Apple iPad exposes little secret about what we don't really need (also, it just looks awesome)

Seems safe to say that "disappointment" was one of the resounding sentiments to come out of Apple's iPad announcement several weeks ago.  I find this odd, and I think much of that disappointment is misplaced.  The iPad is not so much as a disappointment in itself as it is different than what many pundits and consumers alike thought it would be.  It's no wonder you were disappointed if you were hoping for a small, yet fully functional computer, if you were hoping for Apple to take something already in existence and simply make it small -- that's not Apple's modus operandi at all.  And if that is what you want, you should go to Best Buy, because Microsoft Windows was powering such devices (with little success) years ago.

Compute like its 1998, or kiss your paper and wires goodbye?
While items like a camera and an SD Card reader might have been nice extras for the iPad, I don't feel particularly worked up over their omission.  I find the lack of a USB port is a bit more disappointing, as it will make it tough to print, but then I consider history.

Remember when Apple released the first iMac?  We're talking the big, translucent plastic, multi-colored units of 1998 fame.  Remember how agitated we were when we learned there would be no built in floppy disk drive?  The very audacity -- I mean, how dare they?  Steve Jobs and Apple intuitively knew, as they so often do, that the floppy drive would soon be a thing of the past.  It was tough to imagine back then, but it would not be long after that large files, file attachments, thumb drives, and (a bit later) online storage made the floppy drive obsolete.  While I am not suggesting that printers are going anywhere any time soon, I think that it's safe to say that in the iPad, Apple is imagining a considerably more paper-free world.  The device already seeks to eliminate the need for paper notepads and printed books, so why not take a leap and assume that printers become less useful in an age when there is laptop in every briefcase and a smartphone in every pocket?  And in similar fashion to what the Internet did to the floppy drive, so to is wireless technology doing to peripheral device -- who needs to plug in a camera when you can spring for the WiFi enabled SD Card instead?

What about your own, personal history?  The iPad is not designed to be a primary computer, and I don't think it will replace laptops and desktops any time soon.  It's designed for mobility, convenience, for an intimate and seamless computing experience away from the desk.  Whether traveling or surfing from the couch, how often do we really print anyway?  I cannot think of any time when I have been on the road in a hotel with a document I needed to print, and been able to plug directly into the hotel printer.  If I am not at my desk and need to print, I always have to push that document to another computer via attachment or upload.  The built in 3G makes this easier, not harder.  Of course, perhaps Apple might have tried to solve this problem in the revolutionary new device, but then again, the ability to print doesn't exactly seem like a poster child for innovation.  We ought to look ahead, not backwards.
But I digress with all this nonsense about printing and peripherals.  I sit now, looking at my laptop with only a power cord and a Verizon 3G card plugged into it and think "yes, between built in wireless and a 10-hour battery life, the iPad needs neither of these things."  Fantastic.

Give me something great!
I'd say that iPad fits the bill, and where it doesn't, services and apps like Evernote certainly can.  In fact, the iPad has got to have the folks at Evernote salivating.  Think about it: Apple launches a fully wireless tablet computer that begs you to stick your documents and notes in the cloud.  Enter Evernote, and feel free to sync your stuff 'til your heart's content.  If you're not using this service on your iPhone and Mac/PC already, you should be -- it's premium version is one of the only things on the Internet that I gladly and freely pay (gasp!) actual money for.  Yes, iPad + Evernote = Digital Zen.

In case you missed it, though, the iPad isn't supposed to be all business.  This thing is supposed to be fun, to change the way you live your digital life.  Suddenly I have one device that I can not only carry to every office meeting I go to (virtually eliminating the need for paper), but that I can browse the web, watch movies, read books, and play games on as well.  The queue at the DMV, doctor's office waiting room, or the empty conference room waiting for your late colleagues to arrive has never been this entertaining!  Yes, the iPhone does all of this as well, but push comes to shove and the iPhone is still a phone -- it's great, but it's small, and it certainly is not my idea of a computer replacement for too many tasks.  Bring on the iPad!




