Life, Kids, Technology & that move to another continent
Kai bought one of my Mac Mini’s last week. He was eyeing the Mac for a while, and I think me selling Chris my old powerbook sent him over the edge. I got a decent resale price, and Kai got a deal off of what he would have paid in the store. Win Win! From what he says he is already a fan, and doesn’t know why more people don’t use OS X. I agree with him.
He wont admit it, but his mini is now his primary home computer. Next up is converting Jayson. Converting Danny may be a lost cause!
If Microsoft Outlook was a drug, for me I think it would be crack. When it came out in 96/97 (i can’t remember exactly when) I was addicted after about a day or two. It was by far better than anything else out there at the time. I went to great lengths to use it. When I was at BM in 1997 we used CC Mail. I went extraordinary measures to get outlook to work while still using the CC Mail system. Our mail admin (a friend of mine at the time) almost had kittens when she realized I was using a MAPI conduit getting CC Mail into Outlook. I had to promise never to tell anyone else that it was possible.
When I couldn’t use an exchange server somewhere (i don’t remember what job) I ended up building my own so I could have outlook with all my contacts and stuff both at home and at work.
Back in the day (meaning 2000 or so for this conversation) it was great. I would use it daily. it would be my central program no matter where I was or what I was doing. Email being a lifeline when I traveled and a necessity in every other job I have had.
Over the past 3 years (wow it has been exactly 3 years this month) I have gone from a curious interest in Mac’s to using one as virtually my primary machine at work, and almost exclusively at home. One problem I had was no outlook. First I used OS 9 classic outlook. it was a poor replacement for the real thing. My addiction stuck and I always went back to my PC for good old comfy outlook. The problem was around the time I started getting really into Mac’s I found that Outlook was not the great program it used to be. I was still stuck on it, but it would crash, perform slowly, etc. From XP to 2003 was a great improvement in looks, but everything else was horrible. yet I was addicted to using 2003. It sucked, and I knew it yet I still used it.
Late last year I bought Office 2004 for the mac. Entourage then became my poor alternative for Outlook. When I was on my Mac I would use it, but I still always went back to Outlook. My Treo (or any other Palm or Pocket PC I had) would sync with outlook. Whatever computer had my primary outlook PST file on it became my “main PC”.
Then Mac OS 10.4 came out. That along with the missing sync and a few other utilities allowed me to start weaning off of Outlook, and by extension Windows in general. First I moved everything into Entourage, but that became a similar drug like Outlook. It was bad, and yet I found I had no choice to use it, so I was stuck on it. I found some utilities that would sync apple’s iCal and Address book to Entourage and used that for the past 3 weeks. I have had so much data corruption because of the syncing I gave up on that idea.
I stopped using Entourage for my email last week, and moved over to Apple Mail. Integration makes me move programs. the integration between mail, address book, and ichat is amazing. All that was left was the PIN functionality I used in Outlook and more recently Entourage.
So today I start what I consider my final rehab. I backed up entourage and did one last synch to iCal and Address book. I then took my Treo and did a sync to those programs instead of Entourage. I hope this is the first day of my long future of not using Microsoft PIM’s. Even if my company goes to Exchange I can still use iCal. This solution isn’t without some trade offs. Some of them I haven’t even addressed yet, but I hope it is better than what I was doing before.
I haven’t done a sync to outlook in weeks. I only use it for IMAP mail when I am on a windows box. My PST files do contain email archives and contact archives going back to 1997, but I am using other programs to export that data to other formats that are less proprietary.
For now I am happy with my “rehab” of address book and ical. We shall see if I break down and go back, but I am hopeful I don’t.
I wrote about Bluephone Elite a few weeks ago. It has a few quirks, but I am still amazed at how simple and yet amazing this software is. Besides extending your phone to your computer by using caller id, Address book integration, SMS via a real keyboard, etc. one of the most amazing features is very subtle. For me this software is the first presence aware pieces of software. What do I mean? The phone I use has bluetooth in it. it is paired with my computer. That is how this software works. Bluephone Elite (via bluetooth) knows when you are on a call. It will pause itunes, or a DVD movie for you when you are on the phone. But it goes a step further. It knows when you are not around. Bluetooth has a 30 foot limit. When the software cannot see your phone it will think that you are out of range of the computer along with your phone. Once it knows that, it will pause any movies and music again. it will also mark your iChat as “on the phone…”. When you return into range you can have everything start up again, or have the software ask you if you want to return and bring chats back online.
