Blog By James

It has been a while since my original post regarding iPhone apps. I’ve got a few others now that are worth mentioning…

Setlist Metronome | $7.99 | http://apptism.com/

This is an incredibly useful application for gigging musicians. It’s important as a drummer to be able to count off a song in the right tempo. There have been numerous times over the years where I’ll be on stage, look at the setlist for the next tune and completely blank on how it goes. If I can’t remember how the song goes, I’m not going to count it off correctly. I’ve had nightmares about this! This app allows me to program in a setlist with each song having its own tempo and time signature. In between tunes I simply tap the the next (>>|) button and I’ve got a visual representation of the next song’s tempo.

Checkbook | $1.99 | http://checkbookiphoneapp.com/

I don’t think I’ve ever been as on top of my checking account as I am now with this app. If your bank is like ours and goes out of their way to sneak in fees when you’re not paying attention, this is the application for you. You’ve always got your phone with you so just take the 30 seconds to add purchases to your phone and you’re done. I find it incredibly helpful.

WinAdmin | $7.99 | http://iphonewinadmin.com/

Access your Windows machines from your phone via RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol)! Yeah, it actually works.

Lux DLX | $7.99 | http://sillysoft.net/

Risk for your phone. Unbelievably entertaining.

Purchasing an iPhone is a decision I’ll never regret. It’s a device that proves itself useful time and time again and no matter what anybody else says, there’s really nothing out there quite like it. I’d like to point out a few of the apps I use on a regular basis, some many times daily…

Ambiance | $2.99 | http://ambiance.coneybeare.net/

I’ve always had a hard time falling asleep in dead silence. Finding Ambiance was an incredible find for me and I use it every night. We’ve got a clock that has an audio input so I just patch in the iPhone and start one of the rain sounds. My favorite to sleep to is one of three;“Rain – Temperate Coniferous Forest”, “Rain – Porch”, or “Rain – Wind”. But there’s a huge library of sounds covering everything from thunder storms to server rooms and beyond. The app is very customizable, allowing you to mix sounds, set a time duration, set it to automatically fade in or out, etc.

Comiczeal | $2.99 | http://www.bitolithic.com/

If you’re a comic lover then look no further. This is it.

Gas Cubby | $4.99 | http://www.appcubby.com/

There are other apps out there that do a similar thing but I’ve found this one to be everything I need. Every time I fill up I make note of my odometer, price of gas and how much and the app does the rest. I can see what kind of mileage my Vue is getting and how much I’m spending. You can keep track of when you get your car serviced as well.

Twittelator Pro | $4.99 | http://www.stone.com/

Twitter is my absolute favorite of the popular social networking sites. I think the idea of “micro-blogging” is just brilliant. I get so much out of seeing only 140 characters of carefully selected words from friends and celebs. I’d take Twitter over Facebook, LiveJournal and (gulp) MySpace anyday. Twittelator Pro is hands down, the best of all the Twitter iPhone apps available so far. I know because I bought them all just to be sure. Seriously.

First I’d like to say that the Aeon Flux movie was great. Meb and Pinar joined Allison and I for the 12:30 showing on Saturday. Although I didn’t necessarily expect much going in, I really wanted it to be good. Director Karyn Kusama made what could have easily been a disaster into something solid. And the acting was also quite good in my opinion. Charlize Theron continues to surprise me and the supporting cast was equally as exceptional. I still enjoy the original series but I’d have to say that the film is an even better adaptation of the story and characters. A definite DVD purchase for me. If you’re into good sci-fi/fantasy, I highly recommend it.

The weekend was the most productive I’ve had in months. In our basement there was this large pile of half unpacked boxes and random stuff taking up a good portion of the room ever since we moved in. Allison and I have talked about going thru it all, consolidating everything and putting the unused items in the attic for months. Well it finally happened yesterday and I am very happy about it. Allison was a big help and between the two of us we got everything cleaned up and got the treadmill and exercise bike setup in a much more efficient way. This will help me get a little more inspired to workout more often.

I was hoping to get a little Half-Life 2 in over the weekend but with my sudden transformation into Mr. Productive Pants, I ran out of time and energy. (Sorry Meb) And while I’m on the subject of gaming, I’d like to say a few things about the Bloodrayne game. Last week I made some time to play Bloodrayne 2 and after about an hour into it I’ve decided I don’t really want to finish it. I understood what I was getting into as I played the first game and yes it’s fun to hack and slash thru everything. But I think that if I’m going to play a third person style game anymore, it’s going to be a true adventure game like the Tomb Raider series. And ultimately, it’s all about first person games for me anyway.

The Logitech G15 is a dream. It is the coolest keyboard I’ve ever used and if I had the disposable income, I’d have one for every computer I own.