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Talking to Siri: the glass half-empty edition
Siri is not Glass. And it's just fine with that. Steven Sande and Erica Sadun have been working on the third edition of Talking to Siri, the book that covers all the ins and outs of everyone's favorite digital assistant.
Talking to Siri: Poof. You're a sandwich.
A man walks into a pub holding a cheese sandwich. "A pint of beer for me and the cheese sandwich, please," he says. "Sorry," replies the bartender. "We don't serve food here." Steven Sande and Erica Sadun have been working on the third edition of Talking to Siri, the book that covers all the ins and outs of everyone's favorite digital assistant.
Forget the standard print dialog: ClarusX2014 is changing orientation one print dialog at a time
Recently, Apple marked a major Mac anniversary. Celebrate the next 30 years of Macintosh by ditching this guy and replace him with a classic Clarus in your print dialog. Roby Sherman's ClarusX2014 offers a full rewrite of ClarusX2005, escorting dogcattle into the age of Mavericks. It provides an AppleScript-based utility that updates your page setup and print dialog icons. You'll need administrator privileges to install any of the supplied custom icon sets shown at the top-right of this post. If you're of an artistic bent and want to make your own 32 x 32-pixel TIFFs, you can use the utility to completely customize your experience. Me? I went with the QuartzClarus set. Now I find a smile whenever I print. Moof! Hat tip Mike Shields
Talking to Siri: 'Dammit, Jim -- I'm an intelligent assistant, not a doctor!'
Dammit, I'm an iPhone not a Star Trek compendium Steven Sande and Erica Sadun have been working on the third edition of Talking to Siri, the book that covers all the ins and outs of everyone's favorite digital assistant.
Talking to Siri: Which came first?
Siri won't tell you the answer. But it does know. And the answer would blow your mind. Steven Sande and Erica Sadun have been working on the third edition of Talking to Siri, the book that covers all the ins and outs of everyone's favorite digital assistant.
A year with FreedomPop: how did it go?
About a year ago, I wrote about FreedomPop's new data service and shortly thereafter signed up for an account. I opted into the Free 500 MB plan, which offers half a gig of data per month, with additional data available at US$20/gigabyte billed in $2 increments. To get that free data, you had to put a "deposit" on a device -- a "deposit" that was really an upfront cost if you continued using the service. (You lose the deposit and the device becomes yours after a certain number of months.) You can think of it as pre-paying for the first year of data, which turned out to be slightly over $100 for me after all was said and done, or about $8/month for the first year of 500 MB allotments. Now a year later, I'm pretty satisfied with what I purchased and I have regularly used the data when I've been out and about. I've routinely connected my data to any number of devices. This is one of the big advantages of going with a router rather than a device-specific solution. It works with laptops, iPads, Kindles and so forth. You do have to remember to charge and manage the tiny puck, so that's one extra thing to carry around. Keeping on top of your data usage is key. In my first write-up, I mentioned how important it was to disable the auto-top-up feature. That feature automatically adds a data purchase after you use 400 MB of bandwidth. What I didn't realize is that even with that feature disabled, after reaching your 500 MB limit, the data doesn't shut off. You simply keep going and get billed $2 per 100 MB. I have a strict rule now for the family -- each time someone uses the FreedomPop router, they must make the iPad forget that network. This ensures that the device doesn't auto-connect and start sucking down data when you think you're using the home network instead. It's a bit of a pain typing in the password for each connection, but far less painful than $20 per inadvertent gigabyte. I don't mind paying the extra cash when I know that I'm intentionally buying that bandwidth. It's doing so by mistake that really stings. (To keep your data flowing, you must always have an active credit card registered with Freedom Pop.) Over the last year, I did run into one strange service issue at one point, which frustrated me, but eventually was resolved. FreedomPop's customer service was slow compared to other tech companies, but it did eventually respond. ("We apologize for the inconvenience, but we were experiencing a bug in our system that is causing an incorrect billing display on your account page.") The company seems to be working on improving its reputation, especially if you look around the reviews and Q/As for its various products on Amazon. For that reason, I feel comfortable cautiously recommending the service. It compares favorably to other freemium options like that offered by T-Mobile, although I have yet to try the T-Mobile plan. (Under T-Mobile, you get 200 MB free per month and then purchase additional data.) The most important thing to consider when evaluating whether these kinds of plans are right for you is how you use your data. Are you a light user who just wants to check email on the go? Or do you intend to heavily browse the web and get work done? Data prices generally go down in unit cost the more you buy. Budget solutions like FreedomPop's 500 MB plan work best for those who need only the lightest levels of connectivity and it's been a very nice perk for me and my family this year.
