iPhone Apps I Use Daily

There's a new report that says only 1 percent of users who download an app from the iPhone App Store become long-term users of that app.

Well, Don must be one of those one percent. Here are some of the apps he uses every day, in no particular order.

Todo by Appigo. This is a fine "to-do" app that synchronizes with the free online service Toodledo. The iPhone came without a to-do app; I've been wanting to transition away from my dying Palm Zire to iPhone, and Todo is big step along that path.

Iconic Notes by Hoofien. A notes app that allows the user to put notes into folders and subfolders, as well as allowing color-coding and replaceable icons for notes.

HanDBase by DDH Software. Database software. Both Thomas and I are long-time users of HanDBase for the Palm: Thomas keeps the Star Toys Museum catalog of 10,000+ items with it. On iPhone, I have databases for comics, filk tapes & CDs, and books I'm reviewing. HanDBase is indispensable.

Diabetes Pilot by Digital Altitudes. Another port of a longterm Palm program. Written by diabetics for diabetics, Diabetes Pilot helps keep track of blood glucose readings, medications, meals, and exercise. It calculates insulin doses, and has a built-in food database for counting carbs. Definitely worthwhile.

Twitterific by the Iconfactory. Twitter on the go. What more could one ask? (BTW, if you want to follow us on Twitter, Don is meerkatdon and Thomas is darthmarmalade.

Stanza by Lexcycle. Read books and other documents on iPhone. The best ebook reader I've ever used.mAnd BTW, allof Don's books are available for Stanza from Fictionwise.com.

1Password by Agile Web Solutions. One place to store all usernames, passwords, and other sensitive information, all protected by a master password.

ComiXology by comixology.com. Browse new releases, make pull lists, and a whole bunch of other features tied in with the website comixology.com.

So there you have it, plenty of iPhone apps that get used all the time.

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Shady Character

That nefarious character, Reginald Kennett Dwight
We're having a Forensics program at the library, where kids will be given clues to solve the mystery of who stole the cookies. So today several of us dressed up for mug shots.

Here's Don as "Reginald Kenneth Dwight." Some people say he looks like a young Ozzie Osbourne, others suggest Howard Stern. The name comes from Elton John by way of Vicar of Dibley.

And no, I can't reveal who actually stole the cookies until after the program (next Tuesday).

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Bottle City of Kandor

Here's our Bottle City of Kandor. We've had it forever, and finally today Don added the little battery-powered lights that we bought at Ikea maybe ten years ago.


And here's the city without its bottle:

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Arisia Update

Sigh. We have decided to stay home.

We were thinking of getting a rental car, but the prices were obscene: $500+ at every place we tried. Then Thomas realized that this is Inauguration weekend. Anywhere in the greater DC/Baltimore area, rental car companies can name their prices. And they're doing so.

Ah, well. We'll have fun at home.

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Analog and Eurovan News

In the March 2009 issue of Analog (the longest-running science fiction magazine in the world), Don appears as a guest book reviewer. The regular reviewer, Tom Easton, has retired; Analog decided to try out several guest reviewers before making the decision of which one would get the permanent gig.

The March issue of Analog should be on the stands now. You can read Don's review here.

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In vehicle news, our beloved Eurovan (seen here being towed to the dealer in Louisville, KY) is still in the shop. We were hoping to have it done in time to drive up to Boston this weekend for Arisia, but alas that will not be the case.

Now we face a decision: should we spend the extra money to rent a car for the trip, or should we do the smart thing and stay home this weekend? It depends on how smart we want to be...and what effect our decision will have on other folks.

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Annual Diabetes Blog Day

Today is Annual Diabetes Blog Day, so here's my attempt to blog about diabetes.

Trouble is, there's not a lot to say. I watch my diet, I take my insulin (3 or 4 shots a day of two different insulins), I check my blood sugar before & after meals...and things go pretty well.

Here's the people I feel sorry for:

1. Diabetics who don't have good health insurance, or any health insurance at all. Insulin is expensive; blood sugar test strips cost about a dollar apiece (I often use 5 a day), the various oral medications (which I don't take) are also expensive. Without good insurance, I don't know how diabetics can afford all the stuff they need -- I suspect that they don't, and instead skimp on necessary medication or equipment.

2. Diabetics who manage without insulin. If my blood sugar starts getting high, I can just take a larger dose of insulin and everything evens out. [Well, okay, sometimes a larger dose of insulin means that my blood sugar goes too low, which could make me pass out, but I take a few glucose tablets to get it back up.] My dad, on the other hand, doesn't use insulin -- if his blood sugar is too high, his choices are (a) go back in time and eat less or be under less stress, (b) do some additional exercise to burn up the excess glucose, (c) put off his next meal, or (d) live with it. That last choice is a particularly bad one, because high blood sugar does all kinds of invisible, systemic damage in the body.

Sure, taking insulin is a chore and a pain, and I don't always get the doses right...but it sure beats the alternative.

