Brian McNitt’s Blog

Today Amazon introduced the Kindle, a lightweight and powerful electronic book reader that features a new display technology that reads much like paper. Three years in the making, the Kindle has built in wireless connectivity and can display books, electronic newspapers, blogs, or just about any type of syndicated content. Weighting 10.3 ounces, the Kindle weighs about the same as an average paperback yet holds approximately 300 titles and retails for $399, about the same as a high-end cell phone or 2-3 college text books. Is this the beginning of the end for paper bound books? Read more at Amazon.

Technorati tags:
amazon, kindle, electronic, books, bezos, trendmedia, mcnitt

Above is a video from Google demonstrating how to setup IMAP email on the iPhone. The primary advantage of IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) over POP (Post Office Protocol) is that IMAP maintains the state of messages across email clients. For example, if you delete an email at Gmail.com, then that email is automatically deleted from your iPhone and vice versa. This means that you never have to deal with the same message twice and can save a lot of time when it comes to filing and deleting messages.

With IMAP, folders are also synced across email clients. When you switch to Gmail IMAP, the Gmail spam folder will appear on your iPhone. This allows you to flag messages as spam directly from your iPhone, something you couldn’t do previously with POP.

Follow the video above or these simple instructions to make the switch.

Technorati tags:
apple, iphone, google, gmail, imap, pop, email, trendmedia, mcnitt

If you work in technology or a related field and are not Twittering, start. If you own a small business, be sure to reserve your business name on Twitter immediately; like your URL, it’s important that you claim your business name before someone else does. (Some organizations on Twitter.) Not updating your company site or blog as frequently as you should? Twitter. It’s the easiest way to start micro blogging and to stay top of mind with customers and colleagues, at the same time in a relaxed and social way. Want to know what others in technology and design are doing, eating, thinking about, or where you can join them for a beer at this very moment in time? Follow them on Twitter.

What should you be doing now? Twittering. I won’t waste any more of your time so you can get started. Oh yeah, and if you’re on a Mac install Twitterrific.

Need someone to follow? Start with me. http://twitter.com/mcnitt

Technorati tags:
twitter, blog, business, marketing, social, networking, trendmedia, twitterrific, mcnitt

Apple announced today that Mac OS X Leopard will go on sale Friday, October 26 at 6:00 p.m. at Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers, and that Apple’s online store is now accepting pre-orders.

Leopard is packed with more than 300 new features and introduces a brand new desktop with Stacks, a new way to easily access files from the Dock; a redesigned Finder that lets users quickly browse and share files between multiple Macs; Quick Look, a new way to instantly see files without opening an application; Spaces, an intuitive new feature used to create groups of applications and instantly switch between them; and Time Machine, an effortless way to automatically back up everything on a Mac.

A special good luck to my friend Greg Heilmann who has patiently been waiting for the release of Leopard to make the switch to Mac. Greg currently uses the same model Dell D600 I used to use before jumping ship. Like mine, he is also fighting a myriad of software and hardware issues including hard drive clicking noises, frequent Windows system freezes, and the occasional BSoD. After having my Dell laptop’s motherboard replaced twice while under warranty, my Dad’s replaced once, and hearing Greg’s plight, I can say that I am so happy not to live in that world anymore. Hopefully Greg’s machine will make it to the 26th. Reminds me of the final chase scene in the Blues Brothers when Jake and Elwood exit the old car and every piece falls to the ground.

Technorati tags:
apple, os x, leopard, mac, trendmedia, mcnitt

At what point did Apple Computer, Inc.’s corporate website become Steve Job’s personal home page? Where exactly is Apple going with this? I can already picture the next ad. Swirly, dreamy transition to white…

“Hi. I’m a Democrat.”

“And I’m a Republican.”

Hey, Republican. Do you want to see the Nobel Peace Prize I won for my work on global warming and the important environmental issues I continue to champion?

I have a better idea, Democrat. Why don’t you tell us again how you invented the Internet? Hehe.

That’s not nice, Republican. You know that comment was taken out of context. So you don’t want to hear how I’m saving the planet?

Another time, Democrat. Another time…

Hey, if Apple comes out with a low voltage, 80% recycled and recyclable GoreBook Pro, I’ll be the first in line to buy one.

