Rick's Rants

iPad SDK

2010-01-29T07:39:02.7335148-06:00

Way back when, I signed up for the iPhone developer program, downloaded the SDK, read a few articles, never bought an iPhone or iPod Touch, and never actually built anything.

Now with the iPad, I think I'll buy one, and wanted to take a look at the SDK. Well that's a no go.

My iPad impressions

2010-01-28T13:49:07.6309257-06:00

Unless you're hiding under a rock, you've probably seen something about Apple's newest device, the iPad. On the surface, the iPad is essentially a large iPod Touch, or a large iPhone (with only 3G data, no phone.) But it's really so much more.

I have a long history with tablet devices. I loved my Tablet PC, until I killed it. I searched long and hard for a Tablet to replace it, but by then the Windows tablet world was dying. I know there are still tablet choices out there, but they're really esoteric. At one point I described my ideal device as
"this is basically to replace the primary usage of my tablet (One Note, email, web surfing, blog reading/posting, light document editing.) I've come to recognize that if One Note had a full featured Pocket PC version (i.e. with complete ink support), then I would almost be happy with a Pocket PC, although I think I would like a big one that doesn't exist. I'm thinking something like a 6" or 7" screen, at least 800 x 600. I still want it to be thin, maybe 1 cm? 8 - 12 hours battery life. Built-in WiFi. A fair amount of storage built in (1 GB.) 2 SD card slots, with at least one of them being SD/IO. USB host support, at least drivers for keyboard, mouse, and storage."

How close did Apple get to my ideal device, as described in August 2006?

no ink support - even though OSX has inkwell, neither the iPad nor the smaller devices have anything ink related. The onscreen keyboard does look pretty nice. I tried the iPhone keyboard, and never could get it in 5 minute increments, but everyone I know who has one says they get used to it.

One Note - I've switched to Evernote for their cross-platform support. They've already said they will have an iPad version. In fact, I'm writing this post in Evernote right now.
email - check
web surfing - check - although no Flash
light document editing - slick looking iWork apps. I guess I now have an excuse to get iWork for the MacBook
6" or 7" screen 800 x 600 - bigger - 9.7" 1024 x 768 - I guess we'll need to hold one to understand how big that is
thin - 0.5" ok that's 1.27 cm
1 GB storage - that's just hilarious. 16 GB to 64 GB, but no SD card slots - I am intrigued by the camera connection kit
keyboard - yes keyboard dock and bluetooth keyboard support, we don't know about mouse

A few more use cases which make it great for me. Mary has a Kindle. She loves it. I've been reading eBooks on my Pocket PC/Windows Mobile devices for close to a decade. Mostly from Peanut Press, which became Palm Reader, then eReader. eReader is now owned by Barnes and Noble. The nook is supposed to read eReader books as well as nook books. Guess what, and iPhone can read Kindle books, eReader books, and nook books. I assume an iPad will be able to as well. Obviously, there's the whole LCD vs. eInk screen issue. We'll have to see how readable these things are in direct sunlight, but I don't read that much outside anyway.

Battery life - 10 hours with 30 days standby is pretty awesome. Oh and it charges over USB. I'll just have charing cables for this thing everywhere.

I'm not sure at this point if I'll want the AT&T data plan. Yes, it sounds cool. Yes it would mean I could surf personal sites at work without my employer knowing what I do (nothing work inappropriate, just not necessarily their business.) It is worth $30 a month. It's too bad they didn't use a normal sized SIM. If they had, I could just stick the SIM from my phone in there if I needed to. I suspect I'll buy the 3G version even if I don't activate it right away.
My biggest gripe is the name. It seems pretty dumb, and it's much more than a Pad. Sketch Pad? Doodle Pad? Who knows what they were thinking. Maybe Steve didn't like iTablet or iSlate. Couldn't they have at least called it an iPadd? In Star Trek a PADD is a Personal Access Display Device, and is definitely one of the tablet devices which geeks worldwide know and love. Heck, they even showed Star Trek all over the keynote, and their website.

Now, I just have to wait.

Updated styles

2010-01-04T19:57:30.7728144-06:00

You may have noticed that we updated our front page and gallery to use a new style. If you're using Internet Explorer, you may also notice how ugly it is. Actually, that's just for you. It's nice and pleasing in a modern, standards compliant browser. Why don't you download Firefox, Chrome, or Safari, and start surfing the web in style.

Oh, you're stuck in IE. I'm going to try some CSS hacks to see if I can make the site look a little better.

We'll be updating this section soon, but we need to pick a new blog platform first.

