease.

Once again, I will be running for City Council in Bellefontaine this year. It’s been two years since my last run, and I’ve had time to reflect on the things I could have done better then, as well as watched the economy and condition of the city further deteriorate, so I’m even more ambitious to get in there and make something happen.

The kids are doing great. Ava has been crawling for a few months now, and it’s almost time for her to start walking. In July, she’ll have her first birthday, and we’re already planing a pool party at dad’s to celebrate. That should be a lot of fun! Aiden is still Aiden, rotten as ever, and making me laugh every day. I love that little guy.

So in a nut shell, those are the big things that have happened in my life recently. Until next time, you stay classy San Diego!

Cruising the Pacific Coast Highway in an NSX

Yesterday, Jim and I had a chance to take an NSX for a spin. We ended up putting about 250 miles on. It was awesome.

We drove up the Pacific Coast Highway along the ocean, stopping in Malibu for a nice lunch on the beach. We then continued north for a little while before turning around. It was a great time, and a well deserved break from such a busy few weeks at work.

I will say that the NSX is a damn sexy car, draws a lot of looks, and handles like a motorcycle in the turns due to the low CG and mid-engine configuration. It is, however, ones of the most uncomfortable cars to sit in for a long time. I’m pretty sure it was designed for a 5’6″ Japanese male weighing around 105 pounds. It was still a great time, and possibly a once in a lifetime experience.

Here are a few pics of the car, taken at Duke’s Barefoot Bar

Front 3/4 View

Rear 3/4 View (with Jim getting in the car)

MTV Launches Site with Every Music Video Ever!

I thought this article was interesting. I can finally find those obscure videos that even Youtube doesn’t have.

Goodbye, Productivity: MTV Music Site Posts Every Music Video Ever
from Gizmodo by Adam Frucci

I hope you’ve got some time to kill, because the new MTV Music website is pretty much the coolest thing ever for music fans. At long last, the MTV name is being associated with music videos again, because the “music” channel has gone and put its entire archive of music videos online, all embeddable and in high quality. It’s like Hulu for music videos, only with less ads (for now). And it’s awesome.

The site’s still very young, but just poking around shows the amazing amount of content on there. There aren’t just music videos on here, but also songs played on shows like VH1 Storytellers and MTV Unplugged. Just check out above, where I’ve embedded Nirvana playing The Man Who Sold the World from their unplugged set. As of this writing, it’s been played 8 times.

Before this just degenerates into me embedding my favorite music videos, I’ll just leave you with this video for Wanderlust by Bjork and then let you go explore for yourself. Just from my surface exploration, it includes pretty much everything, from old acts to new, major label acts to indies. Go, go now! [MTV Music]

I want my MTV

My Baby Got Her Ears Pierced!

DSC_3023

Originally uploaded by Jon99UT

I’m out in Los Angeles for business, but Tera was able to take Ava to get her ears pierced. She’s so beautiful

Where were you when the world stopped turning?

I suddenly got the urge to make a blog post on this particular day, and I wanted to ask, where were you on 9/11/2001 when the first plane struck?

I remember it vividly myself. I was on my way to class at UT, sitting at a train crossing, watching the train cars go by. I was listening to Bob and Tom (as I did most mornings on the way to class) and they were talking about a plane that looked like had accidentally hit the World Trade Center.

I remember thinking to myself how could you accidentally hit a building that big? Then, as the gates lifted on the tracks, they said that another plane had hit the World Trade Center, confirming everyone’s suspicions that this was indeed no accident. I proceeded to class, thinking about what the aftermath would be. I was rather disappointed that classes were still on schedule, despite what was going on at the time. I suppose the still thought it was a minor incident. Finally, abut 11:30am, the University announced that it would be closing for the day.

I returned to my apartment, and I remember getting out of my car, and my room mate (Nate) looking out the window at me. I can’t remember exactly what he said, but it was something along the lines of “Can you believe this?” We spent the rest of the day gathered with friends, watching the news reports, and wondering what was to come.

This must be what it’s like for those who remember when John F. Kennedy was shot.

Remember When MTV Played Music Videos?

I was sitting here, sipping on a cold Coors Light and watching music videos on Youtube, when it hit me like a ton of bricks: My kids will grow up thinking this is how people get their fix on new music.

I can remember when I was  a kid, I longed for having MTV. Since we lived in the country, we didn’t have cable. We did have satellite, but my dad thought MTV was trash, so he refused to subscribe to it. I was then forced to get my music interest from WPKO, which to this day, is less than lackluster. When I would go to Danny’s house growing up, we would watch MTV all the time if we weren’t playing video games. Between the music, and Beavis and Butthead, it’s how we entertained ourselves as kids.

So, I guess since MTV has long since moved on from playing music videos, and now revolves around reality tv, that is what my kids will think MTV always was, and they will get their music videos from Youtube, or whatever site comes along in the future. Kind of sad if you think about it, eh?

I came across this classic on Youtube. I used to love watching this video in the early 90′s

Ava’s Birth Announcement

I just got done reading today’s Bellefontaine Examiner, and discovered that they were able to get Ava’s Birth Announcement in today’s edition of the paper. Enjoy!

Waiting

Waiting

Originally uploaded by Jon99UT

Sitting here watching crappy TV and waiting for my daughter to be delivered. Waiting really is the hardest part.