OpTe.ch

Determining Employee Compensation

Thu, 27 Jul 2017 07:37:50 -0700

Employment is a transaction, plain and simple. The employee is seeking a number of things, these likely include things like: income, retirement income, mental stimulation, insurance, or being part of a team. An employer has something that needs to get done and not enough people to do it. An employment agreement is reached when the individual believes that the company is offering a sufficient mix of benefits in exchange for their time and effort. We know all this, so why be so explicit in stating it here?

When Having Your Employees' Back Means Letting Some Of Them Go

Tue, 31 Jan 2017 08:44:35 -0700

Every company or team has the people that have been there “from the beginning” whether literally or seemingly. These employees have been critical to the success of the business by putting in countless hours and effort beyond what was expected of them. When this happens once, the leadership feels gratitude, but when it happens repeatedly for 10, 20, or even 30 years, this gratitude often morphs into a sense of indebtedness.

How to Fix Your Company's Hiring Problem

Thu, 29 Dec 2016 07:14:46 -0700

Hiring is among the most challenging aspects to running a company. If done correctly, it can propel growth and success that you never imagined, but if done poorly it can lead to festering infections in culture and process that will be nearly impossible to get rid of. Unfortunately, there is no single technique, or even selection of techniques, that will be a silver bullet. Furthermore, each technique will have aspects what will eliminate candidates who might have been great, while letting others through that are not. Engineers present a unique challenge due to to the above-average density of introverted candidates when compared to other types of positions, like sales or human resources.

How to Lead An Engineering Team

Fri, 23 Dec 2016 07:35:33 -0700

It doesn’t matter if you are a tech lead for a small group of developers or a manager of a large team of engineers, there are a number of practices that will drastically improve the results you end up with. Naturally, this can’t capture every aspect of good management, there are hundreds of books that do that in a more exhaustive way than I ever could, but I have personally seen each of these be the difference-maker with regard to how a team is able to execute.

OpTech is Now Using HTTPS!

Wed, 07 Dec 2016 16:44:17 -0700

It is long overdue, but given the nature of the website (not asking for any of your personal information) I hadn’t found the time to set it up. That said, OpTech now defaults to HTTPS ensuring you have a secure connection.

Please contact me, via Twitter or the Contact page, if you’re seeing any issues or getting any HTTPS warnings from Chrome or another browser. Warnings like the one shown below are NOT expected.

Why Can't Americans Vote Online?

Wed, 09 Nov 2016 06:48:59 -0700

Many ask the valid question of why we cannot vote like we live in 2016 – online. We bank, shop, work, talk, and do just about everything else online, so why not voting? Some smaller countries do it – Chile and Estonia, for example, but in general there is a substantial risk to hacking.

The unfortunate truth is that our online banking and email are only as secure as they are, which depending whether you have two factor authentication and complex passwords might not be too secure, because most of us aren’t important enough to be the focus of targeted hacking. It is often called ‘security through obscurity’ – we blend into the crowd.

Vote To Support Science, Technology, Truth, and Facts - #ImWithHer

Tue, 08 Nov 2016 07:48:31 -0700

There are a lot of things to consider in an election, and this isn’t a political blog, so I’ll spare you an extended piece on this… unique…. 2016 United States Presidential Election. That said, technology relies on science and facts bound in reality to exist, so therefore I have to defend the spread of science and facts.

Only one major party candidate believes that climate change is a real thing. Science and technology tell us with certainty that climate change is real.

An Engineer's Hippocratic Oath

Tue, 25 Oct 2016 13:42:37 -0700

For all of modern history, engineers of many disciplines have needed a certification to practice their trade. This makes sense — you want bridges to withstand wind, you want a city’s sewage system to work correctly, and you don’t want airplanes falling out of the sky. In most cases, this is the Professional Engineer (PE) License. It requires industry experience and a rigorous test; the result is that your bridges, cars, and cities are safe.

Not Your Father's Bubble

Sat, 18 Jun 2016 05:15:49 -0700

For several years now, a sizable portion of the technology investor and news dialogue can boil down to “There’s definitely a bubble!” and “There’s definitely not a bubble!”

Far be it for me to weigh in here, I’m no investor, and feel far more comfortable giving my money to Betterment (not an ad, I just really love what they do) than investing (all of it) myself. With that being said, I do think I’ve got enough of a hold on the technology side to participate on the periphery of the conversation.

Cleantech Open

Thu, 15 Oct 2015 06:25:55 -0700

In 2015, volunteered with the Rocky Mountain Region of the Cleantech Open. This clean technology accelerator has regular meetups in many cities and is a great place to hear about new and exciting clean technologies. Check out your local chapter! Below is a post I’d written and hosted that was featured in their newsletter, all other writing I’ve done for them has been hosted on their site.

Managing Endpoints in a Connected Life

Fri, 09 Oct 2015 06:57:00 -0700

I first noticed a few years ago that as more items are getting connected, the management of that connection becomes a burden. You’ve got companies putting SIM cards in watches now which seems unnecessary today, but soon we’ll look back at it and wonder how we ever lived without it. There are SIM cards in phones of course, but also tablets, cars, home security systems, and more.

Do you manage each of these individually with their own account? Maybe, but probably not. It’s a bit scary to think that if the devices are all on one account, a hacker could obtain power over all of the accounts that connect and secure your entire life; but realistically this is only one entry on a long list of horrible things that could happen if you don’t take security seriously.

Next of Kin in the Digital World

Fri, 21 Aug 2015 17:30:16 -0700

There are few things more challenging for a family than losing a loved one. Historically, that person’s digital existence was of lower importance relative to everything else going on during the painful transition. However, as more vital processes move online, the problem of a next of kin in the digital world will need a cleaner solution.

Right now, your best bet is to use a password manager and make sure your partner or chosen family member/friend has the master password. This isn’t the worst choice, but most people don’t even do this much. Furthermore, it does nothing to address the wishes of the deceased. Do they want accounts deleted? Ignored? Made into memorials?

Look to the Wealthy People, But Not For the Reasons You Think

Sun, 31 May 2015 21:40:02 -0700

Wealth is frequently mistaken for success because they often go hand-in-hand. So when I say “look to the wealthy people” I am not giving life advice on attaining success. I simply mean to look at the wealthy people in the world today and consider the fundamental advantages they have. If you’re able to distill these advantages and learn how to streamline them and decrease cost with technology, you might want to start picking stitching for the leather on your yacht. Still not following?

A Few Thoughts On Jony Ive's Promotion to CDO

Thu, 28 May 2015 07:05:16 -0700

I want to preface this that I hold Jony Ive in the highest regard and his work is what gave me an appreciation for beautiful things. These are just a few “what if’s” and thoughts that went through my mind on the news of Jony Ive being promoted from Senior Vice President of Design to the extraordinarily rare (for Apple) C-level Chief Design Officer.

Work and Family #

I don’t know Jony or his family, but if there is any family pressure to return to the U.K. then he is in a really tough position. The number of people that count on him, the number of people that directly benefit from his work, and the overall impact he has is profound. How do you balance that with a family who (hypothetically) want’s to move? Of course, this “move to the U.K.” is all rumor at this point. If the world is lucky, it is nothing more.

Android vs. iOS: Revenue Per User Won't Catch Up and That's Okay

Fri, 03 Apr 2015 08:43:47 -0700

The metric of choice for comparing iOS to Android is average revenue per user, or ARPU (spoken phonetically exactly as you’d guess). This is fine, it is certainly technically accurate, but it isn’t exactly relevant for most of the discussions where it is used as ammo. It’s like comparing the average revenue per user of all car buyers vs. only Ferrari* buyers – it tells you what you already know.

Two Factor Authentication Matters - iMore's Guide to 2FA

Mon, 30 Mar 2015 16:48:15 -0700

I am a firm believer in two factor authentication; I can’t imagine a better way to keep yourself secure than enabling 2FA on any service that supports it. Contrary to popular belief, there is minimal inconvenience. For any site or service that you care about, the benefits outweigh the cost by several orders of magnitude.

It’s worth taking a look at who all supports it and noticing the pattern that that so many “old dogs” (companies that are huge and have been around for a long time) don’t support it, but newer companies do. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, but might help you decide who gets your business.

The Safe Mac

Wed, 25 Feb 2015 16:00:51 -0700

If you use iOS or OS X and missed the Mac Power Users podcast this week with Joe Caiati, I highly recommend checking it out. One highlight for me (as the default tech support for a growing circle of people) was the mention of The Safe Mac. The website is “retro” (to put it nicely), but the adware removal tool is top notch – and free (donations recommended).

It is worth checking out as an option for your loved ones who find themselves installing Flash from some bogus website (something that’s shockingly easy to do).

