Ken Baumgartner – 6’1”, 205 pounds, with a penchant for doling out punishment – was not the kind of guy you wanted to see angry. Baumgartner was a left wing for the Toronto Maple Leafs. More specifically, he was their enforcer; a man paid literally to inflict pain on opponents. But in 1992, the target of his aggression was not another player; nor was it a coach or referee. It was a videogame producer at Electronic Arts named Michael Brook.

‘Hi, I’m Ken Baumgartner,’ he said flatly by way of introduction. As a lifelong hockey fan, Brook already knew who he was, and indicated as much with a tiny flinch of a smile. Despite the recognition, the thuggish enforcer felt compelled to further introduce himself:

‘I’m the guy you gave a zero rating to for Intelligence.’

Great story about the development of a game many of us Canadians, and not a few Americans, wasted many an hour playing. Thanks to Kottke for the link.

Today is the day. Becoming Steve Jobs is now available for purchase and download.

Steven Levy, author of a number of excellent books on technology and on Apple, got his hands on a preview copy and had some interesting things to say. His review is worth reading, but I found his take on the new book vs the Walter Isaacson book particularly interesting:

In my view, Cook’s dismissal of Isaacson’s book as just a sloppy rehash is somewhat over the top. I came to Isaacson’s book with a lot of knowledge about Steve Jobs, yet I learned many new details from over 40 interviews Jobs gave to Isaacson, as well from some interviews Isaacson won because Jobs prevailed on people to cooperate with the book. No matter what one thinks of Isaacson’s book, it is absolutely permeated, as is appropriate, with the voice of its subject. In addition, no one is claiming that Isaacson fabricated material.

Instead, the complaint is that Isaacson over-emphasized Jobs’s unattractive qualities and failed to present a rounded picture that corresponded with the reality of those closest to him. Schlender and Tetzeli attempt to remedy that in two ways. First, they give plenty of room for people on the wrong side of Jobs’s bad behavior to contextualize it. Second, they present a contrast between the young Jobs, whose misdeeds often arose from a self-indulgence or a flailing indecisiveness, and the mature Jobs, who not only channeled his energies more successfully, but was able to develop rewarding adult relationships.

This is a tricky balancing act for the authors, as even to the last, Jobs could be a tough person to deal with. Towards the end of the book they spend a full chapter, titled “Blind Spots, Grudges and Sharp Elbows,” trying to deal with some of Jobs’ unsavory actions even after his touted maturation. There’s no getting around the fact that Jobs held grudges, was gleeful in apparently violating the labor laws banning corporate collusion in not hiring each other’s employees, and sometimes would throw formerly valued employees under the bus.

One of my favorite Steven Levy books, and one of his earlier efforts, Insanely Great is the inside story about the creation of the Mac. If you are a fan of Apple’s history, I think you’ll enjoy Insanely Great. It really captures the spark of creation that was the birth of the Macintosh.

If you are a developer or have even the slightest interest in programming, you need to learn about Git, a free software version control system that is widely used by Mac and iOS developers to keep track of changes in their code and to allow teams of developers to work on the same chunk of code.

Git is useful for non-developers as well. Git will track just about any sort of file, and will let you share those files with other folks on your team.

If you are still with me, take a look at this Git tutorial from Code School. I found it extremely easy to follow and very well done. You’ll be typing commands in a mocked up terminal window, so you’ll be learning the commands at the heart of Git. There are plenty of tools out there that wrap these commands in buttons and menus, but this tutorial really gets you into the foundation of Git.

Git experts, please do weigh in in the comments.

1Password:

TD Canada Trust made quite a splash recently when it launched its redesigned iPhone app which disabled pasting in the password field. Users who embrace password managers for their online security were quick to point out their … well, ‘unhappiness’ with this decision. TD Canada’s original response to those users was unsettling.

I had something similar happen to me over the weekend. Canada Post limits passwords to “8 to 12 characters using only numbers and letters”. These institutions need to realize longer, more complicated passwords are better for security.

