One of the joys of retirement is the opportunity to spend more time outdoors walking. In the past couple of weeks I’ve been walking about two or three miles each day. Uphill, downhill, side streets, main streets. An hour or sometimes less each day. During my walk today I happened to see and old friend who asked me if I knew how far I had walked each day. I don’t really know and it’s not all that important but I’m a curious fellow and wouldn’t it be fun to know. A half dozen years ago I bought a pedometer and fastened it to my belt. I was amazed how much walking I was doing at work. I was walking four to five miles each day. Nowadays, with smart phone technology there are apps that can function very nicely to give us lots of information about how we’re walking or running. Up until today I thought that was interesting information but no application in my own life. Today, I downloaded my first walking app to see how far I’m walking. I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s stroll already.
iPhone report
I must say after one month with the iPhone that it is an amazing device and worth owning. Nonetheless I really miss my Droid here in Philadelphia at the ISTE Conference because Androids maps and navigation beat iMap hands down. Lots of great apps on the iPhone and the camera is without peer. The navigation tools need more work. I’ve seen lots of iPhones at the ISTE Conference but also many attendees with Androids and Android really dominates among the vendors selling tablets. Viewsonic, Samsung & Verizon all had dozens of Android devices for sale.
I’m really enjoying a new iPhone app called Instagram. Tonight when I was at Nannen Arboretum in nearby Ellicottville, New York I used Instagram to transform a lovely picture into one that appears a bit more surreal than it was. I love the qualities of the photo and it captured a dimension of the beauty of the pond. As I walking back to my car it occured to me how exhilarating the iPhone is.
Hundred Acre Wood
The hundred acre wood behind our home. Today I got a chance to catch up a bit. I was down with a head cold which is mother nature’s way of saying take a day off and rest. That is mostly what I did today. Nonetheless, with Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin and now the ISTE Ning I’ve been busy writing, reading and thinking. I’ll be attending ISTE 2011 in Philadelphia at the end of the month. I was able to attend the NECC/ISTE 2009 Conference in Washington, DC a couple of years ago and it was a watershed moment. I hope I can learn and connect with many folks and that I can keep the beginners mind.
The picture above was taken with my new iPhone which I’ve had for a couple weeks now. I’m still getting used to it. It’s my fourth smart phone in five years. I had a couple Blackberries, a Droid and now the iPhone. They are amazing devices.