The Brooks Review

Category: Links

  • Eric Schmidt a Name You Can Forget

    Eric Schmidt on the Google Blog:

    Larry will now lead product development and technology strategy, his greatest strengths, and starting from April 4 he will take charge of our day-to-day operations as Google’s Chief Executive Officer. In this new role I know he will merge Google’s technology and business vision brilliantly. I am enormously proud of my last decade as CEO, and I am certain that the next 10 years under Larry will be even better! Larry, in my clear opinion, is ready to lead.

    This is the best decision I have heard Google make in the past 5 years. Schmidt was a terrible choice and I am very happy that Larry Page is taking over. Schmidt detailed exactly why I think this is a good decision:

    For the last 10 years, we have all been equally involved in making decisions.

    Translation: for 10 years we have sat around arguing about stuff.

    And this:

    As Executive Chairman, I will focus wherever I can add the greatest value: externally, on the deals, partnerships, customers and broader business relationships, government outreach and technology thought leadership that are increasingly important given Google’s global reach; and internally as an advisor to Larry and Sergey.

    My guess is that Schmidt moves to D.C. and handles lobbying for Google, using the B.S. “Executive Chairman” title to woo politicians into thinking he runs anything. I further guess this was Larry and Sergey’s decision, not Schmidt’s.

    Kudos for making the right call on this one.

  • iPad Camera

    Mac Rumors is reporting that the iPad will get both front facing and rear facing cameras in its second iteration. Perhaps I am the only one, but what the hell good is a rear facing camera on a device that weighs 1.5lbs and is the size of a sheet of paper?

    The Samsung Galaxy Tab has a rear facing camera and I felt like a complete idiot holding that thing up to take a picture. I can’t imagine how stupid iPad users would look taking a “snapshot” with their iPad. Hell, the iPad would look bigger than most dSLRs when you use it to take a picture.

  • Bibliotype

    This is an incredibly clever solution for optimizing sites for readability for the iPad. I think it extends to more devices than just the iPad — MacBook Airs come to mind.

    I would love to implement something like this on this site, because even when I am not viewing this on the iPad I sometimes want a different font size. If you know how to roll this into WP let me know.

    (Note: I am against all mobile themes, but not against good optimization for readability. I want better readability no matter what the device being used is.)

  • Past Blast: Frank Sinatra Has a Cold

    [This is part of Shawn Blanc’s blast from the past idea where you link to an old post that is still great.]

    This is my last past blast for the day and it is one of the best articles I have ever read.

    Gay Talese:

    When his voice is on, as it was tonight, Sinatra is in ecstasy, the room becomes electric, there is an excitement that spreads through the orchestra and is felt in the control booth where a dozen men, Sinatra’s friends, wave at him from behind the glass.

    It is an article about how to be cool, how to have respect and so much more.

  • Past Blast: Writing Sensible Email Messages

    [This is part of Shawn Blanc’s blast from the past idea where you link to an old post that is still great.]

    Merlin Mann giving you advice to interleave your email replies back in 2005, actually this entire post has nothing but excellent email tips. Merlin:

    Make it easy to quote – Power email users will quote and respond to specific sections or sentences of your message. You can facilitate this by keeping your paragraphs short, making them easy to slice and dice.

  • Past Blast: “Be a Better Designer”

    [This is part of Shawn Blanc’s blast from the past idea where you link to an old post that is still great.]

    This post from Shawn is about more than just being a better designer. Shawn Blanc:

    That was the first and last time I ever acted like a high-and-mighty graphic designer who treats his clients as if they were perpetually inconveniencing him.

    You can take the words ‘graphic designer’ and input just about any other profession.

  • Past Blast: iPhony

    [This is part of Shawn Blanc’s blast from the past idea where you link to an old post that is still great.]

    John Gruber on iPhone rumors…in 2002:

    Other than Jobs himself, who confirms nothing about an Apple iPhone, Mr. Markoff’s only sources are “industry analysts”. Industry analysts know nothing about Apple, and given their record in the tech industry in the last few years, it’s a wonder anyone quotes them at all. Even the Daring Fireball could have offered better insight than these bozos.

    True and still does offer better insight than those industry “bozos”. That’s not the reason I’m posting this though — this was the point when I realized that I should stop reading analysts and established ‘journalists’ and turn to my peers for their ideas and reviews.

  • Frank Chimero on Excess

    Frank Chimero, in what must be the best thing I have read in 2011:

    This is what we want from everything we let into our lives: a good fit, so we can achieve full mastery of our tools, so we can milk all the potential out of everything that we have. If we can do that, we can truly appreciate our things.

    I have a button down shirt from my wedding. It was custom made just for me with 15 dimensions taken, including the pitch of my shoulders. It is best shirt I have ever owned. I had the opportunity to wear it again at my sister in-laws wedding and was reminded just how damned good I feel when I wear that shirt. I wish I could have all my clothes custom made — truth be told it is cheaper than you think.

    I feel the exact same way about my iPhone. I messed about with the arrangement of icons until it was perfect for me. My wife hates it when she borrows my phone because the phone app isn’t in the dock: Twitter, OmniFocus, Mail, and Camera are.

    Same goes with my Mac, iPad, OmniFocus and so much more. Customization to make things fit you and how you work is the ultimate goal.

    Frank is right on another point:

    Optimize for steadfastness, embrace the ephemeral quality of hot-swappable items when it makes sense, and think about how it all connects.

    Minimalism is one thing, “appropriatism” is another.

    If you read nothing else this week, make it this.

  • Ten Billion Apps Yet?

