Tumbled Words

I’ve never trusted the paths of hurricanes, and it seems like that in spite of technology advances over the years, nature wants to keep it that way (or that mean Mr. Murphy of law fame). It just feels like more often there are surprises in the path or strength of a storm.

In my mind, GPS would be reliable, though the path chosen to the end location could be a bit erratic in its chosen path. Today, I found out just what Google, its information, and GPS could do as a team. Now, I’m wondering if they are not steering the storms.

We merely wanted to find a Walmart.

Before we left the condo, we had found one on the computer and put that address in the iPhone. It had the bank in it we needed. Grabbed the iphone, keyed in the address to the Google Maps application, told the GPS to find us and headed out.

Followed the little blue ball, wait, we passed the address, it was back there several blocks.

Turn around, go back, oops, past the pin again, realized there IS no Walmart there.

Search in iphone see one right over there, click for directions, follow blue ball toward red pin, try to find it, drive past the “pin” for blocks, come to the conclusion since there is a huge mall across the highway from the pin, maybe it just showed up on the wrong side of the interstate.

Click to search Walmart again, puts the red pin somewhere ELSE! Look by the mall anyway, nope. Drive past the mall, turn down street toward the missing Walmart.

Nope, nothing there. It showed Walmart in at least four different places in the same general part of town, and they were not there!

So, we give up and go eat, yummy, Chipotle! Brave searching again, but this time call. Happen to know where that address is, drive there. GPS, Google, and the online search info for Walmart proved as reliable as some weather forecasts.

And the search for what we went out for turned out no better.

Tags: forecasts, GPS, iPhone

Remember, I mentioned I had dropped my iPhone onto the tile floor twice within just days after we bought it? Well, Leon told me a week or so later that he had tied me for number of drops. I didn’t blog that.

Not amusing, it is like dropping a computer and they don’t warranty that and strongly warned me not to drop mine. But, both phones continued working just fine. Phew. I have to give Apple and those that built them some credit for that!

Leon wears his in a holder that clips onto his belt.

Last week as he leaned over on a roof, the clip popped off his belt. Leon watched somewhat helplessly as the holder and iPhone dropped to the roof, bounced onto the ladder, and fell onto the asphalt driveway one story below.

That is one record I won’t tie, I do not climb on roofs!

So far, so good, iPhone still working — when he remembers to charge the battery. Now to find a holder that stays on the belt; either that or he needs to stop leaning over and stand up straight!

I think we have pushed our luck a bit with those phones. Maybe Apple should just hire us to test their phone in our world: there is a salt water pool here, I’m sure Leon would forget at least once he had it in his pocket if he ever went over there — and then trying to carry the phone and groceries up the stairs, there are possibilities there for more real world tests from me, without even leaving the property - work at home - they wouldn’t even have to pay mileage, grin.

Don’t do as we have done, hold on to your phones, whatever the brand.

Tags: iPhone

No, not outside or in the bathtub!

Yes, we are back to the Florida life, lightning popping everywhere in the afternoons, but at least it hasn’t been every afternoon. That was one of the awesome things about our home in Washington state, rarely lightning and in our particular area, never cracking right outside the window. But we aren’t there we are here. So, what to do?

Why, unplug everything that means anything. I suppose I need to buy a few books for those afternoons, or get out my knitting, but for now… I’m trying out game applications for the iPhone. Only the free ones or the ones that only cost a couple of dollars. I suck at them, but it has been fun doing something different:

I haven’t bought Scrabble yet, because I KNOW it will have to be wrestled out of my hand. I’ll wait until I learn some of the productive software I’m also trying for the business.

And yes, I have a bit of self-control. After all, the first few days I downloaded software that would be helpful for business and everyday living instead of games.

They just make it too easy — click the App store icon — scroll through — click on the one you want, key in your iTunes password — and it starts a quick download… I’ve got it down to a science, grin.

And if I play too long, because the lightning is relentless, I can always charge the iPhone back up with the usb port on my laptop… oh yeah, just what I needed, another distraction.

Tags: App store, iPhone