My thanks to Treehouse for sponsoring the RSS feed this week to promote their online learning solution, but really it’s more than that. I used Treehouse for a few months and learned a ton about web development and CSS — it’s easy and fast. There’s great challenges and some really nice video walkthroughs taught by…
My thanks to Treehouse for sponsoring the RSS feed this week to promote their online learning solution, but really it’s more than that. I used Treehouse for a few months and learned a ton about web development and CSS — it’s easy and fast.
There’s great challenges and some really nice video walkthroughs taught by people that know their stuff. I already knew a bunch when I went through the lessons, but I have no doubt that someone who knows very little can pick up with these lessons and learn a ton. If you want to know more about web design or even iOS apps, I’d start [here](https://teamtreehouse.com/learn/projects/?cid=947).
CBS: >The Transportation Security Administration announced Friday that they intend to fire seven of their employees following the discovery of a bribery scandal at the Philadelphia International Airport. >After an eight month investigation, authorities say a TSA training instructor who was responsible for administering annual proficiency exams was found to have accepted payment from TSA…
CBS:
>The Transportation Security Administration announced Friday that they intend to fire seven of their employees following the discovery of a bribery scandal at the Philadelphia International Airport.
>After an eight month investigation, authorities say a TSA training instructor who was responsible for administering annual proficiency exams was found to have accepted payment from TSA security officers to ensure passing grades.
Here’s something to ponder this weekend, what’s more embarrassing: that seven TSA employees were caught taking bribes, or that it took eight months to investigate?
Not quite fair right now, given the beta nature of Apple’s mapping solution, but interesting none the less. While Casey Chan points out the Apple offers “less information” than Google, Chan does so as if to imply that this is a bad thing. One look at the maps though and I can’t help but like…
Not quite fair right now, given the beta nature of Apple’s mapping solution, but interesting none the less. While Casey Chan points out the Apple offers “less information” than Google, Chan does so as if to imply that this is a bad thing. One look at the maps though and I can’t help but like Apple’s better.
Apple is offering clean maps. I don’t think that Apple is lacking in information, as much as they are making a conscious decision to *show* less information. Whether this is good or bad truly depends on how you use maps. My guess is that Apple figures you need less information now that you will have turn by turn navigation.
Christina Warren saying exactly what I have been thinking all week amidst the stupidity surrounding the new retina MacBook Pro: >No, what’s happening to PCs is very similar to what has happened to cars over the last 20 years. In order to be more powerful, more efficient and more streamlined, the products not only require…
Christina Warren saying exactly what I have been thinking all week amidst the stupidity surrounding the new retina MacBook Pro:
>No, what’s happening to PCs is very similar to what has happened to cars over the last 20 years. In order to be more powerful, more efficient and more streamlined, the products not only require less user interaction – they inhibit that interaction.
>In this episode Shawn and Ben discuss the crazy method they are taking to live stream the show, the new retina MacBook Pro, Ben’s ridiculous computer buying, iOS 6, whiskey, and how we use RSS.
>In this episode Shawn and Ben discuss the crazy method they are taking to live stream the show, the new retina MacBook Pro, Ben’s ridiculous computer buying, iOS 6, whiskey, and how we use RSS.
Posting a link to myself here, because it’s time again to remind people of what Andrew Turnbull so succinctly [said today](http://twitter.com/ar_turnbull/status/213317835932434432): >@BenjaminBrooks the best (and worst) thing about Twitter is that you are in charge of your own experience. So very spot on. This morning I blocked a bunch of people, truthfully I have been…
Posting a link to myself here, because it’s time again to remind people of what Andrew Turnbull so succinctly [said today](http://twitter.com/ar_turnbull/status/213317835932434432):
>@BenjaminBrooks the best (and worst) thing about Twitter is that you are in charge of your own experience.
So very spot on. This morning I blocked a bunch of people, truthfully I have been blocking a bunch of people for months now. If the unfollow/follow button is how I control what I see in my Timeline, the block button does the same for what I see in my mentions tab. That’s all there is to it, if you were/are blocked it’s because I just don’t care to see you clutter my mentions tab up. ((There’s lots of people that speculate that I block anyone who disagrees with me — which is just not true. I do, however, tend to block people that tweet disagreements at me every time I post something on the web — that’s why the button is there.))
