I can’t be the only one who made this mistake. Here’s how I recovered… pass it on; many will benefit:

I was applying the best screen protector yet invented to my new iPhone. It’s the one that comes with the ifrogz case (click here), apparently the same as the Power Support Crystal Film that I purchased earlier from the Apple store: (click here) – these are “honest” links; no affiliate codes. What makes them awesome is that they just to melt into the screen, truly becoming one… except if there’s dust or lint around (like everywhere), in which case bubbles form which is so very disappointing.

My story: After cleaning my iPhone screen with an alcohol wipe, I set the unit on a paper towel (big mistake) and picked up a ton of lint just as I applied the screen protector. Can you say: “More bubbles than a scuba diver encountering sharks?” Yikes! I tried several methods (water, alcohol wipes, etc.) to clean the contact side of the screen protector to no avail — actually made things worse.

Eventually, I found that applying Scotch-brand “Satin Finish GiftWrap Tape” (not very sticky) to the “contact” side of the screen protector removed all the lint. No more bubbles; problem solved! You can do this even to eliminate just one bubble. Here’s how: Apply one piece of this tape to the corner nearest to the bubble and gently lift the screen protector part way off of your iPhone. Slide a second piece of tape, sticky side up, between the iPhone screen and the screen protector (AKA sticky side of tape facing towards the inside of the screen protector). Press together and then remove the inside tape. The dust/lint will transfer from the screen protector to the tape without leaving a mark. Miraculous!

Post a comment if this works for you, or if it doesn’t. And be sure to tell your friends. Bubbles on a new iPhone screen are a total bummer; worse than a scuba diver encountering sharks.

I’m the type who likes to develop a very deep expertise in just a few areas. I’m a social media pioneer, an award-winning entrepreneur, a decent home winemaker, a solid runner/triathlete/Adventure Racer (13 years running…), and hopefully a pretty good family man. 

So it is rare that I venture into an area in which I’m a non-expert to offer my opinion. But today I can’t help myself.

My Vistage Chair Dick Singer forwarded to me a single sobering PowerPoint slide by JPMorgan (#2 below) illustrating the dramatic decline in the valuation of banking stocks over the past year or so. JPMorgan itself is featured in the graphic. The problem is that it unintentionally reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of numbers — by the very people we’re trusting to help lead us out of this financial crisis (toggle between slides 5 & 6 below). Worse, it was apparently vetted and propagated by Bloomberg, a news organization that I, for one, would expect to employ a critical eye over all matters financial. But they did not.

Seeing this and being unable to contain my frustration as a taxpayer who has recently expended his share of $700 billon, I produced this:

[slideshare id=958616&doc=banks-by-mkt-cap-2009-vs-2007-1233087555794432-3&w=425]

Let me know if I’m the only one who is both outraged and terrified by this. That would be reassuring but I suspect it’s unlikely.

Depending on your comments, I may or may not stick to my knitting in the future.