October 2011
123 posts
Some Quick Thoughts on the New Kindles
In an effort not rehash what everyone else has said about the new Kindle line up, I will only post some quick thoughts. I know I am late to the party with this post, but Rosh Hashanah has kept me busy over the past 48 hours or so.
First, and foremost the sheer size of the line up reminds me of the iPod line up. There is something for everyone, from those looking for a cheap but excellent...
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SmarterBits: iPhone Essential
smarterbits:
Patrick Rhone, on the iPhone being the only computer you might need:
The real challenge is overcoming our comfort, convenience, limits and pre-conceived notions.
Like many others I’m sure, reading Rhone’s account of using the iPhone exclusively to get through the day made me frown with skepticism. Seeing how I had tried using the iPad as my only computer in the past and came...
Sometimes you just want to slum it: choosing a... →
September 2011
70 posts
“The Fire is a portable media center, not a portable computer.”
– The Kindle Fire — Shawn Blanc
Why Facebook Works for All, Twitter for Some →
A really interesting look at what twitter may need to do to expand beyond its current user base.
'Apple's New Laptop Dock' →
I just got a MacBook Air and the ability to use the new thunderbolt display as a dock is very interesting to me. When I get an actual desk at home, with a better work space I am considering getting the display. I really like the idea of Apple building more into the display, like an external hard drive (time machine) and even an optical drive.
(h/t Shawn Blanc)
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What should Apple do with the iPod? →
Great piece by Dan Frommer on what the future holds for the iPod. I completely agree, there’s no way Apple will kill off the iPod. It represents to much for the company, both financially and as a foundation for the current company. More so I believe there will always be a market for iPods. Considering children who don’t necessarily have cell phones yet, say a fifth grader (when I got...
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ifttt →
onethingwell:
ifttt—short for ‘if this then that’—lets you write simple rules that convert activity on one web service into action on another.
So, for example, you might say to ifttt, ‘If I save a bookmark on Pinboard tagged ‘tweet’ then post the link to Twitter’. Or you might want ifttt to post to Tumblr when shares in Google drop below a certain price, or have ifttt call your ‘phone whenever...
The Amazon tablet will look like a PlayBook --... →
Although Amazon did refresh the ID of their PlayBook derivative, I’m told that this first tablet of theirs is “supposed to be pretty poor” and is a “stopgap” in order to get a tablet out the door for the 2011 holiday season — which doesn’t exactly leave the best taste in my mouth.
To me this is not a very good sign. If the Amazon tablet turns out to be...
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How to stop e-mail overload? Think before you hit... →
Chris Anderson, TED Curator, does a fantastic job in this op-ed explaining why we need to change the way we do e-mail.
Facebook iPad App Still Snagged in Negotiations →
I really hope Apple and Facebook come to an understanding so that Facebook can be integrated into iOS and the iPad can be released. I feel as if there are major benefits to both companies, and most importantly plenty of benefit for the consumer.
With Version 2.0 On Fire, Instagram Zooms Past 10... →
I love this app, hopefully the influx of new users will keep the developers innovating. It is a beautiful product and user experience.
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Workers’ Own Cellphones and iPads Find a Role at... →
Facebook has changed birthdays...
Over the past few days scores of people have already begun lodging complaints about the Facebook redesign. Personally the updates don’t bother me I continue to go about my business the way I did and l try to figure out if the new tools can help make my facebook experience better. If they can’t they fade into the background. I also believe the new “Timeline” (Profile) is a...
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The Real Tablet War is About to Commence for Real... →
The New York Times writes:
One after another, like moths to a flame, computer makers have been seduced into entering the market for tablets. Apple made it look so irresistible, with 29 million eager and sometimes fanatical consumers snapping up an iPad in the device’s first 15 months.
But neither Samsung nor Motorola nor Acer could beg or borrow any of Apple’s magic. Research in Motion, the...
Trent Walton - "Unitasking" →
Recently, my 27” iMac went out of commission for a day, and I had to rely solely on a 13” Macbook Air. It forced me to focus and had me second guessing how I work on computers.
