iFlipFlop

Seven months to the day...

2008-03-14T10:28:00.001-04:00

...since I last posted here. Now it's Pi Day. Cool.

Just for old time's sake

2007-08-09T18:22:00.000-04:00

iFlipFlop is 3 years old today. 2,138 posts and over 12,000 comments. Not bad.

Now you can find me at Frank. Same stuff, different address.

Moving Day

2007-07-30T13:54:00.000-04:00

iFlipFlop is moving to new digs called Frank.

For a number of reasons, mostly because I wanted more control over my formatting, I've decided to blog over at the new place.

This place has served me well. I've written 2,138 posts as of today. Traffic has averaged around 2,000 people a day. And iFlipFlop is almost 3 years old, which in internet years, that's like 21 years old. And it's time to move out of the house.

For those of you who are regular readers, would you mind pointing your links to http://www.frankroche.com/blog? Yep, that's my whole name. I was tired of anonymity, as thinly veiled as it was anyways.

For those of you regular readers of iFlipFlop who read it by RSS, here's the new link: http://feeds.feedburner.com/FrankRoche

For those of you who come to iFlipFlop to look at Pamela Anderson in a flimsy shirt, that post is still there. I own this domain and will probably keep this site hosted for a while. Fear not.

I've begun to reconstruct my blogroll and made it a separate page that you can see at the top of the blog (not the one on the bottom, that's something different). If you don't see your name there, please drop me a note at frank@ifliflop with your blog name, URL, and RSS, and I'll get that pumped in.

Moving days are exciting. I'm pleased about this one. Come on over and set a spell, as they said on the Beverly Hillbillies.

How Crazy Would It Be?

2007-07-29T09:59:00.001-04:00

I fired up a site in my own name this week. I've owned the domain for years and parked it. Finally, I got around to doing a little configuring with it.

Question: How nuts would it be to abandon iFlipFlop and start blogging on my own domain?

I have only a limited writing bandwidth. I'm writing five posts a week for my work blog. I've been asked to write for Entrepreneur.com. I have client work. And I have this. So, I don't think I can keep this one up PLUS do one in my own name.

What's a guy to do?

Some background: The one in my name is on the newest Wordpress platform, which is something I've wanted to be on with this site for a couple of years. (Sadly, I started out on Blogger and now I'm trapped.) I've written over 2,000 articles here, and I just don't want them to go away...I'll need to port some of them over if I really want them.

Thoughts?

Going All W.C. Fields On the Little Rugrats

2007-07-27T08:31:00.000-04:00

Children should neither be seen or heard from - ever again.
W. C. Fields

I took the train back home at 12:15 pm yesterday. Taking the train at lunchtime is always a risky venture -- there are lots of amateurs on the train. Yesterday was no exception...only more so.

There was a group of three Vommie Mommies (moms who are impossibly skinny and talk about it when their middle fingers aren't down their throats after eating one rib of bibb lettuce) and their half-dozen rugrats. And oh weren't they cute? At least that's what the Vommie Mommies kept saying.

The kids ranged in age from 2 to 6, I'd guess. And guess what? The Vommie Mommies couldn't "make" their little darlings shut up or sit down. Not once. Not after the conductor asked them to sit down at least five times. Not once, because on the Main Line it's all about the Self Esteem Movement. Kids are never wrong, and that big, mean, black man who's asking you to sit down just can't be right.

Ugh. Don't get me wrong, I like kids. Well behaved kids. Kids whose parents keep them under control. Kids whose parents realize that their kids are not as cute as they think they are.

We didn't have any problems when I was a kid because my dad had the "One Time Rule." He didn't ask twice. Heck, he didn't even "ask" once. My boys know the same rules.

What astonished me is that those kids were bouncing on the seats. Screaming. Drinking bright red Gatorade and spilling it on the seats. Acting like little jerks. And the Vommie Mommies? Oblivious. And when they weren't oblivious, they were encouraging that rugrat behavior. WTF?

I talked to a lady across the aisle from me. We agreed that we were getting old, but there's still nothing wrong with kids behaving. Otherwise it reminds me of another W.C. Fields quote when asked "How do you like children?" Medium rare, he replied.

No More Ponytail

2007-07-26T09:10:00.000-04:00

I had my ponytail cut off yesterday. Time to be a grownup, I guess. (Why does that Toys-R-Us song, "I don't want to grow up/I'm a Toys-R-Us kid" keep playing in my head?)

Lindsey Lohan Gets Busted Again

2007-07-24T13:45:00.001-04:00

Loren Feldman nails it, as he always does, on 1938 Media. That guy rocks. Here's his "Role Models."

Crazy OCD Lady on the R5

2007-07-24T10:27:00.000-04:00

Why is it when Jack Nicholson has OCD in "As Good As It Gets" it's charming, but when a crazy lady sits behind you on your commute and rips up pieces of paper for 35 minutes it's downright maddening?

