Part of this is my experiences. I remember traveling to Europe in early 2007 and taking hundreds if not thousands of photos. I took maybe 20 at my high school graduation. When I traveled to Japan I took hundreds more. I took maybe 100, total, in my first semester of college. I’m not sure what it is that makes travel experiences more powerful—to me, anyway—than some of these big life experiences. Maybe they’re just prettier.

But I think a bigger part of it is the limitation of technology. Until recently (with my iPhone, which I’ll talk about more in a moment), I’ve bounced between cameras. I had a point-and-shoot digital camera for a while, and used it a fair amount from 2007 through 2009. It took the vast majority of my travel pictures.

I received a Nikon DSLR for my birthday in 2010. I love it, but it’s big and bulky, and unless I’m going out somewhere with the sole purpose of taking photos, it often doesn’t make the cut for fitting into my backpack. If I’m driving it’s a little different, but my travel is most frequently by bike, so it’s a little more limited.

With my iPhone 3GS I took a fair amount of pictures, but they were never particularly good. My desire for a high quality way of capturing memories on the go was never quite fulfilled by the relatively poor camera and processing power of the 2009 generation iPhone.

With the iPhone 4S things a little different. The camera is phenomenal. It takes incredible photos, and it takes them quickly. It easily bests any photos I’ve ever taken on a point-and-shoot camera, and I’m pretty well convinced it comes decently close to the shots I’ve gotten on my DSLR. It’s changed the way I think about photos, and it’s led me—already, in only week—to take more and more photos, capturing more and more memories, and sharing those experiences and memories with others. Which is kind of the point, isn’t it?

I am a technologist, and technology plays a big part in my life. I’m not ashamed of that. But it’s interesting for me to hear people complain about the role of technology in our lives, and often make fun of the “geeky” class. I’m frequently asked, “Could you go one weekend without your phone?”

Yes. Easily. But why?

I like being connected. I love taking pictures—especially photos that are big and beautiful and can really resonate. And I love taking them quickly, without having to think about it, without having to plan in advance. My iPhone helps me do that, and I like that.

Anyway, long story short, I like taking photos and I like my iPhone. That’s all.

Simply put, our brief trip to New York this past weekend was a blast. Traveling with Joe (@districtjoe) is always a ton of fun, and getting to stay with Dave (@ninedaves) was equally awesome. We traveled up with a bus-load of hipsters and the Bluebrain crew, which was… interesting, to say the least. Once we arrived in NYC we went our own way.

Come Sunday, we found ourselves running late for our bus back to DC (scheduled to leave at noon) so we opted to just skip it, buy tickets for a late Bolt Bus, and enjoy the rest of the day in the city. It turned out to be a great decision, giving us time to check out High Line Park, go down to see the still in-progress One World Trade Center (Freedom Tower), wander around the #OccupyWallStreet protests, walk through Bryant Park, and grab dinner by Carnegie Hall.

Really, we crammed an incredible amount of stuff into 36 hours in New York.

I’ll save my thoughts on One World Trade Center for a bigger milestone, and my thoughts on #OccupyWallStreet probably deserve their own blog post. For now, just enjoy the photos from the trip (taken with my iPhone 4S!).

It’s been a good week, but hectic and stressful. I found out we’ve secured a new townhouse across town, so I will be moving soon. I guest lectured with TechChange on Wednesday, which was a blast. I attended the NASA tweetup on Thursday with Chris Golden (@chrisgolden), which was obviously awesome. And then today I hit up the Give To The Max Day training event at AARP.

On top of all of that, I got my new iPhone 4S. Obviously, also awesome. See my first iPhone 4S photo below, as proof (of course, it’s a photo of Walter Cronkat).

Tomorrow, Joe Gizzi (@districtjoe) and I are taking off for New York City on the Bluebrain DC to NYC trip. It’s going to be an amazing weekend. A little about the trip:

Please join Bluebrain for an exclusive excursion to New York City to experience their new location-aware album Listen to the Light in Central Park. Trip includes bus transportation, Listen to the Light experience in Central Park, You Are Here: Washington DC art exhibit featuring DC artists, and an after-party at Lit Lounge (featuring DC’s Shark Week and Cracked Latin). We are truly excited so many awesome DC things are happening at the same time.

In other words, it’s going to rock.

