Ars Lounge Feedjack

Gibberish is my native language (DrFaulken): Case Logic Shuttle reversible laptop sleeve review

2008-07-24T16:13:52Z

I like to keep my gadgets protected, and my work laptop was no exception. Desperate for something orange and functional, I purchased the Case Logic Shuttle reversible neoprene laptop sleeve.

rianjs.net (Hanser): ?

2008-07-24T15:32:51Z

Over the last month, I've unconsciously begun moving forward again in a personal development sense of the word. I've started several new things, and dropped several others during that time. I've begun studying economics formally, and while I've struggled with motivation at times, I'm moving forward. David and I have something interesting in the early startup stages that will quite likely be incredibly profitable, but more importantly, it's relevant to anyone with a driver's license. While it's not interesting from a low-level, implementation point of view, it is interesting in that it does solve a big, higher-level problem.

So while the business plan for that is ~60% written, I'm juggling some other things as well. One of them being elimination. You see, one of the quickest ways to make progress when you're trying to work on yourself is to simply eliminate that which adds no value to your life. Here are some of the things I've done over the last two years…

Cut down time spent on discussion forums

As of this writing, I have 22,409 posts on the Ars Technica discussion forums. I'm sorry to say that most of that time has been wasted. Yes, I've made several friends, and many acquaintances during the time spent there, but there's been an inordinate amount of time and mental and emotional energy expended there, with little to show for it.

When I backslide and start posting more, I'm quickly reminded that I could better spend my time doing other things when discussions quickly devolve into dog-piling and other similar kind of uselessness.

Pruned my RSS subscriptions

Unlike many who enjoy technology, I don't find that having tons of RSS feeds essential or even particularly interesting. Lately, I've found it counterproductive, as seeing whatever new thing is coming tends to lend itself to a consumption mindset — so I've been religiously pruning subscriptions that don't add value to my life in any meaningful way. Even some of the blogs that I've followed for years. Indeed, this is a natural extension to cutting down on the amount of time spent on discussion forums.

I find that the less time I spend taking in information, the more time I actually spend doing things that are worthwhile. Things like biking, working on our business, and talking and spending time with friends or family.

I'm using RSS for three things now: to keep up with those I care about, to take in blogs that add value to my life — I've been loving Success Soul lately — and to take in a very limited amount of information in two narrow channels: technology and medicine. I have literally three feeds for news, and of the content they push, I read maybe 5% of what's published. I hit that "Mark all as read" button religiously.

Decreased my media consumption

I watch far less television than I did even two months ago. I actively avoid watching sports, because it's such an amazing sinkhole for time. It's currently baseball season, and someone in my family watches every single game. At six games a week at 3.5 hours per game, that's about 21 hours per week spent in front of the tube. Almost a full day.

What a complete and utter waste of time.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy sports. Particularly playoffs. I would even like to own my own professional sports franchise at some point down the road — most likely basketball — but then passive consumption becomes smart business.

Decreased my alcohol consumption

I've never been a big drinker, per se. Maybe once a month I'd have a couple of drinks. Now it's more like once every two or three months. I find that as I spend time doing things that are worthwhile, my desire for alcohol has decreased to levels even lower than they were before.

Marx once said that religion is the opiate of the masses, and I believe that he was right. But I also believe that alcohol is, too. (And if you want to get technical about it, alcohol uses the same reward pathways that opiates use, which is why opioid antagonists show quite a bit of efficacy in alcohol dependence. )

Along with alcohol, I'll throw in cigars. I haven't smoked a cigar since my birthday, and I haven't really wanted one.

It should be noted that both cigars and alcohol are expensive hobbies relative to the satisfaction one derives from them. Worthwhile activities don't leave you with a foul taste in your mouth or a hangover when you're finished.

Pruned some friends

The greatest change that I have made in terms of lasting impact has been on friends. It's hard to cut loose the dead weight in one's life, because it's uncomfortable. Giving up booze and cigars is easy because they don't talk back. They don't call on the phone.

But it can be done, and I would urge those that are in unhealthy relationships — both romantic and otherwise — to reconsider. Life can be so much more rewarding without dead weight dragging you down.

–

You'll notice that a common theme here has been changing my mindset from that of consumption to that of abundance. I find that the less passive consumption I partake in, the happier and more buoyant as a person I become.

I have a couple of more personal development posts in the works, but not many, and they're less in the way of pontification, and more in the way of explanation. I don't find writing about personal development rewarding so I tend not to do it, and others are far better at it than I. What IS interesting are the results that come about as a result of making constant effort to better yourself.

All Things Chill (Special*Dark): A Conceited Haiku

2008-07-24T14:19:28Z

Hey, you’re vain, aren’t you?
Look, look - There’s your reflection!
Your own dreams come true.

