Finally, just a shade over six months after being propositioned by the mighty Chris Mills to do some writing, my article is online!
The site, dev.opera.com is a resource aimed squarely at people who are web-literate and happy to get their hands dirty in code. However it’s quite techy, and not too design-led, either theory or practice.
Chris asked me to get involved and write an article that fused a bit of design know-how with technical ability, and since we’d just finished the GDR Creative Intelligence web site at work, which feature sIFR heavily, I though sIFR would be an ideal candidate.
The article didn’t actually take six months to write, it was done in fits and bursts, mostly while in Spain on holiday, but took a while to get edits done as Mills, in his capacity as Opera’s Developer Relations drinker is all around Europe at conferences and spreading the good word.
I tossed out a question on Twitter that I’d been thinking about for a while.
What’s your favourite obsolete technology?
This had been playing on my mind for a bit, mostly from playing on the Sega Dreamcast, but also a stint on the original Tetris on an old Gameboy Pocket, but also thinking about my old Sony MiniDisc players, like the MD-R90, which I really miss.
I got some great answers from my mates, another MiniDisc lover, the ZX Spectrum, VHS porn (thanks Rob!) and a LaserDisc system for Dragon’s Lair!
Graphically stunning, the 3D is incredible, throwing round millions of polygons effortlessly, the lighting effects mind blowing, sun rays blazing through windows across rooms and highlighting dust motes. The typography… errr. Read more…
Having been a designer/developer on the web for over 12 years, I can count on one hand the amount of times I’ve had a “ohmyfuckinggodwow” moment when watching a new product or technology (and no, the Segway was not one of them).
Most innovations or services are slow burners. They gain critical mass as more people use them and change their workflow to fit.
But every now and then something comes along, pointing out things that in hindsight look so glaringly obvious, that make the product a game changer. At the recent Google I/O event, they previewed a product that’s going to do just that.
You really have to watch the video to understand what it’s about. This will be eponymous.
Since I’ve lost the use of my MacBook Pro for a week or two, I’ve had to fall back to the NC10 for every evening use. Before now, whilst having used it for an hour here or there, but usually a lot less, I’d not really built up a great picture of how good this little laptop really is. Read more…
Like most nerds, I need more hard drive space. Right now, I bet you need more drive space too. If you’re reading this blog, odds on you’re a nerd, and nerds can’t get enough drive space.
So over the years, I’ve collected a few USB external drives, two hanging off the back of the media centre Mac Mini, and the third out the Airport Extreme. 1.75TB. Three separate hard drives. Three separate power supplies. And I need more space…
Dammit, I don’t want to buy *another* USB drive and add it to the collection, and I don’t want to have to swap in a bigger drive and spend a few days doing the data shuffle and risk forgetting some really important data. So what’s a nerd to do?
Think of 20 albums that had such a profound effect on you that they changed your life. Dug into your soul. Music that brought you to life when you heard it. Royally affected you, kicked you in the ass, literally socked you in the gut if you know what i mean. Then when you finish, tag 20 others, including myself. Make sure you copy and paste this message so the people you tag will know the drill. Read more…
For quite a while, I’ve had a Mac Mini hooked up the TV, streaming DVDs and xvids to the TV, and all my music on for streaming to an Airport Express.
The Mini is on 24/7, also acting as a dev web server for nerding, and running ftp and a few other protocols, allowing me to grab an album from wherever, whenever.
As good as Front Row has been, it’s just not… geeky enough for me. The wife uses it without issue, and my son yells when the selector is on a few of the menu options he wants. But I want more geek Read more…
After Christmas, I spent two and a half weeks in Spain with my wife’s family. Having done this many a time, and having taken many different laptops with me, I generally know what I need from a laptop to keep me semi-sane.
One of the best laptops I’d taken in the past was the 12″ PowerBook, and believe me, if Apple made an Intel netbook approaching this small footprint form factor, I’d have one. But alas, that’s a different blog post waiting to happen. However, the 15″ MacBook Pro was a pain in the ass. No desk space to keep it on, unwieldly in size (even fearing warping it when bending over with it in a rucksack) and a battery boasting about 2 hrs, it was a little too much. Read more…
30something guy with a passion for anything with a plug, including in no particular order, wi-fi war-driving, Apple Macs and video games, particularly the Sega Dreamcast.
