Wall-e from Revoltech

Got my new desk toy. Endless posable options and detailed down to the dent on his front chassis.

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Big Cheers to Steve Jobs

To a man that had more effect in my life, and yours, then we care to admit. More then even a stealth Mac-crusader as myself. I’ve managed to keep myself mostly quiet over the years, cause I’m usually 95% the minority. Apple and Steve Jobs has consistently transformed cold and complicated technology into something beautifully designed, friendly, and easy-to-use, while being in the forefront of technology. I don’t have to regal you in how Jobs was one of the forefathers of the first PCs, still relevant Graphic-User-Interface, to revolutionizing smart phones, tablets, and modern retail storefronts, as well as transforming how we consume entertainment. That Apple products were usually a couple years ahead of mainstream tech. In the next few days, the media will nauseate you with that (maybe me just now too).

To a young man, passionate about art and technology, my path eventually came to Apple, more than a decade after it’s inception. As I watched Steve Jobs in person and on-screen, announcing the next great thing. It hits you that he is the best slick, scamming, tech-medicine doctor you have ever seen and I shouldn’t trust it! But time and time again he has delivered, and in the end, his harshest critics agreed and championed the copy job. Actually, it is pretty amazing that most decesion markers in the tech sector wanted to put an end to this, more then a decade ago. Most every business had gone another direction. Then the consumers got the hot new innovation. And suddenly the devices in your home and your pocket, seemed much better then what you had in your workplace. This year, Apple became the most valuable company in the world. It is astounding! To an effect that may not be realized again.

Instead of just dismissing it as marketing and slick salesmanship. I hope, in his passing, his accomplishments as one of the best American innovators will be realized. Even if you never owned something directly Steve Jobs, you will find a piece of him all around you.

Rest in peace and thank you. Cheers to a man that followed his heart and was madly driven by a chip on his shoulder!  Speaking out just now, I think I got a little Steve in me.

Apture betters Google and Wikipedia with a highlight

In the quest for instant knowledge, I didn’t think it could get easier then typing in your browser’s Google window or to Wiki it up on your smartphone during any topic of conversation. Apture does a more powerful thing. It requires only a highlight to take you to full information, images, and videos. Next big thing. Now search my hard drive too!

See it in action on Scientific American. Maybe someday on this blog.

Devon Tread 1 watch has got my attention

This has me rethinking my thoughts on what a waste of money expensive watches are. Cool in a industrial, steam punk kinda way.

Invaluable HTML5 and CSS3 Tools for Designers

As I’m finalizing the redesign of my employer’s website and start to plan the launch of my own, I found some great resources. This helped me get an overview of all the bells and whistles that HTML5 and CSS3 provides. You  have the ability to create gradients and drop shadows with strictly code. As well as, some cool media effects without plugins. I love the nice printable cheat sheets too. Check it out

Some iPad Essentials

With the release of the iPad 2 here are some things I recommend.

Flipboard (Free)– is a social magazine that aggregates information and web links from your social circle, i.e.Twitter and Facebook, and displays the content in magazine form. If worried you are not very active on these sites, that’s okay, they provide lots of other interesting content and photos as well. As you flip the pages and see the dynamic layouts, it is as if your friends’ posts have been published in a magazine. Most entertaining way to digest social media. Apple themselves named it “iPad App of the Year” in 2010. Local youngin’ from Healdsburg thunk it up. Good on you!

Has Netflix reached it’s peak?

With great success, comes serious firepower from your rivals. As I look to go through dropping cable TV, for Netflix and other on-demand services, some of my recent observations are giving me pause.

• New release movies are no longer available. I noticed this first with Avatar late last year. Now, you won’t see any of the big releases come to Netflix day one. Netflix is effecting the movie studios DVD sales and their bottom line. Those days are over.
• Unskippable commericals on your Netflix version disc? Believe it! This is not the same dvd/bluray disc as in stores.
• Instant que taking a hit? I have many movies from my instant watch que list disappear and become no longer available. Netflix has paid to bring new content. But you know what? It has not been an improvement.
• Season 4 of Dexter was pulled from Netflix when I was at disc 3. It eventually came back, but makes me wonder  why this happened. The series is near impossible to get now.
• Netflix has made their instant watch streaming service available on many devices for your TV. Your best way to watch this is most likely through you cable internet provider. Ever look into a internet-only plan? About $30 more per month were I am at, with new limits on speed and downloads.

