09/06/2010 - When FileMaker Go arrived in mid-July, the first thing that many of us did was to open our existing databases on our devices. My first reaction was, "Wow, it really works! This is great!" This was quickly followed by the realization that my layouts looked unwieldy and tiny on both the iPhone and the iPad.

07/31/2010 - In this week’s episode:
- Back from Europe
- The iPad Case Misfortune
- Books to Read

07/26/2010 - When the Apple iPhone was released to the world in 2007, we FileMaker developers immediately saw an ideal platform for FileMaker Pro. A third-party solution was released that allowed users to put their databases on the iPhone, but the solution wasn't simple for use, and had limitations that discouraged me from recommending it to my clients or implementing in any solutions.

07/25/2010 - My son Steven and I just returned from a wonderful trip to Europe. We were in London for 5 days, during which we took a day trip down to see Stonehenge, Glastonbury (where legends say that King Arthur lived), and Avebury. From London we took the high-speed train under the English Channel to Paris, where we stayed another 5 days, during which we took a day trip to Normandy to see the D-Day landing beaches and surrounding area. All in all, it was a great trip and a wonderful experience for my son and me.

This was also my first extended trip with my Apple iPad; I’ve taken some short business trips, but nothing this long or challenging fo Internet connections. I learned some valuable lessons about international travel with the iPad and iPhone, which I will share here.

07/03/2010 - Recently I had occasion to look for an air-conditioning installer, and was faced with the challenge of finding the perfect combination of price, reliability, reputation, and speed.

I've been using the same company for about 6 years; they have lots of trucks, a squad of repairmen and installers, but I know that I pay a large premium for the availability. I consider their expertise, my experiences with them to this point, and I now question whether the extra money I've paid has actually been worth it.

I've been giving some thought lately to what clients really want from consultants. As an extension to this line of thought, I've also come up with a list of what experience has taught me to be the most important qualifications to a successful developer.