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It’s 12AM — Siri, will you marry me?

Published on December 10, 2011, by in Apple, Technology.

I’ll admit it…I have the latest Apple product with the smart ass assitant “Siri.” For those who did not see my orignal post regarding my thoughts on siri, you can find that here.

So I’m just going to make this short and sweet considering I have already written my facetious opinions down on the public bathroom walls of blogging for the world to read.

I love it. I do. I love sir. I love everything about this 64GB bundle of joy. What I love most, however, is that I know longer have to get the dreaded messages from iTunes showting at me that I have exceeded capacity once again. AND, that my phone doesn’t look up all the time or drop calls from AT&T — yeah, switched to Verizon too.

Anyway, on the note of switching to Verizon, I noticed a very peculiar thing when I transitioned.

Contacts.

Merging contacts after porting over from AT&T to Verizon seems to be a troublesome issue for both carriers. And, because mine are backed up “in the cloud” or via multiple Exchange servers, I don’t really ever opt for the “Let me transfer your contacts for you and inadvertently screw your address book up” offer. Despite how genuine it may be.

Anyway, I pulled my 13″ MacBook pro out in the Verizon store, backed up my previous 32GB iPhone 4 (Black and White) and ensured all relevant data would be preserved. I then connected the new 64GB iPhone 4s (Solid White) to my computer and restored said backup. I have done this countless times on AT&T — especially when I was beta testing iOS 5 and jailbreaking my device every 15 minutes. This went normally as planned…until….

I looked at my messages and many of my contacts were showing up by their phone numbers and not their names! Their entries were still present in my address book but the numbers and names were having a fight or quarrel over who stole who’s significant other. Or something. There is always some epic love battle going on with technology as the opponents in my head. Sigh.

Anyway, then I came accross the following forum discussion via Apple — it worked. So the ultimate point of this extraordinarily unnecessary blog entry was to post this for those who come across the same issue when moving to Verizon:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3390605?start=0&tstart=0

I found the solution on an outside forum:http://forums.tipb.com/iphone-4s-forum/221242-iphone-4s-contacts.html

 

This seems to only affect Verizon devices. If you are not using Verizon, this fix will not work for you.

 

Here is the summary of the steps I took to correct the issue:

1) Open the Phone and dial *228. This is a Verizon over-the-air programming number.

2) When the system answer press 1 for “Program or activate your phone”

3) Wait for the call to disconnect. You should get a prompt stating something like, “Settings updated.”

4) Open the Task Manager and kill the Phone, Message, and Contacts Applications

5) Wait a few minutes (I waited 3 just to be extra safe)

6) Open the Message App to verify the fix.

 

If you are still broken, kill the Message App again, then reboot your phone.”


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You know you want it…

Published on October 27, 2011, by in Business, Duelings, Technology.

This past weekend I flew to LA to hang out / geek out with a good friend who’s name I share. (@ubergeekgirl on twitter) <tangent>She is awesome by the way. If you don’t follow her, you should. Now.</tangent> I learn something new every day in the most unexpected places. I truly believe, if you stop learning — you’re dead. Anyway, in the San Jose airport I was walking to my gate when I slowed my pace down ever so slightly. Thanks to peripheral vision, I could faintly see a Peet’s Coffee over my shoulder. I never actually looked to my left but I was *thinking* about it. It was an internal debate to see how my ADHD was holding up and if I needed a caffeine dose to normalicize myself. Out of no where I hear, “You know you want it…” I smiled and finally looked over to the Peet’s stand where the young and enthusiastic gentleman was standing behind the counter.

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I walked over to him and proceeded to agree with his statement. I did want coffee. And I did need it. But I normally forget to slow down to do what I need to do. Alas, his positive demeanor encouraged me to do just that. I am not typically a Peet’s coffee connoisseur so I asked for his recommendation. He helped me narrow down my options and, despite my indecisive tendencies, I made a selection. We chatted for a bit as he artistically whipped up my beverage. He never lost his smile the entire time he was serving me. He then proceeded to ask me where I was going and what time my flight was. I always forget minor details like that so he walked away from the booth and over to the monitors to look up my flight for me. (I easily could have done this but was quite grateful for his enthusiasm.)

