drunkencomputing

Well I just really am bitchy.  Before Wisconsin voted to adopt a state-wide smoking ban, I was all for it.  Now that it’s happened, I don’t want it to happen.  It’s not that I condone smoking in bars or restaurants, it’s just that I don’t think the state Government should be telling us what to do.  There’s is, of course, many sides to this story, and I’ll attempt to highlight the ones that I think are valid, but for the most part, it’s simply not right.

First of all, I like not having smoking in bars and restaurants all over.  I like my clothes not smelling like cigarette smoke when I leave some place, and nothing is more disgusting than trying to eat while someone is smoking a cigarette and knocking ash on the table.  There are certainly health risks that are also being mitigated which I should highlight as another “good thing”, but I would be a big hypocrite if I did so since I enjoy the occasional cigarette or cigar.  So I’m OK with bars and restaurants being smoke-free because of the reasons above.  But there’s a caveat to that.

When I go to a bar, I’m going to enter that bar with the assumption there’s going to be things I won’t like there.  Whether it be the beer selection, the wait staff, or the fact that you can smoke there, I assume that this is the bar owner’s given right to have (or not have) those things.  If I didn’t like the fact that there’s smoking there, I should go somewhere.  It’s no different than if I don’t go to a mexican restaurant because I don’t like mexican food.  For you to go into a mexican restaurant and expect chinese food is extremely egotistical.  You therefore make a conseous decision not to go there because you don’t want mexican food. Same thing: I’m not going to go to The Anchor bar because I don’t want to be around smokers when I eat.

Am I off with this?  Aren’t we catering to some group of peoples’ arrogant views of how the public should behave?  If I don’t like the color yellow, I should ask the state to step in and color all school buses another color?  Am I not on the same train of thought?

Now this whole feeling is contingent upon the state being the one who is pushing the reform.  They are entitled to banning smoking in state parks and state buildings, because they own them.  Just as I am allowed to ban people from smoking in my house because I own my house.  But the state doesn’t own peoples’ bars or restaurants.  Are they going to tell me that I can’t allow people to smoke in my house now?  They have just as much ownership in my house as they do in a bar down the street.  So that’s wrong.

Then there’s the flip side.  If it’s not the state doing the smoking ban unto us, and is only bending to the will of an overwheling consensus, then, my friends, we have democracy in action.  If there’s 51% of the state that wants smoking banned, then it’s the state’s job to ban smoking.  It’s tough titties to bar and restaurant owners.  So if there’s a majority of Wisconsin residents out there that are for the state stepping in and stopping people from smoking in the Anchor bar, then God bless the fucking US of A.  We can’t seem to get together to stop a war that the vast majority of the country opposes, but we’re all about showing how naive we are by asking the state to protect our nice sweaters from smoke-smell.  God bless the fucking US of A.  The smoker’s lost this one fair and square, if that’s the case, because they shoulda organized together, sent letters, or protested or something (super-side note: can you imagine that protest?  They could do a smoke-out in front of the state capitol.  Get it?  Oh no, they can’t.  What an ineffective protest that would be.  They’d only be there with the signs for 30 minutes at a time, followed by 15 of no one there because they are all off the state campus ON A SMOKE BREAK.  Woo!)  There’s no smoker-only organizations that I know of, so tavern leagues and restaurant owner’s associations should of started lobbying if they didn’t want the state to come in and start telling them what to do.  So if a bar owner says “the ban is unconstitutional,” I’m gonna wanna hear a timeline of what they did to prevent it.  Otherwise, again, it’s just democracy in action.

It’s also true to say that the state has a responsibility to protect the health and well-being of it’s citizens, but I wave this statement off it’s brought to my attention.  If the state actually gives a shit about our health and well-being, why aren’t they trying to keep jobs in our towns?  Notice I’m not asking for new jobs, just to keep the scare amounts we have.  And if the state cares about our health, why not repair the fucking terrible highways that lace the state.  More people die by disappearing into the giant pot holes on highway 35 than they do of lung cancer in Superior.  True story.  Google it.  The fact is that it’s easy for them to enforce a smoking ban and feign interest in the “public health” while doing so and collecting more cash in fines to the business owners who think the ban is wrong.  Patching pot holes costs money.  Keeping jobs in the state requires intelligence.  Banning smoking in privately-owned facilities takes a pen stroke and fierce words.

