The nursery is finished.
The clothes are washed and organized.
The pack-and-play is set up in the living room.
The bassinet has made its way from storage to our bedroom.
The hospital bag is pretty much packed, too.

Oh, and we watched What to Expect When You're Expecting the other night, so I'd say we're pretty much ready now.

The little man isn't scheduled to arrive until the end of this month, but we're fully aware that the due date means next to nothing. He could be here tomorrow. Or sometime in December. Only God knows, and that's most amazing of all.

Sometimes I'll think back to the middle of April, when we saw his tiny heart beating for the first time. Nothing could have prepared me for the emotion of those moments, just as I'm sure nothing can prepare me for how the actual birth will be. Seeing that little heart tick with life was like no other experience I've had before.

Even more amazing? That before there was time, God knew this child and all of his days. What a miracle.

We can't wait to meet you, little one. Ready or not, here you come!

I've always been fascinated with The Muppets, and it's been great to see Disney keep them going strong since acquiring the franchise in 2004.

Jim Henson was perhaps even more fascinating. To think that one person could dream up characters so special to both kids and adults is really incredible. And now, to peak back at the earliest days of The Muppets and their evolution? Way cool.

Check out Imagination Illustrated on Amazon »

Who knew a thermostat could be so good-looking? Well, the Nest sure is. And that's what you get when the leader of the original Apple iPod and iPhone teams, Tony Fadell, takes a shot at home electronics.

The Nest (now in its second generation) offers the kind of home automation that I think we'll come to expect in the very near future. No programming is necessary; the Nest learns your patterns and adjusts itself accordingly. It can also sense when you're away and automatically turn itself down.

Of course, the Nest is WiFi enabled and integrates with your iPhone so that you can control it while you're away. Just picture it: cooling the house off or warming it up on your way back from a vacation. Wow. Friends of ours are using it to remotely control heating and cooling at a cottage in northern Michigan. So many possibilities.

At $249, this thermostat is not cheap, but neither was the first iPod, I guess. I have to think the Nest isn't going away, though, and a $99 unit is just a matter of time.

Check out the Nest on Amazon »

Hold On is the latest release from AG Silver, a terrific band from west Michigan that has toured all over the United States.

We just saw AG perform in Grand Rapids this past Friday night, and they were excellent. They played the Wealthy Theatre, an intimate venue that seats about 400 people. The band completely filled the space — it felt like a much larger show than the room seemed like it would allow. I have no doubt these guys would be right at home in the biggest arenas.

A few of my favorite tracks from this album:

• 'When the Sun Goes Down' — love the kit and bass intro, and it's even better live.
• 'Undefaio (Just Look Behind You)' — catchy refrain on this one.
• 'Miss Michigan' — perfect ode to our Great (Lakes) State.
• 'Last Resort' — really the only acoustic track on the album, but it fits right in.
• 'Angel' — frontman Jon Ornée calls this one "epic." He's right.

Also notable: 'Dangerously' from AG Silver's first album, 'Wake Up and Smell Reality.' This was their encore the other night, and it was the perfect way to close.

Check out 'Hold On' on Amazon »

You simply type in the text you want to remember, swipe to the left, and select the services to which you'd like to send the text: Squarespace, email, Dropbox, Twitter, Facebook, and Evernote… it's all there. From there, swipe back to your text, and then push up to send. You can set up services to send to by default as well.

Squarespace Note is a great little app, and best of all, it's free on the App Store.

Silly iOS, "Squarespace" is a real word.

Here's Alton, demoing the recipe on Good Morning America.

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You can pick up Letterpress for free on the App Store, and unlimited concurrent matches and themes are available through an in-app purchase of just 99 cents.

Alright, gotta go, some people are waiting on my words to change.

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A few weeks ago we set to work on one of the last remaining projects to be completed before Baby Roo arrives… assembling his crib. We selected the Graco Mason Convertible Crib, and as simple a crib as it seemed, we had some concerns about completing its construction. Too many of our recent-parent friends had indicated that putting the baby's bed together just wasn't the most pleasant experience for a young marriage.

I'm happy to report that this crib is actually quite straightforward in its design, and only once were we required to take some pieces apart and try again. This was an accomplishment.