Twitter's New User Problem

Tue, 17 Feb 2015 18:50:15 -0700

Twitter’s growth numbers have been a disappointment among investors and a large group of the company’s enthusiasts. On one hand, having hundreds of millions of users is an incredible accomplishment. On the other hand, they are having tremendous difficulty bringing new users onto the service and keeping them there, especially for a company whose brand recognition is off the charts.

There are a handful of fundamental issues with both the perception of the service and the new user experience that will prevent this reality from changing. Make no mistake, I am bullish on Twitter and wouldn’t think twice about declaring it my favorite thing on the internet, but these roadblocks must be overcome to see any meaningful change. Twitter has the potential to be the central hub for how people experience the digital world around them. It is social, it is news, it is entertainment, it is educational, it is anything and everything you want it to be. So why aren’t more people signing up and sticking with the service if it is so versatile and powerful?

Messaging: Speed or Consistency, Not Both

Tue, 03 Feb 2015 19:08:33 -0700

Messaging is king, especially text-based messaging. Voice is fine, video has its place too, but there is nothing today that can replace the rapid and highly private aspects of text-based messaging – no headphones required. Given this, it is no surprise that iMessage has been a hit, but other cross-platform apps have been even bigger hits (judging by user count). WhatsApp, Telegram, Hangouts, and others are all trying to be the go-to app for messaging.

Drones: Some Quick Thoughts

Wed, 31 Dec 2014 16:01:12 -0700

There has been no shortage of coverage on drones lately, especially around the holidays when the cheap ones were selling fairly well as toys. I think the industry leaders have a very different view of why drone technology matters, or at least I suspect they do, because there is a drone revolution closer than many people think. The biggest hurdle in the United States is the FAA, but that’s outside the scope of this piece.

From Back Page to Dock – The Ultimate App Promotion

Sat, 29 Nov 2014 08:13:39 -0700

A few records have been broken today thanks to a little app called Acompli. That’s right, the app that Microsoft accidentally leaked their intent to purchase this week. So what do I mean by records?

The first time I’ve promoted an app from the back page to my dock.
The first time I’m strongly considering replacing the native iOS email client entirely.
The first email client I’ve ever opened and been unable to find any glaring shortcomings.

I am picky with my email clients. I was not a fan of Google’s new Inbox and it only took me about half a day to download, adopt, then delete Dropbox’s Mailbox. Email doesn’t have to be terrible, and as surprising as many “power users” find it, I found the native iOS email client to be a top tier solution for my phone.

Keep your Inbox, Google

Mon, 03 Nov 2014 18:19:10 -0700

Unlike many people out there, I have no problem with email. It is a convenient way to communicate and maintains a permanent, searchable record of conversations. Sure you get the long-winded amateur novelists sending you page long emails, but for the most part I find it entirely manageable for the 40-100 emails per day I tend to get (which I acknowledge is not a lot, but my system held strong at 300-500 per day – which is definitely above average I’d bet).

Cleantech Open Spotlight: e-Chromic Technologies

Tue, 07 Oct 2014 11:05:48 -0700

Company: e-Chromic Technologies, Inc

Location: Boulder, CO

Interviewee: Loren Burnett, CEO

Author: Ian McConville, Karyssa Cox
Interview by: David Gardner & Karyssa Cox

Replacing old, energy inefficient windows with high-efficiency windows represents a major source of energy savings. It is also very expensive and therefore often not practical. E-Chromic, of Boulder CO, has taken a different approach to the problem by placing control of the window solar heating directly into the hands of building operators.

A Few Thoughts on the Apple Watch

Mon, 06 Oct 2014 18:03:17 -0700

A few months ago I made it very clear I had no expectation for there to be an “iWatch” (tentatively named at the time) in 2014. I even pegged 2015 as unlikely. I was partially right – there is no Apple Watch available to consumers in 2014, but there is very much an Apple Watch available only a few months later.

The timeline isn’t terribly relevant, but they were definitely ahead of where I expected them to be. It was no question that they had one in the works, but Apple did the exact thing that I wasn’t sure they’d do – take direct aim at the fashion industry. I love that they did, and the general response is that the Apple Watch is more on par with premium watches than it is with the smart watches of today*.

Apple's Opportunity to Take Two Factor Authentication Mainstream

Thu, 18 Sep 2014 11:43:36 -0700

Touch ID has brought a level of convenience, speed, and security to consumer electronics that has never been seen before. Your fingers are always with you, they’re unique, and the fingerprint recognition is incredibly fast. In addition to that, an image of the fingerprint itself is not stored on the device, and what does get stored is kept in an ultra-secure enclave within the phone - never sent over the Internet. Each of these pieces is fundamentally critical to enabling mainstream adoption of two factor authentication. If the scanning were slower or less reliable, even only slightly, that could be enough to invalidation my entire assertion below.

Microsoft Buying Minecraft's Creator is a Long Play

Mon, 15 Sep 2014 07:17:58 -0700

If you haven’t heard, Microsoft is buying Minecraft’s creator for $2.5B. The young people hardly even know what Microsoft does and the older audience is thinking, “Mine what?” So here’s why I think this, if positioned correctly, could be a vital long play for Microsoft.

It is no secret that Microsoft is having a miserable time launching Windows Phone into relevance. I suspect they’ll keep up with the effort they have, however, by buying Minecraft’s creator (who has a very loyal following) they can effectively admit defeat on the market of anyone 16 and over today and target those that are younger.

Visualizing Virtual Attacks

Mon, 08 Sep 2014 07:05:35 -0700

This is a real-time visualization of digital attacks to and from every point on the globe.

Keep in mind the visualization comes from a company selling a solution to combat the attacks, but this is still fascinating.

NFC on the iPhone 6 Just Might Happen

Fri, 29 Aug 2014 09:52:27 -0700

NFC is a neat technology, but it isn’t terribly useful without a rich ecosystem in which to use it. Payments come to mind, but a lot of people have tried this before. While prior efforts haven’t been a total flop, they aren’t exactly exploding with popularity.

Every year there are rumors of the iPhone gaining NFC. Every year the event passes without mention of NFC. Until now, maybe.

I’m not sold on the notion that the iPhone 6 will have NFC, but I wouldn’t bet against it at this point like I would have confidently in years past. If Apple does add NFC it will be accompanied by a launch of a rich platform in an attempt to drive their solution to complete ubiquity - on iOS devices only, naturally.

Guest Writing for Cleantech Open: Solar Multiple

Wed, 27 Aug 2014 06:02:31 -0700

Here is the latest installment in the clean technology segment. Solar Multiple has a product that increases the rate of evaporation for mining and fracking operations.

Guest Writing for Cleantech Open: Cascade Plasma Energy

Sun, 03 Aug 2014 12:49:21 -0700

Part 3 of the 12 part series highlighting new clean technology startups. Cascade Plasma Energy has developed a fascinating process to turn waste into fuel and energy in an environmentally conscious way.

Guest Writing for Cleantech Open: Behavioral Response Technologies

Sun, 03 Aug 2014 08:07:03 -0700

Part 2 of the 12 part series highlighting new clean technology startups. Behavioral Response Technologies is working on a solution to improve the efficiency of cows in a natural and safe way.

Other posts can be found here as they’re posted.

When the Users' Priorities are Eclipsed by the Brand's – Why I'm Leaving RunKeeper [Updated x2]

Wed, 23 Jul 2014 17:45:25 -0700

Update 2 (9/27): RunKeeper’s updates this week reversed course on this, sharing is no longer an extra tap if you always bypass it! It sounds so dumb, but it is genuinely appreciated!

458 activities. 851 miles. So much beautiful data… it is all as good as gone. Let me back up a few steps. I really enjoy data. I have tracked every mile, minute spent in my car, and thousandth of a gallon of gas put into my car, all because I love data. I have used RunKeeper for years to do the same with my walking. In fact, I have been a member since 1969 according to their records, who am I to argue that?

Guest Writing for Cleantech Open: Pure Enviro

Wed, 23 Jul 2014 15:11:59 -0700

I know the site has been quiet lately, my apologies! I am excited to announce that I’ll be writing a 12 part series to highlight the semifinalists in the Rocky Mountain region for Cleantech Open - a clean technology accelerator. First up, Pure Enviro. Click the title to read more.

Withings Activité - Building A Watch, Then Making it Smart

Mon, 30 Jun 2014 07:12:04 -0700

The new Withings Activité smart watch is beautiful, unlike many of the other entrants to the market.

The first thing that stands out to me is how clearly different the approach to creating this product must have been. If you take Samsung, LG, or even Pebble (I’ll talk about Motorola in a moment) it is pretty obvious they started with a list of features and built the watch around it. Withings has undoubtedly started with a simple and timeless watch design and added intelligence to it. These two approaches are worlds apart.

