>Shawn and Ben discuss what should be on the short list of apps which most moderately computer savvy people should be using.
I would add that Shawn also may have recorded the first B&B where he offends more people than I do — is that a factor of what Shawn said, or is that because I simply said nothing? You’ll have to listen to find out.
A while back I vowed to not buy anymore Twelve South items and sold off everything I owned from them. I recently caved when [the HiRise](http://twelvesouth.com/products/hirise_macbook/) stand was launched — it seemed like it would be better than any other laptop stand I have used in the past.
I’ve now been using that stand since November 5th, 2012. It’s an expensive stand at $69.99 and as with all Twelve South items it is very well made.
## What I Like
I really like that this stand holds the laptop flat, with no rolled edges. There is no chance that this stand could mark up your notebook and that’s great. There’s also no stupid angle being used to try and maximize desktop space.
Additionally the ability to raise and lower the stand is fantastic. The stand is far more adaptable for different workstations and individuals than any other stand I have used.
As I mentioned above, the quality is top notch — the stand feels solid and well made.
## What Annoys Me
Unfortunately there’s a lot about the stand that annoys me. ((And I really wanted to like this stand.))
– Often I find that my MacBook Pro sits slightly crooked, and needs to be adjusted by tapping on the high side — no really I mean tapping. This happens at least twice a day and is a result of the adjustable piston that raises and lowers the stand height.
– The bottom of the stand is not grippy, so it moves all about my desk when I take my computer on and off the stand — requiring constant repositioning.
– The stand still doesn’t go high enough for me.
## Buying Advice
If you are shorter, and don’t mind your laptop leaning a few millimeters to one side or the other, this is likely the best laptop stand you can buy. However, if like me, you mind those things then stay far away from this stand. I don’t hate the stand, I just don’t want to use it.
For my money (and I’ve tried at least half a dozen different laptop stands) the [mStand is the best you can buy](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000OOYECC/ref=nosim&tag=brooksreview-20).
[*The View From Fuji* posts a great tip](http://theviewfromfuji.tumblr.com/post/41329858242/dropbox-selective-sync) which allows you to store your files in Dropbox, but not on any Mac. It’s a clever solution to a problem that [I see with Dropbox](https://brooksreview.net/2013/01/archiving-cloud/), but it’s not the best solution.
Essentially you add files and folders to Dropbox as normal, and after they are uploaded you use the Selective Sync feature to no longer sync that folder with your Mac. Thus all that data is just in the Dropbox cloud.
The problem? This works well for iOS, since you can browse all the files in the Dropbox app, but it doesn’t work well on the desktop where you would have to browse those files on the Dropbox website. So yes, the files are not on your Mac (or any Mac), but they also are now not easily useable on any Mac.
What is the job of a stock market analyst, you know the people who set lofty expectations for financial performance of publicly traded companies (i.e. the people who set forecasts that Apple never meets), what is their job?
I found a lot of definitions, but [let’s go with The Free Dictionary’s](http://www.thefreedictionary.com/market+analyst) (([I much prefer this definition](http://caps.fool.com/Blogs/definition-of-a-stock-analyst/318193).)) :
> an expert who studies financial data (on credit or securities or sales or financial patterns etc.) and recommends appropriate business actions
In other words it is the job of these analysts to do a couple of things:
1. Study and know the market.
2. Recommend actions.
That means that these analysts need to make the most accurate guess that they can for the future performance of a company so that investors, whom the analyst works for, can make the most informed decision of when to buy and sell a particular stock. (Close enough, well, closer than analysts get to doing their job anyways.)
Given that definition, why are stories worded: “Company A missed expectations”? Shouldn’t the correct wording be: “Analyst John posted a bad guidance”? Of course it should be, but no one actually cares about that analyst’s ability to predict the future, because trying predicting the future is futile. So instead we look at who failed to meet a goal set by a person with a business card that reads “analyst”.
*Side Note: I just promoted myself to “Senior Analyst” here at The Brooks Review, please cite me using that title, so that my words carry weight with the likes of CNN, NYT, WSJ, Reuters, et al.*
When people refer to “guidances”, “expectations”, and so forth, they are really just referring to an outsiders best guess, formed by analyzing historic data. In other words: this is not the company themselves saying where they expect to be next quarter, it’s just a third party saying where *they think* a company should be based on an analysts best guess.
And yet, these guesses are being reported as if the company actually has a duty to meet them — and has failed if they do not meet them.
This is really like readers trying to guess how long my next post will be, and then getting mad at me if they are wrong about that guess. In other words: it’s the dumbest fucking thing I can think of to try and predict.
[Relly Annett-Baker writing about her own depression](http://rel.ly/2013/01/depression-and-me/):
>That’s what depression does. It takes something that should be joyous and challenging and full of discoveries, and turns it into a time of loneliness, fear and a desperate feeling of not being good enough. Of shredding every last ounce of self-esteem and self-respect. It turns you into your worst enemy. It feeds off your inner self doubt.
