Christopher Stolee

Brett Favre to the Vikings?

2009-07-28T19:46:00.002-05:00

Today we get the long awaited announcement that Brett Favre will sign with the Minnesota Vikings and lead them to the Super Bowl! Wait a minute - NO!!!!!!!!

Favre will remain retired, at least for one more day. If I was Rosenfels or TJack I would kick Childress in his jock the next time I caught him napping.

Christopher Stolee reports on the new iPhone 3G S

2009-06-23T19:20:00.003-05:00

Christopher Stolee reports that Apple has sold over 1 million new iPhone 3G S units over the first weekend of release. Hey Apple - just imagine how many more you might have sold if there were more carrier options than just AT&T! Christopher Stolee is going to wait to upgrade his "old" iPhone 3G until there are more carrier options or there is an iPhone upgrade that's a little more exciting than the 3G S. For example an iPhone with better camera, better video, runs apps in the background etc. etc.

Christopher Stolee reports on iPhone rumors

2009-06-04T10:14:00.000-05:00

Christopher Stolee is gearing up for the Apple Worldwide Developer Conference in San Francisco. The hot rumor is that Apple will officially announce the new upgraded iPhone at the conference instead of waiting until July as was originally speculated.

We may get answers to the many questions that have been circulating: Will the new iPhone have video? Will there be a 32gb iPhone? How will the iPhone's weak battery cope with the power drain from all the new features? Will Steve Jobs get out of his hyperbaric chamber to make an appearance at WWDC?

Christopher Stolee will watch developments closely (but from a distance) and report on the latest scoops.

Christopher Stolee reports on the latest iPhone app rejection

2009-05-11T21:06:00.003-05:00

Apple bans Jesus from the app store! According to Christopher Stolee, Apple and the App Store have rejected an iPhone app called "Me So Holy" for objectionable content and not meeting the requirements of the iPhone SDK guidelines.

The Me So Holy app basically just has a coffee mug with an image of Jesus, and users can upload their own photos to replace the face of Jesus with their own "mugs". Somehow the brownshirts that work for Apple's app review team found this to be "objectionable or possibly objectionable" - by what criteria nobody but Apple knows.

Christopher Stolee says that Apple has gone way overboard with its "objectionable content" censoring - this is the company that approved the Baby Shaker app but can't have a Jesus image on a mug? To paraphrase the Burger King commercial, are we in Russia?

Spring has Sprung for Christopher Stolee

2009-05-11T20:33:00.004-05:00

Christopher Stolee is welcoming the spring season. Christopher Stolee finds winter to have very few benefits - snow is OK for a couple of days but beyond that it's just a real nuisance. For those who love snow and cold weather, more power to you but Christopher Stolee needs to live in warm weather 99% of the time.

The ideal seasonal calendar for Christopher Stolee would be 4 months of hot summer, 4 months of moderate fall weather, 1 month of winter and 3 months of warm spring.

Christopher Stolee says Happy Mothers Day!

2009-05-10T19:00:00.002-05:00

Christopher Stolee would like to say Happy Mothers Day to his own mom and his mother in law as well as all the other moms out there.

According to Christopher Stolee, Mothers Day should be the actual International Workers Holiday, since it is mothers who do the most important work in the world. Take that, communists.

Christopher Stolee is watching the World Series of Poker on ESPN

2009-05-09T12:53:00.002-05:00

Christopher Stolee is viewing the World Series of Poker on ESPN. One thing Christopher Stolee can't do is play poker - the math skills just aren't there. But Christopher Stolee does enjoy watching professional poker on TV where you can see what cards everyone has.

A great TV poker show is the World Poker Tour on the Travel Channel, Christopher Stolee remembers host Vince Van Patten back when he was a pro tennis player. Vince is also the son of Dick Van Patten of TV's Eight is Enough. Did you know that Vince Van Patten was cast as the lead in The Bionic Boy, a short-lived spinoff of Six Million Dollar Man.

The bottom line is that Chris Stolee will have to be satisfied playing the free video poker game that came with his computer. No winnings are possible, but all the dollars stay in the pocket.

Christopher Stolee reports that Favre has sent X-rays to Vikings

2009-05-08T18:39:00.001-05:00

According to the Christopher Stolee blog, ESPN reports that Brett Favre (or his agent) has sent X-rays of his injured shoulder so the Vikings' medical staff can review them. If major shoulder surgery is called for, Favre will stay on the retired list. If only minor surgery or no surgery at all is necessary, Favre may or may not sign with Minnesota.

