@sean808080

We took a few hours to drive the Park loop which is about 30 miles but
full of views and lovely beaches. After that, on the way back to
Camp, we took the long way via Sargent Drive which some long time
campers didn't know about.

Sargent Drive loops along on the south east and gives some alternate
views of the water and the forest along the drive is absolutely
enchanted.

Set of photos here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sean808080/sets/72157624564009129

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

We took a boat ride out to Baker Island which is a small island that
had two homes owned by private families and a light house as well.
The families lived primitively and managed to survive with no
electricity or running water. There is a story that at one time a
pregnant woman walked miles across the sand during low tide to the
home of a doctor to give birth and after she was done she walked back
home.

The island is now part of Acadia National Park and is beautiful and
untouched. On one side it's green and full of troll homes. On the
other it's large rocks being pounded by the ocean waves. A very
special place.

The full set is here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sean808080/sets/72157624643915792/

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

So on day three we did a number of hikes.  One up to the north bubble and the other to the south bubble.  One of the 'bubble's, which are really nipple shaped mountains, has a rock hanging precariously off of it called...Bubble Rock.  The rock was left there by a glacier a long time ago.  NEWSFLASH!!!--->It hasn't moved.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sean808080/sets/72157624608482520

The reward for our strenous activities was a snack at Jordan Pond House.  The thing the restaurants is known for is something called popovers.  Popovers are a cross between a biscuit and a souffle.  They are light and fluffy and full of air.  Typically they are had with butter and strawberry jam but as I needed my nourishment, I opted for a popover ala mode which was served with home-made blueberry ice cream.  The picture I took of it I call 'popover porn'.  Wouldn't you agree?

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

So I"m beginning to go through my pictures from my trip to Maine.  There are way too many pictures and certainly more than people should be subjected to in one sitting.  I'm going to break it up by day and have a heavy hand on the delete button.  :-)

This set is from day 2 at Acadia.  We drove up to the top of Cadillac Mountain which is one of the highest peaks on Mount Desert Island where Acadia is located.  Lots of oohing and aahing was heard from all of the fellow tourists who took in the lovely views.  After Cadillac, we went to see our first bridge which Acadia is known for.  This one was at Bubble Pond and a quick walk showed the beautiful Bubble Pond itself.  The way it pops out of the trees is really magical.

Enjoy...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sean808080/sets/72157624593175996

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

After checking the AT&T coverage maps for Maine, I figured I'd be able to use my iPhone while on vacation visiting Acadia National Park.  The coverage map was surprisingly good considering....

So after I get to Maine, I immediately realize a few things:

1. Coverage maps lie.  The AT&T map showed that there was service in the area I was based in.  The iPhones we were traveling with were pretty much useless except on mountain tops or in downtown Bar Harbor.   

2. The iPhone 4 antenna despite its problems got a bar or two more than the iPhone 3G that my boyfriend was using.  Just to reiterate, in side by side usage, we were surprised to see the iPhone 4 always got a bar or two more than the supposedly antenna problem free iPhone 3G.

3.  Not all service level bars are created equal.  Even though we both had a few bars at the top of certain mountains [yes AT&T service in Maine was that awful!] we still had no data throughput.  That meant it literally took three days for an email sitting in my outbox to get sent successfully!  See this speed test as a typical result when using the iPhone in Maine. This speedtest was on a highway near Portland if memory services.

So to recap, I have seen no issues with the supposedly flawed iPhone 4 antenna design.  The antenna on the iPhone actually did a better job at pulling in service over the iPhone 3.  And AT&T still sucks....

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Hope it makes you smile too.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

So I was so unhappy with AT&T that I was willing to give another
carrier my business.

After doing some research, I looked at the HTC-EVO4G and thought I'd
give it a try. The phone itself is fantastic. A bit on the heavy
side but extremely fast and versatile. After being locked down by the
iPhone OS for the past few years, it was a joy to be able to customize
and download app updates immediately after the developers uploaded
them.

You'd think with a recommendation like that I'd be happy to keep the
EVO4G. Well, as I type this I'm resetting it to be returned back to
Sprint. Here are the reasons why:

1. The battery life is a joke. I gave the phone a test run as a
typical tourist in Philadelphia. Philly is the closest city that has
actual 4G coverage. The phone is one of the few that is capable of
using the faster 4G network.