Now everyone can plug in their guitar, bass or other instrument and enjoy killer tone on their iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac or Android device — with the release of iRig 2, the world’s most popular guitar interface is now better than ever before. Revolutionize the way you make your music while on the go!

A digital rig with physical presence

With iRig 2, you’ll be able to enjoy IK’s full range of AmpliTube apps (the #1 app for guitar and bass players). It’s ready to go right out of the box. It comes with a powerful cross-platform suite of apps and software that includes free versions of AmpliTube for iOS, Android and Mac/PC. To use, just download your preferred version of AmpliTube for iOS from the App Store or for Android from the Google Play Store or from Samsung GALAXY Apps. Then plug your guitar or bass into iRig 2, plug your amplifier or headphones into your device and launch the app.

iRig 2 includes:

• 1/4” instrument input for use with guitar, bass and other line level instruments
• 1/4” amplifier output for use with an external amplifier without an adaptor
• 1/8” TRRS output for use with iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac and Android
• 1/8” headphone output
• Compact and lightweight design
• Selectable dual-mode switch: FX and THRU
• Input gain thumbwheel for easy signal control
• Comes with microphone stand Velcro strip
• Comes with AmpliTube FREE and a full suite of powerful IK applications and software

Jim’s Note: I am a longtime user of IK Multimedia’s hardware and software. In fact, I have iRig 2 and I’m a big fan.

Avid launched Pro Tools 12 with its new subscription model today.

“We are excited to announce that Zakk is entering the studio after this Unblackened Spring 2015 tour to record BOSII [Book of Shadows Volume II] which will be released early 2016, the 20th Anniversary of the original BOS, followed by a world tour to support that side of Zakk’s music,” Barbaranne said.

Book of Shadows is one of the best acoustic albums I’ve ever heard. I can’t wait for the follow-up.

Tiny Hearts Studio founder Robleh Jama writes about his breathtaking experience aboard the Apple marketing roller coaster.

It all began when I received an email out of the blue back in March from Apple’s outside ad agency, TBWA\Media Arts (the company now has its own in-house agency too). They wanted me to know that our app was being considered for a broadcast commercial. Their team was still working on the creative ideas, and told us there were no guarantees we’d make the final spot. I signed the required paperwork and then tried really hard not to think about this or get my hopes up for the next couple of months.

Very interesting piece from Fast Company. [via iOS Dev Weekly]

Sébastien Page, writing for iDownloadBlog, flexes his imagination, sharing his take on a day spent with an Apple Watch in hand. A small excerpt:

5.41am: I receive a message on my wrist, a sign that my colleague is here waiting for me outside. I raise my wrist and tell Siri to send him a message saying I’ll be there in a couple minutes. I go kiss the kids goodbye while making sure not to wake them up. I won’t see them again until tomorrow.

5.46am: We’re on our way to the office to pick up some files before flying to San Jose. I receive a tap on my wrist. A quick glance at it and I see this is a Facebook notification. Apparently my mother in law is already up and commenting on photos I uploaded last night.

6.01am: We stop by Starbucks for a much-needed cup of java. With the Passbook app on my watch, I can simply have the barista scan my card barcode. No need for any physical transaction. No need to get iPhone out of my pocket either, obviously.

Apple folks: Might want to send this one to the marketing department. A good read, clever idea, really gives you a sense of what life with an Apple Watch will be like.

[Hat tip to Loop reader Nick Delapio]

Tony Fadell, speaking at a TED conference about what he learned from Steve Jobs:

Jobs insisted that his design team “stay beginner”: walk in the shoes of someone who has never experienced a product before. When a new Apple product came out, Fadell would wait in long lines at an Apple store, purchase it at the counter like everyone else, unbox it and try to get it working.

Though he may have been involved in every aspect of the iPod, taking the trek of the consumer taught him to notice the little frustrations that can destroy an otherwise good idea.