There's a woman who gets on at my train stop each morning. She looks perfectly normal. Dressed nicely. Obviously has a job to get to in the city. But she carries 3 sacks of papers, and her purse is wrapped in a plastic grocery bag.

When I say she's "carrying papers," I mean she's carrying 3 weeks worth of newspapers and magazines. All folded. And each day she gets on the train and rips those papers up and put the scraps in ANOTHER plastic grocery bag. And she does this for the whole trip.

Today, I had the bad fortune of sitting right in front of her. RIP! SCRATCH! RUSTLE! RIP!. Over and over. I put on my Shure EC-2 sound deadening earphones, and I could still hear her. She even kept it up when a guy sat down next to her.

I'm gonna go out on a limb here: OCD. And 150 cats. It's a good thing I'm so normal. Abby Normal.

MockDock Adds Icon-Based Speed Dialing to iPhone

2007-07-22T21:15:00.000-04:00

Charlie just keeps cracking away at MockDock for iPhone. Thousands and thousands of people have signed up, and lots of developers and users have asked for more features. Now there's a really cool addition: Icon-based speed dialing.

Mock Dock makes your favorite contacts into speedy buttons.

Enter any numbers you like, choose icons for them. Then any time Sample Tel you need to call one of those numbers, you can tap the icon. It's icon-based speed dial.

So, in addition to the apps launcher, now you can use your iPhone more intuitively for speed dialing. Fun to watch this one grow!

New users can sign up here for MockDock.

Don't Meet Me in St. Louis

2007-07-22T08:53:00.000-04:00

Two hundred people were trapped in the Gateway Arch for over 2 hours yesterday. That freaks me out from here.

I've visited the Gateway Arch. And I even overcame my claustrophobia to wedge my ass into one of those pods that bring you and five of your closest friends to the top of the arch. It's a crappy, creepy ride. You can't really stay out. You're smashed in th pd, which swings and creaks as it reorients to vertical as it jerks up to the top.

At the top of the arch are WAY too many people, all of whom are trying to lie on their bellies and look out the teensy windows. I did it once. That was enough. Now, seeing that people were caught on top or in the pods for over 2 hours, the closest I'll get to the Gateway Arch is right here on this picture.

When FlipFlops Go Bad

2007-07-20T16:51:00.001-04:00

iFlipFlop is from the right side of the tracks. (Well, not really, but let's go with that.) But not all flip-flips are good. Look at these bad boys.

Pinky Bears and FlipFlops

2007-07-19T20:45:00.000-04:00

I met Pinky Bear today. I'm still smiling.

You know how nerve wracking it is to meet someone that you "know" online or over the phone? One time I had a client that I worked with for a year, talking to him daily by phone. He was in Germany and I was in New York City. Then, I met him in the Frankfurt train station. It was strange to put the face with the voice. I remember staring at him for a long time and thinking we should be talking on the phone.

Well, I'd never heard Jimmi's voice, but I did read his great blog every day. And we had a running dialog here, at his blog, at Maidy's House, and over at Pax's Place. So, it was really great to meet him in person today.

Ms. LiquidTreats and I met Jimmi at Barnes & Noble. And an hour-and-a-half breezed by like it was a minute-and-a-half. We talked. We laughed. (Okay, Sarah and I laughed because Jimmi is so GD funny and clever.) We drank iced tea.

You know how sometimes when you meet people it can be something different than you imagined? (I've never been on an arranged date, like a dating service...I'm married, so of course not....but I mean never. But I can imagine it must be a little weird.) Well, meeting Jimmi was fantastic. Better than I could have imagined. Entertaining.

We left saying "Let's get together again." I'd like that. Pinky Bears and FlipFlops. Sounds like a new Pixar flick. Maybe we're onto something.

Keeping an Eye Out for the iPhone

2007-07-19T08:50:00.000-04:00

I have an iPhone. And what happens to this guy once happened to me (I wrote about it a long while ago). I couldn't stop laughing when I saw this.

My Mouf Hurts

2007-07-18T14:34:00.000-04:00

I'm back from the oral surgeon. I did Pinky Bear's mantra, and the event wasn't bad at all. But now the anesthetic is starting to wear off and "my mouf hurts." Um, I guess the numbing is still there. ;-)

DMV Part Deux

2007-07-17T07:01:00.000-04:00

I'm headed to the DMV this morning to get my driver's license in proper. I can't wait...oh wait, yes I can...waiting is what it's all about. I'll be the bored looking guy in case you're trying to find me.

How's a Little Oral Surgery Sound?

2007-07-16T09:56:00.000-04:00

I scheduled "crown lengthening on 30 and 32" for this Wednesday. I sounded like a grownup when I called, but I feel like a little kid anticipating someone putting a scalpel in my mouth. Yum.

If That Whole Running with the Bulls Thing Doesn't Work Out

2007-07-14T20:13:00.000-04:00

You know, if I end up not being able to get to Pamplona next year, and my life list dreams get dashed on the rocks of Ain't-Gonna-Do-It, I'd still like to add "hanging out with Kona Boy and taking surf pics" to things I'd like to do.

Um, for those of you who appreciate the female form, this picture is worth looking at in the large size. And here are a few more of my favorites by Kona Boy. And here I am waveboarding. (Well, it's a guy named Frank, why can't it be me?)

I Want to Run With the Bulls Next Year

2007-07-13T19:05:00.001-04:00

I want to run with the bulls in Pamplona next year. But, I don't want to get gored, like some of the guys in these pictures. Um, the first picture is pretty graphic.

I also thought of another thing I want to add to my life list: Walk the Inca Trail to Machu Pichu. It starts at 11,000 feet, and I have enough trouble walking around at sea level, so I'd better get training.

60 Seconds or Your Life

2007-07-13T09:14:00.000-04:00

The light turned green.

I started to move forward.

Then I slammed on my brakes.

A guy in a huge SUV blew the red light. At 60 mph. After a 5-second delay.

If I had pulled out of the blind crossing of Rt. 30 I would have been hit in my driver's side door. And I likely wouldn't be writing this.

Instead, I zoomed out and chased the SUV guy down. I got next to him, rolled down my passenger side window, and jerked my thumb backwards.

We were rolling along at a good clip.

He rolled his window down.

"You can kill people doing that!" I said.

"WHAT?" he asked.

"YOU CAN KILL PEOPLE RUNNING A RED LIGHT LIKE THAT!" I shouted.

Then something strange happened.

He nodded his head.

"I'm sorry about that. You're right. Thanks for telling me," he said.

He was sincere. Honestly, 30 seconds before that I was filled with rage and adrenaline. I was ready to kick ass and take names.

"I'm sorry," he said. Just like that. And I really believe he was.

And for the first time I think in 30 years of driving, a guy did the right thing, and I did the right thing, and I like to think that maybe he really will process that 60 seconds stuck at a light isn't worth risking a life.

Pax is Singing the Blues

2007-07-12T08:25:00.000-04:00

Blues from a Cubicle. It's going on my blogroll. Anything from Pax is a daily read.

I'm at BlogPhiladelphia Today

2007-07-12T08:17:00.000-04:00

I'm going to BlogPhiladelphia today. And tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it. It's down the street, literally, from iFlipFlop World HQ, so I'll get back to you once in a while. I'll take a few pix on my iPhone.

I Was Twittering and Saw I Had a Birthday Haiku

2007-07-11T09:23:00.000-04:00

Now how cool is that? I was looking through Twitter this morning and saw that Howard said, "Posted a birthday haiku for Frank." Hey! That's me! I'm honored.

UPDATE: I got a note from my friend, Lizarino, in the Netherlands. She wished me a happy birthday, and made me happy by telling me that she and her husband are expecting their first baby! How lovely. I'm getting a lot of smiles today.

It's Fun When a Friend's Idea Goes Viral

2007-07-10T15:31:00.000-04:00

I wrote about Mock Dock a couple of days ago. And what a fun 24 hours it's been. Charlie's iPhone web tool (it makes booksmarks work like an iPhone desktop) has gone viral.

Scott McNulty wrote about it on TUAW. Robert Scoble tried it out while walking around a store and did a complimentary writeup. MacWorld did a story. The press is calling. Lots of press.

And thousands of people have signed up to use the application in the first 24 hours. I mean, it's amazing. And it's fun to see an idea move from concept to completion so quickly.

Charlie is improving the app on the fly. First mover, baby! And it's nice to have friends who help along the way.

Major Damn Outage Because of MySpace

2007-07-09T20:43:00.000-04:00

iFlipFlop got knocked down overnight because of a goddam MySpace link that saw over 92,000 uniques hit the server in a few hours. Idiots hotlinked a picture of some coffins from the 1000 Coffin project that I posted in October 2004.

I had to institute .hta access bans to the MySpace referrer. I had to put in a new robots.txt file to restrict any access to JPG files. Ugh. MySpace can bite my ass. Just what I need, a bunch of 16-year-old girls hotlinking my site by the thousands. In their words, omigawd.

iPhone Shortcuts with Mock Dock

2007-07-08T18:29:00.000-04:00

If you're an iPhone user, you have to check out Mock Dock. This bad boy is really a time saver, and a great way to access iPhone-ready apps using the world's best "phone."

Here's the writeup on the site:

Mock Dock
by Charlie Chambers

Developers cannot make true iPhone applications. Instead, 3rd-party iPhone applications are web-apps. While native iPhone apps, like Calendar and Weather, have spiffy icons on the home screen, web-apps are relegated to the bookmarks where they look plain and get mixed in with all kinds of other sites.
Enter Mock Dock.

Mock Dock makes your iPhone apps look more like apps. You get a home screen that looks familiar, and works like the rest of your phone. You also get a handy way to find new apps as they become available.

Mock Dock is free. If your app is in our list (or isn't), and there is anything you'd like to change about the listing, please send a note to charlie.chambers@mockdock.com.