Hivelogic

They Call Him Bruce

2008-09-24T16:18:00-04:00

The offending animal, whom neighbours have named Bruce, also pulled a king-sized mattress out of her garage and ripped it up.

[link]

iTunes App Store Confirmation Dialog

2008-09-21T09:19:00-04:00

With the release of iTunes 8, I’m now seeing a confirmation dialog box when I purchase an app from the iTunes App Store.

This important feature was missing from previous versions, and its absence lent itself to the accidental purchase of expensive applications “by mistake,” a topic I wrote about a few weeks ago.

Delivery Status Touch

2008-09-21T09:11:00-04:00

One of my very favorite Dashboard widgets, Delivery Status, is – at long last – available as an iPhone app.

Delivery Status Touch lets you track packages from UPS, FedEx, USPS, and the rest of them. You can also track orders directly from Apple and Amazon before the orders actually ship. The app can automatically show your package’s location in Google Maps.

Here’s the best part: Delivery Status Touch makes it easy for to get your tracking numbers despite the iPhone’s lack of cut-and-paste. How? You can send tracking numbers from the Dashboard widget (which is free) right to your iPhone.

Very nice.

[link]

The Laptop Bag

2008-09-02T19:02:00-04:00

Back in February, I wrote about my search for a new laptop bag, and invited readers to contribute their thoughts and experiences with their own bags to help me make a decision.

Since then, many people have asked me what bag I decided on, asking me when I’d be posting about my decision.

This is that post.

If you’re really impatient and just want to see what I decided on, you can just jump to that section. But if you’re interested in the explanation and want to learn about my purchasing philosophy, keep reading.

Note: When I wrote my original post, I was brandishing a 13” MacBook. That system is now in use by one of the guys on my team, and I’m currently carrying a MacBook Air around with me. All of my other requirements are the same.

Taking Time

People who know me know that I often do extensive research and take my time making purchase decisions. I tend toward minimalism and generally try to reduce the number of things I own, so when I get something new, I try and make it count.

About ten years ago, a friend of mine introduced me to a great motto: A poor man can afford only the very best.

I’ve probably thought about that phrase every time I’ve made a purchase. Generally speaking, when you buy something impulsively, you’re probably going to make a bad decision. Worse, when you purchase something inexpensive (or maybe cheap is the better word), it usually doesn’t last as long as the expensive version would have. Everything breaks eventually, but cheap things tend to break sooner.

You then wind up having to replace the first thing, usually by purchasing the more expensive version (the one you should have bought in the first place). So now you’ve spent the cost of the cheap thing plus the cost of the expensive thing – more money than you would have in the first place if you’d just spent more first.

I’ve bought a number of laptop bags in the past that just didn’t cut it for one reason or another, and I didn’t want to waste money again, and I knew that lots of research would be needed. At the same time, I have a job that keeps me busy, and I’m spending pretty much all of my free time with my 8 month old son.

So the laptop bag research would happen … but it would happen slowly.

The Short List

I researched, evaluated, and tested out quite a few bags. Some of them I ruled out after online research or discussion with friends. I tried many in person, by visiting a store or by finding a friend who owned one. There were even a few I purchased – and either kept as a spare or returned.

Here’s the short list of bags I tried and liked:

I really liked all of these bags and would have probably been happy with most of them.

As I evaluated them, I realized that I didn’t think it was fair to offer a recommendation for something if I haven’t really tested it out. In the case of a laptop bag, this doesn’t just mean taking it around with me to a coffee shop a few times, this means traveling with it … and that meant waiting for my next trip, RailsConf in May/June of 2008, to come along.

Now that I’ve had the chance to really test out and use the bag in real-life situations and while traveling, at long last, I can safety reveal my choice to Hivelogic readers.

The STM Small Alley

After many hours of online research, in-store testing, and talking with friends and colleagues, I decided on the STM Small Alley. It’s available from Amazon (use that link and I’ll make a couple bucks) and also from my friends at Pivotgear.

Why The STM Small Alley?

I wanted a multifunctional, minimalist shoulder-style bag that would be lightweight and easy to carry, with a padded laptop compartment, and room for a little bit of gear and a notebook. I like things that just work, do a job (or a few jobs) very well, and get out of the way.

The STM Small Alley fits this bill exactly, with no bloat, extra or unwanted features, in a no-frills, unpretentious way.

