May 2012
11 posts
The Blog Has Been Moved! →
Hey Tumblr followers, I’ve moved my blog to a Wordpress host. If you want to continue following me, go to this link. Since I am mostly starting from scratch, this Tumblog will serve as an archive of sorts.
Thanks for your support.
Keeping it Real Fake →
Big Mac’s secret is in its sauce. That delicious, addictive sauce. After discovering that McDonald’s posts its ingredient listings online, I couldn’t wait for a few of my long-running questions to be answered. How much artificial flavoring is in there? What’s its base?
The results certainly surprised me. That being said, it doesn’t quite make up for the artificial garbage their “meat” is made...
Why the Samsung Galaxy S III Looks Like Ass →
Even Android fanboys think this phone looks like shit.
AT&T's Regrets →
If AT&T hadn’t offered unlimited data, it would have been able to get people who used more data to pay up for it, as opposed to having the light data users subsidize the heavy ones, [Randall Stephenson] said.
Oh boo-freaking-hoo. You regret offering unlimited data because now people are complaining about how ripped off they are. How sad.
Google May Face Fines for Safari Privacy Breach →
Google Inc. (GOOG) is negotiating with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission over how big a fine it will have to pay for its breach of Apple Inc. (AAPL)’s Safari Internet browser, a person familiar with the matter said.
The fine could amount to more than $10 million dollars, said the person, who declined to be identified because the talks are confidential. The fine would be the first by the FTC...
May the Fourth be With You →
Quite possibly the best Star Wars game, if not one of the greatest games, of all time (Knights of the Old Republic). $7.99 on the Mac App Store for today only. I lost my copy ages ago, I’m definitely picking this up.
Update: Even better deal! If you don’t mind purchasing from GameAgent, you can score Knights of the Old Republic and Empire at War for the same price of $7.99. Crap, I...
Samsung Galaxy S III Gallery →
The hardware doesn’t look too bad, but that UI is so terrible I think it gave me cancer.
Rockband for iOS Still Rockin' (for now) →
“Rock Band for iOS will remain live – the in-app message users received yesterday was sent in error,” a representative for EA told us. “We apologize for the confusion this caused. We’re working to clarify the issue that caused the error and will share additional information as soon as possible.”
Ok, so I gather 2 things from this. First, EA obviously is caving to...
Common Sense on Apple and Dropbox
Recently, a few apps that intergrate with the Dropbox serice were rejected from the iOS app store. Of course, the knee-jerk reaction is to get all up in arms, and assume Apple has some nefarious purpose for doing this. I can see where this argument may be coming from, Apple has iCloud which competes on some level with Dropbox. But then why do they allow apps that use OpenFeint, and similar gaming...
The Dark Knight Rises - Trailer #3 →
Looks fantastic. If only I could understand Bane though…
iPad is the New Laptop →
I once again find myself using two computers. Except this time it’s my MacBook Air that serves as my “desktop” while my iPad is now my “laptop.”
I have a very similar setup to Shawn, except instead of an Air, I have a Pro, which mainly serves as more of a portable desktop. The iPad, as in Shawn’s case, is my primary portable device. When I’m going out, my first instinct is to grab my...
April 2012
43 posts
Tony Fadell, On the Verge →
Former Apple hardware designer Tony Fadell (now CEO of Nest) talks about working on eighteen generations of iPods and early prototypes of the iPhone.
Fascinating interview with an engineer who worked on various iPods, and the first 3 generations of iPhone.
Most interesting, an iPhone with a click-wheel was actually discussed at one point.
DevRocket →
If you do any iOS UI design, this looks like a pretty slick tool. It’s a plug-in for Adobe Photoshop CS5 that adds some great functionality. And it’s only $10, which, even someone like me who’s never designed an iOS app in their life can tell, is a total steal.
Happy designing!
