Google calendar mobile is a really useful mobile web app that enables people to quickly add events using natural language like “Dental appointment at Oxford House on 26th April 2012 at 3pm”.

Here’s what it looks like. As you can see, rather than presenting a typical high-level calendar view, it presents the day view for the current date or the next day that has some appointments.

When it comes to finding out if one is free for an appointment on a specific date in the distant future there is a massive problem. It is really difficult to goto a specific date to see if you have any appointments that might conflict with a proposed date and time.

It seems really strange that Google provides a service without a search facility! Sure, I can browse to events by paging through next and previous links but this is only useful if I want to check if I’m free in the near future. It’s somewhat tedious, time consuming and impractical to paginate thorough endless pages to get to a date one year hence to check availability for a dental appointment.

To fix this I suggest Google add a “Check availability” button that accepts the same natural language ad the “Add event” button. So I could type “26 April 2012″ and it would have a look and say “No appointments on the 26th April” followed by the Add event button. Or it would list all the appointments on that day if there were any. This would make an already useful app even more useful and remove the requirement to jump through endless hoops to sync Google Calendar with my phone’s calendar.

All three demonstrate the kind of song writing craftsmanship that few other bands can achieve this far into their career. In the case of Iron Maiden, fourteen studio albums in, the band members all now in their 50s, there is no sign of them reaching for their pipe and slippers. I’ve been a fan of Maiden since I was just a boy. People told me I’d grow out of them but it’s yet to happen! I guess I’ve grown with them. Their musical style has evolved over the years into less metal, more prog-rock epics. Still, the likes of The alchemist demonstrate that they can still knock out short, galloping numbers they used to. For me, the highlights of their latest album are Isle of Avalon, Coming home and The talisman.

Neil Hannon (The Divine Comedy), who always seemed a little old for his years, is now writing some of his most melodic and diverse material. It’s been a long time since he last had a hit single. Not that this seems to bother him. In fact, being out of the spotlight is probably far more suitable. He now entertains crowds in intimate settings via his one-man show allowing for plenty of room for spontaneous renditions from his back catalogue accompanied by his trademark self-depreciating wit. Hearing the new tracks live was a real treat. It’s hard to pick out any stand out tracks as they are all really strong but if I had to choose I’d probably say that When a man cries and Down in the street below were a cut above the rest.

Belle and Sebastian take much longer gaps between delivering fresh material these days. Yet when it finally appears you really get the impression that they have slaved over every last nuance and detail. I’m quite happy for their latest long player to loop over and over as there’s always some little flourish that i’ll have missed on previous hearings. The melodies are so catchy and the sequencing of the entire album from track to track is perfect. Stand out tracks are I want the world to stop with its northern soul feel, Calculating bimbo which has a really nice warming sound to it; and the title track itself which could have been on last year’s side project, God help the girl.

In 2011 I’m anticipating the latest long player from Elbow and hoping that we’ll see some new material from the Super Furry Animals.

By my sister in law, Nicola.

A few years later I guess I became a little more self aware. Who really cared about what I’ve had to say? The posts dropped away and by 2009 they were down to a mere trickle. I lost the passion. Or maybe having a couple of kids wiped the energy. I’m not entirely sure. Recently I read something from Jeremy Keith (I can’t remember exactly what it was) that reminded me that, regardless of the fact that his journal is a massively enlightening read, he really only publishes articles for his own enjoyment.

Wonderful thing catharsis. my brain has a couple of years of jumbled up thinking to pour onto this slate. So, along with a redesign to illustrate my thoroughly up to date web skills, I plan to write the odd article or two about what I’ve learnt, where I’ve been and who I’ve been with. If I don’t, be sure to give me a poke.

