The Brooks Review

Category: Links

  • IFTTT Adds App.net Support

    What I love about IFTTT is that, as a service, they seem to get “it”. They advertise that premium accounts are on the way, which is great because it is a service that truly makes the web better. I don’t have many “recipes” but the ones that I do have would be very hard to replicate without IFTTT. Actually I don’t know if I have the skills to replicate any of the things that IFTTT does.

    So this post is half about telling you that IFTTT now works with App.net and half to tell you that I really love IFTTT. *Carry on.*

  • The B&B Podcast #74: The Worst, Worst, Worst Case Scenario

    >After a 2-week hiatus, Ben and Shawn are back to talk about touchscreen desktop computers, Twitter, App.net, and Glassboard, and the kitchen sink.

  • A Ridiculous Survey

    Dan Nosowitz reporting the results of a survey about cloud computing:
    >54 percent of respondents claim to never use the cloud. 95 percent of those people actually are.

    All of the results seem pretty ridiculous if you ask me. I have two main take aways from this:

    1. This is what happens when business speak and marketing degrees start to take over, you get a convoluted mess of words that don’t mean anything. Cloud computing is different than servers and clients how? Different than networking how? Cloud computing is a bad term meant to dumb down and oversell a complex system to “normal” users. See also: [Twitter’s writing](http://www.marco.org/2012/08/29/twitter-open-to-businesses).
    2. I think the above quote is actually a *good* thing, not a bad thing. If “cloud” services are done right, the user should really never need to know that they are using a cloud based service. Does it really matter if Dropbox is cloud based or not — or is what really matters that such a service works consistently and works well? I think the implementation, not the name is what matters.

    [via NextDraft]

  • Archiving the Digital Bits

    Jonathan Poritsky has a really interesting thought about Netflix, their original content, and the archival-less nature of streaming-only services:
    >But what happens when I fall out of love, or when they hike prices again? What happens when the company starts developing films and keeps them exclusive to streaming as well? And what if they fail and fall into obscurity? If released on disc, they could at the very least be preserved by fans and collectors.

    I’d argue that so long as services like The Pirate Bay exists, we won’t need to worry about not being able to archive streaming-only content. That said, this is a really good question.

    Without original content, Netflix is just a distributor to production companies. With original content Netflix now has a role in creating works of art (if you believe films and TV shows are works of art, I do). This is an interesting problem for Netflix and film buffs alike as more and more companies like Netflix spring up to make works of art.

    Likewise too with Instagram — how many historic photos may be in the grips of Instagram that will be lost when/if the service dies?

    Ditto Mixel — what if there were truly great works of art on the service, never again to see the light of day.

    With streaming, with cloud hosted, with digital itself — we have such a huge risk to lose really important stuff. Important, historically and more.

    Same with this blog. If I stop paying the hosting bill, it all goes away. Not that there is anything that important, but there are websites that *are* that important.

  • Twitter Doesn’t Want You

    Harry Marks in a beautifully written essay:
    >Twitter has devolved into just another place for commercials and we’re partly to blame

    Marks’ writing is fantastic on this post and he sneaks in so many little nuggets of truth that it’s hard not to nod your head along while reading it.

    He also makes a good point: the nerds that are now mad about Twitters direction, really had their heads in the sand about the direction that Twitter was headed in. We knew where the service was going, but ignored it — hoping instead that Twitter would do right by “us.” The time to push back and ask for change was not a few weeks ago, it was a couple of years ago.

    We were late.

  • ‘Apple Store Customer Arrested for Shoplifting Says He Was Trying to Use EasyPay Self-Checkout’

    The headline says it all. The victim/alleged shoplifter says it was all a mistake and that he meant to buy the headphones.

    What’s amazing to me about this story is a few things:

    1. He got a bag from an employee.
    2. Even though he had a bag, he was stopped. (How/why?)
    3. That this hasn’t happened before, or at least not been blogged about before.

    The ‘EasyPay’ feature has always seemed like a PR nightmare waiting to happen since it’s launch. I think we would have seen the “old” Apple executive team quietly handle this — which is why we probably never heard about it — but now we heard about this. This is massively wild speculation: but could Browett be trying to rid this feature and therefore letting Apple take bad PR to prove his point? I’m blaming Browet because he [seems to be the only one in Apple’s ranks that doesn’t understand why the Apple Stores are successes](https://brooksreview.net/2012/08/snafu/).

