California

So work sent me to the Society of Environmental Journalists conference at Stanford last week. I recorded some sessions (both audio and video), and generally it was pretty interesting.

Most of Stanford's north campus looks like this around this time of the year.



Northwest lost my luggage when we flew out, and it took a few days to get that sorted out. I had to go shopping and hit the laundromat.

The crosswalk sign was broken by our hotel in Palo Alto, so it was constantly giving us the horns. That, combined with the fact that there was an All Mac and a Fry's across the street were the only things that made the Super 8 where we stayed better than the Sheraton where everyone else was (we were overflow from the conference).

Stanford's tower was right across the street from one of the buildings we had sessions in.

The CalTrain station in Palo Alto. We rode this a lot.

My first experience with Thai beer. It was okay. And so was the Pad Thai.

The Golden Gate from above and to the west. An early stop on the whirlwind tour of the city some of my friends gave me.

GGP from BB (Baker Beach).

My feet met the Pacific for the first time on Baker Beach.

We found Yoda in the Presidio.

At the end of the night, we went up the Twin Peaks for a beautiful view of the city. I'm told its usually a lot foggier, but not Friday night.

Forget Me Not

So one of the features that keeps tempting me to switch to Firefox 2.0 is the fact that it remembers what tabs you had open after you close it - even if Firefox crashes. But Firefox just doesn't quite do it for me - its visually jarring compared to the rest of the apps on my Mac, and even after I skinned it, there are just a few little quirks about it that keep me using Apple's Safari.

I might give it another try sometime, especially since a friend pointed me at Fasterfox, since Firefox is pretty slow on the Mac. But really its the tab thing that's the most tempting.

Well, no more.

Forget Me Not is a nice little haxie that saves your tabs for you. You can unclose tabs, unclose windows, and it remembers what you had open when you close the application.

I can't tell you how glad I am. I've been wanting this feature in Safari for a long time now, and today, I am happy.

Via TUAW.

iPhoto

So anyone who knows me know that I'm a Mac user. I have been a Mac user exclusively for a few years now (maybe two), and before that I was bi-platform. Anyhow, one of the applications that I've been using since before I got a Mac is iTunes. We all kind of take it for granted, but when all is said and done, I think its a great app.

A lot of people didn't like the new version (iTunes 7) when it first came out, mostly for the changes made to its appearance, and some pretty strange interface changes. I happen to like the way it looks just fine, but one thing I like a lot (which I'm in the process of taking advantage of) is the ability to have multiple libraries.

This is pretty great becuase it is going to let me keep all my music on my external drive, and keep less on the internal of my Powerbook, freeing up some of the rapidly-dwindling space on my 80GB drive.

Anyhow, today, while thinking about adding a bunch of my girlfriend's pictures from her recent trip to India to my iPhoto library, I thought "Wouldn't it be cool if iPhoto allowed multiple libraries like iTunes does now?" I don't know if I want iPhoto to deal with that many high-res photos every time it opens (slowing its launch down even more), so I thought this'd be a sweet way to get around that problem. So I tried it, and it does! And I'm only running iPhoto 5! Not even the most recent version!

Apparently this is somewhat known already (mentioned here, while talking about this feature in iTunes 7), but a quick google for "multiple iphoto libraries" turns up some stuff, with a lot of people pointing at iPhoto Library Manager, so I'm not sure how widely known this is.

Useful? Probably not extremely for most people. Cool? Most definately.

Steve Wozniak and Buzz Aldrin

So Steve Wozniak, the inventor of the first Apple Computer and Segway Polo enthusiast, and Buzz Aldrin, one of the first men on the moon, are going to the south pole.

As if that wasn't already strange enough, they're driving a Hummer. A Hydrogen-powered Hummer. How fucked up is that?

One of the guys at work said that "it sounds like a bad premise for a buddy movie". And interestingly enough, they're filming it IN 3D for a James Cameron film.

Source

Zune

Today Microsoft confirmed Zune, their portable music player, in response to the iPod.

How well this will work with their WMA Plays-For-Sure format(s) is yet to be seen, but I read one report (that sadly I cannot find right now) that alluded to it not working completely with it.

And if they want it and URGE, their joint venture with MTV to take off, they had better play nice with each other.

Now, I don't think they'll beat out the iPod. The iPod is a great success for a reason - it looks nice, is easy to use, and it works damn well.

But what I find noteworthy is that while they haven't knocked off the iPod's look completely, the white color and the big, wheel-like button are clearly influenced.

One good thing is that at least it doesn't look like this Register-linked parody, which is more than just slightly rediculous. (original source).

