Pre-Ramble: Well, like a tetanus shot (only way more painful), the successful professional needs to keep their profile picture/headshot up-to-date.  In this age of Google, Facebook, Linked-in and Skype (YouTube is a whole nother animal … ), … you and every other person out there is potentially just one click away from disaster … (Do I even need to reference Brett Farve or Representative Weiner here?)

The prevalence and consequence of personal photography brings a whole new meaning to Nicholas Negroponte’s “Being Digital.”  The technological revolution has created the need for a professional “presence” in the digital marketplace. Not only do you need a clean, professional looking website, you also need a clean professional-looking photo of yourself to post there.

“Say Cheeeese!” A good headshot is not optional, it’s imperative. It’s bad enough that relatives and high school chums you haven’t seen in years can click you up on Facebook and see samples of your squirrely mug candid camera style, … 20 million people, including potential clients, can do so as well.  Interested parties want a glimpse into who you are and what you do, and, as they say, “a picture is worth a thousand words.”

This is good news/bad news for all those generation X, Y and Z’ers who grew up with a camera in their face. These kids are not only tech savvy, they are also extremely well-versed in taking pictures of each other and themselves — a ridiculous number of pictures — usually at arm’s length in dorm rooms.

As an old school gal, I probably have less than 20 pictures of myself IN LIFE that I would consider “good.” As a mom, I’m usually the one behind the camera capturing all the little golden moments, … which actually works out great, as the prospect of calling in my hair and make-up people on the short notice required to look stunning in spontaneous family photos is limited.

Face it. While the thought of having a professional portrait taken is excruciating, at some point, you just have to face it.  Using a picture of yourself that you have cropped out of a group photo is NOT professional. Same goes for the one where you are clearly on vacation in a tropical climate and all but have a fruity umbrella drink just off camera. (I have done both of these.)

The Take-Away: So, to this point, I will invite you to stay tuned as my personal photographer (love the sound of that … he’s actually a very talented, master of all things tech, whom I have adopted as a front line business support services resource) puts the finishing touches on what will be my new professional profile picture. At that time I will also provide a couple of professional photography pointers, from the perspective of the photograph-ee.

Pre-Ramble:  “User Error” is currently at the top of my list of most hated words in the English language. In this era of ubiquitous technology, every man, woman and child has seen themselves in deep technological waters at one point or another.

Seriously — remember the first time you tried to ease the needle down on that glossy, twirling  Bobby Sherman album? Or, the first time you tried to slide a cassette into that slot in the dashboard? … Fast-forward to the thumb-tied act of sending your first text-message. There is definitely a learning curve on adapting to new technologies … only now, there are just so many more ways that you can screw up.

Opportunities to commit technical errors are all around us. ”User-interface” is what happens when you or I try to make our tech gadgets work. Legions of technology designers and developers are currently making careers out of building technological hardware and software that is “user-friendly.” User-friendly is code for anticipating the random stupidness of the average technology consumer. 

People who design and develop technology products are thinking about functional requirements … stuff like:

• navigation (how will the user move through a webpage or action?)
• content (do the words/concepts make sense?)
• visual clarity (can the user tell how this works just by looking at it?)
• how many clicks it takes to do something
• transaction time (how many seconds does it take to download/accomplish something)
• processing limitations (how much band-width is required to support the expression of the information or activity?)
• the integirty of the data  (is the user going to mistakenly enter a letter into the spaces where their phone number should be?)

Well, so – anyone who has read this blog for any period of time knows that I am something of a newbie when it comes to technology (just ask my website guy … ). At some point, I will share with you the depths of my tech-unsavviness, however, trust me when I tell you that when your computer prompts you to “update this” or “synch-up that” it’s a good idea to JUST DO THAT, rather than deleting it, relegating it to the “I’ll do that later” pile, or thinking that someone else will take care of it … (that “someone” is you).

Incoming … Code Red!  Why set yourself up for the humiliation of standing at the Genius Bar with an unresponsive phone only to have Tim the Tech Associate (shown above right) politely, but patronizingly ask if you’ve been updating your software and synching up with iTunes? (Lest you think that Tim’s left hand is casually resting on the counter, note that he is actually reaching for the security button as he sees me approach the tech support area.)

