Less Riot, More Nerd

I remember seeing people cross the road rather than walk past me. Not many, but it happened often enough that I stopped noticing. On my way to a gig, I was at the staition and a little old lady asked a couple to look after her basket on wheels, while she used the loo, clearly pointing in my direction. Quite what she thought I wanted with the assorted crap she was wheeling about, I'll never know.

It didn't take long to notice the difference, when suited and booted for work. I'd see people make a B line for me, if they needed directions or the like.

Now, it seems, even in my casual clothes, I'm the safe bet. While not pushing a basket with wheels, she did have a senior persons rail card and she and no clue how to use the ticket machine. So what did I do? I pushed her onto the train tracks and shouted "Take that Grandma!".

Of course, I helped her get a ticket and wished her a good day. Just what I would have done, should I have been asked back in the day.


-- Post From My iPhone

The Best Layed Plans of Mice

First setback. A company that factored in my idea had just been bought...

Hmmm... Plan B?


-- Post From My iPhone

Something New

I'm going to try blogging from my phone for a while.

All has been quite on the blog, got another new job, more spare time, which is good, but the problem with idle hands is that I'm already thinking of new projects.

One of them is a biggie. Not sure how feasable it will as I'm still working out details.

Updates will be posted as they happen...

Apple Seed

News of the iPhone Application Store has been met by some saying the costs are too high and terms of use, too restrictive. While others point to competitors charging more and offering less security.

It’s not an argument that interests me. What does interest me is Apple’s habit of trying something out in one space, then rolling it out in another.

For example, Apple has offered HD trailers for download to iTunes for a while now, but recently made HD film rentals commercially available to Apple TV customers.

So my questions is, could the iTunes Application Store one day be used to supply software to the Mac, while adding some of the features and security being offered by the iPhone App Store?

I can see the smaller 3rd party developers gaining the changes of having their software more visible. Whereas the Adobes in this world, who already sell their software though Apple retail stores, would have software updates and more importantly upgrades, automatically offered to users of their software.

What benefits could be persuade user to only run Apple Certified Software on their Macs? Guaranteed up-time?

Making it compulsory wouldn’t be an option, so there would have to something to entice users into using the store. Or perhaps not. Perhaps convenience alone would be the attraction.

More on a 3D Apple

I mentioned below that Apple had made what could be an incremental step towards a 3D desktop.

With this patent coming to light, it’s clear Apple is doing research in that area. It also seems they aren’t content with giving a 3D look on a 2 dimensional screen. Rather they would like to provide a 3D environment within which, users will work.

I look forward to seeing exactly how this is accomplished, both from a technical standpoint and from a UI point of view.

iPhone used in anger

Having struggled with a number of different “web enabled” smart phones in the past, I noticed they all had something in common. They never worked when you really needed them.

I’m please to say that this hasn’t be the case with my iPhone. Whenever I found myself needing to get online to either look something up, or check directions, I’ve always been able to get what I needed, first try. The only drawback I found was having to take a glove off to do it, but I’m sure I’ll survive that.

Games on the Mac

I've been saying to people for a while now, that to (continue to) succeed in the market they are aiming for, Apple will have to get games onto the mac. I'm not sure the use of Cider is an ideal place to end up, but it does make sense as a stepping stone.

I'd like to think that the whole thing will snowball, with simultaneous lunch dates for the mac games generating more revenue, which will lead to more investment, that will lead to more demand, which will lead to better graphics cards being available in the 'lower tire' computers. I mean I love my macbook, but I don't boast about it's 128MB shared memory graphics card.

I also wonder if core animation will add to the demand for better graphics cards. I don't know much about the technology, but I know it makes use if the GPU when it feels the need...

On a side note, I think a lot of the leopard features shown on Monday will have to be used to be appreciated fully. I've also seen some of them used in proof-of-concept 3D desktops, which makes me wonder if Apple is considering a move in that direction at some point. I've never tried to use a 3D desktop, so I can't say if they make sense or not, but what I can say is that if you leap from 2D to 3D and introduce a host of new concepts like stacks at the same time, you're going to confuse people very quickly, which is something Apple works hard to avoid.

Time will tell I guess...

Roll on October.

Apple Buys Apple Name

Hmmmm, it seems Apple Inc. (the mac maker) have bought all rights to the name Apple, from Apple Corp. (The Beatles' Label).

This does give Apple the wonderful opportunity to become a purely electronic record company and compete with other record companies.

I'm not sure it will choose to do this. It currently relies on the existing record companies for all of it's musical content.

However, with the RIAA going though the courts trying to get permission to pay signed artists less than they do at the moment, it could be that they'd find some big names willing to sign up....

Weekend's Getting Closer

Only the rest of today and tomorrow left before we reach another weekend. So far I've made no plans. Trying to save money at the moment, so I'm reluctant to plan much. That said...

I must not spend all weekend in second life, I must not spend all weekend in second life, I must not spend all weekend in second life, I must not spend all weekend in second life, I must not spend all weekend in second life... etc.

Miss My Girl

It's real late and I have to head to bed shortly, but I just wanted to post a note to say how much I miss my girlfriend, who's away at the moment, but hopefully reading this blog.

I look forward to speaking to her soon, as she rocks my world.

Life's Fantastic!

Well I'm finally on holiday. I can't remember the last time I traveled just for me, I think it was Malta, which was, what? 2, 3 years ago? Anyway, I'm now with my wonderful girlfriend, for a whole week! What more of a holiday could I ask for?

A Film

Other than my many recent airline flights, I can't remeber the last time I sat and watched a film.

I think this is something I should change. The next task is going to be choosing a DVD.....

Off again

Well it doesn't seem long since I landed in the US, but it's time to leave. I should finally be getting some time at home before my next trip. I'll finally have time to get my car serviced.

In other news, I lost my phone :(

It rings, and I can see on the web that no one is making calls on it, so it's just lost somewhere. I just don't know where....

Time to find out if it's insured.

I hope...

I hope my sweetheart got home OK. Must have been a long drive and a late arival back home.

Drop me a line if you get a chance, otherwise I'll just be in touch tonight after work. There are a bunch of people having drinks after work, so I'm going to head to that, build brigdes, but that won't stop me getting in touch!