I have a confession to make. I love the smell of paper. The other day I bought a few colorful notebooks with lovely quotes on them and I have just been sitting around smelling them. Well, let’s back up a bit, I don’t want you to get the wrong impression. From time to time, I have been picking up the notebooks and with one thumb flipping through the pages to create that sort of fanning affect you get from a book when little gusts of wind are created by the flipping of the pages in this way. And holding the edges of the paper up to my face I have been enjoying the scent of the recycled paper and the soy based inks just lingering between the pages. It’s a good smell. The notebooks have a good feel too, different than the feel of metal and glass from my iPad. I feel the soft smoothness of the covers, and can almost interpret with my fingertips the little tiny ridges of the paper that have been so tightly sewn together in that way paper fibers are formed to make a single sheet. It’s not cold like glass and metal, and yet not warm. The whole experience is very visceral. With the iPad, or any computer for that matter, the experience is all visual. The bright screen, the icons, interacting with the apps through a non tactile tap of the finger. These notebooks are different, they are all touch, and feel and smell. I love the smell of paper.

A few weeks ago, I heard of an online monthly subscription service called Little Black Bag that really caught my attention. I’m already a fan of Shoedazzle, which I love because it has great accessories and an ever expanding line of new items, but ultimately its not as unique as one would expect. Little Black Bag is a completely new social buying website. Based loosely on the Japanese craze “Lucky Bag Sale” where a price is set for a bag whose contents are promised to be valued greater than the purchase price, LBB combines designer accessories with online swapping. Let me just quickly run through how it works. First, like many online personalized accessory websites, you take a style quiz to determine your personal style profile. Next, you are taken to an online gallery of 100-200 items of various value that have been chosen to fit your style profile. You then are asked to choose any one item you see to add to your bag, but at this point you can also “love items” to keep track of others you may also be interested in. With that one item in your bag which is guaranteed to be yours, one to three other items are added to your bag automatically based on your personal style so that the value of the overall bag is $100-$125. At this point you cannot see what the items are, but it does tell you how many items have been added and what category they fall under (make-up, jewelry, etc). So, you head to check out to pay. LBB offers two options, either a monthly subscription price of $49.95 or a one-time buy price of $59.95. Monthly subscribers have the option to opt out on a month if they do not want to participate, and there is no contract, you can cancel your subscription at any time. Once you have paid for your bag, you can now see the other items added to your bag. If you like everything you see and are completely satisfied, you can then hit “Ship to me” and you will receive your LBB in a matter of days. If you are not satisfied with the contents of your bag, well, that’s where the social aspect of this site begins. You can then start swapping items in your bag for up to seven days until you are ready to have the items ship. It’s important to note, if you choose the swapping option, you do not have to wait an additional seven days for your bag to ship, you can spend a few hours or a few days swapping items until you’re satisfied and ship your bag at any point, but after seven days, what you have in your bag will be shipped to you, so you need to make your time count.

What does swapping entail? Well, swapping works two ways. Immediately upon check out if you choose to delay shipping your items so you have time to swap, you will probably immediately receive offers from other users who want to offer you something of theirs for something in your bag. It’s up to you if you want to take their offers, but you get these notifications immediately because when you or someone else has an item they are looking to acquire and an item (or items) they are willing to swap, the notification goes out to everyone who has the item desired. Now, you may have noticed I said items above, because you do not have to make a one for one swap. You can offer more than one item in your bag to swap for another item and the value of your item does not matter. You can offer a swap between items of differing costs, although if you really want something good you should be prepared to make a good offer or expect to be rejected. You can get a leg up on swapping by watching the news feed on the site to see what is in people’s bags, what they are swapping and the hot items of the day.

Now, the system is not perfect, and if you have items in your bag that you do not like, it is not guaranteed that you will be able to swap for items you like, which is why it is important to choose that first item carefully and make sure it is something you feel is worth the full price of the bag because you may not get anything else you like. Before I tried out the site, I read through some reviews where people did not like what they ended up with, but I also found some others where people were able to trade and get what they wanted. Personally, I think there is definitely some strategy behind the social swapping aspect of this site and I could totally imagine that there are some people out there who are so good at watching the feed and seeing what is in people’s bags that they end up with exactly the items they want each and every time. It really makes me think of that story about the guy who traded a paper clip for a house using Craigslist. Now, perhaps that is an extreme example, especially since you have only seven days to swap, but I think if you’re smart about this site you could end up with a bag full of wonderful items, but you definitely need to play the game if you want to win!