The Take-Away: I’m thinking that an informed, proactive, can-do approach to technology is a stance well worth taking and one that can be applied to other areas of our lives as well. We all know about brushing and flossing, diet and exercise, sunblock, bike helmets, a good night’s sleep and strategic hand-washing … I understand that multi-tasking is now on the skill-set-non-grata list, however, it wouldn’t hurt to floss a little while we’re waiting for the iPhone to synch up.

Pre-Ramble:  I almost want to hide under my bed for a couple of days until this all blows over, or at least until a third event happens to take the curse off.  I’m talking about crashes. 

First there was the “give-us-a-reality-show-couple” who crashed the state dinner at the White House last Tuesday night.  And then there was the curious case of Tiger Woods crashing his SUV into a tree at 2:30 in the morning … (… and his wife Elin broke into the vehicle with a golf club? … Really??)

I know what you’re thinking here. If history serves, the third crash should be coming any minute now, and it’s more than likely to be my computer. As you may recall, I have had the unfortunate distinction of having my computer crash twice in a two year period. (Surely, you could hear the kvetching and screaming from there … )

First, it was a faulty “reader arm” (!) … The second time, … I forget what the reason was (more like, I am blocking the trauma from conscious memory) … But I clearly remember that it wasn’t pretty, and I still have the dead hard drive right here on my desk to remind me to count my blessings (and back up my data) every day. 

The Take-Away: Just a gentle holiday reminder to back up your data, … and while you’re at it, buckle up your seat belt, eat all your vegetables, and don’t forget to floss. 

Post-Note: I’m not really superstitious, but if you don’t hear from me for the next 6 months, you’ll know what happened.  … ( … You don’t suppose that keeping the fried hard drive court-side brings bad Karma to my chi, do you?)

Pre-Ramble:  Look out! As of yesterday afternoon, I am the proud owner and captain of my very own iPhone 3GS.  That’s right, mild-mannered, tech-challenged me is packing “the fastest most powerful iPhone yet”…  … featuring up to 32 gigabytes of storage, voice control, video recording, cut and paste functions, and a bunch of other cool stuff that I don’t even understand. 

Apparently, I now carry the technological equivalent of NASA, a Swiss army knife, and a concierge right here in my purse.  This multi-functional object works as a cell phone, text-messaging center, email access, Internet hook-up, gaming arcade, jukebox, restaurant guide, movie camera (and editing table), calendar, to-do list, directional compass, GPS unit, and ”virtual” coin flipper… it even has a backyard bird guide!  How on earth did I get through a day without this thing?   

As is the case with most every product released by Apple, the iPhone 3GS is as close to design perfection as you can get. Its sleek, curved styling and clean simple functionality are a wonder to behold, and the crisp, brightly lit icon buttons communicate so well that even the most tech-unworthy among us can summon up the intuitive gumption to grasp their meaning. 

Apple has elevated the shopping experience around its products to an art form.  The classy glass entryway and underground orientation of its premiere NYC location (shown above) evoke I.M. Pei’s Louvre Museum in Paris. Even at our local mall here in Minnesota, the Apple store has a unique and exciting atmosphere. You walk into the stark, but bustling, white, bleached-wood gallery/playground environment and are immediately greeted by the first tier of the Apple staff hierarchy, a chipper team of ”associates” in orange t-shirts. Once the assessment has been made as to the objective of your visit, you are upgraded to an associate in a blue t-shirt. (Our’s was named Drew.)

The tech-wizard will see you now … The guys (and gals) in the blue shirts (the tech-hip equivalent of a starched white lab coat), are young, friendly, laid-back and highly knowledgeable around all things tech. Techiness reeks out of their  pores. They have official ID badges on lanyards; two-way transmission ear buds; and wifi, pocket-rocket cash registers strapped to their belts. These combination brand evangelist, nurse practitioner, tech-wizards, flawlessly walk you through the pertinent points of their presentation, citing competitive advantages and nifty features, and emitting invisible rays of wisdom so deep they must be all but able to divine your most hidden thoughts. The overarching vibe we got from Drew was, ”you’re safe, you’re in good hands, it’s cool, and it’s all good.”

