Probstisms

So, Did I Switch to MobileMe?

Tim Probst — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 06:26:06 +0000

Well, dear readers, I promised to get back to you and let you know if I ever made the switch from Google Gmail and Google Calendar to the MobileMe suite, and now that it’s been a year, I figure I better let you know what happened.

Well, this is pretty simple folks. MobileMe has done absolutely nothing to convince me to transition from the Google application suite. MobileMe kind of reminds me of plain vanilla ice cream. Not the kind made with natural vanilla but the kind that has a yellowish tint made from imitation vanilla. It seems that at some point, my expectations for web applications has gone well beyond the customer that Apple is aiming to please.

It seems that Google is on the other end of the spectrum. It constantly works to improve its applications and produces impressive web applications using the latest technologies. That’s not to say that Apple isn’t doing the same with MobileMe, but the functionality that Apple produces is so simplified that it seems like something that was introduced five years ago. I’m sure there is a market for that type of thing, but it’s not a market I fit in anymore.

So, why am I sticking with Google? Well, it’s all about innovation and it’s all about standards. As I said before, Google seems to constantly improve its mail, contacts, and calendar programs. It is a leader in providing communications solutions like Google Talk and Google Voice. It is constantly on the cutting edge.

What’s even more interesting is that Google supports industry standards so thoroughly. Want to use any modern email program to access your Gmail account? No problem, Google has you covered with POP and IMAP. Want to use a modern calendar application to access your Google Calendar? No problem, Google has you covered with CalDAV.

Needless to say, I am still in the Google camp, and I am deeply entrenched at this point. Gmail (including chat), Google Calendar, Google Voice, Google Docs, YouTube, etc. It is going to take something so magical and so game changing to claw me away from Google that only one company on the planet has the ability to pull it off.

Come on Apple, MobileMe is not nearly good enough. Impress me! Convince me that you have the creativity and ability to produce something so game changing yet so right that everyone will want to use your web applications. You’ve clearly done it with the iPhone. Now do it one the web.

To All My iPhone Carrying Friends and Family

Tim Probst — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 15:20:18 +0000

Good morning all. I have been wanting to test out the newest version of AIM for iPhone to see if the push notifications really work as they suggest, and I am quite happy to report that they absolutely do.

What does this mean to you? Well, if you often send SMS messages to people with an iPhone or BlackBerry (and many other phones), this means that you can send messages via AIM in real time using your data plan instead of using your alloted SMS messages.

Additionally, AIM for iPhone allows you to send SMS messages for free to any of your iPhone contacts with mobile numbers via your AIM account. So not only can you communicate on the AIM network using your data plan, you can also communicate using SMS via AIM using your data plan. This seems to me like a great way to avoid spending money on an extra SMS plan.

What makes this extra special nice is that you can also communicate in real time with your AIM buddies using their computers as well. Can this get any better?

There are two versions of the AIM app on the iTunes Store: a free version supported by ads and a $2.99 version with no ads and landscape keyboard capabilities. For some, $2.99 is a small price to pay for a landscape keyboard.

Happy messaging!

Recent Kyah Videos Now on YouTube

Tim Probst — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 23:01:06 +0000

And He Can Tell Jokes Too!

Tim Probst — Tue, 12 May 2009 03:41:40 +0000

Swine Flu Info from the CDC

Tim Probst — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 05:22:08 +0000

Using Blogo to Post From Flickr

Tim Probst — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 22:06:02 +0000

I have been using Blogo to post to Twitter and this blog for some time now, and it really is an amazing piece of software.

One thing that is really nice is the Safari integration. For example, when I am viewing a Flickr photostream, set or tag page, I can click the Send to Blogo bookmark, and Blogo is smart enough to ask if I would like to include a link or a slideshow (see below). Blogo also has built in support for other sites like YouTube. Very nice.

Twitter Updates for 2009-02-07

Tim Probst — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 04:59:59 +0000

Hey Southwest! During the morning rush, you should probably make sure all of you computers work. Just a thought . . .. #
Rental company suggests 2.5 hours before flight but opens only 1 hour before first flights of day. Make sense to anyone? #

Twitter Updates for 2009-02-05

Tim Probst — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 04:59:59 +0000

I am convinced Congress does not understand Wall Street compensation. It’s easy; everyone is paid as if they were in sales. Top to bottom. #

Twitter Updates for 2009-02-03

Tim Probst — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 04:59:59 +0000

Heading to the office for the first time in a year for some intensive product training. Looking forward to seeing the new office and people. #
Bruce, no Rosalita? What’s the deal, man? #
Watching SportsCenter realizing I missed a really, really good game. #