The Case for AppleCare
Let’s face it, extended warranties are generally a rip off. But there is one ‘extended warranty’ that I basically swear by. If someone I know is buying a new Mac, I tell them, especially if it’s a laptop, to get AppleCare, either with it, or soon after. AppleCare is a life saver!The fact is, while Macs are generally very reliable machines, they still tend to have issues. Nothing is perfect.
Now...
Updates and Changes
I’ve made a few minor tweaks to the blog, the most obvious being the new contact form. I figured, it’s probably a bit more secure than putting an email link up in plain sight. If you want to get in touch with me privately, please do so via the contact form (beware the CAPTCHA).
Secondly, I removed comments. For a while now I have allowing comments on this blog, but nobody leaves comments. All...
WAKE UP! →
We know Samsung has an unhealthy obsession with Apple, but this is getting a little weird. This week in Australia, Samsung hired a marketing agency called Tongue to conduct some kind of guerrilla marketing campaign where they sent a bus of protesters to an Apple store and taunted people with the message “WAKE UP.”
Kudos Samsung, you have surpassed my wildest expectations of how low you could...
Can the 3DS Turn Around Nintendo's 'Historic'... →
It’s going to be difficult. Handhelds have traditionally been Nintendo’s biggest seller, but the mobile gaming market has been slowly getting eaten up by Apple with it’s iPhone and iPod.
If Something Sounds Like it's too Good to be...
The other day, Google unvieled it’s new cloud storage solution, Google Drive, a competitor to services like Dropbox. Despite this long-awaited product, I don’t think Dropbox has a lot to worry about from Google at the moment.
Now bear in mind, I have not had the chance to use Google Drive, as the product page is insisting that my “Google Drive is not ready yet.” So this will not be a review of...
Autistic Student Verbally Abused by Teachers →
The two engage in inappropriate conversations, like joking about their alcohol abuse and sex lives in front of their students — all of whom have behavioral conditions and, according to Chaifetz, communication difficulties that prevent them from relaying the conversations to their parents.
The worst part? The teacher wasn’t fired. Seriously, what a load of bullshit.
iMikeBeas: Hello, old friend. →
imikebeas:
Guess what’s back in Mountain Lion? If you guessed brushed metal, YOU’RE WRONG! Hooray!
In the off chance that you happened to bother looking at the photos on this post, you probably guessed that it was fine-grain volume and brightness controls. In that case, you are correct. You can use…
Google Owns Your Uploads →
A quick analysis of Google’s terms of service shows how the search company owns the files you upload the minute they are submitted, and can in effect do anything it wants to your files – and that’s final.
Interestingly, Dropbox and Microsoft SkyDrive specifically state in their terms of service that the user retains ownership of the data. This is probably a good reason to not use Google...
Well I Certainly Feel Silly
About a month ago, I wrote about a really crummy Blackberry Playbook accessory that’s actually made by RIM. Turns out the product page now says the following:
Due to overwhelming demand, this product is no longer available for sale. Please check back on the next stock availability date.
‘Overwhelming demand’? ‘Overwhelming demand’!!!!? What? Did they make like...
Porn for the Typography Nerd →
Oh my…
Via Daring Fireball
The Slow Decay of the Microsoft Consumer →
Sure, Microsoft is still making plenty of money — billions — off of their consumer goods. But the decent quarterly numbers they reported last week in some ways mask what is really happening: Microsoft is slowing morphing into a full-on enterprise company.
I have to agree, Microsoft has lost touch with consumers. The enterprise market is truly the only real strength they have left right now. As...
Download Retail →
GRAPEVINE, Texas, Apr 23, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) —GameStop Corp. (NYSE: GME), the world’s largest multichannel video game retailer, today announced the launch of a massively expanded selection of PC games in-store. More than 1,500 downloadable PC games are now available at 4,400 U.S. stores and at www.GameStop.com, representing one of the most extensive collections of PC games accessible...
The Greatest iPod Ever Made!
Ever since I got one in high school, the iPod mini has always been my absolute favorite version of the iPod. It’s solid, yet sleek contsruction always just felt so great in the hand. It was the epitome of Apple’s minimalism, it was designed to play music, and that is all it did. Quite well I might add. Sure it didn’t have certain niceites, like gapless playback, but it’s still, to this day, the...