Solving the Wrong Problem

Mon, 23 Jun 2014 07:19:39 -0700

Throughout the switch from a Microsoft based solution (Outlook, SharePoint, Office, etc.) to a Google based solution, I witnessed a great deal of frustration, anxiety, and even anger. Why? A full generation of people have never used anything besides the Google solutions, and it works just fine for them. It is clear to me that there are two fundamental considerations - what is the problem, and how do we solve it? This applies broadly beyond technology, but I’ll leave that part to the philosophers.

Apple's Rumored Home Automation Solution is Already in Most Homes

Tue, 27 May 2014 08:09:23 -0700

\[Note: Sorry for the duplicate post, I really didn't like that first title.\]

News broke (subscription required) over the holiday weekend that Apple is rumored to announce a home automation solution and/or platform at WWDC this year. Of course, rumors like this are to be taken with a grain of salt, but John Gruber’s reply of “I’m pretty excited for next week.” is classic Gruber-speak (albeit not a sure thing) for “this is happening.”

Apple's Rumored Home Automation Solution is Already In Most Homes

Tue, 27 May 2014 07:54:42 -0700

\[Update: Changed title to better reflect the article. Will re-post with new link, but keep this link active.\]

The Trouble With the Internet of Things

Mon, 19 May 2014 07:32:21 -0700

The Internet of Things (IoT) is the fascinating and (potentially) fast-approaching addition of Internet connectivity to just about everything. From your blinds opening for you as you get out of bed to your fridge telling you you’re low on milk. The Nest thermostat is one of the first highly successful IoT devices and it has shown how great the potential is in this space.

So what’s the trouble?

In short: data and money, but let’s break that down.

Excluding Part of OS X Package from Backblaze and Time Machine Backups to Save Tens/Hundreds of GB

Sat, 17 May 2014 09:27:33 -0700

Time Machine and Backblaze team up to make a really robust backup configuration for any Mac user. They offer features to exclude particular directories from the backups, but what happens when those directories are inside of a “package” such as your iMovie or iPhoto library? If you use the UI to do this, you’ll never be able to omit a subdirectory of a package, but luckily there is a very easy solution.

Large Questions Loom on News of Apple's Acquisition of Beats

Fri, 09 May 2014 07:21:21 -0700

I wrote a piece yesterday after news broke that Apple is near closing on a deal that would make them owners of Beats for a bit of spare change, $3.2 billion. I highlighted a few reasons why this doesn’t seem to add up, and those are still valid.

Reports seem to be hinting more and more strongly that this is legit, but it still isn’t quite settling right for me. In one camp, you’ve got those that believe the headphones are the primary driver for the deal (Ben Thompson for one). In another (perhaps larger) camp, you’ve got those that think it is for the music streaming service.

Doesn't Add Up: Rumors of Apple Purchasing Beats

Thu, 08 May 2014 16:54:03 -0700

As reported by the Financial Times (subscription required; MacRumors link for those without) Apple is allegedly in talks to purchase Beats for $3.2 billion. Beats makes headphones and recently launched a music service to go head-to-head with Spotify.

Apple could use some help with iTunes Radio, though for those simply looking for radio it isn’t too shabby; Apple certainly loves nice hardware and hardware design and it is no secret that Apple’s EarPods, though improved, could stand to be improved upon. However, this still doesn’t add up. It isn’t the money, it’s the principle.

Why Apple, Despite Low Profit Opportunity, Might Announce Mobile Payments at WWDC 2014

Tue, 29 Apr 2014 07:21:32 -0700

The first, and by far the strongest, reason that Apple might not be in a rush to deploy a mobile payment/wallet solution is that the margins are extremely low. They’re even lower if you’re paying with a credit card since those companies already take a cut.

Google Wallet hasn’t exactly taken off. Square is growing in larger cities, but it is far from ubiquitous. So why would Apple bother? If there isn’t much money to be made and previous attempts are less than successful, what’s to be gained?

How Successful Will A New Apple Product Need to be to Considered Successful?

Fri, 25 Apr 2014 06:56:28 -0700

The iPod, iPhone, and iPad are unequivocally considered to be profound and world-changing technological breakthroughs that forever changed the world we live in. They sell by the millions and account for staggering quarterly revenues.

The funny thing is, none of them really sold well on the first generation. The first iPod is barely a blip on the sales radar coming in well under a quarter million units.

Additional Considerations for Gassée's Conclusion for Declining iPad Growth

Tue, 22 Apr 2014 13:55:18 -0700

To proclaim understanding of such a young tablet market is a fool’s errand, but I think there are some additional considerations to be made beyond Gassée’s article where he concludes that the iPad is a tease and it cannot fulfill the duties it promised to fulfill.

To evaluate the tablet, it is worthwhile to consider smartphones. Smartphones replaced their predecessors entirely, and with ease. It wasn’t a “good enough” solution and the way we use phones didn’t have to change. Sure we got all sorts of new ways to use phones, but the same old ability to make calls and send SMS usage was fundamentally still there. All of the things people needed to do, they could do.

What is the Next Interaction Model Breakthrough after Touchscreens?

Thu, 17 Apr 2014 07:17:33 -0700

The only undisputed champion of interaction models/devices since the mouse is the touchscreen. No contest. The trend and industry is trying, often too hard, to push the next frontier of interacting with devices toward voice. While I think voice interaction is crucial, I don’t think it is being thought of in the right way yet.

There are inherent problems with voice. Natural language recognition isn’t perfect, and likely won’t be for a while. If the system has “keywords” you’ve failed before you shipped and the biggest concern of all is probably privacy. I’m not talking about Google or government knowing your every move type of privacy, I’m talking about old fashioned privacy. “Don’t let the guy next to me know what I’m saying to my wife” privacy. There is a reason messaging is still king (cough, WhatsApp for $19 billion). Messaging is, and will be for the foreseeable future, a major player in how we communicate. Yes people will dictate messages, but often we’re in public or a quiet place and just don’t want to share what we’re saying with everyone. Expect a piece on this soon, but let’s leave it there for now.

Heisler: A spoiled generation of tech observers yearn for Apple innovations on-demand

Thu, 03 Apr 2014 10:41:12 -0700

This piece by Yoni Heisler is the most refreshing thing I’ve read in a very long time. Do yourself a favor and go read it (and don’t miss the embedded Louis CK video - so accurate).

Apple does one thing, and it does it very well. In Yoni’s words:

Apple may be an immensely private company, but its modus operandi is hardly a well-kept secret. The company releases finished products that it believes will fundamentally have a positive impact on the way people interact with technology, and in the process, make them truckloads of money.

How Long Until Wireless Display is Open and Ubiquitous Like WiFi?

Thu, 03 Apr 2014 08:02:11 -0700

Intel has branded wireless display as WiDi, Apple has AirPlay, Google has Chromecast, and now Amazon has entered the market. The value of platform lock-in is tremendous for these companies, so the incentive to move to a more open standard isn’t very high. But how much longer can that be the case?

This isn’t comparing apples to apples, with wireless displays the control has to be tighter since only one person can have control of the screen at a time (or perhaps a small subset of people) unlike WiFi which can handle huge numbers. Yet the principle is similar. A protocol to dictate who is in control as an admin, who controls the screen, how the bit rate and quality are negotiated, and more. This protocol isn’t unlike the 802.11 protocols that dictate the security, handshaking, and data transfer for WiFi.

The Case That Twitter is for (Nearly) Everyone, From an Anti-Twitter Convert

Tue, 01 Apr 2014 07:42:55 -0700

I joined Twitter in February of 2009, and it seemed like I was late to the party – a party I wasn’t just skipping, it was something I was actively avoiding. If you are against joining Twitter, I ask that you consider what this article has to say with an open mind and we’ll go from there.

Twitter isn’t for everyone, but it probably isn’t what you think it is either. In short, Twitter is for you if you have a hobby, interest, friends who share content, or a topic you follow or share about. Sound hyperbolic? It really isn’t.

Contemplating Facebook's Strategy Based on Acquisitions

Wed, 26 Mar 2014 09:47:01 -0700

Facebook has been making waves lately, tidal waves in fact. After $19 billion for WhatsApp and $2 billion for Oculus, some are left scratching their head and asking some very good questions. Why? How are these related?

I think the answer is simpler than many have offered. I believe it boils down to Facebook wanting to stay relevant long term, no matter what technology or platform enables it.

WhatsApp #

Messaging is a (or the?) primary means of communicating for billions of people, and Facebook Messenger was largely a flop. In a sense, messaging is the simplest highly private social network; you share very specific things with very specific people. I firmly believe that messaging with reign supreme as a top, if not the top, use of mobile phones for the foreseeable future.

