“In this world of change, nothing which comes stays, and nothing which goes is lost.” Anne Sophie Swetchine

The other day my wife lost her cell phone and she searched high and low looking for the thing. She didn’t have a phone to call the blasted thing so she used the site I can’t find my phone. So simple it almost doesn’t warrant a whole blog post. All you do is pop in your phone number and it will call your phone till you pick up. Unfortunately it has no ability to turn your ringer on if it is switched to vibrate but then again you can’t ask for everything. Also I should mention the service is free. So if you lose your phone give it a whirl but make sure to lose it with it set to ring.

“Just think how happy you would be if you lost everything you have right now, and then got it back again.” Frances Rodman

Not too long ago I left my debit card at a restaurant in Boston. I got worried and wanted to cancel it ASAP but the numbers are written on the back of the unfortunately lost cards. Thankfully I had my iPhone to search the web and find the right numbers to call. However I pledged to correct this situation. So I added all the credit card phone numbers to my cell phone contacts. From now on if I lose my cards I will not have to scramble to find a number. Do the same to minimize the freakout factor.

I unfortunatley could not find a photo of Mr. Rodman to go with the quote so instead here are some people enjoying the beach at Coney Island.

"Ziggy figures it’s just an … unscheduled stop." Al from Quantum Leap

The iPhone. Frankly what more can I add after countless magazines, papers, and blogs have reviewed it. I decided I could only review this product if I gave you a bit more about my thinking . I have always wanted to know stuff first. I don’t mean just the news I mean everything. As a kid I would bring a watch with a radio embedded in to so that on field trips I would be the first to know about problems with weather, traffic, plague…This never once helped and yes I was that geeky but I always believed that Luck does favor the prepared. Now that I am older I desire a device more like the Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy or Ziggy from Quantum Leap. I know these are fake but a geek reads it in a book and says someday or he makes it himself. Now you know what I wanted from a device you should understand the review. When I got the iPhone I was on a new gadget high. You know the type of thing were all you do is going around saying how great it is and you haven’t even turned it on yet. I then was hit with the buyers remorse of I can’t believe I paid so much for a device (199 plus contract). This did not last long because once I started playing with the options and the features I started to be truly excited. Now let me say that they are on their second generation of the phone and second version of the software and they finally did it. When I say they I of course mean Apple. They truly came out with a superb product. The phone and iPod functions all work and are fairly standard but my true happiness with the device stems from the APP store. At any time I can add another function to the phone. I have to bring in another movie reference here. It is truly Matrix style. When in DC I wanted to know what was around me at any given moment. It took just minute or so to find a free application on the app store and download it. Once installed on the machine I can use the GPS to look through all Wikipedia files to see what is truly around my EXACT location. That is how I found I was close to the steps used in the Exorcist. It doesn’t have to be all monuments to history you know. The app store has tons and tons of software you can add to your phone for free or pay. Also I can add them without ever touching my computer at home. The ability to add new stuff to the iPhone is it’s true major capability for me anyway. Also the sleek design, gorgeous screen, and easy to use system helps as well. Now would I recommend this to everyone? The Answer is NO. If you are looking for a simple machine to do email and make phone calls or a more business specific machine I might say blackberry or the new set of Google’s phones instead. There are missing features that many people do need. To give you a small list of missing stuff. Cut, copy, paste, distribution lists, flash and few others are still in the works. So far I am willing to work around these shortcomings but I do recommend to anyone to read what it can do and decide by that instead of getting sucked into the Apple mystique. Buy a gadget because it suits your needs and not because it is a fashion accessory. I ask anyone to add any of their experiences they have had or have seen about the iPhone.

One last thing. If you already have a phone that you like or are hooked into a long contract but you still want the same experience pick up the iPod touch. It is cheaper and had has most of the capabilities of it’s big brother. It is just another option out there.

"Jetson! What are You Doing?!! Goofing Off! Sir!!!" Mr.Spacely and George

Many Years ago my sister and I were in an electronics store playing with the latest invention the video phone. It allowed the caller to see the person on the other end. The picture was no bigger than a postage stamp and would refresh with a new image every 5-10 seconds. We spent most of the time making faces into it and then running to each other’s machine. At that moment I thought this is the future. This is it! Little did I know that is would fail as a product. Years and years later Google has made it very easy for anyone to have not just the same experience but a better one. Google has an add-on that makes your chat window into a video phone. Now before I go further I must say Google is not the first to do this. In fact Apple has had the iChat system for years but it is not always easy and it does require a bit of a setup. The Google version does need to be installed but it is simple. Once the application is downloaded it adds itself to your browser then when you open up Gmail it is another choice you have just like whether to email or chat with the person. You will of course need a webcam to make this happen and a PC. The apple addition will follow eventually. Many soldiers use this now so they can not only communicate with their families but seen as well. A video is far more comforting than just a voice. I recommend if you have a webcam and a PC you might as well give it a try.

