Thursday, January 24, 2008

The Iphone - one month on



I've had it about a month now and I thought it would be worthwhile to articulate my experiences with it.

I was with AT&T to begin with so there was no real change in my service. I've found the coverage to be quite good - the only drop outs noted were in the DC subway (where evidently Verizon has an exclusive contract) and in the Sepulveda Blvd tunnel between LAX and El Segundo.

I migrated from a Treo 650 and when I exported my data as a Vcard the majority of it came over. I had segmented my contact data in the Palm Desktop software and those tags came over in the notes field on the Iphone so I will have to do a conversion eventually. I probably won't however because I just don't have the time and the patience to hack my way thru it. The main problem with the way I used the Treo vs the way I would like to use the Iphone is that I am unable to search in the Iphone.

I have thousands of contacts in my database. I can't always remember people's names but I usually remember their job function. For example, I can remember the gaffer I really liked working with - but what was his name? In my Treo I could type in "gaffer" and get a list of all the gaffers in my phone. In the Iphone, I have to try to remember the guys name and search by touching the letter of the alphabet. Was it Corey? Casey? Kacey? And suddenly I'm getting a headache (and wasting time) scrolling evig und 3 Tage looking for it. I can remember I have some great florists, but I don't always remember Mark's Garden. If I could search on Florists, they would be in the list of choices.

Yes, I use the Favourites button but I can see if I have more than 10 or 15 people in it I'm back to scrolling. Please. Apple. For the LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY, add a search function on the next upgrade. No more scrolling.

Cut and paste functions would be great as well.

Sometimes the touch screen is too sensitive and I'm moved out of scrolling back to the alphabet list. It's annoying. And I've discovered that if you are wearing gloves, you can't answer the phone, because gloves (well worn, red, leather) seem to deaden the sensitivity.

I really like the way it syncs thru Itunes but I'm not sure why there's a button for the Ipod and another for Itunes. The screen is not too small to watch media on. I've been enjoying League of Gentlemen on my Iphone/Pod/device/thingy. The speakers are just loud enough for me to play music and podcasts on the kitchen counter while I chop vegetables for dinner. (Girls Gone Geek is a new fave.)

Finally, I really appreciate the multiple weather cities and time zones and the timer function. I can tell someone, I'll call you back in 20 minutes, and I really do.

Now maybe I've just not yet figured out all the neat functions of the Iphone and it really DOES search. If that's the case, please tell me and I will sing your praises from the mountaintops.

It's a great device, but not perfect. But more than ever I use it, rely on it and would never trade it back for a Blackberry or a Treo.

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Flaming Death Nostalgia


Whenever I go back to my hometown, I try to stop at a familiar place from my past. This time I made it back to Mario's Pizza on Wilson Boulevard in Clarendon. I have many memories of this particular pizzeria, most of which involve burning the roof of my mouth on the cheese. This is such a common situation with Mario's customers (at least in my circle of friends) that we called the pizza "Flaming Death" and by extension Mario's also became known as Flaming Death. The Highlander Motel and the 7-11 are both still nearby, though the Highlander is now looking more like it should be placed on the National Register of Historic Places just because it's funky architecture is worth preserving. I realised I had never visited Mario's during the lunch time hours and an entirely different crew works the day shift. In my 25+ years of patronage I had never had "lunch" there. It's always been the snack to start your night or an end of your night hangover preventative. How many times over the years have I stared at that tile floor in various states of inebriation?



I got my usual, 2 slices and was feeling the need for vegetation so I chose green peppers on one of them.



and it flamed me as it always does. Plus ca change, plus ca la meme chose!



This is not the only pizzeria that I have nostalgia for. Stromboli Pizza in Greenwich Village on University Place between 12th and 13th streets is a close second. However, since I am not a huge fan of New York City (though I'm waiting for someone to convert me by showing me around and changing my mind), I don't get there too often.

I am now returned to Hell-Ay and just sifting thru all the strike news and a few other things that have come to my attention. More topics are pending.

At the intersection of art and new media, a place where the convergence emerges.