Construx Space Shuttle

It started simple enough. The boys were home for Christmas vacation and we were playing Construx as we've been known to do. Since I love every minute with my Construx, I jumped on eBay to see what might be available. I found a great Space Shuttle set for a reasonable price and bought it. That was the beginning. When the shuttle set arrived, we quickly built it. It's a fun set with an opening cargo bay, complete with an arm to deploy satellites. Fun. Dreaming a bit, I wondered if we could add on some solid rocket boosters and the familiar fuel tank. That was trickier than expected. Building a tube that long that doesn't fall apart at the slightest nudge took some trial and error. Here is what that looked like.

Then we really started wondering. Could we build a full-on crawler and launch pad? Of course we could! This thing has treads, working lights, actually crawls and hooks up to a launch tower we built. This was so much fun, I just had to share it.

Use a Flickr Search as your Apple TV Screen Saver

Many people know that an Apple TV can display Flickr photos, but did you know that Flickr can be your Apple TV screensaver as well?

You can set it up to display photos of a particular Flickr user, but I find it even more powerful to use a search.

1. Start by accessing the Flickr item from the Internet menu.


2. Perform a search for your subject.


3. If you are happy with the results, choose to Save Search


4. Exit back out to the main menu and choose Screen Saver from the Settings menu.


5. Choose the Photos menu item, then Flickr, and then select one of your saved searches.


6. Select a theme for your screen saver and you are done.

I'm sure you can think of all sorts of searches that would be fun to have displayed. Maybe you are having a themed party but you don't have time to curate a slideshow. Perhaps you'd like to enjoy the colors of the season. Maybe you just like a good photo set, like Bike Bridges, National Parks, Cities at Night, or Tebowing!

Have fun

My Music Buying Evolution

• Sorry Target, Musicland has replaced you due to better selection.


• Sorry Musicland, I always hated you. The local indy record shop has replaced you due to better selection, better prices, and being within walking distance of where I live.


• Sorry local indy, Music Boulevard has replaced you due to way better selection, better prices, convenience, and it doesn't smell like incense.


• Sorry Music Boulevard, I love you, but CDnow has bought you.


• Sorry CDnow, the Amazon freight train has hit you. This is a good thing.


• Sorry Amazon, Apple iTunes has replaced you because they don't sell shiny discs which leads to convenience, previews, and music snacking.


• Sorry Apple, between (legal) free stuff, Amazon MP3, Beatport, and my existing collection, I don't buy much from you anymore.


• Sorry everyone, Rdio has pretty much replaced you all. I haven't spent this little for music since I was mowing lawns as a kid. I get more music than ever before. The experience isn't superb, but it's pretty good.

Who's next?

Books of 2010

One of my goals for 2010 was to read more. As a kid, I'd be in the library all the time, taking home armloads of books. This faded as I got older. I missed the books and made an effort to get back to them.

Here's what I read this year. Clearly I enjoy non-fiction. See if you can spot the lonely fiction book. You might also notice a few themes that are important to me right now. Have you read any of these books? Do you have recommendations on ones I might like?

Back to the Classroom

Apple and schools have always gone together. Everyone in my generation has stories about a computer lab full of Macs when they were growing up. In recent history, Apple offered the eMac, but that died in 2006 and never got a satisfactory replacement. Is the time right to get back in the classroom?

While I don't consider Macs overpriced, the low end iMac is $1199 and the cheapest Mac mini runs $699 before adding a display. Add in the cable clutter, and I'm not sure Mac minis are the best options for a lab. I found myself looking at what Apple has done with their A4 platform and iOS and wondering how it could fit.

Apple is killing it with their platforming. The iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and Apple TV are sharing most of their components, and even boards. Given that these are selling in quantities measured in hundreds of millions, their margins are great and give them some pricing freedom (Apple TV for $99). iOS is solid and only getting better. What if Apple built a new eMac based on the iPad?


