Tumbling down

I ♥ inadvertently inappropriate reappropriations of classic...

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 11:25:24 -0500

I ♥ inadvertently inappropriate reappropriations of classic slogans.

GPOYW: Going to War (with Used Car Salesmen) Edition.

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:08:46 -0500

GPOYW: Going to War (with Used Car Salesmen) Edition.

The iPhone for mobile publishing

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 10:00:00 -0500

I’ve been waiting for almost two months to write an article on the state of iPhone applications, specifically as it deals with iPhone maturing as a mobile publishing platform. (I’d been hoping for the release of the long-anticipated Tumblr application update.)

It had been a glowing state of affairs. Facebook’s latest update, despite a further, shameful degradation of their icon, is a dream to use. It literally feels better than the website, although I know absolutely I am not the first person to say any of this.

Tweetie is an even more fantastic display of the ingenuity developers show in making a polished app experience. The UI treats, like swipe-to-reveal or pull-to-refresh, are so inspired that it feels like the advent of ever more heuristic touch-based interfaces.

NetNewsWire impressed me because literally hours after I nearly gave up on mobile feed reading, the new version ignited that love once more. NNW’s integration of Instapaper has made the software even more addicting.

Sidenote: Instapaper, while great, is not without its own issues. The most glaring of these is the lack of a WebKit view within the application. However, the new (experimental) text parser is the business, and the long-form reading experience has been bolstered thanks to Instapaper. Merlin’s well-placed endorsement probably explains it better than I ever could.

There are some NNW issues. I’ve been surprised at the lack of rabble-rousing regarding the collapse arrows, which I feel are easily hit while browsing lefty. Brent Simmons’s decision to forego “Mark as Unread” for starring is also pretty flummoxing. But when you compare this to the previous version of the software, it’s a fantastic improvement; in my opinion, this is now the reader to beat on the iPhone.

Other applications are in the fray, too. Photoshop’s mobile tool is a solid field assistant for quick and dirty photo editing, even as 1.0 software. I’ve used Dropbox in a pinch to upload photos (though I think Flickr will become the standard), and I’ve even written and edited long pieces using Simplenote. (N.B.: This started as several pieces on Simplenote.)

But let’s talk about Tumblr for a few.

I am somewhat surprised with the trouble I’ve had with Tumblr, especially comparing it Marco Ament’s other service and application, Instapaper, which has a much more pleasant experience on the iPhone.

Tumblr lacks a feeling of adherence to the timeline. Whereas applications like Twitterrific take pains to ensure you pick up where you left off, Tumblr defaults at the most recent post. Another Tumblr application I tried, Tumblr Gear, fixes this behavior (after first run), but lacks the actual timeline aspect, making the little scrolling you do feel like a chore.

Browsing in general is a shitstorm and nothing has changed in the newest version — see Dan Wineman’s excellent analysis on this. The most appalling has to be with regard to text: it looks like amateur hour when text blows up six sizes too large and wraps right off the screen without a chance to read it.

Somewhere in a previous design of the website, it felt just as natural on the iPhone as a desktop browser. But once sidebars appeared, it became a disappointing and unnatural experience on the iPhone. I know there’s an iPhone-specific dashboard, but that’s the same as the application dashboard. I don’t see the point.

The worst part is easily the new default behavior on posting to Twitter.

I’m calling Clark’s Law on this one. What makes this decision particularly criminal is its willful disregard of the configuration set up by users on the Tumblr website. It also flies in the face of my feelings on context-appropriate messages.

I actually enjoy the native editor, but must defer to TJ for posting issues, of which I’m sure there are plenty.

The web-based service is, of course, a trying experience on the iPhone. It’s troublesome to load, a hassle when editing, and impossible if you want to upload images or audio. Yet, reblogging inexplicably uses the Web interface. It’s hell, particularly if you’re trying to edit snippets of quoted text. (You can use TJ’s tip on how to reblog on iPhone, but it’s still like chewing glass.)