Christopher Stolee says that the Vikings should put the Favre X-rays on their website and let the Vikings season ticket holders decide if Favre should have the surgery or not. Let's try something different - the current method of Vikings operations seems like it could use some fan input.

How to Make Money Publishing eBooks with iPhone Apps - Article by Christopher Stolee

2009-05-08T16:33:00.002-05:00

The success of eBooks has been an on and off thing for the last decade. Different readers and formats come and go, with Amazon's Kindle system looking like it might have some staying power with over 225 thousand titles listed as of May 2009.

Now you can add the iPhone and its buddy the iPod Touch as viable competitors to the Kindle for publishing eBooks. The iPhone has many eBooks available free and for purchase from the iTunes App Store but in addition there is the new Kindle app for the iPhone and iPod Touch which gives readers access to the whole Kindle library without needing to have the Kindle reader.

For aspiring writers and authors who are already published, getting your eBooks listed for sale with Amazon and Kindle is a great way to start. Your eBook can be uploaded and listed without much time and cost, and Amazon will pay you a royalty of 35% on each eBook sold for Kindle. The drawback? There are only about 500 thousand Kindle units on the market so far.

Let's contrast that with publishing your eBook for the iPhone and iPod Touch using your own iPhone app. You will first have to find a qualified iPhone developer to create your eBook app. There will be an upfront cost to develop your application and the time to get your eBook listed in the iTunes App Store can be several weeks. On the plus side, Apple takes only 30% of the sale price, leaving you with 70% vs. the 35% you get with Amazon/Kindle. And, remember that the iPhone and iPod Touch have a combined 40 million users vs. just 500 thousand for the Kindle.

Let's say it costs $2000 to develop an iPhone app for your eBook and get it uploaded to the iTunes app store. You list your eBook app at $2.99 which means you'll net $2.09 per sale after Apple's cut. You'll need to sell 957 eBook apps to break even. Now compare that cost/break even point to self publishing a printed book and trotting it around to a bunch of bookstores or selling them on the internet.

There are also strong rumors of an upcoming super-iPod Touch, tentatively called the iPod MediaPad, that will be just under the size of the Kindle yet will have a larger screen with HD Video capability and full touchscreen keyboard - perfect for reading eBooks in addition to everything else the iPod Touch already does.

There are definite advantages for publishing your eBook with Amazon for the Kindle and there are also advantages for publishing your eBook for the iPhone and iPod Touch using a custom iPhone app. Authors who are looking to monetize their publications should seriously consider making use of both the Kindle and iPhone publishing platforms. Christopher Stolee says do it now!

New Blog from Christopher Stolee

2009-05-08T14:22:00.002-05:00

New Blog from Christopher Stolee - Christopher Stolee Reviews. This is the blog where Christopher Stolee will publish his latest reviews of iPhone apps and also some other product reviews like mobile devices, airlines, hotels, movies, TV, and more.

You can see the blog at http://www.christopherstoleereviews.blogspot.com

Thanks for taking a look at Christopher Stolee Reviews.

Christopher P. Stolee is debating lunch choices

2009-05-08T10:54:00.003-05:00

Christopher P. Stolee has some choices for lunch on casual Friday. There is a jug of healthy pomegranate juice with acai berry, some deli smoked turkey slices with a honey flavor that Christopher P. Stolee doesn't really care for, and some leftover key lime pie.

Christopher P. Stolee thinks that he will go for his version of the healthy combo, which has the juice for a first course followed by a slice of key lime pie.

Christopher Stolee reports - Apple announces all new apps and app updates must be 3.0 compliant

2009-05-08T10:49:00.002-05:00

That's correct! According to Christopher Stolee, Apple announced late Thursday that the line has been drawn in the virtual sand. All following app submissions and updates to existing apps must be compliant with iPhone 3.0 yada yada yada. Too bad for the developers who had apps 99.9% ready to go.

Follow Christopher Stolee on the custom iPhone apps blog

2009-05-08T10:47:00.003-05:00

You can follow Christopher Stolee and iPhone apps on the custom iPhone apps blog - you can find the custom iPhone apps blog at http://customiphoneapps.blogspot.com

Christopher Stolee asks - what's the deal with the new Coke bottle caps?

