This is a quick “first impression” review of the Rocketfish RF-MAB2 Bluetooth Stereo Headphones, as used with the iPhone 3Gs. The short review: Yes, I can finally leave the silly Apple wired ear buds in my backpack, as a backup! When I saw the RF-MAB2 on the shelf at Best Buy, I decided to look … Read more Quick Review: Rocketfish RF-MAB2 and the iPhone 3Gs
Who cares about the iPhone?
What's with all of the hype around the iPhone? Haven't we had phones that have all of these features for years? In 2003 (6 years ago!) I had the Nokia N-Gage. I was able to install apps, play games, browse the web, and text like crazy. Ok, so it didn't have a camera, but I … Read more Who cares about the iPhone?
TV and movies neuvo: Getting rid of cable and satellite TV
This is a story that cable and satellite TV providers will find increasingly familiar. It's possible and even easy to ditch your cable/satellite box for good. We've done it – I'll show you what we use, and if you have questions ask away – I'd love the answer them. First up? AppleTV. AppleTV is hands … Read more TV and movies neuvo: Getting rid of cable and satellite TV
Moving a Boot Camp disk to a Parallels Virtual Machine
The day Windows 7 RC was released, I wanted to get it installed on my MacBook Pro. My MacBook has the power, and I already have a 40 gigabyte partition dedicated to Windows Vista Home. I rarely boot directly in to Vista using Boot Camp, but I do use Parallels to run that copy of … Read more Moving a Boot Camp disk to a Parallels Virtual Machine
Hacking Starbucks: Cheap, and free.
There are very few people that spend as much time in a Starbucks as I do – somewhere between 20 and 40 hours a week. There are lots of reasons I choose to spend that much time in a Starbucks, and I'll cover those in another post. This post is about saving money while there. … Read more Hacking Starbucks: Cheap, and free.
New Photo: Tree Star
There are several giant blooming Cottonwood trees behind my house – they're one of the reasons we chose our lot. The views from the back of the house, the back yard, and the kitchen are full of these trees. There's also a small pond, and cat tails forever. As the sun was on the way … Read more New Photo: Tree Star
The Global Backyard BBQ. Or, Bring the Social Back!
This idea came to me as I was listening to C.C. Chapman's podcast Managing the Gray. Specifically, the episode was Bringing the Social Back – a look at how the face to face aspect of social networking is disappearing. Those of us that live in the social media bubble can relate – the only time … Read more The Global Backyard BBQ. Or, Bring the Social Back!
Want to be debt free? I’ll give you the book. Literally.
One of the most positive changes in my life is that besides our mortgage, Heather and I are totally debt free. We don't have payments to on credit cards*, cars, or loans of any kind. It is remarkable, so remarkable in fact that I'm going to help you get there. I'm going to put my … Read more Want to be debt free? I’ll give you the book. Literally.
What I use for: Word Processing
Since my first post on piracy, I've been asked a few times to outline the programs I use day to day. Today I'm covering word processing and notes. I use a mix of online services and desktop programs. It sounds cumbersome, but it is pretty simple as each program has a specific use. For notes … Read more What I use for: Word Processing
The Personal Technology Advisor
Do you know someone that needs a technology makeover? Someone that hears things like Twitter, iPhone, HD, etc., and really wants to know how to leverage these things in their daily lives? I'm looking for freelancers, CXOs, or simply GSDers that have a strong desire to learn about, and embrace technology. I'll teach them about … Read more The Personal Technology Advisor
I’ve got a new Startup. What do you think?
Today, I'm announcing a new startup. I've been working on this one for more than 20 years (is that still a Startup?), so I think it's finally time to unleash it. It already has a blog, a Twitter account, a Facebook page, and even a Flickr account. Soon it will have a video Podcast, and … Read more I’ve got a new Startup. What do you think?
Inspiration on the eve of the inauguration
I believe there is a direct correlation between success at home and our success as a country. If Americans are successful as both individuals and a families, and are left to focus on our personal growth, financial success, and a rewarding future, then the citizens of America can once again provide inspiration to their peers, … Read more Inspiration on the eve of the inauguration
An iPhone killer I want. Apple, listen up.
