Bought another Otter Box case

Yesterday I went to Best Buy to check out Otter Box cases. I already owned a commuter case and I decided I want to buy another one.

If you look at the picture above the case on the right was the one I already had. The plastic somehow got warped even after I rarely used it. Probably stepped on it or maybe I brought it with me and never used it and got warped by all the stuff I carry around with me. Whatever the case may be I decided that it was time for another even if at Best Buy they charge $5 for a case than would be charged at the Otter Box website.

The case on the left was the one purchase. I'm pretty sure it had to have been a return and would be very surprised Otter Box shipped this product to a store. Also it had two screen protectors with it as well although I already have my own screen protector so that's not an issue. In any case when this one caught my eye it was worth buying.

Hopefully the white silicone would rarely be used even though I had two events to attend that very night so white on black would be the case of choice. Otherwise it would be black on black especially since a good black piece of plastic is now in my possession.

You know, with the old black piece of plastic it would be cool to play with. Just to possibly experiment with say painting it in the coloring of my choice and possibly drawing a design onto it. It might just be cool to play with some ideas!

Chick-fil-A

In the past especially over at my other blog - The Sixth Ward - I've discussed this issue. On the north side an Alderman wanted to block the construction of a franchise over what he believed was discriminatory and/or hateful activities against gay marriage. This turned into an issue of not only tolerance, but also an issue of free speech or the free exercise of religion.

The reports over the past week seemed to reflect the belief that Chick-fil-A ultimately capitulated. At the same time Chick-fil-A attempts to explain their stance in a statement (hat-tip Illinois Review). They indicate that 1st Ward Alderman Joe didn't exactly score a victory on Chick-fil-A.

In finding this out I wonder how the Chicago GOP who jumped on this issue last summer will respond to Chick-fil-A's statement? We saw how they responded to the capitulation.

#ImagineMorehouse: Video coverage of forum

[VIDEO] Having subscribed to the Morehouse Nation FB page I became aware of not only photos, also this video recording embed above on the day of the on campus forum that had been advertised here. There is just over an hour worth of footage to watch. Eventually when I've watched the vid, my thoughts will be shared.

Chicagoist: Columbia College Student PWNS Fox & Friends Host

I need to see this but I don't have time, but when I read the write-up at Chicagoist it just seemed so worthwhile to check out! The awesomeness will be known to me later!

#ImagineMorehouse: An on-campus forum

Well if I had still been a student at Morehouse I probably could make this event on campus. Of course there are others who have responded to this drive for the college to be a "Thought Leader". I will have to support this in spirit, even if Imar Hutchins wrote a comment in one of my Morehouse posts encouraging me to attend. If you're on FB, then you can certainly RSVP if you would like to attend.

#ImagineMorehouse: Imagining a new Morehouse

Sorry about the redundancy in the title above. I wanted to include the hashtag so that this post could have a much larger audience. The essay that the above title refers to one written on the site Morehouse Nation (formerly known as Morehouse Old School).

I've been following the activism over the summer that not only included a letter to the Morehouse College Board of Trustees and a collective statement that has been signed by Morehouse alumni, current students, faculty, and supporters. I'd really be curious as to what the primary author of the Morehouse Nation website Imar L. Hutchins sees that he's making such a push for some changes at Morehouse. He does outline some of what he sees in the original letter to the board of trustees.

In any case, again these are my thoughts on this subject that were written earlier this summer. Perhaps I will add more in the near future. As always feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section.

Here comes the iPhone 5

[VIDEO] When I bought the iPhone 4S this spring, my first concern was whether or not I should be concerned about the new iPhone coming out in the near future. Ultimately, I decided that it wasn't necessary to chase the latest thing it was OK if something new came out later this year.

Today the iPhone 5 was unveiled by Apple. It is billed as slimmer, taller, and faster than the 4S. The video above is from AP and the excerpt below is from Reuters:

The phone, which will run on higher speed LTE networks, is made entirely out of glass and aluminum. It will have a larger, 4-inch screen, showing five rows of icons, with a "retina" display.

The iPhone 5 comes with Apple's newest “A6” processor, which executives claimed runs twice as fast as the previous generation. It will have three microphones and a better 8 megapixel camera that can take pictures on higher resolutions.

"It's an absolute jewel. It's the most beautiful product we've ever made," said Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook told the crowd at the Yerba Buena Centre in San Francisco.

Apple has also improved the device's battery life and updated both of its cameras, giving its front camera 720p HD video. The company also announced a smaller dock connector and a new cable charger named Lightning that is 80 percent smaller than its predecessor.

Siri got a makeover as well, and can now tell users the scores of sports games and post status updates to Facebook.Apple will begin taking orders for the iPhone 5 on Friday, costing $199 for the cheapest 16 gigabyte version to $399 at the top end. Shipments begin on Sept. 21, and the smartphone will be sold in 100 countries by the end of the year.

This time around at least, I won't have to stand in line early in the morning trying to get the latest iPhone. That'll only happen in the next couple of years!

Took this shot of a teacher's strike march near Clark/Jackson

UPDATE 4:12 PM Newsalert linked to this post and also shares this Chicago Mag article from Feb. 2012 about TIFs.

I wonder if the above display at the head of a parade yesterday during day two of the Chicago Teacher's Union (CTU) strike in downtown Chicago detracts from the last two issues that Chicago Public Schools (CPS) and the CTU are at loggerheads on. Should they really have signs taking on the 1%?

At large rallies such as these, there are bound to be those who have various agendas. Different messages certainly different from what these rallies are really all about. Instead of thinking about our young people who need to be in class, we have signs at these events talking about the 1%.

BTW, if you're not sure what are TIFs they are Tax Increment Financing districts which have long been a controversial issue in Chicago. As a matter of fact one issue with TIFs is that they take money away from the schools for the purposes of redeveloping impoverished neighborhoods. And protest TIFs when talking about our students who needs extra resources especially if they are of a low income background is more than appropriate.

But, why the reference to the 1%? While I'm very sure this isn't part of the overall message, this could've lost me. I want very much to support the sincere efforts of Chicago's teachers to educate our young people in difficult circumstances whether from their life out of school or even in the classrooms. My hope is that they stay focus on that very important issue as they continue to negotiate with CPS.

VIDEO: Batman - Schumacher vs Nolan

[VIDEO] I just watched Batman Begins again this weekend. So in keeping with that theme we see a mash-up of scenes from Batman & Robin (1997) directed by Joel Schumacher and scenes from the first two films of Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy (Batman Begins & The Dark Knight). Some of the comments for this video says this is an unfair fight as no scenes from Batman Forever has been included. It was also directed by Schumacher and some will contend was a superior movie to Batman & Robin.

Watching the juxtaposition of Batman & Robin and the first two Nolan directed Batman films makes the Schumacher film look awful in more ways than one!

You know one day, I should just pop in the first three Batman films in the old VCR. Yes I do mean Batman, Batman Returns, & Batman Forever. They weren't too bad and yes what this means is that I'm not interested in ever buying Batman & Robin!