Editor’s Note: This story was written by Dan Sokol about his experience with Comcast.
Some Background…
Comcast is my ISP. Like most of us in the US we have no real choice if we want fast internet in our homes.
Design Flex
Design never exists in a vacuum. A designer is always creating something with a defined purpose. The essence of the designer’s job is a complex series of decisions that the end user has hired them to make.
iPad: Magical Lessons
It’s 2010. A crowd of inner city school teachers have gathered inside the principal’s office. On his desk sits what seems like a giant iPhone to some, a silly device without a physical keyboard to others. To me—someone who had watched Steve Jobs’s iPad unveiling a few weeks before—it looks exactly what Steve called it: a magical thing. […]
Sorry, phone number, but it’s time for you to die
Note: This article first appeared in The Loop Magazine Issue 17. 867-5309. 911. And… that’s about it. Those two seemingly random strings of digits just so happen to be phone numbers. One is the emergency line for U.S. citizens, established … Continued
Thinking Slowly
As I write this, my wife is sewing a skirt. Everything is laid out—the skirt itself, the fabric she cut the material from, the thread, the scissors, a measuring tape, some pins, the sewing machine, and the pattern. It’s the first piece of clothing she’s made from scratch, and she’s thoroughly enjoying the process. I find the chatter of the sewing machine very comforting. […]
Matthew Modine: What I learned from Stanley Kubrick
What is a film director? Is it just a person who yells “action” on a film set? Is he or she the one who controls the artistic, visual, and dramatic details of a film? Or does a director simply follow a script, a cookie-cutter set of rules and micromanage the gathered actors and technical crew? Are they just people that “shoot a schedule” to bring a film in on budget? The answer is, it depends on the director. […]
Obvious in retrospect
Today is the seventh anniversary of the iPhone. It’s one of those anniversaries that feels both shockingly long ago and not that long ago, but what it’s providing for me today is perspective. […]
Women in gaming
The scruffy twenty-something, wandered by our Pax East booth, looking up at the banner for our game. Ten feet tall, rising above the Pax floor, three tall, skinny women look jauntily at the camera. Two wear form-fitting combat suits. Another wears a ’60s Checkerboard dress. […]
Review: Posse Monitor System
The Posse Monitor System is a headphone amplifier system that incorporates multiple inputs, and various additional features, for musicians to hear themselves while performing. This analog system is a good quality hard-wired system that fills a need for such a thing where one is conspicuously absent. In other words, the mainstream pro-audio manufacturers like AKG, Sennheiser, Audio-Technica, and others, continue to focus on developing wireless systems. […]
Review: USB Fender Squier Strat
Mark Crump takes a look at Fender’s new Squier Strat that comes with a USB and iOS connections.
Perfection
Tell me if you’ve heard this one: “Steve Jobs never would’ve let [PRODUCT/SERVICE/INCIDENT] happen.”
That declaration has distorted the way the press writes about Apple and how it operates. The claims of his alleged perfectionism and ability to “sweat the details” didn’t just elevate the CEO to “best thing since sliced bread” status, it mutated the perception of the company for industry insiders and the public. […]
Expectations
Matt Alexander is the owner and editor of ONE37.net, a writer, a technology enthusiast and a contributing writer for The Loop. Last week, amidst the furor of competing announcements, Microsoft unveiled its latest innovation in the living room: Smart Glass. … Continued
Moving in together
For many, the announcement of OS X Lion was viewed with a great deal of negativity. Perceived as subverting the complexity of OS X, Lion was painted by many as an unwelcome agent of change – an entity seeking to castrate the strength of the Mac. Boasting nascent implementations of iOS features, many were quick to point accusatory fingers at the budding mobile operating system. OS X was courting a younger, sleeker companion, and its personality was starting to change – starting to dress a little better and clean up its act. Many felt betrayed. […]
Ego and ‘News Logic’
In recent weeks, I’ve spent a lot of time considering the thought process that has engendered some of the worst managerial decisions of the past year or so. Observing RIM’s spiralling failures, for instance, it’s difficult to discern precisely what has been driving such spectacularly flawed products, announcements, and marketing choices. Even on a much lower end of the scale, amidst the countless gimmicky iPhone accessories on display at Macworld, the bright booths and out-of-place “booth babes” all seem to ask the simple question: “why?” […]
The E-Reader, as we know it, is doomed
In November I reviewed the Kindle Touch, and I was a fan. Jim linked to my review and simply said: “I still don’t get the Kindle.” Honestly, as simple as that is, he makes an important point — If you can have one device that accomplishes everything, like an iPad, why carry another? […]
Not even considering Android or Windows Phone devices
Last week, I bought an iPhone 4S. I hadn’t planned on buying one, but my upgrade became available eight months ahead of schedule, and I couldn’t help myself.
