Archive for January 2006

David Strom looks at the world of IM and interoperability. I use Trillian because I can’t stand having multiple programs and windows open from the different IM applications. Trillian puts it all in one nice package. The only complain I have with Trillian is that when I put an away message up, it has all conversations opening in a new Away box instead of in my main one. Haven’t figured out a way around this.

Anyway, David is continuously adding to the interoperability matrix that looks at applications and what platforms they cover, whether or not they have the following features: file transfer, A/V multi-party conferencing, audio / chat recording, and voice mail.

Another matrix looks at whether or not an application can work with another application. For example, I can connect with AIM, MSN (Windows) messenger, IRC, and Yahoo! with Trillian.

The focus is mainly on using audio and voice features rather than just text-based chatting, so my requirements are minimal. But those who like using Skype and Google Talk will find the info valuable.

Like I can choose any email application to receive any email no matter what you’re using, I’m sure the same will happen with IM apps.

From the sponsor:
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Add a whale and a dolphin to get a wholphin, which is a cross between a booklet and a DVD. The talented folks behind McSweeney’s is the guilty party behind this as reported in Wholphin, a Journal Cast Against Type — On DVD.

I remember a kids’ computer magazine that came on a diskette (the 5.25″ kind). It was cool, but pricey.

Guardian Unlimited ponders the future of printed books and how e-books impact them. For me, I still want my printed books. I don’t want to read everything on a screen. Plain ol’ paper is still a treat.

From the sponsor:
I found a couple of lost dogs last week and one of them didn’t have a pet tag. The other did, but no address. It was fun standing there in the cold and having my husband call the owner. Pet tags are important even if you think your dog can’t get out. Things happen.

Painting the Digital River takes a view of art by comparing digital art and classic art. Author James Faure Walker makes many points as he gives value to both art forms, discarding neither as less legitimate than the other. Himself an artist, Walker knows that many artists are confused as to what it means to be an artist and expert at what they do. He says that artists must know about painting, its past and its present, and possess some knowledge of the digital form.

Walker discusses the classical way of learning to draw and paint, and then looks at the tools available for artists today. Just as canvas, brush and pigment all come in many qualities; the digital world offers a variety of hardware and software to enhance the finished product of the artist’s vision.

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From the sponsor:
Neil Young’s Heart of Gold movie is coming to theaters on February 10.

When I brainstormed eNJ’s January feature, I had an idea of what I wanted to do and jotted notes. When I wrote it, it turned out nothing like my original idea to write about what makes a superb email newsletter. Instead, I wrote about the “ingredients” found in newsletters from different food groups. Maybe I’ve been watching too much Food Network, as I enjoy watching Unwrapped, The Secret Life of … , $40 a Day, Ham on the Street and Iron Chef. It’s just fascinating to go behind the scenes or rather kitchens.

At first, I wasn’t happy with the article’s change of direction, but some of the best inventions have come to life that way. Alexander Graham Bell was trying to invent a hearing aid type of device when he ironically invented something that was not useful for deaf people, the telephone. I hope you enjoy the “cuisine” that resulted from my change of direction.

From the sponsor: Thank goodness watching food TV has no calories as I can’t afford liposuction.

Safari has a new service called Rough Cuts. It gives you access to books BEFORE they’re published. These chapters won’t be fully edited or formatted for print. For computer-related topics, this is an excellent idea because you know it’s hard to keep up with technology especially for books. As soon as a book on a software product is published, a new version gets released soon after.

It’s not a free service, however. Instead, the Rough Cuts are sold at 50% off the book’s expected retail price. This gives you access to the evolving manuscript in PDF and you can provide feedback to the editors along the way. The FAQ explains the three purchase options: pre-publication, pre-publication and final product, or final product only.

If you purchase both versions, you may or may not save money. As you know, many online book stores rarely sell the books at the recommended retail price. You can also learn more on InformIT and O’Reilly Web sites.

This service isn’t ideal for all publishers, but it’s certainly a great match for InformIT’s Pearson and O’Reilly. [ Thanks and congrats to David for his article in the NY Times. ]

From the sponsor: Lost hair? No more lost hair as you can restore it with hair restoration.

Painting the Digital River takes a view of art by comparing digital art and classic art. Author James Faure Walker makes many points as he gives value to both art forms, discarding neither as less legitimate than the other. Himself an artist, Walker knows that many artists are confused as to what it means to be an artist and expert at what they do. He says that artists must know about painting, its past and its present, and possess some knowledge of the digital form.

Walker discusses the classical way of learning to draw and paint, and then looks at the tools available for artists today. Just as canvas, brush and pigment all come in many qualities; the digital world offers a variety of hardware and software to enhance the finished product of the artist’s vision.

