Lobster Shanty

I recently installed a new application on my computer called Leap which is kind of a tagging, find it, organize it application. It does things we all wish the Mac Finder did, by itself.

I found this blog post from December 29, 2001, I thought I’d share.

One evening, my dad took us to Jack Baker’s Lobster Shanty, a little family-style seafood restaurant in Rio, Florida. You can read the entire history of the place on their website, if you like. I’ll save myself the trouble. But my dad orders chicken. Seems odd, wouldn’t you think, for a seafood place? Then he only eats half, and claims he’s sick. My mom blames it on the corn fritters which she adored. They had been fried, you see, and my dad doesn’t react well to fried foods. I had a crab cake and shrimp, and my mom ordered the entire fried shrimp dinner. At Jack’s, you get a choice of salad bar or chowder with your meal, and a seemingly complimentary little scoop of cole slaw. Odd, we thought. But my mom started on those hush puppies, pretty much ignored the slaw, and joined us at the salad bar. But come time for the entrees, she was unsure she could finish the large platter. I admit, I was pretty full upon finishing mine. It was decent food, not gourmet, but a worthy dinner. My mom–and this is the interesting part–claimed she was “done” when the waitress came to clear plates. She said, “Oh– you’re done?!” in a half-believed kind of way. The thing was, my mom’s plate was at first glance still very full. But upon close inspection, you could see that she had cleanly bitten-off only the tips of the shrimp. When questioned, “I don’t want to eat the tail.” Hmm. Seems to me you could divide a fried shrimp into thirds: tip, middle, and tail. But out of a petrid fear of getting to close to that handle of a tail (and I’ve known some Filipinos who eat the tail), she only ate the tips. It could have been said, “Oh, there’s a lemon-scented meal o’ SHRIMP TIPS over at table 4…” So yes, my mom only ate a third of her shrimp, the tips.

So, the next time you invite my mom over for a catered affair, be ready to sink an awful lot of money into shrimp tips, because she’ll leave the rest.

Apple Lisa

My dream machine.

This was the first GUI computer I laid eyes on; it was very early 1984 before Macintosh was released in our computer store, Mace Electronics.

It’s glowing light; the separate hard disk drive. And the mouse. Ah…

Martha and her MacBook Air

Martha Stewart recently blogged about getting a MacBook Air.

As long, longtime readers of biberfan most certainly know, I am not Martha’s biggest fan. I ate cake when she went to prison.

But in retrospect, I have watched some of her shows, and bought some of her ideas on paper. She’s certainly an inventive businesswoman, and you have to give her credit for that.

But reading her blog… and all the folks to read it… I began to think.

1. She gets blog traffic because she’s famous and people trust her judgement. She’s built brand, and she is the brand.
2. Any joe can start a blog and recommend products.
3. What’s the difference between her and someone else who’s in the know?

While I might go to Martha for a suggestion on cheap, good-looking sheets, I am not sure she’s the best authority for what computer to buy. Simply the fact that she prefers to work side-by-side with two suggests she’s not hitting either one very hard.

I have found many bloggers whose opinions and judgement I value; I likely value their judgement even more than some of these folks value Martha’s.

Now the question is: how many blogs do you follow written by felons?

Apple TV

Tonight, after contemplating a lot of hard work I’ve endured over the past couple of weeks, in addition to my current poor state of health, I decided I deserved “something” that I had been considering purchasing for about a year: Apple TV.

Some have passed this device off as “a flop.” Earlier, I got the Eye TV 250 to record TV shows from cable. What I did want was a TiVO-like solution without their subscription fee. While the Eye TV did its job, it didn’t put the shows on my TV (but did on my iPhone). I knew that maybe the Apple TV was going to be the solution.

Apple obviously sells this device, along with its iPod, and it’s no secret that once you buy the device, they hope you begin buying the TV shows, music (and now, movies). I already am paying over $100/month to Comcast, so I have little interest in paying Apple to watch TV.

