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Google Now: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Google released Google Now for iPhone and iPad earlier this week amidst much excitement…and then disappointment. Google Now is not available as a standalone app, but is, instead, part of the Google Search app on iTunes. Android users have had access to Google Now since June 2012, so its arrival to iOS was highly anticipated. It has already broken into the Top 10 in the App Store and is one of the most downloaded apps of all time. So, what's all the fuss about?

The Good

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Not all board sports are created equal

Growing up in a landlocked state, I didn't have many opportunities to surf. Sure, I loved watching Endless Summer and In God’s Hands with my Dad, but actually putting on my rashie and heading out into the break wasn't something I had immense opportunities to try. Now, having been traveling through countries that offer some of the best surfing in the world, I've realized a few simple truths: All board sports don’t necessarily relate.

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Saint Paul Union Depot

Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport may provide (weather permitting) the quickest entrance and exit to the Twin Cities. It also is the most drab: Chain fast food restaurants, gloomy parking ramps and TVs on which The Airport Channel drone constantly give it a utilitarian feel at best. The super-tight security needed in this post-9/11 day and age does nothing to help that. The drabness hangs over both terminals thicker than the smell of jet fuel.

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Monday Medley: Daycare horror

This story about kids dying in daycares across the country—especially in my own state—really hits home. I was abused in a church daycare as a child and I vowed to never offer my children to such a horrendous experience. The thing is, we can do so much better; nations across the world host wonderful daycare centers where kids not only are treated well and fed nutritious foods, but parents also often receive these services for free.

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SSI Hot Seat (top of the inning)

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Hot seat, in which the bleacher bums chat baseball with absolutely no (a) statistical analysis, (b) preparation, (c) accuracy or even (d) undue concern for whether they're completely wrong.

But hey.  We're a lot of things -- fair-weather fans ain't one of 'em.  As Bill James said, "I believe in struggling through the down times, in watching the kids figure things out.  It makes the winning more fun."

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=== Buy a Clue, Dept. ===

Dr. D is as disgusted, and discouraged, as anybody.  Why is it an Act Of blinkin' Congress to score one lousy run?

  • The Darvishes, Fisters, and Verlanders did it, between the lines, with the radar gun
  • The BABIP did it, on the infield dirt, with a splinter off the busted roulette wheel
  • The kids did it, in the Starbucks, with a case of Quad-Shot Lattes
  • The DL did it, in the training room, with a variety of foreign objects (baseballs, fences, and Eric Davis-like CF's)
  • Blaise Pascal did it, under the stands, with the spike-anchor of 2B
  • The weather did it, on the frozen tundra, with a bad case of hypothermic baseballs
  • The assisted-care nurse did it, in Raul Ibanez' room, with a pillow

Without looking up the stats, we can tell yer that the young players are pressing; Kyle Seager is the only one going up there satisfied to sock a solid line drive anywhere the ball's pitched.  We can tell yer that the runs on the board don't reflect the balls in play the last week-plus.  And when Ortiz came out of the bullpen, and pitched badly, he stuck out like a coal pile in a ball room.

It's not logical that this offense should be worse than 2012, much less worse than 2011, but you know that as well as we do.  As for me, I'm just gonna ride it out.

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Choosing the right walking shoes

Walking is great because, unlike many sports and hobbies, it doesn't require a lot of specialized clothing and equipment. At the most basic level, you can go for a walk in just about whatever you happen to be wearing at the time. However, if you want to walk more often and with less chance of injury (to yourself and your Good Shoes) you will want to pick out a decent pair of walking shoes.

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Helpful iPhone apps for freelance writers

Freelance writers all have their own quirks and tools to increase productivity. Some listen to music, some block out all noise, some turn off their computer monitors and some sit transfixed, pen and notebook in hand, waiting for words to rain down on them from the heavens. People do that, right? As for me, I turn to my iPhone apps for inspiration, motivation and to just plain keep me on task. Here are the three most useful apps that I've found.

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