I made a video unboxing and haul detailing my experience on Little Black Bag for the first time, so please check it out if you want to see what was in my bag, what I swapped and what I ended up with!

As you may have already heard, last Wednesday Apple announced the newest iteration of iPad. From what I am reading online and seeing on tv, it looks like the reception to the new iPad has been a mixed bag of feelings, with some excited about the new, albeit minimal changes that have taken place in this new model, while others consider the lack of thrilling new features and a distinctive number identification to be a clear sign of Apple’s impending demise without Steve Jobs. Thankfully, Joy of Tech has summed this up beautifully in their most recent comic which I have inserted below for your reading pleasure.

Of course, the irony of the whole back and forth, aptly captured within the comic, is that it appears that the release of this new iPad will be no less notable than any previous releases. When I myself attempted to preorder the new iPad via the website on Wednesday it took me no less than 45 minutes to do so as the servers were continually crashing due to the high volume of customers preordering their models as well. Quickly, the estimated delivery dates for the iPad changed from March 16th to March 19th, and although we can assume that the bulk of the preordering crowd has passed, I have a feeling that like last year, if you do not preordered or do not get in line nice and early on Friday for the in store release, you may find yourself unable to acquire an iPad for a few weeks.

Luckily, I was able to preorder myself a new iPad after what literally felt like an eternity of refreshing pages, but unfortunately for me, I am not going to pick my order up from a store, which I had originally intended to do, but instead my new iPad will be delivered to me at home. This is because my perfect plans were shattered when I found myself at a page in the ordering process that I did not plan on. I found myself face to face with an option for a free engraving, which I completely forgot was offered on previous iPad models. Of course, I could not pass on this excellent deal. After all, it was free, and a way to distinguish my iPad from the hordes of others out there in the world. If there were any future confusion over which iPad were my own, I only need specify the engraving on the back which would instantly prove my ownership of the device. Yes, I know there are serial numbers and such for this exact purpose but nothing is so instant as to say, “excuse me, that is my iPad, I can prove it, the back is engraved with the following…” and you can see where I am going with this. So, of course, once I selected the engraving option, I was locked into a direct delivery option instead of being able to pick up my unit in store. I was looking forward to making a video and posting about my in-line experience, but I guess I will have to wing it at home with an instant unboxing, which will have to do.

Now that I have gushed about the reception of the new iPad and provided my own little anecdote as to the ordering process, lets discuss the actual iPad itself. Apple has dubbed this newest model “Resolutionary” which has caused some rumbling from the peanut gallery as to how revolutionary the resolution really is, but lets look at the facts. Apple revolutionized the iPhone display with its Retina Display, which basically means that the pixel density is so high, your eye can’t tell the difference between pixels at a normal reading distance. That was pretty revolutionary for a phone. Now, Apple has done the same thing for an iPad, a device that is not only in a completely different category than the iPhone, but also has a display that is multiple times larger than a phones. And this wasn’t a matter of Apple making a bigger version of the iPhones Retina Display, but rather, they now needed to completely redesign the display in order to make it work on a larger scale. That is a pretty revolutionary resolution if you ask me.

Now, the second upgrade to the iPad is an iPhone quality iSight camera and an improved FaceTime camera. From all accounts, the iPad 2 had two terrible cameras, which provided nothing more than a novelty, but these new cameras which include full 1080p HD video capture are really going to effect day to day use of the iPad. As a blogger, I am excited that I can now use one device to capture images, video and data input on the go. Yes, I have a great camera that I use for pictures and videos, but on the go it is not as feasible to use my camera and then send the photos to my iPad for input into my blog. Normally, I achieve this by taking photos and video with my phone and uploading them into the cloud which I then pull down into my iPad, but again, this is many extra steps which I will now be able to skip because my iPad will be an all in one device. I am very excited to see how the iPad improves my blogging because I predict it will greatly simplify things for me.

An unfortunate thing has happened since I last posted on this blog, and as you probably already know, Steve Jobs passed away on October 5th from complications associated with the pancreatic cancer he had been fighting for years. I know I didn’t know him, but I certainly felt connected to him through the numerous products of his that I brought into my life. I know that may some crazy to some people, but I believe objects can connect people (not just through the internet) and I believe Steve felt the same way.