We had purchased the Munchkin Baby crib mattress earlier.

Just a few pieces in the box.

Like most do-it-yourself furniture assembly projects, this one was all about hex screws and Allen wrenches. The instructions were pretty decent in terms of guiding us along, and only one of the steps included a picture that was, from our perspective, completely inaccurate.

Keep that screwdriver handy.

Mom finished her side.

To clarify, I'm not really a Duke fan. It was a free shirt.

So, we were successful! I think it's great for married couples to spend time working together on projects like this. You don't have to be preparing for a baby, either. Just find something in the house that needs to be done, and practice patience while working on it together.

You're two different people, and you're going to bring two different frames of reference to any project or situation that comes along. Listen to each other. React to them exactly how you'd hope for them to react to you. Grow closer to your spouse by understanding more about what makes them tick.

Oh, and always smile, because marriage is a tremendous gift.

The finished product!

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A few weeks ago we set to work on one of the last remaining projects to be completed before Baby Roo arrives… assembling his crib. We selected the Graco Mason Convertible Crib, and as simple a crib as it seemed, we had some concerns about completing its construction. Too many of our recent-parent friends had indicated that putting the baby's bed together just wasn't the most pleasant experience for a young marriage.

I'm happy to report that this crib is actually quite straightforward in its design, and only once were we required to take some pieces apart and try again. This was an accomplishment.

We had purchased the Munchkin Baby crib mattress earlier.

Just a few pieces in the box.

Like most do-it-yourself furniture assembly projects, this one was all about hex screws and Allen wrenches. The instructions were pretty decent in terms of guiding us along, and only one of the steps included a picture that was, from our perspective, completely inaccurate.

Keep that screwdriver handy.

Mom finished her side.

To clarify, I'm not really a Duke fan. It was a free shirt.

So, we were successful! I think it's great for married couples to spend time working together on projects like this. You don't have to be preparing for a baby, either. Just find something in the house that needs to be done, and practice patience while working on it together.

You're two different people, and you're going to bring two different frames of reference to any project or situation that comes along. Listen to each other. React to them exactly how you'd hope for them to react to you. Grow closer to your spouse by understanding more about what makes them tick.

Oh, and always smile, because marriage is a tremendous gift.

The finished product!

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Good Eats 2: The Middle Years By Alton Brown

Good Eats 3: The Later Years By Alton Brown

​Good Eats is one of my favorite TV shows by far. Host Alton Brown is no longer producing new episodes of the show, but you can find them in reruns on the Cooking Channel, Food Network's sister station. The minute these babies make their way to Netflix or Amazon Prime, I'm there.

In the meantime, I have these fine cookbooks/textbooks/guidebooks to keep me occupied. Mr. Brown has painstakingly compiled all of the pithy humor, applications (or, recipes, if you like), and anecdotes from the television series into these beefy works of non-fiction. Bon Appétit!

Image Credit: Jim Dalrymple, The Loop

The blogosphere was all abuzz today after Apple sent out invitations for its media event this coming Wednesday, September 12. This wasn't the first we'd heard about the possibility of an iPhone 5 introduction on that date, but Apple seems to have confirmed it with this invitation artwork.

I passed on the iPhone 4S when it was announced last fall, primarily because I was still under contract and thus ineligible for fully subsidized pricing on the upgrade. Well, that and the fact that any iPhone, if purchased within a few months of its introduction, should offer two solid years of use, if not more. Anyone, I'm ready for this upgrade!

What will Apple's latest miracle device offer that its predecessors did not? Here's what I expect to see, based on all of the rumors that have floated around these past few months:

• A taller, 1136 x 640 pixel display (around 4" and a near 16:9 aspect ratio)
• 4G LTE cellular data
• Upgrades to internals, like additional RAM and a faster chipset
• Improvements to the rear camera
• A new, smaller dock connector which will render many existing peripherals obsolete
• Similar form factor, but with metal replacing some of the glass on the back

If I've learned anything from Apple media events, it's that expecting too many surprises will always leave one disappointed. That said, I am willing to make two of my own speculations for this new iPhone. I believe it will include:

• An HD FaceTime camera, like the one packaged in recent MacBook Pro models
  
• Expanded functionality for the new Passbook app (beyond that which was previewed at WWDC), although the inclusion of NFC (near field communication) appears unlikely

I also expect that pre-orders will take place immediately after the event, or on the morning of September 13, with a September 21 release date.

