February 2012
1 post
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Apple updates iBooks Author EULA →
You retain complete rights of the content. Only restriction is to sell the .ibook file through the iBookstore and if you distribute it somewhere else it has to be free. Duh.
January 2012
4 posts
1 tag
Jeff LaMarche's take on iBooks Author's EULA →
Best take I’ve read on all this iBA debacle.
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Watching Apple win the world →
David from 37signals:
No other company has inspired me more when it comes to marketing, design, focus, and even capitalism than Apple. Make the best damn product out there, charge a profitable price, and win the world.
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Official Tea Drinker
It’s been around 6 months since I got into tea. Now I can say I’m an official tea drinker (black tea specifically), still not an expert though.
As I mentioned on the previous post, I bought the then existing “Samovar Black Tea Sample Set”, because it seemed black tea would be the best fit for me.
I really haven’t tried other kind of teas, but I think I did make...
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iBooks Author first thoughts
I think iBooks Author is a great tool, but it seems that a lot of people are disappointed with the news about it, mainly because you can’t distribute the output (unless it’s free) outside the iBookstore and because it can’t output ePub format (it uses a proprietary iBook format instead). As Jason Snell points out:
Clearly the company’s first priority was to build a tool so...
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Steve Jobs and Japan →
Great read.
December 2011
10 posts
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Why do we grade? →
Best part:
I would say that the main reason that we grade is since we really are not in the business of providing an education but rather in the business of providing degrees. To award a meaningful degree you need to grade. To deliver a meaningful education you do not.
I mostly agree, I think the whole education system is broken because of degrees (with a few exceptions like medicine and...
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Tesla Model S Options and Specs →
Really nice site, really Apple-ish. Would love to be an owner of one of those in the future.
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MG Siegler's response to Joshua Topolsky's... →
Spot on. MG brought up the same point I made about Galaxy Nexus being more expensive than the iPhone.
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Why Programmers Work at Night →
3 factors:
The maker’s schedule.
The sleepy brain.
Bright computer screens.
It’s really annoying when people tell me I go to sleep to late or don’t wake up early enough.
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Joshua's Horseshit →
Joshua is mixing feelings here, because he fails to see that the argument of the Mercedes is not about “class”, it’s just about “quality”. Isn’t he aware that the Galaxy Nexus is more expensive than the iPhone?
All Android phones and iPhones are pretty much in the same price range because of monthly fees.
So I would say he’s feelings are that he feels a “low-class” because that’s how Android...
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OnStartups: The CEO Should Be The Chief Experience... →
The phrase “Chief Executive Officer” doesn’t convey much, if anything. There’s a better way to describe the role.
I will posit that in a technology company, the CEO should be the Chief Experience Officer.
If the CEO can make the following set of experiences amazing, by definition, she will make an amazing company.
I would add that if you’re driven by profits, you’re...
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Latest Version →
I agree with all he says. I think that is someone owns an old device or OS, he’ll be fine with using an old version of your app. It’s only worth adding new stuff to the newest devices and OSs.
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Open Source webOS →
Matt Gemmell:
The people most happy about webOS being open source (the geeks, early adopters, developers and tinkerers) are its least qualified stewards if it’s to survive and flourish. Sorry, but you’re probably just going to ruin it for everyone. If you think Linux is a counterexample, ask your granny to use it for a day.
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The Terrible State of Web Development →
Dave DeLong:
So this is my rant: making a website sucks. It’s a miserable experience if you want it to have any sort of dynamic nature or don’t want it to look like crap.
The root of the problem: websites were originally made to display simple documents. Not a truly scalable platform, it’s filled with patches as of today.
November 2011
7 posts
1 tag
Why Big Companies Die →
I bet BBA and MBA students never learn this:
In this mode, the firm is basically playing defense. Because it’s easier to milk the cash cow than to add new value, the firm not only stops playing offense: it even forgets how to play offense. The firm starts to die.
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Ron Johnson: What I Learned Building the Apple... →
Two interesting bits:
Think about this: Any store has to provide products people want to buy. That’s a given. But if Apple products were the key to the Stores’ success, how do you explain the fact that people flock to the stores to buy Apple products at full price when Wal-Mart, Best-Buy, and Target carry most of them, often discounted in various ways, and Amazon carries them all —...
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Ideas are just a multiplier of execution →
To make a business, you need to multiply the two.
2 tags
Sixth-grade iOS Developer and Entrepreneur →
Not only is he smart and bright, but he’s also an entrepreneur.