Maybe this seems harsh, but it makes Twitter better for *me* and truly that’s what I care about.
Josh Constine writing about Facebook Exchange, a new way to show users ads: >For example a travel site could serve ads about a flight to Hawaii to someone who almost bought a flight on their site. Advertisers might pay big premiums for highly-accurate targeting. Users will be able to opt out of Facebook Exchange via…
Josh Constine writing about Facebook Exchange, a new way to show users ads:
>For example a travel site could serve ads about a flight to Hawaii to someone who almost bought a flight on their site. Advertisers might pay big premiums for highly-accurate targeting. Users will be able to opt out of Facebook Exchange via third-party demand-side platforms, but they can’t opt out of the program completely from within the social network.
So this program is opt-out only, but the user can only opt-out from each advertiser by clicking a little `x` when they see the ad? What could go wrong?
One thing that Constine also notes is that this also a good way to show ads for things that are *currently* happening, like TV programs about to air. This is all really neat from an advertising and technology stand point, but this sounds like a horrible thing for users. It’s like you need to actively monitor what you do, or you may begin to see ads for that crap everywhere.
Nice review from Thomas Brand about the Nokia Lumia 900 and Windows Phone 7 (man that’s a wordy couple of names). One thing that I really wish would be brought to iOS, is the text selection that he mentions: >Dare I say the copy and paste support on Windows phone is even better than on…
Nice review from Thomas Brand about the Nokia Lumia 900 and Windows Phone 7 (man that’s a wordy couple of names). One thing that I really wish would be brought to iOS, is the text selection that he mentions:
>Dare I say the copy and paste support on Windows phone is even better than on iOS. Selections are usually made one word at a time, and images and text can be copied and pasted multiple times without waiting for a popover menu to appear.
That sounds really nice.
I am always interested in the “Live Tiles” versus the static icons of iOS. Live Tiles seem like a really good idea on paper, but I can’t help but to think that in practice they aren’t that great. I haven’t tried it though, so that’s just speculation. I will note that I only saw two mentions of them in this review.
[Reeder](http://reederapp.com/2/) is an RSS reading application for Mac and iOS and it is one of the most popular iOS RSS apps. Reeder has always been my favorite RSS reader out there, Mac or iOS — it was a godsend when it came out. What makes Reeder 3.0 so very neat is that Silvio Rizzi did…
[Reeder](http://reederapp.com/2/) is an RSS reading application for Mac and iOS and it is one of the most popular iOS RSS apps. Reeder has always been my favorite RSS reader out there, Mac or iOS — it was a godsend when it came out. What makes Reeder 3.0 so very neat is that Silvio Rizzi did not rest on his laurels — of which — I would say, Reeder is already one of the finest iOS apps in the App Store.
Instead Rizzi rebuilt the entire app, from the ground up. He also listened to the fact that some people (read: me) don’t want to use Google Reader any longer. I have been testing Reeder 3.0 for what seems like a year now and using it with nothing but [Fever°](http://feedafever.com), my RSS reading platform of choice.
Since this is a 3.0 release I am going to just point out three new things that I love about Reeder 3.
### Thing 1
The best feature of all: Fever° support. This is a self-hosted RSS reader, with an API for apps like Reeder to interact with it. Fever° got Google Reader out of my life and I couldn’t be happier.
Reeder does a great job of integrating with Fever°, including the addition of the Hot List. Overall I find Fever° to be faster than using Google Reader in Reeder, but that’s also dependent on your web server.
The Fever° Hot List
Otherwise Fever° works just as GReader does, but without the privacy concerns that come with Google.
### Thing 2
Next up is the new/updated UI of the app. Once in single item view, the app feels like a hand made letterpress card for each of your RSS items. Except these cards are made of rubber, not paper — because they stretch and bounce all over.
Single item view.
I really love the UI of Reeder, it has the right amount of texture and a simple yet elegant feel to it. The banding animations that are prevalent in Reeder will be jarring at first, but quickly fade after the first use.
### Thing 3
Mark above and below as read with just a two finger gesture. Ok, so here’s the deal, it used to be that my thumb would get really tired in Reeder because I was constantly tapping to move from item to item. In Reeder 3 there’s a handy gesture: swipe up or down with two fingers in the list view to mark the items above or below that point as read.
