November 2007

iPhone is a time suck

I’m not saying bad things about the iPhone when I say it’s a time suck. I’m just sayin… it’s a time suck. Or it can be if you let it. I’m being pretty darn good about NOT letting it but it’s hard. Very tempting when it’s sitting here next to me while I’m working and the sunlight streaming in through the window catches it just right. But no. I’m not giving in – well not too much.

Today when I picked Michelle up from school she was excited to tell me about some dude who installed third party apps on her iPod touch so now she has sudoku and butterfly and AIM. Cool, right? Yea. So cool that during my lunchbreak (the one I rarely take) I tracked down the same installer and grabbed some third party apps for my iPhone. And that, my friends, is a serious time suck.

Here’s what I installed today:

* Butterfly – quickly uninstalled ’cause it’s boring
* Sketches – heh. scroll down ’cause everyone is loving this Etch a Sketch like time suck
* Apollo – for AIM
* Pedometer – fascinating and oddly compelling but not particularly accurate
* iFlickr – uninstalled ’cause I wasn’t thrilled with it but I’m probably going to reinstall it.
* iWoman – because I was fascinated with the idea of tracking your cycle on your iPhone. Unfortunately, it doesn’t do anything and wouldn’t let me delete “samples” that were included for some weird reason. Uninstalled.
* Tap Tap Revolution – uninstalled ’cause it either didn’t work or I don’t know how to play it (the latter is most likely)
* Pushr – another flickr tool that I’m also not loving and will probably uninstall
* Vnotes – a voice recorder that’s ok but you seem to have to talk really loudly or really close to the mic. Is there a better one?

So. Yea. I’m tempted to dig back into the installer and try some more stuff. But I won’t ’cause I’m still working and I haven’t even finished setting up my contacts or calendar or even my iTunes. And then there are the maps and the lists of coffee joints and vegetarian restaurants in towns we visit often and are always having to look up the address and directions for.

iPhone is a serious time suck. But it’s fun. Even TW is enjoying it. Every time we get in the car, I drive and she plays with my iPhone. Here’s her “etch a sketch” picture from this afternoon’s trip to Petsmart….

smiely-by-tw.jpg








iPhone is a time suck Read More »

The countdown begins…

and I won’t even be here for the big event. Damn. How did that happen?

Michelle is counting down the days ’til IKEA Orlando opens. Is she going to be really upset when she realizes I’ll be out of town on opening day? (Not that I would have been willing to GO to IKEA on opening day.) Do you think she can con TW into taking her?

Is she going to be upset when she realizes I probably cannot be talked in to going on opening weekend, either?

I think I need to break this news to her gently. Oh shoot. I forgot. She reads my blog.

The countdown begins… Read More »

Cell phones and insanity

It’s 11:45am ET and I’m a little antsy.

My iPhone has been in town, and on the FedEx truck, for hours and it is not here yet. FedEx always delivers stuff to us early. TW’s fob – here early. My contract – here early. Michelle’s iPod Touch – here early. TW’s laptop – here early. My iPhone – soooooo not here early.

I’ve been working all morning, keeping busy so I wouldn’t think about the iPhone that is here, in town, on the FedEx truck.

I’ve also been wondering why my “old” red cell phone hasn’t been ringing this morning. The darn thing rang non-stop yesterday. And, all last week. So much that I tripled my incoming call usage. Normally I’d think it was ringing, and I was missing calls. Ringing when I left it in the car – or in the bedroom while I was outside – or in the office while I was in the garage doing laundry. But no, it’s been in my pocket all day.

Do you want to know why it wasn’t ringing? I’ve got the answer.

It was turned off.

How the hell did that happen?

And where is the FedEx chick?

*Update:* It’s here and the delay was obviously caused by the fact that the delivery person was not the normal FedEx chick but a dumb man who thinks iPhones are dumb.

This is exciting.

Cell phones and insanity Read More »

Ant or grasshopper?

Errr, I’m something else entirely but I’m not sure what.

Citymama is asking whether we finish our holiday shopping at the last minute (like a slow poke ant) or if we get it out of the way quickly (like a grasshopper). I’m having trouble categorizing myself.

I tend to finish quickly but then, much to TW’s chagrin, I start shopping all over again. I can’t help it. I’ll find a truly excellent gift for child number four that I simply cannot pass up so I’ll buy it. Then, I’ll find the perfect gift for child number one and I’ll buy that too. This means that I’ll probably actively look for perfect gifts for the other kids so that we keep the gift ratio sort of similar for everyone.

So yea. I finish early but seem to constantly buy right up until the very last minute. Budget and original lists be damned.

How about you? Ant or grasshopper or something else entirely?

Ant or grasshopper? Read More »