Will you please be my Valentine?
I first met you in the Armed Forces, which seems a unlikley place
To find yourself meeting a soul-mate, a girl with a heavenly face.
But in my case I was very lucky, even though you then lived interstate
I knew soon after I met you, that our lives were to be bound by fate.
Our courtship was greatly extended, spanning months of playful exchange
And each time we met for a weekend, we’d make most of the time that remained.
I felt pretty much as I do now, that I’m the luckiest man in the world
Because somehow I ended up with an incredible, beautiful girl.
Today has special significance, because Valentines’ is when we first kissed
It’s a memory that still gives me tingles, thinking back on that evening of bliss.
I remember those pulse-racing feelings, as my heart tried to escape from my chest
These are feelings which haven’t diminished, after eighteen years they’re still fresh.
Who would have dreamed we’d be here now, with three gorgeous kids and a home?
Well probably me now I think back, which I suspect you have guessed from my tone.
I want you to know that I love you, with every last peice of my soul
And Lu-Ann I will love you forever, until long after we’re both grey and old.
ASUS eeePad Transformer – Superb Device / Terrible Service
While the lawsuits over IP infringements and slanging matches over IOS versus Android platforms continue, my recent experience illustrates that despite the arguably superior Android-based ASUS tablet product offering (now superceded by the updated Transformer Prime), with its incredible battery life of up to 16 hours with the attached keyboard dock, onboard USB host ports and card readers, not to mention a UI vastly more flexile than the iPAD’s scaled up iPhone experience, what sets Apple ahead of the the crowd is the customer service one receives when things inevitably go wrong.
The sinking feeling one experiences in their chest when a much-relied upon device stops working is an emotional event. When one is then informed by the device manufacturer’s support hotline that although the only failed item is the device’s AC charger, the entire device must be sent interstate in order to access a warranty replacement for the charger, the sinking feeling is quickly replaced with red-eyed rage.
One’s rage is amplified when told that the process will take a minimum of 7 business days, and of course any data on the device will be very likely wiped in step-one of their diagnosis. The service representative at one point even told me to perform a factory reset on the device right then and there, which not only wouldn’t have helped, but would have deleted all my data which he’d not thought relevant enough to tell me. Thankfully I’m not your average user, so I pointed this out, but the rep didn’t acknowledge my point that they should really tell customers they’re about to lose all their data before saying “hold down the power and volume buttons”.
Were this an Apple device, I’d have walked into one of the several Apple Stores within twenty-five minutes’ drive from my location, presented my device for an on-the-spot diagnosis, and been handed a new charger right then. I’ve had this experience with an iPhone. Accustomed to HTC service, I expected my device to be taken from me and sent to some distant workshop, returned to me after several weeks either inadequately repaired, or replaced with a reconditioned device which hadn’t been as well looked after as my own. To my surprise, the Apple Genius replaced my screen right there and then, and two years later my son now uses that same device which is going strong.
Unfortunately the Transformer isn’t an Apple device, and either through inexplicably poor go-to-market planning, or simple contempt towards their user-base, ASUS have made replacement AC chargers as unavailable to Australians as Apollo Moon-rocks.
Since purchasing my cherrished Transformer, I knew charging would eventually become a problem. As Apple understands very well, information device purchases are soon followed up with various accessory purchases as users consider the various usage scenarios they’re likely to encounter. With the Transformer, due to its requirement for a minimum of 11V delivered via the propriatory charger, in-car charging lacks an easily purchased solution. User forums such as XDA-Developers (the font of knowledge for all things PDA Phone-related since HTC’s first PPC device rocked the world), abound with threads discussing user-built or modified charging adaptors, in response to astonished pleas by new Transformer owners for a charging solution.
Words
Words. Crafted by a determined agitator, words can divide a nation. Spoken by a peaceful activist, they can unite a people.
A single word contrasted by an azure canvass can extend the hand of brotherhood to a fellow countryman, conveying the hurt and shame felt for a previous generation’s wrongs.
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Written by a devious man to serve selfish ends, words can undo a century’s work to rid the world of horrific infectious childhood disease.
Fashioned in law, words can deny dignity in life to those who seek to love who they please, and in death to those who’d rather let go in ill-health.
From the pulpit, a preacher’s words can drive youths to suicide, or a congregation to violent acts.
Words can paralyse a generation as they watch our climate slip toward breaking point through fear of personal cost.
Words can wound. Words can heal. Words can build bridges, and words can kill.
Words are the greatest tool humankind has to shape the world, for they allow the formation and communication of thoughts and ideas, of plans and designs, of love, pain and art through the ages, surviving far beyond the mind which set them free.
Words are a lifeline. Words connect us with each-other, building relationships and strengthening bonds. Words are a suitor’s best friend, and a lover’s gentlest toy. On receiving a letter of love, words can fill us with secret joy.
Words are a conspiracy’s surgical instrument, turning the loyal with conjured doubt. Words build us up, but equally break our heart.
Words are powerful yet plentiful – valuable yet free. It costs nothing to say “you’re appreciated”, yet so few invest the price.
Words can feed the soul, or destroy it. They can build a child’s confidence, or decimate a man’s self-worth. Words can strengthen a woman’s resolve, or crush a team’s moral.
Left unsaid, words can stall a friendship, which could have been great.
I like my words to uplift – to console and to cheer. My words sometimes challenge, but my intent is sincere. I’d rather my words make you laugh, or feel good about some aspect of you, than cause sadness or pain, which I couldn’t bare to do.
My words are a gift, freely given to you.
We all have words. What will you do with yours?
