December 2010
41 posts
3 tags
A user's guide to Comic Sans →
The easiest thing is to not use Comic Sans, ever.
Dec 31st
3 tags
A user's guide to Comic Sans →
The easiest thing is to not use Comic Sans, ever.
Dec 31st
3 tags
Landlines and Google Voice →
Gizmodo points out that with Google Voice, there’s actually a reason to use a landline again. Back in the day, I was proud to not be wasting money on a landline. Why would you need a landline when you have a cell phone? But then I moved into my second apartment and learned the joys of having spotty cell phone service at home. I didn’t do anything about it then, and it got better...
Dec 30th
3 tags
Landlines and Google Voice →
Gizmodo points out that with Google Voice, there’s actually a reason to use a landline again. Back in the day, I was proud to not be wasting money on a landline. Why would you need a landline when you have a cell phone? But then I moved into my second apartment and learned the joys of having spotty cell phone service at home. I didn’t do anything about it then, and it got better...
Dec 30th
1 tag
Flabongo →
Although I drank my fair share of beer in college, I wasn’t really involved with the sort of drinkers that emphasized highly time-efficient consumption of alcohol. Plus, this would have been after my time anyway. But when we got together with some of Cindy’s residency cohorts and found that this device was the life of the party, I felt like I’d somehow missed out on some crazy...
Dec 29th
1 tag
Flabongo →
Although I drank my fair share of beer in college, I wasn’t really involved with the sort of drinkers that emphasized highly time-efficient consumption of alcohol. Plus, this would have been after my time anyway. But when we got together with some of Cindy’s residency cohorts and found that this device was the life of the party, I felt like I’d somehow missed out on some crazy...
Dec 29th
2 tags
Sorting algorithms visualized (and auralized) →
A little computer science geekery for you. Lots of times, when you have to write code, you have to sort lists things. The most obvious ways to do so are actually the least efficient, and vice versa. For example, you can go through a list of numbers and find the smallest and add it to a new list, then go through the entire thing and find the second smallest and add it, etc. The time it takes to...
Dec 28th
2 tags
Sorting algorithms visualized (and auralized) →
A little computer science geekery for you. Lots of times, when you have to write code, you have to sort lists things. The most obvious ways to do so are actually the least efficient, and vice versa. For example, you can go through a list of numbers and find the smallest and add it to a new list, then go through the entire thing and find the second smallest and add it, etc. The time it takes to...
Dec 28th
2 tags
Merlin Mann on Yoko Ono and John Lennon →
In the above link, Merlin Mann defends his claim in this article that Yoko’s to blame for a big slice of the Beatle’s late period problems. I love the Beatles, but I can’t claim to be well-informed enough to address his argument, pro or con. But it seems well-reasoned and -researched enough that it has enough value that I’m posting it. It’s a nice rebuttal to the...
Dec 27th
2 tags
Merlin Mann on Yoko Ono and John Lennon →
In the above link, Merlin Mann defends his claim in this article that Yoko’s to blame for a big slice of the Beatle’s late period problems. I love the Beatles, but I can’t claim to be well-informed enough to address his argument, pro or con. But it seems well-reasoned and -researched enough that it has enough value that I’m posting it. It’s a nice rebuttal to the...
Dec 27th
2 tags
Stupid airplane safety rules explained →
Short version: most of the annoying things you have to comply with on airplane flights are bullshit. Big suprise.
Dec 26th
2 tags
Stupid airplane safety rules explained →
Short version: most of the annoying things you have to comply with on airplane flights are bullshit. Big suprise.
Dec 26th
2 tags
Simplifying packaging design →
Some of these I like more than others. The best ones (Nutella) still look distinctive; the worst look a bit too much like cut-rate generic brand packaging (Kellogg’s Corn Flakes). But in general, this gets my vote for pushing elegant, simple designs. An aside: the mascot for Nestle’s Quik, whose name I can’t be bothered to look up, is looking really absurd these days. What is...
Dec 25th
2 tags
Simplifying packaging design →
Some of these I like more than others. The best ones (Nutella) still look distinctive; the worst look a bit too much like cut-rate generic brand packaging (Kellogg’s Corn Flakes). But in general, this gets my vote for pushing elegant, simple designs. An aside: the mascot for Nestle’s Quik, whose name I can’t be bothered to look up, is looking really absurd these days. What is...
Dec 25th
4 tags
Gizmodo gets gifts for Audiophiles wrong… →
And then they get it… less wrong. A little late for Christmas, but I imagine neither of my readers is really in this position. Their recommendations aren’t bad, but generally, audio gear for audiophiles is a very personal choice. Hell, audio gear for non-audiophiles can still be a very personal choice. It’s like buying curtains or furniture for someone. It’s a presumptuous...
