I’ve been having a problem with my website. I had switched the type of my hosting service with Go Daddy, and after that switch the problem started. While the site was fast enough, my admin login was slow to the point of not even loading the page.

I got on the telephone with Go Daddy service support and they did a couple of things and then told me the server was just fine. They surmised that one or more of my plugins was causing the PHP files to load really slow.

The suggestion was to deactivate all of my plug-ins and delete the ones I was not using. Then to reactivate my plugins one at a time to make sure there was no problem. I tried deactivating my plugins, but the webpage was so slow that it kept timing out.

I found a support article on Go Daddy that suggested I rename the plug-ins folder so that WordPress wouldn’t know where the plugins were located. I named it plugins_test.

This certainly allowed WordPress to load quickly and I was able to navigate within the admin section, but I got an error because WordPress couldn’t find the plugin folder. Once I renamed the plugin_test folder to plugins, everything was back to its normal speed. I deactivated all my plugins, then activated those I thought essential, and deleted the rest.

The biggest problem was solved when I renamed the plugins folder to allow WordPress to run unfettered.

[UPDATE]

My Bad. I misunderstood the Mobile Share plan to include the first Smartphone in the Data plan. What a bad assumption that was. Instead of saving money, I will increase my current bill by $5 and get 1 GB more of data. Not the savings I was hollering about below in my original post.

The 3GB Mobile Share plan is $70, but in reality you have to have a Smartphone, so for me, with two Smartphones, the additional cost is $40 for the first phone and $40 for the second phone. I just assumed that because at least one smartphone was require for a Mobile Share plan, that the first phone was included in the the Data plan. (I said that didn’t I) The other advantage, if you could call it that, is that the extra $5 also buys me FaceTime over cellular (3G) and Tethering. Plus the Mobile Share plans allow me to tap into the AT&T wireless networks for free.

Damn, I was hoping for some savings.

Original Post (Please Disregard)

I cant’ wait for the AT&T Mobile Share Plans to arrive because it’s going to be a really good deal for me. I save money and get twice the data!

Here’s the situation. I have an iPhone. My wife has an iPhone. My mother-in-law has a regular phone. We have a Family Talk Plan with AT&T.

Simple enough, but usage patterns come into play. My mother-in-law talks on her phone abundantly. It’s her lifeline. So I have AT&T’s Family Talk 1400 Plan.

Then there is my wife and niece who are in cahoots with the scrapbooking thing. That burns up a lot of text messages. This requires the Family Messaging Unlimited feature.

My Data use requires the DataPro 3GB plan. My wife gets by with 200GB of Data.

Here’s what my current AT&T plan is costing me per month without any taxes.

When the new AT&T Mobile Share Plans arrive you buy Shared Data, and get unlimited texting and talk. Each phone is extra, but everyone shares the data and everyone gets unlimited texting and talk. (Did I mention that?)

Here’s what I’m looking forward to with the new Mobile Share Plans.

I can save $35 per month and still get 1GB more Data with the 4GB plan. However, I’ll probably get the 6GB Plan, which will double my Data and save me $20 per month.

FaceTime is likely to burn more data with the new availability over cellular with this Mobile Share plan, so the extra data will give me room to expand my usage without worry for the foreseeable future.

There’s been a big uproar in the Tech Press recently since AT&T has announced that FaceTime will expand to cellular (3G) only with the Mobile Share plans. Everyone is complaining they’re getting hosed by having to switch plans to get FaceTime over 3G. No one has considered if the Mobile Share plans are really an advantage over the older plans. Plans that will eventually be the minority, in my opinion.

I can generate a note with the notetaking app Notability just by clicking the text icon and pressing the dictation button on my iPad third-generation keyboard and then dictating with my voice. Oh how I love the voice dictation.

The other really great feature that I found with Notability is that you can record sound while you take notes. This is great for me because I am notoriously slow when taking notes. To have the recorded conversation available to me later on is a great benefit in taking accurate notes.

Of course I’m also good at breaking things, so when I tried to record sound in my note and then use the voice dictation simultaneously the app crashed. If I would have thought about it beforehand I probably wouldn’t have done that, because if you think about it dictation uses the microphone and so does the sound recorder.

That being said, this is a fantastic app for taking notes. What’s great is the beautiful design and the “simple to use” interface.

The Notability app comes with a couple of files, one for an Introduction, and the second is a Users Guide. Both are very well written, especially the User Guide, which will get you up and running on all of the features in very little time.

You can also sync your notes with Dropbox, which can be done in several different formats: Text, RTF, PDF, and you can include sound with PDF and RTF formats.

Here are some of the major features:
◦ Full-featured Handwriting
◦ PDF Annotation
◦ Advanced Word-Processing
◦ Linked Audio Recording
◦ Auto-sync
◦ Media Insertion
◦ Library Organization

The Notability App is designed for the iPad, and just had an update for the retina display. I highly recommend this app.