2009-05-07T23:39:00.002-05:00

Christopher Stolee wants to know why Coke has changed the bottle caps for its small bottles of Coke, Coke Zero, Fresca, etc. The new bottle caps are a little bit shorter and the net effect is that it's harder to put the cap back on the bottle because now there's only about 2/3 as much threading inside the plastic cap.

Christopher Stolee knows that Coke is saving countless dollars in reduced cost for plastic, but come on! Save your money somewhere else, like not paying for those stupid Coke Zero lawyer commercials.

Christopher Stolee thinks about upgrading the iPhone

2009-05-07T23:25:00.002-05:00

Christopher Stolee is speculating about possible upgraded features on the next version of the iPhone. Here are a couple of things Christopher Stolee would like to see on his next iPhone.

Video camera
Higher resolution digital camera. The iPhone won't handle much more in megapixels because it is so thin, but it could take a wider lens
User changeable battery
Longer battery life
Portal to time travel

How's that for a starter list? There's no reason Apple can't incorporate every one of these simple features in the next iPhone if they really want to.

Making Money with eBook Publishing for the iPhone - by Christopher Stolee

2009-05-07T21:09:00.002-05:00

Making Money with eBook Publishing for the iPhone - Article by Christopher Stolee

The success of eBooks has been an on and off thing for the last decade. Different readers and formats come and go, with Amazon's Kindle system looking like it might have some staying power with over 225 thousand titles listed as of May 2009.

Now you can add the iPhone and its buddy the iPod Touch as viable competitors to the Kindle for publishing eBooks. The iPhone has many eBooks available free and for purchase from the iTunes App Store but in addition there is the new Kindle app for the iPhone and iPod Touch which gives readers access to the whole Kindle library without needing to have the Kindle reader.

For aspiring writers and authors who are already published, getting your eBooks listed for sale with Amazon and Kindle is a great way to start. Your eBook can be uploaded and listed without much time and cost, and Amazon will pay you a royalty of 35% on each eBook sold for Kindle. The drawback? There are only about 500 thousand Kindle units on the market so far.

Let's contrast that with publishing your eBook for the iPhone and iPod Touch using your own iPhone app. You will first have to find a qualified iPhone developer to create your eBook app. There will be an upfront cost to develop your application and the time to get your eBook listed in the iTunes App Store can be several weeks. On the plus side, Apple takes only 30% of the sale price, leaving you with 70% vs. the 35% you get with Amazon/Kindle. And, remember that the iPhone and iPod Touch have a combined 40 million users vs. just 500 thousand for the Kindle.

There are also strong rumors of an upcoming super-iPod Touch, tentatively called the iPod MediaPad, that will be just under the size of the Kindle yet will have a larger screen with HD Video capability and full touchscreen keyboard - perfect for reading eBooks in addition to everything else the iPod Touch already does.

There are definite advantages for publishing your eBook with Amazon for the Kindle and there are also advantages for publishing your eBook for the iPhone and iPod Touch using a custom iPhone app. Authors who are looking to monetize their publications should seriously consider making use of both the Kindle and iPhone publishing platforms. Run some numbers, you can do the math!

Christopher Stolee sees the economy bottoming out in 2009

2009-05-07T20:32:00.002-05:00

According to semi-trained economist Christopher Stolee, the US economy should bottom out in the second quarter of 2009. If you are looking to buy a home, refinance a mortgage, or borrow money for your business this is the time to do it. Christopher Stolee says you may never see interest rates this low again in your lifetime.

This economic "recovery" is being financed by printing more money. If the USA wants China and other foreign investors to keep buying US Government bonds, interest rates will have to go up. Get your necessary borrowing done now and pay off those high interest credit cards if you can.

Christopher Stolee is waiting for the new Twins Stadium to open

2009-05-07T19:23:00.002-05:00

Christopher Stolee is anxiously waiting for 2010 when the new Minnesota Twins downtown stadium will open for business. Target Field as it is known will be open air - no hump dome. Christopher Stolee has enjoyed many games in the cheap outfield seats at the Metrodome, but the fresh air of the outdoor stadium will be excellent - except when the garbage incinerator facility next door to the stadium is burning mercury or asbestos that day. And will the hotdogs cool off too fast in the spring weather?

