512 Pixels

It feels like a Christmas miracle.

This video changed my life when I first saw it in high school.

I can get behind this.

File this under “dumb hints.”

The AP:

States should ban all driver use of cell phones and other portable electronic devices, except in emergencies, the National Transportation Board said Tuesday.

The recommendation, unanimously agreed to by the five-member board, applies to both hands-free and hand-held phones and significantly exceeds any existing state laws restricting texting and cellphone use behind the wheel.

[…]

While the NTSB doesn’t have the power to impose restrictions, it’s recommendations carry significant weight with federal regulators and congressional and state lawmakers.

While I’m sure this would be a drag if it is ever enforced, being killed by having my organs scattered across the interstate thanks to someone checking Twitter seems like more of a downer.

I wasn’t aware of the sysdiagnose command before tonight, but it looks very, very helpful.

via @chockenberry

Dear Path and Stamped —

There is no denying that you two are beautiful apps.

Stamped, your gentle color scheme with bold highlights is easy on the eyes, but highlights just the right things. You’ve got just the right feel about you.

Path, you are — without a doubt in my mind — the best-looking, funnest iOS app I’ve ever used. Seriously, every app developer should download you and user your UI and UX conventions in their own apps.

You are both great apps, as well. You’re controls are easy to use, yet playful. The custom parts of your UIs are simply fantastic.

But here’s the thing — I’m booting you from my iPhone.

Now, you two may be thinking, “What about Tweetbot? You spend lots of time with him, and his pretty face is right on your home screen!

The difference is this: Tweetbot is useful to me on a daily basis. You guys don’t fill any need I feel when I consider what I do with my iPhone.

Path, I already have apps to share photos and status updates with online friends. Twitter and Instagram beat you to the punch for how I share things online. I’m not on Facebook; I am not looking for what seems like a more private version of the network.

Stamped, I know most the cool places of Memphis I like to visit. Knowing cool areas in other cities isn’t super useful for me. And while it’s interesting to see what online people are reading or listening to, this information also isn’t super useful — not to mention, it can be acquired via Twitter fairly easily in most cases.

Path and Stamped, it’s been fun, but it’s time to say goodbye.

— Stephen

Many of you know that I do not write 512 Pixels full-time. My day job is managing the IT/Multimedia Department for a $30 million, 100,000 square-foot community center here in Memphis.

I’m constantly keeping way too many things in the air at once, and it is easy for things to fall between the cracks. Thankfully, I have OmniFocus.

OmniFocus is one of those apps that tailors to the user’s needs — it can be as simple or as complex as one needs it to be. With OmniFocus, I can keep my digital workflow closely mirrored to my workload and responsibilities. Thanks to great features like Projects, Folders and Repeating Tasks, I know my tasks are right where I left them. I know that when I put something in OmniFocus, it is safe and sound, and that the app will remind me of the task when the time comes.

With (free!) cloud sync, I can pull out my iPad in a meeting or iPhone on the construction site and know that the information I’m being presented with is up to date and accurate. That’s invaluable.

Currently, the building is under construction, so not only is my department supporting our current staff and programs, but we also dealing with tons of construction-related issues and projects. My tasks can vary from simple help desk support issues to things as complex as re-designing the Audio/Video Studio, which would involve months of planning and research. With OmniFocus, I can attach files and emails easily to tasks, keeping all related information close at hand. Everything is together, making me more efficient.

Even if your day job isn’t as hectic as mine, check out OmniFocus. If you need a trusted system on your Mac and/or iOS device, there’s no reason to look anywhere else, no matter what your workload or process looks like.

This could be the best thing the Internet has produced in some time.

An explanation of my “gojgo” tweets yesterday.

Caryn Talty at healthy-family.org:

Prospective buyers need to know that this very cool, sleek electronic toy has no parental monitoring safeguards installed on the device or available through a software download. I was surprised to find that all merchandise on Amazon’s website is available for purchase on the Kindle unless I choose to lock out my easy one-click buying option. This means anyone handling the device can buy whatever material they wish (electronic downloads and merchandise shipped to your door.) If you have a responsible 10 year old then there’s not much to worry about. But if you are buying for your 5 or 6 year old then you may run into problems when your credit card bill arrives. There is a safeguard in place when a person purchases that asks if it was done by mistake. This can come in handy for innocent accidental purchases.

Apple has taken some flack for being the morality police, but I — like most parents — don’t mind.

via AppleInsider

Federico, we’re all here for you. Thank you for your letter.