Yes, I'm a die-hard iPhone user. I'll try to sell it to anyone that even pretends to be interested in the device – some might even say I go overboard. I even stood in line (OK, camped out overnight) for both iPhones. I was second in line for the first, and third in line for … Read more An iPhone killer I want. Apple, listen up.
Windows 7 is brilliant marketing.
Windows Mojave wasn't a marketing campaign for Vista. I believe it was a test. A test to see if the public's perception of Vista was guided purely by pundits and quick witted geeks that weren't up for a little change in their favorite operating system. Once actual end users experienced Vista (Mojave), they actually enjoyed … Read more Windows 7 is brilliant marketing.
To buy, or not to buy? My views on pirated media and software.
According to Apple's built-in dictionary, the word integrity means: “the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moraluprightness.” I also like this definition: “Integrity is doing the right thing when no one is looking.” Over the past four and a half years, I've given this word a lot of thought. Exactly how does … Read more To buy, or not to buy? My views on pirated media and software.
The Weather Channel iPhone App
If you're looking for the best iPhone weather app, look no further than The Weather Channel. This app is far easier to use, and from what I've seen more accurate than my previous favorite Weatherbug. The Weather Channel provides an hourly forecast, a 36 hour forecast, as well as the traditional 10 day forecast. Choosing … Read more The Weather Channel iPhone App
The Depressed Southern Small Town Economy
I wrote this as an email to a good friend of mine shortly after I returned from a 3 week family road road trip. I've tweaked it for public consumption, but for the most part remains the same. We traveled through 13 states (4,500 miles) to see family and just spend some time together. It … Read more The Depressed Southern Small Town Economy
The Perfect Solution for Detroit
In order to help survive poor business decisions made over the last 40 years, the big auto makers are seeking a federal bailout to the tune of $25 billion. I simply don't believe that it is the place of government to bail out failing companies. If a failing company is to survive, it is the … Read more The Perfect Solution for Detroit
Mac OS X or Windows Vista? Either will do, really.
I believe the days of operating system dependence have finally come to an end, and I'm ready to test it. I know, this is a little strange coming from me, but I think everyone should hear it (and Digg it!). A new era of technological independence is upon us – either of the two major … Read more Mac OS X or Windows Vista? Either will do, really.
Zend Studio for Eclipse – No file extension as PHP
I've been a Zend Studio user for a long, long time. Being a Mac user has made it interesting at times (we're still a server release behind, for example), but the productivity gains that using an IDE with a debugger gives me makes the occasional “suck” well worth it. There are others out there, but … Read more Zend Studio for Eclipse – No file extension as PHP
I think Microsoft has a hit with I’m a PC ads
Tonight Microsoft released three new ads meant to answer Apple's “I'm a Mac” ads. The ads start with a John Hodgman look alike, but finish with a a number of real people doing real work with PCs. Business, creative, education, etc… they're all represented. Nice job Microsoft. I'm a PC could be a hit.
TwitterFon – The best Twitter App on the iPhone
I've been using Twitteriffic on the iPhone since it was released. Sure, I've tried the others – Twittelator Pro and Twinkle – but neither of them were as comfortable as Twitteriffic to me. A couple of days ago I was looking at the new apps in the iTunes App Store and stumbled across TwitterFon. It … Read more TwitterFon – The best Twitter App on the iPhone
What’s wrong with MobileMe?
Several years ago I signed up for a service called .Mac (dot Mac). My intention with .Mac was to have an @mac email address for life, have a place to back up important files, and to have a way to sync bookmark/address book/calendar data with several computers. You know what? It did all of those … Read more What’s wrong with MobileMe?
Absolutely the easiest exercise program ever devised
Ok, so maybe I didn't create this super simple exercise program, but I can tell you that while doing this I lost over 40lbs. I went from around 215 to 170 doing this, combined with a pretty big change in my diet of course. Today, nearly 3 years later, I'm still at or less than … Read more Absolutely the easiest exercise program ever devised
thefives.tv : Five questions to ask a total stranger
This is an entry I made on the thefives blog. It summarizes everything succinctly. I wanted to give you all an update on the status of thefives.tv. The support for this project has been nothing short of amazing. We have 5 confirmed hosts, and three referrals that I've yet to hear from. Based on the … Read more thefives.tv : Five questions to ask a total stranger
How we got out of debt: from $50k to $0 in less than a year.
