tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14758030398471401362024-03-13T07:54:39.587-07:00end kvetchUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger70125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1475803039847140136.post-84111525711600024182007-08-28T12:23:00.000-07:002007-08-28T12:26:25.954-07:00The Blog Has Moved!We're in the big leagues now baby! I have decided to make the move from Blogger to Wordpress. This blog will no longer be updated (like that was a frequent occurrence anyway). All new posts can be found at <a href="http://endkvetch.wordpress.com/">my new blog</a>. You may also notice the new name. Please give your input on that and the move in general (at the new blog please!).Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1475803039847140136.post-61612984704080766342007-08-08T11:46:00.000-07:002007-08-08T12:34:30.922-07:00My Revolutionary Not-Too-Exciting Note SystemI'm not the kind of person who likes to take notes. This isn't really the problem that it sounds like because I can member most things without having to refer back to a little scrap of paper. <br /><br />Much of my note-phobia originates from a) my horrible handwriting and b) the difficulties in trying to come up with a good organizational system for pieces of easily torn notebook paper. My original solution, Levenger's Circa, solved the second problem (for the most part) but not the first. <br /><br />Prior to my Circa debut (no, this isn't my life story, I <i>am</i> getting to the point) I had had one fleeting experience with computerized note-taking. These notes were marvelous, clearly organized and infused with sarcasm. I was in love. Sadly, at the time computerized note-taking was not practical (no, not because it was 1980 and computers were the size of small armoires) because I did not yet have a laptop. This all changed in the winter of 2006/2007 when I got a MacBook of my very own. I started off, like most novice note-takers, in MS Word. But as I pointed out in my earlier journaling software review, Word lacks the capability to organize multiple documents. At this point I was using the glorious Schoolhouse 2.0 to organize my assignments (having recently moved on from the not-so-glorious iCal). Schoolhouse contains a fairly rudimentary note-taking system (basically a version of TextEdit which stores documents to the application rather than a file) which I used happily until the end of the year (its probably the reason I did so well in biology<sup>1</sup>).<br /><br />It seems like a rather anti-climactic ended, right? Well its not the end. *Dramatic music*<br /><br />Frankly, for all my praise Schoolhouse isn't really the best solution for me (although that could all change with the possibility of a third version come-September).<br /><br />(Sorry, putting this post on hold, there's a new episode of <a href="http://theburg.tv">The Burg</a>)<br /><br />Anyway, as I was saying, Schoolhouse isn't really the best assignment tracker for me (I think I'm going to crawl back to iCal) and its certainly not the best note-taking system. This is where Journler (the winner of <a href="http://endkvetch.blogspot.com/2007/06/software-sumo-macjournal-vs-journler.html">the first Software Sumo</a>) comes in.<br /><br />After realizing that lots of numbers and abbreviations make note titles frickin' awesome<sup>2</sup> I came up with a simple little cataloguing system to use with the journaling superstar. The system has three components: the subject (a letter abbreviation), the quarter number and the note number. For instance, ENG.1.5 would mean the fifth English note of the first quarter. A title can then be tacked onto the back (making for "ENG.1.5: The Rise of Hemmingway", which sounds an awful lot like a sci-fi film). Another nice thing about Journler (which I neglected to mention in the review) is its wiki-like linking between entries. So, if I make reference to a concept I can then link back to a full entry pertaining to it, something which I really liked doing in VoodooPad.<br /><br />So, there you go. If you were able to read that entire thing I commend you and know you know all my note-taking secrets (which you probably didn't want in the first place).<br /><br /><hr><br />1 Not to brag, but I was <strike>at</strike> near the top of my class.<br />2 As it were, that's how I described the liver on my bio final.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1475803039847140136.post-67881104294082602782007-08-08T11:24:00.000-07:002008-11-12T17:42:21.559-08:00Extended Hiatus Notes<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQTOd5Kr88SUQ5pd39JzVoCGmS5vqTLeBvi37lmQlUb4SfX7t0Av8jo2uC63FYmrALzC24VYF2G3SL97QzR7Oxi0fDxAjbHWOvNUjKlQL9PPGvOa4RYa7NqVL8dcJktR-rtrxD3o2q6dY/s1600-h/image.out.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQTOd5Kr88SUQ5pd39JzVoCGmS5vqTLeBvi37lmQlUb4SfX7t0Av8jo2uC63FYmrALzC24VYF2G3SL97QzR7Oxi0fDxAjbHWOvNUjKlQL9PPGvOa4RYa7NqVL8dcJktR-rtrxD3o2q6dY/s400/image.out.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096400237687714098" /></a><br />Now, really, my fortnight-long hiatus wasn't my fault (blame teh internets!!!1 and teh japanese!!!1), frankly I was too busy playing <a href="http://www.puzzlepirates.com/register/welcome.wm?locale=en&from=r805270">Puzzle Pirates</a> and reading <i>The Prince of Tennis</i> (a fantastic manga) to worry about writing stuff.<br /><br />I figure that in order to make up for all the missed posts I have to do somewhere between 30 and 100 today, so stay tuned!<br /><br />(P.S. I guess these aren't so extended. Whatever. One down, 29-99 to go.)