To do

1. Reset browser default margins and padding
2. Fix the typography and grid
3. Replace classes with WAI-ARIA roles where relevant
4. Add CSS attribute selectors to target role attributes
5. Add rel attributes to navigational elements
6. Add code, blockquote, list, table and form styles
7. Mobile style sheet
8. meta name=”viewport” content=”width=device-width; initial-scale=1″
9. Add an apple-touch-icon
10. Print style sheet
11. Colour scheme
12. Nav highlights
13. Convert a div to a nav
14. Related link navigation
15. Previous / next post navigation
16. Comments style
17. New favicon
18. Check colour contrast
19. Improve contact page
20. Improve search page
21. Improve about page
22. Improve footer
23. Add more microformats
24. Add footer elements to articles
25. Add subtle jQuery and CSS3 effects
26. Add some Easter eggs
27. Improve the “read the rest of this entry” link
28. Browser check
29. Code check
30. Add a style switcher for various design approaches
31. Remove redundant WordPress code
32. Make CSS files nice and pretty and readable
33. Create a more exciting 404 page
34. Write some decent content

I’ve been building a site where the client wants a specific font to be used for page headings. Cufon fits the bill except for when you try and view the site on a Nokia or Blackberry phone. In these cases the page headings are completely missing. Not desirable. So I created a little script to sniff these fellas out and serve them with plain old CSS instead.

Here is is:

<head>
<meta charset=”utf-8″ />
<title>Cufon test</title>
<link href=”screen.css” rel=”stylesheet” type=”text/css” />
<?php
if (eregi(“BlackBerry”, $agent) || eregi(“Nokia”, $agent)) {
echo “”;
}
else { ?>
<script type=”text/javascript” src=”cufon.js”></script>
<script type=”text/javascript” src=”tuffy.js”></script>
<script type=”text/javascript” src=”scripts.js”></script>
<?php }?>
</head>

I also wrapped a conditional comment round the IE specific script that is placed before the </body> tag to stop Nokia and Blackberries from attempting to call a non declared function:

<!–[if IE]>
<script type=”text/javascript”> Cufon.now(); </script>
<![endif]–>
</body>

I've been looking for a new mobile phone for some time now. Something to replace my constant companion of the last two years, the Nokia E51.

It was always going to take something special to trump that phone for me. You might not even have heard of the E51. It came with little of the fanfare accompanying the more high-profile devices of the last few years. Even within the "business-sector" Nokia E-Series, the likes of the qwerty form factor brethren E63 and E71 stole the thunder from the traditional styled candy-bar E51. And those in turn hardly shouted their arrival like their "cool" cousins from the multimedia N-Series stable. And that'd before we even consider heavily marketed iPhone and slurry of touch-screen devices that followed.

Yet, whilst understated, the E51 ticked all my "must-have" boxes and quite a few nice-to-haves too. My top-five requirements for a mobile phone are simple:

1. Reliable phone call reception
2. Quality ergonomics and input device (but not a brick!)
3. WIFI and bluetooth connectivity
4. Exceptional battery life
5. Quality personal information management

My E51 was in constant use from February 2007 until my latest purchase, the Nokia E72 which I managed to buy from Expansys for a rather reasonable £330. What follows is my reasoning for purchase as well as a comparison with some other phones I had a play (Nokia E61i, E71, E55, iPhone) with before taking the plunge away from my trusty E51.

The E51 was nice and small. Small enough to fit into any pocket. The E72 is a touch wider to accommodate the QWERTY keyboard. There's not a lot in it though. Whilst the E61i feels really wide the E72 feels nicely in proportion. It's similar in dimensions to the iPhone but feels a lot smaller. It's also pretty much the same size as the E71 which I'm not really going to touch on any more as plenty of other reviews have already covered the similarities and differences between the two devices.

Despite the small size of the phone it manages to cram a qwerty keypad of four rows, 10 buttons wide. On first glance you'd be forgiven for wondering how you'd manage to type on such a thing but this fear immediately subsides when you start to compose your first message. The buttons are shaped in such a way that prevents miss-typing. They have a comfortable rubbery but sturdy feel to them and I'm already far quicker at typing on the device than I ever was on the E51. Incidentally the E51 had a pretty poor ability to remember words you saved into the T9 dictionary. Must have had a very small capacity for "own-words". Obviously the E72 has no need for a T9 - one of the benefits of the qwerty keypad.

You can see that the E61i has a reasonable breathing space between each key whilst the E72 has hardly any. However I do find it easier to type on the newer E72. The keys are bevelled in such a way that it makes for precise key strokes. The E61i by comparison was to wide in the palm of the hand to make typing comfortable.