The Good

Here’s a list:

It’s almost weightless
The pockets and compartments are just the right size and in the right locations (e.g. a zipper-pocket on the back perfect for your boarding pass and ID means you don’t have to flip open the whole bag just to get certain items)
There are outer and separate pockets for notebooks, gear, and your laptop
The shoulder strap is removable
The flexible handle fits over most carry-on luggage handles for easy maneuvering through a concourse
The padded section actually worked, protecting the laptop from bumps and small drops
It’s well-made from durable 600d polyester ripstop fabric with PU coating for water resistance (the lining is water resistant)
Both the outer and inner compartments have velcro closures instead of zippers, which makes it easier to open up with one hand
It fits easily under the seat of an airplane
It doesn’t look like a laptop bag (I didn’t care about this, but it seems to be a selling point for some people)

The Bad

Size: this bag is just for your laptop, a notebook, and a couple of cables. You won’t be fitting your dSLR and zoom lens in here
You can pack it full, but you can’t really overload this bag the way you can some “expandable” bags, as it’s not elastic and doesn’t stretch
The zippered compartment on the flap
It’s not as “cool” as some of the laptop bags out there, and probably won’t guarantee street cred with your hepcat friends or get you invited to any Hollywood parties

Final STM Thoughts

I’ve been using this bag regularly for a few months now, and it’s been great. While it lacks the flexibility, versatility, and large size of my Booq Boa (the version I have is no longer made, and I’m not as fond of this newer one), it’s much less bulky, fits under seats and into other bags more easily, travels better, and carries more easily over your shoulder or in your hand.

The STM is also available in larger sizes for laptops with bigger screens.

The Runner Up

There were a number of bags that came really close to fitting my needs perfectly, but for one minor reason or another, just weren’t exactly perfect for this specific need.

Enter the Tom Bihn Ristretto Messenger.

The people at Tom Bihn are great. When ordering or researching, you interact with an actual person. The person cares about their products and your experience. The person wants you to be happy. The person’s name is Darcy, and she is incredibly cool.

Tom Bihn bags designed by a real guy who’s name is actually Tom Bihn. The bags are hand-made by people in their small Seattle factory.

This is exactly the kind of company that I like to buy things from and support. So in addition to the STM bag, I also have a Tom Bihn Ristretto. It’s a bit too lightweight for me to feel safe traveling with, but for day-to-day activities, coffee shop visits, and the like, it’s great.

Conclusion

I hope this post will be useful to you. In writing it, I realized that some of my requirements were so specific and some of my needs so unique, that my choice of laptop bag might be – at best – inapplicable or in the worst case, simply inconsequential.

In any case, please feel free to use the comments (below) to ask questions or discuss with me anything about the STM, the Ristretto, or the other bags I tested.

Water Intrusion

2008-08-24T08:16:00-04:00

First, I’d just like to say thanks to everybody who has called, written, tweeted, or messaged me wishing us well. I really appreciate your kindness.

We’re doing fine.

It has been two days since we noticed that water had found its way into our house at the base of an exterior wall in the master bedroom. Since the initial discovery, we also found water intrusion in two other areas of that room, as well as in three other rooms, all on exterior walls.

As I type this, there are three Atlantic LGR Dehumidifiers in place in the most heavily affected rooms, along with a total of five Phoenix Axial Air Movers, which are industrial strength fans, brought in by a company who specializes in these kinds of things.

The LGR’s aren’t too loud, but the air-movers create a whole lot of noise. All four of our bedrooms (one of which is my office) had water intrusion and now have fans and dehumidifiers in them. It’s like a crazy, loud, wind-tunnel in those rooms, and I’m probably using enough energy to power a small country.

The whole house is turned upside down, furniture hastily disassembled and moved from one room to another, doors pulled from their hinges and leaned against walls. There’s a makeshift baby-changing-station on the floor of our living room.

My wife and 8 month old baby boy are sleeping on a mattress on the floor of our dining room, and I have an inflatable twin-size mattress on the living room floor. If my boy were about 4 or 5 years old, he’d probably love this. I recall building many forts from sofa cushions in my childhood and wanting to “camp” there at night. But right now, it’s a moment-by-moment challenge keeping him happy and out of harms way. A sleeping baby in your living area makes the time after he goes to sleep and before you go to bed a bit of a challenge as well.

All in all, though, things could be much worse.

I Am Jack’s Water Intrusion

Our house wasn’t flooded. We weren’t wading through puddles of water, or canoeing down the road to get to the store, as people in neighboring counties have had to do (you may have seen the footage on television).

According to the company we’re working with, almost all of their dozens of service calls over the last few days have been to help with exactly the same problem we’re having. Regardless of the age, style, location, or type of house, the problem is the same.

