journals
Make it Great
Without proper implementation, any product is going to blow some serious chunks. Ick.
What makes a product great? Is it the feature set? Its looks? Speed (processor speed, responsiveness, horsepower, etc...)? Its cool factor, maybe? If you were to ask me, I’d respond implementation. All the above are great and go towards making a great product, but without proper implementation, any product is going to blow some serious chunks. Ick.
What do I mean by implementation? I mean that it looks like someone sat down and put a great deal of effort into making the product as useful as possible by making it as easy as possible. It means there was a general thoughtfulness put into the product to not only make it look good, but work well. Good implementation often means forgoing some features while attempting to create a better overall experience, and what features are in the product are not just tacked on.
Let’s quickly look at some examples of good and not-so-good implementation of features. A good place to start would be Apple, a company often lauded for being masters of design.
The Good
The new iMac is, in my opinion, a consumer-oriented personal computer done right (or at least done very well).It certainly looks like some thought went into its design, but beauty, as the old cliche goes, is only skin-deep. The new iMac features a couple new features, specifically the built-in iSight camera and Front Row. Both add not only to the iMac’s feature list, but to the product’s quality itself. Nothing feels particularly out-of-place; it is a seamless…
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Forum Features: Some of the top discussions for Nov 3, 2005
Welcome to Forum Features, a new feature highlighting some interesting discussions from Deep Thought’s forum. Here are today’s selections:
- we’re cheating the public! -modern music production. Technical discussion on compression’s impact on CD audio volume and quality.
- Free Reads Links to blogs and sites worth reading
- Will iMacs ever get 256mb? Predictions on video capabilities of future iMacs; also a technical discussion on the GPU’s overall effect on system performance.
- What do you hate about the ‘net? Members gripe about the worst the internet has to offer.
Free registration is required to post in the forums.
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iList Studio 3.0 Released
Lakewood Studios has released iList Studio 3.0, the latest multi-user version of their database software for OS X. From the press release:
NIAGARA FALLS - November 2, 2005 - Lakewood Studios today released iList Studio 3.0, by far the most powerful, low cost, multi-user database software for the Macintosh.
Powered by MySQL, iList Studio is built on the same engine that powers iList Data, our personal database software. iList Studio supports all of the single-user features of iList Data, but also creates and administers MySQL databases, making it ideal for collaborative research, workgroups, and web development.
Suggested retail pricing is $89, thought academic discounts are available. A trial version is available for download.
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Apple Releases Mac OS 10.4.3 Update
Trick or treat! Apple has given Mac users a Halloween treat. Now available in Software update, Mac OS X 10.4.3 update. There are so many updates that it’s scary. Boo. Quoth Software Update:
The 10.4.3 Update delivers overall improved reliability and compatibility for Mac OS X v10.4 and is recommended for all users.
It includes fixes for:
- AFP, SMB/CIFS, NFS and FTP network file services
- AirPort and Bluetooth wireless access
- Core Graphics, Core Audio, Core Image, and RAW camera support
- disc recording when creating and burning media
- .Mac sync services
- Spotlight indexing and searching
- Dashboard widgets: Dictionary, Flight Tracker, Stickies, and Unit Converter
- Address Book, AppleScript, Automator, Dictionary, Font Book, iCal, iSync, Mail, and Safari applications
- Disk Utility, Keychain Access, Migration Assistant, and Software Update
- compatibility with third party applications and devices
- previous standalone security updates
Other highlights include:
-Safari passes the Acid 2 test.
-Finder Spotlight search performance improvements
-"iChat preferences now allow you to display emoticons (such as a smiley face) as text (such as “ 
“) instead of as a graphic.”
So much for my two weeks of uptime. Get it while it’s hot!
[update: fixed title. oopsie]
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HIV Resistance May Be Caused by Ancient Plague
The Black Death first appeared in Europe in 1347. Over the next three years it swept through Europe, killing 40% of its inhabitants. Over the next three centuries the disease was ever present, culminating in the Great Plague of London in 1665. While Black Death dwindled in Western Europe, in Eastern Europe it remained active until 1800. While the spread of the Black Death across Europe was a terrible tragedy, it is hardly news. However the legacy it has left is. One in ten Europeans posses a gene whose development was greatly encouraged by the Black Death in the Middle Ages. This gene, called CCR5-delta 32, prevents HIV from entering white blood cells.
Since 1900, historians have spread the idea that the Black Death was caused by bubonic plague. However, according to Professor Christopher Duncan and Professor Susan Scott of the University of Liverpool, this idea is incorrect. They say the plagues of Europe were instead outbreaks of a lethal, viral, haemorrhagic fever which used the CCR5 mutation as a gateway into the immune system.