I really, really like this feature. It was a last minute addition and it really makes for a fantastic addition to the app.
### Small Things I Don’t Like
Well, for starters, I wish the status bar was hidden when in single item view. That would be a great, immersive, experience while reading your RSS items. I also wish the Hot List for Fever° was a bit more informative and allowed you to control the time period — as currently implemented I rarely use it. I also dislike the jagged edges of the headers for the date and feeds sections, like really dislike these.
Silly jagged header.
### Bonus Points
Reeder has a new icon and it is fantastic.
### Worth It
Overall this is a great app that further secures Reeder’s place as one of the best iOS apps in the store. [Go get it](http://reederapp.com/2/) (launches 6/13/12 as an update).
I wasn’t going to post this ridiculous article that [Matt Gemmell](http://twitter.com/mattgemmell/status/212940930691514370) tweeted about, but then WSJ had to post a correction to the article. The original article by Clint Boulton basically stated that the higher resolution of the new retina MacBook Pro would lead to more bandwidth being used on corporate networks. Which is just…
I wasn’t going to post this ridiculous article that [Matt Gemmell](http://twitter.com/mattgemmell/status/212940930691514370) tweeted about, but then WSJ had to post a correction to the article. The original article by Clint Boulton basically stated that the higher resolution of the new retina MacBook Pro would lead to more bandwidth being used on corporate networks. Which is just completely false.
The correction:
>An earlier version of this article incorrectly said that the higher resolution Retina displays of the new iPad and forthcoming Macbook Pro computers would increase consumption of network bandwidth, thus slowing performance of corporate networks. Higher resolution screens do not in and of themselves consume more network bandwidth.
Nice to see how fast WordPress is being updated these days, but this version has one concerning feature that I want to make everyone aware of: native Twitter embeds. What this means (as far as I can tell) is that if you paste a link to a tweet, WordPress will automatically turn that into an…
Nice to see how fast WordPress is being updated these days, but this version has one concerning feature that I want to make everyone aware of: native Twitter embeds.
What this means (as far as I can tell) is that if you paste a link to a tweet, WordPress will automatically turn that into an embedded Tweet. This is really nice for a lot of people, but those embeds also have tracking code in them — so I don’t use them.
Sandhya Venkatachalam for Skype: >While on a 1:1 audio call, users will see content that could spark additional topics of conversation that are relevant to Skype users and highlight unique and local brand experiences. So, you should think of Conversation Ads as a way for Skype to generate fun interactivity between your circle of friends…
Sandhya Venkatachalam for Skype:
>While on a 1:1 audio call, users will see content that could spark additional topics of conversation that are relevant to Skype users and highlight unique and local brand experiences. So, you should think of Conversation Ads as a way for Skype to generate fun interactivity between your circle of friends and family and the brands you care about. Ultimately, we believe this will help make Skype a more engaging and useful place to have your conversations each and every day.
Word is that Venkatachalam spent two weeks trying to record this as a video message, but couldn’t keep a straight face when reading the above passage.
Also, they can’t be serious: “this will help make Skype a more engaging and useful place”. Come on. I don’t mind if you need to slip in ads, but don’t lie to users and yourself about who the ads are really helping.
Rich Ziade: >Today, we’re announcing the end of one of those: As of June 30, 2012, Readability will no longer accept reader fees. *Shocking.* ((This bit almost sounds like a threat though: “Readability’s publisher payment plan was one such attempt—the first of many, we hope.” *Shudder.*))
Rich Ziade:
>Today, we’re announcing the end of one of those: As of June 30, 2012, Readability will no longer accept reader fees.
*Shocking.* ((This bit almost sounds like a threat though: “Readability’s publisher payment plan was one such attempt—the first of many, we hope.” *Shudder.*))
Ian Chilton, freaking out: However, I think this is a bit sly of them – they’ve soldered the RAM to the motherboard, so you not only can’t use cheaper third-party RAM, but you can’t upgrade the RAM at all. You have got to be shitting me… As [I said on Twitter](http://twitter.com/BenjaminBrooks/status/212900940687220736), this is not only…
Ian Chilton, freaking out:
However, I think this is a bit sly of them – they’ve soldered the RAM to the motherboard, so you not only can’t use cheaper third-party RAM, but you can’t upgrade the RAM at all.
