With a rich set of over 1,500 new APIs, iPhone SDK 4 provides you with an amazing range of technologies to enhance the functionality of your iPhone and iPod touch applications. New APIs enable Multitasking, integration of interactive ads into your apps, and allow you to get started developing games on the new social gaming network with the Game Kit Preview.

iPhone Developer Program members can download iPhone SDK and iPhone OS 4 beta, now available in the iOS Dev Center.

With a rich set of over 1,500 new APIs, iPhone SDK 4 provides you with an amazing range of technologies to enhance the functionality of your iPhone and iPod touch applications. New APIs enable Multitasking, integration of interactive ads into your apps, and allow you to get started developing games on the new social gaming network with the Game Kit Preview.

iPhone Developer Program members can download iPhone SDK and iPhone OS 4 beta, now available in the iOS Dev Center.

A couple of weeks ago, during UMBC’s “Just For Juniors” Orientation Day, in which prospective UMBC students who are currently in their Junior year of high school had the opportunity to visit UMBC, I ate a somewhat simple lunch, which consisted of a chicken salad croissant sandwich and some potato chips. However, I thoroughly enjoyed this simple lunch, especially my Chicken Salad Croissant sandwich. From the soft, tender and meaty chicken, to the creamy, rich and smooth mayonnaise, the sandwich melted in my mouth and eased down my throat. Furthermore, how could I forget about the two fresh, soft, delicious pieces of bread that enclosed all of the pieces of chicken salad together, made the sandwich official and was the “cherry on top” of the sandwich.

However, as I sat and consumed my appetizing sandwich, it occurred to me that I rarely (if ever) find a chicken salad sandwich anywhere at the Commons anymore. During my last three years at UMBC, I always had an opportunity to retrieve a Chicken Salad sandwich, either from the Commons’ Sub restaurant (for days in which I had 2-3 hours to spare before my next class) or from the Smart Market (for days in which I needed lunch on the run, 5 minutes before my next class). For me, it didn’t matter where I got my chicken salad sandwich from, just as long as I got one because the results were usually the same as my dining experience on “Just For Juniors” day: enjoyable, satisfying and fulfilling.

Unfortunately, this year I have not seen any chicken salad sandwiches offered in any part of the Commons, and I don’t know why. I don’t know about you guys, but I feel as if I’ve lost some pretty good variety in my Commons’ meals, specifically from the Smart Market. Although I’m still able to enjoy a tasty tuna salad sandwich on certain days, I still feel like I always see the same menu offered at the Smart Market: several egg salad sandwiches, salads, a few peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and some wraps. Now this is not knocking any of these dining options. For those of you who have no problem with these choices, more power to ya and, by all means, enjoy yourselves. For that matter, I even like chowing down to some of these food items from time to time. However, I just wish that the same exact food choices were not offered every single day. Instead, I wish there would be a system in which different choices of sandwiches, salads or wraps were offered on a daily basis, or every other day, such as chicken salad sandwiches. Not to mention, some of the prices at the Smart Market are outrageous to me. Depending on what kind of sandwich one gets, a sandwich alone can cost up to $4.00, with the maximum price of lunch on a meal plan being $5.00. Therefore, it seems like some of these meals and their prices are set up to eat away at flex dollars, which may explain why I’m starting to run low on flex dollars with a full month of this semester still left to go.

For me, the Smart Market is slowly becoming a place where I’ll only purchase food if I’m in absolute, desperate need of it, or if I’m in a rush, or potentially both at the same time. Otherwise, it feels like it gets harder and harder for me to depend on the Smart Market for meals on a consistent basis. Although I doubt that any changes will take place, if changes to prices, as well as more variety of types of foods were to take place at the Smart Market, I would immediately be enticed to turn there, willingly, for meals again. I guess we’ll just have to wait (hopefully not too long) and see!

Till next time, my fellow eaters…

I was at work today trying to decide where to eat at lunch time. Nearby was a McDonalds and a Seven-Eleven. Now I, like most people, go to seven eleven for simple things like gum, chips, maybe a hot dog. But today I saw a wrap, a chicken breast and Monterey Jack wrap. I thought it seemed a little small, but I was willing to give it a try because it had roasted red peppers ― my favorite ingredient for anything food related. I also got a bag of their Onion Ring chips which were only about 79 cents! The wrap was $4.69 which I felt was a little much considering their sandwiches cost less, but I was hoping the wrap would be good.

So I took the wrap out, took my first bite and was pleasantly surprised. There was some mayo in it, but not too much. I wished there were more red peppers, but they were pretty tasty. The chicken, I felt was a bit dry and kind of brought down the taste of the wrap. I re-looked at the label: it suggested heating the wrap, which I plan on trying next time. The onion rings, which were basically Seven-Eleven’s equivalent of Funyuns, were better than Funyuns. They have much more flavor and more rings per bag than Funyuns.

All in all, I would go back to get it again. It was delicious but I wish it was bigger and had more filling, and I wish the chicken wasn’t so dry.

-Phil

UMBC undergraduate Archana Murali has been studying the stem cells of fruit flies with Dr. Michelle Starz-Gaiano. Come to URCAD on April 28 and ask Achana what she has learned. She will present her results in the University Center Ballroom from 12:30 to 3:00p.m.