Tretakoff Musings

Ok, how many times have you actually used the Windows key on your keyboard? Now, how many times have you accidentally hit it, and it screws up what you are doing? Well, I Hate This Key, a freeware product, looks to put a stop to this annoyance forever. Majorly cool.

I love my gadgets, so this jacket might be just what I need to carry my toys! Birthday, Xmas...:-)

Yep, after lovingly using a Tungsten T for many years, I stepped up to the big leagues again: a brand new Palm TX! Why? HUGE screen, built in WiFi, and much faster processor. An early birthday gift for me! What's really interesting about this Palm is it's clearly the last, best effort Palm will do for its organizers. The Palm OS is not being improved upon, and the PDA market is crumbling, giving way to smartphones, like the Treo 650. PalmSource, the maker of the Palm OS, was recently sold off, and the company that bought it (a Chinese Japanese firm) is only interested in making it Linux based, so so long Palm OS. Palm themselves has decided to make the Treo 700 Windows Mobile based. So, why buy a Palm, if that’s the case? Here are all the devices this lets me cost effectively replace: iPod . I love my iPod, but it’s recently become a dedicated podcast device for me. Typically, my podcasts add up to less than 250MB, so I could just put them on an SD card, and play them throug...

Well, Apple's iTunes only supports the iPod and the ROKR, but thanks to the wonderful world of scripting, this enterprising lad has written a simple script that turns your Treo into a recognized device! Why is this interesting? One of the best things about iTunes is it's ability to automatically synch your music and podcasts to your remote device. With the Mass Storage Synchronizer (yes, that's the catchy name for this), you can do the same with your Treo. Especially good for those who want to carry a few songs and a podcast on a 1GB SD card, for instance.

After just getting to San Francisco, Delta has decided to shut down Song, their discount airline. I'm a big fan of JetBlue, but I love competition, so sad to see it go. A swan Song indeed.

I don't have a Treo 650, but I may be looking at a Palm TX this weekend. However, apps like SharkMsg make me think twice on that. Why? Imagine: You are in a meeting. Your phone vibrates. You look, see it is your wife calling. You can't get up to take the call, but you are concerned to make sure she doesn't keep trying to reach you. You press the button on your Treo to decline answering the call. Immediately, with SharkMsg, your Treo asks if you'd like to send one of your precanned SMS messages to the caller who just called. With one touch, you SMS your wife to let her know you are in a meeting, and will call her. If she needs you sooner, she can SMS you. Oh, did I mention IT'S FREE????

Ever been to one of those new Target stores? The ones with Disney-esque escalators for the shopping carts? Bet you didn't know they had a name: vermaports. Thanks to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, we are now so enlightened.

Pete strikes again! The mysterious installation has something to do with the FAA. Might have to get my butt up there to see for myself, but Pete documented the heck out of it!

Ok, does this mean I should head home because aliens are about to invade?!?!?

Pete Reynolds took me up on the challenge to determine the mysterious installation I see from my house to make an in-person visit. As he says: "This thing is about 30' high and is surrounded by a circle of 'mailboxes'. When I got close I come hear a constant hum from inside." More as it develops!

I'm a big fan of Retro Gaming. The last time Charles and I went to the arcade, what did we hit the most of? Ivan Stewart's Off Road, of course! Looks like we are not alone. PC World has this article on a service I may just need to try. $15 a month is a little excessive, but it sounds like it just may be worth it!

Ok, you probably know all about Google Maps /Earth, MSN Virtual Earth , etc. One guy has used their API to do the Google Earth experience, but instead of a downloaded application, it's web based, in Flash. Having said that, this is a mysterious installation I can see on a ridgetop from my house. I have NO idea what it is. Anyone?

Been a bit busy. Lots to discuss, though. More Mobile Life Tips coming soon. In addition, I'll be introducing the rants of fantasy football. And finally, a treatise on friendship and the vagaries of life. Nothing too much... For now, I'm going to talk about Google Sidebar . It's a part of Google Desktop, the ability to index and search your hard drive with Google. Sidebar sits on the side of your screen, displaying cool things like headlines, RSS feeds, and more. If you ask me, Desktop Sidebar is actually far better, but a but less elegant and buggier. For work, I've needed Google Desktop for searching email, so Google Sidebar it is. One of the more amusing things are the cryptic weather icons. For instance, check out the forecast for tomorrow. Does it mean they don't know, or it might rain? More interesting ones, as I capture them.