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January 29

I will miss the Old World. Damn you Apple!

The Old World

In the Old World, computers are general purpose, do-it-all machines. They can do hundreds of thousands of different things, sometimes all at the same time. We buy them for pennies, load them up to the gills with whatever we feel like, and then we pay for it with instability, performance degradation, viruses, and steep learning curves. Old World computers can do pretty much anything, but carry the burden of 30 years of rapid, unplanned change. Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X based computers all fall into this category.

The New World

In the New World, computers are task-centric. We are reading email, browsing the web, playing a game, but not all at once. Applications are sandboxed, then moats dug around the sandboxes, and then barbed wire placed around the moats. As a direct result, New World computers do not need virus scanners, their batteries last longer, and they rarely crash, but their users have lost a degree of freedom. New World computers have unprecedented ease of use, and benefit from decades of research into human-computer interaction. They are immediately understandable, fast, stable, and laser-focused on the 80% of the famous 80/20 rule.


How long will it take to complete this Old World to New World shift? My guess? The end is near when you can bootstrap a new iPad application on an iPad. When you can comfortably do that without pining for a traditional desktop, the days of Old World computing are officially numbered.

via stevenf.tumblr.com

We'll always have the command line though, right!?

Filed under  //   iPad  

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January 15

My goals for 2010

Resolutions, goals, plans... whatever you want to call them, here are mine for two thousand ten.  My last year of being a twenty-something.

1. Get my stuff situated
Find a doctor, dentist, and eye doctor.  Open a Roth IRA and consolidate all my old 401K's.  Look into getting eye surgery and maybe braces.

2. Maintain (or increase) weight and strength.
I've been borderline underweight my whole life.  So lately I've been going to the gym and eating more and I have gained about 20 pounds since I started and can squat over 1.5x my weight!  Maintaining it will only get harder because I started doing a lot more cardio by...

3. Jogging long distances.
Running has always been fairly easy to me. I guess it sort of runs in the family.  I've never done more than a 10K though.  Despite the cold weather, I've been going out running to build up my mileage (I just did 8 miles!) so I can...

4. Run a Marathon in March.
"Run" is not really the right word.  Jog/walk (jalk?) is more like it.  Even still, I know it sounds crazy... 26.2 miles is a loooong way (I'll have 7 hours to finish).  I figure I might as well try since I'm going to have to train anyways to...

5. Thru-hike the Appalachian Trail.
Yep, the whole thing (will take about 5 months).   I plan to start in April with my dog Kooper.  This is something I've always wanted to do and I now find myself with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to do it.  I work for a great company who will let me disappear (and give me back my job when I get back), I have good health, and few responsibilities.  I know what you are thinking... "Daniel? without a computer for 5 months?  HA!"  Well, you are partly correct.  This is my chance to unplug from the busy tech world I've lived in everyday, to take a break from information overload, and get a glimpse of the "real world".  So I'm not bringing a computer, but I will have a smartphone that I will use to keep my status updated and share some photos (if I have a signal).  I'll have a website for documenting my adventure and I may be the first to tweet all 2180 miles.   The website will also help me parlay the hike into...

6. Raising money and awareness for charity
To helps those with Mitochondrial Disease, including my friend Abby.  I have no experience with running a fund-raiser like this, so this will be tougher than the hike itself!  My thinking is that if people give money to 3-day walks, why not a 150+ day walk?  I'll probably have to setup some kind of non-profit org and fill out a bunch of forms, find sponsors, contact press, and blah blah blah... I have no idea it's even possible.  If you have any experience running a fund-raiser, I could really use some help.

That should keep me busy for most of the year.  When I get back from hiking I suppose I'll go back to work and start looking for a place to live (unless I want to live in the woods).

Thanks for following me during my adventures, I'll need all the support I can get!

