Brian A. Thomas .com
Random Musings of Brian A. Thomas. Love for Ari and Sidd.
A Good Reason Why Your Android Phone Should Have a Keyboard
May 21st
There are some really cool Android phones coming out soon. The HTC Magic, the Samsung i7500 which has tons of onboard storage and a really cool screen, but both of those lack one key thing, a physical keyboard, with which you could use:
Okay before people get too excited, per the guy’s website, you will need a rooted G1 and have installed Debain on it. So it isn’t running through the Android SDK. Still very impressive.
Perhaps Not a Jr. Copywriter
May 21st
There are a few things I need to do now before they will think about promoting me to Jr. Copywriter… it seemed like such a sure thing the way my boss and her boss were talking… Anyhow, I first need to find a product we can sell at $100 to $200 profit. This is a bit tricky since I don’t think any of my ideas would sell for that much over cost. There were lots of other reasonable requirements, then it hit to one where I have to be willing to buy the ad space. The question there is, are they saying that I need to actually pay for it, or just something I believe is good enough that if in some fantasy world I had enough to place a full page ad, I would? As it stands there is no way I could afford a full page ad, even in something like the Canton Repository, let alone a major market newspaper. Needless to say, I was sad to get that news… not that it is so bad, at least if I don’t have to pay for the ad. I may never get a job that will let me take care of my family…
Now is the Time for Our Friends and Family to Change to T-Mobile
May 21st
Right now, until May 26th, Wal-Mart is giving a $50 gift card for signing a new 2 year agreement with T-Mobile. Sara and I use T-Mobile. Mobile to mobile is free, so you could call us for free, and we could receive your call for free. So if you get a phone that would be free normally with 2 year contract, it comes out like they are paying you to get the phone from them. If you get a G1 like I want to get, it is normally $98.88, but after getting the $50 card, it is basically like getting the phone for only $48.88, which is nearly a steal. Remember, your number is likely to be portable, so you probably don’t need a new number, just a new T-Mobile contract.
New Theme
May 21st
As you may have noticed, I am using a new theme. I really dig the theme. It gives lots of cool options on the front that I seemed to be missing in other themes…
You will notice the featured stories. These are not the newest stories all the time, but just posts I figured were worthy of that space.
There are a lot more ad spaces in this theme. Remember, those are here to help me pay the hosting costs, so please follow them. Same thing with the Amazon links. If you want to buy something from Amazon, click one of the Amazon links first, then find your item and buy it.
There is a bug in the comments, but it isn’t from the theme itselffixed. I hope to have that issue fixed this weekend.
Revisiting Android Development
May 21st
That is a screenshot of a basic Hello World application I did for Android… Well, I followed the lesson to make it so it isn’t an original… Anyhow, this is what it would look like on a G1, or other Android based phone.
I thought I would see if I could get into Android development again, and the Hello World application is where you typically start all programming lessons.
Cool Android Application, Sky Map
May 18th
Android, is a cool mobile phone (and laptop, etc.) platform. T-Mobile has the G1 out right now, and there are a couple more phones coming out soon from them, and we should see some coming from other carriers this year as well (probably not AT&T and Verizon as they don’t like not controlling the market, and Android opens things up too much, but they will support it if their customers demand it enough). Anyhow, I want one to do geocaching with… and add to the fact that my phone is 4 or so years old, it all adds to the fact it is time to start looking at a new phone.
I learned about a new application for the G1 and other Android devices. It is called SkyMap and you point you phone at a star and it will tell you what it is and more about it. If you want to find a star/planet it will tell you where to look for it. Video demo:
National Day of Prayer
May 9th
The other day was the National Day of Prayer, and those on the far right violated the commandment of judge not, and bashed Obama’s faith because he didn’t make a big deal out of it… of course the fact that nobody prior to W made a big deal out of it didn’t bother them. As we can see by the purposeful disinformation given to members of the church about cosmology/ambiogenesis/evolution, one can count on the far right to bear false witness.
The National Day of Prayer sort of… okay no sort of about it… violates the separation between church and state. Of course the far right say that was about keeping government out of the affairs of the church, and while that is partially true, they are wrong to suggest that it wasn’t about keeping the church out of government affairs. If one reads the letters to and from Jefferson about it, it was clear the Founding Fathers intended to keep the church out of the state.