Technorati tags:
apple, al gore, gore, nobel peace prize, politics, environment, mcnitt

“Good boy!” TrendMedia and GuideDogs.com win the Web Marketing Association’s 2007 Non-Profit Standard of Excellence Award for Outstanding Achievement in Website Development. Wow, that’s a mouthful. Bottom line, it was a fun project to work on and at the end of the day one of those projects that really makes you feel good about what you do. Three cheers for accessibility and a big tail wagging congratulations to everyone at Guide Dogs for the Blind for their efforts in creating such a great resource for the blind and visually impaired community. Award well deserved.

Learn more about the Guide Dog’s web project on Brian McNitt’s Blog — Guide Dogs, TrendMedia, Accessibility in News.

Technorati tags:
dogs, guide dogs, blind, web, accessibility, usability, trendmedia, mcnitt

A must-see image if you do any kind of project based work. Click to enlarge.

Image from LinuxKungFu.org.

Technorati tags:
IT, project, programming, humor, mcnitt

Apple just released Update 1.1.1 for the iPhone which includes a host of new features including the new
iTunes Wi-Fi Store. Music search, preview, purchase, and download at the touch of a button. Amazing. And dangerous.

(Sorry for the blurry image. Seems my Cannon digital camera decided to go bad today.)

UPDATE: People with hacked iPhones beware. There is a lot of chatter about hacked iPhones bricking under the update. Steve Jobs promised to crack down on the hacks. As they say about messing with a bull…

Technorati tags:
apple, iphone, music, itunes, trendmedia, mcnitt

Believe. It really does exist. For years I have lived with a flood of daily spam messages and an email inbox that scrolled for pages and pages. I absolutely dreaded opening my email application. Every time I did, there were new spam messages to delete, a new fire to put out, and a list of rotting emails that I had put off answering for weeks, even months, because each required something more than a simple response, each almost a project in itself.

Not for lack of will, I tried a number of things to improve the email experience. I set my mail application to only check email every 15 minutes. I turned off the email alert sound so arriving email would not distract me from the current task at hand. I would make heroic efforts to clear my inbox each day before shutting down the computer but the more difficult emails would survive and sit in my inbox along with half-written email drafts in the drafts folder until the next cleaning battle which was essentially a never ending saga. On the eve of every third new moon, I would sheepishly and with great guilt, looking over my shoulder to ensure that not even the office janitor was around, file the oldest unanswered emails away as if they had been taken care of properly. My email experience was clearly broken; my inbox weighed me down every time I looked at it and there seemed to be no way out.

That all changed two weeks ago when an innocent Twitter message from Scott Beale of Laughing Squid appeared on my screen. “SpamSieve, Kills Spam Dead on Mac OS X.” Boy, I needed less spam. I started reading the short post and had SpamSieve installed before I was finished. I then read the related post on Merlin Mann’s “Inbox Zero”, a system for keeping your inbox clear. I had heard of the system before but never really got into it. Now that there was a video about it, I figured it would be easy enough to watch (video). From that hour on until now, this is the view of my inbox…

That’s correct, it’s empty. My email inbox is completely empty. Zero inbox, zero spam.

Now, you maybe thinking, “Yeah sure, it looks like that for the screenshot. For a few hours maybe, but tomorrow there’ll be a growing list of emails again.” I assure you that my inbox has been completely empty for two weeks solid.

You too can experience email Nirvana. (And you don’t need to be on a Mac and use SpamSieve. If you have corporate email with spam filtering, Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc. you probably have spam filtering that is good enough. If you host your own domains and use POP or IMAP mail, find a good third-party spam filter for your mail application.) Apply Merlin’s sustainable “Inbox Zero” approach and henceforth live in email bliss. It really does work.

Technorati tags:
zero, inbox, spam, spamsieve, merlin mann, laughing squid, trendmedia, mcnitt

Here’s evidence that music licensing laws are completely outdated. The movie Mr. Bean’s Holiday currently playing in theaters probably won’t win any Oscars but I believe that one of the title music tracks, “Crash” by Matt Willis is pretty good. I learned about it through a Mr. Bean video released on YouTube earlier this year and figured that I would purchase the song. Unfortunately, due to botched licensing agreements, there is no legal way to buy the song if you live in the United States. In the era of iPods, iPhones, and music enabled mobile devices, it’s absolutely absurd that these archaic geographic-based licensing agreements continue to exist.