You have got to be shitting me… As [I said on Twitter](http://twitter.com/BenjaminBrooks/status/212900940687220736), this is not only *not* news, but it is *not* new to Apple. MacBook Air RAM is soldered to the board starting in 2010. This isn’t Apple being sly, this is Apple doing what Apple does: designing small computers.
But, hey, let’s give Chilton the benefit of the doubt here and say that Apple really is trying to screw over users that want to upgrade RAM using cheaper third-party RAM.
Guess what?
New retina MacBook Pros come with 8GB and can only expand to 16GB. I don’t know how much that specific RAM costs, but let’s use the regular MacBook Pro RAM as a benchmark. To upgrade a regular 15″ MacBook Pro to 16GB will cost you $169.99 at [OWC](http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/Apple_MacBook_MacBook_Pro/Upgrade/DDR3_1600MHz_SDRAM). To do the same upgrade on the retina MacBook Pro, from Apple: $200, but for that $200 you don’t void a warranty ((Note that I mean you don’t void the Retina Mac warranty, not the older style MacBook Pros)) and don’t do the work yourself.
So basically: same price.
Gasp!
There is an argument to be made that you could do the upgrade at a later date when RAM is cheaper, but if you know that’s what you like to do, then you already know you *can’t* do that with the retina MacBook Pro and will buy accordingly.
This is only news because [Hacker News](http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4105325) blows everything out of proportion.
Snopes.com: >(Although McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets are typically offered as an example of a popular MSP-based food, since 2003 that product has been made with all white meat rather than MSP.) And: >In February 2012, fast food chains McDonald’s, Taco Bell, and Burger King announced they would stop using BLBT in their food products. In March…
Snopes.com:
>(Although McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets are typically offered as an example of a popular MSP-based food, since 2003 that product has been made with all white meat rather than MSP.)
And:
>In February 2012, fast food chains McDonald’s, Taco Bell, and Burger King announced they would stop using BLBT in their food products. In March 2012, the grocery chains Kroger, Safeway, Supervalu, Bi-Lo, and Winn-Dixie announced they would stop buying BLBT products.
Interesting because I thought both still used these products. I guess your McNuggets aren’t as gross as I thought they were… still, I’m not eating them.
MG Siegler trying to figure out what Mac portable is best now: >That’s not necessarily a bad thing, we just happen to be at the beginning of a transition of the Mac into its next phase. In some ways, this is a mid-life crisis. He can’t decide between a new Air or retina MacBook Pro.…
MG Siegler trying to figure out what Mac portable is best now:
>That’s not necessarily a bad thing, we just happen to be at the beginning of a transition of the Mac into its next phase. In some ways, this is a mid-life crisis.
He can’t decide between a new Air or retina MacBook Pro. It’s a tough call now because the Air is perfect for so many people, but that new MacBook Pro is also excellent. I went with the latter, we’ll see how that goes.
Some interesting updates from Apple today. Mountain Lion is looking good overall, but what’s most notable is that it will only be a $20 upgrade — starting from Snow Leopard on. iOS 6 was previewed and Macworld has a nice rundown on that here. I don’t think this is an update that makes me say…
Some interesting updates from Apple today. Mountain Lion is looking good overall, but what’s most notable is that it will only be a $20 upgrade — starting from Snow Leopard on.
iOS 6 was previewed and Macworld has a nice rundown on that here. I don’t think this is an update that makes me say “wow” as much as it makes me say “nice”. iOS adds some features that seem to polish off the OS very nicely. The only one that really excites me is the new Maps — can’t wait to give that a go. ((I’ll wait for the second beta at least.))
The MacBook Airs and MacBook Pros were updated, but the big news is the new Retina MacBook Pro (Macworld link). I really didn’t think we would see a retina Mac before Apple went all SSD, but I was wrong. I ordered one of these and will write up a review when I get done putting it through the paces. I only ordered it over an Air because I wanted that screen — otherwise I still think the Air’s are a better choice for most. ((Also I am very excited at how fast editing audio and photos will be now.))