Inspired by a woman on 3rd street.

Sent via iPhone
~Spec

Super Dave's Mundanities (DaveChen): twitter updates for 2008-07-23

2008-07-24T02:59:59Z

Fired up another 3d print job. Should be done in 8 hours. #
Good God this cafeteria coffee sucks! And yet I keep drinking it. #
kids and i got our teeth checked. we’re all good. now they’re in my office hanging out. #

rianjs.net (Hanser): Benjamin Franklin on vaccination

2008-07-23T20:59:01Z

Ben Franklin is one of my all-time favorite historical figures; there are few people who have been universally successful in all they've done: business, politics, science, and humanitarianism. Franklin was one of these, and he's left a guidebook for those who wish to follow in his footsteps. (And really, how can you beat $2.50 for a brand-new book?)

I've been reading through it lately, and while it's easy reading, it's so chock-full of wisdom that I find it slow going. Lunchtimes and evenings find me with pencil in hand, underlining and annotating the bits that especially speak to me, and there are many.

I came across this paragraph, and I was astonished. With the anti-vaccination crazies gaining influence and mindshare, this earthy bit of common sense was a breath of fresh air, written in the 1700s by someone who knew a world without vaccines, and saw the devastation caused by these diseases — smallpox, polio, and many others — first-hand.

In 1736, I lost one of my sons, a fine boy of four years old, by smallpox, taken in the common way. I long regretted him bitterly and still regret that I had not given it to him by inoculation. This I mention for the sake of parents who omit that operation on the supposition that they should never forgive themselves if a child died under it, my example showing that the regret may be the same either way, and therefore that the safer should be chosen.

Simple and profound. Alas, I don't think the anti-vaccination types will take his advice to heart, and we are all the poorer for it.

Punkadyne Labs (Punkwalrus): Price quotes

2008-07-23T20:05:02Z

I hate it when a vendor won't tell me a price on a web page, and says, "Call for a price quote." To me, that means, "We are ashamed how much we charge and know how expensive we are, so we hope to convince you otherwise with a lot of pushy salespeople." Can you at least give me a ballpark figure? No? You lose.

Now, I know that getting a price quote on a complex thing like, say, a server farm for a web front end and a database back end would not be easy to quote until you spoke with someone on what exactly your needs were. But if you're selling a network scanner appliance, or a firewall, or some other single purpose, single unit device, I don't want to speak to a salesperson. I am gathering price quotes and getting some ballpark figures on a commercial appliance versus something we build here. You have two models, you much have two prices. No, don't sell me on this "value" bullshit, I *trained* people to do that *only* when the unit could not sell itself and we were ashamed of the price.

I have been shocked at prices sometimes. HOW much for that device? $175,000 for mail server software??? Dude! Come on, I could buy several packages of Exchange Professional or infinite Open Source stuff and put it on the highest end commercial server HP sells for that price. "Appliances" are even worse. Most are just jacked up computers in a fancy box, like less than $2000 for parts. And those don't even include license and service fees.

I find the more expensive the item is, the harder it is to get an actual price right away.

Punkadyne Labs (Punkwalrus): Bad fannish actors

2008-07-23T19:22:44Z

I really have a hard time watching some fan films. I was a thespian as a teenager, and while I may not have been a great actor, I think I was at least convincing enough to never lose an audition to a play. And while I rarely got a major role, I would say almost everyone I worked with were decent actors. Yes, even in Prune Bran.

But when I watch some Star Wars fan films, for instance, I cringe. Comedies are not so bad, but a lot of the serious ones are just terrible. And it's hard for me to tell just what makes them so bad. I think if I had to be vague about it, the first thing I'd say is that "I am aware they are acting." A good actor or actress should be committed to the part, not committed to playing the part.

I won't name names, because they people do these films for no motive other than devotion, but recently I watched a film about a superhero where she screwed up the simple act of being on the phone. Conceptually, she did it perfectly. She picked up the phone after it rang, spoke in a bored and disconnected way while typing on the laptop (as I assume the part called for), spoke to the other person, and the language seemed natural. Then she hung up, distressed and annoyed at being called. And scene...

The whole scene was as fake as a Pop Tart in a French bakery. I tried to analyze the scene to figure out what went wrong. I must have played this basic setup at least a dozen times before Youtube took it down for an unstated reason ("Punkie hates it!" maybe, heh). But in reality, I had seen it enough to notice what is wring with a lot of fannish actors in films: they are too aware of the camera and the scene. Not so much over-rehearsed, but simply as much a part of the scene as the props are and no more.

