Clariticity

Google has gone to the Moon

2010-02-05T11:20:00.003-07:00

I saw THIS article today. Google is selling high fashion signature scarves. What? Yes, you heard that right, Google inspired scarves. More and more recently I have been realizing that Google is operating like they are on another planet. Rules don't apply to them. They can do anything they want. They are big and big means they can bully and get away with stuff etc. This feels a lot like another company that acted this way about 20 or so years ago. Microsoft. Google is acting the same way. They will eventually be slapped down and suffer the same fate that M$ is suffering now. A long slow decline into irrelevance. Why? Well, one reason, and it may be the primary reason, is that much of Google's employee base has come from former Microsofties. So, a new company was created and populated with people that "grew up" in a culture of arrogance and have brought that to their new company.
A second symptom stems from American business culture's need to grow at all costs. Diversify or die. Continued growth and increased revenues are a must or your stock price will go down. Just being successful isn't good enough, you have to be ubersuccessful or you might as well close your doors. This gets companies like Microsoft and Google in trouble. This makes companies like Google decide to sell designer scarves and other crazy things like make cell phones.

Post iPad, what's next from Apple?

2010-01-28T11:41:00.002-07:00

So Apple announced the iPad tablet computer yesterday. I can't wait to touch one...and buy one. I'll write more about it later.
What I want to write about today is what almost nobody is talking about. Everyone is busy chatting up the iPad. Do you think Apple is done for the year? HELL NO!!!! They even hinted in their quarterly earnings call about multiple products this year. So, do you think I'm gonna start talking about the next iPhone due out sometime this summer? No. What I am going to talk about and predict is the next AppleTV. Or, whatever Apple will release that will replace the AppleTV. Watching the iPad keynote yesterday it became clear to me where Apple is going. Sony (PS3), Nintendo (Wii) and Microsoft (XBox) are their next targets. Maybe not direct targets but you'll understand in a second.
As of yesterday, January 27th 2010, the iPhone App Store had over 140,000 separate applications available for download. Most of those apps will work on the iPad out of the box. There will be at least 10,000 apps made specifically for the iPad available on the day it ships. At least 10,000. I wouldn't be surprised to see more than 10,000.
Here is my prediction. An App Store for the AppleTV. I know I'm not the first to suggest this but I have seen very very little written about it lately. I'm sure this is because of the iPad. However, it is all interconnected into Apple's strategy. An App Store for the AppleTV would turn gaming on it's ear. All the thousands of games available for the iPhone/Touch/iPad available for use on your HDTV. And of course specific apps developed specifically for the TV. I don't think that hard core gaming would be the goal here. I think the casual gaming space would be perfect for a device like the AppleTV. There will still be a market for the Xbox and Wii for hard core and longer form gaming. Thousands of relatively cheap games available for purchase and download right from your TV. You would also have access to all of your other media from the same device, TV shows, Movies, Music and photos. I know you're gonna say that Microsoft already has something like this. The XBox 360 XBMC right now does most of this. However, the XBox 360 is a game machine first and all that other stuff second. The AppleTV is opposite. This is where I see an opportunity. Not everyone wants to spend $200-300 for a game machine. Yes, there are millions out there but not hundreds of millions. There are hundreds of millions of TV's. All Apple has to do is update the AppleTV. Beef it up a bit, make it more current, add a faster processor a little more RAM and a bigger hard drive. Tune the software to add an App Store and come up with some kind of wireless game controller/remote and voila! you suddenly have access to thousands of games and internet connectivity all from your TV. Play a game, rent a movie, purchase/rent a TV show, check Facebook, send a Tweet, check the weather, play some music, watch some YouTube, play another game, check your email. You get the idea.
This is definitely not "new", the idea has been around since Microsoft's WebTV gambit. The difference here is Apple. In the same way they revolutionized the music industry and then spun the cell phone world on it's ear and now are resurrecting the Tablet they are going to nail the TV thing.
I am convinced Apple is going to do something like this this year. AppleTV the "hobby" has allowed Apple to learn and they have not done a major update in more than 2 years. There is no way Apple is NOT going to play in this space. They already are but we are on the cusp of them taking it to the next level. Plan on it. Write it down. It is coming. You WILL want one. My crystal ball has a picture of me in 2011 sitting on my couch with an iPad on my lap watching a rented movie on my new AppleTV. Oh, and I'll be controlling my TV using my iPad.

iPhone saves a life

2010-01-20T15:39:00.002-07:00

It's true. A man trapped in the earthquake in Haiti this week is crediting his iPhone with saving his life!!!
He used the iPhone screen and his digital camera to shed light in the dark spot he was trapped in. He made his way to a safer spot to wait for rescue. He then used a "medical app" he had installed on his iPhone to diagnose and treat his wounds.
I hope I am never in this situation but what a great comfort to know there are tools that can help in such times.

