2012-05-20T18:38:10Z jared Copyright 2012, jared SPHPBLOG
As a response to the netbook craze of late, I think iPad doesn’t quite do justice to itself or its pedigree. A computer that can only install programs authorized by its manufacturer will be useful only to the extent said manufacturer (you know who you are) allows it to be. This is not quite so groundbreaking for those of us who may have been holding out for Cupertino to produce something like the Macbook Air-inspired netbook or even a tablet to use during, for example, the hour-long transit commute 10 times a week. In my field, I spend a quarter of my day on the computer fiddling around with the command line, and running the various kinds of open-source, Unix-based software that Apple has been proud of supporting since the release of OS X nearly 10 years ago. I would really have loved to be able to take advantage of all that on a netbook-sized offering.

This is not, of course, to say that people won’t buy this and like it. I think they will. But the claims that you’ll be “holding the internet in your hand” and “touching your music” are hokey at best, and despite the appeal of the larger screen and new iBookstore, there seems to be little that will separate the iPad from its diminutive older siblings. I guess I was just hoping for more control. Obviously, Apple thinks the masses won’t miss it, and, let’s face it, the masses call the shots and must be appeased.]]> http://www.jaredsampson.com/txtblog/index.php?entry=entry100131-142536 2010-01-31T00:00:00Z 2010-01-31T00:00:00Z
and here it is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_077GutKBo]]> http://www.jaredsampson.com/txtblog/index.php?entry=entry081016-133532 2008-10-16T00:00:00Z 2008-10-16T00:00:00Z


It all started when Anna told me she wanted a shirt that said "Cleveland Rocks" and I wittily replied something about a pile of rocks on a t-shirt. Apparently, she thought the same thing at the same time. So now we have a store dedicated to witty, nerdy ways to pay tribute to our fair city! Check it out!

http://www.cafepress.com/cleverocks]]> http://www.jaredsampson.com/txtblog/index.php?entry=entry080730-162907 2008-07-30T00:00:00Z 2008-07-30T00:00:00Z
When I called that company, which is supposed to be the best Apple service place in Cleveland, they said they couldn't get the parts for that repair anymore and they couldn't help me. Hmph.

So I did about 5 minutes of searching and found PowerBookMedic.com, which charges a "mere" $75 for this hinge. It damn well had better be a good hinge for that price. In any case, I ordered one. I could have gotten two, but why get two when I only needed one, right? Or for $150 I could have had one hinge installed, or two for $200, but since I'm a cheapskate, I didn't feel like spending that much money. I mean, what are the odds of both of the hinges breaking on a single unit? [Enter IRONY.]

So, I figured out how to fix my broken hinge. Last night I took my entire Powerbook apart,which involved removing the battery, wireless card, bottom case, logic board, and display, and then easily extracted the left hinge and replaced it. I glued the display casing back together--yes, it was supposed to be glued--and went to bed to let the epoxy cure just as it looks here, clamps and all. [IRONY creeps slowly toward JARED, unnoticed.]



So today after work, I went to put it all back together, got mostly done, and discovered that the other hinge is actually broken, too. [IRONY springs into action, kicks JARED in the face, retreats silently and EXITS, satisfied.] I guess maybe the left hinge's broken state put more strain on the surviving hinge and it failed, too, only not visibly until just today. Damn.

So, I get to start all over. And spend another $75. So it goes.]]> http://www.jaredsampson.com/txtblog/index.php?entry=entry080626-014909 2008-06-26T00:00:00Z 2008-06-26T00:00:00Z tuner. The wooden piece that I was turning to adjust the tension on my D string simply split in half, leaving me unable to turn the tuner. I couldn't believe it. Granted, the guitar is a couple years old, but for my 2nd most valuable possession, I didn't exactly expect it to break on me without some sort of horrible, horrible trauma, which thankfully [knock-on-wood] hasn't yet happened.

So I was talking with my good friend EMG on the phone, and told him about it. Having worked at a musical instrument retailer, he said I should try contacting Taylor about it, that they are "usually pretty good about these things." I was a little doubtful, but hey, what's the worst they can do, say no, right?

So instead of taking it to the local guitar guy, I figured I'd call up Taylor to see what they would do. Maybe I could get the part for cheap, and it would match the other 5 tuners and be not horrible to look at, even.

So, I called up Taylor last Tuesday and spoke to a very nice woman in the Service department. I explained what happened, and she asked for the model number (not even serial number or anything), and my address. Then, surprisingly, she told me that they'd ship it out to me that day, and asked if there was anything else she could help me with.

