If ever there was a reason to upgrade your iPhone to the newest iOS, it surely is the launch of new emoji to use in our everyday texting. I have my favorite emoji to use. The always make the conversation fun, even when you’re pissed. There are so many good ones! You’ve got your basic set of emoji like hearts ❤️💛💚💙💜 and faces 😀😃😄🤣😍😛😒😎😜🤢🤡🤠 to name a few. I use all of them in the course of everyday conversations.
There are times, though, when you can’t find the one you REALLY want, so you have to improvise or combine emoji to bring it on home. So I love it when new emoji launch to make texting even better! Apple just announced that the newest iOS update to iOS 11 will be coming out soon and it will have a bunch of new emoji. Here are a few of my favorites!
I personally can’t wait for the wizards, vampires, and fairies. I also am excited about the dumpling and other food ones. I’m also very interested in the fact that all the new ones come in different sexes (including gender neutral) and skin colors. They’ve really done a great job of being inclusive. Check out the merman/merwoman and all these fun ones below:
And there’s the Stephen Colbert emoji. LOL
So be on the lookout and upgrade when you see them announced so that you van enjoy all the new goodies and you won’t get the black square in your texts because your device can’t see them.See ya round!
It’s only a matter of time before we are hanging out on the moon in real life. Space 1999 was one of my most favorite shows ever. I loved it. I watched it every chance I got. It was so ahead of its time that I never really got over it. Seeing the Mars pictures today and the images that NASA posted of the landing really inspired me and reminded me of how awesome our technology and power is. The computer that is being used to operate the rover is the same as the memory board that was in the old iMac 3’s. I think the article said it was used from a blue one specifically…not that it matters but it’s pretty damn amazing. That same technology that is in our iPhones can communicate and roam the universe. Pretty awesome day to be human. And pretty awesome day for our future. Who knows what’s next? Space…1999 style is just around the corner!
Regina George sure has changed since Mean Girls! I love that movie! But when I saw this picture I about died. But first a little refresher from the best movie ever…
Keeping up with the latest episode of Family Guy, MasterChef and New Girl on Hulu Plus just got a little easier and I am so delighted! Hulu Plus arrives on Apple TV today.
To start watching Hulu Plus shows instantly, find “Hulu Plus” on the Apple TV home screen. If you are a Hulu Plus subscriber, simply enter your username and password to start streaming last night’s episode of Modern Family from the biggest screen in the house.
If you do not have a Hulu Plus account, you can easily sign-up two ways:
1. Go to www.huluplus.com/appletv and register online. Launch Hulu Plus on your Apple TV, log in with your new credentials and start streaming.
2. Create a Hulu Plus account directly through Apple TV by using your existing iTunes account and following the sign up instructions on the screen. If you sign up for Hulu Plus through Apple TV, you will be emailed instructions on how to complete your registration so you can use Hulu Plus on all other supported devices. After your free 1-week trial ends, your iTunes Account will be charged $7.99 per month as a recurring transaction.
Learn more about setting up Hulu Plus on your Apple TV by watching their Getting Started video.
For those of you who are new to the service, Hulu Plus is the only online premium video subscription that streams current and classic TV programming on demand from hundreds of content partners, including top broadcast networks ABC, NBC, FOX, The CW and Univision. Hulu Plus subscribers can watch on any enabled devices for $7.99/month with limited advertising. For many popular shows on our service, Hulu Plus offers every episode of the current season. Hulu Plus subscribers also have access to back seasons and full runs of some of TV’s greatest shows, including many that were not available online before, in HD whenever possible.
Happy watching! I know I’m already exploring all the cool new stuff with my free week! I may just stay a while!
I found about a cool new feature coming to Facebook in the next day or so. According to iMore.com, Facebook has added a new feature to the Facebook for iPhone and iPad app that allows you to save posts for later. In reality, this works similar to what other services call “favorites”. If you browse the Saved posts, you are able to scroll through them later as their own feed. You have to physically mark them as Unsave to remove them from the Saved folder.
To save a post. Simply hold your finger down on the post you want to save and a popup that says “Save” will appear. Just tap the popup and you’re done!
To access your Saved folder, you must first scroll to the bottom of the sidebar menu and tap on Edit Favorites. Next, tap the + sign and select Saved from your list of Apps. Then tap Done. Now, you should see your Saved folder in the Favorites section of your sidebar menu!
