We haven’t stepped out into the garden much this past week…90+ degree temps/humidity will do that for you, as will recovering from the gawdawful drive to deliver the kids up to Nana for the summer.  But today we’re bygad going to get those three new planting boxes filled, which means schlepping a crapload of 30lb bags around our heinously-sloped backyard, which means by sundown I’ll be crying for anything containing rum and an ice-pack.

Pictures may or may not follow.

2007 and 2009 are done, 2008 still to go.  Just FYI, people.

So, despite the T-Mobile phone rep’s insistence we’d rather have the Ephemera Behold instead – and what kind of salesmanship is that, I ask you? – the G1 won us over when fiddled with in person.  And on the four-day road trip we took over Christmas, it proved itself to be the perfect phone.

First, the basics, the really important, use-every-day stuff:  the phone interface itself, email, and browser. 

The phone interface, as you might have seen, is a touchscreen much like the iPhone.  It is just as seductive as you might imagine.  With the tip of your finger you’re sliding things this way and that…there’s nothing to NOT love about that.  There are technically three screens, left, center and right, and you can drag/drop app icons between them, add a Google search bar, even add an analog clock with minute/second hands.  The only place the G1 might suffer in comparison to the iPhone is the lack of on-screen keyboard, but after attempting to use same in an SMS app, I tell you, I’d rather just flick my thumb and open the dang keyboard.  It’s not like you have to cock your head at a 90 degree angle to read what you’re typing, the orientation of the screen comes right along with you.

Email doesn’t get any simpler.  Seeing as how this is a Google creation, Gmail is built right in, one touch and you’re there.  Same for Gtalk.  Husband and I have had EPIC communication problems using AIM, Yahoo Messenger, even SMS between his office and our home, Gtalk has thusfar outperformed all of them.  And NO, we’re not currently in a 3G network, we’re still Edge around here.

The browser, in a word, rocks.  It’s Google-built, of course, and while it has suffered from a security issue or two, it is far more robust than the Dash’s Danger browser, and had absolutely no trouble loading every website we threw at it, including the https-secured Paypal, our online banking site, and even the javascript-heavy helpdesk.  

So that right there is enough to make us fully appreciate the phone.  

And then we were stuck in a Krystal drive-thru in Pensacola, Florida, watching traffic stack up in on the road front of us while awaiting our order.  Husband jumped on Google Maps (yes, just like on your big computer), used the onboard GPS to “find me,” then mapped a back way to get back to the hotel.

A HUGE plus for me is the ability to change the ringtone for all the different notifications I receive.  SMS messages can sound different than emails.  Gtalk pings can sound different than Twitter tweets.  It may seem like a small thing, but it means the difference between lunging for the phone when it notifies, or ignoring it until you have a spare moment. 

The Google Market has a metric arseload of apps that extend, and add frivolity to, the G1, most of which are completely free.  (I did see chatter on one of the Android forums regarding implementation a pricing structure after the new year, but cannot verify, it all still looks free from here.)   Here’s the addons I can’t live without:

1. Twidroid – Twitter posting app.
2. nanoTweeter – Twitter checking app.  Sure the Twidroid checks for new tweets, but nanoTweeter does it better (and it actually tweets when new, er, tweets come in), so the checking option is just disabled in Twidroid.
3. AK Notepad – A notepad app, you can actually SMS or email notes to others.
4. chompSMS – Chat style SMS interface, with text bubbles.
5. SMS Popup – Pops up incoming SMS messages on the desktop.
6. Toggle Settings – Quickly alter a variety of options, including wi-fi, gps, screen brightness, bluetooth.
7. System Monitor – Shows how much memory you’re using, battery life remaining, etc.
8. WeatherBug – Same as the web-based tool, uses the onboard GPS to find you and update to local weather.
9. Solitaire – Yeah, the game, I have to wait a lot sometimes.
10. ConnectBot – SSH client, one of the best mobile shell clients I have ever used.
11. ConvertThat – Converts any measurement to any other measurement.  From Acre to Square Lightyear is my personal favorite.
12. QSearch – On screen keyboard and a pulldown menu that lets you search Google, YouTube, Dictionary, Amazon, etc. etc.
13. Yellowbook – Yellow pages search, also location sensitive.