After a lot of consideration on this entry, I realized this subtle difference between being the part and acting the part would be nearly impossible to convey via text. Yet I don't want to show examples because part of me thinks it's really rude to point out another's flaws unless I am directly asked to do so. So I have this advice for some fannish actors (including those who do voiceovers where acting may be involved):

1. Don't focus on being technically correct. Nobody is in real life, and so that will come off as fake. Part of me wants to say "over-rehearsed" here, but it's more subtle than simply running through the scene as if it was just another part. You want to seem less flat and more three dimensional, if that makes sense.
2. Don't deliver lines like you expect to be quoted. When Sean Connery said, "Bond. James Bond," he is delivering a line as an introduction with caution and careful strategy towards his opponent to gauge a reaction as well as shield himself. He's not delivering the line as if he's thinking, "Fuck yeah, I am AWESOME!" His introduction, while a tagline that would be used for decades after Dr. NO was made, was no more important than anything else he said.
3. Don't rely on the line to carry itself. The best writing can be killed by the worst actors. Deliver the line naturally as if a real person would. To be cliche, you have to "be the part" and wonder what motivated the line from a realistic character point of view. For instance:

Bond: Do you expect me to talk? [Thinking: Shit, I am on a table with a laser, how can I stall him?]
Blowfield: No, Mr. Bond. I expect you to die! [Thinking: WTF? Is he an idiot?? Oh, he's stalling. Man, how arrogant and amusing...]

But I'd see this if some fan films did it:

Bond: Do you expect me to talk? [Thinking: Whew, I didn't screw up my line! Ooh, face the camera, right. I make an AWESOME James Bond!]
Blowfield: No, Mr. Bond. I expect you to die! [Thinking: HA HA HA WHAT A FUNNY LINE I am delivering! I am finally playing a powerful character! I should fluff my chest because that's what bad guys do, right?]

4. Nobody ever expects the next line in life. So don't look like you do on camera. When the phone rings, act a little shocked. When the person you are answering says something, act like you have never heard that phrase, and don't know what to reply until you are actually saying it. If someone takes a swing at you, duck like you thought of it at the last moment before you get hit. How you blink naturally is different that consciously doing it. Speech is the same way.

I saw a Star Wars fan film today where some "bad guy" was swinging around a light saber in an impressive martial arts dance. He was grinning like a bad guy, I guess. But I think most adults and even teens have enough experience with real fights where we know that nobody ever GRINS like they are a mofo bad-ass. Anyone who grins while fighting is going to have a forced, crazy-eyed stance of desperation and pure fury they can barely control: a real nut job (I know, the worst beating I ever got was from someone who laughed like a demented toddler as he was beating me). I see so many bad guys in bad films who act like they are evil. Truly evil people often don't even think they are evil. Most act fairly calm and nonchalant. In the case of this kung-fu Sith, he was grinning like he had a fan club just off camera. And while his physical display was fucking impressive and skilled, I got the feeling he only got the part because he could crouch and prance like some scorpion with a light saber. I would think a truly evil Sith would see killing a Jedi as more of a task set aside by his master, and take is very seriously without mugging to the camera.

Please. Acting is a talent that doesn't cost extra for your production. Invest some time to try and be less stilted and flow naturally. Your love, money, sweat, and tears went into some of these productions.

The Jux Entente: Arrows at the Darkness

2008-07-23T18:03:18Z

For the first time since the year 2000, I played Dungeons and Dragons last night. Fourth edition. That means I completely skipped 3.0 (other than owning the Player’s Handbook) and 3.5. I slipped right in from AD&D in my head. It was actually really fun, even if I did have brief flashbacks to high school. Also, my dual-wield eladrin ranger missed on five of his first six attacks. That was kind of ludicrous when you’re trying to feel like a badass.

Also yesterday I scheduled my appointment to have my recurrent corneal erosion fixed next Tuesday. They are going to laser off the entire outer layer of cells on my right eye. The alternative being poking it a lot with a needle.

Finally! Contacts again after a year, hopefully. Thank god.

Kilala.nl (Cailin Coilleach): Bill Bryson - A short history of nearly everything

2008-07-23T16:25:00Z

For my birthday, my sister got me one of the awesomest books I've read in the past few years: A short history of nearly everything by Bill Bryson. It'd been on my wishlist for quite a while now thanks to the folks at Ars and now it's finally mine :D

If you've ever been even remotely interested in physics, astronomy, chemistry, the earth, the human race or our weird scientists, then this is the book for you! Bill takes a lighthearted look at how -everything- came into existance. How did the universe form? What -is- the universe? What is gravity? How does it work? Why does it work? And the best part is that all of this is done in a rather humorous fashion. Bill not only focuses on the science itself, but also on the scientists themselves who can be -really- odd at times.