Christopher Stolee is wondering where the flying cars are?

2009-05-07T12:30:00.003-05:00

Christopher Stolee says that we were promised flying cars by the year 2000. So where are they? Or do the car companies already have these flying cars but are keeping them under wraps, just like the government is doing in Area 51?

Is there an Area 51 just for flying car technology? If there is, Christopher Stolee speculates that the name of this top secret area be known as Area 54 after the old "Car 54 Where Are You?" TV series.

Stay tuned for more investigation into this flying car controversy.

Christopher Stolee says new iPhone 3.0 to have parental control function

2009-05-07T12:10:00.003-05:00

According to Christopher Stolee and his Custom iPhone Apps blog, the new iPhone 3.0 upgrade will feature parental controls. This will allow Apple and the iTunes App Store to loosen the controversial prohibition against "any content that may be seen as objectionable" by anyone. Apple is encouraging app developers who have recently had new apps or updated apps rejected for "objectionable" or "possibly objectionable" to resubmit the apps after the release of teh 3.0 upgrade.

Christopher Stolee lists his least favorite foods

2009-05-07T12:01:00.002-05:00

Christopher Stolee does not like to eat the following under any circumstances:

Eggplant
Zucchini
Mushrooms
Bamboo Shoots
Squid
Octopus
Beets
Thistles - on their own or in salad
Duck
Goose
Wild Game

This can be a list in progress, the more different things Christopher Stolee tries, the higher the liklihood that the list will be expanded.

Christopher Stolee Doesn't Drink Coffee

2009-05-05T21:55:00.002-05:00

Christopher Stolee doesn't drink coffee but he does go to Starbucks and Caribou once in a while, sometimes even Dunn Brothers. Regular Coca Cola is the favorite drink of Christopher Stolee, although he has been drinking Coke Zero lately. Coffee is best used to dunk cookies and doughnuts, preferably someone else's coffee.

On a recent trip to Hawaii, someone gave Christopher Stolee a Kona Coffe Cigar, which wasn't that bad. Christopher Stolee has pledged that if someone gives him a Kona Coffee plantation on the Big Island of Hawaii, he will indeed start drinking coffee and liking it.

iPhone Apps for eBooks - Publishing Your eBooks with iPhone Applications

2009-05-02T14:20:00.003-05:00

iPhone Apps for eBook Publishing

Publish your book or eBook as an iPhone app and get paid for your work! It's a great new way of publishing whether you're an author and your book is already published or if you are an aspiring author looking for a publisher.

For publishers - consider making an iPhone app for your existing books. iPhone apps allow your eBook to be read both on the iPhone and the iPod Touch. A paid iPhone app adds another revenue stream to your publishing line, helping both your list of authors and your own bottom line. Not big enough to partner with Stanza? We can create your own eBook reader for you and incorporate it into your line of eBook iPhone applications.

For authors - iPhone apps for your eBooks can get your work published and on the paid marketplace without waiting for an established publisher to select your book. You as the author control the publication, the price, and the royalties. You get 70% of your book app's sales price from the iTunes App Store, after Apple's 30% cut. This means after Apple, you get ALL of the royalties. And with the new iPhone 3.0 upgrade coming out later this year, you will even be able to offer your eBook apps on a subscription basis so you can charge more for adding content periodically!

iPhone apps for eBooks FAQ:

Q: Why should I invest in an iPhone app for my book instead of publishing an eBook for Kindle?

A: You should do both! An author should monetize his or her book in as many ways as possible (unless you're independently wealthy).

Q: What advantages does an iPhone app have over Kindle? Kindle publishing is free, and iPhone apps cost money!

A: Your eBook as an iPhone app nets you 70% of the sale price vs. 35% from Kindle. Also, your eBook iPhone app can be upgraded or have added content at any time. You can even sell your publication by subscription with your iPhone app. Also, Apple has sold almost 40 million iPhone and iPod Touch units vs about 500,000 Amazon Kindles. Publishing your eBook with an iPhone app is a market you can't ignore.

Q: Does an eBook published with an iPhone app also need a reader?

A: Yes, your iPhone eBook application will need an eBook reader incorporated into the app. The Toy Lounge has its own proprietary eBook reader that we can build into your eBook application.

Q: Can't I use the Kindle reader or Stanza reader for my own eBook iPhone application?

