If I had a typewriter lying around, I’d buy the modification set instantly. Just think how great it would be to hammer out your next blog post to the sounds of clack!clack!clack!
The USBTypewriter™ is a new and groundbreaking innovation in the field of obsolescence. Lovers of the look, feel, and quality of old fashioned manual typewriters can now use them as keyboards for any USB-capable computer, such as a PC, Mac, or even iPad!
Prices range from $75 for a DIY kit to $450 for a vintage typewriter that is already modded. I might have to look for an old typewriter at the flea market soon.
Matt Drance found a change in Apple’s iPhone Developer Program License Agreement—in particular, section 3.3.2 that pissed off a lot of people. It used to read:
No interpreted code may be downloaded or used in an Application except for code that is interpreted and run by Apple’s Documented APIs and built-in interpreter(s).
Now it reads:
Unless otherwise approved by Apple in writing, no interpreted code may be downloaded or used in an Application except for code that is interpreted and run by Apple’s Documented APIs and built-in interpreter(s). Notwithstanding the foregoing, with Apple’s prior written consent, an Application may use embedded interpreted code in a limited way if such use is solely for providing minor features or functionality that are consistent with the intended and advertised purpose of the Application.
As Matt points out, this could open up the window for some of those that were really fucked over by this—game developers in particular.
(And no, this does not “open up the platform”, but it removes a fraction of what some of the critics were most pissed off about.)
— Apple Outsider » Hello, Lua.
Neven Mrgan’s reaction to the term “walled garden” as something that can be described as despicably closed, when the benefits of having something that is closed and cared for can also be of immense beauty:
A software store is not an actual garden, not literally. But enough people have used this metaphor that it’s worth thinking for a second about what it’s actually supposed to mean.
I’m assuming we’re supposed to compare this approach to the freer alternatives such as community gardens and city parks. Ignoring for a moment the fact that these gardens are also regulated by serious restrictions on what one can and can’t do, it still puzzles me that the ‘walled garden’ is presented as an obviously undesirable structure.
Recommended reading for everyone that wants a nuanced view on the closed app store vs. open web discussion.
— The Walled Garden – Neven Mrgan’s tumbl.
It’s basically a bunch of stacks, images and xml-data and seems to be rather quickly thrown together:
“Perhaps the most interesting thing to note is that there’s not a whole lot here which can’t be implemented using HTML5. But frankly, I think Adobe’s got the right approach here. HTML5 and CSS are far from baggage free. It appears Adobe could offer faster, painless route electronic magazine creation for publishers, a more efficient solution in terms of CPU usage and page rendering, and most importantly, the capability of offering superior integration with native operating system functions.”
— From The Hip — Bundle Diving In The WIRED iPad App..
“So much for it being a niche product! Apple says it has sold two million iPads in 60 days since the launch of the tablet device. It sold the first million iPads in 28 days. It is hard to find some of the 3G enabled iPads in their retail stores. The pace of iPad sales is way ahead of the early results for iPhone, which took 74 days to sell the first million. According to some estimates, iPad is outselling the Mac itself.”
— GigaOm: Apple Selling Million iPads a Month.
This scenario described by Kottke looks like something taken out of a novel from the 60s on Living In The Year 2000:
“You just take the thing into the kitchen with you, rummage through the cabinets & fridge, and add what you need to your FD shopping cart. Then you take the it with you around the rest of the house (the bathroom, the garage, the pantry in the basement) adding needed supplies as you go. It inverts the usual ‘wander around the grocery store searching for items’ shopping practice; instead you wander about the house looking for what you need.”
Except that’s what he can do now with the iPad and the FreshDirect app.
While working at Vodafone, I had some really interesting conversations with Ole about how he has chosen to spend his time regarding grocery shopping, cooking etc. He gets food delivered for meals a couple of days a week, and it gives him an hour more to work those days.
I use Aarstiderne for the exact same reason; saving time on buying groceries makes me happier as I don’t have to waste time standing in line in the supermarket any more than necessary. (Plus I am challenged on my cooking skills as they tend to put varying vegetables in the box.)
Having an app like FreshDirect’s from my local supermarket with next-day delivery to my doorstep or easy pick-up at the supermarket, I might change my buying habits and start spending time differently.
— via Jason Kottke: Grocery shopping with the iPad.
“So I’ve changed my mind about the iPad and tablet computers. In my initial review, I focused on capabilities. And tablets are stuck between the power and utility of the notebook and the size and features of a smartphone. But they also create a middle place in terms of usability. And that is what I missed in my first day with the iPad. It feels less like a computer than any computing device I’ve owned. It’s easy on me in a way that the other devices are not. So I’m now convinced that tablets will have an important place in our homes and our lives.”
— Fred Wilson: I’ve Changed My Mind About The iPad
Interesting to see how “Rollover Effects” and Hover states work on the Dell laptop. The reason why it won’t work on the iPad is the way it recognizes touch events (look at the double clicking – it resembles the way a mouse works, not how your finger works with the iPad/iPhone).
That being said, it is interesting to see them finally try to show Apple that the technology does work.
(I’d still like Flash to never be an option on the iPhone, though, but that might just be me…)
Link: http://theflashblog.com/?p=2027
/via Tony Hanna
Niels Hartvig has posted a video of his iPhone being axed.
Literally.
(Well, if you want to walk the talk, this is how to do it. I’d still have sold it off, but that’s just me, I guess.)
Fantastic story from Nick Sweeney on how his dad will find use in the iPad. He’s always been a maker. Whether it’s carving a miniature cricket bat or building a bed, this stuff comes natural to him.
The iPad (and whatever it drags along with it) will not stop his creativity; it will spur it on. He can find sketches, instructions and what else he needs to build stuff, but the world of the internet in general will also open up for him.
Nick Sweeney mentions the Wii as another example of how the world of “computing” has become more accessible for his dad. And that’s not because he can remove a couple of screws in the plastic box and tinker with the circuit board.
Au contrare.
There’s a liberation in open things (and opening things) but there’s a far greater one in how things can open up people.