Fascinating read, and scary to think how “silent” depression is — something that many people don’t know they have and those around them may not be able to help with. Even then, even with all the help, sometimes, well sometimes…
[Bill Rigby reporting for Reuters](http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/01/22/us-microsoft-book-idUKBRE90L04320130122):
>”For Microsoft to really get back in the game seriously, you need a big change in management,” said Joachim Kempin, who worked at Microsoft between 1983 and 2002, overseeing the sales of Windows software to computer makers for part of that time. “As much as I respect Steve Ballmer, he may be part of that in the end.”
This is a very damning report about Ballmer and Microsoft’s board. There’s a few things about it that make me take the report with a large grain of salt:
1. Kempin left in 2002, which means Ballmer was only CEO for two years while Kempin was there. I’m doubtful that was enough time to form the opinions he currently holds, which means his insight into Ballmer is less insider and more outsider with insider reports.
2. I know nothing of Kempin and so this could be like listening to advice from Warren Buffet, or Donald Trump.
Even given those caveats, if true, this is a damning statement:
>”They missed all the opportunities they were talking about when I was still in the company. Tablets, phones…we had a tablet going, we had tablet software when Windows XP came out, it was never followed up properly,” said Kempin.
I assume he doesn’t mean a convertible PC, but I think there’s a simple reason why Microsoft wouldn’t want to release a tablet back in early 2000-2002 — they wouldn’t want to cannibalize PC sales. Whereas Apple doesn’t care if it is their own products cannibalizing sales, Microsoft does. ([See this post](http://rampantinnovation.com/2013/01/15/one-strategy-one-pl/) for reasons why.)
Still, I agree, [Ballmer is going to run the ship into the ground](https://brooksreview.net/2012/11/microsofts-guy/).
[Amit on Stack Overflow asks](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/14415881/how-to-pair-socks-from-a-pile-efficiently):
>Given a pile of `n` pairs of socks, containing `2n` elements (assume each sock has exactly one matching pair), what is the best way to pair them up efficiently with up to logarithmic extra space?
What a great question and the answers don’t disappoint. Of course the easiest way to do this is just to buy all of the same socks — or just a few different socks so that there are fewer variables — but that would be no fun.
Speaking of socks, you guys know what you [should be matching your socks with right](http://www.gq.com/style/style-guy/accessories/200204/sock-match-debate)?
Personally I try for socks that have a base color that matches my pants of the day with an accent color that either matches something else I am wearing, or just adds some life to a boring color palette that I may be wearing that day.
Gizmodo has a [fascinating video](https://vimeo.com/55389782) on Vimeo showing a space that is only 350 square feet, but still a full living space. Most of these spaces have severe compromises — often no bathroom — but not this one. Every amenity is there, and the entire thing is amazingly well done.
There’s [a lot of](http://huckberry.com/blog/posts/the-world-s-skinniest-house) [these types of spaces](http://huckberry.com/blog/posts/tiny-houses) out there and they always interest me — to see what can be achieved in a fraction of the space of my own home. In some cases they achieve more than I have been able to in my home.
But these types of domiciles always make me think about my desk, and the surrounding work space. I like to keep the desk’s surface completely clear of anything unnecessary. That means: laptop, iPhone, iPad, pen (no paper: the pen is for signing things if people stop by my desk) and a drink.
For me this affords the clearest workspace and helps to ease my mind — not from being distracted, but from being overwhelmed with the sheer amount of *stuff*.
There is one constant annoyance though, and I suspect it’s the same annoyance that people in these tiny homes feel: sometimes it’s just easier and more productive to have everything out and ready to use.
I was reminded of this when watching the video and seeing him pull out the keyboard and mouse on a very nice surface for his iMac. The cleaner I keep my workstations, the more time I spend taking things out and putting them away — and I can’t be alone.
I often dream of my ideal workspace:
– 10,000 square foot space of nothing.
– Four foot by ten foot desk in the center, made of wood.
– Herman Miller Embody chair.
– Concrete floors.
– No windows.
– Thirty foot ceiling.
– Spot light illuminating only my desk.
– Just the laptop on the desk.
– No cables in sight.
It’s a pipe dream, obviously, but I like the idea of feeling no walls near me, nor seeing the walls. The blackness surrounding me, working as a green screen for my imagination. The spot light, placed high above, giving a sense that there is no roof over me, just sky. Alone, dark, big space, oversized desk, comfortable chair. Perfect.
And then reality sets in. Where does the wifi, iPhone, iPad, backpack, TV, fridge, Scotch, bathroom, printer, cables, backup hard drives — all those things — go? If we’re creating the ideal space I shouldn’t have to go hunting for them on the other side of the room.
