Whilst I remember…
Friday, August 17, 2007 ~ 3 comments so far
A few things I’ve been meaning to mention, none of which really warrant an entire blog post.
1. I’m rebranding
The “one man” brand is getting an update, and all of my sites will get a few design tweaks. Whilst I’m in the midst of that, is there anything I need to do for this site? I know about the comment numbers in IE (cropped on the left), and that the search isn’t working from all pages but, those aside, are there any other major issues that need fixed, or anything that you’d like to see?
2. Mac fanboys suck
I’m including Steve Jobs in that as he sets the trend. Googling for anything that includes the terms Mac and PC typically offers little value and LOADS of “PCs are fugly” type ranting by Mac fanboys. Not only does it make finding useful cross-platform information harder than it should be, it also reflects badly on the very brand the idiots are saying is “way better then (sic) PC, they suks (again with the sic)”.
Not only that but I increasingly find myself biting my tongue, and holding off pointing out that it’s not “PC” but “Windows” against which they rail. Idiots.
3. Mini Coopers are evil
I’m pretty sure that having driven my mate’s Mini Cooper around for the past couple of weeks is the reason I’ve got a sore leg. It’s the S Model so the clutch is pretty stiff, and coupled with a completely different driving position, has aggravated an old groin strain and isn’t helping my knee either.
Add in the fact that it is almost impossible to drive the damn thing slowly and wheeeeee it’s fun! Just wish the weather had been better, I’ve only had the roof down a few times. Nice wee car but I don’t think I could live with it to be honest, and I’m quite looking forward to getting my Civic back and returning to comfort.
4. Lurgy?
Louise spent most of last night hacking and coughing, and this morning I have the tell-tale signs of a slightly raw throat and sensitive ear. Great. Just in time for the weekend.
As a kid I used to get awful earache, and whilst I’m not sure if, medically speaking, that makes me prone to such but I am certainly very aware when anything starts up in that area.
Right, don’t expect much over the weekend.
Although I might post a joke that made my Mum laugh…
Small things matter
Wednesday, August 8, 2007 ~ 4 comments so far
I’ve been pretty good about not fawning over my Mac too much, right? I mean this hasn’t turned into a fanboy style homage to Steve Jobs and all things Apple. Well, no more so than usual… I don’t think.
This does mean that I’ve had to fit the strong urge to blog about the myriad of small things that I’ve noticed when using the Mac, the myriad of things which go to show that attention to detail and spending time on small issues IS important. Of course the fact that the Mac software is pretty robust in the first place allows the developers at Apple a little more time to worry about such things but that just means that it’s good for the user.
There are many little things that make using a Mac fun. They are all simple and some would say pointless, but watching the screen rotate like it is on the side of a cube, spin round and stop at another desktop (when switching users) may not be necessary but does add to the overall experience.
As I say, I’ve not mentioned most of these as many other people have waffled on about them at great length.
But last night was the straw that broke the dromedaries back.
There are two user accounts on our MacBook, one for me, one for Louise. Similar to Windows XP you get a login screen when you first startup the Mac and as it is a laptop we have passwords on the logins.
Last night I was half watching the football, whilst the laptop started up, so wasn’t really paying attention when I typed in my password. It was then, with a sense of some disbelief that I saw the login screen shake its head at me.
Yes, that’s right. When you enter an incorrect password, the login screen shakes from side to side briefly, just like it is shaking its head.
Intrigued I entered another wrong password, and watched it again, and after the third try was even more impressed when the password reminder I had entered when I created the user account slide into view under the login screen.
THAT is attention to detail.
Yes a simple “sorry that’s the wrong password” message would do the same but that’s what makes using the Mac much more fun, much more engaging. I know the naysayers will say “but it’s a computer, it needs to be functional” and as I’ve said before, if that’s the way your mind works then fine. But you are missing the point, and no amount of explanation is going to convince you. Am I right?
Whilst I remember…
Wednesday, July 4, 2007 ~ 5 comments so far
… you HAVE to read mike’s post about blogging book deals.
… Pownce (It’s POUNCE!!! ARGGH!! And yes, I have 6 invites, see the first item in this post..).
… John Smeaton, legend or laughable? I reckon his “this is Glesga, if you [the terrorists] come ‘ere, we’ll just set aboot ye” line isn’t a bad thing. The people will stand!
… Jaiku, it’s like haiku but it’s not, and I can’t write them, so this isn’t. Yes. ANOTHER social web app thingy doo dah.
… MEGA iPhone review, and that’s the last I mention it, for now (ohh ok, here’s a tiny short review).
… Nike Triax Vapor 300 looks weird, but apparently a real product, not a mockup.
… Thoof. Running short of decent names, are we?
… The tenacity of Internet Explorer 6, interesting and slightly disturbing piece looking at the different factors behind the longevity of this flawed browser.
… 07/07/07 is approaching. That Flickr group is closed but why not capture your day?
… and why can’t I download any of the default OSX applications? Or do I have to go and dig out the CD…
… and, finally, you can now leave comments. Must remember to close the anchor tags in future…
In my menubar I have…
Saturday, June 23, 2007 ~ 12 comments so far
Last Mac specific post for a while, promise.
So, from left to right then:
- InstantShot! – with which the screenshot was taken.
- YouTune controls – play, next and the down arrow gives access to all the functionality.
- iScrobbler – Last.fm app.
- Google Notifier – which checks my GMail account and my calendar (with a Growl script used to provide notifications).
- Aurora – an excellent little alarm app.
- Slim Battery Monitor – which … well you can guess, right?
- QuickSilver
- Built-in Airport icon, currently connected to my home network and not one of the two open networks I can see from my house (not to mention the four secured ones!)
- Built-in Volume icon
- MagiCal – which is displaying the date and time.
- Built-in Spotlight icon
Links for all can be found here.
Since posting that screenshot though, I’ve realised I don’t actually need all of those up there and have removed InstantShot! (which was only running to take the screenshot), Aurora, QuickSilver and the Volume icon. Much cleaner.
On my Mac I have…
Thursday, June 21, 2007 ~ 16 comments so far
As promised.
In no particular order, and having installed several application “just to try” I have whittled down my must-have OSX apps to the following. I’m pretty sure these, although it’s early days yet, will remain on my Mac for quite a while, particularly as I’m happy with things and the only stuff I’m still mucking about with is stuff like the desktop background and so on.
Update: The wallpaper in the above screenshot can be found here.
(more…)
In Mourning
Thursday, August 29, 2002 ~ Comments Off
I am not currently a Mac user, but I have been in the past. It always intrigued why they had a little smiley face appear when the machine started up. Regardless, it soon became a recognised ‘feature’ (you got a sad face if something was wrong).
The face itself has a history, progressing from an outline of a Mac Plus with the smiley face inside the screen area, to the current ‘Mac Logo‘.
Alas, the ‘Happy Mac’ is killed by Jaguar.
Yes the new OS no longer features the Happy Mac, watch the legions of Mac fans raise merry hell.