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1475803039847140136.post-31526869922980796662007-08-07T23:18:00.001-07:002007-08-07T23:32:23.473-07:00Some Notes On My HiatusSo, I'll admit being an absentee blogger wasn't all R&R, there was oft a time when I felt that I should blog about something but then I got that "when you see a dead muskrat don't run an electric current through it to try to bring it back to life" feeling (you get that too, right?) and I decided to let <strike>laying</strike> <strike>lieing</strike> <strike>lying</strike> ???ing blogs lie.<br /><br />Anyway...maybe I'll get back into the swing of things, maybe I won't, who knows. Just don't expect me to reanimate this muskrat again.<br /><br />(P.S. I started a "Housekeeping" label to keep track of all my apologies, announcements, etc.)<br /><br /><b>Update</b>: And when I logged into HitTail I found a plethora or keywords (most of which pertaining to <a href="http://endkvetch.blogspot.com/2007/07/skitch-invites.html">Skitch</a> or <a href="http://endkvetch.blogspot.com/2007/06/software-sumo-macjournal-vs-journler.html">journaling app comparisons</a>).<br /><br />(P.P.S. I forget, just a sec.)<br />(P.P.P.S. (a minute and a half later) It may have had something to do with more productivity posts "after the jump" (aka, tomorrow) but I'm not sure)<br />(P.P.P.P.S. I know this is getting a little absurd, but I finally remembered it. What the hell is a "href" anyway?)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1475803039847140136.post-71619843194558778762007-08-07T20:35:00.000-07:002008-11-12T17:42:21.721-08:00Apple Has Drawn Me Out of Hiatus<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR3kSxyU2HY8XS7n1QQLHyeC6qK4FXFuPYT_nXohDfu3NJdJwCI0YTdMbaerpe_7rGVXVtpgr4ROIIRUYbJtPXpbPoSkaA7KQtmU2fuTYbnleCO3P64lY0EAMgYuG4q9sqiB_EC_pbImo/s1600-h/imac24.png"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR3kSxyU2HY8XS7n1QQLHyeC6qK4FXFuPYT_nXohDfu3NJdJwCI0YTdMbaerpe_7rGVXVtpgr4ROIIRUYbJtPXpbPoSkaA7KQtmU2fuTYbnleCO3P64lY0EAMgYuG4q9sqiB_EC_pbImo/s400/imac24.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096175104091992354" /></a><br />With all of Apple's new product updates I'm unable to resist coming out of my unannounced hiatus.<br /><br />So, first off I've gotta say I'm not too thrilled about the iMacs (I was <i>really</i> hoping they would look like <a href="http://www.dogsolitude9.com/imac/index.html">this</a>) with their weird black thing and whatnot (I guess environmental friendliness comes at a price– which I'm not willing to pay). And with the slogan "You can never be too thin. Or too powerful." it seems like they're just asking for some mother's watchdog group to accuse Apple or brainwashing their little fan<strike>boys</strike> girls. (I came up with the slogan "The new iMac– more than just iCandy".)<br /><br />As for the software updates– four letters for you: h-a-w-t. I gotta love a better iMovie but I think they over-simplified it a little too much, it just looks <i>too</i> simple. iPhoto is looking nice with its new features but it's all the same to me, seeing as how I don't use iPhoto. And as for iWeb, Garage Band, et all– whatever.<br /><br />I got pretty pumped about Numbers (the new Excel killer) even though it looks (much like Pages) to be more for making your documents pretty rather than powerful. Sadly, when I downloaded the free trial it informed me that I would have to upgrade to OS 10.4.10 which I'm just not willing to do (seeing as I'd have to redo all the icons I've applied). So I'll just have to wait for TUAW to dish out the news.<br /><br />(Oh yeah, and those new keyboards aren't half bad either).Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1475803039847140136.post-19641932658695045062007-07-23T20:36:00.000-07:002007-07-23T20:40:01.570-07:00The BurgI love <a href="http://theburg.tv">The Burg</a>. The day I discovered it I watched every single episode and still had time to watch wish there were more. So today when I had time to kill at a café I played Hip or Dangerous (see clip below). The only problem is that I had to add a "frumpy" option...because that's just the kind of town I have to live in.<br /><br /><div align=center><embed src="http://update.videoegg.com/flash/proxy.swf?jsver=1.4" FlashVars="gc=c2hvd0FkPXRydWUmYWRWYXJzPXNpdGU9YnVyZyZmaWxlPWh0dHAlM0ElMkYlMkZzZWxmc2VydmU1MDAlMkVkb3dubG9hZCUyRXZpZGVvZWdnJTJFY29tJTJGZ2lkMzk2JTJGY2lkMTQ1OCUyRmJ1cmdtZWRpYSUyRmhpcCZzd2ZwYXRoPWh0dHAlM0ElMkYlMkZ1cGRhdGUlMkV2aWRlb2VnZyUyRWNvbSUyRmZsYXNoJTJGcHJveHklMkVzd2YlM0Zqc3ZlciUzRDElMkU0JmF1dG9QbGF5PWZhbHNlJnNob3dBZFByaW1hcnk9dHJ1ZSZ3bW9kZT13aW5kb3cmYWxsb3dGbGFzaDlGdWxsc2NyZWVuPXRydWU=" quality="high" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" scale="noscale" wmode="window" width="420" height="347" name="VE_Player" align="middle" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1475803039847140136.post-19154664014158179472007-07-17T12:19:00.000-07:002007-07-17T12:34:07.245-07:00Questing for TeriyakiToday I went to the store. I wanted to exchange the largest bottle of teriyaki sauce I have ever seen. I had very specific instructions regarding the brand to replace it with and I had no idea how to go about doing it. Knowing what little I did, I got into the customer service line behind Mr. Creepy-Stringy-White-Hair-And-Bald-Spot, soon Mr. Scary-Just-Walked-Into-A-Column joined us. Based on what little I knew about customer service I assumed the service rep. would be in a dreadful mood and would try to bite my head off despite my simple request and valid receipt. After Ms. Bag-Full-Of-Thing-To-Return was done and Mr. Creepy-Stringy-White-Hair-And-Bald-Spot was done