Maniacal Rage

Every year since 2000, the Dev Shed Forums have been the first...

Tue, 15 May 2012 08:14:38 -0700

Every year since 2000, the Dev Shed Forums have been the first to wish me a happy birthday each May 15th. I keep meaning to close that old account but I’ve come to appreciate the familiar, cordial message at exactly 12:00AM on 5/15 every year. They’ve been wishing me a happy birthday before everyone else—including my own mother—for over a decade.

The Making of the Leica M9-P Hermès Edition

Fri, 11 May 2012 20:59:00 -0700

The Making of the Leica M9-P Hermès Edition

"Some of this is also generational. You know, Malia and Sasha, they have friends whose parents are..."

Wed, 09 May 2012 12:41:35 -0700

“Some of this is also generational. You know, Malia and Sasha, they have friends whose parents are same-sex couples. There have been times where Michelle and I have been sitting around the dinner table and we’re talking about their friends and their parents. And Malia and Sasha, it wouldn’t dawn on them that somehow their friends’ parents would be treated differently. It doesn’t make sense to them, and frankly, that’s the kind of thing that prompts a change in perspective.”

- Barack Obama
Years from now, when the next generation looks back on this period during which the United States spent so much time arguing about gay rights, they’ll be ashamed of us and how long it took for us to do the right thing as a nation. It took Obama nearly four years to announce his support of gay marriage, but at least he had the guts to finally do it.

Photo

Sun, 06 May 2012 15:38:06 -0700

Would you recommend buying AppleCare for any Apple product?

Sun, 06 May 2012 14:19:54 -0700

For computers, absolutely, especially if you intend to keep them for longer than two years. AppleCare mostly depends on your intended use-case. Would I buy AppleCare for an iPhone? Definitely not. But that’s because I know once a year I will buy a new iPhone. So why bother covering it at 1/4 its purchase price when I know I’ll just be buying a new one in 12 months? But some people will keep an iPhone for five years—those people should buy AppleCare.

What is your preferred web browser?

Sun, 06 May 2012 14:19:00 -0700

I’m still using Safari these days as my primary web browser, although Chrome gets quite at bit of use as well. I don’t have Adobe Flash installed on any of my Macs, so I use Chrome whenever I need to view Flash content. Thankfully, this is becoming rarer and rarer. More than anything, I think I’m used to the way Safari functions and that’s what’s keeping me using it, since Chrome is excellent and could very well be my full-time browser.

Three things bother me about Chrome:

I can’t use ⌘1-4 for my most commonly used bookmarks. I use this in Safari daily to get to things like Basecamp and GitHub. There used to be an extension that did this in Chrome, but it no longer works.
Bookmarks, in general, feel very crummy in Chrome. The bookmarks bar shows icons and you can’t turn that off, it always displays an “Other Bookmarks” button which looks silly, etc. I wish bookmarks worked more like Safari’s.
Muscle-memory from Safari has enforced that to search Google I must hit ⌘L, then hit tab, then type my search. The unibar in Chrome really screws with that. Currently, it’s hard to go back and forth between the two browsers. Safari in Mountain Lion has a unibar so this won’t be an issue much longer, I suppose.

Svbtle Post: How Companies Like Amazon Use Big Data To Make You Love Them

Thu, 03 May 2012 12:52:03 -0700

Svbtle Post: How Companies Like Amazon Use Big Data To Make You Love Them:

In a recent Fast Company Co.Design article, good friend and all-around smart guy Sean Madden describes exactly what makes Amazon so great with customer service–they collect useful information about you and know when and just how much of it is appropriate to use when giving you support.

Where do you get your furniture from, you guys always seem to have really nice stuff in your places?

Thu, 03 May 2012 12:43:29 -0700

It’s a decent mixture when you look at the apartment on a whole, though Anthropologie is probably the biggest single contributor. We have a couch from Anthropologie (as well as a few chairs), a couch from Restoration Hardware and a futon in the office from CB2 (I’m aware that saying we have three couches makes our apartment seem insane, but it makes sense if you see it). Most of the furniture in the office is modern and comes from Herman Miller, CB2, DWR and Room & Board. The bedroom is mostly Anthropologie (the bed, mirrors, dresser) as well as some vintage stuff. In the living room and sitting room we have more stuff from Anthropologie and more stuff from vintage stores.

