July 2008 Archives

The Basement After many things came to a head, from online interaction to offline personal stuff, I decided to shut down The Basement. On the wah wah hurt side, I feel like no one deserves an explanation after what I feel was some unnecessary commentary, especially after I clarified what I meant time-and-time again. On the calm and collected side, I do think I owe as best of an explanation as I feel like I can give to the people who enjoyed The Basement as much as I have. So, yes, the back-and-forth was a catalyst, but it wasn't the reason. I've already mentioned Kate's upcoming hysterectomy. It's taken a long goddam time to get to the point where we're at with that, which has taxed me financially and emotionally.

I took the medicine I have recommended to others and had pulled back. However, I also felt I had a responsibility to at least check in from time-to-time. Unfortunately those times validated a growing concern that I wasn't giving it the attention it needed - the gallery is an example of that feeling.

Like I have said many times before, I have nothing to hide. However, there are some things that I just won't volunteer unless I'm forced in a position to do so. One thing I've never hidden was the fact that I contemplated shutting down The Basement many times. Was it a knee jerk reaction? Probably. I know my wife thinks my decision was hasty, especially after the times she's been dragged in from wrongful implications to online sexual harassment. (Some jackasses might think I'm being extreme by the latter, but I do believe that character and personal interaction drive what people can and can't get away with from other people. I believe that if a person who has a "bone to pick with me" doesn't keep his focus on the prize then they are a coward for having to involve other people.) Which leads me back to the point that I've never hid from things that spin me up. Like I said on Fredtalk, people who know me, even just from reading the boards, will know what will set me off. To me, a friend won't cross that line. The Basement has helped me create a buffer, so there have been times I've been able to let comments pass without a peep from me, but if people are as smart and as observant as they claim they are, they should know that my threshold has been more than reached, it's been ripped to shreds.

So, contrary to what people's signatures, comments, or forums might imply, I think that The Basement being around as long as it was has more than shown that I mean what I say. I won't deny that I have a threshold like everyone else - which is evident by people's reactions to my comments. I think I've explained myself more than enough, and all I can offer is an apology. After all the hoopla, which continues today, and the lack of understanding, especially the lack of background chatter by people who I thought were friends, I don't feel like the sincerity is there.

To say I'm not saddened that The Basement is gone would be a lie. One of the things I got from my interaction on there was facing aspects of my personality that I was ashamed to admit I had, including the feeling that I wasn't being as involved as I should have been in running it.

Lastly, I want to apologize to my wife. I could have kept my mouth shut, as people have stated, but then The Basement wouldn't have been what it was if I had censored myself. Unfortunately, as an innocent in all of this and someone who was smart enough to stay out of it all, you had to get dragged in. I'm sorry, sweetie.

/drama queen out

Before I get into why I don't use Apple's over-hyped browser, I want to know what the proper term is for a small article that's part of a group of small articles which make up a complete article. For example, Macworld's "Mac OS X Hints" article has little articles called "Control the New iTunes Visualizers," "Easily Create New Tabs in Safari," and "Tricks of the Media Browser." I would like to call "... Hints" a section, but it's in the "Help Desk" section of the magazine. I think I will call them sub-articles until I educate myself. (For some reason I wanted to call them "sub-atomic-(p)articles," but I can't without cringing.)

What set me off today was the sub-article "Easily Create New Tabs in Safari" that I previously mentioned, which is in the August 2008 edition of Macworld magazine. How do I put this delicately? Why the fuck do I want to hit Command+T to open a new tab when other browsers have a "New Tab" button?

I don't mind workarounds, and I like to tinker under the hood to enhance my computing experience. So I decided that since I never use the "New Bookmark" button, which resembles a "New Tab" button on other browsers, I will use Xcode and reconfigure the button to open a new tab. The down-side to this is when Apple has to update the browser, which always jacks up my efforts.

