The Brooks Review

Category: Links

  • The WD-40 Home Button Fix

    Khoi Vinh:
    >In my experience, on not just my own iPhone 4 but also on my girlfriend’s, WD-40 restores the responsiveness of the iPhone’s home button to basically like-new condition.

    I highly — highly — recommend that you do **not** do this.

  • Selectively Enable Flash in Chrome Without an Extension

    Justin Blanton on using Click-to-Flash in Chrome as a built in feature:
    >The thing is, with Chrome, you don’t need a plugin or extension to ensure that Flash (or any other type of content that requires a plugin) is blocked by default, but easily enabled when needed; this sort of functionality is built into the browser.

    He also has an [impressive list](http://hypertext.net/2012/01/chrome-extensions) of extensions for Chrome.

  • Ten Things Everyone Should Know About Time

    Absolutely fascinating.

  • How to Use Services in Mac OS X

    Nice overview of using Services in Mac OS X — this can be a really powerful tool.

  • The Original

    Nik Fletcher:

    >The original iPhone was built on a different set of compromises to the competition – how it worked was (at least to begin with) more important than everything that it did.

    I keep my original iPhone in a Pelican case because I love it so. That original iPhone: every time I see it I remember how desperately I wanted one after Steve Jobs announced it and how satisfying it was to use even though for 12 hours after getting it I could only slide for an emergency call. ((AT&T didn’t allow the iPhone to be on a business plan at that time and I had to wait until the next morning to get my number moved to a family plan to activate it through iTunes.))

  • Why the Olympics Social Media Ban for Volunteers Is Idiotic

    Paul Adams thinks the social media ban on Olympics volunteers is idiotic and I completely agree. Adams lays out some great reasons why this is so dumb and really gets at the heart of the issue:

    >In my opinion, this move is motivated by protecting the rights of those who paid extreme amounts of money to broadcast Olympic footage. It’s keeping all the major broadcasters happy.

  • Nook Discounts with 1-year Subscriptions

    Laura Owen for paidContent:
    >In Barnes & Noble’s largest Nook promotion yet, the bookstore chain is offering discounted or free Nooks to those who purchase one-year subscriptions to the Nook editions of People or the New York Times. It’s the first time a major retailer has offered an e-reader free with a content subscription.

    I don’t particularly care about the Nook, but I really wonder if this will work for all sides (consumer, publisher, gadget maker). This is essentially saying: the content is more compelling than the device.

    So the question really is: in the consumer mind, which is more compelling the content or the device?

  • The TSA Proves Its Own Irrelevance

    Bruce Schneier on the [TSA’s top 10 good catches of 2011](http://blog.tsa.gov/2012/01/tsa-top-10-good-catches-of-2011.html):

    >And that the C4 — their #1 “good catch” — was on the return flight; they missed it the first time. So only 1 for 2 on that one.

    Bravo, TSA.

  • A Smart Phone That Knows You’re Angry

    Duncan Graham-Rowe on Samsung’s new software to detect the emotion of a smart phone user:
    >But there are many more potential applications, says Lee. The system could trigger different ringtones on a phone to convey the caller’s emotional state or cheer up someone who’s feeling low. “The smart phone might show a funny cartoon to make the user feel better,” he says.

    If I am pissed, the last thing that is going to make me “feel better” is some cheesy cartoon my Samsung phone picks out.

  • Amazon Item of the Week: Air Swimmers

    My dad bought these for all his kids this Christmas — when I opened it I thought it was a joke. I mean I really thought it was a toy for little kids, but he pulled up some [videos on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIJINiK9azc) and I was pumped to put this thing together.

    The assembly is tricky and you need a [helium tank](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000WNIXZ4/ref=nosim&tag=brooksreview-20), but once together this is simply awesome.

    I spent at least an hour playing with it at my dads, one of my cats is scared to death of it — best toy ever.

    (Side note: We tried taking one outside and it floated away rather quickly. If you do this a fishing line tether is a smart play. Also achieving perfect neutral buoyancy is key.)

    I have the [clown fish](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B005FYCBR6/ref=nosim&tag=brooksreview-20), but the [shark](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B005FYEAJ8/ref=nosim&tag=brooksreview-20) is just as awesome.

  • Dick’s Burgers, Gates Approved

    I’ll say it again: Dick’s burgers is *the* best burger joint out there.