As an example, he talked about shipping a product with a charged battery. Only a few years ago, it was all-to-common to unwrap a new MP3 player with the glee of christmas morning, only to find out we had to wait a few hours to charge the device.

This is a piss-poor first impression for a product. Now, Apple products, he says, come with at least a partially charged battery. The act of “staying beginner” helps us see the frustrations that we otherwise resign ourselves to believing are fate.

This has been making its way around Twitter over the weekend. Remember Rickrolling? That thing where you follow a link and find yourself watching Rick Astley gyrate his way through Never Gonna Give You Up.

With that as background, take a look at Apple’s Control Center support page.

New York Times:

Steve Jobs prized secrecy from his executives and employees during his tenure at Apple. Now his top lieutenants are speaking out — to help shape the legacy of Steve Jobs.

Through interviews and tweets, Apple brass, including the chief executive, Timothy D. Cook, are throwing their weight behind a new unauthorized biography of the Apple co-founder, “Becoming Steve Jobs,” which goes on sale on Tuesday. In the book, executives take aim at another title, “Steve Jobs” by Walter Isaacson, an authorized biography published shortly after Mr. Jobs’s death in 2011.

Not unexpected but interesting to think there might be a concerted, organized PR campaign, not just from the book’s publisher, which is to be expected, but also from Apple.

Magic Leap is an augmented reality company, developing technology that blends computer generated imagery with reality. They are currently valued at around $2 billion, with a pool of investment dollars from Google and others of about $542 million. They don’t have any products yet, but there is a ton of buzz from people who’ve seen behind the curtain.

I’ve seen some of the concept videos and love the imaginative detail. Take a look at the video below to get a sense of the sorts of things Magic Leap is dreaming of. And take a read of this New York Times article if you are interested in the business side.

Rene Ritchie, writing for iMore, take a variety of passes through the Apple Watch band collection, looking at things like size, weight, and closure. If you are considering an Apple Watch, this is some good food for thought.

Update: In a related post, Take a look at Which Apple Watch Sport band color should you get?. If you are into the Sport band, be sure to check out the “Dirt and damage” section. Also, take a look at the Edition version of the review.

Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger knew early on that Steve Jobs’s cancer had returned and kept it a secret for three years before it became public knowledge, a new biography of Apple Inc.’s late CEO reveals.

Iger learned about the illness less than an hour before Disney announced its 2006 agreement to buy Pixar, the computer-animation studio run by Jobs

This is going to be a very interesting book.

iBooks:

There have been many books—on a large and small scale—about Steve Jobs, one of the most famous CEOs in history. But this book is different from all the others.

It’s interesting to see the extensive marketing campaign behind this book.

My thanks to Iconic for sponsoring The Loop this week. Looking for a special gift for that mega Apple enthusiast in your life? How about the newest edition of an absolutely stunning coffee table book that features lush, beautiful photographs of Apple devices? ICONIC: A Photographic Tribute to Apple Innovation is Iconic uses vivid color and detail to document Apple’s journey in design, form and function—and looks back at over 35 years of Apple innovation. Four years in the making, the author captured over 150,000 photos of nearly every product Apple has made, including rare prototypes and even packaging. With a foreword from Steve Wozniak and The Loop’s own Jim Dalrymple and hundreds of amazing quotes from other Apple pundits—ICONIC is the ultimate coffee table book for every Apple fan, and the perfect gift for any Apple owner who ever wanted to explore and discover the true roots of their favorite iMac, iPod, iPad, or iPhone. With free global shipping, see the different editions and use the coupon code THELOOP on checkout for 10% discount.

Jim’s Note: In addition to writing the foreword for this book, I also own two and love them!

The second the $69 price drop was announced, the first thought I had was, new Apple TV in the pipeline, price dropped to clear out inventory. That said, this is a rumor, and the $69 Apple TV is a great deal.

ABC News:

Apple engineers, managers and developers have been secretly volunteering for the past year in this state-of-the-art lab to participate in rowing, running, yoga and many more fitness activities in order to collect data for the Apple Watch’s inner workings.

