Bloglines BETA goes public

On any given day I read 12 to 15 different blogs, so after a while I decided that I needed an online RSS reader. I eventually decided on Bloglines, which recently opened up to the public a beta version of its newer RSS reader. Basically it uses a lot more AJAX and has some neat interface views that I really like, check out the beta here. Signing up for a Bloglines account is free and simple to setup.

Tutorial: How to setup VNC server on your mac

With my new media pc in place (mac mini) I have found the need to control it with something a little more sophisticated than the little Apple Remote. So after a little bit of Google searching I have discovered OS X (10.4) has a built in VNC server that can be setup by messing with the Sharing Setting under the System Preferences window. It looks like its a really quick and easy way to setup a VNC server on the Mac. Check out the tutorial here.

Some Thoughts About the New Generation of iPods

Within the last few days the Apple rumor mill is buzzing (is there actually a time where its not buzzing?) with an upcoming Apple Event (Sept 5). Now it seems pretty apparent that Apple will probably be announcing the next generation of iPods at this event. So its time to speculate... because what's the fun in waiting and hearing from his Jobiness himself. So here are the things that are likely to happen to the product line.

iPod Nano - will get the video treatment along with a larger screen size. I'd expect some form of an scroll wheel, but I'm not sure if a physical scroll wheel will allow for a larger screen;I'm guessing the range of the video iPod size.

iPod (Video) - this will probably get the full glass treatment and has the highest probably of getting some version of OS X. Expect these to be hard drive based and as usual have a decent storage capacity upgrade. I don't think WiFi or Bluetooth are likely since it would make it too iPhone like. I'd also expect a special edition version as well, maybe we'll finally see the Beatles iPod.

iPod Shuffle - I wouldn't expect anything really exciting about this product expect for higher storage capacity and probably more colors.

iPhone - 3G model will see simultaneous release in Europe and the USA in early to mid 2008.

iTunes Store - more movie and video content, iTunes HD gets released and corresponding store goes live the same day. Games for touchscreen devices.

Okay so those are the same rumors that everyone else has been throwing around so now let's have some fun and just make up some fun what ifs.

iPod Video - Product line is put to bed in favor of a new design and "Face" of the iPod product line the iPod Touch or something like that.

iPod Touch (Full touch screen) - this iPod will have definite iPhone influences but will probably come in classic iPod white and also come in black that will cost $50-100 dollars more (Hello Apple tax). Supports multi touch and mini OS X, meaning new cover flow interface. New form factor brings more device convergence, so the iPod now has IR and supports expanded FrontRow (Bluetooth/Wireless would work too, but not likely due to lack of support for AppleTV). No Internet but we may get wireless based iTunes Store access. (Just to make all other online music stores seem really dated) .

iPod Nano - similar full glass implementation (maybe time to invest in some glass companies?) and multi touch. Expect video support and higher flash memory for storage. Also get built in Bluetooth support for data streams and Bluetooth stereo headphones. I'd also expect to hear about new partnerships with other Sports wear companies Adidas and Reebok will add support for iPod pedometer in some of their new running shoe lines.

iPod Shuffle - gets mini multi touch display that allows you to flip through mini cover flow images.

iTunes Store - Apple announces funding for Indie label X, who will do major of distribution through iTunes. New iTunes HD gets released that allows HD TV Shows to be streamed. iPod Touch version also gets released.

iPhone - new version planned for FY08 will coincide with Europe launch. 3G support, GPS, and more flash storage. Announcement iPhone SDK beta and upcoming plan to allow true third party iPhone applications.

Alright so there you have it. Now note, other than the Apple Event Scheduled for Sept. 5, I have no clue what Apple is actually going to announce, so pretty much all of the above is speculation and should no way be considered factual.

Random Video: Live Action Halo

With Halo 3 being a few weeks out, I thought I'd put up this live action clip that we can only hope makes it into a live action Halo movie. You can check out a high def version here (requires sliverlight).