My desk at my office is standing height and small (24″x54”). It’s a comfortable workstation if I’m just using my Mac, but every item I add to it makes the area feel cramped. I’ve tried everything:
– Workstation with everything out and connected, neatly in its place.
– Only what I use out that day, neat, connected.
– Nothing out, all tucked away, but easily connected.
The problem with each configuration is that they conflict with each other. Perhaps that’s why something like the [Milk desk](http://www.milk.dk/products.php) or the [StudioDesk](http://www.bluelounge.com/products/studiodesk/) has always intrigued me. The storage is built in. The desk is meant to be kept clean, but the items you need are stored right there: No opening drawers under the desk to get at the one cable you use *every* day.
The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced that the problem isn’t stowing things away. The problem is that peripherals are only designed to be used on the desk, plugged in, ready to go.
That, I think, is why so many people love to replace everything with just an iPad. The iPad is designed to be stashed away, pulled out, and at a moment’s notice ready to work or play. Printers, labelers, microphones are not made that way. Nor are laptops. If the flaw isn’t the way my office is designed, or how I prefer my desk, maybe the flaw turns out to be the design of the products I’m using.
As I look at that small living space I notice the thought behind the design: Yes, everything has a place, but what makes the space functional — and not annoying — is that everything has been specifically designed, or chosen, for *that* space.
The [dining room table](http://www.resourcefurniture.com/space-savers/space-saving-tables/goliath) is specifically chosen for where it’s stored and used. I wonder if this kind of design thinking is what’s missing from my workspaces. If I spent more time specifically designing the space to house my tools, would it be less of an annoyance to access and use them? Perhaps, however, I think to fully remove the annoyances requires a meeting of a specifically designed workspace with specifically designed tools.
I wonder if my perfect office really involves a laptop, or if it would be perfect with only an iPad and keyboard.
[Reginald Braithwaite asks: Why the fuck?](http://raganwald.posterous.com/why-the-fuck)
>Why the fuck are the greatest minds of our generation toiling away in the Googleplex, harnessing the greatest computing resources in history, trying to figure out how to get Scott Hanselman to click on ads?
Braithwaite asks a really good question — his motivation, or underlying point, is to ask why people aren’t working on more important issues like better medical equipment. Though the question is very good, I think the answer is fairly simple:
1. Google, et al, is where the money is.
2. Google, et al, are where the jobs are.
3. Google, et al, are where their friends are.
Those are easy things to understand, but there’s more than that at play. I’d argue there are a couple of less obvious things at work:
1. Medical research, while well funded, is a slow and frustrating field. Where at Google or Apple a product/idea can be used by millions in a matter of just hours, your work in medical fields may take years to get approval from the necessary “authorities” before you get to see end users using your creation.
2. Your friends just don’t get that excited when they hear that you work for a no-name medical company — but they want to know more when they hear you work for a company that they know and use everyday.
I don’t think there is any right or wrong here, I just think that it’s easier for a young talented mind to choose Google, Facebook, Apple, or others, than it is for them to choose a medical research company.
[Congressman Hank Johnson is set to introduce the APPS Act](http://apprights-hankjohnson.house.gov/2013/01/apps-act.shtml), explained as:
> This bill addresses the public’s growing concern with data collection on mobile devices. It would require that app developers provide transparency through consented terms and conditions, reasonable data security of collected data, and users with control to cease data collection by opting out of the service or deleting the user’s personal data to the greatest extent possible.
It’s really great to see steps like this even being considered by Congress and the proposed bill seems reasonable to me, but I wonder why it is being limited to “mobile devices” and what that term means. Are we talking apps that are native to mobile devices, or web services in general? That is, Facebook’s native app, or Facebook.com *mobile* too?
If not web apps, then why not? Why is it assumed that native mobile apps are more privacy invasive than web services like Google or Facebook?
So while this is a step, it seems like an overly cautious one at best.
Our first show back in 2013. We talk about the dos and don’ts of chocolate chip cookies, how Starbucks doesn’t really care about coffee (and how I manage to always burn my tongue on Americanos), and we talk about Twitter and App.net (again).
It’s 2013 and Shawn and I need your support to keep the podcast going. We’d love to hear any ideas you have for funding the show, and we’d love to have you as a sponsor of the show.
[Jeff Plungis reporting on the removal of backscatter machines from U.S. airports](http://mobile.bloomberg.com/news/2013-01-18/naked-image-scanners-to-be-removed-from-u-s-airports.html):
> Sanders said the Rapiscan units did their job by screening 130 million passengers, and the agency wouldn’t have acted if not for the congressional mandate for privacy software.
Kudos to Congress, but I love the blatant disregard the TSA has for privacy. Their disregard rivals Facebook and Google, but I digress, because we have more to quote:
> The TSA is talking to other government agencies with screening needs that might not require the same level of privacy called for in a crowded airport, Sanders said.