A: No - Kindle and Stanza are not licensing their readers for use in individual iPhone apps. You or your publisher would need to have the publishing volume to make a special partnership to list your books with Amazon/Kindle/Stanza like the bigger publishing houses are doing.

Q: How much does it cost to turn my eBook into an iPhone app?

A: The cost for your eBook iPhone app will depend on the number of pages in your eBook, any illustrations or pictures included in your eBook, and any added features you may need included. A basic cost for starters would be $2500.00 - but keep in mind that this is just a rough estimate and a starting point until we can review your actual material and necessary requirements. We offer volume disounts - the more eBook iPhone apps we create for you, the lower the cost for each will be.

Please contact us at the Toy Lounge for a free price quote on your eBook project.

One Billion iPhone Apps Downloaded - by Christopher Stolee

2009-04-30T10:34:00.001-05:00

There was a lot of specualtion at the beginning of 2009 as to what the billionth iPhone app download from the iTunes App Store would be. With the launch of the App Store in the summer of 2008, Apple and the rest of us really had no idea that we would be talking about a billion iPhone apps served even in the first half of 2009. Surprise, world! Apple has announce that the one billionth iPhone app download happened on Thursday, April 23rd.

The lucky app is called "Bump" and it is had only been listed in the iTunes App Store for about a month. Bump is a social networking application from Bump Technologies, and basically works by "Bumping" two iPhones together to exchange contact information. Bump is a free app download but the developers are planning a premium version soon that they will charge for.

The lucky customer who actually downloaded the one billionth iPhone app is a 13 year old kid who wins a pile of prizes from Apple including a $10,000 iTunes gift card, an iPod Touch, a MacBook Pro and a special Time Capsule.

The big buzz will be about the billionth iPhone app download, but the real news is that Apple was able to reach this benchmark so fast. This leads to some questions about coming so far so fast. One issue to consider is overpopulation of the App Store - how many apps can the App Store hold without getting clogged up? One rumored possibility has Apple dividing the App Store into more sections than just free and paid, adding a department for premium apps that cost over $10 or $20 for example.

Congratulations to both the developer and downloader of the App Store's one billionth application. How long do you think it will take to reach two billion? Maybe your own custom iPhone app will be the lucky number!

iPhone Apps for Radio Stations - by Christopher Stolee

2009-04-30T09:45:00.002-05:00

The business of radio has been in some turmoil even before the economic downturn of 2008-2009. There's a lot of consolidation, competition, and less advertising to go around. Add in satellite radio and internet radio to the mix with earthbound stations and the pie seems to be getting cut up into more pieces. The Radio industry will have to look to new technologies and innovation to get healthy again. iPhone applications are one of these new innovations to watch for.

Radio is moving in a new direction with streaming audio on iPhone apps. The mother of all radio iPhone apps would be Clear Channel's "I Heart Radio" application, which feeds off of Clear Channel's "I Heart Radio online streaming website of 750+ radio stations. Last count showed 150+ stations streaming via I Heart Radio on the iPhone. But streaming individual stations on a giant aggregator app like this can sometimes be slow with lengthy buffering times.

Another option is for a radio station, either land based or online or satellite to have its own dedicated iphone app. Why be one of hundreds or thousands of radio stations on someone else's app when you can have your own custom Streaming Radio iPhone app with its own icon on your listener's iPhone screen? Your radio station gets one step closer to your audience, and your listeners have direct icon access to your streaming broadcast! Add advertising to your Radio Station iPhone app for increased revenue and social networking features to build your listener community.

A recent count in the iTunes App Store showed over 40 radio stations of all kinds with their own iPhone apps for streaming their broadcasts. From large organizations like Public Radio to smaller niche online stations like Classical Philippines Radio, streaming broadcasts via iPhone apps. The cost to develop a streaming radio app is very reasonable if the station already has an MP3 or other compatible stream. A basic streaming radio app can cost as low as $1200.00 with optional upgraded features possible, or the app can be upgraded at a later date. The initial development cost can be offset by adding advertising, sponsorships, selling playlist music through iTunes, and more.

