Ordinarily Skilled

MOTOROKR S9-HD: Meh.

2009-06-20T12:02:00.004-05:00

One of the features that really got me excited about the Cupcake update (also known as Android 1.5) for my T-Mobile G1 was (finally!) support for stereo Bluetooth. What did this mean? No longer would I have to listen to music on my phone through wired headphones that I had to plug in through an adapter cord -- the G1 lacks a stereo headphone jack, so you have to plug your headphones into a cord that then plugs into the mini USB port in the bottom of the phone.

So I was eager to get the Motorola MOTOROKR S9-HD wireless hi-def Bluetooth headphones. There's some good and some bad about them. First, the good. They sound really good, most of the time, both for listening to music and for phone calls. Especially the bass. And they seem pretty durable. I wouldn't let your dog loose on them or anything, but I'd feel comfortable throwing them in your backpack with a bunch of other things. The buttons work pretty well for controlling playback and answering calls.

Now the bad. Note that, I said they sound good "most of the time." The key word here is "most." Unfortunately, I did notice a couple of glitches. First, while the range of the headphones is supposed to be 33 feet, I noticed that if I moved more than about 10 feet from my phone, the audio would cut out...a lot. That would be ok (how often would I listen to music more than 10 feet from my phone?), but it also cut out every now and then even when I was only about 2-3 feet from my phone (i.e., the phone was sitting on the table next to me). The other glitch I noticed was that songs seemed to slow down and speed up during playback -- it was as if either the data rate of data going from the phone to the headphones was inconsistent or the processor inside the headphones couldn't quite handle the streaming audio data. I'm thinking (hoping?) it's the former.

One more thing -- if your head is of an appreciable size like mine is, you might find these headphones uncomfortable. I found that the speakers fit snugly in my ears -- as long as I kept my head relatively still. If I turned my head, however, the back of my head would push the back of the headphones, causing the speakers to slip out of my ears. I don't think they'd ever actually come off of my head, but my listening experience was affected. This isn't Motorola's fault -- I acknowledge that my head is pretty large, maybe even abnormally large, and that this type of form factor just won't work for me.

I think these headphones would be just about perfect if the Bluetooth were improved for more consistent data transfer between the phone and the headphones. It could be my phone, but I doubt it -- my phone works very well with my Plantronics headset. Ultimately, I decided to bring them back to the store.

J is for Giraffe!

2008-04-07T13:18:00.001-05:00

My daughter just opened her new Fisher-Price Little People A to Z Learning Zoo. She's having lots of fun with it, but I noticed some weird animals among the menagerie. For instance, U is for Uriel, apparently a ram like creature. This one is just wrong...

What's Your Theological Worldview?

2008-04-01T12:31:00.001-05:00

What's your theological worldview?
created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Classical Liberal

You are a classical liberal. You are sceptical about much of the historicity of the Bible, and the most important thing Jesus has done is to set us a good moral example that we are to follow. Doctrines like the trinity and the incarnation are speculative and not really important, and in the face of science and philosophy the surest way we can be certain about God is by our inner awareness of him. Discipleship is expressed by good moral behaviour, but inward religious feeling is most important.

Classical Liberal

96%

Emergent/Postmodern

86%

Modern Liberal

82%

Roman Catholic

79%

Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan

71%

Neo orthodox

46%

Reformed Evangelical

21%

Charismatic/Pentecostal

Fundamentalist

What American Accent Do You Have?

2008-02-28T12:44:00.001-06:00

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Inland North You may think you speak "Standard English straight out of the dictionary" but when you step away from the Great Lakes you get asked annoying questions like "Are you from Wisconsin?" or "Are you from Chicago?" Chances are you call carbonated drinks "pop."
The Midland
The South
Philadelphia
North Central
The Northeast
The West
Boston
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

Neutral Good

2007-08-06T12:03:00.000-05:00

Your Score: Neutral-Good

64% Good, 54% Chaotic

Plane of Existence: Elysium, "Blessed Fields". Description: The plane of peace. Notable Inhabitants: Guardinals - noble immortal humanoids with bestial features.