Good luck with that.
I thought I would share some shots I recently took, which work out well as winter themed desktop backgrounds.
You can download them all as a zip file, [here](https://f3a98a5aca88d28ed629-2f664c0697d743fb9a738111ab4002bd.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com/Winter-Desktops.zip).
Thomas Verschoren has added some thoughts to [my argument *for* iCloud](https://brooksreview.net/2013/01/app-silos/) — specifically he [doesn’t like how iCloud deals with archived data](http://pintofcode.com/blog/2013/1/14/archived-cloud):
>What Dropbox offers, and iCloud doesn’t is an archive. Dropbox is a place to make your content available everywhere, anytime at a moments notice, but only when you need it. iCloud only has storage as an option. Files are in your app, or you delete them, they can’t float just behind the horizon for future use.
Verschoren makes some really smart points. The most damning is the case of photographs. With iCloud you only get the most recent 1,000 shots (via Photo Stream), but with Dropbox you can fill your account to its max with photos.
This is another case where an easy change could be made. I’d love to see Apple implement a data and photo archive similar to the iTunes Match service. I can *see* all the music I own on my iPhone, but all of that music actually *isn’t* on my iPhone until I want it to be.
This is the hard part about Dropbox and cloud services: iCloud documents are all in an active and synchronized state. With iTunes Match only what I want is on each device — the rest resides in “the cloud”. With Dropbox, however, *everything* exists on one master device (your main computer) and mobile devices only store pieces of that data when you explicitly tell them to.
There’s obvious benefits and downsides to each.
#### iCloud
Positives:
– Data is there when you open the app, little to no waiting for downloads.
– Music is basically on-demand with an option for the newest music you buy to automatically be on every device.
– The newest version of every file and photo is just *there*, the assumption being that this is the most important data.
Negatives:
– Impossible to archive old data in a way that removes it from your device while keeping it easily accessible.
– Syncing isn’t always reliable.
– Old photos aren’t available forever.
– Apple, and App Store, only.
Overall iCloud assumes your newest stuff is the most important. The fix is easy: photos and documents work more like iTunes Match.
## Dropbox
Positives:
– Works on every device.
– You have to choose what data is stored on mobile devices.
– Tons of space for archiving and no limits on media types (only storage size restrictions based on account level).
– Syncing is rock solid.
Negatives:
– Must wait for synced changes to come in.
– Must store *all* the data on at least one master device.
– If you have no internet connection, you’re out of luck on mobile unless you had foresight to pre-load that data.
Overall Dropbox works exceedingly well even though the file management is manual, which is less appealing to novice users and works against the iOS “no file-system” model. The cost is higher than iCloud and it’s less useful when your Internet connectivity is limited.
The fix is to get the data fully in the cloud and not tied to one device, and optionally allow background downloading of new files to mobile devices.
## Ideology
In these back and forth arguments about Dropbox and iCloud, one thing keeps ringing true: some people prefer one approach over the other. I don’t think either service takes the *best* approach to cloud data — both have substantial room for improvement.
Ideally only the files I’m using would actually be on my devices. Everything else would be securely stored elsewhere. I liken this system to iTunes Match, but perhaps a better model is Apple’s own Fusion Drive.
[Here’s how the Fusion Drive works, as explained by Lee Hutchinson](http://arstechnica.com/apple/2012/10/more-on-fusion-drive-how-it-works-and-how-to-roll-your-own/):
>Schiller’s comments indicated that Fusion Drive keeps track of what files and applications are being frequently read, physically moving (or “promoting,” as it’s commonly called in enterprise tiering solutions) those files and applications from the HDD to the faster SSD. At the same time, files and applications on the SSD which haven’t been referenced in a while are moved back down (“demoted”) to the HDD, to make room for more files to be promoted.
How does a great cloud storage system work using the Fusion Drive model? Just swap “SSD” with “your local device” and “HDD” with “cloud”. The OS intelligently decides which files it should keep locally — everything else gets off-loaded to the cloud.
Of course this approach relies on a couple of things:
– Fast and stable internet access.
– Transparent file manipulation.
Basically the OS would have to mount the cloud volume and transparently make it part of your normal Mac drive. This makes a ton of sense for mobile devices because cellular connection is ubiquitous and fast in most areas. It’s a harder sell for laptops, which rarely have a cellular connection built-in and are often used in areas with no Internet connection (e.g. a plane).
Essentially we’re talking about a hybrid system that always keeps the most recent files locally stored and up to date on every device. The “archive” files all reside in the cloud, ready to be accessed when required, with no single device needing to be the “master”, from which everything is synced. This would benefit the user by allowing them access to everything they need in a relatively small space: for example, a 64GB SSD.
It’s iTunes Match meets Dropbox meets iCloud.