Modern day Christians seem to forget the Pilgrims. The Pilgrims came to the Americas to escape, now pay attention, the Christian ran government and the actions of the Church itself. Modern day Christians recall the Pilgrims came for religious freedom, but forget that the ones who persecuting and repressing them were Christians. Heck, it wasn’t too long ago that people were being burned at the stake for being the wrong kind of Christian. A church in power of the state is a dangerous thing, and this is why the Founding Fathers erected the wall of separation between church and state.
Of course all the commentators had to bear false witness and make the claim that the US was founded on Christian principles. Which is odd, since the idea of a republic is Pagan, the idea of Democracy is Pagan and our system of laws is based on English Common Law, which was around long before Christians were in Europe… yes when it was Pagan. So it seems we were founded on principals of the Druids and those worshiping the Greek Pantheon. Most of the Founding Fathers were Deist, not Theist.
Thinking of Going to a Football Game This Year
Apr 30th
I think Ari and I, and perhaps some friends of ours if I can get them to go, will go to a football… err soccer to us… game this year. That’s right, I am thinking of going down to watch the 2008 MLS Champions, The Columbus Crew. I think in the day we’ll go down early, go to the Zoo or COSI, then head to the game. The original plan is to then head back at night.
Some vids:
More >
Why Music Sucks These Days – I Could’t Agree More
Apr 30th
A great video from many talented people explaining why radio and music suck so much these days. The Beatles came out over 40 years ago and are still influential, still getting radio play, still selling records and in a while will be selling a The Beatles: Rock Band
I should supplement my rant by saying that I am not saying there hasn’t been any good music since the mid 70′s. Lord knows I have liked or loved plenty of music since those days. And there are breakthrough artists that I think will be remembered, loved, respected and influential 40, 50, 100 years after they came out or were popular (if they ever got popular). But 98% of the music produced today is just to make a quick buck for the label. The music industry is no longer interested in fostering talent, they removed the talent from the executive ranks a long time ago and filled it with business people who only care about impressing the shareholders. Shareholders don’t care about fostering talent either, they don’t care if the label is here 10, 50 years from now, they want a quick return on their investment.
Okay, okay, I’ll stop my rant…
The great movie, Almost Famous
Brian’s Revised Birthday List
Apr 28th
This doesn’t discount my last post regarding what I want for my birthday, just this time I am going to arrange things differently.
$50:
This gives us 13 months of XBox Live Gold membership. After using a trial of XBox Live Gold, it seems this is the new most wanted… well most wanted reasonably priced item anyhow. 
For $10 more, one can get Xbox 360 Live 12 Month Messenger Gold Pack
Other items in the $50 range on the Wish List (see the bar on the side) include Seasons 3 and 4 of Battlestar Galactica. Seasons 2 through 4 (season 5 is available for pre-order). Of those BSG is a bit cheaper per season. I still want Whale Rider (that’s about $11). Also on the wishlist is some other games, though the XBox live would be preferred.
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40 Years of Life… Almost
Apr 12th
Soon I’ll be 40 years old. Wow.
We got a used XBox 360 for a really good deal from Sara’s brother (he upgraded to a fancy new version), so my wish lists has modified some, since we no longer need that.
Top item on the list continues to be a GPS for Geocaching (not for car use so much), either a Garmin Oregon 400T
With us now having an XBox 360, the item most wanted for it is Xbox 360 Rock Band 2 Special Edition
New to the list is the Nikon D40 6.1MP Digital SLR Camera Kit with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor Lens
Presenting Siddharth Altair Thomas
Mar 27th
Presenting Siddharth Altair Thomas, born March 26th, 2009.
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If you want to see the set at Flickr, here is the Siddharth set.
He is named after Siddhārtha Gautama. So like his older brother Aristotle, he is named after a philosopher. His name is Sanskrit/Hindi meaning accomplished, he who has achieved his goals, or a few others of like nature depending on who is doing the translation. Altair is Arabic for flying eagle, and is also Greek (hey! another Greek name that starts with an A) for star, though we’ll probably use the Arabic meaning.
As we understand it, the version without an A at the end, which his namesake has, is Sanskrit, but when translated to Hindi (and I guess then into English) the A gets added.
Jr Copywriter
Mar 20th
I may soon be promoted soon, to Jr Copywriter.
A year ago I made an ad for a spin dryer. This was more an effort to learn how to do something in InDesign than anything else at the time. Recently they asked for green ideas and I sent in the ad. The guy sent the idea to the owner and marketing people. They then called me in. They liked the idea, and suggested I should become a Jr. Copywriter.
