My AT&T iPhone Upgrade Conspiracy Theory

In Monday's WWDC keynote, Steve Jobs mentioned that anyone who is eligible for an upgrade in 2010 through AT&T can get a new iPhone 4 at launch. Initially, that made me very excited because I would be able to purchase two phones (currently, my wife and I are on alternating contracts so one of us can always have the latest and greatest). The more I thought about it, however, the more I began to wonder... there must be more to this seemingly benevolent offer. After all, the deal seems just a little too good to be true. So, the wheels started turning and I came up with this conspiracy theory: I suspect that Apple is already working on an LTE (4G) iPhone and that phone will be made available to Verizon customers sometime in 2011. It's no secret that Verizon is aggressively rolling out its LTE network over the next several months and that could be in anticipation of a future relationship with Apple. This is probably making AT&T nervous and cause for them to try to get as many customers as possible to lock in to another 2-year agreement with the newly imposed $325 early termination fee. What better way than with a shiny new iPhone? We'll see how it all pans out.
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Incidentally, I came across this cool little trick. If you dial *639# on your phone, AT&T will send you a text message indicating what your eligibility status is. Both of my iPhones are currently displaying this message:

Pacific Soul | Honolulu, Hawaii

Wow, I just realized that this is my first food post in over two months. I know, I know, I'm slacking. Thing is, we haven't really gone out to eat very much recently and when we do go out, we usually fall back on one of our usual spots. Tonight, however, we were in the mood for something different. We decided to hit up a new restaurant in Kaimuki called Soul. Owner and operator Sean Priester (@pacificsoul) has created quite a buzz recently with his mobile "Soul Patrol" truck and just recently opened this establishment at the corner of Waialae Avenue and St. Louis Heights Drive. The food was tasty and the portions were very generous.

Blogger and Social Media Maven Melissa Chang (@Melissa808) happened to be dining there tonight too. She took some pictures of us and our food. We'll probably pop up in her Urban Mix Plate blog or Metromix.

Pacific Soul
3040 Waialae Avenue
Honolulu, HI 96826
(808) 735-7585
Website

You have the option of sitting indoors or out. We opted for inside because of the air conditioning and ambiance.


I ordered the fried chicken because of the rave reviews it's been getting. I must say, it is by far the BEST fried chicken I have EVER had. The combination of spices and drizzled honey was absolutely amazing. Everything else on the plate (cornbread, cilantro coleslaw, collard greens, and black eyed peas) was exceptionally good too. The cornbread practically melts in your mouth.


My son ordered the hot dog plate with vegetarian chili. My wife ordered a salad (I forgot to take a picture), but she ended up sharing most of our food in the end because the portions were so huge.

Make a Powerful Point Without PowerPoint.

Twitter was slightly abuzz this morning as a result of this article by the New York Times. I did some further reading and came across a related blog post by Seth Godin on the subject. Both were entertaining reads, but the sad reality is that it's all true... and I'm not just talking about the US military. I've seen it happen in conferences, lectures, and even churches. A person gets up in front of the crowd, armed with a laptop, ready to change the world. It's almost as if they believe PowerPoint has magical powers that will transform their material into something relevant and send everyone home with happy thoughts and warm fuzzies. It won't.
Personally, I think of PowerPoint as a magnifying glass. If your presentation rocks, PowerPoint will help drive the point home. The content and your delivery, however, must stand on their own. Likewise, if it sucks, well, no amount of pretty pictures, flashy animation, or fancy fonts and layouts is going to save it.

This is why I shop at the farmers' market

Several weeks ago, I wrote this post about personal responsibility. It goes along with an earlier commitment to buy locally grown and/or organic produce whenever possible. Because we had such a successful shopping trip at Saturday's KCC Farmers' Market, I was motivated to cook dinner on Sunday night.

Here's what we ate:
1) Oven-roasted Molokai Sweet Potato
2) Braised Kale with Soy-Ginger Dressing (garnished with fresh Waimea strawberry)
3) Homemade Vegan Patty


This image was not digitally altered - the colors really were that vibrant. Wifey said it was the best meal I have EVER made for her. Wow. I wish I could say it was all me, but it really comes down to using the freshest ingredients possible.

Next week, I plan to try something a little different by picking up a CSA box from Ma'o Organic Farm (@maoorganicfarms). Stay tuned for posts from that adventure!

Here's the veggie patty recipe I came up with for those who are interested:
• 1 can black bean (pureed in blender)
• 1C cooked Oatmeal
• 2 stalks of celery, diced
• 1/4 red onion, diced
• 1/2 package panko
• 1/4 cup soy-based mozzarella
• 2T egg replacement
• 2T shoyu
• 1T garlic
• 1T ginger
• 1t curry powder

Mix all the above in a bowl and form into patties. Brown in a frying pan with extra virgin olive oil.

Personal Responsibility

I apologize for the text-heavy post, but I don't want to get in trouble with any logo or copyright police.
In case you haven't noticed, I am a foodie. I believe dining should be an experience that involves all the senses. Recently, I have been thinking a lot about where our food comes from, how it's processed, what what its true cost is. I'm not saying I make the best decisions all the time, but I am making a conscious effort to better understand what I'm consuming and how it affects me.
I can't tell you when it happened, but I'd like to share with you some of the things that have influenced my thinking along the way. A couple of months ago, I wrote this blog post about meeting Chef Leslie Ashburn (@macrohawaii) and the Kapiolani Community College Farmers' Market. I had been to KCC a time or two before that, but it was never really a priority for me. I would rather have some extra sleep on a Saturday than fight the crowds for a few fruits and veggies. Somehow, though, that meeting and the subsequent visit really inspired me to start making a change. A few weeks after that, I watched a little documentary called Food, Inc. It radically altered the way I perceive the entire food industry and I can pretty much guarantee that it will do the same for you. Fast forward to today and you have @loodge, a friend of mine, retweeting this @veggietweets post about a one year old Happy Meal.
You may be reading this saying to yourself, "Yeah, so what? I'm still going to keep eating the things I like because it tastes good. Who cares what's in it or where it came from?" Sadly, in this case, ignorance is not bliss. Choosing to ignore the facts won't stop the inevitable from happening. Just ask the person in this Oprah video who lost her leg because she refused to come to terms with the fact that she was diabetic.
So what can you do? Author Michael Pollan puts it like this, "Eat food. Mostly plants. Not too much." Sounds simple enough, doesn't it? You can also start shopping at a LOCAL farmers' market (for a listing of the ones in Hawaii, click here) or get involved with a Community Supported Agriculture initiative like this one with Ma'o Organic Farms (@maoorganicfarms).
You know, there's a lot of talk these days about health care reform. People want to blame insurance companies or doctors for the rapidly rising costs. In my opinion, we're starting to pay the real price for cheap, convenient, non-nutritious food. The biggest change to the health care system will come when people like you and me start taking personal responsibility for the decisions we make on a daily basis. I am ready and willing to try something new for the sake of building a sustainable future. Will you join me?