So Beth ended up going with the Galaxy Nexus, but not without some actual lengthy consideration and discussion between the two of us. I have to admit, the selection is overwhelming with Android devices – both in a good and bad way. (I know, a #firstworldproblem for sure). To me, there was never any doubt that the Galaxy Nexus was the way to go, but I was concerned about how large the phone is and how convenient it would be for everyday use. I don’t have Andre the Giant hands, but unless I’m careful, it takes me two hands to reach opposite extreme touch points on the screen. Beth certainly has to do the same. I can honestly say I hope Apple doesn’t go big with the iPhone – but part of me wonders if they’ll have to if they plan to go LTE anytime soon. Or maybe not

Anyway, overall it seems like a great phone – and as a self-professed gadget geek, I like having it in the house – if for no other reason than just to have access to Verizon’s LTE goodness. It’s still not enough to tear me away from the iPhone – I live in an Apple-centric world and I’m not ashamed to admit that.

I don’t remember when I first heard of the Avett Brothers, but it was probably a while ago – probably a lot closer to their introduction to the music stage in the early 2000′s than their more recent rise to stardom. I sampled a couple of tracks and it just didn’t click. It was nothing against them and I’m sure it was nothing against me – my musical tastes just didn’t have the palate for it. A few years later, a friend and co-worker reintroduced them to me and they still didn’t take. Not all the way, at least, but they did pique my interest a bit.

And then they released I and Love and You. I’ll confess that I don’t have the most refined musical palate in the world. I’m a melody guy. And sometimes it takes a few listens for me to get past some of the different or unique qualities of a musical artist to really absorb the melody. The thing about I and Love and You is that it’s (the album) pretty much tailor-made for people like me. It is their mainstream introduction. And for me it was their bait. Now they’ve got me hooked.

Soon after I and Love and You (the song) came out, I got an Amazon credit for a $5 album in the Amazon music store. As I was browsing the options, I noticed there were a couple of Avett Brothers albums available for $5. So, I turned to my friend and co-worker for advice about which album to buy. After reading it, I found it to be a great primer for anyone looking to try out the Avett Brothers. It’s written with the insight of a longtime fan with only a hint of regret for the mainstream aspirations of their most recent album. So here it is, edited slightly for public consumption. Enjoy!

Mignonette is the first CD I purchased. It is a simpler, older sound, with more songs on the cd. It was understanding music in the wake of a breakup and hopeful in a time of changing jobs and dwellings – well at least that’s the point of my life I was in 5-6 yrs ago. It is hard to beat.

After Mignonette came subtle changes on Four Thieves Gone, and then the break out that was Emotionalism. They added a cello player for dimension, surprised people with more dynamic songs, even threw in a little electric guitar. This CD release is why I took a long lunch break to hear them at school kids a couple of years ago. I was happier than ever when it came out and I’m sure that helped to add a positive spin. But like the electric guitar song was overdone in concerts so too the relationship cast a shadow on the Avetts in general. It is fresh without the poppy feel of their latest CD (which is suffering much by association with anti-[redacted] sentiments.) Fortunately this CD is so good it shines through though – it may prove to be the peak of their creativity (if not their popularity). Also, very hard to beat.

Basically these are my two favorite CDs of theirs. If you happen to have any of their older CDs I would say try Emotionalism; otherwise, go with Mignonette – it’s classic. And more songs per dollar, which is always a factor for me ( :

P.S. After Mignonette, you might also enjoy their newest CD (I and Love and You). It’s a little too overproduced sometimes, but it does have some good songs, that seem to be popular with the kids and adults these days.

Rewind a few months and we might ask ourselves if this really is how it has to be. I mean he came back to football afterall, only this time he’s wearing the wrong shade of red. Why couldn’t Tom O’Brien have just given Russell a little more time to decide? And if we let ourselves think about the good times – the elusive scramble, the perfect toss, the Wolfpack heart – it just twists the knife. But, love it or hate it, the reality of college football is that Tom O’Brien is our program, not a quarterback who, at most, gives us the best four years of his athletic life.

That’s the big picture. Our team was better with Philip Rivers, but is our program any better off because of Philip Rivers? I’m not so sure. And while he certainly has a unique set of athletic gifts, Russell Wilson is not Philip Rivers. That said, I’m so proud of the three years that Russell gave us and the excitement he brought to Carter-Finley stadium. And I don’t care if anyone else was or wasn’t talking about us while he was here or how much they’re talking about him in Madison and beyond. Because I don’t watch N.C. State football for everyone else. I watch it for me and I watch it for us, those of us who are tied by our allegiance to the red and white. And no matter where he ends up, those memories, the highlights, the excitement he brought are ours forever and no one, not even Russell himself can take that away from us. Our histories are inextricably intertwined.

