Rpz Center of the Universe

It's that time again, when your contract with your current Cell Phone provider is close to being up and you have to choose which direction you will go with your next phone.

I know already I have lost some of you, who are no doubt saying at this very moment, "It's a phone?"... Yes but its so much more, I will try to explain in the following ramble...

So I went and played with the Palm Pre yesterday, I was not expecting much, as my current Treo doesn't impress me. At the time it was neat, but with the Iphone, and G1 out there it just wasn't the device I wanted it to be. So my first experience with the Pre was amazing. I was delighted with it. The fact it can run multiple programs at once, (the Iphone cannot) amazed me. Hell it's a mini computer. The real time sync with Google seems amazing as well, I didn't play with that just yet but the sales guy told me it works great. Things just show up, maybe this synergy thing works?

So on to other things, the design is sleek and sexy (hey that's important), the browser is quick and no longer are you tied to 'mobile' web pages, as you can just browse normal ones and zoom in and out just like the iphone. It also knows the orientation of the phone so when you turn it sideways it rotates things as it should. Pretty slick.

Did I mention it can run multiple programs at once? Well if you want to put the program in the back ground just hit the only button on the device and it flows back to be a card icon, then just swipe your finger from left to right or right to left to scroll through the existing apps. Way neat. If you want to close one, just swipe from bottom to top and you 'throw' the app away or close it. How neat is that.

The screen was nice and clear, but it does smudge. I always found this to be funny when people complained of that, HELL your wiping your finger across it! What do you expect, and yes if your eating a hamburger then it will get messy. Hey there is this new invention called a napkin, use one!

Contact less charging, need I say more. Yes the charger for this is expensive, but how cool is that, you just lay it on the stand and it charges. No plugging in USB cables, etc.. but if you want you can charge the device from your laptop, etc.. Important for me as I travel and am not about to carry any extra chargers around.

Now for the part some people complain about, it's only on sprint. Well I happen to already be on sprint and I get quite a good deal on my everything plan (with help from my company discount ...so I will be good to go with a plan. Also found out since I pay more than a certain amount a month, I am eligible to get a new phone/device every year for the discounted price, etc.. Neat, it just means I will be tied to Sprint for ever, doesn't bother me too much, my current Treo works everywhere I go so I think thats ok. All the carries SUCK, you have to pay one of them so it might as well be one that you like the devices of,etc...

I didn't get to talk on it or use it past playing with it but was impressed to say the least, I am now on the waiting list. Yes this pisses me off, but it gives me time to research and make sure this is the phone I want for the next year. I am hearing Sprint will eventually get the G1.5 and this is the phone/device I am most interested in. But we shall see.

First off, great race, it was a bit LOOOOONG in the middle as there were not any cautions or wrecks but ended fantastic.

Congrats to the Old Man Mark Martin. WAY TO GO D00d!

My thoughts on the race and weekend activities...

Truck and Nationwide race

Ahh too bad Kyle, wanna cry, at least you picked the place you would finish in the Nationwide race, awesome job. He just couldn't let Joey have it, I thought he would complain about something or the way he passed him, etc... But alas he did not. Ahhh, he was sad, so sad he didn't win... It's too bad for him.

Congrats to Colin Braun, his first Nascar win! Great job man.

Michigan Sprint Cup Race

Jeff Gordon - Starts 43rd and ends up 2nd, should have had 4th, but thanks for the bad luck of Greg Biflator and Jimmy Johnson, he ends up 2nd. They made great adjustments all day and steadily improved. Like they say, years from now it will be a 2nd place finish and thats whats in the record books. Great Job Jeff.

Jimmy Johnson - All I can say is he is going to be hard to beat this year for his 4th championship in a row. This team is on fire, you take away the last two weeks gas mileage issues, and we might be talking about him winning 2 in a row. Mark my words, he is going to be hard to beat.

Dale Jr - Well his MO for the last couple years has been to have a decent car at the start, to improve on it thru the middle of the race, then falter at the end. This week was the first week Lance McGrew had the full race weekend (rain at Pocono) to work with Jr. It showed for sure, he had a 10-15th place car all day and when he usually drops off he didn't, he sustained! Great Job Dale, I think you and Lance are on the road to recovery, and I bet he wins a race before the end of the year. I don't think he will make the chase though, he is just too far back.

Mark Martin - WOW, I am not sure what you can say, this guy is just beating the kids to the punch, he was never up front until the end. He did his typical Mark race, save his stuff, gas, etc... Then at the end he started to make up spots. He even mentioned on the Radio he would just run for points (before race he was 13th, on the outside looking in on the chase) and boy did he. He put himself in posistion to take the win by slowly but surely making his way to the front. When the first two guys ran out of gas he just motored by. Typical Mark Martin, great job Old Man!

TNT - Too many commercials, I don't like the new Wallys world now. I liked it when he would take people out on the track and scare the shit out of them, that is classic tv. I like Kyle Petty in the booth. He has some funny lines, multiple times he was talking when the radio chatter was going. When he was told, he says "hey I used to drive a race car, I can't hear anything". Classic. But we have a ways to go with this crew, we shall see. At least they don't have the same love fest for KB as Fox did, that is a good thing!

Funniest tv show on right now = Wipeout on ABC, I can't get over how funny it is, tears stream down my face when I watch. It's on tomorrow night make sure to try to watch it.

