d3 blather

Twist and Don't Shout

2009-09-10T22:15:00.006-04:00

Got a bit of a shock when i saw the Nokia 7705 Twist since I wasn't expecting that kind of form factor. Nokia has done a couple of different phones that twist, like the 5700, 3250, and especially the N90. The 7705, does remind me of something else, however.Who is Nokia targeting with this device, 8-year-olds?

Nokia's 2-Horse Race

2009-08-27T15:03:00.003-04:00

Nokia's announcement of the Maemo-based N900 solidifies one of the worst-kept secrets in the recent history of the mobile business. Coming less than a year after the release of the much-hyped (at least before release) N97, it certainly can't be considered a replacement, even though the raw specs might suggest otherwise. At the very least, Nokia will probably have to lower the price of the N97.The

*Apple sets mode: -v Google

2009-07-31T23:55:00.006-04:00

Lots of talk about the FCC reaction to Apple kicking Google voice off the iPhone. I am hearing that this is the beginning of the end for iPhone exclusivity. Is being locked into verizon is any better?Kent Newsome says that this is a crossroads for apple, and that they will have to rethink what their customers want from them. I agree but I I also think AT&T is going to have to meet at the

Opera Untie!

2009-06-17T00:56:00.004-04:00

Chris Messina of FactoryCity does a pretty good skewering of the new browser/server Opera Unite which is fair enough, considering the self-induced hype bubble Opera has created around the initiative. It does seem a somewhat retro, after so much movement towards the cloud, to bring direct control over your data publishing again. Also, since Opera wants the spotlight, they deserve the criticism

Getting Lost in Web 4.0

2009-05-25T00:01:00.003-04:00

It seems like so much of the content of social media is discussing social media itself. As more user sign up, do they expand the discussion or just add to it, creating a topic black hole barely able to keep from collapsing on itself? So much of social media is talking about what the topics are rather than discussion the actual topics. (And I just realized I'm adding another meta layer to the pile

"Apple Tax" nonsense taken to reprehensible new heights!

2009-04-09T22:32:00.006-04:00

Saw a new bit of Microsoft anti-mac FUD on the Windows Experience Blog thanks to MacNN. They pay noted mac-basher Roger L. Kay to "analyze" the Apple tax and basically see if he can make it look even worse. Now, it's impossible for this to be an objective or fair analysis. First, it's being paid for by Microsoft, and second it's being written by the guy who thinks he can look at a photograph of

Oops, I shifted my perspective

2009-03-20T20:22:00.003-04:00

When I saw the skittles website I admit I didn't fully get it. I thought it was cool that they could float their presence over various social media sites, but it seemed more like a novelty than anything and it didn't support the customer the way a large brand needs. It took the clever guys over a UnHub to make the connection for me. (I guess I'm getting slow in my middle age.) Skittles isn't

Camera Update

2009-03-19T10:41:00.006-04:00

Just an update to the camera post, we ended up going with a Canon ZR900 for the kid's first video camera. Picked up a refurb for 40% off the going rate and there is not a scratch on the thing. Only accessory missing was a $4 watch battery to keep the time. Since there are so many cameras in the price range, we had a hard time choosing, but this one had a few features that other cameras in the

The web sampled, remixed, warped, chopped and screwed

2009-03-11T20:35:00.004-04:00

The amazing kultiman youtube remixes have been all over the blogosphere, twitterscape and other various webiverses, so I haven't felt the need to comment or linkify. Like other viewers, I though it was interesting and illegal, and I was going to let it stew a while before posting anything, but i don't think I can solidify my thoughs any better than what I read from Merlin Mann over at 43 folders.

Did I ever mention I like relative paths?

2009-03-03T15:35:00.004-05:00

I recently worked on a flash project that another developer started. His folder structure was a little different than I was used to but made perfect sense. Rather than keep the FLA and SWF in the same directory, the source FLA files were in one directory, and the full published project ready for deployment with swf, html, css, etc. was in a separate directory. Not too unusual, but this meant that

Budget Camcorder Shopping

2009-02-26T23:36:00.005-05:00

My son just turned 16 and I owe him a birthday present. Most kids his age want a car, but we already have that taken care of. I am handing down my commuter car to him since I work from home now. But i digress. He is showing an interest in documentary film, and I am not comfortable letting him drag my Panasonic PVGS400 all over the place. Besides, it's the size of a brick and weighs around 6

Time for a reboot!

2009-02-25T23:58:00.004-05:00

Whew, look at the date of the last post. It seems like so much has changed since then. Stuff that is new or vastly expanded are microblogging, iPhone, geotagging, social media, Web 2.0 API sharing, etc. Now that I've jumped on the twitter bandwagon, I've found some thoughts take more than 140 characters, so I've relaunched this blog. Keeping the topic open, since I have no idea what I might find

Nokia N95, you're the one!