    Simple website that tells you how long before the ten billionth app with be downloaded.

  • Starbucks Starts Accepting Mobile Payments Nationwide

    Jennifer Van Grove:

    Starbucks Card Mobile [iTunes link] lets users add their Starbucks Cards, track rewards and reload cards as needed via PayPal or credit card. To pay with their phone, app users simply select “touch to pay” and hold up the barcode on their mobile device screen to the 2-D scanner at the register.

    That’s pretty cool, I’ll have to see how it works on Friday.

  • NYT: iPhone 5 Will Be ‘Completely Redesigned’

    This whole report sounds like rubbish to me. Sarah Perez:

    To start, the iPhone 5’s internals will be different – the device will run on a new, combined CDMA/GSM/UTMS chipset from Qualcomm, which will support both AT&T and Verizon here in the U.S., as well as other carriers worldwide – perhaps even an expanded lineup, as would now be possible.

    I highly doubt this will happen this go around — I am guessing that this is another year or so off.

    iPhone 5 Expected to Support NFC

    I doubt this as well — again this is further off than this June. They just hired Benjamin Vigier in 2010, Apple doesn’t rush things like that. Expect this next year at the earliest.

    Can Apple Execs Deliver Jobs’ Vision for iPhone 5?

    This is an idiotic statement. Plain and simple, the iPhone 5 has been executed by Jobs already. Do people really think that the iPhone 5 isn’t close to being production ready right now. If that is what you think, then it won’t be coming out this summer.

  • Work E-Mail Not Protected by Attorney-Client Privilege, Court Says

    Interesting decision: work emails are for work and if you are communicating with your attorney you don’t get privilege there — meaning your work can use those emails against you in court even though you were communicating with your attorney.

  • Why I Need To Quit Facebook

    So. True. (At least it was true when I was still on Facebook, maybe it has changed but I sincerely doubt that.)

  • TBR RSS Feeds

    A few people over the past couple of weeks wanted to know if there is anyway to get an RSS feed that contains only the Articles and not the linked list items. Indeed there is and has always been a way, but I kept it secret for an unknown reason.

    Hit this link to see the two feed URLs. Thanks!

  • Cold Water on the iPad 2 Retina Display Hype

    John Gruber on the iPad 2 retina display rumors:

    Rumors are rampant that the upcoming iPad 2 will feature a higher-resolution retina display. Long story short: No, it won’t.

    I was about 670 words into a post that comes to this same conclusion, only I don’t have any sources like Gruber. As much as I want the retina display iPad I just don’t see how it is cost effective and possible given the power needed to drive it.

    Don’t bank on it this go around, but the iPad 2 should still be great.

  • Facebook is a Ponzi Scheme

    Joseph Perla on why Facebook is a ponzi scheme:

    Eventually, though, and this might take a long time, but it is finite, everyone will have tried Facebook ads and know that they are useless. Eventually, after 10 million businesses have invested $1000 each, and Facebook has earned $10 billion in revenue in total, then they will have run out of new customers and their revenue will dry up. A useless product is never sustainable. I wish I could short Facebook.

    I wish I could short Facebook too. From people that I have talked to about Facebook ads the sentiment seems to be shared: they only work for very specific products and mostly they are not worth the money spent. FYI to everyone who is potentially going to advertise on Facebook: it’s not worth it unless you have a social game or busty girls in tight t-shirts.

    (On another note: you are clicking those beautiful Fusion ads up there right? There are some damned good services being advertised and it helps support this site. Thanks!)

  • “New Twitter Has Become Browser Poison”

    Mike Cane on Twitter.com:

    So, if you’ve been experiencing browser slowdowns, close that damn New Twitter tab and I bet everything will get better fast.

    Interesting, since I don’t use Twitter in the browser ever I haven’t seen this. Nor can I seem to reproduce it when I try, which leads me to wonder if Cane is having problems because of Windows and Twitter not liking each other.

  • Last Day to Enter the OmniFocus for Mac Giveaway

    If you haven’t entered, or you have entered but didn’t get an email response from me, you need to enter today. At midnight I am rolling the dice to find out who wins.

    (Truthfully I will be asleep at midnight, but I won’t accept any emails that come in after midnight.)

  • Idea to Market in 5 Months: Making the Glif

    Dan Provost on how he and Tom Gerhardt took the Glif idea and shipped a product in 5 months:

    One thing that has greatly pleased Tom and I about the the success of this project is its inherent simplicity: we are just two guys who made something people want to buy, and then we sell it to them. No middle men, no big corporations, no venture capital, no investments. I think beyond the interest in the Glif itself, people like to know where things are coming from, and the story behind it. So thanks for letting us tell our story.

    They have no manufacturing experience, but using the Internet and common sense they made it happen — amazing. Inspiring story for everyone (myself included) that has an idea, but doesn’t know how to get it going.

  • Facebook Now Giving Your Phone Number and Address to App Developers [UPDATED]

    I mentioned this the other day in passing, but Facebook is now allowing app developers to grab your phone number and address.

    Facebook:

    We are now making a user’s address and mobile phone number accessible as part of the User Graph object. Because this is sensitive information, we have created the new user_address and user_mobile_phone permissions. These permissions must be explicitly granted to your application by the user via our standard permissions dialogs.

    You still must grant them access, but I would guess that most users don’t take the time to read what they are granting apps access to. There is very limited need for apps to get this data — other than for marketing purposes. Time to “not allow” these apps to grab this data.

    [Updated: 1.18.11 at 1:11 PM]

    The Atlantic is now reporting that Facebook has temporarily suspended this — who knows when it will start back up.