Archive for June, 2010
Some Eye Candy, For The Geek In You
The other day I mentioned the Apple iPhone Developer program and the fact that I am developing my first Apple iPhone application. It shouldn’t come as any surprise that the first app I am working on is an iPhone version of Stuffr.
Here are a couple screenshots, after just a few hours of development.
The default graphic:
The text formatting screen:
The screens might change before the actual release, but it’s a start. Thanks to several online tutorials and some iTunes U videos from Stanford, I am getting the hang of Objective C.
Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks?
Day # 70: The Flow Of Oil Continues
Take one busy day, add several errands to the mix, and stir it all with a small dose of spotty DSL service and you get one very quick post this evening.
The never ending flow of oil coming from the DeepWater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico coupled with the never ending flow of incompetence coming from the Obama administration in Washington, D.C. is producing the single worst catastrophe the United States has ever seen.
While I take the night off, read the following links. You may find them quite interesting.
The Well From Hell – An interesting read which touches on each of the scenarios that people have been speculating about.
Panic Brews – Sometimes silence is not golden. In fact, right now silence is fueling speculation that there is much, much, more to the story.
It All Starts With A
For months now I have been planning to write my first iPhone application. I have a few ideas that would make great mobile apps, so I did my research, I downloaded the development software, and that’s about as far as I got.
I finally decided to take the plunge this week, and, after applying for the Apple iPhone Developer Program, I read horror story after horror story about the wait times. Some people waited a week, others waited months. As I sat there reading all of the negative accounts, I began to question whether or not I was doing the right thing.
Then the phone rang. Within two hours of applying for the program I received a phone call from an Apple employee who was calling to confirm my business details. I was informed that I would receive an email with the developer agreement and then after paying my yearly fee, I would receive my developer information. After all of those horror stories, I wondered if this is where the wait began.
I received the email less than an hour later. I read through and then agreed to the developer agreement, paid my yearly developer fee, and prepared to wait. I didn’t wait long. Within two hours, I received my developer license and I was ready to go.
Five hours. From application, through verification, past the agreement and payment, all the way to final approval. It only took five hours. Was I the exception to the rule or are those horror stories just that, stories?
I’ve been programming two-thirds of my life, learning new systems and protocols every step of the way. Over the past 10 years, while working for The Big Fat Liar™, I stagnated. Because of the work load I was not able to keep up with the latest and greatest in new programming languages and techniques.
I tried to convince The Big Fat Liar™ that we needed to move forward, expand our product base, and offer a new approach to the technology we specialized in, and each time I was shot down. Looking back on the decade that I spent working 16 hour days, taking just two vacations in those ten years, and focusing solely on the success of the company, I realize now what a detriment it was working for that company. I gave them all that I had, but in the end, they screwed me over.
At the time I was angry, and I hoped they would pay a price for the decision they made. But today, I am happy. Don’t get me wrong, things have been tough, but being laid off was probably the best thing that ever happened to me.
It’s been a rough year, and things are still rocky, but I’m regaining my focus. I have a drive to learn every day, and soon, very soon, I’ll be submitting my first app to the iTunes store.
Yes, that’s right. Because as of today, I am a bona-fide Apple iPhone Developer. Watch out world, here I come.
A Roller Coaster Day
Have you ever had one of those days that was a roller coaster from the moment it started? Today was one of those days.
It started with the high also known as ‘Friday’. Friday’s are good days. Most of the people I know look forward to Friday all week long. Some people thank God for Friday’s. Like most Friday’s before it, today started out great!
I had an appointment at 10 with someone who could help solve a lot of the monetary issues around here. Being un-employed/under-employed for 18 months really takes a toll on a person and his family. Hopefully this meeting will be the beginning of the end where the money crunch is concerned.
After my appointment, and several phone calls to and from bill collectors and other “interested parties”, I had to run to Carrollton for a couple of errands. Although I think that first meeting today went well, the rest of my morning and afternoon just tanked. It all sucked.