Examples of Neutral-Goods (Ethically Neutral, Morally Good)

Cloud Strife (FFVII)

Boogenhagen (FFVII)

Mother Theresa

Ghandi

Sidhartha Gautama (the Buddha)

Gandalf

Bilbo & Frodo Baggins

Samwise Gamgee

Indiana Jones

The Dali Lama

Ben (O-Bi-Wan) Kenobi

Luke Skywalker

Harry Potter

Hermionie

Dumbledore

Often goes along with the laws and desires of the group as being the easiest course of action, but ethical considerations clearly have top priority. May pursue quite abstract goals. Often aloof and difficult to understand.

Will keep their word to others of good alignment

Would not attack an unarmed foe

Will not use poison

Will help those in need

May work with others

Indifferent to higher authority

Indifferent to organizations

Neutral Good "Pure Good"

"Benefactor"

A neutral good [person] will obey the law, or break it when he or she sees it will serve a greater good. He or she is not bound strongly to a social system or order. His or her need to help others and reduce their suffering may take precedence over all else. Neutral good [people] do good for goodness' sake, not because they are directed to by law or by whim.

This alignment desires good without bias for or against order.

Other Alignments and Tendencies (Tendenices are what you would more often sway towards; esp. for Neutrals):

0-39% Good, 0-39% Chaotic: Lawful-Evil

0-39% Good, 40-60% Chaotic: Neutral-Evil

0-39% Good, 61-100% Chaotic: Chaotic-Evil

40-60% Good, 0-39% Chaotic: Lawful-Neutral

40-60% Good, 40-60% Chaotic: True Neutral

40-60% Good, 61-100% Chaotic: Chaotic-Neutral

61-100% Good, 0-39% Chaotic: Lawful-Good

61-100% Good, 61-100% Chaotic: Chaotic-Good

Link: The Alignment Test written by xan81 on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

Aquarius Sun, Pisces Moon

2007-07-13T11:20:00.000-05:00

I am utterly amazed by how well this profile (from astrology-numerology.com) describes me.

11-12 Aquarius/Pisces
The combination of your Sun sign and your Moon sign produces a mind that is very original and able to grasp the most vague, ethereal and extreme concepts. The blend mixes friendliness, originality and independence of Aquarius with the emotional sensitivity and imagination of Pisces. You are a person who is naturally persevering and conscientious, being interested in detail, method and order. Your way of reacting to the world is very interesting. You can spend days just dreaming and speculating. You are fascinated by the unusual and the abstract, finding it interesting to take up studies in any number of bazaar topics. Loving to read and study, you may become very well informed on a wide variety of subjects. You lean heavily on your hunches and way out ideas, and you're easily distracted from routine work. You dream a lot and you have an utter faith in the dreams you dream. Your mind can get so far afield on some vaguely related tangent that you may even forget what the task at hand originally was. Your perceptions are so vividly acute that it is often not practical to pay attention to all of them. You live a private life of your own, into which few others ever penetrate. A keen imagination or a sort of mental vision allows you to be good money-maker in a variety of fields; you seem to be able to intuitively realize possibilities and take advantage of them. You success relies on talent and intelligence since you don't project a particularly strong leadership personality. There is a tendency for you to let things drift. At times you should display a more forceful will, but by and large you develop a very pronounced prudence and sense of caution. You can benefit in overcoming or controlling a tendency to accept things in a passive way, or in being too friendly and obliging if others incline to take advantage of your good nature.

What's Your Political Persuasion?

2007-05-07T17:02:00.001-05:00

You Are a Liberal Republican

When you tell people that you're Republican, they rarely believe you.

That's because you're socially liberal - likely pro-choice and pro-gay rights.

You're also not so afraid of big goverment, as long as it benefits people and not politicians.

You are the most likely of any Republican type to swing over to the Democrat side sometimes.

What's Your Political Persuasion?

How Intuitive Are You?

2007-05-07T16:59:00.001-05:00

You Are 72% Intuitive

You are a very intuitive person. And luckily, your intuition is normally right.

You're wise enough to know that relying on intuition alone can be dangerous.

When your intuition seems really off, you tend to ignore it - and look at the facts instead.

How Intuitive Are You?

How's Your Taste in Music?