The E75 has two keyboards. But neither seem up to the task of a comfortable typing experience. The numeric keypad on the front contains tiny little buttons that are easily mis-keyed and the slide-out keypad is just too wide and the top row of buttons are uncomfortable to use due to the ledge created by the front panel. The particular phone feels like it's trying too hard to please too many people. Reminds me of the Homer Simpson car.

The E72 is considerably narrower than the E61i which makes for a much more ergonomic fit in the palm of the hand.

There have been a few complaints in other reviews and on the Nokia forums about light leaking from between the buttons on the phone. Whilst there certainly is "light-leak" it's not something that I immediately noticed nor something that particularly bothers me. I'm fairly sure most of the phones I've ever owned have been unable to keep the lighting from escaping from behind the keys. My old Sony Ericsson K750i was a particular offender and that particular unit did bother me but the E72 is bearable.

Talking about lighting, the E72 has a torch! That was something I really liked with my Sony Ericsson K750i and W800i. The LED that is usually used for lighting photos can be turned on by holding down the space-bar for a few seconds. I use it frequently when my young son is crying for his dummy in the middle of the night!

The one-touch keys are just as ergonomically polished as the keypad. One failing of the E51 and the E71 was the arrangement of the home, calendar, contacts and message key. They were very crammed together. Not so on the E72. There's plenty of space between the buttons and this spacing along with the attention to detail on shape of the buttons make them really easy to use. The call start and end buttons, whilst not green and red, do carry the usual symbols and I cant say I missed the lack of colour in this respect.

The directional pad, which pulses when the phone is on stand-by, has a nice action and is unlikely to suffer the same fate as the directional keys on my E51.

The directional pad also doubles up as an optical navi-key which to a while to get to grips with but I had a moment of clarity and now wouldn't turn it off. You run your thumb over the middle part of the directional pad in the direction you'd like to scroll, much like a touch screen. I do see the advantage of using it for browsing web pages but for some actions I prefer the accuracy of the directional pad in much the same way as I prefer the digital pad to the analogue controls on the Playstation joypad. I'm glad Nokia made this an optional feature as it's a bit of a controversial change for those used to the old way of doing things.

I opted for the Zodium black flavour. It's also available in Silver and Gold. However, the optical factor means the centre button must be black rather than a silver or gold colour which would have suited the respective colour scheme much better. Regardless of this factor I would have gone for the black version as it looks really sturdy and the other two look a bit plasticky. I'm sure they're not though and are built of the same rock-solid metal materials.

The E55 on the other hand feels cheap and compromised and more than a little like an N-SERIES phone. It feels like a design-by-committee phone.

There's very little plastic on the external surfaces of the E72. The metallic construction makes it feel like it could outlast the E55 and definitely the E51 who's volume buttons have now completely crumbled away!

There have been concerns about the loose fitting of the back-panel of the E72. Having read a few reviews before purchase I was eager to see if this was the case with my E72. I put the battery into the phone and then the rather thing but solid backplate. Sure enough it seemed a bit loose at the bottom right edge. I chose to ignore the fact and set the thing charging up. Weirdly, having charged the phone the back-plate was no longer loose. Was it all psychological, did the battery expand or is it just a very subtle issue? To me it isn't an issue and the phone feels sturdy in my grip.

The screen resolution has also come in for some criticism but it looks crisp and clear to me. If more pixels means less battery life then I'll take the lower resolution thanks.

The S60 operating system remains confusing and unintuitive. The E75 and E72 both put the settings in a new folder called "control panel". But you wont find all the settings there. So working out how to get things working to your liking requires the usual S60 brain-ache.

Contacts, Calendar, Texting and Audio player are as expected from s60: functional but mildly irritating in execution. Whilst Nokia make amazing hardware, the user-experience could use a serious overhaul. But it's not a significant enough issue to push me toward the iPhone or Android offerings just yet.

The main issues I noted were that Switch (to migrate from one Nokia to another) didnt work. Exchange server is hard impossible to setup. Gizmo (whatever that is) is invasive -- prompting you to set it up whenever you do a WLAN scan.

