Month: December 2008

Flickr + iPhone = Sweet!

Posted by Shane – December 30, 2008

I was just playing around with Flickr on my iPhone and noticed that you can upload images to your Flickr account via a unique email address that is specific to your account. With this new found knowledge I set about uploading a few pictures to test it out, and it works great. I then began to think that it would be nice to be able to tag the photos from the email (the subject line becomes the photo’s title), but how to do this wasn’t readily apparent. A quick search on Google led me to this handy bit of information from the Flickr Help:

Just type “tags:” in the subject line or body of the email followed by the list of tags you want added to the photo(s).

Doesn’t get much simpler than that! Here is a link to the set I created for pictures uploaded from my iPhone: http://www.flickr.com/photos/celerity/sets/72157611915278668/.

[UPDATE] Feature request – Allow separate email addresses for individual photo sets in my Flickr account.

[UPDATE] Apparently Apple added geocoding to the camera when they released the iPhone 2.0 software update, very nice…

omg ur bn robbed

Posted by Shane – December 29, 2008

The New York Times has just posted an article about a particularly annoying pet peeve of mine. Since owning an iPhone I have had numerous arguments with people regarding the iPhone’s lack of MMS (picture text messages). These people ridicule the iPhone over it’s lack of this “feature”. The basic argument is thus: “My phone can send pictures in a text message, why can’t your shiny new iPhone?”. No matter that their phone can’t send or receive email, which is an exponentially better messaging platform than SMS or MMS. What everyone that has argued over this fails to understand is that they are being ripped off by this amazing and wonderful “feature”. The cell phone carriers are charging exorbitant amounts of money to send tiny, text based messages and blurry photos to and from cell phones exclusively (excluding the SMS/MMS to email gateways). I can send a photo attached to an email to a phone or computer. It can be viewed on any number of devices and it doesn’t cost me anything extra. SMS should be free, it doesn’t cost the cell phone carriers anything (relatively) to deliver the messages. MMS should go away and be replaced with email on all phones. Neither should be touted as a “feature”.

On a side note: I am actually a little upset that AT&T requires that I have a text messaging plan in my contract, I would prefer to never send or receive messages via text messaging as it is an old and over-priced technology. That I am forced to pay a flat rate for a text-messaging plan is ridiculous.

Cars I like

Posted by Shane – December 8, 2008

Amidst all the turmoil in the US auto industry I have decided to compile a short list of cars that, if offered in the US by any of the Big 3 would sell well and perhaps reverse their current state of affairs. Common to all three of the cars in this list, small, economical, good quality, safe, fun to drive, not made by the Big 3. I don’t want a giant truck or a car designed by accountants and built for fleet sales.

Honda Civic (UK)

Honda Civic (UK)


1. Honda Civic 3 Door: Unfortunately, this vehicle is only available outside of the US. Apparently the major auto manufacturers don’t think that Americans want to buy sporty, economical and uber-convenient hatchbacks.

Subaru Imreza WRX

Subaru Imreza WRX


2. Subaru Impreza WRX: Unlike the Civic, this one is available in the US. Fortunately Subaru have seen the error of their ways in regards to the less than stellar performance of the 2008 model year and have made the 2009 WRX more like it’s predecessors. Only time will tell if it will maintain the iconic rally car status of years past. Unfortunately, the gas mileage is not all that impressive.

Audi A3

Audi A3


3. Audi A3: This is such a nice car! The only problem with this one is, of course, the price.