Dec 25th
3 tags
Gruber on junky web site titles →
Amen. And with that, I need to figure out how to customize page titles in Tumblr so I’m not guilty of committing that same sin.
Dec 24th
3 tags
Gruber on junky web site titles →
Amen. And with that, I need to figure out how to customize page titles in Tumblr so I’m not guilty of committing that same sin.
Dec 24th
6 tags
Macworld on the iTunes column browser →
Probably my favorite UI feature of iTunes. Definitely my favorite feature of iTunes 1.0. Everyone should be using it.
Dec 23rd
6 tags
Macworld on the iTunes column browser →
Probably my favorite UI feature of iTunes. Definitely my favorite feature of iTunes 1.0. Everyone should be using it.
Dec 23rd
2 tags
“7. Arcade Fire, The Suburbs Like Will and Win Butler, I was raised in the...”
– The Morning News’ Top 10 Albums of the 1010 I’m not wild about the entire list. But I threw this in because it’s the first time I’ve seen someone from the Houston suburbs comment on that aspect of the Arcade Fire’s 2010 album, which I think is a crucial element to...
Dec 22nd
2 tags
“7. Arcade Fire, The Suburbs Like Will and Win Butler, I was raised in the...”
– The Morning News’ Top 10 Albums of the 1010 I’m not wild about the entire list. But I threw this in because it’s the first time I’ve seen someone from the Houston suburbs comment on that aspect of the Arcade Fire’s 2010 album, which I think is a crucial element to...
Dec 22nd
6 tags
Asymco on HTML5, Flash, and iAd Producer →
First in-depth exploration of this I’ve seen. Other than my post, I mean. Horace Dediu has a different theory than I do: he thinks HTML5 isn’t capable enough, or Adobe would have already put a tool out. I think he overestimates Adobe’s business acumen—at this point Flash versus HTML5 is a point of corporate pride for Adobe, and I don’t expect to see Flash-like HTML5...
Dec 21st
2 tags
RIM shot →
Nothing better than vindication. There’s some good data in this article, but ultimately, the issue is that RIM has a crappy project and it’s being replaced by something better. At one point RIM’s mediocre Blackberry was a great alternative to the absolutely awful mainstream mobile phones everybody else was selling (remember the RAZR?). Now there are Palm, Android, Windows, and...
Dec 21st
2 tags
RIM shot →
Nothing better than vindication. There’s some good data in this article, but ultimately, the issue is that RIM has a crappy project and it’s being replaced by something better. At one point RIM’s mediocre Blackberry was a great alternative to the absolutely awful mainstream mobile phones everybody else was selling (remember the RAZR?). Now there are Palm, Android, Windows, and...
Dec 21st
4 tags
AppleInsider on Apple's iAd Producer →
This looks pretty cool, but… it seems like it has great potential beyond iAd for authoring things in HTML5 that Flash has traditionally been used for. Why not turn this into a full-on Flash competitor? The only reason I can think of is to prevent other ad networks from exploiting it. If that’s the case, then they see more profit in iAd than in selling a Flash-beating software suite....
Dec 21st
2 tags
iFixit's Virtual Boy teardown →
Another video game post for you. The Virtual Boy was a horrible commercial failure for Nintendo as well as an ergonomic disaster. It was too big to just strap the goggles onto your head, so you had to stand it on a table and lean into it. People complained about the red-on-black display, too. But the tech was really cool. You looked in the goggles and saw what appeared to be two displays,...
Dec 20th
3 tags
iFixit's Virtual Boy teardown →
Another video game post for you. The Virtual Boy was a horrible commercial failure for Nintendo as well as an ergonomic disaster. It was too big to just strap the goggles onto your head, so you had to stand it on a table and lean into it. People complained about the red-on-black display, too. But the tech was really cool. You looked in the goggles and saw what appeared to be two displays,...
Dec 20th
3 tags
Bungie, Microsoft, Apple →
Back when I had my Macintosh LCIII (OK, fine, Win and Thomas, LCIII was the education model; it was really a Performa 450, the consumer version, but the hardware was the same), the PC guys had Doom, and the Mac guys had Marathon. Marathon was a little slower-paced and a little more story-driven. I really loved it, even if I was playing it in a half-sized window, interlaced, everything dialed back...
Dec 19th
3 tags
Bungie, Microsoft, Apple →
Back when I had my Macintosh LCIII (OK, fine, Win and Thomas, LCIII was the education model; it was really a Performa 450, the consumer version, but the hardware was the same), the PC guys had Doom, and the Mac guys had Marathon. Marathon was a little slower-paced and a little more story-driven. I really loved it, even if I was playing it in a half-sized window, interlaced, everything dialed back...