Though Tumblr still lags, these applications have changed my expectations about what I can do on the road. I’ve been considering a new machine (after my laptop was unwittingly stolen), and am seriously considering switching to a desktop after five-and-a-half years with notebooks. That’s how powerful the platform is to me.

I won’t claim that mobile publishing is dead-simple on a phone, but the reality is still mind-blowing. These are the days it feels like we’re living in the future.

TiVo Remote

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:09:00 -0500

funsizebytes:

[…]

I’d like to talk to you about two buttons on my DirecTV remote, specially the “Live TV” button (top right) and the “Enter/Last” button (bottom right).

[…]

If I want “Live” with no memory then I ought to use the “Live TV” button, but the “Live TV” button gives me a 30-minute memory on both channels.

First world problem? Yeah, no shit, but setting that aside, how do people who design this stuff for a living let something like that slip past them?

I mean, if you have the feature to be able to remember 30 minutes on two channels, why not use it for both buttons? Or if you are going to make it work for only one of the two, why not make it the one that logically fits by the label that you’ve assigned it?

The good news is that I finally figured out why it “sometimes” seems to work and sometimes doesn’t — apparently my muscle memory knew to use the “Live TV” button, but when I actually thought about it, I kept using the “Enter/Last” button and wondered why it wasn’t working as I expected.

I’ve never thought about it the way TJ wrote. Rather, I’ve always thought of the two recording pieces as literal different tuners — as though I had different TiVos controlled by the same remote. (When I first set up my TiVo, I was expecting to use two CableCARDs, so it made the metaphor a little stronger for me.)

Because of that, I’ve always known that if I hit the “Last” button, it’s going to send me to the last channel I surfed on that tuner, and wipe out that buffer. But if I hit “Live TV,” I’ll go to whatever I was watching on the other tuner, with the buffer.

I appreciate the way TJ thinks about this, because it is a logical conclusion to draw from swapping channels, but I don’t think it’s as flabbergasting as he put it.

Latte (with Foam) Starbucks, I do no think that word means what...

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 08:54:35 -0500

Latte (with Foam)

Starbucks, I do no think that word means what you think it means.

luckyshirt: HOLY CRAP LOOK AT THIS AIRFARE SALE. I’m...

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:59:33 -0500

luckyshirt:

HOLY CRAP LOOK AT THIS AIRFARE SALE.

I’m currently doing this thing where I don’t plan a trip across the country, but it’s really hard.

"We’re going to be doing something interesting very soon with Tumblr."

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:58:00 -0500

“We’re going to be doing something interesting very soon with Tumblr.”

- Jennifer Preston, social media editor for The New York Times, during an interview with MediaShift. I’m curious about this.

"Life’s too short to drink bad coffee or read bad blogs."

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 15:31:46 -0500

“Life’s too short to drink bad coffee or read bad blogs.”

- Marco Ament, reminding us to remind ourselves what’s important in life (thanks to Merlin Mann).

GPOYW, Ironed Shirt Edition. I guess it doesn’t look so...

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:33:00 -0500

GPOYW, Ironed Shirt Edition. I guess it doesn’t look so ironed after living in it a full day.

The Classic™

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 02:29:29 -0500

So, I bought a new iron the other day, after what seemed years of avoidance. Technically, I bought my first iron, as I’ve never owned one before. This must have been covered in one of those chapters of Time to Grow Up and Be an Adult. (I skimmed.) So I spent part of my Sunday in Kmart, losing faith in humanity and hunting home appliances with a little tip from Put This On¹.

In Kmart, I’m debating between irons, trying to understand what the late 2009 equivalent of these 2006 models Slate reviewed would be, but mainly thinking how irons have become some of the ugliest objects ever. Whatever happened to the simple beauty of the utilitarian iron? Modern irons look like the sloppy cousins of the blueberry iMac².

