Author: Jake

If you’re attending OpenWorld (@oracleopenworld) in September, you’re probably starting to plan your schedule. Trust me, this isn’t something you want to leave for the plane ride or the first day. This year, OpenWorld, Develop and JavaOne are all happening at once, September 19-23, and sheer volume of content is enormous. With all that good… Read More

Not sure how the city can trace bloggers who should pay this, but assuming they have that magic figured out, does it make sense to charge bloggers a fee at all? Philadelphia Bloggers’ License – $300 Fee | Geekosystem The economics of this are quirky. The cost of identifying and notifying bloggers has to outweigh… Read More

This was inevitable, and I think “grows” is a bit out-of-context. The feature launched last week so any growth measurement is premature. Discontent Grows With Facebook Places’ Ability To Tag Without Users’ Express Permission I did notice a few people in my News Feed were using Places, and frankly, I was a bit surprised with… Read More

Continuing a Friday tradition, today I’m sharing a couple web design blog that you’ll find useful, Smashing Magazine and 1stwebdesigner. Smashing Magazine (@smashingmag) First suggested to me by Rich (@rmanalan), Smashing has tons of resources for web designers/developers, ranging from operational stuff like how to work with clients to free-to-use fonts and icon packs to… Read More

Had an interesting epiphany today. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about documenting my life because I’ll soon be a father. As I’ve gotten older, my memory and now, it seems more important (urgent even) to document it somehow in case my kid ever wants to see what a really dull man I am. A… Read More

Yesterday afternoon brought the official announcement of Facebook Places, the giant network’s entry into geolocation services that had been rumored for months. We’ve been bullish on location for a couple years (whatever happened to Fire Eagle), so this announcement is huge, even though I rarely use Facebook anymore and don’t plan to use Facebook Places.… Read More

Last week, you’ll recall I had a bit of an adventure upgrading my EVO to Android 2.2. The reason was to test drive a couple new features that Google announced last week, Chrome to Phone and Voice Actions. Chrome to Phone is a Chrome extension that can send data from your browser to your phone.… Read More

I’ve been playing foursquare for about a year now, and one of my primary reasons has always been to visualize my movement through the world. Weeplaces provides the coolest foursquare checkin visualization I’ve seen so far. HOW TO: Visualize All Your Foursquare Check-ins Each city builds with traveling lines while time progresses across the bottom… Read More

This is another one of those informational posts that’s as much for me as it is for you and Google. Unlike the iPhone, which makes it very difficult to install non-approved apps on a jailed phone, installing non-Android Market apps on an Android phone is a breeze. So, if someone sends you an apk to… Read More

I love Android. I love my EVO. I’m grateful that Google opened my eyes. But, there’s a rub with Android. It’s the same one with Linux. They’re both too hard. Let me qualify before you break out the flamethrower. Obviously, they would be similar, since Android is based Linux kernel. When I talk about Linux,… Read More

So, yeah, it’s French hip-hop, and yeah, it features Facebook metaphors IRL, but it’s still clever. Plus, it has a good beat, and I can dance to it. H/t EUROPOPPED via TechCrunch. EUROPOPPED observes the irony of the American imports featured, i.e. Facebook, iPhone and hip-hop, but don’t forget Venice Beach and tourism by association.… Read More

This is cool, and as with traffic lights, it’s very cool to see innovation around objects that you’d think have reached their ultimate potential. The Sharpie Liquid Pencil: You Can Erase It for Three Days, Then It’s Permanent I love this stuff.

By way of John Gruber, Mike Monteiro has finished the GMail game by successfully using up its storage, which amounts to 8.19 GB. An irony pointed out by a commenter, GMail does boast “Who needs to delete when you have so much storage?!” in its Trash folder. When GMail launched, its storage limits were fantastically… Read More

I covered this low tech hack shortly after the G1 made its debut, and it’s worth repeating. Our oily finger trails betray the unlock PINs (for iPhone, iPad) and patterns (for Android) for our devices. I noticed this on both my OG iPhone and my EVO, but I wonder how often it’s actually been used… Read More

I had an interesting design epiphany last week. Ever since twitter.com made the avatar prominent, everyone building a stream has realized that attaching a face (or personal representation) to an artifact makes it easier to scan, consume and recall information. It makes sense. So, last week, someone on Connect had an issue with some analytics… Read More

Update: The integration is fixed and working like a champ. Get version 1.0 Beta #5.2 for Android. If you read here, you already know we’re huge fans of 1Password (@1password) and Dropbox (@dropbox). For the uninitiated, 1Password keeps your multitude of credentials in a secure vault, and its browser plugins make them readily accessible when… Read More

Lots of WebCenter mobile stuff lately, including the Spaces iPhone app and John Sim’s work with mobile platforms. Even as the guys dropped the first beta version of the new-new Chrome extension for WebCenter last week, Anthony has been tinkering with WebCenter integration on Android. Interested? Here’s the scenario. You’re in a meeting, the ideas… Read More

A couple posts I ran across last week underline general concerns with using Android phones. To be clear, I’m still in love with Android and my EVO, but these are real issues that non-technical people (or those with a low tolerance for tinkering) may find off-putting or worse. louisgray.com: As Froyo 2.2 Looms for Evo,… Read More

So, it’s finally in the wild, at least inside the firewall. Rich (@rmanalan) and Anthony (@anthonyslai) put the finishing touches on the WebCenter Chrome extension, and it’s now in beta testing. I’ve been teasing these changes for a while, and it’s the culmination of a lot of work by the guys. Here’s a rundown of… Read More

This was surprising, but it makes sense. Official Google Blog: Update on Google Wave Give credit to Google for pulling the plug on a product that wasn’t meeting expectations and for realizing that pieces of the product make sense in other Google products. After the initial buzz around Wave (unintentional pun), which we fell victim… Read More