I’ve had my iPhone for a couple of weeks now, and I must say I love it.

It’s not perfect though, and I’ve got a fair few things that annoy or puzzle me, such as:

• no cut & paste? what?
• why is the iPod functionality more limited than the iPod? no random album play - or am I missing something?
• why is there no auto-completion / history facility for the keyboard, especially when typing email addresses or urls? surely it’s obvious that it should remember what you’ve been typing recently (except passwords, obviously)
• when you save a bookmark onto the home screen, then click on it multiple times, why isn’t safari smart enough to take you to the same “tab” (it opens a new tab and loads the page again)
• no option to view passwords in clear-text (sometimes I know nobody is looking, and I just want to type the damn thing)
• when I click the headphones button, why does the iPod only start playing sometimes?
• why is the camera so poor
• why don’t notes seem to sync with anything?
• why no unified inbox for mail from multiple accounts?

• wot no iChat?

  <p style="font-size:10px;text-align:right;">Tags: iphone, apple</p>

Talking about cut & paste on the iPhone, I was thinking about how I’d do it.

The main problem is that Apple have already used the obvious gesture for selecting text - “click” and drag-select - to allow you to position the text cursor using a magnifying glass.

This is indeed a useful gesture… when you need it… which is less often than I need cut & paste. However, given that they are unlikely to change the purpose of that gesture, we’re in need of another one.

The best I can think of, currently, is a two finger gesture where one finger remains static, whilst the other one drag selects. The static finger is almost like a depressed modifier key in this situation, and a similar use of it could be made in other contexts.

Currently the gesture I’ve described would be interpreted as the “pinch”, but I think that’s a mistake. I think that the interface should only recognise a pinch when both fingers are moving. This would allow the one-in-motion, one-static gesture to mean something else.

Once text selection is cracked, the rest is relatively simple I think - some sort of contextual interface or halo that presents itself around the selected text, given the normal cut/copy/paste type options.

There are still a few questions - like how do I paste in to an empty selection - but I think that they are easily solved. A paste button on the keyboard would do it.

<p style="font-size:10px;text-align:right;">Tags: iphone, interface, ui</p>

If the fans of a football team, as the saying goes, are truly the twelfth player on the pitch, then its about time that the Loftus Road faithful realised that we are quite capable of scoring an own goal.

It started tonight with throwing the ball away from opposition players, which is something that has been creeping in at QPR lately. This is not just childish, it is un-sporting (sorry, an old fashioned concept I know) and whether it comes from the players or the fans, it reflects badly on us all.

Then there’s the treatment meted out to visiting greats. Tonight it was Andy Cole’s turn. You may not like him (personally I do like him), but he’s one of the highest scoring players in English footballing history, and there’s no doubt that he deserves respect from any true fan of the game.

A bit of ironic banter along the lines of “who are you?” or “you’re not famous anymore” is fine by me. But outright abuse, such as yelling “wankerl wanker” isn’t just in poor taste, its downright dumb when directed at a player of his quality.

At that stage, we were 2-0 up and cruising. Then a few bright sparks decide to wind up Mr Cole. The result? A hatrick for him, and a 2-4 defeat for us that he orchestrated.

I used to be proud of the atmosphere and quick-fire wit at Loftus Road. Now I fear we’re in danger of having it ruined by the kind of morons who think its funny to sing songs about people having aids. <p style="font-size:10px;text-align:right;">Tags: qpr, football</p>

At the risk of repeating myself ;)

If there was one thing I really wish that more of the programmers I’d worked with over the years had learnt, I think it would have to be the DRY principle, namely: “Don’t Repeat Yourself”!

And if you haven’t read The Pragmatic Programmer, go out and buy it now!

In January, QPR visit Chelsea in the FA Cup. Ecclestone, a Chelsea fan and a mate of the owner, is relishing it. “I go to Chelsea with Roman now and again,” he says, “so we might have to go easy on them, put out a weakened team and give them a bit of a chance.”