Subjective-C: Studying Beautiful Design

Wed, 26 Mar 2014 08:29:21 -0700

Thanks to ProductHunt.co I’ve been made aware of a site that embodies the passion for incredible design. Subjective-C, a wonderful word play on the software language that iOS apps are written in – Objective-C, is a site that finds little details of apps where the designers spent a tremendous amount of time to perfect a small detail.

These types of details enhance the user experience, though many people will never even explicitly notice them. The site is new, but hopefully will grow quickly. There are many apps that deserve the recognition and designers/developers that deserve the recognition for the time and passion they spent sweating the details.

Evaluating If and How Apple's Strategy is Still Like a Startup

Wed, 26 Mar 2014 07:42:35 -0700

Apple has famously flown a pirate flag, dismissed conventional business practices, and run the company in nontraditional ways. It seems to be working so far. This isn’t an argument that Apple is exactly like a startup, but there are some key indicators that highlight how Apple is run differently when compared to any other multibillion dollar technology company such as Google, IBM, or Microsoft.

The $475B Startup(ish) #

Focus #

The number of technology product categories that Apple participates in in shockingly small for a company that size. It could be argued that Apple’s focus on their products has never been better. Their newer products are selling in record numbers with their older products outpacing their respective industries. This focus is far more aligned with a startup mentality - “If we can just do this one thing perfectly…” The focus is very apparent, even to a fault in some cases.

Apple-Comcast Negotiations Could Open the Flood Gates Like Apple-AT&T did in 2007

Mon, 24 Mar 2014 11:30:05 -0700

UPDATE: Updated the title to be more representative of the content of the piece, will leave the link so previous links aren’t broken.

I’ve written previously that the current television market is antiquated and that no progress on the Apple TV (whether literally a television set or just a new set top box with far advanced capabilities) can be made until that changes. I strongly believe this to be the case and, if I had to guess, is the only reason we haven’t seen a new Apple TV that goes from being “just a hobby” to another leg on the Apple product “stool”.

Seriously, Don't Do This: Unsubscribe Edition

Sat, 22 Mar 2014 08:09:17 -0700

A while back I pointed out a few things that some websites do that are just plain wrong. Keeping with the “Seriously, don’t do this” theme, the next episode is regarding the ability and method of unsubscribing from an email.

This has been inspired by the living hell that is CBS Sports junk email thanks to filling out a March Madness bracket.

Rules of the unsubscription process #

Always have a clear unsubscription method in your email communications, though the myth that it is legally required has been busted, this shows you or your company have at least a shred of decency and respect for your customers.

There is no iWatch [Updated]

Thu, 20 Mar 2014 07:45:38 -0700

Make no mistake, Apple has evaluated, designed, and strongly considered variations of a smart watch, but the tech media is blowing up with absolute certainty that “the iWatch” will be released. It won’t. The is no iWatch. I’m not saying it will never be released, but not in 2014, and likely not for at least a handful of years after that, if ever.

There have been compelling discussions on this. One by Craig Hockenberry at Furbo, and another by Ben Bajarin at Techpinions - both are excellent reads. Craig’s highlights a multitude of serious concerns for entering the wearable space and poses the quintessential question for Apple:

Moto360 Q&A Highlights

Wed, 19 Mar 2014 11:41:00 -0700

A few points of interest from the Moto360 event going on now on YouTube.

\[**Update**: Event is over.\]

Wireless charging - I’m inferring this, they didn’t explicitly say it, but implied it strongly.
1.8" (46mm) diameter.
Won’t comment on battery life, “but was designed with power efficiency in mind.”
Targeting mass appeal, so not intended as a men’s watch.
Works with all Android devices running Android 4.3 or later.
Water resistant, details forthcoming.
No camera embedded in the watch (thankfully).
Genuine leather.
“With this watch, you’ll always be able to tell what time it is.” (Subtle jab at Pebble?)

More updates posted as they’re revealed.

Hangouts Can't Handle 6000 People for Moto360 Event [Update: Live on YouTube]

Wed, 19 Mar 2014 11:21:05 -0700

UPDATE #

After giving on on Google Hangouts it seems, they are now live on YouTube.

Everyone I’ve talked to trying to sign into the Moto360 event on Google Hangouts has been met with timeouts and errors, though the participants list suggests some people are able to log in. I’ve tried on 3 devices - iPhone, iPad, and a Windows PC with no luck. I’ve also tried 2 wifi networks and a strong LTE connection on both the iPad and iPhone - no luck.

Apple Doesn't Need to Make a TV to Reinvent TV

Mon, 17 Mar 2014 07:25:53 -0700

News broke this morning, as reported in Haunted Empire: Apple After Steve Jobs, about Steve Jobs proclaiming confidently that Apple would not be making a television set. Specifically, when asked about Apple making a television set the conversation went like this:

Yukari says “Jobs didn’t hesitate.” He said, “No.”

“TV is a terrible business. They don’t turn over and the margins suck,” said Jobs. (Unlike iPhones which are wildly profitable and replaced every two years, a TV gets replaced every 8 years, and isn’t all that profitable.)

iPad Pro Plans Shelved - I Hate to Say "I Told You So..."

Fri, 14 Mar 2014 09:06:29 -0700

Just like I, and most tech writers/bloggers with dignity that seek content quality over clicks, have been saying all along - the iPad Pro that was so highly reported as “certainly” coming out in 2014 has been shelved. Apple works with a plethora of screen sizes, always has. There might be a bigger iPad one day, but that day is not soon.

Why Tesla and CarPlay Matter to Everyone

Tue, 04 Mar 2014 08:12:56 -0700

Tesla, along with Apple’s recently announced CarPlay, are positioned to have a major influence for everyone planning to be driving a car in the foreseeable future. This is independent of whether or not you’re driving a Tesla or a car equipped with CarPlay.

Stuck in the (Technology) Dark Ages #

The auto industry has managed to remain uniquely positioned with respect to technology. Low to middle-end cars are the worst offenders, but in this class cost almost always comes first. Higher end cars are still behind, but not as far. You could argue that Ford has had their voice control service for a while now, other companies are on a similar trajectory, but the offerings are entirely underwhelming at best.

Some Things Cannot Be Faked (Hint: Samsung)

Mon, 03 Mar 2014 17:50:50 -0700

Samsung isn’t exactly know for their design prowess or their honesty. They’ve been caught paying people to leave fake negative reviews on competitor’s products, they’ve been caught rigging their devices to perform better on benchmarks than they do in real life, and they’ve been caught stealing design cues from Apple (though rarely nicely implemented).

Side note: everyone in tech steals things from everyone else. There are a limited number of layouts, gestures, and features. There will be overlap. Don’t read into that one too much, I couldn’t resist posting a link to that Tumblr page.

Shame on You, Microsoft; Outlook for iPad is a Mess

Mon, 03 Mar 2014 17:39:02 -0700

I’m a slave to Outlook and OWA for work, no way around it. I use the native iOS email app on my (work-issued) iPhone. On my personal iPad, which is rarely used for work, I use the official Microsoft OWA (Outlook Web Access) app. I launch the app 0-4 times per day, usually 1 or 2. Approximately 10-25% of app launches result in this update state where I cannot do anything, I must wait (look at the banner along the bottom):

Where Time Comes From

Sun, 02 Mar 2014 10:21:57 -0700

Time is imaginary, invented, our own making. Yet without time, life as we know it could not exist. It is part of the math and science that has given us today’s technology and so much more.

This short (6 minute) video tells us about how time is determined and how accurate it is. Our current system measures 16 decimal places; this means that in 300 million years not a single second would be lost or gained.

Dropbox is Giving You A Chance To Not Let Them F#%k You

Fri, 28 Feb 2014 16:18:22 -0700

If you use Dropbox, this matters. I’m shocked that they added this arbitration clause to the Terms of Service, but they did. Here’s the short version:

No matter what they do (delete your data, privacy breach, overcharging, whatever), you don’t get to sue. Instead, THEY get to choose the arbitrator according to whatever criteria they want, and thus any dispute is decided by someone they’re paying.

Also, you can’t join a class-action suit against them.

Dalai Lama, Skiing, and the Meaning of Life

Fri, 28 Feb 2014 09:17:10 -0700

This isn’t tech related, but it is a fantastic read.

Flappy Phone

Tue, 25 Feb 2014 07:32:12 -0700

Flappy Bird, you’ve met your match - Flappy Phone. Except they are serious, the new Samsung Galaxy S5 has a flap over the immensely hideous USB 3 micro B port. On one hand, this is a “face palm” moment. On the other hand, I applaud them for avoiding the 2 hours of listing gimmick software features that no one cared about like they did at the S4 unveiling.