I found out that one source of income is being held up due to the economic idiocy of our current administration, and another source is “under review” because of the client’s financial situation. If the economy doesn’t pick up soon, things could get real ugly, real quick, for a lot of people.
Before I continue, I need to point out something that is otherwise unrelated to the items mentioned thus far. The case I use on my iPhone cracked the other day. I was bummed because I don’t want to spend the extra money on a new case right now, but the crack made it impossible to use the case at all. Now back to today…
In one of my calls this morning, I found out that my phone case is still under warranty. It turns out that I had a one-year warranty on manufacturing defects, and well, the crack was definitely caused by a defect because it otherwise wouldn’t have (and couldn’t have) cracked otherwise. The warranty expires sometime next month.
Since I was having an otherwise “off” day, I decided to stop by the AT&T store to get the case replaced. I figured I could drool over the new iPhone 4 and look at other iPhone accessories, while I was waiting. I walked in, told them my problem, and they asked to see my phone. As they were taking the phone out of the case, they dropped it. Well… They didn’t just drop it, they propelled it across the counter, into the wall, back onto the counter and then eventually (after a rather slow slide on the counter) onto the floor.
The guy picked up my phone and checked it. There was a nice long crack on the back of my phone. Truth be told, there was a crack on the back before they threw it across the room. I told them so. Of course, the crack was nowhere as long as it is now, but it was cracked previous to it’s flight through the store.
They checked the front of the phone and there were three definite scratches on the front too, which sucked, but I figured I could live with them… (If you know me and my OCD about everything computer related you know that wasn’t going to be possible). But before I could even say “It will be alright”, they told me they were replacing my phone.
They insisted on replacing it right there and then. They insisted because the flight through the air onto the counter which resulted in the fall and caused the crack on the back to expand as well as the scratches on the front, was their fault. They also said there was no way to know if they damaged something inside the phone, so they would not take no for an answer. They didn’t want me walking out the door only to find out my phone was more damaged than I thought it was.
My old phone was an iPhone 3G and I was happy with it. My new phone is an iPhone 3Gs and I am in heaven. My day was going to hell in a hand basket, but tonight I have a brand new phone that makes me wonder how I survived with the old one. The old one wasn’t bad at all until I used the new one. Holy cow!
I told them, again, that they didn’t have to do that, but they wanted to make sure they did right by me, and I appreciated it. After a day filled with people who could care less about me or the situation I could soon be in, it was nice to see complete strangers step up and do something like this.
Hebrews 13:2 states, “Don’t forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it.” I memorized that verse while attending college in Hilo, Hawaii back in the fall of 1982. I think of it often, usually after I have had to deal with someone who wasn’t pleasant, or was a bit too rude for no reason. It was refreshing to think of that verse as I walked out of the store.
I was still in shock as I walked across the parking lot to my truck, but I was quickly brought back to reality as lightning flashed, thunder clapped, and it began to pour rain. If there’s one thing I have learned in life, it’s to always expect the unexpected.
As I climbed into the truck, soaking wet, I paused for a moment and closed my eyes. No matter how much rain falls, no matter how many storms we face ahead, the roller coaster day was almost over and it didn’t turn out as bad as it could have.
Thank God it’s Friday!
Thursday Thoughts
Thought #1
How quick do you think federal authorities can evacuate Tampa Bay, Florida?
As FEMA and other government agencies prepare for what is now being called the worst oil spill disaster in history, plans to evacuate the Tampa Bay area are in place.
The plans would be announced in the event of a controlled burn of surface oil in the Gulf of Mexico, or if wind or other conditions are expected to take toxic fumes through Tampa Bay.
Let’s see… The oil has already started killing forms of life we haven’t even discovered and they are talking about a “controlled burn”? I’m no expert, but something tells me that lighting the entire Gulf of Mexico on fire is a really bad idea.