Stands result in compromises, so all we need is a proper desktop case and a keyboard. The keyboard is easy. We already have it. For the case, let's look back to the sunflower iMac. That's the one with the articulating arm that was designed to easily move the screen and then have it stay put. Why do we need this? This is the answer to Gorilla Arm. Apps such as word processing, reading, video lessons, and anything with a light use of UI can be used in the vertical mode. If you are painting, drawing, or playing a touch based game, grab the edge of the display and pull it down. It will look just as Apple has patented it. When you are done, toss back to vertical. Can't you see Jony Ive holding back a joyous giggle as he shows you how this works?

Unibody aluminum will hold up well to kids knocking them around. The high degree of recyclability sets a good example as well. The minimal power draw of the A4 will lower utility bills.

Speaking of bills, I'll price this at 5 of them. $499 buys you the eMac + keyboard + iWork suite. Pages becomes the AppleWorks of today's generation. After unboxing, go crazy in the App Store. Apps like The Elements, Brushes, Google Earth -- the store is popping with great apps that kids will love. No need to be a switcher later in life. Kids will grow up with it.

I also think there is value in the inherit limitations of iOS. When I wrote papers on a IIc, I didn't have distractions. The computer and app were the same thing. The iPad brings this focus back. Sure, multi-tasking is on its way, but the OS is still designed with a singular app as the focus. This lowers the computer literacy bar, encouraging kids to get on with the creation, rather than get bogged down in the process. It can also aid in administration. For example, Grade 1 gets their own screen of apps. No unnecessary windows. No launchers present when apps are running. It just keeps things simple.

Will Apple actually build something like I envision? I feel like their are bigger fish to fry for them, but I think it would be amazing to see them take it back a little and return to the classroom in a big way.

Favorite Hauls

Here are some of my favorite hauls with our Xtracycle Radish.

Bikes in bikes. Always fun.


The grandparents don't have cargo bikes, so I needed to take them a car seat :)


The library is always a good destination.


Take back bottles and come home with some fresh groceries.


One of many loads going to Goodwill as we declutter. I love how the FreeLoader bags just take everything. I thread their straps through bag handles and it works great.


Taking all 3 kids solo to daycare.


Entertainment for the kids that are in the other bike.


If we're going to a ski show or fireworks display, we can still fit a stroller for the little one. It is amazing to just roll right into the main crowd and lock up instead of parking a mile and a half away and hiking it along roads.


Selling my extra smart home wiring to a friend at work. I was told I just needed a trench and could have dropped cable at speed!


Parks are the most common destination. Why load up in the van to go 1 or 2 miles?

5 of The Now

I've had this playlist labeled July 5otn for some time now, so I guess it is time to post it. I love that Amazon has albums that include these tracks for $5. Can't beat that.

• LCD Soundsystem - Home
  
  This is definitely the album of the summer for me. The home theme throughout the record is heartwarming.


• Robyn - Fembot
  
  Why isn't this blowing up the radio? Catchy track, good lyrics.


• Chemical Brothers - Escape Velocity
  
  
  I have been lucky enough to see the Chemical Brothers live. The moment I heard this track, I felt like I was back at their live show. I dig the vibe.


• LCD Soundsystem - All I Want
  
  Delightful and emotional.


• Baje One - Computer Rock
  
  DefJux baby. Go download this for free. I love the freestyle at the end too.

5 of The Now

• Deadmau5 - Ghost N Stuff
  
  I'd go to any haunted house playing this :) Deadmau5 and Evil Nine should put on the disco-graveyard-ball.


• Booka Shade - Teenage Spaceman
  
  Dance music for when you're tired. I picture musical notes slipping under my outstretched body and carrying me away like cartoon ants at a picnic.


• Broken Bells - The High Road
  
  The Start. Boys and girls, Broken Bells have made an album. An album! Picking it apart track by track should not be done, but I did. Album - go listen.


• Broken Bells - The Mall & Misery
  
  The Finish. Album.


• Gorillaz - Stylo
  
  Groovy and chill. I overheard a kid at the mall calling this a "Staying Alive" rip-off. Thoughts?

