I think I’ve mentioned it in this blog before, but as of January 1 of this year, I went gluten free for a variety of reasons. My immune system has been mad at me, and I’m hoping that by reducing the load of chemicals and known agitators (like gluten, and dairy) it will settle down and my overall health and well being will improve. I know, it’s a drastic step – most people only go gluten free if they have celiac disease, or other serious issues. However, the more I research this – the more I feel that in general our world is overwheated. (Like that word?) Look at what is on the kids menu at most restaurants – mac and cheese, spaghetti, pizza, grilled cheese … wheat, wheat wheat. Where are the veggies, people? And by the way, there’s WAY more than just one grain out there. Quinoa, anyone? (If you do not know what quinoa is, go to the store RIGHT NOW and buy it, go home, cook it, and then eat it. Then wonder why the hell you haven’t purchased this amazingly tasty grain ever before which by the way is a complete protein and is INCREDIBLY good for you. PLEASE kiss the white rice goodbye!)

That being said, I’ve spent time patrolling the bookstore looking at gluten-free recipe books. And there’s a lot. And they cost a lot. And you know what? There’s also a zillion, billion, kajillion (ok, so maybe not that many !) blogs out there with gorgeous photos and wondrous recipes that won’t cost you a dime. Here’s a few of my favorites, so spend some time checking these out in your iPhone blog reader, or online, and save some of these recipes to your hard drive or to your favorite recipe software to try out on your own. And don’t forget to leave a comment on the blog to let them know how much you love them. We all appreciate a little comment love. (hint hint!)

http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/ One of da best. Her photos of her recipes are like food porn. And her archive of recipes is to die for, and beats the hell out of any recipe book you’d buy at the store.

http://glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com A wonderful resource of recipes and great photos. (Am I the only one who wants to see a picture of something before I dedicate time and money to making it?)

http://iamglutenfree.blogspot.com Another great resource of recipes and gluten-free goodness.

http://holdthegluten.net Food reviews, not just recipes, make this a great blog. Gluten-free stuff is expensive, let someone else try before you buy!

Like playing word games on your iPhone? If you love scrabble, there’s two options out there for you to play with your friends – one’s free, one’s a bit pricey. I’ve got them both loaded on my phone, and they’ve got pros and cons for each.

Scrabble – the obvious con is the cost. You can get more info on this game HERE.$4.99 is not a lot in the grand scheme of things, but it’s more than I usually spend on an iphone game. What’s cool about the official scrabble? It connects up with your facebook account, so you can play with that group of friends, and they can play online so they don’t even need an iPhone to throw down tiles with you. Scrabble also has a neat feature where after you play your words, it will show you what a better option might have been – or let you know if you did the best you could. It’s also got this neato list of all the two-letter words acceptable to their dictionary. Always handy!

Words with Friends is another version of this same game – with a few less features. You need to play with other iPhone users, there’s no little tutor to let you know if you’ve done the best or not, but other than that it’s a highly enjoyable version of this game. It’s FREE, although there are some ads, and you can buy an ad-free version for a minimal cost. The ads don’t really bother me, though. Get more info on Worlds with Friends HERE.

Either way, both games are a great way to pass time, interact with your pals, and learn a few new words. I like them both!

Ah, this is just still bothering me. I really don’t get how this passed through all the legal and creative minds.

Really, apple? This was the best you could come up with? Steve, you have lost a little bit of your edge here.

Get more info on the iPad HERE.

Rarely do I use this space as my personal soapbox … but then again, this is my blog and this topic does involve my iPhone so I’m going for it.
Have you seen the new initiative that Oprah is pushing? It’s to get us all to stop texting and talking on the phone in our cars.  While I’m totally with you on the texting (which I never do while moving, only sitting at stoplights or in dead-stopped traffic) I just can’t agree to not talk on my cell phone in my car.  Now, Oprah, you’ve gone too far.

So of course, on her show, she brings out experts that compare the data on people who drive drunk and people who drive while talking on the phone and the rate of accidents for both.  While I do believe that there are plenty of people who are not capable of holding a conversation and driving (you know who you are), I think that what they taught me in statistics in college is still true: You can make numbers prove anything that you want.

So Oprah wants you to not talk on the phone in your car – the theory? It distracts you.  I can tell you for damn sure that I’m more concentrated on my phone while I’m talking to my parents than I am when the kids are in the car.  So, are you going to outlaw driving with passengers?  Because I can get into a heated discussion with my passenger (whether it’s a 2 or a 20 year old) and become distracted … so if you’re going to draw this line in the sand, you’re going to have to tell me where it ends.  No more books on tape, singing to the radio, or reading billboards – you could lose total control of your car, after all.

And if a phone call distracts you, then god forbid you carpool with several people.  You’d get to talking and veer right into the center divider, according to Oprah.

I’m all for the no texting, please don’t text and drive.  And if you can’t walk and chew gum, perhaps you shouldn’t drive and talk on the phone.   But the logic behind this campaign of Oprah’s is seriously flawed – everyone is too busy patting themselves on the back to notice.

