It was 20 years ago today, when Apple….

…taught the Mac to Play; games that is….huh! My how things change. I remember back in the day when Apple and Macs we’re not taken very seriously in some circles and the complaint went something like; “yeah Macs are only good for games and graphics”. Now if you really want to get something done you need a PC…. all of this coming from people who knew nothing about Apple and what they were doing or trying to do. Well, geeks grow up and now I hear that gaming is coming back to the Mac. What apparently was seen as flaw has now become a benefit. Which means that grown men are playing World of Warcraft; women of course know better, oh the irony. What all of this points to is that with the rise of things like PSP, X-Box and Wii, gaming has become [respectable?] no, it’s a huge billion dollar industry. Computer platforms aside, it’s all about entertainment and the battle for how that entertainment is delivered.

I could go into a long diatribe of the pros and cons of entertainment being the parent of more teenagers than I can count on one hand. I will leave that discussion for another forum but will say that when it comes to entertainment, “choose wisely”. Not everything that comes on a plastic disc is healthy.

Don’t be fooled folks; there is real entertainment out there if you need it, accept no substitutes….

Now back to your regular scheduled programming.

Macs & Media …reality check!

I, like many Mac/Apple fans am sitting on the edge of my virtual seat of WWDC trying to scoop the show and have some fun in the process. Like many bloggers I read the news, forums and whatever in order to get a pulse on what is happening with Mac’s and tech in general. That said, I must say that much of it is UNREAL. It’s unreal for two reasons one is that there is always “spin” which is crafted to  elevate one idea over  another and second is some of it just plain opinion, educated as it may be. Most of the things I write is opinion and some of it is even informed but mostly because I like to speculate. It keeps the synapse firing on all cylinders. It’s always good to view these things with an eye towards what is real which usually we only know as we look back historically. Today we’re probably wrong about some things and right about others; we just don’t know which is which. Fun Huh!

If you find any of this slightly interesting you can read more at another of my blogs, SomeMacBlog.

Internet Loop 360 with Off Ramps into Mac Land et al.

It’s hard to believe that I’ve been at this internet thing for almost twelve years now and it is amazing how much things have changed in that span of time. More amazing is the fact that I find something new almost everyday; some new piece of software or technology comes across my radar. Truly the old prophecy about “run to and fro and knowledge shall be increased” has come to pass. Of course we all have the same problem can I find what I need and then be able to afford the cost so that I can be more productive. That is probably why most people look for the “free” stuff. We all like free and if it’s really useful then we’re really happy.

I thought for this post I would simply give a rundown of what kinds of things I am turning up and then let you decide for yourself whether it’s something that will work for you. So If I ramble a bit, stay with me and if I don’t make sense just click on the links.

We’ll start with Flickr; used by hundreds of thousands and either loathed or loved but none the less a huge social network of people uploading everything imaginable and in some cases unimaginable. Along with flickr itself there has risen quite a little cottage industry of add on tools based on flickr’s API that make it possible to do different things with your photos.

Here are a few.

flickrleech
fd flickrtoys  [many tools at this site]
greasemonkey [Firefox Plugin]
Flickr inspector [Find Public info about Flickr Members]
Flickr storm [Cool way to find pictures]
Most Interesting Pictures by: [Based on Flickr's interestingness algorithm]

I am sure this only scratches the surface but you get the idea.

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I just learned today that when you hold down the option key while starting iPhoto or iTunes a window will pop up and ask if you would like to create or use a different library. So If you wish to further segregate your music or photos this is an easy way to do it and it’s built right in.

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My phone camera experiment has been proceeding nicely; here a few tips. The basic rules of taking pictures apply no matter what camera you use. If your subject is moving or it’s fleeting moment, you will need to work fast. You will probably only get one shot because when you snap then you have to save and by then the moment is gone. Don’t use the zoom. Try all the different settings; some have white balance and night mode. You can even adjust the exposure up or down. For best results using a low resolution camera you will need to do some post processing but this can net some really great images. Oh and by the way you will probably want to omit the flash; try it and you will see why.

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Getting Things Done or GTD as it is called is seemly ever on the rise. What we all deal with and have to do has been turned into a whole industry by Mr. David Allen author of Getting Things Done. What Mr. Allen and others have done is to create a system by which we can accomplish all the tasks that pile up in our lives and our in-baskets. There are perhaps hundreds of sites that write about this topic or specialize in it and so I won’t try to list them all but will share a few.