That being said, the performance of the 4G network was awesome. It
seemed to give about twice the speed of the 3G network but at a huge
hit to battery life. The battery life on the phone is already AWFUL.
When the phone is connected to the 4G network it's UNUSABLE.

After doing a little sightseeing, taking a few photos, and using the
navigation to direct me around Philly, my phone was DEAD after just a
few short hours. Luckily I expected as much and was prepared but
honestly how can one really use the phone when it wont last a day in
typical use?

The nail in the coffin is how long the phone takes to charge the
battery. If it was possible to recharge the battery quickly then it'd
be workable. The phone takes a LONG LONG time to recharge its battery
so it's really a double whammy.

2. Sprint coverage at home is weak. In my living room, the phone
jumps between 1 and 3 bars and some of the people I spoke to said the
call quality was weak. When I called Sprint to find out what they
could do, the only option the CSR offered was to rent me a portable
femtocell device at $4/month. As a new customer, this is not a good
solution to their problem of weak coverage. They advertise that
they're in more places than ever. I guess that's true. Just not in
my living room in central NJ.

3. The final strike was the fact that just for the privilege of
having this phone, Sprint is charging ALL EVO-4G customers a $10USD a
month premium. This premium data feature is because the phone is
capable of using 4G network that Sprint is building. Unfortunately,
Sprint has decided to charge ALL USERS of the phone this premium
regardless of whether the 4G network is anywhere near them. While
they make it clear to prospective customers, it still doesn't make it
right that EVERYONE pays the premium even if they are never able to
access the 4G network.

So three strikes and the phone is out. It shall be going back to Sprint today.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

 

Ever since I started playing mandolin and learning about bluegrass
music, I was intrigued by the music festivals that happen in remote
parts of the country. These music festivals date back to the 1950s
and were the way people in the country got entertained. Unlike our
current entertainment options of overpriced concert tickets and acts
that usually can't play, these festivals were low cost, not a way for
musicians to get rich, and democratic.

You see in bluegrass there are no rock stars. The artists that play
on stage are usually humble and despite blowing you away with their
chops, they usually will come out and mingle with the crowd after the
show. In fact, some are known for letting fans play their instruments
regardless of how expensive they may be.

All this to say that when the opportunity to attend my first music
festival came up I jumped at the change. Delfest is a festival in its
third year and organized my the McCoury family headed up by famed
bluegrass vocalist Del McCoury. His family is known as one of the
most talented in acoustic music and his band is comprised mostly of
his sons.

This year I was even more excited to find out that in addition to the
top bluegrass artists [e.g. David Grisman, Darrel Anger et. al.]
Delfest was also featuring some of the best in the jam band music
scene. Bands like the Yonder Mountain String Band and amazing
multi-instrumentalist Keller Williams are more in line with the
college crowd rather than the blue-haired bluegrass world but the one
thing that unites them is the love of the high lonesome sound of
bluegrass. That and a mastery of acoustic instruments made the
line-up at Delfest too good to miss.

 

Someone was watching out for us green campers with our freeze dried
meals because as soon as we selected our campsite, a very nice couple
from Virginia decided to camp right next to us. After saying the
obligatory hellos, we came to learn that one of the campers is a
Culinary Institute of America trained chef. Not only that but they
took care of us feeding us delicious home cooked and healthy food. We
barely touched our freeze dried meals!

There was one day of hard rain that quickly turned everything into
mud. It became very primitive but as you may remember, I survived
Burning Man so I took it all in stride as did most of the campers.
After the rain was the heat but no matter because there was plenty of
great beer, good food, friendly people and amazing music.

 

And here are the pics from Delfest. I can't wait for next year!

 

 

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sean808080/4616606185/in/set-72157623961524811/

Made it to an interpreter training session in Rahway. Just so happened
there was a classic car meetup so here are some pictures of the
gorgeous retro cars.

The full set of photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sean808080/sets/72157623961524811

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

After being somewhat disappointed with the 'everything but the kitchen
sink' approach of Twittelator on iPhone, I was hesitant to pay up for
the iPad version of the app.

