The Geekly Reader

This week, Apple made it official and announced an iPad event will take place on March 7th.  I could go over all of the "rumors" about what will be new and improved, but that can be found online quite easily.  The one "rumor" I will mention; many agree that a new, super-high resolution "retina" display will be included on the newest iPads (much like those in the current iPhones). So, as with any new release by Apple, the question to ask is what current iPad 2 owners will/should do.   Time has a little piece about the increase of iPad 2 tablets hitting the resale market.   I own the iPad 2, yet I never purchased the first edition.  I really love my iPad2 and use it for a number of tasks.  My wife and kids love it as well.  It is very easy to use for all ages (my youngest is almost five and he is a pro with the tablet).  I do not see myself buying this new iPad right away.  My version is working fine and I really do not want to deal with selling it on the

I am still working on my February 2012 Read of the Month .  As of this morning I have completed 300 pages out of 474 of Laura Hillenbrand's Unbroken.   I love the book, but I do not think I will be able to finish by the end of the month.  February has just been a busy month at home and work.  Believe me my slow pace is not because I am not enjoying the book.  This tale of Louis Zamperini's survival after being shot down during World War II has been amazing.  I have read some complaints about the long, drawn out introduction (pre-plane crash chapters).  I would agree if it were not for my own track and field background.  Most of the early chapters present background information of Zamperini (including his Olympic track and field career).  I enjoyed most of the early chapters because of my track and field background.  I will agree that the build-up to the crash adds quite a bit of length to the book.  I hope to have a complete review put together by next weekend.

After enjoying a pazcki or two on Fat Tuesday it was time for me to start narrowing down some sacrifices to make for Lent.  As a "some-what" practicing Catholic I try to give up something each year.  In the past I have given up some of my common vices/bad habits (video games, pop and fast food to name a few).  When it came time to pick something this year a few of my gadgets/favorite websites popped into my head for a few minutes.  They were all quickly rejected, as I probably had no chance of making a week, not to mention forty days without use.  A few thoughts: My iPhone:  No way, I use this everyday.  It is my calendar, contact list and the only device that connects all of my email accounts.  I actually rarely use it to talk with anyone, as I prefer to text or email.  Chance of successfully making through Lent = 0%  My iPad:  Slight possibility for the iPad to work, but I'm using it read a book that I am really enjoying right now.  I would not want to stop reading

As February draws to a close I am proud to announce that the Guest Readers from Carlson High School will be making visits to Chapman and Parsons Elementary Schools next month.  Two teams of students have already signed up to make trips to the elementary schools to read.  Students will once again read to small groups of kindergartners through third graders in each building.  When  our Literacy Team visited Chapman Elementary in the fall  the event was a huge success.  I am positive our spring visit will be a success as well. We have some new features for our visit in March.  Along with our student readers, some special guests will be joining in our reading.  I have contacted representatives from the Rockwood Fire and Police Departments to join us and read at Chapman Elementary.  I have also contacted a representative from the Gibraltar Police Department to read with us at Parsons.  Once again, each student will be provided with a gift at the end of the visit. The Carlson High Sch

Fans of The Geekly Reader  know how much I love "Top....." lists.  I tend to write about them often.  They are usually a great topics because everyone has an opinion on a "Top...." list.  Well, I have a new list for everyone today.   Scholastic Parent and Child Magazine  has narrowed down their list of popular books for children to  their top 100 books for children.   The interactive list is very user-friendly.  Readers able to filter the one hundred titles by age group and genre.  Readers are also able to highlight award winners as well.  Select any title from the list and an image of the book appears along with a brief summary providing background information about the book.  I really enjoy this list, one of the best "Top" lists I have ever visited. Now, onto the list itself.  I really like that the list includes a wide range of titles.  New and old titles, as well as titles aimed at infants through teens.  The list has a little bit of everything for a

Earlier this month  I wrote about how excited I was to take my son Nate  to see Star Wars Episode 1 The Phantom Menace  in 3D.  Well that wait is over.  Nate had been counting down the days for our outing this entire week; so yesterday my father Nick, Nate and I all made our way to Emagine Woodhaven to watch the movie.  This was a very special trip for me because I was able to enjoy the movie with both my son and my father.  Although Nate has watched our Blu-ray copy of the movie numerous times in the past month, he was still very excited about experiencing the movie on the big screen. I realize there are many movie-goers that dislike Episode 1.  On the movie review site  Rotten Tomatoes  there is an even split of opinion of the film.   Time  recently published 10 Things We Still (Kinda) Hate  about Episode 1 (some of which I agree with).  Whatever your opinion of  The Star Wars  franchise you can not deny the popularity of the George Lucas creations.  There are numerous toys, films,

Well, what is this year's killer app you ask?  According to Mark. W. Smith in the Detroit Free Press it is pen and paper.   What?  Pen and paper?  Is he crazy?  Actually in my opinion the answer is no.  For as much as I love my gadgets and technology, I still love to actually write using pen/pencil and paper.  In my work bag I actually carry three different notebooks/journals for writing.  One is personal journal that I have been writing in for years.  I am currently using it to complete journal entries that I am assigning to my writing class at Wayne County Community College.  I figure if I am asking my students to write at least three times a week I can do the same.  I also have two different "idea" journals that I use to jot down thoughts, ideas, quotes or anything else that pops into my head.  One is large, while another is smaller so I can take it anywhere. Field Notes is a Popular Notebook Company Notebooks are becoming quite popular for many that still enjo

In early January I finally updated my main television to a new, slim LED set.  I also upgraded my DVD player to Blu-Ray and purchased my first BluRay set of movies: The Complete Star Wars collection.   Since early January my son and I have been watching the George Lucas classics over and over again.  We think the movies are amazing (although many do not, read some of the reviews on Amazon....ouch).  While I consider myself a fan, I am not a crazy fan-boy, so the color of Vader's lightsaber or explosions really do not sway my enjoyment of the films.  I am just really impressed with the picture and sound quality via the Blu-Ray experience and my new television. Nate Obi Wan Ready to Battle Darth Maul While I love watching the movies myself, I also love that I can pass along my childhood love of the Star Wars films to my own son.  Lately, if we are not watching the movies we are playing Lego Starwars on the Wii or messing around with the combination of my old Star Wars toys and

No, I do not mean making calls safely.  I mean keeping your actual phone safe.  I have a question for all of you smartphone users out there?  Do you use a case?  Or do you prefer to let your phone go "naked" with no case.  I recently read an interesting post over at gadget/tech blog Gizmodo discussing letting your phone go "naked."   The entry provides a number of reasons to let your phone run case - free. I have always used a case ever since I purchased my first iPhone a few years ago.  Investing nearly $200 into a new phone with a glass screen was a huge risk in my book.  I am usually pretty careful with my gadgets, but I have dropped my phone a few times (the case has the cracks to prove it).  Since AT&T (and most carriers) require a two year contract renewal to get the best price on a phone it can be quite a risk going case-less.  My biggest fear was walking around with an iPhone with a shattered glass screen. I Cringe When Thinking About My Phone Look