Twitter Updates for 2009-02-02

Tim Probst — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 04:59:59 +0000

Had crappy pizza in Vegas out of boredom. Now In-N-Out is not in the cards. Very sad. #
I still cannot believe the only place to watch the game in the Vegas airport is in the jam packed Tequileria. Lame! #
On the plane. Taking off soon. First leg to Vegas then on to San Diego. Miss the direct flights to SD. #
I must be on the only full flight out of STL today. Rest of airport is empty for the most part. #
Sitting at lovely Lambert St. Louis Airport waiting for my flight. This place is dead. Must be Super Bowl Effect. #
Still coming to grips with the fact that I scheduled my flights today so I will be in the air for the entire Super Bowl. #
Out with Adler stocking up for the week. Store is pretty busy this morning. #

Twitter Updates for 2009-02-01

Tim Probst — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 04:59:59 +0000

Heading out to pick up Chinese for dinner. Yum! #
After much begging and pleading, I am handing the MacBook to Noah to play some PBS Kids games. #
I really like the RapidWeaver themes from Elixir. They’re having a huge sale right now. http://www.elixirgraphics.com/ #

More on Wall Street Bonuses

Tim Probst — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 02:04:39 +0000

In a follow up to my earlier post regarding Senator McCaskill’s drubbing of Wall Street executives, I wanted to give some perspective on the world of Wall Street bonuses. As I have said before, I am a proud former Merrill Lynch employee. At least at Merrill, there was very much a sales mentality that affected how people were paid regardless of whether or not that person was in a sales role. So, even for none sales employees, the annual bonus was very much an important part of a person’s compensation. As an example, in my final year with Mother Merrill, my annual bonus made up 37.5% of my compensation. So, in my case, the bonus was incredibly important for my family’s financial well being.

With that said, we non-executive employees were always told that bonuses were not guaranteed, and we should expect that they could be as little as nothing. We were told that the bonuses were based on several factors; first the performance of Merrill Lynch as a whole, then the performance of our business unit, and then our individual performance. That first criteria is what has me (and I think the rest of the country) really confused about how Merrill and other firms participating in TARP could possibly have had any money in their bonus pools to distribute to their executives and employees. If the companies were not profitable, how in the world did they have money in their bonus pools, and if they had money in their bonus pools, why would they not move it to their operating accounts to improve overall financial performance for their shareholders?

While I do not approve of the decisions the Wall Street executives made regarding bonuses (I am a shareholder after all), I have an idea about why they had to pay out the bonuses. If they had not paid bonuses at or near normal levels, the firms would be facing a massive exodus of high quality non-sales employees. You see, as was the case with my compensation and the compensation of others I worked with, the base salaries offered to non-sales employees were lower than those offered by other companies. It was the hope of a significant bonus and the prestige of working for a top firm on the Street that drew people to work for the big Wall Street banks.

If these companies are to survive and prosper, they must rethink and revolutionize the way they pay their non-sales employees. If they offer base salaries that compensate people for what they are worth, the bonus can become a true bonus, and there will be no pressure to hand out any bonuses when times are bad like they are now. This is something that should have been done years ago, and as a non-sales employee, I often spoke with co-workers about how I would have preferred being paid a competitive salary and offered little or no bonus. A lot of people felt the same way. Now, the firms may be forced to do something along these lines to regain the trust and faith of the American people.

Twitter Updates for 2009-01-31

Tim Probst — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 04:59:59 +0000

Relaxing after the daddy daughter dinner dance for Girl Scouts. Now watching Juno with @donnellprobst. Man, great life. #

Claire McCaskill Rocks!

Tim Probst — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 17:15:20 +0000

So, my Senator, Claire McCaskill, lit up Wall Street yesterday from the Senate floor. It was a fantastic speech and something that needed to be said out loud. I used to work for Merrill Lynch and was very proud to have been a part of that institution. It did bother me a lot when the upper management team would receive enormous bonuses compared to regular employees like me. This was especially true during years when the bonus pool was apparently down, and regular employees did not get bonuses that were on par with other years.

Well, it looks like Senator McCaskill has had enough, and she has my support. Here is a video from MSNBC after her impassioned speech.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Pinball Wizard

Tim Probst — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 16:28:15 +0000

For those of you that follow me on Twitter or Facebook, I have been calling my son the Pinball Wizard in honor of his mad skills on Mappy, Galaga, Pole Position, and Pac Man. For a four year old, I am constantly amazed how quickly he picks up new (old) games. He has even taken over the high scores on some of the games, but I’m practicing!

So, in honor of my Pinball Wizard son, Noah . . . The Who!