Maker's Schedule, Manager's Schedule →
A really interesting look at how you organize your day.
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Masochist me? An Ars writer's iPad-only workday →
The Entrepreneur's Guide to Coffee Shop Etiquette →
If you are like me and love working at your local Coffee Shop here are some good rules for anyone to live by.
Patrick Rhone's RSS System →
I think this sounds like a pretty good system. I may just reorganize my feeds, and try it out because my RSS reading became unmanageable this week.
Original Twitter, Facebook, Google, and Yahoo... →
Amazon holding press conference on September 28th,... →
Keeping A Mac Clean: What I Use
minimalmac:
Since keeping your Mac clean seems to be a popular topic, I thought I would take a moment to highlight a couple of products I have used for quite some time.
As a Mac Consultant, I often run into keyboards and screens that are less than sparkling (Honestly, who’s really is?). Because of this, as a service to my clients I often will take a few extra minutes to spiffy up their Mac a...
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Dear people who whine about interface changes on...
dpstyles:
From Kent Brewster:
Unless you are paying money to advertise on Facebook, you are not a Facebook customer. As far as Facebook is concerned, you’re not even a human being. You are one of an infinite herd of cows. Facebook (and its faithful ranch-hand Zynga) spreads a thick layer of content for you every morning, you chew it up all day, and they milk you for your lovely creamy clicks...
Things Apple is Worth More Than →
minimalmac:
A new Tumblr site about just what it says on tin. Both funny (The Star Wars, Star Trek, Harry Potter, Stephen King and Twilight Franchise Combined) and amazing ( The GDP of Denmark). Instant follow.
(via Kottke)
Apple’s iPhone 5 event on October 4 →
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Finding Time to Listen to Podcasts
A few weeks back when I started this blog I wrote a review of Instacast. A great little app for listening to Podcasts. In that review I confessed that until now I never got into listening to podcast. Today I can’t stop, they have become an essential part of my media diet.
I think everyone should start to include a podcast or two or seven like I have in their media consumption. Americans...
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Terry Lucy: So, I've owned a Mac for over six... →
terrylucy:
Some of you may remember my delight as I purchased my very first Mac (2010 MacBook Air, 128 GB w/ 4 GB RAM) back in March this year. Its been over six months now, so I should have downloaded a ton of Apps and have loads to say about them, right? No. I still use the same 5-6 Apps I had installed within the first month of getting my MacBook Air.
Why?
Well, because I am learning....
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Quick Thoughts on Facebook Lists
Overtime like many people I have accumulated a very large number of so called Facebook friends. Sorry but some of you I am not really friends with and have no patience to go through defriending people. Since I am not really interested in what many of the people on my “friends” list are doing, smart list allow me to easily filter the noise.
So far the only list I have worked on and...
Analyst: ‘No Rush’ on iPad 3 as Rival Tablet... →
“Apple fans hoping for an iPad 3 this year should just cool their jets, one analyst advises. There’s “no rush” to unveil a new version as rival devices stumble left and right. As Simon & Garfunkel might say: Slow down, you move too fast.
“In our view, Apple should be in no rush,” JP Morgan analyst Mark Moskowitz told investors Friday. There’s no need as no real tablet rival exists....
Joining the E-Book Revolution
Not to long ago I made a concrete decisions to stop purchasing books in print and to only buy e-books through Amazon. I do not own a Kindle, I use their iOS app, because the selection in Apple iBook store is much smaller than Amazons.
This decision was not one that I made lightly, because I truly have always dreamed of one day having a personal library filled to ceiling with beautiful books....
Ergonomic experts at Cornell don’t recommend... →
Sit to do computer work. Sit using a height-adjustable, downward titling keyboard tray for the best work posture, then every 20 minutes stand for 2 minutes AND MOVE. The absolute time isn’t critical but about every 20-30 minutes take a posture break and move for a couple of minutes. Simply standing is insufficient.
