Cool pic

I was on the train and noticed my dapper reflection, so being the
cheeky dude I am, I took a photo.

Actually I thought it was cool bc you can see the reflection, the
scratches in the plexiglas, and the dude's knapsack.

Ok, I'm just really bored.

OUCH!

You know, your back is one of those things that you really don't appreciate until you destroy it. That's what I did this past week. I woke up last Saturday in pain, made it worse by lifting a turkey, and then was healing well until Thursday when roughhousing with cousins did the rest of the job. Now I'm all but crippled.

My morning commute is one of the all-time worst to begin with. But when you are in pain, it makes that look simple. Now I am cringing in my chair trying to hold it together for 8 hours. Do me a favor. Stretch, strengthen your core, and don't do stupid things, because there is little worse than a pain in the muscles you need to do everything.

iPhone on the can

The other day while was on digg.com there was a post about some guy on
his blog finally admitting that he uses his iPhone while on the
toilet. Well duh. I used it on the can the first full day I had it. I
also endorse bringing a laptop as well. Some people think it is gross
and blah blah blah. But it is a way to pass the time like reading the
news paper. Except now there is no paper and I have access to any news
sorce in the world. I could just sit here and write this blog.

Top 10 Features the iPhone Needs

I was thinking about this yesterday and I think I may have a list of things that the iPhone needs. Don't forget, I already have one and I do like it, but it can still do more. This list is no order.

1. iChat - I think everyone can agree with that. Until then, use Meebo in Safari.
2. Ringtones - Buying a song on iTunes that qualifies does not count. I should be able to make any song I want into a ringtone. I used to do it all the time with the old Sony.
3. GPS - Google maps is there already. How hard would it be to create a GPS function. If the hardware isn't inside already, make an attachment and a mounting system.
4. Office Applications - Right now there is no support for either iWork or MS Office. The only thing you can use is Google Docs. But that is through the web, we need something native.
5. File Storage - I have 8 gig phone. Ya, I could use it as an iPod but I'm not going running with it. I don't need to chance breaking it. So I still have regular iPod. Let's open some of that space for transferring files back and forth from work to home and back again.
6. Multi Computer Sync - I'm talking about for music, I mean for e-mail and iCal. I have created a clever work around for myself, but it could be made even easier if the support was there.
7. Third Party Apps - Ya ya ya, there are those web apps. But I hate going and finding them each time, signing up for this website and book marking them. I want to install on my phone an app native. I mean, I can use my web app if I'm on a subway. Then again, on the subway I might want to keep my phone out of site lest I lose it somehow.
8. Zoom on Camera - This is an easy software update. Let us zoom in on the camera!
9. Flash and Java Support - We have Safari, we can browse the web, but I can't watch videos on people's websites? What's the deal with that? Again, easy software update, let's get it done.
10. Uncensored YouTube - It's my phone, let me watch any video I want! Not just the safe videos. If I'm old enough to have a job that lets me pay for this phone, I think I am old enough to decide what videos I want to watch. And if your parent giving this to your kid, well maybe you shouldn't, but perhaps they can create parental controls just like on the computer.

And there is my top 10 list of how to make the iPhone even better. Will Apple listen to this? I doubt it.

E-mail Marketing

Running a small business requires you to get your name out there without missing any chances. I currently use a web service that sends me the names and e-mail addresses of bride's that are getting married. I take this info and send them an e-mail as part of marketing. What I'm trying to find is the best tool for sending this. For the longest time I have just been using Gmail to send out e-mails. However, this isn't very dynamic. For a short time I was using a web based service called Constant Contact. This was actually working really well, and since I was keeping my mailing list under 50 people, I never had to pay. Then they changed their policies and payment is needed. That's when I went back to using Gmail.

With Apple's latest OS, mail.app allows for you to create your own stationary. I figured, this is great! I can make a cool e-mail and send it out from there. Well, I've done that for three weeks and this morning when I checked it at work, I noticed that on the receiving side, it's not coming out right. All of the words and pictures are there, but the link doesn't work. This is maybe the most important thing that I need to work.

Now I am on a quest to find a mass e-mail program. Something that is simple but will let me sent out good looking e-mails. It's not the easiest thing to find, and I can't really test them at work since the STMP is blocked on the network. This means sometime before next weeks mailings, I will have to find something.

MTA not going my way

I'm going to miss my train because this damn subway is taking ages to come. This sucks.

See, the trouble with reverse commuting is that the trains and subways cater to the Manhattan-bound, and the rest of us are quite literally left in the cold.

I'm deciding what to do when my lease is up because this is no fun.