Aside from reading the book for the entertainment value I actually learn a lot as well. For example, there's the fact that atoms and such really aren't solid objects and that thus solidity itself (of objects) is merely an illusion. To quote the book:

When two objects come together in the real world - billiard balls are most often used for illustration - they don't actually strike each other. 'Rather,' as Timothy Ferris explains, 'the negatively charged fields of the two balls repel each other ... [W]ere it not for their electrical charges they could, like galaxies, pass right through each other unscathed.' when you sit in a chair, you are not actually sitting there, but levitating above it at a height of one angstrom (a hundred millionth of a centimetre), your electrons and its electrons implacably opposed to any closer intimacy.

Gibberish is my native language (DrFaulken): Adventures in appendix concealed carry: Blackhawk Inside the Waistband clip holster review

2008-07-23T16:13:58Z

When it comes to concealed carry, one size fits none. I’ve talked a lot on Gibberish about how no one holster, firearm, or carry position will meet all of your needs all of the time. Comfort, concealment, and accessibility form a personal protection triangle that is almost impossible to balance. When I can wear more loosely-fitting [...]

Punkadyne Labs (Punkwalrus): Retail days

2008-07-23T15:17:04Z

It occurred to me today that every retail chain I ever worked for is now gone.

Crown Books. I worked there from 1987-1989 as a manager. The chain died under a flurry of controversy after scores of buyouts in 2001.

Chesapeake Knife and Tool. I was an assistant manager from 1989-1991. It quietly faded away after slowly dying in 2006.

Gamekeeper: I worked there one Christmas in 1991 or 92. It went belly up in 2003.

Cargo Furniture. I was a manager at the Springfield and the Tyson's Galleria store from 1993-1996 when I finally left to join the tech industry. Right after I left, there was huge political turmoil until it got bought out by Pier One Imports, then went online-store only, and finally died around 2004.

The only place I worked selling anything that is still up in Nancy's Buttons, which still tours the convention circuits. But that's a one-woman operation, mostly. I worked her table a variety of conventions for many years, and kind of think I'd like to do a few more if I could justify the cost of hotel and travel to do so :)

Punkadyne Labs (Punkwalrus): Truly bad grammar

2008-07-23T14:33:51Z

I just thought of this random story I often have to retell, and so I am making an entry for posterity's sake.

I used to work at the (late) Cargo Furniture, and the district manager for the South was a spry older woman who used to be a former kindergarten teacher. I think her name was Joyce. Now, personally, I never had an issue with the woman except for her incessant memos. We used to get packets every week from the home office, and once in a while, this woman would have some happy-wappy announcement of some sort, usually having to do with sales contests.

This woman, despite her educational background, was a terrible, terrible writer. Her memos were frequently misspelled, she used a lot of ALL CAPS, extra punctuation, and was the queen of misplaced apostrophes. Here's an example:

ATENTION ALL SALE'S STAFF

Are recent quota contest, is running in FULL GEAR!!! Halfway there, and already we have some AMAZING QUOTABUSTER'S!! Stephane of the Florida otlet is 20%%%% OVER HER AVERAGE QUOTA!!!!! Can YOU beat her score's????? Grig of Springfield in Verginia is 15%%%%%!!!!! There combined score's have rocketed the Estern region over 17%%%!!!

I see sunny sky's, and margarita's in there future!!!

Yeah, it hurts the eyes, doesn't it?

multifarious miscellany (kitters): bi-monthly update

2008-07-23T11:27:30Z

I’m nothing if not consistent about not being consistent. With the annual camping trip, new geek gadget, and now Vacation Bible School at church, blogging’s been the last thing on my mind. Actually, that’s not true. There have been several instances when I’ve thought about it, but have been too lazy to follow through with it :P

This was probably the best year so far for our camping trip - six families from church, kids that all got along, perfect weather, and plenty of food. It took a little longer than usual to get completely set up due to one of our sites being occupied until 2:30 (checkout is 2:00), but by the time we were all situated I was definitely ready to slip into camping mode. Friday was (mostly) a chill out and do whatever kind of day, with the entire group going down to the amusement park after dinner. After a Saturday morning session of laser tag for half the group, everybody headed over to the pool. I was perfectly content to just relax in the water, but the husband had fun dunking all the teenagers (who still think they can sink him) and generally acting like, well.. a kid in a pool :P The plan was to stay around for most of Sunday, too, but we ended up heading out around noon. Overall, it was one of the better group vacations I’ve ever been on.

I say Friday was mostly a chill out day because the Friday we were gone was also iPhone 3G release day. The husband was nice enough to be dragged away from the campsite before 7am so I could go park myself in line. Truth be told, the wait wasn’t nearly as horrendous as I expected. The campground is in a tiny town, so there just weren’t many people around - probably 20 people in line, total. It took longer than it should have because of all the activation issues that have been written about time and time again, but at least the store employees were nice about everything and came outside to talk to us every now and again. At some point they decided that they were going to stop activating in store, so I ended up leaving with a totally non-functional phone and was completely disconnected for the rest of the weekend. Kinda nice, actually.

