james jennings

Pretty pumped about this one: we released Medsy, a medication reminder application, about two weeks ago.  In fact, we've already been able to release v1.0.1 which includes some usability fixes, as reported by our users (we love our users!). Medsy allows you to manage your medications, receiving automated reminders when it's time to take them. 

So I'm working on some iPhone/iPod Touch projects, and just wanted to vent really quick about some frustrations of working with Objective-C.  I come from a C# background (meaning I'm used to being spoiled), but I think this is pretty silly.

Software development is a complicated undertaking; video game development, even more so.  There are so many stakeholders, so many moving parts, that when the system works, and good software is produced, it can be amazing.  Being in the software field, I’ve seen lots of software, in various states of completeness, and I’ve written plenty of bad code in my time.  However, I just came across (and paid for) one of the worst piles of bits to call itself software: the iPhone OS version of Madden NFL 10.

I’m not sure how many people have been following the goings on between Google, Apple and AT&T regarding Google Voice.  For the uninitiated, what’s going down is like this: Google Voice, Google’s VOIP product, is slowly being rolled out.  Google Voice gives its users a single phone number tied to the individual, that controls all of that person’s phones.  See that phone number (which spells 707 92 JAMES) on the top left of this page?  That’s my Google Voice number.  Call it, and if it’s during business hours, it rings my cell phone.  If I chose to have a landline at my home or office, I could have those phones ring as well.  If I can’t get to the phone, Google Voice handles the voicemail as well.  I can read a transcript of what you said through a web interface (the transcript is also texted to my phone), and click a button to initiate a call back to you.  I can also text your phone from the Google Voice website.

As a website owner, I know a lot of things about my visitors.  In fact, if you’re reading this, I know where you live.

Well, OK, not exactly.

I do know where your computer is located, down to the city/town level.  I know who you get your internet from, and how fast your connection is.  I know what web browser you’re using, what operating system you’re running, and your screen resolution.  If you’re reading this on a mobile device, I know that too.  I know how long you are on my site, and which pages you read.

But how did you get here?  Maybe you typed in http://jamesjennin.gs directly.  Maybe you opened up a link in an email, or got here from your RSS reader.  Did you click on a link on Twitter or Facebook?  Maybe you searched Google using some keywords and ended up here.  I know all of that as well.