Tech News Vermont

It didn’t take long to see that I was wrong about the iPad. In January when it was first announced I was disappointed. Having used a Newton MessagePad for a number of years I was hoping to finally get a device that was modern but still fulfilled the space left by my retired MP2100. The pre-release press seemed to show the iPad as a giant ipod touch. That is not the case.

The iPad is a good fit for the hole left by my retired Newton. I was concerned about the lack of pen input. I like to doodle and often find myself sketching network maps or gantt charts in my notes. I was worried that the on screen keyboard would not be sufficient to take notes or write longer pieces.

The keyboard in landscape mode is as comfortable to type on as a netbook. Typing on the glass takes a little getting used, but it only took me a few days to get up to a descent typing speed.

The device does live up to the hype and is more than a giant iPod. The lack of connectivity and lack of printer support makes it hard to look at the iPad as a laptop replacement. However, for day to day use in and around the office and classroom the ipad will replace my laptop or the need to sign into a shared computer.

I took my Pal Mickey back to the Walt Disney World Resort this autumn to see if he would still function correctly. I bought the 3.0 version of the toy in February 2008 and had a great time wandering the four parks looking for places where Mickey would interact with us. I have seen some of the discussion boards where people say that Pal Mickey is annoying and not helpful, but I found him to be a fun extra.

I read in Disney’s Pal Mickey discontinuation notice and on the discussion boards that Pal Mickeys still work in the parks, so I packed mine up in my carry-on on our 2009 trip to the Animal Kingdom Lodge.

I didn’t find any new places where Pal Mickey worked, he didn’t seem to have anything to say at the AKL, he didn’t contribute to our shopping in Downtown. He did work as before in the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and Animal Kingdom. We didn’t go to Hollywood Studios this trip and I’ve never taken him to the water parks. I imagine all he would do at Blizzard Beach is worry about getting wet, much in the same way he does near Splash Mountain.

I was surprised to hear him tell new jokes after going into the Magic Kingdom. In February ‘08 he was stuck on the camping themed jokes (Hot Dog and Sleeping Bag) but this trip he had a few new ones. Perhaps we hadn’t heard them before, but that’s unlikely since he’s been hugged and squeezed by me and my three kids thousands of times.

He spent a long time resting after leaving Epcot and I had to reset him (power off, count to 10, power on) a couple of times in the Magic Kingdom. I don’t recall having to reboot Mickey the first time we used him in the parks. Apart from the occasional reset, he worked as well as he did on our first trip. I was quite glad to have him along, telling trivia about the windows on Main Street and complaining that the pirates had called him a bilge rat.

There are no accessories for him in any of the stores anywhere in the Walt Disney World Resort. I asked on Main Street and at World of Disney and no one had anything left. Some cast members commented on him saying things like, “put him away, he’s a collector’s item now“ and ”wow a Pal Mickey, those are so cool!“

I’m not sure if I will put him away or take him with me on the next trip. I’d like to see if he is really learning new jokes or if he’s just holding back things until he gets a signal from some computer at the resort.

The site is just about finished.  I’ve tinkered around with themes and settings and colors and plug-ins and I’m fairly happy with what I’ve put together.  I was planning on recording the first episode tonight, but I’ve run out of time.  So that will have to wait until tomorrow.  

If anyone has material for the podcast or ideas for the site, please send email to feedback at technewsvt.com or post in the forums.