And here’s the addons I have just because they’re nifty:

1. Alarm Clock – Just what it says
2. AnyCut – Lets you create desktop shortcuts for anything at all.
3. Bubble – An honest to god bubble level.
4. Compass – An honest to god compass.
5. Flashlight – An honest to god flashlight.  Well, actually it just turns your screen solid white, and might be useful in finding something dropped in the floorboard at night, but I wouldn’t want to use it try and track down the dingo that stole my baby.
6. Movies – Finds movies and showtimes in your GPS-determined area.
7. Tricorder – A mostly useless app that uses the phone’s sensors to detect gravity (um, wouldn’t just dropping it do that?), magnetic fields, strength of cellular/wi-fi signals.  All of this is made uber-cool by the completely authentic tricorder NOISES it makes.  I’m a geek, stfu.
8. Night Clock – If Husband has burrito-ed himself tightly enough in the covers, I can’t see the alarm clocks on his side of the bed.  So, this nicely dimmed clock tells me what time it is when the orange-butt cat climbs on my back and starts kneading.  With his claws out.
9. Quickpedia – A Wikipedia-centric searcher for the G1.
10. Shead Spreet – Yep, a spreadsheet app.  Very basic, but if you’re calculating the GNP of a country you should probably be using a desktop anyway.  Or a Cray.
11. Sky Map – Will GPS-locate you, then show you the constellations you can see from where you are.
12. We the People – Constitution, Bill of Rights, Amendments.  Just in case you need to quote something to a Congresscritter who has apparently $*^&#^$ forgotten.

And finally, the most important apps of all….GAMES:

1. Global Factbook – Entertainment that’s also learning!
2. Amazed – Uses the phone’s accelerometer to let you roll a ball through a maze.
3. Tilt Lander – There was a game at the US Space and Rocket Center in my hometown of Huntsville, Alabama where you tried to land a spacecraft on the moon by use of thrusters only.  Vexing, pernicious game, yet utterly addictive.  I’ve seen other games through the years that did something similar but this one is the most like that version from my childhood. 
4. Alien Blood Bath – My friend Michele would like this one.  A 2D shooter…you run, you jump, you shoot.

Boy, that games list is puny.  If you other G1 users have any game recommendations, slide ‘em into the comments.

Well, there you have it.  The G1 won’t be the perfect phone for everyone – and you can’t NOT have the internet data plan if you decide to eventually cut costs – but it’s perfect for us.  Finally.

UPDATE:  Chuck, how do I love thee, let me count the ways…

1. Theme song by Cake and kitschy credits.
2. Cute as a button hero…completely sans wimpiness.
3. Morgan significantly less creepy this season.
4. Casey has apparently grown a heart.
5. 85% less screentime for Sara’s underpants (compared to last season anyway).
6. An actual body count…this is no puff piece, people.

Must suck to be on Blogger/Blogspot right about now. There’s other blogging services out there, folks… 2 days ago

And have asked me what I’m on about.

At the time that was posted, Blogger was apparently having some sort of server issue, whether due to ThePlanet fire or their own problems, who knows. But it resulted in almost half my Gardening reading list being unavailable, since a great many of those folks seem to use Blogspot to power/host their sites. So, in that Tweet I was just pointing out that there are options in the blogging world, one need not be subject to the vagaries of a shared service like that. So, for those of you who have asked, here are the options:

1.  Use some other hosted blogging service, like Typepad.com or WordPress.com. The disadvantage of this is the same as with Blogspot/Blogger though…you’re sharing the blogging software with however many other people are on that same server/network.

2.  Keep using Blogger, but get a hosting account and a domain name with a reputable host, then change your settings to publish your blog to your new hosting account instead of to Blogspot. Yes, a hosting account and a domain name will cost money, but not very much. $8/month for a hosting account, and $15/year for a domain at one of the best places in the business. You’re still at the mercy of the community blogging software, but at least you’re publishing to your own account and not subject to Blogspot’s outages.

3.  Get a hosting account/domain name and install Movable Type (not very hard + token license fee) or WordPress (very easy + open source and free). I actually recommend WordPress these days over MT. I, who have used and advocated MT since nearly the beginning, officially do not like what MT has done in the 4.x updates. WordPress is just more intuitive at this point, particularly in template customization. There are a boatload of plugins and pre-made themes you can use to customize your site with, as well.

I recommend #3, obviously. Running your own blogging software installation, that only YOU use, on YOUR hosting account, with YOUR domain, is the best way to go. It does not require a great deal of technical acumen, nor does it require a huge monetary outlay.

And, after you all convert, I no longer have my daily reading interrupted…because this is all about ME, you know.

Tres important note to self: the WP YAPB plugin does NOT play well in the php5/sql5 environment. *whew*

Updated to add:

If you see this fucking thing throwing a white page with ominous errors, just refresh the bitch and all will be well.