2007-05-07T16:57:00.001-05:00

Your Taste in Music:

80's Pop: High Influence

Adult Alternative: High Influence

90's Pop: Medium Influence

90's Rock: Medium Influence

Ska: Medium Influence

How's Your Taste in Music?

What Modern U.S. President are You?

2007-05-07T16:54:00.001-05:00

REALLY?!?

You Are Most Like George W. Bush

So what if you're not exactly popular? You still rule the free world.

And while you may be quite conservative now, you knew how to party back in the day!

What Modern US President Are You Most Like?

What Temperament are You?

2007-05-07T16:50:00.001-05:00

You Have a Phlegmatic Temperament

Mild mannered and laid back, you take life at a slow pace.

You are very consistent - both in emotions and actions.

You tend to absorb set backs easily. You are cool and collected.

It is difficult to offend you. You can remain composed and unemotional.

You are a great friend and lover. You don't demand much of others.

While you are quiet, you have a subtle wit that your friends know well.

At your worst, you are lazy and unwilling to work at anything.

You often get stuck in a rut, without aspirations or dreams.

You can get too dependent on others, setting yourself up for abandonment.

What Temperment Are You?

How's Your Vocabulary?

2007-05-07T16:48:00.001-05:00

Your Vocabulary Score: A+

Congratulations on your multifarious vocabulary!

You must be quite an erudite person.

How's Your Vocabulary?

I'm a Child of the '80s!

2007-05-07T16:46:00.000-05:00

You Are 68% A Child of the 80s

Not only did you experience the 80s... you are practically an expert.

You should be totally stoked!

Are You a Child of an 80s?

Worst. Horoscope. Evar.

2007-01-30T16:39:00.000-06:00

Ok, so my Google homepage features a daily horoscope from tarot.com (I'm an Aquarius, by the way). Usually I look forward to reading them, even though I don't really believe in them -- I do find that my personality is very Aquarian, but I don't put a lot of stock in predictive astrology.

Still. Today's horoscope is pretty depressing:

"You may be despondent today for no apparent reason. The Sun's conjunction with Chiron in your sign can bring the failures of humanity into your life in such a way that you feel personally responsible. Consider that your eagerness to take on global issues may just be a way to avoid more personal ones. You have the potential to break through old patterns, but it may have to start with remembering an unpleasant aspect of your past."

Actually, I don't feel particularly despondent today, and I haven't really contemplated the failures of humanity today, let alone felt personally responsible for them. Given my horoscope today, I'm downright upbeat!

Spiritual Survey: What Type Are You?

2007-01-10T11:33:00.000-06:00

The following is explorefaith.org's analysis of my spiritual type based on a survey I took at the above link. I have to say it's pretty accurate, at least in my case. Though, I would say that, while I struggle with traditional patterns of faith, traditional patterns of prayer -- i.e., liturgy -- tend to resonate very deeply with me.
--
Seekers are people who naturally connect with the Holy One through questioning. They have a healthy skepticism that makes it easy for them to explore different opinions, understandings, and experiences of faith. They do not feel the need to accept traditional faith patterns in order to come to a lively trust in God. They do not feel that faith needs to be categorized or institutionalized in order to be real. Inconsistencies and mystery are not daunting to them, but they sometimes find it hard to recognize God in ready-made answers to questions of faith. They seek to relate to the Holy One through exploration and journey. They tend to pray with hopefulness rather than certainty in God’s response. If they were to meet God face to face, they would want to ask God questions.

The woman who met Jesus by a well near her town exemplifies the qualities of a seeker. She was courageous in speaking with Jesus — a male who was outside her tradition — and she even boldly challenged Jesus when he questioned her about her faith and life. Though she was on a path of trying to find and live spiritual truth, she was humble enough to accept new truth when it was revealed to her.

If you are a seeker you may find spiritual meaning through asking questions and testing the normally accepted assumptions about God and faith. As a seeker looking for truth, the journey will be as important to you as the destination. You may be encouraged in your seeking by going to explorefaith.org’s Questions of Faith and Doubt and What Are You Asking?. Other material of interest could include explorefaith.org books such as Blowing the Lid off the God-box and Beyond Words: Fifteen Ways of Doing Prayer, and articles introducing new ways of perceiving, such as those on Ram Dass, Jewish Spirituality, A World of Prayers, and Inside the Soul, about using dreams and the unconscious to connect with God.

