Great app for travel enthusiasts!

Last week my boss shared an interesting app with me - Trip Case. If you are a travel enthusiast like me, you'd love it. In March 2009, I blogged about a similar app, Pocket Express, but Trip Case beats it downright. I've not come across a better travel app to date.

There are some inimitable features that make this app very useful. Push technology for flight status, dynamic flight information, alternate schedules and itinerary logs helps one to stay organized in travel. It also helps track car rental and hotel information, something which I haven't used at all. You can share your travel plans with friends or someone who'd be waiting at the airport to pick you up :). This will help when you have last minute delays as friends waiting at the airport will get push notifications about your flight status or can view the info online.

I tried it out last weekend and it was great. Once I entered my flight number and origin airport, all other fields such as arrival time, terminals, gates, weather etc were populated. It also displayed the carousel number for baggage claim. I loved this app and it is very useful for me. Strongly recommend.

"PERSONAS" - How does the internet see you?

MIT is at it yet again! Heights of innovation!!

Last week I came across MIT's PERSONAS, an innovative tool that creates a data portrait of one's 'aggregated online identity'. Once you enter your first and last names, PERSONAS algorithms scurry through the internet and characterize you based on your presence on the internet. It shows you how the Internet sees you.

I liked the explanation on PERSONAS' MIT homepage. The computer is corroborated to be far from an infallible assistant. PERSONAS' algorithms merely check for a name's presence on the internet and attempts to characterize him to a predetermined set of categories. However, it is absolutely fascinating to be able to see your digital imprint on the internet.

Here is a snapshot of my PERSONAS. Click the image to enlarge.

Flashcards in iPhone!!!

I stumbled across a rather useful app for iPhone - gFlash+. It is very handy for someone preparing for SAT, GRE or GMAT to keep track of word lists/math formula. And it doesn't stop at that. The best part is, this app can be linked to your Google Docs (Spreadsheets with two columns) and you can use the material in this spreadsheet for your flash cards. Furthermore, you can populate columns C-F and use data in these fields as multiple choices. gFlash+ also has its own template to create flashcards, but I'd strongly prefer syncing stuff with Google Docs. There are already some flashcards in gFlash's library (known as catalog), though it is not that helpful. I think gFlash+ can be used in an optimal way if you upload personalized spreadsheets through Google Docs and in that way you can refer to them on the go.

There is a limitation on the size of the file that you can upload to your iPhone via Google Docs. gFlash's documentation has the cap at 400 cells (200 rows with two columns). I already uploaded a couple of 400 cell datasets to my iPhone and it works great.

You can get gFlash+ from iTunes or alternatively through Appshopper.

Above all, this app is for free!!

Brainteaser!!

I was flummoxed by a certain word in English, a very tricky one. Here it is...

Question: There is a common English word that is nine letters long. Each time you remove a letter from it, it still remains an English word - from nine letters right down to a single letter. What is the original word, and what are the words that it becomes after removing one letter at a time?

Try to figure it out. Check the solution here.

Day out in Boston.

Boston has always been one of my favorite cities in the US and with my trip yesterday, my appreciation and bonding with this city grew further. I cannot pinpoint to what really makes me love this city. Some impressions have no reasons. The presence of Harvard and MIT contribute a lot to my impression. And yesterday, I had an opportunity to visit the revered Harvard University and have a glance at the marvellous MIT.

Firstly, the public transit was extraordinary. I did not have to rent a car. There was absolutely no necessity. Moreover, I read online that the parking rates are exorbitant and almost match the cost of taking a cab to your destination. Anyways, I did my research and carried the route map of MBTA's (Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority) subway routes. It was very helpful and of course, the fares were very cheap. I used MBTA subway to go to Harvard, downtown Boston and to City Point (Pleasure Bay).

Secondly, the climate was exhilarating. For someone coming from Phoenix, 65 F odd temperature is really cool. And the best part is, it was drizzling throughout. It has been ages since I spent nearly 5-6 hours in rain sporting an umbrella. It was a refreshing experience.

Thirdly, I loved the culture of the city. People with whom I've interacted were warm, friendly and courteous without any exceptions. Especially at Harvard University, I was very comfortable in navigating my way.