To that end, the following two books were suggested:
The Copywriter’s Handbook, Third Edition: A Step-By-Step Guide To Writing Copy That Sells
The Adweek Copywriting Handbook: The Ultimate Guide to Writing Powerful Advertising and Marketing Copy from One of America’s Top Copywriters
I have both books on request at the local library. The second one is not in the Stark County system, so they’ll have to get it from another system.
I think it will be exciting…
Sunday the 8th is Ari’s Birthday
Mar 7th
This Sunday is Ari’s Birthday. If you need birthday ideas, science and electrical stuff is a winner. His wishlist is also updated. Simply follow my wishlist at the side and then select Ari’s wishlist from there. Hard to believe he’ll be 5 tomorrow…
March 26th
Mar 2nd
March 26th is when our second child should be born. He is expected to be a boy. Aside from that I will give no details yet.
Kirk Cameron’s and Ray Comfort’s Way of the Master Series
Mar 2nd
Here is a great series put out by a Christian that refutes the Kirk Cameron’s and Ray Comfort’s Way of the Master series. In the series, Cameron and Comfort try to prove Creationism, particularly Young Earth Creationism. The video series that follows points out a few of the lies that Cameron and Comfort tell.
There are 4 videos in all, and hopefully they flow one after the other automatically:
More >
6 Years and Counting
Feb 15th
Today is our 6 year anniversary. I would find it hard to believe if it wasn’t for the fact that Ari will be 5 in just 3 more weeks, which is also hard to believe. I guess time flies when you are having fun. Add to all that, 2 weeks after Ari’s birthday our 2nd child will be born.
Revisiting my Earlier Obama Post
Feb 15th
I noted earlier a much reported rumor of Obama’s Drug Czar choice. Well, he either has changed his mind or it was indeed a rumor, or the guy was considered along with others and his name was the one that slipped out. It has now been confirmed by several sources that Obama has picked Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske to be his Drug Czar. Seattle voters passed a law to make marijuana enforcement police’s lowest priority, and while Kerlikowske was initially skeptical, the policy has worked out well. Washington is one of the many states to have compassion laws, and Kerlikowske didn’t try to undermine those laws. Advocates of compassion laws are cautiously optimistic that if he is approved by the Senate that he’ll keep going with Obama’s campaign promise of letting actual medical science prevail and stop wasting billions of federal dollars on raids of compassion clubs, grow ops and the like in states where it has been legalized.
The Carbon Dating Issue
Feb 13th
I meant to put this up yesterday (February 12th), as it would have tied in a bit better, but better late than never, and the next date to tie it into wouldn’t be until November 24th.
I recall hearing in church, or reading stuff from church and the like about how a live seal would carbon date thousands of years old, among other examples this video talks about. The point they were trying to make was that the Earth couldn’t be as old as scientist say, or at least cast doubt on their measurement methods.
Well, this video goes into a bit on the actual science going on in fairly simple terms.
EDIT: Since from the comment below it may not be obvious, but the point of the video is to point how Creationist are wrong when they say carbon dating doesn’t work. I thought the video was self explanatory, but…
I may post more of this guys videos as time goes on.
US Incarceration
Jan 31st
There are 2,293,157 people in US jails. That is the highest incarceration total in the world. Even China, falls to second place with 1,565,771. We have nearly twice the number of people in jail, though they have over a billion more people. If we look at it from a percentage of the population view, the US still far outdoes everyone, with 737 prisoners per 100,000 in population. Russia is second with 611, Saint Kitts and Nevis is third with 547 and then the US Virgin Islands 521.
Why the US leads the world in incarcerations will be the subject of a later post. Needless to say, many of those people are didn’t steal anything, they didn’t hurt anyone, weren’t violent in any way, didn’t risk hurting anyone, as a matter of fact, a vast majority of this group of offenders were highly productive members of society and would still be if let go today. If this group of non-violent people were to be let go, we would instantly end the overcrowding problem in jails and be able to keep thieves, murders, rapist, child molesters and the like in jail long and devote far more police effort to capturing and stopping those violent people that harm society.
However, there are a contractors and sub-contractors building, maintaining, staffing, providing food and other services to prisons who spend considerable money lobbying the government to keep that one segment in jail and to put more of that segment in jail. Sure not having them in jail would save billions, even if you chose to provide treatment for those people the savings would be in the billions (and you would treat more of them), but tax savings doesn’t go the politicians pocket, but lobby money does.
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