Stacey has an amazing knack for interior design—she could probably do it for a living—and she’s always finding interesting pieces and wall decorations to add to the mix. The only thing I’ve had anything to do with in the apartment is the office, everything else is her doing.

How do you find your Bower & Wilkins MM-1's? They look lovely and Bower & Wilkins is a nice brand but how do you like them?

Thu, 03 May 2012 12:38:05 -0700

They sound terrific and they look terrific. But the best feature (for me) is that they’re USB powered so they don’t need to be plugged in separately as an audio source. This also means the computer can control the volume level and mute them directly. Highly recommended.

Svbtle Post: Paul Miller's Leaving the Internet for a Year—Why?

Wed, 02 May 2012 13:21:19 -0700

Svbtle Post: Paul Miller's Leaving the Internet for a Year—Why?:

A writer for The Verge, Paul posted his plans on the site to much internet acclaim and kudos. Cute idea, and a fun challenge if you want to randomly cut things out of your life to earn some strange badge of honor. But my question to Paul and everyone who gave him virtual pats on the back is: Why?

Photo

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 15:24:37 -0700

Good Artists Copy — Chainsaw Suit by Kris Straub

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 14:33:58 -0700

Good Artists Copy — Chainsaw Suit by Kris Straub

How do you find the Herman Miller Mirra Chair? I am looking into buying a new desk chair and was wandering if it is any good or not. Do you think you'll be buying the Herman Miller Embody chair or is the Mirra Chair fine?

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 14:33:49 -0700

I love my Mirra chair. I’ve been sitting on it nearly 10 hours a day for five years now, and it’s still comfortable every day. I had pretty annoying lower back issues before I bought this chair, and it has greatly alleviated the stress on my back and hips.

I’ve never tried the Embody chair, but I’ve heard good things. If possible, it would be helpful for you to sit in both before you order one. Most Design Within Reach stores carry them, if there’s one near you. If not, you can’t go wrong with the Mirra.

Awesome Tumblr Dashboard pairing this morning (and congrats,...

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 19:53:57 -0700

Awesome Tumblr Dashboard pairing this morning (and congrats, Marco!).

Svbtle Post: Kickstarter Happiness: 40%

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 18:17:01 -0700

Svbtle Post: Kickstarter Happiness: 40%:

I’ve backed 27 projects on Kickstarter since joining the service in November of 2010. One of those 27 was unsuccessful (and grossly unsuccessful that that, only reaching 2% of its goal), and five are currently in progress, though they’ve all met their goals so they will succeed. I love Kickstarter. Unfortunately, the level of quality of the funded products has been hit or miss. A few have been real winners, but most have been so-so and a few were downright terrible.

Kawehi's EP Vol.1 on Kickstarter

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 16:36:15 -0700

Kawehi's EP Vol.1 on Kickstarter:

If you liked that cover of Criminal Kawehi did, you should back her project on Kickstarter. She’s looking for a ridiculously low about of money to fund the release of new EPs. She’s awesome, help her out.

Kawehi — Criminal I love this kind of music making. Takes a...

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 15:27:47 -0700

Kawehi — Criminal

I love this kind of music making. Takes a while to get going but when it does, it amazes me. (via spiegelman)

Svbtle Post: Free Dongle!

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 18:13:00 -0700

Svbtle Post: Free Dongle!:

Thank you for purchasing the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime, and helping to make it the most popular Android based tablet since its launch in December 2011.

You pathetic sucker.

At a Play

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 19:35:13 -0700

Me: We should be in one of those private balconies instead of down here like suckers.
Stacey: Eh, those have a side view. It's not really better. I always prefer a center view.
Me: I prefer a view through time goggles. So right now I wish I could see the TV I'm watching later tonight.

Svbtle Post: Recruiters

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 15:50:00 -0700

Svbtle Post: Recruiters:

Yesterday, my business line rang, and on the other end of the line someone asked if I was still hiring for the iOS Developer position. I confirmed we were. “Great! I have a great applicant and I would love to discuss his qualifications with you.” Ugh, I thought. Recruiter.