The Incumbent: Weather
A pretty and simple Weather app came installed on my iPhone when I bought it, which I used happily to check the temperature and see if I need rain gear before leaving my apartment for the day. That is, I did so until winter. In winter I need to know more than whether or not I expect snow. I need to know how much.
I decided to download the most popular, free weather apps. The contenders: AccuWeather, The Weather Channel, WeatherBug, WeatherEye, Weather+ Free, and Weather HD. All of them display the current temperature and conditions when you first open the app. All of them have a 6-14 day forecast with temperature and expected conditions. So, the bottom line question is...
How much snow will we get?
Weather: Does not predict the amount of precipitation.
AccuWeather: Predicts inches of precipitation on the front page which does not match that in the forecast. The number on the front page seems to be for the inches of precipitation this hour, but I'm honestly unsure.
WeatherBug: Reports inches of rain so far today on the front page, and predicts inches of rain, snow, or ice in the written forecast.
WeatherEye: Predicts inches of rain and inches of snow on the short term forecast. It remembers which tab was open when you closed the app, so your favorite becomes the front page.
Weather+: Shows inches of precipitation on the front page. Personally, I don't know how inches of precipitation relates to inches of snow. Is it relative to what type of precipitation is falling?
Weather HD: Does not predict the amount of precipitation.
The Weather Channel: Predicts inches of snow in the 36 hour forecast.
There's a winter weather advisory for freezing rain over night into tomorrow morning. What information does each app give me?
Weather: Does not mention the advisory or predict accumulation.
AccuWeather: Shows a red exclamation point on the front page which loads the advisory in a web page. The forecast tab predicts 0.4in of precipitation.
WeatherBug: Shows an active alert on the front page which displays the advisory in-app. The forecast predicts up to an inch of snow tonight, with up to one-tenth of an inch of ice by morning.
WeatherEye: Shows a red alert ticker which loads the weather conditions (same as the app front page) in a web page and has another link to the weather advisory. Forecast predicts 0.04in of rain tonight with 0.2in rain and 0.4-1.2in snow by morning.
Weather+: Does not mention the advisory. Forecast predicts 0.12in of precipitation for tomorrow.
This bugged me, because the hourly forecast shows it raining pretty much all day. Sure enough, when I click the hours showing precipitation, one says 0.0in of precipitation (heavy freezing drizzle), another 0.28in of precipitation (moderate rain), next 0.12in of precipitation (moderate rain), and last 0.0in of precipitation (light rain shower).
Weather HD: Does not mention the advisory or predict accumulation.
The Weather Channel: The Severe tab lists active advisories which open in-app. Forecast predicts wintery mix tonight, freezing rain in the morning, and rain all day tomorrow, but does not predict accumulations.
Conclusion
I downloaded these apps at the beginning of winter and have been using The Weather Channel for the past few months, but after my in depth comparison, I think I'll switch to AccuWeather. WeatherBug probably presents the best information in the most simple way, but I have a personal vendetta against WeatherBug for "infecting" PCs with AdWare for my entire professional career. I would have picked WeatherEye if the severe weather advisory had loaded in-app with a single click, because I like the presentation and love that it remembers what tab I'm on when I quit. It's like it knows me.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Musical Review: La Dauphine, "Shh..."
Hey party people. We're taking a break from the human behavior project because, well, I'm stuck. The next two characters are introverts and it's hard to write about what they're thinking as they stare at each other, silently.
Anyway, I popped on to Twitter briefly for one of my hit and run tweeting sessions, and caught a post from @cburnham mentioning the release to iTunes of Shh... (The Acoustic Tracks) by La Dauphine, which I promptly bought and downloaded. I've been waiting some time.
I became aware of La Dauphine on Twitter, from where I know her also as Faith, which is easier to type, so I'm switching to that for the rest of the article.
iTunes calls it an album, but it's only four tracks. I'm not sure if that's technically a single or an EP. Regardless, it's beautiful. Let me elaborate.
