a) no longer am I surprised by all of the fires that need putting out when I get home after a day onsite

b) I can send emails about the things I’m thinking about when I fall asleep

c) it’s easier to follow conversations happening online throughout the day, except for yahoo groups which is simply rubbish on the iPhone

d) conference calls in windowless rooms are considerably more enjoyable (even w/o super monkey ball and/or crash bandicoot)

That said, it’s difficult to get away from the bloody thing. It’s completely addicting. It’s "ooh shiny" 100x a day.

What’s the fastest way to the Yukon?

They are inspired by the team radio chatter from Audi Sport North America, whom I diligently attempted to follow on the scanner while at Sebring back in March. The Pit box crew talks to the drivers whom often answer back, "Copy" to say acknowledgement of the message. It’s clear, deliberate, and precise. Often they say, "Copy, box this lap" meaning "I acknowledge I will come into this pits this lap" and repeat the message back. (the international drivers say box instead of pit).

Which is sometimes possible with the iPhone keyboard. But only for short stuff.

So, if you see lots of quick replies that consist of "Copy", that’s why.

Wed afternoon rolls around and it mysteriously works again, but a phone is a utility device that simply must work reliably. And being that this is a business need for a reliable phone a new one was needed ASAP.

Thus, there is really only one option if you use OS X as your primary computer operating system. All of the other phones may claim to be Mac compatible, but when it comes down to seemlessly working, they aren’t.

Mind you I’m not a "gadget guy" anymore. I was back when I had a Palm III and used it to take notes in senior government class prompting my teacher to instruct the class to "take out our note taking devices". And it eventually died. A new Palm something replaced it but that never really worked well with OS X. And successive mobile phones replaced the need for the address book part of the Palm which didn’t sync.

Which brings us to now. I told the guy at the Apple store I wasn’t really excited (it’s a bloody phone folks). However, the iCrackphoneberry is finally delivering on everything that the Palm was supposed to be and the Newton almost was.

My mom thought the call was very clear. The old phone was not so much. Email has proven very useful and more reliable than web mail (.me and MT I’m looking at you). Apps seem like Widgets, lots of ones that get used once and forgotten about.

That said, what’s the best ToDo list to use. I’m using Things on my desktop, ftw.

Thanks to everyone that previously chimed in. Would I have gotten one right now if my previous phone was still reliable, no. Am I glad I got an iPhone and not something else. yes.

And there are still places where I can get away from phone calls and emails and the internet. They are all just in the Yukon, so if I disappear for a while...

And I’ve just reached my 6 year anniversary with Sprint. I think they kindly knock 15% off my bill every month. Yet...

See the first paragraph. While I’m sure I can get a new battery I’m not sure where I see my mobile phone needs going. After spending the past week and a half onsite, having more than a phone would have been nice. It would be nice for knowing I need to be somewhere at 9 am before I get home at 1.

And, some geek has written Dynolycious, which honestly, I’m not sure I can get by without now. I NEED to know how many G’s I’m pulling in a corner. It would very much help keep the suspension on the bike dialed in.

Likewise, it would be nice to travel sans laptop. That’s an extra 1/2 a side case of space and ~7 less pounds on the motorbike.

Thoughts... comments... what should I do...

Mind you, we’ve only gone 200 meters on the Triple Nickel. The treachery continues. More 20 mph corners than I can count (I gave up at 7), one (or maybe it’s two) 15 mph corners, at least one double apex corner that finishes off camber, minimal straights, lots of up-hills into blind crests that then go both ways on the downhill, and downhills into hard corners that lead into uphill switchbacks.

The original intention was to do this on Tuesday (sorry Joel), but I spent most of Tuesday in someone else’s cubical (he was on vacation) working on a project that drives people like me to run these kinds of roads to maintain sanity. Thus after a week in Dilbertville and hammering at 3 other projects in the evenings, today was slipping away. I couldn’t look at a computer any more. 2:30 rolls around and it was, "The weather is bloody perfect, the roads are clean, time to roll. Let’s go."

Seventy miles later, I’m making that first right-hander wondering what the heck I’ve gotten into. A friend of mine’s dad binned a K12rs on OH-555 taking a corner a bit too quick. Down on the footpegs and it wouldn’t lean over any more. Another friend was going two quickly on the only straight (it’s really hard not to open it up here after spending 10 miles in 2nd gear) and forgot about the 30 mph corner at the end. He bounced off the back of the ditch at the end of the straight. Amazingly still walking today.

At Donkey Coffee now, after finishing dinner from O’Betty’s (Casa as closed), I’m beat. By the time I got to OH-550 my quads were on fire. The back is sore, shoulders are spent, and surprisingly the left thumb isn’t doing too bad. The Triple Nickel is constantly hang-off the left, hang-off the right, accelerate, brake, downshift, off to the right, then left, then right. I don’t think it’s possible to ride this road with a passenger.

Running it mostly at 6/10ths (I didn’t do that much hard braking into the corners), I felt my riding abilities were barely adequate for the riding problems presented by this magnificant stretch of twisting tarmac. That’s 2.5 years and over 17,000 miles to get to today.

Finishing out the ride on OH-550 (itself no stroll down a country lane), things flowed together. Knowing where I was on the road, the confidence levels increased greatly. Often at 8/10ths, things like mid-corner bumbs were fun with the suspension on the baby GS. Amesville, then into Athens.

OH-256 from Pickerington to OH-13

OH-13 to OH-669

OH-669 to OH-555

OH-555 to OH-550

OH-550 to Athens, OH

The nasty chemicals were not completely removed, and blech. The vileness of the contents of my mug may well have been the worst cup of coffee I have never wished I could have not experienced.

Seriously, anyone who even contemplates putting flavored coffee into the regular coffee airpot ought to have their coffee drinking privileges revoked.

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Can any one provide a good reason for why the US did not boycott the 2008 Summer Games held in the People’s Republic of China, a Communist nation?

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Panera has started a 30 minute wifi rule during lunch time. WTF? last time I go there for lunch.

Rather, with the blog. Just don’t have time for the next couple weeks. Lot’s of work in the pipe line, a 48 hr film project, and some other items of far greater importance than entertaining everyone here.

However, I have uploaded a few more photos from the RRG trip. Including this one here, which is my personal favorite from the trip.

Naturally, much climbing proceeded afterwards regardless of the injured thumb.

I’m going to try dropping a few photos ever day up onto flickr. You can see the set here. Images look best as big as you can make them.

Longer trip report after a night (or two) of good sleep.