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I asked him how he likes working in an airport as I would presume it would be a great atmosphere for meeting quite a diverse group of people every day. His face lit up so brightly I was nearly taken aback. He proceeded to rave about it. He explained that he enjoys working by himself and getting things done. He commented on how much he loved the various types of people he was blessed to meet. He even commented how he felt appreciated by the customers AND the company. It became very obvious early on that he truly enjoyed his job and as a result he was very good at it.

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It was truly a blessing for myself to encounter such a young and vibrant individual for even just 10 minutes of conversation. It is refreshing to see someone not only feel honored to serve but want to serve.

What makes a good employee? I’m 99% positive (don’t quote me) that you can’t go out to the local drug store and pick up a concoction that will turn someone into a hard working and passionate individual. I think the answer is two fold — good employees do have to want it. Just like the barista said… “You know you want it…” Good employees have to want to succeed. They have to want to try. They have to want to serve. But… good employees also have to know that their “wants” are valued and appreciated by their management as well as their customer base. Honestly, shit is going to happen some days. Bad moods are normal. Frustration is okay. But when value, appreciation, admiration and respect come into the picture on both the employee’s end AND the manager’s — this is where a successful team is formed.

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Good employees have the potential to become great leaders, great supervisors and, one day, great managers — with the right supervision. And, this is where the catch comes in…

Those in management also want to feel appreciated. We are doing more than meets the eye. We work behind the scenes. And, ideally, we have been that starving employee hungry for appreciation. We recognize your strengths and want to help you grow your weaknesses. Good managers want to help YOU — the employee. Good managers want to serve.

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Late Sunday, I arrived back in San Jose, got home and turned on my laptop. There it was — a spinning rainbow ball and black screen. *push power button* –stare blankly–

Bam. Kernel Panic. “fuck.” (This is now a comic book…apparently…)

My hard drive crashed and worse yet? I knew it was coming. I was just too busy to take care of it.

Monday I went into work dragging my feet. I was flustered. I was frustrated. I was annoyed at myself and slightly overwhelmed. Much to my surprise, my amazing team came to my rescue. I had 3 different techs hand me tools, parts, and a brand new SSD to borrow and test until my OCZ Octane drive comes out next week. You would have thought it was a scene from ER — the patient? My 13″ MBP.

I had my own appointments to go to so while I was out of the office my team started my OS install for me. They wanted to to help minimize the time it would take me to get back on my technological feet again. They were eager to help. They were eager to serve. They were eager to work. I would like to believe the reason is simple — I would have done the same for them. We serve each other. We want to help each other. We want to serve.

This is what makes a good team. This is what makes a good employee. This is what makes a successful company. Happy employees. Valued and appreciated management. And you know what? Your clients will benefit as well. They will see your passion through your smile.

So I end this rant with this challenge:

Employees — have you told your supervisor that you value him / her today?

Management – have you told your employees that value him / her today?

C’mon now… you know you want to…

 

 

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Siri says…

Published on October 19, 2011, by in Apple, Technology.

I suppose I should actually write a new “professionally technologically-based” blog post considering it has been well over a year. It’s not so much that I don’t have anything to say on a professional level… it’s more that I have too much to say and no modicum of an idea as to where I should start.

I’m not going to go back in time (mainly because Apple nor has Google invented a product that allows for this — Time Machine does not count) and write what I should have said for the past 18 months. That’s just dumb. So let’s start with today.

In honor of Steve Jobs’ recent passing (October 5th), I’ll begin with a tribute article to him, his legacy and all the wonderful toys his brilliant mind helped conceive. I’m still a tad bit peeved that they [Apple] does not have iTime (aluminum concealed time travel in a capsule) down yet but I suppose that with time (*joke drum*) I will overcome this greif.

The iPhone 4s keynote was broadcasted to the world on October 4th where they finally revealed the latest kickass-do-everything-for-you-because-america-is-lazy device. The iPhone 4s sports a dual A5 processor, 8 mega-pixel camera, and a smartass virtual assistant named “Siri.” Is it just me or does every one feel that “siri” is short for serious or some derivative of such a word? It’s like Apple telling you… “yes, we SIRI-ously went there. We created a female voice that can talk back to you as you incessantly bark orders at a 4″ long box of aluminosilicate glass and stainless steel.”

