iPad and unitasking
Jun 15, 2010 Brainwaves, Geek
Dave Caolo writes today at The Unofficial Apple Weblog about how, with all the emphasis and hype and interest in multitasking, one of the coolest things he likes about it after using it for a few weeks is that it does just one thing at a time.
It’s amazing how eagerly we invite distraction upon ourselves. Consider how frequently we do two (or more) things at once. While an app launches, I check Twitter. As a Web page loads, I Command-Tab over to Mail. All the while, iTunes plays music, and I’m thinking about what else must be done today.
I became keenly aware of how infrequently I focus on one single thing when I started using my iPad. For the most part (yes, you can play music in the background), it does one thing at a time. In fact, when I’m using an app on the iPad, it becomes that app.
WeatherBug makes it a weather station. Launch Twitterrific and your iPad becomes Twitter. The New York Times turns my iPad, for all intents and purposes, into an (abridged) issue of that newspaper. There’s no beep, chirp or other electronic fidget to lure me away from simply reading a story.
Having owned an iPad now for a little over a month, I’ve found he’s right.
Over the last month, I haven’t stayed caught up on the different Google Reader RSS articles I’ve wanted to read. Like Mr. Caolo, I’m definitely an information addict. I found a very-well-reviewed new Google Reader app yesterday (also on TUAW, ironically) called Reeder, available both in iPhone and iPad flavors. Through most of yesterday evening, I just zipped through all of the back articles I wanted to check on, getting back down to zero, and the unitasking environment of the iPad helped get me through it without being distracted by Twitter, Facebook and other web pages — my iPad wasn’t any of those things at that point in time; it was just a feed reader.
Open for comment: how do you handle distractions when you’re working online?
Pauley’s new Impala
Jun 8, 2010 Brainwaves, Geek, Photos
For those who hadn’t heard yet, I have new wheels. 
Pictured: my new 2009 Chevrolet Impala LTZ. Officially, the registration says “Blue” for color; while it looks very close to what GM says is Aqua Blue Metallic, it could also just as easily be Slate Metallic, too. The interior is gray leather.
Its only previous owner appears to be a Hertz rental shop in Hawaii (I’ve never been there, but apparently my car has!), and it only had about 12,800 miles on it when we bought it from Auction Direct USA in Victor, NY. Under the hood (more photos likely to come later on this) is a 3.9L V6 engine, getting 233 hp. The car is capable (see the “FLEXFUEL” badge on the tailgate) of running on E85, but considering 1) it’s not as easily available in Rochester and 2) it’s not as powerful or as efficient as gasoline, I’m likely sticking to gasoline for the time being. Features include power sliding sunroof, rear spoiler, built-in remote start and keyless entry, Bose 8-speaker sound system, heated seats and dual-zone climate control (passenger can set heating/cooling temperature independently from the driver).
Have a look through the Flickr set to see more of the car, as well as the new Empire Gold plates being issued in New York State. They’ve generated quite a lot of reaction, both good and bad, but I kinda like them.
So, yeah…
Apr 6, 2010 Brainwaves
We’ve surprised everyone we’re gonna surprise, so it’s time to come clean.
As of last Saturday night, my wife Yvonne is a legal permanent resident of the United States.
I’ll go into more detail later on.
American Idol 9 – Road to Hollywood
Feb 18, 2010 Brainwaves
Ryan’s promising the “best” of the auditions before Hollywood in February 3rd’s episode… are these actually the best, or are some misfits sprinkled in? Read the rest of this entry »
American Idol 9 – Denver auditions
Feb 11, 2010 Brainwaves
Playing catch-up, I know. First up, February 2’s Denver auditions episode. Read the rest of this entry »
Resolutions
Jan 5, 2010 Blog News, Brainwaves, Photos
The question is always asked this time of year: “What’re your new near’s resolutions?”
I don’t usually have many, if any. Like many people, they’re forgotten about within a few weeks, and there’s no real accountability in the whole deal.
This year, though, between a gift and a project, I’ve got two.
First up is the project, and this post is part of it. One week ago, I posted about Project52, an effort to post at least once per week for the calendar year of 2010. My first resolution, therefore, is to write more here on my blog. Being, now, the first week of the year, I’ve got this week covered.
The gift is a “new” camera, by which I mean “new to me.” As a Christmas gift, my wife Yvonne gave me her Nikon Coolpix 5400. It may not be brand new, but it’s an upgrade over my existing Olympus Camedia C3000, and has 100% fewer dead pixels to boot! So, my second resolution (camera resolution, get it? Ha ha! Heh… ok, never mind) is to shoot more photos.
Yeah, there are a few other things I’d like to do, too, but these are a couple that I know are easily within reach. Nothing wrong with starting with the low-hanging fruit, no?
How about you, humble reader? What are your new year’s resolutions?
Trade Wars 2002 now live on PauleyNet
Mar 6, 2009 Brainwaves
Kal Durak, if you didn’t figure it out, is a character who can be found in the telnet/BBS game Trade Wars 2002. I’m hosting a server running this game, which is now open to the public. House rules and how to connect can be found at my Trade Wars 2002 page.
40 years ago – Apollo 8
Dec 26, 2008 Brainwaves, In The News, Spaceflight
My previous entry notwithstanding, I do respect and acknowledge Christmas as a very important religious holiday. That in mind, and also to go along with my love of space travel and exploration, I present (albeit a couple days late) a commemoration of an important anniversary in human spaceflight.
We are now approaching lunar sunrise and, for all the people back on Earth, the crew of Apollo 8 has a message that we would like to send to you.
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.
And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
– William Anders
And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.
– James Lovell
And God said, Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.And from the crew of Apollo 8, we close with good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas – and God bless all of you, all of you on the good Earth.
– Frank Borman
Hope you had a merry Christmas!
Dec 26, 2008 Brainwaves
I don’t consider myself particularly religious, but Christmas is still a big deal in my family. As such, much like Eugene Volokh, I don’t celebrate it as a religious holiday (though I respect its genesis and continued existence as one). All the same, it is the holiday I choose to celebrate, and will gladly tell you “Merry Christmas” over saying “Happy Holidays” or some such.
That said, I hope you had (and will continue to have, depending when your various and sundry parties and gatherings may be) a merry Christmas!
