Big Head Todd Video
As as follow-up to yesterday’s post, here is a video from the Big Head Todd concert, I was standing right next to the filmer. I don’t think I made it into the background sounds, but I know who did.
Big Head Todd and the Monsters
Went to see Big Head Todd and the Monsters at the Bowery Ballroom last night. Incredible show and as good as when I saw them live over 10 years ago (gasp). But then again, one of the benefits of seeing a Colorado band in NYC is you can actually get close to the stage. As you can see from the photo, I got front row for their show which is always a great way to see a band.
Second show tonight and tickets are still available!
Apple Product Evolution from 1976 to 2008
I have owned eight of these and currently use three.
(As an aside, why does DailyMotion provide embed code that doesn’t work and needs to be hacked?!?)
Google Hosted App vs. Gmail
I switched over to Gmail from Yahoo Mail years ago and I moved to a Google Hosted App soon after. I have been using it for quite some time but I am thinking it may be time to switch back to Gmail.
- Both are pretty much the same technology and interface
- To use Google Reader I need to use my Gmail Google Account
- I can’t import my contacts into any web service since most only offer Gmail/YMail/Hotmail options
- Gmail gets new features before Hosted
- Hosted is handy to create sub-accounts for my domain but I don’t tend to use this
Granted, I don’t know of any way to merge my two accounts and it’s always a pain to have archives floating in different places. Something to look into.
FriendFeed
One of the reasons I have resisted going too crazy with Twitter et al is the time needed and the danger of “yet another place to update.” I’m actually trying to keep an open mind and see how each of these services can be helpful in their own way.
Latest to the list is a service I have a lot of hopes for, FriendFeed. This is one of the most complete aggregation services that I have seen, and gives a great snapshot of what a person is doing. It’s a snap to add services and the display is pretty clean. Now to run it through its paces and see if it keeps being useful.
The site is in closed beta, but I signed up and got an invite later that day, so they can’t be that restrictive. 
Twitter, Tumblr and Facebook
After much avoiding, I have finally started to checkout some of the “other” social platforms beyond the more typical Myspace and Facebook.
Twitter is a micro blogging platform, allowing for quick Text messages of 180 of less characters. Think of it as just updating your Facebook status. This is especially handy for SMS and mobile phones (but also has Web/IM integration) and for observational posts. You can send a twit to someone by including the @ sign before their nickname, “@acky I am on Twitter!”
Tumblr is more of a multimedia aggregation site, that can pull in your Twitter, Blog and other feeds as well as post audio, video, photos or quotes/links. Right now I have my Tumblr pulling in my blog, flickr, Google Reader shared items, Twitter and my Facebook status. Linking my Facebook status into Twitter was my first question that I have, but it was dead simple to get tumblr to get it.
Updating Twitter with your Facebook status:
Someone has created a php script, Twitterbook that will update Twitter with your status. The instructions were a bit off given that FB has changed its interface since the instructions were written, but someone in the comments gave the correct instructions for finding your FB status feed.
Finding your Facebook Status feed:
1) Go to your profile
2) Under Mini-Feed click “See All”
3) Click on Status Stories
4) You will see a link labeled “My Status” under the View menu
So Facebook will update Twitter that will update Tumblr or Facebook can update Tumblr directly.
So why all the different platforms?
- Twitter for the short obersations and rapid discussions
- Tumblr for the audio, video and aggregation
- Blog for the longer more detailed (and less often) posts
- Facebook for the social and games
[Update: There is also a Facebook Twitter app that will allow you update your FB status from Twitter.
Spore as a Casual Game
Anyone else getting tired of hearing about Casual Games? Guess what, Spore is a Casual Game, says Wired Game|Life.
This was reflected in other design choices. Rather than force the player to start at the “cell” level, you can instead select between any of the five different parts of the game right from the start. While this is certainly sure to be a controversial decision — it takes a lot away from the sense of growth and expansion that I believed the game would have if it forced you to start from the beginning — it’ll let anybody jump in wherever they feel most comfortable.
It’s hard to say if this is just jumping on the “casual” buzzword bandwagon or actually meaningful. It is true that the Sims are some of the most popular of video games with a broad audience, and the best example of a “hard-core” video game gateway (and Spore and the Sims are from the same creator). Maybe it just comes down to what casual is referring to. When I worked in the industry, casual usually meant that the development costs were low compared to hard-core games, but nowadays it is more closely tied to how quickly a person can finish a game. So thats going to make Spore an interesting hybrid. The Cell Stage of the game will be available as a Mobile version and will have some very quick play. The Creature Creator will be also on the DS in a simplified version and allow for exchanging and brilliant upsell to buy the full game. So can you really call a game Casual if its got a few parts that can be played casually or you can skip some Stages for quicker play? I think not, but I’m sure it will get some traction from the press that way, and that will drive some sales, and a Wii version wouldn’t hurt.
I am a huge fan of the sim category of games, especially the Civilization series (1,2 and 3), though I never really got into the Sims which I found too tedious. The ability in Civ to jump start and skip some of the boring beginning was an excellent way to speed up a game. Each game would usually take a full day to complete. I have been greatly looking forward to Spore since I watched the demo a year ago. Granted I can see why many are frustrated by the endless delays over the years and the huge expectations from the game.
Tech Logo Evolution
A great post from Neatorama on the evolution of some tech companies logos, with an interesting history of them. As you can see by the image, Apple is included, as is Google, IBM, and others.
Rumor has it that the bite on the Apple logo was a nod to Alan Turing, the father of modern computer science who committed suicide by eating a cyanide-laced apple. Janoff, however, said in an interview that though he was mindful of the “byte/bite” pun (Apple’s slogan back then: “Byte into an Apple”), he designed the logo as such to “prevent the apple from looking like a cherry tomato.” (Source)
In 1998, supposedly at the insistence of Jobs, who had just returned to the company, Apple replaced the rainbow logo (”the most expensive bloody logo ever designed” said Apple President Mike Scott) with a modern-looking, monochrome logo.
Thanks to TechCrunch.
MSFT To Buy YHOO
It’s not surprising that someone bought Yahoo, they are in a mess and are in desperate need of it… but Microsoft? Wow. It makes sense for them to combine to fight Google but I’m still shocked, mostly because of what both MS and Yahoo used to be in search and how they have dropped off the radar.
Got the news first from Fred. Stories on Marketwatch and WSJ.