Dec 19th
4 tags
Is alcohol good for you? →
Nice bit from Wired via Gizmodo about possible health benefits of alcohol. Medically, scientifically, this should probably all be greeted with appropriate amounts of skepticism. But I’ve always had an extremely unscientific hunch that alcohol is good for you in moderation. Absolutely no evidence to back to up. There are certainly plenty of ways it’s detrimental to your health. But...
Dec 18th
4 tags
Is alcohol good for you? →
Nice bit from Wired via Gizmodo about possible health benefits of alcohol. Medically, scientifically, this should probably all be greeted with appropriate amounts of skepticism. But I’ve always had an extremely unscientific hunch that alcohol is good for you in moderation. Absolutely no evidence to back to up. There are certainly plenty of ways it’s detrimental to your health. But...
Dec 18th
6 tags
Gizmodo on re-branded headphones →
I’m critical of Gizmodo sometimes, but they are also capable of doing some really good reporting. Like this piece: the cheaper a set of headphones, the more likely they were designed somewhere in Asia, mass-produced, and then the company that ostensibly “made” them just slaps their logo on. Although actually, a lot of these aren’t bad when price is taken into consideration. But I’d much rather...
Dec 16th
3 tags
Measuring coffee with Mojo →
I’m getting more into coffee. Most of the time, it’s the wonderfully simple, consistent push-button brewing from my Keurig. But if you’re serious about coffee, you need to be able to make it straight from the beans, so I’ve got a French press and a Chemex. But all the voodoo and all the little inconsistencies bug me. If you really want to make the perfect cup of coffee,...
Dec 12th
1 note
5 tags
Instapaper's Marco Arment on headphones →
And, more Marco Arment on headphones. What can I say? The man created Tumblr and Instapaper. He has good tastes. Only thing is he’s not into the in-ear headphones, so I can’t use this as an excuse to plug my reviews. For comfort reasons he prefers circum-/super-aural headphones, and for politeness, he prefers closed-back. Those are all sort of out of my area of expertise. But...
Dec 11th
5 tags
Instapaper's Marco Arment on headphones →
And, more Marco Arment on headphones. What can I say? The man created Tumblr and Instapaper. He he has good tastes. Only thing is he’s not into the in-ear headphones, so I can’t use this as an excuse to plug my reviews. For comfort reasons he prefers circum-/super-aural headphones, and for politeness, he prefers closed-back. All sort of out of my area of expertise. But that’s...
Dec 11th
3 tags
Gizmodo's silly take on the Bose TV →
Gizmodo’s excited about Bose putting some of their crappy speakers in a TV. They sort of have a point: TV speakers are downright awful. I find them pretty much painful to listen to. But Bose is never the answer. It’s going to sound better, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to sound good. Really, I’d prefer to buy a TV without any speakers whatsoever since...
Dec 10th
2 tags
New York Times on salt →
Great article on why processed food has so much damned salt: it covers up a multitude of culinary sins, making processed food taste normal. Tragically caught in the crossfire is Alton Brown, a man to whom I owe a lot of my cooking skills. He gets fingered as a shill for Cargill. But Alton’s only speaking the truth—salt enhances flavor, and properly salted food doesn’t taste salty,...
Dec 9th
1 tag
Gizmodo's Jason Chen doesn't want you plebians... →
Does he have any idea how spoiled he sounds? Nothing personal, but dude, listen to yourself. You have WiFi on a plane. That’s pretty awesome right there. Don’t look a gift horse, etc. I understand how it is. It’s fun to bitch on the internet. But sometimes it makes you sound like a dick. Hell, I probably sound like a dick right now.
Dec 8th
5 tags
Macworld's headphones buying guide →
Macworld has this great buying guide for pretty much any style of headphones, written by my awesome editor, Dan Frakes. Some of the canalbud and canalphone recommendations are based on my reviews, which is also pretty cool. Good stuff. (Hope you guys aren’t getting tired of headphone stuff. It’s sort of my thing right now.)
Dec 7th
3 tags
HeadRoom's ten best headphones →
In terms of in-ear headphones (that is, the only kind I’ve reviewed for Macworld), they currently recommend the Maximo iM-590 (presumably the recommendation also applies to its sibling products, the iP-HS5 and iP-595 and the Etymotic MC5 (sister of the MC3). I pretty much implicitly trust HeadRoom’s recommendations, so I’m very flattered they they’d so strongly recommend...
Dec 5th
1 tag
Interview with a beer distributor →
His favorite beer is Budweiser. No wonder these middle-man clowns are holding back the entire beer industry.
Dec 4th