iPod Touch Case: Case-Mate "Naked"

Ever since I got my 3rd generation iPod Touch, I've been looking for better ways to protect it. The perfect case probably doesn't exist, and there are a VAST number of cases out there to try. But maybe I can save you some trouble. I've tried four different cases, each with it's own set of pros and cons.

The first case I tried was the Case-Mate "Naked". As the title implies, it's a clear case with one black stripe around the bezel. With the iPod inside, this looks stunning! The best part about this case is that it has a built-in screen protector that works extremely well. Some users have reported that the closure mechanism on the back scratched their iPod's back, but I have not experienced this. The huge downside for me was that it protected a bit too well. The only headphones I could get to plug in were Apple's included earbuds, everything else was too big to fit in the opening. And I had the same problem with the dock connector; only Apple's newest slimmed-down sync cable would fit. Pressing the sleep and volume buttons was a bit difficult but not a deal-breaker. And if you use a dock regularly, forget it. This case is very hard to get off.

I really wanted to like this case; it looks great and protects well without being bulky. But the small sync and headphone openings make using it difficult. Plus, I dock it often so getting this thing off is a pain. And with the chance that taking it off and on might scratch my stainless steel back, the Case-Mate "Naked" doesn't get used very often.

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19 Random iTunes References

1. Put Your iTunes on Shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. You must write down the name of the song no matter how silly it sounds!
4. Put any comments in brackets after the song name.
5. Tag at least 10 friends

1.) What do your friends think of you?
"Age of the Broken Heart" -- Mark Heard

2.) If someone says "Is this okay?", you say:
"When I'm 64" - the Beatles

3.) How would you describe yourself?
"The Message" - 4Him

4.) What do you like in a guy/girl?
"One Million Reasons" - Aaron/Jeoffrey

5.) How do you feel today?
"Overcome" - Scarecrow & Tinman

6.) What is your life's purpose?
"Last Good Time In Town" - the Eagles

7.) What is your motto?
"One More Song" - Big Tent Revival

8.) What do you think about very often?
"O Holy Night" - Mark Harris

9.) What do you think of your best friend?
"Church Punks" - Audio Adrenaline

10.) What do you think of the person you like?
"Like Walking On Water" - Phil Keaggy & Jeff Johnson

11.) What is your life story?
"Great Awakening" - 4Him

12.) What do you want to be when you grow up?
"Bye Bye Love" - Everly Bros.

13.) What do you think of when you see the person you like?
"Domino" - Van Morrison

14.) What will you dance to at your wedding?
"Holiness" - SonicFlood

15.) What will they play at your funeral?
"Bodhram Brawl" - Phil Keaggy

16.) What is your hobby/interest?
"Look of Love" - Dave Beegle

17.) What is your biggest fear?
"Here Comes My Girl" - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers

18.) What is your biggest secret?
"Two of Us" - the Beatles

19.) What do you think of your friends?
"I Will Be Your Friend" - Michael W. Smith

FB'ers Who Have Passed Away

I read an article this evening by the New York Times describing the difficult time Facebook is having identifying (and verifying) users who have died. With roughly 500 million users, it happens. When Facebook was in it's infancy and consisted primarily of young college students, the death rate was lower and more manageable, but often very tragic. At first, the social networking site simply deleted the profiles, but following the 2007 Virginia Tech tragedy, users begged the administration to keep profiles online to help them grieve and memorialize their loved ones.

Now, however, older adults are flocking to Facebook to keep in touch with friends and family. But with the growing number of older users, Facebook is having a difficult time identifying members who have passed away. Currently the site has a form users can fill out to inform the admins of a user's passing requiring a only a link to a newspaper article or online obituary. This is far from prank-proof and has been exploited by at least one "friend" willing to create a convincing website. The company has also explored using a computer algorithm to search user's walls for multiple occurrences of phrases like "rest in peace" and "I'll miss you" but this also has it's obvious shortcomings.

Another challenge is what to do with the deceased's profile. Having these "ghosts" pop up as a friend suggestion or reconnect opportunity is a tad creepy. The current memorialization process removes those actions. Other Facebook users can write on the wall but can't be added as friends so friends and family who join after the user has been marked as deceased are stuck with the privacy settings that user set up for people who aren't friends. So, for example, if the deceased user marked his wall, photos, videos, or information as "Friends Only", new users won't be able to see them.

Until now, most of the above information was in the New York Times article. You're welcome to read it for yourself, of course, but it requires you sign up for their site. Membership is free, but I thought I'd save you the hassle.

Facebook, if your listening, I have a few suggestions:

First, you could require the funeral home's name, address and phone number, and the funeral details in the death report form. Check the phone book to make sure they are legit, then call them to verify the person is deceased. Perhaps include the deceased's FB profile for them to look up. Perhaps you could request (or require) some other info from the users, such as middle name, parents' names--some specific detail that would distinguish one John Q. Public from another.

Second, how about appointing a guardian, such as a family member or friend, to a memorialized profile? That would allow the deceased to approve friends and family after they've died, upload photos, and whatever else needs done. It could be very similar to the current system for pages.

I'm no expert, but those are a few suggestions that come to mind. Take them for what they're worth. I have a few people I've lost who are still on Facebook and it has been very helpful to have their profiles still up; thank you Facebook for taking steps to keep them available.

The Afters Light Up The Sky EP

It's here!!! The new EP from the Afters is on iTunes!
01. Light Up The Sky
02. We Won't Give Up
03. Runaway