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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!

I guess that I read Ballmer well.

I agree with him that Yahoo! shareholders are the big losers!

I can't wait to hear what Jerry Yang has to say! :-) 

Link to Microsoft says proxy battle not worth it | Beyond Binary - A blog by Ina Fried - CNET News.com

Link to Breaking: Microsoft Withdraws Yahoo Bid; Walks Away From Deal (Updated) - TechCrunch

IF I were a Yahoo! shareholder, I think that I'd be upset! How about you?

I suppose that I give Steve Ballmer credit for walking away from a deal which probably was going to be a disaster. Microsoft had better have an alternative strategy to compete with Google!

Jerry Yang of Yahoo! is now going to be under a great deal of pressure to find a better deal because I'm worried that Yahoo! might not make it on its own! The problem is that I can't think of a better prospective partner than Microsoft. Can you?

Link to Microsoft pulls its Yahoo offer | Beyond Binary - A blog by Ina Fried - CNET News.com

I certainly have contributed to the turmoil as I recently dropped AT&T Yahoo! DSL in favor of Comcast High-speed Internet which I used previously until AT&T made its price just "too attractive" to pass up. The irony is that I also upgraded from analog to digital cable when AT&T U-verse finally became available in my neighborhood.

Since I had asked AT&T to notify me when U-verse became available, it really was AT&I's "business to lose" BUT I was "impressed" by Comcast's willingness to compete to get my business while AT&T had NOT YET notified me. Furthermore, my DSL service seemed to require "reboots" after dropping the connection on a 'regular' basis. AT&T offered me a new DSL modem when I called to disconnect... why didn't they do that when I was still willing to give them a chance?

I've been wanting to see how shared bandwidth was faring in my neighborhood since my "early adopter" days on Comcast and @Home (remember them?) Finally, I've been intrigued by Comcast's efforts to engage its customers via Twitter.

Anyway, Comcast almost blew it too with its flawed installation and followup, but they made it right so for the time being, they have a chance to keep my business.

Watch for a future post about that installation as well as some of my thoughts on cable-telco competition. Let's see if I have any reason (good or bad) to talk about my Comcast service.

Link to Comcast’s quarter shows the ebb and flow in telecom vs. cable war | Between the Lines | ZDNet.com

 My wife Laura was recently sworn in as a naturalized American citizen! Today she registered to vote since Indiana has an upcoming primary in May.

Here's her photograph from the swearing-in ceremony which was held at Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis.

Link to DSC_0211 on Flickr - Photo Sharing! 

Steven Hodson is one of my favorite bloggers so I always "jump" at a chance to agree with him!

I just started using a Tablet PC which I have been wanting to do for a long time. So, when I was finally able to get a well-configured one for "only" $1000, I jumped at the chance.  i configured it with 4GB of RAM!

I've been using it for about a day (composing this posting on it) and I love it! I may never buy another desktop and I certainly wouldn't want to use one anyway!

Link to WinExtra » Times are a changin’

Windows Live Writer has been my favorite tool for creating posts so I'm now thrilled to learn that there is a U3-compatible portable version of this app which I have used to create this post! 

Link to Windows Live Writer Portable 2.0 Now with U3

Here's a good reason to allow kids to use their cellphones in school. We ought to encourage them to reflect on their learning experiences as they learn rather than to ask them to recall it later. This could also be a good case for devices such as the iPod Touch (IF your school has WiFi) rather than "unwieldy" laptops that have a much larger footprint.

1. Keys
2. Wallet or purse
3. Cell phone

I shared that I have forgotten my wallet, BUT I don't forget my cellphone. IF I had been in Asia, I would have been able to pay with my cellphone.

He also demo'ed the moblog site SnapFoo which he launched with Mark Fleig. It's in private beta so ask him for an invite code.

As 2007 comes to an end and as 2008 beckons, I thought that it's "now or never" to reflect on the tech scene during 2007 and to look ahead on what 2008 MIGHT bring.

For me, 2007's tech scene was characterized by social networking and software as a service. I was "converted" to Facebook when the Facebook Platform launched in the spring, BUT I am much more bullish about the torrent of services that characterized the year. Most notable among these was Twitter, of course. Like the Facebook Platform, Twitter is notable because it is an "ecosystem" that cultivates innovation. I am so impressed by the wave of innovation that has propelled phenomena such as Twittervision as well as emerging services such as #hashtags and Hoosgot. I'm sure that 2008 will bring even more!

On a personal note, I have been trying to focus my personal blogging efforts on placeblogging as illustrated by the Indianapolis placeblog and my neighbor page at outside.in. I hope to do more in 2008 and to get others involved as well.

Where I really hope to get more involvement is our nascent Indy Christian Geeks which has the potential to accomplish much for Jesus in Indianapolis as well as to serve as a role model for similar groups that I hope to see emerge in other locales. Please join us if you share our vision!

For 2008, I'll have my eye on two areas where I expect to see a lot of energy: mobility and identity. To launch the new year with a "worthy" mobile device and data service, I just ordered a Sprint Mogul in order to get EVDO :-(got "tired" of "waiting" for T-Mobile)

I also am "kicking off" the new year with my digital identity "branded" by my i-name =thomas.ho so check out this blog by clicking on http://xri.net/=thomas.ho/+blog and look for other instances of my life online. In the meantime, you can find my "online identity" at http://DrThomasHo.info under my personal "brand" DrThomasHo.

Oh yeah, I "forgot" about attention so I guess that it didn't get my "attention" so it just shows how important the concept really will be as we deal with information overload.

So, you can see that 2008 looks to be even more exciting than 2007 as I continue to be amazed at the creativity and innovation that the Internet has fueled. Come along for the ride!

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I had been waiting for Google to "get around" to adding Indianapolis, BUT now that it's finally happened, I'm not quite sure how I feel about it. I recall feeling that it was "spooky" when I first saw a satellite view of my house from the forerunner of Microsoft's Live Search Maps. Since I've had time to "get over it", you'd think that I'd just "take it in stride" BUT it does "hit home" when it comes to my neighborhood!

Web site adds close-up view of Indy | IndyStar.com