First up, "Marie, Je T'aime." My initial reaction was, "This is catchy." I should mention that each track is composed of a piano and Faith's voice. The piano is full, I guess, is how I want to describe it. There's a lot of motion in the bass notes, she's (I presume it's her playing, I should ask) playing full chords as well as touching on the melody. It's not unique, I guess, but it is moving. As I type I'm listening and I am thinking, "Is it like Jerry Lee Lewis? No, more melodic, less cookie cutter. Tori Amos? Similar, less brooding, fewer treble runs. Evanescence? Amy Lee's piano is also very full and energetic, but it's still not exactly the same," and so on. Can you tell I'm a sucker for piano rock and strong female vocals?
Speaking of, next up is, "Superhuman." Where as "Je T'aime" starts with La Dauphine singing immediately, "Superhuman," starts with a slow, quiet piano solo, which builds dramatically over the first thirty seconds, the note is held, and the voice enters... the first time I heard it the air literally left my lungs. Even now I've heard it maybe a dozen times and I still have goose bumps. If I learn tomorrow that Faith has studied opera I will nod and mutter, "That 'splains it." "Superhuman," is far and away my favorite track, and builds in me excitement to hear some of the 40 as-yet-unreleased tracks she's teased me with on Twitter.
Moving on to, "Enough." It feels like Faith is KISSing (Keeping It Simple S...) here. On "Enough," the lyrics rule. I want you to listen to it, so I'm not going to discuss it too much. She describes thoughts we all have and an evolution of the narrator's character that we will all identify with and does it without digressing into cookie cutter phrases and stale cliches (thanks for that).
Finally, "Letters to the King." I may be reading into the lyrics, but I believe this song ties up a cohesive story which runs through all four songs. When you hear it, you will relate to the swelling and crashing emotion that resolves with quiet determination: at once sad, but hopeful.
Most importantly, Faith is obviously capable of many mind blowing piano and especially vocal stunts, but unlike too many artists, she is not compelled to add them to every song and reserves them for profound emphasis. Well done!
Look, it's $4. Skip the latte frappaccino and download the thing. Tell your friends. It will brighten your day. It did mine.
Anyway, I popped on to Twitter briefly for one of my hit and run tweeting sessions, and caught a post from @cburnham mentioning the release to iTunes of Shh... (The Acoustic Tracks) by La Dauphine, which I promptly bought and downloaded. I've been waiting some time.
 |
| Shh... (Image used without permission. Link to source.) |
iTunes calls it an album, but it's only four tracks. I'm not sure if that's technically a single or an EP. Regardless, it's beautiful. Let me elaborate.
First up, "Marie, Je T'aime." My initial reaction was, "This is catchy." I should mention that each track is composed of a piano and Faith's voice. The piano is full, I guess, is how I want to describe it. There's a lot of motion in the bass notes, she's (I presume it's her playing, I should ask) playing full chords as well as touching on the melody. It's not unique, I guess, but it is moving. As I type I'm listening and I am thinking, "Is it like Jerry Lee Lewis? No, more melodic, less cookie cutter. Tori Amos? Similar, less brooding, fewer treble runs. Evanescence? Amy Lee's piano is also very full and energetic, but it's still not exactly the same," and so on. Can you tell I'm a sucker for piano rock and strong female vocals?
Speaking of, next up is, "Superhuman." Where as "Je T'aime" starts with La Dauphine singing immediately, "Superhuman," starts with a slow, quiet piano solo, which builds dramatically over the first thirty seconds, the note is held, and the voice enters... the first time I heard it the air literally left my lungs. Even now I've heard it maybe a dozen times and I still have goose bumps. If I learn tomorrow that Faith has studied opera I will nod and mutter, "That 'splains it." "Superhuman," is far and away my favorite track, and builds in me excitement to hear some of the 40 as-yet-unreleased tracks she's teased me with on Twitter.
Moving on to, "Enough." It feels like Faith is KISSing (Keeping It Simple S...) here. On "Enough," the lyrics rule. I want you to listen to it, so I'm not going to discuss it too much. She describes thoughts we all have and an evolution of the narrator's character that we will all identify with and does it without digressing into cookie cutter phrases and stale cliches (thanks for that).