So, you decide on the couple of options available on the unit — amount of memory (16 or 32 gigabytes … apparently both are beyond a TON of storage capacity … my sales associate confided that even he, in all his uber-techiness, had trouble filling up the 16GB unit) and color (black or white … black seemed the way to go), and then you head over to the accessories wall … some particulars:

• While the unit comes with a charging cable and headset, you need some way to recharge it on the road.  The Griffin “PowerJolt” seems to fit the bill (we’ll see … my newbie phone still has it’s original charge). 
• An anti-glare film protector is also a must, to ward off 99% of the scratches, dust, dirt, smudges and fingerprints that could mar your pristine and inherently fragile touch screen. Comes in a two-pack.
• You also definitely want a cover – something grippy and bouncy, so when you drop the thing, it has some kind of chance at survival. My daughters recommend the “incase” brand slider case … pliable enough to hug the phone, but firm enough to retain it’s shape (some of the cases made out of the more “rubbery” materials will actually stretch out over time, becoming baggy and flopping off the edge of the phone … not good — too easy to bobble the unit).

So, there you are. A few clicks on the remote cash register, the grand swipe of the credit card, and you’re good to go!  I hope this has been a useful and informative play-by-play on the iPhone 3GS purchase process. Stay tuned for future posts on user-interface pointers, foibles, etc. …

The Take-Away: By far, the best part about the whole iPhone 3GS scenario was the tech-envy incited by my new toy in my beloved teenage children. I swear, I was floating a few gigameters off the floor as we left the mall, while my daughter trudged along, shaking her head all, “Mom, you have no idea how much stuff that thing can do …” as though I were some 95-year-old granny crawling out of the parking lot in a spanking new Maserati Granturismo S.  

… SO, WE’RE EVEN — beauty is wasted on youth, and cutting-edge technology is wasted on us old farts!

Post-Note:  Thanks Drew — great job – I’m off to leap tall buildings! … And, as I mentioned on the sales floor, should I have any little questions or issues, I’ll be sure to text you.

Pre-Ramble: So, let’s see if that link-to-the-email relay mechanism really works … (and if you’re just joining us, I added a new feature to the site that can send a note to your email when I post a new blog. To sign up, just enter your email address into the field in the upper left-hand corner where it says “Enter your email address” … ). 

Theoretically, if you entered your email address into that little block area after my earlier test posting, a note that I just posted this blog entry should pop into your email. Or, if you entered you email address just now, a note will pop into your email the next time I post something.

Phew – this high-tech stuff is complicated! (My kids are currently rolling on the floor laughing at my attempt to describe something so simple that they can do it in their sleep.)

The Take-Away: Well, enough admin housekeeping — stay tuned for my next actual blog … something insightful, informative and/or entertaining … blah … blah.  In the meanwhile, it would really be helpful if you could send me a quick note through the “responses” function below to let me know whether the email feed worked for you or not.

Pre-Ramble:  Several of my semi-regular readers have asked if there was a way that I could let them know when I post a new blog, so they won’t miss it, or so they won’t spend valuable screen time checking in on my site every other minute to see if a new entry has been posted.

So, I asked my tech guy about it and he said, “Yep, there’s a way to do that.”

About three minutes later, he sent me an email that said, “Look in the upper left hand corner of your site and see if that is what you were thinking of.”

So, I looked at it, and sure ’nuff – that was it!

So, now … if you’d like a quick prompt to pop into your email to let you know when I’ve posted a new blog entry on the “K” site, just enter your email address into the handy space on the upper left side of the homepage screen that says, “Enter your email address” and then click on the “Subscribe” button below it.

Poof!  … News of a fresh “K” blog will enter your world whenever I post one on the site.

Hold your applause – I’d like to check and see whether this actually works and would very much appreciate it if a couple of you Beta Canaries-in-the-mineshaft could enter your email address as described above and let me know if the loop follows through. 

Please note: No one will ever see the email address that you enter (not even me – it’s just a relay mechanism); I will not sell any email address that is entered for this purpose on my site (can’t - I won’t know what they are); and entering your email address will not cause any form of additional spam to come into your inbox. You have my word on that.

The Take-Away:  So, now, due to modern technology, and my super techmeister, Clay – you will never miss a single “K” blog post.  All is right with the world!!

Pre-Ramble:  My kids are all over this Mother’s Day thing. They know just what I like – nothing too expensive or over the top, and preferably, something that they had a hand in making themselves.

I mean, don’t get me wrong, I loved the rake I got last year, we needed one and it has come in really handy. I also love flowers, of course … Mother Nature’s perfect blend of beautiful colors, shapes and scents, gathered in a bundle to look at in the house. I love all of that.

But, try as they might to identify and present the perfect gift, children have no way of knowing that they are able to surpass the surface value of that effort by one-thousand-million times just by being. 