And so with that, I’m wishing Russell the best. Because I know no matter what he does for the Badgers, it’ll never mean as much to them as a scramble, a toss, a juggle and catch in the back of our most reviled enemy’s end zone meant to us. Thanks for the memories, Russell. I’m rooting for you.

Tiered Data
According to rumor/rumored confirmation, Verizon is moving to tiered data plans July 7th. Anyone establishing an unlimited data plan prior to July 7th will be allowed to keep unlimited data – supposedly even during the next re-up. Even if that re-up clause doesn’t hold, I think it’s still worth the risk because …

LTE
The reason I intro’d this post as being targeted for those that specifically covet the iPhone is that while I’m sure there will be plenty of bells and whistles added to the next iPhone, I presume most of those bells and whistles will come via the iOS 5 update. I’m sure that I’m opening myself up to be wrong here, but all signs point to no LTE in the next iPhone. But there is still hope for LTE in 2012/2013 which is when you’d be up for renewal on the two year contract. Yes I’m using fuzzy math here. Verizon has done away with “early upgrades”, but the new policy actually still allows upgrading after 20 months which is technically early and makes me eligible for the next iPhone in 2012 (I got mine in February). NFC, a better camera, and a new processor are cool, but not enough to make me regret my iPhone 4 purchase in February, which brings me to …

Delayed Obsolescence
Apple is seemingly delaying the annual release timeframe for its smartphone from early/mid summer to late summer/early fall. And even though the iPhone 4 made its debut a year ago, it’s still one of the top phones on the market. It may not be dual core, but in terms of overall feel, it’s still one of the snappiest phones on the market mostly due to the fact that its raw computing power isn’t hampered by the capabilities of its OS (one might even posit that the opposite is true – that iOS seems to embellish the raw computing power of its hardware!). The point is, that in these fast moving times, it would be easy to look at the iPhone 4 and deem it behind the times – heck that was something that was true for probably every iPhone before it. But this phone still stands as one of the best on the market.

Update: Two quick afterthoughts:
1) I wasn’t very careful with my word choice when I used the word “convergence”. I fall into the camp that believes that Mac OS X and iOS will remain separate operating systems that borrow ideas from each other. So in a way, I suppose they will converge divergently.

2) This is My Next opened up last week’s podcast by summarizing Apple’s WWDC event in a song. Why wasn’t this playing at last October’s “Back to the Mac” event?

hat tip: Marco Arment

I don’t know that I can put a finger on what compels me about The Sports Guy’s writing – other than to say I feel a sudden rush of adrenaline when I “get the joke” and can follow the dots he connects between sports and pop culture. Other writers have profiled Simmons in much more depth than I ever could – and to be honest, I’m not sure I even care why I like his writing so much. It’s just enough to know that I do – and because I do like his writing and his ideas about writing, pop culture and sports I’m excited about his new venture Grantland.com.

I like that ESPN’s still involved, but I hope they give him some freedom. That they don’t plaster ESPN logos or branding all over the place (though there is a link to ESPN.com in the main site navigation) encourages me, but things I’ve read about their involvement doesn’t.

I like that Klosterman, Gladwell, and Eggers are involved because they’re three of my favorite writers.

And most of all, I like that Simmons sounds a little reinvigorated and it gives me some hope that his brilliance is not smothered by the daily grind of being asked to represent the corporate counterculture (i.e. a regular sports fan, which is what made him popular) without running counter to his corporation’s culture.

The Sports Guy himself admits that Grantland is not fully formed, that it will evolve over time and take shape. Here’s to hoping he’s given the time and flexibility to let it do it’s thing.

Or perhaps not. He’s exhibited it before and I was once again encouraged by his reaction to this seemingly ominous news. You see, Marco Arment is just that kind of entrepreneur/developer that sees the seeming marginalization of his work as an opportunity rather than a moment of panic or self-destruction. That he understands that same or similar does not necessarily mean better and that this is actually an opportunity for growth gives me some hope for the future of our economy. It’s a small hope, but it glimmers.

(Also, Due might need to change their tag line).