Google = Ironic

2010-01-11T16:38:00.002-07:00

So, here is the best irony of the New Year!
Google started selling their own smartphone recently. The Nexus One. People are having trouble with it. The irony is that Google is selling a phone that has no phone support to provide customer service. Now wait, what was that? Google sells a cell phone you can only buy online and only provides online support for it. I can see the geeky Google guys sitting in their offices patting each other on the back for coming up with this one. Google doesn't own the entire world quite yet, so they still have to do business under the rules the rest of us work under. If they want to change the world then they needed to work harder to make the online support dead simple and rock solid. I guess they have a little bit of work to do.

My Worst Fear

2009-12-18T14:40:00.002-07:00

This clip shows a disaster in a warehouse that is "man caused" but my worst fear is being inside a Costco and an earthquake hits and this happens. If you're not inside a forklift like these guys I don't think you survive. Does Costco sell life insurance?

Android Doomed

2009-12-16T11:23:00.002-07:00

HERE is the most concise explanation thus far as to why, at this writing anyway, the Android ecosystem seems doomed.
The news this week about The Googs new "Nexus One" phone is evidence that even Google sees the problem. They are trying to fix it by making their own phone. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, everyone is chasing the iPhone. Even Google. I'm not saying they are giving up on the open source Android OS but by making and shipping their own phone they are taking a stand that will piss of handset manufacturers and Cell carriers at the same time. Thus making things wildly more complicated than just making a phone and controlling it from beginning to end ala Apple. Good luck Goog!

Why didn't I think of that?

2009-12-16T11:07:00.002-07:00

Check out THIS new iPhone app. It uses the phones camera to make the phone transparent while you're texting. So you can see where you are going. Hmm. Of course! Seems so obvious now. Now if I'm texting in the car I can see the crash I'm about to get into before it happens. Sweet!

Peaceful Word Processing

2009-12-11T14:26:00.002-07:00

Found this new software today.
It is a simple word processor for Mac OSX only. Sorry PC guys, you'll have to wait. (I love saying that ;) For those poor non-Mac guys you can go to their site and watch a video of how it works.

Anyway, download the beta of Ommwriter and check it out.

I spent many years in my career working on word processors for WordPerfect (for Mac), Adobe (Framemaker) and Microsoft (Office), and word processing always seemed very businesslike. Straightforward even sterile interfaces. Nothing fancy or aesthetic about them at all. These guys take a very simple approach. Take everything away but the writing. It is unique and I kind of like it. I can see using Ommwriter for creative writing. Everyday business writing would require too much re-formatting in a more full featured word processor.
Your desktop icons and dock go away and you have a simple background. Soothing sounds and/or music plays. All interface elements fade away as you write leaving you with just the words your are writing and nothing else to distract you. If the music does distract you can turn it off. I personally found it soothing. I'm sure they will iterate on this concept and add more features but maybe they don't need to. What do you think? Give Ommwriter a try and come back and comment I would love to hear what you think.

Kindle Krap

2009-12-03T16:15:00.003-07:00

I've been waiting for awhile now to get my hands on an Amazon Kindle for the first time. I've been waiting to review/remark on the Kindle until I could actually use one. Thanks to my friend I had my first contact yesterday.

Here are my thoughts.