Tae Kwon Do pattern notes

2009-12-20T15:26:11.189-06:00

I've started collecting my Tae Kwon Do pattern notes (ITF style) in an Evernote notebook. Shared here.

nook update coming?

2009-12-20T14:56:06.3920771-06:00

As I tweeted the other day, I got to play with a nook at our local B&N. My experience was very similar to Carl's (believe it or now, we weren't together.) The most frustrating thing for me was the page turn time. The rest of the UI quirks, although annoying, I think I could live with them.

You see, even though Mary has a Kindle 2, this is the device I want. I already have at least 100 eReader.com books, which the nook will read. We don't really have that large of an overlap in libraries, anyway.

Well, it looks like good news is on it's way. Engadget is reporting that the nook is getting a performance boost this week, in the form of an update. Faster page turns, and reformatting. That's the one I need to see.

I wonder how good the staff our our local B&N will be about applying the update. Or maybe it will jsut happen automagically.

There's a Spirit can ne'er be told...

2009-11-18T06:40:52.098-06:00

At approximately 2:42 am, November 18, 1999, stack collapsed killing 12 Aggies and injuring 27 others. Let's take a moment to remember
Miranda Denise Adams ‘02
Christopher D. Breen ‘96
Michael Stephen Ebanks ‘03
Jeremy Richard Frampton ‘99
Jamie Lynn Hand ‘03
Christopher Lee Heard ‘03
Timothy Doran Kerlee, Jr ‘03
Lucas John Kimmel ‘03
Bryan A. McClain ‘02
Chad A. Powell ‘03
Jerry Don Self ‘01
Nathan Scott West ‘02

Barnes & Noble nook

2009-11-15T17:43:18.6458953-06:00

We were at our local brick and mortar Barnes and Noble yesterday. (remember those?) Over the Information desk in the center of the store they had a huge banner for the nook, with a December 14th sale date. Looks like they are getting pushed back. I was hoping to see one of the mock up displays, but I guess Pearland doesn't rate.

GTD Mindsweep Template for Evernote

2009-10-15T12:36:01.503-05:00

David Allen Co. Coach Kelly Forrister has just done a Twitter working session on the Mindsweep portion of Getting Things Done. I collected all of her Tweets and turned it into an Evernote template. This imports into both the Mac and Windows versions of Evernote. Thanks again, Kelly.

GTDMindsweepTemplate.zip

Cub Scouts have rules, too

2009-10-12T13:39:13.717-05:00

The news is all abuzz with news of a six year old Cub Scout, who has been suspended from school for bringing a pocketknife. He's a six year old, in First Grade, Tiger Cub, and straight-A student. He's been sentenced to 45 days at a reform school.

The Guide to Safe Scouting states "Remember—knives are not allowed on school premises, nor can they be taken aboard commercial aircraft." Why did he have a knife at school, when the BSA reminds you that they aren't allowed?

The Cub Scout Whittling Chip states "___ has demonstrated knowledge of, and skill in, the use of a personal pocketknife. By completing these safety requirements, he has earned the right to carry a pocketknife to designated Cub Scout functions." emphasis mine. Once again?

The Age Appropriate Guidelines for Scouting Activities chart shows that a Tiger Cub is not allowed to use a pocketknife. Why does this first grade Tiger Cub have a pocketknife? In our Pack, we don't allow it until the Bear year (third grade), even though it is officially allowed in the Wolf year, if they have met the requirements.

There are a number of failures here. The first and foremost is by the parents. The parents bought the knife, the parents authorized its use, the parents didn't explain the rules (or worse, were ignorant of them), at Scouts or at school, and yet, the parents haven't been punished, and are attempting to circumvent the "zero tolerance" policy at the school district. The parents must be held culpable. The second failure is by the Scout Pack. Granted, his Den Leader probably doesn't know the rules yet either, but that's no excuse. All Scouting Units need to ensure that they are following the Guide to Safe Scouting, and to ensure that they are communicating what the rules are. Action - Rick, ensure my Pack understands the rules for pocketknife use in Cub Scouting. The third failure, and the one which will have the longest lasting impression on the boy, is by the school and the school district. What do they think the boy will gain by sitting in a reform school for 45 days? Do they think the influence of the other kids in the reform school will be good for him? Do they think that the teachers there will be able to adequately teach him? I think the parents and the child both need to be punished, but it needs to be commiserate with the "crime".

Google Voice

2009-07-24T08:27:02.1340644-05:00

I just got a Google Voice invite. The idea is definitely interesting. I really like the voice mail, and the ability to send different kinds of people to different phones depending on the time of day is super powerful. Realistically, I don't want anyone to call me, so I'm not sure what I will do with it.