December 3, 2013
The “interactive” resume of Robby Leonardi ∞
While its interactivity may be limited, you’ve got to admire the guy for the effort it must have taken to create this resume.
Ten year old drummer girl rockin’ out
Rock on little girl.
Heart to Heart for UCSF Cardiology Department ∞
Om Malik:
Almost exactly six years ago, I survived a serious heart attack thanks to the team at UCSF Medical Center – specifically the cardiology division.
These past six years have added up to what could be the best years of my life – for now. And I will forever be grateful to the UCSF cardiology team. They saved me from near disaster and gave me a chance to rewrite my life story.
Obviously, a very good cause.
Faces in Things ∞
Have you ever looked at an object and seen a face in it? You’ll love this Twitter account and the pictures in it.
iOS 7 adoption rate outpacing iOS 6 ∞
Chitika research:
One week following its release on September 18, 2013, iOS 7 users were generating more than 51% of all iOS-based Web traffic within North America. Growth has continued through the following two months, with iOS 7 usage rates surpassing the 70% mark within the continent. This makes it very likely that iOS 7 will continue to substantially outpace iOS 6 adoption, which reached 83% close to six months following its release in September 2012.
Meanwhile, Android is poking along:
Google’s latest OS dashboard reveals that 1.1 percent of active Android devices are running the new platform roughly a month after it became available. Not that its arrival is slowing down Jelly Bean’s growth, mind you. The older software now represents 54.5 percent of all Android use.
When you release a new version of your OS, the older version should drop, not gain in popularity.
Common CSS issues and solutions ∞
Very nice. There are even live demos so you can see what’s going on.
Home To Stay Dog Rescue
As many of you know, my wife has been involved in volunteering for a local dog rescue for a couple of years. Monique and a number of her friends, who also have many years experience rescuing dogs, decided to start their own dog rescue called Home To Stay.
Home To Stay focuses on dogs that are slated to be euthanized, although they help dogs in all types of situations. The rescue is not breed specific, rather choosing to help as many dogs as they possibly can.
The role of Home To Stay, and the volunteers that work there, is to identify a dog in need and get it out of the dog pound as quickly as possible. Transportation is arranged, through rail or trucking volunteers, to bring the dog to the rescue. Once here, the dog is taken to the vet and brought up-to-date on all its shots, neutered or spayed, and all care is given to ensure it receives a clean bill of health.
The dogs are fostered with caring volunteers, in their homes, until a permanent home can be found for the dog. The search for a permanent home isn’t just to take the first application that comes in, but rather to find the right fit for each dog and owner.
The adoption process consists of a meeting with the potential adopters, a home visit, and then a sleep over for the dog. If all goes well, the dog will have found a new home and the rescue will have saved another life.
Home To Stay is a non-profit organization that relies solely on the contributions of others. Everyone at the rescue works for free, allowing all donation money to go directly to the care, feeding and placement of the dogs.
If you can afford to help the rescue with a donation, please visit its PayPal page. No donation is too small to help pay vet bills, food, training or other unforeseen costs.
I would like to thank Rene Ritchie, the editor-in-chief of iMore.com, for donating $1,000 to help the dogs. Rene’s contribution is funding the first couple of dogs coming through the rescue.
You can donate via PayPal or with a credit card. You can even make the donations a monthly contribution if you like.
Thanks for your help.
Andy Kaufman punks The Dating Game
From 1978, via Dangerous Minds. Another example of the greatness of Andy Kaufman.
Drone feasibility analysis ∞
Thoughtful analysis from MIT Technology Review that slices through the hype and paints a realistic picture of the limitations Amazon will face in bringing drones into service. In a nutshell, the article finds that the technology is feasible, assuming the FAA gets on board. But it will come at a pretty price, perhaps as high as $200 per package. For vitally important deliveries, such as a donor organ to save a life, the cost will certainly not be a deal-breaker.
BatBeard in the Beard Calendar ∞
The 2014 Beard Calendar is available to pre-order for $10. The guys behind the calendar asked me to be involved as “BatBeard,” an offer I gladly accepted. Meet Mr. May.
Drone delivery service in China ∞
Interesting article on the emergence of drone delivery in China. With fewer regulatory hurdles to overcome, Chines drone delivery is being explored by a number of companies.
SF Express is testing a drone it has built for delivering packages to remote areas, according to Chinese media reports. The drone can hit an maximum altitude of 100 meters (328 feet) and deliver parcels within two meters of its target. It’s not clear what sort of weight these puppies can handle, but Beijing journalists calculated that it probably can’t carry more than 3 kilograms (6.6 pounds).
My favorite is the specialty bakery using drones to deliver cakes (see video below). They did get shut down for not getting the proper permissions, but not before they got some valuable experience.