Since Steve’s passing there have been so many publications focusing on his life, a biography, numerous magazine articles, and countless news and opinion pieces. I feel like I have been inundated by information regarding this man I never knew, yet who had such a big influence in my life. I saw a quote the other day from him that goes “Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected.” You know, the funny thing about this quote is that I think the world considered Steve to be so revolutionary because he was living this way in a world that had forgotten the value of quality. So, lets all start living this way, expecting more from ourselves and others, because in the end that quality matters!

This morning, like many others, I woke to find an apologetic email from Netflix CEO Reed Hastings explaining yet another change to my Netflix service. As you may already be aware, this email discussed the further dismemberment of Netflix services by explaining that Netflix DVD service is now re-branded as Qwikster, a service that will replicate the current Netflix DVD service, but will ultimately be a separate entity from Netflix and a separate website.

As always, thanks for reading!

Earlier this week I posted a video of my Office Tour that I hope everyone enjoyed. Since I now have my own office space in my new apartment, I am really excited over the idea of having an immaculate desk space. I think when you have a home office that you use for personal use, its very important for that space to be a place you want to be sitting and working at especially after a full work day at your actual office. For me, I really need a creative space to inspire my writing and I hope I am very close to achieving the balance I need to keep me focused and to keep me in my chair writing.

I found these images of other immaculate desks, as I like to call them, and I thought I would share them with you! These are taken from the Who What Wear offices. WWW is a fashion website, which would explain the awe inspiring decor, that reminds me of the set of The Devil Wears Prada. Now, I’m certainly not running a fashion empire from my little office space but I would certainly like to set a good mood for my space and these images are just the inspiration I need and I hope you also get a little inspiration for your own desk space. Enjoy!

For a long time, like many others I was excited to hear all the new Apple rumors about the next big thing or the newest update or the list of adjectives Steve Jobs would use in his next exciting and revolutionary Keynote. But after many many many disappointments I am about to give up. The iPhone 4G, HD, or whatever other name it it is rumored to be will not be coming to Verizon this summer, or this fall, or possibly ever despite the nearly 10 million search results for a CDMA enabled iPhone. The iPad did not have a camera and multitasking at launch and the list of Apple rumors goes on.

The only time a ‘rumor’ was ever confirmed was earlier this year when Gizmodo got their hands on an actual iPhone 4 hidden within the casing of an iPhone 3G. Although we learned alot about the new iPhone’s body style and potential cameras, the biggest thing we learned from the inoperable device is that Apple does not “do” leaks and will stop at nothing to squash anyone who talks about an actual Apple device before it’s release.

(Getting your house raided isn’t a strong incentive to screw around with Apple)

But this newest rumor I have just heard takes the cake. Despite being released a mere six months ago, the iPad 2 is supposedly going to be released by Apple…. this Christmas. This AppleInsider article does what the rumors always do – cite “someone close” on the inside of Apple with a supposed leak of the inner workings at 1 Infinite Loop. No. Not happening. It doesn’t take an Apple Genius to realize that Apple has a set release cycle. Just a few days ago Apple held its music-fest where every year in September they update their iTunes and iPod line up. Soon we will have the iMac and MacBook event, and next summer we will have the iPhone event. Eac event is huge for Apple, not just to show off their shiny new objects but also to boost their stock. Yes, nothing makes more money for Apple having seeing Steve Jobs talk for 2 hours at an annually anticilated event. Not to mention it gets Apple in the news and talked about like no other tech company in the world!

So in order for the iPad 2 to get an early release date, Apple would need to completely change their yearly update cycle. The iPad is a device between a smart phone and a laptop, so Apple clearly can’t show it off with laptops in October, so it would need its own event. Not to mention Apple has to remember the issue it caused by lowering prices on the original iPhone only a few months after it released. Remember the outrage? Try having a few million Macheads freaking out that their 6 month old device is out of date.

(Just in time – the new iTorch!)

So that does it for me because this is just too ridiculous of an idea. No more falling for these teaser and hushed whispers from the depths of Cupertino. I’ll just wait for Steve to put on his jeans and a black turtleneck and say “one more thing.”