More Quicksilver Tips

With the arrival of my Mac Mini I finally had a chance to work with the latest version of Quicksilver I've been working with the B31 version (For those of use still in 10.3). Which has lead me to todays post, which includes tips on how to setup Quicksilver to automate application installations. Check out the post here, thanks to Lifehacker for the link.

Random Video:Lego building Lego's

I saw this video and thought this is one of the coolest Lego setups I've seen and who the hell has this much free time, check out the video to find out what I'm blabbing about.

Quick Tip: Automate Handbrake

My Mac Mini arrived today...horray so my quest to make a media center pc starts today. So on that note here is a quick script that will help automate Handbrake, you know for backing up DVDs. Check out the post on macosxhints.com, here.

UPDATE:Turns out the article is kind of dated but I still think I know of a good way to automate Handbrake based on the provided script so this may yet prove to be useful. Stay tuned for details.

Random Video: Team Fortress 2

I was looking at some game trailers and stumbled upon this awesome trailer for Team Fortress 2. I always wondered why they were called zoo's

Quick Tip: Using Quicksilver as a Dictionary

Today I discovered the dictionary plug-in for Quicksilver, which is my new favorite use for the little launcher application that does just about everything else. Check out the tutorial on how to set this up here. Thanks to Lifehacker for the link.

Random Music Video of the Day: Sum 41 "88"

Can't get this song out of my head, so enjoy

Software Pick of the Day: iRed Lite

Today's pick extends the functionality of the little Apple remote that is used to control Front Row. Basically it allows you to control just about any application on your Mac through a series of Apple Scripts. It sounds like a pretty cool way to get even more out of that little Apple remote. This free download is currently in beta but is definitely worth checking out. Check it out here.

Tutorial: Write a basic Linux GUI app

For most beginners developing graphical user interface (GUI) applications have always had a bit of a stigma. In the past the process was more complicated than it needed to be and a lack of solid design tools didn't make things any easier. Now with more powerful integrated development environments (IDE) its much easier to develop GUI based applications. The following article has a nice little walk through on how to make a simple Linux base GUI application using the QDevelop. The article is written for an older version of Ubuntu (6.10) but should work just fine for the current version for those of you interested in developing applications for Linux. Check out the article here.

Will someone please make this?

In my normal meanderings around the Internet, I Stumbled across a designer that is definitely influenced by the industrial design of Apple products. Yann Coroller is a very talented designer/illustrator that seems to have peered into the mind of many Mac users such as myself and designed a very slick Mac based consumer device. It's called myBook, which resembles a shrunken down iBook with some very nice tablet features. Now I won't go into the details of what this conceptual product would do but I will give my take on why it would compliment the current Apple product line and what I it needs to have in order to be a success.

Now by going over the basic design, you'd have an ultra portable mac that is targeted to the following functions well: e-mail, contact management, web surfing, and other little tasks, that would be powered by some version of OS X. Hmmm ... almost sounds like the iPhone doesn't it?
However, the design is pushed even further by under powering the machine and removing an optical drive to maintain a nice battery life which one would only hope wouldn't damper the machines performance. There by creating, in theory that is, one of the best web surfing devices the world has ever seen.

Now this would compliment Apple's current product line in many ways, so here is the quick list:

• Since it would be more of a computer derivative than a phone, it wouldn't directly compete with Apple's iPhone, instead it could come into the game as the ultimate ultra portable device for the average consumer (well a Mac consumer) . It would almost be like a UMPC except with an Apple touch or better yet an Iliad except with more features. More likely this could also be another consumer device that has many "computer" like functions.
  
• Even though Jobs has yet to admit it there are quite a few of us that are just pining for a successor the the 12" Powerbook, this could fill some of that void
  
• This is a relatively untapped market, the PDA has all but died and been consumed by the smart phone market. UMPC's aren't exactly flying off the selves or performing as expected. A solid little machine like this could clean up as long its not priced too high and performs as expected

Now of course there are a few things that I think need to be solved before this dream machine has a real chance.