When I learned that my upgrade was available, my mind didn’t stop for a moment to consider an Android or Windows Phone device, I simply went straight to the Apple Store and bought a 4S.
Microsoft: A platform company
When Google released its iOS Gmail app, I argued that it was a woefully missed opportunity for the software giant. With Gmail for iOS, Google had a unique chance to impress iOS users with a well-designed app for a widely used service. Instead, as we all know, Google released a pathetic implementation reliant on UIWebView, and squandered a phenomenal Trojan Horse moment.
In stark contrast to Google’s well-publicized folly, Microsoft is doing everything it can to impress iOS users.
Cyber Monday spending hits $1.25 billion
For the holiday season-to-date, $15 billion has been spent online, marking a 15-percent increase versus the corresponding days last year. Cyber Monday reached $1.25 billion in online spending, up 22 percent versus year ago, representing the heaviest online spending day … Continued
MarkdownMail for iOS
MarkdownMail is the easiest way to compose HTML emails and blog posts on your iPhone or iPod touch. Based around John Gruber’s popular Markdown markup syntax, you can now send emails with bold text, italics, bulleted lists and more. MarkdownMail will convert your Markdown formatted messages into an HTML message that you can send to your friends, family or colleagues.
Justin makes great software.
HP admits Apple could be leader in PC market
HP CEO Meg Whitman: “It’s possible if you integrate the tablets,” she was cited as saying by the French daily. “We will try to be champion again in 2013. It will take time for the products that I have influence … Continued
Shit-ass Websites
Last night John Gruber pointed out how bad The Next Web was to load in a Web browser. Here’s what Gruber found using Safari’s inspector on The Next Web: I measured a few of their articles using Safari’s web inspector, … Continued
Apple to participate in World Aids Day
ifoAppleStore.com: As a demonstration of Apple’s low-key philanthropy, the company will mark the occasion of World AIDS Day in its retail stores on December 1st by spotlighting special (RED) products that generate donations to fight AIDS in Africa. Apple created … Continued
MacLegion bundle — 10 Mac apps for $50
There’s something in this bundle for everyone… Whether they’ve been naughty or nice. So don’t waste your time waiting in line this Holiday season, give the gift of software! You can get all your holiday shopping done while sitting in your pajamas sippin’ eggnog in front of your computer screen.
The first 10,000 people also get MacScan free.
Letterpress Tuesday
I’m a bit late with this link, but there’s still time. Cameron Moll has put together a number of letterpress designers that will give you a discount today only.
Turning off blog comments
Matt Gemmell on the decision to turn off comments on his blog:
It’s been a very difficult decision (I love reading comments on my articles, and they’re almost unfailingly insightful and valuable), but I’ve finally switched comments off. Since I used the excellent Disqus service, the easiest way was simply to disable it globally, which also removes (but doesn’t delete – I still have them) comments on all previous posts too.
I must admit, I’ve considered this approach too, but decided to leave them on.
Facebook settles with the FTC
Reuters: Facebook has agreed to settle an investigation by the Federal Trade Commission into deceptive privacy practices, committing to cease making false claims and to submit to independent audits for 20 years.
Apple pulls iTether from App Store
Around 12PM EST, Apple called our head office to let us know they were going to go ahead and pull our app iTether from the App Store. They stated it was because the app itself burdens the carrier network, however … Continued
30 high speed photographs
High speed photography is a technique in which a camera is set up to take pictures of objects in motion that would normally be too fast to be seen by the naked eye. It usually involves a tremendous amount of … Continued
American Airlines files for bankruptcy
American Airlines and its parent company are filing for bankruptcy protection as they try to cut costs and unload massive debt built up by years of high fuel prices and labor struggles. There will no impact on travelers for now.
Malls cancel plans to track shoppers
Maggie Shader: Remember how two malls annoyed more than a few people by announcing that they would be tracking shoppers’ movements via their cellphone signals? Yeah, well that’s no longer happening — at least for now. The malls have suspended … Continued