Radical Liberation

macosxhints.com - Search iPhone (2.0) contacts by first and last name

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 16:09:48 -0500

macosxhints.com - Search iPhone (2.0) contacts by first and last name: Nice tip for finding people faster in iPhone’s Contacts app.

iPhone 101: Hold your ".com" button for a second - The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 21:39:31 -0500

iPhone 101: Hold your ".com" button for a second - The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW): This is a great little tip! (And a great feature addition in the iPhone 2.0 software… Thanks Apple!)

Nice Improvements in iPhone 2.0/Apps

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 01:35:06 -0500

iPhone 2.0 Software

Video playlist! I can queue up a bunch of short video podcast episodes in a playlist and the iPhone will play through them. This is a huge convenience for me as I tend to “watch” (mostly listen to really) WebbAlert, Tekzilla Daily Tips, Onion Video and other 1 to 5 minute segments on my way to work.
Contacts searching. I’ve been keeping my contacts in my computer for nearly 20 years. I have 1,000+ listings in my Address Book. Search is essential.
Improved multiple calendar support. I believe multiple calendars could be synced before, but now they are clearly distinguished by color.
MobileMe Push syncing of mail, calendar, contacts. I no longer have to wait until my nightly iPhone sync to have new info everywhere.
iPhone screenshots. You can now take a screenshot of whatever is on the iPhone by holding down the Home key and then hitting the power button on top. The screen will flash and the screenshot will be added to the “Camera Roll” album in Photos. Nice!

Apps

Remote from Apple. So cool! This is a very practical app at our home where we have different music on my computer than what is on my wife’s computer. I am now tempted to get an Airport Express knowing that with AirTunes I would be able to pull out my iPhone and summon music from my Mac downstairs to play on our stereo upstairs. And what a joy the interface is! (I especially like the full screen album art.)
Exposure. The “Near Me” feature which pulls down pictures that were geotagged as being nearby your current location is very cool. I hope people take pictures of great desserts so that I can serendipitously discover I am near a cafe I should try.
Loopt. Another app that does fun stuff with locations. In this case it works a lot better as you have more friends that get on it. But I also like the integration of the camera. I describe in words where I am or what I’m doing and then take a picture to go along with it.
PhoneSaber. Silly fun. Nice demo app.
NetNewsWire. This is the one I’ve been waiting for. Designed for rapidly scanning headlines from the many news feeds I try to keep up on. Second to the iPod functionality, this is probably what I’ll be using my iPhone for the most.
AIM. Once Apple provides notification support (promised for September I believe) this is going to be the way to avoid the crazy expensive SMS charges but still get texting functionality.
Twitterific. I love Twitterific for the Mac. But Twitterific for the iPhone may be even better. It integrates with the location feature to update where I am. It makes it really simple to do replies and direct messages. Also integrates the browser nicely for quickly popping up links that are in people’s tweets. Need more of my St. Louis family and friends on Twitter!
Pandora. Radio customized for you. They have some crazy algorithms that play music for you based on something you’ve told it you liked (an artist, an album, a song). It can be pretty good. I already bought a song by an artist I never heard of just playing with it for a minute. That kind of impulse purchase is really facilitated if you are on Wifi since it will bring you right to the track in the iTunes Music Store on the iPhone.
Facebook. You can’t do a lot with this app, but you can do the basic stuff you want to be able to do on the go… Update your status, read & respond to mail and chat.

And these are just free apps! I haven’t started buying apps, though there are definitely some I’m excited about.

Roll Over, Bark, and Beg

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 23:45:44 -0500

Roll Over, Bark, and Beg: Most cops barely know how to use guns. Maybe that’s why they prefer t he easy-to-use taser.

YouTube - Steve Jobs presenta el comercial "1984"

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 17:24:12 -0500

YouTube - Steve Jobs presenta el comercial "1984": Steve Jobs introduces the famous “1984” commercial introducing the Macintosh. Somehow I had never seen this.

Netflix changes their mind: Profiles NOT going away!

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 13:05:17 -0500

Netflix changes their mind: Profiles NOT going away!: “For users of Profiles, I have good news to report: we will keep the feature with no plans to discontinue it. We were persuaded by the well-reasoned, sincere responses of loyal members who very much…

"The use of limes by the British Royal Navy to prevent scurvy gave rise to the name..."