I probably won’t be online much during the trip, but I’ll be taking pictures (on my new iPhone!) and tweeting my way throughout the weekend. Rest assured there will be an awesome wrap-up blog post once it’s all over. If anyone is living and/or staying in New York this weekend and wants to meet up for an impromptu tweetup, let me know! Just give me a shout on Twitter, @alexpriest.

1. Wired: “It’s kind of like having the unpaid intern of my dreams at my beck and call, organizing my life for me. I think Siri on the iPhone is a life changer, and this is only the beginning.”
2. TechCrunch: “We’ve all seen the science fiction television shows and films where people talk to their computers like human beings and the computer understands them. That future is now.”
3. I own an iPhone 3GS. So, my 2-year contract is up. And… duh. Of course I’m upgrading.

First, I’ll admit I am biased. I own a 3GS and I definitely plan on purchasing the 4S. Obviously, I’m looking to paint this situation in the best light for myself as humanly possible. But there’s a few things I think all the complainers out there are missing when it comes to today’s big iPhone announcement. Four, actually.

1. Apple really, truly, honestly does not care about numbers. Look at the history of their products. The only lineups to ever have numbers in product names are the iPhone and the iPad, and even then—in the iPhone’s case—it wasn’t in a way that made sense. Think about it: we went from the iPhone to the iPhone 3G (#2, for those of you keeping count) to the 3GS (#3), to the 4 (#4, the first one to actually line up in sync) and now to the 4S (#5).

   Whether or not you think this is a big “leap” from one generation the next, this is indeed the fifth generation of the iPhone. The iPhone 5, if you will. Hell, I’d even bet a macaron that the next iPhone won’t be called the iPhone 5 but something completely different. Microsoft gave a big f*** you to numbered products with the Xbox 360, as did Nintendo with the Gamecube and the Wii. This isn’t really that different.

2. 

   Siri looks ridiculously cool, and might totally change the game. If—and this is still a big if, until it’s been tested—Siri lives up to the promises made at Tuesday’s briefing, it might change the game in the smartphone world in a way that Apple really hasn’t done since the first iPhone.

   Voice recognition technology has completely, utterly sucked for pretty much ever. If Apple has finally somehow managed to get it right, then this is a breakthrough that extends far beyond just the smartphone market.

3. Upgrades are more about guts than flash. The upgrades in the iPhone 4S are, obviously, far more about the innards of the device than the external appearance, which looks virtually identical to the iPhone 4. My question to you: did any of you really think the iPhone 4 was that ugly? I kind of liked it. The power behind the device, and the pieces that make it work, are the most important parts.

   Apple has made some very significant strides in the iPhone 4S with the processing power and the camera, and that should not by any means be discounted.

4. Why an iPhone 5? I dare you—anyone—to make a valid argument why Apple should’ve released an iPhone 5 today (and one that I can’t rebut with a sufficient answer). Design? No, because the iPhone 4 design is smart, pretty sexy, and just works. Sales? No, the iPhone 4 is the best selling smartphone in the world, and sales have actually increased over time. Stock price? No, because Apple is already one of (and occasionally, the) biggest companies in the entire world. They’re sitting on a mountain of cash and Tim Cook, Steve Jobs, and every rational stakeholder could really care less as long as Apple keeps churning out sexy products that work.

   Consumers will buy the iPhone 4S in droves, and no one is disputing that. AAPL may have taken a hit today, but the day the iPhone 4S launches I’d expect some seriously impressive gains. There’s simply no real valid argument for them to release a totally new design and a totally new model.

In retrospect, it really does make sense. And I think in a few months, we’ll look back at this Apple announcement as simply the one that the media got utterly wrong, while Apple did it 100% right. Who knows if the iPhone 5 is on the horizon. I, for one, don’t particularly care, but as always I eagerly await what innovation Apple thinks of next.

1. Verizon doesn’t want it. They’re making plenty of money. They also know that they do not have the strongest, fastest, most reliable network. AT&T does, although it might not seem like it thanks to all the iPhones clogging up the system.
2. AT&T will do anything to keep the iPhone. Despite the way their PR has suffered thanks to shoddy service (again, thanks to too much data and not enough bandwidth), AT&T knows that the iPhone is the lifeblood of their service. Nobody is that attached to a service provider–as long as it works decent and does what it’s supposed to without ripping you off (too much), people will go to whoever has the best phone. And right now, the iPhone is king (despite competition from Android phones).