Thought #2
The entire Gulf of Mexico might not be on fire yet, but it sounds like someone’s working on a lethal solution for endangered sea turtles. Watch this…
If I heard him correctly, BP brought in a group of people to help rescue the turtles, but then in frustration that the rescuers were “present”, they cut the program short. I think we have a President who voted “present” for a long time. Stupid is as stupid does.
Thought #3
Speaking of stupid… If you looked in the dictionary under the word “stupid” you might find the photograph of a county supervisor from Wisconsin.
Peggy West was speaking during a hearing to decide whether or not Milwaukee will boycott Arizona because of their new immigration law. This is what she had to say about the great state of Arizona.
If this was Texas, which is a state that is directly on the border with Mexico, and they were calling for a measure like this saying that they had a major issue with undocumented people flooding their borders, I would have to look twice at this. But this is a state that is a ways removed from the border.
Did you catch that? She actually said that Arizona is not a border state. Then, when someone called her on it she said she “misspoke”. That’s not misspeaking, that plain, unadulterated, genuine stupidity.
What Day Is This?
Holy mackerel I have a lot going on this week.
With that said, I am taking a day to get some things done.
We all have responsibilities, but some of us choose not to ignore ours.
Tuesday Truth
How’s that change working for those of you who voted for Obama?
Too bad we already used the nickname “slick” with President Clinton.
More Mainstream Media Malarkey
I couldn’t help but laugh at the headline I read this evening.
GOP Gubernatorial Primary: The Fight for Second Place
There are a few problems with polls like this. They didn’t reveal their sample information in the article. Who did they poll? Were the respondents all Republican? How was the poll presented? Did they ask “Who are you going to vote for in the July 20 primary?” or did they ask a loaded question, such as “Who do you think has the best chance of winning the July 20 primary?”
These are important questions, because, to be honest, I don’t believe the poll.
I have spoken to many people about the upcoming election too. I don’t have exact numbers, but I would estimate I have spoken to at least 300 people. I have no idea if they were Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, libertarian, or independent voters. Yes, I know I listen Libertarian twice, some of you will get it.
At least half of the people I have spoken with said they will NOT vote for John Oxendine, Nathan Deal, or Karen Handel. Many of them said we don’t need any more career politician, even in the Governor’s Mansion.
No matter which poll you believe, John Oxendine is only ahead in the polls because he’s been at the forefront of Georgia politics for so many years. When it comes time to actually case that vote, I don’t think the majority of Georgia voters will give him their vote in the July 20 primary.
And now, I would like to make a couple comments about the article…
“A solid second, I feel good about that,” Karen Handel said of the latest 11Alive News / V-103 poll.
If Karen Handel is willing to settle for second place, why should we elect her to the #1 position in this state?
We asked Handel if Deal is maintaining strength by running to her right.
“I haven’t really seen that,” said Handel. “I see people fed up with the same old career politicians with the kind of ethics trouble that frankly John Oxendine has, and that Nathan Deal has.”
Karen Handel hasn’t held office as long as Oxendine or Deal, but that doesn’t mean she’s not a career politician. As one of the “100 Most Influential Political Leaders In Georgia” she can hardly make the case that she is a “fresh face” in the race for Governor of Georgia.
Her own biography states that she served as the Deputy Chief of Staff to Marilyn Quayle during the Bush-Quayle years, Deputy Chief of Staff for Gov. Sonny Perdue, Chairman of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners, and Georgia Secretary of State. For those of you looking for a “fresh face”, please remember that the Bush-Quayle years were 1989 through 1993. Karen Handel has been working in politics of some sort for twenty-one years.
If I spent 21 years working in a particular field, someone might say that I made a career of it. Oh wait. Would you look at that? I have!!
So who is the best choice for Governor? Once you eliminate “career politicians” and those with ethics complaints against them, the field is much smaller, and much smarter.
In another article, John Oxendine makes one of the most bizarre statements ever.
There’s always allegations,” Oxendine said.
Really? Now we know what’s wrong with career politicians, don’t we?