So if you asked me, straight up, whether I’m for or against the smoking ban, I’d shrug.  I like non-smoking establishments, but I hate the execution of the idea.  If a bar or restaurant owner chooses to go smoke free, that’s the way it should be. They are the ones that get to decide in their establishment, hopefully based off the feedback they get from their customers.  Not the state who has no idea what’s going on out there.  So yeah, I guess I’m against the smoking ban.  Final answer.

Hodge has always called the Fox News Channel “Fox Terror News.”  I knew why this was, because they predict nothing but doom and gloom if anything newsworthy is slightly skewed to the left.  But I didn’t know that this broadcasting method extended to all faucets of conservative media.  So imagine my surprise when I was forced to listen to right-wing talk radio for fucking HOURS yesterday.  I’d never heard such a bunch of garbage in my life.

For the record, I hate liberal media as well.  They are eccentric jerk-offs who irritate me with their whining.  I think that who ever started the political media machine way back when simply created an unspoken challenge between the two political parties to see who could out-whine and out-annoy each other more.

Anyway, driving back from Nebraska yesterday, the person who had the wheel was a very staunch Republican–the type that called in sick to work the day after the 2008 election because they were probably drinking away the McCain loss.  Since he was driving, he gets control of the radio (I’m very much for this rule in road trips).  It started with country music, which he gleefully whistled along with.  I wanted to slit my wrists just to see color, but opted insted to try and take a nap.  I knew that if the country music was any indication, by the time we hit the Twin Cities, the Terror News Network would be playing on the radio.  I was filled with dread.

Sure enough, we hit the Twin Cities metro and 100.3 KTALK came in with, who else?  Rush Limbaugh, blabbering like a moron.  I know that part of the time it was my left-leaning method that only heard whiny fat whale tears splashing on the microphone most of the time, so I simply made faces any time Rush took a “swing” at the liberals by calling them some sort of “risque” name like “wussies.”  This is what this man says to be the stand-in head of the Republican party?  I’m no genius, but I have some more creative name-calling techniques than that.  Elect me to that post.

Rush, at times, would have a good point or two, but he’d taint it immediately by not shutting up.  Two things I recall he said of certain honesty was that the media was in love with Obama.  This is true, they are.  Obama is a very charismatic person, very likeable, even to some right-wing individuals (I’m lookin your way, Mr. Arlen Spector!).  But instead of trying to figure out why the media is so in love with Obama–and what we listening folks as Republicans can do about it–he simply says that the American media has “drank the Kool-aid.”  End of discussion.  We’re just a bunch of sheep being led to the slaughter because we finally have a president who isn’t a tool bag.  Why not offer some things to criticize the president on, as a Republican media outlet, and try and build up your offensive to make America see that Obama isn’t all sugar cane and plumb cakes?  Instead you just generalize the American public–the American public that elected said man to office.  Way to rally your troops and make you sound like a complete idiot.  Idiot.

The other thing Rush said is that the Republican party, essentially, is weak.  He said that someone in the party needs to step up and take a few shots at the president, because the president is doing somethings wrong, and may continue to do them wrong in the future.  I agree completely, this is why there are two political parties, right?  Someone from the Republicans should step up and question the prez instead of sitting on their side of the aisle and whining to the media softly under their breath.  Someone over here take charge and, if you have to, be ostracized from the Republican party.  But aren’t you supposed to be doing stuff for your country, and not your party?  Instead, Rush doesn’t say this…he says that someone from the party should step up, take a few swipes at the President by saying that he’s single-handedly destroying the country.  Not that the Chrysler thing was a big oopsie-daisey, or that just throwing money we don’t have at a problem will fix it…no, just that Obama is one step away from shitting on the American flag and then shooting a bald eagle out of the sky.  Another typical fat-face mistake.  Rush, you had some great points going, but your stupid mouth got in the way again.

