Hopeless Geek

Oh God, I hate this thing. I hate it. I hate it. I hate it.

Here’s the current method for adding an application to the iPhone:

1. Download an app from iTunes.
2. Connect iPhone.
3. Wait for backup. Wait for sync.
4. Disconnect iPhone.
5. Use application for a while.
6. Connect iPhone.
7. Wait for backup.
8. Wait for backup.
9. Wait for backup.
10. Wait for backup.
11. Wait for backup.
12. Wait for backup.
13. Wait for backup.

It doesn’t seem to be one application, either. At some point I’m going to add an application that completely destroys the backup process. In order to determine which one it is, I have to uncheck applications in iTunes like they’re extensions. This wouldn’t be so bad if not for one problem…

iTunes deletes the application’s data when I do this.

So, even for apps that aren’t hosed, I have to hose them in order to find the app that’s hosed and remove it.

We write Mac applications at work. We have several ideas for great iPhone apps (not the cheesy $5 ones, but real applications) that we’re working on. We can test on the simulator, yes, and that works most of the time, but it’s not perfect¹ and we do need to test on the device now and again so we decided to get a pair of iPhone 3Gs to start off with and see how the development process was.

First, we approached the local Apple Store’s business contact. He said that they don’t handle business orders for the iPhone at all and gave us a name at AT&T that handles small business orders and said that he’d get us set up. That person would be Christopher Spain. Remember that name, he’s going to be coming up a lot here soon.

So I went back to coding and let my business partner handle all the fun of getting this setup. He called Chris and left a voicemail message that first day. The next day we got some information back about how to get setup.

MySQL client libraries and headers are not included with Mac OS X Server 10.5. If you are developing a MySQL client application for Mac OS X 10.5, you’ll need to download the MySQL client libraries and headers.

You can’t build MySQLdb for Django apps on Mac OS X Server without the MySQL libraries and headers, so follow those directions to get the files and then you can use the MySQL that shipped with the OS rather than trying to fight with another MySQL installation.

There’s something magical about the Internet. I recently bought a house and have been doing cleanup from the previous occupants’ apparent lack of concern for their living conditions.

One of these jewels of neglect was a refrigerator whose bottom seal had dislodged and hung in a U-shape below the door. When I finally decided the more concerning things were fixed and I wanted to look at that, I figured I’d need a new seal and that I’d have to order it and then find instructions, etc. To get started, I hit Google up for “refrigerator door seal”. Lo, instructions on how to proceed that were clear enough that I could simply re-attach the existing seal.

Think about it. Even as recently as 1995, if you sat on the couch at 9p and decided to go fix the fridge door and hadn’t a clue about how to proceed, what were your options? Call family or friends, or dive in and guess. What do we do today? A simple search, read up on it, and dive in, knowing exactly what to do and expect.

It just doesn’t get old for me.

Several years ago I had television service through Grande in Austin and was overall very happy with their digital TV service. It had some downsides (the STB, for one — I wasn’t used to that) but was overall a great experience.

Some time later I got a TiVo off eBay and how I used TV changed forever. I loved the gadget and what it enabled me to do (that is, almost never miss a show). I got the 40GB model but after some time I got the upgrade kit from weaknees.com and crammed an 80GB in alongside the original. I’ve been running that same 110-hour TiVo ever since.

With Grande I could use the serial cable with the Motorola box they used, and that was really great. It wasn’t hard to setup and made it reasonably possible to change channels quick enough to browse (though, not really). However, I had to move to a new apartment and Grande did not service that apartment, Time-Warner did. They wanted over $200 on the first bill (install, sign-up, first month, last month, something else..). I said that DirecTV didn’t want any of that and would do the install for free. After talking to various people the unsaid answer was: “Well, then do it.”

So I did.

I apparently had a very old version of the WUnderground Widget installed because when I went to the site to add it for a new machine I discovered that it’s drastically different, and much cooler.

Apple’s widget is pretty, but this one’s functional. It has the local radar, local cams, weather alerts, forecast and the NOAA textual forecast for the day, all in one widget. I love it.

While I have the means (via my employer) to get an iPhone, I’m conflicted as to if it’s worthwhile to use that avenue to get it. That’s a frustrating place to be in while being a technology whore.

For a personal device, I’m all over it. Widgets out the wazoo and movies and music and everything. There’s no argument for that; I want it. However, for a business device for a developer the argument is less strong. I don’t talk to people on the phone for business. A lot of my email involves projects I’m actively working on at that precise moment on the computer (code) so there’s little use in email on the mobile. My current phone does OBEX Push for VCards so I can get information to the phone for keeping addresses around (not optimal) and backup in bulk to another phone or computer (not optimal). So, for business, I’m left with Safari on the phone, which is just like the Safari I’m writing this in.

iTunes Plus lets you get high-quality music from iTunes, finally. My new Nissan Versa has the premium audio package, complete with CD-Text and RDS support. Together, I’m loving this stuff.

1. Download Dark Side of the Moon from iTunes Plus for $8 (or something equally lovely).
2. Set iTunes to burn gapless¹ with CD-Text and burn it.
3. Insert into car and see the track names come up as it plays, rather than just track numbers.
4. Bask in the technology.

¹ Strictly for this album. I normally use the 2-second-gap, but this is a gapless album. Consequently, be sure to select all the tracks in iTunes and set it to gapless, do not include in shuffle, and have the respect to only play it as an album.