My mom: what is that?
Me: the internet.

My mom got her first computer this Christmas when my sister and I purchased it for her. It has received minimal use at best. But holding access to the net in her hands, as well as flipping through a completely digitized version of a children’s book she no doubt read to me when I was much younger seemed to totally captivate her.

To anyone that hasn’t figured it out yet, let it be said again.. Hate the iPad? It probably wasn’t designed for you. It was designed for your mom.

Of course I’m not suggesting the iPad has nothing to offer “power users.” But there is a reason that the out of the box solutions for the iPod don’t support .ogg and FLAC. 80% of the market doesn’t care, or even know what it is to realize it’s missing in the first place. The iPad is just an extension of this design philosophy. Do 70% as much 200% better.

3g pros:
easy data access anywhere
GPS

3g cons:
expensive ($130 premium)
monthly fee for data
data is provided by AT&T (inferior to Verizon)

WiFi pros:
less expensive
tether for 3g (Verizon > AT&T)
no monthly fee (other than current phone bill)
more money spent towards storage
available now

WiFi cons:
extra step for data access (more complex)
data may be unreliable
use of wifi tethered to phone may drain phone battery
no GPS

16GB:
May be content-limiting, especially for video storage
Cheap

32GB:
Sweet spot?

64GB:
Expensive. VERY expensive with 3g. $830 (A MacBook with student discount is $900)

thoughts:
The 64GB option is just too expensive to be justified, in my opinion. This is doubly so when you consider it with 3g. I’m not concerned about the 16gb storage limitation because I don’t envision putting music on the device, or even more than one or two films at a time. The 32gb might provide a bit more breathing room. The option of tethering to my phone for 3g access is attractive, especially because Verizon’s coverage is far superior to AT&T’s. I think I can reasonably eliminate any option with 3g, with the only real downside being lack of GPS and potentially missing out on a few “cool” apps that utilize the feature. However, I don’t see the iPad as being a viable option for in-car GPS, a walking map, etc. Its too expensive to carry around on pavement and risk breaking. Also, some apps can use WiFi to determine your location in a general area.

My main uses for the device would (will?) primarily be as a reader, some apps, and perhaps (but rarely) viewing movies.

Special thanks to @benjaminmingle for helping me compile this list of pros/cons while we both debate the merits of owning an iPad.

It hasn’t been all bad, though; I’ve learned some valuable skills through my endeavoring for others. It has even yielded a couple of paying gigs, which I hope to gradually turn into a more steady stream of client work in the next few months. However, it’s gotten my thinking about what exactly I do when I setup a Wordpress installation, and how much of it could be streamlined for productivity’s sake.

While I really enjoy the plug-in installer built directly into the Wordpress dashboard, it isn’t terribly efficient. It requires that I manually search for each plug-in, and then click two or three boxes to download, install, and activate each that I select. There isn’t even any sort of queuing feature (which would be awesome), where I can compile a list of 5+ plug-ins that I want to install, and apply bulk actions to them. There may be some sort of plug-in that provides this functionality (irony), but I like the out-of-the-box features because I can rely on them not to break when I update the WP core.

So, since I plan on seeking out and working with more clients in the future, it makes sense to come up with a streamlined process for my Wordpress work. If I’m flat quoting projects, the less time I spend doing menial tasks, the more money I’m making per hour, and the more money I can reasonably dedicate to making a client’s site awesome rather than just functional. Therefore, I think I’m going to take a new approach starting now.

Certain plug-ins are present by default when I setup a Wordpress page. For example, Google XML Sitemaps improves the ability of search engines to map content on your page. What’s the point of publishing for the web if no one can find your work? This goes in every single site, every single time. Similarly, All-in-one SEO Pack gets installed on all but the most rushed of jobs, for its ability to give control over tags, meta data, page titles, and so on. For anything I build for myself, I always install Google Analyticator to track traffic sources, number of hits, most popular content, and so on.

The point is, rather than selecting all of these individually through the Wordpress interface, it seems to me that it would be much better to keep local folders based on broad categories. These categories might include “essential”, “SEO”, “comments”, and so on, with each housing plug-ins specific to that type of functionality. This would allow me to do mass uploads of my most important plug-ins using an FTP client. While I would occasionally have to update these local copies with the newest versions, I think it would be much more efficient and I would waste far fewer clicks this way.