I have to admit reading about Andrew Stone, the app developer and his
interesting approach to life and software development I was a bit more
forgiving of his iPhone foibles.

When I saw a tweet by internet icon JP Barlow [yes of Grateful Dead
fame] putting Twittelator up as the best twitter app bar none, I
figured I'd bite.

Immediately after loading the app, my jaw dropped. Mr. Stone went all
the way 'out there' in his approach to redesigning the best twitter
app from the ground up. Some of the design choices are breathtaking
in their simple beauty and novelty while others are a bit short of the
mark.

Say what you will though, Twittelator on the iPad is like no other
twitter app and yes, it's true Virginia, there is no other app that
comes close to the level of user experience on iPad.

Some of the things that do work?

Multi page views of twitter data like the screen cap above. The
amount of space is maximized without crowding. In fact, there is
still free space avoiding the perception of over-crowding.
The slide to send tweet feature. Everyone else does the normal push
to send. This slide to send action requires a little bit more
intention avoiding accidental sends and is also a pure pleasure to
use.
Twitter lists implementation - makes using the somewhat cumbersome but
very useful twitter lists feature a joy to use.
Embedded media - twit pics and other media are embedded in the
timeline itself which isn't new but the way it's done here seems more
natural thanks to the adept use of space.
Drafts- The interface for writing drafts of tweets [and polishing them
until they're perfect] is so attractive it will get people started
with writing creative and thoughtful tweets very simply.
Fewer replies and stream of consciousness tweets is always a good
thing. The iPhone app "Birdcage" started this trend and Twittelator
on iPad's drafts implementation will add a shot of adrenaline and
[hopefully] many more followers to this important trend.

/////////////////////////////

Some misses?

There are still so many features that the app is bound to confuse
everyone at some point. The old adage of writing software so that no
manual is needed doesn't seem to be a goal. For example, there is
Posterous integration. What does it do? How does it work? What
happens when I enter my Posterous login? Will I regret it?

Uneven distribution of screen space. Some common complaints from
users is that there is not enough space devoted to the timeline and
too much space given to other parts of the app. For example, in the
drafts implementation the blank notebook gets a full 2/3 of the screen
but the timeline gets a paltry 1/3. Which side has info for users to
digest?

No Translation:  For an app that has so many features that boggle the mind, the fact that there is no translation feature seems like a strange oversight.  Even free apps like Twitterific [nice but not close] offer a feature to translate foreign language tweets into the language of the user.

To be honest, I had to reach a bit for the list of the shortcomings of Twittelator on iPad.  The app itself is such a home-run in user experience that Andrew Stone deserves all of the success that is bound to come his way with his app and approach to software development.  In particular, I support his 'free upgrades forever' approach. 

This 'deal' with buyers of his apps is bound to ensure loyalty in an otherwise everchanging market.  Where other software purveyors get you locked into their apps and charge for upgrades after you're hooked in: I'm looking at you [ 1password ] , the idea that you pay once and will get the necessary bugfixes and additional enhancements for anteing up the first time is VERY ATTRACTIVE and a great VALUE.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

This scene still sends chills:

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

 

So one week later here are my observations:

Battery Life:

It's amazing.  I haven't run out of juice yet, not even close.  Unlike the iPhone where you have to constantly carry a charger and worry that you'll run out of juice, the iPad battery life is great.  You can keep the screen cranked

Data usage

The iPad is known as a media consumption device.  That means it makes watching videos and listening to music so easy.   I often put it in the kitchen while I"m preparing meals so I can look up recipes and watch local news clips on the Yahoo iPad app.

All this to say that the media consumption facilities on the iPad translates into heavy bandwidth usage.  Simply turning this device on and doing a search or using an twitter app translates into a dozen or so MB of usage very quickly.  What does that mean? It means if you're going for the 3G model and not opting for the unlimited data plan, you may have a rude surprise ahead of you!

Screen

The screen is super sharp and very easy on the eyes.  It's much easier to use this device for long periods over say, the iPhone :-)  The only thing that makes me nuts is the oleophobic [is that even a word?!] screen. I'm assuming oleophobic means not liking oil but damn this screen loves to collect smudges, prints, and stains.   

