Page 2 of 13

Posted on

The Boles Blogs Apple MacBook Air 13-inch Mid 2013 Review

Yesterday, I took delivery of a brand-new Apple MacBook Air 13-inch computer.  I decided to leap on this upgrade for several reasons.  First, I love my Apple MacBook Air 11-inch model and it has been my main machine for 18 months, but it was starting to show its technical age.  The SSD drive was only 256GB and memory, at 4GB, was in short supply when it came to the work day.  Google Play Music live streaming would stutter and go bump in the night.   I am now back to true multi-tasking with this spec’d out machine.  My 11-inch MacBook Air was suffering from a lack of space and mind.  You can see part of my Apple family below.  The 13-in MacBook Air is in the center, my old, non-retina, iPad is my clock on the left, the 11-inch MacBook Air is nearby for comparison, and my beloved Thunderbolt display is on the right.

Continue reading → The Boles Blogs Apple MacBook Air 13-inch Mid 2013 Review

Posted on

Jumping on the Apple TV Bandwagon

Yes, I’m late to the Apple TV bandwagon.  I thought I’d wait out my wanderlust temptation to try the “black box” edition of Apple TV and leap on the concept when it was more fully realized as an embedded meme in an actual Apple TV that included the actual TV, but like losing patience for the phantom iPhone 5S to appear, I decided to give in to my purchase envy and shell out the $99.00USD for the shiny cube.

Continue reading → Jumping on the Apple TV Bandwagon

Posted on

Évocateur: Resurrecting Morton Downey Jr. Just to Kill Him Again

The odd and sad documentary — Évocateur: The Morton Downey Jr. Movie — is now available for On Demand viewing, and I ordered the movie and watched it with a disgruntled uncomfortableness as I recalled what a boor and a phony Morton Downey, Jr. was in real life and on television.  He was the living embodiment of those who prefer to tear down beauty than create goodness.  He thrived on igniting his live television audience to violence.

Continue reading → Évocateur: Resurrecting Morton Downey Jr. Just to Kill Him Again

Posted on

John Fogerty Just Wrote a Song for Everyone Again

Today is Big Music Day in the new album division of the music world.  We started the morning with a new 51-year-old album from Dave Brubeck and Tony Bennett and we end the day with a new bit of wonder from John Fogerty — Wrote a Song for Everyone — and this new album of reconsidered Fogerty old songs is a big hit.  I am a true fan of John Fogerty and his long and historic musical career.  He’s a songwriting genius, but there comes a time in every career when popularity wanes, the road calls, and new music struggles to free a suffocated voice.

Continue reading → John Fogerty Just Wrote a Song for Everyone Again

Posted on

Tony Bennett and Dave Brubeck, Live at the White House in 1962

Tony Bennett and Dave Brubeck are two of the greatest minds to ever stand and sit in the performance of classic modern Jazz .  In 1962, fate brought them together with President Kennedy, for a cobbled-together performance that has now just recently been rediscovered in the aftermath of Dave Brubeck’s death at 91 years and 364 days in December, 2012, and the result is the instant-wonder:  Bennett & Brubeck — The White House Sessions, Live — 1962!

Continue reading → Tony Bennett and Dave Brubeck, Live at the White House in 1962

Posted on

The Review: Paying for Google Play Music All Access

I have not been been much of a fan of Google’s play into music — but today, I think I might just change my mind with my new “Google Play Music All Access” subscription.  The new service is an odd dog, to be sure, but it seems to be worth both its bark and its bite so far.

Continue reading → The Review: Paying for Google Play Music All Access

Posted on

Stephen Stills Carries On

Stephen Stills is one of those rare musicians who not only forms the cultural sound and comprehension of a decade or two, he also divines the definition of the spirit of its people.  Stills’ career has arced over a half-century of our lives from Buffalo Springfield to Crosby Stills & Nash (and sometimes Young!) to Jimi Hendrix diving into a fine solo career.

Continue reading → Stephen Stills Carries On

Posted on

The Google Graveyard and where a Keep is Kept

If you haven’t visited The Google Graveyard yet — you need to go there and leave a flower or 40 — before your read this Google Keep review.  I admit I’m wary about investing even one second in Google Keep because of the company’s rotten history of starting neat products like Google Reader and Wave and then killing them while you’re in the middle of loving them.

Continue reading → The Google Graveyard and where a Keep is Kept

Posted on

New Music Review: Sound City, Boz Scaggs, Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix

There’s a lot of great new music hitting the streets this week, and I wanted to take a moment to stop and listen with you.  The first drop is “Sound City” — Dave Grohl’s tribute band to the old sound of rock technology in the pre-digital age.  Dave recorded this odd set of songs using an old engineering board from the former “Sound City” recording studio.  I think the idea to create new from the old is exciting, but the effort feels forced and unfinished, and I have always expected excellence and fulfillment from Dave Grohl.  So, for me, Sound City is a fine idea with middling success.

Continue reading → New Music Review: Sound City, Boz Scaggs, Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix

Posted on

My SimCity Review: Even Though I Have Yet to Play the Game

I enjoy playing online games, even though finding just the right game that suits my style can be a challenge.  I have loved SuperPoke Pets in the past, and now, this week, I have a whole new endearment to endorse — SimCity — even though I have yet to play the game!

Continue reading → My SimCity Review: Even Though I Have Yet to Play the Game