In all seriousness.. again with the puns… Siri actually does seem like a pretty cool concept. For example, one can instruct Siri to phone / text / email his or her significant other by saying “Siri, text my wife / husband that I will be late.” Or Siri, “Text my girlfriend / boyfriend that I am at a meeting tonight. Get dinner without me.” The only major problem I can foresee with this is a decline in job security if you are a mediocre personal assistant. “Congratulations! Thanks to Apple, you have been replaced by an inanimate object!” Obviously, a benefit of this new feature is that you no longer have to explain or justify your personal habits to your assistant. You can have Siri text your girlfriend (or boyfriend), wife (or husband), and mistress (or mister) all in a row. Say good-bye to the rosy-red cheeks of embarrassment!

You can also ask the latest iLazy device the most mundane questions and not be ignored! Another noticeable perk is that this silver-tongued box of entertainment actually carries the weight of something more than a toy from Target! See for yourself…

For more time-wasted pictures of Siri (for those who don’t have Siri within a close enough proximity to play with her yourself) you’ll probably get more than a few laughs out of the Shit-Siri-Says Tubmlr blog.

One thing I would not recommend to do with your excitement about Siri — DO NOT attempt to run around your office calling your co-workers / assistants “Siri.” For some reason, people do not consider this a compliment nor does it have the same warm fuzzy Apple perpetuated effect.

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4.3 Billion people in love with a digital connection?

Published on February 7, 2011, by in Technology.

I’m about to have a n3rd-gasm. Deal with it. Or sod off! Haha!

It’s official. As of February 3, 2011 we have successfully exhausted the internet. I’m slightly in shock though I guess it’s to be expected. Back when IPv4 protocol was first created / developed in 1981 I highly doubt anyone expected it to be the massive black hole of socialization it is now.

I mean, really, does a 6 year old truly need an iPhone, Android or Blackberry device to check a FB he or she isn’t even supposed to have? Okay. That’s probably a slight exaggeration. I’m sure little Johnny is calling Elmo or Big Bird for some helpful advice about where to start with lunch first. Sandwich or cookie? Tough decisions when you’re in first grade…

For those who don’t know, IPv4 protocol is the standard as it stands right now but beginning this summer that’s all about to change. Facebook, Yahoo and Google are on board with the IPv6 testing as of June 8th. IPv6 differs from the current standard through it’s 128 bit address which means a total of 2128 or 340 undecillion. That’s a big word for my nerdy brain which is currently purring in sheer pleasure. That’s virtually impossible to max out. This should be interesting…I’m curious if there will be any hic-ups or what will happen until this “new” protocol is as wide-spread as it’s predecessor. IPv4 works off of out dated technology. It only uses 32-bit or 4 byte addresses. You know — 75.25.153.105 or something to that effect. That alone limits the available address spaces to 232 or 4.3 billion. That’s a lot of people. But that’s even more devices…think about it. In my tiny 1 bedroom “Jes-sized” apartment alone I have on average 5-6 devices requiring an IP address at any given time. And a majority of them are in some way connected to the social-networking world. I have two Apple TVs both connected to YouTube and Netflix, a desktop with Windows XP that therefore has access to Twitter, FaceBook, and Lord knows what else, a MacBook Pro that has the same connection as the desktop and my iPhone which has everything. Literally. I am connected, entwined and all wrapped up in this social love affair with instantaneous pseudo intimacy which only perpetuates numerical and emotional exhaustion.