The daily routine for me now is to clean the screen daily so that the screen isn't mocking me with the stains of usage.  Could you imagine cleaning your mac or pc monitor every day?!?!

Apps

iPad versions of apps [HD] usually cost more than the iPhone apps. No surprise there.  What is surprising is that some of the heavy hitting apps on the iPhone either aren't available or don't work as well on the iPad.  Apps like Facebook, Tweetie [I know I know], Tumblr aren't ready yet for iPad, therefore my app usage patterns on the iPad are quite different from the iPhone.

Also surprising is that some apps that are clunky and unattractive on iPhone really shine on the iPad.  Evernote is an example of one that falls into this category.

Keyboard

I know Apple is selling the new aluminum keyboard dock as an accessory.  I was _very_ disappointed to find out that my white Apple bluetooth keyboard won't pair with the iPad though the iPad supports bluetooth keyboard profiles.  :-(

In summary, I find the iPad a great alternative to the macbook or a pc.  In reality, I haven't sat at my macbook workstation for anything other than xCoding since I got the iPad.  It's a capable addition to a tech toolset and offers a more unique set of capabilities [with less duplication] than a netbook.

 

 

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

I decided to get an iPad. It was my first experience getting something from Apple on day 1. 

The experience was seemless and easy. I was home in less than 10 minutes once I got into the store.

Here are my initial impressions after setting it up and using it for about an hour.

Setup

The iPad surprised me when it offered to restore from my iPhone backup!  This was a great time saver as all of my apps and data could be ported over without too much trouble and/or typing. Some apps required me to re-enter passwords but for the most part I was up and running after the initial sync which took about 20 minutes, mostly due to photos and audio.

Sound

I played a video I had downloaded via one of my yahoo pipe video feeds.  Melissa Etheridge doing a ditty for Cable TV show-Nurse Jackie.  I was very impressed with the sound quality and volume.  Unlike the iPhone, the speakers on this thing almost make the iPad throb with bass.  Not too much to be uncomfortable but enough to make listening to music enjoyable even without hadphones.  I was very impressed here, mostly because I had _very_ low expectations.

Screen

The iPad screen as you probably know is strikingly sharp.  Photos and videos really come to life.  The screen of course shows fingerprints like nothing else but when the screen is clean and the resolution of the media is good, you're enjoying a very rich experience.

Apps

Speaking of resolution, this is an area where some apps are disappointing.  As I've been writing an iPhone app and using the iPad simulator, I had no idea at how poorly regular iPhone apps look when blown up to fullscreen [2x] mode on the iPad.  The text is almost unreadable it's so blocky and ugly.  The pictures below don't show how ugly it is when you're face to face with it.

YUCK. I sure hope all iPhone apps come out with iPad versions soon. It's really not much more trouble to resolve this issue and I'm pleased that so many apps are already at day 1 with iPad versions. There were a few notable exceptions though....Tweetie [I'm looking at you @atebits and @faceook ]

Aside from the resolution issue for old apps that haven't been upgraded, the selection of iPad apps is amazing considering it's day one.  A big surprise for me was Netflix.  Apparently you can watch movies and TV on your iPad with your Netflix account!  I'm considering reactivating netflix for just that reason.  Score one for netflix.

It's interesting as a software developer to see how some apps really shine when used on the iPad as opposed to the constrained iPhone. 

Evernote blew me away with it's performance on the iPad.  I'm a big evernote user. In fact, I pay for it!  I constantly complain about the iPhone app being crash-prone and slow.   On the iPad it flies and I'll definitely be using it more on that platform.  Of course, the first crash on the iPad was with Evernote but I'll still use it.  It's become a huge part of my workflow.

Maps on the iPad really shines.  Photos that are geotagged [e.g. taken with iPhone or put on a map at flickr] show up on a large map that fills the screen.  It really makes the utility of geotagging and any apps that are map-enabled evident.  Instead of the small iPhone screen displaying the map, you have a large useful map that is multi-touch enabled and responsive.

and speaking of speed...

Speed

The iPad really shines here.  The processor on this unit is 100 percent faster than the average iPhone.  Fully loaded, the iPad still responds lightning fast to user touch. It's a pleasure to use whereas I often descibe the iPhone as the iWaitPhone.