I end up torn between two: the T-Fal Ultraglide Easycord, which sounds more like a pleasure toy than an iron, and the Black & Decker The Classic™. The former is on the list because it’s the descendent of the third-place iron in Slate’s writeup.

And the Black & Decker? Well it’s on my list because It Looks Like A Fucking Iron. So after some hemming and hawing, and the obligatory Amazon reviews trawl, I think you know where I’m going with this.

Let me tell you what, it’s A Beautiful Fucking Iron.

Now, I know, metal irons get hot, and they don’t cool off for a long time³. But I’m okay with that. My thought is, if you’re going to do something, take the time to make it right. (People notice when you make an effort.) Otherwise, why not get out the wrinkle release spray? Sure, you’ll smell like chemicals, but it’s easy, right?

Maybe it’s not the best iron in the world, and I probably need to work on my technique, but damned if I don’t have an iron that I like.

Put This On is a fantastic idea and resource, and I’m debating pledging for Season 1 of PTO for their jumpsuit. Maybe.
The original 1998 (!) model. Remember when Jobs used to wear suits?
After fully writing and editing this piece, the iron is still hot to the touch. Not warm; hot.

World Building in a Crazy World

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:46:59 -0500

World Building in a Crazy World:

I wish I remembered where I got this link from, but it’s worth taking the time to read. I’ve probably gone through it too quickly, but I’m going to try to go through it again, slowly, without distractions.

Beautiful, important knowledge.

"[I]t looks like Obama’s Presidency faces a serious threat from media rounding."

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:52:43 -0500

“[I]t looks like Obama’s Presidency faces a serious threat from media rounding.”

- Squashed: The Obama slide in New Jersey and Virginia

(Thanks Jim)

GPOYW: Baseball, Beer and Hot Dogs Edition.

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:12:59 -0500

GPOYW: Baseball, Beer and Hot Dogs Edition.

Apple TV and a new UI

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:00:00 -0500

Quick, I’m going to go on a short font and UI rant, so I guess you should look for that unfollow button.

The choice to switch to Helvetica Neue¹ for the interface is a little confusing. They’re using it in a regular weight, which lacks the heft Lucida Grande had. This is most striking on the Now Playing screen, where the type looks so fragile.

What would improve the Now Playing screen, ever so slightly, would be to use a bold weight, which I thought I’d spied in one of the browse screens, more. It can bring a little prominence to the song title, or section headers, which will detract from how awkward Helvetica Neue looks at that size. Here’s a rough sample of my idea:

Another problem exists with the main navigation bar and the features above it. In the home screen, the main navigation is non-selectable, but uses the same blue glow used for selections elsewhere. I’m unsure what would be better (a spotlight, perhaps), but it’s distracting at times.

The new menu setup improves movement across sections, but the Remote application feels even less precise than before, and selecting “My Movies” or “My Music” at the top of sections is nigh-impossible; you end up accidentally selecting the features area.

I’ve finally become acclimated to seeing Helvetica Neue instead of Lucida Grande, and the new software is a good improvement on the large part. But there still seem to be rough edges to the software, as if it was rushed ahead of important hardware improvements. My hope is for an Apple TV that can actually do 1080p or 720p at 30fps (or 60, but I’m not holding my breath), and there’s a lot of potential in that largely-empty Internet menu.

N.B.: They didn’t totally switch to Helvetica, according to Ars Technica, but I’m pretty sure the only Lucida left is for the numbers in top lists. A little too pedantic for me blood, even for this rant.

My friend’s Halloween costume, also known as the first...

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 23:05:00 -0500

My friend’s Halloween costume, also known as the first piece of modern art to grace our apartment walls.

“Beer Pong Table”
2009
Andrew Lovell
Mixed media on foamboard

In true Joe Buck statistical speak, I’m batting 1.000 when...

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 22:01:10 -0500

In true Joe Buck statistical speak, I’m batting 1.000 when playing people who aren’t my brother.

