08.14.12 |
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I like Pixelmator as a lightweight alternative to Photoshop. It’s perfect for a quick resize on an iPhone photo or Tumblr snippet before uploading or sending somewhere else. Yet I greatly dislike the Lion preferred auto save/versioning that comes with Pixelmator out of the box. It’s unnecessary and adds bloat to my throwaway, multi MB files.
After a few google searches, there’s actually a really simple solution buried in the support forums. Just one line in the console. Scroll to the thread buttom.
08.13.12 |
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Startup exec Josh Kerr:
Dalton claims that developers are frustrated with Facebook and Twitter’s ad revenue driven platforms that don’t do enough to cater toward developers. He is right, and there are plenty of examples of the pain that goes with trying to build on those platforms, but there just isn’t enough pain to support a completely new product like App.net.
App.net’s current appeal touches more on the anger in the developer community toward Twitter and Facebook and less on the need for another social platform. Once those two companies get their act together and improve their developer programs, the market will quickly loose interest in App.net.
08.13.12 |
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Gamer Hazzen on Ouya, the red hot Kickstarter funded gaming console:
I could go on and look at the other realities of this project, but I won’t. I don’t even care if the thing succeeds or not. I’m just sick of the breathless enthusiasm for a complete unknown in an exceedingly difficult industry.
Agreed. Hazzen goes on to rip apart the economics of this new gaming platform. Be it for big releases or even indie hits, the financial implications don’t seem sound. I don’t see this taking off. I’d expect a more integrated Mac/PC/iOS to TV gaming solution as a much more viable option.
08.10.12 |
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Speaking of Breaking Bad’s Hank Schrader, check out this 40 minute interview with actor Dean Norris on a recent episode of NPR’s Fresh Air. Excellent and revealing. (As a warning, there are some pretty **major spoilers** for the whole Breaking Bad series very early into the interview.)
08.10.12 |
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Seitz, as mentioned here before, is one of my favorite TV and film writers. He takes a bit of a departure with this week’s Breaking Bad episode recap, focusing more on the big picture and where the series is heading.
More than anything else, I loved this observation (major series spoilers ahead):
Walt’s actions in season two sparked a rampage by the Cousins that ultimately landed Walt’s brother-in-law Hank in a wheelchair and turned Hank’s wife Marie into his stressed-out nursemaid. And yet, perverse as it may sound, Hank’s journey is ultimately an example of positive change coming from trauma…He’s more observant, a better listener, and seems to have lost most of his arrogance. He’s smoother. He has gravitas.
This, more than anything else, makes me think it’ll ultimately be Hank who catches or trips up Walt: There’s an odd but pleasing symmetry to their stories.
08.10.12 |
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I had fun listening to hosts Tyler and David run through Nolan’s entire career. Look for some solid insights into the generally overlooked Insomnia and plenty of rants that pit the three Batman films against each other.
08.09.12 |
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File this under the “why didn’t I discover this earlier?” department. Instacss is a very straightforward, super quick CSS documentation repo. Up till now when I had to cross reference a CSS property, I usually ended up running a Google search with the term and ultimately navigating over to W3 Schools. W3 is still a sold resource, but Instacss is far more useful. It’s super fast with live examples and clear browser compatibility charts.
08.09.12 |
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If you’re looking for a good intro to front end semantic fundamentals, especially for non technical people, look no further. I dig the layout, the organization and its structure. There’s no fluff here – just the basic syntax with a few examples.
08.09.12 |
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Gamer Pete Davison argues PC gaming is strong:
There is no other platform on which you can have such diverse experiences as the PC. iOS certainly has a good go, but as days go on it’s abundantly clear that the mobile market is shifting very much in favour of “freemium” social games rather than truly inventive experiences. On the PC, meanwhile, the fact that it is such a free market out there — and easy to develop for (relatively speaking) — means that if you can imagine an experience you want to have, you can probably do so on PC.
Pete’s makes a strong point here against consoles. As I pointed out on last week’s post on Mass Effect 3, there’s a void in terms of indie releases and originality in current-gen consoles; just compare what’s out on Steam versus the XBox Live Marketplace or PSN. Yet I think he short changes the iOS and mobile market. There’s a lot of crap, but there are some great ideas out there, and its price and distribution constitute a threat to the PC market.
Don’t count consoles out either; we’ve got a good year before Microsoft and Sony unveil their next generation devices. With the right approach, they could really bounce back against mobile and PC competition.
08.08.12 |
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I’ve never attempted iced coffee at home. But I am a huge AeroPress fan – I deploy the inverted brew technique almost every morning – and Instapaper developer Marco Arment has what looks like a really cool recipe. I plan on giving this a try before summer ends.
(Yes, this is a bit off topic from what’s normally covered here, but many great developers and designers I know love coffee.)