So, that's my take on what we can expect of Apple's announcement next week. What are you hoping for in the new iPhone?

Last Monday, as I was packing up for work I noticed that the battery on my MacBook Pro was at a pretty low percentage even though it had been plugged in for most of the weekend.

Not thinking too much of it, I headed in to work and I hadn’t been there for too long when I noticed a “service battery” message when clicking the battery icon in my menubar. I gave a call over to our IT department, and as it happened, one of their staffers was already planning a trip out to the Woodland Apple Store in Grand Rapids.

Our IT department has made it their policy to add AppleCare (Apple’s extended warranty program) to all of the Macs they buy, and I had just made it under the remaining time left in the coverage. Replacing the battery on a MacBook Pro can be a relatively quick fix; often as simple as making an appointment at the Genius Bar.

Well, my Mac went into the Apple Store on Tuesday, and on Wednesday morning I got an email from my colleague in IT indicating that the machine had been sent out to Apple for repair and that they were going to review the entire machine. This isn’t particularly convenient, I thought, but I was excited at the prospect of them fixing my beleaguered hinge (it had not survived a fall, even within my very fine Timbuk2 messenger bag, a perfectly nerdy wedding gift from my wife).

The process was fast, and I was able to track the repairs online using my Apple ID, which was awesome. By Friday a call to the Apple Store confirmed that my beloved MBP was back from its time away and was ready for pick-up. We were headed out to Grand Rapids on Saturday anyway, so we made the Genius Bar our first stop.

We were greeted warmly (how else?) by one of the retail employees who checked me in and encouraged us to head back to the Geniuses. Within minutes my name had been called and my laptop retrieved from storage in the back.

“Let’s boot it up and make sure it powers on,” the friendly Apple Genius said.

Standard protocol, I thought, which makes sense, given that it could have easily been damaged during transit.

A few short seconds went by, and then it appeared. The Welcome Screen. Hmm… that’s not supposed to be there. Where’s my long-in-the-tooth profile picture and login field? I’m ready to offer my passphrase for consideration!

“Why is that there?”, I said, coolly, fully aware that my dear friend had been restored to its original factory settings.

“Well, they must have done a clean install at the repair center. It’s standard practice, really. They do that whenever they notice system issues that keep the computer from running at its peak performance.”

I believe I gritted my teeth a little bit at this point. How could this have happened? Why hadn’t I been prepared for this possibility?

With my drawstring and Apple-monogrammed shopping bag in hand and my tail between my legs, we exited the store. It wasn’t Apple’s fault. They just wanted me to have the best experience possible when this 3-year-old was returned to its home. And they did. It’s been running great all this week.

The real irony here? I had been humbled in a place that’s brought me so much happiness.

At least they fixed the hinge.

Simply stunning.

I thought I’d share a little about the process of becoming a customer with Simple.

The invitation

Opening an account with Simple is currently by invitation only, but from their Twitter feed it sounds like they’ve worked through all the requests they received in 2010 and are zooming through 2011 as well. I would expect them to open up to everyone by the end of this year or perhaps early in 2013.

I received my account invitation in late July, and it was quite fun to set up (nerd alert!). Each invitation email contains a link containing a distinct token, meaning that it can be used just once. Like any other bank, you have to be approved for an account with Simple. One hour after filling out the initial application form (very short and sweet) I had received an email with a link to my application status… thankfully, I had been approved.

Bringing money in

During the application process, you’re provided with an opportunity to transfer an initial deposit (minimum $100, maximum $500) from your current bank into your Simple account. You can set up additional ACH (direct deposit) transfers from your bank into Simple after the fact as well.

This is where the limitations of being in a public beta come into play. Direct deposit is currently the only way of bringing money into the system. Simple has indicated that remote check deposit (via their iPhone app) will be available later in 2012, and they will also provide a way to mail checks into your account.