In an article on the University of Liverpool website, “Lethal, viral haemorrhagic fevers were recorded in the Nile valley from 1500 BC and were followed by the plagues of Mesopotamia (700-450BC), the plague of Athens (430BC), the plague of Justinian (AD541-700) and the plagues of the early Islamic empire (AD627-744). These continuing epidemics slowly raised the frequency from the original single mutation to about 1 in 20,000 in the 14th century simply by conferring protection from…
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more stuff
- Make it Great
- Forum Features: Some of the top discussions for Nov 3, 2005
- iList Studio 3.0 Released
- Apple Releases Mac OS 10.4.3 Update
- HIV Resistance May Be Caused by Ancient Plague
- Blocked Emails and Messed Up Computers
- New iPod ad draws fire from Lugz
- Ubuntu 5.10: The Breezy Badger
- The Mobile King of Cool
- New Apple Hardware
- Apple US Market Share Sees Impressive Annual Gains
- Yet Another Apple Media Event; New Pro Macs?
- Why I don’t like the iPod
- Is Apple Killing Off eMac?
- New Stuff, But I’m Still Unimpressed…Why?
- Is Apple Killing Off Firewire?
- New iPods, New apps, New iMacs
- What we can piece together…
- Unsanity Celebrates Fifth Birthday, Has 50% off Sale
- Media Event: Where to find news [UPDATED]
- Apple Conference Call Highlights
- Why Computers Are Good For Schools
- $.99 Movie Scenes
- What’s wrong with the Mac part 1
- “I was writing paper…”
- Back on Track With Mac
- Apple Holding London Event October 12?
- The Lumberjacks of Design
- NewsGator Acquires NetNewsWire
- Apple to Announce “One More Thing” at Media Event [UPDATED x2]
- Apple Responds Part 1
- Do the Customer Service Limbo
- Wow, that was easy!
- Rumor Roundup: iTunes for Windows Mobile; New Mac minis?
- First on DT: iBook G4 Logic Board Petition Started
- Ten Suggestions for Leopard
- Three days later, I’m underwhelmed by Tiger.
- iPod Nano design flaw
- Why does Apple force you to register your operating system?
- The 80/20 Rule and Apple
- Trolls: Friend or Foe
- Is Apple Prepared for Vista?
- Apple Expo: .mac gets additional storage, groups, new Backup
- Microsoft Codename Max
- When Zealots Attack
- ^H^H^H^H?
- Nintendo reveals Revolution controller
- Addendum. . .
- First on DT: Apple quietly kills single-button mouse
- Geek Of All Trades
- Oh what a Tangled Web they Weave
- Next eBay Purchase: Skype
- Dazed, Confused, and Quite GUI
- The Good, the Bad and the Not So Ugly Interface
- iTunes 5.0: First Impressions
- Lakewood Studios Releases iList Data 3.0
- Apple Intros iTunes 5, iPod nano, iTunes Phone
- DT Interviews Nitrozac & Snaggy
- Swift Publisher 1.0.1
- Should I buy a 80 hr TiVo for $180 or a 320 hr Replay TV for $200 or better yet, Apple iBox?
- Cyan Worlds Inc Says Goodbye
- Donate to Hurricane Relief
- PSP Hits Stores In The UK And Down Under
- The World’s First 19” Laptop Is Here
- New York Sues AOL
- WinFS demo on Channel 9
- Should you talk too much, or not talk at all?
- Reality Check: The Mac is a Viable Platform
- Androo Releases Updated Dextop Themes
- Unsanity Releases ShapeShifter 2.2
- Google Launches IM Service
- Mario’s First Experiences Speed Running
- OSX Interface Whining
- News of the Weird: G5 Mac mini (again)?
- I am writing a Rock Opera
- Microsoft + Mac + Free = Crapness
- Uneasy is the Head…
- What’s Being Said About Mac OS X on Intel on Regular PC’s
- New blog entry coming soon!
- Mac OS X Tiger for x86 leaked, cracked and running on standard PCs
- Apple Mighty Mouse
- Seoul Produces First Dog Clones
- Playtesting Infected on the PSP
- iPods, Smart Phones, iLife and Word
- Intel Canning Lower-End Chipsets
- Thinking Different?
- Microsft and Google Face Off at Golden Penguin Bowl
- Apple Launches iTMS Japan
- A Creation That Defies the Laws of Physics
- Mighty Mouse
- Finally.
- New Apple Mighty Mouse lacks wireless
- Codewarrior Joins HP iPod in Bit Bucket in the Sky
- Site News: Deep Thought sees highest monthly traffic in site history
- End of the HP iPod
- The Death of the iPod
- Final Cut Studio: The Return of the King
- Mainboard Pattern Problems
- Is Apple really behind podcasting?
- I am going on a summer holiday