I'm not complaining about the updates because I think they're necessary to keep the OS secure and feature laden. What I don't like is having to re-do those steps for a feature that should already be built into the browser. To put it into a better light, I'm not an Apple fanboi who willingly swallows the bitter jiz of Apple stupidity and changes my habits to accommodate what Apple thinks is a better way ... unless the new way makes sense, like using 2 fingers on the trackpad to scroll. This instance, however, doesn't make sense because I like to use the fucking mouse more than I do my keyboard, from clicking on links to bookmarking a site. So what sense does it make to disrupt my flow to hit a couple unnecessary keys? If I want to hear a song I like, why must dragging my nails across a chalkboard be a way to turn up the volume?

Regardless of my temperament, I can acknowledge that Apple has made some spiffy things. However, Apple is NOT the pinnacle of perfection and design - no company, IMO, holds that honor. I do think that the Apple borg needs to realize that there are in fact ways of doing things that are better that what they come up with. What's the problem in giving users more options, or researching to see what's common practice and initially incorporate that process in the development?

I don't get paid like Jobs, but I do feel like I can run Apple better.

I was looking at the “Curvaceous” plug-in for Movable Type, and one thing that really annoys me is when I feel like I've wasted my time - which might be a recurring theme in my rants. Here's a disclaimer for any tard that happens upon this post: I'm not talking about the plug-in.

What I am talking about are screenshots. Whether I venture to Softpedia, BetaNews, MajorGeeks, Snapfiles, et al, one of the first things I look at is the screenshot associated with the program I'm interested in. I hate to break it to developers, but being on a site filled with other apps that does the same thing as yours isn't enough for me to download, try, and possibly ruin my computer. I like pretty things. When I use a program, I like something that gently strokes the eyeballs and welcomes me into whatever endeavor I happen to decide upon. If an app is useable and clunky, that centerfold allure is what keeps me around. So the question is, “How does someone market their product to everyone, especially people who are hesitant to download software?” The answer? A screenshot.

Now let's take this a step further ... let's say I come across 5 programs that I'm interested in, and they all have screenshots. What then? To me, the next logical step is making sure people are able to see whatever is in the screenshot(s). If you have a screenshot the size of a fly's penis then you've successfully wasted my time and I shitcan any desire of using your program - which knocks three-quarters, or more, of the programs out of the running. Not to digress, but what are some of those people thinking? Granted, there are some people that are stupid enough to try something based off of a picture no bigger than a thumbnail, but would you want someone with that type of intellect representing your product? Every day, whether in a business or personal capacity, approximately 10 people ask me for my input on computer products. Right now I'm batting at 90 percent who actually heed my recommendations. All I want is a decent-sized picture that allows me to legibly read the text of the user interface (UI) and is a clear representation of the product that I possibly might use.

Which leads me to another point about screenshots: make sure the shot is of your current product. Too many times I've seen screenshots that were of a preference pane, a result of using the program, or something that isn't what I'm using. If that screenshot isn't what I'm going to see within the first 5 seconds of using the program then, again, my time was wasted, and I'll wish physical harm on everyone associated with your product. I don't want to see how good your product used to look or how it will look when it comes out of beta in 5 years; I want to know how it will look at the time I will be using it.

With the world the way it is now, everyone's time is valuable, and every step taken to save that person some time will only benefit your product. There are a lot of sites out there for someone to upload their programs to. Remember when I mentioned above about my input on things? Here's an unsolicited example: SnapFiles is the only freeware/shareware site I've come across that consistently has decent screenshots of products, and I mainly use it as a source for other files to try. The ONLY time I use another site is when I'm looking for a product that I've used and liked but isn't being developed anymore and is still applicable to the OS and task at hand. For Macs I have to use VersionTracker and MacUpdate, but I do use iUseThis to help me filter. However, having to swap between tabs or windows is a pain in the ass and even makes me loyal to the apps that might cause me pain because the pain for finding others can be greater at times.