Also worth mentioning is the fact that the fingerprint scanner is “quite unreliable and virtually impossible to activate,” but I’m sure no one will notice (*cough).

Reality Check: Disrupting the TV Industry

Mon, 24 Feb 2014 08:19:37 -0700

There is pessimism, then there is reality. This is the latter. I dream of a revitalized television experience, I’d pay top dollar for it, and I think it will happen… eventually. The major technology media outlets have taken hold of this idea and run with it far beyond reason. You’ve got business men and women theorizing and then just assuming “the engineers will figure out the details.”

Consider this: the engineering side of it has been figured out for a while - brilliant smooth UIs, voice control, motion sensors, Bluetooth remotes, unified search, all of these exist today. That isn’t the problem. There are two major issues where the tech media has praised solutions yet I strongly disagree with their viability; when I say “major” I mean fundamentally damning to the entire notion.

WhatsApp: Pay-For-Content is Alive and Well

Thu, 20 Feb 2014 07:11:42 -0700

Apple has made a strong business on trusting that consumers are willing to pay good money for great products. This WhatsApp deal demonstrates the exact same thing. People are willing to spend what they consider to be a fair amount of money for a great product with a great user experience. Obviously some people don’t call Apple’s prices “fair,” but that’s a topic for another time.

This $19B WhatsApp deal makes me extremely happy (and I don’t use WhatsApp or Facebook) if only for the reason of demonstrating that a customer experience focused product still has tremendous value. We don’t need free products with ad support to make the world spin.

On Rumors of Apple Buying Telsa

Tue, 18 Feb 2014 08:27:07 -0700

There has been no shortage of speculation since news broke that Apple’s M&A representative spoke with Elon Musk about acquiring the increasingly famous auto maker. Josh Ong has made a great case for why it might make sense, so I won’t duplicate that.

The whole issue has some red flags that stand out to me as pretty major reasons an acquisition wouldn’t happen.

The auto industry is a low margin industry, especially on the low end. Tesla is not yet competing in the lower end market, so their margins are likely much closer to Apple’s than Hyundai’s, but Tesla has plans to expand into the $30,000 arena where there is simply no way to have Apple-like margins.
The whole situation seems Google-y. Apple’s wheelhouse is making beautiful and simple computing devices. An entry into the auto industry, despite Jobs’ reported desire to do so, is un-Apple-like. With that being said, the auto industry is so slow to adopt new technology that it would be quite easy to disrupt.
Setting aside the magnitude of the purchase being vastly beyond anything Apple has purchased before, the fact that they couldn’t make this purchase quietly is worth mentioning. Apple tries to keep those as quiet as they can, this one would be making headlines around the world.

Analysts Backpedaling on a 2014 iPad Pro... Shocker...

Sun, 16 Feb 2014 10:09:21 -0700

No surprises here. The rumors of the 2014 iPad Pro were unfounded when they started, and I called them out as such. Now, only a few months later and half a year before the originally projected launch, analysts (in this case Kuo, but he hasn’t been the only one barking up this tree) are backing off of the notion that Apple will be releasing a 12" iPad this year.

It is well known that Apple tries a huge number of technologies, sizes, and materials as part of their standard R&D. It is certain Apple has experimented with a larger iPad, probably even has some pretty late-stage devices., but that doesn’t mean they’re releasing one soon.

Microsoft's Failing Single-OS Vision

Tue, 11 Feb 2014 08:14:10 -0700

The Road to Hell is Paved With Good Intentions #

The intent behind Microsoft’s new ‘one experience, everywhere’ mantra is noble. They see the increasingly common situations in which the iPod, iPhone, and iPad serve as gateway drugs, err products, to the Apple ecosystem. Microsoft isn’t trying to become Apple by any measure, but they are trying to shift the perception of their products toward the more intuitive and user friendly end of the spectrum, and these are qualities Apple is famous for.

Credit Cards With Increased Security, Work Offline

Fri, 07 Feb 2014 13:12:48 -0700

For years countries outside the United States have used a system called EMV for their credit cards. The short version is that there is a chip inside the card that authenticates the transaction, plus the users has to enter a PIN instead of signing the receipt*. This has some major benefits. The biggest is security, and after the Target credit card leak I think that’s becoming more important to everyone. If someone steals your credit card number, they’ll still need your PIN to make charges.

Inbox Zero is Worth the Investment

Wed, 05 Feb 2014 10:21:03 -0700

I know, dead horse. I’m going to beat the dead horse because somehow the vast majority of people I know are closer to Inbox Infinity than to Inbox Zero. They think it is daunting, overwhelming, or impossible to change; they couldn’t be more wrong.

To be clear, my life doesn’t revolve around email. I don’t get thousands of emails per day, but these practices scale to days where I have gotten a few hundred emails. I never miss an email. Ever. Not seeing an email is not an acceptable excuse in my opinion, though I’d argue I’m in an overwhelming minority here.

LogMeIn Reaches out to Ignition App Users

Mon, 03 Feb 2014 08:10:04 -0700

Cheers to the folks at LogMeIn for taking care of existing customers. Several people, myself included, purchased the Ignition app for $20 (before they had a free app and a $99 app, there was a single $20 iOS app), and these people will retain full control via their mobile app whether or not they ever upgrade to the Pro tier of service.

We hope as a LogMeIn Ignition customer you are enjoying your complimentary 6-month subscription of LogMeIn Pro. We’re reaching out to help clear up any confusion surrounding the recently announced change to LogMeIn Free and clarify what the changes mean for Ignition app users.

Thoughts on Viticci's iPad Pro Scenarios

Mon, 27 Jan 2014 09:25:38 -0700

The discussion on The Prompt last week (episode 31) sparked a series of thoughts for me regarding whether or not Apple is even considering an iPad Pro (12.9") and what exactly the device would be. Despite being an unlikely product for the near term, it is an interesting discussion.

Federico gives three scenarios: #

Just a larger iPad. Same iOS, same hardware features, larger (12.9") screen.
iPad Pro with substantial hardware and software feature changes.
Hybrid device, or “convertible” as Intel calls them.

Let’s be clear here, Federico isn’t making the case for any of the three options, this is merely a game of “what if” that we’re playing. I think it is also important to preface this analysis with an immensely relevant comment from the podcast -

Happy Birthday, Mac!

Fri, 24 Jan 2014 00:00:00 -0700

30 years, a lot of progress. The Mac sold for $5,594 in today’s dollars and had 400KB of storage.

LogMeIn Discontinuing Free Service Tier

Tue, 21 Jan 2014 13:24:49 -0700

It pains me to see the free tier getting discontinued, but I understand it. I have used LogMeIn for many years to manage my always-on PC server at home, to remote into my laptop if a security camera appears offline, and more. I paid $20 for the app before they offered a free one and never regretted it.

Thankfully in today’s market, there are free options to replace it.

Target Credit Card Breach

Mon, 20 Jan 2014 17:31:02 -0700

The breach of data from Target (along with Neiman Marcus and reportedly a few more) seems to be getting worse by the day. There are some things I find highly concerning.

First, some facts. #

Attacks started on November 27, 2013 (just in time for Black Friday).
The attack went unnoticed until December 15, 2013, over two weeks later.
Hackers got names, addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers of 70 million people; 11GB of data total.
Siphoned data has been sent to Russia and who knows where else from there.
Attackers used a RAM scraper to capture un-encrypted data from point-of-sale systems after the credit card swipe, but before it was encrypted and sent to a central location for routing to the credit card companies.
Target and Neiman Marcus both passed all annual compliance testing for their handling of credit card data by the credit card industry standard (PCI-DSS).
A similar attack happened in 2005.

Why does this keep happening? #

The short answer is pretty simple, as disappointing as it is. The industry standard is subpar, retailers are too cheap to upgrade, and people are frequently reactive in nature. Now there’s something to react to, let’s see if it works.

Samsung S5 UI Leaks

Mon, 20 Jan 2014 08:11:28 -0700

Looks like Samsung is putting some effort into design cleanliness. Not something they’re exactly known for. The question is whether they’re giving the UI a genuinely fresh overhaul, or are we seeing a friendly face with the same Samsung clutter behind it?

It is worth mentioning that the “Samsung clutter” does enable a lot of niche uses for users, but it certainly doesn’t lend itself to a clean user experience.

91% of Cyber Attacks Exploit Java... The Language Used to Create Android

Sat, 18 Jan 2014 18:11:55 -0700

Java is a nice introductory language, it is pretty ubiquitous, and it is platform agnostic. Those are likely the primary reasons for schools using it so frequently in computer science departments, the University of Colorado does anyway (and interviews I’ve conducted lead me to believe that is normal).

