May 2012
4 posts
7 tags
Daylite 4 →
The last major project I worked on during my five year career at Marketcircle went live today.
5 tags
The App Store makes things easy →
Ben Brooks, after linking to Andy Ihnatko’s article “The Mac App Store: Falling In Love Again”:
Andy Ihnatko:
“But damn, yes, the Store makes life so much easier for every user.”
I can’t tell you how many hours I have spent trying to dig through old emails and guess at old passwords to get registration credentials for old software. That used to be the sole...
6 tags
Coda 2 & Diet Coda →
Just bought Coda 2 and Diet Coda even though I have absolutely no use for either of them right now.
5 tags
A few wishes for iOS 6
There are a few things I hope Apple addresses in iOS 6:
The App Store download experience
A lot of people have already written about search, discovery, and curation (see Federico Viticci’s article on MacStories), so I won’t talk about that.
Back in 2010 I wrote an article about the download experience in the App Store and since then not much has changed (other than an increase from...
April 2012
6 posts
2 tags
Goodbye Marketcircle
When I started working at Marketcircle in May, 2007, I’d been a PC user all my life.
The Mac was almost entirely new to me – but after using one for only a few hours, I realized it was different. I knew it was better.
Shortly after I bought a Sony Ericsson to replace my Motorola flip phone. A few days later the iPhone was announced. Unfortunately Canada wouldn’t officially get the...
4 tags
Readability introduces "Iris" →
Isn’t that “Siri” backwards?
4 tags
The problem with 500px replacing Flickr
I’m not sure it will, and if it does, not for some time, but if 500px ever replaces Flickr it may cause a few problems. For me at least.
I talked about how I use both 500px and Flickr, back in February:
The way I see (and use Flickr) currently, is essentially photo hosting and backup in the Cloud. My Contact list isn’t huge, and it’s mostly comprised of a few close friends that have an...
2 tags
Another shitty thing about LinkedIn
After seeing Jim’s post about Kicking LinkedIn to the curb, I figured I’d mention another shitty thing they do:
When viewing someone’s profile (perhaps after they’ve applied for a job you’re interviewing people for), if you click on the “Follow @twitterID” button:
…it takes you to directly to Twitter and actually FOLLOWS the person.*
This just...
7 tags
This is the mail system →
Sebastiaan de With on just how badly undelivered email notifications are:
That email I got back was apparently because my attachments were too large. I can barely read that email — let alone my grandmother. Machines can read it just fine, though. Here’s an idea: machines shouldn’t slap us in the face. They should help us along if they fail to do our bidding.
This couldn’t be more true.
...
7 tags
An interview with Matt Rix
Matt Rix is the man behind Trainyard, the popular puzzle solving game for iOS.
After reading some of his inspirational blog posts about the challenges and success he’s faced as an indie game developer, I decided to get in touch with him.
Tell us a bit about yourself. What are your interests? What kind of music do you listen to? Where’ve you traveled to? Favourite TV show?
My name...
March 2012
4 posts
4 tags
Simplicity and Obviousness →
A nice short piece from Sebastiaan de With’s new blog about UI design in iOS.
Sebaastian writes:
Clear is a great example of this: for me, it was a delight to figure it out, but one of my older family members was less than delighted by it: the lack of visible features she was so used to intimidated her.
Clear is the perfect example. A lot of my non-techy friends downloaded the app and...
2 tags
An interview with Mike Piontek
Mike Piontek is a designer and developer at Junecloud – and he’s the owner, too.
After Mark Jardine mentioned Delivery Status touch as one of his favourite 3rd party iOS apps, I figured I’d get in touch with Mike and learn more about him and his company.
Tell us a bit about yourself. What are you interested in? What kind of music do you listen to? Where have you been?
Big question!...
5 tags
Dom Leca on Sparrow for iPhone →
Great interview by Matthew Panzarino with Sparrow founder and CEO, Dominique Leca. Very interesting to learn how Sparrow’s board of advisors came to be.
5 tags
An interview with Todd Garland
I interviewed Todd Garland a couple years ago but figured I’d catch up with him and do it over since a lot has changed since then, especially with BuySellAds.
Todd’s the founder and CEO of BuySellAds, an online marketplace dedicated to helping online advertisers and website publishers buy and sell ads better. They also recently acquired Fusion Ads.
I’ve worked with him for a...
February 2012
13 posts
4 tags
The Verge strikes again →
Ben Brooks caught them in action again.
6 tags
I'd expect better etiquette from The Verge
Earlier today a friend of mine tweeted about The Verge’s post “Watch all 84 iPhone commercials in one place”.
When I opened the article I was expecting to see 84 thumbnails for iPhone commercials – instead, all I found was a short paragraph and one embedded YouTube video.
I looked around for the rest of the commercials and couldn’t find them.
I checked the two links...
9 tags
An interview with Mark Jardine
Right before Tapbots launched Tweetbot for iPad (and Tweetbot 2), I had the privilage of asking Mark a few questions.
Of course after seeing the release I decided to bother Mark again with some slightly updated questions, touching on their latest product, Tweetbot for iPad.
Tell us a bit about yourself. Where have you traveled to? What kind of music do you listen to? What are your hobbies?
...
4 tags
Speaking of 500px
Speaking of 500px, they rolled out a new version of their website today, and from what I’ve seen so far it’s great stuff!
4 tags
Flickr's upcoming makeover
I first learned of Flickr’s upcoming makeover from Shawn King’s post on The Loop.
Jim links to Betabeat’s article “Flickr Is Getting a Major Makeover” which provides more detail about the upcoming changes:
The new photo view will hit on Feb. 28, Mr. Spiering said, and with it comes a new upload interface. Flickr’s uploading page now looks more like an app than a...
4 tags
An interview with Stephen Hackett
I recently interviewed Stephen Hackett, producer of 512 Pixels.
Tell us a bit about yourself.
Well, I’m 26 and from Memphis, TN. It’s my hometown, but I’ve never been in to Elvis that much. I do however, have an accent, drive a truck and like BBQ.
I’ve been married five years to my high-school sweetheart. We have two kids, the oldest who has brain cancer (but is doing very well).
What was...
5 tags
How to live to be 100+ →
To find the path to long life and health, Dan Buettner and team study the world’s “Blue Zones,” communities whose elders live with vim and vigor to record-setting age. At TEDxTC, he shares the 9 common diet and lifestyle habits that keep them spry past age 100.
National Geographic writer and explorer Dan Buettner studies the world’s longest-lived peoples, distilling...
4 tags
The world's first GPS Micro Optics Displays for... →
MOD & MOD Live are the world’s first GPS enabled head mounted displays for alpine use. Track Speed, Altimeter, Jump Analytics, Distance, Vertical, Odometer and Temperature stats in real-time. MOD LIVE also connects with Android smart phones to bring buddy tracking, MP3 playlists, navigation, wireless camera connectivity, SMS and caller ID apps to the dashboard. MOD and MOD Live can be...
4 tags
Cancel Video Recording on iOS
Wouldn’t it be nice if you could?
It get’s really annoying when you’re filming things – for example something that you’re trying to get just right (e.g. that perfect skateboard trick) and you end up with fifteen “junk” videos in your iPhone Camera Roll.
Oftentimes you’re only a second or two into a video recording when you realize you want to trash it. It’d be awesome if there was a...
3 tags
Ring Around a Tree →
At the Fuji Kindergarten, “Ring Around a Tree” by Tezuka Architects promotes freedom of movement as a tool for learning
5 tags
An interview with Jim Dalrymple
I recently had the pleasure to interview Jim Dalrymple, a great friend, and the man behind The Loop.
Jim’s been following Apple and its products for the last 17 years. He was one of the original members of MacCentral, and held several positions at Macworld during his 10 years there, including Editor at Large.
Jim left Macworld in May, 2009 to start his own publication, The Loop.
Tell us...
2 tags
You will be disappointed →
If you don’t offend someone, you won’t amaze anyone.
3 tags
The iPhone "flashlight"
Ever since Apple introduced the iPhone 4 with an LED flash, people have been legitimately using their iPhones as flashlights.
I say legitimately because there were apps shticks from day one in the App Store that produced a solid white screen, aka “flashlight”.
There’s an endless supply of Flashlight apps in the App Store (some paid) that will turn on the iPhone LED light when...
January 2012
6 posts
4 tags
Carbs Are Killing You (infographic) →
It’s amazing how much better you feel when you cut the big carbs (bread/pasta/rice/beer, etc.) out of your diet for a few weeks.
4 tags
An interview with Marcelo Marfil
I initially interviewed Marcelo Marfil back in 2010. I decided to catch up with him recently to see what’s new – here’s what he had to say:
Tell us a bit about yourself. What are your hobbies? Where have you traveled to?
Hello, I’m a 27 year old visual designer from Brazil. When not working, I study english, read some books and watch lots of TV shows and movies. I recently...
4 tags
Another answer to the "iPhone Mute Switch" problem
There’s been lots of discussion about how the iPhone’s mute switch should behave. It all spurred from a NY Times piece about someone’s iPhone marimba ring interrupting a symphony performance.
John Gruber examines this and concludes that Apple’s current behaviour is correct:
I think the current behavior of the iPhone mute switch is correct. You can’t design around every...
3 tags
5 Minutes on The Verge: Sparrow's Dom Leca →
A great interview with Sparrow’s Dominique Leca. I found this stat particularly impressive:
80% of our traffic comes from the Mac App Store. It works.
5 tags
Tap & hold on a date to create an event in...
I stumbled upon this the other day by accident when browsing through Calendar on my iPhone:
If you tap and hold on a particular date in Calendar for iPhone, the box will flash blue twice and a new event will be created.
Saves you from having to scroll through the date picker – especially handy when dealing far into the future.
2 tags
Back to reality
After a couple weeks in the Rocky Mountains it feels good to be back at work.
While I was on vacation I finally got around to editing some photos from recent travels.
Click on an image to jump to the corresponding set on Flickr.
Alberta/BC
Toronto at Dusk
London, UK
December 2011
2 posts
2 tags
Elevation Dock: The Best Dock For iPhone →
I’ve never used the Apple dock but his thing looks great.
It’d be great for my desk at home and in the office, but even better as a bedside stand (no more fumbling to grab and unplug my iPhone in the morning when I’m grumpy and my hands haven’t started working yet).
Update #2: Zero to $25k in the first two hours. Speechless.
It’s so awesome that someone can have...
4 tags
Learn from Mark Cuban →
After hearing Barbara Corcoran speak at The Art of Sales in Toronto last week (which I highly recommend attending) I started watching episodes of Shark Tank in my spare time.
Seeing Mark Cuban on the show reminded me of a post I read on his blog some time ago and prompted me to refresh myself of it.
If you haven’t read his post about Success and Motivation I highly recommend you check...
November 2011
7 posts
4 tags
The tools I use
I put a page together to showcase the tools I use.
The page provides a bit of insight into the hardware and software I use on a regular basis, as well as the different atmospheres in which I work.
If you have any questions about anything I’m using, feel free to drop me a line.
Thanks to Chris Bowler’s latest site refresh for the idea!
2 tags
500px →
It seems this website has mostly gone unnoticed (I only found it myself recently), so I’m trying to spread the love.
If you appreciate great photography, you’ll truly enjoy this.
You can view recently popular photos here, or check out some of my favourites.
5 tags
Saved Images Album for iOS
Why are images saved from Mail and Safari (or screenshots taken on the device) placed into the Camera Roll in iOS?
The Camera Roll album in the Photos application should contain the photos of people, places, and things you’ve photographed – not images saved from within the device (especially the screenshots taken with it).
With iOS 5 you can create albums on the device for images you save, or...
4 tags
The unreasonable customer →
Seth Godin:
In general, organizations are afraid to fire customers, no matter how unreasonable. This is a mistake. It’s good for you.
Once in a while we (at Marketcircle) have to let a customer go, but it’s usually for the best (for both parties). Sometimes telling an unreasonable customer the truth – that it just can’t happen (whatever they’re demanding), is the best...
7 tags
An interview with Aaron Mahnke
I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Aaron Mahnke, a designer, writer, and the curator of Read & Trust
Tell us a bit about yourself. We know you love writing and design – care to share a bit more about your personal side?
First and foremost I’m a husband and father. I’m pretty lucky to have an amazing wife who encourages me to pursue my dreams and try new things....
3 tags
Minimalist effect in the maximalist market →
Antrepo’s last project is about simplicity and we try to find alternate simple versions for some package samples of the international brands. We think almost every product needs some review for minimal feeling.
I disagree with some of the minimizing, but the Durex redesign is quite good. They did some more here too.
2 tags
Fusion Ads acquired by BuySellAds →
I was a bit shocked when I first heard the news but I wasn’t worried for a second.
I’ve worked closely with both Chris Bowler and Todd Garland over the past couple of years and I’m 100% confident that Fusion will live on with the same class and performance it’s known for.
Congratulations to both parties – Chris for a successful venture, and Todd for the great addition to...
October 2011
12 posts
3 tags
Lytro →
Capture everything - instantly.
Capture living pictures with the press of a single button. By instantly capturing complete light field data, the Lytro gives you capabilities you’ve never had in a regular camera.
Focus after the fact.
Since you’ll capture the color, intensity, and direction of all the light, you can experience the first major light field capability - focusing after...
4 tags
An interview with Francisco Inchauste
I had the great pleasure of interviewing the fabulous designer and writer, Francisco Inchauste late last year. Initially published for Royal Thoughts, I thought it’d be great to share it again here:
Bio:
As a Senior UX Design Specialist, Francisco Inchauste works to deliver solutions that balance beauty with function. He has spent the past decade working with large and small companies on...
5 tags
What we can learn from Dunder Mifflin CEO, Robert...
Robert California, CEO of Dunder Mifflin Paper Company, Inc. in a recent episode of The Office:
Take a look at where you are.
Where you once worked in a dying industry, you now work at it’s birth. Those superstores are terrified of us.
Anybody know why?
Phyllis Lapin-Vance, sales representative at Dunder Mifflin:
They’re terrified?
Robert California:
Let me tell you how I...
4 tags
Now I'm cheesed
Bad customer service really pisses me off.
I just came back from lunch at South St. Burger with my friend and colleague, Matthew.
Matt also happens to be the head of Customer Service at Marketcircle, where we both work.
A pleasant cashier took our order, and we both both asked for Cheeseburger combos.
When I got to the burger staging area, after providing the sandwich maker the list of...
2 tags
Into the Wild – a set on Flickr
Finally finished post-processing and uploading the photos from my adventure in the wild.
A few of my favourites:
Check out the full set on Flickr.
3 tags
Review: The Art of FLIGHT
I saw The Art of FLIGHT last night at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Toronto.
I had previously mentioned that:
This looks to be the Planet Earth of snowboarding films.
That was pretty spot on.
The cinematography, post-production, and overall film-making quality was exceptional. Better than a lot of major motion pictures.
The scenic locations were breathtaking, the snowboarding...
3 tags
iPhone speaker location →
Dustin Curtis:
On the other hand, I’ve always been slightly irritated by the iPhone’s speaker. I felt that putting it at the bottom of the phone was awkward, because it’s not pointing toward me when I put the phone flat on the table. But, as it turns out, it was put there for a reason: no matter how you put an iPhone down on a surface, it’s almost impossible to cover the speaker.
Yet another...
3 tags
My favourite tiny tweak in iOS 5
After seeing Ben Brook’s tweet linking to David Spark’s post “Six Mostly Irrelevant iOS Changes that Make Me Smile”, I decided to share one of MY favourite minor changes in iOS 5.
When sending text messages in iOS 4, you’d often be faced with the half message/half keyboard screen.
This screen was useful when you were writing a message (obviously), but annoying when...