row one

Notes – probably the simplest notes taking system, interfaces well with the e-mail programme.
Oblique Strategies – Oblique strategies is a pack of cards which provide alternative ways forward. Developed in 1975, Peter Schmidt and Brian Eno created the original pack of Oblique Strategies cards, through thinking about approaches to their own work as artist and musician. This app has all 5 editions of the cards contained and if a fun way to consider ways forward, especially in uncreative meetings!

The Oblique Strategies evolved from me being in a number of working situations when the panic of the situation – particularly in studios – tended to make me quickly forget that there were others ways of working and that there were tangential ways of attacking problems that were in many senses more interesting than the direct head-on approach. If you’re in a panic, you tend to take the head-on approach because it seems to be the one that’s going to yield the best results Of course, that often isn’t the case – it’s just the most obvious and – apparently – reliable method. The function of the Oblique Strategies was, initially, to serve as a series of prompts which said, “Don’t forget that you could adopt *this* attitude,” or “Don’t forget you could adopt *that* attitude.”

Bryan Eno interview extract here.

Calculator – It is good. Make sure you turn landscape though to get the full scientific calculator.
FiRe Field Recorder – brilliant tool. it turns the iPhone into a quality portable recording unit. from Audiofile engineering. it is a great tool. it gives you a live audio waveform as it records and the in build soundcloud support makes getting recordings onto the net extremely easy. (can you tell i am a fan?)

row two

Cooliris – a solid single function app. It searches for a term or a name on the internet, and displays all the photo’s/images it can find in a big wall style.
Opera Mini – a great browser for the internet, although it handles some things strangely, but a quick browser. works very well with my webmail for work.
WiFiFoFum – wanna find the details of the wifi available in your area? this hdoes it give you in depth details, and has a kinda radar finder screen which is v.cool
Pachube Datalogger – easy app to use. but very important. The datalogger loggs any data you give it in any categories you set up, cups of coffee, miles travelled, expenses spent. simple interface and also integrates effortlessly with the pachube website where you can gather and display the data in various interesting ways!

row three

Air Sharing – Brilliant little app from avatron. It turns you phone into a wireless hard disk, allowing you to drag any file to your iphone, and read it, on the move. It doesn’t offer version monitoring like drop box. But unlike dropbox has no size limits, also unlike dropbox, it puts the actual file on the phones memory. This small app allows you to take any document and put it on your phone from any computer. Brilliant and very handy Indeed.
Dropbox – Brilliant wee app similar to the one above with with one difference. The Dropbox system updates version in all your dropbox’s. First download the dropbox program to your desktop at home, your work computer, wherever you use a computer and need access to one file. Dropbox takes the file you drop into it, loads it to an internet server, from there it distributes the file into all your dropboxes. ensuring you always have the current version in every location. Brilliant!
Insurrection – Pete Rollins app, contains some of his parables. Constantly challenges and gets me thinking.
PS Mobile – The App version of Photoshop. I haven’t played with it enough to work out if I will keep it in the work section or not.

apps are.
(top row, LtoR) Settings, Safari, Maps, Mail,
(second row LtoR) Camera, Calender, iPod, Bible,
(third row, LtoR) Tweetie, Amazon UK, RTM

(bottom row LtoR) Phone, Contacts Messages
so having had an iphone for a while now i thought i would have a brief series looking at the apps i use and why i still have them on my phone.

so if you will indulge me…
row one
Settings - lets you change everything about your phone, wifi, bluetooth, ringtone, setting for apps its all in here. Vital, absolutely vital.
Safari - browser works remarkably well with the phone and links well into maps and contacts. works really well
Maps - Maps from google. does what it says on the tin. works well as a basic sat nav. it gets you where you need to go.
Mail – hooked up to a web mail programme and works really well. I do not se e-mail from my phone often but this app does work very well though. I turn off the automatic checking of e-mail otherwise it checks every 15minutes, and that can drain battery life!

row two
Camera – not a great camera but vital for an impromptu snap.
Calender – hooks up excellently with my computers calender, and shared online calenders.
iPod – yeah it plays music too. quite well in actuality.
Bible – as a worker for a church this is very very handy. also means you ca usefully use your phone in church! very vital.

row three
Tweetie – for my money the best twitter client on the iPhone. Supports multiple accounts, and does it very well.
Amazon UK – very simple, but does a great job for those quick amazon searches/price comparisons.
Remember the Milk – this is the most expensive app i have. it is a fantastic to do list system which really helps me get things done. it e-mails you what you have to do and also gives you and on screen reminders of tasks at 9am every morning. It links nicely with the online version and just works very well. Plus when you pay, it gives you a lovely pro badge next to your user name.

Works well.
My intention is to do page two quickly to move beyond the standard apps!

Question of the Day:
Why is Christianity still so immature?

All spiritual teachers tell us “DO NOT JUDGE.” For those of us raised in a religious setting, this is very difficult. In a strange way, religion gave us all a Ph.D. in judgmentalism. It trained us very early in life to categorize, label, and critique. It told us all about worthiness and unworthiness. This judgmental mind told us what is right and wrong, who is gay or straight, and who is good or bad. This sort of mind never creates great people, because everybody has to fit into our way of thinking. At an early age our grid was complete. We had decided who fit in and who did not fit in. We fashioned our own little world.