Seekers may struggle more with traditional patterns of prayer and faith. Praying the Hours and reading daily Signpost devotions may be surprise tonics for your soul.

What season are you?

2007-01-03T23:47:00.001-06:00

You Belong in Winter

Quiet, calm, and totally at peace...
You're happy to be at home, wrapped in a blanket, completely snowed in
Whether you're lighting a fire or having a snowball fight, you always feel best in the winter.

What Season Are You?

What kind of intelligence do you have?

2007-01-03T23:36:00.000-06:00

Your Dominant Intelligence is Linguistic Intelligence

You are excellent with words and language. You explain yourself well.
An elegant speaker, you can converse well with anyone on the fly.
You are also good at remembering information and convicing someone of your point of view.
A master of creative phrasing and unique words, you enjoy expanding your vocabulary.

You would make a fantastic poet, journalist, writer, teacher, lawyer, politician, or translator.

What Kind of Intelligence Do You Have?

What's Your Thinking Style?

2007-01-03T17:41:00.001-06:00

Your Dominant Thinking Style: Exploring

You thrive on the unknown and unpredictable. Novelty is your middle name.
You are a challenger. You tend to challenge common assumptions and beliefs.

An expert inventor and problem solver, you approach everything from new angles.
You show people how to question their models of the world.

What's Your Thinking Style?

How Normal Are You?

2007-01-03T17:37:00.001-06:00

You Are 50% Normal

While some of your behavior is quite normal...
Other things you do are downright strange
You've got a little of your freak going on
But you mostly keep your weirdness to yourself

How Normal Are You?

What Color is Your Aura?

2006-12-29T00:49:00.001-06:00

Your Aura is Blue

Spiritual and calm, you tend to live a quiet but enriching life.
You are very giving of yourself. And it's hard for you to let go of relationships.

The purpose of your life: showing love to other people

Famous blues include: Angelina Jolie, the Dali Lama, Oprah

Careers for you to try: Psychic, Peace Corps Volunteer, Counselor

What Color Is Your Aura?

What's Your Element?

2006-11-15T14:42:00.001-06:00

Your Element Is Air

You dislike conflict, and you've been able to rise above the angst of the world.
And when things don't go your way, you know they'll blow over quickly.

Easygoing, you tend to find joy from the simple things in life.
You roll with the punches, and as a result, your life is light and cheerful.

You find it easy to adapt to most situations, and you're an open person.
With you, what you see is what you get... and people love that!

What's Your Element?

What's Your Personality Type?

2006-11-15T00:12:00.001-06:00

You Are An INFP

The Idealist

You are creative with a great imagination, living in your own inner world.
Open minded and accepting, you strive for harmony in your important relationships.
It takes a long time for people to get to know you. You are hesitant to let people get close.
But once you care for someone, you do everything you can to help them grow and develop.

You would make an excellent writer, psychologist, or artist.

What's Your Personality Type?

What Time of Day Are You?

2006-11-14T23:48:00.000-06:00

You Are Midnight

You are more than a little eccentric, and you're apt to keep very unusual habits.
Whether you're a nightowl, living in a commune, or taking a vow of silence - you like to experiment with your lifestyle.
Expressing your individuality is important to you, and you often lie awake in bed thinking about the world and your place in it.
You enjoy staying home, but that doesn't mean you're a hermit. You also appreciate quality time with family and close friends.

What Time Of Day Are You?

Baptism

2006-11-14T23:13:00.000-06:00

This past Sunday, my daughters were baptised at Gethsemane Episcopal Church in downtown Minneapolis. One of the things that really struck me was that Madison, my four-year-old, seemed to really understand what was happening. Granted, she can't offer an opinion yet on baptismal regeneration, but she understood that what was happening was not just water being poured on her head. She understood that she was taking part in an initiation, that she was formally joining the Christian family. And she understood that her chrismation symbolised her being marked as Christ's own, forever. I'll never forget when, on the way home, she told me that the cross that was traced on her forehead was invisible, but that it would be there forever.

Wow.