Today's Bellen! is my thought process basically every day.

Source: boxbrown.com


A review of the Palm Pre even more glowing (and more thorough) than mine. The reviewer loves WebOS as much as I do; and, like me, is willing to ignore hardware flaws because of it. In addition there have been a few OS updates since this review was written, so some of the problems mentioned are at this point non-existent.

Bottom line: if the software works really well, people will be impressed. And WebOS works really well.

Palm Pre Review


New Phone

I got a Palm Pre yesterday!

It does exactly everything I want, right out of the box. Everything just works. My google contacts, calendar and chat buddies all sync up automatically with basically one button. The connectivity with my MacBook is plug and play. The drag and drop file transfers are seamless, and it has 8GB of internal memory, which is enough space for me to use it as a secondary MP3 player. Happily, it also has a slide out keyboard. I still much prefer a physical keyboard over the onscreen keyboards of the iPhone or Nexus One. Texting with the phone has taken some getting used to; the curve of the phone forces one to hold it in a way that feels slightly awkward at first, but after about a day of use I’ve adjusted. 

WebOS is the selling feature of this phone. It is both intuitive, and really really good looking. I love the mail client, and I love that I can be connected to my Google Talk account at all times. Oh and I love the mail client. Did I mention that I love the mail client? It doesn’t require you to use IMAP or POP3 to connect to your Gmail account - it just is your Gmail account. I am thrilled by this. I love that you end apps by flicking them off the screen - there’s something very satisfying about picking up a running application and throwing it away. The app store does leave something to be desired, especially in comparison to the iPhone app store, but this is to be expected. Apple has really raised our expectations of what an app store should be, and it will take other developers some time to catch up. However, the Palm App Store is certainly acceptable; it’s easy to use and functional. As someone who doesn’t prefer to load their devices with pointless apps, I’m not disappointed by it. 

My love of/obsession with phones is a well documented fact. I love getting new phones, and I am always on the lookout for my next one. But this time I feel as if I’ve found a phone that I can be happy with for a long time. Well done Palm. Sure you’ve had your hardware issues, but I am so in love with WebOS that I am more than willing to look past them. And as long as it’s not twisty, the Pre hardware is really cute. Thanks Palm, for rescuing me from the dredges of Windows Mobile.


The Big Move

As Lousy as it is Brilliant is moving to scribbl.me. Stay tuned!

Update: Move complete!


This picture made me say “Pacman Mints?!”!

True story.

(via CutestFood)


Left Handed Toons rocks my socks.

Note from 2022 Rachel: I no longer have any idea what this is. Edward Scissor Hands Mario Fingers?



via CutestFood


“Taking a clear cue from “Garfield Minus Garfield,” in which Jim Davis’ orange cat is Photoshopped out of his strips with consciousness-expanding effects, “Calvin Minus Hobbes” replaces the “living” Hobbes with his doll incarnation and removes his speech bubbles. The resulting strips effectively showcase Cavlin shouting to himself as an inanimate doll looks on with indifference.“ (via ComicsAlliance)

Source: comicsalliance.com









Note from 2022 Rachel: This was the day I graduated UBC! I don’t know where I got the cupcake photo.



Hello Kitty and Anpanman

Hello Kitty lost her long-held spot as Japan’s top-grossing character in 2002 and has never recovered. In the latest survey, released this month, Kitty ranked a distant third, behind the leader, Anpanman, a character that is based on a Japanese jam-filled pastry and is produced by Nippon Television. The second spot is still held by the venerable game and animation brand Pokémon, owned by Nintendo.

-Hello Kitty Falls Behind a Jam Pastry in the New York Times.


Cupcake Cookies via the now defunct Cutest Food