Finally, "Letters to the King." I may be reading into the lyrics, but I believe this song ties up a cohesive story which runs through all four songs. When you hear it, you will relate to the swelling and crashing emotion that resolves with quiet determination: at once sad, but hopeful.
Most importantly, Faith is obviously capable of many mind blowing piano and especially vocal stunts, but unlike too many artists, she is not compelled to add them to every song and reserves them for profound emphasis. Well done!
Look, it's $4. Skip the latte frappaccino and download the thing. Tell your friends. It will brighten your day. It did mine.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Human Behavior: Danielle Interviews Isabelle
Danielle Davis sits bolt upright—her cellphone laid clock facing up on a table for two in a cafe downtown—and glares at the entrance. The clock reads 10:02 AM. Her tailored, navy-blue, wool business suit shouts, “I mean business!” A simple but distinctive necklace made of large silver links interrupted periodically by topaz tiles that match her eyes almost exactly hangs down to her waist. With her white silk blouse buttoned nearly to her neck, only the drape of the necklace reveals the contour of her gym sculpted body. Her straight, brown, shoulder length hair is pinned behind her ear, from which a long, twisted, silver triangle dangles. She commands attention.
Isabelle Ibanez enters clumsily. Her phone is pinned between her cheek and shoulder. Her huge, red, unfastened, patent-leather bag flees her shoulder, presumably chasing its contents; some of which have already escaped. She’s waving to someone through the shop window as a man who was passing by stoops to collect her wayward belongings. Dani wonders for a moment how Issy’s big, curly blond hair fit through the door before she remembers how angry she is. Issy smooths her white cotton skirt printed with large flowers in primary colors before taking her seat at Dani’s table; her numerous pieces of jewelry clinking merrily as she does so. Her yellow blazer barely constrains the ruffled blouse beneath. She may not be as svelte as the day she bought this outfit. She attracts attention.
“Hi! Danielle? It’s so good to finally meet you!”
“You’re late,” Danielle almost shouts through her clenched teeth. She tilts her phone-clock toward Issy without breaking eye contact.
“Oh, it took forever to find a parking spot, and then I got a phone call...” Issy begins; she was obviously about to launch into a lengthy and dramatic recounting of her commute.
“Let’s get started,” Dani interrupts. “You’ve applied for a sales position. I’ve already called your references. They agree that your best asset is your relationship with your clients.”
Issy ejaculates, “Oh, yes! I have hundreds of clients! I love them! Each one is my very best friend!”
Dani grimaces as she decides not to mention that one can have only one best friend. She proceeds, “Can you tell me the average gross sales of all 87 of your accounts?”
“Oh, no. I don’t worry about that stuff. Somebody else does it.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know. I think it's one of those quiet people that work in the back of the office. Do you know they have no windows?! They always look sad.”
Dani’s seething is evident to everyone within earshot, except Issy, whose hazel eyes are darting around the cafe at the other patrons. “Am I keeping you?” Danielle asks, annoyed.
“No! Why?!”
“Never mind. Are you saying that you don’t track your daily and weekly achievements against your monthly goal?” Dani is visibly disgusted.
Issy seems confused, “I make as many friends as I can every day, and when they like me they introduce me to their friends. When I tell them I’m an account rep they always want to buy from me, because they like me!” She straightens in her chair, obviously proud of being so well liked that her bills are paid, as if by magic.
“I see. I have to be honest. We expect our sales reps to be organized and meet or exceed their quotas. We really don’t pay people to ‘make friends.’ We aren’t looking for friends, we are looking for sales.”
“If you don’t have friends, who do you sell to?”
“Our clients.”
“But, they aren’t clients until after they like you, are they?” Suddenly, Issy seems less like a clown, and more like an eccentric genius, but Dani is not about to share that with her. “Where did you get it, by the way?”
“Get what?” Now Dani is confused and wondering how she lost control of the conversation so quickly.