Will iPhone applications turn the radio industry around? Not by themselves, but this new technology should be seriously considered by any radio station that's seeking to position themselves for the new era of broadcasting. Contact the Toy Lounge to get started on your radio station iPhone application.

iPhone Apps for Newspapers - by Christopher Stolee

2009-04-30T09:42:00.000-05:00

Times have been tough recently for the Newspaper business. Remember when major cities had at least two competing newspapers, and each newspaper company usually had both morning and evening editions? If you're under age 40, you probably don't.

The newspaper business has been in decline for some decades, but internet technology has recently speeded it up.First you have countless free online news websites siphoning off newspapers' former paying subscribers, Craig's List has ruined classified advertising revenue for newspapers, and printing and other production costs continue to rise. Long time columnists are quitting to publish their own content on the internet. This gloom and doom can also be applied to the magazine business. Is there any good news out there for the publishing world?

iPhone apps may help newspapers to rise again or at least maintain themselves while they reinvent and regroup. Newspaper iPhone apps can bring a leading edge technology to an industry many consider tired and old fashioned, maybe even comatose. What an iPhone app can do is bring the newspaper and its content one step closer to the customers, who are able to personalize and share their favorite news content and read it anywhere they are, even offline.

iPhone apps can help newspapers add a social networking feature to their publications and give an advertising sales force something new to talk about with potential advertisers instead of dwelling on declining circulation numbers.The next iPhone operating system upgrade later in 2009 will add a subscription capability, allowing newspapers, magazines and other publishing formats to take paid subscriptions for their content directly through the iPhone app. It would be advantageous for newspapers and other publications to start planning their own custom iPhone apps now to take advantage of this exciting new technology. Six months from now you'll be glad you got started now.

Major newspapers with their own iPhone apps inclued The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, USA Today, and The Telegraph (UK). The Associated Press just released its own iPhone app newsreader, but we don't consider them an actual newspaper. A group of three major newspapers in Japan has even combined forces to release a combined iPhone application that features all three papers in the same app! However, you don't need to be a major newspaper or a newspaper with deep pockets to have your own custom iPhone application. And not every newspaper needs the level of features and functions that the New York Times and USA Today apps incorporate.

If your publication's online version already has RSS Feeds for different categories, you're halfway there - your custom iPhone app will use your existing RSS Feeds to power the stories in the app. And if your paper's website doesn't already have RSS Feeds they're pretty easy to set up. Now if you don't yet have a website for your paper, you're probably in big trouble!

If you need an iPhone app for your publication, try searching online for "custom iPhone apps for newspapers" and you'll find a developer that can get you started. Or you can contact the Toy Lounge at http://thetoylounge.com/newspapers.

iPhone Apps for Nonprofits and Fundraising - by Christopher Stolee

2009-04-30T09:39:00.002-05:00

Non Profit organizations have some special challenges these days. The need for funds is increasing but costs are rising, while in many cases memberships are under pressure and fundraising is declining or becoming more expensive.

Here's a new and innovative approach for nonprofits and their fundraising effors. How about using your own iPhone app to stay in closer touch to your membership, contributors, donors, supporters, activists and everyone else you rely on for your stated mission? Here are several ways a custom iPhone application can help a nonprofit and/or fundraising efforts:

* Awareness
* Fundraising
* Special promotions
* Membership renewals
* Wish list donations
* Special projects
* Social networking features within the app for your organization

Take a look at some sample non-profit organizations' custom iPhone applications and think about how you might use a custom iPhone application to help meet your goals. The Monterey Bay Aquarium partnered with Seafood Watch to produce an iPhone app that both promotes awareness and serves a useful consumer tool. The Salvation Army has an iPhone app that streams Christmas music and funds raised from sales of this app benefit the Salvation Army mission.

Creating a custom iPhone application for your nonprofit organization does have a cost, but this cost can be more than offset by sales of the application and increased donations/contributions through the app itself. Using an iPhone app as a portable portal to your nonprofit's website so your members are always within a button touch.

If the cost of making the app is not in your budget, why not add it to your wishlist? It would be sure to catch the eye of donors or sponsors who love the iPhone or who have high tech interests. In addition, think of the publicity your organization will receive by having your own iPhone application - it will portray your organization as timely, forward thinking, tech enabled, hip, and more.

What a great way to breathe new life and energy into your nonprofit organization while benefiting from a new fundraising opportunity.

