Monthly Archive for July, 2009

Forward Voicemail to Google Voice

Published on July 31, 2009. Comments Tags: amp, AT&T, call forwarding, Cancel, dest, Google, Google Voice, iPhone, iphone visual voicemail, nice thing, number, phone, Retain, T. In, T. The, voice number, voicemail, voicemail forward.

Thanks to a post on mobilitee.org I have found a way to send all my missed, ignored, declined, or any other unanswered call for any reason to my Google Voice voicemail rather than my AT&T voicemail.

Quoting their post directly:

Note that [dest] is the number you want to forward to (eg +12025551234) and [sec] is the number of seconds to let the phone ring before forwarding (in the no answer case). [sec] can range from 5-30 in 5 second increments.

Forward All:
Activate: *21*[dest]*11#
Cancel & Retain: #21*11#
Re-establish: *21*11#
Cancel & Forget: ##21*11#
Status: *#21*11#

If Busy:
Activate: *67*[dest]*11#
Cancel & Retain: #67*11#
Re-establish: *67*11#
Cancel & Forget: ##67*11#
Status: *#67*11#

if no answer:
Activate: *61*[dest]*11*[sec]#
Cancel & Retain: #61*11#
Re-establish: *61*11#
Cancel & Forget: ##61*11#
Status: *#61*11#

If Unreachable:
Activate: *62*[dest]*11#
Cancel & Retain: #62*11#
Re-establish: *62*11#
Cancel & Forget: ##62*11#
Status: *#62*11#

While testing, I found that the activate code works as expected (15 seconds seems about right for me), and the Cancel & Retain codes brought it right back to using the iPhone visual voicemail.

I followed the instructions to activate all of these features accept ‘Forward all’ because if you do that then your phone doesn’t ring, and all I want is to send missed/ignored/declined/unanswered calls to Google Voice rather than AT&T.

In order I dialed the following:
Dial *61*[dest]*11*30# and hit send.
Dial *62*[dest]*11# and hit send.
Dial *67*[dest]*11# and hit send.

Thanks to an article about Call Forwarding on Wikipedia, I found a much shorter way to do all that.

*004*[phone number]#

I replaced [phone number] with the number 1 and then my 10 digit Google Voice number, like so; *004*12223334444#

The nice thing is Google Voice sends me an email and sms message when someone leaves me a voicemail, so I am notified and can check it right away.

I Now Have Google Voice

Published on July 31, 2009. Comments Tags: Apple, apps, AT&T, donotcall gov, Google, Google Voice, invitation, invite, iPhone, number, phone, phone spam, sms, spam, text, text message, time, Voice, voice number.

I was pretty impressed just hearing about it. Now it’s time to test it out.

Feel free to call or text me at +1 (775) 393-9397

Over the next few days or weeks or whatever, I will decide how comfortable I am using it for different features. The more I like it, the more I am likely to straight up deactivate other services in favor of replacing them with Google Voice.

One thing is for sure already, I have every intention of using this as my primary phone number and will be making my best effort to remove any other phone numbers associated with me from any place I am able. I am even mildly considering changing my cell number and never giving it out for any purpose whatsoever, in favor of the Google Voice number (although that is unlikely to happen any time soon).

Also, since I am an iPhone user, my decisions about how usable Google Voice is for me will probably be affected by whether or not I find a decent app (whether through the Apps Store or Cydia) to make the transition easier.

Anyone who has not yet signed up for a Google Voice invite should visit their invitation website: https://services.google.com/fb/forms/googlevoiceinvite/

On another note, I recommend visiting and registering at https://donotcall.gov/ which hopefully would stop phone spam (like telemarketers) from calling your number.

Jailbreak/Unlock Future Proofing

Published on July 17, 2009. Comments Tags: 3.0, 3G, 3GS, amp, app, Apple, apple updates, apps, Cydia, device, firmware, home button, iPhone, Jailbreak, keyboard, new features, NOT, software firmware, theme, Unlock, UPDATE.

This post is a quick FAQ and a must read for anyone who had me Jailbreak or Unlock their iPhone or iPod Touch.