(via 52Tiger)
Raise Your Hand If You’re Still Using Google →
When Google+ launched a few months ago, I got in relatively quickly and liked what I saw. I believed the social network would make a great challenger to the likes of Facebook and Twitter, mainly because of Google’s enormous existing audience (I still do, provided the company plays its cards right).
It’s now been a while since I’ve last visited or posted anything on Google+, but I figured that...
Three Fonts →
This Wikipedia article is a must-read for Apple/design nerds.
(Via Forkbombr.)
ifttt — If This Then That →
John Gruber
New(-ish) automation service, acts like glue between a wide variety of online services. Think: Automator for the web. Ambitious and clever, and they take a novel approach to making the interface obvious and easy. Check outthe list of most-popular recipes to get an idea of the things you can do with it.
ifttt is such an amazing service you have to check out.
Facebook Co-Founder Dustin Moskovitz Talks About... →
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A New MacBook Air, Working Towards Ubiquitous...
For those of you who know me well enough you know how much I enjoy getting new toys, my latest is my MacBook Air. Getting a new computer for me is like an artist with a blank canvas, you turn it on for the first time and it is there ready for you to personalize and make your own. When I started preparing to get my new Air I made a list of all the software, really apps, that I wanted to use. Before...
The Genius of Steve Jobs: Marrying Tech and Art →
Why text messages are limited to 160 characters? →
Alone in a room in his home in Bonn, Germany, Friedhelm Hillebrand sat at his typewriter, tapping out random sentences and questions on a sheet of paper.
As he went along, Hillebrand counted the number of letters, numbers, punctuation marks and spaces on the page. Each blurb ran on for a line or two and nearly always clocked in under 160 characters.
That became Hillebrand’s magic number...
Twitter's 100-million-users milestone: By the... →
26 million Number of active users Twitter had at the end of 2009
60 million Number of users who have logged in and tweeted in the past month
40 million Number of users who have logged in but not tweeted anything themselves in the past month
400 million Number of people who have visited Twitter.com in the past month, according to Google Analytics. Users don’t have to log in to read most...
The End Of Books: Ikea Is Changing Shelves To... →
“If you needed any more proof that the age of dead-tree books is over take a look at these alarming style changes at Ikea: the furniture manufacturer’s iconic BILLY bookcase – the bookcase that everyone put together when they got their first apartment and, inevitably, pounded the nails wrong into – is becoming deeper and more of a curio cabinet. Why? Because Ikea is noticing that customers...
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Quick Review: Wunderlist
Over the past few weeks I have been looking for a “To Do” list app, that would effectively suit my workflow. In particular I was looking for one that worked as an application across multiple platforms, considering at work I have a PC, at home a MacBook Air, and everywhere else I am on iOS. For some time I have use TeuxDeux . They have a great iPhone app, and an excellent web...
The best thing about Apple's win over Samsung in... →
It gets old seeing companies copy Apple so fully, and then claim they had no choice because there’s no other way to make whatever it is they’re making. Of course there is. We’re not talking a single function like a volume switch or camera button, but rather an entire product. If Apple used that lazy cop-out, the iPad would have been built like previous Windows tablet designs...
Seeking Work? Ready Your Webcam →
Looking for a job? You may need to brush up on your on-camera skills. In 2011, it’s estimated a full 42% of first-round interviews will take place virtually over webcam.
Shawn Blanc: Apple’s Four-Year Product Rollout →
It wasn’t until 2007, with the advent of the iPhone, that it became clear Apple was trying to incorporate everything together and to build a single product.
I think that Apple is just now finishing the first step of what it began in 2007.
Up until recently, they have been selling tangible products: devices with software. Soon, Apple will be selling universal, ubiquitous access. Or: all your...
Aussie Politicos Demand iPads, IT ‘Headaches’... →
Parliamentarians in Western Australia demanded a trial of Apple’s tablet computer, waging the kind of epic battle between users and the IT department that happens in companies around the globe.