Good points: the chat client for use with Google Talk, Microsoft Messenger and the like works exceptionally well. As does the Nokia email client. Had Gmail up and running in a sudo-push email manner in a matter of minutes.

The bundled YouTube client is fantastic and well geared to the device.

Maps and GPS is work better when using Google Maps as opposed to the Nokia Maps client (which has trouble locking on to satellites oddly).

Syncing with Google Calendar is impossible and rather irritating but I'll live with it.

The help files supplied on the phone are very basic and dont cover even a tenth of what the phone can do. It's fairly using the search facility with the help as it can only match exact terms. So you need to know what things are called to find a result.

Installing new software applications ought to be easy and it is as long as you can deal with the certificate issues. Basically the phone will prevent you installing anything out of the box and you need to change the certificate settings. You'll have to hunt to find out where those particular settings are located.

The camera isn't bad. An upgrade from the 3.2MP unit in the E75.

I cant see that 5MP is really a general improvement but it is perhaps a cheaper option for Nokia than improving the software so the camera is a bit more speedy at taking snaps. It takes photos of inanimate, stationary objects no problem but don't expect it to be fast enough to get a halfway decent shot of the kids!

There's also a video camera on the front for video calls. Not something I ever do so cant really comment about that. I'm sure that people who like to see who they're talking to will appreciate the feature.

The gallery is reasonable enough. It's like the one you find on N-SERIES devices with a picture carousel spinning through most recent to oldest photos.

The video gallery is a huge improvement on my old E51. On that I didn't even get a still from the clip to determine if I was about to load the right video or not so I was pleasantly surprised by the E72.

The standard headphone jack is a welcome addition. I never bothered with the headphones provided with the E51. The E72's standard size headphone slot means I don't have to. Spotify and iPlayer work perfectly and I hook the phone up to various docks around the house and in my car now.

Battery life is amazing and USB charging is a definite bonus. I get around five days between charges with moderate usage. This is way better than my E51. I'd be interested to see how the battery performs in two years time. Fortunately spares are relatively inexpensive.

One peculiarity with the package was that the manual was in Finnish! But I did get a PDF printout of an English version included. A bit shoddy on Nokia's part but no big deal.

The provided carry case is very useful but I bought a silicon skin so I could stick it on various surfaces around the house and have the buttons at easy lens. The Silicone skin also protects the protruding camera lens somewhat. The leather case that comes with the phone is great at protecting the screens and keys though.

It took me a while to discover how to manually activate the key lock. It's completely different to the standard numeric keypad method. But onc you know it's easy to remember: the left select button followed by the right select button under the screen.

In conclusion, the E72 will definitely last me at least the next couple of years. The build quality is fantastic. Ergonomics are about as good as you'll get in a device this small with a full qwerty keyboard. The battery life is second to none and the wealth of supported mainstream apps make is a decent competitor to the iphone and android clan. S60 continues to be the achilles heel and if you're after amazing software usability you'll be disappointed. I've been using Nokias and S60 a few years now so am used to the foibles but I'd be keen to see how people used to more user friendly devices would cope. The optical nav-key was the biggest surprise for me. I didn't expect to get on with it at all. But I love it!

Every single time I’ve used the garage to get work done they’ve ended up charging me less than I was quoted! They’re friendly, welcoming and always happy to help.

It’s not often that I’m compelled to endorse a company but I bought a new car recently and had a bit of work done under warranty by the main dealer. The way that particular franchise treated my car really underlined why I’ve been using MKT&B for so many years now. Despite the timely phone calls for servicing from the main dealer I shall be sticking with Milton Keynes Tyre and Brake for the foreseeable. So often we moan about poor service that I thought I’d readdress the balance here.

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How did you discover Second Life?

MB: Some years ago I stumbled across an intriguing article in a Sunday supplement about an online gaming phenomenom by the name of Second Life. Although in (voluntary) incarceration at the time, I vowed to remember the name and investigate it further upon my release.

ZF: My son was looking in Popular Science Magazine and decided to get me a gift certificate for SL. He thought it would amuse me .

