Goodbye Degoo

This is just a friendly warning, to anyone who was considering using Degoo for cloud storage backups. It was a fun experiment, but since the email announcement from Degoo.com yesterday (12/17/2022), and some of their unwieldy operational considerations, I no longer recommend them for free cloud storage.

They're lowering their free storage limit from 100 GB to 20 GB, and requiring users to either delete data to get under the new limit, or start paying for their "Pro" service, by 1/6/2023. That's an inhospitably short grace period, especially considering that they also have a limit on downloads per day, which could make it impossible for some people to retrieve all their files in time.

I was experimenting with relying on them for backing up all the screenshots from my flight simulator adventures, and some Linux development files, neither of which is a big deal for me, as the originals are already in two places. So I simply removed all my files and deleted my account.

Some people are accusing them of a bait-and-switch tactic, but since I've been using them for over a year now, with no issues, I'm thinking they simply found themselves in a bad financial situation, and felt compelled to make a quick change to fix it. Their "Pro" service isn't expensive, but I didn't like the other constraints they were imposing, so I don't expect to be looking back at them.

Maintenance database

I keep looking around for an app that would help with repetitive (and the occasional non-repetitive) tasks that need to be done, say for example to keep a house maintained. It would help me remember everything from knowing when to change filters in the furnace and refrigerator, to repainting the exterior, changing batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, or other gadgets around the house. I would even use it to remind me when to do the regular cleaning tasks, rotating through various bedrooms and bathroom, so all the cleaning doesn't have to be done at the same time, but still gets done in a reasonable time-frame. 

I'd like it to have a high level summary page, that shows what needs to be done now, and what's coming up soon.

Ideally, it would let me record when something was done, and the repeat period, so it could calculate when it needs to be done again. It would be helpful to be able to say how long something takes, which could be used to create a schedule that fits a few tasks in a desired time period during the day. 

Pros and Cons T-Sheet

I’ve used the free T-Charts iPhone app for a few years, and while it has some usability, I haven’t been very impressed overall. A good T-Sheet app needs to be way more full featured. 

• Side by side T format display. 
• Easily manage many lists. 
• Easily create or edit list name. 
• Easily create, edit, delete items. 
• Fit a lot of items on screen, say 15-20. 
• Option to show entire item, or truncate to fit on one line. 
• Insert items above or below other items. 
• Reorder items by drag and drop. 
• Sort items by weighting. 
• Changeable text size. For readability, or to fit more items on the screen. 
• Sub-items that wrap up into their upper level items. Be able to collapse sub-items to simplify the list. 
• Show or hide weighting. 

Too many subscriptions

I’m struggling with the concept of the many interesting websites out there, that all want us to subscribe. But there's not enough money in the bank, to subscribe to all of them. Yet every time someone who has subscribed shares a link, the site bugs everyone who follows the link, to subscribe. This got too old, too many years ago, and at this point in time, it’s getting to be infuriating. If they allow you to share something you find on their site, the visitors that follow the link shouldn’t be bothered, until they try to navigate to other places on the same site. Just an idea, to eliminate a lot of hostile feelings toward these sites. New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and other news sites... I'm looking at you first...

Cost splitting calculator

There are apps out there, for this, but once again, I haven't seen any that include all the features to be truly useful. My ideal cost sharing app would allow an unlimited list of people to share an unlimited list of costs. The list of participants would be exportable. The list of costs would be exportable. Attaching date/time to each coat would be an option. Each person's participation in any single cost would be optional. People would be able to pay for other people for specific costs. Reporting would be available for the individual and group levels. Reports could be copied/pasted, printed, emailed.

Walk tracking app ideas

So many things a walk tracking mobile phone app should be able to do:

• Automatically stop or pause tracking: Walk tracking apps should analyze the saved track, and figure out when the user forgot to stop it, at the end of the activity, and climbed in the car to go somewhere else. Realizing it's not easy to do that in real-time, maybe a post-activity analysis could fix the data.
  
• Edit the track log: Offer the user the opportunity to edit out bogus location points. In the app, not just on the website! Some services offer the capability to fix or remove bogus points in the track, but only using their website, and not through their app. More and more people are spending less and less time on their computers, and doing everything through apps on their phones. We need all service features available through the mobile apps!
• Capture geo-tagged photos: It's fun to snap photos during a walk, and be able to see where they were taken, on the map that also shows the walking route. It's understood that runners probably don't care about this, because they've got their head down trying to keep up a good pace, but walkers are more interested in looking around and enjoying the points of interest.
• Calculate calories burned: The calculation should consider distance covered, time taken, and altitude change. The calorie burn data should sync to the phone's health repository, so it can be used by other diet / exercise / health apps. 
• Weather overlays: Display weather data overlaid on the walking map. This can help immensely with decisions about which way to go, to avoid incoming weather cells, or even when to take cover. Yes, this information is easily available through other weather-specific apps, but when it's not integrated, it can easily be ignored until it's too late to take action.

Emergency bag for laptops

I was reading this morning, about the smoking / burning laptop battery on the JetBlue flight, and the concerns about a proposed new policy that would require moving laptops to the cargo bay. I'm wondering if there's a great opportunity right now, for someone to market a lightweight smoke-and-fire-proof laptop bag?