Yesterday was the husband’s birthday, which we will celebrate once VBS week is over. I don’t know how we did it last year without the week-long break between camping and VBS. It’s only Wednesday and I’m already tired :P At least with this year’s Western/Cowboy theme, I don’t get picked on for saying “y’all” all the time. Now if only I could get them to learn that the plural form is “all y’all”…

Punkadyne Labs (Punkwalrus): I am not dead

2008-07-23T10:10:35Z

It's been a crappy last few days. I *did* however have a great time at bulsi's parents house at the pool party on Saturday. We have been to many of these before, but this time was the longest we had ever stayed. I think we started at 1pm and were there way into the night.

CR turned 18 on midnight Sunday. It's over. His childhood, according to state and federal law, is over. I mean, there wasn't a dramatic change, like he sprouted a beard, but the next phase of parenting has begun: adult parents of an adult child.

Next stop, grandchildren!

CR started his job at a famous coffee-related chain yesterday, which involved a lot of paperwork, study, and stock room detail.

Super Dave's Mundanities (DaveChen): twitter updates for 2008-07-22

2008-07-23T02:59:59Z

my son’s nose won’t stop bleeding. #
@blath not hot yet, but it certainly will be later in the day. #
It’s augmented reality on an iPhone! We did this in school using expensive SGI computers. http://tinyurl.com/6l9xjj #
Guy finally made it here to demo HD stereo projectors that we’re thinking about buying. http://cyviz.com/viz1080.htm #
I made an iPhone app icon. - Photo: http://bkite.com/0113b #
@bryanmorse glad to here your son is doing fine. #
@bryanmorse 5 root canals! Geez! #
playing a golf match. - http://bkite.com/011a7 #
played pretty well. Shot a 43. We won the golf match 2 and 1. - http://bkite.com/011fE #

All Things Chill (Special*Dark): Blogging on the Go

2008-07-23T00:03:21Z

iPhone test blog post using the Wordpress App! EEEEEE.

~Spec

Kilala.nl (Cailin Coilleach): TV nostalgia: something for me and the kid

2008-07-22T23:45:00Z

I still had a little bit of birthday money left and with it I bought a few DVDs on the cheap. Why they were so cheap I will never know, but for me they're of great value. You see, I'm very nostalgic about the series that I've bought, the first of which is pictured to the left. Anyone who's watched the BBC during the eighties will probably know it: The trap door.

It's a silly claymation show about monsters living in the dungeon of a castle, trying to take care of a bigger monster while trying to keep other monsters at bay. Yes, that's a lot of monsters ^_^ Each episode only lasts for a few minutes and it's all very light hearted. I used to love it as a kid and I'm sure that our future offspring will be at least amused by all the bright colours :D I've included the show's opening at the bottom of this post.

The other two shows are Ulysses 31 and the classic anime Nils Holgersson. The first being a French/Japanese retelling of the Greek epos in a sci-fi setting. We -loved- this show as kids and I've been on the lookout for good DVDs for at least ten years now. And it only cost me ten pounds for the whole box! The latter is a Swedish folk tale that ran on Dutch TV when I was very young. Some folks may remember it for the young boy who got shrunken by magic to travel with a flock of geese.

TheTrapDoor.flv

Kilala.nl (Cailin Coilleach): A moment of introspection: anti-social?

2008-07-22T21:55:00Z

In light of my departure from Snow I've had a few chats here and there, not all of them brimming with positivity. Of course some of my colleagues aren't happy to see me go, but there's also some other stuff that I hadn't given thought.

When asked for a reason why I chose to leave for another company (where I'd essentialy be doing the same work), my knee-jerk reply was that I was missing personal contact. The company has grown rather large over the past two years and I was supposedly missing the personal touch. The reproach that I received was that I myself am responsible for this situation. My lack of motivation for IT, coupled with my ambition of teaching have led to my isolation within the company. Apparently some colleagues even avoid me because of this. Of course, that's a bitter pill to swallow.

Now that I've mulled over this a little bit, I agree with the senior who expressed these thoughts. I agree that I've secluded myself from my colleagues and that I've shown little interest in the company as a whole. I also don't particularly care for all the IT/Linux conversations that happen at each compulsory meeting. Due to my changing ambitions I feel alienated from my colleagues, yet I also feel little drive to connect with them. I guess it's safe to say that Snow isn't the company for me anymore.

