In this case, the culprit was the Microsoft FolderShare beta. The concept of FolderShare is this: using your Windows Live account, you can install the FolderShare software on multiple PCs and even Macs. I had installed it on a laptop running Vista, a desktop running XP and a MacBook Pro running OS X.

Once installed, you can create a “share” between the computers and FolderShare will sync files across them. You have the choice between automatic or on-demand synchronization. In my case, I chose on demand. You also chose the corresponding container folder on each PC (they can be different on each).

Here is where my tale of woe begins…

I had just purchased and downloaded Big Blue Ball from Peter Gabriel’s Real World Records via iTunes on the Vista laptop. I simply wanted to copy the songs over to my desktop (all legal — it’s one of the devices attached to my iTunes account). I could’ve done this any number of ways, but I thought it would be a good opportunity to give FolderShare a real-world test.

After installing the software on the three computers, I created a Personal Library called “Music.” I added the iTunes folder from my laptop, and it added the files to that library (somewhere on a FolderShare server).

Next, I setup the desktop (where I wanted the files). Unfortunately, as soon as I connected to the new personal library, it started adding all the music I had on my desktop to the library as well. Not what I wanted at all.

Looking back on the laptop, I noticed that FolderShare had automatically created a long list of folders that matched how my music was stored on the desktop. Inside each folder was a special “shortcut” that if you clicked it, would fetch the requested file from my desktop and transfer it to my laptop. Likewise on my desktop, I saw new folders that mirrored the folders on my laptop, also with the little shortcuts for each file.

Well, that’s neat, I suppose. I tried to transfer a few of the files over from my laptop, and the were “downloaded” properly. So that part worked, but what to do with the massive, empty folder structure that was created on my laptop. Remember I didn’t want to copy my music from my desktop to the laptop.

At this point, I suspect someone will point out that FolderShare is in fact designed for folder synchronization. This is true, although I suspected by selected the “on demand” option as I did, I could control what got synchronized, when it got synchronized, and where it got synchronized. I was wrong. And I’m not the only person to have been bitten by FolderShare.

So moving back to the laptop, I decided I would never want to transfer all those files from my desktop to my laptop, so I selected all the folders that were created with their little FolderShare shortcuts and deleted them.

Holy shit…. what a mistake!

Yes, the folders were deleted from my laptop, but (as I realized later) the actual MP3s on my desktop were also being deleted — victims of a synchronized deletion. To add insult to injury, they weren’t even moved to the recycle bin. They were just… gone.

As soon as I discovered what was happening, I exited FolderShare and deleted the library. I don’t know if that was a mistake, too, but now I’m left with a massive music folder structure that is completely empty — no more music.

Some of this music was downloaded, but most of it I’ve got on CD. I can burn it again, but it’s going to take time.

The moral of the story: steer clear of FolderShare. It has promise, but the fact that it deleted files on another computer without warning or confirmation is entirely unacceptable.

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German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer did a good job of summarizing the lifecycle of the new idea, when he said (describing the revelation of “new” truth):

“All truth passes through three stages: First, it is ridiculed; Second, it is violently opposed; and Third, it is accepted as self-evident.”

Ideas come in all sizes and shapes. The talented ones among us are quick to spot the truth, embrace it and adapt to take advantage of it.

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Four years ago (man, this blog has been around for a while!) I posted an in-depth explanation of how I came up with the BigBlueBall name and an anecdote about how one of my favorite musicians, Peter Gabriel, had (at the time) registered the .net and .org versions. I was curious to find out what his Real World record company would be doing with those domains, and now it’s clear. After more than 15 years in production, they’ve released (today!) Big Blue Ball, the album.

It’s fascinating to learn that Peter Gabriel had the same idea — Big Blue Ball symbolizing the global community and collaboration — with a similar inspiration; the astronaut’s view of Earth from space.

You can listen to some samples or get DRM-free MP3s below:

Enjoy!

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Nike Soccer has made a couple of shorter commercials from this, currently airing during the Euro Championship. Brilliant, and worth sharing.

Now — what would a first-person film of your life look like?

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“…to understand an entrepreneur, you should study a juvenile delinquent. They’re both saying: ‘This sucks and I’m going to do it another way.’ You have to want to break the rules and prove that your way works.”

Cheers to the delinquents and entrepreneurs of the world! Cheers to Yvon Choinard.

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The intro at the conference took about 90 minutes, but the good folks over at Mahalo Daily have created a wonderful highlight reel that actually covers all of the salient facts in a mere 60 seconds.

Current iPhone owners such as myself can upgrade, but I’ll have to turn in my old (broken) iPhone and restart my two-year contract. It’s worth it.

When can you get the new iPhone? It hits Apple and AT&T stores on Friday, July 11th. Now you know where you can find me.

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I’ll be taking the blog down for a few minutes as I upgrade to the latest version of Wordpress. If all goes well, we’ll be back in a few minutes.

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Technically speaking, it’s the second Mac I’ve purchased (the first being for my daughter when she went to college). But this is my first Mac. It’s not the latest-and-greatest — just a slightly used PowerBook G4 Titanium picked up on Craigslist — but it’s faster than both my aging Sony VIAO desktop and my aging IBM Thinkpad T40 at work. 

Why a Mac? No, I didn’t buy into Apple’s entertaining I’m a PC and I’m a Mac campaign. It’s something I’ve been planning to do for some time now. I have no plans to abandon my Windows XP or Vista machines at all; I just wanted to add a Mac to the mix. This will let me test and report on Mac-only applications like Adium for my IM site, BigBlueBall. I can use some of the best podcasting tools available. I can test my web sites in the Mac environment. And I can learn what life is like in the world of OS X. 

