iTV…I’m buying one
Merry Christmas Brad!
Is the Facebook’s flash going, going, gone?
I first entered the private world of the Facebook in January 2005, as a non-student. I felt strangely out of place–like an parent spying on a child unaware of adult supervision. None the less, it was cool to be “inside” the exclusive world of the Facebook.
Now it appears that the Facebook is opening the doors to old gomers everywhere (just like me). Talk about backlash. If user of Facebook were up in arms about privacy for notification of wall postings and other automated “feeds,” just imagine how the net generation will feel when they have old people everywhere peeping into their inside world.
Feels like Facebook’s flash in the pan is grinding down to the “not cool anymore” phase of business.
The Medialist: Final Scoring
Looks like I finished the event with the following:
Gross Scores: tied for 20th place (39 people entered)
Net Scores: 16th place (39 people entered)
WeKoPa, an 89 and high score for the year!
WeKoPa is without question my favorite desert course. Set on Indian land off Highway 89, you get to enjoy views of nature and pristine Sonoran desert without homes, condos, shopping malls, or roads. It’s hard to concentrate as the beauty and serenity of the place take hold of you.
Well, I wish I could blame my poor golf on the beauty or desert. But for me, it was all just lack of execution.
I started the day slowing my swing down and just trying to get the ball in play. But my timing was so off that I started hitting hooks and draws when my normal straight or even cut shots were expected. This left me in a few tough spots that required far too many shots to make par.
My most painful memory of the tournament will be the 9th hole, a 459 yard par 4 with traps on the middle-right side of the fairway and a pond way off to the right (see detailed image to the right). I busted a drive that caught the lip of the fairway bunker and pushed my ball straight down into the trap. The face was steep. It was a risk, but I decided to take my 5 iron, open the face, and try to blast the ball out for as much distance as possible. It didn’t work as the ball caught the lip again and ended up behind where I made the first attempt. I grabbed my 6 iron. “I think I can…I think I can,” came to my mind. I swung and got the ball to the lip again, but this time the ball fell into another trap just in front of the other. Four shots executed, and I’m still in a trap at 175 yards from the green. I hit the 6 iron again, this time out of the sand for my 5th shot. I hit my 6th shot from about 65 yards with my sand wedge to about 18 feet of of the pin. I looked the line over, figured the speed, and struck my 7th shot with my trusty belly putter. I lipped out. My 8th shot was a tiny 6 incher, and I was off to the 10th hole with fire in belly and as swirling of swear words in my head.
WeKoPa Golf Club
Par: 72
Course rating: 73
Slope: 136
My Score: 89
My favorite part of the event: reserved parking
Sure I made an Eagle today that paid off at $90. But nothing can compare to a guy in a tie meeting you in the parking lot, asking your name, and then directing you the the “second space to your right” where I found my “reserved” parking spot. Cool.
Played crappy again. Ground like a dog to shoot an 83. Opened the back nine with three straight double bogies (+6). Finished the back at +6 by chipping and putting like a fool and hitting one long birdie putt.
Eagle Mountain Golf Club
Par: 71
Course Rating: 71.2
Slope: 136
My Score: 83
Photos from Day Two at Eagle Mountain
Humbled. Frustrated. Beaten down.
Wow. Real golf on a real course from real tees with real rules really changes the game. Played my little heart out today at SunRidge Canyon. Shot an 88. Brutal. Some breeze. But playing from the tips changes the course big time. 6 penalty strokes. Hardest hole for me: #5, a par 4 at 463 yards. Hit tee shot left…bounced off the fairway. Took a penalty, reloaded, and stripped my third shot to approximately 185. Hit 5 iron fourth shot. Missed the green to the right. Chipped up. Two putted. Left with a 7 and my tail between my legs.
I can’t remember the last time I hit so many 4 iron approach shots.
SunRidge Canyon Golf Course
Par: 71
Course Rating: 72.6
Slope: 142
My Score: 88
15th at Sunridge Canyon Golf Club, Fountain Hills, AZ
457 yard Par 4. More on Flickr.com account.
The Medalist Tournament Practice Round (Eagle Mountain)
Eagle Mountain, 10th (click for large image)
Eagle Mountain, 11th (click for large image)
Eagle Mountain, 17th (click for large image)
Eagle Mountain, 18th (click for large image)
Samsung’s SGH-i600: an HSDPA and WiFi Smartphone BUT….
One of my early smartphones was a Samsung with the Palm OS. Candybar. Touch screen that got greasy from every call. And here’s a new Samsung SGH-i600.
But it’s based on Windows constantly rebooting Mobile. Amazing how many great devices are loading Windows. It makes me wonder what the incentive fees must be for adding Windows on a phone.
All these product releases clearly suggest that the smartphone continues to pick up consumer demand and show that it’s less about computing and all about communicating today. WiFi, SIP, VoIP, HSDPA, “x”G, it’s all about sharing information.
Why do I miss all the cool parties
Couple of weeks ago it was the TechCruch meetup party. Next week on Sept 12th, it’s the Apple announcement event at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in downtown San Francisco.
Good thing Bridget’s having her 10th birthday that week. At least I’ll get some cake and ice cream!
Facebook adds new ways to summarize and notify what’s new
Mark Zuckerberg has added two new features to Facebook that show me he’s in touch with his student audience seeking convenience and bite-sized communication. By adding the News Feed and Mini Feed features to Facebook, members can now see what’s been happening since they last logged in without spending lots of time browsing around. It’s the evolution of providing new and improved views on consumer generated content.
In my research directly with students and the research coming from the 2005 ECAR Study of Students and Information Technology, key areas students expect technology to provide include: convenience, connection, and control.
Screenshots can be found at TechCrunch.
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