“If you die in an elevator, be sure to push the Up button.” Sam Levenson

Suddenly in a flash my buttons are gone. Everything is touch screen. Whether I am at an ATM or using my phone I am using buttons that are not truly there. There are different types of touch screens. Some are pressure sensitive meaning it knows where I pushed because the screen has a barely noticeable give. Most of the screens in a store are this way. Sometimes they require you to use a stylus to make the connection. Others use your magnetic field to tell the machine where you are touching. The iPhone works this way and it works well….for the most part. If you live in New England you know that gloves are an essential part of your standard going outside gear. I realized the other day I could not answer the phone with out taking them off. For those readers in the southern climes this seems dumb. Just take the gloves off you might say but it has been damn cold. The future is apparently a buttonless world and gloveless one too. Thankfully necessity is the mother of invention and Dots gloves were invented. They are those stretchy gloves that everyone seems to wear but with a slight change. Two dots have been added to the thumb and index finger. The dots are a combination of nickel and brass that allow for the connection to be made. They are rounded so they will not scratch. Seems just right for my cold issues. More and more items will be invented that will be touch screens from restaurants to your next cars. So if we are heading into a buttonless world you might as well be warm when you get there.

"Honest to goodness it's the absolute ultimate! " Gidget

Not too long ago I watched a video by David Pogue (technology reviewer) about free services for your cell phone. I have posted before about one of the ones he mentioned, GOOG-411. However I was completely unaware of ChaCha. Holy smokes! I love this service. On the fourth I was at a BBQ and we got into a very strange conversation involving the singer/actress Connie Francis. I was 100% sure she played Gidget in the movies. Yes, before you comment, I was very wrong. The problem was that I did not have a computer to look it up and check a website like Wikipedia. So I dialed 1-800-2chacha and got a recording that told me to leave a question. So I asked what movies Ms. Francis was in and whether she played Gidget. I hung up and got a text message with my question retyped and a message saying they were working on it. Within four minutes I got my reply which consisted of a list of the movies that she was in and an answer that no she never played Gidget. Now this cost me the price of two text messages which came to 30 cents. I thought that was well worth the price to find out I was wrong. I have had occasion to use this a few times and with great results each time. When ChaCha gets your message a person using Google searches for an answer for you and then sends it out to you. I really do recommend this service and the since the price is right I say give this one a try.

Additional notes to this post: Sandra Dee played Gidget in the movies and Sally Fields played her on TV.

Also thanks to Nate, Penny, and Mia for a great BBQ and a reason to use this service.

“Surely We established him in the land and granted him means of access to every thing.” Quran

P2P and torrents and other file sharing methods have sparked a debate about internet service providers (ISPs). Some providers are considering or are policing their bandwidth looking for wrongdoers. Now a bit of information is needed. In the infancy of World Wide Web ISPs fought desperately for the right not to police their networks. The argument was simple at that point. The web was thought of as a network where thought and action would really not be restricted. The ISPs argued that in the same way the phone was unrestricted so should the web be. I can talk to family or I could make a drug deal over the phone. Policing that is close to impossible when you have so much traffic. I know things have changed in philosophy and technology since then but let’s continue. Lawmakers agreed and let it be with some policies coming out against the decision. As I said philosophies have changed. Companies and organizations like the RIAA have put pressure on ISPs to curb illegal downloading. So some ISPs have begun to if not block certain activity then throttle the amount of service used for these activities. The main problem is that as time goes by many of these activities that were once illegal will become legal with the support of artists and companies looking to provide a new services or ways to get their works to the customers. Also, in the same way a phone system is used, how do you decide what is restricted? The thought is that once some restrictions are put in place others based on political or moral bias will follow. There are cases of this with text messaging and website access currently. This debate is not old news. It is being argued now by lawmakers, companies, and the public. If you are a computer user you should be aware of these conflicts no matter what side of the debate you fall on.

That ends our little foray into the greyer side of the web. I hope this has added a bit more knowledge to the discussion.

“Everyone hears only what he understands.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

A bit more on the technology front. This is not new but it is interesting. The question is one of age and hearing. There has been a ringtone that has been used by the younger generation for a while. It is called the mozzotone. The reason I say specifically younger generation is that you must be younger than 30 to hear this. It is a high pitched whine that plays in a certain range that, depending on your age, you may have lost. I have heard of this being used in schools because the teachers cannot hear it. You do not have to have bad hearing to miss it but if you want to get a taste of it click here but remember to have earphones turned up loud. It is quite unsettling to have a young person standing 10 feet away and pick up on it and I just can make out the faintest whisper of it with earphones.

