nathan jara

So I have a complaint to make. I’m not sure what it’s like these days in the rest of the country, but I’ve come to the conclusion that a good portion of people in western Pennsylvania have lost some fundamental driving principles. It’s amazing. I can’t count the number of times in the past few weeks I’ve encountered others who A. don’t know how to use their turn signal and B. don’t seem to understand the concept of ‘right-of-way.’ I’m not sure if the cars these individuals are driving don’t have turn signals, but if they do, they certainly are too lazy to make an effort to flick the turn signal arm. And when it comes to pulling up to the intersection, these particular drivers don’t realize that whoever is first to the intersection, proceeds through first. Only when two cars arrive at the same time does the person on the right have the ‘right-of-way.’

And just one more thing. Headlights. I am continually amazed that people do not turn on their headlights when it’s raining. First of all, it’s illegal (pg. 66). Second of all, it’s just silly.

Okay. I’m done.

Yesterday, Apple released iOS4 for the iPhone and several generations of the iPod. I hooked up to iTunes and downloaded the latest update last night. I can say that once completed, which took about 5-10 minutes, I was glued to my iPhone for about the next hour :) The update is awesome. New features like folders and multitasking are done very well and are super easy to implement. I think this is something that continues to impress me with Apple products. The UI design of Apple software and operating systems are impeccable and certainly are tailored for the customers ease of use. The new camera zoom feature is nice along with the ability to designate different background wallpaper for your home screen and main menu screens. Actually, this little wallpaper feature is one of my favorite new additions. May sound silly, but having a picture of my choosing in both places is really cool. I think my other favorite new features is app-switching (a.k.a. multitasking) for applications like Pandora. Now I have the ability to continue listening to my internet radio music and switch over to check a message or email and use the iPod music controls to move to the next song or pause. I’m finding new little things here and there as I continue to use the updated OS. I haven’t found much I don’t like yet.

It was also brought to my attention today that with this latest update, Apple additionally made an update to its iTunes privacy policy, inserting a new section which describes that by accepting the new policy, the user agrees to allow Apple and third-party applications to collect specific location information, as CNET describes in more detail, to enhance application services along with marketing and advertising research, of course. The privacy policy update is a little disconcerting, however, as a user I have the ability to deny any applications from sharing my location information at anytime. In my opinion, this is a much better approach than Facebook has taken. Apple has ensured that I have control when a service is using my information, rather than Facebook deciding for me. Now, this is assuming that all of the information that is being reported back has been expressed by Apple. Still though, I guess this is the internet, so I can’t complain too much :P

On another note, here’s an intriguing trailer for next summer…

After several years of wanting to go, I finally made it down to the Three Rivers Arts Festival last night. It was a very nice event. There were many artists from not only the local Pittsburgh area, but also from around the country selling their artwork throughout the downtown area and in Point State Park. The art varied from painting, prints, sketches, drawing, sculpture, photography and fabric work. They also had some good food, of which, I indulged in a most enjoyable Italian sausage sandwich. The only disappointment of the night for me was the live music of Kris Kristofferson. I don’t think that type of music was the best choice for a sunny Friday night, but I guess they didn’t ask me. Overall, I’m definitely glad I went and would recommend you to check it out if you haven’t already or make a point to attend next year. The festival definitely inspired me to get back into art mode and start creating more again. Who knows, maybe I could have my own booth next year.

Since my previous post on the subject, the Facebook wars go on. Zuckerburg and company have updated the Privacy Settings area once again. This time however, I can say that I’m feeling a bit better about the situation. The Facebook team has definitely simplified things. And giving users the option to select predefined settings is nice. Although, there still is buzz and chatter that the social network still hasn’t fixed anything. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens and who makes the next move.

On a more exciting note, Apple announced the iPhone 4 today. I have to say, it looks really sweet. Sleek and thin design, 5MP camera with flash, front-facing camera, high-res display…it is a beautiful device. If only I was eligible to upgrade now…darn. I do have the new OS to look forward to later this month. Multitasking…mmmm.