“[The employees] knew they were testing something, but they didn’t know it was for the Apple Watch,” said Jeff Williams, Apple’s senior vice president of operations. “We hooked them up with all the masks and so forth, but we would put on an Apple Watch covered up.”

You can watch the video of this story tonight on “Nightline” at 12:35 a.m. ET.

Quartz:

Apple didn’t just take a heritage watch case, add a screen, and shove in a microchip and a bunch of sensors. Trying to integrate one company’s microchip with another’s operating system and app ecosystem, then reconciling that combination with your company’s century-old design ideals is going to require some major compromises.

I don’t think the Swiss watchmakers have “no chance” but they are definitely behind a giant 8-ball and don’t seem to understand why. That’s lethal to their desires in this segment of the market.

The update involves iCloud Keychain and the IOSurface framework (for sharing graphics surfaces between applications).

From the security update release note page:

iCloud Keychain:
Available for: OS X Yosemite v10.10.2
Impact: An attacker with a privileged network position may be able to execute arbitrary code
Description: Multiple buffer overflows existed in the handling of data during iCloud Keychain recovery. These issues were addressed through improved bounds checking.

And:

IOSurface:
Available for: OS X Yosemite v10.10.2
Impact: A malicious application may be able to execute arbitrary code with system privileges
Description: A type confusion issue existed in IOSurface’s handling of serialized objects. The issue was addressed through additional type checking.

Interesting discussion of the latest release of iMovie to show off the new MacBook and its Force Touch trackpad.

From this post by graphic designer Alex Gollner:

When I dragged the clip to its maximum length I did feel a little bump. Without looking at the timeline and looking at the viewer, I could ‘feel’ the end of the clip.

This feature presages the ability for UI pixels to be ‘bumpy’ – for user to feel the texture of application UIs without having to look at where the cursor is. This means that seemingly textured software keyboards and control layouts will be able to be implemented on future trackpads, iPhones and iPads.

And from this Wired piece on bumpy pixels and haptic feedback:

Where might bumpy pixels show up next? Hayward can imagine it accentuating interaction with all sorts of on-screen elements, like buttons, menus and icons. “It could make interaction more realistic, or useful, or entertaining, or pleasant,” he says. “That becomes the job of the user experience designer.” Other haptic research suggests more unusual possibilities. A project from a group of Disney researchers involved a touchscreen environment in which icons felt “heavier” based on their file size.

Another place the Taptic Engine might show up? The iPhone. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that Apple is considering Force Touch for the new device, and if it is included, it stands to reason that the Taptic Engine could end up in Apple’s phones in some form as well. (Once you play with a new MacBook, you’ll see why; having multiple layers of touch sensitivity doesn’t really make sense without different types of feedback to differentiate between them.)

Haptic touch research has been around for quite some time. This paper dates back to 1994. It’s amazing how long it took for this concept to make its way into the mainstream.

Daniela Hernandez, writing for Fusion:

“Imagine ten trials, several thousand patients,” said Friend, the founder of Seattle-based Sage Bionetworks, a nonprofit that champions open science and data sharing. “Here you have genetic information, and you have what drugs they took, how they did. Put that up in the cloud, and you have a place where people can go and query it, [where] they can make discoveries.” In this scenario, Friend said, patients would be able to control who could access their information, and for which purposes. But their health data would be effectively open-sourced.

Sitting in the audience that day was Mike O’Reilly, a newly minted vice president for medical technologies at Apple. A few months earlier, Apple had poached O’Reilly from Masimo, a Bay Area-based sensor company that developed portable iPhone-compatible health trackers. Now, he was interested in building something else, something that had the potential to implement Friend’s vision of a patient-centered, medical research utopia and radically change the way clinical studies were done.

