Interesting Project
17/01/10 22:19
I was recently looking at some of my family's old photos, many of which were quite interesting. My dad had also recently scanned every slide and film we had lying around the house and put them on an SD Card, using an Otek Film Scanner, so I thought it might be an interesting project to upload all of those images to Flickr.
I have to sort out all of the photos, removing anything I don't particularly want on the internet, tag them and archive them. Overall, I have close to 6GB worth of non-sequential photos, taken between 1981 and 2009, so I'll be tagging the people in the images (for my own use) and eventually organising them by the date they were taken. At the time of writing, I've sorted through 1,000 of the first batch of photos (1,500 photos in total) and plan on uploading them to Flickr both when I finish sorting the final 500 and when I have the time to upload over 1GB worth of photos.
When I upload them, most of them will be out of order, but groups of photos that were taken at events or places of interest are mostly grouped together.
If you'd like to check them out, they will be available to view on my Flickr Photostream. I'm hoping to upload them by the end of the week.
I have to sort out all of the photos, removing anything I don't particularly want on the internet, tag them and archive them. Overall, I have close to 6GB worth of non-sequential photos, taken between 1981 and 2009, so I'll be tagging the people in the images (for my own use) and eventually organising them by the date they were taken. At the time of writing, I've sorted through 1,000 of the first batch of photos (1,500 photos in total) and plan on uploading them to Flickr both when I finish sorting the final 500 and when I have the time to upload over 1GB worth of photos.
When I upload them, most of them will be out of order, but groups of photos that were taken at events or places of interest are mostly grouped together.
If you'd like to check them out, they will be available to view on my Flickr Photostream. I'm hoping to upload them by the end of the week.
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The Apple iSlate/Tablet/iTablet/Slablet/iPad
17/01/10 09:11
Whether you're a hardcore Apple fanboy, a devout Windows user or just interested in technology, you've probably heard about the supposed upcoming "Apple Tablet". Over the past 6 months, the hype and anticipation of this fabled device have dramatically increased. Recently, technology sites such as TUAW have been posting like crazy, with new ideas and concepts, so I thought it was high time I wrote about it.
First of all, I'd like to make it clear that this post is less about my wild predictions for the device (mostly because I don't have any wild predictions) and more about critiquing the current rumours and concepts.
Over the past few months, I've heard people talking about the hardware specifications, the operating system it will run, even potential marketing schemes, but it's all sheer speculation. As I'm writing this, there is absolutely no solid evidence that Apple is even planning on building a new device, let alone developing new hardware and software for it. Sure, there have been some seemingly odd patent applications (i.e. a recent application for a patent on a stylus) and even orders for new hardware, such as cameras. But hey, Apple have supposedly ordered large quantities of new hardware in the past that haven't resurfaced since their original discovery.
One of the first things that comes to mind when thinking about the device is the actual name of it. Many names have been tossed around - iSlate, iPad, Tablet, Slablet (as coined by Matthew J.C. Powell), iTablet - but, as with previous devices released by Apple, Inc., there has been next to no documentation (let alone official documentation) with even a remote reference to a new device, not even something as out-there as "iProd". Either Apple have learnt from past mistakes and are keeping this hypothetical documentation under wraps, or it just doesn't exist.
Something else that comes to mind when considering the device (from here on in referred to as the "Slablet") is the design. OK, we get that it's supposed to be a tablet, which is traditionally defined as a rigid material used as a writing medium, but people are predicting an "iPhone on steroids", a portable touchscreen device that will run a new flavour of OS X, an oversized, colour-enabled eBook reader. The list goes on. Bear in mind, most of these predictions are coming from the tech-news sites, not individuals, which means there are far more potential concepts out there. I know, I know. You may be saying that a large group of people are agreeing on a single design for the Slablet, but these people are getting their ideas from the tech-news sites, in the belief that because they're an accomplished site, they must get all the juicy information and the official specifications, but that just isn't the case. No one outside of Apple has the slightest clue as to what they're planning. They may not even be planning anything (although, I highly doubt that, given Apple's tradition of revealing some seriously cool shit around this time of year).
I'll admit that I've taken a look at some of the concept art and thought "Phwoar! That'd be a nice thing to carry around for my entertainment and web surfing needs," but these concepts are exactly that; concepts. They are the creative output of the left-brained tech-nerds out there. Many of this concept artwork has had a similar feel to it; it looks like a big-ass iPhone, has very few buttons and has the same sleek feel that most Apple products have these days. I honestly think Apple is more creative than that. If they eventually release the Slablet, I'm guessing they'll have a design slightly more imaginative than stretching an iPhone and putting a higher quality display on it. However, I think they'll be sticking with the sleek, almost-buttonless feel for a while longer.