It all started one summer, passing through New Mexico while driving from Colorado back to Texas. This whacked out but curiously logical guy was on the radio telling listeners how to get out of debt. I made a mental note that I'd like to be debt free, and intended to find him again. He was … Read more How we got out of debt: from $50k to $0 in less than a year.
iPhone Headphone plug pinouts
After our successful modding of the Creative Fatal1ty Gaming Headset for use with the iPhone, I realized that there may be others interested in the pinouts for the iPhone headphone plug. I've seen other places that mention the external iPhone plug functions, but to do anything productive you need to know which colors go to … Read more iPhone Headphone plug pinouts
The MobileMe Thunderbird Address Book Sync
I came across something that is apparently being overlooked by the Windows based Thunderbird community. If you don't know, Thunderbird is a cross-platform, open source, feature rich email client. Windows isn't quite a first class citizen with Apple's MobileMe (yet), but it is a lot closer than it was when the service was known as … Read more The MobileMe Thunderbird Address Book Sync
Will the iPhone Tether? How to tether the iPhone 3G or EDGE
The short answer? Yes. The iPhone will tether, and not just the 3G iPhone, the 1st gen iPhone will tether too. Setting up tethering with the iPhone is a bit technical, but I think you can handle it. The instructions below don't mention creating a new location in the network settings for this purpose, but … Read more Will the iPhone Tether? How to tether the iPhone 3G or EDGE
SUCCESS! Modified Fatal1ty desktop headset (with mic) for the iPhone
I've been looking for a decent pair of over the ear headphones – with a mic – for my iPhone. The closest I'd come is the Bose® Mobile On-Ear Headset – but they aren't over the ear – and they're a bit pricey compared to desktop headsets at $200. When the iPhone 3G was released, … Read more SUCCESS! Modified Fatal1ty desktop headset (with mic) for the iPhone
Disable iTunes iPhone backup, updated for iTunes 7.7.1
On Thursday July 31, 2008 Apple released iTunes 7.7.1 – which fixes bugs and improves performance. But wait, there's more. Upon further inspection of the strings in iTunes, I noticed a cool new setting available in the hidden preferences. If you had used my instructions for setting DeviceBackupsDisabled, the option to back your iPhone up … Read more Disable iTunes iPhone backup, updated for iTunes 7.7.1
Disable iTunes iPhone backup
With the release of iTunes 7.7.1, Apple has acknowledged that the backup process takes too long. See my new/updated post for iTunes 7.7.1 users. While I understand that some people like the idea of having a backup of everything on their phone, I'm comfortable knowing that I have backups of all of my important data … Read more Disable iTunes iPhone backup
My Top 5 iPhone Apps (and more!)
I've been asked a number of times what my favorite iPhone apps are, and rather than telling everyone over and over, I thought I'd just share them here. 1 – Google Reader – Web AppThis is the only item in the list that isn't actually an application. I'm aware of exactly one RSS reader that … Read more My Top 5 iPhone Apps (and more!)
How to downgrade an iPhone from 2.0 to 1.1.4
On Thursday, July 10th, like many other enthusiastic iPhone owners, I upgraded my 1st generation iPhone to the “leaked” 2.0 software. It was a blast, and I spent the entire day playing with the new features and the amazing apps that I suddenly had access to without jailbreaking. Now I'm the proud owner of a … Read more How to downgrade an iPhone from 2.0 to 1.1.4
Practical tips from a long time cafe warrior
I've been working from coffee shops and cafes for more than 15 years and I'd like to share some tips that may make your experience much better. If you have other tips or suggestions, add a comment, and I'll post a follow up entry soon. Bring the power – I carry two very useful power … Read more Practical tips from a long time cafe warrior
Ask a dead guy
Here's a funny one. Imagine being able to ask a historical figure a question about life. You'd probably start with one figure, then add them as you find experts that want to participate. Of course this only works if you can get obsessed scholars to participate… but if they're that obsessed it wouldn't be too … Read more Ask a dead guy
Where do you get your local news?
I was listening to a podcast about a new concept for having news reported. The concept is that people put money into a pot, and when the pot reaches a given amount someone will write a story. The stories, from what I remember, aren't about typical local news, but more about local investigative journalism. One … Read more Where do you get your local news?
