Year: 2012

RSS Sponsor: Igloo Software →

⌘ Permalink

You start your day, grab a coffee and update Bob. Then you swing by your manager’s office and update him. He’s like, “Oh. Em. Gee.” (He thinks that’s cool).

Now you’ve got to update his boss.

You get back three conversations later and tell Janice what happened. You try to ignore the guy listening over the cubicle wall… but then you update him so he doesn’t spread the wrong story.

Now your coffee’s cold. You start your day.

Or, you could write a blog post inside your team space.

Work better, together inside the Igloo.

Sponsorship by The Syndicate.

My 2012 Mac Setup

⌘ Permalink

Back in 2009, my setup was featured on Shawn Blanc’s website. Back then, I was running an Apple-Authorized Service Provider, only had one kid and used a desk I didn’t build with my own hands. In the last three years, my computing needs at home and at work have changed, I’ve changed jobs, had a second kid, bought a house and built a desk. Seems like it’s time to re-visit that old article.

Work

Since February 2010, I’ve worked as the IT/Multimedia Director for the Salvation Army Kroc Center here in Memphis. I joke that anything involving pixels or electrons passes through my department of four. I oversee all of the audio/video, IT and design-related projects for the Center, which is set to open in January. Until then, I spend a large amount of time dealing with construction-related issues.

Work: Hardware

While I originally started with a 13-inch MacBook Pro like I had at my former job, I’ve since upgraded to a 15-inch. My current machine is a MacBook Pro (Mid 2012) with a 2.3 Ghz i7 with 16 GB of RAM running Mountain Lion. I tossed the hard drive it came with for a 256 GB Crucial m4 SSD. Longtime readers will know that I was previously using an OWC SSD, coupled with a hard drive, thanks to the company’s Data Doubler bracket, that can be used to replace a SuperDrive with another 2.5-inch hard drive or SSD.

That rig ran in to a few issues. First, 115 GB was not enough space, but juggling data across two drives grew old quickly. Secondly, I still use my SuperDrive very often at work, and needing to hook up an external wasn’t much fun. Lastly, I had a run of bad luck with the OWC drives, having two die in quick succession.

When I’m at my desk, the MacBook Pro is open, on a stand, off to my right, with a 27-inch Apple LED Cinema Display in front of me. This display was purchased before Apple included Thunderbolt in them, but otherwise is the same hardware Apple offers for sale today. It’s great.

This summer, I had my elbow operated on, and since I have found the most comfortable keyboard for me to use is Apple’s slimline Bluetooth keyboard. I love my Extended II, but simply can’t use it day to day. Depending on what I’m working on, I either use a Magic Trackpad or Magic Mouse.

I’ve got a Western Digital MyBook I use for Time Machine backups.

Server wise, I use a Xserve. We ordered it right after Apple announced the machine was going away. It’s running 10.7 server, and serves up files to my department over AFP. We also have a HP server, running Windows Server 2008 that is the domain controller and handles DNS on the network, as well as some file sharing to our Windows users.

I also have a Lava Lamp on my desk. It has green goo in blue liquid.

Work: Software

Like many professional nerds, I often push my hardware to the very limits of what it can do. While we have a Mac Pro in the office for video and audio editing, I often do short jobs on my laptop, giving the i7 a run for its money. We’re using Logic and Final Cut Pro X for most of our work.

I run CS5 for design projects. Most of the time, I stick to Photoshop and Illustrator. While I can get around in InDesign, I’m far more comfortable in QuarkXPress, much to the chagrin of my graphic designer.

Since the majority of the staff that my department supports runs Windows, I have both XP and Windows 7 virtual machines setup in Fusion. I also have a virtual 10.7 Server setup, to test things before I deploy them to the Xserve. I keep my VMs on an external drive, and really enjoy that 16 GB of RAM when I’ve got things cooking in Windows.

Day to day, I use all of the typical Mac software — Mail, Messages, Chrome, Tweetbot and TextMate.

Oh, and our corporation uses Lotus Notes, so I run the Mac version of that, too. It’s not awesome in any way.

I do most of my writing for 512 Pixels right inside of MarsEdit, and publish after I’m done editing. (The same goes for Tools & Toys.)

Home

I don’t do a ton of work on my home computer anymore. While I still use it for my main iTunes library, I have all of my photos on Dropbox, and use iTunes Match. However, my wife does use the home Mac all the time, so earlier this year, we upgraded from our iMac.

Home: Hardware

We’re now using a Mac mini (Mid 2011) with a 2.5 Ghz i5 processor and 8 GB of RAM. This week, I popped in a 512 GB version of the same SSD I have in my laptop.

To store our ever-growing iTunes libraries, I have a Guardian MAXimus box with two 1.5 TB drives in a hardware-controlled RAID–1. Mirrored drives in a RAID shouldn’t be considered a backup, so the Mini and the RAID get copied to a set of drives I keep at my office.

We use AT&T U-Verse for Internet access. I have a 1 TB Time capsule that has command of the network. From it, I have a CAT–6 cable run across my attic to an AirPort Express to cover the back porch and shop with the Wi-Fis.

Home: Software

Most of what I do on this Mac is iTunes. My wife uses mostly the built-in stuff — mainly iTunes and iPhoto. She loves family history, and uses MacFamilyTree to keep up with it.

Mobile & Misc.