“That lovely necklace! I absolutely love it! I have to say, you looked a little uptight sitting here, but now that I’m close enough to see your necklace, I feel like I found your inner party girl! I can’t wait until we work together so we can go to happy hour and break the boys’ hearts!”
Dani finds herself unable to suppress her smile entirely, letting slip a Mona Lisa like grin. “Oh, I picked it up at a house party one of the girls in the office threw last year. You really like it?”
Isabelle Ibanez enters clumsily. Her phone is pinned between her cheek and shoulder. Her huge, red, unfastened, patent-leather bag flees her shoulder, presumably chasing its contents; some of which have already escaped. She’s waving to someone through the shop window as a man who was passing by stoops to collect her wayward belongings. Dani wonders for a moment how Issy’s big, curly blond hair fit through the door before she remembers how angry she is. Issy smooths her white cotton skirt printed with large flowers in primary colors before taking her seat at Dani’s table; her numerous pieces of jewelry clinking merrily as she does so. Her yellow blazer barely constrains the ruffled blouse beneath. She may not be as svelte as the day she bought this outfit. She attracts attention.
“Hi! Danielle? It’s so good to finally meet you!”
“Oh, it took forever to find a parking spot, and then I got a phone call...” Issy begins; she was obviously about to launch into a lengthy and dramatic recounting of her commute.
“Let’s get started,” Dani interrupts. “You’ve applied for a sales position. I’ve already called your references. They agree that your best asset is your relationship with your clients.”
Issy ejaculates, “Oh, yes! I have hundreds of clients! I love them! Each one is my very best friend!”
Dani grimaces as she decides not to mention that one can have only one best friend. She proceeds, “Can you tell me the average gross sales of all 87 of your accounts?”
“Oh, no. I don’t worry about that stuff. Somebody else does it.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know. I think it's one of those quiet people that work in the back of the office. Do you know they have no windows?! They always look sad.”
Dani’s seething is evident to everyone within earshot, except Issy, whose hazel eyes are darting around the cafe at the other patrons. “Am I keeping you?” Danielle asks, annoyed.
“No! Why?!”
“Never mind. Are you saying that you don’t track your daily and weekly achievements against your monthly goal?” Dani is visibly disgusted.
Issy seems confused, “I make as many friends as I can every day, and when they like me they introduce me to their friends. When I tell them I’m an account rep they always want to buy from me, because they like me!” She straightens in her chair, obviously proud of being so well liked that her bills are paid, as if by magic.
“I see. I have to be honest. We expect our sales reps to be organized and meet or exceed their quotas. We really don’t pay people to ‘make friends.’ We aren’t looking for friends, we are looking for sales.”
“If you don’t have friends, who do you sell to?”
“Our clients.”
“But, they aren’t clients until after they like you, are they?” Suddenly, Issy seems less like a clown, and more like an eccentric genius, but Dani is not about to share that with her. “Where did you get it, by the way?”
“Get what?” Now Dani is confused and wondering how she lost control of the conversation so quickly.
“That lovely necklace! I absolutely love it! I have to say, you looked a little uptight sitting here, but now that I’m close enough to see your necklace, I feel like I found your inner party girl! I can’t wait until we work together so we can go to happy hour and break the boys’ hearts!”
Dani finds herself unable to suppress her smile entirely, letting slip a Mona Lisa like grin. “Oh, I picked it up at a house party one of the girls in the office threw last year. You really like it?”
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Human Behavior: Game Plan
Since posting about human behavior recently I have struggled with how to present the material. I have decided to invent a cast of fictitious characters and write soap opera style stories about how they interact with each other.
If all goes well, you and I will learn:
If all goes well, you and I will learn:
- To understand our own behavior model: how we differ from others and what our strengths are
- To read others' behavior model
- To adjust our expectations of others based on their behavior model
- To adjust our behavior toward others to improve our relationships
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Special Gift
An excerpt from an article about gifts for men on their 40th birthday:
"Of the milestone birthdays that men reach, 40 may be the most pivotal. It means closing the book on some of the more youthful dreams and pursuits, while celebrating the positive results of several decades of hard work and long-lasting relationships."