The big tip is this: Settle on a system that works for you and use it. It’s less about what system or software you use than it is about just consistently using the system. Make it work for you and get stuff done!!!

Here are a couple more:

iGTD [ free software for getting things done, Mac ]
43folders
The Ultimate GTD Index

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We’ll make this Part One and In Part two we will look at some of what’s ahead.

The 25th Anniversary Mac

Right now we’re all focused on the iPhone, Mac OS 10.5 aka. Leopard and what are the “secret features”. Will the iPhone actually work, will it be as cool as it looks, will the demand exceed supply, all fascinating stuff and we’ll know soon enough. Having followed the Mac since 1984 one thing I can predict for sure, there will always be surprises and disappointments. Here are a few guidelines when thinking about new technology; any version 1.0 thing will have some cool features and it will also need some things fixed. Beyond that there will be a “getting used to” phase followed by a reinterpretation of how it can be used plus the emergence of new ideas fostered by the last wave of technology. Which is a round about way of saying, stuff changes.

Much of what we write will be wrong in a few months but fortunately we will escape our critics because the excitement of what is really going on will overshadow the mistakes in our predictions. At least for the most part.

What is really going on is that Apple is on a path and part of that path includes a 25th anniversary Mac and whatever technology that must be developed to make that happen is already in the pipeline. So what we see in the next few months will be part of what gets us there. Will we be running OS 11.5 in 2009 or will it be some new thing we’ve never heard of. My guess we’ll still be using UNIX but is there life beyond UNIX probably but it’s a ways out there yet.

What may be more important than any of this will be if someone can teach a greater number of people to become power users. We’re still in the “blinking clock on the VCR” era of computing. Under the hood of OSX there is a huge amount of power coupled with some really great software but these systems have gone from complex to simple to complex again. We’re doing more because we can do more and with that comes needing to know some arcane stuff that we tried to get away from in the old command line days of dos.

We have the tools and the computing horsepower now what we need is some help teaching workflows to those who neither have time or the inclination to hook all the pieces together.

The Unanswered Question

Ever read a blog, tutorial, or review only to find your burning question is left unanswered? Or worse yet you download a piece of software but find it doesn’t work for your situation, system, or amount of ram. Frustrating. Having said that I must be subject to my own rant. My proposal is that I/we all do a better job of anticipating the questions of our readers.

✂——✂——✂——✂——✂——✂——✂——✂——✂——✂——

It places additional responsibility on the blogger, pundit or company but I think with a little effort we can better serve the uninitiated or those with a slightly lower geek factor.

Am I asking too much? Well I don’t expect perfection nor can I deliver it myself but my hope is that we can serve our readership better. Where it depends of the use of technical devices such as computers and software; some information becomes essential. I do applaud those who in my opinion shine in this regard by being thorough and providing some clues as to the difficulty level of the task at hand.

I am typing this post in a program called Textmate it is a treasure trove of text editing capability of which I have barely scratched the surface. Yet questions remain and problems do come up. Apparently I can’t post to my hosted WordPress blog directly. It will post to a WordPress blog that is on another hosting service. Why? I have no idea; perhaps it has something to do with the gateway into WordPress.com. I did receive a response verifying the problem did exist but the actual problem was not specified. Fair enough! I got a response but I wish I knew more.

Companies and Software used in preparing this post:

• Apple Computer
• Macromates [Textmate]
• Quicksilver
• WordPress.com
• 43folders
  
• somemacblog [mine]

Apple and The Sub Notebook Saga

sub notebook, dreaming again

Appleinsider and Macrumors both mentioning some reported information on the sub notebook front. Looks as if the rollout of this product has slipped as well into late 2007 or early 2008. If this is this is true that assumes that there is such a product and I for one think that’s good news.

The big question is what and who is it for? What kind of power, storage and kind of OS will it have; full OSX Leopard, scaled down version like the iPhone, who knows? When I look at a new piece of hardware or software my initial thought after I calm down from the coolness factor, is what is it for and if it’s something that I have not used before then I ask myself how will this impact my workflow. What can I do different or better than what I am doing now. This all in the light of the fact that I have a backlog of about twenty programs that others have said is just the neatest most time saving thing they have ever used. I wish I could really utilize all that I have now on my desktop.

Still that doesn’t keep me from wanting the newest latest, greatest, lighter, cheaper, faster thing that’s new on the market. As I have opined in other places, for me the notebook computer would be a much better traveling companion when I just want to check email or do some light surfing and writing. My full laptop kit weighs at least 20lbs and that’s just too much to lug into Starbucks every time I want to do a little work. I still do it but not all the time, opting rather for a Moleskine to capture what may come when the creativity is flowing.