with his transaction (it involved a piece of white paper and a couple dollar bills) it was my turn to approach the dreaded CSR. I think she could tell I was an exchange n00b and she was nicer than I thought and everything seemed to be going well until the topic of the replacement product came up. No one had thought to tell me that I should bring that way with me too so I ran off looking for teriyaki sauce (which, apparently, is a condiment) only to find that I couldn't find the right brand. Dejectedly I returned to the line and told her I just wanted a refund. She asked me if I had the credit card that had been used– no one had thought to provide me with that either. I told her 'no' and I could tell she was starting to dislike me. Then she asked if I had a penny– no one in their right mind would think to provide me with one. Once again I told her I didn't and she sighed and gave me my $4.99 and made me sign and put my phone number on a little piece of paper. I then went on to shopping bliss (except I forgot to buy bread) but now I have to return a paintbrush....Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1475803039847140136.post-80113838899684819302007-07-17T12:17:00.000-07:002007-07-17T12:19:21.221-07:00Back From The GNBack from the Great North....it was amazingly boring. In fact, I believe their national sport up there the boredom triathlon (either that or curling). Anyway...I'm back.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1475803039847140136.post-63947404773585289342007-07-05T21:32:00.000-07:002007-07-05T21:35:44.542-07:00Off To The Great North...Just an FYI: my already lax posting will become nonexistent as I will be going on vacation until the 17thish. I originally planned to use an intricate web of cron scripts (whatever they are) to post a series of pre-written posts but that would take work, and come to think of it, I don't think it would work. So...bye.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1475803039847140136.post-90507002828710463662007-07-03T09:13:00.000-07:002007-07-03T09:27:55.087-07:00Skitch InvitesAs you can see I just added a TUAW article to the sidebar. Those lucky devils have received 1,000 Skitch beta invites to give out and they are giving them away to their readers. Seeing how TUAW had a large readership I assume these will be going quickly if they are not already gone. Luckily for you I have received the princely sum of five invites and I am willing to distribute them among you, the huddling masses. Simply e-mail me either with the address you would like the invite sent to or with it in the body (subject should be "Skitch Invite") and I'll tell the good folks at Plasq to send an invitation your way. (I would say "first come, first serve" but I don't think that'll be a problem). Just a reminder, Skitch is a graphics annotation program <b>for Mac OS X only</b> that I use for all the graphics on this site (and don't they look spiffy?). Skitch also comes with an online storage service akin to PhotoBucket.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1475803039847140136.post-50749277289170207872007-07-02T20:20:00.001-07:002007-07-02T20:20:56.039-07:00The Following is a Paid Advertismentn00bs bugging you day and night?<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>Introducing n00b-b-gone the revolutionary new powder or spray that keeps the annoying scamps away for five whole hours!<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>Available in 1 l33ter spray bottles or 2 pwnd boxes.<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>$19.95 each (why, that's less than NNW or MacJournal), allow five days for shipping.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1475803039847140136.post-29676267512142598422007-07-02T09:19:00.001-07:002008-11-12T17:42:22.261-08:00Software Sumo: NewsNetReaderLite vs. ViennaJust to start off with a clear air I will admit right now that I am a diehard Vienna fan and not big on NNWL.<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>My personal preferences aside, let the match begin!<br /><br /><b>Interface</b><br /><br />Many people don't like Vienna's interface but I personally find it acceptable.<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>For those of you who don't know NNW (but not Lite) recently received a interface lift.<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>Let's take a look at the two apps now.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidC7ENevauXUGHM1Et5Atdsgc9xE0lhkneKd9GgszSvO8Z0iNjvV5-c71PJ1JE0k7RVrJJoQwoYML2DnhmuElq6_WDQV9d_CZBoyxUip87s2MuaNpXvMPqg17rqBmyVoFJYNuy3uLyFp8/s1600-h/NetNewsWire+Lite+(301+unread).jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidC7ENevauXUGHM1Et5Atdsgc9xE0lhkneKd9GgszSvO8Z0iNjvV5-c71PJ1JE0k7RVrJJoQwoYML2DnhmuElq6_WDQV9d_CZBoyxUip87s2MuaNpXvMPqg17rqBmyVoFJYNuy3uLyFp8/s400/NetNewsWire+Lite+(301+unread).jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082637719959869410" /></a><br />My biggest issue with NNWL is its interface.<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>I can't pin down a single part <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiWPfzqkZMEBgw0QMwHZjYcS0FwUrIshBRbZJQ-deiVxy5qhrlQvLzwdNZM0gMZcMFcR4O_VdoTOU3RNyqUGK_WllpGre71edJ1Q_FsjzihiFFR-s__QtBR7RmtnikTwU9IXsPUb5h8DU/s1600-h/Dock.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiWPfzqkZMEBgw0QMwHZjYcS0FwUrIshBRbZJQ-deiVxy5qhrlQvLzwdNZM0gMZcMFcR4O_VdoTOU3RNyqUGK_WllpGre71edJ1Q_FsjzihiFFR-s__QtBR7RmtnikTwU9IXsPUb5h8DU/s320/Dock.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082638282600585202" /></a>of it that annoys me but I find the whole package to be rather off-putting.