What? No credit card? No serial number confirmation? This was incredible: a company that would take care of a customer complaint, ship a new replacement part, at no cost to and with very little effort by the consumer. Taylor has definitely earned my respect, and my future patronage, in the event that I ever have a large sum of money laying around just begging me to spend it on another guitar.
]]> http://www.jaredsampson.com/txtblog/index.php?entry=entry080623-201042 2008-06-24T00:00:00Z 2008-06-24T00:00:00Z
Anyway, despite only arrive a few minutes before the end of the show (Thanks, Friday rush hour traffic!), I was really impressed with his and others' work. He also showed me around the design center where he works, and man-oh-man, is it cool! Large format printers, new iMacs out the wazoo, and a huge photo-mounting press the size of a dinner table.

It makes me happy to see that Brett is doing what he loves, and, for now, making enough money to live doing it. We should all do a little bit more of that, and a little bit less of the complaining about everything.]]> http://www.jaredsampson.com/txtblog/index.php?entry=entry080425-221147 2008-04-26T00:00:00Z 2008-04-26T00:00:00Z Regina Spektor at the Agora. Afterward, over a couple glasses of wine, we decided that what makes her music so appealing--even moreso in person than on any recording I've heard so far--is the complete honesty of her performance. She knows exactly who she is and what she's doing and what she wants to say, and makes no attempt to give her audience anything otherwise. It was one of the most enchanting musical experiences I've had in a long time.

So, given that honesty and acceptance combine to make an amazing performance, my new goal is to extrapolate that philosophy into my own life--both as an artist and as a human being. Let me know how I'm doing.]]> http://www.jaredsampson.com/txtblog/index.php?entry=entry071002-163353 2007-10-02T00:00:00Z 2007-10-02T00:00:00Z
Last week we had 2 birthdays; Kaustubha's and mine. Therefore, we had cake on Tuesday and chicken wings and ice cream on Wednesday. Naturally.

The previous Friday was the Biochemistry departmental picnic at the Case farm, with plenty of burgers, dogs, beer, and softball. Also good.

Tomorrow is Laura's last day in the lab before she moves back to Romania. So of course, last night a bunch of us went out to have beer and food (including more chicken wings). Then, as if that weren't enough--and clearly it was not--Focco and Vivien took us all out for Chinese food for a 3 hour lunch today. Holy cow...best day ever.

That's it. That's how it works. I just had to rave about it while I'm still recovering from stuffing my face. :o)]]> http://www.jaredsampson.com/txtblog/index.php?entry=entry070621-181422 2007-06-22T00:00:00Z 2007-06-22T00:00:00Z Violet brought a little cake (with those trick candles that relight after you blow them out, of course) and a card and sang to me. My parents and Brett (and friend Jessica!) came up to see the show, which is always nice, and to top it off in grand Sampson style, they took me out to eat. The weather was beautiful, which made dinner on the patio of The Harp restaurant particularly enjoyable. As did the Guinness-flavoured ice cream (ohhhh, soooo good...).

Really though, I'm not big on birthdays. Never have been. Especially over the past several years or so. I figure it's another day of the year. Granted, it's always nice to be with my family and close friends, but I feel like just getting together is reason enough to celebrate. It makes me feel a little goofy to be the center of the gathering; I would much rather be at the periphery, watching events as they unfold. This is perhaps kind of strange, considering I don't mind being the center of attention on stage, although that gets into the actor-character distinction, which I don't intend to discuss at this point.

In the long run, I guess the good things (family time, friends, cake, and a microplane for my kitchen and a Kohl's gift card) outweigh any real dirt I can come up with on birthdays, so I guess I'll keep having them. Although if anyone knows of a way for me to celebrate my birthday without it being about me, I'm all ears. :o)]]> http://www.jaredsampson.com/txtblog/index.php?entry=entry070611-004143 2007-06-11T00:00:00Z 2007-06-11T00:00:00Z Violet at the Cassidy. As he was stepping out of the elevator, he wished me "Good luck with your play." I appreciate this kind of good-natured gesture, but it sparked a train of thought that has been bugging me a little. So here it comes.

In acting, as with any (a)vocation, in order to perform well when the curtain goes up, one must put in a lot of hard work behind the scenes, so to speak. And of course, when the show finally does begin, it is just as important to be able to leave everything about one's own life at the stage door and simply focus on the task at hand: creating a work of art that will exist only fleetingly and will survive only in the minds of those present. Every show is different, because every day is different. Every audience--every person in every audience--is different. Half the fun of acting is attempting to read an audience, to draw on their individual and collective emotions and energies, to feed off them and to feed them in return. The theater is a place of ebb and flow, of constant change, of preparation and skill. Good theater depends on the active participation of everyone in the room--not just the performers. A thrilling theatrical experience is a result of an emotional investment by audience and actor alike. Good luck has nothing to do with it. ]]> http://www.jaredsampson.com/txtblog/index.php?entry=entry070607-154848 2007-06-07T00:00:00Z 2007-06-07T00:00:00Z