Author: Jon Bittner

Yes, “top lists” of hackneyed roommate advice are a dime a dozen. But I enjoyed the irreverent tone of this blog post from BestCollegesOnline, which helps manage expectations for roommates who are interested in weapons, illegal drugs, open relationships, and nudity.

My favorite pieces-of-actual-wisdom:

• “Exchange emergency numbers before hand.” This is an-easy-to-forget piece of common sense.
• “If someone makes your roommate uncomfortable, don’t invite them over.” Indeed.
• “Settle up finances” and “pay bills on time.” What blog are you reading, again?
• “Wear clothes in common areas.” I always struggle with this one…

Hi Splitwise users,

On Friday afternoon we discovered a serious stability bug in the latest version of Splitwise for iOS (v1.6, posted to the App Store earlier that day). We have already submitted a bug-fix update to the App Store, which is currently awaiting approval. In the meantime, we strongly encourage that existing users do not upgrade to v1.6 until the bug-fix has been released. We’re very sorry for the inconvenience.

The bug affects users who upgrade from v1.5 to v1.6. Users who upgrade may experience crashes that make the app unusable. If you have already upgraded to v1.6, you should be able to fix these errors by un-installing and re-installing the app. This has been confirmed to work on multiple devices, but please comment below or email us at support@splitwise.com if you have further issues, and we’ll do our best to help you out.

Note that these crashes do not cause any data loss – all of your information is still safe in our databases, and available via our web interface at splitwise.com.

Updated: This has been resolved. See our follow up post.

-Jon

Have you ever wondered what formula Excel uses to make its “curved line” scatter plots? I have!

Admittedly, this sounds like an odd thing to wonder about. But it’s actually a super-practical question: what if you want to approximate an intermediate point along the curve you have just plotted? For some reason, Excel hides this formula from you, and according to my source post, Microsoft has left this formula a black-box and given users no access to it. WTF, mate. Continue reading Mystery solved! The secret of Excel curved line interpolation

While the Splitwise furniture calculator can help you deal with buying shared furniture (and who gets to keep it when you move out), the hassle of shopping for and hauling furniture is definitely one of the worst parts of moving. An article in SF Gate last week mentions an interesting new service called CORT which will help you rent all the furniture in your apartment all at once. Continue reading Rent your furniture instead of buying?

Never in my life have I read a more twisted and weird roommate story. If you have 10 minutes to kill and want to feel better about your roommates, read this lengthy, hilarious, well-written NYC horror story.

Today is a celebration of America’s greatest champion for fairness, who would have turned 83 this year. Even if you are working today (as we are here at Splitwise) and not taking the day off, there’s always time to read and reflect on what the day stands for:

• MLK’s Wikipedia article. While Martin Luther King is best remembered for his achievements in Civil Rights, he was also an advocate for economic justice and fairness for the poor.
• Google Doodle for MLK day. This link also has a flashback to Google’s earlier tributes.
• CNN’s coverage including some Obama quotes and added context.