5 of the Now

• Sinner DC - Digital Dust
  Sinner DC made my short list of albums of the year for 2009. I've been playing this so much, my kids now ask for it by name when they want to listen to music. I think this track is ripe for a slick commercial about external harddrives or cloud services. Ooooo, how sexy.


• Jurrasic 5 - The Game
  It's basketball season, so this is appropriate. Found on their Quality Control album, but my favorite is the live performance in DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist's Product Placement mix.


• Massive Attack - Pray for Rain
  
  I'm settling in to the new album. This is a standout. Plus there is a Tim Goldsworthy mix!


• Massive Attack - Paradise Circus
  
  So chill. Love this. Gui Boratto mix doesn't disappoint either.


• Evil Nine - Burn it to the Ground
  These boys are fun to follow on Twitter, and they'll dish out some good stuff every now and then. This is the old school Evil Nine that I still prefer.

2009 Albums of the Year

I figure I better get my albums of the year for 2009 in before February is over, sheesh.

There weren't many big albums for me in 2009, but the ones that made the list this year feel a little different than previous years.

• Porno Galactica - Romance In The New World
  
  Have to support these guys. I loved their live show and I dig the album. Nice work.


• Sinner DC - Crystallized


• Owl City - Ocean Eyes
  
  This is a fun album, you can't deny that.

Past albums of the year: [2008] [2007] [2006]

Building a Better Mobile Sports Site

One of the greatest effects to emerge from the iPhone influence is that web designers care a little more about alternate browsers. We've had technology to present alternate presentations of content for years, but other than working around browser quirks, few did anything with the knowledge that a user might have something other than a full screen 1024x768 browser running.

Today, many major sites have a mobile version, and quite a few have mobile versions specific for the iPhone. This is great for users. They get the content they want, in a package suitable to their device. Well, mostly.

There is still work to be done. Even the mega-brands, like pro sports leagues, seem to trip up a bit when building their mobile sites. As a sports fan, and a mobile Internet user, here is my take on two of these sites. The NFL and the NBA.



This image shows both the homescreen you get, along with a full page of scroll to give you a better idea of the experience you'd have if you were actually holding an iPhone in your hand.

What strikes me immediately is how little of the first screen actually contains content. Both sites include their logos and a Menu button. I don't know why I'd need a Menu button, but I get why the logo is important.

The NFL site hits me with some ads. I guess I can understand that. The NBA site does as well, but for its own products. I especially like how the NBA ads say "Click Here". For starters, no one clicks on mobile devices. They tap. Second, I really hope we get to a point where we don't have to tell people to "Click Here". It's like painting "Drive Here" in the middle of a highway lane. Are there still people waking from their Rip Van Winkle and whipping out an iPhone?

Both sites contain worthless headers like "GAME CENTER" and "SCORES". How many helmet to helmet contacts does it take before you are unable to recognize a score? Do we really need to waste the space to tell me something I already know?

Overall, I really like the NFL site. Once you scroll down a bit, you get a perfect mobile view. You see teams, scores, and the network they are playing on. That is perfect. That is exactly what I want and expect. Move the "Week x" links to the bottom and we're really talking.


Then there's the NBA. Here you see 3 views of the site, about a month apart. The most you can ever see without scrolling is the scores of two games. Even then, they don't seem to bubble the in-progress games to the top, so you have to scroll past info you've already been alerted to, possibly for a few hours while you follow the games of the day. The rest of the screens are filled with even more worthless stuff like a "Mibox" (what the hell is that and why should I care) and links to the D-league.

Hey NBA, NO ONE CARES ABOUT THE D-league. Why would you waste this precious space on routes out of the site that your user specifically just came to? The funny thing is if you go to nba.com, the D-league link isn't prominent at all. What made you decide that mobile nba.com users were the ones that needed to see giant links to the D-league and the WNBA?

I guess what I'm asking for is a simple experience.

• Don't treat me like an idiot with labels for things that don't need labels. You don't label the free-throw or 3-point line on the court do you?


