Nougat: Something to chew on

More Cakes with Toppers!

Hey kids,

Here is the latest batch of photos I have gotten from happy customers.  If the photo is yours, or you know who took it and I didn't credit you, it was because I didn't know.  Just message me and I will correct it.

Photo courtesy of Vivian Chow

Photo courtesy of Mariana and Trae Lenox 

Photo courtesy of Maria Gibson

 

Photo courtesy of David Maki and Ty Fischer

Thank you to all the lovely couples who order toppers from me and then share the cake photos! I love to see how it is incorporated into the cake.  I will continue to share these with you, my six readers.  And if you ordered one of the more than 600 toppers I've done and would like to share them with others, just email me the photos with a credit to whomever took the photos to paulpape (at) gmail (dot) com.

This just in...literally

Hey kids,

I went out to my mailbox today and saw that I got a package.  This is what I found:

 

Yep, that's a Chocomii.  But the funny thing is, it's a box of Chocomiis from TWO YEARS AGO.  The first year we made them, I used prepaid stamps, as opposed to printing off the labels.  The cool thing is that back then, Priority Mail was only $4.60. You can see that on the stamp:

 

What's funny, is that after two years of sitting in a post office, they decided to send it back to me.  That in itself isn't funny, what is is that Priority Mail postage has gone up $.30, and the post office wants it for delivering the package back to me.  TWO YEARS after I sent it out.

 

Yeah, that's not going to happen.  We'll call that a wash.

So I thought to myself, "Self, what do you think two year old Chocomiis look like, and did they survive two years of travel?"  So I opened the box.

That first year, we made the boxes actually have the shape of the Wii.  We cut off a corner and added a sticker to it that looked like the Wii.  And after two years, it still looks pretty good.

 

So I thought, well the chocolate can't be all that bad, could it?  Now, to preface, that first year we had the big Miis.  We also had a lot of breakage because the necks and arms were so tiny, compared to the heads.

This box was a Male Dark Chocolate and a Female White Chocolate.  I know this from the marking on the underside of the box.

 

Opening the box, I found the chocolates to be bloomed, which is expected, but otherwise in good shape.  The guy was intact, but the girl lost her head and an arm.

 

You'll also see that back then, we didn't wrap the chocolate in their own bags, and didn't have trays, just the chocolate with some bubblewrap around it.  Out of the 3500 boxes we shipped, only a handful of people were put off by this.

So, on Valentine's Day this year, I will eat these two blasts from the past.  And, of course, I will blog about how well open chocolate stored for two years in a New York postal depot tastes.  I will also try and contact the original recipient to get his comment.

EDIT:  OK, note to anyone who ventures across 2 year old chocolate that has been sitting in a postal facility.  While, at first bite, the chocolate lures you in with it's choco-goodness, time has definitely not been kind.  Let's just say that the two years have left a bitter aftertaste in both the chocolate and my mouth.

Off my normal subject- the iPad

Hey kids,

As many of you who live in the digital age know, last week Apple announced it's newest creation, the iPad.  I read a lot of reviews, A LOT, and there are definitely a fair number of haters out there.  And much like a lighter is magic to a caveman, a lot of these people can't see what the iPad really is, they are trying too hard to force the bezeled peg into the round hole.

Now, will this iPad itself change the world.  NOPE.  So haters, back off.

I am an Apple fan, yes, but I also have the cold, green Vulcan blood running through my veins that makes me extremely logical.  So, much like I would break down how my parents were unfair giving me the "Because I said so" excuse for not letting me blow shit up, I am going to break down, logically, why the iPad is a game changer.

But let me get this out of the way.  Ugggh, the name.  If it comes out of the box in a white cotton cover, I will puke.  Really.  But I digress.

I want to break this down and touch on each of the issues the haters have, so here goes.

Why is it a gamechanger?  Well, as much as everyone wanted Steve Jobs to create the Apple version of a netbook, Steve doesn't look at the now, as any good CEO should know.  He looks down the road.  He looked further into the future than anyone could have thought with the iPhone.  A device called the "Jesus Phone" by the haters.  Now look at the vast number of knockoffs.  Steve, and Apple, didn't want a netbook.  It didn't even want a smaller, thinner laptop.  And do you know why?  Because most people don't need it.  And if you don't believe me, as you seethe at your monitor, let me explain.  If you are one of my six readers, I am going to assume you are between the ages of 18-30.  This product, as you want it to be, is not for you.  But take a second and go ask your grandparents or your parents to jump on your computer and shoot you an email. 