When Cisco reported that 91% of attacks exploited Java vulnerabilities, it triggered some concerns.

Just take a minute and think about how shocking this is.
Android is largely written in Java. No surprise that Android sees 97% of malware in the mobile space.
Schools are too slow to adapt to changes in the real world.

Path Launches Windows Phone App

Fri, 17 Jan 2014 15:50:37 -0700

Path is a simply wonderful social network. I connect with my close friends and family and we use the app to share more intimate moments that aren’t appropriate for the public or large following of acquaintances. The app is beautifully designed on iOS, it is acceptable on Android, and now has finally launched for Windows.

Path has enjoyed noteworthy success, though is not, and will never be, the next Facebook or Twitter. The fact that it took them this long to launch on the Windows platform goes to show how much Windows is struggling in the smartphone realm. This isn’t to say the platform isn’t good, but it seems too be too little too late.

Don't Make Me Load One Page Per Slide

Fri, 17 Jan 2014 15:17:54 -0700

Top 10 This… Top 25 That… or just plain slide shows of a new car… somehow we still have websites that don’t use dynamic slideshows. What is dynamic? Clicking ‘Next’ and having the photo advance without having to load anything else on the page, let alone the whole page. That is dynamic.

AutoBlog is just a notch under unbearable. They load a whole new page for the first photo, but subsequent photos load dynamically.

Reports of Apple Testing New Screen Sizes... Yawn

Wed, 15 Jan 2014 08:54:08 -0700

If we reported on every screen size, material, product, and mold shape that Apple has tried, it would be like drinking from a fire hose. I’m not saying new screen sizes won’t appear in new devices eventually, but let’s be realistic.

iPad “Pro” - Nope*.
Larger iPhone - likely in the next 2 years. I would expect an announcement related to vector-izing graphics in the OS to be part of this.
Smart “Watch” - I don’t see what Apple has to gain here. I think Gruber’s idea of a new iPod with a watch strap is more likely, but even that isn’t something I’d bet on. Once battery technology improves, I think this could change. Right now the batteries needed are far too large for a device worthy of the Apple brand.

*The time frame on the “nope” projection is 2-3 years. Not happening.

Your Phone is Divulging More Information Than You Think

Tue, 14 Jan 2014 10:14:46 -0700

It is no secret that the NSA is, or is at least capable of, tracking your every move. Many people also realize that advertisers have a lot more access to tracking you than you’d think (or like), but most people do not.

Your phone is constantly connected to cellular towers, scanning for WiFi, and in some cases searching for Bluetooth. To make wireless connections, a handshake of sorts has to take place. This handshake includes some indentifiers to tell the source who you are. This information isn’t your name or email address, but a MAC address is unique enough to pretty easily trace you as an individual.

Court Denies Net Neutrality

Tue, 14 Jan 2014 08:47:54 -0700

Internet providers have no place prioritizing or discriminating against types of internet traffic. The providers have one goal: profits. This does not end well for customers.

Internet of Things: The “Basket of Remotes” Problem

Mon, 13 Jan 2014 08:08:52 -0700

Jean-Louis Gassée has shed a similar light, but from a different angle, as my post from December 10th in follow up to the discussion on the Pragmatic podcast. This whole Internet of Things (IoT) realm is in its infancy, there is so much progress to be made here.

He asks the question:

If we can’t solve the “basket of remotes” problem, how can we expect a home full of “smart” objects? #ibmceschat

— Jean-Louis Gassée (@gassee) January 10, 2014

Tech Bloggers Giving CES the Apple Treatment

Sun, 12 Jan 2014 10:48:46 -0700

In this article by Mat Honan from Wired, he highlights a major problem with technology journalism today - people are bored with just about everything. These are just TVs, this is just another tablet, that iPhone is hardly any different from the last one… blah blah blah.

This year the CES coverage seemed to be more pessimistic than previous years. The latest iPhone release seemed to be received as more disappointing than previous years. The anti-Apple folks say that Apple has peaked and can’t keep up their momentum without Steve Jobs. The rest of the tech bloggers think that CES has lost its shine. These aren’t two separate things, there is one explanation - everyone has gotten used to insanely brilliant, beautiful, and incredible technology. Many believe it is bland and boring because we’re surrounded by it.

Bitcoin: 24 Hours, $124k

Fri, 10 Jan 2014 17:48:05 -0700

Overstock.com processed $124,000 in Bitcoin transactions in their first 24 hours accepting the currency. It is a small amount of money at first glance, but attempting to compete with the dollar as a currency is no simple task. Additionally, overstock.com isn’t exactly known as a tech-nerd user base.

This is another exciting step in the Bitcoin story. Really excited and curious to see how this plays out.

Engadget: CES 2014 Picks

Fri, 10 Jan 2014 17:35:55 -0700

Some interesting picks in here, definitely seems to capture the best products there. With that being said, I’m still not seeing anything that is standing out.

Oculus Rift keeps making these kinds of lists, but it seems to be in a perpetual state of development.
Sony Z1 Compact packs a top end punch into an iPhone-size device, a rarity for Android devices.
There are a LOT of fitness trackers, I don’t see that changing any time soon.
The Mother sensor system seems interesting. Not a grand slam, but a fresh take on smart home technology.

Marco on Google's Gmail-Google+ Integration

Fri, 10 Jan 2014 13:53:56 -0700

It is a somewhat cynical view. One could argue Google is attempting to make it as easy as possible for people to connect. To be clear: I disagree with this being opt-out instead of opt-in, I think Google is doing everything they possible can to make Google+ relevant, and I think they will cave to pressure on this and make it opt-in.

Marco has a strong closing statement:

You, the users, are just along for the ride. You’re just eyeballs. Body parts and ad-targeting data. Google doesn’t care about you at all. You’ve tolerated enough already that it’s pretty clear you’re not really going anywhere.

Stratechery: The Best Analogy For Chromebooks Are iPads

Fri, 10 Jan 2014 13:45:31 -0700

An excellent follow up piece (to his original post) on where Chromebooks fit into the tech world. Also read his link to Vance McAlister’s response, both are very insightful.

From Vance:

The true value in ChromeOS is what it DOESN’T have. Critics say “a Macbook or Windows laptop will give you the same Chrome browser, plus a lot more as well!”, but that misses the point entirely. Those laptops don’t come with the killer feature of ChromeOS: the LACK of a traditional OS.

CES 2014: 4K and 3D

Thu, 09 Jan 2014 08:18:24 -0700

There has been a lot of 4K news at CES, no surprise there. Computer monitors make sense and a 4K computer monitor should excite anyone who uses desktop monitors.

TVs are a different story. When talking TVs, the important thing to remember is that you don’t sit nearly as close to them. When you sit farther back, even the most perfect human eye can only differentiate a certain level of detail. Read more here. Here’s the quick version; this diagram shows you the screen size versus viewing distance chart and shows at which range a given resolution is actually valuable.

We Don't Understand Tech Enough to Compete in the Space, Let Us Report on It

Wed, 08 Jan 2014 08:14:56 -0700

On Yahoo Tech… David Pogue heading it up does give them a chance at making this work. It is still a bit of a comedy with how miserably Yahoo has failed in the tech industry as of late that they’re attempting to become a tech news source.

Omission of the “!” is, and always will be, intentional. Perhaps that’ll change if there is ever something exciting going on at Yahoo.

How Much Does Design Matter for Wearable Tech?

Tue, 07 Jan 2014 08:11:00 -0700

John Gruber posted an interesting tweet yesterday regarding how important the aesthetic design of a product is:

We’ve always judged cell phones by how they look, and we keep them in our pockets. Wearables — glasses, watches, anything — can’t be ugly.

— John Gruber (@gruber) January 6, 2014

Of course, some folks aren’t interested in the design of a product, but in general it holds true. Some of the appeal of the iPhone is how stunning it is to look at. Part of the appeal of the Moto X is how clean and simple the design is while still being highly customizable.

Stop With the Bigger iPad "Rumors"

Tue, 07 Jan 2014 07:56:59 -0700

The “rumors” of a bigger iPad are a joke, but they’re spreading like wildfire. If you need proof why it isn’t happening (anytime in the next few years at least), just take a look at Samsung’s newest 12.2" abomination.

Comments on the tablet from the report:

“Simply isn’t designed for optimum portability”
“too awkward to hold for long periods of time”
“we were hard-pressed to find any variation between the 12.2-incher and the Note 10.1 2014 edition”

Personally, I’m holding out for the 12.2" phone version.

