Apple Elegance

As I've bought more and more into the Apple design aura my level of satisfaction has gone up and up. Just have to tell about increasing the memory in my new iMac. The economics strongly favor the do-it-yourself approach, having Apple add 8 gig adds $400 to the total. The full list price to acquire the same amount of memory direct from the manufacturer is $60.

So the next objective becomes determining how to insert the memory circuits. You need a Philips screwdriver -- that's it. The only screws on the iMac are three on the central portion of the bottom perforated panel. This is what you must open to access the memory slots. Apple suggests placing the unit face-down on a blanket to do this, but I judged that I could do it in-place on my computer desk.

The elegance shows in that as you loosen the screws, the plate comes free, but the screws do not fall out. Each is held in place with a tiny lock-washer so that they are perfectly positioned for re-insertion. Absolutely no muss, no fuss. There isn't much a user can do on this computer, but this is an experience that is pure enjoyment. There is a good reason why Apple's stock is soaring.

I now have 12 gigabytes of memory, of which more than 5 gig is in constant use, and the total is put to work in several apps. Highly recommended -- the additional memory, and the experience of the iMac.

Physical Therapy

Just a little shout out to the guys and gals at the Gahanna, Ohio office of Cornerstone Physical Therapy who have been doing a super job in helping me get back flexibility and strength in the repaired knee. I'm making great progress and am now seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. If you ever need to know, I can recommend them highly.

A Little Late News

Therapy is going pretty well. It only hurts when they force flex it.

One of the old "Curb Your Enthusiasm" episodes entitled "Shaq" is about tripping Shaquille O'Neil in a Lakers game causing him a torn quadriceps tendon. How I can now empathize with that! Doc says walking is not especially good for my quad. Just biking and swimming, which I would rather anyhow. Hoping that next visit at the end of August is my last.

After that, we maybe will be doing a little fall traveling in Morty.

Big anticipatory delight about a big new 27 inch iMac computer that we ordered yesterday.

Court Innings

Some thoughts generated by the verdicts in the Casey Anthony and O J Simpson trials: Marathon presentations of arguments, evidence and courtroom frictions do not sit well with sequestered juries. They must sit through long days, weeks and months of this with no opportunity to discuss the merits until the drama is ended.

By that time they are so emotionally beaten-up that there is no desire to do prolong the proceedings further and so they end it preemptively and return to their families. Few other areas of human endeavor are so primitive and failure prone.

Changes are needed. There need to be timing restrictions and opportunities to evaluate the evidence and potential verdict much before the end. Every other contest has a scoring protocol that allows the participants and spectators to know who is winning and who is losing.

The baseball innings model might work. Limit each side's daily direct, cross, and arguments to three hours. Give the jury one hour daily to evaluate the presented evidence/arguments and one hour to present their convictions and leanings to the judge. Then, assuming no unanimity, the judge, conferring with the attorneys decides whether to go another day or inning. And so it goes until there is either a unanimous or blocked decision. Seems like it reduces the chance of the big surprise gotcha and keeps the jury involved and committed. It can also keep the jury on track and focused on the evidence. I'm jes sayin'.

Columbus Doo-Dah Parade

Self explanatory (or ask as needed).

Columbus Red White and Boom Fireworks

Some movies of the Red White and Boom show.

Felly

Yellfler

Perametron

The Drawing Winner

The battle of the iPad drawing and painting programs pretty much ended this weekend with the update of Procreate. The introductory pricing is only 99 cents. Even at $8 this is a no-brainer for anyone interested in painting and drawing on the iPad. Check it out and get it before the price goes back up. Highly recommended.

Hospital Pills

For the horror story aficionados, go on to whatever is next. I just received an itemized list of my hospital charges and found a golden nugget. The charge for an acetaminophen tablet was not $50. Not $5. Not even $.50. But an amazing $.05!!!

That's right. I got a pill for a nickel in the hospital. Now there is an under-reported story. For reference purposes this was Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. Highly recommended.

Flex Wall

The flexing program is hitting the wall at 60 percent. This week, I should be moving up to 75 percent, but am hitting pain and physical limts at last week's 60 percent. Bummer.