Now, please note I said "as you want it to be".  The iPad, out of the box, is geared toward the computer illiterate, but those who want to use a computer to do the things that they feel they need to do.  Email, surf the web, check stocks, watch a video, read a book, or listen to music.  Out of the box, that's it.  That is what it is for, and if you have ever had the opportunity to work on a family member's computer who doesn't get computers, you will know that once it is out of the box, that is how it will stay.  And most of the programs NEVER get used.  I know this first hand, as I recently helped my grandfather-in-law install some antivirus software.  After the install failed, I looked at his computer and he had three antivirus programs running.  One came with the computer, the other was installed because someone told him he needed antivirus software, and the third one was being installed because his computer was slowing so much due to the two antivirus softwares thinking the other was the virus.

So, Apple wanted a device that will work, until it dies, without having the user need to worry about upgrading the OS, installing programs via discs, and having to know how the machine works.  They want it to just work.  Apple will upgrade the piece, silently, through the dock.  New features will be added, but not require the user to do anything except reboot the iPad.  This is a no-thinking computer.  PERFECT for those who don't get computers.

And that is just one thing Apple thought of.  So they have already built a nice core demographic, but how do they expand it?  Simple answer: Apps.  Apps are what will bring in the rest of us.  Steve Jobs isn't stupid, he knows that his group of extremely talented coders can only produce so much content in a given amount of time.  So opening up the SDK to others allows them to customize the iPad to meet the needs of other niche markets.  How do you motivate others to do your work for you?  Money. 

HATER 1 SAYS "But Apple controls what apps can and can't be distributed. They are Nazis."

OK, I hear ya, I really do.  Let me put this to rest.  Remember the Boob jiggle app that Apple OKd when the iPhone was new?  Apple took a lot of flack.  More than you will ever get.  Apple controls it to protect their business.  Get it? To PROTECT the BUSINESS.  Why doesn't Google Voice work on the iPhone?  Apple is sleeping with AT&T.  They are in BUSINESS together.  If you think Conan got a nice payout for getting NBCs shaft, you can't IMAGINE the amount of anal pain Apple would have to endure if they screwed the Phone Company out of their PHONE CALLS. 

But, there are ways around this.  I use Google Voice on my iPhone.  I just hack it.  I hack it because I don't want my product to work the same way it did out of the box.  And Apple knows this will happen.  You think the cat-and-mouse game Apple plays with the Apple Dev Team isn't on purpose?  Trust me, that could stop if Apple really wanted it to.  Yeah, every time there is an update, I have to jump through some hoops, but hey, that's the price for wanting something different.  Why doesn't Apple just open up the iPhone/iPad/iTouch so anyone can do anything with it?  To PROTECT the BUSINESS.

Again, I digress.  Back to the iPad.

The iPad was created to transform the way MOST people compute.  Apps will allow the rest of us to rethink the way we compute on-the-go.  But before I hear the throat clearing, let me talk about a few of the major points the nay-sayers have brought up.

MULTITASKING: You are right, it doesn't do that.  Does that suck?  Well, it depends on how you think of this device and what it is supposed to be.  It is NOT a laptop, netbook, or a desktop.  It IS a universal transforming device.  What the hell is that?  The iPad is made, specifically, to be the thing you need NOW.  Need a book?  Wha-wha-wha, it's a book.  A video player?  Wha-wha-wha.  Email device?  Wha-wha-wha.  Get it?  "But what if I want to listen to music while I surf the web?"  Use iTunes, as Apple wants you to.  Remember the BUSINESS thing?  Apple doesn't own Pandora.  Sorry, folks, Apple needs to make money.  iTunes will work while you multitask.  And you can use the external speaker, or your headphones. I know this, because I do it all the time with my iPhone.  And even though you think you can multitask, you can't.  You can not, simultaneously, surf the web and write an email and watch a movie.  And neither can the iPad.  The only thing you can do is listen to something and watch something else.  If you are doing all three things at the same time, while away from a desktop, or your television, you are probably annoying the people around you anyways.

PHONE CALLS/VIDEO CONFERENCING: If I EVER saw someone holding up an iPad to their head like a phone, I would bust out laughing. The iPad isn't a phone, but it CAN make phone calls, if used as a speakerphone.  And, you an multitask much like using iTunes while doing something else.  How?  The iPad has a speaker and a mic.  There is now an App for Skype.  And it works on 3G, not just WiFi.  Is it awkward?  Probably.  So maybe you should use the phone you have in your pocket.

Now, a camera would be nice, and not just for video conferencing.  Wait for it, it will surely show up.  The iPhone did it, as did the iPods and the iTouches.  But there is a business model that states if you jump too far ahead with an advance, that it will scare off customers, not bring them to the store.  Believe me if you want, but the small demographic made up of haters and fanboys is a truly tiny piece of the pie.  Business, people.