This year, knowing that I am constantly struggling to keep up with the times, particularly in light of my deficit in tech-skills, my girls presented me with a cardboard cut-out of an Apple iPhone and my very first iTunes gift card… !  They told me that I could practice buying songs from the iTunes store for my iPod (a hand-me-down from my husband that I use when I go running), and if I had mastered that by the time my birthday rolled around this summer, I could graduate to my very own iPhone… just in time for 3.0! (My girls each have an iPhone and I accost them regularly with requests to check the day’s weather forecast, find directions to somewhere, or check out some other neat new app.)

While their gift might seem self-serving (I don’t know how to use the iTunes store, or my iPod, for that matter), it is actually their way of sharing a piece of themselves and of their lives that I could never buy in any store.  In sharing their experience as a member of the generation into which they were born (thank you very much), they are in essence, nudging me out to the edge of the nest … welcoming me into a piece of their world, and teaching me the secret handshake.  They know that I want to know how all of this works, I just need a little help. (Ok, a lot of help.)

The Take-Away:  The greatest gift we can ever receive as parents is the knowledge that, while our children no longer necessarily need us to be a part of their lives, they want us there.  I am the luckiest mother in the world.

Post-Note: I forgot to mention that a CD of hand-picked songs to play in my car was also part of this year’s Mother’s Day package.  This is particularly significant and meaningful because, along with the CD, they were able to show me where the CD player was in my new car.  

Seriously — I have been driving that thing for several months now and, for the life of me, was not able to find the damn CD player.  (And it wasn’t just me — the boys down at the dealership couldn’t find it either. In their defense, it was a used car and maybe they just weren’t familiar with this make and model … )

My daughters ushered me into the garage to sit in the car, pushed some random button, and like a scene out of the Transformers, whole chunks of the dashboard morphed around to reveal the elusive slot.  I almost cried.

Pre-Ramble:  When I got out of bed this morning the sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and life was good. Little did I know that the power and reach of modern technology would be able to foul my day so swiftly and completely.

You’re probably thinking, “OH NO, Kath had another traumatic computer event … POOR THING, … third time in three years… she should just cash it in and take up knitting.”

Or maybe you’re thinking that another hideous photo of me has been tagged on Facebook. (This would be true, but isn’t the source of my woes this morning.)

Contrary to the massively unspectacular spread of  H1N1, you may be concerned that my system has contracted some sort of  debilitating virus … which, thankfully, is not the case.

No - it is far more insidious than any of those things …

… this morning I had an email message in my inbox from the Minnesota Golf Association (MGA) … giving me an update on MY CURRENT GOLF HANDICAP!

Thanks.  Thanks for that.  No amount of coffee can prepare a person for such a rude assault … and so early in the day.  This intrusion is clearly out of bounds.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the sport (and let me congratulate you on your ignorance), the golf handicap system was introduced by the USGA (United States Golf Association) in the early 20th Century.

With a handicapping system, a weaker player is given strokes on certain holes on a golf course. That is, on a particular hole, the weaker player may be allowed to “take a stroke,” i.e., deduct a stroke from his or her score for that hole.  At the end of the round, the two players of differing abilities can figure their “net score,” i.e., their gross minus the strokes they were allowed to take/deduct … A player’s official USGA Handicap Index is derived from a complicated formula that takes into account adjusted gross score, course rating and slope rating.

Simple.  And apparently, “once armed with a course handicap, a golfer is ready to play on an equal basis with any other golfer in the world.” (I’ll take that bet.)

The Take-Away: Look – I know that I am a bad golfer…  Anyone who has played with me knows that I am a bad golfer … Certainly, by the steady uptrend of the ridicules scores I have posted over the past couple of years, the folks at the MGA know that I am a bad golfer… So, do we really need to revisit that fact?  

I think what we have established here is that, not only is technology capable of pointing out (via some intra-meta-tech twist) that I am technologically challenged, but it also has the capacity to remind me, in an unnecessarily cruel random-hit form of technological water-boarding, that I am a severely challenged golfer as well. Perhaps, as with the technosphere, the Universe is suggesting that I should consider trading in the clubs for a set of knitting needles?

Post Note: I have news for both cyberspace and the MGA – I have already staked my claim in this realm, and have the hand-knit, two-inch wide scarf/jumprope to prove it.