Great, but not perfect.
I really think the iPad is a great product.  Perhaps it won't revolutionize the digital world to quite the degree Apple predicts, but I am sure there will be some great (and accurate?) predictions from Steve Ballmer on that topic before too long.  In all seriousness, though, do I wish the thing were better at multi-tasking?  Yeah, sure, I guess.  Do I wish there was a built in camera to facilitate video conferencing?  Sure, I guess that would be convenient when trying to interact with the hordes of folks who actually enjoy one friend I have who knows who to use her video conferencing.  Do I wish there was more hard drive capacity?  Not really; I don't want the primary version of my documents to be local on this thing anyway, and I don't have nearly enough time to chew through more than 16 GB of media content in one sitting.  Ironically, the feature that I most wish had been included is the venerable stylus -- how great would it be to jot a note into Evernote and in 60 seconds have it synced back to my iPhone and my laptop?  I suppose, though, that if that were the primary thing drawing me to a tablet computer, I could have shelled out $2,000 for one of those Microsoft thingamajigs years ago.

The iPad is coming.  Get excited.

Great news converges on the Coast Guard Auxiliary at The College of William and Mary

Our Coast Guard Auxiliary students at The College of William and Mary continue to impress (Website | Facebook).  Last week I corresponded with Nick Zaremba who, in addition to having played on The College's 11-3 national  semi-final football team last fall, is now close to completing his boat crew qualification while continuing to assist the Flotilla's personnel officer with on-campus matters.  I know that Alex Wright graduated this past December, and that David Kraemer is quickly moving towards that milestone this coming May.  Austin Bayer, who recently relieved Mr. Wright as the group's student leader, has also been pre-selected to the Navy's Officer Candidate School.  Meanwhile, Mike Piantedosi has settled into success in his first year at the Coast Guard Academy (having transferred there from W&M last May), and Emily Johnson '09 is doing very well in her first assignment as Personnel Officer with Flotilla Arlington | Northern Virginia (oh, and she is about to start a new "day job" as well).  They are, and have been, a truly excellent group and a great foreshadowing of what -- with hard work -- may await the Coast Guard Auxiliary in the future.

I was also heartened late in January when Commander André Billeaudeaux, Director of Auxiliary from District 13 in Seattle, got in touch to tell me about the Maritime Information Initiative (MII) being run through the Naval Post Graduate School's Center for Homeland Defense and Security.  MII is, essentially, a web-based information commons with an e-learning feel.  I am unsure as to the future success of the initiative, as I think user adoption will be a major challenge, but it is exciting to see folks from around the country think to the future in these terms.  Calling from the Auxiliary's National Training Conference (NTRAIN) two weeks ago, CDR Billeaudeaux asked me to produce a quick video sharing thoughts from William and Mary to be posted to MII as a demo of the system's capabilities.  Not wanting to steal the Commander's thunder at the event itself, I have held off posting the video here until now, but I hope you'll watch below to get an idea of the great work and culture that is developing through the partnership between The College of William and Mary and the Coast Guard Auxiliary's Flotilla 67 in Williamsburg (note that doing this in short order required my recycling quite a bit of flip-cam footage from 2009, while my lack of professional skill as a videographer seems to have resulted in a faint background buzz -- I apologize for this).




I was, finally, excited last month when David Malmquist reported that The College's Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) will be launching a new undergraduate minor in Marine Science.  VIMS is an excellent institution, and this new minor is great news for undergraduates interested in careers on or around the water -- particularly, of course, in the area of marine science.  Malmquist writes:

The new undergraduate minor program, which began this month, is initially being offered as a 3-year pilot program for 20 students per year. Students declaring the minor will need to take two required courses (Introduction to Marine Science and Field Studies in Coastal Marine Environments); three of six fundamentals of marine sciences courses; and six credit hours in elective lecture, laboratory, and seminar courses.

