Swype –
Cliff Kushier’s way to spell words on any touch-input devices (phones, tablets, and more) by tracing over the letters in a “connect the dots path”.
I was one of the original inventors of T9, which ended up being installed on about two-and-a-half billion mobile phones.
He’s smart and he’s honest.
(Via Nate)
Wednesday Could Flip the Switch For the Beginning of the End Of the World –
Dr. Evans is going to turn on his particle accelerator and people are afraid it will create a few black holes in the center of the earth.
A brilliantly clever resource for web typography.
Compare how web-standard fonts will render on a Mac or Windows machine and sort them by typeface, size or style. If you find a heading, body-text or something else you like just click “Get CSS”, and (un-surprisingly) you get the styling code.
(via Chris)
In the back of my mind, I always wanted a way to share my favorite feeds with others. Up until now I’ve just published my OPML files on random occasions, hoping you’ll discover a new Web site or two that you didn’t know about before.
But Brent has landed what I think may be one of the best ways to share feeds with others: his Interesting Feeds feed. “It’s a feed that lists interesting feeds.”
My first recommendation to Brent’s feed was Joe Posnanski’s blog. Joe is the sports columnist for my local paper, The Kansas City Star, and has twice been named America’s best sports columnist by the AP. His blog posts are different and hilarious.
And Brent, I vote you make it a default in NNW.
The world is filled with people who didn’t know jack not too long ago about whatever it is that they’re doing and are now highly regarded in their fields. […] If there’s something you don’t currently know how to do, please decide not to be a dummy or an idiot. You’re as smart as you always were, you’re just looking to learn something new.
Michael Mistretta is from Canada, and waited a year to get an iPhone. His 4,500 word essay on the iPhone 3G is comprehensive to say the least. It’s a blast to see the excitement and awe of an avid Apple fan who is blown away by the sheer “other than-ness” of the iPhone.
Towards the end he makes a point about the possibility of users eventually choosing their iPhone over their PC:
Think about it, the iPhone + the AppStore could be a major paradigm shift in how people look at “computersâ€. For many people, the iPhone can be the only computer they need. Why do I need a big beige box, or a laptop anymore?
I’m not talking about the geeks. I’m talking about normal people: my mom, a teenager, the cashier at Wal-Mart. How do these people use their computers now? Email. Web browsing. Facebook. A bit of IM. Maybe some Youtube. Music. And a couple games. What if 1 device the size of a deck of cards could do all of that? It fits in your pocket, gets Internet anywhere, and costs $200.
The fact that this topic is even being addressed is a massive accolade to the iPhone.
Michael’s point is that the iPhone could replace the need for a computer, which is true. And I am sure many people will begin to use it much more than their home PC. But I cannot imagine the iPhone ever fully replacing the need for a computer; not even to the non-professional consumer.
Lately I have been asking various friends which they would pick if they had to choose between their iPhone/Blackberry or their laptop: all chose the laptop. I’m in the same boat. Although the iPhone is remarkable, and I can take care of nearly all my core daily needs with it, it still is just an extension of my laptop; not a replacement.
And maybe it’s because I’m old school, but if I was forced to choose between always being reachable on my iPhone (phone calls, SMS, email) or sometimes reachable on my laptop (email, IM) I’d take the latter.
Markings –
Jordan’s mock-up cover for Tom’s book of sketches.
The Survey For People Who Make Websites –
Calling all designers, developers, information architects, project managers, writers, editors, marketers, and everyone else who makes websites.
I took the survey and so should you.
It takes less than 10 minutes, and who doesn’t love answering questions about income, gender and perceived competence in XHTML and project management?
It’s gorgeous, bro. I’m provoked.
Introducing the first Open Source app that lets you write posts, upload photos, and edit your WordPress blog from your iPhone or iPod Touch. With support for both WordPress.com and self-hosted WordPress (2.5.1 or higher), users of all experience levels can get going in seconds.
‘Clarity is More Valuable Than Density’
Great interview by Kyle Baxter with Brent Simmons on iPhone App development.
Phil Bowell interviewed me via email a couple of months ago –
If you skip everything in italics it’ll be much more enjoyable. (I kid.)
Mike Davidson’s WordPress Plugin: Clean Notifications –
In true “If something’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well” fashion, Mike made a plugin to clean up the e-mails that WordPress sends regarding comments on your weblog:
In converting Mike Industries to WordPress recently, one of the things I noticed right away was that the e-mails WordPress would send me when new comments and pings came in were extremely verbose.
If you really want to clean up those emails, disable comments. Otherwise, plug in Mike’s plugin ASAP.