Year: 2012

Our Time is Now

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Congratulations, my fellow Apple nerds. Our time has come.

While Apple is just a company, for many of us, it’s a company that is often at the center of our daily work. Without its products, many of us could not have the jobs or hobbies that we enjoy.

With many still reeling from the company’s quarterly results announced yesterday, I think the dust is settling on what is an all-new world.

Now, this world has been forming for a long time. Apple has passed every other technology company in most metrics over the last few years. While it might not be the biggest in market share, looking at the hard numbers, it is hard to make an argument that those statistics mean much anymore. Apple is crushing its competition, and is doing it consistently.

In this new world, we are not the weird hippies holding on to our obscure computers and even more obscure software titles. Talking about iPad apps in line at Starbucks isn’t weird anymore.

Apple has entered the mainstream culture, and on its coattails, we’re able to enjoy being invited to sit at the cool table.

Of course, many of us had the rainbow Apple logo stickers all over our PowerBooks back in the day, and preached about the virtues of AppleTalk. Now, we can still do that, but attractive people might talk to us.

Yes, there will always be idiot bloggers and ill-informed pundits clamorous for page views. I think as time marches on, writers who preach on the impending implosion of Apple will be held in the same regard as the sidewalk preacher claiming the world will end unless you repent and tithe.

Let’s ignore those crazy kids and party.

Ungeniused 017 – The Sock Monkey

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This week, Myke and I talk about sock monkeys — those lovable creatures that have helped numerous children fall asleep soundly over the years.

This week’s episode is brought to you by Wet Frog Studios. Aaron Mahnke has done logo design and brand management for Stephen and Myke, and — quite frankly — has blown way past our expectations. If you’re a nerd with a product, Internet presence or start-up, you owe it to yourself to work with Wet Frog Studios.

‘Highest Quarterly Revenue and Earnings Ever’

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Tim Cook:

We’re thrilled with our outstanding results and record-breaking sales of iPhones, iPads and Macs. Apple’s momentum is incredibly strong, and we have some amazing new products in the pipeline.

No kidding. Here’s Apple’s PR machine:

The Company posted record quarterly revenue of $46.33 billion and record quarterly net profit of $13.06 billion, or $13.87 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $26.74 billion and net quarterly profit of $6 billion, or $6.43 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 44.7 percent compared to 38.5 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 58 percent of the quarter’s revenue.

Absolutely insane.

The Macintosh 128k Turns 28

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The computer that started a revolution was announced today, back in 1984:

Here are the specs of the machine:

Essentials:

  • Family: Classic Macs
  • Codename: Macintosh
  • Gestalt ID: 1
  • Minimum OS: 1.0
  • Maximum OS: System 3.2/Finder 5.3
  • Introduced: January 1984
  • Terminated: October 1985

Processor:

  • CPU: Motorola MC68000
  • CPU Speed: 8 MHz
  • FPU: none
  • Bus Speed: 8 MHz
  • Register Width: 32-bit
  • Data Bus Width: 16-bit
  • Address Bus Width: 32-bit
  • ROM: 64 kB
  • Onboard RAM: 128 kB
  • Maximum RAM: 128 kB

Video:

  • Monitor: 9" built-in
  • VRAM: 1 bit 512×342

Storage:

  • Floppy Drive: 3.5" 400 kB

Input/Output:

  • Floppy: DB–19
  • Joystick/Mouse: DE–9
  • Serial: 2 DE–9
  • Audio Out: mono 8 bit
  • Speaker: mono

Miscellaneous:

  • Power: 60 Watts
  • Dimensions: 13.6“ H x 9.6” W x 10.9" D
  • Weight: 16.5 lbs.

Of course, the original Macintosh is famous for bringing the graphical user interface to the masses at an affordable price. While the Lisa before it sported many of the same features, it was the Macintosh that history remembers. While the original models didn’t sell super well at first, they spurred a revolution that brought the power of a computer to the desks of businesses, families and classrooms.

MindNode [Sponsor]

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MindNode is an elegant, easy-to-use mind mapping tool for Mac and iOS. Whether you’re brainstorming for your next project, organizing your life, or planning your vacation, MindNode lets you collect, structure, and expand your ideas. And thanks to built-in Dropbox and WiFi sharing, even your biggest ideas can go anywhere your iPhone does.

MindNode is easy mind mapping for your Mac, iPad, and iPhone. Try out Mindnode Pro and MindNode touch today!

My Podcasting Rig

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Since starting the Ungeniused podcast late last year, I’ve had numerous questions about my setup. So, here’s my gear:

  • The Blue Yeti USB Microphone is the heart of my rig. It’s a great vocal mic for the money. With its tri-capsule array, it’s easy to set this mic up for one or more voices. It’s plug-n-play with OS X, and includes built-in gain control, pattern selection and a headphone jack for monitoring your own voice.
  • The mic is mounted in a Blue Microphones Radius Microphone Shock Mount. This mount has totally changed the quality of my audio, isolating the mic from noises caused by me bumping the table, writing and even typing. If you are serious about isolating your voice from the environment, a shock mount is the only way to go.
  • The Nady MPF–6 6-Inch Clamp On Microphone Pop Filter is a little large, but I like to move around when I’m talking, and this gives me the freedom to do so. I have it clamped to my stand with the built-in hardware.
  • To be honest, I’m not super in love with my mic stand. While I hope to mount my rig on an arm in the future, right now, I record Ungeniused in an empty conference room at work. That said, I use the 8–13 inch Atlas Desk Stand. It’s well made, but I do wish it were heavier — or that the base were larger. It feels a tad wobbly with the heavy Yeti hanging out over the side of it.
  • I use the Sennheiser HD–280 PRO Headphones all the time — not just for podcasting. They’re closed-backed, so audio doesn’t leak, and comfortable, so I can wear them for hours without getting a headache.

On the software side of things, I record my local track in QuickTime X. The trick here is to make sure that the application is using the Yeti to record.[1]

To record both ends of a Skype call, my go-to application is Audio Hijack Pro. That said, however, Piezo looks like a nice option, too.

On the cloud end of things, Ungeniused is hosted at Buzzsprout. Buzzsprout is great, and dirt cheap. It allows for fast uploading, easy-to-edit metadata, useful stats and more. There’s no reason to host a small to medium-sized show on your own.

Feedburner has the Buzzsprout feed, so I can change the backend without iTunes or Instacast knowing.

This setup isn’t the best money can buy, but I’ve found it to be a great rig for the price. Just about everyone at 70Decibles uses a similar setup, and it really shows.

Update: See my new rig here.

  1. Likewise, Skype’s settings must be adjusted to use the Yeti for audio in and out. It’s a silly application.  ↩

The OPEN Act

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Christina DesMarais, PCWorld:

OPEN would give oversight to the International Trade Commission (ITC) instead of the Justice Department, focuses on foreign-based websites, includes an appeals process, and would apply only to websites that “willfully” promote copyright violation. SOPA and PIPA, in contrast, would enable content owners to take down an entire website, even if just one page on it carried infringing content, and imposed sanctions after accusations — not requiring a conviction.