The first major concern is function, this little tablet will have to function much like its iBook heritage suggests. It'll probably run a version of OS X but a cut down version would probably be a good idea, by keeping the OS light weight they can reduce amount of resources it'll need from the physical system hence improving performance without needing a lot bleeding edge hardware.

The next thing would probably be look and feel, I'm not talking about the physical design. I'm referring to the software/operating system look and feel. Either make it like OS X and add support software to aid in navigation and use. Another approach could be to make it more iPhone like have the screen utilize a multi touch interface, this would be a great idea but I do think that a stylus or pointer like device is still needed in a device such as the myBook.

Why, might you ask? Well if this device had great stylus support it would make it an awesome drawing tablet, they'd have Photoshop fans tripping over each other trying to get one. Not to mention somethings are just easier to do with a pen like device, such as drawing diagrams.

The last thing a device like the myBook would need is to be put in the right price range. The Apple tax will only go so far and marketing will only go so far. If the device is too far out in the price range it'll suffer the same fate as most UMPCs. However, if it's priced in between the iPhone and a MacBook Pro; it'll probably sell pretty well.

Now a lot of the above assumes Apple would make such a device, but the bottom line is that any company can pull it off as long they can do it well and generate some buzz. The latter is a given just by slapping on an Apple logo on it, the sad thing is that I'm probably right about that.

Beginners guide to PPC assembly

Now with more and more devices using some form of PowerPC processor its becoming more apparent to me that at some point I'm going to have to learn Assembly for the PPC. Luckily IBM has a nice little introduction into assembler for the PPC, but isn't a fully blown tutorial basically it acts as a good place to start. Think of it as the first few chapters of just about any generic programming book out there. In any case I found it helpful, so I figure it might help you too. Check it out here.

Software Pick of the Day: TimeDrawer

This Mac only application (10.4) is very cool little tool that helps with version control of pretty much any document your mac can handle (that is pretty much any document that spotlight supports). It's got a pretty slick interface and seems to be pretty straight forward to use, so until Apple drops Time Machine in our lap with the release of Leopard. This will just have to do, download here. Check out the video of the application in action.

XNA 2.0 is out and has networking

Well its finally happened, actually it happened when I was out on vacation and I just found out about it but Microsoft has release version 2.0 of their XNA framework. For those unfamiliar with the story the XNA framework is a managed support library that Microsoft has released that is optimized for game development. The idea is to create a nice base platform that allow third party home brew developers to write games that can run on the Windows operating system environment or the XBOX 360 environment.
The latest release finally supports integration with all versions of Visual Studio 2005 and not just the C# Express edition. The other big feature includes networking support that will work over XBOX Live, this will definitely make for some interesting games. In any case I'm pretty excited about the new versions features. I just now need some spare time to start developing with it and probably put up a few more tutorials. Check out the link here. (Thanks to Gizmodo for the link)

Best Mac Software?

Through my typical rumblings through the big wide cloud we know as the Internet I have found a rather awesome site that lists some of the best mac applications you can find. Now not all are open source and free but a lot of them are and its definitely worth checking it out at Best Mac Software (Really stretched on the name huh?), Click here to check it out.

The Comment Rant

For years I have done one of the most painful processes in software development. Re-coding/fixing someone else's program code. Now all programmers prefer their own "obviously" superior code to another's but that's not what I'm talking about. Today I'm seriously irked by the fact that very few coders try to write "readable" code. The reason why readable code is good should be apparent to anyone who's had to work with someone else's, but if your not sure what I'm talking about here is a scenario that you really just have to live through before you understand it.

Lets say you've been coding for a few years and you see the following lines of code

for (int x=0;x<10;x++)>Index(x);
}

Now through basic C++ you can figure that its for loop that will go through 10 times and pass the x value into a class method, where something will presumably happen or act on it.

