apple
Typical Mac User Podcast & Talkshoe
9Last night I was on the Typical Mac User Podcast with Victor Cajiao, and it was great to be able to have a chat about some of the apps we love, and our predictions for this year’s Macworld. I’m hoping for a ultraportable laptop, and Victor has a crazy prediction that has to do with AppleTV (you’ll need to listen to get the full scoop!).
But the best part about the show was taking live calls from listeners via Talkshoe. This was my first time using their interface, and I think they’re definitely on the right track. It reminds me a lot of Stickam and Ustream, except without all the pesky video. Yes, sometimes it’s nice to not have to deal with video, it’s true. Users interact with the host over chat, phone, VoIP or not at all (just listening). The host can queue up questions and bring them into the discussion at will.
The chat interface could use a little improvement, but I heard from someone over Twitter that they’re planning on implementing an IRC-based chat interface sometime in the future. Despite that (and it’s a small issue — I got used to it after a couple of minutes) I really enjoyed the experience. I didn’t even mind downloading their small app, which usually drives me crazy.
I love that there are new services enabling podcasters to really engage with their audience. My favorite part of podcasting is interacting with users, whether it be via forums, emails, social networks, etc. Now we have to figure out how to do a live Mahalo Daily, and we’ll be all set!
“iPhone TV” + Yo-Yo = Awesome
12This morning Kent over at The iPhone Blog pinged me to show me a blog post a reader had sent him. Rakesh Agrawal’s (CEO of SnapStream) 3-year old daughter came up with a very inventive solution for watching her dad’s iPhone and using both her hands to learn Yo-Yo at the same time: stick it up on the fridge, 3-year old height level, with magnets! They’re calling it the “iPhone TV” over at their house, but I think I’d call it the “Toddler Distraction Device.”
Not only am I thrilled that she liked the show and is learning how to Yo-Yo from it (which speaks volumes of Doctor Popular’s teaching abilities, even over video), but I’m also amazed at how brilliant kids can be. I’ve heard that magnets aren’t the greatest thing to have around your gadgets, but since this is flash memory, I don’t think it should be a problem. They’d better get working on the patent application!
iPhone optimized!
24I installed a great WordPress plug-in today called iWPhone (I read about it on TUAW) and it works really well! It automatically senses when someone is visiting the site via iPhone, and gives them this super-clean layout.
Oh a side note, why isn’t Apple’s web apps directory iPhone optimized? Isn’t that what the whole thing is about?
UPDATE: Well, it seems like it was causing some users to see my site “iPhone optimized” when they were just looking at it in Firefox on their computers. I’m not into that, so I’ve turned it off for now.
Quicksilver tips
25
I’m a big fan of using Quicksilver as a launcher, but I know there’s so much more it can do. Merlin Mann has tons of good info on 43folders, but I wanted to ask you guys what your favorite uses for it are. And if you’re on a Mac and NOT using it, give it a try.
UPDATE: Oooo! Check out these plug-ins that I found on the Quicksilver page. Nice!