I Have Been Busy...

My apologies for not writing more over the past couple of weeks... I have had a few rather time consuming shooting projects and my wife is now back to work after being on maternity leave so I have been pretty busy on the home front, too.

Things seem to be getting a little more back to normal, so I should be back to posting more frequently again, soon.

Be Nice

Have you ever noticed that when some peoples' computers, cell phones, cameras, etc. stop working unexpectedly, so does their ability to be nice?

On occasion I get a call like that from a couple choice consulting clients when they run into technical issues. I know that they are frustrated that things aren't working the way they are supposed to, and I am sincerely committed to helping them get back on their feet as quickly as possible , but just wish they could learn to separate the problem (and it's cause) from the one trying to help them fix it.

I am not the one who made your external USB drive stop working. On occasion you are going to buy something from a manufacturer that does not work properly and will need to be sent back to the manufacturer for repair. While I might have told you about a sale on that particular drive to save you a little money, I never claimed that they were 100% error free, nor does my suggesting a drive mean that I am going to take personal responsibility for it, that is the job of the manufacturer.

What I will do is help you restore your backups (because I always stress the importance of backups) or if was your backup that failed, I can help you set up a new backup drive while your other one is being repaired. If you didn't run the backups because you turned off the external drive that was going to serve as your backup drive, please don't get mad at me about that either. I helped you set it up and showed you how to verify that your backups are working... you have to take it from there.

And I understand how frustrating it can be when things don't go your way. I have had countless billing issues with a certain cell phone provider that I have been with for years, and have had my issues with certain computer manufacturers as well, but I try really hard to separate my frustration with the situation from the person I am talking to on the other end of the phone line whose job it is to help me.

That individual on the other end of the line isn't the one who prepared my cell phone bill, but they are in a unique position of being able to help me get my bill fixed. The nastier I am to that person, the less of a chance there is of happy resolution. No one wants to stick their neck out and work hard for someone who is abusive and unappreciative.

The other thing to remember... mistakes happen. Everyone makes mistakes. If you show people some grace and the ability to forgive, they will usually bend over backwards to make it right for you. If you have a problem and berate the person on the other end of the line and ask how they even manage to get to work in the morning because they are so stupid you're surprised they can even find the way there, don't expect a lot of help on their end.

Before calling, try to come up with a brief outline of what the problem is and what potential solutions you would find acceptable or what you are hoping to gain from making the call. If you are angry and not calm... take the time to calm down before calling.

Figuring out what you want before you call will save you both time and more importantly save you money. I have had the occasional client just call me up to vent about how unhappy they are with things that I don't have the power to fix (a printer that is too noisy because they want to listen to classical music while making prints or similar no-win scenarios.) I will sit and listen to what you have to say, but I will charge you for doing so. I would much rather be charging you for something more productive and solution oriented to help you reach a goal, but if you want to pay me to listen to you rant and rave, go ahead...

Consider, too, if you have a problem with your credit card company or cell phone service provider... explain the problem in detail and tell the person on the other end of the phone what you are hoping they can do to solve the problem, and then give them a chance to work on your behalf.

Droning on and on about what an important client you are to them and how close you are to canceling your service because they have never got anything right in the last 10 years is not earning you any points with the person on the other end of the line... you might feel better in the short-term for dumping on the person, but don't be surprised when they don't want to jump through flaming hoops to help you after your 10 minute monologue of puffing you up and knocking them down.

Please understand also that you are not my (or anyone elses) only client or responsibility. Just because I answer the phone on a Sunday afternoon does not mean that I am going to stop everything (including my afternoon plans with my children) to immediately work for you.

I will do what I can to meet your needs as quickly as possible, but if I am currently committed, I will need to schedule you amidst my existing commitments to people who booked portions of my time before you. Just like when I'm working for you, I am all about meeting your needs and focused on you, my other clients and especially my family, deserve that same level of attention.

I guess all of this boils down to The Golden Rule...

"Treat others only in ways that you're willing to be treated in the same exact situation." (This is more of a modern-day definition, but I like it)

or in the Bible, Jesus said in Matthew 7:12

"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets."

I find that the people who are always demanding respect are often the ones who are the most unwilling to show any respect or courtesy towards other people. Be nice... it will make a difference.

I Bought an iPhone

After a year of holding out and insisting that my Blackberry met my every portable need, I crumbled and bought an iPhone.

This happened, is because I was in a weakened state after seeing what a disappointment the MacBook Air turned out to be. I was in that odd place where you have committed yourself to buy something (the new Mac ultra-portable laptop that everyone knew was coming) and it turned out to be lacking quite a bit (like ethernet, a removable battery... best that I don't get started on this again) the urge to buy remained... so I started looking around the Apple store and overheard a conversation about the new firmware upgrade for the iPhone and once I picked it up, it was all over.

I had looked at them before. Actually I probably have played with them 9 or 10 times in the Apple Store over the last year, but somehow it never quite seemed to be the right phone for me... obviously I was wrong.

It really is a cool phone. It syncs without any problems (unlike my Blackberry) it is able to view html emails (unlike my Blackberry) and it is just really cool and very Mac-like.

The Blackberry is much more like using XP, except that the Blackberry never bluescreens, it is just very menu driven and not terribly intuitive. After using a few different Blackberry over the years, however, it is taking me a bit of time to get adjusted to the simple and intuitive nature of the iPhone. (Similar to the complaints of long time PC users when they start using Macs.) I keep looking for awkward menus to select what I want to do, when on the iPhone what I want to do when it is usually on a button right in front of me.

The other thing I have discovered in about six trips back to the Apple store is that there are so many cases out for the iPhone that is is nearly overwhelming... and a lot of them are just cheap junk. Apple rocks with their 14 day return policy because I have been going back again and again buying a case that looks like it'll work, trying it, hating it, bringing it back, picking another, repeat, repeat, repeat.

