The problem with Readability

Written by

Ben Brooks:

I like what Readability has tried to do with the service, and the apps are gorgeous, but I have a big problem with the approaches being taken by them. For one I can’t figure out if they want to be a great place to save articles for reading later, or do they want to be a middleman that helps make money for independent publishers and large publishers alike, or… I don’t know. The motives matter to me and I can’t figure out Readability’s.

I’m a long time user of Instapaper. I pay Marco for the service and have no plans to stop.

Godsmack drum battle

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I have this on Godsmack’s Changes DVD and love it. Sully Erna and Shannon Larkin and so incredibly talented.

Reverb explained

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Reverb is perhaps the most misunderstood/misused effect in the mixer’s toolbox today. In this timeless series, DAW superman Eli Krantzberg reveals everything you need to know about this mysterious effect and how to apply it to the most popular instruments … Continued

NASA hacked 13 times last year

Written by

Reuters:

NASA said hackers stole employee credentials and gained access to mission-critical projects last year in 13 major network breaches that could compromise U.S. national security.

I wonder what the protocol is when a government agency gets hacked.

Blogging with Blogsy for iPad

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I bought this last night and have been playing around with it. Lots of great features like drag and drop video and images and support for lots of blogging platforms, including Wordpress, Movable Type, Joomla, Drupal, Posterous, Blogger and TypePad.

Still lots of exploring to do, but so far I’m impressed.

Capo adds mastering-quality audio slowing engine

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Integrated a new mastering-quality audio slowing engine that significantly improves the clarity of slowed down music; fixed a bug that affected chord entries when a tranposing capo was set up in the note settings.

The new audio engine is amazing. IF you play guitar and haven’t tried Capo, you’re missing out.

Apple creates 514,000 jobs in the US

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Throughout our history, Apple has created entirely new products — and entirely new industries — by focusing on innovation. As a result, we’ve created or supported more than 500,000 jobs for U.S. workers: from the engineer who helped invent the iPad to the delivery person who brings it to your door.

Windows relevance

Written by

Robert Scoble:

Windows still relevant? Of course it is. Earlier this week I said that even if Windows 8 is a total failure it would still sell hundreds of millions of units (which means expectations on Microsoft are still to sell many hundreds of millions of units if this is a success). That’s a long way from not being relevant.

I get what Robert’s talking about and agree that they will sell millions whether it sucks or not. Still, it’s a sad statement that its sales, not its abilities that make it relevant.

Apps for Apes

Written by

Eric Pfeiffer:

Orangutans across the world may soon join the ranks of millions of humans as proud owners of new iPads. As strange as that may sound, a conservation group is testing its “Apps for Apes” program, allowing orangutans to communicate with each other remotely via the iPad’s video chat technology.

Very cool.

US Air Force buys 18,000 iPads

Written by

Mac Rumors:

The U.S. Air Force has awarded a $9.36 million contract to purchase as many as 18,000 iPad 2s, according to Bloomberg. The plan is to replace bulky and heavy flight bags full of navigational charts and other materials with iPads in order to reduce the weight of pilots’ bags and save fuel on flights.

Late last month the Air Force canceled an order for 2,800 iPads.

The iPad 3 and its impact on the industry

Written by

Steve Wildstrom for TechPinions:

But even without knowing the details of the new iPad–which I will call the iPad 3 even though Apple may not–it’s possible to assess some of its impact on the industry.

Steve goes through the tablet market, Android model, personal cloud and carriers.

The Desktop Wallpaper Project

Written by

I was looking through Bobby Solomon’s Desktop Wallpaper Project last night and there is something for everyone here. You can even download versions for the iPhone and iPad.

iPad home button

Written by

Dave Caolo goes over a few of the functions the iPad home button does besides take you to the home screen.

Apple looks to launch TV subscriptions by Christmas

Written by

New York Post:

Apple is pitching the idea of offering channels as apps for its devices, including its Apple TV set-top box. It’s unclear whether it would group the apps together and charge a fee — similar to a cable-TV subscription — or offer the channels on an a la carte basis.