Now what is an ancient one, like myself, to do if I cannot hear it? A very old technology that has been used in Japan for years is a tiny charm called a cell phone flasher. Inside the charm is a RF (Radio Frequency) detector. Essentially a small bead flashes when a phone (any phone) gets a signal like a phone call or text. I had thought for a while that teachers should buy a few of these and hide them around their classrooms. Give a listen and take a look.

“If it's the Psychic Network why do they need a phone number?” Robin Williams

Have you ever wished that you had a phone number that translated into an easy to remember word or phrase. Companies use these all the time but what about the individual? Phonespelling.com has been around for a while now. Essentially type in your phone number and it will tell you if it spells anything. Sometimes it may tell you if you add additional numbers it will help. I am not crazy about this but it says it makes no change in the dialing. It also has the opposite feature where you type in a phrase and it gives you the phone number. Unfortunately my phone number did not spell anything. Give it a try.

“I've a grand memory for forgetting.”Robert Louis Stevenson

Do you carry your cell phone with you at all times? Are you forgetful and would you benefit from a little prompting? Well, oh, don't forget is a great service for all of us that are always having to apologize for not remembering. All you do is type in your cell phone number, the time and date you wish the reminder to show up, and the message. You are correct that you will have to pay the text message charge but that usually cost around .10 cents and the service is totally free. Why is this useful? Spend a half and hour and type in all the birthdays you have to remember and on that day "pop" you get a text telling you not to forget. Anything could be put here or just and text to yourself from the past saying keep up the good job. This is very Total Recall. Remember to give this a try.

“It is a very sad thing that nowadays there is so little useless information.” Oscar Wilde

Sometimes I come across something that I believe is so useful I cannot stand it. GooG411 is now my new favorite toy. Essentially it is a replacement for the information service on your phones commonly known as 411. Goog411 is brought to you by Google and has some wonderful advantages. First it is free. Second it is totally hands free. How it works. Call 1-800-GOOG-411 (1-800-466-4411) and then answer the questions where and what you are looking for. At this point you can have them connect directly. I love this feature (no more long distance charges) or you can have them text message you the details like street info and phone. Now understand that this service is still experimental and you may come across problems but I have been using the a lot (saved to my cell phone) and have not had too many problems. To read all the details click on Google's info page. Give it a try!

“My kids idea of a hard life is to live in a house with only one phone.” George Foreman

Last year I lost my cell phone for three days. I eventually found it when some of the snow melted and it was fine. The problem was that I would call it and then run around like an idiot trying to hear the ringtone. The website phoneMyphone helps with this kind of problem. It will call a number for free but it has a nice simple setting to tell it how many times to do it. So you could have it call you 20 times and then run around listening everywhere. They also say it might be convenient to get out of meetings and other possibilities that you need an excuse for. Give it a try.

“We're the phone company. We don't care. We don't have to.” Tomlin

A friend of mine was asking me about cell phones and their complex plans. I told him that the services alone are enough to drive you mad so I sent him to Phone Scoop. This site has all the basics, like information about every carrier and the phones they support. I really like the side by side comparison feature for phones and services. The phone finder is also very useful. You select from tons of options and it shows you the best matches. This should cut down on the decision time. Give it a try!

You may not cross this bridge without my permission!

You have just gotten home from work and you are exhausted but you need to make a quick phone call to a company to correct a small problem. Twenty minutes go by and you haven’t spoken to a human. You couldn’t be more frustrated. Is there a way to get though this labyrinth without hearing how much they appreciate your business for the 100^th time? We need a guide to get us through this and it is Gethuman. This is a site devoted to getting around the phone torture. Check the database and find your company you are calling and see the trick to circumvent the system. They have most of the numbers except the elusive iTunes number that was discovered by Slate magazine’s Timothy Noah. I use these anytime I make a call to a company. Give it a try!

I have a ringing in my ears

Need to call someone somewhere but don’t want to pay a lot for it then Skype is your best friend. All you do is create a free account with Skype and then use their software to call all over the world. It is very cheap. You will need a microphone and it is easier with earphones also. Many people refer to it as VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol). You can use it to call out or have a number that people can reach you at. It uses your computer to make the call through the Internet. If you call and use Skype to call another Skype user, it is free. I recommend that you watch their intro video on the first page. Give it a try!

Stop calling me during dinner!

If you are tired of unsolicited phone calls then it is time to take action. The Direct Marketing Association has an online form to get your number off telemarketing lists. This will reduce the calls to your home. It will not eliminate them all but it is a good start. One note, this will not slow political calls, sorry.