I've always been a bit of a recluse, choosing close contact with a tightly knit group of friends over casual and abundant contact with acquaintances and colleagues. Does this make me anti-social? Maybe. But I've also shown on many occasions that I can fit right into any social undertaking and that I can even -lead- on such an occasions (Anime 200x anyone?).

So... Do I feel safe switching from one IT company to another? Of course not! I'd much rather be teaching :) But in this case I think I'm making a rather safe switch, because i will be working with a close friend of mine. Someone I -do- definitely care about :)

Raimond, thanks for making me think. I needed the nudge to wake me up ;)

EDIT:
Let me add my personal conclusion. No, I am not anti-social. If I were, why the heck would I choose to become a teacher?! Teaching, in high school, IT or otherwise, requires social involvement and I am all too happy to give it. It's just that I will now need to re-find the delicate balance at work.

Martin Gordon's Blog (cptncelchu): Rejected (Twice!) From the App Store

2008-07-22T18:26:06Z

I am now a proud member of the elite group of developers who have had applications rejected from the iPhone App Store.

The application I have been working on since a few weeks after the SDK came out is Flickup, a simple Flickr uploader. When Apple announced the July 7th deadline, I pulled an all-nighter that day to finish it up and submitted the app to Apple around 6am in order to meet the 3pm deadline for inclusion in the App Store at launch. When the App Store is launched on Thursday/Friday, my app is nowhere to be found and the status remains "In Review". I sent an email on Saturday to Apple asking why Flickup was still in review and I received a non-response three days later telling me that "In Review" means my application is being reviewed by Apple. I responded immediately clarifying my inquiry and I finally received this response yesterday:

At this time, Flickup cannot be posted to the App Store because it does not allow the user to logout or change the Flickr account that they are using.

In order for your application to be reconsidered for the App Store, please resolve this issue and upload your new binary to iTunes Connect.

This is a perfectly valid critique, and an oversight on my part, but did it really take them two weeks to tell me about it? Would they have even told me had I not emailed them about my app's status? In any case, the time it took to get a decision on Flickup gave me time to fix some bugs, and of course add the required logout functionality.

As an aside, the Flickr Authentication API's Implementation Guidelines merely states, "Users must be provided with 'logout' functionality." The API documentation does not provide any way to revoke tokens and log users out. I had to resort to directing users to their revoke permissions page instead.

In the mean time, the App Store turned one week old and gripes about the review functionality sprouted everywhere, particularly with regard to the ability for people to review an app without actually having used it. This "feature" of the App Store prompted the cheapskates out there to use reviews as a medium to complain about price. Taking this to heart, I spent some time last week preparing a demo version of Flickup that would allow people to sample the app before dropping two Washingtons on the full version. I submitted the demo version on Friday and received a decision today:

Flickup Demo cannot be posted to the App Store because it is a beta or feature-limited version. Any reference to demo or beta needs to be removed from the binary and metadata. Free or "Lite" versions are acceptable, however the application must be a fully functional app and cannot reference features that are not implemented or up-sell to the full version.

In spite of the lightning fast turnaround time, I am still just as angry about this rejection than the last one since there was no prior warning (in program agreements or otherwise) that demo versions would not be allowed. It's hard to believe that Apple isn't aware that people are crying out for demos and trials; going as far as explicitly prohibiting them (while letting all other sorts of crap through) is nothing short of infuriating.

Technorati Tags: iPhone, iPhone SDK, App Store, Apple, Flickup

Gibberish is my native language (DrFaulken): Spb Phone Suite: The beauty of whitelisting phone calls

2008-07-22T16:13:15Z

I hate talking on the phone and try to avoid it if at all possible. I especially dislike getting phone calls from numbers I don’t recognize, because I don’t know if I should pick up or not. About two and a half years ago I wrote about “whitelisting” phone calls as a way to avoid [...]

Super Dave's Mundanities (DaveChen): Iphone blogging!

2008-07-22T12:29:38Z

I’m blogging from my iPhone! Ok just trying out the newly release Wordpress iPhone app. I’d post a link but writing HTML on the iPhone seems like a pain in the ass. If you want it just search for Wordpress in the AppStore.

So far the app seems pretty cool.

Tiny Screenfuls (JoshB): Test Post from WordPress for iPhone!

2008-07-22T05:01:03Z

It’s late, and I’ll write more when I’ve played with it more, but one of the apps I’ve dreamed of for a long time finally came out - WordPress for iPhone!
iphone.wordpress.org

a salmon of doubt (shade1978): Twitter Digest for 2008-07-21

2008-07-22T03:59:59Z

Meh, Monday. #

The Jux Entente: WEC 36

2008-07-22T03:39:17Z

As of this afternoon I officially have tickets for WEC 36 in September in Hollywood, Florida. Urijah Faber, Jens Pulver, Paulo Filho…the whole lot. My dad and I are going. I’m pretty damn excited. I know the UFC in Atlanta is going to be awesome, most likely, but tickets are also $insane and the arena is huge, meaning I’ll have a better seat from home. I do, however, want to try out the live MMA experience finally. If it’s anything like other sports there will just be ’something’ about going. Trying it out in a smaller venue like the Seminole Hard Rock, in a town where my dad gets free hotel rooms, will be perfect. I liked that casino the last time I was there anyway.