This is a terrific story. But perhaps the best line of all was called out in John Gruber’s compelling Daring Fireball headline:

After Friend’s talk, O’Reilly approached the doctor, and, in typical tight-lipped Apple fashion, said: “I can’t tell you where I work, and I can’t tell you what I do, but I need to talk to you,” Friend recalls. Friend was intrigued, and agreed to meet for coffee.

Alex Rainert, writing for Medium, about using a Garmin Running Watch during a race:

During the race this past Sunday, being able to glance at my wrist for Current Pace/Average Pace/Distance whenever I wanted was fantastic (Note: I’ve found both the Garmin and the apps to have varying degrees of accuracy for distance covered). Seeing my live Heart Rate and Heart Rate Zones (coming via chest strap) also helped me know how hard I was exerting myself and when there might be a little more for me to give, even if I felt totally gassed. Finally, the fast & slow pace alerts were a total gamechanger as they provided actionable, contextual information in real-time, allowing me to make adjustments that saved seconds in the moment and crucial minutes over the course of the race.

This is a testament to one of the many health and fitness-related products you’ll be able to replace with an Apple Watch. Given that Apple Watch is a software and sensor platform, it can evolve to closely map to a user’s needs. The Garmin Running Watch is a stake in the sand, a product with a fixed design. What it does, it does very well, and will likely continue doing that job, and just that job, as long as its battery holds out.

The Apple Watch is limited only by the sensors it carries or connects to. Two things we know will be trackable with the combination of iPhone and Apple Watch are heart rate and distance traveled. Presumably, as the Apple Watch evolves, more sensors and, therefore, more health data will be added to the mix. The question is, who will control the access to that data?

From the quoted paragraph above:

I’ve found both the Garmin and the apps to have varying degrees of accuracy for distance covered

This is something I’ve heard from users of iPhone distance tracking apps, as well. Every app used (including Apple’s Health app) reports a widely varying measure of distance. Two different apps will give you two different measures of how many steps you took today, for example. This problem has a number of possible causes. Apps use different algorithms to calculate steps taken. Different sensors might differ in accuracy or, perhaps, require tuning to adjust to different stride lengths.

As reader Robert Davey points out, Apple bottlenecks this data via the CoreMotion framework. The question is, are developers not aware of the framework (I was not, as is evidenced by my original post)? Are they using it inconsistently? Incorrectly?

This is a quality control problem. As more sensors are added to the iPhone and Apple Watch, this problem will only get more complicated.

From an article I wrote for Fortune:

The fact that none of these guys brought up or seemed at all concerned about cybertheft may tell you more than any headline that contains the words Apple, Pay and Fraud.

There’s too much fear-mongering going around these days.

Pixelmator:

We’re super excited to finally let you know that the new and awesome Pixelmator for iPad update is out now.

Just to remind you—Pixelmator for iPad is the best image editor on the iPad and it is one of the most innovative and technologically advanced iOS apps ever built. And oh, if you are a Mac user and not that interested in iOS, just listen for a sec: All the cool things we now make for the iPad are coming to the Mac. But more on that later.

In the meantime, read on to find out what we’ve packed for you in Pixelmator for iPad 1.1 Aquarelle.

Along with Snapseed, Pixelmator is my go to app for editing photos on the iPad. I’m really excited to start playing with the new features in this version.

TidBITS:

“The new MacBook’s single port comes with a major security risk,” proclaims The Verge. Gizmodo took The Verge’s story a step further with, “The NSA Is Going to Love These USB-C Charging Cables.” So what’s the big deal, and is there any fire behind all this hot air?

These articles are pure clickbait.

As always, when it comes to Macs and security, always wait for Rich Mogull to weigh in before going off half cocked. I’m looking at you, Tech Media.

On May 17, 2011 we reinvented calendaring; On March 25, 2015 we’ll reinvent Fantastical itself.

I’ll say this: you’re going to love this new version.

Mobile games maker Rovio reported its operating profit fell 73 percent last year due to a drop in its licensing business, a latest sign its breakthrough Angry Birds brand is losing its appeal.

Ouch.