Filed under  //   Appalachian Trail   goals   hiking   marathon   running  

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January 5

Google's Nexus One is disappointing

I'm sure the actual device is great, but the idea of the Nexus One is what I'm talking about... or more specifically, Google's Phone Store.  Google had the opportunity to turn the phone market on it's head, but instead has just become one of those booths at the mall trying to sell you a new phone package to make commission.  Except unlike those mall booths, Google only offers one phone and one plan to choose from.

So what is Google's goal here?
Sell phones?  Then they need to offer more than one $79 plan w/ subsidy.  This phone isn't special enough to justify breaking a contract or paying $529.
Push Android?  Then they need to insure there is an attractive, compatible, and affordable Android phone on the market.

The Nexus One is attractive, but for most people it is not affordable and is not compatible.  

So why is Google just being yet-another wireless middle-man?  A simplified Google version of http://wireless.amazon.com/ ?

In my dreamworld, Google announces a single unlocked device capable of running on both GSM and CDMA for about $299.  A world where your wireless device is totally decoupled from the carrier.  An affordable smartphone that can be used on any service without a two-year contract.  I know Google has the power to do this, and it would sell like crazy for years.

But they didn't.  Nothing to see here, move along.

Filed under  //   Android   google  

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December 30

Yo listen up here's a story about a [not so] little guy that lives in a blue world

Avatar evokes feelings similar to those aroused by the wonderment of Jurassic Park and the epicness (not a word, but should be) of Lord of the Rings.

Finally CGI that doesn't make you think "oh, that is CGI".  The world is believable... it sucks you in and never spits you back out.

The story drags a little at first and the plot is far from life changing, but it manages to hold your attention the entire 2 hours and 40 minutes.  It does this by bouncing between the two contrasting sides (and it helps that even the most trivial stuff is fascinating in 3D).

This was my first 3D movie, and although it was a great experience (this film is perfect for IMAX and 3D due to the sweeping landscape shots and sky-high locales), 3D technology still has a ways to go before it becomes ubiquitous.  It took about half the movie for me to adjust to it.

Great cinematography in the big action scenes.  Even with lots of stuff going, I never felt overwhelmed or lost.  Good use of slow-mo helped.

In conclusion, the plot is a little shallow but the experience is an amazing one worthy of all the hype.  9/10

Filed under  //   movies   review  

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October 30

Google Wave direct messages

Google Wave was built for groups, but it can be used like IM or email to talk directly to someone too.  Google calls this a "ping", but it's really just a normal wave presented a little differently.

Protip: You can do a search for "dto:me" to see only messages between you and one other person.  Create a saved search so it's easy to see your DMs.

Now what I need is a way to get notifications of new waves, so I don't have to keep checking it all the time.

Filed under  //   wave  

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October 25

Netflix Instant Watch officially coming to PS3 next month. Odd that it needs a disc.

Next month, Netflix Instant Watch officially comes to the Playstation 3 at no additional cost on either end.  I say "officially" because like I mentioned before, I've been using PlayOn to stream Netflix to my PS3 for a while now.

I did find it odd that it requires them to send you a (free) Blu-ray disc.  It apparently uses BD-Live features found in the latest Blu Ray players instead of being special integrated software like it is on the Xbox 360.  So I assume that this ability is eventually coming to ALL Blu-Ray players in the future?

Anyways, props to Netflix for not making exclusive deals with any one console, and props to Sony for building such a great versatile machine.

You can go ahead and order your PS3 disc here.

Filed under  //   netflix   ps3  

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September 21

Woodstock flooding at I-575. #atlflood

Crazy flooding in my area.  And will probably get worse.  This is Towne Lake Pkwy at I-575:

(Photo from a Facebook album)

I-575 is totally shut down at Hwy 92.  Evening traffic was horrible.  Follow the WoodstockPD for updates.
This is the Waffle House on Hwy 92:
(this and more photos at nesset's smugmug gallery)

Amazing how many YouTube videos there are from people of the flooding in Atlanta & Woodstock.  Won't be long before video soon replaces photography as the most common medium.  Also, thanks to Kanye, finding photos shared on twitter is almost useless.