Instead of RFID, this software knows where you are by a device (your phone) that it (rightfully so) assumes will be with you most of the time. Think of the other applications of this type of setup? I don’t know why there is not Windows software that can do this?
Needless to say once the trial period of this software ran out, I went out and bought the full license.
I bought a new Razr (Motorola V3 Razr) last week. After a week of issues with getting it shipped, the place I bought it from on eBay came through and dropped it to me via Fedex Saturday delivery. I guess they had issues getting the phone unlocked like the auction said. After a (minor) fit by me the guy got the new phone to me before my trip. I charged it up yesterday and I am now trying to use it as my main phone. The Treo is not going away just yet. Since I cannot find a palm with a good keyboard the Treo will remain at least as a PDA for a while. I also do find times where I like to put the SIM in it and use it instead of the Razr. I did that with my old Sony Ericsson T-610 for the past week and a half.
First impressions on the Razr is NICE! Besides the address book, I find the phone very nice. Slim, good sound quaility, nice screen, etc. It was trivial to sync with my Powerbook.
Like I said the only issue I have is the address book. I don’t like that it doesn’t have 1 contact for each person, with a sub section for each phone number. Instead it has a different entry for every phone number for every contact.
Setting up the Razr to be a wireless modem for my Powerbook was also simple. I found the scripts for the phone allong with some nice tips off of some guys blog and he was dead on.
As I sit on the plane (Airbus A320 if you cared) I have out my lovely 12″ Powerbook. As I look up I see the guy diagonally in front of me with the same Powerbook. A guy 2 rows in front of him also has a 12″ Powerbook. While I was waiting to bard the flight I spent some time on the free wifi (as I mention in another post) and as I sat there I sat next to two other people with 12″ Powerbooks. Then there was the guy nearby with the 15″ Powerbook. Oh and the guy by the window also has a 15″ but he isn’t using it today.
As it turns out a bunch of us were going to the same networking conference. Does it say something that a bunch of guys who know technology would all be using Mac’s when they account for less than 5% of all computers? I sure think so. Yet again I am on a Mac kick recently. I will not (unless it is too late) be “one of those guys” that says Macs or anything else is better for that matter, just because I like it. I am also inching towards Linux on my desktop. I believe every OS has its place. OS X’s place is on my main machine right now. On my dad’s and my sisters computers it is (and will be for the foreseeable future) is Windows XP. That also says something, to me at least!
So if you have been reading this site recently you will have noticed that I am on a “Mac is great” kick. I am becoming one of those people. Yup. There is a reason though. Some of this software that integrates on the Mac is fantastic. either there is nothing like it on the PC, or it is just easier (allot easier). For example I found a Bluetooth product called BluePhoneElite. It takes your bluetooth phone and uses your mac to do some crazy stuff. It flashes caller id on the mac screen when the phone rings, then when you answer it the software pauses any dvd’s or itunes you may have playing. Once you are done with your call it turns everything back on. How cool (and actually useful) is that? You can also dial numbers and send SMS mail from the program, see signal and battery strength, and more. It even changes your iChat status to away when you walk out of range with the phone and changes it back when you return. Why can’t I fund useful software like that for the PC that actually works? Another reason why I use my powerbook more and more each day.
I also just got Merlin. It is a MS Project like program for the Mac. It is half the price, and writes to Project files or Project XML files. I did a test and it imported and exported a 200 line project file I did in no time. The integration into the mac iCal and Address book was also very useful. I use project on my PC, but this just seemed to work better. Maybe I am just caught up in the whole coolness factor, but I felt this product was just simpler and more powerful to use than MS Project. Another program that I don’t need windows for!
