My Blackberry Feature Wishlist

by Matthew Krieger

Posted on January 30, 2008
Filed Under Consumer Electronics, Corporate IT, Miscellaneous | Leave a Comment

The Blackberry has been so successful as a mobile email device in part because it offers good enough completeness of experience and integration with corporate email systems (Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Notes being the canonical examples). By “completeness of experience” I’m referring to the fact that most of what you can do natively in the email lifecycle in Outlook/Exchange and Notes you can do on the device. There are a number of gaps – gaps which force me to use the native email client to accomplish basic tasks – and I’d like to see them addressed.

In no particular order (and from a Lotus Notes-centric point of view):

Any Blackberry/Notes experts out there that can comment?

The iPod Touch Could Do a Better Job with Podcasts

by Matthew Krieger

Posted on January 23, 2008
Filed Under Consumer Electronics, Miscellaneous | 4 Comments

I’m a big fan of podcasts; I think the medium is excellent. I’ve used the 5G Video iPod and the iPod Touch and I think Apple took a step backwards with the Touch’s support for podcasts. The experience just isn’t optimal.

The following are annoyances and/or problems (in no particular order) which I hope Apple will address with a firmware update:

Update (2/3/08):

  • While in landscape mode you don’t get volume or position controls.

These annoyances are somewhat compensated for by the fact that the Touch is a pleasure to use, but it would be nice if Apple could address these issues.

Update (6/21/09): It looks like Apple has addressed some of these issues.

Usng Google’s “Did you mean?” Feature as a Better Spell Cheker

by Matthew Krieger

Posted on January 20, 2008
Filed Under Internet | 3 Comments

Over the years I’ve used Dictionary.com to spell-check the odd word here and there. Recently however I’ve started using Google’s “Did you mean?” feature as my official spell-checker.

Did you know?


Most people have used Google’s “Did you mean?” feature even without knowing it. It works very simply – if you do a Google search on a misspelled word, you’ll most likely be asked, “Did you mean: correctly_spelled_word“. This feature wasn’t built as a spell-checker per-se (in other words, the audience for this feature isn’t generally people looking up the proper spelling of words but rather the person who incorrectly types a search term. Recognizing that the search term is spelled incorrectly (which would return poor results) Google suggests the proper spelling so you can get the results you expect.

However, there’s no reason that “Did you mean?” can’t be used directly as a spell checker, and that’s exactly how I use it now. I like it better than the dictionary sites because a) I get just the results I want (the correctly spelled word), b) the results are nearly instant since I have a Google search box just a single click or keystroke away and c) most dictionary sites are built to define words that you spell correctly, not correct incorrectly spelled words (therefore, you end up typing in the incorrectly spelled word several times in trial and error mode until you get the answer you’re looking for).

Give it a try. Go to Google and type in an incorrectly spelled word or search phase and you should get a “Did you mean?” suggestion.

Interesting Points from the Book “Standing Next to History: An Agent’s Life Inside the Secret Service” by Joseph Petro

by Matthew Krieger

Posted on January 19, 2008
Filed Under Books | Leave a Comment

I’ve always been fascinated by the United States Secret Service, especially the procedures, regiment and strict discipline associated with presidential protection. (The Secret Service actually started out as an arm of the U.S. Treasury department with the responsibility of fighting the counterfeiting of U.S. currency, however aspect is far less sexy and interesting to me.) I just finished the book, “Standing Next to History: An Agent’s Life Inside the Secret Service“, written by Joseph Petro, a former agent who spent 4 years of his service protecting Ronald Reagan. The book was interesting and an easy read.

