For those who are unfamiliar with me doing this, you can find previous year's Oscarblogging at:
Updates will be (mostly) placed at the end, so scroll down.
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Here's my report of two competing 3D systems, using Avatar as the test subject.
First, some preliminary reading: This report from the 3D Vision Blog is a rundown of the three 3D systems in widespread use in the US.
Right after it came out, I saw Avatar 3D in Santa Rosa using the Dolby 3D system, and then in February at the Metreon in San Francisco using the IMAX 3D system (this is a real IMAX theater, not a dinky IMAX Lite theater). Afterwards, I struggled (still am, actually) to quantify the difference. But I enjoyed the movie both times.
OK, the IMAX screen is way bigger and the sound was better. But we...
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Earlier today, I was using Pages '09, and I attempted to open a document that I'd opened many times before, though perhaps not since upgrading to either iWork '09 or Snow Leopard. Boom. Pages crashed (that's what happens when programs "unexpectedly quit") and the error message said Pages quit unexpectedly while using the SFWordProcessing plug-in. Searching for the error online showed several possible causes and solutions for the crash, but it appears to be a font problem, and often seems to be connected to the version of Hoefler Text that ships with Snow Leopard. It's also not limited to Pages; other iWork programs have the same problem, as does iWeb, which is part of iLife. The document that I'd been...
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Because the iPad is meant to be held in the hand.
The main reason for the iSight cameras on Macs or Apple monitors is to do video iChats (yes, I know about Photo Booth, which people use once, go "Huh." then forget about). If you were to try to do video chats on an iPad, held in your hand, the video would shake and move all the time. And that's a bad user experience. Apple doesn't do those. You can fix the problem some with image stabilization software, but probably not enough for a 10-minute chat using a camera forced to have a narrow field of view. And a stand would be a simple solution, but they've mostly come...
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There's been a lot of screaming and ranting lately over the current state of HTML5—what is it, what's in it, who controls it, who will implement it, and so on. There's no shortage of good essays, and here are some places to start if you want to learn more.
However, if you want to be taken seriously as a web pundit it seems to be a requirement that you put in your own two cents, so here's mine.
If you've seen me at any web-related conferences in the last few years, you've probably seen me wearing a button like the one on the left (if...
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I'm doing a two-hour, hands-on session on iWork's Pages application at Macworld Expo on February 9:
Building Better Documents with Pages
Pages, part of Apples iWork suite, makes it easy to create great-looking documents, whether for print or electronic distribution. Because Pages is both a word processor and a page layout program, theres a lot of hidden power and flexibility in the program. In this hands-on, beyond-the-basics lab session, youll learn how to create Pages documents that get your message across with clarity, strength, and excitement. By harnessing the power of Pages, along with practical layout and design tips, youll leave the session knowing how to build better documents with less effort.
In this session, youll learn:...
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Today marks a big milestone for us: we've lived in this house for 10 years. We moved in December 23, 1999 (only four months later than the builder's original promise!). Dori reminded me of the original site we did to document the move (we didn't call it a "blog," as the term hadn't been invented yet).
Since then, we've grown to appreciate what a special community this is. We love living in Healdsburg, in the middle of the Sonoma wine country. We've had some great experiences here and made some great friends along the way.
Aerial image...
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Last night, we had Thanksgiving dinner with friends here in Healdsburg. We were tasked to bring the wine, and I'm pretty pleased with the selection of local wines. I'd recommend them all. I'm doing this post as a record of the wines.
To accompany the yummy appetizers, made by our friends Marc and Stormy (a peanut curried chicken in crispy cups and a cheese mixture around asparagus hearts), we opened a Toad Hollow 2007 "Eye of the Toad" Pinot Noir Rosé. Light, but very tasty.
For the white wine drinkers, there was a Hawley Vineyards 2006 Viognier. I tasted this after the meal, because I'd been drinking the reds, and it was really good.
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Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dragontomato/ — cc by-nc-nd 2.0
Somehow, this blog's tenth birthday snuck up on us—and yes, this blog really is ten years old. In Internet years, that makes it what, 70? Which, I guess answers the question as to why events sneak up on us, and we can just chalk it all up to incipient senility.
I could say lots of things about the last decade: where we started, where we've traveled, or where we are now. Or about how this blog has evolved into something other than my initial expectations. Or about how blogs themselves have changed overall. Or about the number...
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Today was Aston Martin day here in Healdsburg. First, I saw a car that I'd seen before in passing, but not close up: a beautifully restored silver DB5 (the Connery Bond car, which was made between 1963-1965). Close up, it was simply gorgeous. I'm no expert in car restorations, so I don't really know what to look for, but this car was sweet.
After that, I happened to park next to a rare 1973-1978 V8 Series 3. The Series 3 was black and looked like it needed some work; the paint was dull and it was kind of dirty.
It's interesting to learn just how few of these cars were made; the DB5 is a filmic...
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Are you in Northern California? Looking for something to do this Saturday?
If so, come and join us at the Mac Computer Expo in Petaluma, put on by NCMUG. It's the best (not-so-)little Mac show since the good ol' days of MacFair LA.
Want to know more? Here's the speaker list and schedule.
Free admission and free parking!
And please: stop us and say Hi!
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I know that, oddly enough, there are people who get their tech news from this site. If that's you, here's your heads-up that Mac OS X 10.6, aka Snow Leopard, will be out on Friday. Want to get a copy ASAP? Here's some Amazon links for you: Mac OS X version 10.6 Snow Leopard and Mac OS X version 10.6 Snow Leopard - 5 seat family pack.
And on the off-chance you didn't know this, either: it's Intel-only, so if you have an older PowerPC Mac, you're out of luck. Pffft.
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Today is the twentieth anniversary of my mother's death.
I can't help but think of all the things she missed in my life. The end of my first marriage. The second marriage that would have brought her a new daughter-in-law and a grandson.
When she died, I had barely begun my career. I was in the middle of writing my first feature story for Macworld, which ended up being the cover story early in 1990. Later that year, I was named a Contributing Editor for the magazine.
She missed my first book, which wasn't published until five years later. Now I'm closing in on my fortieth book. She would have been proud. We dedicated our JavaScript book...
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As Congress goes into recess, the prospects for health care reform look decent. That has spurred the opponents of reform -- who apparently just love the current system -- to use every means at their disposal to fight it. That includes thuggish behavior at Senator's and Representative's town halls (there's even a manual of how to behave badly being distributed by an insurance lobbyist).
The tactics also include a long chain email that purports to go through many portions of the House reform bill, and tells you what is in the bill, with scary detail of what a hellish thing reform will be.
Almost everything in the email is a lie.
If and when you get...
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A quick quiz for those of you who attend tech conferences. You're organizing a "Women in Tech" panel, and you have the following panelists:
Which of the below do you add as the final member of your panel?
Put your answer in the comments, please.