I would definitely buy these channel apps.

Things Apple could do better

Written by

Mark Willis:

But nobody’s perfect. Here are a couple of specific things I wish Apple products did better, that I haven’t really heard others discuss. (Maybe they just have the good manners not to whine in public? But I digress.)

I was chuckling at the problems he brings up because they happen to me too. Interesting solutions he proposed.

Mountain Lion security and AppleScript

Written by

Lex Friedman: To the average user, the two new security technologies coming to OS X this year—sandboxing and Gatekeeper—should be virtually invisible. But they could be all too visible to more advanced users, particularly those who use AppleScript and Automator. … Continued

Rampant negativity

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It is far too easy to emotionally default to negativity on the Internet. Whether it’s fueled by anti-social behavior, a perceived intrusion upon one’s curated garden of content and opinion, or some sort of basic personal distaste, we are all too frequently treated to a stinging assault on a person or corporate entity on Twitter and the like.

I’ve been guilty of this from time to time.

Forbes on the rumored 8-inch iPad

Written by

Brian Caulfield for Forbes: If true, that’s quite a turnabout, for Apple. On a conference call with investors in late 2010, former Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs derided the idea of an 8-inch tablet.

Analog tape recording

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These days, owning an analog tape machine is somewhat akin to driving a classic car, with ongoing maintenance, scarcity of parts, and exotic fuel (analog tape) that’s expensive and hard to find. So while a handful of top studios still offer those classic spinning reels (and the engineers to maintain them), the good news for the rest of us is that there are now more convenient ways to achieve that classic magnetic sound.

Instapaper improvements

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So the bookmarklet now sports a completely new design that’s highly visible at every screen size, and works in more browsers, too.

The new version also supports multi-page articles. I didn’t even have to do anything, it just updated. I use Instapaper every single day and love it.

Hazel, a personal housekeeper for the Mac

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Hazel watches whatever folders you tell it to, automatically organizing your files according to the rules you create. It features a rule interface similar to that of Apple Mail so you should feel right at home.

My desktop is begging for this app.

AT&T, data plans and app makers

Written by

This silly plan by AT&T has been out for a few days but Matt Alexander summed up my feelings nicely: Although AT&T might frame this as innovation, such maneuvering is transparently self-serving. Evidently tired of having the customer blame them … Continued

RIM may pre-announce poor Q4 results

Written by

Reuters:

Blackberry maker Research in Motion Ltd (RIM) is likely to preannounce poor February quarter results and forecast a “very weak” May quarter on lower sales of its phones, according to Jefferies & Co analysts.

I kind of feel bad.

The Loop gets Decked

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I’m very happy to announce that as of March 1, 2012, The Loop has joined exclusive ad network, The Deck. You can see ads from The Deck on the right hand side of every page on the site.

Being part of The Deck allows me to keep The Loop focused on what’s important — the content. It also allows me to show relevant ads from top notch companies without impeding your reading experience.

Since The Loop went through its major redesign in September 2011, many of you wrote saying how much better the reading experience is. I truly appreciate that. Joining The Deck will preserve and strengthen that experience.

With the move to The Deck, I am joining some of the greatest sites on the Web including Daring Fireball, Marco Arment, Laughing Squid, Khoi Vinh and Jason Kottke, among many others.

The Deck, like The Loop, is about delivering a quality Web experience. I am committed to bringing that to you with my writing and the way I choose to present advertising on the site.

I hope you will take a minute and visit the advertisers when you see something that interests you.

Don’t forget, we also have $3 monthly memberships available for individuals (with a full text RSS feed) and exclusive weekly RSS sponsorships where companies and developers can reach The Loop’s readers.

Thank you for your continued support.

Reflection brings screen mirroring from iOS to the Mac

Written by

TUAW:

Ever wanted to use AirPlay mirroring to show the screen of your iPad 2 or iPhone 4/4S on your Mac? Just released, Reflection ($14.99 for a single license, $39.99 for a 5 pack) offers a well-featured mirroring receiver for OS X, ideal for education and demos — and a great way to eliminate the Frankencable for iPad video capture.