Seth Godin on Apple’s ever-changing product names.
Apple’s sloppiness has cost them millions of dollars in legal fees and settlements, not to mention making it hard for the team to keep up with the engineers.
“Who cares about naming? We’re trying to start a religion.”
Make a list. Tested typefaces that are rock-solid reliable for print, web, or both.
Cameron wrote this nearly a year ago, and I have referenced it several times in my own work and when helping others.
Linking it here for archive’s sake.
The 787 is a family of airplanes in the 200- to 300-seat class that will carry passengers on routes between 3,500 and 8,500 nautical miles (6,500 to 16,000 kilometers). The 787 will allow airlines to offer passengers more of what they want: affordable, comfortable, nonstop, point-to-point travel to more destinations around the world.
My uncle was one of the original test pilots for the Boeing 747. Him and a buddy were doing tests at the Las Vegas airport, but had some difficulties and had to sit on the runway for a few hours. He invited some workers to come in and check out the new plane. A local radio station heard the news that the ariplane was on the ground and announced they were giving tours. Half the city showed up to check out the bathrooms, and see the slot for used razor blades.
They announced the new 7 Wonders of the World today.
The Great Wall of China, Petra in Jordan, Brazil’s statue of Christ the Redeemer, Peru’s Machu Picchu, Mexico’s Chichen Itza pyramid, The Colosseum in Rome and India’s Taj Mahal.
What? No iPhone?
Electric Weekend gets a redisgn.
In January of 2004 I bought my first Mac. A 12″ 1.33GHz PowerBook G4. It was my first step into the world of print and web design. My PowerBook was so sweet and so fast that I never thought I’d buy a desktop. But – like many others accross the world – everything changed when the Mac Pro was announced in 2006.
Recently I began to see that my G4 wouldn’t cut it for much longer. I originally had plans to upgrade to a 15″ MacBook Pro. But since my PowerBook was still working (just not for design work) I started looking at the 24″ iMacs. But as I did the research I realized the Mac Pro was the obvious choice. I worked several extra freelance jobs and pinched my pennies. Finally, just a few weeks ago in May, I bought my dream machine.
That’s why the extra cost for the Apple Display was worth it. So that my work and play experiences while at my desk would be as enjoyable as possible.
Two words: Smokin’ fast.
The speed jump from my 1.33 GHz G4 PowerBook to the Quad Core was outrageous. Like driving a clunky Volkswagon Rabbit, and then sitting down behind the wheel of an 850 Horse-Power Shelby. I cannot imagine a faster, more powerful machine.
It begs to be pushed to it’s limits simply so it can show off – and without even breaking a sweat.
When no apps are running, Photoshop CS3 will start up in about 3 seconds. When I drag a file over the mail.app dock icon, it starts up Mail and opens the new message with the attachment almost as soon as I let off the mouse. I can easily have Photoshop and Illustrator running with several large files open in both programs while smoothly tabbing between them without a hiccup (or beach ball).
When it comes to getting things done, it’s one thing to have a focused work flow and an organized system, but there is something that a Mac Pro will do for your productivity that nothing else could.
I saved a substantial amount of money by getting my Mac Pro and Cinema Display through Apple’s refurbished online store. I had the money ready to spend, and so I waited. Each day I would check the refurbished page to see what was for sale. Then one day the 3.0 Quad Core and the 23″ Display showed up, and I bought them right away.
I didn’t have to settle on what computer I would purchase. In fact, I was able to buy something better than I had originally priced out for much less than I would have paid for a new model.
The Mac Pro came with 2 Gigs of Ram already installed, so I bought two more gigs through Crucial to finish the setup.
According to this report (you’ll need a translator to read it) O2 has not signed a contract to sell the iPhone after all.
O2 have to no agreement distribute the iPhone of Apple in the United Kingdom.
Translation: 12 Million depressed O2 customers.
I am with Verizon, so I know how they feel.
A short, hand-sketched story uploaded to Flickr. (No relation to Steve Jobs.)