These three factors helped make my trip more comfortable. The reason I loved this trip though is because I got to visit Harvard. Harvard, Wharton, MIT and Stanford (in no particular order) are revered schools to me. I've been to Stanford last year as it is near to my place. But, I always wanted to visit Harvard Law and Harvard Business Schools. I made it yesterday. And I was mightily impressed with the ambience at HBS. It was serene, pristine and exquisite. It is a class act and truly represented its rank among B-Schools.

By the end of day, we were totally exhausted as we walked over 10 miles :). We mellowed down by evening and caught the flight back to hot hot Phoenix. I am guessing my next trip will be to Philadelphia. I'm eager to see how Wharton looks like.

One year of 'iPhone'ing

I've been using iPhone since Aug 29, 2008 last week marked its first anniversary. Overall, I am extremely satisfied with this device. There is nothing inchoate with it and that is what pleases me the most. I can get almost every task in my day-to-day life done using it. It is my favorite gadget to date and one that troubled me the least. My day begins with iPhone and ends with it :). I start my day by checking my emails and the phone alerts me about any tasks/events scheduled for that day. I also check that day's weather to be prepared for 100F+ temperatures that are normally dished out in Phoenix. And of course, I cannot help mentioning iPhone apps.

Many apps come and go and I have tried a handful of them. But some have been in my phone ever since I bought it. And these apps have been the most useful ones. I use them for day-to-day tasks. Apart from Apple's apps - Youtube, Weather, Maps, Calendar, Stocks and the flagship iPod, third-party apps that I frequently use are Dictionary, TapMeDo, Units, Word Warp, AroundMe, Mobicast, Bloomberg, BikePRO, The Weather Channel, Discovery, Midomi, Cheap Gas, and Google Earth. The list is endless and I haven't added any games to this list.

Some of these apps are very handy. Some of them worth describing are -
AroundMe: Helps you search for supermarkets, stores, gas stations, malls, parks what not that are nearby you. It searches these based on your current location and that makes this app all the more worthy.
Units: Another very useful app that helps you convert units between different systems and believe me, that really helps.
Mobicast: If you are a cricket crazy guy and want to track cricket scores on the go, then this is for you. Mobicast is from Cricinfo.
BikePRO: If you are keen on bicycling then this is a must app. This free version lets you track the distance you rode by day and time taken, max speed etc.
Bloomberg: Lets you track your portfolio.

I am yet to try some interesting apps like Evernote, Toodledo etc, but honestly, I am happy with the ones I got. They keep me busy for now. I have always been unequivocal in my appreciation of Apple products and am sure to stick with iPhone 'X'G when I renew my contract next year :)

Happy iPhoning!

One year of 'Civic'ing!

Yesterday marked the first anniversary of my first car, Honda Civic. It has been a fun ride all the while (pun intended). I bought this car on Aug 15, 2008. I was slightly nervous on road for the first couple of months. I got honked twice in these two months. First, when I tried to change the lane in the last second near a signal. The second instance was kind of scary. It was near a Circuit City store near our house. The entrance to this store was on a curvy road and I did not notice an oncoming car. I turned on my turn indicator and was entering the store's parking when I noticed a speeding car some 20 feet away. I sped my way through but man, it was close! Barring these two, I did not face any other untoward incidents. (Touch Wood!)

The price of fuel was highest in the month I purchase the car and was lowest in Jan 2009. I started off with a decent Miles Per Gallon (MPG) and am now at a good rate. Power blended with performance is a commendable feature in Civic. This impresses me the most. Check the charts below for the fuel price variations and my Civic's MPGs over the past year. Data point for June 2009 is missing as I was in India and did not refuel my car. (Click on the charts to enlarge them).

I am not a heavy-duty user; My office is nearby and I don't hit the freeways often. Average distance travelled per day over the last year is around 16 miles. This has contributed towards the good condition of my vehicle. Overall, the pros and cons are:

Pros:

(1) Economical mileage.

(2) Exceptional handling.

(3) Stylish exteriors and interiors.

(4) Very good features - good stereo and digital dashboard.

Cons:

(1) Quality of materials in interior isn't great. Hard plastic finishes for seats, dashboard.

Looking forward to more of 'Civic'ing.