Nice laptop!

Kids DIG my new powerbook!

I sat on our frontporch doing a little work on my new powerbook, and I heard three things in this order:

1. Trick or treat
2. Nice laptop!
3. Nice pumpkins

Call me a Mac biggot, but the evening would've been decidedly different if I had been working on my Compaq EVO from work. Maybe it's times to buy AAPL again.

BTW

... Flickr is doing prints now if you're in the US? My wife still manages our photos and has a method with Ofoto/Kodak, but I wonder how long that will last... Oooh the Web 1.0 vs. Web 2.0 smackdown.

Irony

I setup a new website tonight for my son's Cub Scout Pack. Desiring, to have a quick win and not being a designer genius I chose to start with a blog. Ordinarily I start with MoveableType (which runs this site), but WordPress has gotten a lot of buzz in and was at the top of my mind so I figured I'd try it out. HOLY MOLY! (err... does MOLY have an 'e'?) it's fantastic! The installation couldn't be simpler, the administration interface (for controlling links, UI, accounts, etc.) is 10x better designed and equally more powerful. There are DOZENS of cool themes and installing them is as simple as unzipping an archive in the right place. Topping it off... It's completely FREE. None of the licensing shenanigans of MT.

New powerbook

I ordered a new 15" powerbook. I like my old 17" but the fact of the matter is, it's just NOT portable. So it was time to get a new one (after all it's been a whole 2 years since I bought the last one ;) Two stories. First I order right after the announcement of the video ipod. I waited patiently because there was speculation that they were going to announce a new model of powerbook (which they didn't). However a week later (after I ordered) they did make that announcement so I had a new powerbook in the order queue that was already obsolete... sigh... No worries, Apple is the coolest company in the world:

To Our Valued Apple Customer:

Apple is pleased to announce a new generation of the PowerBook G4!

Your PowerBook has not shipped yet, so we have upgraded your order to the new PowerBook at no additional charge.

For more information about the new PowerBook, please visit: http://www.apple.com/powerbook

For the latest information on your order please visit http://www.apple.com/orderstatus. The online order status site will keep you up to date throughout the purchase process. Once your order ships, you will be able to obtain tracking information here as well.

Thank you for choosing Apple!

Sincerely,
Apple Store Customer Support

Wow. Second, I've been watching my package slowly wend it's way across the world. It started in Shanghai! Now it's stuck in a "clearance delay". Interesting... I guess the goverment has to check it to make sure there isn't anything nefarious on the hard drive?

Web 2.0

I thought that this quote was a great summary of the economic half of what "Web 2.0" is trying to accomplish. You can pick up context here. While you're there be sure to read the Joel Spolsky comment (he's the one that sparked off this blog post)

All he seems to be saying is that traditionally in business, you think of inputs (e.g. transistors, steel, etc.) and outputs (e.g PCs, cars, etc.). The basic problem is cast as "How do we organize and design and optimize the production of the outputs from the inputs (with the right dose(s) of capital)?" If we do that, the traditional capitalist thinks, we get money at the end from the outputs.

He claims that the distinguishing characteristic of "Web 2.0 stuff" is that it tries to monetize all these things that have no deliberate/designed place in a chain from inputs to outputs. An example would be a blog that's basically my personal diary that would generate revenue through contextual advertising. My personal journal is certainly something that's traditionally on the periphery of the economy. It has no place in any organized "production line" (unlike, say, an author writing/researching a book written under contract). This "Web 2.0 stuff" tries to extract value from the detritus of personal and social life.

Life hackers

This article has made the rounds

Greg points out some interesting work by Eric Horvitz

Andrej points out fascinating research about productivity relative to monitor size.

Joel does the same

There are some really smart people out there thinking about cool stuff.