tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35195332008-03-13T10:47:49.995-04:00RockBlogger110125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3519533.post-37069754358596046292008-03-13T10:27:00.002-04:002008-03-13T10:47:50.022-04:00

Recently, someone did a study that my wife was telling me about, how the "gut instinct" can be trusted, and my immediate reply has been that my gut has been right far more often than my head. Yet, I couldn't explain why that was. I didn't read the article, but I did start some self-examination of why I would think that, and I think I've come to a rudimentary explanation for why the gut feeling

Rocktag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3519533.post-18334174749519037192008-02-27T10:24:00.005-05:002008-02-27T12:12:25.368-05:00

If any of you haven't heard me crow in utter admiration and evangelical urging about Apple's iWork component Keynote, you a.) haven't been paying attention or b.) haven't been within 20 feet of me lately. Seriously, Keynote is that perfect storm of an app: highly compatible with file formats coming in AND going out, simple to use, stable, powerful, starts off with a sense of taste and style that

Rocktag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3519533.post-67348721588636995602008-02-17T15:43:00.001-05:002008-02-17T15:52:34.365-05:00

Dirty little secret #4,512: Adobe wants you to have Bridge. In fact, they want you to have it so much, they are giving it away. They just forget to tell you. First, a little backstory: before Macworld, I needed Dreamweaver CS3 installed on our family MacBook Pro for the two-day Power Tools Training Session (can't wait for it to be posted on MacworldEncore.com, for free. Yes, there's some sarcasm

Rocktag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3519533.post-44917871425900457482008-02-14T19:18:00.001-05:002008-02-14T19:18:24.672-05:00

Okay, I was cruising the RSS feeds earlier today, and noticed that Merlin Mann had just posted a new video to 43folders.com... of his Macworld session. Now normally, I'd be happy to just watch away, gleaning any free knowledge he decided to bestow, and I figured this must be some supplement to what he actually said at the session. You know, a "value-added feature," as the kids (who dream of

Rocktag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3519533.post-49021413060521992182008-02-03T11:51:00.001-05:002008-02-03T11:51:05.079-05:00

The Macworld wrap-up keeps, um, wrapping, and today boasts a crazy schedule where I have something occupying my time and/or attention every minute. But suffice it to say, it's coming.

Rocktag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3519533.post-74413648485207178782008-01-29T14:18:00.001-05:002008-01-29T14:30:51.115-05:00

Okay, for the record, I am planning to post my full Macworld wrap-up in the coming day or two, but for the uninitiated, I've been caught in the grip of a nasty bug picked up somewhere in California. At first, I assumed it was the dreaded annual Macworld plague, but in the past few days, as my wife has shown no symptoms, we are beginning to think she picked up the bug while sightseeing in San Fran

Rocktag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3519533.post-21157172774738818082008-01-17T18:51:00.000-05:002008-01-17T18:53:24.265-05:00

Well, almost. And I am suddenly late for a session. Gotta scoot. p.s. Macbook Air is THE blogger's/conventioneer's best friend. Period. Or, well, it will be. p.p.s. Got my picture taken with both Merlin Mann AND Cabel Sasser. Rock. On..

Rocktag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3519533.post-83091458668878009902008-01-16T17:48:00.000-05:002008-01-16T18:01:22.601-05:00

Today's sessions have an energy that wasn't present in the Power Tools Sessions. Methinks it's just a poor size-of-room-to-group ratio. When the rooms are packed tight, the emotions and response from the crowd come out quicker, tighter and louder, and encourage participation through flat-out crowd anonymity (see also: any internet forum). Just got out of the Presentation Magic seminar, which ran

Rocktag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3519533.post-39462944324654233432008-01-16T13:35:00.000-05:002008-01-16T13:38:29.167-05:00

Currently resting on my tired, tired laurels in South Moscone, set up in the Microsoft Blogger lounge. One the good side, it's a beautiful modern living room set-up, complete with AC power (YES!). On the downside, you must give them a blog URL upon entry or else they release the monkeys. Probably should hunt down some food soon, then onto the Users Conference sessions. Plenty of photos int he

Rocktag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3519533.post-26289435779698911642008-01-15T16:30:00.000-05:002008-01-15T16:37:43.665-05:00

Hey folks, been a while, but I've been busy working out my Macworld virginity, and let's just say I've learned a few lessons for the next Macworld. Having been to a few conferences, and been a security guard for a convention center ages ago (late teens), I can attribute most blame to an IDGExpo and Moscone staff that had NO idea what to do with a.) an enormous crowd over last year and b.) a

Rocktag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3519533.post-22987665384828067532008-01-08T16:38:00.000-05:002008-01-08T16:47:13.130-05:00

That title's gonna make more sense to those who grew up on old-timey/fun-timey movies and Looney Tunes, like I did. Anyway... Just wanted ot let you all know that, thanks to Greg Keene, I have fixed the iCal calendars below to reflect Pacific Time (rather than the Eastern Standard they were entered under). This will shift all events earlier by three hours, so when you arrive in San Fran, make

Rocktag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3519533.post-68690820562117112582007-12-08T14:41:00.000-05:002007-12-09T13:59:19.816-05:00

I've resorted to using Firefox to post this update, since it'll give me a few more browser in-line tools for this very special post. Since I'm finally making a long-overdue pilgrimage to Macworld San Francisco this January, and also since the IDG Event crew has managed to make one of the more inflexible large event websites I have ever tried to use, I set about the thankless, unenviable task of