How long have you been using Second Life?

MB: Almost as soon as I returned home I logged on to SL to see what it was all about, so I have been ‘playing’ for maybe three years now.

ZF: Approx. 2 1/2 years

How many hours a week on average do you spend in Second Life?

MB: To be honest it really varies upon what projects I am involved with, the status of my friends, aqquaintances and business partners. I do a lot of artistic support for people and make textures, skins, eyes, clothing, furniture and buildings, so some weeks I will spend upwards of 30 hours and others I will spend maybe 2 or 3.

ZF: Approx. 25 hrs. a week, some less some more…depends on how much I have to do there or in real life.

What attracted you to it?

MB: have been fascinated by virtual reality and synthetic realities ever since I first saw Disneys Tron (1983) and the possibilities within SL seemed a perfect outlet for my creativity and thirst for knowledge.

ZF: Everything- the creativity, the people, the opportunity to meet people from all areas of the globe….

How does Second Life compare to things like text forums and instant message systems?

MB: I personally prefer the perceived ‘interactivity’ granted by SL, with a traditional messenger such as MSN you can be limited by text only and emoticons, therefore a lot of feeling can be lost in the substandard communication (over 95% of human communication is non-verbal). In SL we can more easily use poses and animations to express ourselves, for instance, if a friend is feeling down I can ‘physically’ give that person a hug etc. It does make a good deal of difference all though it is only 1 step up from an emoticon.

ZF: In some ways its the same but with avi’s to act out what ur trying to xpress in chat.

What or who helped you understand how to operate in Second Life?

MB: I taught myself most of what I know, but by its very communal nature the residents tend to be willing to help each other if asked politely and granted patience. I have a solid core group of close friends, people who I met ‘inworld’ who I now communicate with by phone, text, email etc. We all look out for each other although we exist in different timezones, countries and states. We all look after each other and provide for one another, even offer emotional support in times of difficulty.

ZF: In the very beginning it was trial and error until I met Magus Burton and Tanya Matahari, they both had a great deal of patience and kindness…without them I probably wouldn’t have stayed in SL as long as I have.

Is there any special jargon or terminology that newbies to Second Life could do with understanding?

MB: There are many differnt ‘inworld’ terms, and of course abbreviations just like with any other messenger. SL however as a far more comprehensive lexicon than most. This is due to the nature of the ‘game’. With any new idea, new terminology is necessary in order to describe it efficiently and effectively.

ZF: The terms SL for Second Life, RL for Real life , Ruthed meaning ur avi is all screwed up at its beginning appearance stage- the rest…I guess they will have to come and find out.

What do you most enjoy doing whilst in Second Life?

MB: I generally enjoy chatting with my friends and creating new things, I like to challenge myself and see how the world around me evolves.

ZF: Besides talking and sharing with my friends, I would have to say creating various things out of mere prims (primitives- basic shapes)

Have you spent any money in Second Life? How much?

MB: I have spent countless linden dollars (SLs currency) but that is not affected by my real life investment. The most I have ever paid in real life cash is only around £5, everything else is money I made ‘inworld’.

Have you made any money in Second Life? How much?

MB: Again I couldn’t quantify the ammount I have made in SL. But to give you an Idea, at the peak of my productivity, myself and my business partner had 8 shops, a club, a mall various houses and building estates. I ceased involvement in in our company last year and gave away my designs. I found SL had stopped being enjoyable and had become a labour so I went back to the nature of exploring and having fun.

ZF: I’ve spent alot of money,I have no idea, BUT I have made money as well….so to me, it all evens out for the pleasure that SL and my friends there have given me.

What have you created in Second Life?

MB: I have created numerous lines of fashion (somewhere in the region of 2000 odd garments), many vehicles, artworks, sculptures, furnishings,eyes, jewelery, skins scripts (to run animations etc.) and buildings.

ZF: Too many things to list but in general, clothes , furniture, music boxes, snow globes, motorcycles, cars, seasonal displays…so many things I can’t remember.

What’s involved in making a really great avatar?