The curse of being an idea guy
I'm in an unbelievably cool place. Not only can we (my friends the collective) come up with fantastic ideas, but we can actually build them, market them, and sell them. The network is the idea. So begins the curse. The curse is having these ideas and knowing that there is always something fun to do. … Read more The curse of being an idea guy
Jon Sullivan. A man and his passion.
I've been participating in conversations around finding one's passion, then monetizing it as a means to improve your quality of life. If you're doing what you love, then the rest will come. This is Jon Sullivan. I've known Jon for years… I met him (and his now wife) while working in one of our “offices” … Read more Jon Sullivan. A man and his passion.
Excitement and passion.
I've been AFK for quite a while, focusing my work time on HyperSites exclusively. It is better than ever as a result… but now it is time to spend my off hours building my passion. My passion is called Social Ingenuity. It is a huge project that centers directly in the social networking space. It … Read more Excitement and passion.
A new term, feedback please. :)
I've come up with a term, and I'd like to start a conversation around it. We're all familiar with the word “age.” Typically this word is used to mark a place in something's chronological progression. For example, I'll turn 39 next week. Or a bottle of wine is 39 years old. My americano is ten … Read more A new term, feedback please. 🙂
Client side databases in HTML5 soon, Safari NOW.
Great news for those of you that want to start building web apps that utilize the new client-side database storage system in HTML5… Webkit supports an initial implementation now. Check it out. Webkit is the open-source foundation of the Safari web browser. It is cross platform on the desktop (Mac and Windows), and has two … Read more Client side databases in HTML5 soon, Safari NOW.
Why the record labels are afraid of Apple.
My wife and I were up late this past Saturday night when a horribly produced commercial came on. It had a green background and some random person chanting nonsense about Ministry. See for yourself on Ministry's YouTube channel: The Last Sucker I have lots of music from Ministry, but none in my current listening ecosystem. … Read more Why the record labels are afraid of Apple.
The unofficial Inbox Zero – It is spreading.
Back in June of 2007 I wrote a post that asked a simple question: “Does your email inbox reflect your productivity level?”. I mentioned that I had just successfully cleaned out my inbox, and that I was going to keep it that way. Today, three months later, I still have zero (0) emails in my … Read more The unofficial Inbox Zero – It is spreading.
Dr. Dobbs Life 2.0 Summit
Today I decided to drop in on the Dr. Dobbs Life 2.0 Summit. It was packed… packed with people from all over the globe, across many time zones. The session I attended was the Introduction to LSL course. If you don't “get” Second Life and what it means to remote presence, then I encourage you … Read more Dr. Dobbs Life 2.0 Summit
Survivorghetti, and the iPhone unlock?
For the past three years, my wife and I have had a group of friends over for dinner on Thursday evening. The intent is to relax with friends, have dinner (spaghetti, bread, dessert, beverages) and watch several time-shifted TV shows (Survivor, Hereos, Eureka, Smallville, Lost!, and Grey's Anatomy) and any other video content that the … Read more Survivorghetti, and the iPhone unlock?
The Apple iPhone Store Credit
Today Apple released the details of the iPhone Store Credit program. The process was simple, and effective. Simply visit the iPhone Store Credit site, enter your phone number, serial number, and the confirmation code that Apple will send via text message. If you qualify, you'll get a page with a bar code and some numbers … Read more The Apple iPhone Store Credit
Someone make textcastr.com please.
Someone make textcastr.com please. Yes, the domain is available. The service is simple. A user creates an account at textcastr.com, enters their user names at twitter, pownce, facebook, etc. Textcastr.com provides their SMS short code to the user… messages sent to the short code are then relayed to the appropriate services. The way you get … Read more Someone make textcastr.com please.
Startups, entrepreneurship, and user generated content?
If you can dedicate the time, I highly recommend participating in a Startup Weekend. The concept is simple… people gather from all disciplines of business to create a company and product within 56 hours. No one knows at 0 hour Friday what the idea is, yet everyone that participates gets equal ownership in the result. … Read more Startups, entrepreneurship, and user generated content?
iPhone price drop – and update
In what I think is a totally unnecessary (but certainly welcomed) move Apple announced that they'll be giving the original owners of the 8GB iPhone a $100 store credit. As I mentioned in my previous post, if you're going to be an early adopter, eventually you're going to pay the price. I was perfectly OK … Read more iPhone price drop – and update