1. I bought a new battery. Some like the extended battery from Verizon, but I’m not a fan of the extra bulk. I must have a case, and that limits severely the choice of cases. Also, at $69, I’m not a fan of the price either. I much prefer the RHOD160 battery which cost me less than $20 shipped.
2. I bump charge my phone.
3. I rooted my phone so I can use Autostarts, SetCPU, and can install battery saving kernels. Autostarts kills processes that run in the backgroud on startup. I don’t need Foursquare running when I’m not using it. If you’re rooted you can also use SetCPU to adjust how fast your phone is running (which in turn effects battery usage).
4. I shut off both the GPS and bluetooth radios when I’m not using them. Also when my phone is in my pocket for long periods of time (usually at work), I put it in Airplane mode. I also bump down the screen brightness when I’m not outside.  I do all this easily with the Power Control Plus widget. Now with Tasker, you can make it so that programs that need GPS turn on and off with the programs themselves.

If you have any other helpful tips, let me know in the comments!

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Well, this isn’t really a fix, but a workaround.

If you REALLY want to get the apps back then what you need to do is download a program from the market that backs up apps onto your SD card. If you have root access (if you don’t know what that means, you don’t have it) you can use a program like Titanium Backup:

If you don’t have root, you can use a program like Astro File Manager:

Hit the menu key on your phone to bring up the tools menu:

Click on tools, then pick the applications manage/backup here:

Back up your current programs (purchased with your current default Android Market account) on TO YOUR SD CARD.

Now for the bad news. If you really want these programs, you’re going to have to do a factory reset on your phone. Once you do this, you’ll have to re-enter a default Gmail account. Sign in with account #1. Once you’ve downloaded all the apps from that account, back them up using either Titanium or Astro. Once they are backed up TO YOUR SD CARD, you’re going to need to reset your phone again. Sign in the second time with account #2. Now you simply use Astro File manager to locate the .apk files in your backup folder on your SD card and reinstall the programs:

open the apps manager and reinstall the file. You can do this with the files you downloaded from account #2. The downside to this method is that you will not be able to upgrade the programs without doing a factory reset again. Basically you have the programs but can’t update them. It’s a bummer, but it’s better than not having them all.

Android Market does need to fix this. But until they do, you can use this method. I also go the extra step of copying my backup folder over to my computer in case something happens to my phone, I still have all my purchased programs. Like I said, this isn’t a fix, but a workaround.

Keep in mind that a factory reset returns your phone to its state before you got it. It wipes out a lot of stuff. I keep my contacts and calendars synced via Google and my application data is backed up via Titanium Backup, so it’s not that big of a deal.

But recently I’ve stopped blogging with the frequency I have in the past. Much like a recent study says, people who are given facts only become more entrenched in their wrong ideas. If I express an idea and it’s only picked up by those that agree with me, who does that help? It may be soothing to a weaker person’s ego, but I don’t write for that. What’s been thrown in my face time, after time, after time is that minds won’t change with words and most certainly not with blog posts. I once thought Transadvocate.com could be place to change lives and motivate activists. Now I feel like I’m a single trumpet playing to an empty battlefield. To say that I feel like I’m wasting my time blogging is an understatement. Anymore it feels like a perverse sort of mental masturbation. I don’t believe my posts move people to do anything. That is why it feels like such a waste.

So I’m trying to figure out what I want to do with the rest of my life. I’m considering either law school or going back to school to become a History teacher. I just want to do something that moves people. I want to help others. I’m in a place in my life that I can do what I want. I am searching for that station in life where I can do the most good using the talent I have. I’m still undecided about what path to go down.

That being said, I’m still writing. I’m just focusing on writing books instead of blog posts. My first (of many, I hope) book is about my life and the Abernathy/Abernathey line. Then I’m planning on writing about the lack of truth and the fall of a great nation. I’ll let you guess what nation. I still have the desire to probe, to question, and to seek answers. But seeking answers, truth, or honest debate in this climate seems pretty fruitless. I don’t want to stand up because I want to. I’ve never blogged because I want to. It’s always been a matter of passion and need. At this time in my life this feels like the right place where I need to stop.