Lets say the Apple branded sub-notebook really makes its way into our hands it would seem that a whole new generation of apps may generated that take advantage of the memory and form factor of this new device. As usual you and I will be the winners; I think it’s a good time to be a programmer. Of course I can say that; I am not one . In the mean time we shall speculate!!

All the iPhone, Leopard Talk; Does It Really Matter

We have cell phones and we have Mac OSX Tiger, although we might wish they did things differently or better, our machines are humming along nicely for the most part. Much of the talk, writing, and blogging about the new technologies from Apple Inc. are speculation. I am sure there are a few tips and real sources that know a little bit about what is going on. If you really want to know what’s going on, call Apple Inc. and ask for a guy named Steve; cannot promise you will get through though.

What fuels all of this has to do with our dependence on, and desire for, better digital tools and to some degree it’s just tech for technologies sake. We like gadgets and all the whiz bang wow factor that goes with it. Also there is a certain industry that has grown up and thrives on all of this. The bloggers, podcasters and other tech pundits rely on this talk about technology. I don’t think there is anything wrong with talking tech but there are aspects of the coverage that goes beyond helpful information.

Some writers editorials are not based on sound information and as such lead the unsuspecting reader to erroneous conclusions.

Steve Jobs Keynote in January of this year confirmed what many had said or hoped was true there was indeed an iPhone and the reaction was very strong; hardly anyone was indifferent. Many, but not all the features we’re given their moment in the spotlight and since then many of us, small and great have weighed in on what we think it is or will mean in the future.

My final analysis is that no one really knows how the iPhone will affect things in the future but I will predict that even if it was a flop [which I doubt] it still will have far reaching implications. The cell phone makers can no longer get by with hard to use confusing interface design. Today I took another look at the iPhone and it’s features afresh and have a renewed appreciation for what only exists as some code and image files on Apple.com. It is an amazing device and at the core is some very impressive code that drives the interface. That started me thinking about Apple’s need to move resources to the iPhone team in order to meet the deadline. My instincts tell me that is not entirely true or we don’t know what Apple meant when they said they had to move resources.

I am no programmer but the iPhone supposedly uses the ARM chip and Mac’s have Intel chips so doesn’t that mean they have different instruction sets? Which means these programmers would have to bat right or left handed correct? If I am wrong about that feel free to clue me in. Hmmm..

Bottom line; iPhone will ship, Leopard will ship, iLife will ship, iWork will ship and more importantly a whole bunch of really geeky stuff will happen, that right now, is not on anybody’s radar. The ship dates aren’t really that important, what is important is that Apple is innovating and there are thousands of coders and geeks of every stripe that are extending the capabilities of this technology for the sake of managing that part of our lives that is digital.

Technorati Tags: Apple, iPhone, Leopard, Mac News, speculation, touch Screen

Leopard Secret Features and the Delay [cross posted]

According to Appleinsider there is suspicion that the real reason for the delay of Leopard 10.5 is related to the secret features more so than the iPhone.

“American Technology Research analyst Shaw Wu told clients on Friday. “We believe the extra time Apple is allocating is for developers to test secret features that will likely be revealed at its WWDC 2007 conference starting on June 11, 2007.” [from Appleinsider]

Another possible consideration is that this would give Apple an opportunity to announce the features at WWDC and then give the developers a chance to react to the new features between June and October.

This piece also appears on Some Mac Blog.

The Future of Getting Connected

Several years ago I saw an ad for an office chair that had a phone built in to it. My coworker and I started joking about this saying.. “I’ll have my chair call your chair” etc. It’ seemed a little far fetched then but recently I’ve been contemplating just how far this connectivity thing will go. We now have refrigerators with Ethernet ports, so what might we see in the future. Will we see wireless for the Lazy Boy? Half baked idea. If you’ve seen anything of this nature in the wild I love to hear about it.

The Blogger Chronicles – Content is King

If you blog for very long, one thing you will hear from the pundits is, “content is king”. That is, you must have something that people want to hear, see, read or link to. The way that this becomes painfully obvious is how quickly your latest post can enjoy great success and then suddenly it’s gone. What happened? With fifty million blogs and counting you must be compelling to stay on the radar.

Really it comes down to how things are picked up in other forms of media. Viewer popularity and brand recognition! The more things change the more they stay the same.