So, the unit I used was a first gen Kindle. I understand it has been improved since. If I ever get my hands on the newer models I will update my feelings here. That being said, my feelings on a lot of points will probably be the same despite the improvements I have read about.
First thought was, wow this thing is small. I couldn't believe how small the screen is. The newer models have bigger screens. Good. I knew that this device was not a touch screen so I found the scroll ball device pretty quickly. What surprised me was the scroll indicator window directly above the scroll wheel. What the heck? This vertical indicator thingey is totally bizarre. What is it? I don't think it is LCD like the eInk screen the book text displays on. I quickly figured out what it was telling me and moved on. However, it was a little odd to figure out and doesn't feel very intuitive to me. It isn't part of the main display screen. Nowadays this seems completely odd, backwards and unnecessary.
The power button and wireless button are on the back. Bad. I have to turn the unit over to turn it on. The unit I was using was in a leather carrying case which seemed kind of nice. I had to remove the Kindle from the case in order to turn it on and then place it back in the case.
eInk. It looks a little different than the usual experience of a non-backlit LCD screen. Text seemed smooth and very readable but it also looked a little muddy and I was just not "wowed" by it. The background is a dull grayish color and seems decidedly darker than if I were reading an actual "real paper" book. I would like the eInk background to be brighter.
I found a book on the main menu and clicked to open it to start reading. I expected a full page of text like I would see in a book. No. I found maybe a quarter page of text, flush left. I had to click the "next" button often to read. This would be distracting I think if I were actually sitting down to read an entire book. I "expected" and/or "wanted" something different. I wanted this device to mimic at least in some fashion what reading a real book would be like. I am not a real book purist. I love books but I totally want an electronic device that I can comfortably read books on. The Kindle is not it. This surprised me. I expected that I would like this device, that it would immediately appeal to me and that I would want one and it would start the usual multi-month or year long longing to have one.
The interface was decidedly basic and lacked design and any sort of layout. Basic text lists of titles and options. Boring. I tried several books and noticed that on each one the text is just thrown on the screen without any consideration for typography or layout. Most books I read don't have a lot of "design" to them but at least I can see a chapter heading and page number and a pleasing typeface. This experience felt "less than". Less than even a basic paper back book. I must say it again that this surprised me. How hard is it to mimic a page full of black and white 12pt Times Roman text with a chapter heading and page number? Maybe this varies by book and I just picked books that didn't have any layout etc. I don't know.

In summary, I guess it's true that my expectations are too high. I am continually disappointed by my experiences with electronic devices. I am eternally hopeful however that someone somewhere will meet my expectations and make my life better. I hope this new fad of late in the eBook reader space will turn out something special at some point. I'm looking forward to getting my hands on the Barnes & Noble Nook. It looks interesting but I fear it will suffer some of the same downfalls of the Kindle. There are dozens of others but they all seem even less exciting than the Kindle. Maybe Apple's rumored tablet will hit the ebook ball out of the park. It won't be an ebook reader only so I fear that it's cost will be too great. However, the Apple experience and polish give it a very good chance of exceeding the Kindle. Having other features and uses could be a plus too. We'll have to see what they deliver. My guess is even their first version won't completely meet my high expectations. I fear I will have to wait a couple more years till something comes along I find exciting. You can be sure I will write about it here!

ClickToFlash

2009-12-03T16:06:00.002-07:00

Thanks to The Fireball, I just found this really cool plugin for Safari on OSX. ClickToFlash blocks all Flash until you click on the flash to start it. It makes pages load tons faster. My browsing speed experience just doubled if not more. Since most flash is for advertisements I don't really miss much. If I want to see it I just click the flash button and it will load and run the flash. I don't use a laptop but this would increase battery life exponentially. Flash is a resource hog. For those sites that you visit often and want to see the flash you can "whitelist" sites easily.
I hear FireFox has a similar plugin but don't know anything about it since I don't use FF. If you are "Foxtard" you're on your own.
Cheers!

My Courageous Kids

2009-11-20T15:36:00.003-07:00

I went to a church sponsored talent show that my daughter has been preparing weeks for. As I sat watching her sing in front of a couple of hundred people I was predictably filled with parental pride. As I think about it more I am even more deeply impressed with the courage it took for her to get up and perform on a stage. She did not get this from me. I have never and will never grace a stage in front of any amount of people. Here is the video of the performance. It was taken with my phone and the sound isn't the best. Lots of noise from people talking etc. But you can get the gist.

As I sat last night pondering Shelby's performance I was reminded of my other child and his decisions and efforts lately. His courage to leave home and live in a college dorm with a total stranger was nothing short of courageous as well. It's not an easy thing to do. I did it and remember how hard it was to leave home. He has also made the decision to serve a volunteer mission for our church and will be leaving for 2 years in Taiwan next March. Giving 2 years of your life in service is a courageous choice.
Today I am proud of and in awe of my 2 very courageous children.

Hallelujah - Priceless!

2009-11-20T13:58:00.001-07:00

Found this on my neighbors Facebook post today.
Lovin it!

Kewl Klok

2009-11-18T17:00:00.000-07:00

Check this Digital clock out! Very clever!

UP-Lifting

2009-11-18T09:51:00.002-07:00

Here is a short "up" lifting inspirational message. Not a lot of meat or depth but very very good reminders in a clever way. I enjoyed it I hope you do to.