Pre-Ramble: In a quick follow-on to my earlier iPhone post which dealt with the technology side of things, I feel it only fitting that I take a minute to provide some info on another form of ”software” - iPhone fashion. 

As with the plethora of add-on applications for the innards of the iPhone 3G, there are also apparently a number of unique ways to distinguish the exterior of the phone. I was blissfully unaware of this until it came time to work up a list of stocking-stuffers for my girls. When they suggested a new cover for their phone, I gave them the clueless, all-to-familiar, huh? Who knew? All this time I’ve been using a boring, naked phone. 

Customization is clearly the name of the game here; there are iPhone accessories designed to stick to it, dangle from it, or wrap around it.  Options for the look and feel of the phone run the gambit from basic to fanciful to absurd, both in terms of functionality, aesthetics and price. You’ve got your basic off-the-rack plastic case, sold in a variety of colors at the Apple Store or online for between $30 and $50. Then you have rows of stuff in the funky cart in the middle of the mall… Trust me, most of these are so poorly designed that they don’t even fit on a phone, let alone hold up to the kind of punishment that the average phone is subjected to (bottom of lockers, purses, floppy low-ride pockets, floors of cars…). Which brings us to the more intrepid, quasi-protective covers designed to resist all manner of trauma; these macho styles are made out of flexible neon rubber, carbon fiber, and tire-tread and come with enough straps and clips to ensure that your phone is going to stay well within shouting distance. 

As the mother of teenage girls, I am particularly keyed in on the variety of “runway” phone fashions - designer editions, the majority of which are very sparkly and very spendy. Hot brands including Hello Kitty, Juicy Couture, Louis Vuitton, and even Prada feature hand-stitched Italian leather, animal prints, and rhinestones, and can run anywhere from $50 to $20,000. (No. The answer is no. Because I said so.)

My favorites though, are the quirky, retro-esque cases created by the Narwhal Company. The quaint, impractical sleeping-bag style comes in a bunch of different fabrics, each reminiscent of an old necktie or something you’ve seen on HBO’s Mad Men. The juxtaposition of the no-tech Narwhal and the ultra-sleek iPhone is amusing, as is their, what I hope is tongue-in-cheek, marketing pitch:

You own the Holy Grail of modern consumer electronics – don’t let a mass-produced casing diminish its style. Our iPhone covers compliment the iPhone’s style with a unique pattern on the outside, and protect it from scratches and falls with a soft alpine fleece lining on the inside. The fit is snug enough to keep your iPhone safely inside the cover without being too tight to quickly remove it for an incoming call. Our iPhone covers are as unique as your phone conversations.

Sorry to be a buzz-kill, Narwhal:  The folks who buy the iPhone are heavy users. Fleece lining or no, the phone-cozy concept is not going to cut it with this crowd. For them, it’s all about access and response time. Even if they’re planning to ignore the message, no self-respecting teenager is going to use up valuable nanoseconds dumping their phone out of a sack to check an incoming text. Plus, like mice, where there’s one text message, there are thirty more.  A simple “conversation” conducted via text-message, even those involving a shockingly minimal number of characters, can string out over several hours, even days. The bottom line is, if the screen is blocked, the phone may as well be in a vault at the bottom of the dirty clothes hamper. 

The Take-Away: What more need be said? Who really needs a fancy phone cover when you never actually put the phone down? Wake me up when you’ve perfected the iPhone cover that my girls really want - the prosthetic device that literally becomes an extension of their arm.

Pre-Ramble:  I pretty much thought I was Queen-of-all-things-technology until yesterday…

Despite what my web guy thinks, I can be technologically capable, if not downright astute. I know this because:

• I have had a cell phone for several years and am able to make and receive calls;
• I use my computer on a daily basis with only the occasional mishap (Agent James behind the Geek Squad desk at Best Buy told me that it wasn’t my fault that my hard drive crashed twice in two years);  
• I am regularly able to get most of the photos out of my digital camera;
• I am hearing that pissy “recalculating” command far less frequently from my GPS genie;
• I don’t have an ipod or an e-book yet, but I can pick them out of a line-up;
• I am aware that the proper terminology for prerecorded music is no longer “record, LP, 8-track, or cassette, and have stopped referring to at-home movies as “videos;”
• I have my own Facebook page (admitedly sparse, but it’s there);
• I have a Linked-In page (also woefully under-managed);
• I am able to summon neat videos on YouTube (love “Where the hell is Matt?”);
• I’ve bought stuff on ebay;
• it’s a rare day when I haven’t googled something; 
• I can hang-ten on the Internet without getting wet;
• I have my own website and what I am calling a blog.  