<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>However, this is purely a visual thing, I think the interface is perfectly navigatable and consistent with other OS apps.<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>I think for someone who is less of an aesthete the NNWL interface will do fine.<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>(The interface is also much improved in the new version of NNW).<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>One last little minor thing that I don't like about the NNW(L) environment is the non-standard dock badge (which you can judge for yourself).<SPAN class="Apple-tab-span"> </SPAN><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXl9I98N2emuPHOLUF_wAYwfyLnOGePf_RaJVK1mRUVe9CrDrM9aI51J3FALZb3tLDF2EWr0twMIPQ804bsbc-c_TFLf_fK91fIl6S7VaEiQen4mbmPPKF62eiIlG7xqkKehMGvLLdbcw/s1600-h/Vienna.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXl9I98N2emuPHOLUF_wAYwfyLnOGePf_RaJVK1mRUVe9CrDrM9aI51J3FALZb3tLDF2EWr0twMIPQ804bsbc-c_TFLf_fK91fIl6S7VaEiQen4mbmPPKF62eiIlG7xqkKehMGvLLdbcw/s400/Vienna.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082638823766464514" /></a><br />As I said earlier, many people take issue with the Vienna interface.<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>Two issues that tend to repeat are the brushed metal and its inconsistencies with the standard OS X environment (namely, the controls at the bottom and the thick window border).<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>Strangely, for all of my love of consistency these things don't bug me.<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>This may be because I like my news-reader to be more of a widgetesque app (a simple program that is is simple and streamlined).<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>One option that people like about Vienna is the three-column view (shown) that is not available in NNWL.<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>Yet another nice thing about Vienna is the option to use different styles.<br /><br />NewNetWire Lite: 7/10 - An intuitive but less-than-gorgeous interface.<br />Vienna: 8/10 - A controversial interface that I feel is diverse and effective.<br /><br /><br /><b>Features</b><br /><br />Now, even though I'm not big on <strike>bloated</strike> feature-full RSS readers I know some people are.<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>I'm sorry to say it but Vienna wins out here too.<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>Although free, Vienna has many of the features that are in the full version of NNW but absent from the Lite one (these include an integrated browser and a bunch of other stuff).<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>Of course, you could shell out $30 for a couple more features and an interface you may find more appealing but unless you have a hedge fund to burn I'd suggest Vienna for features.<br /><br />NewsNetWire Lite: 7/10 - Has the features I need but not enough for everyone.<br />Vienna: 9/10 - The developer(s) could make good money with features like these.<br /><br /><b>Overall</b><br /><br />Vienna has one with a fairly slim lead.<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>I feel that this is one that is really up to the user.<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>It depends what you are looking for in an reader.<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>Please share you opinions.<br /><br /><A href="http://www.opencommunity.co.uk/vienna2.php">Vienna</A> - Free<br /><A href="http://www.newsgator.com/Individuals/NetNewsWire/">NewsNetWire (Lite)</A> - Lite is free, $29.95 for the full version.<br /><br />P.S. <A href="http://myskitch.com/gnome/vienna-20070701-235922.jpg">Here</A> is a screenshot of how <i>my</i> Vienna looks, in case you're interested.<br />P.P.S Ignore any misspellings...it's complicated.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1475803039847140136.post-29989316024152782272007-07-01T16:50:00.000-07:002008-11-12T17:42:22.449-08:00New User IconNow, as much as I love my current user icon there is a teensy little problem that I have been tiptoeing around since the beginning. Technically, using it is a little something we like to call a copyright infringement. Some people can very <i>very</i> touchy about copyright infringements, so to avoid legal problems I'm going to change my user icon to something unburdened by legal complications.<br /><br /><div align="center">Option #1<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWxC0fyMDOl_1PYAZnZPhRQQQMIIZlDtrH-1ta5tedy7AcwAgClc4keAUuAFQ10M1H_P6ocZzbMzxTWNKOLVqre2aJ-cW7ZNmlcyQ8uXpvNMNhM1HbC46HrifjEZDDgznP8MiIkjGRXzc/s1600-h/Foot+200.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWxC0fyMDOl_1PYAZnZPhRQQQMIIZlDtrH-1ta5tedy7AcwAgClc4keAUuAFQ10M1H_P6ocZzbMzxTWNKOLVqre2aJ-cW7ZNmlcyQ8uXpvNMNhM1HbC46HrifjEZDDgznP8MiIkjGRXzc/s320/Foot+200.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082381971837261762" /></a><br />Option #2</div><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibk-Osi7KhDVYaACO20_Pv5rYVDlr9z9jPLj5-a-BuSjf-J5Wrn4wCJXCW4XvAuQd7LbmeVM9t7MxZnDJu8dw6Dh1UfuzFeezIZ3KHNEvd101tpuF13zVm602Rt4ZAlp6k2SkJMnnd42s/s1600-h/Speaker+200.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibk-Osi7KhDVYaACO20_Pv5rYVDlr9z9jPLj5-a-BuSjf-J5Wrn4wCJXCW4XvAuQd7LbmeVM9t7MxZnDJu8dw6Dh1UfuzFeezIZ3KHNEvd101tpuF13zVm602Rt4ZAlp6k2SkJMnnd42s/s320/Speaker+200.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082381971837261778" /></a><br /><br />These are both pieces out of my own work, please place your vote and/or give me suggestions for other copyright-free icons. Thanks.