But there is homemade content, podcasts, YouTube, Flickr, and music to contend with. And that’s where I see some value. So, with the introduction of Apple’s “Take 2″ version of Apple TV, I picked one up. The rest of this post details my experience.

The Box

There are three things in the box: the remote, the Apple TV, and sealed directions. I never opened them up.

The cords

My HDTV does not have HDMI; so I purchased an HDMI > DVI cable from the store. I also used some spare RCA plugs I had to connect the Apple TV to my Samsung television. The box also contained a power cord, and that got connected, too.

I am not sure if there is an “on/off” switch. Immediately, I began using the device, looking at settings, and playing back movie trailers off the Internet, after I connected the Apple TV to my computer and before that, to my home wireless network. The thing just “worked.”

Soon after, I began to install the update.

Take 2

The update took what seemed like 4-7 “restarts,” and while I knew it was doing “something,” some verbal feedback would have been helpful. Instead, a slowly-moving progress bar was the main type of feedback.

Next, once it finally booted, I made some settings changes: I moved from 720p to 1080i resolution. This worked on the TV, and there was a slight upgrade around the Apple TV graphics when it was observed “up close.” Next, I watched some HD movie trailers.

After owning this TV for some 2 years, I have never experienced such bright, crisp, and clear viewing as I did with these HD movie trailers. I felt TV was finally “being used” for what I got it for. Even the HD digital cable channels aren’t his good. I was impressed.

Next, I went to my Mac. This, with its iTunes software, is still a “hub” of the system. Back at the Apple TV, I could access a lot of my video podcasts, my entire iTunes collection, etc., etc. Basically, Apple TV was an extension of my computer for media. I liked this idea. I watched a number of podcasts, from things I have made at work, to TED talks, to how-to videos on graphic design topics.

The “MacBreak” podcast looked awesome.

As I type this downstairs, the computer upstairs is transferring a lot of content I selected (namely, the podcasts) to the Apple TV’s hard drive. My EyeTV software is transferring (compressing) my TV shows into AppleTV H.264-ready videos (thanks to the USB-based Turbo264). So, tomorrow, I can begin watching my recorded TV programs–get this–on TV!

I also looked at Flickr photos on the TV. Amazing brightness and clarity. It’s actually more fun watching vacation videos this way–on TV–than on the computer.

So, yes, I bought the Apple TV, despite some folks saying it was a flop. I might soon rent a movie via the new iTunes software. But having access to all my media in the comfort of bed, including the ability to watch YouTube, or listen to music while I read, will be great. So far, I’m a happy camper.

Update: After living with this for a few days, I have to say I am very disappointed with the arrangement. The EyeTV (using their newest 3.0 version of software, coupled with the Turbo264 accelerator) has been very disappointing. I am tired to writing complaints for support tickets to the company.

The idea is: record shows on computer, send to Apple TV. This works, but not very often!

Upon exporting the MPEG-2 encoded programming to the AppleTV-compatible H.264 Quicktime files, the exports will get “stuck.” Two whole days, and my computer could only churn-out 3 half-hour programs?? Gimme a break! I have had to restart the computer, cancel exports, etc., and it’s just so frustrating.

What’s more, the EyeTV software doesn’t “tell you” when it’s exported a copy of the show. No check-mark or anything. Just like you had never done a thing. It does move the files to iTunes, etc., but gimme a break. Let me know if you successfully exported the show/movie.

So, AppleTV’s effectiveness for my needs is less if this EyeTV partner-in-crime can’t keep up.

Update (March 2, 2008): I have had better success with an EyeTV software update with my AppleTV. It now doesn’t crash/hang when exporting recordings for MPEG-4. I need to figure out how/when to automatically dump the MPEG-2 versions to save space. The compressed versions in iTunes are fine enough for my watching needs.