Rocktag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3519533.post-56915859963287031452007-12-02T11:10:00.000-05:002007-12-02T11:33:36.986-05:00

So some people have been asking me what I have been doing, keeping myself busy while not at work these days. I wish I could say "I've had projects out the proverbial wazoo," but such is not the case. Instead, having spent the majority of October visiting family, friends, and then updating my portfolio and resume for job prospects, I spent most of November getting normal life under control,

Rocktag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3519533.post-41041699631796528682007-11-30T17:10:00.000-05:002007-12-01T14:18:44.075-05:00

Glad to see the response to the blog post has been good. I was kinda nervous jumping back on the horse, after months/years of neglect, but the previous post was just way too long for a Facebook note. By the way, for those who are wondering, this is a Blogger.com supplied template and as such: a.) they are the folks responsible for totally borking up the styling info for the "recent posts" in

Rocktag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3519533.post-61038093917669068542007-11-29T17:34:00.001-05:002007-12-06T20:59:51.673-05:00

This has the ability to be a voluminous post, but it's an important one, so here it goes. This story starts in one direction, then changes on you at the end, so if you're not exactly in love with vacuum talk, let it evolve into a talk about computers and just general worth. You may be surprised by the results. So, in the past five years or so, my wife and I have done a lot of moving about. One

Rocktag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3519533.post-9024849627930880932007-06-16T09:43:00.000-04:002007-06-16T09:55:18.306-04:00

okay, there are a few things that i like about the apple.com redesign, but i keep trying to figure out if i like it because it's GOOD, or just because it's different. case in point, those buttons across the top... the faux depth of the gradient and the "inner shadow" pressed state when you click just feel like, well, a photoshop "make a button action" or something. they work WAY better on the

Rocktag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3519533.post-57523212040389841182007-05-27T22:27:00.000-04:002007-05-27T22:28:13.694-04:00

Jesus rhymes with cheeses. There's gotta be a song lyric in there somewhere.

Rocktag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3519533.post-52111575432293485572007-05-24T16:12:00.000-04:002007-05-24T16:14:47.280-04:00

you ever have someone tell you a joke, and they laugh uproariously at one part of it, and you sit there thinking "um, actually, the funny part is the person who DID what you just described, and you're pretty much a mirror image of them." and then you realize how utterly out of touch they are with their own outwardly perception. something similar happened to me. hoo-boy. awkward.

Rocktag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3519533.post-26576577542355616022007-05-24T14:32:00.000-04:002007-05-24T14:35:45.993-04:00

I want too know how this has slipped through the cracks for the last decade. There is no EASY way to paste WITHOUT formatting. And if you say that making a special trip to the "Paste Special..." command, and clicking a toggle button every time you paste, OR that an obtrusive icon button appearing out of nowhere every time you paste, OR making your own macro in Word's VB Script editor and then

Rocktag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3519533.post-11812207734455039272007-05-18T14:32:00.000-04:002007-05-18T14:34:16.517-04:00

finally figured out what I was doing wrong and have access to my old blogger account again (hence the update). basically, around the time google/blogger decided to start updating their service, and they asked me to do so, i upgraded with an e-mail address i had forgotten i even HAD. of course, now that i'm online, i don't have terribly much to say. oh well.

Rocktag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3519533.post-1165933270603435292006-12-12T09:20:00.000-05:002006-12-12T09:21:10.610-05:00

when it tries to solve a problem you didn't have. case in point, i have been looking around for the functional equivalent of "shutdown items" from mac os 9 under mac os x. so i started googling around, and while some people had posted questions just this simply, people would counter, rather than with answers, with questioning "why would you want to do that? explain what you are trying to

Rocktag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3519533.post-1165094932477691402006-12-02T16:27:00.000-05:002006-12-12T09:29:57.926-05:00

okay, i actually live in a place where items like this are plentiful. ad there will be a few weeks in either january or february where i will need to wear them. at this point, as long as it's sunny, i'm not sure i'll mind.

Rocktag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3519533.post-1164816694131914422006-11-29T11:11:00.000-05:002006-11-29T11:30:28.273-05:00

everyone's got at least two of them, and they are usually at odds with each other. for some reason, i guess because of the recent deconstruction of hyped software apps lately (the "delicious generation," as rogue amoeba called it), people have been debating user interface elements a LOT lately. my only beef, and it is a beef i have held for a LONG time, is that often, when we say that a user

Rocktag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3519533.post-1164299059210041022006-11-23T11:21:00.000-05:002006-11-23T11:25:24.756-05:00

125% fully automated phone trees, especially when they are inextricably attached to critical services... say you're trying desperately to find out where your money is, was, or is going to be for your credit card payment. and you have to enter everything via a numeric keypad. even letters, which you just have to have faith are being translated correctly for the computer to understand and not send

Rocktag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3519533.post-1162435800400818532006-11-01T21:42:00.000-05:002006-11-01T21:50:00.406-05:00

seriously, just try... just TRY to sit through the movie about "feedvertising," in the flash movie about halfway down this page. http://www.tubetorial.com/feedvertising/ if you can weather the multiple uses of the word "monetize" (CRINGE), i laughed out loud... OUT LOUD... when the chipper commentator stated how so many people are reading your website via their rss readers to just get the

Rock