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Talk about forward thinking... in 1985, Apple Computer filed for a patent protecting their design of a telephone. 22 years later, the filing fee has paid off. I still like this idea, though. It's kind of like a Sports Illustrated Football Phone. Good thing Playboy never made one. Those ears would hurt when you put it in your pocket.

David Ryan Harris, shot with Leica M8/50mm Summilux, Edited in Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom Beta. I am now David's official myspace page photographer.

Art Buchwald's farewell column, written nearly a year ago, to have been released upon his death... He passed away this past Wednesday. Read on...

GOODBYE, MY FRIENDS
By Art Buchwald

Tribune Media Services

Several of my friends have persuaded me to write this final column, which is something they claim I shouldn't leave without doing.

There comes a time when you start adding up all the pluses and minuses of your life. In my case I'd like to add up all the great tennis games I played and all of the great players I overcame with my now famous "lob." I will always believe that my tennis game was one of the greatest of all time. Even Kay Graham, who couldn't stand being on the other side of the net from me, in the end forgave me.

I can't cover all the subjects I want to in one final column, but I would just like to say what a great pleasure it has been knowing all of you and being a part of your lives. Each of you has, in your own way, contributed to my life.

Now, to get down to the business at hand, I have had many choices concerning how I wanted to go. Most of them are very civilized, particularly hospice care. A hospice makes it very easy for you when you decide to go.

What's interesting is that everybody has his or her own opinion as to how you should go out. All my loved ones became very upset because they thought I should brave it out -- which meant more dialysis.

But here is the most important thing: This has been my decision. And it's a healthy one.

The person who was the most supportive at the end was my doctor, Mike Newman. Members of my family, while they didn't want me to go, were supportive, too. But I'm putting it down on paper, so there should be no question the decision was mine.

I chose to spend my final days in a hospice because it sounded like the most painless way to go, and you don't have to take a lot of stuff with you.

For some reason my mind keeps turning to food. I know I have not eaten all the eclairs I always wanted. In recent months, I have found it hard to go past the Cheesecake Factory without at least having one profiterole and a banana split.

I know it's a rather silly thing at this stage of the game to spend so much time on food. But then again, as life went on and there were fewer and fewer things I could eat, I am now punishing myself for having passed up so many good things earlier in the trip.

I think of a song lyric, "What's it all about, Alfie?" I don't know how well I've done while I was here, but I'd like to think some of my printed works will persevere -- at least for three years.

I know it's very egocentric to believe that someone is put on earth for a reason. In my case, I like to think I was. And after this column appears in the paper following my passing, I would like to think it will either wind up on a cereal box top or be repeated every Thanksgiving Day.

So, "What's it all about, Alfie?" is my way of saying goodbye.

Every January, Buddy Guy takes up residence at his "Legends" club in Chicago for the entire month. I've tried the last few years to stop by but somehow every time there was something in the way of getting over before his stint was over...
Had to make it happen this time around, especially seeing as I'm going back out on the road. I need that infusion of blues power to get into fighting shape, and playing with Buddy is like going to a school inside of a church.

I jumped a plane this morning from LA after a two hour delay and landed just in time to race to the hotel and then the club. It's been a minute since I really opened up on the guitar, so I was excited to get back into the headspace.

Okay. Here's where I have to lean on my words to help get this message across... Tonight, Buddy was more on fire than I have EVER seen or heard him. It took a couple of songs (and a couple shots of Cognac) to get us both going, but once we lifted off, it was unbelievable. I spent most the set with my mouth wide open letting out almost primal screams... This was timeless stuff happening tonight. the man is unstoppable, and he looks like a million damn dollars. The crowd at Legends was as energized as I've ever felt from a room that size.

When I was a kid, I used to cut out all the pictures I could find of my heroes, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimi Hendrix, Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton... To stand on stage with the man whom I used to stare at on my wall while laying in bed on those long, lingering Saturday mornings is beyond a thrill. I know, I know... We've played together now countless times, but I needed this one...

and I'm lucky enough to call him a dear friend. Wild shit.

Now into tour rehearsals...

Paid a visit to the Two-Rock shop in Rohnert Park, CA to put the finishing touches on the signature amp we've been working on for some time now.

It's been really cool to see this amp get simpler as it gets more refined. It's just a plug-and-play situation now. Just turn it up and go. It's my "thick" in a box!! (t-2 days until the horse is dead.)

Some footage on youtube here.

Here's my new axe. To hell with this game if you're a musician. It doesn't reward musical talent, it rewards color recognition skills.

My BlackBerry.

Apple's introduction of the iPhone is an interesting one for many reasons, but one facet of yesterday's Key Note Address sticks out; Apple has always pushed the reigning "latest and greatest" back a place in line to make room for whatever the newest incarnation of their product is, and released that product within weeks of announcing it. In the case of computers, the switch happens almost overnight, which eliminates the sales slow-down that would take place should word get out there was a more powerful machine looming over the horizon. (The "wait a month" syndrome that has heretofore only been communicated by the head-cocked, under-the-breath subtlety of those in the know...)

The announcement of the iPhone six months out of its scheduled release is a bit of a departure; the iPod now somehow seems a bit "last year", but the 80 gig (think of it as the "non widescreen") video iPod is still the best you can buy, and may stay that way for months. What's even more impacting, however, is the cell phone market... Anyone privy to the release of the iPhone is going to hold on to their current device as long as they possibly can, all but Scotch taping their devices together so that they can crawl over the finish line and into the loving arms of a shiny new iPhone. (Oh, you know the box is gonna be sexy.)

I wasn't just trying to be funny at MacWorld when I said that Steve Jobs and Apple Inc, make life more fun and that it's kind of the opposite of terrorism... The iPhone's introduction brought people together in a unified state of "I want that!" that was actually pretty damn cozy, don't you think?

I hit up the design store once a month or so, and lately I've been down on the books they have out; logo compilations from coffee houses and dog walking businesses, or retrospectives of so-called "great design", from which very little workable influence can be derived...

I stumbled on a series of books entitled "designer's guide to color", a seemingly sterile book containing nothing but binary color combinations... I've just found one of the most important design references around. It's nice to look at other people's business cards once in a while, but there's nothing like taking from the roots of great design. This thing is gonna live in my backpack for a long time to come. It's definitely going to take the concert merch to a whole new level.

Main Entry: mod·u·lar
Pronunciation: 'mä-j&-l&r
Function: adjective
1 : of, relating to, or based on a module or a modulus
2 : constructed with standardized units or dimensions for flexibility and variety in use
- mod·u·lar·i·ty /"mä-j&-'la-r&-tE/ noun
- mod·u·lar·ly /'mä-j&-l&r-lE/ adverb

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