January 2010
31 posts
“But the iPad is not designed to fill my desire to create, it’s mainly designed...”
– And so does Mr. Blankenship.
“That’s why it matters so crucially that this next leg of the computer revolution...”
– Alex Payne nailed it.
3 tags
iPad Doesn't Need Multitasking →
A good list of thoughts from the crew behind Simplenote — the developer’s perspective.
5 tags
What's Left? More Questions
Just as with the iPhone, we now have a few months to find the answers to all of our most obvious questions. As the last few drops of Cupertino Kool-Aid are slowly eliminated from my bloodstream, lucid thoughts are returning and I’m left with a void. At the moment, the biggest question many of us are asking is this: will the iPad be something I could put to use?
And forget the obvious...
“Also, young guns may get more attention from the media, but most tech companies...”
– via svn
So refreshing to an old guy like me.
4 tags
It's a Good Monday
For envy.
Updated Weightshift.com:
Updated Colly.com:
“All that to say, I am and will always be passionate about design and writing and...”
– Joshua Blankenship Good words … words to live by.
2 tags
Further Proof
That advertising on the iPhone needs to improve. Exhibit #1:
I finally got around to downloading and trying Words with Friends last week. As a big fan of Scrabble, this game is a no brainer. And the fact that you can have multiple games running at once with multiple friends and everyone can play at their convenience is just genius.
But badgering the user after every turn in the free version...
2 tags
Stock and Flow →
Robin Sloan knocks the ball out of the park with this overview on online media today:
Flow is the feed. It’s the posts and the tweets. It’s the stream of daily and sub-daily updates that remind people that you exist.
and:
Stock is the durable stuff. It’s the content you produce that’s as interesting in two months (or two years) as it is today. It’s what people discover via search. It’s what...
3 tags
Old Friends, New Friends
I received a new Bible for Christmas this year. It was a gift of need, but was bittersweet nonetheless. My previous Bible has been with me for over ten years, and was used almost every day in that time.
A completely debilitated spine made the change a necessary one, but it’s hard to give up on objects that have been embedded with emotional attachment. Books have always been this way for...
“Give me fun, but give me substance.”
– Frank Chimero on the subject of “de-optimizing”. A good read for anyone struggling with too many distractions, especially of the digital sort.
3 tags
2 tags
3 tags
Don't Be A Hero
If you’ve built a system that’s supposed to be reliable, you shouldn’t be up fixing it at four in the morning. You shouldn’t be getting paged at all hours. Sure, you might need to do some occasional planned after-hours maintenance, or some very occasional unplanned-but-process-driven disaster recovery, but you shouldn’t need a hero.
Man, I wish I had been able to read this post when I was still...
3 tags
Gruber and the Tablet App Store
To me this is so obvious, I didn’t consider it worth addressing. I say: yes, of course the App Store will be the only avenue for native third-party tablet apps.
This scares me more that anything that has come from Cupertino in recent years. If Apple does produce this tablet — and does anyone doubt it at this point — and they do indeed use the same model as the iPhone to sell 3rd party software...
2 tags
3 tags
Imitating the Swiss
I have many memories of my dad working around the house on various renovations or working on a vehicle in the driveway. He had a workshop full of tools and a large toolbox filled to overflowing. Many of the tools within were mysterious to me as I had no idea what their intended purpose was.
But whatever the job, there were a few tools that were always included. One in particular stands out in my...
“So, walk into your next meeting equipped with, “I’m probably...”
– Adam Spooner is my new favourite blog.
3 tags
3 tags
Nexus One
Google’s new page for the Nexus One — looks pretty good, apart from the fact that you can only get it in the US.
“My top productivity tip? Turn off Twitter when you’re working. ;)”
– Sam Brown gives some great tips on how to stay sane when freelancing from home. The section titled “Structure your day” particularly resonates with me.
2 tags
Here’s an interesting article from German iPhone shop FutureTap. They shared a lot of information on the acquisition of Where To (iTunes link) and the profit they experienced from sales of the app.
Of interest to me was the details on their marketing efforts:
While in the first half of the year we had decent success with cost-per-click campaigns such as Google Adwords, in the recent past...
2 tags
Chrome vs. Safari
I replaced Safari with Chrome as my default browser for two weeks. After switching back to Safari, there were several Chrome features that I missed immediately:
the New Tab page: I love its Recently Closed list
the Omnibox: annoying name aside, integrating the browser search with the address bar is superb. It makes the Safari interface feel a little clunky
tab behaviour: there was some nice...
3 tags
Book Recommendations
Now that I’m in the wonderful position of working for myself, a goal for this coming year is to finally spend more time learning front end development. I’m focusing mostly on the usual suspects: CSS, HTML and javascript.
I’d like to buy 2 or 3 great books on the subject and I’d love to hear from some experts — what titles would you recommend?
“What happens when there is no meeting, no burning task, no one in your office?...”
– Rands In Repose: Up to Nothing
Paragraphs like these are why I love Rands’ writing so much. He perfectly sums up experiences many of us have had and wraps them in wit.