So, a couple excerpts from the article:

Newcomers will have two options: Under the DataPlus plan, subscribers can pay $15 a month for 200 megabytes of data; that would handle about 400 photos or 100 minutes of streaming video. The DataPro plan offers 10 times that capacity, 2 gigabytes, for $25.

Good move. Both plans are cheaper than what you’re paying now. And who doesn’t like saving money? Plus, very few will actually have to pay extra for additional data:

AT&T says 65% of its smartphone customers use less than 200 MB a month, and 98% use less than 2 GB… And just 3% of AT&T’s smartphone customers account for as much as 40% of its data traffic, contributing to slow transmissions and dropped calls. AT&T must control heavy users, or at least get them to pay more…

Soon, I can virtually guarantee Verizon will roll out a similar pricing structure (if they haven’t already… I’m not familiar enough with their pricing plans).

But not all is rosy for AT&T today. They made some stupid mistakes too. First, this same pricing structure is in place for the iPad as well, which uses significantly more data, as would be expected. Now I’m not sure this will be quite as big a deal as lots of people are saying, because it sucks using that much data on a 3G network anyway (for streaming movies, etc. most people will hunt down a Wi-Fi signal). Who knows, maybe they’re just kind of testing the water with this–if people get too outraged I wouldn’t be surprised to see them tweak this down the road.

Secondly, the last paragraph just boggles the mind (emphasis mine).

IPhone customers who pay an extra $20 a month soon will be able to use the phones to provide Internet connections for laptops or other devices. That process, called tethering, will be available on 3G iPhones this summer when Apple releases a new operating system, AT&T says.

But wait, you can already do that. Just not in the U.S., and not in many other countries. It’s embarrassing that they are literally re-announcing a feature from last year as if it’s some kind of revolutionary feature. Gimme a break.

[USA Today]

Image courtesy of NOAA, tsunami.gov

There’s no doubt that the earthquake in Chile today is a horrible, horrible tragedy. It’s yet another terrible reminder that we truly are at the mercy of nature–as if Haiti wasn’t proof enough. But as with Haiti, we’re witnessing an amazing case study of people coming together with technology to manage the impact of this natural disaster, and it’s truly fascinating to watch.

This morning I woke up at 6:30 a.m. and immediately read the news of the earthquake on Twitter, from my bed. I watched news coverage of the event on TV while I worked out in the gym in my apartment. I kept track of updates on the earthquake and resulting tsunami via Twitter throughout my make-up class session this morning.

When I went downtown this afternoon, I listened to NPR’s coverage of the event on my iPhone while I was biking, and then watched coverage of the impending tsunami in Hawaii via Ustream on my iPhone while at Chinatown Coffee. I continued listening to the audio from Ustream while I biked back–including in the metro thanks to relatively new wireles capability for all carriers they’ve installed in the largest metro stations in the city.

Within all of this coverage, of I heard references to Twitter, Twitpic, Posterous, Ustream, Facebook, CNN iReports, hashtags, texting, iPhones, and more.

The natural disasters, record snowstorms, unprecedented level of news coverage, and rapidly advancing online technology we’ve seen in the past three months alone prove–loud and clear–the world is changing, and fast. Social media is playing an integral role in this. I saw a tweet earlier today mentioning that Jack Dorsey, founder of Twitter, said one of the initial purposes driving Twitter’s development was for crisis response and management. The Haiti and Chile earthquakes prove that it’s been incredibly effective for it.

Again, this is obviously an absolutely tragic event. It’s an incredible case study for technology, but obviously one we all wish we could’ve avoided. I know my thoughts, as well as millions and millions of others’ thoughts, are with those in Chile–as well as those still recovering in Haiti–and we hope we can continue to drive the development of technology and advanced communications to ease recovery from disasters such as these.

So not only are my parents hella cool anyway, but they surprised me with THIS for my birthday, a Nikon D3000!

Although the snow did cause a little bit of delay (well, a week), it was totally worth it. Although we’d talked about it before, my plan had simply been to wait and get a nice DSLR for myself in a year or two once I’d saved up the money for it. Well, evidently they decided this was a good deal now.

I’m thrilled! I’ve really been wanting to get more into photography and always felt a little limited by technology (although I have to admit, I kind of like this photo, despite the fact that I took it with my iPhone!). This little camera just has some fantastic technology behind it that should let me be a lot more creative and get some great shots–hopefully! It’s not quite the fanciest one out there, but God knows it’s already more than I know what to do with and it’s perfect for what I want to do! And who knows, a couple years down the road (once I’m an expert ::wink::) maybe I’ll splurge for a super-duper one.