What are your must-haves on a fresh Wordpress install, other than a spiffy theme that aligns with the message of your site?

I’m having a hard time figuring out what is upload worthy and what isn’t. It seems to me that the “right” thing to do is only to upload the best shots. That is, here are my top 5 pics of the lion shrine from the 30 different angles I took. My current system is as follows…

1. Import all photos into an Aperture project from the camera
2. Delete the ones that suck (i.e. didn’t turn out at all, exposure time was too long/short, etc.)
3. Rate photos between 1 and 5 stars in Aperture
4. Make any necessary adjustments (white balance, levels, etc.) to 4 and 5 star photos
5. Upload 4 and 5 star photos to a new Flickr photoset using the Flickr export add-on for Aperture

This approach seems to work relatively well for me. How do you do it?

I just got a new lens for my DSLR, and as soon as it stops snowing I’m going to go out and take some pictures. In the mean time, check out the new Photography page. I’m excited to get out and take some shots. I’ve been kind of a shut in lately, with all the snow and whatnot.

I’m in my last semester of school and I already have a job. I need to turn on the afterburners and power through my thesis and remaining coursework. I’m excited for the big changes that are coming.

1. Pay off all credit card debt
2. Drink more water
3. Go to the gym/exercise at least twice a week
4. Take more pictures (learn to use my XTi better)
5. Read more
6. Be more productive online (read less junk, do/create more)

TWITTER GOT DEFACED, ZOMG. Hacked by the Iranian Cyber Army.

Screen caps…

While the defacement didn’t load all the way [many broken images] and now Twitter.com simply doesn’t resolve, a quick google search showed that the “Iranian Cyber Army” has defaced many pages, and the intended defacement can be seen below.

A common problem I have when I buy/build a new system is “What do I put on it?” It is often difficult to list all of the applications, preference panes, and essential files that make a new computer YOUR computer. After spending a few months on a machine, I start to take for granted that Quicksilver will be there, that Firefox will look and act the way I anticipate, and so on. Often, I will forget to install applications that are important to me, but I do not use regularly. This has happened to me with Adobe Creative Suite countless times; I didn’t know I needed it until I needed it. When I popped up Quicksilver and started typing “Photo…” to only see Photo Booth, I realized my error. Taking an hour to install CS4 can seriously hamper the creative process if you have a sudden burst of inspiration.

To try and prevent this from happening when my iMac arrives, and because I’m going to be home for the holidays where I won’t have access to most of my tools, software, and a real internet connection (my parents use a basic DSL package, which suits them fine), I decided to poll my fellow Mac users on Twitter and Facebook asking what their must-haves are on a new system. Below are the results. I’ve included the number of “votes” each item received in brackets. This doesn’t exactly give a great picture of recommendations, but does let you see that some people suggest using Firefox, many use Quicksilver, etc.

Essentials:

Many “essential” applications (such as iTunes) are included in OS X. However, these applications also make the list of things I can’t live without.

• Quicksilver [4] – Launcher, awesome, absolutely necessary.
• Firefox [2] – The killerapp here is obviously the extensions.
• VLC [4] – Plays anything. Enough said..
• Adium [6] – Chat on just about any service.
• A word processor [3] – Office 2008 is my flavor of choice.
• The Unarchiver [1] – This is a classic example of an app that I forget I need until someone sends me a set of RARs.
• Evernote[0] – No one mentioned this, but I’m really trying to make it a part of my workflow. I see great potential.
• A torrent application [3] – Everyone recommended Transmission, which has a very sexy Mac-like interface, but I strongly prefer uTorrent.

Firefox Extensions:

These are all from my personal list, and were not mentioned by anyone responding to my informal poll.

• AdBlock Plus – Don’t see ads. Ever.
• FireFTP – Good for lightweight FTP tasks.
• XMarks – Sync bookmarks, passwords, etc. across all your machines. Like delicious, but private, and more useful.

Communication Apps:

• Skype [1] – For skypin’. I should note, the person who recommended this included it at both the beginning and end of their list. They must LOVE skypin’.
• A twitter application [4] – Several recommended a twitter app of some sort, with Tweetie getting the most votes
• Gmail Notifications [1] – Check your e-mail. Constantly. Make Merlin Mann cry himself to sleep.
• Colloquy [1] – IRC

Preference Panes / Add-ons:

A few add-ons for OS X that make life easier.