The field-studies course will take place at VIMS' Eastern Shore Laboratory in Wachapreague, Virginia, where students will receive two-weeks of hands-on instruction in and around the coastal lagoons of Virginia's barrier-island ecosystem.

News of the last several months means all-together great things for the Coast Guard Auxiliary students at The College.  Training and leadership education have continued amongst new graduations, success for our students in and out of the Auxiliary, a Maritime Information Initiative shining a light on students' and instructors' great work there from across the country in Seattle, and the launch of a new Marine Science minor that will bring great new opportunities to W&M undergraduates.  It is an exciting time, and I thank all who have made it possible for their excellent service!

Haitian Mother and Child Reunited Aboard USS Nassau

We continue to hear of heartwarming and legendary heroism in the midst of the national tragedy -- suffering -- afflicting Haiti. Where a month ago there was the western hemisphere's poorest nation, then there stood the remains of that nation rocked not just be internal strife, but by natural devastation. Yet, in the wake of that devastation various nations have brought hope, not just to Haiti, but to those around the world who watch from afar, amazed at every story of human compassion, and wondering what inspiring story we will hear next.

This week, the sailors aboard the USS Nassau delivered yet again when they re-united a Haitian mother who had been treated aboard USNS Comfort with her weeks-old baby that had literally arrived board Nassau in a box. Mass Communications Specialist 3rd Class Desiree Green tells the story in an article on Navy.mil:

The child was brought aboard Nassau Jan. 23 in the box with a note stating that she was two days old ... The infant was treated by Nassau's medical personnel, who found the child was healthy. The crew of the ship cared for the baby for several days, unsure where her parents were. Later that week, a Haitian woman came aboard USNS Comfort (T AH 20) looking for her newborn baby girl, who fit the baby's description aboard Nassau ... After careful investigation, medical personnel aboard both ships verified that the woman was indeed the child's biological mother. The mother and child had a tearful reunion in the medical unit aboard Nassau.

Then, today, U.S. Southern Command tweeted this newscast from WKTR News Channel 3 in Hampton Roads, VA.


MC3 Green's story is fantastic and much further detailed, filled with quotes from the sailors who made this rescue and unification possible. Please take a moment to read it and share yet another example of how rescue workers from America and the world over continue to bring hope to the people of Haiti.

Coast Guard Auxiliary Public Affairs Officers are going above and beyond to offer assistance to Haiti

I am quite fond of the staff in the Coast Guard Auxiliary's Public Affairs Department -- perhaps because I have served as a Public Affairs Officer in the past -- they are a first class operation filled with true professionals from top to bottom.

As the world soaks in images of rescue workers bringing children to safety and a Naval Hospital Ship plying the waters off the coast (also check this one out), the USCG Auxiliary's public affairs team have worked around the clock not only to tell the Coast Guard's story in Haiti, but also to staff the Joint Information Center in Miami, and to tap the social networking to provide real time search and rescue intelligence to operational commanders on the ground.  Indeed, as the independent website "Coast Guard News" reported earlier this week, it is thanks to our Public Affairs Officers that "Social media saves lives in Haiti."  Petty Officer 3rd Class Walter Shinn writes:

Imagine being trapped or buried under a collapsed building for 24 hours, and the only lifeline is a cell phone which is about to die. The social media application is opened and a short call for help is sent hoping someone will see it and come to the rescue.

Seconds later, a Coast Guard Auxiliarist who monitors all distress content submitted via social media platforms from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, through a new media technology feed, sees the social media post and sends the message with a latitude and longitude to rescuers who race to the rescue.

Concluding that, "Social media may have never played a more important role than now in any major crisis in history," Shinn goes on to write of the work that my friend Ryan Bank, who "expected the data networks of Haiti’s mobile providers to be operational very soon after the disaster," and his leadership in aggregating distress calls via social networking and providing them to teams on the ground:

Bank and the volunteers and the Coast Guard District Seven’s Joint Information Center monitored feeds and put as much useful information together as possible using all available sources of information including non-government organizations, publicly-available satellite imagery, contacts on the ground, and direct contact. The information was immediately forwarded to the Coast Guard District Seven command center and U.S. Agency for International Development Coordinators at U.S. Southern Command, as well as rescue dispatch teams in Port-au-Prince.