GPS:  Again, this isn't made to replace your Nav system in your car or for geocaching.  It doesn't need GPS.  Does your netbook, desktop or laptop have GPS?

FLASH SUPPORT: There are a lot of haters and fanboys who want Flash on their iPhone/iTouch/iPad.  As it is currently made, Flash would destroy the battery life.  Also, it would make the thin iPad so hot it would become uncomfortable to hold, and potentially damaging to the hardware.  "But other phones have it."  Yes, they do, and Apple could put it in their products, but Jobs is looking down the road.  HTML5 will allow for video without the heat issues, and is universally compatible.  Flash is also a bandwidth/RAM whore.  Like a girlfriend who won't let you go out with your other friends or she becomes a demon bubbling over with hate, Flash doesn't like to share.  And that hurts performance.  And Apple likes their performance.

So why doesn't Adobe rewrite it?  Why should they?  Because the iPhone/iTouch/iPad has more market shares and will it would be a smart business move?  No, flash viewers are free.  There is no money to make it better. 

"But I can't watch Hulu."  Yes, you can, there's an App for that. "I want to play flash games." There are plenty of games to play, for a cost or for free.  You just want a reason to bitch.

OPERATING SYSTEM:  "I want my iPad to be a netbook, with an OS that I know."  Change is hard for you, buddy, isn't it?  Try thinking outside of your OS.  Why do you need an OS to read email?  To watch a movie?  To create spreadsheets, type a paper?  You don't, it has just been drilled into you for years that you do.  Wouldn't it just be easier if you wanted to read email to just choose "Email"?  That's the idea of the universal transforming device.  To become the thing you need NOW.  Not to lead you to the directory where you store the thing you need now.

PHYSICAL KEYBOARD: Universal transforming device.  Do you need a keyboard to watch a movie?  So what does the keyboard on your laptop do when the movie is playing?  It just sits, unused.  So why not hide it?  And when the iPhone came out there was a lot of nay-saying about thumbing your keyboard and how nobody would do it.  Now, no one thinks twice.

HATER 2 SAYS: "So why don't I just buy a netbook, or use my iTouch?"

You can.  Steve Jobs and Apple expect you to.  Because you want the capabilities of those items right now.  The iPad is a device that is made to challenge the way a person does their normal, daily computing.  It is a device that, once you get used to it, will change how we view on-the-go computing.  Four years ago did you think that every time you used the bathroom you would be surfing the web on your phone?  Nope.  The iPhone changed that.  And people don't like change, it takes time.  But once they are used to it, it becomes standard. People are used to the iPhone.  The iPad is a big iTouch, so millions are familiar with it.  Don't change it too much at first, bring it on slowly and people will accept the change.

Here's how an iPad would work for me.  Granted, it's just one example:  In my humble business of sculpting things, I require a computer for; using emails, receiving images from customers, displaying the images, music, entertainment and basic bookkeeping and shipping.  I currently get images from a customer, open them in Photoshop, rearrange them, print them off and use that printout to work from.  I sculpt the piece and paint it, typically while listening to music or watching TV.  Then I create the label in Paypal and print it off.

With an iPad, running only the current apps available, I can eliminate all of my Photoshop time and paper consumption.  Use it to book clients on the fly, or coordinate my iCal with other projects as they come up.  I can also watch movies or listen to music while freeing up my iPhone (or not draining its battery).  I can also use the iPad as a portable advertising piece, allowing me to meet with customers and show them, without squinting at a phone, what I am capable of, since my work is viewable online.

With Apps being constantly created, I will eventually be able to use my iPad as a drawing/sketch book.  How, you say?  The iPad isn't pressure sensitive.  Nope, but it is Bluetooth enabled.  And all someone needs to do is create a Bluetooth pen that IS pressure sensitive (i.e. a spring loaded tip that measures the amount of pressure you are applying, then relaying that info, via Bluetooth, to an App for drawing that creates a larger or smaller line.).  Does that exist yet?  No, but it will.  Does everyone need one?  Nope, and that is why it isn't standard.  Could I just buy a Cintiq?  Sure, but why haul around a tethered 9 lb unitasker, when I can have a 1 lb multitasker?

It isn't what the iPad can do right now that changes the game.  It is that it is MADE that changes it.  Will it replace my desktop? No.  Will it bring world peace? No.  Will it, and by it I am saying this new technology that will be copied a hundred different ways in the next two years, make computing blend even more seamlessly into daily life.  Yep, that it will.

Haters, feel free to leave anonymous comments at the bottom telling me I am wrong.  I will reply to them the best I can.