The problem? It means nothing to you, if this was apart of some critical software system this wouldn't tell you shit. Sure you may be able to trace the class method and figure out what's going on but it still won't tell you about the magic number (10) in the for conditional section or what purpose the variable x serves. Now this is a simplified version made to prove a point, but if your one of the few who hasn't had to deal with this just imagine this type of coding on a large scale application. Don't believe it happens? It does.

Now there are tons of tips and even more excuses on how to approach/avoid this problem. Since the ability to read everyones coding style probably isn't a good option, here are a few tips I wish more programmers (even myself at times) would do more often

- Use variable names that mean something, this is easy to over look when writing code constructs you've done a couple of hundred times. (i.e. the x in the for loop)
- No Magic Numbers (Use constants or enumerations)
- Clever things need to be commented on (you probably won't be as clever 3 months down the road when you stare at the code blankly and neither will the next person who reads it)
- Code like someone else is going to read it, I know it sounds dumb but it forces you to code for readability and function.
- Be consistent, programmers tend to mix their preferred language coding styles (habits they've formed recently) with their basic coding style (habits they've formed when learning to program). It's maddening, stop it ... no seriously stop.
- Don't comment to make code look pretty or fuller, comments should be useful to someone who isn't you, i.e. they need to tell someone else what your trying to accomplish and more importantly how your doing it. Dumb comments don't help they just make other programmers glaze over useful ones.

Now before you give me the whole, "that takes too much time" bit the bottom line is that you've learned to code this way because its a habit. So the only way to fix it is to make this a habit, the speed portion will come with practice, now go a more enlightened code ninja.

Quicksilver is going Open Source

Its seems my favorite productivity tool, Quicksilver for the Mac is going open source. According to a post by Alcor the developer of Quicksilver. The move will occur some time after the release of Leopard. There are more details at tuaw the why so check out the forum post here. Thanks to TUAW for the link.

Software Pick of the Day: nLite

If your a Windows user than you probably know about the 6-12 month re-install rule that you need to follow to ensure a trouble free Windows experience, right? If I just mentioned something completely new to you then consider that your first piece of tech advice.

In any case I don't know of a single person that enjoys this re-install process, so todays software pick is to help solve this very problem. No, it won't make Windows run better for longer, but it will allow you to create a custom Windows installer. Which basically means you won't have to re-install all of your applications after you've completed the install. So what magic software do you need to put this together? Well none other than nLite, which is basically a deployment tool that allows you to create a customized Windows installation and burn it to a CD. Best of all its free. Check it out here for the software and more info.

It's Freak'n Lasers

Laser Flashlight Hack! - video powered by Metacafe

Ever wonder how to make a hand held laser beam device? Check out the video for the details, but just letting you know this laser does a little more than just point. Thanks to Lifehacker for the video

Halo 2 played with Wiimote on a XBOX360

Video: Playing Halo 2 (Xbox 360) with a Wiimote

Obviously someone went to a lot of trouble making this work, but its doesn't make it any less awesome. Check out the details of this rather elaborate setup in the post here. (Thanks to Gizmodo for the Link)

Wiimote in XNA?

Apparently someone has cleverly made a managed library that interfaces with Nintendo Wiimote. Now the reason why this is note worthy is that since someone has built a managed library for the controller device you can now interface with it in an application built on Microsoft's .NET platform. Better yet, you now have a device interface for your XNA games, congrats home brewers you've got a new interface toy to play with. Check out this link for more information on the library here and where to get it. I'll post a full blown article on the library when I get a chance to play with it some more and manage to "borrow" one of my roommates Wiimotes.

The Linux Challenge: The Geek Stuff (Part 3)

Since I began this little challenge testing out if Ubuntu Linux was really ready for the lime light. I've successfully installed Ubuntu on my low spec'd Dell. The whole install process was a breeze as expected but now comes the fun part, I need to accomplish two other requirements for this to be successful.