Perhaps this literal IPv4 32 bit exhaustion is a sign….maybe, just maybe, we as a population have begun to place far too much emphasis on our “need” to feed this addiction to the online world. I mean, I know I myself have a compulsion to check my AP Mobile app daily, read my standard TechCruch realtime jargon, peruse the latest with Apple via MacHash, allow Engaget to serenade my brain with it’s luscious announcements and digest the typical FB news/drama. I need to have the updates. Or at least I think I do…

I tell myself I need to know what is going on out there in the world. How did we ever acquire such information before the age of the internet? How did we manage to carry on throughout our days without knowing that Kimmy ate a slice of pepperoni and anchovy pizza at the mall today while her terrier sat in her 5 series BMW luxury sedan barking incessantly at passing pedestrians outside? What would we do if we didn’t know the minute Steve Jobs has taken medical leave…for the 3rd time? How could we live without pondering how Tim Cook’s sexuality will now affect his role at Apple as he steps in to be the interm CEO? What I think I wonder about most is how acceptable this addiction has become. Over 4 billion people seemingly crave to be connected in some way shape or form and somehow through this digital age we have convinced ourselves that the appropriate medium is through zeros and ones.

01110000 01110011 01100101 01110101 01100100 01101111 00100000 01101001 01101110 01110100 01101001 01101101 01100001 01100011 01111001 00100000

This concept of digital connection appears to fuel me more often than actual nutrients do. What is wrong with this picture?

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VZ vs. AT&T: iPhone 4 — fight, fight fight!

Published on January 26, 2011, by in Technology.

I’m going to switch up my usual tone…let’s get g33ky…

For those that don’t already know…I did it. I made the ultimate decision and commitment. I signed a contract. I got all dolled up for this event of epic proportions. I ended my 3 year relationship….with T-Mobile. I renounced my “animosity” towards iPhones. I agreed to marry AT&T and have an iPhone child. He is 4 years old. Okay, that’s enough. This just got weird.

I bought the iPhone 4. And yet…my company is a partner of Verizon who is due to receive the iPhone very shortly…why did I choose a rumored abuser — AT&T?

I had read multiple reports that addressed potential CDMA issues with iPhones and Verizon a few months ago when it was first announced that Verizon would indeed be receiving the iPhone for distribution. I work with a company that partners with Verizon and yet I chose AT&T. Who do I endorse?

Apparently a lot has changed in the past few months. First off, there isn’t a “wrong” decision here. It will just be a personal preference.

Both AT&T and Verizon are comparable in what they offer. I think the only possible thing that might give Verizon a real advantage is if they choose to offer an unlimited data plan, however, at this time that is yet to be confirmed.

Things in common:
  • iPhone is the same price on both networks.
  • “4G” networks are still being implemented and not available in most areas on either network (even if AT&T’s is exaggerated)
Pros for AT&T, cons for Verizon
  • Offers the ability to be on the phone and still use data services for messaging and web
  • Early upgrades as new iPhones become available (new iPhone 5 comes out and one may qualify for an upgrade)
  • iPhone is usable worldwide
Pros for Verizon, cons for AT&T
  • The ability to hold and maintain phone calls. (Though this is in dispute being that dropped calls are notoriously complained about on AT&T but the complaint is contingent upon the geographical area. Also, it is suspected that the dropped calls may be limited to AT&T iPhone users. Those who have had frequent dropped phone calls on AT&T with an iPhone and moved to Blackberry or Android have seen a drastic decrease in the amount of dropped calls. Question to ask oneself: Will this possible iPhone iFail be limited to AT&T or will VZ have the same results?)
  • WiFi hotspot ability offering tethering for up to 5 additional devices. (Obviously this is irrelevant for users that are comfortable with jailbreaking.)
  • Better customer service?
  • Cooler logo (Aesthetics do play a part here.)

It is also true that Verizon does offer a more reliable network with more 3G coverage geographically however AT&T covers about 75% of the US population.

Another noteworthy piece of information worthy of recognition: Android devices are running neck and neck with Blackberry and iPhone in this “dirty” technology race. [I dont' know why I said dirty...it just feels like a good version of dirty 1337 fight in circuity flavored jello. That sounds disgusting. Blame my red bull. 3 of them thus far today. Yea. I know.] Google’s Android OS seems to be competing pretty heavily with BB in the enterprise environment being that 30% of new net devices were administered by CIOs in the 4th quarter last year. BB — or RIM has always been the top dog in this game. Followed by iPhone. Now followed by Android. Google is relentless and will quite possibly rule the world some day…a little frightening if you ask me. But they have a good product. Android is stable. It works. It’s popular. But not as popular as iPhone / iPad / iPod….yet. In this year alone CES has rumored and displayed somewhere between 10-15 total Android devices across multiple networks. Droidtablets (which are ridiculous in my opinion) are also becoming increasingly popular. What does this mean? It means more data users on both networks highlighted in this post, more bandwidth being absorbed and therefore more potential for dropped calls and data lag.

