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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.

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