​Photo Credit: Simple Blog

A simple card

My Simple debit card came in about 5 business days as had been promised. Here’s how it arrives (their card, not mine!):

I’m a sucker for great design, and I’m all about this cool little card. I understand it’s little canvas bag will be going away soon as part of the arrival package, but that the attached cardboard wallet will remain. Pure hipster here, and I love it.

The card itself is a beautiful white matte, adorned only by the Simple and Visa logos. Note: at this time Simple only offers a debit card. You can use it wherever Visa debit cards are accepted, but it will simply debit your checking account with Simple (traditional debit card functionality). Having been Dave Ramsey fans for a long time, this fits right in with my wife’s and my personal finance strategy.

How we’re using Simple

Speaking of our strategy, Simple is a little too limited at this time for us to make it our primary bank. (And although I do love our credit union, I can’t wait for the day that Simple can be our one and only.) The main limitation for us is that Simple does not yet offer joint accounts. The communication I’ve received from Simple’s customer service team indicates that such functionality is on the way, possibly even later this year.

Philisophically my wife and I have chosen to keep all of our money in the same place. Thus, Simple’s current “one customer, one account” policy does not work for us. My hope is that the forthcoming joint account functionality will work in such a way that all of our funds live together in one big bucket, or at the very least, behave that way. Time will tell on this one.

For now, we’ll be using our Simple accounts (Julie’s invite is on its way) as a sort of backup debit card that can be used in the event that our credit union card is not available or functional. I look forward to making a bigger commitment to Simple somewhere down the line, and I expect that they won’t want to miss out on business from the millions of Dave Ramsey-ite couples who manage their money in the same way.

Miscellany

In closing, here are just a couple more thoughts about Simple:

• You probably don’t have an account yet, but if you have an iPhone, make sure you download the Simple app (App Store link). This company’s attention to detail in both design and functionality are evident, even from the first screen. An Android application is on the way.
• This post is long already, and I didn’t even dive into some of the features I most love about Simple, including categorization (think Quicken or Mint), a unique “Safe-to-Spend” balance calculation, and amazingly efficient in-app customer service. Spend some time looking around the site and you’ll know what I mean.

All of these things will help Google deliver a gigabit per second to the home at a profit. Granted, that profit might not be as large as the broadband profits that Comcast or AT&T currently enjoy, but it’s a profit. And hopefully regulators and average consumers will look at what Google is doing and ask themselves, “Why are the Comcasts and AT&Ts of the world complaining about how much it costs to serve up broadband when Google can deliver 100 times the traditional ISP’s top speeds for the same or a lower price.”

​Today Google announced the rollout of its Google Fiber service to the good people of Kansas City. You might remember that Google selected KC for this nerdy honor early last year after a nationwide campaign. Alas, in all likelihood the people of happy Holland, Michigan will be waiting for quite some time.

​Google is offering 3 simple plans:

• ​5 mbps down/1 mbps up for $0. That's right, free. And it's guaranteed for at least 7 years. All you pay for the privilege is a one-time construction fee of $300. Works out to about $3.57 per month by my calculations.
• ​Up to 1 gigabit up and down for $70/month. The construction fee is waived under this plan.
• Up to 1 gigabit up and down AND TV for $120/month.​ This is where things get a little crazy. Google will be offering a complete TV lineup over fiber (á la AT&T U-verse and Verizon FIOS), plus a 2 TB networked storage box, plus a 1 TB Google Drive. Oh, and a Nexus 7 tablet so you can control the TV.

This is really exciting. Sure, it's going to take a while for Google to be able to offer this kind of service in all the major markets, plus there's no telling if the program will even be successful in Kansas City to begin with. However, competition is always good for the consumer. Comcast, Time Warner, AT&T, Verizon… they'll all be paying attention as Google launches its fiber network in KC this fall.

Thorough walkthrough for building out a Mountain Lion boot disk from the good folks at Ars Technica. Lion DiskMaker was a new utility to me.

Mountain Lion is $19.99 on the Mac App Store. Purchase it using this link and I'll receive a small commission from Apple. Thanks!