Did I mention that it’s on sale right now for $.99 in the iTunes store?

iTunes link

Notability website

I didn’t automatically purchase the new iPad upon launch, which demonstrates a remarkable degree of restraint on my part. However there were three features that kept popping into my mind, unbidden.

Of course these three features were only compelling to me because of my unique situation. That being: I write articles for my two blogs and take photos and videos for my wife’s website. You also have to keep in mind that I already own an iPad 2 AND an iPhone 4S, so it’s not like I really needed the new iPad.

My three compelling features are voice dictation, 1080p video, and a 5 megapixel camera. I didn’t consider the retina display that big a draw for me because I was happy with the resolution on the iPad 2, and quite frankly I don’t have much 1080p content anyway, at least in digital format.

The voice dictation feature is something I use a lot. It saves me a great deal of time as opposed to typing on the iPad keyboard, or even using a wireless keyboard. And I found it very frustrating to have voice dictation on my iPhone 4S, but when using my iPad 2 it wasn’t available.

As I mentioned before, I shoot a lot of video with my iPhone 4S for my wife’s blog. So having another source of 1080p video was compelling. And let’s face it, the viewscreen on the iPad is just plain awesome because it’s so big.

And I have to say for the record that the iPad 2 camera just plain sucks, as far as megapixels go. Although in its defense it does have better color balance than the iPhone 4. So I’m quite happy with the new 5 megapixel camera on the new iPad. It’s not as great as the iPhone 4S, but it won’t disappoint.

Unexpected Impressions of the New iPad

After buying the iPad and using it for a while there’s one thing that stands out, and that’s the speaker. It is so much better than the iPad 2. When watching movies or TV shows, the sound coming out of the speaker is really impressive. I’d read about that in a couple places but it didn’t really register how much of an improvement it would be in terms of sound output.

And after having the iPad 2 you really do notice how much heavier and thicker the new iPad is. It doesn’t really bother me because I usually hold the iPad with two hands and a lot of the times it’s either propped up or resting on my leg, but you do notice the extra thickness and weight.

And I didn’t mention this before, but my iPad 2 was a 16 GB model, which is just too small for me. My new iPad third-generation is a 32 GB model that’s just right.

I take a fair amount of photos on my iPhone 4S, but I also shoot 1080 P video as well, which takes up a lot of space. And while photos don’t count towards your iCloud storage, the videos do.

So to keep from going over my 5 GB “free” storage allotment in iCloud, there are times when I need to delete my video’s inside the Photos app. But I have to find them first!

If there are five videos spread throughout 200-plus photos, it becomes difficult to locate them if you don’t know this little trick.

Filter Videos in the Photo App

Open the native Camera app on the iPhone, and in the bottom left corner tap on the little square, which will take you to the last photo in the native Photo app.

In the top left corner tap Camera Roll.

At the top of the screen, if you look close enough, you will see three tabs for All, Photos, Videos. Just tap Videos.

The Photos app will filter only videos for you to see.

A handy little tricky when you need find all those large video files. This trick also works on the iPad.

Hopefully Apple will put this handy filter in the Photos app in a future iOS update.

I was slightly paranoid about installing OS X Lion on my MacBook Pro, which was a little over a year old and running Snow Leopard. So here’s what I did to prepare for the big upgrade.

I went old school and wrote down every app on my Mac that didn’t come with OS X. Then I checked the APPLICATION COMPATIBILITY WIKI FOR MAC OS X LION & IOS 5 for each app.

There are four basic categories.

• It works a-okay
• Has some problems
• Does not work properly
• Has not been tested

For each app in the has some problems category, I kept only those I couldn’t live without and deleted the rest.

There were no apps in the third group – those that didn’t work properly – so I didn’t have to face that issue.

But there were some apps on my Mac that hadn’t been tested. The site lists url’s to the app home page and this is where I found out that the HP Utility and Scan programs are automatically updated by Apple Software Updates. In a couple of cases, programs had fallen out of use and I deleted those. I also left three of the Not Tested programs on my Mac because I didn’t want to be without them. (They ended up working.)

To delete apps from my Mac I used the freeware program AppCleaner. A great program that helps someone like me, who is new to the Mac ecosystem and doesn’t want to look for those elusive program files in places that are hidden from normal users.

I used DaisyDisk to give me a visual representation of the space on my hard drive. I had plenty of space for Lion but decided this was a good time to clean up the hard drive before making a backup copy.

I emptied the trashed files in iPhoto, and then emptied out the Trash.

My next move was to run the Time Machine and make a complete backup of my Mac to my portable drive.

Having done all that I felt ready to download OS X Lion from the Mac app store and then do an install.

It went well and I’m pleased with the result.

Using Siri in the Notes App on your iPhone 4S is an easy way to compose, then send a long email. The advantage of this technique is twofold.

The first is that Siri will enter your spoken words as text, which is about five times faster than typing. The drawback is learning how to speak clearly, and at the right pace, so that Siri interprets your words correctly.

It also helps to know how to speak punctuation and use minor commands with Siri so you can easily spit out sentences and paragraphs without having to think too much. Just speaking “period” and “comma” will give you simple punctuation, and speaking “new paragraph” will position the cursor two lines down.