  • It Will Be Exhilarating

    A new book from the guys at Studio Neat. I had a chance to read an advance copy (I also provided a quote on the site) and I really urge you, no I beg you, to read this book before you launch your next Kickstarter project.

    I cannot tell you how many Kickstarter projects I have backed that months after the “expected ship date” still have not shipped, and after reading this book I have a feeling those products could have been shipped on time if the backers knew some of this knowledge.

    I told Tom and Dan that after reading this book, I almost think it should be required before starting a project on Kickstarter. While I can’t make that happen, I am 50% more likely to back your project if I know you have read this.

    Ok, is that enough reason to go check it out?

    If not, get this: it’s $5.

    Also: it’s a fast read for a slow reader like me.

  • A Private Facebook

    I love how Gabe uses Glassboard as a sort of private-single-use Facebook, with privacy. I think this would be a great thing for my family too — and plan on setting it up.

    I called for suggestions on how others are using Glassboard, so I am glad I came across this post from Gabe. One thing that I didn’t know was just how robust the website offering is. I’m in.

  • ‘What Neil Armstrong Could Have Said’

    A great article from the Esquire archives that polled celebrities in the summer of 1969 and asked them what they would say if they were first on the moon. My favorite is Truman Capote’s: “So far so good.”

    Of course Neil Armstrong topped them all — may he rest in peace.

  • Amazon Item of the Week: Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Liquid Hand Soap

    Specifically the Lemon Verbena scented soap. I wish this was made in a foaming soap, but I like it so much that I don’t really care that it isn’t foaming. Actually what I really like about it is the clean scent it leaves behind — not over powering like other soaps, just enough that it is there for a bit.

    [I buy mine by the 6-pack](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000E75ES2/ref=nosim&tag=brooksreview-20).

    If I can’t get this hand soap, and/or I want a foaming soap, my back up is [this Method soap](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00660CVUA/ref=nosim&tag=brooksreview-20). It doesn’t smell as nice, but it’s a solid #2 offering.

  • Oh, Well If We Can Claim Apple Is Evil…

    Interesting read from Jean-Louis Gassée that refutes the notion that Samsung (and other Android devices) will now need to assess an Apple Tax on consumers for settling licensing and lawsuits. As Gassée points out, this is nothing new:

    > Last year, Apple and Nokia settled an IP “misunderstanding” that also resulted in a “Tax”…but it was Nokia that played the T-Man role: Apple paid Nokia more than $600M plus an estimated $11.50 per iPhone sold. Where were the handwringers who now accuse Apple of abusing the patent system when the Nokia settlement took place?

    He goes on to point out that Samsung is already paying huge sums per phone and tablet to Microsoft, yet no talk on a “Microsoft Tax” in the media.

    Of course Nokia and Microsoft are not nearly as page-view-link-bait driven as bad mouthing Apple is, so there’s that.

    I think the most interesting to thing to find out, right now, is what Google is saying (if they are saying anything) to their hardware “partners”. I mean think about it very carefully: Google owns Motorola and just watched Samsung be effectively bitch-slapped by a Jury. Is Google telling hardware partners to “keep calm and carry on”? Not likely.

    And if Samsung is already paying Microsoft $10-15 per Android device, how much would it cost to just license Windows 8? It cannot be that big of a gap.

  • ‘The Boolean Graph’

    Kevin Rose wonders out loud why he is using Facebook less and less, concluding:
    >The people I friended three years ago in passing I hardly know and un-friending is hard and socially awkward.

    The concept of “friending” on Facebook is both its biggest strength and biggest weakness. I explained a lot in [this post about Twitter from a while back about the dynamics of things like this](https://brooksreview.net/2011/05/follow/). The long and short of it is that unfollowing on Twitter isn’t nearly as painful (but still pisses people off) to people as unfriending on Facebook is, but the real problem is that people have an overly loose definition of what a “friend” is.

    The way I determine a friend: do you have my cell phone number or home address? Because if you can wake me up in the middle of the night, then I probably think of you as a friend. ((Excluding those that have my number as an emergency contact for my work related things.))

