Random technology thoughts...

• What do you think about the iPad? It looks like a neat tool to me, and will fit in very well with a certain type of user. It won't replace a regular laptop for me, mostly because a) it won't support multitasking, which I use all the time for sermon prep, worship planning, writing, etc.; b) it won't have (at least for a good while) a number of the applications that I use all the time, especially Accordance, DevonThink, and OmniOutliner (though the Omni Group has promised a iPad version of OmniOutliner); and c) I can't hook up a second monitor to it, or my ScanSnap scanner. But It looks like a great tool, and I'd love to get one for a multitude of reasons. Maybe eventually...
• I'm getting close to switching to Camino as my default browser. I like Safari for many reasons, and the new version (4.x) brings some neat new features-- but I haven't put most of those to use, and there are several problems with it that I have difficulty abiding (especially the general difficulty with posting comments on blogs, which just won't work for me in Safari!). Don't know Camino? Think of the underlying basis for FireFox, with a cleaner and Mac-native and Mac-like interface. It's not quite as extensible as FireFox, but that's fine for me-- I don't tend to prefer using my browser for every task and trick I can.
• AT&T is just about to drive me nuts-- NOT for mobile service, but for the landline service at the church! (As a matter of fact, I'm completely satisfied with AT&T as a mobile provider.) The landline frequently (at least once a week) drops my phone calls, and the internet service will drop out several times a day. One of my administrative volunteers (a true servant-- thanks Stacey!) persisted on the phone with them several times and succeeded in getting a service technician to come out, but his first trip didn't fix it. Neither did the second or third trip. He came yesterday for the fourth time(!) and we'll see if the latest trip did the trick.
• I've never posted anything to my Twitter account of any substance; in fact, my ONE "tweet" was for a bundle that I bought, the tweeting of which got me a free license for another program. Yet I have 27 followers, most of whom I don't know, and at least another 25 or so have followed me at some point (probably until they realized that I didn't have anything to say)! It's a peculiar culture that I haven't quite figured out, and I'm fairly sure I don't feel the need to bother with it at this point. I'm sure there's a context for it, but mine isn't it.
• I'm over the hump with Facebook. What I mean is, I still love the connection aspect of it, and appreciate the capacity it has for connecting and re-connecting me with so many folks. It is an incredibly efficient way to learn what is going on with friends, see up-to-date photos, and contact someone. It's a great way to be reminded of people's birthdays and send them well-wishes. But I find the daily (hourly?) stream of notices about online games, people they think I should know, and other "news" tedious, and I'm simply using it less and less as the "always on" tool that I enjoyed of it at one point.