I still might not need an iPad. Actually, I'm quite certain I don't NEED one. But there are times that it is nice to have one.

After getting the new iPad, I also picked up this Keyboard Case that Logitech makes. Operating System aside, this basically makes the iPad into a tiny netbook. I've found that having the keyboard also makes the iPad a good replacement for my laptop at times (e.g. writing non-short emails, blog posts, etc).

Another example of when it's nice to have an iPad is while traveling. My MacBook has commonly been coming along as well. But having the iPad with us generally means that Carrie doesn't need to bother bringing her laptop (a 17" behemoth). If we both happen to want to respond to email at the same time or look online for things in the area where we're traveling, then between my laptop and the iPad we're pretty much covered. This also allows us to have a full computer with us in case something comes up from work, etc.

In terms of the device itself, I'm actually not quite as impressed with it as I thought I would be. With how most folks had been drooling over the display, I think my hopes had just gotten too high. Sure, if I see an app with a non-retina icon sitting on the iPad home screen I can see the pixelation. But I guess I was expecting the increased resolution to somehow make the apps feel more life-like. I think this is just a case of reviews getting my hopes up too high for what the display could deliver.

Let me be clear though, I'm not "hatin" on the device. Browsing the web is easy, as it should be, games are fun and the endless utilities available on the AppStore can be quite helpful. I don't think Apple is in any trouble of losing its hold as maker of the best tablet on the market. It's a great tablet device and I do seem to be getting some good use out of it, so I'm happy with my purchase.

Time.is: Need to know what time it is?

All Sites - Stack Exchange: Pretty neat representation of various Stack Exchange sites.

Mac OS X keyboard shortcuts: Keyboard shortcuts and how they are mostly the same from one application to another is actually a reason I cite for liking OS X over other platforms. That along with how I feel the shortcuts are easier to accomplish because of the placement of the Cmd key. This is a big list, more then I think one person can readily memorize, but I like to check it out from time to time and try to learn a couple of new ones as I go.

List of common misconceptions - Wikipedia: My brother mentioned this one to me. Some of it can be pretty interesting. Here's one I always heard as a kid in school (really, I never did believe it, but others definitely seemed to):

Swallowed chewing gum does not take seven years to digest. In fact, chewing gum is mostly indigestible, but passes through the digestive system at the same rate as other matter.

PHP Built-in web server: Sort of interesting that this was packaged into PHP 5.4. I'm not sure that I'll ever use it since I already have a development environment that allows me a lot more control. But perhaps folks new to the language will use since they won't have the investment in their dev environment yet? I'll keep it in mind in case I ever find a niche case where it would be helpful though.

browserling: interactive cross-browser testing: It doesn't seem you can do very intensive testing, but it does look good enough to take a quick look at a page in different browsers (and versions).

Git Submodules are not SVN Externals: I need to learn Submodules in Git at some point (sooner rather than later). I think there are some areas they could help me out in.

Docracy - Free Legal Documents: "Community provided and curated."

Mari0: Heh, awesome.

Hacking Rails (and GitHub): Nice write-up of what went on here. Seems every framework has these quirks you have to protect yourself from.

Pinterest, We Have a Problem: Hmm.

According to the company’s terms of service, when a user pins something, she is claiming to be the “sole and exclusive owner” of that content, and she is granting Pinterest the right to use it on their website (alternatively, she is claiming to have the consent necessary to grant Pinterest said right).

Dollar Shave Club: The video cracked me up :)

I don't understand why companies think they should be allowed to ETF my checking acct when they won't let me do the same to theirs

— Matt Walters (@mwalters) March 8, 2012

I think it's pretty obvious why a company would want this from their perspective. Many Americans keep their mortgage payment, car payment, etc… in their checking account. It's sort of the purpose for the account after all and they know the consumer will try to keep the account padded. So companies want access because they know it's one of their best chances at getting cash from you reliably.

I say giving a company access to auto-draft your checking account is tantamount to opening your wallet toward them and saying, "here, take what you need."

The very reasons that companies want this sort of unfettered access to your money are the same exact reasons that you should be protecting it like it's your own personal Fort Knox.

What if the company has a billing error? Who hasn't experienced that before? With access to your checking account it could leave you strapped to pay other bills. By the time you deal with their over-sea's billing department or whatever absurd processes they have in place, it could take a long period of time to get things straightened out.

I'm not saying all automatic recurring payments are bad. But if you want to bill me like that, have a credit card payment as an option. I understand it means you have to pay processing fees, but honestly, I don't care.

At least then the consumer has a buffer between their checking account and the company. As a consumer it's good too because your credit card company should be someone you can at least reason with if you have a record of being responsible with them, and they might even go to bat with the other company if you need them to and you can prove that it was an error on the part of the billing party. Worst case, you have the option to pay off the credit card over time and not have it impact your personal cash flow as seriously.

Here's a somewhat cautionary tail

Once I had a DSL provider (Verizon) charge me for 2 months service when connecting me. This wasn't standard. It was an admitted error on the part of their billing department. Straigtening it out involved me having to talk to someone in another country, and the best they could offer me was putting it as a credit toward my future service. They absolutely refused to reverse all or part of the transaction to put my cash back in my account and there was nothing I could do about it.

Luckily this was just a low dollar DSL service payment. But what if it was something larger? Or what if they'd billed me for a years worth of service? Mistakes happen at large companies, and leaving the consumer holding the bag over a company error is horrible.

This happened years ago. But I learned my lesson and I urge you to learn from it too. Outside of extraordinary circumstances, stop letting companies have such easy access to your cash.