   

The following are some facts (according to the author) that I found especially interesting (in order of mention in the book):

  • The President doesn’t eat anything unless the origin of the contents and who handled it are known.  At state banquets for example, it appears that the President is eating the same food as everyone else, but his meal is cooked by White House stewards who actually source the same ingredients themselves.  There are exceptions, like when the President is at a baseball game and wants a hot dog.  In this case an agent will randomly select a vendor and make a purchase.
  • While at an Orioles game, Reagan ordered three hot dogs, handed the vendor $5 and said keep the change.  However the hot dogs were $2 a piece and Reagan’s staff had to chip in the difference.
  • Upon hearing gunshots, most people instinctively duck and cover.  Secret Service agents are trained to unholster their weapons, stand up and return fire.
  • By design, the President is never more than 10 minutes away from a trauma center.  In the case of foreign soil where there may not be a trusted hospital within range, the Navy may actually locate a ship with full trauma and medical facilities in proximity.
  • The legislation creating the Secret Service was actually on Lincoln’s desk waiting to be signed on the same day he was assassinated.  However it wasn’t until 1901 that the charter of the Secret Service grew to include presidential protection.
  • The Secret Service has protected the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Gutenberg Bible and the Mona Lisa, in addition to human protectees.
  • Secret Service protection of the President and Vice President are mandatory; it cannot be turned down.  Spousal protection is optional.
  • Most presidential trips are preceded by three Service Service visits for surveying and planning purposes.  The first trip is typically 3 to 5 months prior and is called the “survey”.  The second trip is 1 month prior and is called the “preadvance”.  One week prior to the President’s trip the site is visited by advance team.  Other agents arrive 1-2 days prior to the President’s visit for bug sweeping and securing and final prep.
  • The President travels with a password (although it’s carried by an aide).  It needs to be processed like any other.
  • Early in his Secret Service career, Petro was advised never to put the President higher than the 9th floor in a hotel, which is the maximum height that ladder trucks can reach.  In addition, the Secret Service takes over three entire floors.  The President would go in the middle with agents above and below.
  • The Oval Office doors are always locked and they don’t open like regular doors; there’s a trick to it.  The same applies to the doors on the limo.
  • Protectees are assigned code names by the White House Communications Agency (WHCA), with family member’s code names starting with the same letter.  For example, George Bush 41 was “Timberwolf” and Barbara Bush was “Tranquility”.
  • Family and friends who send letters to the President use a special, private mailing address. 
  • When the President travels, the Secret Service flies around their own cars  They typically bring two complete sets in case there’s a problem.  This includes two presidential limos.
  • Reagan worked in his residence in the early morning and always came to the Oval Office at 9 AM – no sooner and no later.  If Reagan was ready earlier he’d pace for a few minutes while looking at his watch.
  • When the President or First Lady went shopping, the Secret Service would never carry their bags as it would interfere with their “operational readiness”.
  • Whenever the President traveled, he had with him a slew of Secret Service agents, a doctor, a WHCA officer and the military aide (the person who carries the nuclear football) at all times.
  • 95% of the threats against the President and Vice President come from people in mental institutions or are otherwise disturbed.
  • Nearly everyone who comes under the attention of the Secret Service as a potential threat is interviewed.
  • Reagan’s Secret Service detail took intensive horseback riding training because he was such an avid rider.
  • To get off his horse, Reagan always did the Italian dismount.  In this maneuver, the rider swings one leg forward and over the horse and then slides down off the side.
  • The Secretary of State is protected by State Department Security, who conduct separate advance trips than the Secret Service, even if they’ll be traveling together to the same place.
  • During trips, a Secret Service agent would be stationed at the nearest hospital trauma center.
  • The Secret Service has to be in the presence of the President at all times, so Petro attended several of Reagan’s colonoscopies during his colon cancer recuperation.
  • An AOP is an Attack on the President.  The Secret Service trained for multiple kinds of AOP scenarios, including during normal walks or motorcades, skiing, scuba diving, and horseback riding.
  • AOPs scenarios don’t get run at the White House because agents running around with guns drawn would upset the staff.  As a result, a model of the White House facade was built at the Secret Service training facility in Beltsville, MD.
  • Dan Quayle would make impromptu visits to Dairy Queen because he and Dairy Queen have the same initials.
  • The inaugural ceremony is a military event run by the Military District of Washington.
  • Air Traffic Control (ATC) clears the airspace wherever Air Force One flies.
  • President Reagan logged more miles (631,640) on Air Force One than Nixon, Ford and Carter combined (566,386).
  • The largest Secret Service protective effort ever was during the Pope’s 1987 visit to the US.