Month: April 2012

I find the very notion of a stylus for the iPad to be offensive. [The last one I tried was horrible](https://brooksreview.net/2011/02/stylus/). Then Paper came out and I really *wanted* something to help me draw a bit better and so there was really only one stylus left that I had to try: The Cosmonaut. I purchased one and man am I impressed, [I am with Marco Arment when he says](http://www.marco.org/2011/12/12/the-cosmonaut-stylus-review):

>The Cosmonaut is the only capacitive stylus I’ve wanted to use for more than thirty seconds. The others were novelties, but this is a truly useful tool. It’s excellent, and I’m going to start bringing it in my computer bag.

It’s in my bag too ((I know, I can’t believe it either. I was wrong.)) , well not *right now*, because I am going to be needing it out.

I have a visceral hatred of these things. They are ugly and big and loud, but people seem to love using them. I don’t get it, nor do I want to get it.

In my mind these are like a Subaru with a four inch exhaust pipe on it that makes it sould like weed wacker: it may drive really well, but I want nothing to do with it. ((One could argue it is more like a classic muscle car. That may be, but trust me, you don’t want to drive one of those everyday.)) These things seem like a novelty to me and I can’t fathom why you would want to use one for more than a day every two years.

I… it’s just that… really?

On the one hand I can see why the DOJ stepped in to straighten this out, but on the other all I hear is this sentence in the Bloomberg report from Bob Van Voris:

>Upholding the agency model would give publishers more control over pricing and limit discounting, helping the industry avoid sales losses as more consumers buy books online.

It seems like one of those situations where if the DOJ does find wrong doing then it could ultimately hurt consumers by way of publishers just going out of business. Then again, I have to think, what if self-publishing *is* the future?

Dan Moren makes the case for iMessage and IM to be two separate apps on the Mac and for Apple to give users greater control over iMessage.

It’s an interesting problem, but I don’t think separating the two is the solution. iMessage is great and so is IM, and they are two very different communication methods, BUT one is the future and one is the past.

I would really like to see some stats on teenage usage of IM. My guess is that outside of Facebook Chat, barely any teenagers use something like iChat or AIM. Therefore, I see what Apple is doing as keeping the legacy support of IM for users like Moren and I, while adding in support for iMessages — something that teenagers (the future user base) is likely to be using today — thus making Messages a relevant app for more users.

Those of us that like IM, may not like iMessages, but I the opposite is true of teenagers today: they are all about texting and Facebook.

I had completely forgotten about Tempus for iOS. It’s a great minimal calendar app that has a nice conitnous scrolling week view like Agenda. I like that the app has the ability to add to a specific day so you don’t need to specify that later — it also has the fast entry like its sibling, Calvetica. It’s not perfect on the iPad, but it’s a solid app. Even though I hate the icon, I’m going to give it a go as my main calendar app on my iPad — still doesn’t beat Agenda on the iPhone though.

I have been getting a lot of questions lately about how I sharpen my pocket knives. I use this little v-sharpener by Smith for most day-to-day sharpening tasks. It is also the sharpener that I take hiking/camping with me. It does a nice, but not spectacular job.

For a really sharp edge I use Japanese wet stones — they will give you an edge that will cut your finger a millimeter before the blade touches your finger. Just how I like my knives. (These are wet stones so they need to be kept, umm, wet.)

– Starter stone: [2 in 1 1000 to 6000 grit stone](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000DD2C9/ref=nosim&tag=brooksreview-20).
– [800 Grit stone, to set the blade edge](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000DD1MH/ref=nosim&tag=brooksreview-20).
– [1200 grit stone, to get a good edge](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000DD1MJ/ref=nosim&tag=brooksreview-20).
– [6000 grit stone, to get a truly sharp knife](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000DD1MK/ref=nosim&tag=brooksreview-20).
– [Wet stone holder](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000DD21Y/ref=nosim&tag=brooksreview-20) (so it stays put when you sharpen).

I grew up sharpening my knifes with these stones and I wouldn’t trade them for any other system because I like my knives to be really sharp.

Tina Barseghian:

>In terms of strategies for privacy, 90 percent of the tweens said they don’t include their full names, addresses, phone numbers, and birth dates (only day and month, not the year). About 36 percent said they embedded false information to protect their privacy, and some did so as suggested by their parents.

Hope yet.

Alexandra Chang:
>The 24-inch LCD monitor uses a built-in CMOS sensor to determine your distance from the screen and your neck angle while sitting. The monitor works with software made by DigitalOptics Corporation, and, like a worried mother, will remind you to straighten your back, keep your distance from the display, and take breaks from sitting at the computer.

Awesome, except for the fact that it is *only* 1920 x 1080.

Great new book from Stephen Hackett about life behind the Genius Bar. I’ve only had the chance to read a few chapters, but it has been a great read so far. Get it today.

I’m on it.

Fuck.

They say it will be separate, but integrated — I don’t buy it. I’m out, which frees up a spot on my homescreen. If you value your privacy you will quit too.

Its been a while since an app has made me smile this much. Good fun, even for a rhythmically and tone challenged person like me.