Found
Some interesting reading this morning.
Shirt Pocket software is working on fixes for SuperDuper!, the state-of-the-art backup software for OS X. The biggest issue right now seems to be the unconventional system that Apple is using for hiding file compression from applications (which seems to be necessary for backwards compatibility). The great news is that even without these fixes, SuperDuper! is not experiencing any data loss. Dave Nanian’s article is here.
If you want to learn more about Snow Leopard’s file compression or ANYTHING ELSE, check out John Siracusa’s massive 23 page review at Ars Technica. While I understand that some users are finding Snow Leopard more of a Service Pack than a new OS, I have to say that I’m loving some of the features. The new changes to Expose alone are worth the $30 bucks to me. You can read up on the Expose features and other cool bits over on the TidBits blog. Try hitting the Expose key and then tabbing through your applications. FUN!
It sounds like the new hero Massively Multiplayer game, Champions Online is off to a rough start. They ratcheted down the effectiveness of players who participated in the beta. This is called a ‘nerf’ in the MMO world. Matt Franklin contrasts this with the rate at which the lead MMO (World of Warcraft) is making game play (especially beginner game play) easier and easier.
This Commodore 64 Visual Debugger is incredible. You start out with a window that shows EVERY address in memory and then zoom in to look at specific locations. The waves of memory changes during file loading are neat! I can’t wait to run this thing while playing Paradroid!
Backblaze has a how-to article up about the homebrew storage solution they’ve created. 7 terabyte 4U servers for $7,867.
JKK checked out the Nokia N900. It merges the best work they’ve done on phones and the work they’ve done on Internet Tablets (Nokia 770, N800, N810). It looks great and has a lot of power in the OS (Linux/Maemo) and the hardware. The Internet Tablet community must be really excited!
PAX, Penny-Arcade’s SOLD-OUT Video Game and Geekery convention (which started yesterday) just added 1,000 tickets.
Alex King spent some time these past few weeks trying to figure out which Network and BlackBerry Phone to use. He wanted to use a BlackBerry Bold, but ended up with a Tour on Verizon. His story is full of the idiosyncrasies of various carriers and devices. Part one. Part two.
Jack Shedd has some things to say about HTML 5. If you are watching the HTML 5 changes closely, Jack’s sentiments will likely resonate with you, including the frustration AND the respect for the team.
Lifehacker has an article on creating a Snow Leopard Hackintosh for $900 (plus the price of Snow Leopard standalone which is $169). I’d be interested in seeing a $500 model.
Fuelly: Google Analytics for your Car
A few minutes ago at the Start 08 conference, Matt Haughey got on stage and demoed/launched Fuelly.com. It’s a social network around cars, mileage, etc. Seems timely and useful.
Twitter discussion is here.
Seems to be pretty solid. My profile is here.
Some quick notes from the presentation:
- “I’m a big no-funding guy.”
- Mobile version available (good call)
- Coming soon: nike+ style challenges, API, i18n, facebook app, openid, car sharing, group formation/discussion.
- Available now: Threads, trends, activity screen, filter to friends, calculate savings with small changes
- It’s built on the metafilter code.
- Built with 2 people, a few weeks, $1000.
Pics:
Update: Looks like comments are starting on Metafilter, Digg and the Fuelly forums.
A New Way to Help Kids Learn to Read
LeapPads and the like have been around for a while. Put a specially configured booklet into an electronic pad. Tap a button or two with a special pen. Then let your child page through the booklet tapping on pictures and sentences to hear the story and learn the words.
Tag is different.
With Tag, the books themselves are printed on Anoto paper. The Tag pen reads tiny dots on the paper to know which book, which page and which word or picture is being tapped on. No need for a special electronic pad, just a pen and specially printed books. No need for special instructions, just tap.
How is Tag better than current solutions? Well, nothing is better than a parent sitting with the kid, but this is better than the other electronic solutions out there because it’s easier to use and less bulky. I think this will be an effective tool for teaching kids to read who are much younger than the kids who are helped by the options available previously.
Tag has another innovation. Plug the pen into your computer and the parent gets an interactive look at what their kid has been doing with the pen and how much he is learning. Nice!
Watch the video!!!
Links: LeapFrog Tag at Demo (with video), LeapFrog Tag official site, my 2004 review of the Logitech IO (also based on Anoto tech).
Bay Area Pub Crawl on Sunday!
The WetYourWhistles team is arranging a Pub Crawl this Sunday, February 18. The party kicks off at 3pm at the BBC in Menlo Park. The crawl will also hit the Tied House in Mountain View and the Firehouse Brewery in Sunnyvale!
From the WetYourWhistles site:
Welcome to Wet Your Whistles, the on-line guide to watering holes along the San Francisco Bay Area Caltrain railway line. You can ride Caltrain from San Jose to San Francisco to have a good day out without designating a driver. Our quest is to create a comprehensive list of brewpubs, microbreweries, bars, and well-stocked restaurants along the Caltrain line.
CeBit is Blocking Pro Bloggers?
Given how fast the tech world changes, I’m surprised that a conference like CeBit would not grant press passes to electronic journalists. Specifically, it sounds like Steve Paine, who lives right there in Germany and has been one of the most consistent and fair news sources on UMPCs, won’t be invited to CeBit. It’s a shame, if you ask me.
John Tokash 