When the three-ring circus that is the Rush show ended, it was time for some cleverly placed ads that cemented conservative media as the Terror News Network for me.  The first ad was attempting to scare the shit out of people it was actually hilarious (and I apologize to the three people in the U.S. who have fallen victims to this act for saying that): forced home invasions.  The ad claimed we should protect ourselves from forced home invasions–where criminals come up and ring the doorbell, then force themselves inside your house and take your family hostage.  I’m not making this fucking shit up, I’m laughing as I type it.  To protect ourselves from a forced home invasion, the Terror News Network recommends buying a security system, creating a family emergency plan (this is actually the only good idea they had), and “even buying a dog.”  What kind of fucking fruitcake moron a) identified forced home invasion as a growing concern in America and b) recommended getting a dog as a method to curb such a problem?  The ad continued to say that forced home invasion tears apart families and is on the rise in the U.S.  I was completely dumb-founded by the ad, literally scaring people into a Brinks home security system and a coon hound to protect themselves from “forced home invasion,” as if this is one of the biggest threats to Americans nowadays.  Not buckling your seatbelt, drunk driving, or being fat and lazy and getting heart disease as something you should concern yourself with…nay, home invasions.  And by the way, it was WHEN you have your home forcely invaded, not IF you have it forcely invaded.  Hey, it’s the Terror News Network.

Then, as if a big slap in the face, the ad was brought to you by the Ad Council.  Sigh.

Next up was the one of the world’s largest radio-personality doofus, Sean Hannity.  Again, for the record, I think the largest doofus radio personality is whoever is on XM Radio’s America Left channel, who openly invites Republicans to call in to the show, but end up nursing their wounds as they get beat up by the leftists media.  As the slogan goes, “Republicans come calling, but they always end up crawling.”  Puh-leez, Jesus, do people buy this shit?  Sean Hannity’s topic of conversation for this first hour block of his 22-hour show was Swine Flu.  All my mind heard was “EVERYONE WILL DIE FROM SWINE FLU” in Hannity’s broadcast.  He brought in some guy from an organization that tracks pandemics–the guest doctor himself sounded like he had swine flu, as his voice was rasphy and wheezy–and continued to ask him one-sided questions about the new global pandemic that will eventually wipe out the earth.  Questions were like, “this is similiar to the 1918 virus that killed 40-50 million people.”  That’s not a questions, stupid, that’s a stupid-kid statement.  The doctor tried to reply by saying that we were better prepared nowadays since this *is* 2009 and 1918, and we don’t blood-let or use brutal tournaqets anymore.  Hannity wouldn’t hear it and continued to try and draw parallels between 1918 and the swine flu.  Eventually he wore down the doctor and he simply rasped slanted agreements without compromising his company’s position.  This continued for another 20 minutes, until Hannity told us if we didn’t by flowers from 1-800 PRO FLOWERS, we didn’t really love our moms.

By this time, I could change the radio station as the most bull-headed Republican left the vehicle and I had control over the radio.  I was completely dumb-founded and quickly dubbed the radio station the Terror News Network…here’s how you will die.  Only Republicans can save you.  Obama is the Anti-Christ.  We’re a bunch of wussies.  Yeah, I can all names too, Rush.  Maybe I can be the Democratic party leader.  I bet I can call Republicans cooler names.

I’m really warming up to Google’s idea of how the web should be, and I’m not talking the design or the conent, but moreso the delivery.  Instead of using client-side applications–that is, installing a program on your desktop computer–people should be moving into the client-LESS world.

In a client-less world, you don’t need to install an application on your PC…you can use everything web-based.  Instead of running Outlook or Thunderbird or–God, shudder–Eudora, you just open a web page to get your email.  There’s many, many benefits to using web-based applications, and I’m really coming around to it.  There are, however, many disadvantages to this way of thinking as well.

Just like water, electricity, and cell service, the web is becoming another always-on technology for many people.  Some people have SmartPhones even to extend that reach (like moi).  But it’s relatively easy to get on the web, and in a client-less world, all you need is the internet and a browser to get into your applications.  The flip side of this, of course, is that many people don’t have easy access to the internet.  My counterpoint to that is that if more services offered web-based (client-less) applications, more people could afford to have the internet available.  If individuals have to pay $1000 for a 2.3 GHz dual-core system with Blu-Ray drive because that’s the latest-and-greatest at their Best Buy/Wal-Mar/Buy More/electronics super center, then sure, they probably won’t make the move to get onto the internet.  But if they can get by with a smaller system system with nominal specs and without all the whiz-back new-fangled technology–and for a fraction of the cost–then people can afford to get on the internet more.  When you have client-less applications, spli-dow, you don’t need the Gigantor 5000 computer any more.  Reference the eee PC, netbook, One Laptop Per Chiled, etc. for this side of the argument.