<br /><br />P.S. I'm leaning towards the top one.<br /><br /><b>Update:</b> I got tired of waiting (after about ten seconds) and I went ahead and changed the icon to Option #1 and I like it...so case closed. (Well, actually, advice is still welcomed seeing as how I'm a malcontent).Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1475803039847140136.post-40478160374491146912007-07-01T16:18:00.001-07:002007-08-07T23:33:11.515-07:00A Few ChangesIn the unlikely event that one of you was paying attention both now and then you may notice that a couple things are different.<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>First off, we have a new motto– “The Only Place Computers and Productivity Come Together” (which although not strictly true is better than nothing).<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>You will also notice that the buttons are now streamined (two have been elimiminated, one has been added, and HitTail has been moved up to keep company with the plebians) and they are also colour coordinated.<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>I toyed with changing the colour scheme but I eventually decided against it.<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>On the subject of that new button, you can now sign up for a Google calender that will tell you about upcoming major posts.<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>I may also be adding some other stuff throughout the course of the day.<br /><br />P.S. I'm working on geting search set up (other than the nav bar).Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1475803039847140136.post-14757571882703468342007-06-30T12:24:00.001-07:002007-06-30T12:28:31.648-07:00Reason ∞ To Love The iPhoneToday I put the first shared RSS item in the sidebar.<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>It is a post on the marvelous Engadget about a very special feature in the iPhone's diectionary.<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>For those of you too lazy to click through, the iPhone is more than happy to suggest a swearword for you if it thought that's what you were going for.<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>(Although, for the record, Apple computers (and maybe PCs) do this as well, but its cuter when a wee little phone says it).Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1475803039847140136.post-3763778772784746352007-06-29T13:54:00.001-07:002008-11-12T17:42:22.599-08:00The Search Is Over!...For Ten DaysI have found a desktop blogging client!<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>SOHO Notes configured properly on the first go-around and everything is working great.<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>Now, as much as I hate to rain on my own parade there are a couple troubles in paradise.<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>For one thing I only have ten days left on my trial period and SOHO Notes costs $40...for that price I could buy a copy of MarsEdit and have enough leftover to license Stattoo (a cute little app from Panic).<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>I'm afraid I'll just have to live out these ten days in paradise (except I can't upload pictures) then go back to the hell that is the Blogger interface. <SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN><br /><br />Melancholily Yours,<br />Gnome<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSa7VdsdoqUBfM-2JhHxK0TBXnwGVdYpEK5sbvYI8noAhT0g64JkBwNROnUlVAsKk0bkU8Oqv7cyueecZKt0gzbUA9drb3UOgAVIjwPkG21n6XRGId04-MQfgcNf4DfqkYUITCgMXtOqg/s1600-h/Blog+(1+notes,+1+selected).jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSa7VdsdoqUBfM-2JhHxK0TBXnwGVdYpEK5sbvYI8noAhT0g64JkBwNROnUlVAsKk0bkU8Oqv7cyueecZKt0gzbUA9drb3UOgAVIjwPkG21n6XRGId04-MQfgcNf4DfqkYUITCgMXtOqg/s320/Blog+(1+notes,+1+selected).jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081593024999692178" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1475803039847140136.post-74506192545050028162007-06-29T09:42:00.000-07:002008-11-12T17:42:23.049-08:00Light-Hearted Butler Mocking Becomes Journey of DiscoveryI've long been a semi-vocal Ask.com hater. Honestly, am I the only one who thinks advertising to get people to use your search engine is totally lame? Anyway, today I set out to mock poor ol' Jeeves (who I suppose is retired now) by searching "good search engines" (hoping Google would be the top hit). It didn't come as a huge surprise that Ask.com was the top hit (and Google was nowhere to be found) but what did shock me was <i>this</i>:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUr12c99TLX3y3hZc-97rulw0x2SHl7rjRNqFd5FchGaPHJFbMLf9m0rTFcWBDaQvptLTF_KZBxGXIhk3VG7Nv3zwpZ9406CD16mjn2pEFUi-DOnUEMMc1Lea6CyRqsvBlSCjTKeMgOx4/s1600-h/good+search+engines+-+Ask.com+Web+Search.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUr12c99TLX3y3hZc-97rulw0x2SHl7rjRNqFd5FchGaPHJFbMLf9m0rTFcWBDaQvptLTF_KZBxGXIhk3VG7Nv3zwpZ9406CD16mjn2pEFUi-DOnUEMMc1Lea6CyRqsvBlSCjTKeMgOx4/s400/good+search+engines+-+Ask.com+Web+Search.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081529609807566706" /></a><br />Now, let's click through on that result:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSLoluzXIGuNTIuVmJI1oBtV_g-v0jy93xxIpdr58dz0yQr0JdaWkJrBCmATSDRGQ2OFeBAWzzWd0DwkX7vqf4YBxdfa2HSTwpIE_j4LZa4TW7qFsi0vXT9dWo9d0HnNjz48ZHgeQ8G-E/s1600-h/Gnome.com.+Search+Engine,+Portal,+Directory,+Business+Intelligence,+Dynamic+Content+Solutions+Provider,+News,+Headlines.