Ahrendts at Apple

Mon, 06 Jan 2014 13:56:57 -0700

We are getting closer to Angela Ahrendts’ start date at Apple (this Spring) and MacRumors has posted this nice overview of how she will fit in at Apple, and more importantly what she brings to the table.

I’m very excited about this hire and think Ahrendts has a lot to offer. I expect her style, coupled with iBeacon technology, to completely reshape the retail experience and give the whole thing more of a ‘premium brand’ feel.

AT&T Announces Sponsored Data

Mon, 06 Jan 2014 10:49:13 -0700

There is no doubt that privacy is getting more visibility than ever with the NSA leaks of late. A lot of people are opting for more secure services, apps, and hardware. This often comes at a price as these services are harder to engineer and maintain, they’re not usually given away for free. The exception is Kim Dotcom’s MEGA service with 50GB of free ultra secure cloud storage.

AT&T announced sponsored data plans today that allow providers to pay for the data that you use on your mobile device while using their services. Imagine streaming Netflix without it counting toward your 2GB data cap, seems neat right? Well the financial savings represent the most obvious upside, the privacy issue presents the largest down side. Your data and your usage are now bought and paid for by someone else, meaning they own it.

Kayak Pro is Free (Includes Airport Maps)

Tue, 31 Dec 2013 15:44:41 -0700

The Pro version of the Kayak.com app is free for a limited time. I have no affiliation, but this gets you airport terminal maps (compared to the free version). The price is right.

Direct Link

Under-Cabinet LED Lighting Project

Tue, 31 Dec 2013 15:18:59 -0700

This is somewhat outside the scope of this blog, but if you love tech stuff, you probably love LEDs. I love LEDs. I recently completed the installation of LED light strips in my kitchen to improve counter lighting and for ambiance, wanted to share what I used and a few things I learned.

Materials #

LED Light Strips - 3100K, double density (link)
Power Supply (link)
Wire (link)
LED Strip Connectors (link)
Dimming Switch (link)
Conduit/Raceway (link)

Installation #

The installation is relatively simple and there are a lot of DIY guides out there already. I won’t rehash all of that information. However, there are some things worth mentioning that I had to learn the hard way. Double density strips are absolutely the way to go; it is far better lighting for when you’re cooking and LEDs can be dimmed for ambiance as needed. With the double density LED strips, the “suggested items” on Amazon will lead you astray. Many of the connectors and adapters will not work. The LED strip connectors linked above are not available on Amazon, but shipped very quickly directly from HitLights (whom I was very pleased with after having purchased several items and talking with their customer service extensively via email).

Apple Didn't Know About NSA's DROPOUTJEEP

Tue, 31 Dec 2013 14:07:25 -0700

Apple has declined to have any knowledge of the newest NSA leak regarding the DROPOUTJEEP program. I am inclined to believe them for one main reason - they aren’t stupid. At the rate the leaks are coming, it is obvious we’re not finished. Neither the NSA nor Apple knows how much more will be leaked, so for them to deny knowledge now would guarantee their demise should the truth come out any differently.

Misplaced Negative Reviews

Tue, 31 Dec 2013 13:52:18 -0700

Apple has a tradition where they release a 12 Days of Gifts app then each day around Christmas they give people a free version of some paid content - apps, music, books, or videos. You’d think people would be grateful.

Many people are grateful, presumably. However, there is an increasing number of people that are leaving one star reviews on apps, movies, etc. if the free content of the day isn’t an app they personally wanted. Angry people leaving one star on a children’s game because they don’t play it sounds absurd, but sadly, is a reality.

Marco Arment on Apple's Increasingly Ignored Software Products

Tue, 31 Dec 2013 13:42:56 -0700

Apple is so close to knocking it out of the park with several of their software products, but I agree with Marco’s comments. iPhoto is a great example; it is the near the top of the list of reasons to own a Mac, but it isn’t perfect and hasn’t seen a meaningful update in a while.

Apple seems to be faced with an interesting dilemma - these software products seem like unfinished versions of how Apple envisions this type of product to look on their platform. They seem unfinished because they’re “good enough” (generally speaking) and don’t make headlines or money to warrant being any better. That’s acceptable from a lot of companies, but it is very un-Apple-like.

Tweetbot 3: The Single Best iPhone App Today

Mon, 23 Dec 2013 09:23:13 -0700

If you’re a Twitter user, you need to be using Tweetbot 3.0. It isn’t just the best Twitter client, which it is by a long shot, it is my favorite iPhone app period. The iPad version is still on 2.0 with the pre-iOS 7 design, and even that is a league above most other Twitter clients. When I did a trial switch to Android, the lack of Tweetbot was among my top complaints, I found myself not wanting to use Twitter anywhere near as much without it.

On Rumors of a Bigger iPad

Mon, 23 Dec 2013 07:25:30 -0700

I’m not saying it’ll never happen (though at this point I don’t see why they would), but this 2014 bigger iPad rumor is laughable. Not happening.

Regarding the larger iPhone… I see this being more of a potential, but the screen resolution situation would be a mess. I think if they do this, they’ll also introduce some API to make apps render with vectored graphics or something.

Nest Protect

Fri, 20 Dec 2013 13:13:03 -0700

The only thing holding me back from buying one Nest Protect is the fact that I have seven smoke alarms in my house and I know that once I get one, I will want seven. The Nest Thermostat has been among my top rated investments for home owners since day one.

Marco's Math

Fri, 20 Dec 2013 13:07:52 -0700

An interesting stream of tweets from Marco (@marcoarment) yesterday. Apple products are expensive, but one could argue they’re not overpriced.

@marcoarment with some interesting numbers on “equivalent” HP and Dell machines.

BlackBerry is as Delusional as Ever

Fri, 20 Dec 2013 12:58:24 -0700

I suppose if BlackBerry exists in 2016, they just might be profitable. I sure wouldn’t bet on the former though.

Unexpected Consequence of Wearing a Pebble Smart Watch

Fri, 20 Dec 2013 12:27:24 -0700

I backed the Pebble Kickstarter project on day 3 and was anxious for all 471 days of my wait. There are pros and cons with it, I find myself wearing it for a month or so, then not for the next 3 weeks. Torn in between the two worlds. Plenty of reviews have been written, so I’ll skip that.

I found one shocking side effect of wearing the watch that I had not expected, and it remains one of the largest sticking points for me. It isn’t the Pebble’s fault though.

IBM's 5 Year Plan

Wed, 18 Dec 2013 07:19:20 -0700

IBM is doing a poor job of caveating their statements here. If they don’t intend to caveat them, then I’m going to call BS to some degree. IBM’s 5 year plan outlines 5 ways in which technology will progress… here’s why I say they’re embellishing:

“The classroom will learn you.” Essentially a smarter classroom with a per-child custom tailored education. This will exist on some level, likely a beta trial at a few schools. In reality schools are either under funded or misappropriate their funds so badly that there is little to no hope for funding the massive infrastructure build-out that would be required to host this. Even schools in middle to upper-middle class areas aren’t in a position to make this happen (and certainly won’t be in 5 years).
“Buying local will beat online.” I’m not sure “beat” is a great word to use, but I think there will be a new retail wave that comes soon thanks to a blend of technology and the irreplaceable human connection. Things like iBeacon are going to play a major role here. You’ll see a revitalization for any store that embraces this next generation of shopping experience, but “beating” online retail implies a monetary savings to customers and I just don’t see it. Side note: until we’re all wearing Google Glass, augmented reality is a pretty gimmicky toy. Not that it won’t be a key technology one day, but I’m not holding my breath on the next 5 years.
“Doctors will use your DNA to keep you well.” You will likely see this in high dollar medical situations, but your average American’s day-to-day checkup costs certainly won’t cover it.
“A digital guardian will protect you online.” The best protection is to be smart. With that being said, if someone wants your information, they can get your information. Nothing is unhackable. I hope this time around there is more care put into the software than the days of old where virus protection brought even a super computer to its knees.
“The city will help you live in it.” The idea of sentient cities is an interesting one, but with some major issues, two primary ones come to mind. Privacy is the first, infrastructure is the second. To be sentient, the city must know a remarkable amount of information about you, people aren’t going to like that. Furthermore, people definitely aren’t going to approve the budgets that propose buying the (extremely expensive) infrastructure to make it possible. The private sector will do what they can here, but they cannot put physical objects in public space, so they’re limited to satellites, your cell phone, your mobile technology, etc. Oh yeah, did I mention privacy?

IBM is doing a job of getting a lot of clicks and eyes on this, as they do every year. I genuinely believe they do it to inspire technology growth and not for the click counts that a lot of tech blogging has been reduced to these days. Here’s to the next 5 years.