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:27:00 -0500

“The use of limes by the British Royal Navy to prevent scurvy gave rise to the name “limey” for an English immigrant in the former British colonies (particularly America, New Zealand and South Africa). The use of this word has been extended to include all British people in American slang.”

- Scurvy - Wikipedia

Cooperation: How a Free Market Benefits Everyone

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 11:45:57 -0500

Cooperation: How a Free Market Benefits Everyone: The following attempts to explain the most important idea in the history of social analysis. The notion (actually, it’s a description of reality that is all around us but rarely noticed) has been…

Liz Phair - Table For One In 1993 Liz Phair came out with an...

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 09:32:00 -0500

Liz Phair - Table For One

In 1993 Liz Phair came out with an album “Exile in Guyville” that was an instant classic. Wonderful song writing with an indie sensibility. Though I was never particularly impressed with her voice, she more than made up for it with her songwriting.

Then, after a five year hiatus, she came out with “Liz Phair” in 2003 and “Somebody’s Miracle” in 2005. Taking a sharp turn towards slick pop production, these albums are easy to dismiss.

But then there is “Table For One” from her 2005 album. In the middle of slick blandness, hides this profound gem of a song that will break your heart. Devastatingly beautiful.

Oh, I want to die alone
With my sympathy beside me
I want to bring back all those moments they stole from me

Netflix eliminating Profiles

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 13:51:39 -0500

Netflix eliminating Profiles: We wanted to let you know we will be eliminating Profiles, the feature that allowed you to set up separate DVD Queues under one account, effective September 1, 2008.Each additional Profile Queue will…

Blog It

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 21:45:35 -0500

I’m testing a handy blog posting app from TypePad called BlogIt.

This allows me to post an entry on my Tumblelog from my iPhone and also notify Facebook and Twiitter all at once.

We’ll see if this results in me posting at more frequently!

LewRockwell.com Blog: "Obama is Unelectable"

Sat, 07 Jun 2008 22:45:40 -0500

LewRockwell.com Blog: "Obama is Unelectable": I recall something that John Dvorak said in passing on TWiT.

socialization

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 09:51:20 -0500

socialization: BK Marcus comments on the absurd last ditch defense of compulsory schooling.

"I now leave wifi turned off on my main computer except when I need to transfer a file or edit a web..."

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 09:31:55 -0500

“I now leave wifi turned off on my main computer except when I need to transfer a file or edit a web page, and I have a separate laptop on the other side of the room that I use to check mail or browse the web.”

- Paul Graham, “Disconnecting Distraction”

Daring Fireball Linked List: June 2008

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 13:00:40 -0500

Daring Fireball Linked List: June 2008: “Best corporate IT quote ever.”

Adele - Chasing Pavements (via ) My wife and I are both...

Sat, 31 May 2008 19:02:00 -0500

Adele - Chasing Pavements (via )

My wife and I are both increasingly impressed with Adele as we listen to her album more. She isn’t a super showy singer. She is intelligent, tasteful and really has her own “voice”.

Adele is playing in Chicago tonight. Wish we could just pop up there to see her, but we have these little kids…

[Oops, just noticed that embedding is disabled for this video. Just go here to watch it.]

"When the lead-up to the war began, the press corps was under enormous pressure from corporate..."

Fri, 30 May 2008 14:38:36 -0500

“When the lead-up to the war began, the press corps was under enormous pressure from corporate executives, frankly, to make sure that this was a war that was presented in a way that was consistent with the patriotic fever in the nation and the president’s high approval ratings.”

- Jessica Yellin, on the pressure she received at ABC News and MSNBC in 2002 and 2003. See Glenn Greenwald.

It is really a wonder to behold how in this “free” country with our “free” press, the mainstream media marches in such marvelous lockstep with the government. In some ways I wish that government control of the media was more open so that people would understand what is going on.

How my mother's fanatical feminist views tore us apart, by the daughter of The Color Purple author | Mail Online

Fri, 30 May 2008 00:55:07 -0500

How my mother's fanatical feminist views tore us apart, by the daughter of The Color Purple author | Mail Online: She says so many things I’ve been trying to articulate about the real human costs of feminist ideology.

The Hello World Collection

Sat, 17 May 2008 02:34:24 -0500

The Hello World Collection: Nifty collection of “Hello World” in 366 computer languages.

Scared Face. Madeleine, age 2 1/2. Previous photo by...

Thu, 15 May 2008 19:22:20 -0500

Scared Face.

Madeleine, age 2 1/2.

Previous photo by Heather.