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A post on Dave Winer's blog today reminded me that I've been meaning to write about the big flaw in the iPad. Actually it is a flaw in iOS but I notice it most on the iPad.

First a little background. I've had an iPad for as long as they've been around and eagerly stood in line for the iPad 2's new cameras. More than the first iPad the iPad 2 is a transformative device. It is comfortable to hold in bed to read, it has an amazing cover that just works and it's a bright white color instead of the heavy black. (How the color affects the perception of weight is another topic for another day.)

As awesome as the device is for me. It comes with a horrible flaw. This first came to light the very night I picked it up. After the headache of convincing my credit card issuer that yes it really was me staying in a hotel and buying an iPad at an Apple store I met a friend and we headed out for dinner. Being a Drupalcon dinner there were plenty of tech folks. Since the line for Chicago pizza was longer than the line for the iPad 2 we had plenty of time to talk. Eventually I succumbed to peer pressure and opened the box.

While peeling away the shrink wrap on the box (even the box is slightly smaller than the previous iPad) thoughts of taking a few pictures of the group with the new iPad came to mind. With a creative group of smart people what could we do with this new technology while waiting for a dinner with a week's caloric intake? And then all at once it happened.

Kids are great at reminding us that it is the simple things in life that bring joy.

Sure our kids have the requisite collection of probably more goodies than they need and a week filled with fun things to do. When we have some quiet time a quick trip to the park, riding the horses or playing in the backyard is in order. However this all seems to pale in comparison to one of their favorite play places.

Pictured at the right is an access ramp/stair complex on the side of a local hospital. When we visit there, whether it's sunny, raining or freezing they always want to take the time to play. While it may look like the average ramp and stairs that it is there is also a house, family, hide-and-seek, circus and many other things hidden in there. What may at once look like a simple brick and concrete structure hides hours of fun.