February 2011 Blog Posts (11)

When Google decided to no longer support the H.264 video format stating patent issues one of the biggest questions I heard being asked was "Why not Flash?". Also, when Apple decided not to support Flash the Android market made the fact that it will support Flash one of it's marketing points. I believe, as far as Google is concerned, Apple couldn't have done them a bigger favor. Many people are looking at the little battles, but missing the war. The dark horse is ChromeOS. 



Google…

I have been an iPhone user from the first generation iPhone, you know... Edge network, no cut and paste, need a charger everywhere iPhone.  My most recent iPhone was a jailbroken iPhone 4.  I resisted jailbreaking for a long time, but when I finally did it, I realized a new world of functionality, Calendar events on the lock screen (Lock Calender), toggles accessible without having to dig through the…

When I was in high school I read about research at the University of Hawaii in small scale self contained ecosystems. The idea fascinated me so I started doing research on how I could build one. In Des Moines, Iowa, where I lived, there is a small rain forest contained in a geodesic dome called the Des Moines Botanical Center. A scientist at the center helped me with a design for a miniature version of the center with the addition…

"Information is the currency of democracy" - Thomas Jefferson

Well if information is the currency of democracy, you'd think we'd keep track of the handlers.

Information has become big business. Duh right? But no I'm not here to talk about Facebook privacy or.. how Apple is trying to establish a content empire.. or how your boss is watching your 4square checkins to track how long you're at lunch.

No I'm here to talk about the more traditional kind. News.…

Along with everyone else who's moved onto HTML5, I've spent significant time looking at the possibilities of the next generation of HTML. 

The Setup

Last year Samsung released an impressive line of Android smartphones on many different carriers.  At the time of release they seemed to be the Android front runner for competition with the iPhone on AT&T .  They even captured the top Android sales spot in Q3 of 2010 as well as …

With Apple's new iTunes subscription feature publishers can publish their digital content via the App Store and collect a recurring subscription fee. Users can easily organize, browse and manage their subscriptions in one place. That sounds great until you hear about the cut Apple is taking: 30% for the…

I realize its sacrilegious to say anything bad about HTML5, but I have to say I am really disappointed in its handling of widgets (i.e. combo boxes, lists, sliders, etc.) HTML5 introduces new form input types such as range, date pickers, color selector, etc. but they are completely opaque and have very narrow APIs. This is due to HTML5's approach of punting to the browser to render and manage the widget. Often the browser in turn punts to the OS. This was the approach Java AWT took when it…

Motorola Atrix

I've been heavily anticipating the release of the Motorola Atrix.  So much so, that I've been looking online for cases and accessories in anticipation of purchasing the Atrix.  If you haven't seen it yet, you've gotta check it out.

The Rumors

Earlier on there were some …

I recently had a somewhat crazy idea to solve a common problem.  It's currently half-baked, and it's related to a project I might be working on, so your comments and thoughts are appreciated.  

Here's the problem: big organizations have a ton of content that needs to go *somewhere* on their website, and often, the really important stuff gets obscured.  It's uncomfortable to visit a site like http://hawaii.edu/ and try and find something, and…