Now on to the user interface (UI). The general consensus is that the Slablet will either have an OS X-ish feel to it, or an iPhone-y feel to it. Not a very detailed description of the UI, is it? Exactly! Nobody has any freaking clue as to what operating system the Slablet will run. People are hoping for the sleek elegant design we iPhone users have become accustomed to (big icons, easy on the eyes), but they don't want those pesky problems we still face every day (no multi-tasking, no Flash, no office applications). Then there are those who are expecting a touchscreen port of Snow Leopard, that's slightly more focused on cloud computing (Cloud Leopard?). The main problem I see with that is the fact that it's a 7" or 10" screen (according to even more rumours), with some seriously tiny buttons. Not only do I understand how hard it can be opening a link on the iPhone without zooming in, but I also have experience with touchscreen PCs, such as the HP Touchsmart. The Touchsmart I own has a 22" display (12" more than the largest Slablet), but it is extremely hard to use the touchscreen capabilities without opening things you didn't want to or closing windows when you wanted to minimise them. Granted, it is a completely different technology, but the idea is the same. "Just make everything bigger," I hear you say. That would ruin the operating system. Making everything bigger to accommodate for the awkwardness of clicking tiny buttons takes away precious screen real estate. Small, OS X-ish UI = bad idea.
What about connectivity? Only recently have people really begun to think "Shit. How's it going to connect to teh interwebz, so I can update my Twitter and Facebook?" Speculation states that Wi-Fi will be the predominant way of connecting with the world. But isn't the Slablet supposed to be portable? Unless you have a device such as the Verizon or Sprint Mi-Fi, you'll only be able to connect to the Internet when you have an Internet connection and a wireless router at your disposal, which is often hard to come by while on the road. You can't very well have something like the Amazon Kindle's Whispernet, which gives you a data connection without having to pay for a data plan. On a device like the Kindle - which is designed to download and display very small files, comprised mostly of text - that makes sense, but on a device like the Slablet, the data providers would be at a loss.
One alternative is to allow users to pay for a data plan, completely separate to that of your iPhone - that would become too expensive - then there's the possibility that you could simply put a SIM card in the Slablet (leaving Sprint and Verizon customers in the US out to dry), meaning you could pop the SIM card out of your iPhone and right in to the Slablet, but, according to yet more rumours, that would leave you without a phone, because the Slablet is apparently too large to make effective use of phone capabilities.
As of the moment, I'd say it's too early to know what Apple will do. It is rumoured (what's with all these rumours?) that Apple have scheduled an event for Wednesday, January 27. This would be a good time to officially announce a prospective tablet device, so when that day rolls around, I guess we'll find out.
First of all, I'd like to make it clear that this post is less about my wild predictions for the device (mostly because I don't have any wild predictions) and more about critiquing the current rumours and concepts.
Over the past few months, I've heard people talking about the hardware specifications, the operating system it will run, even potential marketing schemes, but it's all sheer speculation. As I'm writing this, there is absolutely no solid evidence that Apple is even planning on building a new device, let alone developing new hardware and software for it. Sure, there have been some seemingly odd patent applications (i.e. a recent application for a patent on a stylus) and even orders for new hardware, such as cameras. But hey, Apple have supposedly ordered large quantities of new hardware in the past that haven't resurfaced since their original discovery.
One of the first things that comes to mind when thinking about the device is the actual name of it. Many names have been tossed around - iSlate, iPad, Tablet, Slablet (as coined by Matthew J.C. Powell), iTablet - but, as with previous devices released by Apple, Inc., there has been next to no documentation (let alone official documentation) with even a remote reference to a new device, not even something as out-there as "iProd". Either Apple have learnt from past mistakes and are keeping this hypothetical documentation under wraps, or it just doesn't exist.
Something else that comes to mind when considering the device (from here on in referred to as the "Slablet") is the design. OK, we get that it's supposed to be a tablet, which is traditionally defined as a rigid material used as a writing medium, but people are predicting an "iPhone on steroids", a portable touchscreen device that will run a new flavour of OS X, an oversized, colour-enabled eBook reader. The list goes on. Bear in mind, most of these predictions are coming from the tech-news sites, not individuals, which means there are far more potential concepts out there. I know, I know. You may be saying that a large group of people are agreeing on a single design for the Slablet, but these people are getting their ideas from the tech-news sites, in the belief that because they're an accomplished site, they must get all the juicy information and the official specifications, but that just isn't the case. No one outside of Apple has the slightest clue as to what they're planning. They may not even be planning anything (although, I highly doubt that, given Apple's tradition of revealing some seriously cool shit around this time of year).
