Some random items from the seven days past:

Those who know me will be shocked (shocked, I say) to learn that I did not go out and buy a new iPhone 4S on the day they came out. I like my iPhone 4 just fine, actually–and really didn’t want to restart my contract because I’m not all that thrilled with ATT’s coverage here in Cincinnati. However, I ended up with a 4S from work because we are on Sprint as our carrier there and have spent just the smallest amount of time comparing the new model with its predecessor.

While I will undoubtedly have a longer post on this at some point, suffice it to say that there is much to like about the new 4S, including the highly touted voice-recognition feature called Siri. But aside from that, Apple broke with itself to do something that it doesn’t always do well–take a great existing product and update it with cool new features without throwing out a design that works. The last time I think they did this was with the original iMac. And probably other models that I am forgetting about–but here it works with great benefit that all of the cases and accessories made for the iPhone 4, work just fine with the 4S.

The really big improvement to me in the new iPhone 4S is the camera. More and more, our cell phone cameras are the cameras we use the most often. Because they are the cameras we always have in our pockets. The bump from 5 to 8 megapixels and adding new lens elements makes a serious improvement in the pictures you take with this cell phone. Frankly, I’d say its worth getting this phone rather than a new point and shoot camera for most picture needs.

If you do take pictures with your iPhone, your number one complaint may be the same as mine, which is that the camera app can be slow to load, and even when it does, it can be slow to take pictures in rapid fire sequence. Of course, there’s an app for that–and its called “QuickPix”. its been a great replacement for the camera app on my iPhone, and at 99 cents–its a great buck spent to improve your “iPhoneography”.

In fact, the iPhoneography website is a great place to get tips and tricks on making your iPhone camera’s pictures, even better at just being great pictures.

The President of these United States announced this week that all US troops are coming home from Iraq. We should all be thrilled for the families of those brave men and women serving overseas, and though its long overdue, we should make it a point to tell each and everyone of them thank you for their “mission accomplished”.

Hopefully we will be able to bring home all of our troops from harms way before many more lives are lost.

I’ve told anyone who will listen that I am eagerly awaiting the release of Walter Isaacson’s biography of the late Steve Jobs. One might assume that is because I was a big admirer of Jobs, which is true–but its also because I am a big fan of author Isaacson, who I met when working at the Time Life building some 15 years ago. He is a terrific writer, and somehow there is an interesting connection between the biographies he has penned for Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein, and now Steve Jobs. Early reviews of the book have been pretty positive, and I have pre-ordered it to arrive on my iPad (of course) on the day of its release.

I know we may allegedly be on the cusp of a “double dip recession”, but if traffic at your local mall is anything like what I experienced yesterday here in Southwest Ohio, I’d like to know where the economic geniuses go shopping. And there were too many shopping bags being carried to suggest that these people aren’t buying something.

But it also reaffirms my belief that all of my holiday shopping this year will be done online. Or nearly every bit of it that can be,

At the end of last week, I made a quick trip into Austin, Texas to attend a conference. It’s been some ten years since I visited the capital of the Lone Star state. It’s still a great place, maybe even better than it was before, and I highly recommend making a trip there if you’ve never been. Between the food, the music, and the people–there are few better places in these United States to spend some time.

I’m sure I’m forgetting some other stuff I wanted to mention. But I’m working on that problem. The ability to push a single button on my iPhone 4S and say “remind me of such and such” is really starting to change my life by making me just that much more organized. No small thing, that.

I never stop being amazed at what cool times we live in.