I use a piece of software called Toodledo. If I had a list of the most important software in my life, Toodledo would be in the Top Five. As you might guess from the name, it’s a task manager, a “to-do” list. Of course, it’s much more powerful than a simple list of to-do’s you might write on a piece of paper. You can set priorities, group together tasks and set due-by dates. When it became apparent that it was time to phase out my Newton, I discovered Toodledo.com with a simple web search. That was over two years ago near the time that I bought my iPhone. Toodledo is especially elegant because it’s available wherever I go. They have a web client that you can use on any computer and they have special clients for iPhone and iPad. Those clients synch with the web version so your list is always up-to-date no matter which device you might be using. It’s essential to me because I’ll often think of something that needs to be done but I am not logistically able to perform the task at that exact time. If I don’t note it at that moment, I will often forget it for a very long time.
Continue reading “Toodledo Reveals a Part of My Soul”
DJ Demos Twin iPad Setup
I’m very excited about Apple’s new product. You may have heard of it, it’s called the “iPad.”
In all seriousness, though, from the day Apple publicly announced it, my feeling has been that this device could be groundbreaking with the right software. The video below demonstrates just how powerful and remarkable iPad software can be. In the video, Robert Scoble interviews DJ Rana Sobhany, who demonstrates the software she uses with two iPads to create music.
In order to get the full context, you have to watch the whole video. However, I’ve attempted to summarize below just how amazing software on the iPad can look and feel:
- 3:00: Demonstration begins for the Korg software
- 5:20: Explanation of what the Looptastic app does
- 6:10: Demonstration begins for how she puts it all together
- 6:50: Notice as she adds more music on the left iPad, she uses two fingers to drag two different things into the mix.
- 8:00: Again multiple simultaneous finger interactions with the controls.
- 15:44: Demonstration of using audio effects like the high pass filter
What I find amazing about this demo is that how obviously simple it is to use this software. When she drags things in from the musical palette, the motions she uses look completely natural and it’s obvious she doesn’t have to think about how to get where she wants.
At the beginning and end she makes the point that iPad applications are going to get better now that developers actually have iPads. The initial influx of apps were created using Apple’s software simulator that runs on a Macintosh computer. While it gives you a good idea about sizing of controls and such, there are many lessons you learn once you pick up the iPad and try to use an app. In the case of the Korg app (the first she demonstrates), it is obvious that the developers were seeking to mimic a “real” (i.e. hardware) component by having things like dial controls. Although they look cool, such controls will likely morph into other controls that are easier to control on the iPad (for example, sliders).
You can follow Rana Sobhany on Twitter or visit her website, destroythesilence.com.
The moon is in a phase and I guess that I am too
Last night Graham and Thomas had their final orchestra concert of the year. In anticipation of the event, several months ago I invited my mother to visit us at this time so that she could attend. Graham’s fourth grade orchestra was the first to play and they did a very nice job of showing how much they had improved during the year. After they took their bow, they all started off stage to make room for the fifth grade orchestra. As Graham stood near the edge of the stage waiting for the rest of the kids to move, he chatted and laughed with his nearby friends. I looked away for a second to talk to Tina and then we heard a crash in front of the stage followed by a gasp from the audience. Somebody fell. Tina asked, “Who fell?” Scanning the group near the commotion, I realized Graham was no longer on stage. “It’s Graham!” I told her as she stood and then rushed down the stairs to the stage.
Continue reading “The moon is in a phase and I guess that I am too”
UI Geeks Unite
One of the things I do in my profession is to design user interfaces for software. Most people probably don’t give much thought to how buttons, windows, menus and other elements come together to make your software experience understandable and enjoyable, but software professionals spend alot of time figuring those things out. Today a collegue sent me an excellent article called Visualizing Fitts’ Law, which describes a basic principle for deciding where user interface elements are placed on the screen and how big they should be. Although most of them probably don’t know it, one of the reasons that Mac people hate Windows is because the placement of menus doesn’t take advantage of infinite width.
Vital Statistics
Restaurants: Denny’s, Mel’s Drive-in, Thirsty Bear, Chevy’s, Hana Zen
Restaurants missed: Oola
Solicitations for money (estimated): 10
Solicitations for money involving singing: 2
Hands shaken (estimated): 12
Reported number of WWDC attendees: 5000+
Sessions attended: 9
Remaining sessions to attend (planned): 12
Weight lost: 58 lbs.
Hours of sleep last night: 7
Hours billed last week: 37
Aches & pains: lower back, both calves
Current reading: The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, The STL Primer
Recent listening: “Dani California” by Red Hot Chili Peppers (approximately 20 times)
Recent viewing: Stump the Experts 0x10
Recent playing: Pangea Arcade
Recently accomplished: Packed for WWDC, cleaned cat box, recycling
Imperative To Do: n/a
Vital Statistics
I called the number on the truck and got some more information:
- 1975 Ford F-100 with 124,000 miles
- Four on the floor, new clutch
- Rebuilt engine that has 24,000 miles on it
- New radiator
- Priced at $1800, but will sell for less (guy has a $1200 tax bill)
- He’ll let me drive it to my mechanic’s across town
- Has not done any work on the front end (including the bushings) and there is 2″ of sway (which might mean it’s hard to steer)
- Won’t go over 85 mph because of the four-speed, but gets 14 mpg because of the 2-barrel
I snapped some pictures this morning which I’ll put up later today.
Bike odometer: 5990 miles
Current reading: Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing, 9-11 by Noam Chomsky
McCartney Trivia: If is well-known by Beatle fans that “Sexy Sadie” was written for the Maharishi (substitute “Maharishi” for “Sexy Sadie” when singing). As the story goes, John became disillusioned with the Maharishi because the guru made a pass at a girl (often said to be Mia Farrow or her sister but was likely just a blonde who looked like Mia Farrow) in their camp. In fact, the allegation was probably fabricated by a guy named Magic Alex who was a well-known hanger-on who had attached himself to John Lennon. After Magic Alex got John worked up over the allegation of impropriety (which is not necessarily inconsistent with the Maharishi’s teachings), Lennon did not even allow the Maharishi to answer the charge – he just packed up and went back to England. Later, when recording the White Album, George begged John to change the lyrics because he still admired the Maharishi.
Recent listening: Decade, Amore
Recent viewing: Sportscenter, Countdown, Distraction, South Park
Recent playing: Poker Room
Recently Accomplished: New truck stuff, found my missing W2s
Imperative To Do: Taxes, lube bike, fix bike fender, fix bike pedal, take truck to John Mechanic
Cool link: The Development Abstraction Layer: Why are some software companies successful while others aren’t?
Vital Statistics
Bike odometer: 5953 miles
Current reading: Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now by Barry Miles, 9-11 by Noam Chomsky
McCartney Trivia: Ringo “quit” the Beatles for two weeks during the making of the White Album. While Ringo mulled his future on Peter Sellers’ yacht, the other Beatles continued recording “Back in the USSR” and “Dear Prudence” with Paul on drums. When Ringo returned, he found his drum kit wreathed in flowers with a large “Welcome Back” sign.
Recent listening: Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me, Science Friday, NPR Story of the Day
Recent viewing: Suns vs. Clippers, Mean Girls, Saw, Final Four
Recent playing: Poker Room
Recently Accomplished: cleaned and lubed bike, vacuumed house, entertained the Bartons, started taxes
Imperative To Do: Buy lug nut wrench and jack for van, finish taxes, figure out what to do about the truck
Cool link: Boot Camp: Apple released beta software to let you boot Windows on your Intel Mac. It will be included in their next OS version which is code-named “Leopard”.