Here in our house, and in many houses in our neighborhood and across Central Florida, we have what’s called water intrusion. This is where a volume of water gets in to your house, usually through a point where the foundation meets the exterior wall. It gets the carpet wet. It soaks the carpet pads through. It causes the drywall to swell. Baseboards separate from the walls where the drywall absorbed water. You may see paint bubbling or peeling. This is what’s called a Class 2 intrusion.

In a Class 2 intrusion, you have water entry at ground level in several places. You’re in real trouble if you have anything above a Class 2 intrusion. A Class 3 intrusion involves water coming down from the roof and through the walls. A Class 4 intrusion usually occurs when people have evacuated and return some days or weeks later to find that not only has mold set in, but permanent damage has been done, usually requiring the full-on gutting of the affected areas of the structure.

I know this because Tyler knows this.

Cause and Effect

From my research and in talking with the company helping us out, this isn’t a result of bad construction or flawed design. This is a result of Tropical Storm Fay dumping between 15 and 20 inches of rain on Central Florida over a period of about 48 hours.

The Florida ground is able to absorb quite a bit of water, typically many inches of rain over a short period of time. A heavy summertime rainstorm might dump several inches of rain in a few hours, and very seldom does this cause any real problems.

But in this case, the ground had become saturated, and was holding water against the house for an extended period of time. Although most homes are somewhat water-tight, none are really waterproof, and almost any house will leak at the foundation if water sits against it long enough.

There was nothing we could have done differently to prevent the intrusion, nor was there a way to stop it once it had started.

You just take steps like peeling up carpet, sopping up wet carpet pads with towels, and doing anything you can think of to start the drying process. Although these measures work pretty well to dry carpets and carpet pads, there’s not much you can do on your own to dry out the drywall, insulation, and baseboards.

Although many people might touch the walls and say, “yeah, that feels dry now,” they’re asking for trouble. Worse than the lingering odor, dampness, and mildew, there’s mold formation to worry about.

Mold: A Homeowner’s Nightmare

With a Class 2 intrusion, you have about 96 hours before mold sets in. Mold is bad. You don’t want it. Preventing it from forming in the first place is critical, because cleanup and remediation is difficult and costly (we’ve been through it once in the past).

So do you take a chance and hope that the wall dries out on its own, that it doesn’t trap moisture long enough for mold to set in?

Maybe, but I’m not taking those chances with my house and family.

Right Now

The carpets and walls are drying out and hopefully in another day, the dehumidifiers and fans will be removed and we’ll be able to start putting our home back together.

My digital humidity gauge was reading about 20% in the rooms with the dehumidifiers in them – down from about 45% (normal for well-insulated Florida homes) in the rest of the house.

This morning, when I woke up, I could hear my little boy happily calling out to me, saying “Dada!” over and over again. He’d had a rough night but was awake right on schedule and ready to play. So I took him to the family room and made towers from plastic toy cups for him to knock down, zoomed the car around on the floor, and laughed and read books together just like we would on any other morning.

Thoughtbot is Hiring a Designer

2008-08-19T13:57:00-04:00

The giant robots over at Thoughtbot are looking to hire “another great designer” to join their Boston-based team.

The right person will have experience designing user interfaces for web applications, have good typographical skills, a strong foundation in design principles, excellent XHTML and CSS skills, and will be as passionate about great design, semantic markup, and web standards as we are about our Ruby code.

When you apply, tell them I sent you.

[link]

The Curious Job of Kevin Cornell

2008-08-13T16:18:00-04:00

Illustrator Kevin Cornell discusses his work on the graphic-novelization and adaptation of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

As usual, Kevin’s work is nothing short of amazing, and his talent really shines in this context and with this presentation.

This is the kind of thing you just buy on the spot, you know? It’s available for pre-order from Amazon now.

You can find more of Kevin’s work at A List Apart, for people who make websites. [link]

Regarding iPhone Application Pricing

2008-08-08T10:17:00-04:00

I’d first heard about the I Am Rich iPhone application from my Talk Show co-host, John Gruber. The application costs $999 and has a single function: it displays the image of a ruby on your iPhone’s screen.

According to the description of the app in the iTunes App Store, the developer is making a statement about the willingness of (wealthy or wannabe-wealthy) consumers to purchase incredibly expensive items just to show that they can. A $999 iPhone app that displays an image of a ruby on the screen would fit into that category.

Maybe It’s Too Easy?