These are all tech-worthy things that I was feeling good about until I sat down to dinner with my kids.

We’re not in Kansas anymore Toto … So, we were enjoying a respectable version of homemade pizza, when that unmistakable humming sound emanated from the other side of the room. We have a rule about taking calls or text messages during “forced family time” and, while I know it’s killing them, my kids are pretty good about it. Instead of actually taking the call, we engage in the equally intrusive behavior of looking over at the jittering device to ponder the source and reason for the call. It was at this point that our conversation turned to ”apps” and the entire room began to spin. 

OMG: Do you have any idea how much technical capability is crammed into these new small hand-held units?! My teenagers basically have 24/7 access to the contents of the entire World Wide Web including songs, photos, movies, encyclopedias, games, directories, social networks, up-to-the-minute-news-feeds, weather, navigation technology, and all manner of other random crap in the palm of their hand – literally. I hope you’re sitting down, in fact, you might want to remove your bifocals and breathe into a paper bag for a few minutes because this is mind-blowing stuff.

For the cost of one dollar or less, the casual iPhone user can download/upload (?) (magically transport something through thin air into your phone) what are called “applications” (add-on stuff that you didn’t know you needed when you bought your phone). According to tech blogmaster, Josh Catone, over 10,000 applications are currently available for the Apple iPhone.  A survey of users found that 93 percent have added at least one application, and that 45 percent have added more than eleven. Apparently, some app developers are pulling in over $5,000 per week and analysts predict that the aptly named Apple App Store will be a billion dollar business by next year. Before I scrap this blogging nonsense and start writing iPhone apps, let me share a few of my favorites:

• running stats – take your phone on a workout to monitor running route, mileage, terrain, time, and calories burned
• movie info - based on your location (GPS), it can show you nearby theaters, listings, times, directions, and THE MOVIE TRAILERS!
• “bubble wrap” - screen fills with what looks like bubble wrap packing material; gamer tries to “pop”/touch as many bubble-spaces as they can in 30 seconds (includes annoying popping sounds). I have witnessed three teenage girls do this for over 45 minutes straight.
• “flipping coin” – if you’re in charge of the coin toss at the Super Bowl, you’ll want this app – a video of an actual size U.S. quarter spinning over and over until it randomly stops on heads or tails.
• “easy relax” – perfect for our stressed out teens (see bubble-wrap game above), relaxing sounds invite listener to fall asleep to a warm campfire, Hawaiian ocean sounds, birds twittering in the jungle, or a gentle rain (actually sounds more like someone urinating in a port-a-potty)
• “whoopie cushion” – yup, just what it sounds like… can be activated without actually sitting on the phone.
• “Zippo lighter” – remember in the olden days when we used to wave lighter-flames over our heads at concerts to insight an encore? … then it became the light from open cell-phones? … Now, tech-savvy concertgoers can wave an iPhone screen of a flickering Zippo lighter video…
• “mosquito tone” (Caution: this is where you are going to feel OLD) - Ideally suited to multi-generational, summer, outdoor gatherings in Minnesota, this app puts out a pulsing, high-pitched tone that repels mosquitos and teenagers - AND CANNOT BE HEARD BY PEOPLE OVER AGE 25. I swear to you on a stack of Depends, when this sound occurs, my daughters will cover their ears and dive for the nearest fox hole and I can’t hear a thing – nada, nothing, zip. Seriously. Invented by Howard Stapleton in 2005, the controversial “Mosquito” is an ultrasonic sound typically inaudible to people over 25 years of age (the ability to hear high frequencies deteriorates over the human lifespan). When tested, the ultra-high-frequency tone successfully disbursed a crowd of unruly teenagers loitering near a grocery store in South Wales.
• “poison pill” (my personal favorite) – if the unthinkable happens and your iPhone becomes lost, (for some, the technological equivalent of losing a limb) you can send it an email from a remote location which will essentially wipe out all of the information contained in it’s memory banks while you drive away in the Auston Martin DB III.

The Take-Away: Clearly, an era of unprecedented change is upon us and we “late adopters” need to stick together and keep our ears to the ground. Please feel free to share your favorite app(s), tech-enlightenment moments, etc.  And, if anybody can explain the difference between “upload” and “download” I would be very appreciative.