So you have a computer, or even a lower-end computer.  To my knowledge, 70-80% of the average computer user (nay, probably more than that), only get on the computer to surf, email, and transfer music & pictures.  You don’t need the Gigantor 5000 computer with quad-core CPUs, a Blu-Ray drive with LightScribe and expandable media bay.  You don’t need to pay $1000 for it either.  You only need the basic computer to launch a web browser for all these features.  For email: you have your web-based email application, like Hotmail or Yahoo, and the far superior Gmail (from Google, SHOCK!).  For music, you have Amazon MP3, with it’s vastly superior DRM-less music library (and still, only $.99 a tune, SNAP).  And for pictures, you have Flick or Snapfish.  DONE.  No need for Outlook (for email), no need for iTunes (bleeeh), and no need for whatever ghetto application came with your Kodak EZ Share camera.  You don’t need to install these clients and piss away your precious CPU resources.  Additionally, most applications nowadays aren’t just stand-alone executables…they require installs, and even then, the install isn’t *just* for the application…they will install hooks into your other applications, into your OS (such as annoying system-tray applications).  All this crap wastes resources too.  The common user doesn’t know how to combat these applications from performing these actions (tip: just try “Custom install” sometimes during setup, that can help a lot!)

On top of all this, if you don’t have client software installed on your PC for these applications, you have a fringe benefit as well as saving money buy not requiring a schwanky computer system: security.  If you don’t have client software installed, you don’t have to keep it up-to-date with security patches.  Instead. patches or security updates are done by the application provider (!!!!).  The flip side to this point is that you open yourself up to greater security risks by keeping your private data on the servers that host the web-based application (such as email or calendar appointments).  To this, I say phooey.  Truth be told, many web-based application providers provide better security than most brick-and-mortar data storage places.  I trust Google with my email more than I would trust the Veterans Affairs office with my SSN, or the local clinic with that faded-ass personal file that they just hang all willy-nilly on the wall outside my office.  Plus, your email is already on a shit ton of other servers everywhere else, your credit card info in even more areas, and your personal information is scattered throughout so many countless random locations you would shit yourself if you found out how easy it is to get.  This isn’t an excuse for the insecurity of your current data; but rather a statement that starting off with something that is built with security somewhere in the forefront of it’s mind (like Gmail) is a better step than what we did 20 years ago.  Also, don’t be a complete fucking moron and use a 5-character password like your dog’s name or your initials.  You deserve to have your shit stolen if you’re this idiotic.  It’s the 21st century–we’re about to colonize mars–and the most blabbed about crime nowadays on the talky box is identify theft.  So get the net: get a good password, stoopid.

Client-less applications have replaced everything on my computer that I once had some piece of crap, system-resource-wasting software for.  I used to use Microsoft Outlook for my email, calendar, and contacts.  Now I use Gmail for email and contacts.  I also use Google Calendar for my calendar application.  I use Google Documents for my spreadsheets and document files.  I use Google Notebook for the notes I jot down when I’m on the run (thank you, Blackberry!).  And all of these client-less applications can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection.  Shazam.  On top of that, if you have a SmartPhone–say, a Blackberry?–you can get that anywhere anywhere.  Anywhere.  That’s tits, my friend.  And that’s the beauty of a client-less world.

Now I could expound upon this conversation by introducing you further into the realm of client-less worlds, by adding in mentions and uses for Google Gears, bookmarklets, and browser extensions, but we’ll save that for another lesson, children.  Right now, grab yourself a good browser great browser and start experiencing the client-less lifestyle.  You may just learn to love it, like I did.

Many of you will say, “‘Saturday Night Live’ isn’t as funny as it was back in The Day.”  Most people who say that, weren’t even alive back during said “The Day”, or if they were, they were too young to appreciate Dan Akroyd and Eddie Murphy.  Their statement about “SNL back in The Day” is based upon “Best Of” SNL shows, and that’s it.  Today, “SNL” is funny, it’s just that it’s a different funny.  But I will admit, sometimes they do struggle to during skits.

For instance, there’s the “SNL Digital Shorts.”  These are hands-down whacky hilarious.  You can’t compare that to anything back in The Day.  It’s a complete appeal to Gen-X and Y people (the title alone says that) who don’t even watch the show, but instead get forwarded the clip via e-mail or YouTube it (reference, “Lazy Sunday”).  They don’t even bother watching SNL on the DVR, let alone the live broadcast –which gives the show some of it’s complete hilarity–seeing jokes be ad-libbed or fall apart in real-time).  Instead, if you could track the popularity of any given “SNL Digital Short”, you’d find it was just as influential on today’s culutre as “Wayne’s World” or Bill Murray.  Notice I said “today’s culuture.”