Christopher Stolee Rates the Vikings NFL Draft

2009-04-28T23:52:00.004-05:00

Christopher Stolee gives the Minnesota Vikings a B+ for the 2009 NFL Draft. Nice first round pick in Percy Harvin out of Florida; forget about the supposed "off the field" issues - every college player has some issues, at least Percy Harvin has his out in the open and has addressed them. His issues seem to be some that maturity can fix.

Kudos to the Vikings for signing Ian Johnson of Boise State as a free agent running back. Christopher Stolee would have expected Ian Johnson to be drafted in the middle rounds at least; he was handicapped by his reduced role during his senior season at Boise State - he has the skills and attitude to be an excellent pro. Christopher Stolee wishes the NFL had more quality human beings like Ian Johnson.

Christopher Stolee at the NFL Draft

2009-04-25T15:44:00.002-05:00

OK, so Christopher Stolee isn't actually at Radio City Music Hall in New York today, but so what. Christopher Stolee is watching the draft on ESPN which is even better because there's instant replay. Plus we get to see Mel Kiper's hair close up in HD!

Best deal so far - Mark Sanchez, QB USC to the Jets, who traded up with Cleveland.

iPhone apps for Newspapers

2009-04-24T16:51:00.004-05:00

Christopher Stolee is working on new iPhone apps for newspapers. Newspapers like USA Today, Wall Street Journal and the New York Times all have their own apps in the iTunes App Store. But custom iPhone apps aren't just for the giant national scale newspapers, any newspaper of any size can get their own dedicated custom iPhone application. Check here at the Toy Lounge for more info. The Toy Lounge is a registered iPhone developer and makes custom iPhone apps for businesses of all sizes as well as for personal projects.

Christopher Stolee Still Can't Solve the Rubik's Cube

2009-04-13T10:26:00.000-05:00

That's right - been trying off and on since the 1970s but still failing miserably. Not willing to use one of the many "shortcuts" available online or through an iPhone app. I can however solve my new Rubik's Cube USB memory stick - it has just three cubes and only one of them moves!

Christopher Stolee just ate Omaha Steaks

2009-04-12T23:12:00.000-05:00

Christopher Stolee just ate a nice Omaha Steak that came in a Christmas package from brother in law Tim and his fiancee Beth. Thanks very much! Tasty Tasty. Still got some hamburgers, stuffed baked potatos, and more goodies in the freezer.

Custom iPhone Applications

2009-04-11T09:24:00.003-05:00

Custom iPhone applications are the hottest thing going right now - how much should a custom iPhone application cost?

Christopher Stolee has seen freelancer websites with custom iPhone app jobs listed for as low as $500.00 - can't imagine you're going to get much quality work done for that. So you get a low budget app done by a part time student - when your company's app crashes 50% of the time, how are you going to explain to your boss that you know the app is crappy, but you saved a couple of thousand dollars? And the college kid is nowhere to be found. Check into getting your app done by a company with real world business experience and Fortune 500 clients.

A very basic app with limited function may cost about $5 thousand with a more complex iPhone application costing $10 - 20 thousand. The sky is the limit if you need a lot of animation, interaction with a website marketing program or a lot of user metrics. For apps like the New York Times and the Obama election app you may be talking $50 thousand to $100 thousand plus.

Get a free quote on your custom iPhone application.

iPhone Apps Near 1 Billion Downloads

2009-04-11T00:52:00.000-05:00

Apple is expecting to pass the 1 Billion mark in iPhone app downloads in the next few days! What will be the one billionth app downloaded from the iTunes App Store? Something useful like a productivity tool, or maybe an iFart variant? Check out the latest list of Top 10 Apps.

What's Your Best Airline?

2009-04-09T22:10:00.000-05:00

Here are Christopher Stolee's top airlines from personal experience which includes traveling to over 20 countries and owning a travel agency. This covers the last 40 years -

Singapore Airlines
British Airways
Southwest
Continental
Old School Pan Am

Worst airlines, only from my personal experience. Not in any particular order -

East African Air
Air Madagascar (in the 70s)
Air France
US Air (the old one, haven't flown new US Airways)
Alitalia
SAS

Where does Christopher Stolee want to go next?

2009-04-09T22:05:00.000-05:00

Here are some suggestions for Christopher Stolee:

Austin Texas
San Diego California
Puerto Vallarta
Cancun
Playa del Carmen

What are the benefits of Playa del Carmen vis a vis Cancun?