• Today's games are more important than tomorrow's or next week's. Move that navigation to the bottom.


• Don't give me personalization features unless I opt to have them. Welcoming me as "Guest" is annoying, not helpful.


• Tell me where I can experience your product. That means, tell me what TV network is showing the game. Gold star to the NFL for already doing this. I absolutely LOVE this feature and it keeps me coming back every week.

5 of the Now: Mix version

I'll try something fresh this time around. Rather than individual tracks, I'm going to give you 5 dj mixes I'm feeling right now. I listen to a ton of continuous mixes. I have 149 of them sitting in iTunes right now.

• Cameron Adams - The 139 Mix Tape
  The rockinest thing to hit me in some time. Well done man, well done. Were you born in the 70s or early 80s? Have you listened to music in your life? Yes and yes? You'll love this mix.


• Aeroplane - June Mix
  Yes, this is a mix from June and yes I'm still feeling it in November.


• Nick Warren - August 2009 Ambient Mix
  Throw this on for those late night coding sessions.


• Felix Da Housecat & Diddy Present: Lectro Black - Last Train to Paris Mixtape
  I remember back, years ago, when Diddy was screaming "Let's get up and let's get ill". I'm not even sure his dance album ever got released. I guess he's giving it another shot. I even enjoyed the Diddy talking over the music - odd.


• Sultan - Nu Breed
  
  Groove.

7 Sources of Clutter

Perhaps it is just the folks I surround myself with, but it seems like clutter is getting a lot of buzz these days. My decluttering journey kicked up a few notches a few years ago when I became a father and my family moved to a larger house. Along the way, I've come across some things I wouldn't have considered clutter years ago. Here are 7 of those things. Maybe they'll spark you to look in different directions while you simplify your life.

1. Wine - My wife and I drink wine, but not often, and that was the problem. I'm no wine expert. I'm not even a wine enthusiast. So why did we have 25 bottles of wine in the house? None of it was anything worth letting age. The more wine you get, the more racks you need, and then you need places for those racks. We've turned that around now. For us, we don't need more than 5 bottles. The best part is, I'm excited when guests bring a bottle rather than thinking "great, another bottle of wine we won't drink for months".


2. Food - Having a large pantry can be bad. You feel like you need to fill it, but why? If you haven't eaten the food in a year, why do you think you ever will? The same for sauces and leftovers. It's a game for us now to see how many things we can finish off. It sparks new flavor experiments. Some good, some bad. Have fun with it, but also make it part of the game to have as few leftovers as possible. Don't be wasteful.


3. Magazines - I blame my father for this one. He had a wall of car magazines in the basement. Stacked shelf after shelf. He enjoyed the magazines so much, he felt he had to keep them because surely he'd want to read them again some day. Even with this pre-warning, I found myself subscribed to more magazines than I could read. I couldn't just throw them away. I had to read them. I also found myself saving magazines like my father had. I now get 4 magazines, more than I want, but I look forward to them arriving and very much still enjoy reading a physical magazine, so I'm happy. Protip: If your magazine has a binding spine, you can tear out the pages you've read and recycle them right away. I started this when I'd take magazines on business trips to save weight in my carry-on bag, but now I use it all the time. I don't waste time figuring out what I have and haven't read and it feels good to be making progress in the magazine.


4. Clothes and Shoes - Plenty of people have clothes clutter. My take away from this was I reached a critical mass of clothing. I've been the same size for over 15 years and had enough clothes such that hardly anything ever wore out. Is it worth keeping in your closet if you only get to wear it twice a year? I don't think it is. Try the hanger hack to figure out what to ditch. Now I focus on having fewer, but higher quality, items. Anyone have recommendations on how many shirts a male adult should own?


5. Movies - I used to feel the need to own a movie that I wanted to watch more than once. With Netflix's turn around times these days and online streaming, I haven't bought a physical disc all year. Whatever I want is at most a day or two away. It isn't worth the cost and space of owning most movies.