The pitch on the outside of the packaging makes most of the cases look like they will solve your every iPhone carrying issue, but many of them are so hard to use, or so poorly built that you are better off using nothing.

So... after filling up my .mac inbox with Apple Store receipts for all of my purchases and returns, I ended up with the Contour iSee case (but in orange) which I liked because it protects the phone, but also gives you a really nice clip for it, too, because I like clipping my phone to my belt or pocket, I don't like carrying it in my pocket.

I also have decided that I am not crazy about the fact that Apple has changed the port on it so you have to use adapters to plug in anything but the iPhone headphones. I like the iPhone headphones. They have a built-in mic so you can talk when you aren't listening to music or watching movies, and they are comfortable and the audio appears to be pretty good on the mic. I haven't had anyone say to me "You're not talking on one of those.... HEADPHONES, are you?"

This was a frequent complaint when using the Blackberry... everyone hated listening to me when I was wearing one of the headphone microphones. Either they said I sounded like I was in a tin can, sounded like the teacher on the Charlie Brown tv cartoons (Hwa hwa hwa hwa, hwa) or just plain-old couldn't hear me.

I know that there is also the bluetooth option for the Blackberry and the iPhone, but for some odd reason, bluetooth headphones are just outside my grasp of being able to use them effectively.

Scenario one: I don't have it synced with the phone (but don't realize it), so the phone is ringing, and I am pushing the button on the headset and nothing is happening. Result-call goes to voicemail.

Scenario two: I am trying to answer the phone using the actual phone and forgot that I have it synced with my bluetooth headset (which is in my pocket or my camera bag) and I can't figure out why there is no audio coming out of the phone. Result- call goes to voicemail.

Scenario three: The phone rings, I am in the car. I madly search my pockets, the passenger seat, the cup holders and the surrounding area for the little $#&%#$ headset as the phone rings and rings. Result - call goes to voicemail and I am obsessed with finding the little headset hidden in my car. I have to stop the car at the first opportunity to find it. (I know it is nearby and just hiding because the little bluetooth icon shows up on the phone.) 75% of the time it is in the back of the car in or near my camera bag. Close enough that the phone will recognize the headset and sync, but far enough away that I can't get to it without stopping the car. 15% of the time it has fallen between the seats, and the other 10% I am sitting on it, which requires re-bending the earpiece to fit before I use it again.

Scenario four: I have the phone synced with the headset, and I remember that they are synced, and I know where the headset is, so when the phone rings, I put the bluetooth headset on and push the button, and it works great for about 30 seconds before it goes dead because I haven't charged it in two or three weeks because I never use it. Result - dropped call and confused caller and I call each other back and get each other's voicemail because we are calling at the same time.

See, for some reason bluetooth headsets just don't work for me. I can easily navigate the most confusing computer issues, and even have a bluetooth computer mouse or two, but when it comes to headsets I prefer the little plug in ones.

Wait, I was talking about the iPhone, wasn't I? It is a great phone. It also works better at my house than my Verizon phones. Living in San Diego, Verizon has a reputation as having the best network, but after using the ATT iPhone for a few weeks, I am not seeing any worse coverage, and in fact it seems to work better in a few areas that are somewhat lacking with Verizon.

Surfing the web on it is a lot of fun, too. It seems to be about the same speed as my EVDO enabled Blackberry was and I am able to surf some photo-heavy sites with no problem. The automatic switching from vertical to horizontal to surf works really well, too.

I also am really digging the visual voicemail thing. It is nice to be able to look at it and pick which order I want to hear them and be able to look at what voicemails are there vs. having to try to remember them all when listening to conventional voicemail.

The one scary part of this process was the transferring of my long-time Verizon number over to the iPhone. I had nightmares of days of time with no incoming calls and was imagining all sorts of horrors, but in fact it took about three minutes to complete and has worked flawlessly ever since.

I love my iPhone... and have already sold the Blackberry.

ExpressCard Adapter... Make Your MacBook Happy

One of the things that has always bugged me about Apple laptops is the fact that Apple always left the PCMCIA slot off their smallest laptop (12" Powerbook) and now leaves the ExpressCard slot off of their MacBook Air (along with firewire, ethernet, ahh... don't get me started!)

Even the 13" MacBook is missing the ExpressCard slot (just like the earlier siblings the 12" and 14" iBooks were missing the older-style PCMCIA slots.) Why this bothers me is because both the ExpressCard and PCMCIA were a very flexible interface and therefore used for many different uses. I have and ExpressCard EVDO modem, an ExpressCard compact flash card reader, a SATA ExpressCard... and the list goes on. But without the slot, these cards are unusable on MacBooks, or iBooks and certainly on the MacBook Air.

If you find yourself in this predicament, take a look at Synchrotech. They make a wide range of adapters that will allow you to use ExpressCards and PCMCIA cards on laptops (or desktop Macs, for that matter) through your USB port or through an existing slot, for example, you can use a PCMCIA card with their ExpressCard to PCMCIA adapter or like I have done above in the photo above, I am using their USB2 to ExpressCard adapter for my EVDO modem that I share between my MacBook and my MacBook Pro.

I know that it is not a very safe looking connection in the photo, with that thing hanging way out to the side, but it made for a decent photo, eh? What I normally do is use a USB2 extension cable to put the modem closer to the nearest window to boost my signal and to avoid having it hang off the side of the laptop like that. It doesn't impact the speed at all when you use a USB cable, either.

Ultimately, Synchrotech has created some cool solutions that makes me glad to use a Mac and allows me to exist without the ExpressCard slot on every machine.

Oh, and the adapters I've used all seem to be compatible with 10.4 or 10.5