I’ve read a number of comparisons between Android, Iphone and Windows Phone 7. Amazingly enough Windows Phone 7 is one of the first new and great smart phones to get negative press. Not because the phones are lacking but because people just don’t like Microsoft. They’re still the “Man” that everyone wants to rage against. Everyone has an opinion or wants to throw some numbers out there for analysis only to have 200 comments on their blog post pointing out that they’re going apples to oranges in many of their numbers. Well I have a perspective that many might find interesting as a quality show in favor of the new Windows Phone 7 phone.
The Wife Test
My wife wanted an Android phone badly. She had heard about how cool they are, seen the commercials and how easy it looked. In her mind it was awesome and yes they are incredibly awesome. I wanted a Windows Phone 7 device because I work primarily in their development environment in my day job. To me it was an opportunity to create some apps and play as a developer. So for Christmas we headed down to the Best Buy store where my brother in law works to buy our new phones. We went home with my new HTC Surround and her HTC Aria that day. I had to go back to work but left both phones at the house. Within 4 hours my wife wanted my Surround and hated her Android so the following day I brought her Android back and got her the Windows 7 Phone.
Why Did this Happen?
Microsoft isn’t stupid and clearly saw the advantage to the Iphone platform is that it’s really easy to get going and get going well on the things people worry about most. The Android is very customizable and makes sense to someone who’s experienced with smart phones. I was able to correct many of the things she had issues with and was amazed at the extra options of the Android at first however later on I figured out that the Windows Phone 7 phone set it up for you FIRST but with experience you know you can get in there and customize later. She also found the styling of the start menu and the navigation of the Windows Phone 7 to be right on and easier to pickup. Even though I was able to say “look it works now” she’d made up her mind and I feel like the “want it now” culture we have will make Microsoft products a big hit with the sweet spot of the populace.
I feel like Microsoft has put themselves in a good spot to compete and build market share with a little time. The product is solid, easy to use and fun which will create positive buzz from common users like my wife. The number of apps being built is huge and their development environment is very easy to pickup for .NET developers who haven’t done mobile development. They will compete well in 2011 and in the future.
I’ve never been one to worry about dying much. My thoughts have always been that when it happens it happens for everyone. I’m realistic about it to the point that the idea of friends or family passing doesn’t bother me terribly. Anyone who I love enough to care about I feel they’re a good enough person that they’ll go to a better place in death. Some think it’s a cold perspective but people who take time to understand the point of view realize that as one said “Don’t take life too serious, nobody gets out alive anyway.”
Having a Child Changes Everything
Nobody warns you about the worrying that goes along with having a child. I remember now pondering on the subject how a friend suggested that having a child turns your perspective of the world in to evaluating things as “can kill” or “can’t kill” your kid. For me that’s definitely true as the longer I have my daughter the more I can’t stand the idea of doing without her. I worry about everything from the stick she picks up to her and mom driving at night. It was certainly a surprise to me that I became a worrier much like we always teased my grandfather about being.
Now worrying about my baby isn’t as much of a surprise as the fact that I started worrying about myself. I purchased life insurance and disability insurance which are things I never owned before. I can’t stand the thought of leaving the family without. What’s more is I feel a tightening in my chest if I even start to drift towards the thought of not being there to see my baby grow up. One year has produced so many great memories and you just don’t want it to end. You definitely begin to treasure your own life more for the sake of your little ones.
Having a baby is great and I’ve loved the past year of it but man does it shove responsibility on your shoulders as if you were Atlas.
My mom makes this one for us from time to time and I can never get enough of it. You just have to love it and it makes everyone happy when she serves it so I took the time to write it down for the sake of future knowledge. My wife and I have been striving to broaden our cooking horizons for the sake of our little one. We want her to grow up with good food and not suffer from parents who can’t cook.
Ingredients:
boneless chicken breasts
cans of tomato paste
Roma tomatoes
olive oil
eggs
Italian bread crumbs
parmesan cheese shreaded
slices of mozzarella cheese
garlic, onions, salt, pepper, whatever other spices you like
Step 1: Make the sauce:
You want to use a blender to chop the roma tomatoes to whatever consistency you want and set them aside. Do more than you need so you have enough. In the pot you’ll be cooking the sauce in you want to pan fry the tomato paste with garlic, onions and spices to get all that flavor mixed in with the paste. Add your tomatoes and work it in to a taste that you like. To make it sweeter use either sugar, brown sugar, honey or your imagination. Alternative to making sauce is to buy a good sauce.
Step 2: Pan fry the chicken breasts in olive oil
This is frying 101 but with bread crumbs. Dip your chicken in the whipped eggs, cover them in Italian bread crumb and pan fry in olive oil. You may want to flatten the breasts out some before cooking.
Step 3: Putting it together
Using a glass baking pan the right size to layer with the number of chicken breasts you have. Place all breasts flat in the pan and put a slice(or two) of mozzarella on each breast. Cover the breasts with the tomato sauce you made and sprinkly it with parmesan and bake in the oven long enough for it to all get hot and melted.(don’t burn your cheese!) If you’re cooking the ingredients cold for some reason don’t sprinkle the parmesan until a few minutes before you take it out the oven.
Step 4: Server over pasta with bread and salad. It’s awesome!
I’m really thankful to be having a daughter grow up in a time of so many devices to capture moments. I wasn’t there for this moment but her reaction is priceless. She’s a huge Mickey Mouse Clubhouse fan already at 1 year old and I’m pretty sure that will run until she’s old enough to love whoever the Miley Cyrus or Justin Beiber of 2015-2020 is. Great videos and pictures like this were a major catalyst in me updating my blog software so I can share with everyone. I love the comment at around the 2:30 mark where Charlotte says “you’re not spoiled are you”.
It’s long overdue that I use an automated tool for jerryodom.com. Software developers just like lawyers, contractors or anyone else neglect their personal properties when it comes to their trade. It’s to the point that I’m a little embarrassedbecause I hardly update my website anymore due to how manual it is. Really you work in a job where your title is “Lead Software Developer” and you have an old 100% html website you build when you were in college in 2001ish? You hardly update it and the content looks terrible because it’s inflexible.
Well in the spirit of the new year I’m implementing a new system for 2011 so that family and friends can get quick updates on the family.
