Some things that we should talk about that happened while I was “out”.
## Edit Me
Gabe Weatherhead and Erik Hess created a neat editing language called [Critic Markup](http://criticmarkup.com/), which is like Markdown, but for editing marks. I actually have been working with an editor here for a month or so, and Kaleidoscope has proven quite effective. However on iOS something like Critic Markup looks like it would be fantastic (unless Kaleidoscope is coming to iOS soon).
Unlike Markdown, though, I fear you really need to use the integrated toolkits (TextExpander, Keyboard Maestro) to get the most of the language as you are having to add more syntax than you do with Markdown. I’ll report on this more as I dive into it, but I am a bit skeptical about ease of adoption here.
## How Do You Say That Name?
Tal Szajnowski and Brad Fortin [posted episode 12 of The Distraction podcast](http://thedistraction.net/episode-12-ben-brooks-of-5by5-and-brooks-review/), where they were kind enough to have me on as a guest. It’s and hour of me talking about BlackBerry and girls in workout clothes walking on treadmills. Ok, that’s a lie, it’s 59 minutes and 56 seconds of that — I let the other guys talk too (I think).
## Let’s Just Keep Changing the Definition
Louie Mantia posted [an interesting take on skeuomorphism](http://mantia.me/blog/skeuomorphism/), and while I agree with some of it, Mantia says:
>Making standard UI elements look beautiful shouldn’t be condemned, and it seems that Apple has done a wonderful job in attracting millions of people to use iOS because of these choices.
I was tracking with him pretty well, but he went off the deep end on this one. There’s no doubt people that like the “themes” that Apple adds, but skeuomorphism is certainly not the only way to a beautiful looking interface. While Mantia is just defending UI design, [I can’t fathom why he would honestly believe that people are condemning torn bits of paper](http://brooksreview.net/2011/04/mimics/) for any other reason than it being ugly as fuck.
## Who Needs a Phone
Rene Ritchie has me damned close to buying an iPad mini for myself, what [with his latest post](http://m.imore.com/using-ipad-mini-phone) about using his mini in the Airport to keep his iPhone battery alive. What I really love:
> And when they changed gates on me four times, and changed them back again, and I had to haul ass through terminals and even between them, I could keep my iPad mini in my hand while I ran, something I could never do with a full sized iPad, not comfortably, not without the fear it’d fly out of my hand.
That really hit home with me — would always be tucking away my iPad because it is just a bit too large to keep out when “on the move”. If the iPad mini isn’t, then that is a huge win in my book.
*(Oddly, I’ve purchased two iPad minis already, both were gifts though.)*
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