What shouldn’t I update?
If an update for your device OR for iTunes comes out DO NOT UPDATE.
Let me repeat;
DO NOT UPDATE ITUNES ON YOUR COMPUTER!
DO NOT UPDATE THE FIRMWARE ON YOUR IPHONE/IPOD TOUCH!
Updating iTunes may prevent your device from syncing.
Updating your device will un-jailbreak and re-lock your device! If you are not on AT&T and you update your firmware you will NOT be able to use your iPhone.

What can I update?
You can and should update packages in Cydia, apps you got from Installous, or apps from the apps store.

Can I restore from a backup?
No. Even if you back up the device after it has been jailbroken or unlocked you CAN NOT restore. If you do your device will no longer be jailbroken or unlocked.

What if I accidentally undo the jailbreak or unlock somehow?
If you are comfortable doing it yourself I can guide you through it. Otherwise I would advise you come back to me to have your device set up again.

What is Cydia?
Cydia is a package installer. It allows you to add software that Apple did not approve to your iPhone. You should open Cydia periodically (once a week or so) and allow it to check for updates. If an option to upgrade “Complete” or “Essential” is presented it is best to select “Complete”.
Otherwise, aside from themes, Cydia has some pretty advanced stuff inside that you more than likely don’t need.

What is Winterboard?
This is where you turn themes on and off.

How do I get/use themes?
To get themes, open Cydia, tap the Sections tab, scroll through the list to find entries that look like “Themes (battery)” or “Themes (keyboard)” and then browse through those lists for the theme you want. Once you have found the theme there should be an install button in the top corner.
To turn a theme on after installing it open Winterboard, find your theme, tap it (this will add a check next to it’s name), then press the home button. Your phone will respring, which is kind of like rebooting.

There may be more to this guide in the future, but this should cover the important basics.

New Marquee

Published on July 9, 2009. Comments Tags: com, Eric Nemchik, Magdalena, visualprecept, Web, Website.

Thanks to Magdalena (visualprecept.com).

I finally feel like my website really says ‘Eric Nemchik’ when you look at it.

Tables vs CSS

Published on July 9, 2009. Comments Tags: Apple, article, Chrome, code, CSS, css tables, FireFox, future tense, Google, google research, IE, IE6, IE7, IE8, Internet Explorer, Microsoft, microsoft doesn, Mozilla, Opera, response, Safari, time, W3, w3 standards, W3C.

In response to an email I recently received, I was asked my opinion about this article: http://www.decloak.com/Dev/CSSTables/CSS_Tables_01.aspx

There is a lot to be said about this subject (as seen by searching Google http://www.google.com/search?q=tables+vs+css ).

The writer brings up a few valuable points, such as Microsoft’s incompetence when it comes to making IE8 worth using.

Some things that made me laugh;
The article refers to Netscape 7 and IE6 as ‘new’.
It mentions IE7 and IE8 (but sounds like they are referring to them in a future tense).

In general this article is basically saying ‘if Microsoft doesn’t conform then neither should web developers’ and specifically states that the W3 standards aren’t worth our time.

There are a few things to consider on that note;
Microsoft is slowly loosing users to Apple (I hate to admit it).
Internet Explorer sucks, but it is used by many, however that number is also decreasing slowly as FireFox and other browsers chip away at it’s population.
IE8 began compliance with standards because they realized how terrible they were doing, they still aren’t perfect, but at least they admit they were wrong and are trying to fix it.

While I will agree that tables have some use (like to make a spreadsheet on a page, or to handle certain scenarios where CSS code would overlap itself to accomplish the same thing) in general tables are a bad thing.

Also, as illustrated by a Google research http://code.google.com/webstats/2005-12/tables.html tables are most commonly used incorrectly and/or for the wrong reasons.
The author seems to claim that when used for the right reasons tables are better than CSS, which in some [very rare] cases is true.

Another note would be found directly on the W3’s website (they created HTML, they get to make the rules)

http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-HTML-TECHS/#tables

They specifically say, DO NOT USE TABLES FOR LAYOUTS.

I do use tables from time to time. the Integris websites (marketing/hosting) have one table each to keep things organized. but whenever possible, I try to use CSS as it is the recommendation of both the code and browser developers (as a majority), as well as the W3.

These are just my opinions, and the above is (almost) a direct copy of the email response I sent.