I rented my first HD movie today with AppleTV. It hung 4 times. Getting it to start was rough; I am not sure what was up there; it hadn’t fully downloaded, but it wasn’t “up” yet to the part where it hadn’t progressed with the download. It also hung further along; but once some momentum had been acquired, the rest of the experience was okay. The HD quality looked good. You wondering what we watched? Hehe. Balls of Fury. Not a great movie, but not awful, either. I’m a big Walken fan, and old Max Zorin was great.

Full Potential

In reading about the Microsoft-Yahoo! merger proceedings, I stepped across this line describing Microsoft.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential. (emphasis mine)

I know this is 98% marketing hype, but does that belong in a statement like this? And if it weren’t hype, then what it suggests is quite bogus.

It suggests, at least at one level, that without their software, services, and solutions that you might not ever reach your full potential. That with Linux, or a Mac, or someone else’s word processor, you’re simply not going to be all you can be, because, well, they’ve designed their software in such a way to pull out your best.

I like this explanation, as it clearly gives a reason for why they make such bloated software, that many times has begged the question “who designed this this way?” from me. While annoying at the time, it was simply their great ploy at figuring out how to get my “wheels spinning” so to say, inspiring me with my creative thoughts, number keeping, and lofty presentation ideas. Thanks!

Mac Book Air

I don’t know why I feel compelled to speak about this, but I do.

There are a lot of people who don’t like the new MacBook Air from Apple, announced this week at Macworld 2008.

A colleague whom I work with mentioned he thought it would be the Mac Cube, take 2. Revolutionary, perhaps, but not a big seller.

I’d like one, myself, but I am not sure I need one. It would make an excellent machine for reading websites, checking mail, writing blog posts, and controlling music to my wireless hi-fi.

But the complaints swirl about a number of different areas:

• too big
• no Ethernet
• no optical disc
• needs a second computer
• no Firewire
• too expensive

I mean,cry me a river, folks. If you don’t want it, then don’t get it. Apple makes perfectly good laptops that have more ports, more power, more flexibility. They’re not that thick, either.

As always, Apple is making a statement here with Air. Thin is in, sure, but let’s cut back on the storage media and wires. It was gutsy with the iMac, and it’s about time someone challenged us with a product like the Air.

Corporate environment? Get a bigger laptop. One with a Kensington lock, etc.

Education? Same deal; get the cheaper laptop. No kid needs a $1800 laptop, when a $1000-1200 will do.

I think Apple does get in trouble when they try to establish that “3rd” in-between level in their product matrix. But it worked for iPod nano: small like a shuffle, but the screen/features of a classic. The Cube, I liked it. I’m sorry it didn’t catch on; it was perhaps too evolutionary for its time. But when you have two products that do not differentiate themselves terribly, putting a third in-between can be confusing to the customer. They’re going to see the extremes, and the product in the center suffers.

Apple needs a compelling reason to sell a super-thin computer. The space savings with the cube was negligible. Space-saving with this Air is several degrees richer: its design, new trackpad, and weight/physical dimensions are going to appeal to a good number of folks who want a good computing experience without the bulk.

I know for one, a very close friend bought the MacBook Pro because it was silver (aluminum). “Don’t like black, white looks cheap.” Okay, that’s your opinion, and you bought based on color. Now, he could have gotten the color he wanted at a cheaper price. He never uses Ethernet; he backs up to a Firewire drive (which also supports USB 2). Same screen technology, slightly more area. He would have been a good candidate.

My friend Todd thinks they’re going to sell like hotcakes. “Hotcakes, John, like hotcakes! So thin and supple… they’ll be the most popular Mac ever!” He may even have drooled. I’m less optimistic, but I don’t see 2008 as the year of cube, part 2.

Goodbye, Word

Not everyone likes using Microsoft Word. I bought Scrivener and used it to write my book (which is now available for preorder).

BluRay

I’m not so much into the “home theatre” experience, but it appears that Blu-Ray won.