Tuesday, July 20, 2010
google background
I don't know how long it's been, but I just noticed that now you can put a background page for Google. I uploaded one of the wallpaper photos I found recently. Look how handsome:
(To do it, click on the link in the lower left of the page.)
... I had to try with one of my own, of course:
(To do it, click on the link in the lower left of the page.)
... I had to try with one of my own, of course:
Unusual anime
Unusual anime, collection post. Hilarious list.
A video about only a sleeping girl to keep you company... How lonely can you get?
And an anime about a guy whose hand is somehow replaced with the top half of a girl. Urhm, how lonely can you get?
The sleeping girl also has a training video. Dressed animated characters exercising as whacking material... woa...
A video about only a sleeping girl to keep you company... How lonely can you get?
And an anime about a guy whose hand is somehow replaced with the top half of a girl. Urhm, how lonely can you get?
The sleeping girl also has a training video. Dressed animated characters exercising as whacking material... woa...
WhiteNote
I've been looking at various note-taking apps for the iPad, and a new one seems way superior in flexibility and in user-friendliness (two things which are not easy to do well at the same time): WhiteNote (App Store link).
Unlike Apple's own braindead "Notes" app, it lets you change font and size, and that's just the beginning. It has search tools, live spell-checking, drawing tools, you can start typing anywhere on a page, etc etc. This is one well-though-out app. I almost never take notes, but this app makes me want to do it.
It's not free, but I think $3 is very reasonable for a good app.
Unlike Apple's own braindead "Notes" app, it lets you change font and size, and that's just the beginning. It has search tools, live spell-checking, drawing tools, you can start typing anywhere on a page, etc etc. This is one well-though-out app. I almost never take notes, but this app makes me want to do it.
It's not free, but I think $3 is very reasonable for a good app.
The Odds Are Increasing That Microsoft's Business Will Collapse
The Odds Are Increasing That Microsoft's Business Will Collapse, article.
I don't expect a "collapse" as such, but if I had MS stock, I would be selling about now. Like the article points out, the vast majority of MS's income comes from Windows and Office. Windows is being undermined by small portable devices in the long trend, it would seem, and Office by more and more free competitors, not the least the online Google Apps, which is already successful, even though it's far from as fast or flexible as Office. You can dump prices, but it's hard to compete with Free.
I don't expect a "collapse" as such, but if I had MS stock, I would be selling about now. Like the article points out, the vast majority of MS's income comes from Windows and Office. Windows is being undermined by small portable devices in the long trend, it would seem, and Office by more and more free competitors, not the least the online Google Apps, which is already successful, even though it's far from as fast or flexible as Office. You can dump prices, but it's hard to compete with Free.
Making daily plans
He who every morning plans the transaction of the day and follows out that plan, carries a thread that will guide him through the maze of the most busy life. But where no plan is laid, where the disposal of time is surrendered merely to the chance of incidence, chaos will soon reign.
-- Victor Hugo
I have heard this said, and even emphasized, by other philosophers. It's funny, it never worked for me (except for a few necessary bits back when I was an employee). It works much better for me to go with The Flow, minute by minute.
I am wondering: those who need a tight plan for their every day, is it because they have many things they must do but don't really want to do? So that they don't get them done if they are not written visibly on a schedule?
-- Victor Hugo
I have heard this said, and even emphasized, by other philosophers. It's funny, it never worked for me (except for a few necessary bits back when I was an employee). It works much better for me to go with The Flow, minute by minute.
I am wondering: those who need a tight plan for their every day, is it because they have many things they must do but don't really want to do? So that they don't get them done if they are not written visibly on a schedule?
Monday, July 19, 2010
It’s Not The Device Or The File, It’s The Internet, Stupid!
It’s Not The Device Or The File, It’s The Internet, Stupid!, article.
(I'm don't think this article is very clear, but it touches on central issues.)
I've been discussing this with Adam Engst recently: the "thing-ness" of things we sell. A paper book has much thing-ness. An ebook has less, but some. A web article has almost none.
Us middle-aged guys tend to be stuck in the value of a thing being a thing. But is that changing? And fast?
Update: Bron sez:
Whew, maybe I should go read the article, though I think you are treading on strange ground ... the thingness of a thing.
It's not that strange. It's the degree to which something feels like a collected, complete object, one which you can own and transport around, and easily define.
If I collected all the newsletters on my site as an ebook, it would have more "thing-ness" than they have just sitting on a web site. If I made them into a paperbook, they would have even more.
Some of us feel that more thing-ness makes things feel more valuable, and thus should help sales. But strangely it does not seem to be the case. My big success has always been selling memberships, not collections or CDs or tee-shirts or whatever.
But I still have an emotional attachment to a Thing. I still want to 'write a Book', rather than 500 blog posts.
(I'm don't think this article is very clear, but it touches on central issues.)
I've been discussing this with Adam Engst recently: the "thing-ness" of things we sell. A paper book has much thing-ness. An ebook has less, but some. A web article has almost none.
Us middle-aged guys tend to be stuck in the value of a thing being a thing. But is that changing? And fast?
Update: Bron sez:
Whew, maybe I should go read the article, though I think you are treading on strange ground ... the thingness of a thing.
It's not that strange. It's the degree to which something feels like a collected, complete object, one which you can own and transport around, and easily define.
If I collected all the newsletters on my site as an ebook, it would have more "thing-ness" than they have just sitting on a web site. If I made them into a paperbook, they would have even more.
Some of us feel that more thing-ness makes things feel more valuable, and thus should help sales. But strangely it does not seem to be the case. My big success has always been selling memberships, not collections or CDs or tee-shirts or whatever.
But I still have an emotional attachment to a Thing. I still want to 'write a Book', rather than 500 blog posts.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
An icon-free iPhone front page
This is partly to say thanks to Jaromir for my new iPhone wallpaper, and partly to point out what many surely will not have realized: that with iOS 4, you can now have an empty front page, and yet access to your favorite apps from there, via one or more folders in the dock (or whatever it's called in iOS).
This is my new primary screen on my iPhone 4:
By the way, I can understand Apple being a bit strict regarding icon spacing and size on the small iPhone screen, but on the iPad, I really hope it will become more flexible when iOS 4 is released for it in the fall. You ought to be able to place a few more icons in the dock, change icon size and spacing to your liking, and so on. Resolution-wise, the iPad's screen is at least as big as most PC screens were in the nineties, and the OS should reflect this, methinks.
This is my new primary screen on my iPhone 4:
By the way, I can understand Apple being a bit strict regarding icon spacing and size on the small iPhone screen, but on the iPad, I really hope it will become more flexible when iOS 4 is released for it in the fall. You ought to be able to place a few more icons in the dock, change icon size and spacing to your liking, and so on. Resolution-wise, the iPad's screen is at least as big as most PC screens were in the nineties, and the OS should reflect this, methinks.
Pentax in French
If you are interested in professional cameras like the new Pentax 645D, or if you enjoy a good French accent in spoken English, watch this video.
Here is a related (though computer-translated) article. One of the points given is that this medium-format camera is barely larger than most full-frame 35mm-sized cameras like the Canon 1Ds. But the sensor is significantly bigger.
So far as I know, the 645D is the only medium-format camera with multi-point autofocus. Not a trivial point for many.
Here is a related (though computer-translated) article. One of the points given is that this medium-format camera is barely larger than most full-frame 35mm-sized cameras like the Canon 1Ds. But the sensor is significantly bigger.
So far as I know, the 645D is the only medium-format camera with multi-point autofocus. Not a trivial point for many.
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