The idea of drone delivery certainly has engendered a lot of strong feelings in people. Some folks embrace the possibilities, want to see what can come of this, while many others see only roadblocks (and they may be right). Personally, I see an ocean of possibility here. Even if the logistics prove impossible in certain, even most, situations, I still think there will be plenty of problems where drones might be the perfect solution. Delivery to remote sites seems like one starting point. Or delivery from one secure location to another. If point-to-point proves too difficult, drones could be used to connect two depots on opposite sides of a large city, where the start and end-points are controlled and bikes used to go the last mile.
The one thing that doesn’t click for me is the thought that this is impossible and not worth exploring. I say, bring on the impossible. It just makes us better.
Point device at food, it tells your phone food’s ingredients ∞
Spectrometers have been around a long time, but the TellSpec proposes to be a pretty fascinating implementation. Point it at your food and it runs a spectral analysis, sends details on its findings to an app on your phone. Pretty cool. If it really works.
TellSpec is a three-part system which includes: (1) a spectrometer scanner (2) an algorithm that exists in the cloud; and (3) an easy-to-understand interface on your smart phone. Just aim the scanner at the food and press the button until it beeps. You can scan directly or through plastic or glass. TellSpec analyzes the findings using the algorithm and sends a report to your phone telling you the allergens, chemicals, nutrients, calories, and ingredients in the food. TellSpec is a fast, simple, and easy-to-use way to learn what’s in your food.
Before you budget for this piece of tech, be sure to read this debunking article from drop-kicker.com, then make up your own mind. Thanks to reader sheep for the heads up.
December 2, 2013
How users hold mobile devices ∞
Steven Hoober published the results of his research back in February, but it’s really interesting.
CocoaConf Spring Tour ∞
Dates and cities have been announced.
Black Label Society split with guitarist Nick Catanese ∞
BLACK LABEL SOCIETY have amicably parted ways with longtime guitarist Nick Catanese and wish him the very best in his future musical endeavors. A replacement will be officially announced soon.
The end of an era for Zakk Wylde fans.
Apple buys Topsy for $200 million ∞
Topsy specializes in data from Twitter, offering tools to analyze tweets and other information to help track consumer sentiment. Its tools can decipher how often a specific term is tweeted, find an influential person on a specific subject, or measure the exposure of an event or campaign.
Interesting.
Building an audience for your Web site ∞
Rian van der Merwe did a great job with this. One of the most important things to me is honesty.
iOS productivity showdown: Apple iWork vs. Microsoft Office 365 vs. Google Docs ∞
Shane Cole:
One of the first concerns facing businesses — and many consumers — when choosing a new mobile platform is how it will enable them to get work done. To answer the question, AppleInsider went hands-on to compare the top three iOS contenders: Apple’s iWork, Microsoft’s Office 365, and Google Docs.
Microsoft badly missed an opportunity here.
English translated to Death Metal ∞
Normal English: “You have to mow the lawn”
Death Metal English: “BRING DOWN THE SCYTHE OF GODS UPON THE NECKS OF THE GREEN-RIBBED LEGIONS AND SWEEP AWAY THEIR WRETCHED BODIES; THOU ART IMPLORED BY ME”
Absolutely priceless.
Interview with Tomb Raider composer Nathan McCree ∞
But, for those who are unfamiliar, Nathan created the iconic music for the very first three Tomb Raider games. If ever you heard the music when you picked up a secret, or was facing against a T-Rex, he created them.
LogoThief ∞
We are LogoThief. We exist to name and shame logo thieves and all others who plagiarise the work of logo designers.
Much respect.
Android’s bizarre list of banned words ∞
Strange stuff.
Pro Tools 11
I’ve been a Pro Tools user for years. It’s a powerful application for recording and editing audio—in fact, there are few, if any, studios you could go to in the world that don’t use Pro Tools. Avid took a bold step with the newest version by changing the plug-in format that third-party developers use for the app. While this caused some initial pain for the users, everything seems to be settling down now.
The new AAX (Avid Audio eXtension) plug-in format gave developers a more advanced native format to work with in Pro Tools 11. The initial problem was getting the plug-ins updated and released for users. While that may have delayed the upgrade for some people, there are now hundreds of AAX plug-ins available for Pro Tools 11.
There are some notable exceptions, like Universal Audio, who haven’t released updated versions yet. UA is one of my favorite plug-in developers, so I’ve been anxiously waiting for the arrival of their updates. I have been using Pro Tools 11 alongside Pro Tools 10, so I can still use the UA gear when needed.
There are a lot of things to like about Pro Tools 11. The most obvious are the changes Avid made to the pure performance of Pro Tools. With a new audio engine and 64-bit support, Pro Tools 11 is multiple times faster than Pro Tools 10. That’s just one version, and with the same hardware, you are already faster just by installing Pro Tools 11. These changes are not just numbers either—you can tell the difference in speed in your every day work, whether you’re loading the app or working with audio, especially with more complex projects.