The second advantage is that you’re able to compose an email message in stages. You can just close your notes app and come back to it later when you are ready to compose more (or the rest of) of your message. This means not having to save a draft email.

When you have your message all composed and ready to send there’s one thing you need to know. The very first line of the note will be the subject line of the email AND the first line in the body.

When you’re ready to send the email just tap the share button in the Notes App and tap Email. Then choose who gets the email, check your subject line, and you’re ready send your email.

I use the Notes App to compose emails that are sent out every week or every month. It gives me a place to document ideas as they occur instead of waiting for the last minute and rely on my memory.

I feel very comfortable talking to Siri on my iPhone when I’m alone, but when I’m in the presence of my wife it feels too strange, almost private. Even when it’s in the seclusion of my living room.

Well, that’s the way I felt at first. Now after spending some time learning HOW to talk to Siri, I feel far more comfortable talking TO my phone in front of my wife.

Out in public is a different story. It seems the prevailing social convention is to be discreet when talking on a cell phone in public places.

We’ve all been around the person that violates that norm by talking, usually loudly, on a cell phone in public. But cell phones are an integral part of our lives now, so there is some acceptance of their use, usually on a sliding scale according to your age group. Young = acceptable, Old = Not so much.

A lot depends on the public place. A library is a definite no-no. In a noisy train station, much less bothersome.

Whatever our level of comfort regarding normal cell phone use, having a conversation with your iPhone in public is another thing altogether. It just feels like it should be “private.”

But time passes and with frequent usage comes familiarity and a lessening of the fear of using Siri in public. When that happens, more people will be setting reminders, timers, adding things to lists, listening to text messages from Siri and returning them verbally, setting up meetings for their calendar, and the list goes on.

The best time to actually use Siri is when you are out-and-about because it simplifies things considerably. Reading that text message and dictating a reply is vital technology nowadays (keep your eyes on the road).

Soon people out in public will start noticing others that seem to be carrying-on rather strangely with their iPhone. How long before the public debate begins? How long will it be before talking to Siri on our iPhone in public is socially acceptable?

Probably not in my lifetime, but then again, who knows?

[UPDATE]

After conceiving of the idea for this post a couple of weeks ago, I wrote this post last week and scheduled it for Friday. Inevitably that seems disingenious since Lifehacker published a blog post on Thursday that touches on the same subject, but nevertheless true. However, their article has a few good suggestions on the proper etiquette for talking to your phone in public. I highly recommend you read the article: How Can I Talk to My Phone in Public Without Looking Like a Jerk/Creep/Weirdo?.

A nice little ebook about Siri from iTunes. (Affiliate Link)
Talking to Siri: Learning the Language of Apple’s Intelligent Assistant

My great idea today was to use the Notes app on my iPhone, my headset with mic, and Siri to dictate a blog post on the drive home. What I didn’t realize is that there doesn’t seem to be a hands-free way to activate the dictation button on the keyboard.

However, voice dictation works fairly well for me and I’m able to get a lot of my thinking down on “paper” so-to-speak.

The other thing I noticed is that pressing the Done button after I’m through speaking is not a hands-free activity. Although, I can solve this problem by waiting for the 40-45 second time-limit that automatically ends the dictation.

Another drawback is if you don’t speak clearly, then Siri will get some of the words wrong and proofreading is not something you want to do in the car while driving.

Having said that, and I mean that “literally,” I don’t really have anything to say.

Of course if I was to really decide to write a blog post, I would need a topic and maybe even an outline before I started. That always helps to put a little structure to your words, while running off at the mouth.

The Remote Dictate app allows you to speak into your iPhone 4S and the text appears on your computer screen. This is a great way to get your thoughts out of your head and onto the screen in a hurry.

Some of the commands don’t work, but that’s a small price to pay for this app that is free right now. If you say “new paragraph” the app will freeze and not generate any more text. Same thing if you say “new line.” These are normal commands in the Siri/Dragon Dictation lexicon.

However, you can speak things like “open parenthesis” a secret comment “close parenthesis” to get (a secret comment). Speak “open quote” a secret comment “close quote” and you get “a secret comment” which is normal behavior for Siri/Dragon Dictation.

You can even use the keyboard to type text on your computer screen or use the Return button to generate a new paragraph.

This app requires the Mobile Mouse Server software, which I downloaded from the Mac App Store.

To get up and running all you have to do is launch the Mobile Mouse Server software, open the Remote Dictate app on your iPhone 4S, then open a program that you can enter text into like TextEdit, Notepad, Pages, or Word.

Then press the microphone button and start dictating. There is a limitation of about 40 seconds that Siri will time out if you haven’t pressed the Done button.

When you’re finished press Done and words will jump out at you on the computer screen.

It’s pretty awesome!

Just in case you missed it, this app only works with the iPhone 4S. And the Mobile Mouse software does work with Windows or Mac.

Even with the limitations of having to speak clearly to get the right words, this app is much faster than typing. My kind of App!