If you are unaware of what’s going on, here’s a quick recap:

Apple has decided to attempt to enforce patents that have allegedly been infringed upon by competitor HTC.  A little more in depth background available here:

Apple sues HTC over iPhone patents (cnet)

Unfortunately, what’s really going on here is that Apple is just trying to obliterate the competition by suing them out of the smartphone business.  Apple has always been an innovative company.  More accurately, Apple has been a company that knows how to perfect a maturing technology.  They talk a few disparate technologies (cell phone, MP3 player, GPS, e-mail, mobile web browser, etc.), throw them in one sleek box (iPhone), seal it tightly so that no one can jeopardize their OOBE, and charge a huge amount of money for the whole experience.  But the upshot of all this is that Apple moves the consumer market forward,  They make everyone else play catch-up.

And others are starting to catch up.  Windows Mobile should have had this market wrapped up several years ago.  They’ve been pushing smartphones for years but have always been just short of mass appeal.  In fact, my last two phones were both Windows Mobile based phones, one of which was the HTC S620.  Again, as a perfect example, the “HTC S620″ did a lot of things quite well, but “HTC S620″ just doesn’t sound nearly as sexy as the “iPhone.”  No fun = no sales.

Anyway, one article (and there are several) that shares my opinion of the lawsuits is available here:

Why Apple’s Really Suing HTC (PC World)

One nice way to try and get a grasp of how Steve Jobs’ mind works is to listen to what he has said over the years.  After listening to this quote from an old YouTube video, it sounds as if Steve has had expertise in this area before, but maybe on the other side of the fence:

The original video can be found on the American Idol website.

You want a prediction about the weather, you’re asking the wrong Phil. I’ll give you a winter prediction: It’s gonna be cold, it’s gonna be gray, and it’s gonna last you for the rest of your life.

and some more…

There is no way that this winter is *ever* going to end as long as this groundhog keeps seeing his shadow. I don’t see any other way out. He’s got to be stopped. And I have to stop him.

Thanks IMDB.  You rock! I’d hate to think that this was going to be the new “normal” but it looks like that could be the case.  Check this out:

Climate change causes more severe weather

Call it “Snowpocalypse” or “Snowageddon,” the mid-Atlantic and Northwestern U.S. have seen winter storms this year that rival anything in decades. Scientists agree that this kind of extreme weather is consistent with climate change research.

Arm yourself with facts and join Repower America in sharing the truth about climate change and extreme weather:

I have this sudden urge to sit down and watch “Groundhog Day.”

The Republicans’ shock victory in the election for the US Senate seat in Massachusetts meant the Democrats lost their supermajority in the Senate. This makes it even harder for the Obama administration to get healthcare reform passed in the US.

Political scientist Dr David Runciman gives his view on why there is often such deep opposition to reforms that appear to be of obvious benefit to voters.

Very good article.  Read the rest of it here…

The books referenced in the article are listed below:

What’s the Matter with Kansas?: How Conservatives Won the Heart of America

The Political Brain: The Role of Emotion in Deciding the Fate of the Nation

I may look for these on Kindle.

Ryan and I went to see the Harlem Globetrotters strut their stuff at the WVU Coliseum in Morgantown on Monday.

I had never seen the Globetrotters in person, but I’ve probably seen them do their routines on TV 50 times.  I think what we saw on Monday was probably the same Globetrotter material they’ve performed for the past twenty years (at least).

Of course there are some new wrinkles, like Globie’s music.  But I think I’ve seen Globetrotter football many times before; it never gets old.

It was great to hear Ryan laugh at the fun stuff and even get concerned when “Handles” starts playing for the Generals.  I think he saved his biggest laugh for “Big G” smacking the ground repeatedly and generally just flipping around in a goofy fashion.

It was just nice to sit and enjoy watching a game where no one was concerned about the final score.  The game was more than a game… It was an event.

From whitehouse.gov:

On January 12, 2010, a massive earthquake struck the nation of Haiti, causing catastrophic damage inside and around the capital city of Port-au-Prince. President Obama has promised the people of Haiti that “you will not be forsaken; you will not be forgotten.” The United States Government has mobilized resources and manpower to aid in the relief effort. Here are some ways that you can get involved.

To learn how you can help, click the image below:

Really, AT&T? Just $9.99 per month? That’s it? Funny.  Google Voice provides this same service for free.  Of course, everything Google Voice provides is free.

You’d think, though, that for all the money I already give AT&T each month, that they’d give me a little something extra once in a while.

But, no.  Cool service, but I’m not paying extra for it.

It’s not quite ready yet… I need to configure the sidebars a little better and I need to come up with a way to show my flickr photos.  But I should have that done soon.

We’ve been in the house basically since late Friday night, but the kids (and the dog) wanted to go play in the snow on Saturday, so they did do that.

Here is a short video of Gordon the wondermutt romping in the snow:

Stay warm and stay safe!