A handful of websites, such as VentureBeat, called for Apple to remove the application from the App Store. As of this moment, the app has been removed, but it’s not clear whether Apple or the developer was the one who removed it.

Soon after, Jason Kottke attacked VentureBeat and others:

VentureBeat implored Apple to pull it from the App Store, as did several other humorless blogs.

The first time I saw the app, I also thought it was funny – a clever way to make a statement about consumerism. Kottke continues, justifying Apple’s right to publish the app and the developer’s right to create it:

App Store shoppers should get to make the choice of whether or not to buy an iPhone app, not Apple, particularly since the App Store is the only way to legitimately purchase consumer iPhone apps.

Jason is absolutely right about this – it’s the responsibility of the shopper to know what they’re buying. But I think the problem (and what Kottke may have missed – unless he’s just playing devil’s advocate) is in the potential for the accidental purchase of this application.

For most people, it’s almost too easy to buy something by accident from the iTunes Store. The default option in the iTunes preference pane is to Buy and download using 1-Click. When you click the Buy Song button in a song list, you’ll be immediately charged for the song (or application), and it’ll start the download process.

Take a look at the iTunes preference pane:

The second option, unselected by default, is Buy using a Shopping Cart. Using this feature, you can add, remove, and review the items you want to buy before you pull the trigger.

Update: My friend Ryan Irelan just tested this feature, and it seems that the iTunes Shopping Cart only works with music. Buying iPhone apps still happens instantly, although you are prompted with an “Are You Sure?” pop-up dialog window. That’s at least something. See my “Imperfect Solution” below for yet another alternative.

From the business standpoint, Apple was “smart” to make 1-Click the default option. They realized early on that many of the purchases consumers will make in iTunes will be impulse purchases. What better way to capitalize on the impulse purchase model than to follow Amazon’s 1-Click example.

This sounds fine until you make your first accidental purchase. A few years ago, I made the mistake of re-purchasing a song I’d already bought. Fortunately, it was just one song. But it could have easily been an album, a movie, a subscription to a television series, or an artist’s entire music collection.

Like Kottke, I have a young child. He doesn’t have access to the computer, but he loves to sit with me at the desk once in a while and when he does, he’s quick to try and grab the mouse or pound the keyboard. At almost 8 months old, he’s probably too young to click the Buy Song button – even if we did let him play around.

But what about a two-year old? Or a 10 year old? It’s clear to me that the potential to mistakenly purchase a $999 iPhone application is all too real.

An Imperfect Solution

I debated about switching my purchasing option to Shopping Cart, but I wanted to keep the convenience of the 1-Click model. After poking around a bit, I discovered that you can keep iTunes from “remembering” your password, requiring that you enter it each time you make a purchase. It’s like a little reminder saying, “Are you sure you want to buy this?”

Unfortunately, this option isn’t foolproof. iTunes actually caches your password for the entire session, which means that subsequent purchases will be automatic (passwordless) until you’ve quit the application. The next time you launch iTunes and try to buy something, you’ll be prompted again.

The Burden

So what’s the real problem? Should Apple prevent developers from creating “useless” applications? Should developers be prevented from charging $1000 for their apps? Should Apple make it harder to make a purchase? Should users be entitled to any recourse if they “accidentally” buy a $999 application that does nothing?

I believe that there’s a shared responsibility here. Apple shouldn’t restrict application pricing or availability (for non-malicious apps). Users need to be careful about the purchases they make – and Apple makes provisions for this. At the same time, developers should be conscientious, considerate, and kind when creating and pricing an application.

Of course, there will always be somebody who will push the envelope and test the limits of every system. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing because it heralds change and inspires innovation, but there’s a price, and these days, we all have to pay it.

The Talk Show, Episode 24

2008-08-02T14:50:00-04:00

A half-hearted run through the last month worth of news, including the new iPhone and MobileMe.

Also, we’re about to change our format a bit, so this episode is the last of its kind.

[link]

ALA 2008 Design Survey

2008-07-31T10:25:00-04:00

My main man Zeldman and the merry A List Apart team has put together an updated, streamlined, and otherwise improved version of The Survey:

Calling all designers, developers, information architects, project managers, writers, editors, marketers, and everyone else who makes websites. It is time once again to pool our information so as to begin sketching a true picture of the way our profession is practiced worldwide.

Although many Hivelogic readers are developers as opposed to pure designers, this survey still applies. It’s well worth your time, and there’s even a button you can post on your website once you’ve taken the survey.

