Eric J. Gruber

We just got in a new Lightscribe drive at work, and one of my co-workers happened to notice this strange wording on the box: Rock Solid - Heart Touching.

Hmm… perhaps a little bit of Engrish going on here?

Back in July I wrote that I didn’t have an iPhone, and at the time, I didn’t think I’d be getting one anytime soon.

But, a few months ago, after the 16 GB model came out, I decided it was time to snag one. Yes, I know there will be a faster iPhone this year (perhaps soon?), although not in Lawrence for at least a year, maybe two. Yes, I know that if I would have waited a few years I could get one much cheaper. Yes, I’m almost certain they’ll get smaller, faster, more advanced, etc.

I went for it anyway. It was, without challenge, the most significant tech purchase I’ve ever made.

Every day I would head off to work with a Motorola RAZR and my iPod nano. Pairing down to one device was worth paying the “early adopter tax,” but it had several other benefits as well. Having my e-mail with me anytime (my preferred contact method) was a big bonus. The web browser, Safari, is fantastic. Have you ever looked at a traditional “mobile” browser? Yeah, no comparison.

Even though the built-in camera isn’t great, it’s good enough to snap some pictures, then instantly e-mail them to friends and family. The Google Maps application has been nice on a few times as well.

There are things I’d change, however:

• The recessed headphone jack, which only allows one to use Apple’s headphones (which suck) or a third party pair with an ugly adapter, has got to go.
• If you have an iPhone dock (which comes with the phone), it won’t work with Apple’s TV adapter. Instead, you have to hook the adapter straight into the bottom of the phone. Not a dealbreaker, but certainly annoying.
• There’s no Flash for Safari on the iPhone (yet), so web sites built with Adobe Flash won’t work (yet).
• Mac OS X Leopard has a to-do list application built into the e-mail application. I live and die by to-do lists, and this would be really helpful to me if it synced up. Alas, it does not (yet).
• While the iTunes Store on the iPhone allows you to purchase and download songs whenever, wherever you’re connected to Wi-Fi, it doesn’t allow you to download movies or podcasts from the store (yet).

I have to say “yet,” because Apple’s World Wide Developer’s Conference is just around the corner, and there will be a ton of new applications available for the second version of the iPhone’s operating system. So, many of my software complaints will probably go away. I hope the dock issue can be fixed with software, but unfortunately the recessed headphone jack is my cross to bear.

It’s worth nothing that I’m writing this on Monday evening, which might be the eve of a new iPhone. Apple typically releases new products on Tuesdays, and the “chatter” (rumors) about a new iPhone coming sooner than WWDC is at fever pitch.

So, if a new iPhone came out tomorrow, would I be upset?

Not at all. The phone really is a hit. It’s fun to use, and brings a little bit of simplicity to an otherwise information drunk web overlord like myself.

We’ve got four little chickadees now (the fourth one isn’t that visable). It’s a shame the human gestation period isn’t as short.

Break out the cigars!

We have a little robin that’s made a nest outside the apartment. She’s laid some eggs, she sits on them often, and best of all, we have front row seats.

Out by the grill in back, we’ve got a little play area where Ember adds a layer of dirt onto her skin, and birdie is a welcome addition.

Actually, I’m completely fascinated our fowl neighbor.

I’m playing around with a little web site called Squidoo. My first entry is called “Master or Jack.”

Head over, check it out, leave a comment, rate it, let me know what you think.

Master or Jack on Squidoo

Today was the Lawrence 1/2 Marathon and 5K. As a family, we’re not really physically ready for a 5K (and I don’t see myself ever running a 1/2 marathon), so instead we participated in a smaller, third activity - the 1 Mile Fun Run/Walk.

There weren’t any prizes for this race, if you can even call it a “race.” There were several parents wheeling their kids in strollers like us, and lots of kids being active.

I would have loved to do the 5K, but my body isn’t up to that yet. So, I decided to do this as kind of a christening of sorts. After being out of work from illness and a back injury, then a month of therapy, I wanted to do something to “get out there and get going.”

It was quite a bit of fun. My friend Sara wants to pick a 5K for us to train for to run this summer. I’m up for the challenge.

I have the day off work today, by choice.

Not that I haven’t had any days off of work this year. I’ve had plenty. But most of those weren’t by choice. The year, so far, has been rough.

Much of the first three months were filled with illness. Amy, Ember and I were under assult. Dental work. Ear infections. Sinus infections. Throat pains that felt like swallowing razor blades. Pink eye.

It was incredibly taxing; not just physically, but mentally as well.

About a month ago, things were looking up. I was almost completely over my last round if illness (the one with the virus that made me wish I didn’t have a throat), and I needed to cough. I went to the bathroom to cough away in private, and WHAM! … I through out my lower back.

I’ve had some lower back pains in the past year, but this was the worst. I almost couldn’t couldn’t get in the car to get to the emergency room. It was one of the worst pains I’ve ever experienced.

Things are much better now. It’s spring, and hopefully all this illness stuff has gone away. I just completed a month (two-three times a week) of physical therapy, which was really good for me - and educational. It turns out, we’re not supposed to sit for eight hours a day without getting up regularly, stretching and strengthening our “core.” I get up a lot more during the day now. I stretch. I’m walking now and even have some pilates moves to maintain what strength I’ve gained during therapy.

So what to do with a day off? Why, write a little on the blog, of course! I’m also looking forward to cleaning out the garage so thoroughly the trash collectors will really earn their keep tomorrow.

Today is a bit of a milestone for me; it’s my two-year anniversary working for the City of Lawrence, KS.

Up to this point, I haven’t worked more than a year and a half at any of the jobs I’ve had since graduating from college. I was always searching for something and never seemed to find what I was looking for. It wasn’t until I found something that I really love to do (work with the internet) and work and live in a place I love - Lawrence - that I really found a bit of contentment.

Not to say that I don’t have headaches, hangups or all the things we have that makes us a little disgruntled with our work, but I have way more up days than down minutes.

So, here’s to two years of me being able to stay in once place. I suppose it was bound to happen someday.

I’ve been busy studying Ruby on Rails, and I’ve really grown to love it. Ruby is a programming language, and Rails, is a set of libraries - or framework - that interacts with Ruby for web development.

It’s incredibly cool, and I find it a lot of fun.

What this means for me is that after struggling with PHP, another programming language geared toward web development, I’ve found something that will take me to the next level in my development.

What it means for you is, I’m building a mini web application that I can’t wait to share with the world. Alas, it’s not ready yet, but it will be soon.

Stay tuned.

Dusty Deringer, a public speaker about customer service in the healthcare industry and patient satisfaction issues, launched a new web site on Saturday, Nov. 3, 2007 made by Rumblestrut Studios (me).

Making this web site for Dusty had special meaning for me. Dusty and I grew up together, living just three houses away from each other. In 2004, Dusty decided to take a stab at a seat in the Kansas State Senate, and asked me to create a web site for his political ambitions.

You can probably guess that he didn’t win the election. However, it got me started on a new career. It’s funny how life works.

Check it out: dustyderinger.com