Next, there’s the dead-on parody’s of the 2008 election (and the follow-on political antics).  I mean, I haven’t laughed that hard at a comedy parody of a politician for so long since Dana Carvey as George H.W. Bush or Will Ferrell as the latter Bush (notice a trend?!?).  The final debate parody between McCain and Obama sent tears streaming down my face, just like Dana Carvey’s “lock box” for keeping money from Congress in.  And of course, the Tina Fey/Sarah Palin stuff.  While funny, it wasn’t SNL’s doing–it was hers.  Wasn’t Tina Fey just mimiking Sarah Palin most of the time?  When SNL’s joke’s did come out, however, they were priceless (”Oh are we don’t doin’ the tah-lent pohr-shun of tha shooow?”) and just deadly accurate continuance of the politician’s behavior in an elaborated format.  How is that not funny (and relevant!).  And how about their (sometimes one-sided) portrayl of Barack Obama this past week: calm, cool, never gets upset?  This wasn’t so much political sattire genius as it was just saying something everyone knew, then making a huge, awesome joke out of it (The Rock Obama!  C’mon!).  All this make SNL still funny.

“Weekend Update” is still classicly hilarious.  The jokes are more up-to-date, but the delivery remains the same.  I think I even like “Weekend Update” better with just Seth Meyers by himself.  And who here has not said “FIX IT” at least once to someone yet?  Still funny, still viable.

Then there’s the other statement from people, “SNL pushes the envelope.”  I have no examples of how it did this back in the day (I’m sure it did, and I’m sure George Carlin’s name will somehow be tied to one of the arguments), but I’ve heard people say that before.  Today, the envelope is pushed still by the show, right?  Look at how it “changed the face of the election.”  Isn’t that pushing the envelope?  Or how about the mainstream use of the word “douche.”  We now can hear the loveable term used in nearly any TV show (including primetime!) and it’s derivitives (”douchy”) thanks to SNL.  Up next for pushing the envelope: the term “BJ” and and any follow-on references to such.  Thanks Dwayne Johnson!

So yeah, SNL is still funny.  It has it’s moments where it’s not, but it’s always had those.  I think it’s only because we’re in a different era where the public still determines it’s OK for Chris Brown to beat Rihanna.  Or it’s OK for slow death by media (a la Britney Spears), so therefore, the writing staff and producers have to adapt the same way.  Can they still pull of the traditional joke?  Like the Sports Show Alien named Greg?  Or do they have to rely on a one-liner like “the whales will quiet down if I get to have sex with you, but they’ll settle for a BJ.” (sic), while the rest of the skit is simply filler (except for the constant buckets of water they splashed on the actors, that was just damn hilarious…again, something you can only appreciate probably if you see it live).  The staff at SNL is still trying to figure this out, I think.  They’re adapting (reference: SNL Digital Shorts) and trying to remain relevant in an era that changes by the minute.  So give ‘em some slack.

Changelog

• Updated on March10th, 2009: Added LogMaid and BBFileScout
• Updated on February 26th, 2009: Updated links for TalkLock, PhoneFace, AutoStandby, LightSaber, and Flashlight.  Added Quickpull.

Since I recently picked up a Blackberry Storm (9530) and have had time to play around with it, I figured it’s time to update my previous “Blackberry Software” and “Blackberry tweaks/tips” post from before. This time, it’s Storm-specific, unless otherwise indicated, but some of the software, tips, and obviously the websites will work on any Blackberry device.

Blackberry Software

LogMaid: (runs when your Blackberry is idle and cleans logs and memory to save space and speed up the device): http://www.mobihand.com/product.asp?id=26342

BBFileScout: (manage your file system on you Blackberry): http://bb.emacf1.com/bbfilescout.html

TalkLock (Lock the Storm while on the phone so you don’t hit buttons with your face): http://www.cellavant.com/TalkLock/Default.aspx

TwitterBerry (Excellent Twitter application): http://orangatame.com/ota/twitterberry/

SocialScope (Twitter & Facebook application for Blackberries [as of 3 Feb 09, does not work on the Storm]): http://www.socialscope.net/get.php?id=fonixmunkee%40gmail.com