Christianity that divides the world in this manner and eliminates all troublesome people and all ideas different from our way of thinking cannot be mature religion. It cannot see the multiple gifts of each moment, nor the dark side that coexists with it. This mind does not lead us to awareness, and above all, this mind will find it impossible to contemplate. To practice awareness means you live in a spirit of communion; your world becomes alive and very spacious, and not divided by mere mental labels.

Father Richard Rohr www.cacradicalgrace.org

I think i saw this just last week.
not sure it was attaractive.

This week so far

To Do
Write college ethics form
Write supporting documentation
Agree Dissertation question with lecturing staff
Disclosure Scotland Application Form
Buy Tickets for Danielson gig
A game at T club tomorrow.
Contact friends to meet up during holiday.
Check Heather form Uni really is 40. (I don’t believe it, but thats what her e-mail said.)

Waiting To
Receive my new computer.
Go on Holiday (To hit the Library so I can write one or two essays for Uni.)
Find a house to move to that fits out needs/desires.
Hear back from people I have e-mailed. (Yeah How cool is that I have e-mailed people)
Breathe.

With Christmas coming soon, Thinkgeek has long been the place for cool geeky presents for people.

all i want for Christmas is this small usb rocket launcher.
Iaxe, an electric guitar with a USB out. Rock and record to your hard disk?

Altogether now.
“it’ll be geeky this Christmas…..”

these are some interesting links gathered from other blogs.

Bruce Cockburn interview with Emagazine.com
Mr Cockburn chats to enviromental magazine about his new album and enviromental issues.

Sony Bravia Homage by Tango
Tango redo the Sony advert with the Bouncy balls with fruit. quite good.

The Prayer Antenna
Modern Art attempt to tap directly into the divine. nice concept. I personally use one of those ear trumpet things!

Simpsons Quotes
My current favourite is from Ralph Wiggum.

Ralph: Me fail English? That’s unpossible.

Jonathan Richter website
he is an illustrator and animator who has done album covers, videos, films, and a whole bunch of stuff. Used to work with Steve Taylor at Squint records. They started a film called “Saint Gimp” together then things went belly up. You can see clips of his work including Saint Gimp at his website.

Stephen Tompkins website
Author, writer and the close friend of The Rev. Gerald Ambulance. Possibly the best christian I know, and the one you should know. I can recommend The Rev. Gerald’s “My Ministry Manual” as possibly the most influential book I have ever read.

Sony Bravia ad Website
website for the Adverts which accompany the Sony Bravia campaigns, the bouncy balls one and the paint demolition building advert.

Line Rider
draw a line
a man on a sledge runs down it.
see how long he stays on the sledge.

Scribble
addictive small join the dots game, against the clock no less.

Have fun people and remember, not everything on the internet is good.

Last night(monday) I spent a huge amount of money and bought one of the 17 inch widescreen MacBook Pro’s. I upgraded the memory to 2GB and made my order. Being a student I got it through apple education shop. It was still expensive though!

But Beautiful
Excellent.

I came home today from college to find out the news, that Apple today(Tuesday), in their wisdom have lauched the new Macbook Pro with a better Intel chip in the 17 inch model.

Bummer.

I opened my email to find an e-mail from the apple shop telling me this. That was nice of them. The e-mail informed me that my order would be automatically upgraded to the new MacBook Pro, meaning I get the better machine with larger CPU and stuff at no attional cost to myself.

Result.
Excellent again.

here is a picture to drool over. (I am getting the one on the right.)

Delivery 14 days away (or earlier)

New Favourite Links (under the Rocking the Ipod on the right hand side) – two excellent blogs in Jenn and Pip Wilson’s Blogs

Jenn is great.
We went to africa on the same team. I really like her, her attitude and her way of being with people. Her blog is just her wondering reflecting and being herself/ it is an excellent read and genuine representation of who Jenn is.

go read it.

Pip Wilson is a legend
His blog is challenging, humbling, inspiring and i think a real representation of who Pip is. I use his resources, I read his blog, i have read his books. I have never met him but I know he has influenced me, given me things to think about.

Currently I am thinking through the Informal Education opportunities the Ipod show provides. (yeah without ever having been there either.)

The main reason Pip has a link on my page is much to my surprise and Delight I have been given a Link on Pip’s Website.

Thank You and Hello there.

Go read, be inspired and encouraged.

The Smashing Pumpkins are in the studio and recording new material.

Excellent

Del Amitri are in the studio and recording new material.

Good

Five (well 4 of them) are in the studio and recoridng new material.

Well, you can’t win them all, can you?

I have been working on the blog cosmetically of course.
The blog is better.

1
the main column is much wider now and the top box for the title no longer makes my surname half unreadable.

2
new names for the links up top.

3
new links to other blogs

4
the new rockin’ the ipod is up. WooHoo

I would like to just say I did this
thank you.