Plus, Urijah Faber > Chuck Liddell. It’d be different if BJ or GSP were fighting in Atlanta.

Let’s just say WHOOOOOO. Make sure you scan the crowd for me when it’s on Versus.

Super Dave's Mundanities (DaveChen): twitter updates for 2008-07-21

2008-07-22T02:59:59Z

Playing with VNC on the iPhone. Pretty damned cool. #
uploaded a bunch of vacation pics: http://flickr.com/photos/superdavechen/sets/72157606288020719/ #
tired. i need a vacation from my vacation. #
got my corporate discount re-applied to my iPhone account. #
woohoo! got 1500 txt messages for $8.99. i’ll be a texting madman. #
just booked my plane ticket to SIGGRAPH in LA in August. #
@dtomack I called and told them to add discount code TMS4. Learned about it HowardForums.com: http://tinyurl.com/5uf9hu #
I like the look of the new last.fm design. http://www.last.fm/user/davechen #
out for Korean barbeque at Woomi. It’s our comfort food. - http://bkite.com/010Ds #
Youch! AAPL is getting crushed in after hours trading. $149.11 down 17.18. #

Kilala.nl (Cailin Coilleach): Moving on: a new job for a new era

2008-07-22T00:31:00Z

Today's been a big and busy day. Not just because of my mom's visit and all the baby stuff, but more.

Today I submitted my letter of resignation to the directors at Snow. I had decided a few weeks ago that I wanted a new job to fit this new era in our life as a family. Not only should this job offer something new wrt work, but it should also offer enough money for me to take care of my wife and child.

After a few weeks of e-mails, phone calls, interviews and secrecy, I've chosen my new employer. Earlier this month I already dropped some hints, about boning up on virtualization and on a possible business deal with a friend. The latter is the option that I've gone with: starting in a few weeks I'll be a consultant for Unixerius.

Exciting times!

Kilala.nl (Cailin Coilleach): Domestic industry is alive and kicking

2008-07-22T00:18:00Z

My mother-in-law Janny has always been a creative person. She's completely nuts about sewing, knitting and always has at least two projects in the works. A few years back she'd decided to venture into the baby fashion market, selling clothing through the Internet and at local markets. Janneke's zelfmaak babymode the undertaking was dubbed.

Yesterday, visiting Janny and Dirk in Friesland, we were gifted a whole bunch of these lovely clothes! Glee! Some of this stuff is just too precious! ^_^

Kilala.nl (Cailin Coilleach): Shopping, shopping, shopping: more baby stuff

2008-07-22T00:04:00Z

Today my mom and her husband came over to Utrecht so we could go shopping for more baby stuff. She'd very graciously offered to help us out in the acquisition of the bigger/expensive stuff, which we are -really- grateful for! It goes without saying that we greatly appreciate the help of all the (grand)parents as well! Without them, we'd be having a hard time getting everything set up. Thank you Janny&Dirk;, Anu&Erik;, Fred&Dymphie; and both grandmas! ^_^

Anywho, thanks to their donations we bought some more great stuff today, including a sturdy playpen and a bunch of bathing things. One of the stores we visited was Ikea and it's always hard for us to leave without buying a little too much. In this case we left with a whole bunch of new bed covers, to replace the aging ones.

A very tiring yet greatly rewarding day :)

Never melts (meef): halp

2008-07-21T23:19:27Z

am sad no one loves me pls help (pssst... happy baby can be found here)

Lab 1663 (The Sam): ‘The Dark Knight’ - 95% out of 100% on the Sam Scale

2008-07-21T22:43:26Z

Warning: Very minor spoilers may appear below.

The Dark Knight
Warner Bros. / DC Comics
Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine,
Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman
Directed by Chistopher Nolan

As my friends and I exit the movie theater on a Sunday, having just viewed a late-morning showing of The Dark Knight, Eric turns to me and asks if I liked the film. Inside my head, I scream “Of course I liked it, are you f-ing kidding me?!?” My brain, still recovering from sensory overload and suffering the pain of being suddenly separated from one of the most immersive film experiences in its recent memory, can only force my lips and tongue to form the phrase “Yeah, I liked it…”

Yes, ladies and gentlemen. The Dark Knight was that good.

