Categories
Technology

Final Cut Pro X Reactions … Reaction

First off, the disclaimer: I have not used prior versions of Final Cut and I probably won’t be using the newest version for a while either. iMovie has fulfilled my needs for a long time and will probably continue to do so.

This short post has more to do with the reactions coming out right now to the release of Final Cut Pro X.

I tend to get a good laugh out of people when something new, rewritten or different is released. The backlash is predictable and funny to read.

Yes, a complete rewrite of a program is not going to have all of the features of the last version. If they wanted all of the features of the last version, they would have kept the old codebase and just added more features. That’s not what happened here.

No, your specific needs did not probably come up in a discussion about how this rewrite should go and what features should make the first release. Will they in the future? Maybe. However, just be aware that your specific needs might not be met by this particular piece of software … and that is just fine.

Yup, Apple might be giving up your little segment of the market and moving the goal posts again. I think they’ve been pretty clear that an entirely digital distribution system is where they see things going, and new versions of their software are probably going to represent that philosophy.

However, let’s step back for a second and just imagine that Apple is doing exactly what they said they were going to do: rewrite Final Cut Pro. Looking at what is there, it looks like a solid foundation to build on top of, and one that is far more modern than the old version.

I expect that some major additions are in store for Final Cut Pro X from this point forward. The reactions have been over-the-top and reek of people who jumped when they should have waited.

I for one, look forward to using it in the future … like most new products from Apple.

Categories
Technology

Mini Host

Since around 2005 I have been paying for some sort of web hosting, every month, to pay for at least one WordPress site and some other, smaller, websites. It has been as low as $4/month and as high as $21/month (as it currently is, but they are not at all comparable). I’ve also tried my hand at hosting sites from my own home on a small server running with Intel’s Atom processor. That also worked well.

However, I’ve always wanted to take that last idea to the next level … to really set up my house as a mini host. Set aside a small part of the basement that I now own (WHOHOO!), get myself a server rack, purchase some rackmount hardware and then go at it! I would move everything over to those “new” servers (read: used) and run all of my business from my basement.

Yes, I currently use Rackspace Cloud Servers and have been very VERY happy with how they have worked. It has been great and made moving really simple because I just kept everything there and I could move wherever I wanted with no problems.

However, I want more power and the fun of doing this myself. There is also a need for a “large-ish” file server for backups here at home along with general file storage. A rack would mitigate the later need as well.

Right now I’m looking for a rack, talking with Comcast about what it would cost to get some static IP addresses to my home, and then searching out some used hardware to get started. I don’t need server-grade hardware, but I do want to get some rackmount cases and then get started.

Am I going to do it perfectly? Oh heck no, but I’m going to learn a lot and get to drill some holes and run some cable. I’m looking forward to it.

Categories
Life

My Advice for Future Home Owners

June 14 marked the 4 month mark of our living in our home and owning it. I can say, without a shred of doubt in my mind, that it was one of the best decisions that we have made and I would make it again … 100 times out of 100.

However, I do have some advice for future home owners from my short experience so far. Take everything with a grain (or two) of salt because I’m strange.

Do not purchase a home strictly for financial reasons. Owning a home is like adding a part time job to the mix. Things are going to break, stuff needs to be done, and you might just have a yard to take care of as well. Along with that, you never know how that “investment” you made in your house is going to actually pay off. Also there are a lot of taxes when purchasing a home, so you should also take in count to contact the best Metric Accountants. There were plenty of people who got caught with their proverbial pants down with the recession, and you never know when something is going to happen. Real estate might be the “safest bed” for investment, but there are other things you can do with that money.

Instead, take into considering the other benefits as well to round out your reasons. It IS a place to live in, after all, and you are going to be putting in some work as well so the sense of that place being “home” is quite great. It also connects you to the community in a way that renting cannot because it is a loud statement of “I’m planning on being here for a while, so we should really get along now.”

That’s the other part, make sure you are ready to settle down for a while. If you are moving every few months or even every couple of years, then owning a place is going to be one huge hassle. Want to move? Well, now you need to dump the house you just purchased not too long ago, which is going to add stress and make things all that much LESS pleasant.

So, when deciding, don’t just focus on the financial part of things but keep in mind the HUGE amount of other tangible and intangible benefits (and detriments) as well.