Apple CEO Tim Cook:​

"We’re thrilled with record sales of 17 million iPads in the June quarter,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “We’ve also just updated the entire MacBook line, will release Mountain Lion tomorrow and will be launching iOS 6 this Fall. We are also really looking forward to the amazing new products we’ve got in the pipeline."

Dom Leca, Sparrow CEO:​

We’d like to extend a special thanks to all of our users who have supported us, advised us, given us priceless feedback and allowed us to build a better mail application. While we’ll be working on new things at Google, we will continue to make Sparrow available and provide support for our users.

We had an amazing ride and can't thank you enough.

Full speed ahead!

Man, oh man, I hope this isn't the end of the road for significant updates to Sparrow, although it sure sounds like it. However, I wouldn't mind Google rebranding Sparrow as Gmail for Mac, et al., and then continuing to invest in it going forward. I also think elements of Sparrow's UI could have a real place in the Gmail web app. I guess we'll just have to see what happens.

Good on the Sparrow team for building a great product from the ground up and seeing it through to this point.

Sparrow is available on the Mac App Store (for now).

Michael Hyatt, on his recent decision to start journaling consistently:​

The main thing is I am writing for myself rather than an audience. I have found this tremendously liberating and deeply satisfying. Amazingly, I am effortlessly writing five hundred to a thousand words a day.

Day One is currently just $4.99 ​on the Mac App Store.

9to5Mac posted about this Apple corporate recruitment video a week or so ago, and today I got around to having a look. The piece is only a few minutes long, and as you'd expect, it provides a unique glimpse into the work environment and corporate culture at Apple.

Hmm, I wonder if new employees get to spec out the machine of their choice…

I find there are about three ways I start most days in my office:

• ​Launch into some task I was working on at the end of the last day,
• Rifle my way through email, floating from task to task as they were requested or at random,
• Review my to-do list and calendar, and then make a game plan for the day.

You can probably imagine which of the three options results in my most productive days of work. My best workdays always begin with a thoughtful review of all that's been asked of me​ and a decision about how I'm going to spend my time in between meetings and appointments with prospective students. Here's my plan for making the most of your day using a to-do list.

• ​Seek out a to-do list manager that works for you. Okay, so I feel like I've tried them all, and although Things for Mac has emerged as my application of choice, some of my other favorites include: Google Tasks (accessible in both Gmail and Google Calendar), Remember the Milk, Flow (gorgeous web and native apps, but pricey), Nozbe, and for the true power users out there, OmniFocus for Mac. Or, you could even go analog and use something that's paper-powered like an Ecosystem Journal or Behance Action Book. Yes, I know I've just given you a number of suggestions, but don't get hung up on the tool! Just use something that works for you. Remember, the goal here is not to just polish your list, but to actually get things done.
• ​Add tasks to your list as they come in. I do this in a few different ways. First, I drag an email message from Sparrow (my mail client of choice) into Things, and new to-do dialog pops up, including a link to the email (a similar option is available in Gmail + Google Tasks). Then I archive the email and retrieve it only when I absolutely need to. Second, I transfer to-do items from my paper journal to Things after each meeting I attend (I find having my iPhone in meetings can be a real distraction). Finally, I often think of things when I'm away from my laptop, so I use Things for iPhone (including syncing via the Things Cloud beta) to add tasks when I'm at home or on-the-go.
• Review your tasks at the beginning of each day and make a plan.​ This is really critical for me. I find I'm so much more focused and so much less overwhelmed when I know exactly what I'm working on and what's coming next. Each morning I identify what must be accomplished that day and what should come next if time allows. I've found major success and a more positive outlook at the end of the day every time I've done this. The best part? It really only takes just a few minutes to make it happen.

There's always going to be more work than hours in your workday. We just have to accept it. The trick is creating a list of tasks for your day that, no matter how short, will leave you feeling as energized at the end of the workday as you were when the day began. The bonus? Well, if you're anything like me, the energy you gain when checking an item off your list will propel you forward as the day progresses.

​So, this is my starting line. The day could end up being a 100-meter dash or long like a 10K, but at least I'm off the blocks and heading in a consistent direction either way.

​How do you begin your workday?

With this year's update, it's now the most beautiful of all major championship apps. The tournament begins tonight at 1:30 AM EDT.

