The video encoding is handled by the new video platform Yahoo has been developing. The platform is a transcoder that converts any uploaded video to H.264 format, and it’s accessible through an API. It’s only available internally right now, and Yahoo will continue to expand its use across the rest of its video-heavy sites like Music, News and Sports. The company says it plans on eventually opening up the video transcoder platform for use by independent publishers and developers.
Category: Design
Lock Down that ThinkPad
To lock users out a missing notebook, the users sends a text message to the notebook with a command reading “lockdown now PC” or “PC Shutoff.” The text message sends a command to the notebook via the cellular broadband modem and, even if the notebook is turned off when the command is received, the next time it starts, the system will be locked down.
An interesting use of the widening-use of 3G in notebooks. (Note: If I was a Window guy, I would own a ThinkPad, without a doubt.)
Happy Thanksgiving
TUAW pointed to this site earlier today, which explains how to make an apple pie that looks like a Mac mini. This is amazing:
We’re certainly not the first to put an Apple logo on a pie, but we think this implementation raises the bar a bit. Unlike a regular pie, you need to start with the top piece since you need to use the pan as a cookie cutter before you line it with dough. Roll out your dough for the top, and press springform frame onto it to get the right shape.
24 Inches of Shiny
Ars on their new 24-inch Apple LED Cinema Display:
The real nicety of the display is that Mac OS X knows when you have attached the display to use its integrated devices. That is, when you’ve hooked it all up, it will use the iSight in the display instead of the notebook’s, and it will use the USB audio on the display and disable the output on the notebook. That is, until you plug a set of headphones into the port on the notebook, at which time the display’s speakers will disable and route the audio directly to your ears automatically.
On Illustrator CS4
There are also a variety of subtle enhancements to program operation, including the ability to apply graphic styles additively. A few changes to the panels include a modification of the Appearance panel’s operation–it’s now an attribute editor, allowing you to toggle visibility or adjust parameters like opacity, blend mode, and fill color–and the addition of a basic Separations preview panel for pre-preflighting color. Adobe improved (some might say “fixed”) Isolation mode, where you drill down into objects to selectively edit, to keep from tossing you out if you deleted the only object in the isolation set. Live preview on clipping masks makes working with them a bit easier, and the Smart Guides now have little readouts that display basics like object dimensions.
Like the Obama Poster? It’s Yours
The Obamafy Photo Booth Plugin puts your face on Obama’s poster. Here’s mine.
Color Classic Goodness
I took some pictures of my Color Classic today:
Apple’s Xserve Field Guide
TUAW turned up Apple’s “Xserve Field Guide.” This guide is design to assist on-site technicians with Xserve hardware issues. It’s good, but not heavy duty on the high-end information.
Click here to see some screenshots of the guide. On the left, the desktop version (as rendered on the iPhone), and on the right the iPhone-optimized version.
Macintosh 128k Programmers, You’re Welcome
James and John of the RetroMacCast mentioned on their show this week a document titled “Inside Macintosh” they found. Here’s a bit from the preface:
I nside Macintosh is a three-volume set of manuals that tells you what you need to know to write software for the Apple® Macintosh™ 128K, 512K, or XL (or a Lisa® running MacWorks™ XL). Although directed mainly toward programmers writing standard Macintosh applications, Inside Macintosh also contains the information needed to write simple utility programs, desk accessories, device drivers, or any other Macintosh software. It includes: - the user interface guidelines for applications on the Macintosh - a complete description of the routines available for your program to call (both those built into the Macintosh and others on disk), along with related concepts and background information - a description of the Macintosh 128K and 512K hardware
A Key Aspect of iPhone Development
I am a big Remember the Milk user, and up until last week, was using Todo to sync RTM with my iPhone. RTM has since come out with a native iPhone app, and it’s stunning (and much better than Todo, in my opinion). Here’s the thought that led the company to create such a great app:
Building an app that simply gave access to your RTM tasks online wasn’t enough (after all, the web-based iPhone version does that already) The app needed to give you the power of all of RTM’s functionality in your pocket (Smart Lists, tagging, search, etc), take advantage of the device’s features (like knowing your location), and of course the whole thing needed to work offline too (it’s no good carrying RTM around with you if you can’t manage your tasks as soon as you’re out of phone or Wi-Fi range!).
PC Mag Ditches Paper for Pixels
Lance Ulanoff over at PC Magazine has announced that the January 2009 edition will be the last printed edition of the 27-year old publication:
While we are energized by the endless possibilities of the digital format, I assure you that the decision to stop producing a hard-bound copy was not an easy one. But the reality is that the ever-growing expense of print and delivery was turning the creation of a physical product into an untenable business proposition.
Yes, Virginia, Prototypes Exist
MacRumors has a forum thread about a reader who just bought a used MacBook Air on eBay:
I recently picked up a used Macbook Air 1.6 The bottom case is black without any markings on it. Computer does boot up, but the battery has swollen and distorted the case. I removed the bottom of the case and pulled the battery with thoughts of purchasing a replacement battery. When looking at the connections they are different from the disassembly pictures on the web, and then most of the other internals are slightly different than on the various disassembly sites as well.