frosty.tumblr.com

A short clip from a Christmas many years ago, when the thing I...

Sun, 13 Dec 2009 12:39:28 +0000

A short clip from a Christmas many years ago, when the thing I really really wanted Santa to bring me was a ball of string.

I have no idea why. I’m the one on the right.

My NaNoWriMo novel arrived! Sure, it’s only a first...

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 10:11:00 +0000

My NaNoWriMo novel arrived!

Sure, it’s only a first draft, but I wrote a book, dammit, and it looks chuffing amazing! :D

Scarves through the ages I drew a picture to show the evolution...

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 19:10:00 +0000

Scarves through the ages

I drew a picture to show the evolution of mankind’s ability to tie scarves in such a way that:

a) they cover as much of your neck as possible; and
b) they have as few loose ends as possible

"What do you say to Kindle users who like to read in the bathtub? I’ll tell you what I do. I take a..."

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 17:42:05 +0000

“

What do you say to Kindle users who like to read in the bathtub?

I’ll tell you what I do. I take a one-gallon Ziploc bag, and I put my Kindle in my one-gallon Ziploc bag, and it works beautifully. It’s much better than a physical book, because obviously if you put your physical book in a Ziploc bag you can’t turn the pages. But with Kindle, you can just push the buttons.

”

- Questions for Jeffrey P. Bezos - Book Learning - Interview - NYTimes.com

A nice little interview with Jeff Bezos about the Kindle. Great response there to people who moan about eBook readers who say “but you can’t read in the bath!”.

Pretty amazing numbers, too:

For every 100 copies of a physical book we sell, where we have the Kindle edition, we will sell 48 copies of the Kindle edition.

Ultra-Realistic Modern Warfare Game Features Awaiting Orders,...

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 16:39:11 +0000

Ultra-Realistic Modern Warfare Game Features Awaiting Orders, Repairing Trucks

[via tmblg]

"Cat: What, am I the only sane one here? Why don’t we drop the defensive shields?Kryten: A..."

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 01:38:00 +0000

“Cat: What, am I the only sane one here? Why don’t we drop the defensive shields?
Kryten: A superlative suggestion, sir, with just two minor flaws. One: we don’t have any defensive shields. And two: we don’t have any defensive shields. Now I realise that, technically speaking, that’s only one flaw; but I thought it was such a big one, it was worth mentioning twice.”

- Red Dwarf - Wikiquote

[via merlin]

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:21:28 +0000

[via merlin]

"But my interest remains, as ever, in the quality of the apps, not the quantity. Let’s say that when..."

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:48:41 +0000

“

But my interest remains, as ever, in the quality of the apps, not the quantity. Let’s say that when the dust starts to settle in this market, Android winds up with far fewer total apps than iPhone OS, but they’re of generally higher quality. That would make Android the Mac to the iPhone’s Windows. I would switch to that platform. (Feel free to substitute WebOS for Android in the above hypothetical.)

The number of apps already in the store — and, even more so, the momentum with which new ones are being added — almost certainly guarantees the continuing popularity of the iPhone and iPod Touch for the next few years. But Windows is proof that popularity doesn’t guarantee market-leading quality.

”

- Daring Fireball: Pound the Quality

Quality of software is one of the many reasons I love using a Mac. In the situation arose that John describes, I’d totally be on that boat to Android-land.

On a related note, I’ve still never seen or tried a real-life Android device. I’d like to, though.

[via swissmiss, via merlin]

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 21:37:26 +0000

[via swissmiss, via merlin]

"A standalone monitor with the new iMac’s panel would be perfectly reasonably priced at about $1500...."

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 10:49:47 +0000

“

A standalone monitor with the new iMac’s panel would be perfectly reasonably priced at about $1500. From Dell. Apple’s only charging $200 more than that for theirs, and there’s an entire high-end computer stuck to the back of it.

[ … ]

Until we know why the panel is so cheap, I bet we’re going to see a lot of Mac Pro owners buying 27” monitors for $1700 and trying to figure out what to do with the free computer stuck to the back. For new-computer shopping, a lot of people are going to abandon whichever laptop or Mac Pro they were considering and get this instead.

That helps answer the “why” question: Maybe Apple wants to push more buyers away from today’s default system-type choice — laptops — and show them why they should consider getting a fast, spacious desktop instead. And, for the time being, it’s a desktop with absolutely no equivalent in the PC world.

”

- Marco.org - The more I think and learn about the curious…

Yesterday was iPod’s 8th birthday.

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 13:04:43 +0100

Yesterday was iPod’s 8th birthday.

merlin: Merlin Labs! - 5 Surprising House Hacks! I only had...

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:12:20 +0100

merlin:

Merlin Labs! - 5 Surprising House Hacks!

I only had the budget for a pilot, but I’m pretty excited about where we’re going with it.

Merlin’s just hilarious. Keep watching for the toilet roll explanation - that was the point when I nearly spat out my cup of tea. Warning: contains rude words.

Color Me Katie: Grocery Store Musical Ever wished life was more...

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:51:17 +0100

Color Me Katie: Grocery Store Musical

Ever wished life was more like a musical? Then check out this awesome Improv Everywhere video - they did just that, and broke out into song in a grocery store. I love the shoppers’ reactions!

From the ever silly/whimsical/colourful/always-brings-a-smile-to-my-face Color Me Katie.

"Our industry has collectively taught average people over the last few decades that computers should..."

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 09:42:00 +0100

“Our industry has collectively taught average people over the last few decades that computers should be feared and are always a single misstep from breaking. We’ve trained them to expect the working state to be fragile and temporary, and experience from previous upgrades has convinced them that they shouldn’t mess with anything if it works. They’ve learned to ignore our pressures to always get the latest versions of everything because our upgrades frequently break their software and workflow. They expect unreliable functionality, shoddy software workmanship, unnecessary complexity, broken promises from software marketers, and degrading hostility from their office’s IT staff.”

- Marco.org - Why hasn’t Vista sold well?

A good piece from Marco about why Vista mightn’t have sold well. Another good quote:

I honestly believe that malware carried computer sales for most of the last decade. That only worked because we’ve taught people, with a combination of misinformation and omission, two great lies: that computers slow down over time, and that the only way to fix a malware infestation is to buy a new computer.

For Immediate Relief: Speaking Like a Human

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:58:53 +0100

For Immediate Relief: Speaking Like a Human:

Merlin Mann rewrites a corporate bullshit PR statement into plain english, and nails it. I didn’t get past the first paragraph of the original, but read all the way through Merlin’s re-write, and laughed to boot.

Scrubs Ted and Kate Micucci: Screw You (full song)

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 12:12:15 +0100

Scrubs Ted and Kate Micucci: Screw You (full song)

"And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years."

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:30:44 +0100

“And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.”

- Abraham Lincoln [via minimalmac]

How to Blog - kung fu grippe archives: [9/08]

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:29:22 +0100

How to Blog - kung fu grippe archives: [9/08]

"To my fellow commenters: - Cydia would ensure the app would never get approved (or paid for) -..."

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:13:12 +0100

“To my fellow commenters: - Cydia would ensure the app would never get approved (or paid for) - Blackberry development is an utter nightmare - Android… not yet worth the effort (catch-22, eh?) - Windows Mobile is a big turd”

- Commenter Paul, on Cerulean Studios’ Blog » Trillian for iPhone: Two months later, still no response from Apple…

The status of non-iPhone mobile development nicely summed up, there.

Animal Identification Fail (the audio of which can be heard near...

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 18:42:46 +0100

Animal Identification Fail (the audio of which can be heard near the beginning of Pixar’s Up, when Carl is watching TV)