6. Dishes - Collectible cups that aren't even a full set anymore...why? Like the food, just because you have the cupboard space, it doesn't mean you have to fill it. An empty kitchen cupboard can be a great substitute for otherwise having to buy another endtable or shelf to store whatever needs storing.


7. Gift cards - Fake money as I like to call them. They fill our wallets and purses. They fall in value from ridiculous fees. I especially hate them because they drain me mentally. I know the value of a dollar. I can't not spend them. We have a new focus to try and spend (or regift) these as soon as we can, but at the same time, I don't want to buy things we don't need, so it is a challenge. Any ideas on getting rid of gift cards?

5 of the Now

• Tommy Sparks - I'm a Rope (Yuksek Remix)
  Has a great call and response feel to it. If you dig this, check out Yuksek's mixes on his podcast. Tommy Sparks is a hell of a lot of fun too.


• Massive Attack - Euro Zero Zero
  Here's what's great about an iTunes library. You don't see that the song you are listening to is a B-side and not supposed to be any good. Clearly that's a generality, but you get my point. This is off the Tear Drop single. So chill.


• Kim - B.T.T.T.R.Y (Bag Raiders Remix)
  
  Epic energy.


• Petter - These Days & Unkle - What Are You To Me?
  Take two previous appearances from the 5otn and let one of the best DJs (and his production team) on the planet mash them up. Pure bliss. I've always loved these tracks together, but they hit me with a special bit of emotion a few days ago. The sample really doesn't give you the feel, but that's the quickest (legal) link I could find.


• Del the Funky Homosapien - Phoney Phranchise (Domino Remix)
  
  Del is timeless.

5 of the Now

• Luomo & Apparat - Love You All (Club Version)
  Apparat's been a sleeper for me. Once I finally gave him some focus, I realized I was already a fan and have a handful of his stuff that I absolutely love. Expect some more iTunes payouts Apparat, I'll warm up the credit card.


• LMFAO - Yes
  Party. This is getting constant play from me since I picked it up. I'll listen to it 2 or 3 times in a row even. "Every day I see my dream" can be quite profound, even if that was not the intention.


• CLASSIX - I'll Get You
  This is just fun. Crank it up and sit on your back patio in the summer air. I want to make my own edit of this. Highlight the Jeppe vocals and let them play a bit more.


• Fever Ray - Triangle Walks (Rex The Dog Radio Edit)
  Haunting, groovy, driving. I'm strangely attracted to the voice. Had to dig out the Knife albums and give them some more plays too :) The link is to a free download.


• The MFA - The Difference It Makes
  This has always been a favorite and I was shocked to see I hadn't fit it into a previous 5otn. I was huge into Border Community back when this came out.

5 of the Now

Honestly, this is 5 of the month and a half ago, but I was feeling them at the time and I want to burn that in to the Internet memory forever.

• Freeland - Under Control (Evil Nine Graveyard Smash)
  That's some large sound. "No time to talk about it, just got to feel it alright."


• Deekline & Wizard - Handz Up (Stanton Warriors Remix)
  Absofreakinlutely bangin. It's available a few places, but this is the best sample on the iTunes store.


• Sinner DC - Glass Alley
  I imagine this sounds tremendous while watching the sun rise.


• Glenn Hansard & Marketa Irglova - Falling Slowly
  I had an instant crush on the movie Once. Check out the music and the movie. So passionate. I recommend using the movie to introduce you to the music.


• Porno Galactica - Superwhore
  Still enjoying these guys. I want to go see them live again.

5 of the Now

• Evil Nine - Icicles
  Evil Nine's latest continues to grow on me. I have woken up many mornings with this song in my head. Oddly enough I was really digging Icicles just when it was released as a single. Must have been all of that radio airplay I was catching in Iowa - yeah right. Seraphim, you rule. I want more. It was particularly fun to get lost in this track during an absolutely ridiculous travel experience at an airport recently. People yelling, nearly ready to throw punches. "All around...you...is fire!". Brought a smile to my face.


