Virgil’s Weblog

To replace my aging Palm, I bought an iPod Touch (or iTouch as I like to call it) to be my Personal Data Assistant [PDA]. For most things, the iTouch is a great device. However, there are few areas where it seems that Apple designers never went to any time management or business classes. Here are a few of my least favorite Stupid Apple Tricks:

• Since 1996, the Palm Pilot has 4 basic functions: Address, Date Book, Memo Pad, and To Do List [Palm OS]. These functions would “sync” with your computer so that you could enter data on either the device and your data was safe (stored in two places). The iTouch has an address book, calendar, and notes application that *mostly* provide the first 3 functions but there is not to do list application. Maybe they should put adding that feature on their . . . err . . . never mind!
• I say that they *mostly* provide 3 of the basic personal information manager [PIM] functions. The calendar app will let you can create appointments on the fourth of July but won’t let you set appointments to occur on the second Tuesday of November – I guess Apple folks don’t vote. You also can’t snooze an appointment reminder or have it remind you more than once.
• The notes application provides no way to group notes into categories or folders or even sort them by a title. I have several hundred notes with information I like to have with me (gift ideas, meeting notes, etc.) and the only way I can find things is to search. Lastly, the notes application does not sync with our Exchange Server so I have to sync using iTunes.

The iTouch has a beautiful screen, great web browser (no Flash support however), wonderful music player, and tons of apps which makes the omissions of these basic features that have been in other devices for over 10 years even more glaring.

We enjoyed watching Sweeney Todd this past weekend. Alana did a wonderful job as Mrs. Lovett. The entire crew did a great job with acting, sets, music, lighting, etc. Bravo to the Case Footlighters!

Below are some photos of the cast members:

Check out this article about the Case Footlighters’ production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Leave it to a bunch of engineering students to produce a complicated set including:

“barber’s chair, which will operate on pneumatic actuators in order to cause the victims to fall into Todd’s basement. When a customer reclines in the chair, his weight causes the back to collapse out of the chair causing the victim to tumble into the basement below. The barber’s chair resets and is ready in no time for the next victim.”

The show is opening on Halloween evening and Alana is playing the role of Mrs. Lovett which was made famous by Angela Lansbury in the 1979 Broadway production. Break a leg, Alana!

I’ll post some photos after the show.

It is not even fall yet and Lowe’s had Christmas trees!

Already?!, originally uploaded by NCFiddler.