Get decent tools. Seriously, you might as well build it into your home budget if you don’t already have good tools because you are going to be using them. I was dumb and didn’t get a decent drill until very recently and already I’ve used it to put up curtains, hang a chalkboard and build some stilts for my desk downstairs. I should have done it a long time ago.

Also, get at least one corded drill to keep around just in case you forget to plug in your cordless drill. Just a nice insurance drill to have around.

I’m also a fan of doing the research and sticking with one brand of power tool as much as possible. This is especially true of cordless tools because you can often switch batteries between all of your tools (and then you also have multiple batteries).

Having the right tool for the MANY jobs you will have to do can make all of the projects easier and quicker to complete.

Go local for your loan. I only bring this up because of the great experience I have had with my local credit union. My loan officer was extremely professional and was from the area so he already had relationships with the local law firms and realtors. It made the whole experience that much better.

We also had the benefit of getting a great rate from them as well.

Paint as soon as you can. It will make the whole place feel like it is your own. Once that first wall is done, you can step back and marvel at how handy you are and smile because you are slowly changing someone else’s house into your home. It is an awesome feeling.

Also, don’t skimp on the paint. Getting a high quality paint can save you time, and even money because you will need less paint to get the job done.

This goes for any decorating. Just get to it and keep adding things as you want because each things will make the place more your own than it was before.

Beware of people bearing furniture. They’ll come because people came to them and offered them the furniture they “didn’t need” anymore. Mainly, you just want to start with the furniture you have and then slowly choose new pieces or replace old ones as you see fit. That way you won’t run into the problem of having too much furniture around and then looking for someone to  bring that stuff to yourself … it’s a vicious cycle.

Enjoy it. You just bought a house. You’ve decided to stick around in one place for a while with your family so enjoy it! Take some time to just walk around your property and dream big dreams about what you want to do, but always remember that you have TIME to do it. As someone who lived in seven places in just four years prior to moving into our house, I always need to remind myself that what I don’t do today … I can do tomorrow and some things need to wait.

That’s about it for right now.

The Best Time to Design on the Web

I just finished a marathon. Well, it was a marathon for my mind.

Two books have recently been published and they are poised to take the web design community by storm. The first was Adaptive Web Design by Aaron Gustafson and the second Responsive Web Design by Ethan Marcotte. If I was going to recommend just one book, I would push towards Marcotte’s book, but both of them are great and I would recommend each.

I’m not going to go into an exhaustive review of these books, but both of them have found a permanent home next to Jeffrey Zeldman’s Designing With Web Standards, a book I still consider to be the most important book in my very short, very poor career so far. If you care about the web at all, you will read Zeldman’s book before anything else.

Back to my task at hand.

The two books I mentioned at the very beginning usher in a new era of web designer, or perhaps it is the same era, just more refined and more focused. The idea flexibility on the web has always been on a designer’s mind, even if it was how to combat that flexibility.

Now the goal is to take hold of the flexibility of the internet and put the user first and foremost. Using every tool available to craft experiences that allow people to use your website on any device, anywhere, without having to compromise on the content.

The idea of “mobile first” has been going around the web for a little while, but it isn’t a dogmatic ideal to pursue. The idea behind “mobile first” is to provide focus for a design and a litmus test to drive decisions. I’m going to try and burn into my head this thought:

How does this content or feature benefit our mobile users?

That one is straight from Marcotte. It isn’t supposed to limit what you can do, but provide the start of a conversation about what is important for you to be doing. A lot of people will be asking for their “stuff” to go “somewhere”, but the focus of asking that simple questions allows for some objectivity to be put into it.

However, it doesn’t stop there. The “desktop” (read: larger-screened) experience tends to fall into the fallacy of thinking that more space automatically means that it needs to be filled with something … anything! Stop right there and forget about that entire notion.

The focus of starting with the idea of what a “mobile” site might need really just focuses on what every person needs, because you really don’t know if that “mobile” person is sitting on a train on spotty 3G or sitting on their couch with good fiber internet, so you have to make those decisions with everyone in mind.

It tends to come back to focusing on what is important. The question provides focus for decisions.

Responsive and/or adaptive web design using such techniques and tools as progressive enhancement, JavaScript, media queries, CSS3, HTML5, etc. allows for the same markup to be massaged in such a way as to present the content in a manner that is appropriate for varied screen sizes and devices. These are nothing more than tools that can be used in many ways.