The New Year just begun. We all know how quickly the cellular networks get stopped up at midnight every first of the  year — all those users sending texts, emails, mms messages…what will happen with more and more data users on two of the largest networks in the US?

The answer is obvious: we don’t know. It is too soon to tell. But it is something to consider when making this decision.

The question I ask my clients is this: “Ultimately, how soon are you planning on jumping droid / BB ship?” If it’s not for a few weeks it might be wise to sit back and observe. Pre-orders for VZ are available Feb. 3rd which means the data plans should be announced around that time. iPhone’s will be available for purchase and use as of Feb. 13th. That’s only 2.5 weeks away.

Additional information can be found at the links below.

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/01/verizon-or-att-iphone/all/1http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/11_04/b4212032854327.htm
http://www.product-reviews.net/2010/10/09/verizon-iphone-4-cdma-network-issues/
http://www.shellypalmer.com/2011/01/verizon-iphone-4-should-you-get-one-now/

http://www.informationweek.com/news/global-cio/interviews/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=229100252&cid=RSSfeed_IWK_All

http://www.thisgreenmachine.com/?p=879

***This post welcomes commentary***

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Curiosity killed the cat

Published on July 8, 2010, by in Microsoft, Technology.

Windows XP SP2 is EOS in just about 4 days. Most likely, everyone has moved to SP3 or Windows 7. Out of sheer curiosity, if you have not yet moved to Windows 7 and are still choosing to remain on Windows XP — why?

Read more…

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Ahh! Legacy apps won’t work in Windows 7!

Published on July 6, 2010, by in Microsoft, Technology.

I really need to get better at updating and writing more. There has just been so much buzz about the new Windows Mobile Phone 7 that is rumored for release around the holiday season of this year that I have been admittedly struggling with topics for Windows 7 the OS!

Lately, I’ve been encountering clients who have been encountering trouble when attempting to install applications that were designed for a legacy OS. Now the fun part — I constantly get asked, “What is a ‘legacy’ operating system?”

Simply put — it just means ‘old’ or outdated. Legacy applications / platforms are no longer the favorite ice cream flavor essentially.

I usually encounter clients complaining of incompatibility issues when their applications were designing to work on Win 2K or a DOS-based platform. Windows XP had the luxury of working with these apps (most of the time) but many are discovering that a DOS based app will not work in Windows Vista or Windows 7. Why is this?

Read more…

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Windows Log On Log Off Loop

Published on March 5, 2010, by in Microsoft, Technology.

Over the past few months I have seen an overwhelming increase to malicious software infection – including on Windows 7 machines. One of the more common errors now-a-days seems to be that when you attempt the removal of the malicious software you get what is now affectionately known as the “Windows Log On / Log Off Loop.”

In the past I have used various applications to provide a fix to this issue however it was always very time consuming and tedious. This solution works with Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7 and is a simple registry modification that takes merely minutes.

Read more…

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Part 3: Security Enhancements with Win7

Published on February 26, 2010, by in Microsoft, Technology.

I have many enterprise professionals and even average consumers who ask me daily, “How can I be most secure in my daily computing?” The answer is simple: Windows 7. We’ve all heard it, “Windows 7 is the most secure and advanced operating system available today.” Okay, it’s easy to say that, but where is the proof?

Read more…

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Part 2. Why migrate?

Published on February 20, 2010, by in Microsoft, Technology.

I realize, first off, that I need to get better about updating this. Which, I promise any readers I still have – I will do.

 

As promised, part 2 will focus on a deeper segment into the Networking and Security available through the use of Windows 7.

For the average consumer and home user we have already touched upon the simplicity and usability of Windows 7 Homegroups. What about the networking capabilities of enterprises? Or even a simple task of networking a printer?

Read more…

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