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ZDNet: Adobe ceases development on mobile browser... →
They finally admitted it. Next stop: Flash on the desktop.
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Just because You Went to College Doesn’t Mean... →
No one is entitled to a job. You have to earn it. Earn it by being smart, by being a team player, by knowing what the hell you’re doing, by doing it right.
At this point I see school as a place to network and learn about things that interest you.
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My stance on USA's Stop signs
There’s this thing called speed limit. No cars near the intersection. And you still need to make a freaking full stop? Who the hell makes these stupid laws?
I really hate USA’s safety paranoia. This sort of things come out of paranoia, but they don’t even help prevent accidents. They say people are stupid and don’t have common sense. I’m not stupid, and I do have...
October 2011
7 posts
1 tag
NYT: Will Dropouts Save America? →
Great read from the New York Times, although college itself is a good way to do networking. Here’s an interesting statistic:
[..] there is not one job market in America, but two. The formal market we always hear about — jobs that get filled through cold résumé submissions in reply to posted ads — accounts for only about 20 percent of jobs.
The other 80 percent get filled in the informal...
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Jeff LaMarche: Long Live the King →
[…] overall, life is pretty good in the Apple Kingdom for us merchants.
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The Avengers trailer →
Oh boy, this can’t come soon enough.
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Steve Jobs
It’s a real shame. He really changed the way I look at things.
My favorite post so far is Horace Dediu’s “Steve Jobs didn’t”.
In my opinion, the best words come from President Obama, starting with:
Steve was among the greatest of American innovators - brave enough to think differently, bold enough to believe he could change the world, and talented enough to do...
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Apple's iOS grabs record market share →
Looking strictly at smartphones, Android typically pops up in the lead. But by including tablets in the mix, iOS sometimes turns up as the top dog.
People underestimate the iPad and iPod Touch sales and market share.
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Apple iOS Devices Account for More than Half of... →
Despite fewer mobile devices, iOS-powered products in September collectively accounted for 54.65 percent of the mobile market, versus 16.25 percent for Android.
Yikes, that is horrible for Android, so much for getting more people browsing the web. I’ll keep saying it, Android is not worth the effort and money for Google.
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Quantum of Solace favorite quotes
Wise:
M: When you can’t tell your friends from your enemies, it’s time to go.
And in the end, mainly because of how Bond responded:
M: Bond, I need you back. James Bond: I never left.
September 2011
8 posts
1 tag
Joe Hewitt: What the Web is and is not →
I’m beginning to see that some parts of the Web we take for granted are not what actually defines it. The Web is not HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. It’s not DOM, SVG, WebGL, PNG, or Flash. The Web is really just HTTP over TCP/IP. What gets transported over HTTP does not define the Web.
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Jason Osgood: Secretly Nimble →
A better example is the iPad 3. Why refresh when the iPad 2 continues to stomp? The longer Apple waits, the better the iPad 3 will be. Whenever a new challenger appears, or demand for the iPad 2 starts to dip, Apple can just pull the trigger.
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Casino Royale favorite quotes
Only two, starting with a funny one:
Vesper Lynd: James, I want you to know that if all that was left of you was your smile and your little finger, you’d still be more of a man than any I’ve known. James Bond: That’s because you know what I can do with my little finger.
And when James Bond turns into the real deal and a true 007:
M: You don’t trust anyone, do you?...
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Getting straight A's in collage not worth it →
Jon Morrow sums it up to:
No one has ever asked about my GPA.
I didn’t sleep.
I’ve forgotten 95% of it.
I didn’t have time for people.
Work experience is more valuable.
There is one exception:
If you’re getting your masters, going to law school, or becoming a doctor, then you’ll need all 37 of those A’s to get into the best school possible, and you can...
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Google: 2/3rds of our mobile search comes from... →
But as part of the testimony, Michel said briefly (before she was cut off) that 2/3rds of mobile search comes from Apple iOS devices. That’s pretty interesting considering the share of Android devices in the market. But not altogether surprising considering the web browser market share which includes those millions and millions of iPads.
Seems like Google should invest more on iOS, and also...
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Google shamed by Apple in race to HTML5 →
Google should be the industry’s standard bearer for HTML5, given its web DNA and the opportunity to unseat Apple using the disruptive web. But HTML5 isn’t going to topple Apple anytime soon, if for no other reason than no Apple competitor supports HTML5 on its devices as well as Apple does. By a considerable margin.
I just don’t get Google’s Android strategy, I still...
