Well I am still as sick as a dog, temp still 101^o, still coughing up a storm.  I am trying to pretend that I'm not sick, but it is so inconvenient.  For one thing, I was supposed to be in my office the past couple of days for a bunch of meetings, and had to take them over the 'phone instead.  Well, so be it, IIWII.  However tomorrow I am determined to feel better!

A beautiful day: I received this link from my friend Randy, and shared it with everyone at Aperio.  It has nothing to do with our work, and yet, everything. If you can make five minutes to watch, I believe you’ll be glad you did. 

The Danger of being Too Nice at Work.  Not one of the things I ordinarily worry about :) 

Today's big news was the announcement of T-Mobile's G1 smartphone, the first based on Google's Android operating system.  Of course everyone is comparing it to the iPhone.  There is a general sense that this is the first second device in the iPhone's class, in terms of usability and functionality.  I haven't seen or used one, but since my primary objection to the iPhone was a lack of hardware keyboard, I might really love it.  Now, if it could just be available on Sprint :) 

Walt Mossberg's take: "In sum, the G1 is a powerful, versatile device which will offer users a real alternative in the new handheld computing category the iPhone has occupied alone."

TechCrunch says it is no iPhone, but close.  "In the end this is not really about Android versus the iPhone. It’s about Web phones versus the brick in your pocket."

Boing Boing gushes: "I've played with a lot of phones, but this is the first true 'smart phone' that is as easy to use as an iPhone, Sidekick, or Helio Ocean. Unlike the iPhone, it has a real keyboard that slips out from the bottom (and a bit more effortlessly than the one on my Ocean). Real keys, too, that feel good and click."

Sadly, I missed Oct 19th, the annual talk like a pirate day.  Arrr...  Anyway Google did not miss it, and added "pirate" as one of the languages they support.  "It recently came to our attention that Google was not accessible to a large, influential, and notoriously quick-tempered community: Pirates."  Reminds me of the famous pirate keyboard, with a single key: R :) 

John Gruber digs deep into the new Microsoft commercials.  "And so what makes Microsoft’s new 'I’m a PC' commercials so jaw-droppingly bad is that they’re not countering Apple’s message, but instead they’re reinforcing it."  It is a well reasoned argument, but the conclusion "feels" wrong.  I've seen these commercials, and while they don't make me run out to get a PC, they aren't ridiculous, either.  (I must say, the Jerry Seinfeld commercials I did not get.  At all.)