It Happened Again…

I didn’t write.

And while there are excuses (below, if you are inclined to know), they are less artificial than before. They all came from my efforts to make changes, move forward, and actually ACT.

The Excuses

I succumbed to the pressures of life. We moved. Changed cities. Changed jobs. Well, are trying to… (So, job hunting). I continued to go to school full time online. I got sick. I revamped my energies on fixing my allergy and anxiety issues. I began to pursue various official technological certifications. To bone up on my technical, theoretical, and programming skills. I attempted to learn and endeavor along multiple different passion projects, all with a variety of research, time, and energy required.

I also failed due to the pressure I put upon myself to write.

The Actions

I will finish my alphabet posts that I began as part of a challenge back in April. While I failed (considerably) in my quest to do so as was, I already have posts planned for each letter in turn. This will allow for more structures freedom in the scope of my topics.

So here I stand, resolute, in my commitment to write once again. And not just writing for writing’s sake, but for the sake of my sanity and productivity.

Introducing…

I have never been very good when it comes to introductions. Whether it be of myself to a stranger I just met or an attention-grabbing paragraph for a paper or post, I often find myself over thinking and over analyzing with nothing to show for it.

The thing about introductions is that they don’t simply need to introduce the other party to the subject at hand. They must be
informative, attention-grabbing, entertaining, hint at (or state) the thesis and major points, etc.

This is a lot to ask for from a paragraph. From a couple sentences. Just a couple dozen words…

Another completely different yet similar form of introduction is the act of beginning an activity. While an action or event as opposed to the above noun, this is perhaps even more fundamental to the issues at hand.

Namely, when you are unable to start working in the first place, you don’t even have the option to compose a bad intro, let alone anything good.

But I have covered all that before, so for now, I digress…

Habitual Power

There are many different ways in which we can affect change. There are many approaches to take in order to make it stick. But by far the best way to make something stick is by doing it repetitively on a consistent basis.

In other words, make it a habit.

But doing so is much easier said than done. It takes commitment, perseverance, and discipline. Not to mention much more of it all than most of us normally have.

I myself have been struggling with the latter for quite some time. Commitment I am very good at – figuring out what I need to do and knowing I NEED to do it. That has become second nature for me. Just look at the number of times I have committed whole-heartedly already.

Perseverance I am fairly adapt at as well. I am good at pushing through situations and situations to get to the other side. I always know things will work out in the end.

But when it comes to self discipline however, I have much room to grow. In terms of restraining from harmful or "wrong" activities and desires, I am great. But when it comes to those grey areas, however… When I have the choice of what to do. How to spend my time. What to focus on… I often find myself playing games or engaging in prodoctivity pr0n.

And it isn’t that I don’t know that this is an issue. I have known for a very, very long time that things would better if I instilled more discipline in myself. See here.

But again, knowing is different than KNOWING. Knowledge is different than wisdom. For while I know what must change and even how to go about it, I am not attentive or disciplined enough to bear down and actually DO IT.

Google Android Experiment

Long now has there been a rivalry between the Apple iPhone and the slew of phones running Google Android.

And long have I belonged to the former camp.

However, from time to time I wonder if the iPhone (and really, iOS) are still the best option for me.

So even when I find things I love I still find/make myself learn about the competition and the other options available to me.

While I seem to (almost) always find my way back to Apple products and ecosystems, I do so in a way that validates those choices and teaches me the truth of the market and competition.

I find what I love with not only the confidence of choice for my needs and desires, but also the knowledge of the competition and true state of the market.

The Test

Recently I decided to give Android another shot.

Some context: For quite some time now I have been using Google Voice for my only phone service, using only WiFi on my iPhone 4S – no cellular data or voice. Key advantage? Unlimited minutes and messaging = $0/mo. More on that experience and the decision to get a cell plan again later this month…

Disclaimer

This will not be an in depth comparison review of the two operating systems or individual handsets. Instead, I will simply touch (briefly) on the main issues I encountered and why I decided to stay with my iPhone.

UI

While both operating systems offer intuitive interfaces including gesture controls (very important nowadays), in my opinion, iOS offers both more stability and speed for both novice and power users.

The main exception to this is out of the box customization, which I will address below.

Ease of Use

Again, both systems offer similar but differing interfaces for interacting with the user’s apps and information. However, for me, iOS wins hands down for overall ease of use.

Note that a lot of the features and usability perks (but certainly not all) I love and depend on in iOS are actually available only through jailbreak. Apps and tweaks such as SBSettings, Activator, F.lux, Swipe Selection, Swipe Safari, and Zephyr have become second nature and not only allow me to be more productive but to establish better flow.

In a few days I’ll expand upon and offer more on the process, perspective, and stigma of jailbreaking…

Apps

The application ecosystem is something that many don’t think of as important but which really is. Sure, people realize that certain apps are only available on certain platforms, but there is more to it than that. The very nature of the community of users and developers in each camp helps dictate which and what kind of apps find their way to fruition and success.

Hardware

Two points here. One: take away the software and operating systems and you actually have very similar phones. Similar specs when it comes to size, weight, processor, memory, battery, camera(s), screen, etc.

Two: Android is available on many, many different models offering options of varying sophistication and price. Whereas with iOS you are essentially stuck with the one.

Customization/Options

Without jailbreaking an iOS device, the options for customization are drastically fewer, with Apple only allowing a small amount of control in altering their default settings.

With Android however, there are many more options to customize out of the box. There are two reasons for this: less restrictive app permissions and widgets.

Widgets are available to add directly to the homescreen(s) and can display information from specific widgets or other sources without needing to open the app itself.

More broadly, Android allows developers (and therefore end users) many more liberties for inter -app and -OS compatibility. This means that you are able to alter the default look and use of the system itself and interactions of information between apps.

In the End…

I will no doubt return and go into more detail on this comparison at a later date (or break it up into sections, such as search for phone service, task manager, text editor, etc). But for now suffice it to say I gave Android another chance, discovered some things I liked, but ultimately found iOS to still be my best choice for phone operating system.

[The] Feminist Man

There are many injustices in this world, with many of which effecting certain individuals more than others. Unfortunately sometimes so drastically as to demean their very existence.

While many of these groups are minorities, one exception to that rule actually comprises 50% of the human race. Namely: women.

A month ago, right when I was beginning to really explore this concept, a friend of mine wrote about this very idea. In fact, everything he touched on in that post echoes my own thoughts rather perfectly (although often more eloquently than I am able). Go read it. I’ll wait.

Ideas like being a sincere man in a world where gender equality is unfortunately still a dream… Wondering how to define feminism and how the various perspectives impact each other… The fact that I worry about being judged or labeled as either a pig or emasculated…

I wonder just what it means and looks like to be a man supportive of equal rights and opportunities for women. To be vocal about the ideals you believe to be right and decent. To be a feminist man.

One of the reasons I love my girlfriend so much is that she encourages me to actively consider such large issues for myself. Despite how easy it can be to simply ignore such things that don’t directly effect you…

And herein lies the road to change.

Like as when whites began fighting against racism in support of their black equals, we need men to step forward and fight for the rights of women. We need the group that has the power (for whatever reason…) to use that power to affect the necessary change.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that only men are capable of affecting change. Far from it in fact. However, I do believe that we as men are in a situation of influence and are obligated to use that to improve the status quo for our better – and equal – halves.