This afternoon, between Christmas events, we put Josiah down for a nap. As we weren’t home, he had problems falling asleep, so I went to lay down next to him for a bit.
Resting there, I realized today was Josiah’s fourth Christmas. When he was first diagnosed with brain cancer in May 2009, we didn’t know if he’d make it that Christmas, let alone one three and a half years later.
I’m generally not a fan of using an app that re-works a website to be more “mobile-friendly.”
Wikipanion is the exception. It makes browsing Wikipedia articles easy and fast from any iOS device. Since I co-host the world’s most popular Wikipedia-related podcast, you know I’ve played with numerous apps in this category
(While I’ll be looking at the iPad app in this review, the iPhone app is just as useful and well-designed. Note that Wikipanion is not an universal app as of this writing.)
Drew Coffman, weighing in on the curation thing:
I’m thinking the term “curator” shouldn’t be thrown out just yet. What we know as digital curation is such a unique beast that no other word seems to really fit. Traditional curators are often degree-holding specialists trusted with their materials. Translating this idea to the digital world places emphasis on content that I find very good for web culture. It shows that people place real value in the things they love. However, I think there is a requirement for those who use the term - one must provide some unique context or information when displaying their prized possessions. I have a hard time taking digital “curators” seriously when all they do is throw links together. The why is so important to me when it comes to art.
If you find yourself staring at a problem on a screen—of any size—without taking any action for more than five minutes or so, pen and paper might be your ticket out.
I like this.
The chart in Chris Ziegler’s post really sums things up nicely.
If you want to be respected as a customer, buy an Apple product. Android just seems more and more masochistic every day.
Samsung has just distributed the worst news of this Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade cycle: the popular Galaxy S smartphone that sold 10 million units last year and the 7-inch Galaxy Tab tablet won’t be upgraded to Android 4.0. The company’s argument is that they lack sufficient RAM and ROM to run the new OS alongside TouchWiz and other “experience-enhancing” software.
So, instead of what is doing what is best for the customers and the Android ecosystem, Samsung is going to do what they do they do best: cover their own rear.
Everyone’s favorite domain registrar has gone insane.
Everyone’s favorite lawyer-turned-tech-blogger Nilay Patel has posted an in-depth look at SOPA. You need to read this.
In his excellent, in-depth Nexus Galaxy review:
But my overall impression after using Android for a week was that of being underwhelmed. Though the operating system is functional and advanced in certain areas, it still has an overarching feel of still being immature. Moreover, there was nothing on Android that made me feel more empowered compared to using my iPhone.
Sure, there are bits of the Android OS that I like and appreciate, but never once was I wowed or delighted. Which is unfortunate, because those are important elements when you are using a device day in and day out every day of the year.
Jim Hopkins has a copy of the memo. In it, Bob Dickey, President of Gannet, writes:
In every local market, we have the most and the best journalists. These new tools will help our journalists meet the demands of the new news cycle, one that requires agility in real-time reporting, social media and greater emphasis on video storytelling, further increasing our competitive advantage.
In addition, we’ll provide the devices to create a “digital workstation” at each of our local Information Centers to monitor the content experience we provide across digital channels — tablets and smart phones, in particular. This will give us a vital point of view so we can adjust our storytelling with greater precision.
This Kickstarter project is less than $1,000 from being funded. I backed it because this project captures my favorite Steve Jobs quote.
When re-branding Forkbombr, I almost named the site bicyclemind.net. True story.