Trouble for Android has Suddenly and Surprisingly... →
It looks like the mobile story for 2012 is not going to be so good for Android. It appears as though the operating system is in choppy waters, and is suddenly facing a lot of trouble.
Yeah, Android is suddenly in trouble, and I suddenly aged 4 years.
The rest of the article seems pretty on point though.
Via Daring Fireball
Home Buttons from 'The New iPhone'? →
Home buttons that are apparently destined for the iPhone 5 have today appeared for sale on a Chinese supplier site. The buttons, colored either black or white, appeared on the site TVC-Mall.com of Shenzhen, China under the category of iPhone 5 replacement parts, a section of the site which, until recently, had been empty.
How can these buttons be “appearently destined for the iPhone 5”, if...
No More Apps in iTunes! →
It’s pretty clear that iTunes is having an identity crisis these days, isn’t it? All Apple has to do is move all things iOS to the actual App Store application in OS X, and then rebrand the iTunes Store to something along the lines of a Media Store, but with a catchier, Thundbolt-like naming convention. Then, if I want audio and video, which I don’t these days, I can open up what’s become...
The Humble Botanicula Bundle →
The latest Humble Indie Bundle. As always, it’s pay what you want. This time though, you can give a portion (or all) of your purchase to World Land Trust, to help save the rain forests.
One thing that always amazes me about the Humble Bundle is the fact that on average, Mac and Linux users pay more for the bundle than Windows users.
Apple Pushing iCloud With Free Copies of Snow... →
Apple is offering current MobileMe users still running older versions of OS X a free upgrade to Snow Leopard (OS X 10.6) in order to encourage them to migrate to iCloud. According to an e-mail seen by Macgasm that was sent to MobileMe users who have not yet migrated, those users can request a free Snow Leopard DVD, which will be sent in the mail for free.
I think this is a great idea to lower...
Getting Started With Markdown
For the past several weeks, I have been writing all my blog posts in Markdown, and I’m really lovng it. I thought I would take the time to make a quick guide on some of the basics.
The great thing about Markdown is that you don’t need a special text editor, anything that can save a plain text file is just fine. I personally use Byword because of it’s minimal UI, and handy Markdown tools, but...
Tumblr to Launch Ads →
On Wednesday, Tumblr announced in an apparent about-face that it would be allowing paid advertisement on the popular blogging platform. David Kamp, Tumblr CEO and founder, made the announcement at Ad Age’s Digital Conference today in New York.
As long as they keep these ads off blogs, I see no problem with this. Perhaps they could put together a revenue-sharing system for people who don’t...
The Video Game Rock Medley →
A rock medly of some of the most memorable songs of video game history. Love the musical talent on display here, plus nostalgia wins. I’m pretty sure I’ve played almost all these games (with a couple exceptions).
Be forewarned: the video is 10 minutes of pure awesomeness.
A Watch for the 21st Century →
Pebble is the first watch built for the 21st century. It’s infinitely customizable, with beautiful downloadable watchfaces and useful internet-connected apps. Pebble connects to iPhone and Android smartphones using Bluetooth, alerting you with a silent vibration to incoming calls, emails and messages. While designing Pebble, we strove to create a minimalist yet fashionable product that...
How Star Wars Made Me Realize How Much I Love My...
So I recently got my girlfriend to watch the Star Wars trilogy. I think we watched it over he course of about a month. I promised her I would spare her the prequels though, don’t worry.
Anyway, we were watching the special editions, since that’s the only version I have that I can play (I still have the unaltered films on VHS, but I don’t have a VHS player). Anyway, as a result of this, I found...
Google Stands in the Way of a Free and Open... →
“… And just like that Brin stepped up and proved to the world that he has absolutely no idea what he’s talking about.” It was the first thought that entered into my brain after reading a Guardian article that outlined Sergey Brin’s thoughts about web freedom, in which he singles out Apple and Facebook as being the single biggest threat to the Internet.