Premature Decoration

2009-11-17T14:26:00.002-07:00

Time for another "Rant O the Week". The last couple of weeks I have seen many of my neighbors out hanging Christmas lights and decorations on their house. Makes sense, it's only a couple of weeks till Thanksgiving, the holidays are fast approaching. However. Let me say that a little stronger. HOWEVER. These same neighbors (some, not all) have turned their lights on at night. WHAT THE HELL??? It's not even Thanksgiving yet. Isn't 5 weeks of lights enough to celebrate the holidays? You know, turn your lights on the night after Thanksgiving and off the night after New Years Day. These decorations do not in any way represent Thanksgiving. If they did I would say, "Oh look, how nice, someone has decorated their house to celebrate Thanksgiving!" That would be cool and would be OK with me. But 2 months of Christmas lights is not OK. This drives me crazy. I think these "premature decorators" should be punished. I say we gather them all up and dress them up in Pilgrim clothing and make them walk around the neighborhood singing "I killed Thanksgiving".

Sad state of Microsoft

2009-11-17T14:22:00.002-07:00

I don't know if this was a corporate directive or just the employees at the Mission Viejo Microsoft Retail store just trying to spice thing up a bit.

Whatever the case it is totally lame. If this is a corporate retail directive I wouldn't be surprised. What depths has Microsoft sunk to have to have their employees break out into a line dance to try and sell stuff. Maybe the Microsoft "Guru Bar" will start "dispensing" more than just technical advice. Now that could get interesting.

iPhone App Store Review Process

2009-11-12T11:34:00.002-07:00

I have a few things to say about the hubub about Apple's iPhone App store review process. There are a lot of software developers out there getting their panties in a twist over having to submit their work for review and acceptance before an App can be sold in Apple's app store. There was a high profile hissy fit just yesterday that prompted me to finally write about this. Joe Hewitt the programmer behind Facebook's iPhone app quit yesterday. See the story HERE. He says he has finally had enough of Apple's submission process and refuses to work on an iPhone app any longer. This is especially ironic that he is calling Apple out for being a "walled garden" when he works for the largest walled garden on earth. I'm not the first to make this connection. Jon Gruber on Daring Fireball links to a tweet by @counternotions that calls out this irony.
I don't claim to know all the ins and outs of the app review process. I have read a lot about it so I think I know some about it. I am not a developer nor do I have any personal experience with Apple's app review process. That being said with what I do "think" I know I am just getting angrier and angrier at those who are whining and now quitting over this.
There is one comment I can make that I have not seen anyone else make yet. It's possible that someone has said this and I will update this post if I find it or if someone sends it my way. I have personal experience working for Microsoft on Xbox games. I spent 6 years there starting a year before the first Xbox shipped. I happen to know intimately the process for getting a game published on the Xbox. It is essentially the same for Nintendo and their game units including the Wii and the DS and for Sony and their game units including the Playstation and the PSP. You cannot just develop a game and ship it to stores or sell it online for any one of these devices. There is an excruciating review process that takes weeks and months of time before your game is approved for sale and publishing on any one of these platforms. I have yet to see anything remarkably different between the app review process Apple has created and those of Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony. This is why I am so angry at these people that are so indignant and up in arms that they can't have complete freedom to create something and just throw it on the iPhone. There is precedence for this review process and it has been around since the very early days of video games. The console creators had to do this to protect their brand and their Intellectual property. They did it to try and make sure that the experience of using a Playstation or Xbox is an excellent one and does no harm to the hardware and their image etc. Oh, I just remembered one significant difference between the iPhone app review process and this video game example I have just given. When you as a developer submit a game for review to any one of these game console makers you pay THEM for the privilege of having your game reviewed. Yes, you read that right, the developer of the software pays money, several thousand dollars, to have their software approved for publishing. Apple does not charge for this service. There is a small fee to become a developer yes, but that is different in that you may never submit anything for review or you may submit a thousand apps for review. It is not a charge for the reviewing service. How much do you think it has cost Apple to do all the work to develop this app store and review what is now well over 100,000 application in the store? It has to be millions and millions of dollars.
Now, after saying all of this I can see that there have been issues even big issues with Apple's review process. They are fixing them. They are making changes to improve the process almost weekly. Going from zero to 100,000 applications in the short amount of time they have had is remarkable I think. No, it is not perfect and I can understand why some have been frustrated. I have no qualms with a lot of the frustrations people have had, they have had perfectly good gripes and a lot of them have been fixed. I have a problem with those that want the review process to essentially go away. They want complete freedom to be "creative" etc. Bullcrap. Apple is absolutely doing the right thing to protect the iPhone experience and to protect their contracts with the Cell service providers. AT&T has had enough trouble keeping up with the explosion of network usage the iPhone has created can you even imagine what would have happened if the App Store was a completely open garden? AT&T's network would have been destroyed along with their business. Apple should trust you? Hell no. Allegedly, even this Joe Hewitt guy has used some private frameworks in some of his code. Private frameworks that are forbidden to be used by developers in order to protect the device, the network and Apple's and AT&T's brand.
I hope Joe Hewitt and the others like him have fun developing apps for the other mobile platforms like Android, Blackberry and Palm's WebOS. They all aren't completely open either. They are going to run into some of the same issues they are complaining about with Apple. They will miss out on working on a platform that has revolutionized mobile computing. You cannot argue that Apple has done this. The numbers speak for themselves. The last thing I have to say to these whiners is, when you are working on building something great it will NEVER be easy. It is the easy road that had gotten us to where we were pre-iPhone. Your choices were WindowsMobile, Nokias Linux based Symbian and Blackberry. They were going nowhere really really slow, and even now with a clear leader showing them how it's done the rest are scrambling to change and emulate. Some are only now coming close to what Apple did 3 years ago. Personally, I cannot wait to see what year four of the iPhone revolution brings.