All saved stories are private, so you don’t have to worry about somebody being notified that you saved their relationship change to Single. You wouldn’t want them to think you’re some weird creepy stalker!
You do not need to download an update to receive this feature. You should see a notification informing you of the feature at the top of your news feed when you use the Facebook app on your iPhone. I don’t see this feature on my iDevices yet, but it is supposed to roll out tomorrow or Wednesday. What do you think? Do you think you’ll use the “Save For Later” Feature?
What’s your Home Screen have on it? Since most people consider their Home Screen to be the most valuable real estate on their device, your Home Screen can say a lot about you and what’s important to you.
Mine has a lot of social stuff like Twitter, FourSquare, Facebook and of course my Google+. I also use MyFitnessPal and really love the new Podcasts App from Apple now that they’ve updated it and it’s not so sluggish. If you don’t know about Podcasts you should try them. They are wonderful little broadcasts (usually audio) that are recorded by individuals or groups about a ton of topics. I have some business podcasts and fitness ones that I listen to for motivation. I’ll do a post on which ones I subscribe to in the future!
I have Spotify because I use it every single day (love that app). I can listen to all my songs on iTunes and on all my iDevices no matter where I am. This is great when I’m running or at the office. I can stream the music so I don’t have to take up a lot of memory on my devices. Love!
And, of course, I have the full suite of Facebook Apps to manage my pages and upload the photos quicker. The Messenger app kind of feels like overload to me and I don’t really use it that often, but I keep it handy. Usually I’ll get messages through the Facebook app itself.
I also use AppAdvice every day. They are probably the most comprehensive, up to date, blog I know of about apps. And their guides for Apps are amazing and so thorough. I can highly recommend them!!
So that’s it! What’s on your iPhone or iPad? How do you organize your Home Screen? Which apps make the cut?
Immediately after Chic-fil-A decided to remove the Jim Henson Muppet promotion, the moved up The Berenstain Bears promotion of giving out free books with purchase. The Berenstain family has posted on their website a distancing of the promotion and saying they have no say in this promotion. It was decided to move forward with it well before this whole anti-gay thing started.
The book being distributed is heavy on the Golden Rule…which seems a little ironic given the situation. I’ve always loved bears…now I love them even more!
Brother Bear says…Bullies can point out what about you is wrong, but a good friend can show you what about you is strong.
I’m such a predictable person. As much as I’d love to think I play life off the cuff, I am a creature of habit. This morning I was changing channels as I’m prone to do on Sunday morning. I was looking for a good movie to watch..but truthfully I was looking for one of the same old movies I have to watch when I see it on tv. We all have them…those movies you’ve seen a million times but for some reason when you see them on tv or find them on Netflix, you just HAVE to stop and watch. It’s a strange phenomena.
Here’s my top list of movies I have to watch when I see they are on TV:
1. White Chicks
I consider myself to be a smart man and have some good taste. But this movie is my ultimate guilty pleasure. Two heterosexual men have to go undercover as two bitchy, snarky white chicks who are spoiled and rich. The lines in this movie are PRICELESS. I seriously laugh out loud to every one of them…even though I’ve heard them so many times! You can read some of the best lines here.
#2 The Matrix
I love this movie so much I can barely stand it when I see it on TV. It’s usually on one of those channels that broadcasts it as a 5 hour movie, with 3 of those hours being commercials…seriously hate that. But I’ll watch it anyway because I love it so much. It’s hard to believe it’s been out for so long…over 10 years ago. But this movie literally changed my life. It made me question if the reality I lived in was really real. Did I have a choice in who I was going to be in life…or was I just acting out some predetermined hallucination? Very powerful stuff. I can quote all the lines from The Oracle and it usually drives everyone crazy who happens to be sitting in the same room with me while it’s on. Seeing Neo become who he really is is simply the most moving experience I’ve ever had at the movies. I loved it so much, it helped redefine who I think I am for myself and others. I’m very grateful for this movie and it’s subsequent sequels. But this one started it all.
3. Planet of The Apes
I was born in 1968, when this movie came out. By the time I was old enough to see the movie there had been a few sequels to it like Beneath the Planet of The Apes and Rise of The Planet of The Apes. Anything that involved time travel, apes, space and cute guys garnered my attention immediately. The first time I watched Planet of The Apes was on a late night movie broadcast on a local channel in Houston. I couldn’t sleep…I was so thrilled that I literally could not sleep. I thought about the movie over and over again. And since this was so long ago and there were not rebroadcasts of the movie or even VCR’s nor DVD’s, I couldn’t watch it again until many years later. This movie opened up a level of creativity and critical thinking in me that I had not experience before. I actually felt different as a kid, being gay and all but not knowing that’s what it was. I identified with every character in the movie at some point in my life. I appreciate the forward thinking this movie provided.
#4 Logan’s Run
Wow…how do I explain my love of Logan’s Run? It was made in 1976. I was 8 years old but I’m not sure when I first saw it or where I was. I only remember the profound impact it had on me. I would often joke that I don’t know what my life would be like after 30…but it didn’t matter because I wouldn’t live that long anyway. Before I got sober nearly 15 years ago this year, I remember thinking to myself how fast and hard I lived my life believing that I wouldn’t be alive past 30 anyway…just like the characters in the movie…so I decided to live life full-on! The only problem with that was that the drugs I used didn’t really allow me to live life full-on…it wasn’t nearly as glamorous as it would seem…lol. Logan’s Run inspired me in art class one year as I remember drawing transport tubes for people to travel inside from city to city. Science Fiction made such a huge difference for me while growing up. This movie was an important part of my development as a young man and I’m forever grateful for it. There was a version of the movie called The Island (with Ewan McGregor) that I loved also. It’s a little different premise than Logan…but just as exciting!
#5 Girls Will Be Girls
OK…how do I explain this movie. Three actresses at various places on the Hollywood food chain navigate the minefield of love, aging, and ambition. Oh, and they’re all played by men! This movie is hilarious. The lines are incredible. The humor is amazing and so sharp. The characters, all played by men, are so well written and thought out. This started out as a little internet skit video and turned into this little masterpiece that isn’t broadcast too often on television. But it is on Netflix and that is dangerous because I have to watch it every freakin time I see the movie poster. I see something different in the movie every time I watch it and laugh louder and think how did I miss that? This isn’t a gay movie…the characters aren’t gay men…they are actually playing women in the movie…actually there are no women in the movie at all (a little bit of trivia). It helps to have the subtitles on so you don’t miss anything. This is one of my all-time favorite movies and I find it intoxicating and amazing. The sequel is on it’s way soon and I’ll be there watching it for sure!
There are many more movies I could tell you about…but these are my absolute favorites. They continue to delight and inspire me on so many levels. They make me think. They make me believe that life is going to work out after all. And they remind me that there is a future and it is bright and love works out all in the end. Thanks for reading. I’d love to know what your favorite movies to catch on television or Netflix and why. So how about it? What’s your movie??
UPDATE: I just found this incredible Advanced Screening Preview that was made for theater owners to hopefully select Logan’s Run to play in their theaters. It’s got some pretty amazing unseen before scenes. Check it out for a blast from the past and super treat!
To make your Britney Spears, White Trash Dessert, is mostly in the attitude. While you are mixing the ingredients, you are judging white trash. As you mix the soft ice cream sandwiches, you think to yourself, “yeah…only white trash people eat these!” As you mix the Cool Whip and ButterFinger Candy Bars, you think to yourself, “omg…what piece of trash would combine these things?!” And finally, as you pour the hard shell over the top of the mixed ingredients, in your finest tupperware or glass casserole dish, you think to yourself, “I AM that person and THIS is a masterpiece!” (And this is really good by the way!)
Vanilla Ice Cream Sandwiches
Have it be a little soft, like white trash morals, before you are ready to combine the ingredients.
Butterfinger Candy Bars
Crunch them up really good inside their own packaging…you basically want chunky pieces of ButterFinger bars. Just think of all the times you’ve wanted to beat someone…this is your chance to take out your anger here.
Cool Whip
Or some kind of whipped cream…doesn’t matter how you say it! Whip or “HWhip”
Hard Shell Ice Cream Coating
Pick your favorite flavor…it’ll all work out in the end.
Tupperware or Casserole Bowl
How you present this is really important! Glass bottom casserole dishes make the best presentation!
If you do it right…you are entitled to one of these babies!
Downtown Harold's Place 