Chris Nolan’s second installment of the re-imaged Batman saga (the first being 2005’s Batman Begins) tells the tale of the city of Gotham - a fictional stand-in for the metropolitan cities of the real world, such as New York, Los Angeles and Chicago (in fact, most or all of The Dark Knight’s cityscape scenes were shot in Chicago). Gotham is a city just emerging from a long collection nightmare, having been for years in the grip of organized crime and the fear, corruption and despair that goes with it. The criminals of Gotham are now so afraid of Batman (Christian Bale) that they meet only in open daylight. Gotham’s new district attorney, Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) has further put the squeeze on the mob by pressuring them from the judicial side of things.

Things are starting to look up in Gotham, and Bruce Wayne (Batman’s alter-ego, also played by Christian Bale) is thinking about hanging up his cowl. He believes that D.A. Dent is the future of the city, and that Gotham may no longer need Batman’s services. His reservations about continuing to play the part of the masked vigilante is his desire to renew his relationship with Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal), although the fact that Rachel is currently with Mr. Dent complicates things considerably.

Just when Bruce thinks he can get back to worry about regular-type stuff, like getting the girl and which million-dollar yacht he wants to sail around the world on this month, the progress in Gotham is stopped cold by a force no one in the city - not even its criminal element - can really understand. That force is The Joker (Heath Ledger) - a criminal mastermind, mass murderer and all-around ne’er-do-well. The Joker seems to have no motivation other than seeing the city of Gotham burn.

The film unfolds as Batman, Harvey Dent, the government of Gotham and even the mob try to figure out how and what to do about The Joker. There are plot twists and a lot of explosions. I won’t ruin things by discussing the plot any further. If you’re not already sold on seeing the movie at this point, then Batman just clear Ain’t Yo Thang™.

The action sequences - and, let’s face it, no matter how great it is, this is an action movie at heart - are plentiful and very well-done. There are exhilarating explosions, vehicle stunts and plenty of dangling and gliding from buildings. Chris Nolan has said that they tried to do as many physical stunts as possible, using CGI as one tool in their toolkit instead of approaching each effects shot as though it were a CGI nail that only a CGI hammer could handle. That dedication to more old-fashioned action film making really shows and it definitely paid off. Each explosion, each car wreck feels very real.

The plot itself is very well-written. The pacing is a little slow in parts, but is made up for elsewhere. Each character seems to have been given their very own carefully-considered, well-planned arc to take them through the film - from Batman himself all the way through Detective Ramirez (played by Monqiue Curnen), one of Lt. Gordon’s (Gary Oldman) underlings at Gotham’s Major Crimes Unit.

The acting…well, it’ll be hard to talk about the acting without starting with the obvious. Yes, everything you’ve heard about Heath Ledger’s portrayal of The Joker is 100% true. Ledger took this role completely apart and reassembled what could have been a kitschy cartoon villain into a genuinely disturbing, thoroughly entertaining peak into the mind of a truly insane criminal. To be honest, except for a couple of facial expressions, I had a hard time remember it was Heath Ledger at all for most of the film. The voice he developed for the character is particularly chilling - high-pitched, mocking and cackling one minute and screaming with rage the next. He shows us a villain that does not want our money and does not want our power - he simply wants to play his game with us and manipulate us into destroying ourselves. Truly, truly terrifying.

But this is not a one-man show. The entirety of the rest of the cast - and I do mean entirety - did a superb job.

Christian Bale’s “Batman Voice” can get to be a little bit too much, but when one remembers why he uses it (so the other characters can’t tell that Bruce Wayne and Batman are one in the same), it makes a little more sense. Bale gets pretty intense in his portrayal of the Caped Crusader, though.

Aaron Eckhart does an awesome job as Harvey Dent. I won’t spoil it for you, but about halfway through the movie something happens that really gives him a chance to shine.

Maggie Gyllenhaal does an admirable job replacing Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes. To be honest, hers was the only performance that I thought fell a little flat…but Rachel Dawes is not really a huge screen presence in this movie so it doesn’t detract from it at all.

Gary Oldman, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman are excellent as Batman’s support structure. They each have at least one point in the film where their character really shines, and each actor did a fantastic job playing up that moment for all it was worth.

Overall, The Dark Knight is certainly the best film I’ve seen this year (including The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian and Iron Man, both of which I thought were very good), and is one of the best that I’ve seen in recent memory. Reviewers who claimed it was the “best super hero movie ever made” are not far off.

Go see this movie. SRSLY.

Sam gives The Dark Knight a 95% out of 100%

One additional note: The Dark Knight made approximately one metric buttload of money this weekend and, with some help from other films, rendered this past weekend the most lucrative box office weekend in history. Let this be a lesson to the MPAA: If you make movies people want to see, they will go see them. Piracy isn’t killing your industry, crappy movies are. That is all.