Though it sounds somewhat like a feminine hygiene product, it was a wondrous day today as once again Steve Jobs stepped up to the stage at MacWorld and announced the launch of the new apple iPad.  I’ve missed him as the figurehead of the company through his illness, and I’m so happy to see him up there again and looking healthier.  As much of an a-hole as he is (yes, personal experience working with him allows me to say this ) he really knows how to bring out the best efforts of the people that work for him.

The iPad looks cool – though like the iPhone when it just started out, there’s not that many apps for it yet – but that will grow, I’m sure.  Get more info about today’s announcement here: http://www.macworld.com/article/145938/2010/01/tabletannouncement1.html

Will I be getting one?  Not at the current price point …

Starbucks had one app out previously that was somewhat useful – but their most recent addition to the app store is a true winner.

Their first app to market was MyStarbucks, one that let you locate the nearest Starbucks, see their operating hours, view the menu and nutrition (oh god I had no idea the fat content of some of these things until I looked …), customize drinks, and in general, just play around with the content that you see when you walk into the shop.  All in all, not that amazing – and information you could get by googling or visiting the Starbucks mobile site.  Cute, but kind of a waste of space on my iPhone screen.

The new app, Starbucks Card Mobile, is immensely more useful.  This app lets you log into your Starbucks card account, view the current balance on your card, and reload it.  While waiting in line this morning in the Starbucks drive thru near work, I downloaded and installed, logged into, and added money to my card.  I got to the front of the line and was able to quickly pay for my drink.  Now the folks in line behind me have no idea how much time I saved them by not using the cashier to load up the card and then pay for my drink, but I earn karma points for it I’m sure.  In addition, I can load up cards for my family – my husband’s, for example – and make sure that he is always able to get that cup of coffee that he needs too.

Even cooler, if you live in one of their test markets (Seattle, Cupertino and Mountain View) you can actually pay for your java using your iPhone.  Because that key chain is just SO cumbersome.    Still … I love that they’re trying, so Jetsons!

Click on the photo of each app for info and download links.  More info on these apps is also available at the Starbucks site, http://www.starbucks.com/mobile-apps/.

Like to shop off tv?  Have an iPhone?  Then you need these apps.  Here’s a brief comparison and highlights for both HSN’s and QVS’s iPhone apps now available at the App Store for (of course) no charge.

HSN is the clear winner of these two apps, but that doesn’t mean that if you are a fan of QVC that their app is useless.  It’s just nowhere near as cool.

Why is the HSN app so much cooler than QVCs’?  In addition to the basics that they both cover (search, see item currently on tv, see featured items) HSN offers a fun slot-machine-like experience where you get ten chances a day at winning a money-off coupon.  It also offers a link to watch HSN live on your iPhone.  And, what I was really looking for – a link to their clearance items.

Download and get more info on HSN’s app here.

Download and get more info on QVC’s app here.

And let me know of you agree.  I don’t shop on my tv (okay, I do have two sets of huggable hangers from many years ago purchased on tv, I admit it!) so I’m not the target market for these apps – however, I do love that they are both trying to move into the mobile space.

Everyone on the bus, I say!

Check out this cool online tool (currently in beta) if you need to create some wireframes and don’t have a) the time or b) the expertise. This tool that allows you to simply and quickly create a flow for a proposed web site or project.

Visit their site for more info at http://gomockingbird.com/, or launch right into their web software at http://gomockingbird.com/mockingbird/.

Mock things up fast, link many mockups together, and share your wireframes online. For once, it’s not built in Flash, but in Cappuccino.

I can’t wait to build my next wireframes with this!

Well, we’ve all been holding our breath for what seems like years (okay, maybe just me) in anticipation of Apple’s tablet computer.  But it looks like Microsoft is beating it to the punch.  Check out today’s post at Brainstorm Tech’s blog, http://brainstormtech.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2010/01/07/video-microsoft-upstages-apples-tablet/ for a video clip of Steve Balmer’s answer to the tablet.  Not much is know about this device, except that it’s named the HP Slate and it has a multi-touch screen, instant-on capability and appears to be about 1.4 cm thick.

Ah … it just looks so cool.  To think, I started out computing on a green screen computer with no mouse and no software … and my kids are in jetson’s world where you can press a button on the iPhone and google a question audibly for an answer.  It’s damn close to Star Trek, I say!

Now if only I could get a holodeck … Computer, Cancel Program!!

Okay so I’m giving away a little bit of personal info in that I’m trying to get my family on a gluten-free diet due to health issues.  And if you’ve ever attempted this, are just starting out like me (or perhaps thought it was just to fffffing difficult to figure out and wasn’t worth the effort!) then this app is for you.  It’s a list, basically, sorted in a few different ways as well as searchable.  You can view by category of food (bread, cake mix, chili, coffee, cookies, etc.) or by brand (Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Beech-Nut, Bernsteins, Betty Crocker, etc.) or by ingredient (Olestra, Oats, Herbs, Vanilla Extract) and when you’re in the grocery store it’s an extremely valuable resource as you figure out what you can and cannot eat.

Once you’ve been on the GF bandwagon for a while, this app may not be as helpful, but in the starting out phase it’s incredibly useful and saves tons of time reading labels in the grocery store.  It’s not the cheapest app I’ve ever purchased, but at $5.99 it’s still a great reference.

Get more info on Is that Gluten Free from Midlife Crisis Apps HERE.