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John Sculley on Apple's Jobs and the Experience of... →
John Sculley:
We were still very dependent on the profits of Apple II. I felt we had to push profits of Apple II and Steve wanted to lower the price of the Mac to get sales up. We went to the board to decide.
Board decided to go with Sculley’s way, which was clearly the wrong way. Today Apple goes for profit then market share, and it’s working great.
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Why Native Apps Are Here To Stay →
Lately I’ve been annoyed that client side web development is achieved using HTML, CSS and JavaScript. I hate the first two, but I’m also against plug-ins (Flash and Silverlight). This makes me stay away from web development.
Anyway, I highly agree with all that he says.
A well designed web service is many times more useful than a web page.
Then comparing developing high quality...
August 2011
9 posts
1 tag
Elance's Online Employment Report for Q2 →
On their mobile section:
Demand for Android skills rose by 15% while the demand for Blackberry skills increased slightly by 3% and Windows Phone declined by 37%. However, the big winner this quarter appears to be Apple, as demand for iOS Programmers and Xcode skills showed impressive increases of 20% and 35% respectively. It’s possible that the recent announcements at Apple’s Worldwide...
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Rope-A-Dope, Indeed →
MG Siegler’s response to Dan Lyons on the whole Google/Motorola thing. This is high quality and a must read.
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13 Year-Old Makes Solar Power Breakthrough by... →
“The Fibonacci tree design performed better than the flat-panel model. The tree design made 20% more electricity and collected 2 1/2 more hours of sunlight during the day. But the most interesting results were in December, when the Sun was at its lowest point in the sky. The tree design made 50% more electricity, and the collection time of sunlight was up to 50% longer!”
Amazing, this is...
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Die Another Day favorite quotes
Mr. Kil: I’m Mr. Kil. James Bond: Now there’s a name to die for.
Wise one:
James Bond: I’m looking for a North Korean. Raul: Tourist? James Bond: Terrorist. Raul: One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter.
Miranda Frost comes up to James and Jinx at the bar:
Miranda Frost: Mr. Bond. And Miss…? Jinx: Swift, “Space and Technology” magazine. Miranda Frost: Really? I take it Mr....
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Apple campus renderings →
They’re amazing, really impressive building.
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Why I develop for iOS →
I do like Objective-C a lot. And culture of quality is definitely the main reason why I also develop for iOS.
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Google are pussies →
If you have a monopoly business and generate monopoly profits and take those monopoly profits to another industry and *gave away* what your competitors (must) charge for, which led you to quickly capture the *dominant* maret share, would you…
…whine like a bitch?
Google should shut up, kill Android, and start promoting and supporting iOS and the other smartphone platforms. They...
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Pharmaceutical industry myth
From the last minutes on episode 26 (Be the Change) of Latest in Paleo podcast:
I would like to dispel the myth that the pharmaceutical industry is in the business of health and healing, because in fact what the pharmaceutical industry is in the business of doing is disease, maintenance, and symptoms management. They are not in the business to cure cancer or to cure alzheimer or to cure heart...
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Adobe HTML5 demo site →
Was that too hard Adobe? All that looks impressive, glad Adobe finally got it.
July 2011
22 posts
1 tag
The World Is Not Enough favorite quotes
Julietta the Cigar Girl: Would you like to check my figures? James Bond: Oh, I’m sure they’re perfectly rounded.
Bond: A shadow operation? M: Remember 007, shadows always remain in front or behind, never on top.
To Bull in regards to his gold teeth:
James Bond: I see you put your money where your mouth is.
And my favorite one:
James Bond: Construction isn’t exactly my speciality. M:...
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Getting into Tea
I officially have a new passion: tea. But I’m talking about real tea, the real deal, the one you brew.
There are many things that contributed to my new passion, let me go through them one by one.
Caffeine. There are times when I just need caffeine, not huge amounts, but enough to get me through the day. There are 2 main drinks to get caffeine from: coffee and tea. Let me say first, I’m not...
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How the Editor of Windows Magazine Became an Apple... →
Great read, and he ends it quite nice:
If Apple can turn the editor of Windows Magazine into a fanboy, no one is safe.
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Tomorrow Never Dies favorite quotes
Two of them.
Admiral Roebuck: With all due respect, M, I think you don’t have the balls for this job. M: Perhaps. But the advantage is, I don’t have to think with them all the time.
She really nails it, I have to admit it, us men like to think with our balls several times.
Q: Here’s your cell phone. Talk here, listen here. James Bond: So that’s what I’ve been doing wrong for all these...