A Personal Blog
Archive for January, 2010
What the iPad iAin't
Jan 28th
So the iPad is out. Yay. I mean, no, really, this is my excited face. You can tell because my eyes are open.
Seriously, though, I had very low expectations for the iPad. Mostly because, well, I figured it’d just end up being a larger iPhone and an eBook reader all in one. And none of that sounded exciting. But part of me, a small part, was actually hoping that when Steve-O said it was the most important thing he’d evar done (remember this is the guy who invented moving to a different state to jump the donor list) that it’d actually, y’know, matter.
Now I’m hopeful that the iPad will a) get a new name but b) more importantly will pull an iPhone and be rawking by it’s 3rd iteration (cue Microsoft jokes).
However, right now? It barely even meets my expectations. Let’s review what Steve-O promised… that the iPad would be better than either an iPhone or a laptop at:
The iPad iAin't Better...
Browsing: While I’m no Flash fan (though I see it’s place, especially for educational and rich media stuff), not having Flash available in a browser is flat out bad for browsers. Sorry, but even if you think Flash is evil, ask yourself: if Microsoft had come out with an OS that didn’t support Flash would you be happy? I think not. WIN: Laptop.
Email: The physical keyboard is nice. But how is it better at email than a laptop? Sorry, poorer typing, less UI control? WIN: Laptop.
Photos: I’ll actually give this to the iPad. Everything about this is sexy. WIN: iPad.
Video: In what world is the iPad better at video? Cause it has fullscreen and you can carry it on your lap? But it doesnt’ have widescreen. And doesnt’ allow non-Youtube web-based video… and doesnt’ have decent external speakers. Or the ability to plug in decent USB headphones or… anything. WIN: Laptop.
Music: Music should be one of two things: highly portable, or high quality. The iPad is neither. Nevermind that Flash-based music services (like many podcast plugins for wordpress) simply won’t work. What’s the use-case for a larger iPod Touch that plays the same thing as the iPod touch, but where I can’t listen to the music while doing something else? Maybe if it was waterproof I could use it in the bath, but besides that… I got nuthin’. WIN: Laptop/iPhone.
Games: Games, like music, should be one of two things: highly portable or high quality. The iPad does neither. What it does do, which is interesting, is introduce true multi-touch gaming. This’ll bear watching. For now, though? WIN: Laptop/iPhone.
eBooks: Yeah, eBooks. Let’s give the iPad props. It is drop dead gorgeous for newspaper/magazine reading. I can totally see sitting on the couch reading the latest issue of Drop or something. Sexy. But books? Erm, no, I refuse to strain my eyes that way while reading for 6 hours (plus, can’t imagine how I’d prop this up while laying sideways in a readable fashion?). Props for beauty, but this is not an eReader, nevermind one for eBooks (Steve-O’s word). Nevermind that my Kindle? I leave it in my backpack loaded with books. If I don’t see it for 3 months, but then find myself on a plane? Pull it out and read. That’ll never happen with the iPad. WIN: KINDLE.
Fundamentally, I can’t really figure out a solid use-case for the iPad, outside of the ability to watch TV on a smaller and more portable screen… No multitasking. No USB. No video out. No phone calls. No Flash. No camera. No use.
Hell, even Hitler hates it:
Back Into the Game
Jan 18th
Till I Collapse by Enimem
Until the roof The roof comes off Until my legs give out from underneath me
I will not fall, I will stand tall, Feels like no one could beat me.
Nearly 6 months ago (in 9 days), I announced that I was leaving b5media, a company where I was the CEO and one of 4 founders, along with 3 other amazing individuals. I then proceeded to take roughly 6 months of quieter time to work on me, sort through stuff and figure out what I wanted personally and professionally. Note: I highly recommend doing this if you haven’t recently (it’s a central part of a talk I’m giving with @geekmommy at South by South West).
As I came out of my hardcore “Workcation”, and a month post the transition, I wrote this post detailing some of my thoughts and whatnot. Looking back on the post, the thing that stood out (besides my #madwritingskillz) was my thoughts on what I wanted to do:
- Figure out what makes you smile, and do more of that
- Figure out what makes you stress, and do less of that
- Don’t be afraid to fail (I used to live by this, but sometime in the last year I lost it)
- Sleep
- Friends and family matter
More smiling.
Less stress.
More passion.
More sleep.
More involvement.
What I Wanted
Basically I wanted a job where I could be great, be part of a team, have real work/life balance (cause I’d be more inspired that way) and make a difference in the company and for our clients.
I’ve seen a lot of job opportunities over the last 6 months. Many of them were amazing, and I felt silly turning them down, but something about each just didn’t feel with my fundamental needs to make a difference, be part of a great team and learn/grow.
Over the last few months, one opportunity has consistently excited me. I could never quite put my finger on “why” until a good and wise friend basically pointed out that if I was still interested even though it wasn’t the best pay, the best title, etc, then I must either be crazy or I must actually give a damn. I really did. And giving a damn about your “job” is actually pretty cool when you get right down to it.
She’s a smart cookie that one. Even if she does say “insurance” and “ambulance” wrong.
So, I talked to the company, we worked out details, and … well, today is Day 1.
What I Got
Today I’ve joined the Thornley Fallis / 76design team. The titles don’t matter. The details don’t matter. What matters is:
- The team is Blue Angel incredible. From people I knew rawked like Dave, Michael, Terry and Joe to people I’ve gotten to know very recently that are also incredible like Sarah, Shawn, Jenn, Keelan and Leisha… to people that I haven’t met yet cause I’ve only been here 6 hours… who are also, I’m completely confident, rawkstars.
- We’re doing fab work for some incredibly interesting clients. I’m not sure what the kosherness is on naming them, so I’ll just say that our clients are high end companies we’re doing leading edge work for, as well as folk you may never hear of where we’re able to grow and redefine their business. It’s just flat out cool.
- I get to learn. Let’s face it, doing new stuff is 3 parts scary and 105 parts just wicked exciting. Doing it in an industry you’ve only worked with tangentially (even if you’ve won gobs of awards and spoken at events in said industry) is even cooler. Getting to learn about marketing, branding and PR from some of the coolest and most knowledgeable people in Canada (if not the entire industry)? Teh hawtness.
This is my first time in a “job” in, like, 6 years. It’s my first time with a “real” desk and an office, well, evar. It’s my first time taking on a senior role in a company I didn’t start, or where I didn’t work my way up through the ranks. But more important than that, it’s my first time working in such a dynamic environment where the team, clients and work are all nsync (see what I did there? #boybandaddict).
Today is Day 1. It was a great day (and it’s nowhere near done). I’m hopped up on something better than redbull: energy and excitement. They should bottle this shit.
PS: HUGE thanks to @jpetersen for helping me fix blog issues to get this up! Total great guy! Here’s his details in case you ever need help ;-)