Matt Willis on YouTube…

Apple has suggested to major record labels that similar restrictions and DRM be dropped from future offerings, and Amazon has decided to offer digital music downloads, but only from record companies who agree to offer DRM-free music. This week NBC announced that they are pulling television content from iTunes because Apple would not support raising the price of downloads from $1.99 to $4.99 per television episode. Clearly, the old media providers are failing to adapt to the times, are attempting to assert their force on technology companies like Apple, and the consumers and artists are losing.

Today, I tried to purchase “Crash” from iTunes, Amazon, Wippit, and Mercury Records (Matt Willis’ own record label!), and none would sell it to me. (And you wonder why illegal file sharing has a bright future?) The following are screenshots from my stymied shopping experience.

Can’t buy from Amazon…

Can’t buy from iTunes…

Can’t buy from Matt Willis’ own record label, Mercury Records!

Sorry, Matt Willis — I tried to buy your music but no one representing your interests would sell it to me. Bummer.

Technorati tags:
mr. bean, matt willis, crash, apple, itunes, mercury records, mcnitt

Apple is moving fast and furious these days. Besides the much anticipated launch of the iPhone on June 29, Apple has just released it’s first browser for PC. (!) Mac and PC users alike can download the Safari 3 Public Beta today. In addition, Apple has completely redesigned the Apple.com website and is featuring a new demo of the Leopard operating system. Check out the site or Steve Job’s keynote address from WWDC 2007.

Technorati tags:
apple, iphone, safari, leopard, mcnitt

TrendMedia recently completed work on a new, accessible web site for Guide Dogs for the Blind in San Rafael, California. Today, Guide Dogs released a press release on PR Web which in turn appeared on Google News — Guide Dogs for the Blind Launches State-of-the-Art Website: a Model for Accessibility. You can read the complete release on PR Web.

Read the rest of this entry »

Well, it’s official — TrendMedia has moved from its original offices (a desk in my kitchen) to 1 Sutter Street, the Flatiron Building, Suite 201. (The food isn’t as good but the view is definitely better.) I look out onto the Citicorp Center plaza and the e-Trade building at the corner of Sutter, Sansome, and Market.

Since I no longer have a refrigerator and four-burner stove within immediate reach, I assume I’ll be eating out more. If you’re downtown and want to grab lunch sometime, definitely give me a shout.

(Photo: By Joost Bossuyt)

Technorati tags:
trendmedia, san francisco, web development, flatiron, mcnitt

Was just going through my inbox when I spotted a message from Harmen Steele, a Ruby on Rails developer I met at RailsConf 2006. Harmen was easily the coolest person I met at RailsConf. (Harmen: I’m so sorry. I am getting around to answering your email from Aug. 24, 2006…seriously! Sorry it’s taking so long; I just never seem to get out of firefighting mode.) Anyhow, I clicked on the web address in Harmem’s signature and got the following…

I laughed and thought, ain’t that the truth? We’re all too busy to take care of our own marketing. Clients beware: never hire a web developer with an up to date website — it means that they are not working! Harmen: I hope your coming soon page never changes; I’ll know you’re doing well. Now on to answering your email…

All the best.
Brian

Technorati tags:
railsconf, Harmen Steele, web development, busy, mcnitt

Since canceling my land telephone lines back in April 2006, save a few high cell phone bills during the transition, I have been happy with the decision. For the majority of my daily calls I use Skype, a free VOIP client for PC and Mac, paired with a wireless bluetooth headset. While the signal quality can vary with connection speed, I have found Skype to be more than adequate for routine phone calls and daily collaboration with co-workers and vendors. For more sensitive calls I still use my cell phone (i.e. - conference calls with clients, etc.).

Skype is offering free computer-to-phone calls anywhere in the United States through the end of the year. If you haven’t tried Skype for computer-to-phone calls yet, now is the time. Come 2007, the free ride is over but Skype is offering a year of unlimited calls to any phone in the US or Canada for $14.95. Seems like a deal to me. The 2007 promotion is good through January 31, 2007. Happy calling.

Technorati tags:
skype, voip, phone, offer, mcnitt