People who don’t know me frequently look at me and make a snap judgement that I am a dumb, “musclehead”.  I actually do not take that as an insult.  When someone reacts impolitely and makes a comment that is less than rosy, I say, “Thank you, I’ve been hoping to get a reaction like that since I was 14!  Does this mean it finally LOOKS like I lift weights?  Yes?!?  Perfect!  Thanks again.”  I suspect there may be MORE people that have had these categorizing thoughts about me.   MANY more than I know about, estimating by how frequently this topic has actually been VERBALIZED when I am getting to know somebody new, either personally, or professionally.  The conversation usually goes something like this,

“You know something? When I first met you, I didn’t realize that you were so… umm… intelligent. I don’t mean that negatively.”

My most frequent response is, “That’s funny.  Yes.  I HAVE gotten that comment quite a bit.  Thank you!  I may LOOK like a bodybuilder, muscle head freak, but, the truth is, I was a NERD first.  I AM REALLY just a nerd who learned how to lift weights, very, very effectively.”

I honestly do NOT view myself as a “BIG” guy.  I just don’t feel that way.  When I look in the mirror, I still see a skinny 14 year old kid with a lot of self determination.  I’m still sort of surprised when someone makes a comment about me being “jacked”.  To myself, I am the appropriate size and weight of a man my age.  Ronnie Coleman is “BIG”.  Jay Cutler is “BIG”.  I’m just normal size.  And that’s what I want to be.

But, I am a NERD.  And, I am perfectly fine with being labeled that as well.  Some people know the story about how I began lifting weights using a single dumbbell weighing only 20 pounds, but very few people know about my other education.  Besides the one 20 pound dumbbell, there was one other item that allowed me a self-directed education that would eventually come in handy.  A Texas Instruments 99-4A Home Personal Computer.


You’ve never heard of a Texas Instruments 99-4A, have you?  That’s probably because they have not been around for almost 30 years.  Right around the time I received that pivotal dumbbell, I was fortunate enough to receive a Texas Instruments 99-4A as a gift.  This was a dream come true for a 12-year-old, who would MUCH rather stay inside and teach himself how to program in B.A.S.I.C. (Beginner’s All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) for HOURS, even DAYS on end, than go outside and play in the yard, or socialize with the kids in the neighborhood.

That, in short, is how my love affair with technology started.  I truly LOVE technology.  Today, almost 30 years later, I own 2 computers (gaming “rigs” that I built myself), a Sony VAIO laptop, an Apple MacMini, an Apple iPad 2, and… currently, an Apple iPhone 4.

Which now, conveniently, brings us to the topic of this post – the release of the new iPhone 5.

“There are only 3 types of people in the world.”

I, too, am not above making snap judgements about people.  To me, there are only 3 types of people in the world:

1. People that have an iPhone and love it.  The sun is a little brighter, the birds are singing a little more happily, the world is full of roses and rainbows, and just feels good to be alive, when you have an Apple iPhone.
2. People that don’t have a iPhone.  These people are very, very sad inside… they want an iPhone, but Barack Obama just hasn’t passed the Cellular Reform and Happiness Act yet, guaranteeing a free iPhone for every man, woman, and child that is in the country, legally, or illegally.
3. People that LIE ABOUT their secret desire for an iPhone.  I try not to even talk to these losers.  If I unknowingly text one of these types and notice that I don’t get the Blue Bubble of Cool in reply, I respond immediately with, “why haven’t you upgraded your iPhone so that it has iMessage?”.  When they respond with something like, “Oh, I HATE the iPhone, I have a Droi-” DELETE CONTACT.

 

But, why iPhone FIVE?

I already have the iPhone 4.  Why upgrade?  GREAT question.  The obvious answer is that I AM WAY COOLER THAN YOU.  But, let’s be more thorough than that and concentrate on not making you feel bad about yourself.

5 REASONS WHY, iPhone 5!

1)  Siri.  Yes, I know.  Siri isn’t new.  But, if you notice, I said I have the iPhone 4…, not the iPhone 4S.  I NEED SIRI.  You’re right, I really don’t know her yet, but I am just so impressed with the advent of what I call “technological familiars”, that I want to participate.  What the heck is a “technological familiar”?  Well, if you ever played Dungeons & Dragons, you would know that a “familiar” is usually an animal or a mystical creature that a wizard, or sorceress, has created a magical bond with.  Think of a familiar as an assistant, but cooler, magical, and way more obedient.  Siri is a Tech Familiar.  Like I said, I was a nerd first.

2) I have said it before, and I will say it again.  An iPhone is a Life Improvement Device.  My number 2 reason for upgrading to iPhone 5 is because of Apple apps like Audible, Kindle, Nook, and iBooks.

Question: What is the most reliable way to improve the quality of your life?  Answer: EDUCATION. 

The iPhone makes it incredibly easy for me to get access to practically any book I can think of and deliver it quickly, in amazingly easy-to-digest formats.  I could not be more impressed by the fact that when I hop in  and start my car, my iPhone, in combination with the Audible app, will automatically pick up and continue reading my current book to me exactly where I last left off.  I came across a statistic once that ultra-successful people have been known to read as many as 84 books per year.  That’s a little more than 3 books every 2 weeks.  I’m at the pace of more like 1 every 3 weeks.  But, I couldn’t do it without my iPhone.  And you’re right, I don’t need an iPhone 5 to enjoy those apps, but viewing the books on that slightly larger screen is going to be NICE!

3)  Information about the world around me, at faster speeds.  Not only is the cpu in the iPhone 5 faster, but all its connection speeds are faster too- whether you are on the cellular or Wi-Fi networks.  Weather, time of sunrise/sunset, tides, mapping, compass… it’s like a survival device!  I believe the faster speeds will be especially noticeable on the mapping apps.  That’s critical.  No one likes to get lost.

4)  Personal organization.  I’m big on organization.  Being organized is a pre-requisite for success, in anything.  The iPhone, in general, has helped me tremendously with personal organization over the past few years.  I have increasingly utilized the Calendar app.  Appointments, reminders, alarms, birthdays, to-do lists, notes, contact information and, most importantly for a muscle head bodybuilder freak… I’ve recorded the daily details of each of my workouts for a couple years now.  Accessing the data is SO quick and easy.  “Hello, iPhone… When was the last time I PR’ed (achieved a Personal Record) in the Push Press?”.  Search “PR” and “push press”… its comes right up.  BOOM.  Fast, accurate, and easy.

“Ever since I’ve been taking off my shirt and taking a picture of myself in the bathroom making a peace symbol…”

5)  Finally… the CAMERA!  Ever since I’ve been taking off my shirt and taking a picture of myself in the bathroom making a peace symbol all sideways like I’m some sort of “gangsta”, I’ve been a fan of a camera built into a cell phone.  Seriously though, even though I am a nerd, I am also a strength and conditioning specialist.  Having the iPhone available to take video, now in 1080p HD, and pictures with the power of an 8 megapixel camera, is not only an amazing resource, it’s astoundingly awesome.  Not only can I post high quality videos to YouTube for instructional value, but I can also get another perspective on my own training and assess what I could be doing better.  I’ve been taking a lot more video in the recent months.  Sometimes, my fiancee may even take the video on her iPhone and then she texts it to me later.  Are you kidding me?!  How amazing is that?  By the way, the video on the top right margin of this page was NOT filmed by me.  It’s an example of not so great quality video footage…

“But, why iPhone 5?”

“Are you serious?  I just told you that a moment ago.”