+Search+Millions+of+Sites..jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSLoluzXIGuNTIuVmJI1oBtV_g-v0jy93xxIpdr58dz0yQr0JdaWkJrBCmATSDRGQ2OFeBAWzzWd0DwkX7vqf4YBxdfa2HSTwpIE_j4LZa4TW7qFsi0vXT9dWo9d0HnNjz48ZHgeQ8G-E/s400/Gnome.com.+Search+Engine,+Portal,+Directory,+Business+Intelligence,+Dynamic+Content+Solutions+Provider,+News,+Headlines.+Search+Millions+of+Sites..jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081529884685473666" /></a><br />As you can see (and as I said), it's hideous! I'm ashamed to share an alias with it.<br /><br />(In case you were wondering, Yahoo! is much more modest, it doesn't appear on its own list of good search engines until #13. Interestingly enough Google's results are the same.)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1475803039847140136.post-62888685588323099322007-06-28T22:26:00.000-07:002007-06-28T22:37:50.162-07:00HHTSPIP HitTailTonight when I tried to log in to get my hourly (more or less) HitTail fix I was told that the SQL server was <strike>misbehaving</strike> doesn't exist (or access was denied). I never realized how much I loved that confusing, secretive service but now that I haven't been able to view my statistics for several hours I am beginning to understand that its quietness was one of its charms and the confusion just added to its aura of alluring mystery. Until now I never realized that I fell for dark, mysterious Web 2.0 apps and I'm glad that I honored this one's first and last request– to post about MacJournal and Journler. As a memorial I will be creating a HitTail label group (seeing as how half my posts are about it anyway). Hopefully I will wake up and this will all just be an overnight server fluke.<br /><br />P.S. HHTSPIP stands for Have Hopefully Temporary Server Problems In PeaceUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1475803039847140136.post-41095322173806859492007-06-28T14:14:00.000-07:002008-11-12T17:42:23.583-08:00Software Sumo: MacJournal vs. JournlerI have finally caved to HitTail's requests and now I am launching a new feature: Software Sumo! Software Sumo will evaluate two Mac softwares (often freeware...in which case I guess it would be Freeware Fencing). Today we will be kicking off with MacJournal vs. Journler. Soon I hope to evaluate NetNewsWire (Lite) and Vienna. Any other requests you have for match-ups can be emailed to me. And now your regularly scheduled programming....<br /><br />As the names imply MacJournal and Journler are both journaling applications. For the purposes of fair evaluation I have chosen to match up the latest free version of MacJournal (2.6) against Journler.<br /><br /><b>Interface</b><br /><br />In this first screenshot we see a comparison of the toolbars:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaILdt1z8IanI5DY00iznHla8bK66mYwh2GK_VWEuIBCM6DMBc7n1zu6DdTSf5kM9lueEgEMd-P3jnejjsGldstV_5wEj-v-uc0gpy8KjZ031qlJX6Bp18GzRPCsc9UgTzxQPV2x8z2CA/s1600-h/New+Journal+2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaILdt1z8IanI5DY00iznHla8bK66mYwh2GK_VWEuIBCM6DMBc7n1zu6DdTSf5kM9lueEgEMd-P3jnejjsGldstV_5wEj-v-uc0gpy8KjZ031qlJX6Bp18GzRPCsc9UgTzxQPV2x8z2CA/s400/New+Journal+2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081228730168612674" /></a><br />Journler has a nice unified look going while MacJournal has a split aqua thing going on (however, in the most recent, fairly pricey version they have moved on to unified). The buttons are fairly similar but I prefer the ones in Journler.<br /><br />Next, lets look at the MacJournal window:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSeKsd9cuKQ3ZEH0IVzHE85se-WAmSApwm0YaRWj-uLCaCB6keko5hVkKwq7-6aiT3qPyf-_T0k1iVU97MzXDLMtGQCFdGXk4rtVlUELtI25j5kdT2noE6_3y8ETCWbqQMIQXxMw832Hw/s1600-h/My+Journal.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSeKsd9cuKQ3ZEH0IVzHE85se-WAmSApwm0YaRWj-uLCaCB6keko5hVkKwq7-6aiT3qPyf-_T0k1iVU97MzXDLMtGQCFdGXk4rtVlUELtI25j5kdT2noE6_3y8ETCWbqQMIQXxMw832Hw/s400/My+Journal.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081229481787889490" /></a><br />We see there are two drawers, one that holds journals and another that holds entries. In the middle there is a basic text entry area with a title box, a main body area and a small button to lock the entry. Pretty boring stuff especially compared to this next shot of the Journler window:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYcE7lGyrHyzPjFmqTOWMaKAK3DQgjCfTVTDhhk59g4OkSdhDrIKazHzikrmPtTHW967r5C_abuw3IxR33xBrMcnhg8Ye4Y2xrVyt3-QsC7e_1Rii9ef-V5tdpdqEm-in4VeRlYjQTmXc/s1600-h/Journal.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYcE7lGyrHyzPjFmqTOWMaKAK3DQgjCfTVTDhhk59g4OkSdhDrIKazHzikrmPtTHW967r5C_abuw3IxR33xBrMcnhg8Ye4Y2xrVyt3-QsC7e_1Rii9ef-V5tdpdqEm-in4VeRlYjQTmXc/s400/Journal.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081230263471937378" /></a><br />Here we see a three pane, Mail-style layout. On the side we see the Journals (as well as a nifty calendar), on the top pane we see entries (with plenty of information about them) and on the bottom we have the text. The text pane allows for a title and the body text as well as tags, a category and the date. There is also a handy word count ribbon at the bottom of the window.<br /><br />I certainly prefer the interface of Journler because it is more compact without drawers hanging out all over the place, it provides more data and it just looks better (if not perfectly integrated with the OS's interface).<br /><br />MacJournal: 5/10 - Looks like it stepped out of Jaguar or Panther.<br />Journler: 8/10 - Doesn't look completely at home among other windows but fairly nice looking.