Speaking from the heart and telling it like it is…

This video is the best review I’ve found (so far) to determine whether you should invest in the latest version of the iPhone.  Also provides a quick overview of some of the new features:

For more information about the iPhone 3G s, read this or this.

I’m a bit late to this party, but I recently stumbled on these two brothers, Hank and Tom, who communicate via video and found myself wanting more (as well as wanting to share some of their dry humor with my readers):

If you haven’t discovered Brotherhood 2.0 and the Vlogbrothers, I recommend your checking them out.

More on them after I figure out what they’re all about…

I’m halfway through the EA Sports Active 30 Day Challenge. So what’s the verdict (in under four minutes)?

Well, it’s true.  I’ve jumped on the bandwagon.  Now into the second week of my “30 Day Challenge” in the EA Sports Active fitness game on Nintendo Wii, I’m still excited to do the workouts.  It’s the first video game fitness program I’ve done that includes days of rest and gives me credit for activities done in the real world (like playing tennis and doing housework).

After popping in the Wii disk, you design a fitness profile so the figure on your television screen looks more or less like you.  Then, with a picture-in-picture type of format, your trainer (you select either a male or female) appears to show you what to do.

My favorite part of EA Sports Active is the variety of activities included in the workouts (like basketball, inline skating and tennis) and the ability to modify the intensity level of each workout.  So, if I’m not up for a high intensity workout, I can dial down the degree and opt for a medium intensity.

Bottom line?

• Includes a good mix of traditional resistance training and Wii sports activities.  This is not a Kathy Smith or Denise Austin old-style aerobics workout.
• Three levels of intensity, so it’s good for beginners as well as more experienced users.
• It brings more of a sporty, active lifestyle into your home workout.
• It’s fun! I enjoy this program enough that I actually make time for the workouts.  I suppose the fact that the workouts average around 25 minutes per session helps quite a bit – it’s just the right amount of time to squeeze into my busy days.

Cons?

• I have yet to do any floor exercises (crunches, push ups, leg lifts, etc.) so my abs are neglected.
• The resistance band seems so weak, I often wonder whether it’s going to snap and break.
• The Wii remote and sensor are less than perfect.  The reps sometimes test my patience.  Timing must be (perhaps unreasonably) precise.

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The following is a guest post by my son, Soapbox Guy (who played the game many more hours than I).  From my perspective, the game was fun and had me working up a sweat but was just a little too…realistic for my liking (I generally don’t like conflict much less whaling on someone’s face or torso).  Bottom line: older teen boys will probably be all over this game.

Here’s the review:

Ready 2 Rumble (Wii) is a fun, invigorating game that is best described as an extremely buffed-up Wii Sports boxing. There are multiple moves, such as the uppercut, hook, jab, etc. There are also heavy versions of all the punches too, which makes it fun to really smash the opponent.

The characters can range from funny to seriously tough.

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My son’s grade school teacher told the students to use technology to present their book talks this quarter. Here’s what he came up with:

It’s for a book called “Simon Bloom – The Gravity Keeper” by Michael Reisman.

He was so excited about the video that he said, “Mom, the trouble is…I think it makes the book look better than it actually was.”

Hey, IMO, if it gets a kid to read a book, that’s all that matters.

Oh, and, yeah, it looked cool. Really cool.

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P.S. Thank goodness for Macs…

AP Photo

Photo by Susana Vera, Reuters

Congratulations Roger Federer!  Beating Rafael Nadal 6-4, 6-4 in Madrid, Federer won his 15th Masters Series title. And, yes, it was on clay.  Go, Roger, go!

The French Open begins on May 25.

Visit Wordless Wednesday HQ here

In a nutshell, here is some information to help you become more informed about the H1N1 virus (aka the swine flu).

Prevention:

• Cover nose & mouth with tissue when coughing/sneezing or around those who are doing same.
• Discard used tissues immediately.
• Wash hands frequently for at least a minute with warm water and soap.
• Use hand sanitizer often.
• Avoid close contact with sick people.
• Avoid touching your mouth, eyes, nose.

Symptoms:

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When I first heard about Amazon’s electronic reader, the Kindle, I was skeptical.  Actually, I was close to being outraged.  I feared Jeff Bezos planned to eventually eradicate traditional printing methods for all books and newspapers.  I hated the idea of reading books on a screen, especially given the inordinate amounts of time I spend looking at computers, iPhones, handhelds and televisions.  Then I tried it.

And fell in love.

My daughter and I devoted one of our family podcasts to the Kindle and the Kindle 2 and I taped a webcast about the Kindle 2 and the iPhone Kindle app.  This blog post is not about the attributes of the Kindle, rather it’s about my recent discovery of a necessary accessory for the Kindle 2: a carrying case.

Unlike the original Kindle, the Kindle 2 arrives to you with no carrying case.

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