Changes

Yah, it's the same old story. Been away, haven't had time, blah blah blah

It's not really true though. I just haven't had the motivation to keep up a blog of any sort. It has been awhile though and I've decided to start working on it again. I've also started up a third blog (I'm an idiot, clearly) to chronicle any updates with a new little project/company I'm starting.

Bum/Star, or Bum and Star Productions, is something I have had rolling around in my head for a long time now and am really just starting to get put it in motion. In any case, things will be getting updated a bit more periodically now.

Keep an eye out here, Bum/Star, to see what's going on with that stuff. Just put up a small post detailing what it's going to involve. It's really everything I've said I was going to do with Reality Grounded but I'm rebranding it basically to keep it more uniform and in line with some other stuff. Reality Grounded will probably remain a small part of the Bum/Star brand but, more or less anything involving new or creative media such as podcasts and videos will be Bum/Star branded. Reality Grounded is sort of a floater for now.

Same goes for AZ Rogue Travels.....haven't really had the energy to focus much on that lately either. I have been travelling a lot more recently but have sort of giving up on travel blogging. It was sort of a pointless endeavor on my behalf. I will keep the site up just for the hell of it but I'm not going to be pursuing keeping it active any longer. Maybe just make it into a sort of vacation picture blog or something. I dunno...

[edit] I just wanted to point out that I did also update the photography page on this blog. I now have a small little slideshow up for your enjoyment!

Anyway, thanks

Today in Google

Today Google announced their newest tool in an already vast arsenal, Google Wallet has made it's debut. The rumors of such a service have been floating around for a few weeks now after it had been revealed that the big G was looking to secure a new form of checkout scanner in select stores across the country. Also not to mention the fact that they had released the Google Nexus S phone with a new form of wireless communication known as NFC or, Near Field Communication, as it were.


The big news today though isn't necessarily that they have announced the new service in of itself but who they have already partnered up and ready to roll with it. The first big contender is MasterCard and their PayPass system. If you happen to have a capable phone, it will now essentially act as a it's own PayPass MasterCard virtually anywhere that PayPass is accepted. This could mean in many places around the world even, negating the hassle of exchange rates of currency and the like. Very cool stuff.


Next up we also have Citi Bank MasterCards being officially supported. Then we also have Sprint which there doesn't seem to be a lot of concrete details on yet. With the way Sprint has cozied up with Google Voice recently though, I expect some really tight integration of Sprint services (payments, etc) into the Android OS on their handsets.

As far as retailers go we have so far: Macy's, Subway, Walgreens, Toys 'R Us and Noah's Bagels with 'many more in the coming months'. 


The service itself will begin with some trials in New York and San Francisco before spreading around the states, again in the 'coming months' which could or could not happen at this point. Things seem very beta-like to me as it stands now.


Finally Google has announced Google Offers, a new service which will provide discounts to consumers from the various retail partners that have signed up. I'm guessing there will be tighter integration with this and Google Latitude as things start to get rolling full-steam. Latitude has had similar offers for about a month now when you check in to various locations frequently, very much the same way 4Square works.


There's a lot more in store with this and if anyone will really be able to bring the fire, it's Google. This really seems like a natural progression for them being as heavily monetized by ads as they are. Anyway, that's all I really have to say about things now, may write a small followup later on as more information is brought forth.

Transitioning

Lately, I've been mainly blogging on my Wordpress account and am ultimately unimpressed with it. They have some nice, professional looking themes but overall the customization is utterly lacking. So as it stands, I believe I am going to try and start blogging a bit more with Blogger, I don't see much of a reason not to as I tend to run the rest of my life via Google, why not my web/media outlet as well?

Anyway, going to moving things around slowly and getting things back on track. Hopefully my musings will become more frequent here soon.

An Easter's Day Meditation

Tomorrow marks the beginning of a new chapter in my life as I progress from one realm to another, financially speaking anyway. I start my new job at a prompt (read: early) 7 am doing something I am wholly unaware of though totally keen on learning. I don't like waking up so early and this is going to just be something I learn to deal with over time and eventually, hopefully, I will be able to start my days a bit later.

