I’ve been a gamer from the beginning. Good or bad, I’m old enough to have lived through the golden age of video games during my formative years. It was a great way to spend far too much money (and kept me off the streets). Yes, I work in the video game industry (coincidence?), but I believe that some of the most creative games were created ‘back in the day’ due to the fact there were so few rules and genres to be hampered by.
The golden age is coming back for me due to some fortunate recent events. First, iMAME, a version of MAME (an arcade emulator), was released for the iPad a week ago which only lasted for a day before being pulled by Apple in the App Store (presumably for copyright concerns). I was able to get a copy prior to it disappearing. Second, I just submitted an order for a half-price ION Audio iCade which is supported by many games on the iPad, including iMAME.
I’m looking forward to giving some of my favorite games a spin.
This week my boss heads to London for a meeting of the combined IT groups from the three primary PlayStation divisions. It’s the same trip I went to last year that resulted in my extended stay. This time, however, I am unable to go as I had already made plans to attend Maker Faire with my family.
While thinking about that trip, I realized that while I don’t travel too often, I have had the opportunity through work to visit quite a few ‘motherships.’ Since I’m a geek by profession, they’re ones most people wouldn’t care about but some might find the list interesting:
I have a love/hate relationship with traveling. I like the experience, but can’t say that I wish to do more. I can’t think of any upcoming additions to the list but who knows what the future has in store.
While there have been a few quick launch programs for the Mac (Quicksilver is the most notable), I’ve generally not bothered with them as I was satisfied with OS X’s built-in Spotlight function (the magnifying glass in the top right of the screen). With Apple’s App Store being released for OS X 10.6.6 recently, I was poking around looking for the cream among the collection and ran across Alfred by Running with Crayons, Ltd. My position has changed.
First, Alfred is a well-designed piece of software that displays a nice big dialog when activated by pressing the pre-defined hot-key (the default is opt-space):
That dialog is where you can perform application and file lookups like you do with Spotlight but the real power is the fact that pre-defined functions allow you to not only do searches of other websites (e.g., Amazon, eBay, WikiPedia, Google, Facebook, etc.) but the ability to add search for any other site that uses a URL-based search method. That is what has sold me. In only a few minutes I added search strings for many internal websites I use at work which will be most convenient.
The application is free but a ‘Powerpack’ add-on is available which adds even more functionality (iTunes control, file manipulation, terminal shortcuts, and others). I’ll be getting that but will wait for it to be available in the App Store. If you ever use Spotlight, give it a try. Plus, the developer’s a LittleBigPlanet fan which gives me even more reason to like it. ;-)
I swapped out the home server this morning from a Mac Mini core solo to a 2009 Mac Mini core 2 duo that I picked up on eBay. The transition wasn’t quite as smooth as I had planned (postfix issues), but things are back up and running (you’re reading this, right?).
If you notice anything amiss with the site, email, or anything else related to peay.us, please let me know.
This should keep things humming for a few years more. It’ll also allow the old computer to replace the (even older) one upstairs in the loft. Not bad, when you can get a two-for-one upgrade like this.
In January, I was fortunate enough to be able to move from DSL to FiOS at home and the extra bandwidth sure has been nice. Unfortunately, I just received word from my ISP, DSL Extreme, that the lovely Verizon has changed their mind and will not be allowing their circuits to be used by third parties. As a result, DSL Extreme, will no longer be able to resell FiOS. Worse than that is the fact they will have to discontinue the service for their customers by March of next year. While they promise to make it as seamless as possible, the problem is I don’t want to be a customer of Verizon.
I don’t have anything against them, personally. You see, their terms of service is the problem. I like the flexibility and control of hosting my own domain and host it on a computer in my living room over the home’s Internet connection. Any typical consumer provider doesn’t allow you to host servers and want to require you to pay more for a commercial account (if they even offer one). DSL Extreme had very reasonable terms of service and generally allow their customers to do whatever they want as long as you don’t make trouble for them (e.g., hosting a spamming service).