Tempering your smart phone addiction
When the iPhone launched in 2007, geeks were suddenly granted instant access to various forms of trivial facts and Google searches, powered by an always-on unlimited data plan. This neither made them more fascinating conversationalists nor better company. Being able to instantly whip out a Web search when someone cannot remember who directed Lawrence of Arabia isn't a social grace worth cultivating. Trust me on this; I speak as a repeat offender. When Siri landed on my phone in 2010, things only got worse. Instead of laboriously tip-tip-tapping away I could dictate my fact-proving questions in just moments. "Siri, what is the boiling point of iron?" or "Siri, how many dimples are on a golf ball?" or "How many Earths fit inside the Sun?" And Siri would know the answer for me. It's ridiculous how easy Siri makes it to look up information. And yet, at the same time, I know exactly how much most standard-issue people care about this kind of knowledge. Exactly zip. While friends and acquaintances may fake interest in my various offspring and their accomplishments, one must draw a line with regards to generic trivia or the Factual Hounds of War will not be stopped. For me, that generally means placing my iPhone in my backpack and not removing it until dinner has concluded. During that time, I engage with the people around me and avoid flooding them with insanely cool and interesting facts. This is called "normal life." Of course, all bets are off when my dinner mates are geeks themselves. In which case, all our phones will be out, and we will share the boundless joy that is the absurd trivium. We each of us find our own special moments. Siri has its time and its place. The secret is learning when and where that is. Are you a recovering smart phone addict? Share your tales of success in the comments.
Talking to Siri: Everyone's a critic
We suppose there's no accounting for taste. Steven Sande and Erica Sadun have been working on the third edition of Talking to Siri, the book that covers all the ins and outs of everyone's favorite digital assistant.
Weird and amazing Macs that aren't exactly Macs
If you haven't heard of the upcoming 1984-2014 Maciversary, well either you aren't paying attention or perhaps you have an actual life. Us? We've been going back and forth talking about this thing for the last month. And one of our most contentious issues involves what exactly counts as a Mac. Some systems are obviously Macs. This? This is a Mac. It's a happy Mac! This? This is not a Mac. It's an Apple II. And while many laypersons might not be able to differentiate between a Mac and an Apple II ("Most people now don't know the difference between an Apple and a Mac. Maybe the people reading our site, yes, but not an actual layman.") we can state for certain that this is completely and utterly not a Mac. This is a Macquarium, a phrase coined by Andy Ihnatko. It is not a Mac, although it is compatible with Objective Sea Life. This, on the other hand is basically a Mac. It's an Apple Lisa, the personal computer that preceded the Macintosh. In fact, the ultimate Lisa was sold as the Macintosh XL. The Lisa offered many of the same user interface features as the Mac and was targeted toward business users. This too, is basically a Mac.It's a Xerox Alto, designed at Xerox PARC and dates back to the early 1970s. It used a mouse-driven GUI-based system, and more or less inspired Apple Co-founder Steve Jobs during a site tour. It provided many of the same look and feel strengths that later showed up on the Mac. This is also basically a Mac. It is a NeXT cube. You don't see a screen in this image from Wikipedia, but if it were connected, you'd recognize a lot of the OS. That's because the NeXT basically ran OS X. It only took a bit over a decade for that technology to return to Apple after Jobs went on a quick run out to pick up some nacho chips and started a brand-new company before returning to Apple with orange fingers and the beginnings of OS X. While he was gone, someone at Apple built this. It's not a Mac. It's not even close to being a Mac. But eventually it inspired people who got around to shoving Mac's OS X operating system onto the iPhone (which, too, is a Mac). This is, of course, not to be confused with these, which are also Newtons but which offer far less computational efficiency. Certainly, this is not an exhaustive list of what is and is not a Mac. There were Power Computing Macs, Hackintoshes, retro bubble Macs, extremely beige Mac IIs and many, many more. All of them properly Macs. Today, we own our impossibly thin MacBook Airs, our super powerful Retina Pros and our beloved Mac minis. Here's looking forward to the next 30 years of Mac. Do you have any strong opinions on what is and is not a Mac? Share them in the comments. All images are courtesy of Wikipedia.
Talking to Siri: Energizing
Stand still! Do you intend to travel using... WiFi or 3G? Steven Sande and Erica Sadun have been working on the third edition of Talking to Siri, the book that covers all the ins and outs of everyone's favorite digital assistant.
Ridiculous moments in Apple development
In the Apple world, UTI refers to universal type identifiers. It's a hierarchical system that has replaced MIME types and file extensions to describe types of data, whether applications or images, movies or audio. They were first introduced in OS X 10.4 and now are used across both iOS and OS X. UTIs specify what kind of information is being used for common data objects. Today, I was working on updating an OS X utility of mine, trying to add drag-and-drop to the application icon. To accomplish this, I had to associate document types with my app, so it knew what kinds of items to respond to. As you've probably already figured out, these document types are defined as UTIs, using Apple's standard reverse domain-naming system. Immediately I jumped over to Google, where I typed in UTI and public, searching for the kind of UTI that described both folders and generic files. I expected to find something like "public.document". My top result? "Can you get UTIs from a public toilet" Thank you, Google. For the curious, the answer I was looking for, by the way, was "public.data". My app is now updated and accepting drag-and-drops on its icon.