Viigo Private Beta (RSS/Weather/News/Travel/Stock reader): http://www.viigo.com/download/privatebeta

BBGSPGolf (Free golf course application that tells you distances using GPS): http://go.mobihand.com/?op=dlmh&pd=21507&l=1&ps=150

WeatherBug for Blackberry Storm (Awesome weather client, includes home screen icon with temps & conditions): http://blackberry.weatherbug.com/storm/storm.jad

Facebook for Blackberry (Facebook client): http://mobile.blackberry.com/MBC/homepage?book=facebook_overview&helpdocdetail=/resources/static/facebook_overview.html

jMIRC (Java midlet for accessing IRC from Blackberry): http://jmirc.sourceforge.net/jmIrc.jad

MidpSSH Mobile SSH client (SSH client for Blackberry): http://xk72.com/wap

QuickPull (simulate a battery pull & reboot of your BB.  I schedule a reboot for 3am so the device is nice and fresh in the morn): http://go.mobihand.com/?op=dlmh&pd=22989&l=1&ps=102

PhoneFace Speed-dial (Adds pictures to contacts, too. Costs $9.95): http://store.berryreview.com/product.asp?id=20642&n=PhoneFace-Speed-dial

AutoStandby (Locks or puts Blackberry into standby for saving battery. Costs $5): http://software.crackberry.com/product.asp?id=20001&n=AutoStandby

Aerize Email alerts (Displays pop-up when you receive an email, SMS, or call. Costs $5): http://store.berryreview.com/download.asp?pdid=843693&id=21671&ak=

Google Maps Mobile (Essential mapping tool): http://m.google.com/maps

Youtube Client for Blackberry Storm (Great for watching YouTube videos in full screen): http://www.google.com/m/download/youtube/apps/v1.6.10/L1/BlackBerry-47/minitube_bb.jad?

OnToCalendar (Allows you to add an email as an appointment in your Blackberry calendar): http://www.soundslikeobiwan.com/~roger/OntoCalendar/

Google Sync for Blackberry (Syncs Google Calendars and Gmail contacts with your Blackberry): http://m.google.com/sync

QSMS (Bind to a side key for instant access to composing a new SMS): http://www.berrycoder.com/

MaxMem (Use to free up some application space on your Blackberry): http://www.berrycoder.com/

Lightsaber (Turn your Storm in to a light saber): http://www.stormgrounds.com/bb/LightSaber/LightSaber.jad

Flashlight (Turn your Blackberry into a flashlight, very handy): http://www.stormgrounds.com/bb/Flashlight/flashlight.jad

Blackberry Services

Blackberry web signals (Manage what kind of data is pushed to your Blackberry): http://push.na.blackberry.com/mss/PM_subList

Mobile websites

Wikipedia Mobile (Blackberry browser-friendly Wikipedia): http://mobile.wikipedia.org/

Google Reader (Read your Google Reader content from your Blackberry): http://m.google.com/reader

Google Notebook (Write and read notes in your Google Notebook from your Blackberry): http://m.google.com/notebook

Google Docs (Read your Google Documents): http://m.google.com/docs

Picasa Web Albums (Look at your Picasa pictures on your Blackberry): http://m.google.com/photos

TripIt Mobile (The best web-based travel organizer): http://m.tripit.com

US Bank Mobile (If you have US Bank accounts, access them from your Blackberry): http://m.usbank.com/usbmobile/

Ski Utah Snow Report (Check Utah’s snow reports for all resorts on your Blackberry): http://www.skiutah.com/wap/resorts/

KeyToss Mobile Web Portal (Great to set for your Homepage on your Blackberry): http://m.keytoss.com

Help, tips, and tricks

Blackberry MicroSD card quick guide (shows what size MicroSD card your Blackberry can accept): http://www.berryreview.com/2008/12/04/blackberry-sd-card-quick-guide/

Setting up Gmail using IMAP on your Blackberry (get your Gmail in near real-time, and securely): http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=78882

Verizon Blackberry update site (get the latest OFFICIAL OS for your Blackberry from VZW): http://vzw.smithmicro.com/blackberry/download.aspx?ct=personal

Verizon Blackberry Internet Service [BIS] (Manage your email push accounts online from a PC): http://bis.na.blackberry.com/html?brand=vzw

Themes, ringtones, wallpapers

Coming soon.