So, between now and March, I need to decide if I should go back to plain ol’ DSL or switch to Verizon and move my services off my home server onto a hosted one somewhere. Fortunately, Verizon left the copper pair for our phone when they pulled the fibre so switching back to DSL is an option that shouldn’t normally be possible. I’m not looking forward dropping the bandwidth to a third of what I’ve gotten accustomed to, but I’m also not liking the idea of moving my services to someplace else.
Thanks, Verizon, for causing me this trouble. Please reconsider your decision as there are others that are being inconvenienced by it.
This is my first post from my new iPad. It’s been interesting getting used to the new form factor of the device. Since it’s based on OS X Touch (the same that is used by the iPhone and iPod Touch) it is immediately familiar and the initial application base is quite good even when you exclude iPhone apps that haven’t been updated.
I’ll have to spend some time getting adjusted to the interface but I’m really looking forward to how this platform develops. I really think Apple has another hit on their hands.
This Saturday, Apple will be releasing the ‘magical’ iPad to the world. I’ll be getting one, but you already knew that, didn’t you? I’ve been a user and fan of the iPhone since its release in 2007 and it has been a device I use extensively every day. Many act like a “large iPhone” is bad thing, but I’m really looking forward to using a device that has the functionality of the iPhone without the limited screen size of a phone.
Does it equal a laptop, no. That’s not the point. The iPad shouldn’t replace all the functions of a laptop. Yes, the iPad is made by Apple, and while it technically running OS X, it is the same variant that has been found on the iPhone for years. A desktop OS is the wrong metaphor for a tablet with finger input. As with any platform, quality applications (or lack of them), will ultimately determine the fate, but by judging the buzz and the early reviews, I think Apple has changed the game again.
Time will tell. Speaking of time, I only have about 36 hours to wait.
A lot can change in ten years. Since it seems to be such the in thing, here’s my assessment of what difference ten years can make.
I saw a review of Waze in a blog post by The Unofficial Apple Weblog and while they were a bit cool on it as a navigation app, it is free and has an interesting take. I picked up a Kingston windshield mount which replaced where I had my GPS so am in the market for a GPS app for my iPhone. The reality is, however, that in spite of my frequent time in my car, it’s really just to and from work (all 500+ miles per week). Obviously, I know how to get to work so I can’t justify a significant expense. Since Waze is free, it was a clear choice to give a spin.
The program uses a map that is fed over the phone’s data connection and is community driven. Anytime you drive on a road that hasn’t been traversed before, you “munch” dots much like Pac Man which verifies the geometry and your speed and is uploaded to their servers which is then fed back to others as traffic information for routing alternatives. You can also point out specific traffic problems, speed traps, or even just “chit chat” which can be viewed by other users. As you munch roads, provide updates, or just confirm traffic, you get points and your points determine your ranking. I never thought that driving around would count for anything.
The website allows you to view your routes or edit the dynamic map (presented much like Google’s) to add new roads and update other aspects (house numbers, name, road connections, etc.).
The downside, is that currently the maps have some trouble with accuracy but that presumably will improve as more users use it and especially if they update it from the website. The navigation app is a little rough as well with its presentation but that’ll hopefully improve as well.
It’s a decent little app and a creative service. Back to road munching. I wonder how many points are needed for an extra life?
I know this is the Occasional Blog, but posts have been too far in between (the Twitter posts don’t count). Please forgive me. I’m not dead, just busy. For the sake of an update here are some highlights of the last several weeks.
- I’m trying to find a Senior Systems Administrator at work (you’d think that Sony Playstation would have stacks of resumés)
- My daughter turned twelve and after today’s haircut, she looks ready for high school
- The pond got its spring cleaning a few weeks ago and looks abfab. Too bad the heron got all our koi and we’re left with only 4-5″ feeders
- We took a family vacation to San Francisco to coincide with spring break and a business meeting
- The MacBook Mini is working out quite well especially after adding 2G of RAM and an 8G SDHC card
- I will be going to both E3 (definite) and WWDC (very likely) so June will be busy as well
I’ll do my best to do an actual post soon, but until I can find a candidate, things will still be busy.
