Photo by mastrobiggo

I have had my iPhone for a little over a month now and it is really starting to change the way I do things. Always (pretty much) on internet access and some killer apps really change the way I interact with the world around me. Here are my current top 5 killer iPhone Apps.

#5. iSSH – Yeah I am that dorky. It works surprisingly well for quick little admin tasks or server health checks. You don’t want to do a server migration using it but for tailing logs, running top or restarting a service it rocks. I HUP’ed my web server while getting a ride down the freeway yesterday. Way cool

#4 Oblique Strategies -  Brain Eno (yeah THAT Brian Eno) and Peter Schmidt used to distribute these as card decks but now they are on the iPhone. Stuck in a creative rut, need to think “outside the box” then get this handy little app, tap the screen and be prepared to change directions.

#3 PhotoNote Lite – I am to cheap to buy the full version because the free Lite version has been more than enough for me so far. This app lets you snap a pic and and notes to it. Great for remembering things like where you parked, what that sofa looks like or what your kids names are.

#2 AroundMe – Driving around and need to get gas? AroundMe can tell you where the nearest station is plus coffee, restaurants and a whole bunch of other stuff. A must have if you travel alot. I use the Yelp application a lot as well but I find AroundMe to be just a bit better in terms of finding stuff I need.

#1 Shazam – Holy crap this app saves me so much pain and sorrow. Have you ever been some place and heard a song and wondered what the song was? Shazam listens to the song then tells you want it is. So far it is perfect in my real world usage. This ends countless debates about who is singing, what band it is, when it was released etc etc etc… My brain thanks you Shazam!

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I left most of the work up to my wife, but she found a great place in Florida. Our house has 5 bedrooms, a full kitchen, a private pool and hot tub, and is only 1 block from the beach. At first, the thought of having a pool right in the backyard was a little concerning. However, my wife did a lot of research, and this place specializes in families. They provide a safety gate around the pool and hot tub, baby monitors, high chairs, strollers, safety plugs over all of the outlets, and every other kind of child safety equipment you can think of. More and more rental properties like this are catering to families with small children, as it is a growing market that will always exist.

There are numerous sites/tips out there to help you plan travel with your kids.

A few that we’ve used are:

1. Jet Set Babies

This site is great. You don’t have to pack diapers, food, bath supplies, etc. You can order everything you’ll need for as long as you’ll be gone, and they’ll ship it all to your destination. Sure you pay a little extra for the convenience, but it’s well worth it. All that stuff can easily fill another suitcase, and with all the new airline rules regarding luggage and carry-on items, it’s just easier and may be cheaper in the long run to ship all of these items. And if you’re going to do that anyway, you might as well have someone do all the packing/shipping for you.

2. Skip the resorts.

You’ll pay way too much and have to wait in line for the same experience that millions of other people have. I’m sure I’ll take the kids to Disney World when they’re a little older and can appreciate it more, but if you want to do something unique, simply get on Google and start searching out your own adventure. It took a couple days of searching to find a reputable rental company, but once we did, we noticed that they prominently displayed the fact that they provided child-proof options for families. The place we settled on was: BeachHouseFL.com. Private houses are definitely the way to go. Think access to a kitchen, dishwasher, laundry…Priceless when you have wee ones who like to be unpredictable at best.

3. If you can, plan your flights around your kid’s nap times, if they’re good sleepers.

As infants, our kids had NO problems sleeping on planes. On our son’s first trip to Texas to visit Katy’s sister, our son slept from takeoff until about 15 minutes before landing, where he cried for 15 minutes straight. Hey, it’s better than crying for 2 hours straight. Direct flights are also key. It’s a little tough for us, living in Iowa, but luckily most of the places we visit are a direct flight away, or a short car-ride away.

4. Airplanes are NOT the place to enforce a life lesson with your kids.

Bribe them, give them a sucker, do whatever you have to do to keep them quiet and happy. There are others around you who don’t want to hear your child screaming for the entire flight. This may sound harsh, but it’s the truth. A happy kid will make everyone around you more friendly, including the flight staff. A kid that’s screaming will only make for a terrible experience all around. One trick we’ve always used, is to pack a couple new toys that your child has never seen before, and bring one out just when he/she’s starting to get fussy. That should keep them happy for a little while. If they start to get fussy again, pull out the second toy.

5. If you’re traveling with multiple kids, keep a separate bag for each child with toys, treats, books, etc.

There’s no guarantee that you’ll be sitting next to your spouse and other children, as some airlines have regulations about multiple lap children in the same row, and you may be required to move quickly. Having a separate bag for each kid will make things easier so you’re not trying to sort through one large bag digging out the items your child will want/need.

Fly those friendly skies…and take your kids…they’ll love it.

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Being a parent of the digital age, and a HiTech Dad, I have more than a few keyboard lying around.  A perfect cost efficient toy for my daughter came in the form of an old Microsoft Natural Keyboard with the cord cut off for safety.

It goes something like this:

• Sit kid upright either between your legs or in the favorite chair
• Put child-proof keyboard in front of kid
• Kid will spend up to 30 minutes whacking the crud out of the keyboard in utter delight

The next invention, taking an old pee cee, hooking up a keyboard to that with some music response.

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