I’ve already killed a lot of time tonight playing with it, but as soon as the stresses of school calm down a bit (hell, only a few weeks ’til Spring Break!) I’m really looking forward to reading up on some photography stuff and starting to practice. Rest assured, I’ll be sharing my photos here, on my Flickr account, and naturally, via Twitter.

Luckily, I already know of at least four really amazing photographers–all super-nice. Here’s hoping they’ll be kind enough to give me some tips and advice along the way!

Anyway, back to my point… my parents are awesome. Thanks so much to both of them for being the best parents a kid could ask for. Not just for the presents, but for all the help, support, and motivation along the way so far in my life. Miss you both!

Yesterday, at the social media breakfast here in D.C., Geoff Livingston (as well as Alex Howard and Shashi Bellamkonda, but to a lesser extent) put a huge focus on mobile.

“Get mobile, get mobile now,” he said. He’s convinced mobile is the the place to be for Internet technology, especially social media. I don’t disagree. Mobile is undoubtedly where everyone is heading–the Apple iPhone, Google Android, BlackBerry and even new Nokia phones are putting more of a focus on data, Internet usage, and apps than ever before. It’s what customers want. They want easy access to all the world’s information everywhere, all the time. The development in smart phones over the past three years gives us that.

Now there’s much talk about the upcoming Apple event tomorrow. The topic even came up just a few minutes ago on MSNBC’s morning talk show, Morning Joe. Everyone–even non-geeks–is excited about the announcements Apple will make tomorrow. Will it be the tablet? Almost certainly. Will it be new iPhone software? Maybe. Will it be the iPhone announced for multiple carriers? Well of course, since AT&T’s exclusivity contract runs out this year… right? Why wouldn’t other carriers want the iPhone on their service? Why wouldn’t Verizon want to drive millions and millions of customers to their stores to pick up the newest, hottest iPhone to use on their theoretically better, faster service? Same with Sprint.

I’m not about to suggest the iPhone will stay exclusive to AT&T–I don’t think AT&T wants it exclusive anymore. They got the first boost, it gave them what they needed to keep up with Verizon, and that’s fine. In fact, I think that Apple most likely will announce support for multiple carriers tomorrow. I’m just not so sure that’s a good thing.

Look at it this way. Before Apple released the iPhone on AT&T’s service, were there ever any major complaints about service quality for AT&T? Maybe in rural areas, as with all carriers, but never in places like New York City or San Francisco (two of the most common cities with issues for AT&T). Never were there problems with network overload, never did you hear about concepts such as a carrier simply not being able to handle the amount of usage it’s getting. Ah, the consequences of an unlimited data plan.

I think Apple set off a ticking time bomb in the form of unlimited data with their mini-computer, ultra-connected, always-online little smart phone. The iPhone has destroyed AT&T’s reputation for service, and created seemingly unreachable demand for bandwidth. There’s no going back now; a return to limited data plans would send customers away from any carrier who tried it in droves, especially current iPhone users.

“This app cannot be accessed, you’ve reached your data limit for the month.” Ha, right, like any of us geeks would deal with that kind of message popping up while we try to access Tweetie or Evernote? Not in a million years.

But my point is this. What happens with Apple releases the iPhone on Verizon’s service? On Sprint’s? On T-Mobile?

This could be bad, folks. Not doomsday scenario, end-of-mobile-service-in-the-U.S. kind of bad, but it’s not particularly good for the consumer. I’m certainly in favor of competition, but at what cost? At the end of the day tomorrow, will every customer in the U.S. be on a carrier with horrendous service because of overeager iPhone users sucking up the bandwidth from dreadfully under-equipped telecommunications companies? Will there be 18 million New Yorkers walking around cursing their service, as opposed to the few million AT&T customers now who do it?

Maybe the people in mid-size, midwestern cities will sit back all smug and laugh at all the hi-tech geeks on the east and west coasts trying to compete for data. Maybe in the end we’ll look back and all blame Apple.

Are other carriers ready to take on the iPhone burden?  What do you think? I have no doubt all the carriers will eventually upgrade their infrastructure enough to handle the increased demand for data, but it could be a while. As long as more people keep switching to smart phones–the iPhone isn’t the only one, by the way–there’s going to be more demand for data. It’ll be a while before this trend levels off.

Anyway, there’s your morning musings, folks. Have a good day.