Skip to main content

I-Pad Glass, Garage Band And Used Tissue

    Hey, everyone. I had a thought about the I-Pad 2. The media made a big deal of the fact that the device was thinner and lighter. I thought, before I even bought it, that this was not necessarily a good thing. To me the original was not too heavy or thick. I ran across something on the web that mentioned that the glass for the screen was not as thick. If you tap the screen pretty good during the excitement of shooting a T-Rex you may feel a slight bending of the screen. Under normal circumstances I don't see this as a big deal but combine the thinner screen with a smart cover that leaves the slick metal back in contact with your hand and you have a recipe for a problem.
     Part of Apple's appeal ( bad pun ) is the solid build quality of their stuff. I'm sure that it will be fine. You know you're becoming a geek when you start to worry about your toys.
     I've been messing around with Garage Band just a bit. It is a very cool app. Of course, since I have a problem learning guitar I went straight to that function and started to experiment with it. It has a way that you can auto play chords in various styles and tempos. I had some sheet music on the wall here in the study for Leaving On A Jet Plane and I started to strum the chords on the Padster and sing along with it. It was nice not having to twist my aged hands in the difficult contortions of the chording ritual. I think that anyone can enjoy this app. For $4.99 it is a no- brainer. There are a variety of instruments, as well as the ability to arrange and record your own songs. I went to You-Tube and saw the way people are using this app and it was very impressive. Rarely do I get the most out of any thing I own but rather, I play with the shiny new thing with great zeal for a brief time, then cast it aside like a used kleenex. Such is the level of my maturity.
     On that chord thing with Garage Band, all you have to do is touch one finger to a chord and it plays the chord. You can switch from chords to notes. Using the auto play 'knob' you can have the chord play over and over and switch chords to make very pleasing melodies effortlessly. Switch from an acoustic to several types of electric guitar or switch to keyboard or drums. You can actually plug your electric guitar in to the I-Pad and play through amps and stomp boxes. It would take a month for me to get competent enough with this app to give an adequate review. Therefore, I recommend that you watch a few videos on You-Tube before you buy. Like it or not, the learning curve for me could use a few guard rails.
     When I was out in the woods yesterday, I noticed that the maples were budding out in their welcome red color. The woods certainly need the starkness relieved a bit. I'll try to remember to upload a pic of the bareness, though I don't think the maples will show their color in the photo. In the photo, the green bushes down low are mountain laurel. They have pink and white  blooms in the spring. In the winter, deer will eat the green leaves. The fact that they are green year round is very welcome to a landscape like this.
    A week or two ago I mentioned a book I was about to publish about the 1960's. It is still imminent but I decided to rewrite the ending a bit. Alas, even endings are like a used tissue sometimes.
    From the author's green retreat, I'm CE Wills.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Four Free Games

     Hey, everyone. If free games makes the start of a new week a little better, we're in luck. Check these out on your friendly, neighborhood app store. 1) Cowboys vs. Aliens vs. Ninjas- This is a dual stick shooter, much like Mini-Gore . You are an old-west cowboy with a vast array of weapons (earned gradually). You have to move and shoot, avoiding death, as you battle Ninjas and aliens. Some aliens are quite large. Some enemies are big Sumo Wrestlers. There are sword-wielding ninjas and these aliens that yield a mini-nuclear explosion when killed. When your enemies die they leave behind little stacks of money, or skulls. You collect these items because of a strange hobby of trophy grabbing for your macabre collection. Just kidding, the items can be spent or used as the game progresses. This is a good game and I played it for a while last night. 2) The Heist - A puzzle game with a twist. As you try to open a bank vault, you must face a series of different puz...
Post a Comment
Read more

Game Review: NFS, Hot Pursuit

    This game was one which I refused to download for a while, even though it was on sale for 99 cents. I thought that it looked boring and narrow. Boy, was I wrong! This game totally kicks butt. It is one of those rare games that will actually give you an adrenaline rush. It is that intense. The developers, EA Games, have recently updated the app to include two main avenues of play. You can either be the cops or the racers who are trying to evade the cops. As a racer you have to deal with cops trying to hit you and make you crash, cops buzzing you with helicopters, oncoming traffic, tack strips spread across the road and roadblocks. In the cop mode you are a cop and you are trying to stop a reckless racer by any means, fair or foul. As a racer you can use nitrous oxide for increased speed, overdrive capability and oil slicks. You also can jam the cops communication with a jamming unit. Like almost all games these days, it gets harder as you go along. I prefer my games to...
Post a Comment
Read more

Shadowgun: Killing The Windbreaker

    Hey, everyone. I thought it might be a good time for a bit of an update on the riveting game called Shadowgun. Consider this your spoiler alert and tune out if you want to.     Once you get past the dreaded Driller, things get better but you are certainly not out of the woods. You will want to make sure you keep a full clip in your gun as you stroll through the realm of the evil and crazy Dr. Simon. But hey, you're John Slade, the Shadowgun, and wherever you set your foot is the place to which your authority extends.      I love the way that some of the barriers disintegrate under the impact of bullets. I didn't learn this at my mother's knee but I darn sure know it now. I have learned that there are certain places it is good to plan on using the rocket launcher. Keep your stock of those filled. There are these transporter guys who are aggressive punks. The only way they respect you is if you kill them, so that's the way I roll. As...
3 comments
Read more