A Quick Introduction

So with thousands of blogs about health and fitness already in existence, why did I feel the need to add my voice to the cacophony? I'm not a famous athlete, or coach, or personal trainer, or a nutritionist, or other health practitioner. So who am I to share knowledge, health and training advice? Let me to tell you a little story, and then maybe you will understand.

A long time ago (well maybe not that long ago, but stories always seem to sound better like that), there was a 5 foot 8 inch man graduating from college at a slightly hefty 320 lbs. There was no accident in getting to that point, no injury, no health issue, it just... happened. Now I know a lot of people wonder, how people can get to be so big. Well I'm sure you've heard the saying that if you put a frog in boiling water it will jump right out, but if you put him in there and slowly raise the temperature he will stay in there and get cooked. For me, getting that big was like that. I was a big child, a big teen, and when I graduated college, a big adult.

I'm quite sure if I hadn't had a little wake up call, I probably would have gotten bigger. The reality was I wasn't taking care of myself because I didn't see the need. I could play Ultimate Frisbee (not well), play basketball (again, not well), and swim. I was ridiculously flexible (I could perform full Chinese splits), and capable of running enough to do all the stupid things that you might do during college. My weight rarely impacted me (though breaking a toilet seat in the middle of the night should have maybe been a warning...), so I didn't see it as a problem. Sure I knew I was "big", but I didn't really realize how big.

Fast Forward 10 years and I am no longer "big". In fact, I am quite literally half the man I used to be. I do my best to take care of myself (although I may or may not have a small coffee addiction... I will neither confirm nor deny that one!), and I try to work out at least 3 times a week. I have learned a lot in the last decade, most of it the hard way, and all of it from experience. So what makes my voice useful in this case? I've been there, I understand, and I just hope I can help.

Expecting revolutionary new mobile phone innovations

Ok seriously guys its time to take it down a notch. Everyone getting on Apple's case about not innovating, and I miss Steve Jobs. All those jumping down Google, Motorola, Samsung, and HTC's throats about Android phones not being faster, sleeker and generally just totally revolutionary. Even those scoffing at Microsoft and Nokia for not making Windows Phone an amazing third option and pushing the boundaries. Really, its time to stop.

Am I the only one that remembers when the transition from Desktops to Laptops happened? There was a time when you had to choose between power and portability. People used to wait with anticipation for Intel and AMD to launch new products. Somewhere along the way the sacrifice between power and portability diminished and ushered in the era of laptops. Desktops and servers were quickly relegated to those who either wanted home gaming systems, Do it yourselfers, and data centers.

Do you remember the last time you saw someone actually having a desktop as the primary computer at their desk? In my experience if there was a desktop present, chances are the user either had a laptop quietly stowed away in case they needed to go mobile. Do you remember the last great innovation of laptops? It was when Apple introduce the MacBook Air. You know the introduction of the "Ultrabook". That was in 2010. Do you remember the last time a desktop introduction was revolutionary? Me neither, but it was probably around the time Gateway was shipping out PCs in Cow patterned boxes.

So why is it we expect our phones to get more and more awesome and change our lives in more dramatic ways EVERY 6 MONTHS TO A YEAR, and yet laptops and desktops get a pass? Look here is the reality, we have reached peak phone. I mean seriously what more can you really do with a 6 cubic inch device? These things have more power than the computers we used to send men to the moon. Allow me to repeat that. NASA sent men to the fucking moon with less computing power than you are currently taking pictures of your dinner and cat with. Don't even get me started on the media and games you carry with you AT ALL TIMES!

So am I saying to give Apple, Microsoft, Google and the various Android manufacturers a pass? Absolutely not. They will make iterative improvements that in a few years will make the phones in our pockets look quaint. You've lived through an amazing time. You got to witness the birth and rapid evolution of a brand new era in human/machine interaction, but now it's time to lower our expectations a little. When one of these companies sends out an announcement for their new flagship device temper your enthusiasm a little. Don't expect anything earth changing, because as far as the mobile phone goes, it's probably not happening again.