As though you needed an excuse to drink on Halloween,...

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:34:47 -0400

As though you needed an excuse to drink on Halloween, here’s a power hour for you.

The Rise & Fall of The Nintendo Wii

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:13:23 -0400

Marco makes, as usual, makes great points about the trouble the Wii has today. From the Basement piece:

When we first got the Wii a couple of years ago, it was a universal hit at Arc90. The bowling and golf games in the Wii sports package were just plain fun.

Fast forward about six months from the time we got the Wii and it’s a completely different story. It was hardly being used. Fast forward two years to today and I can confidently share that it probably hasn’t been turned on in over a year.

This is almost true with me, but what kept me turning on the system daily for nearly eight months was Wii Fit, during my attempt to lose weight. Though I wasn’t using it intensely, it was still being turned on, and I occasionally played one of the Virtual Console games I’d downloaded.

(The recent Internet Channel refund also enticed me to buy Tecmo Bowl for Nintendo, which didn’t quite placate my desire to play the vastly superior Tecmo Super Bowl I grew up with on Genesis.)

One aspect that really doesn’t help is how dated the Wii’s graphics hardware is. It didn’t matter as much when the system was released in 2006 and everyone was (rightfully) enamored with the innovative new gameplay mechanics. But the Wii’s 480p resolution and Gamecube-era graphics hardware produce drab, dated, jagged-edged output on now-quite-affordable HDTVs, and it’s not helping the system age gracefully.

This is going to be true of any system, but is especially so with the Wii. I don’t own an Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3, so I can’t compare graphics, but I did go retro last weekend playing Nintendo 64 at a friend’s house. Nobody will say early-era 64-bit graphics have aged gracefully, but I think those games hold a lot more nostalgia than anything in the GameCube era. (I always thought most early PlayStation 2 games looked awful.)

Like most used-up fads, I don’t think there’s a future for it.

I have no idea what Nintendo’s next console will look like, but I don’t think they have any great options. The novelty that made the Wii such a powerful fad will remove most people’s motivation to ever buy another system like it.

The Wii makes a fantastic demo / party machine, but where I think Nintendo went wrong was relying too much on people getting together to play games. People tend to get together to hang out and enjoy each others’ company; they don’t play video games in the same room. Wireless play is everywhere these days: just look at the people playing Word with Friends. And none of this addresses the fact that the use of friend codes is annoying and frustrating at best, and lacks any centralization and quick communication.

I don’t put any stock into the idea that much-rumored Netflix support would entice anyone to return to the Wii, since its output is so piss poor. A lack of HD support really takes the wind out of the sails when it comes to media playback.

This is the first console they produced that has no hardware expandability on the console itself, which could have helped fix some of the issues with performance. The next obvious step is a Wii Plus or Wii XL that will address the hardware and display issues, but they can take an intermediate step with software that will make managing friends an integral and easy part of the system, taking a tip from Xbox.

I look forward to the future of the system, but don’t forget that the point of Wii was to entice the casual gamer. I’m completely unsurprised that use of the Wii has lagged, but keep in mind that Nintendo is in millions of homes that probably never would have bought a console at all.

From the comments of Giz Explains: Why Every Country Has a...

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:02:44 -0400

From the comments of Giz Explains: Why Every Country Has a Different F#$%ing Plug:

The Lost Viking:

I used to think all those different power plugs were a hassle, then I found this. It has a socket for every type of plug, and a plug for every type of socket.

It’s like some kind of electrical orgy just waiting to happen.

NYT: Never grow up, financially

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:36:32 -0400

NYT: Never grow up, financially:

At the same time smart, stylish folks are trying to get people to grow up stylistically with the fantastic Put This On, the forces of capitalism are trying to infantilize young people. While I miss health insurance (but won’t get into that debate), creditors unwilling to help young people build credit is killing a young generation.