21st Street rolls on and on
Past a Gem, Indiana
Drive by Philadelphia
East through Greenfield (hello, McKenzie Road)
Dissuaded by dust & diesel, I turn south
But in my mind's eye, 21st and I will hit the Atlantic
Someday.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Karl Malden
It's an odd, and sad, coincidence that "A Streetcar Named Desire" showed up in my mailbox from Netflix the day we learned of Karl Malden's death. To make it just a bit more poignant: the DVD was broken.
Digital mayhem
I decided it was time to simplify my online web & email hosting, mainly to save money. I was already committed to MobileMe, since its features make my iPhone much more useful, and my website wasn't nearly important enough to warrant another significant expenditure on top of that.
8-10 hours later, I think I finally have everything sorted out, although my phone is being a little stubborn about my new email provider for reasons I can only guess at. An entire day lost to tidying up my digital life, and now I get to figure out how to incorporate iPhoto or Aperture into my workflow so I can start managing my photo galleries again. Surely that'll be another 8 hours, minimum.
Sometimes that shack in Montana is very appealing.
8-10 hours later, I think I finally have everything sorted out, although my phone is being a little stubborn about my new email provider for reasons I can only guess at. An entire day lost to tidying up my digital life, and now I get to figure out how to incorporate iPhoto or Aperture into my workflow so I can start managing my photo galleries again. Surely that'll be another 8 hours, minimum.
Sometimes that shack in Montana is very appealing.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Reclaiming our heritage
I was fortunate yesterday to encounter the Ridgefield Subdivision Nature Park in Fishers, Indiana. This is a 6.5 acre wildlife- and people-friendly stretch of prairie and meadow that was recently a flat, Canada geese-infested stretch of grass.
The Ridgefield subdivision saved several thousand dollars the very first year by replacing the grass with native plants. The financial and ecological benefits are amazing.
I've never wanted to live in Hamilton County (oy, the traffic!), but if the rest of the county follows the lead of Ridgefield, it could be tempting. Thanks to Dan McCord and the Hamilton County Urban Conservation Association for leading the way.
Related links:
The Ridgefield subdivision saved several thousand dollars the very first year by replacing the grass with native plants. The financial and ecological benefits are amazing.
I've never wanted to live in Hamilton County (oy, the traffic!), but if the rest of the county follows the lead of Ridgefield, it could be tempting. Thanks to Dan McCord and the Hamilton County Urban Conservation Association for leading the way.
Related links:
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
iPhone and device convergence
PCWorld asks whether TomTom for the iPhone points the way towards the end of dedicated, single-purpose devices.
In comparison to Apple's intuitive touch interface, I've found it highly frustrating to deal with other devices. Simply setting the volume on an XM receiver yesterday was a maddening exercise. The conference phone at my office has a screen with labels for the buttons beneath them, but I keep expecting the labels themselves to be useful. My two-way pager has one of the worst interfaces I've ever used. Hardware manufacturers tend to be incompetent at interface design.
So as much as possible, I'll gladly replace single-purpose devices with my iPhone. More convenient, vastly better interface, always with me: what's not to like?
On the other hand, as a photographer, I would never replace an SLR with an iPhone, but I'll have my phone with me more often than my "real" camera. If I traveled extensively through major metropolitan areas, I might need a dedicated turn by turn GPS device. I still need a pager, because my cell phone is not nearly annoying enough, and doesn't hold a charge as long.
So no, we'll continue to have dedicated devices, but hopefully most consumers will need fewer, and hopefully Apple's strengths in interface design will compel other gadget manufacturers to pay more attention to usability.
In comparison to Apple's intuitive touch interface, I've found it highly frustrating to deal with other devices. Simply setting the volume on an XM receiver yesterday was a maddening exercise. The conference phone at my office has a screen with labels for the buttons beneath them, but I keep expecting the labels themselves to be useful. My two-way pager has one of the worst interfaces I've ever used. Hardware manufacturers tend to be incompetent at interface design.
So as much as possible, I'll gladly replace single-purpose devices with my iPhone. More convenient, vastly better interface, always with me: what's not to like?
On the other hand, as a photographer, I would never replace an SLR with an iPhone, but I'll have my phone with me more often than my "real" camera. If I traveled extensively through major metropolitan areas, I might need a dedicated turn by turn GPS device. I still need a pager, because my cell phone is not nearly annoying enough, and doesn't hold a charge as long.
So no, we'll continue to have dedicated devices, but hopefully most consumers will need fewer, and hopefully Apple's strengths in interface design will compel other gadget manufacturers to pay more attention to usability.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Empathy
If Solomon exhibited the amoral, blind justice that conservatives claim they want, he would have cut the baby in half.
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