Mail Me Daily, how it works:

1. enter a website and email address
2. check your email every morning for updates
3. rejoice

I'm so curious how this board actually rides. The wheels + bearings must make it weigh a ton, and all those wheels seem like it wouldn't go very fast because of the varying friction. Still, I'd love to try it here in SF.

Found this on Laughing Squid.

I probably don't understand the iPhone 4 antenna attenuation issue (I barely get Photoshop) but…

The internal layout likely dictates why the antenna has the break below rather than above—meaning they needed space for the camera—but still, I was holding my phone and I noticed my finger never goes between those buttons.

Update: Turns out you can't have an antenna at the top of the phone.

Justin Watt, one of the finest engineers at Federated Media (and one of the best I ever worked with), is headed out on a trip around the world with his girlfriend Stephanie.

The best part, and something that is typical of Justin and Stephanie's attitudes in life, is they don't really have an end date planned.

While I don't think I ever had the courage to quit my job and set sail around the world, I feel pretty cool to know some people who are actually doing it. I do hope they can blog it all.

Geeking out with this, but here's an idea on how templates and the template languages should do date formatting. Instead of requiring me to type (and remember) something cryptic like:

"%A %d %B %Y %I:%M%p"

I should be able to type something like this:

"Monday 12 July 2010 02:30PM"

And the formatter be smart enough to figure out that the first word is obviously a day name, the next number a day of the month since you wouldn't put a bare year after a day name, the month, the full year, and then following that is obviously a time.

So tired of looking up date formatting strings for every framework and language.

This comment on Metafilter outlines from the inside how a successful hardware company can fail by focusing on short-term budget goals. The example of diverting phone calls to a certain customer support department because it saves you $2.47 is the sort of thinking that gets someone a bonus for the quarter because they hit their number. What a waste.

It also reminded me of a series of calls I made to Apple support in the early 2000's where I was mocked, hung up on, and finally, after many calls was able to get my computer fixed. Does anyone remember the joke that was Apple customer support?

The other bit in that comment that sticks out is how (the poster's estimation) 90% of the calls were actually software (Windows) related. Doomed from the start.

Dear Friends,

I've been away for a while, but now I'm back. Here is what happened:

1. I left my job at Federated Media.
2. I started doing client work.
3. I realized I dislike client work. The "client" part of client work.
4. I worked on a secret project for someone else to be announced in a month. Kind of like client work but without jerky clients.
5. Made enough money the past few months to take a stab at a real-live start up with my wife.
6. http://www.simpleform.com/

PLEASE sign up for the Friends of Simpleform list. I promise there is very good news coming soon (like tomorrow).

 

I haven't written a post in over a month. That's rare. I think I've just grown too consumed with work that I no longer have time to read my newsreader and post anything.

Stuff that has happened: I got an iPad of course. After a month of using it I ditched my laptop (didn't see that coming).

To replace my laptop I'm now running an iMac Quad i7 with 8 gigs of RAM. This computer just SCREAMS. I love it. It's been a few years since I've worked on a powerful machine. 

My iPhone broke, but Apple wouldn't replace it so I bought a Nexus One. I'm giving the thing a month (for real this time) but we're already about two weeks in and I think we're hitting snags. Too soon to tell.

Simpleform's first product is going to be announced soon. I'm in charge of putting the web site up and I am not good with CSS or HTML so it's taking longer than I had hoped. So as soon as I get that sorted then the site will be up and the product sort of announced.

The Android WePad is coming soon. They even have one of those handy charts to show you why it's better than an iPad.

Sadly the interface is reminiscent of an Idiocracy TV.

"If VHS home recording is made legal then our industry is ruined."
"If CD quality music is allowed to be sold then our industry is ruined."
"If DAT is made legal then our industry is ruined."
"If the Rio PMP3000 is allowed to be sold then our industry is ruined."
"If file sharing is permitted then our industry is ruined."

The tactic is as old as the hills and used by some pretty dishonest people in the last few years to combat technology they feared would upset the nice apple cart they'd set up. If X happens, then 100% of Y will happen.

continued