I feel like I've had this latest album from the Zac Brown Band on repeat since it came out last week. It's got all the style I've come to expect from the band since I started really listening to their second album, You Get What You Give.

My favorite tracks on this new album are as follows:

• 'Jump Right In' — First song on the album. Put down your sunroof and go for a drive; this one's exactly 3 minutes of summer.
• 'Uncaged' — The title track, and it could easily have kicked off the disc itself (assuming you purchased the CD version).
• 'Overnight' — This one feels so out of character for Zac Brown Band, and yet, I love it. Julie thinks its the cheesy 90s R&B music lover coming out in me. You've got to love the trombones when they come in.
• 'Day That I Die' — I don't know a lot about Amos Lee, but I do know that I like the way he sings on this one.
• 'Last But Not Least' — One of Zac's bandmates has some stunning vocals on this one. Wow.

Get 'Uncaged' on Amazon »

There are two things I remember Paul Reiser for: My Two Dads and Mad About You. Well, those TV shows, and the movie Crazy People with Dudley Moore. "Volvo — they're boxy but they're good."

Well, in addition to those fine pieces of television and movie comedy, Paul has written three books: Couplehood, Babyhood, and most recently, Familyhood. I finished the first book when my wife and I were dating, and now that we're expecting our first child, I've been working my way through Babyhood. I love Paul's books because they're everything you'd expect from him and the characters he's played — off-the-cuff, truthful riffs about life as a husband, expecting dad, and father. It's almost like you can hear Paul talking to Jamie (see Mad About You) when you read these books. I'm a big fan.

Get Babyhood on Amazon »

I had seen these headphones advertised on Facebook and reviewed on some different blogs, so when they became available on Woot! for the fire sale price of $60, I snagged them. I had been wanting a pair of headphones that I could wear while using my laptop at work, but I also wanted to make sure that I spent enough money to get decent sound quality. These Sonic headphones are really terrific. I love their style, and to my novice ears, the audio quality is excellent. They also don't eliminate so much outside noise that I wouldn't notice a colleague knocking on my door or addressing me from the doorway. For the money, these Sonic Over Ear headphones really do rock.

Get the Incase Sonic Headphones on Amazon »

At work I like to have a quality notebook that I carry with me to all of my meetings and appointments. Sometime back in 2011, ​blogger Michael Hyatt gave away about 50 of these Ecosystem Journals, and I was lucky enough to be a winner. These are high quality journals (comparable to Moleskine) and one of the things I like most about them is that all of the pages are perforated, making them easy for scanning on my Doxie. Also, each book has its own serial number, so if it ever gets lost it can be looked up on the Ecosystem website and returned to the owner.

Get the Ecosystem Journals on Amazon »​

I know what you're thinking. This seems like a strange combination — R&B and pop star Lionel Richie rearranging his songs with a country vibe. Well, there are two major reasons to like this album:

1. ​It's got all of the hits, from "You Are" to "All Night Long."
2. If you're a country music fan, you'll love that each track is a collaboration that features a different star​. My favorite? Blake Shelton on "You Are."

Get 'Tuskegee' on Amazon »​

I was introduced to these pens by my father-in-law, a talented engineer who uses them for just about everything, including some mighty fine sketches. I particularly like the textured, almost crystal-like grip, and the fine pen point of the micro version. They're a little on the pricey side, but don't worry, you'll take care of them.

Get these pens on Amazon »

Today We Are Rich is easily the best book I've read in the last few years. Author Tim Sanders addresses the idea of "sideways years" and the habits that we can embrace to grow our confidence and move forward in life. I plan to read this book every year… it is that good.

Get Today We Are Rich on Amazon »

We actually have one of the older Roku streaming player models, the HD-XR, and it's a key player in our TV watching setup. Our favorite channels are Netflix and Amazon Instant Video, but there are literally hundreds more to choose from, including Hulu Plus, Pandora, and MLB.tv.

The Roku player isn't as integrated into the Apple content ecosystem as the Apple TV, but I find it to be a more versatile option with many more streaming choices available. The Roku 2 XS even includes an enhanced remote with motion control for gaming!

Get the Roku 2 on Amazon »

Get Run to Overcome on Amazon »