First is probably that there will be fewer college kids/spring breakers in Playa del Carmen, since the youngsters are too lazy to travel the extra hour or so from Cancun airport down to the Playa del Carmen area. On the other hand there are a lot more drunk chicks in bikinis wandering the streets of Cancun.

This will take more thought.

Roger Goodell Suspends Marshawn Lynch

2009-04-09T21:44:00.001-05:00

OK, so Marshawn Lynch got caught with a gun in his car and was sentenced to community service. First of all, why is it that Roger Goodell himself is issuing this suspension and not one of the NFL disciplinarians? Does Goodell need to see his name in the headlines? Why not just say that the NFL is suspending Marshwn Lynch? Does Roger Goodell actually do all of this suspension paperwork himself?

So far in his tenure, Roger Goodell is a poor substitute for Paul Tagliabue. It's like he got kicked upstairs one level too far. And one more thing on this rant - we hope the NFL is screwed on its witch-hunt over the players testing positive for diuretics. You already know the story of the Vikings D-line players getting suspensions by Goodell and then winning in court. Christopher Stolee says "Go Vikings!"

More on this issue to come -

Jay Cutler to the Chicago Bears

2009-04-09T21:36:00.000-05:00

Who thinks Cutler will lead the Bears to the NFC North (properly called the NFC Central) division? Will Jay Cutler solidify the Bears offense, or will he continue to be a whiney boy? Christopher Stolee says it's 60% positive, 40% possibility of a prima donna situation.

What would you rather have for your NFL team - upper level QB with crappy offensive line, poor running game, and 3rd rate receiver corps; or 2nd rate QB like the Vikings with great running game, OK receiver corps and OK offensive line (excellent on the left, questionable in the middle without Birk, and weak on the right)?

Spring workouts start now, so we'll keep you posted.

Comcast Commercial

2009-04-09T21:11:00.000-05:00

Who else hates the Comcast turbo rabbit commercial? Hey Comcast - you have a monopoly in our area, so how about advertising less and spending more money keeping your internet service more reliable!

Keeping on the monopoly note, what's up with the electric company (ours is Xcel energy) running ads telling us to use LESS electricity? Who has a home wind generator for my townhouse roof?

Twins 6, Mariners 5 again

2009-04-09T09:44:00.000-05:00

Another close game that came down to the last outs. I was right, Crede is a strikeout machine (3). Slowey was on the ropes but hung in there to get a win. Let's see if we can make it out to the afternoon game today and "enjoy" the Dome before they blow it up.

Up late working up a concept of a custom iPhone app for a newspaper. The newspaper industry is bleeding money right now; maybe streaming technology via the iPhone and other mobile devices will be the right medicine.

Saw Resident Evil Apocalypse just before going to sleep and enjoyed fighting it out with zombies all night in my dreams. Any rumors on a Resident Evil 4 movie coming up?

New MLB iPhone App - MLB at Bat

2009-04-08T20:12:00.000-05:00

Here's a great iPhone app from Major League Baseball - MLB.com At Bat 2009

From the MLB website:

MLB.com At Bat 2009
Exclusive pitch type, location, and speed data make At Bat 2009 the fastest, most detailed way to follow baseball on your iPhone and iPod touch.
Listen LIVE to every regular season and Postseason game including all home and select visiting team feeds and no blackout restrictions.
Watch the best plays of the game moments after they happen. The app will detect your connection speed to deliver the optimal quality video.

MLB.com At Bat 2009 costs $9.99 for the season.
Check out the full app description here in the iTunes Store

Will the Twins be good in 2009?

2009-04-08T20:02:00.000-05:00

Christopher Stolee is watching the Minnesota Twins vs. Seattle, upper deck homers by Morneau and Span so far against Carlos Silva. Looks like Silva has lost about 30 pounds off his front end since his days with the Twins. Let's see if the slimmed down Carlos can reverse his 15 or something game losing streak.

What's the number of games before Punto or Cuddyer slides head first into first base and cracks a finger? Joe Crede looks like a multiple strikeout kind of guy so far (only 3 games though).

Welcome!

2009-04-08T17:52:00.000-05:00

First post - this blog will feature the comments and observations of Christopher Stolee. Learn what Christopher Stolee is doing and thinking about these days, from the overly-exciting to the underwhelming mundane minutiae. More to come soon!