Dr. Thomas Ho's blog @ Windows Live Spaces

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While taking the dog out in the backyard during the morning after the election, a random thought popped into my mind about Biden's ominous warning that Obama would be tested. I put that thought out of my mind after I recalled that earlier, I had ALREADY tweeted what I "fear" even more than threats from beyond our borders: an attack NOT from terrorism in the homeland, BUT an attack on our "homeland security" that could fundamentally threaten our freedom! By that, I am especially concerned about the Supreme Court and other judiciary appointments that are likely during an Obama administration!

Lest you think that I'm being alarmist, consider the power of the judiciary in California which "forced" supporters of traditional marriage to fight for Proposition 8 after the California Supreme Court overturned a referendum in 2000 to limit marriage to one man and one woman. Even now that Proposition 8's supporters have won "fair and square" the American Civil Liberties Union and other opponents of Proposition 8 filed a challenge with the state Supreme Court. I have no idea how the California Supreme Court will act, but even the attempt to appeal to the court is cause for concern, isn't it?

Don't get me wrong! I want the Obama administration to be successful as it tackles the economy and the numerous challenges that we face as a country. However, there could be serious repercussions from this election which have been expressed by Dr. James Dobson. Issues which concern those who have a biblical worldview are the ones that especially deserve our vigilance!

Although I am "hopeful" that President-elect Obama will move toward the center to govern, I encourage you to join me to be vigilant!

By now, it should be evident to anyone who follows my Twitter stream that just about the only thing that Barack Obama and I have in common is our birthplace (yes, i was born in Hawaii too) :-)

Since I just voted, I thought that I would explain my vote for John McCain. During McCain's "performance" in the Saddleback Civil Forum on the Presidency, I agreed with his pro-life position and I was disturbed by Obama's ambivalence as expressed by his "above my pay grade" response. I have since learned that Obama supports the Freedom of Choice Act which actually makes his position on abortion very clear! Although Obama stated his opposition to same-sex marriage during the forum, I have since learned of his opposition to Proposition 8 in California. Whether or not you agree with Obama, don't you see the inconsistency in his positions?

That inconsistency is what most disturbs me about Obama! It just seems that his scripted presentations are just telling us what he thinks that we want to hear and it's only unscripted comments such as his reply to Joe the Plumber (I personally don't care about Joe himself!) that reveal what he really believes. When he made that off-hand remark, I was already aware of his plan for refundable tax credits but hardly anyone was talking about it until Obama's encounter with Joe the Plumber.

Equally disturbing is the suspension of reason that has accompanied the branding and selling of Obama! Although I applaud the involvement of voters who should be engaged, I am disturbed by the misinformation that is fueling the cult of personality (my original posting included this phrase withOUT the hypertext because the link was published later) swirling around Obama. Later, I couldn't believe it when I learned of another example that topped this earlier one! I can appreciate the enthusiasm that many have for Obama, but I am worried that this demonstrates the failure of the American educational system to teach critical thinking that could have also saved us from the Community Reinvestment Act which likely caused many to buy houses that they couldn't afford as well as from the efforts of Madison Avenue to lure so many Americans into the burden of punishing debt.

I recognize that some McCain supporters are equally susceptible to fear tactics so there's plenty to indict the absence of critical thinking skills in this as well as any other American election.

Another reason why I voted for McCain is the people, especially Supreme Court Justices, who he would bring into government. He even voted for confirmation of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg because she was qualified although he disagreed with her positions. On the other hand, Obama voted against Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito although they were qualified.

As a matter of fact, I am very concerned that IF Obama were to be elected, he would be "beholden" to far-left organizations who supported his candidacy so he would be obligated to appoint people who support their positions.

If Obama is elected, I will take heart in the endorsement of the Chicago Tribune which ought to know him as well as anyone. I would want him to govern as a centrist and NOT be the "socialist" that I fear that he could be!

I haven't yet decided if I'm going to stay up to watch the results (yes, I DO expect the election to be closer than many believe!) so I might just watch James Dobson's webcast tonight at 9 pm EST. This thread has convinced me why we need Christian men like Dr. Dobson more than ever!

Last week, I read Carnival of the Mobilists for the first time and I was INSPIRED to contribute...I made it! 

