Sc@-tt3r-ed Thoughts

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As I usually do occasionally on my phone, I went to the App Store to check for updates. Since the release of iOS 4, one of the main reasons I repeatedly checked for updates was due to the Skype application.
There was  an application for the iPhone called Fring. and in and of itself, is a great app. For a little while, they even supported the Skype protocol, which was exciting. Not too long after its release though, Skype and Fring got into some legal battle, and since then, Fring removed its support for Skype.

Well this morning, my day was made! Skype finally released its iPhone update, which makes Skype iOS 4 compatible. More specifically, allows Skype to be run in the background. I had always wondered what this would mean, for Skype running on the iPhone, when both my cell number AND Skype number are connected to my Google Voice number, the latter of which is the one that I give out to people.

So I decided to do a quick test:

First I opened up Skype and put it in the background, then I called myself on my SkypeOut number. A push notification popped up on my phone with the Skype ringtone, and I was able to pick up the Skype phone call. FTW! I pretty much expected this test to work ok.

The real test, however, was the case where I would receive a phone call on the Google Voice number. I was wondering how my phone would handle this. Well, it was surprisingly good. When I dialed my Google Voice number, my phone’s ringtone actually sounded, the Skype ringtone did not, however, the push notification still popped up for the Skype call, while the cell number was ringing. Granted, the push notification goes behind the dialer window, so I had to reject the cell call, and then click on “Answer” on the Skype notification. At this time, the Skype app was foregrounded, and the Google Voice greeting sounded.

in a couple of instances, when dialing the GV number, the Skype push notification didn’t actually show up, and that may be due to the order in which Google Voice dials, or rather, establishes a connection to my devices. Not really a big deal, and I’m not even sure that there is a way to really make this problem completely disappear. After all, the way I’m using my cell number and the skype number under a Google Voice number is probably not a very common way people will use these services, but in my mind, if the more complex setups work, then, the simpler ones will definitely work.

The question of calendar syncing has been quite a big one on the forums on the net. I was also one that has a problem figuring out how to sync all my calendars, and I kept doing more research and experimentation until I finally found perfect solution that seems to work across the board. That is what you’re here for right?

Alright, in this blog entry, I’m going to try to give as much detail as I can based on the scenario that I have in my calendars, as I think my situation covers in part or in all, most other people’s situations. From these different steps, you can take any part you want, and apply it to your particular setup to get what you need.

So let’s get started. I’m going to describe everything based on the setup that I currently have running. This involves: iCal, gCAL, Outlook, and 3rd party calendars, including shared Google calendars, and Tungle meeting organizer.  Now before we continue, let me put in a warning before starting:

The process you’re about to see requires performing major surgery on your calendars. There is no scripting, or crazy techy stuff involved, but you have to be methodical to make this whole thing work.

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I was just about to leave work today, and one of the helpdesk ladies brought over an old iBook for repair. she put it on the table and left, I didn’t pay any attention to it, until I was packing up to leave work, and I glanced at the power supply, only to see the cable wrapped in something I had never seen before. well… I had seen it, just not in this context. It’s either that I’m way behind the times, and most people already know this, or, I’m sharing a new idea with someone who’s always frustrated with their laptop cable being all over the place in your laptop bag.

As I looked closer at the concoction, I noticed that it’s the toilet paper roll cardboard holder. you can tell it’s a lady that created that one, since it has some girly design on it, but your imagination is the limit on what you could print out and stick on the roll, to make it look uber cool!

I’m not sure how sturdy it is, and how long it’ll last before it starts tearing apart, but honestly, who cares, when you print the first design for the first roll, print 5 more copies, and I’m sure you won’t have a problem finding the toilet paper roll thingies

For as long as I remember, I have had some sort of TV at my house. Most of the time, it was cable, but even when I was a college student, and couldn’t afford cable, I still had regular broadcast TV.

For the past 5 or 6 years now, I’ve had Cable, DirecTV, you name it, I had it. In the recent months, I’ve been looking at TV, and wondering why I pay close to $65 / month for programming that I rarely watch. Then I thought back, and realized that I only had TV for a few shows that I watch on a regular basis. Could not justify the cost. So I went on the hunt for my TV shows online to see if it’s possible to make the switch.

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