Now this isn't so much a part of the challenge but a request by my Dad, which is to allow the computer to display most/all of its interface in Chinese basic. Now most users will download and install Ubuntu in their own regions but if Ubuntu can do this easily then I'm pretty much sold. The other task of mine is to setup an SSH session that I can log into and perform quick fixes. Now I've got a few configuration changes to make before this goes out to my parents house.

I'll document any neat little scripts I decide to add into the mix, but so far I'm pretty happy with all the basic Linux functionality I got from Ubuntu with little to no effort. So I've decided to add a few geek requirements into the mix to make it interesting but the Challenge will really start when I give it to my Dad for use. Check back for more updates, I suspect that they'll be more spread out since I'm going to keep the challenge going for at least 6 months.

Random Video: Guitart Hero 3 First Look Dragonforce "Through the fire and flames"

Now I'm a fan of Guitar Hero 2 but come on. Seriously they expect people to actually play this? Even the Guitar Hero Kid would probably faint

Beefing Up SSH

The iTWire has a nice little post about how you can improve the security of your SSH Daemon. Some simple tips include disabling root login and changing the default port. However, the article has a few more tips that should help keep out any unwanted guest. Its a good read, check out the article here.

Software Pick of the Day: Ethereal

Whether developing a simple network application or trying to debug network traffic, there is one tool that I turn to right away. Ethereal is an open source application that analyzes IP based traffic over an Ethernet port, giving you a complete capture of the traffic going on in your network. I use it pretty regularly when testing out my client and server applications. This full featured network protocol analyzer is one of the best and its also free to use on any platform. Check it out here.

Apple Media Center : Mac Mini or Apple TV

Well today, I felt the need to do a little speculation about Apple's product line. In the last year Apple has been pushing harder into the consumer electronics market with its iPhone and AppleTV products. Now it's a pretty natural transition to see that Apple hopes to make the iPhone the future of the iPod family and they're well on their way to doing so.

The AppleTV is a slightly different beast in itself, now one could argue that its an obvious derivative of the Mac Mini and based on the design of the device its pretty hard to argue. So I thought it would only be fair to compare the two to see which is better for the home theater. However, the basic functionality of the AppleTV makes it more iPod like than a Mini, which is probably to streamline its core functionality to fit the living room environment. So what did Apple do to make this a reality?

1. Syncing from iTunes
2. HDMI/ Component Cable connections
3. Simplified Software/UI all geared towards playing media

Now the overall problem with this is that though it does its job pretty well but people will always want their Apple device to do more. This is where the Mac Mini fills in the gap quite nicely, after all its a computer that can handle just about all of your media center needs right? Sort of, lets see what the Mini has going for it to fill in the gaps:

1. Ability to manage and play just about any kind of media
2. DVD playback
3. You aren't tied to iTunes or Apple software for that matter

Now it would seem that the Mac Mini is the perfect media center device disguised as a computer, but it has some pretty big deficiencies. Lack of HDMI or any TV standard connection is a pretty big problem for those who aren't tech savvy. Some people just want something they can plug into their TV and have it just work. DVI is an option but converter cables shouldn't be necessary. The other issue is navigation, there really isn't a hand held remote that's good at running OS X so expecting Apple's trimmed down version isn't going to cut it. Note: Front Row is a great software navigation for playing media but not managing it.

So which is the better home media device... well its got to be the Mac Mini simply since it can do a lot of which the AppleTV can do and then some. Now for most Apple fans this article is terribly dated and doesn't tell you anything you don't already know. However, what this does bring to light is that the AppleTV and Mac Mini could merge into a family line that could kick some serious butt in the home media market. Also with lingering rumors that the Mini is doomed it seems that a natural transition would be to fold a lot of the Mini's strengths into the AppleTV line. Giving us a device with the following:

1. HDMI/Component Cable hook up
2. Simplified UI optimized for TV
3. DVD Playback (or ability to import DVDs like CDs)
4. Media Management and Playback

It would seem another winner would be in works if ever happens.