[link]

37signals on Phone Support

2008-07-25T11:30:00-04:00

Sarah, one of the 37signals team members, totally nails the theory behind not offering phone support:

Phone calls require you to stop what you’re doing, go to a quiet place, and concentrate. It requires waiting on the line, listening to hold music, being transferred and possibly having the call lost, all so you have to start over again. You can’t share a phone call with your colleagues, you can’t get someone else’s input or feedback.

At the end of the day, it’s the quality of the support you get rather than the method used that counts.

[link]

About Deleting Features

2008-07-23T09:05:00-04:00

Brent Simmons, creator of NetNewsWire, writes about minimalism in software development and deleting features:

When working on a new version of the app, before I think about the features I want to add, I take a look at what I can get rid of first. It’s a quality-of-app thing. I think of it as making space for the new stuff — but first I have to take the wrecking ball to some old stuff.

It’s like a balancing act – moving an application with a large user base forward into the future.

[link]

There's a New Drobo in Town

2008-07-08T08:30:00-04:00

If you’ve read my article, Regarding Backups where I discuss my data storage and backup process, you know I’m a fan of the Drobo, an external, expandable, RAID device.

Today, Data Robotics has announced a brand new version of the Drobo. I’ve known about it for a little while, but haven’t been able to talk about it until the official announcement today.

So what’s new? The Drobo now supports Firewire 800, and has a faster processor for the behind-the-scenes magic that handles the data redundancy. It’s also said to be cooler and quieter, something everybody can appreciate. The Drobo people tell me they’ve been working to make the new Drobo a device for everybody, and the speed improvement looks like just the thing we’ve been waiting for.

And the icing on the cake: they’re keeping the price the same.

[link]

Wil Shipley's Greatest Bug of All Time

2008-07-08T08:18:00-04:00

Wil Shipley describes a big bug in his code (and how he resolved it). Wil’s posts are always an entertaining read and although they’re sometimes a bit comp-sci, they’re interspersed with interesting bits of history and humor often missing from other technical blogs:

Avie Tevanian had been working on Mach as a PhD student at Carnegie Mellon, and Steve Jobs recognized he was a star and hired him straight away. (Microsoft countered by hiring Avie’s old advisor to work on NT, which is kind of like Microsoft hiring my mom because I’m a good programmer.)

As usual, an interesting journey into the thinking mind of a developer.

[link]

White Noise

2008-07-05T16:37:00-04:00

It’s a fact that silence, like the kind created by our sealed, insulated dwellings, is an unnatural condition with harmful side-effects. Sounds like white noise can be immensely helpful in creating positive background noise in an otherwise silent home or office. White noise is also useful in masking the unwanted noise from a noisy workplace or hotel. Babies and small children also benefit immensely from white noise, as the sounds they heard for 9 months in the womb are suddenly absent in the outside world.

SimplyNoise is a straight-forward browser app that creates user-adjustable white noise. Just move the slider to adjust the volume. New features, like “improved white noise” and downloadable MP3’s are on the way soon.

If you’d prefer a native application, check out Noise, a Mac OS X application that you can use to generate white or pink noise.

And if you want a real-life sound machine, the HoMedics SS-2000 isn’t bad for $20.

Getting Involved: Gates vs. Jobs

2008-06-25T10:23:00-04:00

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer is running a series on Bill Gates leaving daily life at Microsoft. They’re blogging about the piece as well, and in a recent post, they quote an email Gates wrote about usability back in 2003.

It’s an interesting read on several levels, but what really strikes me is how unfamiliar Gates seems using his very own operating system and computer. He appears to be mystified by the way core components of Windows behave, how the website functions, and just generally seems out of touch.

So I got back up and running and went to Windows Updale again. I forgot why I was in Windows Update at all since all I wanted was to get Moviemaker.

So I went back to Microsoft.com and looked at the instructions. I have to click on a folder called WindowsXP. Why should I do that? Windows Update knows I am on Windows XP.

What does it mean to have to click on that folder? So I get a bunch of confusing stuff but sure enough one of them is Moviemaker.

So I do the download. The download is fast but the Install takes many minutes. Amazing how slow this thing is.

Contrast this to Steve Job’s obsession with detail and deeply intimate understanding of not only the hardware and software his company creates, but with the branding, marketing, and user experience. More often that not, it’s Jobs himself who gives product introductions and demos, for example.

Gates and Jobs are like polar opposites, and it makes sense why Jobs is often described as a control freak. It’s because he’s obsessed with understanding every aspect of what Apple does.

Although this is just a snapshot of a moment that took place 5 years ago, I think it sheds some interesting light on state of the company today.