Jayson and I are spending more of our spare time recently finding replacements to our old standard Windows programs. He is happy working on his thinkpad with a dual boot of Suse 9.3 and Windows XP. He almost never uses XP anymore. He is using more open source software than I. He has to since he is using Suse, and I am on my Mac. I am going to dual boot my thinkpad when I get back from my trip.
Mac or Thinkpad T-43? What do I take with me for a week away? For personal trips I would take the Mac hands down. Now I am going away for work next week. On one hand I get the Thinkpad from work, and I like it. On the other hand I have been working off the Powerbook as my primary machine since I got it. I use it as my main email, web, chat, and document editing platform. That is allot of my day, but not all of it. I still use my Thinkpad or desktop PC for terminal sessions (not a huge fan of the mac RDP client, and the MMC plug in for remote desktop still rocks), and VMWare. That is allot of my day also.
So what to do? The Thinkpad has IP Communicator on it, so I can VPN into work and then use my phone extension. My powerbook has Skype, and the Xten VOIP client for Broadvoice if I choose to setup my account for it. I can use bluetooth headsets with both machines, but the mac works better hands down. The Thinkpad has a bigger screen, and since it is work property I am less concerned about beating it up (but I know I still care so that is not such a big issue). Of course the bigger screen is also harder to see since its resolution is so small. Bad for me and my glasses:(
Thinkpad had good battery life and I have 2 batteries. Shall I go on? I am thinking if the Powerbook works fine with the new Cisco VPN client I will just take it. I have grown accustom to using it. Even though somewhere in the back of my head part of me says take the Thinkpad.
Why do I care what I take? Why should you? For me it is what will I use as my lifeline to the office while I am away for a week. Hopefully wont need it, but if I do it is a big deal. Why should others care? I don’t know. I felt like writing about what I was thinking. Also it kind of boils down to the age old question, Mac or Windows? For me the answer is both if you can, but if you have to choose I think I will edge over to the Mac side!!!
I am trying out the 30 day trial on two awesome pieces of Palm software. Both sync with my mac! The first is an upgrade to something that I have had for years, Landware’s Pocket Quicken 2.5. the new version is slicker looking. Not sure if the added features are worth the upgrade, but since I want to use it with Quicken 2005 on my Mac they require the upgrade. If you use quicken to keep track of your finances having this to make quick updates on the road is invaluable. Without it I would have no clue where my money went!
The other program I am using is Splash ID 3.x from Splash Data. It is a Password Safe like utility that has a Windows, Mac, Palm, & Pocket PC clients. I can use the DB on my mac and sync with my palm and then use it on my Windows machine. It is not free like Password Safe, but it works everywhere I need it to, and it has an import/export function. It took me 20 minutes to export my website links, and user names out of my access db and imported them into Splash ID. Now everything is secure and safe!
As it stands now I will be buying both products when their trials wear off!
I admit I have done it again. Last week I quietly went to the Apple store and got a new Powerbook. It has been over a year since I bought my previous one. I was going to try and not upgrade but the price was right and I was so tempted. I went from a 1ghz 12″, to a 1.5ghz 12″. Several other improvements in the Powerbook lead me to the upgrade. The old one is already sold and off to its new owner. One of the guys in my group upstate bought it. So Chris gets a near perfect condition “pre-owned” mac, and I get a new one for virtually nothing!
So far I love the new machine. I am slowly moving everything over to it and using it as my primary machine! As the title says, this is not some major upgrade, but it is a really nice incremental upgrade to an already fantastic piece of hardware!
Over the past 2 years it seems like I keep ying/yanging on where I use quicken. I use the program for my personal finances (what little I have). I have used online checkbooks since like 1994. I love quicken. The problem is if I want to use Quicken on my Mac I need to export each account to a .qif file and import it into Quicken for the Mac. It is a pain in the ass. If you have certain kinds of split items or stock sales it messes up the transactions. Of course I have both, so it took me like 4 hours to clean up and move everything. I was amazed (again, I did this twice before) that I could get it to work at all.
My error last time I converted everything was that I didn’t keep both my mac and windows versions of the file up to date. This time I think I will do a monthly update of my windows version. For some reason I always need to go back to the windows version for some reason. For now I am happily running everything off of my Quicken 2005 for the Mac!