Netflix is a great service. Outstanding fast delivery and no hassle cancelation (which can be infuriating, I’m looking at you Xbox Live). Can it really be a replacement service with movie studios and cable companies placing more and more restrictions? Or is it merely a value add for us media hounds?

iPhone 4: A real review

Well written, researched and thoughtful insight

After all the hysteria on the internet surrounding the iPhone 4 launch, this is the one that gets the story right. I almost held off because of the reported reception problems, but glad that I went ahead and got this amazing piece of tech on top of the best user experience. As Ihnatko states, “be aware of the problem … but overall, don’t worry about it.” After 5 days of use, I have not experienced the problem. This reception issue is something you can replicate, but does not happen with normal use. For me, the download speed is noticeably faster then my iPhone 3G and the best sound quality I have experienced on any of my mobile phones yet. Something that surprised me after all the snarky comments. Internet journalism is really getting annoying!

Btw, Ars Technica is the only tech blog that did some investigating, before shamelessly going for the page click grab. Get the skinny on the issue there. Kudos to them for rising above the muck of their competitors!

The Apple-Adobe Rift. What it means for the children.

I would be lying if this Flash grudge match didn’t bother me. With the release of the iPad without Flash, Adobe got a little bitchy and vented against Apple publicly. I admit in being initially disappointed. I was fine not having Flash on my iPhone. In fact, I never missed it. I knew Adobe has never got it’s act together on getting Flash to run well on mobile devices and I understood Apple turning it’s back on it. But the iPad was more powerful and promised the best web experience on any device. How could they say that, without Flash?

In response, Steve Jobs posted Thoughts on Flash (which you should read). In it, he claimed Flash was 100% properiety, the web should be open and HTML 5 is the future for delivering rich media content. This obiviously rubs alot of people the wrong way because Apple is notorous for having propeitary products. On that belief,  Apple should drop their quicktime plugin now.

Truth is, Adobe has done a spotty job with Flash ever since they bought out Macromedia, after  repeatedly failing in the web space. Although they have done a serviceable job with Dreamweaver, Flash has suffered under there hands, almost as much as, GoLive Cyberstudio, which was awesome until they mucked it up. It is a resource hog and a security problem on all the platforms. Adobe has made so many missteps with the mobile team, that their lead Macromedia Flash engineers have left to start a competing business in 2007.

It’s a gutsy move,  that only Jobs could pull off. The web should be open. I think he is right, but I’m worried. Adobe and Apple where great partners that revolutionized desktop publishing in the nineties. Their excellent products are the lead factors why I enjoy Graphic Design so much. They are my tech champions! They have shaped and nurtured my profession life for over 15 years. Adobe needs to get Flash in order, and Jobs should not say never. I fear that Adobe products will continue it’s downfall on the Mac platform. I fear history repeating itself. Apple has revolutionized mobile, as they did with the PC, they will lose ground to inferior copycats, due to distain from consumers and developers. The competition will eventually be good enough, and all their great momentum will be lost.

Square. Proof positive, cash could end soon.

When I attended the Tweetup at PacBell park on Friday, April 30 it was the first I heard of Square. Jack Dorsey, co-founder of Twitter, was describing their new venture which allows businesses and individuals, to send and receive money through their phone. Download the app on your phone and they send you a free square device that fits in your headphone jack. This is a card swipe, that will allow anyone to send their card instantly into your bank account. The possibilities are mind-numbing as this is not cost prohibitive to individuals. No monthly charge or hidden fees. The receiver of funds rate is about 3% + 15 cents. You’ll also have a digital record of everything you purchase. I could see this coming to companies both large and small, to accept payments at no charge to their customers.

Starbucks just released Starbuck’s Card Mobile for iPhone in all Target locations and select places in Silicon Valley and Seattle. Apple Stores have shunned the archaic cash register from the beginning. This could be the game changer though. Imagine being able to split your restaurant bill with a large group of friends easily and the readiness for betting during a football game. This could be bad for gamblers! The hardware started shipping to individuals, Monday, May 3. The iPad is the only device that has the app, but is coming to every other device soon. Biz Stone even showed up. This has got to be a big deal. Check it out!

(Maybe, buy some stock too.)