Sunday Morning Drive

2009-11-09T14:42:00.004-07:00

Here is a little video I took during a Sunday morning drive we took recently. The video doesn't do it justice, it was breathtakingly beautiful. This was taken on the Alpine Scenic Highway in Utah, looking back towards Mt. Timpanogos at about 8200 feet in elevation.

HP ad = Cool, HP= not so much

2009-11-09T14:05:00.002-07:00

I found this directors cut of a unique HP ad. Very cool ad.
Too bad HP is decidedly uncool.

HP "Create Amazing" - Director's Cut from Keith Loutit on Vimeo.

On 3D Movies

2009-11-09T10:30:00.004-07:00

My rant for this week is about the preponderance of 3D movies coming out lately. First a little background. A couple of months ago I got a note from Delta airlines that my frequent flier miles were going to expire. I haven't been traveling at all for work the last few years so my miles have gone stagnant. They offered me some free magazine subscriptions to use up my miles. Kinda cool of them to do that actually. Although, the list of possible subscriptions was not very long. I was determined to use up every last mile so I subscribed to Variety. It is a trade rag for the entertainment industry. I have really enjoyed reading this every week. It comes with a lot more detail about movies and TV etc. than I ever got in the occasional article on MSNBC.com.

So, about the time I subscribed to Variety I had been noticing that there were a lot of movies being released that were including a 3D format. Like way more than usual. There was some kind of trend going on. Then I started reading in Variety why this was happening. To put it in a nutshell it is about money. $$$. Surprised? Yeah, me too ;) To the press, people like Jeffrey Katzenberg and other big name directors and Hollywood wonks were talking up how 3D is the future and how the technology is so much better than it ever has been. Yada yada yada. The only reason there are so many 3D movies being released is because they can charge you 30-50% more per ticket for the movie. More money. In their pockets. That is "all" it is about. Don't let the psychobabble about technology and 3D storytelling fool you. You still have to wear the uncomfortable cheapo glasses. It is a less than ideal experience for watching a movie. I'm going to go out on a limb and claim that 3D is not the future of movies. There will NOT be a day any decade soon where most of the movies released are 3D. Eventually the movie going public will tire of the novelty of this latest run of 3D movies and will stop paying the extra money. The studios will lose their shorts on the extra production costs and will stop making them. There will still be the occasional 3D release but it will go back to topics that make sense for a 3D treatment. Like a Halloween blood fest or an occasional animated release.