  • ‘Supporting Content Makers’

    When I was talking with Myke on CMD+SPACE the other day, he mentioned his internal thought process on how he decides to support a site by becoming a member or not. After mentioning it I urged him to write it up, because his rationale is simply fantastic.

    This is that write, and I really don’t want to spoil the criteria he uses so I do urge you to read it. What I really like about his logic is that it is all about the people behind things, and not the content itself — that sits well with me.

  • ‘Fred Wilson on Why the Collapse of Venture Capital Is Good’

    Rachel Metz in an interview with super-blogger-VC Fred Wilson, introduces the interview with this nugget:
    >Lately VCs haven’t come close to generating the returns on their investments that made them stars in the 1990s. It’s even becoming questionable what value they generate for society. IT companies are finding it cheaper than ever to get going now that they can rent computing resources from providers in the “cloud.” Meanwhile, alternative funding mechanisms are proliferating.

    What a great opening salvo, particularly the second sentence about the value of VCs towards society.

    Just three questions into the interview she asks Wilson what a “mediocre return” is for a VC, to which he responds:

    >Anything less than three times your money over a 10-year period.

    Correct me if I am wrong, but that’s a 30% return on your money every year for ten years — and anything less than that is considered too bad to want to continue with this?

    Armed with that information, and the fast approaching seven year anniversary of Twitter, do you still wonder why Twitter is scrambling to make money?

    Personally I don’t mind companies that take VC money, what I do mind is companies that take VC money that:

    1. Don’t have any clue how to repay that money (no business model in place, or planned on);
    2. That eventually allow the VCs to run the entire show.

    Twitter is at fault, I believe, of both of those errors.

    In case you don’t think it is possible to be VC funded and not let the VCs run the show — even when you don’t have the money stuff figured out — I would look no further than Facebook. Zuckerberg’s most impressive feat, to date, is the fact that he took Facebook through countless VC rounds and an IPO, all while still retaining control of the company. That is simply amazing.

    Should be interesting to watch how venture capital changes with the explosive growth of Kickstarter (who is backed by VC money, no less).

  • Glassboard Premium

    I have never used Glassboard for more than a few moments to try it out. Here’s the thing though, I really want to sign up for the premium service because of how great the platform is.

    I really want to use Glassboard, but my company is basically me — so that’s out.

    So, here’s my serious question for all of you: if you use Glassboard in a non-work setting, how are you using it?

    I am really looking for a way to use the service because I like it so much, so get in a touch and let me know.

    Oh and if you use Glassboard, I highly recommend you pay to support it.

  • ‘Translation of Selected Portions of AT&T’s Blog Post Regarding FaceTime Over Their Cellular Network’

    Nick Heer translates AT&T’s BS press release:

    >You won’t *believe* how tightly we are threading our FaceTime policies through some loopholes we found. You are going to be amazed, where by amazed, we mean “totally pissed off”.

    I actually didn’t read the AT&T press release because I couldn’t keep from rolling my eyes long enough to get through the first word. Heer’s translation is excellent.

    I’ve been an AT&T subscriber for well over 14 years. No, really. I was pumped when the first iPhone was announced on Cingular (later changed to AT&T) and I have a completely unfounded hatred of using Verizon. ((I have a Verizon iPad, but only because AT&T’s LTE network is a joke.)) With the next iPhone coming out in a month or so, I have to say, that for the first time I just might switch to Verizon. ((Or T-Mobile as I am hearing more and more little birdies telling me that T-Mobile will get the iPhone this time around, what with the failed merger with AT&T. They are local, so might make a good choice for me.))

    Literally no one in my family, or immediate network (save two good friends), are on Verizon — and yet I don’t know if I can stomach staying on AT&T. It’s not that AT&T has bad service, bad speeds, or bad prices ((All the networks have shitty prices.)) — it’s that AT&T Wireless has taken the Airline route to customer service, which I summarize as such:

    > We stand to serve our customers, except only *we* know what our customers want. Should a customer want a new feature, we need to sit down and determine how much and how often we can charge them for that new feature — this should take no less than 6 months. Should our customers challenge us, we will slyly raise early termination fees to deter such dissension. Remember, we are AT&T, and the ultimate authority on what *you* actually need.