There is, as always, a flip side to the whole ordeal however. Early to work means earlier to get home than usual. I'm suspect that most days I will be finished around perhaps 2 or 3 in the afternoon giving me mucho free-time during my evenings. My sleep will suffer more than anything, I am quite used to and happy with getting 8 to 9 hours a night and depending on how early I can actually force myself asleep I may only be getting 6 to 7 now. All in all, not too bad, I know people who get less sleep than that on a nightly basis but it's not in my nature.

Anyway, more meditation. I'm deeply excited to be starting a new career, something I think I may actively be able to refer as a career. I've had jobs in the past but nothing quite this significant. What makes a job into a career anyway? The pay? The hours? The people/connections? I believe it's a combination of all three plus the secret ingredient of enjoying the work. I'm thinking this new job could end up being something I really enjoy for both the work and the ulterior benefits as well. You know, the money, the free time, the travelling etc etc

Reality Grounded is my true baby though. I'm going to do what I need to grow into the new job and get a life established for myself and my wife. But on the side I'm going to be nurturing my creative side, feeding my ideas and working on them closely, micro-managing small details until they begin to blossom and grow and expand beyond my dreams. After such close care they grow so large they become a safety net just waiting for the time when I need them. After some time I make a bold leap forward and my net is there, stronger than ever and ready to whisk me away to happiness-land...

News and New Gear

Quick little post here about some new things I've got started and some new gear I got to help me out with it. First off, let's get right to the news. I'm currently developing a new blog, which you can find by clicking here, titled AZ Rogue's Travels. It is exactly what it sounds like, a travel blog dedicated simply to my home state of Arizona.

See I happen to take numerous little trips around Arizona when I'm sick of the city or I just need to clear my head and I always take loads of pictures and even sometimes video, so I decided why not actually put it to good use and try and get some recognition for it. So I now have this new blog setup and ready to go as soon as I can find some time to sneak off on a trip. (Hint: it should be pretty damn soon)

Secondly, I got some new gear in the mail on Friday from the good folks over at Timbuk2 whom I have previously spoken about. They hooked me up with two hundred dollars worth of stuff and I got to say it was a rather nice haul.

These bags came in the mail

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mcneildd/5483342518/in/set-72157626158956720/

Bi-Fold Wallet, a 2Way cellphone/camera carrier and an On the Go Toolshed bag

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mcneildd/5483343208/in/set-72157626158956720/

San Francisco bike route waterproof map, was actually part of the packaging, very cool

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mcneildd/5483343966/in/set-72157626158956720/

The main attraction, a customized Timbuk2 Swig backpack

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mcneildd/5482754371/in/set-72157626158956720/

Here's what I've got inside now

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mcneildd/5483349466/in/set-72157626158956720/

And then inside that other bag lay these goodies

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mcneildd/5482756519/in/set-72157626158956720/

And that's pretty much it for the haul, I got a some really nice stuff which I cannot wait to put to good use. The wallet is already getting it's fair share but the backpack I can't wait to take on a trip with me. It's extremely comfortable and carries the load perfectly, it's going to be great for taking out on photo-hike/writeups.

For now, that's all I have got, so see you around folks.

Finnegans Wake [pgs. 1-6]

So I've finally started getting more into the book finally, I am still rather hesitant, and most definitely will be taking my time with this read. I have not as of yet found a central sort of story, though it may be starting to take some small shape it is not quite apparent yet. One thing for certain however is just how much fun it is to read.

I walked into the book with my only expectation being 'this might be a bumpy ride' which it most certainly is. On the flipside though, I was not expecting to enjoy it so much. The way Joyce has written the book is phenomenal. There's so much poetry in each line. Lot of usage of repetition, alliteration, portmanteau and even some malapropism which I always enjoy. His so-called dream speech is beautifully put together and most definitely seems to be the focus of the work.

From what I have gathered from various interpretations is that there is a central plot and characters that develop over time but I am not so worried about that. I am beginning to think that the more I read the more adapted to the language I will become, therefore allowing the story to unravel slowly within my mind.

I haven't quite figured out exactly how to make specific posts on other pages yet, so please bear with me while I work on figuring out what exactly I want to do with it all. For the time being, natch, I will be posting here on the 'blog' page. Other things to bear with, spelling errors and such, as I am blogging from my phone. I don't often have time anymore to write from the computer and I would whilst working but my web usage is quite restricted.

Anyway, thanks for reading and hopefully you will come back for more.