• The Prodigy - Omen
  So great to have all of the boys back together. This album has lots of the feel of "Music for the Jilted Generation" and that is a wonderful thing.


• Lyrics Born - I Like It, I Love It (Live @ The Picador)
  Thank you for stopping in Iowa City LB. The crowd wasn't huge, but you rocked it like the entire town was there.


• Lyrics Born - Do That There (Live @ The Picador)
  Joyo Velarde rocked it too.


• Porno Galactica - Sail Away (Live @ The Picador)
  These guys were so infectious. They owned. Spider-man crawl on the ceiling was the best. Check out their mixtape on MySpace.

Safari 4 UI Confusion

I'm pretty meh on Safari 4 so far. The top sites thing isn't something I'll use. Coverflow previews are neat, but haven't used them. Tabs on top are ok, but I'm finding myself confused. Here's how.

If you have a window open, with tabs, and then click a link that opens a new window, Safari creates that window in such a way that the tabs from the old window appear attached to the new window!


Yes, there's a line here that is smooth in the regular window, but this interface is new. My brain doesn't know that yet. Second, it seems there is a slight color variation with the active and inactive windows. I'm sure that's great if you aren't colorblind. Doesn't do jack for me.

This is bad because I try to click the tab that I think belongs to my window, but it doesn't. It seems Apple could fix this by simply creating the new window 5 pixels lower, or higher.

5 of the Now

• The Chemical Brothers - Out of Control
  I could list the entire Chem Bros catalog as 5otn, and it appears I am, bit by bit. Honestly it seems I always have Chem Bros in my 5otn list. More often than not, they get pushed to a later list, so be glad you don't see them here any more than you already do :)


• Telfon Tel Aviv - The Birds
  Spacey, driven, soothing.


• Justice - DVNO
  Look out, the Justice 5otn seal is broken. These guys were everywhere last year. I'm a big Ed Banger records fan, and I can't say they are even in my top 3 on that label, but I dig them. Energy and class.


• Closer Musik - One, Two, Three (Ewan Pearson Remix)
  The perfect music to drink martinis and cook to!


• Vector - Rise
  Probably, more properly known as Vector 13. In any case, groovy stuff.

Hulu Had It

I've recently gotten into Boxee. I've been aware of it for quite some time, but I always thought it required far more mucking to install than it actually does. Boxee is only useful to me on Apple TV. It's interface is decent, but not great. I see no reason to use it while I'm sitting at my computers. While sitting in bed in from of my TV, that's another story.

Hooking your MacBook up to the TV to watch Hulu is doable, but it really isn't a good solution. It requires a bunch of temporary cables. Requires you adjust your power management (or wiggle the mouse every few minutes). Worst of all, it owns your notebook while you are watching TV. You can't DO ANYTHING on your computer while it is attached to the TV.

Boxee on Apple TV is great because it brings you Hulu, CBS, and others in a usable format. Nothing new to hook up. It just works. Control it with a remote instead of a keyboard and mouse. The full Hulu experience is there. You see all of the commercials, you see the branding. It's all there.

So then Hulu's partners go and gets stupid. It isn't Hulu, but rather the content providers. You'd think Hulu, who has built the number one destination video site for legal, full, television episodes wouldn't be dumb enough to slap its users in the face, even when the content providers tell them to. As @peterrojas says, Boxee is no different than a web browser. I say Boxee is actually *better* than a web browser for the content provider. Boxee, especially on Apple TV, is running full screen. Users are likely focused on the TV experience, and aren't jumping into a spreadsheet during the commercials. They're watching them.

Hulu also has the unique ability to know who I am. I'm logged into Boxee. They could work with Boxee to make me logged into Hulu. They'd know who I am. They'd know what I watched. They'd know what commercials they've shown me. This has to have value. This has to be better than forcing me to either not watch their content at all, or go get it from a gray/black market source.

Shutting down Hulu on Boxee will NOT send me back to cable. The sooner Hulu and the content providers learn that, the better.