Build Your Own Moleskine

Since I've been working a lot lately I've found that I like to sketch and doodle in my spare time. I won't push my really bad sketches on you, so no need to shut off your monitor ... for now. However, due to my little hobby I've become a fan of the Moleskine, its a notebook brand, yep just a blank notebook. However, the brand itself has a nice little history behind it, in short lots of renowned writers/thinkers/artist has used it in the past. Currently the brand has had a resurgence as a really good productivity tool, who am I kidding its a freaking to do list. In any case, I like using it as a sketch book, but if you want more info on it check out the Moleskine site here.

So now that you've read through my rather long setup todays post is about making your very own Moleskine. The post goes over the entire process which requires a bit more tools than I thought it would but its a good little tutorial to try out if you're a do it yourself type. Check out the how to post here, Thanks to Lifehacker for the link.

The Linux Challenge: The Machine (Part 2)

Yesterday I posted about my new experiment to see if Ubuntu Linux, was really ready to start delivering the goods. So let's start with the machine that this little experiment will take place on.

The machine is Dell Inspiron 531S (I known buying big box bad, but it was really cheap)
This little machine holds AMD64 X2 Dual Core 3800+ processor, 512MB of RAM, 56k modem, built in Ethernet, on board sound, and on board video. It comes with Windows Vista Basic installed on it.

Yeah... so a nice little setup for a Linux box, but definitely not Vista ready. Seriously Windows Vista is REALLY slow on this machine. I'm sure it has everything to do with the machine only having 512 MB of RAM, but that should be good enough to run Ubuntu pretty smoothly. However, I really wish that Dell would have put XP on this machine instead. Today I'll start the install of Ubuntu and see if it can live up to the hype.

The Linux Challenge: The Concept (Part 1)

Today I'm going to start what I consider to be the ultimate challenge to see if Ubuntu Linux is ready for the mainstream. The "challenge" is to see if my father can use a computer without getting too frustrated. A little background on my dad he is a man who has literally never used a computer. Now this kind of a risky move, since my mom is very much a basic Windows user and will probably try to help my dad perform basic tasks. So the challenge isn't all in the distributions hands the environment surrounding the user (my father) will also play a big role.

So you may be asking yourself, well if you already have one Windows user in the house why not just give him a Windows box and let your mom help out? Well mostly because my mom really doesn't use Windows very well but I've purposely trained her to do the tasks she needs to do on the computer so she doesn't really understand what she does. The other reason is that with all of the problems my mom had I wasn't able to troubleshoot her issues over the phone very effectively, Linux will give me a better option with the power of SSH. I could go on about my reasoning for this decision but I'll save that for a later date.

The basic goals for the challenge are pretty simple

Have a computer that can connect to the internet safely
- How this will be achieved
-Connect to Internet through dial-up
(Yes, I know I'll get them on Cable/DSL one of these days)
-Firewall (It's Linux, take your pick many different firewalls)

Provide a User Interface that can be easily taught
- How this will be achieved
-Point and Click are pretty straightforward
-The biggest issue my dad doesn't like English, meaning the UI needs to have the ability to
switch from English to Chinese (Mandarin) and visa versa

Allow for basic remote access to fix issues
- How this will be achieved
-SSH (very little I can't fix over SSH)

Software Pick of the Day: Wubi

If you're a Windows user that's curious about moving to Linux and are just too lazy to burn a live CD and too timid to consider the prospect of dual booting your machine. Today's software pick will give you a better option. Wubi is a Linux installer that pretty much makes installing Linux, in this case Ubuntu as easy as installing a Windows application. The application installs Ubuntu on your local Windows partition and modifies your boot to allow you to boot into Ubuntu. Yes, is a real installation and you can uninstall it just like you can for any Windows application. This is a great way to get your feet wet in Linux or just visit your old stomping grounds. Check it out here, and like most applications I recommend its open source, meaning free as in beer. Check out the Wubi site for more details.