Till next time...

Ps. Sorry for the previous reference to more info on Pocono, just didn't feel it...

Rp3
www.twitter.com/rpwhite3

This past weekend I spent at a buddies house up in Denton, Texas. We have been Season Ticket holders to TMS (Texas Motor Speedway) since it's inception. This weekend was no different than all the others, a few less people of course, but it simply is this. I drive to Dallas Friday, we go to the truck race, get up early Sat eat breakfast, play golf, get back to his house, watch Belmont, eat dinner, load up cooler, head to TMS for IRL race get home about Midnight, wake up at 7AM, shower and head home.

That's it in a nutshell, now for some details and my thoughts on all the above.

Truck Race

It was a decent race, there were few cautions and as always with the trucks when there are not a lot of yellows to keep them bunched up, they really spread out. TMS is a 1.5 mile tri-oval so when you get the top truck running 180 or so and the back markers running 160 or so it doesn't take long for things to get real confusing. You pay more attention to the Scoring Pod (that tall thing with numbers on it) and listening to the PRN race broadcast than you do watching since your not really sure where the leaders are and then the 2nd, 3rd, and so on. It was nice to have Todd Bodine win in the Copart truck. Todd is a part champion who has struggled with sponsorship this year. Nice to see him with some writing on the quarter panel, and also to see him win for his new sponsor.

Now talking about Sponsorship woes, it was sad to see that today Johnny Benson, last years Champion, lost his ride. As Red Horse Racing was not able to find sponsorship for him and has to close the doors. I think they are going to keep the #11 TJ Bell team running, but I don't think they have 100% sponsor there either. These tough economic times suck for sure.

Golf

I simply played beyond my ability (as I haven't played in months at least) and shot a 84 and beat my buddy by 2. Needless to say, he wasn't happy. He lives on a golf course, we walked to the club house, and practices at least 3 times a week. While he is a good player I seem to on fire. I had 3 birdies, numerous pars, and plenty of bogeys, doubles, and maybe a triple in there too. All in all a great time, again i can't believe how well I played, makes me want to start playing again. Of course today my foot is killing me, but hey life goes on...

Belmont Stakes

First off I am no Horse race person, but my buddy is so I always watch a couple races a year, this one and the Kentucky of course. Well the favored horse/jockey didn't win, and the one I picked didn't win. Of course SummerBird won with the Jockey from last year who pulled up the horse that should have won. It was nice to see him win for that reason alone, as he got pummeled in the press, etc.. Kent Des....something... Also interesting to see the pre-race stories, the one about the jockey who was on the horse that was supposed to win was neat. Grew up only wanting to do one thing in the backwater swamps of LA. Ride horses, so he did, almost to the point of not being in school and being able to read or write... Amazing..

Ok enough for now, my take on the IRL race and Nascar race later this week...

Rp3
www.twitter.com/rpwhite3

Hmmm,

Well it surely didn't go the way I wanted it to go for sure. Jeff Gordon had a fast car but due to getting caught a lap down early he never recovered. There was a time where he was almost as fast as Jimmy, and almost raced to get his lap back, but it was not to be. Grade for the weekend: C-

Jimmy Johnson, WOW, what a finish. That was the best finish to a race since well maybe last year at Martinsville when Jeff and Jimmy battled for the lead for 10 or so laps until Jimmy won it. That was great stuff, and you have to give it up to Tony, he is doing 100% better than I thought he ever would. I am just glad that JJ was racing him and not someone else, who shall remain nameless. I don't see how JJ can loose the Championship this year, that will be 4 in a row, something never done. As much as I would love to see Jeff win it, I don't think that team is up to par with Jimmy and Chad, they are a pair to be reckoned with, let the record books show it. Best of all time, comes to mind. They are just awesome, you can't deny it. Grade for the Weekend: A++

Dale Jr, well he did better, not that I expected much, it's just one week (or less) since Tony Jr got canned, er moved, to another place in HMS. Although at one time he did have a very good car, got in the top 5, etc.. Then as per their MO this year and last, the last third of the race the car fell off, they made the wrong adjustment, Junior got tired, or whatever he fell off, finished 12th. The good news is the fall off wasn't like it normally was/is, I think they are on the right track, I just hope all the resources Hendrick has moved to the 88 doesn't deter from the other cars? Only time will tell, over all pretty good weekend for Junior. Grade for the Weekend: B-

Mark Martin, it was a pretty quiet race for him, I don't even remember the broadcast (Fox's last one, thank god) mentioning him many times at all. 10th Place finish very quietly making his way into the top 12, barely, but after the start to the year he has come on strong. What is there to say about Mark that hasn't already been said, nutin, so I won't say anymore. Grade B+

Fox Sports, YEA I am glad it is over, I am sick of the stupid cartoon, I am sick of the DW love fest for KB! Can it get any worse, yes KB is a great driver, yes he does some impressive stuff (this weekend at all races), but this year he just isn't closing the deal. When his car was horrible Sunday he was whining and bitching like a little baby, so DW get over it! Hendrick Motorsports is where it is at. Oh do I have to mention that Tony's car is a HMS chassis? .. Grade C (would be worse, but at least its over)

Rp3
www.twitter.com/rpwhite3