Filed under  //   flood   photo  

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September 16

Alternatives to CAPTCHA

via myapokalips.com

Google just bought RECAPTCHA... mostly to help scan their huge digital archive of books (and to train their robot army), but I think they need to find some other way rather than encourage use of a CAPTCHA.  CAPTCHA sucks.  It is a huge barrier between your users and what they want to do and 99%* of the time it is unnecessary.  This should be the last resort for the most bot-targeted of websites, so your wedding site's guestbook does not need a CAPTCHA.  Commenting on your blog does not need a CAPTCHA.   Signing up for your new web app does not need a CAPTCHA.  In 10 years I think we will look back on these methods and think to ourselves "How was that ever acceptable?".

There are some ways to check if someone is human without using any CAPTCHA:

  1. Check the time it takes between loading the page and submitting the form. If it's too quick, it's a bot. 
  2. Put the form on a separate page and then check for a valid referring page. A bot will usually not navigate to the form, it will try to submit the form directly. 
  3. If your site requires javascript, use javascript to build your form.
  4. Bots target mass websites built on generic platforms... like wordpress and phpbb.   Change up your form template a little bit, you will probably stop most bots.
  5. Use something like OpenID, Facebook, and/or Twitter for authorization.  Making it a little harder (for now) to automate.

If you do use a CAPTCHA, try something simple.  Have them answer a simple question or select a photo of a cat.  On my phpbb forum, I simply asked the user to type in a specific word and that stopped all bot registrations (and insures your users can read).

These alternatives are not unstoppable.  A dedicated bot-builder could get around them, but they would have to target your site specifically and then maintain it as you make changes.  Chances are no one wants to spam your Contact Us form that bad.

*81% of all statistics are made up on the spot


http://xkcd.com/233/

Filed under  //   captcha  

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September 3

I get the point, but I'm not sure voluntarily putting a CAUTION label on your product is a good idea.

I do admit, it did get my attention.

Filed under  //   photo  

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August 20

Geocoded location based networking awareness... or something like that

Twitter's announcement today about adding a Geolocation API goes to show how location-centric apps are trying to become the next big thing.  Sharing your exact location with the world may seem unnecessary, but if you look back over your text messages and status updates you may be surprised at how often you post that you are doing something somewhere.

Brightkite is a location-based social network that I've been using for a while now.  I use it to keep a log of where I've been and to leave notes & photos that future visitors can see, sort of like when you rent a vacation house and you sign the guestbook.  It's really easy to use thanks to the great mobile site & apps (especially the Android app) and I like that posts are at a specific business/address (if it exists in Google's directory) instead of at just lat/long coordinates.  Plus it's fun to see a map of all the places I've been:


Brightkite isn't the only service though.  Lately more and more geo-centric sites and apps are popping up:
  • Foursquare is a similar service that is fun to use, but at this point it needs a lot of work before it can dethrone Brightkite.  For example it only really works within the city limits, else you have to type in all the address details yourself... no thanks.  Their achievements system is great though and really encourages you to use the service.
  • Google Latitude takes a different approach.  Instead of "checking-in" to a location, it uses your phone's GPS to share your location on a map in real-time with friends.
  • Glympse, like Latitude, tracks you in real-time but it lets you to send a temporary view to anyone you want.  I used this to share a live view of me running the Peachtree Road Race this year.
  • GPS logging apps like My Tracks aren't social in of themselves, but it lets you share your hiking/biking/jogging results with others.
All these services have one thing in common... they are much more useful if your *real-life* friends use them (for example Brightkite will alert you when friends check-in nearby).  Very few of mine do because there is not enough benefit to justify the effort and expensive technology required to use them.  So for now I will be a lonely check-in, signing a lot of blank guestbooks.

Filed under  //   brightkite   location   social networking  

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