Federal Ruling on NSA Spying: Unconstitutional

Mon, 16 Dec 2013 14:35:18 -0700

ArsTechnica: Federal judge finds NSA spying unconstitutional

Not sure there are too many people that would disagree with the ruling. It’ll be interesting to see what happens to Edward Snowden. The law agrees that what he exposed was in fact illegal, however how he exposed said information is also illegal. With that being said, it seems unlikely it could have been exposed any other way (realistically, that is).

Follow-Up On Pragmatic's Automation Discussion

Tue, 10 Dec 2013 18:05:37 -0700

Pragmatic Show Episode 3

The discussion on automation in the latest episode of Pragmatic was a great one. It touched on a lot of key value to be had in the smart home endeavor. Below are a few points from the show and my corresponding thoughts that should serve more as logical extensions rather than contradictions, though I do not speak on their behalf:

Pragmatic: The true value is in automation, remote control is secondary.
Mike: Largely I agree, 2 main considerations.
1. The automation side is surprisingly underdeveloped right now. Companies like Smart Things are making progress, but the fact remains that the market isn’t there yet. Automated lights will still turn off if you’re still watching TV or reading, automated blinds will open when you get out of the shower before you’re dressed, and motion sensors get tripped up by passing objects or glares that you don’t want sensed. Once this stuff is perfected, it’ll take off a lot faster. The user experience is currently unacceptable for anyone besides early adopters and nerds.
2. Remote control doesn’t have nearly as frequent of a use case in general, of course there are exceptions. However, a fair number of the use cases are arguably of higher importance. Consider forgetting to close your garage door when you leave for work - you never remember if you closed it or not so you either gamble, or turn back. The value in remote “control” is arguably more in the remote monitoring then being able to react. To merge these 2 points, you’d love to see automation take over here and sense that no one is home, none of the occupants’ phones are detected to be inside the home, therefore the home takes action - locks doors, closes the garage door, adjusts the heat, lights off (except at sunset when the outdoor lights turn on), etc. I could discuss this at length, we’ll leave it here for now.
Pragmatic: There is an associated cost with spending your own time on installing, setting up, and maintaining a smart home. The “cost” and/or “savings” is not necessarily monetary and can be hard to measure.
Mike: There is a circular problem here. The setup cost and technical knowledge required prevents it from being mainstream, the fact that it isn’t mainstream prevents a lot of companies from investing in it, the lack of participation in the market prevents costs from dropping due to competition. I don’t believe that the disruption in this market has happened yet, and by definition, disruption is what breaks that cycle. The Nest Thermostat and Protect are the closest we’ve gotten to that and I think the disruptive event is right around the corner. That being said, the iPhone of home automation hasn’t shown its pretty little face. Disclaimer: I own a Nest Thermostat and could not love it more. Nest Protect is very high on my list of things to be purchased as well.

There will be more thoughts on this in future posts. I find this market to be full of examples of people and products that have much better selling points and features on the box than they have practical applications in improving one’s life.

Seriously, Don't Do This: Web Design Edition

Tue, 10 Dec 2013 07:32:55 -0700

There are numerous things frequently found online that are inhumane, evil, wrong, and just plain annoying. Here are a few that come to mind.

Gallery views of trivial lists of trivial things. I don’t want to wait 8 seconds for a mediocre “revelation” to load 25 times. If you use a gallery, your content should be nothing short of revolutionary.
Popovers where I can’t see your page without clicking ‘Close’ first. See: Tab Closed; Didn’t Read.
Multipage articles. Unless it is John Siracusa’s epic saga outlining every detail of Mavericks, there is no reason the content should span more than one page.
Auto-play content. Partial redemption if it is muted by default, but not much. If your site auto-plays audio or video then you may as well just have your domain forward to your MySpace page. Make sure to leave your pager number on the Contact page.
Persistent prompts that ask you to take a survey, if you want to live chat, or anything similar. If I scrolled down and didn’t click on your abomination, then there is a very good reason.
Mouse-over ads. Going to a website shouldn’t be a tedious minefield while scrolling down hoping to avoid the double underlined words that popup ads when your mouse touches them.

Any suggestions? I wouldn’t be surprised if this became a regular segment.

FBI Has Been Watching You

Tue, 10 Dec 2013 07:25:28 -0700

Gizmodo: FBI Can Turn on Webcams Without the Indicator Light

I can’t say I am surprised, but what happens next? As much as I’d like to think change is possible, there are a lot of stagnant voters out there. That being said there are a lot of good people doing good things out there at the same time.

Yum, iBacon

Tue, 10 Dec 2013 07:24:05 -0700

Joy of Tech: iBacon

Sounds delicious, but expensive.

Square's New Reader

Mon, 09 Dec 2013 14:20:04 -0700

MacRumors: Square Debuts New Card Reader Developed by Former Apple Lightning Connector Designer

To develop the thinner card reader for Square, Dorogusker was forced to move away from stock components and develop proprietary hardware such as a new custom read head that is able to read two bands of data from the magnetic stripes on credit cards, resulting in greater swipe accuracy.

Dorogusker and his team concentrated on improving the “feel” of swiping, incorporating additional tension in a spring that attaches to the read head for a more satisfying credit card swiping experience.

Not There Yet

Sun, 08 Dec 2013 20:19:23 -0700

TechCrunch - The War For Your Wrist

I largely agree here. The smartwatch thing just isn’t there yet. I like my Pebble (I was an early Kickstarter backer) but it isn’t something I can’t live without. It is too thick, iOS is admittedly limited with these types of devices, and the 3rd party app support isn’t what I hoped it would be. There is hope for the market, but it is going to be a while before this takes off.

Sleezy Feedly

Sun, 08 Dec 2013 09:24:44 -0700

Very poor decision making over at Feedly.

Services that make choices like this only exist because people keep using them. People make mistakes, I am glad they undid it, but anyone who thought this was a good idea to start with is not someone I agree with or trust.

Outdated

Fri, 06 Dec 2013 10:56:24 -0700

This graphic to show which smartphones are capable of having which OS on them is eye-opening. I don’t think “average people” (in the tech savviness sense) care about this, which is unfortunate to me.

Pragmatic Podcast

Fri, 06 Dec 2013 07:20:21 -0700

Pragmatic

Really enjoying this new podcast from John Chidgey and Ben Alexander. They discuss the practical application and use of technology. I find overlooking the frivolous yet glamorous “features” of modern technology to be a wonderful thing. It all comes down to how a technology improves your daily life.

They're Coming... iBeacons

Fri, 06 Dec 2013 07:03:41 -0700

TechCrunch: Apple Turning on iBeacons at all 254 US Stores

I’m pretty convinced this is the largest feature Apple has slipped in under the radar in recent history.

Popups 2.0

Thu, 05 Dec 2013 20:26:59 -0700

Tab Closed; Didn’t Read

Damn them. This ranks up there with link bait headlines and the related junk reporting.

An iOS User's Thoughts on Using Android

Thu, 05 Dec 2013 08:39:07 -0700

Link to the article by Richard Gaywood .

2013 Nexus 7 Wiki for reference.

Richard draws some great conclusions and keeps a very open mind while explaining his biased starting point as an iOS user. A few key items for me:

Pros: #

Emulators, app data sharing, inter-app-erability (you heard it here first… err second) open the door to complex and interesting apps and use cases.
Changing defaults (mail, browser, keyboard) really allows the device to be tailored to fit the user.
Voice recognition:

“It’s like night and day compared to Apple’s offering. If you’ve never seen it, find someone with an Android phone and try it out – then think about how much more often you’d reach for Siri if it was this good."

First

Tue, 12 Nov 2013 12:47:39 -0700

This “blog” (I don’t like the baggage that word carries) is where I’ll be posting links I find interesting for one reason or another and my thoughts on the matter. Stay tuned.

Contact

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

I love to learn and I love to speak and work with others who share this passion. I am always interested in hearing from people interested in technology, engineering, and entrepreneurship. I consider it vital to keep an open mind and to embrace being wrong as an opportunity to improve.

Send me a message below, or find me on Mastodon, GitHub, or LinkedIn. I am available to meet in person in the Denver, CO area, or by phone/video.

Recommendations

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

This page is for sharing some of my picks. Podcasts, products, apps, and whatever else I think is worth sharing, it is not updated as often as it should be 🙂.

Podcasts #

I listen to a lot of podcasts, but even more than that, I listen to audiobooks. Using a combination of buying credits and monitoring deals on Audible, I purchase books relentlessly and then maintain my own library with the help of OpenAudible and some custom software to provide a password-protected feed of my library. Taking this approach (rather than using the Audible app) lets me benefit from the unrivaled Smart Speed feature of Overcast and save amounts of time that can be hard to fully appreciate.