Yearly Archives: 2012

Apple will not hold an event in February

A number of news outlets picked up on a rumor from a Japanese blog this morning saying that Apple would hold an “unusual” event in February. […]

Id Software’s RAGE game comes to the Mac

Aspyr Media on Thursday announced the release of RAGE: Campaign Edition, a Mac version of the game released for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows late in 2011. The game costs $39.99 and is available through the Mac App Store … Continued

Reported iMessage bug is not a bug says Apple

After recieving help from an Apple Genius at a retail store, a customer started getting texts sent to the employees iPhone. While Gizmodo classified the mishap as a bug, Apple says the employee didn’t follow protocol. […]

Apple taps Xbox exec for App Store marketing

TheNextWeb: Apple has named former Microsoft Product Marketing chief Robin Burrowes as the head of App Store Marketing for iTunes Europe, becoming the latest games executive to join Apple’s ranks. Apple’s previously hired executives from Nintendo and and Activision for … Continued

Avid Studio for iPad

Big-screen moviemaking comes to the touchscreen with Avid® Studio for iPad. We’ve distilled the world’s leading film-editing technology into an easy-to-use app that enables you to edit video, audio, and photos at the speed of your creativity.Swiftly arrange your clips in the Storyboard, make precision edits using the Timeline, and add high-quality transitions, effects, and a soundtrack. Then share your movie directly to YouTube, Facebook, and more—or export your project to Avid Studio for the PC and continue editing with even more advanced tools.

Competition is good.

Vintage erasers

Brings back memories for me. Do kids even use these anymore?

Kaleidolism

This is kind of cool. Load an image — or use one of the default images — and have a little fun. After the image has loaded, click on the page and then move your mouse around.

Sad

Violet Blue describing the “saddest booth babe in the world” at Macworld: […]

Apple releases Mac OS X 10.7.3

Get your Software Update system preference warmed up because Apple released Mac OS X 10.7.3 on Wednesday evening. The update is recommended for all Lion users. The update fixes problems with smart cards used to log on to OS X; … Continued

“2012 SXSW Opening Day Bash” Amazon sampler

[caption id="attachment_19574" align="alignnone" width="280" caption=""2012 SXSW Opening Day Bash" Amazon sampler"][/caption]

SXSW in Austin, TX is often thought of as a tech show but there is a huge music component. Every year, up and coming bands play the show in the hopes of getting noticed or getting a wider audience. And every year, Amazon posts a selection of free music from those bands.

This year’s selection is from bands like Pillow fight, Bright Moments, Polica and others.

Slutty Android users

Vancouver Sun:

Canadian singles who use Android phones are more likely to have sex on a first date and partake in one-night stands, in comparison to those with other types of smartphones, according to a results of a survey.

Are these the 10 funniest Super Bowl ads ever?

Mashable:

The Super Bowl isn’t just the biggest day in American football. It’s also the advertising world’s shining moment.Brands and agencies pull out all the stops to make an impression on the game’s captive audience. Most frequently, they turn to the bizarre and the offbeat, seeking to burn messages into viewers’ brains with humor.And the ads had better be funny; commercial slots are going for a whopping $3.5 million a pop this year.

Any list that includes the “Wassup!” ads but doesn’t include the Budweiser frogs can’t possibly be the ten funniest.

Yale professor moves class to room without wifi

TIME:

A Yale lecture capped at 270 students? And no wireless Internet available? Dial up the anger on the New Haven, Conn., campus.After Alexander Nemerov moved his popular “Introduction to the History of Art: Renaissance to the Present” from the Yale Law School auditorium that easily fit about 450 students to the more cramped Yale Art Gallery auditorium, he not only upset some students and alumni by capping the class size at 270 because of the smaller venue, but also shocked some students that walked into a room void of wi-fi or cell service.

Before you scream, “Luddite!”, read the article. The professor seems to have good reasoning for his decision.

To use iBooks Author or not

Brett Kelly:

Let me restate that I’m not just generally crapping on iBooks, the iBooks Author application or anything else. I’m an eBook author that’s sold a few copies and is pretty happy with how things have gone. If Apple’s wares seem like just the thing for your next eBook project, then I’d suggest you seriously consider employing them.Just make sure you think through all of the possible ramifications of such a decision. That’s all I’m saying.

Brett certainly has some good points. While I’ve been asked many times to write a book, I never have, so I’m not an eBook author. For me, the interactivity that iBooks Author offers would be enough to use it and sell my books through the iBookstore. As Brett said, it’s important to know everything before you jump in.