    As for the linked article, nice story — though I’d much prefer the last paragraph be omitted.

  • PayPal tests in-store payment system at Home Depot

    This really should have happened sooner — with NFC payments around the corner I can’t see the phone number plus PIN being a winning solution.

  • The B&B Podcast – Episode 41: Coality

    >We kick off the new year with another variety show. Shawn and Ben chat about the latest iPod nanos and why Ben says they aren’t that great, blogging and using an iPad as your only computer, and a few speculations on the next iPad and what it may bring.

    Thanks to our sponsor [Verses](http://kepner.me/versesapp) for making the show possible.

  • ‘Less Happy’

    Best Buy CEO Brian Dunn pens a post to respond to recent media coverage.

    Specifically the [Forbes article](https://brooksreview.net/2012/01/best-buy-2/) from earlier this week. It’s a pretty boring post all around, but it is interesting that he didn’t try to refute or mention the most damning part of the article (most damning part in my mind). That as Larry Downes says:

    >The reasons for the company’s dwindling prospects are easy to find. Just walk into one of the company’s retail locations or shop online. And try, really try, not to lose your temper.

    The closest Dunn comes is by saying:

    >We recognize people can and do shop from anywhere, and they expect thoughtful, helpful interactions from us every step of the way. We continue to invest in a number of areas – from employee training, to critical system enhancements – to ensure our customers always receive the kind of experience they deserve and expect from us, wherever and whenever they choose.

    That comes close, but really you can see the lack of customer service is a top down problem. Dunn addresses the Christmas order cancellations by saying:

    >The cancellation of some internet orders just before Christmas was our fault, and it’s not representative of how we EVER want to treat our customers. I’ll spare you the technical explanation of how and why it happened, but we know we did not deliver a good experience and we’re truly sorry. We’ve worked to make amends with customers whose holidays were made less happy because of our mistake, and we’re working diligently to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

    “Less happy”?

    Really?

    Give me a fucking break.

  • SOPA-Supporting News Outlets Aren’t Covering SOPA

    Dave Copeland:
    >Traditional media companies have been key players in lobbying for SOPA’s passage, with more than half of that funding coming from cable television providers, commercial TV and radio stations, and the entertainment industry.

    And of course those that back the bill don’t cover it in their “fair and balanced” news coverage.

  • The Power of a Mac mini

    Brian Stucki on Macminicolo and its almost 1,000 Mac mini servers:
    >We have some minis that have been here since day one serving for seven continuous years.

    That’s crazy to think about, but then I remembered that I too have an original G4 Mac mini attached to my TV and it still works perfectly. Mac minis truly are great little machines.

  • ‘My Hometown Is Better Than Yours’

    I am breaking my newly established “don’t link to anonymous type sites rule” because turns out his name is ‘Mike’ — close enough for me, my rule is still intact — this is simply too awesome.

  • Kindle Fire Popular with Commuters?

    John Moltz responding to my statement that I have yet to see a Fire in public around Seattle:

    >I’m not sure where Ben hangs out but I can tell you that I’ve seen a number of Kindle Fires on the Tacoma to Seattle Sounder which I ride every day (at least I do until the end of January). The older Kindles have traditionally been very popular with Sounder riders (iPads are also popular but less than the Kindle) and I would guess I’ve seen 10 or so Fires since they came out.

    Makes sense that people who ride the Sounder train on a daily basis would have more of these types of devices.

    Update: I can see this might be taken as a comment about the type of people that buy a Fire — those that ride a train. I actually just meant that people riding trains to work would likely want a tablet. Sorry for the confusion.

  • Microsoft Signature

    Microsoft:
    >Many new PCs come filled with lots of trialware and sample software that slows your computer down—removing all that is a pain, so we do it for you! Every PC the Microsoft Store sells is put on a software diet and performance is tuned to run the best it can.

    You have got to love the exclamation point here. It’s like the biggest pat on the back that I have ever seen in ad copy. Genius.

    >We call this process Microsoft Signature.

    Funny, I call it common sense.

  • Secondcrack

    Marco released his new blogging platform: secondcrack. The readme is comprehensive, but this bit in the FAQ is my favorite:

    >**Why should I use this instead of [existing solution]?**
    >I don’t know. You probably shouldn’t.

    I’m holding off for a bit on using it, but mostly because moving this site will be a lot of work.