I'll admit that I've taken a look at some of the concept art and thought "Phwoar! That'd be a nice thing to carry around for my entertainment and web surfing needs," but these concepts are exactly that; concepts. They are the creative output of the left-brained tech-nerds out there. Many of this concept artwork has had a similar feel to it; it looks like a big-ass iPhone, has very few buttons and has the same sleek feel that most Apple products have these days. I honestly think Apple is more creative than that. If they eventually release the Slablet, I'm guessing they'll have a design slightly more imaginative than stretching an iPhone and putting a higher quality display on it. However, I think they'll be sticking with the sleek, almost-buttonless feel for a while longer.
Now on to the user interface (UI). The general consensus is that the Slablet will either have an OS X-ish feel to it, or an iPhone-y feel to it. Not a very detailed description of the UI, is it? Exactly! Nobody has any freaking clue as to what operating system the Slablet will run. People are hoping for the sleek elegant design we iPhone users have become accustomed to (big icons, easy on the eyes), but they don't want those pesky problems we still face every day (no multi-tasking, no Flash, no office applications). Then there are those who are expecting a touchscreen port of Snow Leopard, that's slightly more focused on cloud computing (Cloud Leopard?). The main problem I see with that is the fact that it's a 7" or 10" screen (according to even more rumours), with some seriously tiny buttons. Not only do I understand how hard it can be opening a link on the iPhone without zooming in, but I also have experience with touchscreen PCs, such as the HP Touchsmart. The Touchsmart I own has a 22" display (12" more than the largest Slablet), but it is extremely hard to use the touchscreen capabilities without opening things you didn't want to or closing windows when you wanted to minimise them. Granted, it is a completely different technology, but the idea is the same. "Just make everything bigger," I hear you say. That would ruin the operating system. Making everything bigger to accommodate for the awkwardness of clicking tiny buttons takes away precious screen real estate. Small, OS X-ish UI = bad idea.
What about connectivity? Only recently have people really begun to think "Shit. How's it going to connect to teh interwebz, so I can update my Twitter and Facebook?" Speculation states that Wi-Fi will be the predominant way of connecting with the world. But isn't the Slablet supposed to be portable? Unless you have a device such as the Verizon or Sprint Mi-Fi, you'll only be able to connect to the Internet when you have an Internet connection and a wireless router at your disposal, which is often hard to come by while on the road. You can't very well have something like the Amazon Kindle's Whispernet, which gives you a data connection without having to pay for a data plan. On a device like the Kindle - which is designed to download and display very small files, comprised mostly of text - that makes sense, but on a device like the Slablet, the data providers would be at a loss.
One alternative is to allow users to pay for a data plan, completely separate to that of your iPhone - that would become too expensive - then there's the possibility that you could simply put a SIM card in the Slablet (leaving Sprint and Verizon customers in the US out to dry), meaning you could pop the SIM card out of your iPhone and right in to the Slablet, but, according to yet more rumours, that would leave you without a phone, because the Slablet is apparently too large to make effective use of phone capabilities.
As of the moment, I'd say it's too early to know what Apple will do. It is rumoured (what's with all these rumours?) that Apple have scheduled an event for Wednesday, January 27. This would be a good time to officially announce a prospective tablet device, so when that day rolls around, I guess we'll find out.
True Blood
04/01/10 04:15
Well, lately, I've been watching True Blood. I'd previously watched it on TV, but, despite being a great show, it became frustrating waiting a week (sometimes more) to find out what happens next, especially considering nearly every episode ends on a cliffhanger. Anyway, I bought season 1 as a Christmas present for the old man as somewhat of a Chipmunk gift, and downloaded season 2 off iTunes. Doing so eliminated the suspense between each episode, making it more bearable to watch. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who isn't easily disgusted or offended.
I know this seems like a pointless blog post, but I'm bored and have nothing else to do.
I know this seems like a pointless blog post, but I'm bored and have nothing else to do.
Magic Mouse
31/10/09 20:05
I just bought myself Apple's new Magic Mouse. Not only because the Mighty Mouse was an epic fail on Apple's part, but also because the damn scroll ball on my Mighty Mouse was shot to shit and only worked when it felt like it. And hey, I don't want to hear you saying "just use a post-it note", because I tried that, along with a lot of swearing and temper tantrums, attempting to tell a hunk of plastic and silcon to work the way I wanted it to.
Anyway, when I got home and opened up the sleek little case the Magic Mouse came in, I hopped on the ol' iMac and jumped right in. As per usual, I left the user manuals for the computer iliterate and instantly went into my bluetooth preferences to pair the mouse with my iMac. It all worked fine, until I tried to scroll, using the awesome new scrolling technique. To my surprise, the damn thing wasn't scrolling – the same issue with the Mighty Mouse I was replacing – but then I had the great idea of looking for software updates. No surprise, there was "Wireless Mouse Software Update for Snow Leopard 1.0" in my Software Updates. I downloaded the relatively massive update (63.9MB. I say relatively because that's a decent size for a glorified mouse driver) and restarted my computer. When the computer booted, it took a second for the mouse to connect, but after it did, it worked perfectly.