The reason I am upset about this latest trend is that they are using the guise of technology and creative storytelling to trick us into paying more for a movie ticket. What these people should be doing is focusing on developing good stories. That's what we really want. That is what I really want!!! I see a LOT of movies. Any given Friday or Saturday if you can't find me go to the local Cineplex and shout my name. That's where I'll be. Most of the movies coming out these days are total and utter crap. I must be stupid to keep going in hopes that somehow something good will show up.
So, Mr. Katzenberg and your 3D loving pals, give up the whole 3D thing! Put your efforts into quality content and you will make plenty of money. More people will go to the movies. More people will rent movies. More people will buy movies. You will be able to continue making movies. Keep up this 3D crap and people will vote with their wallets and their feet. Have you heard of the internet? If you're not careful your days could be numbered.

iMac Genesis

2009-11-05T10:50:00.003-07:00

If you're a fan of advertising and design like I am you might enjoy THIS article. It is about the genesis of the name iMac. For those of you who have forgotten your tech history the original iMac was the first major product that came out of Apple after Steve Jobs returned to the company in 1997. This product saved the company. This article is about the naming of the product. It's fascinating.
Steve Jobs supposedly hated the name initially, and then,

"He rejected it twice but then it just appeared on the machine,� Segall says, laughing. �He never formally accepted it.�

My favorite part of this piece was:

Segall was still consulting for Apple until a couple of years ago when he started working for Dell.

�Dell and Apple: It�s night and day,� Segall says. �It�s a transactional world Dell lives in. It�s all about numbers. Everything they say about Apple making products for themselves is true. Apple � it�s about changing the world. For everyone else, it�s about the money.�

The rest as they say is history.

19!

2009-11-04T13:47:00.005-07:00

Number One Son had a birthday. Way to go KJ.
BTW, the decoration on the cake is the flag of Taiwan and "Happy Birthday" in Mandarin Chinese.
Sheng ri kuai le!

It's Apple Magic!

2009-11-04T11:25:00.002-07:00

Those of you who know me know I am very decidedly a fan of Apple computer. Some would call me a "Mac fanboy" some would term it "Mactard". Whatever. Call me what you will, I define it as loving great design. Apple is known for this ability and is consistently great at great design. They don't always hit it out of the park and I will admit to that. I have had some of their products that were stinkers.
Today I'm talking about another home run Apple has hit way way out of the park. It's the new "Magic Mouse".

Apple hasn't always done this well with mice. I remember the God awful "puck mouse" that shipped with the first iMacs. Yikes, those were a big turd. I couldn't use one for more than a minute before I unplugged it and replaced it with another mouse. So, after that experience and my lukewarm feelings for the most recent Mighty Mouse I was skeptical when I heard about the Magic Mouse. The worlds first "touch" mouse. It sounded great and the videos on Apple's website looked fantastic but I wasn't sure it would work for me.
Well, I picked one up at the Apple store last week and I have been smiling ever since. Where have you been all my life? After using probably 2 dozen different mice in my computing life I have found nirvana. This is the mouse God uses on his Mac. Finally, everything I wanted in a mouse.
Here's a little detail about the mouse. It has a surprisingly low profile. I thought it might be too short to be comfortable but it is actually more comfortable than the taller mice I have used. I almost forget my hand is on a mouse and not just resting on the desk. It has a gentle click action for both right and left clicks. This should satisfy all you 2 button mouse freaks out there. It has a very comfortable smooth as glass surface. It's not actually glass but looks and feels as if it were. That's it. No buttons. No scroll wheel. This is where the multi-touch part comes in. The entire surface of the mouse is the touch surface and you swipe and drag your finger/s to scroll and move backwards and forwards. No need for a 7 button mouse any more. The scrolling even has a special feature called "Momentum scrolling." You flick a finger and it will send the screen flying in a fast scroll until it gradually slows down or you touch your finger to stop it. iPhone users will be familiar with this "rubber band" effect. It took me a little getting used to but I can't imagine not having it now. This is where I was skeptical. I was worried that if I rested my hand or fingers on the mouse that it would detect a gesture or something that wasn't intended. This has not happened to me. It feels and behaves as natural as I could possibly imagine. I now look at all the other mice out there and think "Model T" or "Duh." It just feels and performs that well. Why did no one figure this out before?
So, I am over the moon happy with this mouse and the thing that keeps me giggling, (literally, I giggle when I think this) I know that Apple is just going to make this thing better. More gestures etc.
Bottom line is this Apple device literally deserves it's name because it is magic!

Flipping Awesome!

2009-11-04T09:46:00.004-07:00

Our new graphic designer here at work just showed me THIS totally cool site. Just bring the site up and it will search your installed fonts on your system and give you a side by side comparison of all of them. You can change the text that will display by clicking the text in the heading on the page. What an awesome idea! I will totally use this. Thanks to Stuart Robison at flippingtypical.com for this! It may not be a 'new' idea per se but it's the first time I've seen it. Bravo Stuart!

Taiwan!

2009-10-27T15:50:00.002-06:00

Number One Son received his LDS mission call. He is going to the Taiwan, Taizhong mission.
Here's the video: