As I write this, I'm wondering if using the word "software" is even appropriate for the product I'm about to describe. I'm thinking that "ripoff" or "vaporware" or "scam" might be more appropriate descriptions of PocketMac for iPhone by Information Appliance Associates. I should have known that something wasn't right when I could not locate an evaluation copy to download. The publisher does not offer one. What they do offer is a 90-day money back guarantee. From experience, I know this is the software industry euphemism for "we know this product is crap and that you'll never buy it if you try it for free". Desperate for a solution to sync my iCal with my Lotus Notes mail store, however, I rolled the dice and purchased a copy. Doh! Snake eyes. The install worked as you would expect a commercial product to work. That's about the nicest thing I can say about PocketMac. After installation, it was all down hill. The first time I launched the application, I got an error message indicating that an unhandled exception occurred and the application quit. I figured "no big deal"...I'll just reboot and it should work. Several attempted tweaks and reboots later, I was no further along than my first attempt to load the app. I then attempted to call technical support for assistance. Low and behold, there is not a single telephone number published on the PocketMac web site (save for the sales number - what a shock - that is answered by a machine which will unceremoniously hang up on you after a few attempts to opt-out for an operator). I soon discovered that technical support is provided only through web-mail unless you want to pay $59 a pop for phone support incidents (bear in mind that the product itself costs only $30 and the little fact that I should not have to pay for support for a product that doesn't work to begin with). I submitted a description of my problem. Two hours later, I sent a ping since I hadn't gotten a reply yet. Two more hours, another ping. And another two hours, another ping. After waiting all day for a reply, it was finally time to pack up and head home from the office. A couple of hours after I got home, I logged in to the tech support site and, eureka! An answer. It was a short and sweet response with a file attachment. I placed the file where I was instructed to place it and PocketMac finally loaded without an error message. Now I had a nice, pretty little window with some attractive icons in it. Woo hoo! I attempted to run my first sync with PocketMac. I dialogue box popped open asking me for my Notes server connection information. I tried several permutations of the connection string all to no avail. I received "path does not exist" error messages each time I tried to run the sync. Again I thought to myself, "no big deal....I'll just look at the manual where they are bound to have an example of the connection syntax they're looking for". But...what's this? No manual? No documentation of any type? That's right. Nowhere in the product download, nor on the PocketMac site, will you find the first tiny scrap of user documentation. It's as though you're supposed to know how to use this crap by osmosis.

This morning, I realized that if I've had this much difficulty just trying to get the software to run, let alone perform fairly complex data synchronization, that I would very likely not be happy with this product in the long run. I submitted a request for a refund in accordance with their money-back guarantee. I have yet to get a response from them. I don't anticipate a problem getting a refund based on the many complaints about this product I've seen posted elsewhere, but I suspect it will be a while before I see that thirty bucks again.

If you're looking for a reliable data synchronization tool for your Mac system, I suggest you avoid PocketMac like you would an Amway salesman. If, however, you are looking for a hemorrhoid wrapped in a .dmg file, go ahead and lay down your money and take PocketMac for a spin.

So I'm sure by now you've seen the new Microsoft commercials featuring Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld. The one commercial I've seen aired about 10 times during the opening day of the American football season (which was today). Quite frankly, I'm not sure what to take from it. It seemed more like a 30 second episode of Seinfeld ("the show about nothing") than a spot for Windows or Microsoft technologies. Perhaps I just answered my own question...

Back in the mid-to-late 70's, I can remember as a kid what soaring gas prices did to the country. I lived in California at the time where we were used to paying about 75 cents a gallon when, it seems like overnight, prices shot up to $1.25 a gallon. Auto parts and hardware stores actually ran out of supplies of locking gas caps and the local news frequently ran spots on how to avoid having gas siphoned from your fuel tank. I think we're going to be seeing a very similar situation between now and the end of summer, and possibly beyond that. I've heard that some oil companies are expecting prices approaching $5 a gallon over the next few months. God help us all when/if that happens. It's going to have a domino affect like nothing this country has ever seen. It's certainly affected my life already.

Up until this weekend, I proudly drove a Ford F150 pickup truck with a Triton 5.4 Liter V-8 engine. I got about 17.5 miles per gallon (I could literally watch the fuel gauge move as I drove it). Given that I commute about 640 miles per week, my gasoline bills were getting a bit out of hand. It was not uncommon for me to put about $160 in the tank EVERY WEEK. I'm sorry.....that's just insane. I'm now the proud owner of a Toyota Prius and my guess is there will be a rush on (and shortage of) these vehicles, and cars like it, very soon. As it stands now, I had to visit 3 dealerships to even find a new Prius on the lot. Most dealers appear to be backordered for 3 to 4 months and have actually started waiting lists. While I was negotiating the deal for my Prius (don't waste your time dickering....dealers know they can get full price for these cars right now and they won't budge a penny) I heard at least a half dozen phone calls come in asking if the dealer had any Prius's on the lot. If you do a lot of driving and you have an opportunity to get your hands on a hybrid, you might want to jump on the chance sooner rather than later.

My wife and I together make a pretty decent living. It's not that I couldn't afford the money I was putting in my tank every week, it's just that it made no sense to do so any longer (I'm a cheapskate at heart). I have to ask myself, though, how is the average working guy who might only make $12 to $15 an hour able to afford to fill up his tank every week? Keep your eyes open on this one, folks. I think it's going to get ugly.

Those of us who work in the world of corporate IT all have amusing (or befuddling) anticdotes about the users we support. I'd like to share one. The company for which I work recently updated its corporate logo as a part of a rebranding effort. I sent out instructions detailing the steps required to incorporate the new logo within an email signature block. One of the steps was to "copy the text portion of my signature so that a consistent font, layout, and color scheme" could be applied to all employee email signatures. The next step of the instructions was to "change the name, phone numbers, and address to your own information". I guess that last step wasn't so clear because over the last few days, I've received several (dozen??) email messages with my own address, phone, and mobile number published in the signature block. I may have to change my extension and possibly move to another state.

Seriously....The title of this blog entry sounds a bit harsh and it truly is only a joke. The folks we support every day are not paid to be the computer experts and, in every sense of the term, they are our paying customers. I will, however, be more careful the next time I send out instructions. Live and learn....

It's easy to win when you cheat. 'nuff said...

I spend anywhere from 6 to 12 hours per day sitting in front of a computer. Most of this time is spent coding, reading, or performing various administrative tasks for my job as an IT manager. Needless to say, this dearth of physical activity has increased my bottom line, and not the good one. Three months ago, I looked in the mirror one morning and realized I was starting to resemble Jaba the Hut. My blood pressure was up and my stamina was down. I concluded that enough was enough and, that very evening, I joined Weightwatchers On-Line. It's relatively inexpensive and it appears to be a well-balanced, common sense plan of reduced calorie and fat intake (unlike some of the popular reduced carb diets like Atkins or Southbeach which seek to completely change the concept of eating). I am here to tell you that it's been well worth the investment. In only three months, I've lost over 45 lbs. and have only another 10 lbs. to go to hit the target that was suggested for me on the plan. I will not lie....it has not been without some pain and sacrifice, but I knew the weight would not magically disappear just because I joined a diet plan. All in all, however, the plan has been easy to stick to and is clearly doing what it was designed to do. Anyone considering dropping a few pounds should at least look into the WW plan. Along the way, I've discovered a few low-cal items that are actually pretty good and they've definitely helped me:

• Tropical punch Crystal Lite: when mixed with a bottle of really cold water, you almost can't tell it's a diet drink.
• Garlic melba toast: a great snack with very few calories and no fat (if you buy the right kind). Same applies to pretzels, too.
• V8 100% Vegetable Juice: Some people aren't wild about this, but it's almost like drinking a cup of vegetable soup. It's excellent when cold. Just make sure you don't get the low sodium variety because that tastes like crap.
• ANY of the Weightwatchers Ice Cream products: Excellent stuff. It almost feels like cheating.
• Fiber One Bars: Taste like candy, but the fiber content is so high, it helps negate some of the fat and calories. Just don't wander too far from a toilet until you know what they're going to do to your system.
• Dried fruits (apricots, peaches, pears, etc.): Many folks don't like the odd taste of dried fruits, but they're a great snack and usually very high in fiber (see toilet warning above).