I was encouraged earlier when Kevin Tofel, one of my favorite mobile commentators, "liked" my blog posting on FriendFeed.

Look for more postings from me about mobility!

Link to London Calling » Carnival of the Mobilists 130 is here

 For several years, enrollment in my academic program Computer and Information Technology at IUPUI has suffered and we have largely attributed this trend to the MISconception that there are fewer jobs in information technology. Whether or not national trends support this view, it is evident from this article that Indianapolis is a bright spot on the national scene. Since most of our graduates remain in central Indiana, this is especially good news so we must do a better job of getting this good news out! Could this be an opportunity to apply social media?

Link to

There probably aren't many who are more enthusiastic about mobility than I am! I own a Sprint Mogul with EVDO, rev. A and UNlimited SMS as well as an HP Pavilion tx2000 Tablet PC which I found via one of my favorite mobility blogs from James Kendrick. I even bought my 12-year old daughter a Palm Centro instead of any old phone. After all, I wanted to get my money's worth from all of those Palm OS apps that I STILL have after I migrated to Windows Mobile a few years ago! :-)

Recently, I got a Starbucks Card in order to use WiFI after I gave up my AT&T WiFi when I switched from AT&T Yahoo! DSL to Comcast High-Speed Internet which will be the topic of another post someday after the "dust has settled" on that decision. My start page on my Internet Explorer Mobile browser is my .mobi home page under the .mobi category of my online identity.

Being an avid Web 2.0 fan, I use BrightKite, Twitter, and FriendFeed a lot (I'd like to be able to use them even more :^) and I use the mobile versions of those services more than I do their desktop counterparts. Actually, I use BrightKite via SMS and sometimes I use Twitter via SMS, but that's a problem when you follow as many people as I do.

I share all of these "qualifications" in order to provide some perspective on my comments. I started this posting before Nokia's announcement of its purchase of Symbian which will become open-source software. In light of that announcement, I am even more motivated to finish this posting. I started this posting because I wanted to share about how I have been using my Windows Mobile device in a very different way lately. I had realized that my feelings were certainly favoring Apple's approach to mobility as demonstrated by the iPhone. Since I had last performed a hard reset on my Sprint Mogul, I have installed very few third-party applications compared to the number of Windows Mobile applications for which I own licenses in order to 'add value' to the limitations of Windows Mobile! As a matter of fact, about the only application that I have been using is Spb Mobile Shell which improves navigation on Windows Mobile. That reveals a major flaw of Windows Mobile's poor user interface which (of course) is where the iPhone happens to shine!

Because I have installed few third-party applications, I have depended on Web-based services to take up the slack. That explains my earlier comment about Brightkite and especially Twitter and Friendfeed although lately I have become quite fond of Tiny Twitter which IS a third-party application that i DID INSTALL after I found myself using Twitter more since its performance has improved (somewhat) of late. Of course, I'm ONLY able to use Web-based services that have mobile-friendly sites such as (mobile) Twitter and fftogo.com for FriendFeed. That's because Windows Mobile doesn't have any browser comparable to the iPhone's Mobile Safari browser. Earlier in the spring, I tried the Mobile Safari browser on my University's Learning Management System and I was impressed by how well it rendered the site.

So, WHY don't I have an iPhone? Of course, the "easy" answer is that the first-generation iPhone didn't have 3G data service so my dependence on Web-based services would have suffered from either EDGE speed or the unavailability of WiFi which is still a significant problem in most places. So, will I get a second-generation iPhone? I thought about upgrading to the Samsung Instinct, but that's not an option because it's not available with the discounted SERO plan that I have with Sprint. Anyway, I doubt that I would have been happy with the Instinct as this article asserts.

What's the big deal of this post anyway? After all, I haven't said anything that hasn't already been said by many commentators. What is notable is MY (early-adopter) willingness to admit it! To me, it doesn't matter whether or not Steve Jobs is "right" or whether Microsoft is going in the right direction with Windows Mobile or whether Nokia's recent move is "too little, too late" BUT what does matter to me is my willingness to keep an open mind and to be willing to adapt! After all, I never thought that I would abandon the Palm OS for Windows Mobile because I had such a significant investment in Palm applications (ironic, isn't it?)

Whether I "wait" for Google's Android while I "stay the course" with Windows Mobile, I am convinced that mobility is where the action is!