I’ve been using Windows since the very first version, and making the switch to a Mac comes with a learning curve. What has become second nature on Windows XP and Vista, is different on a Mac. So I’m going to share my experience with others, creating a practical guide for other Windows users looking at making the jump to a Mac. One of my goals is to produce a must-have list of indispensable programs for the Mac.

It should be noted that the newer Macs with the Intel chip make it really, really easy for Windows users by providing BootCamp. With BootCamp, you can install Windows XP or Vista on your Mac, and choose what operating system you want to use. It’s the ultimate compatibility solution for those looking to replace their Windows-based PC. My G4-powered Mac doesn’t run BootCamp, but can run Windows emulation software. I don’t plan on going that route, since I still have my Windows PCs when I need those. 

First Steps

My laptop came with a fresh install of Leopard — the latest version of OS X. There’s a fair amount of functionality out-of-the-box. The built-in wifi made connecting to our home network a breeze. I was able to launch Safari and start browsing the Internet within minutes. 

Apple provides some great resources for PC users making the switch. Switch 101 provides advice on how to migrate files and explains how to perform common tasks like cut-and-paste on the Mac. Worth a bookmark.

One of the first thing I did was check out a few of my websites. I was dismayed to see that this very blog did not display correctly. I did a little investigation and discovered the problem was linked to the Lightbox plug-in. I’ve disabled it for now, and all is well again. The experience just validated the need to test sites on multiple platforms, and not just with multiple browsers.

As an IM expert, I checked out Apple’s iChat messaging program. iChat lets you connect with a .Mac, AOL or Jabber account (including Google Talk). I tested my @bigblueball.com Google Talk account and it connected smoothly. I haven’t tested the A/V capabilities yet, but I will soon. I was more interested in checking out what many people believe is the best IM program for the Mac, Adium. 

Adium is a multi-network IM program. It can connect to AIM, Jabber, MSN, Yahoo, and over a dozen other IM networks. It even connected to the IM system we use at work — IBM Lotus Sametime. I’ve used it for a couple of days, and so far, I’m very impressed. The user interface is clean and well-thought out. I’ve tested connectivity to AIM, Google Talk, MSN/WLM, Yahoo and Sametime, and it’s all gone very smoothly. If you need multi-network instant messaging on the Mac, Adium clearly is a great choice. 

In addition Adium, I’ve also installed Skitch — a terrific screen capture utility from Plasq. In particular, I like how Skitch allows you to automatically upload screen caps to Flickr (much like Techsmith Jing on the PC). Skitch works beautifully as you can see here.

What’s next?

I’ve got about 30 GB of music on my PC. I’ve been using iTunes on my PC as my main media player, but I need to sort out where to store my music library, and how to access it from my Mac. 

I also need to sort out where I’m going to dock my iPhone. For now, I’m still syncing it with my XP PC, but would I get additional benefits from switching and syncing with the Mac? We’ll see.

I’m also going to be looking at which “serious” applications to install. I’m pretty sure I’ll be using this for graphics work, so I’ll likely be installing Photoshop and Illustrator. But do I need Microsoft Office? Maybe not. And what other “must-have” programs should I get? 

Finally, I need to get some form of backup working. OS X Leopard comes with Time Machine. I connected an external backup drive that I use with Windows OneCare on my PCs, but to use it with Time Machine, it wanted me to reformat the drive. Not an option. Is it possible to use the same device to backup both Macs and PCs? Needs further investigation. If you’ve got advice, please leave a comment. 

Wrapping up

So far, so good. I like the performance and I love the interface (even though I’m still stumbling around a bit). I had fun writing this — my first post composed on a Mac. I think I’m going to enjoy the Mac world. 

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But what if I want to know what the traffic will probably be like a few hours from now? I was just checking the live traffic for my trek to the airport, when I saw that you now have the option of seeing what traffic is generally like at any time of day and any day of the week. Sweet!

Of course, it’s just a guestimate based on historical data, but hey, it’s better than nothing! Thanks again, Google!

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 Nicely done!

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Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes and greetings!

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One of the things I like best so far is the ability to auto-update plug-ins via FTP. It worked perfectly, and simplifies the process tremendously.

So far, the only plug-in that I’m not able to get running with 2.5 is also unfortunately one of my favorites: Ankur Kathari’s Gregarious social bookmarking plug-in. Everything else has worked like a charm!

Already running an older version of WordPress? Here are the famous three-step upgrade instructions.

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So I went for the dogs… and a happy moment. This photo was snapped on our walk at Badlands Park above Laguna Beach, and the girls here (Maggie and Lucy) are two very happy bitches. We could all learn a lesson or two in contentment from our dogs.

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Adobe has introduced Photoshop Express, a free, web-based version of Photoshop. Photoshop Express is available now in beta form, and apart from the required Flash 9 plug-in (also free), you don’t need to install any software on your PC. This means Photoshop Express will run happily on your Mac, your Windows PC or even your Linux computer.

On top of that, Adobe is providing 2 GB of storage for your work, also free. So now you can edit images from pretty much anywhere with a PC and an Internet connection.

While graphic designers and image pros will still need the full desktop client, most people will find Photoshop Express more than meets their needs. Even pros will find it useful for those occasions when their own PC is not nearby.

And it’ll probably make law-abiding citizens out of a lot of would-be pirates.

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Have a good weekend! In between family and fun, I’ll be diving into Joomla this weekend.

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