Wireless Hospitals Are Hazardous to Your Health

2008-06-25T08:23:00-04:00

It looks like some wireless systems and devices used in hospitals send out radio waves that can interfere with life-saving hospital equipment:

Electromagnetic glitches occurred in almost 30 percent of the tests when microchip devices similar to those in many types of wireless medical equipment were placed within about one foot of the lifesaving machines. These included breathing machines that switched off; mechanical syringe pumps that stopped delivering medication; and external pacemakers, which regulate the heart, that malfunctioned.

Sounds bad.

[link]

Enkoder for Mac OS X 4.0.1

2008-06-12T21:56:00-04:00

I’ve just released version 4.0.1 of the Enkoder. This release fixes a couple of bugs, including:

Issues launching the app on Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger)
The fields were out of order when tabbing through them
The wrong field took focus when the app launched
A possible crash when quitting the app and saving preferences

Thanks for your help and patience.

[link]

The Enkoder for Mac OS X Is Back, Too

2008-06-11T11:57:00-04:00

Yesterday I announced the return of the Enkoder Form.

Today, I’m happy to announce an all-new (or at least partly new) version of the Enkoder for Mac OS X.

Just like the Enkoder Form, The Enkoder for Mac OS X helps protect email addresses by converting them into encrypted JavaScript code, hiding them from email-harvesting robots while revealing them to real people.

But the Mac app is smarter (it can remember previous encodings, for example). And it runs on your very own machine.

The new version includes several behind-the-scenes improvements, has been updated to work for Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard), and sports a spiffy new logo created by the talented Mark Bixby.

Thanks to everybody who helped me get this release out the door (you know who you are)!

The Enkoder Form Is Back

2008-06-10T14:55:00-04:00

I’m happy to announce that the Hivelogic Enkoder Form is – at long last – back online.

The Enkoder is a utility that helps protect email addresses by converting them into encrypted JavaScript code, hiding them from email-harvesting robots while revealing them to real people.

And coming soon … the re-release of the Enkoder for Mac OS X.

[link]

.Mac to MobileMe Transition FAQ

2008-06-09T15:44:00-04:00

Existing users of .Mac will soon be migrated to MobileMe, Apple’s new Internet service for Mac, iPhone, iPod touch, and PC. This FAQ provides some details about how current .Mac customers will be transitioned to the new service.

The transition will occur in early July when MobileMe becomes available. A change of service email will be sent to your mac.com address when the upgrade occurs.

.Mac subscriptions will be automatically upgraded to MobileMe at no additional cost.

Better, there won’t be user-account squatting/sniping:

Yes. In addition to your mac.com email address, you will also get an address at me.com with the same username when MobileMe is available. For example, if your current email is emily_parker@mac.com, you will get emily_parker@me.com. You can send from whichever address you choose. The choice is yours. You will still receive email sent to your mac.com address so you won’t miss any emails.

This looks like a great new service. Like Steve said in his keynote, it really seems like Apple has gotten it right this time.

Note for UK readers: That’s right, I said “Apple has” because companies are singular entities kthxbai.

[link]

Last Minute WWDC 2008 Predictions

2008-06-09T08:26:00-04:00

Here are my last-minute predictions for this year’s WWDC announcements. Better late than never, I suppose.

iPhone

As expected, Steve Jobs will announce a new iPhone. The phone will have the curved shape and hard-plastic shell everybody’s been talking about, and will be available in several colors. It will feature switchable 3G, GPS, both front and rear facing cameras, and video-conferencing capabilities.

I expect we’ll probably see two models as well, but I’m betting the main difference will be storage space. I’m not feeling a “smaller model without 3G and GPS,” but c’mon, this is Steve. You just never know.

Availability: I don’t think the new iPhone will be available today. I haven’t heard about any reports of containers being delivered to Apple Stores yet (so far, only small, mystery boxes have been delivered). Container delivery is usually a good indication of availability. I’m guessing a few weeks.

We will also see a new version of iPhone firmware (should we start calling this iPhone OS X?) which will work on all existing iPhones and will bring all of the new, non-hardware specific features to existing iPhones. This should be available for immediate download.

I think we’ll see lowered prices on the new models, but I’m still on the fence about subsidized prices.

I’ll absolutely buy a new version of the iPhone the moment their available. This might mean I’ll be driving to the Apple store at Millennia Mall later today.

Displays

We’ll finally see new displays. I bet they rotate, too. It’ll be interesting to see how Apple handles the iSight integration on displays that rotate. They’ll probably be in the same price-range as the current units, too, and sport a style similar to the current round of iMacs. Sizes: 20”, 24”, 32”.