3. Diabetics who don't have access to modern high-tech medicine. If my grandmother wanted to know her blood sugar level, she could use urine test strips...which gave a hazy reading of how much sugar was in her blood several hours ago. (Or she could go to a lab, pay a fortune, and get her results in a week or so.) She had only one kind of insulin, and dosing was total guesswork. She had to boil and reuse glass syringes and nasty needles. And she died relatively early. That was forty years ago; there are plenty of people in the world today who don't have access to even the level of technology that she did. They'll go blind, lose limbs, get multiple infections, and die early from all kinds of complications.

Me? I have nothing to complain about.

[Okay, I lost a toe, and a year and a half later the foot still hurts all the time...and I spend a whole lot of time & effort managing this disease...but really, I can't complain.]

Meanwhile, if you've just been diagnosed with diabetes...or if you know someone who was...download this flyer and check out this website. And use all available tools to manage diabetes. It's important.

-Don

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Surgery

On Tuesday morning, 26 August 2008, Don is going into Saint Agnes Hospital for fairly routine surgery to correct a pinched nerve that's been causing him pain for quite a while.

The surgery is scheduled for 7:45 am, and with great good luck Don will be able to return home Tuesday evening or on Wednesday. He'll be out of work for an undetermined time, probably a week to ten days.

Meanwhile, Eurovan is in the care of our fine mechanics, who are still diagnosing problems and coming up with a plan.

Further bulletins as events warrant.

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Safe at Home

We are home and safe. We got home about 2 am on Tuesday, 19 August 2008 and spent Tuesday recovering. On Wednesday we were back at work.

One place we stopped was the meteor crater in Odessa, TX. This is the second-largest meteor crater in the United States (the more famous Berringer Meteor Crater in Arizona is the largest). A local tv news guy was there taking video of the crater and of us; here is a clip from their broadcast that night.

And Eurovan? It is now sitting at the shop of our local mechanic. The engine is seized up and probably needs to be replaced. We'll know more when we get the full poop from our mechanic.

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Our Poor Eurovan Takes a Ride

At 5:19 pm we pulled off the Interstate at Bardstown, Kensylvania for gas. As we approached the gas station, the oil pressure alarm went off, and the engine quietly and peacefully died. We coasted to the gas pump, filled up the tank, and put in a couple quarts of oil.

We turned the key, and there was a click. This is odd, because when you turn the key in Eurovan, usually there is no click...just the roar of the engine starting up. We tired again. Click, but no roar. In fact, Eurovan would not start up. We begged, we pleaded, we had a nearby car guy look at the engine, we sacrificed a goat (the emergency goat that's stored next to the spare tire)...all the usual stuff. And all to no avail. Eurovan just would not start.

So we called the VW Emergency Roadside Service number. After determining that Eurovan was no longer under warranty (we knew that), and that we had attempted the sacrifice-the-emergency-goat maneuver, they called a tow truck to take us to the nearest VW dealer -- fifty miles away in Louisville.

Jason the manic tow-truck guy showed up in quick order and hoisted Eurovan aboard his truck and drove it (and us) to Louisville. There was only one bad moment, when we went over a bump at 85 mph and Eurovan tried to jump off Jason's truck. But Jason stopped and secured it some more, and we made it to Louisville without incident. (A damn good thing, too, because "incident" in this case means "Eurovan toppling sideways off Jason's truck and into the middle lane of I-65 at 85 mph." It didn't help our confidence that Jason kept saying "I'm really nervous carrying this sumbith.")

We left Eurovan at the VW dealer, packed up stuff we needed for the night, and hiked down the road to Clark's Motel, where we are now resting somewhat comfortably, albeit shaken (and stirred).

Tomorrow, we will find out (a) if the dealer's mechanics will work on Eurovan on a Saturday, (b) if they can figure out what's wrong, (c) if they can fix it, and (d) how we will pay for it.

Needless to say, our plans to get home on Saturday night have been derailed. We are 612 miles from home, which we could conceivably do in one day. But we'll have to see.

Stay tuned.

Amepica the Beautiful

Sign at our motel in western Tennetucky.

Roswell

Alien Zone in Rosewoo, NM

Filking

After-con filksinging at Denvention 3.

Con Suite

The Worldcon is officially over, but the Con Suite (hospitality area)
is still open. Like refugees from a natural disaster, those of us who
remain in town gather together to preserve the atmosphere of the con.

Clone Wars Sneak Preview

Costumes fans at the Clone Wars Sneak Preview in Westminster, CO.

Clone Wars

Waiting in line for the Clone Wars Sneak Preview at the AMC Orchard
Theater in Westminster, CO.

Gnome Bowling at Workdcon

Thomas as Xix Crandor

All the Sith Lords say he's pretty fly for a Jedi.

Friends

Faith, Sharon, & Thomas

SLOFs

Secret Librarians of Fandom

Star Wars Costumes

Thomas and a fan in Jedi costume.