<br /><br /><b>Features</b><br /><br />Both applications have rich text entry and picture capabilities as well as journal locking and statistics and blogging (which we'll look at in the next section). In addition to these Journler has labels (arrived in a later version of MacJournal) and better media integration. I personally never use the media features but I'm sure people will find them handy. In my opinion, as long as the application has basic text and organization features it can pass as a decent journaling application (or at least an improvement from using MS Word).<br /><br />MacJournal: 7/10 - Has the basic features but not much else.<br />Journler: 9/10 - The only feature I wish it had is new Blogger support.<br /><br /><b>Blogging</b><br /><br />MacJournal has full support for LiveJournal and Blogger, Journler has support for most every blogging service. Journler clearly says that it does not yet support the new Blogger, MacJournal does not address the issue but I assume that is the case because it would not configure correctly (this is a problem I have had with all blogging clients besides MarsEdit and Flock). Obviously I cannot try out the blogging features (at least not until they get new Blogger support).<br /><br /><b>Overall</b><br /><br />Overall, Journler has scored better with 17/20 as opposed to MacJournal's 12/20. This certainly reflects my experiences, anyone else who has used these apps want to chime in?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.journler.com">Journler</a> - Free ($10-20 Donation Suggested)<br /><a href="http://homepage.mac.com/dschimpf/">MacJournal</a> - 2.6 is Free, Others $29.95<br /><br /><br />As you can see, at the moment applications are only being evaluated based on two main points, if you have more suggestions please email them in.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1475803039847140136.post-44467872487546500162007-06-28T10:14:00.000-07:002008-11-12T17:42:23.747-08:00(Sort of) Definitive Proof That More Posts = More HitsYesterday I posted six times (which may be an all-time high) and to my delight and surprise, my hits also took a pretty big jump (over a 200% increase). So in the interest of science and full disclosure I have made a chart (well, Google Analytics made it, I just cut it out and put some numbers on it) that shows hits with a overlay of posts. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjeC-OskknfN8SJGLtyWM2pDXfAHJahFOueeTWgDdd4BHcn5buGUtktGEMw2nLHm_NuSsiaX5bmvVRDtziFwbJew-hhNEUD6pdHXI6vPFN88qcNsK9XPFC1kEO-qDhlknrw2xv9FmJXmY/s1600-h/Dashboard+-+Google+Analytics.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjeC-OskknfN8SJGLtyWM2pDXfAHJahFOueeTWgDdd4BHcn5buGUtktGEMw2nLHm_NuSsiaX5bmvVRDtziFwbJew-hhNEUD6pdHXI6vPFN88qcNsK9XPFC1kEO-qDhlknrw2xv9FmJXmY/s400/Dashboard+-+Google+Analytics.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081165911976941346" /></a>As you can see, more posts roughly equals more hits. However, the recent inclusion of more images hasn't caused a increase in traffic (I'm not saying I'm going to stop, just pointing it out).Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1475803039847140136.post-66160575620342510012007-06-27T20:08:00.001-07:002008-11-12T17:42:24.019-08:00RSS Feeds<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjjTBHUkt06relhzACbFORnh1ORjLTfBhUIg_za2zl7vYUtEuAXBYvOSmdKzugr1RGXAmNQ504-4YUQeTRWduqPi1xefoXtCWGVbGyhJIbQtbx0RyIAhfOVn6W4cDmF5qUkagHWuyUfCw/s1600-h/Blogger_+(kvetch)(_kvetch)+-+Publish+Status.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjjTBHUkt06relhzACbFORnh1ORjLTfBhUIg_za2zl7vYUtEuAXBYvOSmdKzugr1RGXAmNQ504-4YUQeTRWduqPi1xefoXtCWGVbGyhJIbQtbx0RyIAhfOVn6W4cDmF5qUkagHWuyUfCw/s400/Blogger_+(kvetch)(_kvetch)+-+Publish+Status.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5080947444170462994" /></a><br />As the nice picture (I don't know how else to describe it) told me while I was waiting for a post to publish, I can use Google Reader to share items of interest if I have a blog. Well, guess what? I do! Some I'm going to start putting stories that I make reference to in the sidebar so you can look at them without having to do a Google search.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1475803039847140136.post-23881230472721804752007-06-27T16:59:00.000-07:002008-11-12T17:42:24.104-08:00Dear Kellogg's,Recently I was looking at a box of your corn flakes which proudly proclaimed "Look! We're on the web!". I'm sorry this card is a little late but I wanted to congratulate your multi-million (billion?) dollar corporation on accomplishing what most ten-year olds can do. I had trouble finding an e-card that expressed my feelings so I made you one:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuMBIwNjlWCEk3jmQEvM7VPHM1js-zxoeO9W0fqJArIoGYS5tr7sORG7wDeac1xGXtL5iOzrI6utuFmmJBpvKebTX2w1nclDNNijErJ6Wt3Zdk1b-TSD0W903KFob_89ch6rpjqpFbbJ8/s1600-h/Card.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuMBIwNjlWCEk3jmQEvM7VPHM1js-zxoeO9W0fqJArIoGYS5tr7sORG7wDeac1xGXtL5iOzrI6utuFmmJBpvKebTX2w1nclDNNijErJ6Wt3Zdk1b-TSD0W903KFob_89ch6rpjqpFbbJ8/s400/Card.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5080899370601518850" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1475803039847140136.post-79416297702482565452007-06-27T15:46:00.001-07:002007-06-27T20:05:23.687-07:00The (Continued) Quest For A Free Blogging ClientIf nothing else, HitTail has helped me realize the obvious: if I want to find a free blogging client for Mac I should Google it (by the way, I'm the top hit if you do so). I did so and found several. The first two I came across, Bleezer and Qumana failed to configure correctly so I moved on to option three– Flock. Flock is a media-based web browser based on Firefox technologies that I have heard of before. Flock isn't an ideal solution, seeing as how it's a web browser and not a real blogging client which means the process of posting something isn't as simple. The only way that it would be quicker to use Flock is if I migrated <i>all</i> of my web browsing to it, which I'm not willing to do.