Pieces of G.

gCal and iPhone - Silly Setting

While my entire gCal was not summarily dismissed, things weren't perfect in syncland.

My friend Julie told me that her entire gCal was on her iPhone.  She also told me that if she added events on google in the past, they'd appear on her iPhone.  I thought those things should be possible, but just chalked it up to a limitation.

Once I knew she could do it, I was pretty obsessed.  But I could NOT figure it out.  And she is all-things-tech savvy too and we both couldn't get to the bottom of it.  I finally posted to Google Help and figured it'd get resolved.

The next day, I got a helpful reply.  There IS a setting.  But it's not a google setting, it's in the phone.  If you go to Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars and go ALL THE WAY down, there is a sync setting for Calendars that needs to be set for All Events.

I made the change.  Waited for a bit.  And my gCal started flooding in.  Victory.

Phew.

iPhone 3.0 Upgrade - I Nearly Lost My Life...

Last week I dutifully awaited the 3.0 Software Upgrade for the iPhone.  I was happy that it would be a free upgrade and that it finally introduced functionality that I'd missed from my Palm/Treo days.  I know global searching doesn't seem like a big deal.  But when you want to find something on your calendar, that's huge.  And cutting/pasting might seem to be a nice to have, but it's something you miss once you have it.

So I made the upgrade and had some typical snafus.  Initially my phone wasn't able to talk to iTunes or something, but I guess that was just an overload issue.  Fine.  I was able to finally get things running and all seemed fine.  I could see the Spotlight search feature.  And even though the upgrade blew apart my Apps, they all seemed to be there.

But then I noticed something...

The calendar on my iPhone was blank.  I quickly presumed that the upgrade simply wiped out the data, but since I sync with nuevasync, all would be okay.  To be sure, I went to my Google Calendar.  OH MY GOD!  My calendar was empty.  Gone.  Nothing.

What I could quickly figure was that the iPhone wiped out the data on the calendar, nuevasync when to do a sync - saw the empty data - and replicated that across my Google Calendar.  Panic.  Utter panic.

I am a freak and use my calendar extensively.  Sure I use it to keep track of appointments, and for people's b-days and stuff.  But I also use it as a journal and catch-all of sorts.  I love going back into my calendar and seeing what I did last month, last year, or a few years ago.  If I go back to Redbones for some beers and it's the same bartender, I want to be able to open my calendar and see her name.  Is it strange?  Perhaps.  Is it me?  Totally.

So when all was lost, I felt like a part of me was missing.  Sounds overwrough, I know, but that's the truth.  I would be able to get details from friends - they'd understand and remind of when we did what and any plans we had in the future.  But the details of the order I'd made online, or other such things would be gone.

I had to go to Fenway that night and work.  I was distracted, which was a good thing.

I got home, and something magical had happened.  I still don't really know the full scope of what happened, but my data was back on gCal.  PHEW!  Needless to say, i did a quick export, just in case.

I also switched to sync with Google.  That seems more reliable than a 3rd party.  Couple drawbacks.  I deleted all iPhone data and Google only synced from a couple of weeks back.  I thought this was standard, but my friend Julie has her entire gCal on her iPhone now after her upgrade.  She can also enter back-dated events online and they'll replicated to her iPhone.  No such luck.

We tried redoing the sync process today.  Still no luck.  If you have any advice on a silly setting that could be causing this hiccup for me, that would be HUGE.  It's great to be able to search now, but not if you're data isn't on the iPhone!

Music on your iPhone?

I decided to get the 16g, white iPhone last year when I made the leap from my Treo.  I had the crimson Treo, so I knew I wanted the "limited edition" iPhone.  If I'm going to get in line and follow the masses, I still want to try and be different.  I don't use a case, so I get to enjoy my "designed in california" masterpiece in all its glory.

I bought the 16 gig 'cause I have lots of music.  And if you're curious, nearly ALL of it is legal.  I don't have the remains of some napsterized songs - I feel pretty strongly about intellectual property, so I try my best to stay above-board.  Sure I may have ripped some CDs that technically belonged to other people, but record companies/musicians made money in that deal at some point.

Most of my iPhone is my music.  In fact, I periodically have to uncheck some songs in order to fit pics or new apps.

Guess how often I listen to music on my iPhone?  Next to never.  I love the think and use it to death.  How many steps are there in the Bunker Hill Monument?  Wikipanion, search, 294, done.  What's that song?  Shazam, wait, Bebel Gilberto.  What movies are playing?  Fandango, search, tix secured.

But music?  Not so much.  If I do, it tends to be Pandora.  I have my regular iPod permanently in the car, so I don't need the iPhone there.  At the gym, I have my iPod mini.  So when exactly would I use the iPod feature in iPhone?  I'm seriously thinking I should just sync a minimal number of playlists, free up some space, and call it a day. 

Whaddya think?

Pedi Cabs

Over the last few years, a new breed of cab has arrived in Boston each Spring.  The now ubiquitous Pedicab.  I think these are a great addition to the city landspace.  Essentially providing transport for those short trips that feel daunting to tired feet, but would make a normal cabbie annoyed.

The most interesting part of the Pedi Cab experience is that fare.  There isn't one.  The whole system is tip-based.  They rely purely on the goodness and generosity of the folks who climb onto their rickshaw.

I'm always curious about this type of system.  It reminds me of the honor system in a shared lunchroom.  Does everyone put in $1 for their candy bar?  Not likely.  I'm curious if the guys and gals that work hard on those Pedi Cabs make out better with a "donations only" style, or if they'd be better served with a $5-per-person or some other system.

Next time I climb on one and end up over-tipping my biker, I'll ask.  I'm curious what you think though...

Panic Button

I'm very curious when it was determined that adding the Panic Button to a car key fob would become a somewhat standard feature.  Does anyone ever use this button?  I only have used mine accidentally - and it always scares the crap out of me when it happens.

And Panic?

Who decided that was the best name for the button?  I realize if someone was running towards you as you approached your car, you'd probably feel panic.  But do we need to be reminded of that potential on our keychain all the time?  Would a simple (!) on the key be sufficient?  That way you could think of it as something you could use for emphasis.  If your friend couldn't find your car, you could set it off.  Or I guess you could just Panic to find your car in a crowded lot.

Just seems like an odd button that is used more by accident than its intended use.