My 32 GB black Verizon iPhone 5 is always in my front right pocket, face-in and top-down. I’ve got a 32 GB white Wi-Fi iPad as well, but it doesn’t see the usage it once did.

I read on a Kindle Paperwhite and write in Field Notes notebooks with either a Zebra Sarasa Push Clip Gel Ink pen in 0.5mm blue-black ink or a 0.7 mm Uni-ball Jetstream ballpoint pen in blue.

I listen to music through Sennheiser HD–280 PRO headphones and record with a Rode Podcaster USB mic.

SpaceX Rocket Headed to Space Station →

⌘ Permalink

Irene Klotz for Reuters:

“This was a critical event for NASA and the nation tonight,” said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. “Just over a year after the retirement of the space shuttle, we have returned space station cargo-resupply missions to U.S. soil.”

By “we,” of course, Bolden meant a private company, and not the federal government.

The Syndicate Turns One →

⌘ Permalink

Marcelo Somers:

One year ago this week, I launched The Syndicate, my first venture into running my own business. It’s been a roller coaster – a blast getting to work with some amazing writers who I greatly respect.

To celebrate, this week I’ll be writing several posts to give a glimpse behind the scenes of the business: things I’ve learned, how it’s run, the technology I’ve built to simplify things, and suggestions for marketing your own products and services.

Marcelo has done a great job running things. I was honored when he asked me to be a founding member of the network, and thanks to his hard work, 512 Pixels is in the black, each and every month.

To mark the occasion, The Syndicate is having a sale. If you want to reach over 87,000 nerdy yet handsome RSS readers across 11 sites, get in touch!

Review: The Nike+ FuelBand

⌘ Permalink

I’m in pretty decent shape. Like most nerds who spend all day in front of a computer, I could stand to lose a few pounds, but I try my best to stay active.

Back in July, I ordered a Nike+ FuelBand. after reading several reviews online. I thought that if I could gamify being active, I would be more prone to get up and move through out the day.

Hardware

The FuelBand is a plain black bracelet, with a silver clasp. Coming in three sizes with two additional “links”, it’s not hard to get a FuelBand to fit comfortably. That said, it’s a little clunky for my taste, but I wear a very thin watch.

Across the top of the band, there’s two banks of LEDs, both controlled with an ambient light sensor. The larger one is made up of 100 white LEDs. This panel will show time, NikeFuel earned, calories burned, etc. Below it, there’s a line of LEDs that fade from red to green as you inch closer to your daily activity goal. The band can be worn on either wrist, the software will let you flip the text on the LED display over.

I’ve noticed that my FuelBand doesn’t seem to be aging very gracefully. The four hex screw heads on the inside of the band are rusting, presumably from sweat. Likewise, the black rubber already seems to be fading.

The battery life is pretty great. If I don’t sit and play with the LEDs all day, I can get two days worth of usage pretty easily. The band comes with a USB cable, and charges quickly.

Software

The FuelBand will track steps, calories and the number of active minutes in your day. While these numbers can be seen individually, FuelBand wraps them all up in something called your “NikeFuel.”

NikeFuel is a number derived from all sorts of activities — walking, jumping, running and more. (As a cyclist, I found that sticking the FuelBand in my pocket let it do a decent job at tracking my activity.)

The FuelBand will hook up to your iPhone over Bluetooth, and sync the number of steps it has recorded. The app keeps up with your trends, so you can see your activity over the course of a week, month or all time.

The software also will “reward” you when your meet your goals by having a robot dance around. No, I’m not making that up. More usefully, the app can push a notice to Twitter or Path when you meet your daily goal.

(All of the data is also available on Nike’s website.)

Wrap-Up

Over the last few months, I’ve seemed to fallen out of love with the FuelBand. It’s a little too bulky for my taste, and it’s rather limited in what it captures, not to mention it doesn’t seem to be holding up well. I want a more complete look at my fitness level, so I’ve pre-ordered the Fitbit One. I’ll be sure to share my thoughts on it after some use. I think it will out-shine the FuelBand pretty easily.

Update: Here’s my Fitbit One review.

One Year

⌘ Permalink

I hadn’t planned on writing anything marking the one-year anniversary of Steve Jobs’ passing. Then I saw the video on Apple’s homepage.

In it, Jobs quotes Wayne Gretzky:

I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it is been.

To drive that point home, the video highlights three products that Jobs brought to the market: the iMac G3, the iPod and the iPhone.

The video includes black and white photography of Jobs with the products, with audio of him introducing them between rounds of applause. The lines from the keynotes should be familiar to Apple nerds. The video clearly paints the picture of Jobs being the man — the force — behind these revolutionary devices.

To show Jobs’ human side, the video includes a photo and audio from the original iPhone introduction when Jobs prank called a Starbucks and ordered 4,000 lattes to go, then plays a clip of Jobs talking about Apple’s love of the arts and humanities, married to technology.

After the video, the website transitions to a letter from Apple CEO Tim Cook. In it, Cook writes:

One of the greatest gifts Steve gave to the world is Apple. No company has ever inspired such creativity or set such high standards for itself. Our values originated from Steve and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple. We share the great privilege and responsibility of carrying his legacy into the future.

No one can replace Steve Jobs, and this video reminds us of that, but I have no doubt Apple will continue to thrive in the coming years. It’s a unique company, thanks almost entirely to its unique founder.