Redesigned MacBook Pros

Gruber convinced me that we’ll probably see new MacBook Pros on the latest episode of The Talk Show. Those machines are still sporting what is essentially the same look as the last round of PowerBook G4’s, and they’re due for a redesign. If this happens, expect something similar to the MacBook Air, just bigger and, obviously, heavier.

I wouldn’t be surprised if we see the MacBook eventually go away entirely, leaving just the Air and the Pro.

Snow Leopard

Snow Leopard is the code-name for Mac OS X 10.6. It will be announced today and will be distributed to WWDC attendees today as well. Gruber does a good job of predicting the shape of Snow Leopard. I’m not so sure that Apple will drop PowerPC support just yet, although I’m on the fence.

I think dropping PPC support would be a good move on Apple’s part. It would create a nice spike in sales for current hardware, inspiring otherwise “happy G5 users” to upgrade, at last. I’ve been an Intel Mac user since the day they were released, and we don’t have a single PPC Mac in production at the Hivelogic HQ (the G4 Cube and lampshade iMac are for display and testing purposes only).

If they don’t drop PPC support, then 10.6 will most certainly be the last OS X to support the aging chipset.

Me?

I think we’ll finally get to see the revamp of .Mac that people have been predicting for so long. The recent downtime .Mac users experienced recently might just be tied to this.

It’s been widely rumored that the new service will be called “Mac Me” or something along those lines. Apple’s registration of a series of me domain names supports this. But then again, it might just be due diligence, preserving their brand when a new top-level domain becomes available.

iPod

I don’t expect a new iPod, but one day soon I bet Apple slims down and the iPod line, dropping the iPod classic, leaving just the Shuffle, Nano, and Touch.

What We Won’t See

Although we’ll probably see a few systems get speed bumps, I don’t think we’ll see any real updates to the MacBook Air, the Mac Pro, or the MacBook.

Thoughts

Aside from the cool features we’ll see with the new iPhone and firmware updates, I don’t think this year will herald anything all new, such as the fabled Mac Tablet. I do think it’ll be a fun keynote, and Steve Jobs will focus on unity of the brand, growth of the Mac, and the simplicity of the OS (dropping Mac from the name, etc.).

PPC Support in Snow Leopard?

2008-06-08T12:40:00-04:00

Mac Rumors is reporting that Mac OS X 10.6 (aka Snow Leopard) may support PowerPC Macs after all:

The source, who claimed to get ahold of the 10.6 seed, indicated that work has been done on PowerPC drivers which indicates to them that support for the architecture is unlikely to be dropped this time around.

I still think we’ll see support for PPC in 10.6, but it’ll be gone for sure in 10.7.

More about this in Episode 21 of The Talk Show.

[link]

Regarding RailsConf 2008

2008-06-04T08:42:00-04:00

I had a great time at RailsConf this year. While I thought the talks were high quality, the highlight for me is getting to spend time meeting and talking to “Internet” friends I might only get to see once a year.

I thought the focus of DHH’s keynote was great. I’m pleased to see him taking just this kind of approach for his talks. For lack of a better (and less corporate) title, I tend to think of David as the “CEO of Rails,” and I think elevating his talk to this level really works. It’s what we, as a community, should be hearing from him.

Entrepreneurs on Rails

I was privileged to be able to offer a talk again this year, and I was astounded by the number of people who came to hear it. Thanks to all of you! I’m grateful to the conference organizers, Chad, Shirley, and everybody else for accepting my talk, something that fell a bit outside of the normal range of topics for a technology conference.

I hope that it was entertaining and informative to all of those who attended, and I’m really sorry that I wasn’t able to give the talk again on Sunday for the hundreds (!) of you who were kicked out by the Fire Marshall, or who missed it entirely because of the lack of space.

You can download the slides for the talk in PDF format here.

Pictures and Coffee

I’d also like to say thanks to my good friend James Duncan Davidson for taking such cool photos of the conference, and for kidnapping me to Stumptown for coffee and Saint Cupcake for a unique Portland dessert.

Speaking of Portland

I like Portland. It’s a cool city with a climate I enjoy, great food, and the best Zen garden outside of Japan. Unfortunately for me, getting there and back is a brutal business: 12+ hours of tedious, time consuming, and punishing travel. This means I get to spend less time than I’d like, because I have to spend so much time getting there and back. Portland is just about the furthest I can travel from home and still be in the continental United States. Getting to Europe is easier. Don’t get me wrong – it’s worth it, but it takes its toll on this kid from the southeast.