After I worked out that kink, I got to use the mouse to find out the reason Apple named it "Magic". The reason? It honestly feels as though it's powered by magic. This thing just glides across your desk like a puck on an air hockey table. It scrolls so smoothly. And best of all, it feels great. The design just works so damn well.
I tested out a few of the features Apple displays on the back of the box and found that they work just as advertised. Although, I have no idea why they started advertising the ability to zoom so vigorously, because I've been doing that since I got my MacBook, last year.
Anyway, if you use the Mighty Mouse and think that it's a piece of shit, I highly recommend you fork out A$100 for this slice of geek heaven, because it surpasses all of my expectations and doesn't have a pesky scroll ball that decides to lock up on you whenever it feels like it.
Anyway, when I got home and opened up the sleek little case the Magic Mouse came in, I hopped on the ol' iMac and jumped right in. As per usual, I left the user manuals for the computer iliterate and instantly went into my bluetooth preferences to pair the mouse with my iMac. It all worked fine, until I tried to scroll, using the awesome new scrolling technique. To my surprise, the damn thing wasn't scrolling – the same issue with the Mighty Mouse I was replacing – but then I had the great idea of looking for software updates. No surprise, there was "Wireless Mouse Software Update for Snow Leopard 1.0" in my Software Updates. I downloaded the relatively massive update (63.9MB. I say relatively because that's a decent size for a glorified mouse driver) and restarted my computer. When the computer booted, it took a second for the mouse to connect, but after it did, it worked perfectly.
After I worked out that kink, I got to use the mouse to find out the reason Apple named it "Magic". The reason? It honestly feels as though it's powered by magic. This thing just glides across your desk like a puck on an air hockey table. It scrolls so smoothly. And best of all, it feels great. The design just works so damn well.
I tested out a few of the features Apple displays on the back of the box and found that they work just as advertised. Although, I have no idea why they started advertising the ability to zoom so vigorously, because I've been doing that since I got my MacBook, last year.
Anyway, if you use the Mighty Mouse and think that it's a piece of shit, I highly recommend you fork out A$100 for this slice of geek heaven, because it surpasses all of my expectations and doesn't have a pesky scroll ball that decides to lock up on you whenever it feels like it.
A Few Updates
04/09/09 11:36
This is all relatively old news, but I still haven't really gotten around to updating my blog. Here goes:
1. Good news. My line in audio jack appears to have been fixed after upgrading to Snow Leopard (Mac OS 10.6).
2. I've upgraded to Mac OS 10.6.
3. The Spoonman is back (hell yeah).
4. My site is now hosted by Chombo, so my server is much faster than when I wasn't paying for hosting.
5. I'll start doing app review videos again.
I'll be posting a few new blog updates going in to more depth on these different points, so subscribe to the RSS feed.
1. Good news. My line in audio jack appears to have been fixed after upgrading to Snow Leopard (Mac OS 10.6).
2. I've upgraded to Mac OS 10.6.
3. The Spoonman is back (hell yeah).
4. My site is now hosted by Chombo, so my server is much faster than when I wasn't paying for hosting.
5. I'll start doing app review videos again.
I'll be posting a few new blog updates going in to more depth on these different points, so subscribe to the RSS feed.
Well That Just Blows, but it's OK
08/08/09 23:51
I was looking forward to recording my latest app review for YouTube and my app reviews site, and I got everything set up, only to find that my line-in jack was screwed. I have no idea what happened to it and I’ve done various different things to test what’s wrong, but to no avail. I’m going to have to get some help from Apple, possibly by way of the Genius Bar, but for now, I won’t be able to have any decent-sounding recordings.
On another note, I was gifted a pro account on Flickr! :D I’ll definitely be using it a lot more, from now on.
On another note, I was gifted a pro account on Flickr! :D I’ll definitely be using it a lot more, from now on.
New Site, New Design, New Blog
09/07/09 21:01
I’ll start by explaining what I’ve done. Previously, I was using iWeb ’09 to create my website, but I got sick of it. There were far too many things that were just a pain in the arse. So, to fix that pain, I decided I should start using RapidWeaver. Using RapidWeaver, I can make some awesome-looking pages and it’s far easier to maintain.
You may have noticed that my app reviews page has also recently been redesigned, using RapidWeaver, so I hope you enjoy the cool new page.
You may also have noticed that this blog consists of only one post. Well, the reason behind that is the simple fact that my previous iWeb blog had nothing in particular that I wanted to keep.
You may have noticed that my app reviews page has also recently been redesigned, using RapidWeaver, so I hope you enjoy the cool new page.
You may also have noticed that this blog consists of only one post. Well, the reason behind that is the simple fact that my previous iWeb blog had nothing in particular that I wanted to keep.