I love the Casino and the Casino Loves me

Two weeks ago I made my return to the Casino. I had taken a couple month break after the several times that we went over the summer. Well, that Saturday that my friend Chris and I went, we had a great time. We played craps for over 8 hours. I was down only $20 at the end of the day, but considering I was down to my last dollar and came all the way back, that is pretty awesome. And Chris was up a couple hundred bucks.

Well, the itch is strong with this one and with Chris. We talked about the Casino yesterday and somehow we ended up there. It's weird how that kind of thing happens, but we somehow ended up at the Casino after work yesterday. We had a great time, but sadly, we did not have the same success that we did the time before. Now it's time to hold up and wait until after Christmas to go again. After all, I guess I should save some money to buy people gifts.

Football

So, I am not much of a sports fan, I enjoy them on a casual basis, and find them to be a good social thing. However, I have to say that I was really pulling for the Giants to win the game last night. I would really like to see a New York team rise to being even halfway decent and offer a counterpoint to the Pats, to mirror the baseball rivalry.

I suppose there is still hope, it is only the third loss of the season, but this was being held up as a sort of a test of whether the Giants were actually a great team this year, or the benefactors of an easy schedule.

Inundated!

So, one thing I am quickly learning about having a new business Is
just how much junk mail is around. Every day I get a pile of offers
that would make a tree shudder.

Hopefully customers find me as quickly as marketers have!

Apple pre show

Sitting here at an apple confrence. Waiting for it to start.

Sitting in traffic

It is going slow enough that I can type this.

Wasting away at work

With the rebirth of this blog, I seem to have spent most of my day working on. Tweaking the design, updating our feeds and the like. I have also been looking for tools to help make this better. One of the original things that people liked about our blog was the podcasts. Well, we have let that slip away, and since Justin and I are no longer in the same place, it seemed as though it would be a very occasional thing when we bring it back. But then we got to thinking. I said to Justin, "I wonder how we could record audio from an iChat conference." and he says "People use Audio Hijack to record different programs."

Well, I quickly went to the web, found this program and downloaded it. I did a test here at work and seems to work great. This means that it's danger time. I have the software, we have the computers, and now when we are both back in the comfort of our own apartments, we will be able to create a podcast just like we did back in the day. That means it's time to stay tuned because we will be broadcasting again very soon.

Note: We were on iTunes at one point. We are still listed there but it doesn't seem to work yet. I am trying to get that back to functional. Until then, you will have to listen to our podcast through the blog.

New Look

Since we have breathed life back into this blog, we have decided to give it a make over. We felt that the old look was, well, old. So we have looked a couple of different layouts and have chosen this one. I hope that everyone likes it.

Jamaica Nice

Still getting used to this cam. This is Jamaica's subway station

Give me Wireless Internet Phone Calls

Even though most of my TV watching these days is on DVR and I am lucky enough to not be bombarded by commercials. However, I do watch one or two, and there is one that has me excited. Currently, T-Mobile is starting to offer T-Mobile hot spot calling. This will give you the ability to use your wireless internet for making phone calls which means you won’t be using your plan minutes. I think this a great idea. Now, I don’t have T-Mobile. I have AT&T, and so does Justin. Here is the thing, When one company starts doing things, others will eventually follow suit or do something to compete with this service. The fact of the matter is that the technology is out there. Since i have the iPhone, I know that it is nothing more than a software update away from being able to make phone calls using my wireless internet.

Phone calls at home is just the beginning. I have wireless at work that I would be able to use, and there are dozens of companies that are wireless hot spots. Malls, Coffee Shops, Cafes, Airports, and soon, some towns in this country will be hot spots. This is a phone revolution that is going to happen, and I hope that it does. Being limited by minutes is not fun, especially when your on a family talk plan.

Listen up AT&T, take a lesson from T-Mobile, and please, add this awesome service. You have the best phone out there, now it's time to start getting the best service.

Verizon?

One other note-- while I'm happy with my iPhone, I will miss Verizon.

Some don't care for this huge company, but they have served me well for nearly 10 years. And unlike some companies that whine like a needy ex when you call to cancel, they were polite and courteous and understanding. So kudos big V, I'll be back someday.

Train blogging

So, this is Justin--I thought i would give this a shot. I'm on my morning commute, bored silly and caffeinating. It's a rainy day in the BK.

One thing Keith and I now share is that we are both business owners. I'll talk more about my venture when I'm up on the old www. (paranoid about cyber-squatters)

Anyway, here's the view from my seat on the J train. Note the ornamental stained glass

AOL Hell on a Lenovo T61

Old photo

So I am really just excited about blogging from my phone and wanted to
do it again. Here is a three old pic of justin I took with an actual
35 mm camera back when we lived in Naugatuck. I think he was making
pulled pork.

Testing mobile blogging

Right now I am on my iPhone and am testing blogging from my phone.
Below I have included a picture of my new office door.