I’m psyched that next year a new venue (Las Vegas?) is being considered. Although I’ve never been there before, don’t gamble, and don’t eat most of the food Vegas is known for, anything a bit more central is a boon for the rest of us.

Next Up

After my talk, many people asked me if I would provide some examples of contracts, NDAs, Product Outlines, and the other documents I mentioned. I do plan on doing this soon, and I’ve got some pretty cool things along these lines planned for for the very near future.

Thanks again, please stay tuned.

The Bell Tolls For Thee, Zune

2008-05-23T13:48:00-04:00

GameStop has decided to stop selling the Microsoft Zune due to piss-poor sales:

Microsoft has sold about 2 million Zunes since the device’s release in Nov. 2006 [while] Apple sold 10.6 million iPods in the last quarter alone.

Is this a surprise for anyone besides Steve Ballmer?

[link]

Duncan Isn't Surprised about Oil Prices

2008-05-22T17:40:00-04:00

We’re running out of oil. Some people seem surprised about it. Duncan summarizes the situation well:

Despite this and even though this particular story has been written large on the wall for 35 years, the press is making it sound like everyone is surprised when basic economics around finite resources makes its effect felt. And, of course, the press is just echoing what we all see and hear out in the world. Every time I stop at a gas station lately, people are acting surprised and dismayed about the prices they have to pay. I get the dismay. On Tuesday, I spent over $60 to fill up my 4 door sedan. But surprise? Really?

It’s a great piece, and I hope he takes on other issues in this fashion (although I love and have come to rely on the photography-related focus of the site).

[link]

Title Case for Ruby

2008-05-21T19:40:00-04:00

There’s been a great response to my request to convert Title Case, Gruber’s nifty perl-based title-casing tool into Ruby so the rest of the world (just kidding, Perl people!) can make use of it.

Here are the initial responders:

If you, too, have a version, please post it to the comments.

I haven’t had a chance to check each of them out yet, but from first blush, it appears that we have some very elegant solutions here.

LOST Finale at RailsConf 2008

2008-05-21T16:15:00-04:00

Update – 22 May 2008

Now that I’ve got everybody psyched about this, I realize that I probably can’t attend. I’ll be heading for the airport at about 6:00am EST Thursday morning (which means up at about 5:00am EST—early even for me). I’ll be travelling for about 13 hours.

LOST starts at 9:00pm and ends at 11:00pm PST, which will feel like 2:00am for me coming from EST. Staying awake for 24 hours right before a talk would probably be pushing my limits, especially after a full day of travel. Of course my talk is in the first slot the next morning.

While I probably can’t be at my own party. But don’t let that stop you. It looks like there are plenty of people here to make it a great time. Feel free to continue to use the comments here for planning purposes, with my apologies.

RailsConf this year happens to start on the same day as the LOST Season 4 Finale, There’s No Place Like Home Parts 2 & 3.

Although at first I thought I might attempt to wait until I return home to watch, the chances of it being spoiled for me by the Twittertubes is too great.

So I’ve been thinking that it might be fun to organize an informal LOST Finale viewing party for that evening, 29 May 2008, somewhere with HD TV and within walking distance of the convention center.

If you think you’d like to attend, let me know here in the comments. Even better, if you know a place we could use for the get together, add a comment. If you’d rather keep it private, you can contact me via the email link here.

Let’s do this.

Title Case

2008-05-20T17:00:00-04:00

Gruber has whipped up a tool he calls Title Case:

It’s pretty easy to write a non-clever title-casing function. The simplest way is to just capitalize the first letter of every word. That’s not right, though, because it’ll leave you with capitalized small words like if, in, of, on, etc. What you want is something that not only knows not to capitalize such words, but will un-capitalize them if they’re erroneously capitalized in the input.

Now if somebody has the time, we need this rewritten in Ruby so it’s useful to the rest of us.

[link]

Alltop

2008-05-20T14:00:00-04:00

Alltop, one of the latest sites from Guy Kawasaki, has just launched a Ruby-specific version of their site.

So, what is Alltop? From their site:

We import the stories of the top news websites and blogs for any given topic and display the headlines of the five most recent stories (except Moms.alltop which has fewer headlines because there are so many feeds). When you place the cursor over a headline, we display part of the story so that you can decide if you’d like to read it. To read the story, click on its title. To go to the home page of the site, click on its domain name.

It’s a pretty cool idea, and I think this concept is a step in the right direction for the evolution of RSS.

[link]