Saturday, May 25, 2013

Android Tablet Possibly For Sale

So far my tablet is leading me to the conclusion that it's not worth buying one.  While the portability of it is really neat, it's still not small enough to fit in any pocket, except perhaps a generous jacket pocket.  Sans jacket, I've stowed it inside my button-down shirt by opening one button, slipping it in, and then closing the button.  But during bouts of warm T-shirt weather, I'm forced to either hold the tablet or put it down somewhere when I'm not actually using it.

For example, when I went grocery shopping last week, I placed the tablet in the "seat" of the shopping cart.  When I was done shopping, and I had loaded the car, I returned the cart to one of the spots set aside for the empty carts.  As I walked away, I glanced back to make sure I didn't leave anything behind in the cart, and then I drove home.  And as soon as I got home, I wondered where my tablet was.  I realized I had left it in the cart.  And the reason I didn't notice it when I walked away from the cart was that it lay atop a store circular that had been folded over it by the wind.  Luckily it was in the same spot I left it.  But had I not been able to find it, I'd've not bothered to replace it or even miss it.  I might've felt a bit relieved.  In fact, right now I'm wondering how much I can get for it.

I like having a computer.  It enables me to communicate through e-mail, blogs, message boards and even social media.  And the mobility of it would be extremely fantastic if: 1) Free WiFi were accessible everywhere; 2) It didn't take ten times longer to compose meaningful content.  BTW, I'm typing this right now on a public library computer, even though I have my tablet with me and have access to free WiFi.  Even with the Nexus' Speech-to-Text feature and the Hacker's Keyboard, I still prefer to enter content through an "old fashioned" keyboard.

The marriage of location-aware note-taking and image capture that Evernote provides would be useful if the Nexus had a good-quality rear camera.

Friday, May 17, 2013

Blamed For Doing Its Job

The IRS recently was criticized for scrutinizing certain organizations applying for tax free status.  It seems that organizations that had "Tea Party" in their names received extra scrutiny.

First of all, "Tea Party" generally refers to a political organization.  And the fact is that political organizations are not entitled to tax free status.

Second, "Tea Party" is a reference to a revolt conducted by vandals who were opposed to paying taxes.

So these critics are essentially saying that an organization whose name implies that it's political in nature and opposed to taxes should not be scrutinized when it applies for tax free status?

Huh?