<br /><br />So, lets look at the rundown of blogging clients...<br /><br />1. MarsEdit: The best one, but its not free.<br />2. Ecto: Didn't configure properly (and isn't free).<br />3. Journler: Great app, but no new Blogger support.<br />4. Bleezer: Didn't configure properly.<br />5. Qumana: Same as above.<br />6. Flock: Not much of an improvement over the Blogger entry client.<br /><br />I think I'm just going to keep doing it the old fashioned way until I win the lottery (or find $20 in the street) and can buy MarsEdit.<br /><br />P.S. Why do computers have such antiquated dictionaries? Flock (which I used to write this post) repeatedly told me that "blogging" and "Google" were not really words.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1475803039847140136.post-14728835144082177942007-06-27T15:04:00.000-07:002008-11-12T17:42:24.271-08:00Hit, Hit, Hooray!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuHkHd12OZCBUgQV3UXIOc2V3M1ATR6lBrJz2bPfNHnCl1qoC0F378IatdUjGQdjZfoAvVRyH9kfclRwIfUlcoSEZqngPv_bM3sZNkirVqVavsOZlEs6IDcl7G3tf6WelCmwRnCmWOqvs/s1600-h/HitTail+-+LongTail+Chart.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuHkHd12OZCBUgQV3UXIOc2V3M1ATR6lBrJz2bPfNHnCl1qoC0F378IatdUjGQdjZfoAvVRyH9kfclRwIfUlcoSEZqngPv_bM3sZNkirVqVavsOZlEs6IDcl7G3tf6WelCmwRnCmWOqvs/s320/HitTail+-+LongTail+Chart.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5080871221385860850" /></a><br />HitTail has finally given me a suggestion (right on <strike>que</strike> cue). It has suggested that I write on the topic of "Journler vs. MacJournal". Unfortunately I has no experience with MacJournal (I gave up when it proved difficult to download). I'm not even sure why it picked that keyword, there are three pertaining to a Mac (free) blogging client but only one referring to Journaling apps. I suppose this is the point where I could put my faith in computer aside and use my own common sense to see that people want to hear about blogging clients but my experience is a little limited there too (but if the nice people at Red Sweater want to give me a free copy of MarsEdit I would be more than happy to write up a nice review*).<br /><br /><hr><br />* Yes, my love can be bought.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1475803039847140136.post-69509935251482917222007-06-27T10:35:00.000-07:002008-11-12T17:42:24.555-08:00David Pratt = My (Totally) New Arch-Nemesis<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1guG-DzNLUDd5EGrcpj9ycVHH7XVf7lQP5UFQ2AzqGX-XRnVzoFol02duWpUYzl0HUXD6xDdN5JOgJLvr9vG-7yT8-hhgapXsU70hAkRVg4rfNBJoc-jBjwf_JqTSntgIgNzlVH8mc44/s1600-h/Rolling+Thunder+Computing+-+David+Platt,+.NET+Professor.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1guG-DzNLUDd5EGrcpj9ycVHH7XVf7lQP5UFQ2AzqGX-XRnVzoFol02duWpUYzl0HUXD6xDdN5JOgJLvr9vG-7yT8-hhgapXsU70hAkRVg4rfNBJoc-jBjwf_JqTSntgIgNzlVH8mc44/s320/Rolling+Thunder+Computing+-+David+Platt,+.NET+Professor.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5080810786901038818" /></a><br />TUAW (The Unofficial Apple Weblog) recently posted something about a review by David Platt that totally chewed out the iPhone. Now, I can accept that maybe Apple has made some mistakes but he was just vicious. Now, even though the ol' Plattster has a book published and is apparently doing some keynote speeches at events that sound kind of important I still deem him a nobody. Why? Because, 1) he is declaiming the iPhone from his seat atop his blogspot blog and 2) the site promoting his book is ugly and finally, 3) I've never heard of the company that published his book. This is probably the point where you decide that I'm a hypocrite, I'm a nobody kvetching about a nobody kvetching about the iPhone. However, I have prepared for your response and I have made a list of things nobodies can do:<br /><br />1. Say "NOBODY/NOTHING is good."<br />2. Say "NOBODY/NOTHING is great!"<br />3. Say "NOBODY/NOTHING is horrible."<br />4. Say "SOMEBODY/SOMETHING is good."<br />5. Say "SOMEBODY/SOMETHING is great!"<br />6. Say things nobody else cares about.<br /><br />Obviously the iPhone, which is the Paris Hilton of gadgets (except it hasn't gone to jail...yet), is a something meaning that only major columnists/newspapers can declaim it but anyone can acclaim it. The MS Zune, in contrast, is a total nothing so anyone can say anything they want about it.<br /><br />What David Platt obviously fails to take into account is the sheer force of marketing behind the iPhone (and to a lesser extent, anything with an Apple logo on it). There is no other product/company in the world that could motivate half the blogosphere to advertise for them (at no cost). I think it's pretty obvious that the iPhone will sell like crazy.<br /><br />The only question that remains is "will they also be returned like crazy?". I'm not expert on contract law but it seems like the AT&T contract would at least make this more difficult (if not impossible). If customers will be allowed to transfer the contract to another phone AT&T will be making a killing, they get to harness the marketing-fueled buying frenzy and reap the profits for two years while Apple may get stuck with a couple million iPhones and a bunch of red zeros on their financial reports (I can't even think about it).Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0