Sometimes Josh likes his privacy.

“No battery power remains. Please connect iPod to power.” I was getting sick of seeing this pop up often on the display for the last year, so I decided to do something about it.

I have the 3^rd generation iPod, I purchased it in 2003 and have been using it daily ever since. About a year ago I started to notice that it wasn’t holding a battery charge as well as it used to. It’s a mechanical device so I really wasn’t that surprised. So I decided to look into replacing the battery.

I came across a site (www.milliamp.com) that sold replacement batteries and decided to investigate. They offer two different models for my iPod model, rated in milliamp hours (mAH). Generally speaking, the higher the number of mAh, the longer the amount of time a battery will last between charges. Of course, I chose the higher of the two.

The process took me about 8 minutes. The battery comes with detailed instructions and a plastic tool to open up the iPod. There are also many YouTube videos that show how to do it. I watched this one (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2Um4fH7rMk) and decided it seemed like a piece of cake.

It was.

The company said I should get 9-10 hours of use from the new battery, and it comes with a 10-year guarantee … all for $29. So, after a week of use, I charged it up and let it run. It gave me almost 11 hours of use in shuffle mode with the EQ mode off. What a deal! It’s like a new iPod for $29. I highly recommend this product. The company also offers replacement screens and you can mail-in your iPod for repair as well. Check it out!

The weather was great. Even though it did get down to 36 degrees, Josh’s second camping trip was perfect. Hardin Ridge, just south of Bloomington, IN in the Hoosier National Forest, is one of my favorite places in Indiana to camp. The overnight excursion turned out perfectly. We arrived, picked our spot, unloaded the vehicle and set up the tent. An evening filled with fire-poking, hotdog-eating, marshmallow mouth-stuffing, dirty hands and a million questions was truly a memorable occasion.

A “seasoned” camper, and having just turned three, Josh said this second camping trip was “funner than before.” This trip featured a breakfast of sausage, eggs and chocolate milk. After a hike and more questions, we headed home. Once we arrived home, Josh filled Woodford (our dog) in on the whole event saying “Woodford, you can come next time.”

Don’t worry, we’re still planning that Everest trip.

Today I made the wrong choice.

Come on people, move your ass!

The Wall Street Journal reports (subscription required) that Steve Jobs is on track to return from his six-month medical leave of absence later this month.

While Mr. Jobs has been on sick leave, some Apple directors have gotten weekly updates about his medical condition from the CEO’s physician, according to a person familiar with the matter. Mr. Jobs’s recovery “is coming along” and he is on schedule to return to work later this month, said this person, who has seen Mr. Jobs in recent weeks.

“He was one real sick guy,” added this person. “Fundamentally he was starving to death over a nine-month period. He couldn’t digest protein. [But] he took corrective action.”

While there has been much speculation about whether Jobs will make an appearance at next week’s Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple has continued to officially claim that he will not return until the end of the month. The Wall Street Journal‘s sources claim that, true to Jobs’ style of showmanship, Apple is preparing for his return to coincide with a media event of some sort.

Much of the buzz appears to be conjecture of the type that has swirled around Apple and Mr. Jobs for years. But two people who do business with Apple said senior Apple managers have told them the company is now trying to coordinate Mr. Jobs’s return with a product launch or public event.

The report also cites a source who claims that the next-generation iPhone is ready to be introduced at WWDC, with a launch to possibly occur by early July in order to accommodate owners of the original iPhone whose two-year contracts will begin expiring. The source, who has seen the iPhone, reports that the iPhone will be similar in appearance to the iPhone 3G but will possess more processing power and have additional features such as video editing, claims which are consistent with previous reports.

The first camping trip for Josh was a hit! I mean it was awesome. But before we could have fun we had to do some “camp chores” first. He helped set up the tent, unroll the sleeping stuff and gather sticks for the fire. We went over fire safety rules and only jumped over the fire twice. We also had to go over “playing in the mud” rules, since mud seems to be really cool at two and a half.

We brought Woodford along and he acted as the official camp security. The marshmallow cooking seemed to be the highlight of the trip. Although, once in the tent for the night, constant investigating of all the zippers, windows and bug shadows on the walls seemed to be an additional highlight since it went on for an hour and a half.

Some necessary items were brought for sanity such as his favorite bedtime stuffed animal, books for the bedtime reading, his favorite pillow and beer for dad. Keeping sanity was important.

All kidding aside, it was one of my favorite life moments. We both had a great time. As someone once said, “if you could bottle up a day …” well that would have been the day. It was truly an amazing time. As we were packing up to leave, he said “Dad, I love camping.”

So now we are planning a climb up Everest. I’ll keep ya posted.

In Indiana, the Indianapolis 500 is a big deal. A very big deal. So big that it engulfs the whole month of May. Hoosiers get it. Others may not. I grew up in Indiana and first visited the track when I was a kid. Started regularly going in high school, and have been ever since with few exceptions. If I can’t attend the race, I try to get there sometime in May – I always have. The sound of the engines screaming by, the smell of the methanol (now ethanol) fuel, lugging in the coolers, Jim Neighbors, the fly-overs, the enormous crowds, etc. – these are the things Hoosiers think of in May. Now the race may not be for everyone, and I can accept that. But for those of us who love it, it is a very cool thing.

Today was Bump Day, where dreams and bankrolls are shattered in an instant. Drivers who qualify on the second day of time trials line up behind the first-day qualifiers. Third day qualifiers line up behind the second day qualifiers, followed by the fourth day (nicknamed “Bump day”) qualifiers. Once the field is filled to 33, the slowest car, regardless of the day it qualified, is “on the bubble.” If another car qualifies faster, he/she will bump the slowest driver out of the field.

Since 2005, the four days of qualifying have been split up to generate bumping on all four days:

• On pole day, positions 1-11 are open for qualifying
• On the second day, positions 12-22 are open for qualifying
• On the third day, positions 23-33 are open for qualifying
• On bump day, bumping begins immediately once the field is filled to 33 cars.

You can check out the 2009 Indianapolis 500 Starting Grid here.