The real advancement is in how we are now thinking. The embracing of the flexible nature of the web along with the focus of mobile-first development makes this the best time to design on the web.

Categories
Technology

WWDC 2011 Keynote: iCloud

This is decidedly the one announcement that is both the most cryptic and has the ability to be the most revolutionary. Everyone was expect “iCloud” in some form, mostly revolving around a streaming iTunes service (which we did not get), but I don’t think people were expecting a complete and total rethinking of the “digital hub” concept that Steve Jobs has touted for the past decade.

It is hard to talk about what iCloud means without talking about what iCloud is supposed to do in its current form this Fall.

Mail/Calendars/Contacts

Since iCloud is going to replace MobileMe (may she rest in peace), it will handle the main feature set that MobileMe was used for. Not much to talk about here. I’ve been very happy with MobileMe for these three, so I’m hoping that it will worked “as advertised” with iCloud as well.

Apps, Books, Backup

Easy enough as well. Apps can now be pushed to any device when you purchase (so push Twitter to your iPad after you installed it on your iPhone), and you have a list of purchased apps right in the App Store. Welcome addition.

Books work like they have before. Bookmarks and current reading positions are synced across devices. I’ve used this, it works.

You can also do partial backups right to iCloud. Here is what is saved:

  • Purchased music, apps, and books
  • Photos and videos in the camera roll
  • Device settings
  • App data
  • Home screen and app organization
  • Text and MMS messages
  • Ringtones

That’s a good amount of information. It isn’t everything, but if you connect to Wi-Fi, your iOS device will automatically download the latest backup if you put in your Apple ID. All part of untethering your iOS device from a computer.

The backup parts will happen only when connected to Wi-Fi, but it is a lot better than having a person lose all of their information if they break their iOS device.

Documents in the Cloud

Save a document on one device and have it on all devices. That’s what it will hopefully do. Right now it is baked into iWork, but Apple has opened this up for 3rd party developers as well. There isn’t a lot to talk about here, but I’m hoping this makes “cloud syncing” a feature that is just there … for everything.

Photo Stream

This one is a little more complicated. Basically, you take a picture on one iOS device and it gets pushed to the rest, including your Mac or PC. Photo Stream on your iOS device (including you Apple TV 2nd gen) will keep up to 1000 photos for 30 days until you are able to connect to Wi-Fi and back everything up (see above).

At the same time, your Mac or PC will save EVERY photo that you push through to your photo stream. So, you don’t have to worry about losing any pictures at any time, they’ll always be on your Mac or PC (or you can always move them into another album on your iOS device where they will be kept in perpetuity).

iTunes in the Cloud

No, it is not a streaming or subscription iTunes service.

What you now have access to is all of your purchased iTunes music on all of your devices where you can download your music as many times as you want.

This fixes the famous issue where someone loses their iTunes library and wants to get their music back. Now they can log into the iTunes Store and do just that. YAY! New purchases can be pushed to all of your devices as well, which is kind of nice.

iTunes Match

For $25/year, you can have access not just to music purchased through iTunes, but also to your other music as well!

There are two tiers here:

  1. music that you ripped or downloaded somewhere else that is in the iTunes Store can be downloaded on your other devices just fine without having to upload any files
  2. music that iTunes cannot identify is uploaded to iCloud and then is passed around for you to enjoy (up to 20,000 files … I think)

That’s pretty cool as well, but you do have to pay for it.

Price/Overall Impressions

Everything listed above (except iTunes Match) is now … FREE!

Yup, that’s right, Apple has released something huge for free. I’m imagining that they are not going to have a huge issue covering the costs, but this is a major shift for them and it also opens it up even more for 3rd party developers to include iCloud in their offerings. If every Mac/iOS/PC customer with an Apple ID can have access to iCloud … that’s a large market.

This entire offering (and it is really a collection of many services under a single name instead of one large offering) is going to define Apple going ahead. They’ve moved iOS to being on-par with the Mac platform in many ways, and this is another huge push.

However, what remains to be seen is how this all works. MobileMe, for how well it has worked for me, got off to a rocky start and I expect some growing pains with iCloud as well.

With the Apple Stores obviously pushing iCloud to as many iOS and Mac customers as possible, the uptake could be quick (which would be great for data retention). However, iCloud comes with the same fears as any “cloud” technology: privacy, reliability and data caps for three. Will they be an impenetrable barrier, or has Apple finally figured out how to get people to move into “the cloud”?