By all means, please go read Petty Officer Shinn's full story with many more details and good quotes from Mr. Bank.  Also have a look at Monday's guest post on the Commandant's blog discussing this same effort.

I had hoped to be assigned to this operation myself, having submitted my name through the Chain of Command to do so, but the powers that be have apparently thus far not felt it necessary to get me underway.  I am, nonetheless, both proud and excited about the great work our Public Affairs Officers are doing to support American operations in Haiti.  Normally responsible for telling the story that others create, it is a rare moment when those involved with Public Affairs get to help write the story themselves.  Many thanks for your service.

Christopher Albon on "Designing The Next Hospital Ship and Lessons From Haiti"

The U.S. Naval Hospital Ship Comfort (and her sister, USNS Mercy) play a large role both in America's ability to project soft power and humanitarian assistance abroad, and in the global image of those good will operations.  Comfort continues to perform so well in Haiti, but consideration of the lessons learned from this and other recent deployments beg the question: "If you were to design the next generation of hospital ship, the next USNS Comfort, what would the vessel look like?"  Christopher Albon, whose Conflict Health blog has become a great read for me following Ryan Erickson's plug last month, answers with his own excellent thoughts in a great, quick post.  His key point:

To maximize effectiveness, rapid arrival on station after a disaster should occur because of the ship’s design, not in spite of it. Hospital ships must be small, fast, and shallow. They must operate in areas with small, damaged, or no ports. They must navigate waterways littered with debris without assistance and anchor in the shallow waters close to shore. Most importantly, hospital ships must be fast. Arriving in the first 24 hours is orders of magnitude more helpful than arriving in the first 48 hours, or 88.

I encourage you to read the full post on his website and to offer your thoughts and insight.  The pair of oil-tankers converted to floating hospitals are nearing their 35th birthday at a time when the need for their services is greater than ever.  While seemingly a ways off, contemplation of "what comes next" for America's maritime humanitarian diplomacy abroad is an ever-salient question.

New Google Voice for iPhone is a web app done right

Credit where credit is due, the Google Voice team gave us a first-rate web application when they released an all-new version today, available on the iPhone via the Safari web browser.  It's not the installable App Store version that we've spent months hoping for (and, given what we've seen of the intensifying Apple-Google rivalry, will probably not see for quite a while), but it's otherwise pretty good.  Check it out on your iPhone at m.google.com/voice.

I love Google Voice.  I loved it before today, and I love it even more now.  It's a real winner for Google, finally bringing voice -- the missing piece of much of what we do online -- to the computer in a way that nobody has mastered until now.  Even some of my favorite tech-averse curmudgeons seem to be hooked.  If you aren't familiar with Google Voice, or have not used it, I'll leave you to the video at the bottom of this post rather than explain it myself.  Suffice it to say, this thing is cool.

In any case, the new web app for the iPhone really pushes the bounds of anything I have previously seen done with a browser.  Aside from it's aesthetic appeal, it manages to tie together the browser, your contacts from Google's cloud, the iPhone's native dialer, web based voicemail and texting, and several of Google's other products including Gmail and Talk.  What makes the app genius on the phone is the same thing that made it genius on my desktop: it serves as the missing link of sorts, bringing together previously separate Google products with a very familiar function -- the phone call.  Will it replace the standard phone on the iPhone in my every day use?  Absolutely not.  That said, I am likely to find it pretty handy when I make my next business call, international call, or any call where Google Voice's winning combination of low rates and ability to keep the average Joe from not knowing my actual cell phone number might be a good idea.

I'll let you watch their video, released today with the new app, for yourself.




Or give the Google Voice overview a try...