2006-09-26T12:27:00.000-04:00

I'd been saying that the only thing keeping me from liking the N91 (other than the price) was the lack of A2DP audio. Now that they have announced the N95, I'm willing to give up on the extra storage (N91's internal HD) for the N95's GPS mapping, extra memory, longer battery life, lighter weight, better camera, and of course, the A2DP audio. I've had kind of a love-hate relationship with my 6682:

AOL Searcher Haikus

2006-08-10T16:11:00.000-04:00

AOL useryour searches tell a storymakes a fine haiku--------beer ingredientsremedies for hangoversdante's infernogood carbs and bad carbschocolate is better than sexsmall sacrifices jessica simpsonlooking for bobcat urineralph lauren perfumebreastfeeding drug usebreastfeeding and crystal meth anencephalybest dog licking feet interpretation of dreamsathletes foot treatmentherbal

The White Elephant in the Room

2006-06-27T12:30:00.000-04:00

I just read the recent Daring Fireball article: "Interoperability and DRM Are Mutually Exclusive" that clearly outlines both the struggle between major record labels, online distribution channels, and customers. It should be required reading for anyone on any side of this argument. He highlights hypocrisy from the major labels, who decry Apple's iPod and the iTunes Music Store for being a "closed

MPAA considers all customers as criminals

2006-06-21T10:16:00.000-04:00

BoingBoing links to a short debate on WSJ.com between former EFF lawyer Wendy Seltzer and MPAA VP Fritz Attaway. It was no surprise that Attaway views the creative media landscape through a narrow, big-business telescope, but was interesting is that he claims that DRM is not intended to prevent commercial piracy but to prevent casual copying by end-users, ie PAYING CUSTOMERS. So not only does

Clue-challenged web-designers

2006-03-21T11:06:00.000-05:00

OK, people, its 2006, can we get a clue and start fixing things that should be obvious? I am so sick of filling out address forms that use MENUS for the state field. That is really tedious for people in Maryland or New York, but for people in Washington and Wyoming, its just punishing. EVERYBODY knows what their state's 2-letter codes is, just put a field in and let people type it in instead of

Cuban tells theaters to get a backbone

2006-01-24T00:19:00.000-05:00

Over on boingboing I saw a link to another post on Mark Cuban's blog about issues surrounding the simultaneous release of Steven Soderbergh's Bubble. Since some theaters think that the best way to prop up their business is by sustaining an artificially created scarcity rather than provide an incentive for people to choose a theater over their own TV, there are a number of theater chains refusing

iTunes Oddities

2006-01-12T12:32:00.000-05:00

It's pretty well documented and analyzed how the MiniStore in Apple's iTunes sends data back to the Apple mother-ship about every song you play. The amazingly complicated process to disable this spyware is to close the MiniStore panel. OK, can we move on now?I noticed something strange with Podcasts in iTunes. Subscribe to a feed and it downloads the files automatically (of course) but if you

Don't call it a comeback!

2006-01-10T17:35:00.000-05:00

Don't call it a PowerBook, either. Apple has decided to drop the oblique reference to the PowerPC processor in their new, Intel-based PowerBooks uh, laptops. Can't say I like the name "MacBook Pro", but there is a lot to like about the model itself: speed, speed, speed. There are some goodies, too. Like the built-in iSight camera, and the super-trick non-destructive detaching power cord.

Movie Industry Destroys "Movie Experience"

2006-01-09T21:43:00.000-05:00

I was just reading this post on BoingBoing about how the BAFTA (The British Academy of Film and Television Arts) sends out DVD screeners for Academy members to view for voting purposes that can only be played on special supah-DRM-encumbered DVD players. Obviously, they feel as if they can't send out unprotected DVDs for fear that someone will rip it and stick it on P2P, which is especially

New look for the 6682

2006-01-05T01:27:00.000-05:00

6682 front Originally uploaded by d3media. What do you think of the new cover for my Nokia 6682? Got it from an ebay store in Hong Kong. It's got a rubberized texture so its seems a lot more rugged than the standard silver. I'm less worried about scratching it. Another user on phonescoop has already bought one after seeing mine.

My Year in Movies

2005-12-24T00:09:00.000-05:00

Here is a list of all the movies I watched in 2005, that I can remember:The LadykillersMullholland DriveKing KongRentRanKung Fu HustleMiller's CrossingGundam Wing: Endless WaltzSerenityMy neighbor TotoroWar of the WorldsNational TreasureNausicaa of the Valley of the WindBlood SimpleBatman BeginsLost In TranslationThe Yes MenWaking LifeThe hitchhikers Guide to the GalaxyMadagascarDogtown and

S60, its the new Black

2005-11-16T12:58:00.000-05:00

So now that the OS formerly known as "Symbian Series 60", now represented by this abbreviation: S60 is getting some marketing push by nokia, more and more people are talking about how to get the most out of thier S60 phone. They even have some nokia employees blogging on the site, this one:Tommi's S60 applications bloglists some great links for free software, which has always been harder to find

New Apple Hardware, last of the PPC?

2005-10-19T23:35:00.000-04:00

Man, Apple is just pumping out the product releases these days. In less than a month's time, they have updated all their hardware categories save for the iBook line. It's kind of a shame for the "Power" lines, a lot of people are waiting for the Intel Macs, yet these are some amazing machines. Here's my quicktake:PowerMacDual, Dual Core G5s are damn nice, even though the clock speed is down, I