He describes a variety of activities illustrating different forms of digital art and tries to answer many of the questions faced by artists of today, lovers of art, and the museums and galleries that display the new art forms. The author covers some of the work — both classical and modern that he has viewed — finding some of it a waste of time and others breathtaking.

Where the author finally reconciles the different forms of art is in the mind of the painter, the inspiration, the idea from which his work flows. Whether with brush on canvas or printmaking using computer graphics, the painter’s talent most affects the quality of the art. Still, he adds, “that for all its faults, digital art has a life of its own.”

This book starts and ends with the metaphor of the river (Walker works overlooking the Thames); the river changes, it flows this way and that. Painting, like the river, follows a winding course and has quirky ways.

This book is timely as many people are confused by all of the digital art and are trying to put it in perspective — is it art? Is it the only art (from now on)? The author tries to sort out and help understand what painting is and that there is good and bad art in the new digital world just as there always has been with ink and paint. He does a good job reviewing art history and providing technical insight. Painters, art historians, those who appreciate what they see, as well as those interested in the technology that produces digital paintings should find the book worth exploring.

Title: Painting the Digital River
Author: James Faure Walker
Publisher: Prentice Hall PTR
ISBN: 0131739026
Date: January 2006
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 352
Cover Price: USD: $24.99 Amazon: $16.49

I’ve had three different experiences as a customer who had a problem with an order. I accept mistakes happen. As a perfectionist, I’ve made mistakes anyway and have learned to let go. If we keep reviewing our work, we’d miss deadlines and have unhappy clients. I think what’s important is how you handle the mistakes.

Personalization

I ordered a personalized Rubik’s Cube for Paul’s 40th birthday as a representative of the ’80s. This wasn’t an ordinary cube, but one that had pictures of the family on all the sides. Notice the picture shows hardly any black? Now look at what I got. Atrocious. The pictures should’ve taken up the full space like in the wedding photo that appears on the right square.

(click images to see larger image in a pop up window)

The site says, “1/4″ of the image will be trimmed on all sides – allow for that when uploading your image.” It didn’t say anything about what size the images should be to ensure they take up the full amount of available space. So I assumed the pictures would be cropped and fitted. Nope.

I emailed them twice in two to three weeks. No response. Finally, we called and got a response. The company is making and sending another one. If I don’t like it, I can send both back for a refund.

Ironically, Paul also ordered my birthday gift from the same company and it arrived with my name spelled “Merryill.” The order form had my name spelled correctly. The person doing the personalization must’ve been having a bad day. As a result, the gift that would’ve been on time had it been done right the first time… was late (no biggie — but for some people it’s a biggie).

Furthermore, there was a second part to the gift: a career sign. It’s a wooden wall hanging that looks weathered. As you can see, the form says to “specify any career.” There is no list of careers. The company called Paul (after they had already screwed up my name, which was ordered at the same time as the career sign) and said they can’t do “writer” or “journalist.” Specify any career, eh?

We have too many choices when it comes to electronics. Digital cameras being a big one. But I miraculously narrowed down my list to two cameras. They’re different in two ways. One is a point-and-shoot and the other is closer to a professional’s model with manual focusing and such. I’m no professional, though.

Canon PowerShot SD550 (point ‘n shoot): ultra-compact, no manual focusing, uses Lithium battery pack, and movies not as good quality of A620.

Canon PowerShot A620 (professional-like): heavy plus it uses four AA batteries, better movie quality, and manual focus.

They’re neck-and-neck for me. I wanted a camera that can take movies longer than the lousy 14 seconds my current camera takes. These can hold up to 1gb of movies. Plenty. I like the Lithium battery back because I usually buy a backup and carry it in my pack. No problem.

Decisions, decisions, decisions!

Sorry for being a day late, but yesterday was a busy day. It’s amazing how many people I’ve met that share the same birthday as me. I know with only 365 days a year, millions share the same birthday. But I’ve never met so many people who have January 20 birthdays compared to other family member birthdays.

Two of them have blogs. Say happy birthday to Sooz and Grant.

One is a dear friend from when we worked at GTE together. She started working there a week before me. An admin person came up to us asking if there was a mix up on our birthdays. That’s when we learned we had the same birthday.

Two kids in my son’s preschool class and one of the staff members there were also born on January 20. One of my second cousins and my long-time friend since childhood’s son. Amazing, eh?

We’re not talking hip hop mashup here. Instead, these are mashups between two applications to create a new resource. Cool stuff!

Wikipedia definition and list of mashups.

Google and AP News puts AP News on the map of where the news happens.

Israeli Mashup for get well wishes to Ariel Sharon
Programmable Mashup Matrix – hover over any cell and a tool tip-style box provides details on the mashup for the two APIs.

List of mashups from Programmable Web

Technorati Mashup tags

Mashups with Google Maps

BaeBo

Zuggest

Housing Maps

Mashup Feed delivers everything mashups.