This is what our sun will look like when it dies

[caption id="attachment_19542" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Helix Nebula, NGC 7293"][/caption] Gizmodo:

In a few billion years, our dear Sun will look like this, a beautiful glowing eye of spent starstuff trash in the shape of Sauron’s Eye. And no ring is going to save us from this one.It’s the Helix Nebula, NGC 7293, 700 light-years away from Earth. Once upon a time it was a star like ours.

I’m going to be so bummed when that happens.

Barnes & Noble won’t sell books from Amazon Publishing

New York Times:

In a sharp answer to Amazon and its expanding publishing efforts, Barnes & Noble said on Tuesday that it would not sell books released by Amazon Publishing in its bookstores.The ban includes books released by New Harvest, a new imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt that recently struck a deal to publish and distribute books released by Amazon Publishing’s unit based in New York.It also seemed unlikely that many of the 1,900 independent bookstores in the United States would be willing to stock Amazon books.

To be clear, the B&N ban only applies to books from the publishing arm of Amazon – not all books sold through Amazon.com.

Bungie.net to end Halo services in March

GameInformer.com: At the end of March, Bungie will no longer handle player data for Halo games. The studio issued a statement today saying the transition process between it and 343 Industries, Microsoft’s new internal Halo studio, will be completed March … Continued

Kaz Hirai to be Sony CEO and president in April

Gamesindustry.biz: Sony has named Kaz Hirai as the successor to Howard Stringer’s roles as both president and CEO, effective April 1, 2012. Stringer, who has lead the company in the joint role for seven years, will take up the position … Continued

Congratulations Crunchies winners!

[caption id="attachment_19525" align="aligncenter" width="167" caption="Crunchie"][/caption]TechCrunch:

This year’s fifth annual Crunchies Awards has just finished up at the classy Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco, and it was a smashing success. We poked fun #humblebraggers, got cussed at by Siri, honored former TechCrunch CEO Heather Harde, and gave wild monkey trophies to tech’s greatest innovators. Check out the full list of nominees and winners.

Apple took a Crunchie for Siri in the “Best Technology Achievement” category and was nominated for “Best Tablet Application” (Garageband) and “Best New Device” (iPad 2) but lost out to Fotopedia and Nest respectively.

Why I love Apple – an email from Tim Cook

Tony Hart:

Tony,I talked to many people and John was the best by far. I think you will be as pleased as I am. His role isn’t to bring Dixons to Apple, [it’s] to bring Apple to an even higher level of customer service and satisfaction.Tim

If nothing else, Cookie’s emails to customers are longer than Jobs’ ever were.

Minimalist Web design

DesignModo:

The role of minimalism is very strong in web design with the help of companies like Apple. Apple has helped expose minimalism in to the 20th century by the way their website, branding and devices were stripped down to show only its necessary elements, the less is more statement has never been so popular.

Clearly I’m a big fan of minimalist designs, but I like functionality and coolness too.

Apple threatens Go Inside Magazine with takedown notice

David Boles:

I was having such a good day today. Then Apple threatened me in a nasty email.

The question is, are those footers we see in some emails – the ones like “This transmission may be privileged and may contain confidential information intended only for the person(s) named above” – legally binding and/or actionable? Many of us have always assumed they are put there just to satisfy some corporate weenie and can be safely ignored.

Johnny Cash’s 1970 Rolls-Royce up for auction

In 1970, at the height of his career, Cash needed a personal limousine. He turned to Rolls-Royce where he acquired a long-wheelbase Silver Shadow Saloon. At the time the Crewe factory did not produce a limousine, so Cash turned to a local Nashville coachbuilder, gave them his specifications and this is the final product. Cash used this limousine up through 1977 when it was sold to another private owner prior to coming to the Burdick collection.

Longform.org’s iPad app

Longform delivers all of the latest in-depth articles from the world’s best magazines, plus unmissable reads curated from across the web by the editors of Longform.org. Perfect for commutes, flights, or Sunday afternoons.

I expect this will be quite popular.

Nestle’s focus on packaging design

Dexigner:

Nestle is the first food and beverage company to adopt this method following its partnership with the university in 2009. Inclusive Design is a process which seeks to develop product design to meet the needs of more people. Companies can use a number of specialist Inclusive Design tools to determine how they can make products easier to use.

Interesting article on how product design is helping people with arthritis and other physical problems.

BGR comments frustration

BGR:

I’m tired of reading nonsense and of interacting with people that solely troll this site just to get a rise out of other commenters and start a holy war in the comments section. I’m tired of having to delete crap and I’m tired of people complaining that a few thousand people ruin it for millions. Maybe I’m just tired of you.

Another site turns of story comments. BGR is one of the biggest in recent months to do it though.