I'm about one third of the way through Steve Jobs' authorized biography by Walter Isacsson, and while I might write a complete review whenever I finish it, I already have a few things to get off my chest.

Even though I consider myself an early adopter and bought the first iPad the day it came out (and have already owned four different iPhones), I've never read a book digitally until now. It seemed fitting to give my first trial with iBooks on the iPad to Jobs' biography, and honestly, it's no less pleasant than reading a hard copy. Even reading pages on the tiny iPhone isn't too bad – what's cool is the the "cloud" knows where you left off, from device to device. It's extremely convenient.

But beyond the delivery method, I'm mostly taken aback by the subject of the book and Jobs stood for. I'm not a stockholder, but I've used Macs exclusively since my parents bought first one in 1985. Before that, I learned BASIC on the Commodore 64, but at school, we all used Apple IIs. Jobs' imprint has been with me since third grade.

As of today, I'm at the point in the book when Jobs and his team launched the first Mac. It takes me back to a time when I would fiddle with MacPaint, learn about fonts and teach myself how computers worked. In many ways, it's not so different today, and I've lost count how many Apple computers I've owned, but it's well into the double digits. I've grudgingly used PCs running Windows and Linux and Blackberry phones, but at this point, there's virtually no chance I will ever buy a computer or mobile device that doesn't run the Apple OS du jour. I'm a customer for life.

The man behind Apple, though was clearly an insane genius, and at least up until 1985 (and probably beyond) was an insufferable bastard. He motivated alternately out of fear and grandiose predictions about changing the universe. He was fickle, stubborn and weird. Naturally, as an entrepreneur, myself, I am drawing some comparisons between us.

Yes, Jobs was smarter, more driven, m…

For the fifth straight year, October is Dining Month on OnMilwaukee.com, presented by Concordia University. All month, we're stuffed with restaurant reviews, delectable features, chef profiles and unique articles on everything food, as well as the winners of our "Best of Dining 2011."

I'm OK with certain stereotypes. As a Jewish guy, it's true that I run a media company and love bagels.

The media company wasn't my a life-long goal or something I inherited, but bagels – man, I've loved them forever. Having lived on the East Coast from ages 13-21, I ate some of the best of the world, and unfortunately, Milwaukee is not exactly a hot-bed of bagel activity. (R.I.P., Blue Dog Bagels ... )

Still, some are better than others, chain or otherwise. Here are my top five (though, in reality, I can't think of a lot more than five). Chime in with your favorites using the Talkback feature below.

1. Benji's
2. Einstein Bros.
3. Alterra
4. Cosi
5. Bruegger's

For the fifth straight year, October is Dining Month on OnMilwaukee.com, presented by Concordia University. All month, we're stuffed with restaurant reviews, delectable features, chef profiles and unique articles on everything food, as well as the winners of our "Best of Dining 2011."

As I stare out my office window into a cold, dark and dreary October afternoon, it's easy to get bummed out over the end of nice weather.

But then I think about all the fall food I can look forward to.

Suddenly, it doesn't seem so bad, after all. Just like Labor Day is the cutoff for wearing white pants (though I would argue that white pants are never allowed unless you're Freddie Mercury or a baseball player), some of my favorite foods shouldn't be consumed during Milwaukee's amazing summer.

My personal top five includes:

1. Chili
2. Fondue
3. Pumpkin pie (and pumpkin ale!)
4. Matzo ball soup
5. Brisket

What are your fall favorites? Chime in using the Talkback feature below.

Except for the first iPhone, I've owned them all, and I have purchased each of them on the day they were released. This weekend was no different. People are asking me the same question they ask me each year, "Should I buy this thing?"

And as always, my answer is "maybe ... but probably."

Style or substance: Even though it looks exactly the same on the outside to its predecessor, and that's quite a let down, the inside is what really matters. That means you won't be able to show off your latest gadget to strangers without first explaining that you actually own the new one.

It's the network: For me, there was one compelling reason to upgrade: to get off AT&T's network and onto Verizon's. Since Friday, I've yet to drop off a call or fail to send a text, even during Sunday's playoff game at Miller Park. I have, however, already noticed the minor inconvenience of not being able to have a conversation while using the Web at the same time. But that's pretty minor. Overall, call quality has been quite good.

Your wish is its command: The star of the show is Apple's artificial intelligence engine, Siri. Much has been written about it, so I'll just add this: it's fairly accurate, mostly intuitive and possibly very useful. However, dictating a text message while driving actually feels more distracting than typing; at least right now. But the functionality, while still in its infancy, is incredibly impressive. Once Apple integrates it everywhere, this could get good. (Right now, you can't tell Siri to tweet something, for example. You have to open the Twitter app then click the microphone.)

It's still fairly "beta," but knowing Apple, it will eventually become a game-changer. Once again, Siri will force everyone to play catch up, and those who say it's the same as Android's voice recognition tools are mistaken.

Better pics: The iPhone's camera also received a substantial upgrade, though in my limited tests, I don't yet notice a huge difference. To me, the f/2.4 aperture le…