Oh, man, is that presumptive. I have precisely one long term relationship outside of my family members. Five by extension when you count his family members. I don't remember the last time I spoke to any of them. There goes that. My decades of hard work are unfocused, to say the least, and while there are positive outcomes—I'm remarkably good at starting from zero and getting on my feet in three months—of the past decade's work, I still don't feel it's worth celebrating: letters of recognition I'd store away in a shoe box in the back of the hall closet, perhaps.
I happened to catch another blog about the biological clock. The poster and majority of commenters are thirty-ish. One commenter summed up my situation, nicely:
However, if you are Amy Adams, know Amy, or resemble her in any way give me a call. Better late than never, I always say. Well, I'm saying it now.
"Of the milestone birthdays that men reach, 40 may be the most pivotal. It means closing the book on some of the more youthful dreams and pursuits, while celebrating the positive results of several decades of hard work and long-lasting relationships."
Oh, man, is that presumptive. I have precisely one long term relationship outside of my family members. Five by extension when you count his family members. I don't remember the last time I spoke to any of them. There goes that. My decades of hard work are unfocused, to say the least, and while there are positive outcomes—I'm remarkably good at starting from zero and getting on my feet in three months—of the past decade's work, I still don't feel it's worth celebrating: letters of recognition I'd store away in a shoe box in the back of the hall closet, perhaps.
I happened to catch another blog about the biological clock. The poster and majority of commenters are thirty-ish. One commenter summed up my situation, nicely:
Amanda, you have plenty of time, you’re only 30. I can appreciate all the comments here but what about the fact that for some women, the opportunity to have a child, with a partner, never arises. This is exactly what happened to me.What would I choose for my special 40th birthday gift? What would sum up nicely my accomplishments and be worth celebrating? Probably a framed montage of my kids accomplishments. I'll probably ask for a dress shirt and work on my new dream.
I didn’t get married until 34, divorced at 39 and now that I’m 43 I don’t have a partner to have a child with. I never planned this, but that’s how the cards were dealt. Now I would kill to have a child and it’s going to be up to me to decide (within 2 years) whether I will adopt, or attempt to biologically conceive on my own. It breaks my heart now, but I don’t believe in choosing a partner with the intent to use him as a sperm donor only. And, I know I’m in the minority here but I see nothing wrong with a woman having a child in her 40s. I am healthier, have more energy and more wisdom now to raise a child than I did when I was 30. My lifestyle choices at the age were unacceptable to parent a child, in my opinion.
Comment by lola — February 8th, 2011 @ 12:03 pm
However, if you are Amy Adams, know Amy, or resemble her in any way give me a call. Better late than never, I always say. Well, I'm saying it now.
Monday, February 7, 2011
The Fighter
I just got back from watching The Fighter. And the bank. And the grocery store. And the gas station. Two gas stations, actually, because the first was out of gas. Well, not all gas, just regular, and it's already ridiculously expensive and an extra forty cents per ten gallons is $4, and now we're talking about the principle of the thing...
Focus.
I just got back from watching The Fighter. I was told it was about boxing. All I saw was Amy Adams.
Seriously, it was like the bastard child of Rocky and The Town, with a special twist. It was a drama about a documentary about the made up character based on a real life person who appeared during the credits. My mind is like a ball of yarn that the cat played with.
Mom, this would be a good time for you to stop reading. Amy, if you can read this, I have thought of little but you, me, a bottle of Hershey's syrup, and Discovery Channel quality animal sex since watching this scene from Talladega Nights.
Call. Me.
Focus.
I just got back from watching The Fighter. I was told it was about boxing. All I saw was Amy Adams.
 |
| Call me. |
Mom, this would be a good time for you to stop reading. Amy, if you can read this, I have thought of little but you, me, a bottle of Hershey's syrup, and Discovery Channel quality animal sex since watching this scene from Talladega Nights.
 |
| Dear, sweet, baby Jesus. |
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