I don’t worry too much about plug-in DSP because my Universal Audio Apollo and Quad card take most of the plug-in processing away from my system. That’s a bonus for me, but Avid also made improvements in plug-in processing that will allow me to use more plug-ins or instruments. That was a much needed improvement over previous versions.
Perhaps one of my most requested features for Pro Tools finally showed up in version 11: Offline Bounce. It seems kind of funny that with 64-bit support and a new plug-in format that something like offline bounce would be one of my favorite features, but it is.
Offline bounce gives you the ability to export your mix many times faster than real-time1. When you’re bouncing a four minute song, that may not seem like much, but it certainly adds up when you consider the big picture of doing a mix.
It’s also important to realize that it’s not just musicians that are using Pro Tools these days. With interface improvements, speed increases and the ability to use Core Audio hardware, many podcasters have adopted Pro Tools in recent years2. Offline bounce for a two hour podcast is the feature that would make or break the decision to go with Pro Tools for many.
One of my favorite things about using Pro Tools are the key commands3. Like many users, I use key commands, instead of the mouse or menus, to navigate my way through a mix or project. The main benefits are time savings and focus. By quickly zooming or grabbing an editing tool, you can save yourself the monotony of reaching for the mouse and scrolling through menus. More importantly for me is the focus: I want to stay zeroed in on the piece of audio I’m working on—any deviation from that takes my mind away from the task. That may be okay when you do it once or twice, but when it happens all the time through a mix, it becomes a needless distraction.
Pro Tools 11 comes with a few new ways to save you time that I’ve come to appreciate. For instance, if you want to add a new Aux track, you just have to double-click in the mixer window; Option + double-click adds an instrument track; and Command + double-click adds an audio track. Quick, easy and efficient.
New metering options in Pro Tools 11 is also a welcome addition. There are a number of different metering options to choose from, but for me, I’ve enjoyed the addition of gain reduction metering for each channel. Again, another time-saver and something you can see at a glance. You don’t need to have the plug-in open to gauge the dynamics of the tracks—a quick look and you can see the gain reduction right along with the normal meter.
Of course, Pro Tools 11 comes with some other great features, like Elastic Time and Pitch and Clip Gain, that have made it the go-to application for many professionals for years.
I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Pro Tools 11. The speed and interface improvements make the new version a great tool when recording and mixing. If there’s one thing to watch out for, it’s to make sure your favorite plug-ins are ported to AAX.
Mixing Heavy Rock tutorial ∞
A new video tutorial from Groove 3 and multi-platinum engineer and producer Kenny Gioia. Kenny is my favorite when it comes to video tutorials—he just has this way of teaching that comes across really well. I’m excited to watch this one.
New Kindle Fire HDX spot pokes fun at iPad Air and Jony Ive
This new ad does its best to make the case that the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 (what an unwieldy name) is a better buy than the iPad Air.
It plays it smart, staying away from issues like build quality, app ecosystem, and overall design. If I was given the chance for a free iPad Air or a free Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 (did I mention the unwieldy name?), I’d take the iPad Air in a heartbeat. And I already have one.
Fast and Furious star Paul Walker dies in car crash ∞
Coincidence aside, this is sad. He seemed like a great guy.
Bezos reveals plans for 30 minute drone-based delivery
Bezos was on 60 Minutes yesterday and spoke about Amazon’s plans for Prime Air, a 30 minute drone-based delivery service. This is from Amazon’s Prime Air page:
We’re excited to share Prime Air — something the team has been working on in our next generation R&D lab.
The goal of this new delivery system is to get packages into customers’ hands in 30 minutes or less using unmanned aerial vehicles.
Putting Prime Air into commercial use will take some number of years as we advance the technology and wait for the necessary FAA rules and regulations.
This is absolutely fantastic to me, in both sense of the word (fanciful and wonderful). If it was anyone else, I would be skeptical to the point of disbelief. But Bezos has done the improbable many times, and just might have what it takes to clear the logistical hurdles to pull this off. And lest you think this is pure marketing fluff, watch the video to see how far along this project is. Wow.
Here’s a link to the entire interview. Gotta love Charlie Rose.
December 1, 2013
Apple logos turn red for World AIDS Day
Apple logos at retail stores turned red today as the company showed its support for World AIDS Day.
Apple Store Regent St. (London)
Apple Store Sydney
Apple Store ifc mall (in Hong Kong)
Apple Store Fifth Avenue (in New York)
Seattle Glasshole demands employee firing over bar’s Google Glass policy ∞
Valleywag:
The most absolutely awful thing about the story of Nick Starr is not that he exists, but that there are surely more people like him: the Seattle IT drone threw a Facebook fit when he was asked to take off his face-camera at a cafe. “I would love an explanation, apology, clarification…or her termination.”
Here’s your explanation – you’re a douchebag.