I remember Microsoft Bob. I'm not going to lie, I had some fun with it when I was a kid. I think it shipped with Windows 95 when we first got it.

Wow, I remember that, even though it was 11 years ago. I was only 11 or 12. Wow.

Computer Skills

I like computers. If you know me, you probably know this about me. I'm kind of a nerd. I don't run Windows on any of my computers any more, and all of my machines are Macs except for one. On that box (as well as on one of my Macs) I play with Linux sometimes.

Why? you might ask.

Well, I like to learn, and since I like computers, I like to learn about them. I like to learn about how they work, and I know enough for me to hobble around when I have to repair hardware. I'm no guru by any means, but I know a bit, and I'm happy with what I know.

What I'd like to know more about is different operating systems. I know my way around the command line in OSX pretty well, but I'd like to learn a bit more. And since there is enough similarities between how OSX's guts work and the way Linux's guts work, I figure it'll give me something to play with, and maybe I'll learn a thing or two I can apply on my Mac. If not? I had a bit of fun, and hopefully understand a bit more about how the computers that power the majority of webservers on the planet (not to mention a ton of other stuff).

I'm not a super-user (pun intended), so I wanted a Linux distro that is friendly, but I still want to be able to get my hands dirty if I feel like it. After trying Fedora Core and SuSE, I settled on Ubuntu. To make it short, Ubuntu is easy to use, and it meets my requirements. I could go on about it, and perhaps I will another day, but for now, that's all I'm going to say about why.

On Livejournal, there is a community of Ubuntu Users, a lot of whom are in the same boat as me.

Recently, one user wrote about how he had tried to switch his entire family over to Ubuntu. In the end, they decided that their next computer will run Windows exclusively. Why you ask? In short because they don't know exactly how to use it like they do with Windows. His dad predictably reacts the way a 60 year old man might, his mom is actually okay with Ubuntu, and his brothers... The one is only 10, and what he learns about computers at school is so Windows-centric that he needs to run it at home.

[quote]Unfortunately, the content of the instruction is actually of the “go to START>PROGRAMS>” sort--button-by-button, screen by screen handhold howtos for (naturally) Microsoft products.[/quote]

The older one seems a bit too stubborn to bother learning (but what do you expect from a 16-year-old?). And he's a gamer.

But the biggest issue is that none of them will know where to go if something goes wrong. They can't support it themselves, and everyone they know is a Windows user. They get a Windows license with new computers, and that includes Tech Support is they need it. One commenter remarked:

[quote]It's depressing, but then I have to remind myself that computers are not simple devices, and every attempt to make them so has failed. Why are we trying to make Linux something that even Windows is not?

But perhaps there's nothing wrong with this. After all, if for example your washing machine breaks, if your car breaks, if your home brickwork needs repairing or plumbing bursts, most people need enlist the help of someone who knows what they're doing and are perfectly happy with that. Why are we trying to make computers braindead-simple to use when they're probably the most complicated consumer device ever? Where did this expectation that everybody can "master" a computer and never need to ask, much less pay anyone for help come from?[/quote]

Which I think is extremely poignant. My mom can't change the oil in her car, much less fix it if something actually breaks. Someone who's trained to fix such things would be the one to fix it. People don't expect it to work that way with computers. They're not magic (some people seem to still forget this); they are extremely complicated machines, both in regards to hardware and software. If it breaks, you might have to take it to the mechanic. Whether it "just broke" or if you ran it into a wall, sometimes you have to have an expert look at it. And that'll cost you time and money.

That being said, I would say that their are more reliable operating systems than Windows. Despite there being fewer repair shops that will do repairs on them, people still buy Japanese cars because they are reliable. Should the same apply to computers?

I don't know what all this means in the grand scheme of things, but it got me thinking anyhow.

You still need to perform basic maintainance.

In your car you check the oil and coolant, make sure you have air in your tires. You want to make sure your brakes work. You take interest in who and what goes into your car.

On a computer you might have to run anti-virus and anti-spyware software. You might have to run a firewall. You also need to take interest in who and what goes into your computer.

Make sure you understand what you're installing. Would you install a new oil filter in your car that you found on the side of the road, even if it looks okay? No. And you shouldn't install software from just anywhere.

Take interest in where things come from. If you trust them, go for it.

Always know that you might be taking a risk with your computer. Be careful - you might not know how to clean up any mess you might make. When that mess comes and you don't know what to do, accept that you might have to let someone who does clean it up.

Dvorak is an asshole.

Evidence as to why John Dvorak is a moron who really has no idea what he's talking about.

The new Weird Al

I saw this a couple days ago, and I didn't actually give it a listen until just today. Its actually pretty okay - I mean, its Weird Al, but as Weird Al goes, its entertaining.