MB: The key to a great avi, in my opinion is to customize and create as much as possible. I start with a decent shape, modify the features and the height and weight etc, next I use photoshop to make some nice eyes and upload them when satisfied. I then make a new skin, again using photoshop and upload that. Then either make or buy some clothes and finally buy some appropriate hair (if the avi is to have hair). Until recently I had never worn any clothing that I hadn’t made for myself.

ZF: Aside from the usual avi parts, skin, shape, hair, so on and so forth..I believe Heart….No matter what, ur RL personality shows up in ur avi eventually, so my advice is, follow ur heart when making ur avi, u can’t go wrong then.

Where are some good places to visit to get a feel for things? Why?

MB: There are plenty of good places to visit, I like a lot of the clubs but it really depends on your agenda. My advice to people is to get chatting and meeting people, they will often tell you about or teleport you to places that you never would have thought to search for.

ZF: There is something to be learned anywhere u go in SL…something learned about urself, about people, about SL in general, and all are willing to help a newbie…We were all newbies at one time or another, so we understand and know what newbies are going thru.

Are there any gaming elements to Second Life?

MB: There are many, there are of course the role play sims for people who like that-they range from fantasy to war games and everything inbetween. There are also a wide variety of contests and competitions to take part in and of course little interactive games like Pool, skating and even motor racing. I have even been fishing and skydiving.

ZF: I suppose if ur into roleplay there are so called gaming elements…but for me, I’m very competitive, in a nice way, so when one of my fashion designer friends asked for something for their treasure hunt or fashion show, I like to push my creativity to the limits and make them something fabulous, or at least I try for fabulosity.

What’s been your best experience in Second Life?

MB: Sounds sentimental but my best experience has been meeting the people who I am now so very close to. The kindness, openess and generosity of like-minded individuals is a real pleasure to experience.

ZF: Besides meeting ALL my SL friends….I would have to say meeting my soulmate here….and finding out there really is someone perfect for everyone somewhere

..and your worst experience?

MB: Probably losing my job as club host at Sphynx after a griefing attack (when people enter sims and wreak havoc upon any residents there) that was beyond my control and most certainly not my fault. Also the people who fail to differentiate between SL and real life can really make life miserable for others.

ZF: *Laughs* Finding out my soulmate was married but its all good, at least, we can be friends.

What do you think are the biggest opportunities for Second Life in the future?

MB: The opportunities really are endless, SL has a huge community (enough to make its currency have value within the real world), has made millionaires of people, has married people andcontinues to support users who need the help or support of those who think and act alike. It can progress in any way it chooses so long as Linden Labs listens to the views of residents.

ZF: In the future as well as now….I feel SL offers the opportunity for people who are handicapped to be able to dance, or to do things they just aren’t able to do in RL….Endorphins have no idea these people are doing these things in a virtual world…they just make the person feel good, so the depression is alleviated….it still amazes me..

What advice would you give to a Second Life newbie?

MB: Be polite, be humble, be whatever you want to be. If it’s not for you then that’s fine. Nothing ventured-nothing gained.

ZF: First I would tell them to NEVER forget there is a RL person behind that avi….so be respectful and kind….but to also take advantage of all the things SL has to offer that RL doesn’t, like dancing on a star, or the moon. Enjoy it, be yourself, and just have fun…..

As the day progresses I receive a number of other messages at fairly regular intervals. I reply, prompting the message originator to reply back. Message tennis ensues.

My colleagues grow weary of the once-amusing tune. I start to get a bit embarrassed. What to do? I could silence the phone but wouldn’t it be cool if the phone could select a message tone at random for each incoming message? Me and my colleagues would be treated to a selection of incredibly slick and retro themes to bring a smile and lighten up the day.

I realise I can assign different tones to different contacts in my address book but what I’d really like is a random tone per incoming message regardless of sender.

I’ve found a product called Best RandomRingtone which appears to do what I want but I’m not sure it will extend to message alerts too. I’ve not yet managed to shell out the $6.95 to find out. The lack of customer reviews or the fact that my phone isn’t listed may be putting me off.

Am I alone in thinking such a feature would be rather nice? Is there are product out there that will do what I’d like on a Symbian s60 phone? Do let me know.