Randy Hemingway's Blog

First, a bit of business, my last post was my 200th!! Woot! That’s pretty exciting. Thank you to my readers for sticking with me. I love you all like family. Oh, wait, most of you are family. *shrug* Anyway…

Ever since the Apple announced the iPad this past Wednesday, I’ve seen review after review of the device that says, “Oh, I’m soooo disappointed in the iPad because it doesn’t have XYZ.” This is really frustrating to me, because I think the iPad fits my needs perfectly. For awhile now, I’ve been doing bits of research here and there to try and find the perfect living room device. In a short time, I’m going to have two computers in my house. One is the iMac that’s kept in a back bedroom that is used for most of our general browsing, online shopping, word processing, blogging, and general computing stuff. The second should be arriving from Dell soon (hopefully. Another post for another time). It’s basically a nettop that we will be using for streaming online video through our TV, rather than continuing to pay for cable. So, we really won’t be using it for anything else. Now, we’ve been using my laptop from work as a way to access the internet in the living room from the comfort of our recliners, but it’s not available for Faith to use while I’m at work.

So, my dilemma is, I need a lightweight computer that has a decent screen, makes it easy to access the internet wirelessly, and can do a couple bonus things, too. This is why the iPad is such a perfect fit for me. I have been wanting a living room computer to keep next to our recliners. Something that will let me check Facebook or our bank account real quick without having to leave the room. So, I am seriously considering getting an iPad, and here’s why:

1) It doesn’t have a bunch of extra stuff that I don’t need. I don’t need a webcam, because I’ve got one on our iMac. I don’t need any USB ports on it, because it’s not going to be where I’ll keep my photos and videos and stuff. I don’t need a physical keyboard, because I’m not planning on doing any serious typing on it.

2) It’s got apps. If (and when) I get an iPad, I would definitely buy a couple of $.99 games to fill the time when something boring’s on TV. Also, being able to check social networking sites quickly is a bonus.

3) It’s wicked portable and versatile. Sometimes, we read in bed before going to sleep. If I’d bought a book on the iPad, there’d be no problem carrying it into the bedroom and reading it while lying down. Laptops were made to be used sitting up. They can work in the reclined position, but it’s not terribly comfortable.

4) It’s competitively priced. At $499, the iPad is within reach. I’m trying to get in the habit of saving up the cash before buying something. So, with a few months’ worth of savings, I should be able to afford the baseline iPad, no problem. Maybe even with a few accessories. I wouldn’t even bother if it were priced at around $1,000.

There’s a few other reasons I’ll probably get an iPad, but I’m getting bored with writing this. So, the iPad seems like a really great match for what I’m looking for. It’s not a computer, in the traditional sense, and it hasn’t been billed as such. And a traditional computer isn’t what I want. Steve Jobs said this is a device that should bridge the gap between the iPod Touch and a laptop, and that is exactly what it looks like it will do. So, if I get an iPad, I’ll keep my desktop computer, my iPod, my cell phone, and my “TV” computer, but I won’t feel that any of them are unnecessary redundancies.

Well, it seems like I haven’t been spending much time on the interwebs these days. There’s several reasons for that. The foremost reason being: pain. A few months ago, I was involved in a project at work that had a really tight deadline and a bit of stress, too. I was at my computer, hunched over my keyboard, slamming out drawings as quickly as I could. Therefore, my body was pretty tense the whole time I was at work. Soon, because my keyboard and mouse were in a pretty bad position — as far as ergonomics is concerned — and because I was so tense all the time, my muscles started hurting really bad. My right forearm and shoulder and across my shoulderblades would ache ceaselessly. So, I started cutting back on my computer time, I got an adjustable keyboard tray at work, and I tried to be more relaxed as I worked. Every now and then, the pain starts coming back, and, as long as I’m careful, it usually subsides after a little bit. In the end, I haven’t been spending much time online when I’m away from work. So, I haven’t been posting much on this blog or my SolidWorks Conblogerate blog. I’m starting to feel better, though, so maybe I can get back to writing posts and stuff in my spare time.

In other news, the baby’s doing well. Faith went and had another ultrasound a couple weeks ago. You can see the baby’s arms and legs now. Oh, and please don’t ask if we know the sex yet, because we won’t find that out for another couple of months. It’s still really strange to think we’re going to have a baby, but it’s really exciting anyway.

I finally got a classical guitar, too. It sounds really nice. I can’t wait to start playing some more difficult songs, but I have to rein myself in and try to really learn the basic stuff first.

Anyway, that’s what’s up with me. I’ll try to be more interesting in the future.

Faith and I are going to have a baby!! We’re really excited and definitely ready to have a little kiddo running around the house. She’s due the end of July. Anyway, if I didn’t tell you at church or over the phone or via any other communication mode, now you know.   I can’t believe I’m going to be a Dad. Scary.