    The problem is that mobile telephones and internet has moved from a luxury good, paid with disposable income, to a commodity. I have seen people sitting on the side of the road, freshly evicted from their apartment, chatting on their phones and texting. This is our priority — it’s no wonder that AT&T feels like they can treat us like shit.

    So, maybe it’s time for a change this September. ((T-Mobile users, let me know how the service and network speeds are just in case what I am hearing is true. No way I go with Sprint, their commercials were in B&W — can’t imagine they have a fast network.))

    [via The Beard]

  • Drafts for iPad

    [I love Drafts](https://brooksreview.net/2012/04/drafts-2/) and so I am happy to see it make its way to the iPad as a new $3 app. Drafts for the iPad is everything you would expect: fast, clean, and simple. If you already use and love Drafts on the iPhone, then Drafts for iPad is a no brainer.

    There are two things that I am not a fan of with the iPad version:

    1. Simperium is powering the syncing engine — which means I have to create an account with them to get sync up and running between the two versions of the app. This is likely done because of the trouble developers are having with iCloud, but it is still a very annoying thing as a user. So far I haven’t bothered to set this up.
    2. The actions menu is now huge in Drafts, this is really nice if you use Drafts that way, but for me I would much prefer if Drafts just came with the actions defaulted to off — forcing me to turn on only the ones I really need.

    Both those complaints are minor ones, and only complaints that you will encounter in first-run scenarios. Once you are up and running things work very nicely.

    Along with the iPad version [Drafts for the iPhone hit version 2.0](http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/drafts/id502385074?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4). I am still personally using [Scratch](https://brooksreview.net/2012/07/scratch/) on my iPhone instead, but now it just comes down to UI preference as both apps have very similar functionality and launch seemingly just as fast as each other.

    *(Personally I am sticking with Scratch on my iPhone because I love the custom keys above the keyboard. This is something that Drafts on the iPad does have, but is curiously missing on the iPhone.)*

  • CMD+SPACE – 004 – Paywalls with Ben Brooks

    I joined Myke on CMD+Space to talk about paywalls and Twitter. It was a fun show and I loved how Myke decides whether or not to pay for a membership, which I won’t reveal — you’ll have to listen.

  • Poster – a WordPress Blog Editor

    New iPad app for posting to WordPress blogs that does two fantastically awesome things:

    1. Allows you to grab files from Dropbox to post, all within the app.
    2. But more importantly it is the only iPad WordPress app that I know of that supports custom fields — which is huge for me and many other WordPress bloggers.

    Beyond that it is a really nice clean and straightforward app. It’s actually perfectly simple and I think is going to become my new best friend.

    [It’s $3.99, go get it.](http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/poster-wordpress-blog-editor/id549006481?mt=8)

    **Update:** There is a bug in the app that causes the post time to be several hours off. This is a timezone bug I am told and a bug fix should be submitted soon. For me this post (posted with Poster) was submitted to my site 7 hours earlier then when I expected. This is certainly annoying to have in an otherwise great app.

    [via huw on App.net]

  • ‘Why Apple Might Be Better Off Losing Its Patent Lawsuit’

    Steve Lohr, reporting on a research note from Steve Milunovich argues that Apple *might* be better off losing its patent battle with Samsung:

    >“It could hurt Apple,” he writes, “because the real threat is not a competitor beating Apple at its own game but instead changing the game.”

    Bullshit.

    Are we to believe that Google, Samsung, HTC, Motorola, et al. stand any chance at “changing the game”? These are entrenched players that, to this day, still show that they lack a fundamental understanding of why, what Apple is doing, is working.

    The companies don’t get it and that is why they are copying instead of innovating. That will not and cannot change if they are forced to make workarounds. You know what will happen: they *will* make crappy workarounds and not give a crap about user experience — as evidenced by the quality of devices (generally) and crappy skins they apply over Android.

    Look, I’m not saying these companies are incapable of coming up with a few features that are better than what Apple offers, but I *am* saying that Samsung stooped so low as to copy the icons that Apple uses.

    *The* icons.

    I don’t know what logic Milunovich was using, but I bet if Apple outright wins its lawsuit it would be far more crippling to Samsung than it ever will be to Apple.