Also, Zoe brought me a piece of concrete today. Yes, concrete. From the little bits that waffle around between the foundation of the house and the back patio. I think now that I’m on this new platform, Zoe deserves her very own page where we can keep track of these things. Perhaps a pattern will emerge…

“Would it help my site hits to have 4 nameservers instead of just two?”

No, the only thing that would help “hits” to your site is decent content. So, you’re basically screwed.

Stupid Statement:

“Just like I know how to reward good service with loyalty.”

Seeing as how with just two tickets to your name you’ve already established yourself as the Leading Asshole in the State, we could basically give a rat’s ass how “loyal” you consider yourself. You’ve already shown us exactly what you think of us, and trust me, the sentiment is returned in spades.

Just Plain Stupid:

You like to use whatever latest software the cool kids are using, yet you’re too stupid, or too lazy, to actually bother researching it/learning how to use it. So, we make the framework available to you on the server, and you utterly fail to make it work. News flash: Automatically assuming that we’ve either installed it incorrectly, or have something misconfigured, just emphasizes that you are a clueless tool. It seriously never occurs to you to ask questions instead of assuming you know everything, but after five years of the same old shit I suppose it is too much to ask that you will remove your cranium from your anal passage.

The Grand Prize Winnar of Stupid:

You let your domain expire. Three months ago. And didn’t notice it was expired. For three months.

For those of you who don’t know, when your domain expires, it is typically redirected to a registrar page that says, “Hey, stupid, your domain expired.” From expiration date, you have about 30 days to renew the domain, at the same price at which you registered it. After that time, the domain enters the redemption period, where you can renew it for an exorbitant fee, typically around $150. This fee is punitive, designed to permanently remind you to remember your frigging expiration dates. (The redemption period policy was put in place to save you all from the evil domain squatters, however, so it is a good thing overall.) After the redemption period (also about 30 days), the domain is deleted from the registrar and free for anyone to register.

So, not only did you let your domain expire, but it was a shitty, shitty domain name. Your first initial, your middle initial, PART of your last name, and then a descriptive bit. Seriously, on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the best domain EVAR, yours was a negative 743. It had zero mnemonic potential, and even if someone had it written down in front of them, it’d take five minutes to type it into the address bar. You might just as well have chosen dhlksndlkwhye.com for sheer user unfriendliness.

But being the nice people that we are, we offered to register the .net version for you. Or, a more sensical domain, yourname.com. We were going to do this for free, too, since you’re so very pathetic in your not understanding anything at all that we were telling you. Nine times. But you kept whinging, “I don’t understand, just get my domain back,” even after being told, NINE TIMES, that we could do nothing more than contact the current owner and make an offer….which, might I add, is so far out of our web host purview that it might just as well be salmon fishing. They’re not going to answer, dumbass, because they’re evil domain squatters.

We are tired of repeating ourselves. We’ve had every person in the company answer you now, each of us rephrasing and using smaller words each time. It’s time for you to face facts…you shouldn’t be in the Intarwebs. Evar. Not even Googling. The tubes might melt. We recommend carrier pigeons instead. Yes, we know they’re extinct. Have a nice day.

Yeah, I’m so damned wired I should have a cerebral shunt and be fighting off a guy named Smith, but I’m actually worried I’m going to forget how to form characters on paper with a pointy implement. The only thing I regularly write, my signature, looks like a S to which someone took a blowtorch, resulting in a long trailing squiggle for the rest of my entire name. The few checks I do write are damned near incomprehensible, even the numbers, which doesn’t worry me that much as almost every bill we have is paid over the internet (could you get into the 21st century already (insert city name here) Electric??). However, gods forbid we should ever have a ‘net meltdown (especially considering John McClane is a fictional character and not around to save us), as I’d be really stuck for communications then. I’d have to actually…talk to people.

Ew.

After an exhaustive search on my beloved Amazon, I found this beauty. Encouraged by the rave reviews, I took the plunge. It arrived about 20 minutes ago and I am already in love. Scissor-keys, very low profile (both keys and the entire board itself), and best of all, it’s just a keyboard…has all the standard bits but none of that extra zoom-y, alt-F type horseshit. It’s a pleasure to type on, and wouldn’t dream of giving you finger cramps, because even though it’s low-profile, it’s not small in width…it’s somewhat wider, even, than many keyboards I’ve had in the past, with standard size key tops.

So, if you’re looking for something with the same feel as your laptop keyboard, but not in a crazy-small size, this keyboard is your huckleberry.

So, it’s possible just the fact the keyboard didn’t work correctly was the cause of the entire issue, and an ION keyboard that *does* work correctly causes no such RAM isses. Mine didn’t work correctly long enough for me to find out. **stares at ION**