[Via Longbrake]
The skills of Marketing, like the skills of IT, don’t necessarily map to what is needed to create great web experiences. For one thing, as anyone reading this knows, the web is a conversation. Marketing, by contrast, is a monologue. It can be a great monologue. But a monologue and conversation are not the same, as an hour spent with your windy Uncle Randolph will remind you.
I had a conversation with our director of marketing this afternoon on this very subject. How can we get a more managable and user friendly website? We landed on the same answer as Jeff, but we didn’t have a catchy post title like his.
It’s January 15, 2007 and I download the Macworld Podcast #68 to listen to on a trip to L.A. The first 57 minutes John Gruber and Cabel Sasser talk about iPhone and iTV and Panic.
But what made this podcast stand out — so much so that I archived it to quote six months later — is that right towards the end John answers why there are no comments on Daring Fireball:
I wanted to write a site for someone it’s meant for. That reader I write for is a second version of me. I’m writing for him. He’s interested in the exact same things I’m interested in; he reads the exact same websites I read. I want him to like this website so much that he reads it from the top to the bottom, and he reads everything. Every single word. The copyright statement, what software I use, he’s read it all.
If I turn comments on, that goes away. It’s not that I don’t like sites with comments on, but when you read a site with comments it automatically puts you, the reader, in a defensive mode where you’re saying, “what’s good in this comment thread? What can I skim?”
It’s totally egotistical. I want Daring Fireball to be a site that you can’t skim if you’re in the target audience for it. You say, “Oh, a new article from John. I need to read it,” and your deadlines go whizzing by because you have to read what I wrote.
If I turn comments on I feel like it’s two different directions. You get to the end of my article and you’re like, “let’s see if there’s anything interesting. Let’s see if there’s any names I know.” That’s really it. Sometimes a design decision is what you don’t put in, as opposed to what you put in.
That may be one of the best reasons to write a weblog.
Beginning yesterday, two of FeedBurner’s previously for-pay services, TotalStats and MyBrand, will be free.
What I like about feedburner is (1) you can set it and forget it; (2) easy stat tracking.
FeedBurner Stats PRO You will now have access to the number of people who have viewed or clicked individual content items in your feed and “Reach,” which estimates the daily number of subscribers who interacted with your feed content.
MyBrand: Lets you maintain consistency between your feed address and your hosted website’s domain, if matchy-matchy is your thing.
It took me less than a minute to set up the Stat’s PRO on both my sites. It will be interesting to see how their tracking compares with Mint.
I already use Steve’s Feedsmith plugin] to re-direct this site’s feed through feedburner. I’m not sure if the “My Brand” link is worth the touble or not to set up. I had to send an email to FeedBurner requesting to set it up.
after newly activating either of these features or services, you’ll notice a nifty new “PRO” badge next to your feed(s) on My Feeds page.
Their way of now saying that “everyone” is special.
For those who change their desktop more often than their socks. And each one is in big, fat, hi-resolution.
Download “Sunlit Span” via Interfacelift
Download “Vancouver Dusk” via Interfacelift
Download “Desktop Friday 28” via Glenn Wolsey
Download “Ebo One – Apple” via zephir_350d
Download “Apple” via wcm1111
Download “Old World” via Ironix
Download “Foggy Morning” Via Interfacelift
Download Via Airbag Industries
Download “Superman” via Iconfactory
Download “Snowscape” Via Socksoff
I’m thinking about implementing a Linked List into my site much like what John Gruber does on Daring Fireball. I stumble across so many cool stories which don’t warrant a full post, but I’d like to make my opinion known on which makes me think it’d be a good idea to implement this feature.
This is 80% of why I started up shawnblanc.net. I read sites like Daring Fireball and Geek & Mild every day — it’s the linked lists (and the accompanying commentary) that make them great and the articles that push them over the top.
Mactalk:
If you’re after a Mac or an iPod on the cheap, but good as new, take a look at the refurbished products – whatever you may think of buying a resurrected iPod or Mac, you can’t deny the value for money.
I agree. My Mac Pro and 23-inch Apple Cinema Display are both refurbished, I got my bluetooth keyboard from eBay, and everything works and looks perfect.