Talking to Siri: Stock market advice
Maybe you should consider investing in...Apple? Steven Sande and Erica Sadun have been working on the third edition of Talking to Siri, the book that covers all the ins and outs of everyone's favorite digital assistant.
DevJuice: A quick review of Effective Objective-C 2.0 by Matt Galloway
London-based Matt Galloway, a regular presence on Stack Overflow, has published Effective Objective-C 2.0. A collection of 52 "specific ways" to improve your coding for Mac and iOS, this book provides a valuable collection of handy state-of-the-art tips that will appeal to all developers both established and new to the field. It's a concentrated collection of wisdom with immediate and practical payoffs. From blocks to memory management (yes, even in the ARC age, you still need to know this stuff) to literals, the book is packed with helpful explanations, suggestions and directions. It is not a long book. Although I reviewed the e-book, I estimate there's about 180 pages of actual content, but what content is there is extremely rich. I found easy-to-follow explanations and tight sample code. My favorite bits were the "Things to Remember" bullet points that peppered the end of many sections, with their must-know tips. The book sells for US$18 for Kindle and $32 in paper format over at Amazon. Although some will read it cover to cover, I found myself picking it up, reading a section and putting it down better informed than I had started. It's a great book to sit next to you at your desk, to read a bit from when taking a break from coding. Recommended.
Shopping in the iOS device bargain bin
Although we're not expecting refurbished iPad Airs to hit Apple's online store for a month or two yet, it's still a terrific time to shop for all things iOS. At US$500, the bottom-line iPad Air may not be discounted, but it still provides excellent value for the dollar. Light, thin and super fast, this latest Retina-based iOS tech offers a lot to the buyer. The intro model Retina mini starts at $400. But what about those of us with a more limited budget? You won't go wrong picking up an original (non-Retina) iPad mini from Apple's online refurbished and clearance store. All items sell with a one-year warranty and refurbished iPads include both a brand-new battery as well as a new outer shell. It's that battery guarantee in particular that makes buying refurbished devices from Apple such a great choice. Right now, you can pick up a refurbished first-generation 16GB WiFi iPad mini for just $250. Stock varies, but on any day you're likely to find units with varying memory configurations and onboard cellular support listed for sale as well. Yesterday morning, a 64GB non-Retina WiFi mini was just $419. Although the iPod touch tends to get short shrift in glamour, it provides surprisingly sophisticated kit. A fifth-generation refurb with an A5 chip, a 4-inch screen, excellent cameras and more starts at just $189. That's particularly attractive to developers looking for an extra work unit with modern screens and geometry without having to pay that costly phone premium. Like iPads, refurbished iPods sold direct from Apple contain that all-important new battery. If you're focused on Retina and shopping for a full-size iPad, your best bet is probably a refurbished fourth-generation unit, which starts at $379 for the 16GB WiFi model. While Apple is still selling third-generation devices, with an admittedly spotty collection of stock, we'd suggest choosing the latest-but-one version instead. It was an excellent model and while it weighs more than the Air and has a larger frame, it's still a great iPad all around. Compared to a new iPad 2, which sells for $20 more, the refurbished iPad 4 gives you that Retina screen, better battery life and all-round stronger computing.
Talking to Siri: But only if the lightbulb really wants to change
Generally it takes two people who love each other very very much regardless of location. Steven Sande and Erica Sadun have been working on the third edition of Talking to Siri, the book that covers all the ins and outs of everyone's favorite digital assistant.
Talking to Siri: Thinking different
But really, it's your opinion that counts to your virtual digital assistant. Steven Sande and Erica Sadun have been working on the third edition of Talking to Siri, the book that covers all the ins and outs of everyone's favorite digital assistant.
Talking to Siri: The kid is not my son
She's just a girl who claims that I am the one. Steven Sande and Erica Sadun have been working on the third edition of Talking to Siri, the book that covers all the ins and outs of everyone's favorite digital assistant.
Talking to Siri: the flying circus
The last person who asked Siri that ended up in a crevasse. Steven Sande and Erica Sadun have been working on the third edition of Talking to Siri, the book that covers all the ins and outs of everyone's favorite digital assistant.
Talking to Siri: Is that you, Mary?
Just a spoonful of sugar will help your Siri interaction go down. Steven Sande and Erica Sadun have been working on the third edition of Talking to Siri, the book that covers all the ins and outs of everyone's favorite digital assistant.
Talking to Siri: TSFW (Totally Safe For Work)
Sometimes you ask Siri the worst things and it responds with unexpectedly sweet results. For example, ask it to "Talk dirty to me." Go on, we'll wait. Isn't that adorable? However, our very favorite safe-for-work result comes from the distinctly unsafe-for-work request to "Show me pictures of booby's," which I've screenshotted on your behalf and attached to this post. What are the most unexpectedly nice Siri back-and-forths you've found? Share some in the comments. Steven Sande and Erica Sadun have been working on the third edition of Talking to Siri, the book that covers all the ins and outs of everyone's favorite digital assistant.
