The Apple iPhone 6 Plus -- Two years later

     I’ve had my iPhone 6 Plus for about 2 years now and it is still going strong.  The 8 megapixel camera still does a good job taking photos.  The camera is far better than my iPhone 4S.   The iOS is still rock solid and relatively fast in spite of the fact that this isn’t the latest phone from Apple.  I don’t think I’ve ever experienced a freeze or hang-up requiring me to restart my phone.   Due to the large screen of the 6 Plus I used my iPad Mini less and less to the point that I gave it to my wife who uses the Mini for games.

     I have yet to experience the force touch feature or photos that move for a few seconds so I don’t miss the features that were hallmarks of the 6S Plus.  Frankly considering that my 6 Plus is only the 16GB version I’m glad that it only has the 8MP camera because I’m not able to store many photos on the phone before I have to save them to my Mac.  If I had the 12MP camera of the 6S Plus the issue of space for photos on the iPhone would be that much more critical.  For reference I have 3 full pages of Apps loaded on the phone most of which use around 50MB, none are space hogging games.

     The lack of space for apps and photos on the 16GB version is probably the biggest fault of the phone.  I imagine that the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus will be taken off the market as new stock and only available as used or refurbished once the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus come out this fall.  Should you want a quality iPhone on a budget between now and when the iPhone 7 series debuts I would highly recommend you get the 32GB version of the iPhone 6 Plus.  If you don’t care for the larger screen then get the 32GB iPhone 6.

My Beautiful Wife

            I want to take a moment to express my thoughts and happiness with my beautiful wife.  She is the light of my life.  Beautiful, smart, considerate, funny, sexy, loyal and hardworking.  My life is so much better with her in it.  I can’t imagine my life without my wife.  We face some challenges no doubt but I only want the best for my wife and our future together.  So thank you my love for being you.

Update to the Emergency Alert System Needed

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the National Weather Service (NOAA/NWS) need to update the U.S. Emergency Alert System.  Currently the system is used to broadcast emergency messages over:  broadcast radio and television; cable and fiber optic television; and satellite radio and television. 

However, as time passes those audiences are shrinking.  Many people in their homes or cars aren’t listening to broadcast or satellite radio, they are instead listening to a streaming service such as Pandora, iTunes, Stitcher, or Spotify through their smart phones.  Similarly, many people at home aren’t watching broadcast, cable, fiber optic, or satellite television, rather they are watching streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon or iTunes.

So I propose that the Emergency Alert System (EAS) is updated such that it includes broadcasting over internet streaming audio and video services such as those listed above.  Otherwise sooner or later we will have an emergency that many people aren’t prepared for or react incorrectly to simply because they never got the word.  There’s always someone who doesn’t get the word let’s make sure that when it comes to Emergency Alert System messages that doesn’t become the case.

Thick Skin

If you want to be President of the United States of America, you have to have or quickly develop a thick skin.  This is an area where I feel Mr. Trump has serious room for improvement.  Between the free press, the opposing political party and foreign governments both friendly and not so much so; everyone will be looking for mistakes, weaknesses and targets of opportunity.

            So what does one do to develop a thick skin if one doesn’t already have one?  First, you can’t wear your emotions on your sleeve.  Second, you need to get over yourself and accept when you make mistakes.  Third, you need to learn from your mistakes.  Fourth, you need to learn to filter out comments that aren’t constructive.  Fifth you need to control your temper...perhaps counting to 10 isn’t such a bad idea.  Sixth, you need to learn to filter what comes out of your mouth.  If every thought that enters your brain exits your mouth you won’t do well in politics. 

            So is it too late or can Mr. Trump thicken his skin and keep himself from lashing out at his critics?  Time will tell and the clock is definitely ticking.