Month: November 2012

Looking at how popular sites frame their content, and how that effects reading flow.

>This week Shawn and Ben are joined by special guest and Internet Hero, Shaun Inman. Shaun is a designer and developer, the creator of Mint, Fever, The Last Rocket, and much, much more. We talk about web design, development, growing in your skill sets, learning new skills, video game jams, and launching a Kickstarter campaign. […]

“The Verge: We don’t mind dropping our paychecks on $500 tablets and $300 smartphones, but we draw the line at two dollar TV shows and fifteen dollar apps.” — Harry Marks

My first and only thought when I heard about [Fantastical for the iPhone](http://flexibits.com/fantastical-iphone): I wonder how that app translates… I wasn’t very excited and because I like Agenda I wasn’t yearning for a new iPhone calendar app. Time passed, and my love for Agenda began to wain from love to like — nothing major, just […]

*(This post is a part of a series on Keyboard Maestro, [see more here](http://brooksreview.net/tag/KM-SERIES/).)* As a blogger (I’m sure this applies to others) there are a lot of times when I am writing and need/want to grab a lot of source material to use. For me this typically involves a lot of copy and pasting […]

“Also, are nightmares covered by AppleCare? Because my sleep mode is NOT working right.” — Sam Weiner

[Miłosz Bolechowski wrote in to tell me that using Automator to change the date was silly because all of it can be done in Keyboard Maestro](http://www.fabryka-pikseli.com/2012/11/28/keyboard-maestro-i-data-w-nazwie-pliku/). This is a really complex version, but does work much faster than using Automator (my method). I actually had no clue just how easy it was to grab files […]

[Craig Mod in, what I am sure will become a point of reference for a lot of tablet-only publishers, has this to say about publishing on the iPad](http://craigmod.com/journal/subcompact_publishing/#sub_clarity) (via [Shawn Blanc](http://shawnblanc.net/2012/11/mod-publishing/)): >I’d be shocked if there weren’t a dozen other publishers prepping to launch similar magazines. Or, even better: someone building a system by which […]

[Some common questions about my knife philosophy](http://brooksreview.net/2012/10/pocket-knife/), answered. ## What blade shape do you prefer? A few people have asked about what my preference is on [the shape of the blade](http://www.knife-depot.com/knife-information-112.html). Overall I like the standard ‘drop point’ shape. It find it most comfortable to use and highly versatile. The most common offering besides a […]

[Charlie Demerjian, writing for SemiAccurate, on the death spiral that he sees Microsoft in](http://semiaccurate.com/2012/11/14/microsoft-has-failed/): >The problem is that if you are locked in with a choice of 100% Microsoft or 0% Microsoft, once someone goes, it isn’t a baby step, they are gone. The majority of the article I actually found uninteresting, but well written. […]

[Over the long weekend the developer of iTorch contacted me encouraging me to try the latest, fourth, version of the iTorch app.](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/itorch-pro-flashlight/id392550196?mt=8) The claim was that iTorch had been made to be the fastest gun, umm flashlight app, in the west. [So of course I had to try it given all my past searching](http://brooksreview.net/2012/08/flashlight-iphone/). What […]

“Yes, but the original iPad sells more than all other competitors combined. Either buyers vastly prefer 10″ tablets, or buyers vastly prefer iPads.” — Watts Martin

[Sam Barillaro purchased the Hard Graft flat pack for the retina MacBook Pro 15″ and he wasn’t impressed.](http://thetechedit.com/2012/11/why-i-returned-the-hard-graft-flat-pack-for-15-retina-macbook-pro/) [I really like mine](http://brooksreview.net/2012/10/flat-pack-2/). Barillaro has some very good comments on the flaws of this bag, but one I want to point out doesn’t strike me as accurate. Barillaro says: >The shoulder strap is attached to the […]

[Thomas Brand has a great post about his watch, an Omega, that is (in his own words) the nicest thing he owns](http://eggfreckles.com/notes/bond-watch/): >With the exception of my computers, I own very little in the line of luxury. I do not own a car, my TV has always been small, my home is just an apartment […]

Instead of putting on a bunch of items that we would all love to own for ourselves on a list, here’s some stuff that may be handy to buy for other people. ((Let’s emphasize the “may” portion.)) ## Disaster Kit Items In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, I am sure there are more than a […]

*(This post is a part of a series on Keyboard Maestro, [see more here](http://brooksreview.net/tag/KM-SERIES/).)* This macro will allow you to select any file in Mac OS X and append the current date to the end of the file name. It is all done with one keyboard shortcut and no need to get to the editing […]

[Charles Kenny for, the horribly designed, Businessweek overviews why the TSA’s overbearing bullshit kills more Americans than it saves (hint it causes more people to drive, which is more dangerous) and culminates with this outstanding thought](http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-11-18/how-airport-security-is-killing-us): >That’s not to say TSA employees bear responsibility for making the roads more dangerous—they’re just following incentives that reward […]

[Jeff Atwood loved his Surface so much he went out an purchased a Lenovo Yoga 13 laptop that also has a touch screen](http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/2012/11/touch-laptops.html): >It’s a nice laptop. You could do far worse, and many have. In the end, the Yoga 13 **is just a nice laptop with a touchscreen slapped on it.** I was particularly […]

“Respecting shared public space is becoming as quaintly archaic as tipping your hat to a lady, now that the concept of public space is as nearly extinct as hats, and ladies.” — Tim Kreider

Looking at the changes to the Smart Alec.