Weird Al takes on James Blunt (mp3)

Thanks to Stereogum for the article with the link.

I know I used to be really into Weird Al, I even saw one of his concerts at the Fowlerville Fairgrounds back in the day. Laura actually got dragged to a Weird Al convention once with her brother. She met the man, but she was really unhappy to be there at the time.



PS - Al's a Mac user. Who knew?

Another reason I'm glad I'm a Mac user.

And on a related note, Sony/BMG are actually making some kind of good on their massive bungle with that DRM/rootkit thing from a whlie back.

If you're not familiar and are a Windows user, Boing Boing has this little timeline to help explain. In summation, if you put one of these CDs in your computer, it installs a rootkit allowing Sony to see a lot of what you do. Boing Boing also mentions:

[quote]

Sony lied about its rootkit. They said it didn't phone home with information about your deeds. It does. When they were caught in the lie, they said that they didn't pay attention to the information it sent back, so it's OK

Microsoft is building a Sony rootkit-remover into its anti-spyware product

Lawsuits against Sony are already underway in Italy and the US

At least one piece of malicious software that exploits Sony's rootkit has been discovered in the wild

[/quote]

(keep in mind that was from last November)

Must-have Mac software

In the past, I've read a few articles of this nature in other places, and they always have one item in common: Quicksilver. I must admit, I don't get it.

I tried it once, and I've found that the one thing it would be useful to me for would be launching apps, but for that I have either my dock for apps I use regularly, or I dig into my applications folder (which you can bring up right quick in the Finder by hitting cmd-shift-A). For apps I use daily, I use Xkeys.

So I got to thinking, what would I call must-have apps for OSX? I'm a big fan of the open-source mentality, so a lot of these are free (as in freedom), open-source software. The rest are just free (as in beer).

1. Xkeys
I don't notice this app any more. Its so essential to the way I use my Mac, that I forget that its not actually part of the OS sometimes. It launches Safari, Adium, iTunes, my RSS reader, Terminal, Mail, and iCal for me at the touch of a button. You get to set function keys as application launchers, and since so few apps I use take advantage of the function keys anyway, it works great for me.

2. NeoOffice
NeoOffice is an implementation of OpenOffice for OSX that doesn't require the use of Apple's X11. In stead, it uses a combination of Cocoa and Java, so that it is all but seamless in how it works, even though it certainly isn't in how it looks.

It might not look great, but I really hate Steve Ballmer, so I won't even steal his company's software. For word processing, I've been looking at switching to AbiWord, since it looks nicer and loads faster, and sticking to NeoOffice for spreadsheets and that kind of thing.

3. StuffIt
Perhaps this should be higher on the list, since you need it to unarchive a lot of other downloads, but here it is. Again, you kind of forget that its not part of the OS - partly because OSX already handles certain kinds of archived files, and partly because OSX used to ship with it included, but no longer with Tiger.

Not something you love to use, but you need it, and you end up using it a lot.

4. Flip4Mac
Once its installed, you might forget its there, if you didn't always remember what a pain it used to be to open WMVs. Now this plug-in for Quicktime allows you to play most WMVs with no problem. And for stubborn ones, I keep VLC around, as well as MPlayer, but I rarely need to use those.

5. Sizzling Keys
I love this, and I always miss it when I'm on a Mac without it. Global hotkeys for iTunes. Can't beat it.

6. Adium
Excellent multi-protocol messenger client. Supports AIM, Jabber, MSN, Yahoo!, Google Talk, ICQ, Samewise, Groupwise, Zepher, and Gadu-Gadu. I haven't heard of a couple of these. But, it works great, highly visually customizable, and it has good hotkeys (I hate having to reach for my mouse). A+ in my book.

7. Gimpshop
Now, I know its not Photoshop, but the GNU Image Manipulation Program, or GIMP is pretty damn good. But if you're used to using Photoshop, the menu layout is a bit weird to learn. So Gimpshop is a slightly hacked version that moves things around and makes it a little more familiar. You still need X11 to run it, and don't expect to hook up your Wacom and use it (those things ship with Photoshop Elements anyhow, or at least mine did), but it works well for most anything, and I love free software.

8. NVU
Now, this won't be of any use to you if you don't do any web development, but if you do, its a great, open-source WYSIWYG editor, that also features an excellent source view. It color-codes your tags, so your source is easier to dig around it. Perfect if a plain text editor might seem a bit TOO lite for you, but Dreamweaver would be overkill.

That's basically all the must-have free software I keep lying around. Useful stuff, and you can't beat the price.