• BlueHarvest [1] – Keep OS X from contaminating your non-Mac partitions with hidden files
• TextMate [2] – Text completion that saves time and just works
• Visor [1] – A slide-down command prompt like the console in Quake when you push ~.
• Paragon NTFS [1] – Sometimes, you need to share with Windows folks.

What You Do:

One very smart person told me that it “depends on what you do.” While it is helpful to have a sense of what other people are using, I must admit it is strange for an electrician to ask a mechanic what tools he should be carrying around with him. So here’s a few tools that help me do what I do.

• Coda – webdev
• Adobe Creative Suite CS4 – just about anything involving pushing pixels, floating divs, etc.
• Aperture – exposure, levels, and flickr batch uploads (with a small plug-in)
• TiltShift – AdobeAIR app that simulates tilt shift photography
• DropBox – Make files available over the web, back up critical data into the cloud
• A video editing tool – I don’t have one particular tool that I like yet, but I’m looking… Suggestions?

This is far from an exhaustive list. In fact, this isn’t even all of the recommendations I received. However, most of the other suggestions were recommended  are intended to fill needs that I simply don’t have. These apps that seem unnecessary to me are likely critical in the daily activities of those individuals that listed them. This only emphasizes the fact that, it depends on what you do. I think the above is a good start, and with the exception of my section of tools-I-need, most of these apps would probably be useful to the majority of users. Suffice to say, if all of the above came preloaded on my Mac, I wouldn’t be too upset.

Did I miss anything? What are your must-haves, and are they similar to the results I got?

The list is an unusual mix of art-rock, mainstream rap, and bands many aren’t familiar with at all. While a sizable number of the artists represented on the list are undoubtedly talented musicians that have revolutionized the face of the music scene over the last ten years for listeners, there seems to certainly be some bias in the bands selected. Pitchfork is known to favor certain genres and bands that are less mainstream, and this is clearly intimated in the contents of the list. While certain commercially successful acts, such as Radiohead and Kanye West, managed to achieve multiple spots on the list, other acts and even entire genres are notably absent.

I think the list does an excellent job of singling out artists who have made significant contributions. For example, Radiohead appearing at number 1 on the list is far from shocking. Similarly, Daft Punk earned their place in the top 10 by changing the face of electronic music and hugely expanding the fan base of many related genres. Indeed, it is difficult to cite specific instances of “this band should be on the list”, especially when trying to suppress your own internal biases. However, what I found most disappointing about the list was NOT that none of my favorite acts made the cut. More, I was let down by the appearance of mediocre, “bubblegum” artists (I’m talking to you, Kanye) appearing not only once, but twice and three times.

While it is difficult to say that band X is number 1, and band Y is number 2, it is extremely easy to compare the artists relatively. Certain acts appear unreasonably high considering the (lack of) artistic merit of the work they produce. Other works on the list seem out of place so close to missing the cut altogether considering the quality and depth of their releases. Does artistic merit even matter? What about units sold? Dollars spent on marketing? Maybe the real issue is that Pitchfork hasn’t, to my knowledge, explicitly shared any criteria upon which the decisions were made. Are the top 10 just what was in the head editor’s cd changer this week? Making a cross-genre list of THE BEST is difficult at best and both misguided and impossible at worst.

The list itself is what I would describe as “50% good.” Unfortunately, this statement really just means it is mediocre, and 50% success is still an F on most grading scales. Given its lack of qualifiers (editor’s choice? user voted? or even just say it’s PITCHFORK’S top 200 on the mast head…), one can’t be too angry. Some of the greatest musical works of the past ten years are surely represented. I just refuse to believe that 1% of the best music released in the past 10 years (2 / 200 albums, in other words) was produced by Lil Wayne. Sorry, I’m not buying it.

I’m making some upgrades to the site (note the new Twitter widget on the right sidebar), and feeling kind of creative.  I’m just in the mood to work on my own projects, rather than school stuff, right now.

Not going to make this a lengthy post, but I also should mention that I was fortunate enough to receive an internship offer from Deloitte for this summer.  The interview process was somewhat grueling, and I didn’t think I did great, but things worked out in my favor.

To anyone looking to obtain an internship with Deloitte: I highly recommend doing some research on the company’s website.  While I wasn’t asked many questions at all about Deloitte (which surprised me, since most companies ask “What do you know about us?” or something similar), I did find that many of the interview preparation materials on the Deloitte website were VERY helpful to me.

More soon.