Great piece discussing the total...
OS X Art →
Have you ever wondered what abstract art created with the Mac OS X user interface would look like? Neither have I, but this art by Emilio Gomariz is cool nonetheless.
More Favorite iPad Apps
Last December, I wrote this piece on my favorite apps that I found over the first couple days of owning an iPad. Well, as it has been a few months, I’ve decided to do a sequel of sorts.
Byword - Interestingly, this has replaced PlainText as my primary writing app on iPad. I use it in conjucntion with the Mac version for writing my blog. I love the simplicity, and the focus on writing. It...
Malicious Android Apps →
Google has removed at least 15 Android apps from its official Play market after receiving outside reports they were malicious trojans that siphoned names, telephone numbers of email addresses of every person in the phone’s contact list.
This is exactly why I’m glad Apple has a curated app store. It’s not perfect, but it’s better than getting my iPhone infected with trojans.
Tim Cook Visits Valve HQ →
Apple’s chief executive Tim Cook reportedly visited the Bellevue, Washington headquarters of Valve Corporation earlier today, inciting questions about new potential for collaboration between the two companies.
Can’t wait to see what this leads to. Hopefully this is a sign that Apple will start taking gaming more seriously.
Via MacRumors
Mass Effect 3: A Review
Mass Effect 3 is the final entry in BioWare’s sci-fi RPG trilogy. In it, you continue the story of Commander Shepard, on a mission to save the galaxy from the Reapers, an evil race of machines that come every 10,000 years to enslave organic life. In this installment, you must gather allies and resources for the war effort against the Reapers, and lead the final assault to take back Earth.
I’m...
Flashback Malware Removal →
This Java security update removes the most common variants of the Flashback malware.
I didn’t want to really discuss this until Apple released their solution for removing the malware. There have been a couple third party solutions claiming to remove Flashback, but I felt weary about trusting them, so I decided not to post anything about them.
Apple’s solution, available through Software...
iTunes Woes →
Apple has packed almost everything involving media (and app) management, purchase, and playback into this single app. It’s bursting at the seams. It’s a complete mess. And it’s time for an overhaul.
This article pretty much matches up with how I feel about iTunes. I think Apple is starting to address some of the issues thanks to iCloud, but the all-or-nothing approach is quite frustrating.
...
Putting Things in Perspective →
I’m excited to share the news that we’ve agreed to acquire Instagram and that their talented team will be joining Facebook.
And you thought the Android version ruined Instagram?
Thoughts Regarding Mac App Store Paid Upgrades (or...
There has been a lot of discussion about Wil Shipley’s blog on why the Mac App Store should support paid upgrades. This was posted a bit over a week ago, but when John Siracusa discussed this issue on the latest Hypercritical podcast, I felt the need to chime in.
I should start off by saying that I am not a developer. I will not pretend to know how to run a business around developing software. I...
AT&T to Unlock Off-Contract iPhones →
AT&T has announced it will begin unlocking customers’ iPhones once their 2-year contracts have expired. The move will free up the currently-locked devices to use a micro-SIM from any carrier offering a network compatible with the device.
Better late than never.
The Definition of Insanity →
Christopher Dodd, the former Connecticut senator who now leads the Motion Picture Association of America, hasn’t given up on his dream of censoring the Internet. In an interview with Hollywood Reporter, he said that Hollywood and the technology industry “need to come to an understanding” about new copyright legislation.
I can see this happening. That’s assuming, of course, that “coming to an...
Project Glasshole →
I heard the rumors about this and thought “there is no way this is real!” Alas, I have been proven wrong! Great. Another way for people to look like pretentious assholes, that’s exactly what we needed.
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I hate advertisements. They cheapen the user experience of websites, but they are a necessary evil if we want to continue having ‘free’ content online.
I have been on-again-off-again with ads on the various blogs I’ve run over the years, with varying degrees of success. Honestly though, I’ve never made enough money from ads to make it worth damaging user experience.
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