Xackup’s Bandwagon went from a data storage service to a synchronization platform for iTunes. A good move since it’s a pluggable system…assuming you’ve got somewhere to store your data.

They mention support for Amazon’s S3, ftp hosts, and OmniDrive (an Internet backup service) but I have no clue what “+1 month” and “+2 months” means after each of them. I’m guessing a launch date.

If your iTunes library fits under 20 GB it’s a relatively inexpensive investment to pick a storage service and link it with Bandwagon, but in my case, 65 GB of music isn’t worth the cost. It’s more economical to buy an external hard drive or two, rent a safe deposit box at my local bank, and swap them out every month. Not as convenient as clicking buttons on my Mac but there’s comfort knowing exactly where my precious files are stored.

When Internet storage becomes pennies (not dimes) on the dollar I’ll sign-up but don’t think I’ll stop backing up to hard disk. I’ve heard too many stories about “the backup service” that didn’t when someone needed a file the most.

Yesterday TUAW covered Xackup bandwagon, Mac software to backup your iTunes library. Although details weren’t finalized, the service was to offer unlimited backup for $69.99 as an introductory price. I was ready to sign up since my 65 GB musc library could stand to live somewhere else than one hard drive.

This morning Xackup’s site greeted me with this:

They cite an “overwhelming response” to their service, they “underestimated the need,” and are not taking new customers until they work out a pricing model.

I’m guessing Xackup is a small shop and I applaud their efforts. I was ready to hand over my $70 and get started but now I’m re-thinking it. If they underestimated the response what else did they overlook?

• Do they have enough storage capacity?
• Do they have sufficient backup equipment?
• Do they have sufficient bandwidth?
• Can they afford it?
• What else did they forget to anticipate?

Small shops can’t invest in expensive market research so they take flight and adjust along the way. In this case it seems they launched a hobby project that would fly under the radar until they worked out the kinks. Fat chance of that in today’s blogosphere.

Work it out guys and I’ll take another look but only if you promise to have the details worked out.

Dear Sting, Stewart, and Andy:

Just having spent a small fortune on tickets to your show in Phoenix I felt it necessary to make a few comments. I’m not sure who is getting the majority of the ticket revenue (I can only hope it’s the three of you) but let’s put it in perspective: I can fill my wife’s SUV for 6-months for the same price. Six months of dinosaur juice in exchange for a few hours of one evening. Make it count.

In recognition of my life-long support (i.e.: CDs, videos, books, shows) and recent sacrifice of almost five c-notes I feel you owe me (and others of my ilk) a few things:

• Play long: this means a three hour show
• Don’t play Synchronicity from front to back: it’s a great album but mix it up; hell…put Andy on vocals for Be My Girl
• Sting…no jazz; I mean it
• Sting…get over it; the only person expecting perfection is you
• Sting…feel free to invite me to your Italian villa as I now own a small piece of it measuring approximately 1.5 centimeters by 0.8 centimeters; you’ll find it near the back stairs to the garden
• Play nice: for what I paid, I expect that you will smile, enjoy yourselves, and put on a killer show because I deserve it

We’ll see how this works out on June 18th.

It’s been a long time coming and I’m pleased to announce the release of Layout Planner: The Only Software Tool for Rapid Design of Unique Paving Stone Layouts.

Designing software can be fun…especially if you don’t need to write the code. Dan at Synclab Consulting has done the heavy-lifting and I’ve expanded my knowledge of Java more than I wanted to. I’ve done my fair share of coding in VBScript, PHP, and Visual Basic for Applications and have come to appreciate loose data type checking. Oh sure, it’s piss-poor from the view of a purist but dealing with Java’s type checking is more than I can bear.

During this time I’ve seen Drupal go from version 4 to 5, built a custom theme (thanks to Cameron at Prolifique), and done some twiddling in PHP to shape things to my liking. Throw in some Greybox AJAX and wrangling of CSS - it’s been quite a party.

In any event the efforts of many a contractor and myself can be seen in Layout Planner. It’s the only software that can quickly design paving stone layouts. Draw a region to scale, choose your pre-cut stone (or bricks with patterns), watch the layout get generated, and save your installation diagram for later use. Grab the Bill of Materials, call your nearest supplier, then spend the day installing your new patio.

How easy is it to use? Think of the those old “paint by numbers” kits where you put a swatch of color onto a canvas wherever a number was found. In our case, place Stone 1 where the diagram shows Stone 1. Stone 2 for Stone 2, and so on.

How fast are layouts created? Once you’ve taken the time to accurately draw an outline of your installation site, just click a button and wait less than 30 seconds. Don’t like the layout? No problem, click a button and another one is created.

The strength of Layout Planner is the ability to design a layout using random stone placement, non-consecutive stone edges, and with minimal waste. It’s a Java application and runs natively on the Mac, Windows, and Linux. Architects can export to AutoCAD. Installers can run on auto-pilot with the installation diagram. Builders save money and time.

If you’re in the business of architecting, building homes, landscape design, stone masonry, or just a DIY’er, take a peek at the Layout Planner web site and sign-up to beta test the product before the general release in mid-March.

I recently ordered $9,000 of server equipment from Dell and discovered I needed to exchange two small items. Try calling Dell’s main number and notice how elaborate the messaging system is, as if they want you to hang up in vain. After pressing some string of numbers like 2, 1, 4, 6, 1, and 3 I reached a human who listened to my request then said “OK, please hold while I route your call.” Odd…I thought I had already done that.

Into phone limbo I went as my left ear was caressed with 1.5 hours of hold music. I hung up and called a sales rep whose contact info I had from the original purchase. I never received a return call.

Taking an order then making it impossible to get post-sales sales support is shameful.