Travel, Tech and Food

A hodgepodge:

Travel:

After the last two snow storms (and the next pending event), am I nuts to want to get to southern Utah to see the snow-laden valleys of Bryce Canyon and Zion?  Yeah, sort-of?  It comes down to this: I’m not shoveling.  Granted, we’ve rented an all-wheel drive vehicle in case of inclement weather.  And, snow reports as of last week showed 8 inches of powder.  Snow shoeing here we come!

In addition, the mother-in-law and step-father-in-law, (i.e. Swami-Mommy and the Grand Brazil!) have seen it fit to give Wife (pronounced wee-fay, my Native-American friend) and I tickets to Mobile Alabama in late April.  What?  Right.  Mobile, just a 2hr+ drive to New Orleans during the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival where we are as much or more excited to see Kermit Ruffins and Eric Clapton as we are to see the Phish perform.  The surprise of the month was when we learned that our friends, the Jesse Squared, will also be making the trip.  Tickets purchased, rental car reserved, B&B located.  Going where the climate suits our clothes.

Tech:

A gripe: Apple, in its infinite wisdom, decided a few years back when they released the iPhone 5, to change the nature of the charging/syncing plugs.  They went “lightning” with a smaller more versatile adapter that had the potential of greater transfer speeds (mostly hype) and plug durability.  However, the real reason for the swap was a bit more insidious than that.  All lightning adapters have a built in serial numbers that distinguish a single cord or cord type from every other lightning cord available.  This gives Apple the ability to permit/exclude adapters based on their manufacturer’s participation in Apple’s MFi, or Made For “i” devices certification program.  With an iOS or iTunes update, Apple would have the power to disable the use of “unauthorized” products (read lightning connectors) that aren’t registered with the Apple mothership.  So, for those of us who had a litany of 30-pin devices (alarm-clock radios, charging docks, camera adapters, etc.) who were already in a bind to replace or re-fit them with lightning adapters, now we have to go the extra step of ensuring that the lightning adapter product is certified with Apple and has the MFi stamp of approval, typically at a greater out-of-pocket expense.  I get it, it’s a capitalistic response to poorly made foreign (read China/Hong Kong) wires and adapters people were buying in droves because Apple’s own products were cost-prohibitive ($30 or more per wire).  Luckily, there’s a growing number of 3^rd party accessory developers selling the cables at a third of the price that Apple wants.  Make sure when Amazon surfing you find the MFi in the description or you'll be plagued with constant error messages on your phone/ipad when you plug in!

Food:

Made our reservations for the North End Grill in NYC (www.northendgrillNYC.com).  Here’s to hoping the snow permits us to get there in a week or so.  Executive Chef and Partner Floyd Cardoz tailgates regularly with us during Giants games.  If the food is half as good as what he can prepare in a parking lot, we’re in for a treat!