Keyboard

The onscreen keyboard was a big red flag for many early reviewers who felt it could be a problem.  I find it much more useful than the tiny iPhone keyboard.  Where the iPhone keyboard is cramped and error prone, the iPad keyboard is large and comfortable to use.  I find I make much fewer errors on it and can type much faster than on the iPhone [which isn't saying much really as I find the iPhone keyboard a chore to use].

 

Well that's my first read of the iPad. I can definitely say I"m very impressed with the device although the Apple case for it, not so much.  For $39 dollars I was very disappointed with the fit and value. I may return it in fact.  Any good case recommendations? Shoot them my way.

Back to x-Coding!

 

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

 

I really enjoyed myself. It was a nice escape from the day to day.

The amount of money pouring through the coffers of the hockey game
were astounding. The energy was a spectacle similar to the Romans and
the Gladiators?

The game was colorful, vibrant, celebratory, and bright. The
experience was enjoyable and I can see why people like going. It's
the opposite of staying home and watching in your quiet home. It's
brash and energetic. It's OK to be a drunken loud raucous fool in
this environment. The energy was decidedly male and positive.
Exuberant was the word I'd describe. We need more places to be like
that.

I saw lots of very happy kids. It's a place for kids to bond with
other kids and the grownups in their lives. I definitely pictured
taking kids there and having a good old time. Its certainly less
contrived than the circus which is a similar experience.

My favorite part was when the little kid teams played on the ice
during halftime. I thought the announcer called the teams, the little
cretins. Am I bad?

They were like little midgets trying to play hockey and being so
adorable trying. It was great fun watching them fumble around with
their gear. They were dressed exactly like the pro players except it
was as if they were hit by the shrink ray.

The kids must have been thinking this is the BIG TIME. I've made it.
It was great fun watching them. I can only imagine how proud their
parents must have been watching their little ones play hockey during a
pro game.

All in all it was a great time. It was made even better by the fact
that the NJ Devils won!

The only thing that rubbed me the wrong way was the chant of YOU SUCK
every time the home team scored a goal seemed classless. no
sportsmanship at all. I was embarrassed at first but felt a bit better
when I realize that not everyone was chanting that particular refrain.

Hockey is a great past-time and I definitely prefer it to the other
sports/entertainment options that are out there. I can't wait 'til my
next game!

 

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Some fellow early adopters I follow have been mentioning this new site
called http://750words.com The premise is simple. The site reminds
you daily to dump your thoughts free-form. The writing is meant to be
private and the goal is simply to write without fear. It sounded
interesting and the site is now open to the public.

To create an account, you simply login with your google, facebook or
yahoo credentials and off you go.

As someone who kept journals for many years, before this thing called
blogging, I found the idea very appealing. To keep it interesting,
the site will generate reports giving you some sense of trends in your
writing over time. Here's a sample report just from the first day of
writing.

Another twist is the monthly challenge. Basically, you create a
contract with yourself to write the 750 words daily without missing a
day. You set the reward you'll give yourself if you meet the
challenge. Conversely, you set the penalty if you don't meet the
challenge.

Does this sound interesting to you? Do you think it will catch on?

Obviously, I do. I signed up for April's challenge so wish me luck!

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

 

As I was reading the news with Netnewswire today, I thought it'd be
nice to tweet a news item that I wanted to share.

Of course a quick search brought me to a coder named Tinu's excellent
script to do just that.

Unfortunately, I'm a big bit.ly user and his script didn't use bit.ly
as the url shorten service so I modified his script to use bit.ly
authentication and history.

How nice to be able to send twitter messages from netnewswire and then
check on their shortened URLs in my bit.ly dashboard.

Here's the script in case you are a netnewswire who is also a user of
bit.ly as I am. :-)

How do you use it?

+++
--usage enter your bit.ly login and api_key in the second and third
lines of the script
--save to ~/Library/Application Support/NetNewsWire/Scripts
--Now you can access the script from the scripts menu on NetNewsWire.

+++

Hat tip to tinu at http://bit.ly/a4wfBB for giving me the base to build upon.

Curious about netnewswire, an awesome and FREE mac newsreader? Learn
more here: http://bit.ly/9o0ZbW

Permalink | Leave a comment  »