Isaac Bythewood

LEGO Smartphone Gaming Rigs

2010-02-06T15:37:00.001-08:00

All I can say is, AWESOME. The guy is a very poor driver and it may have something to do with the size of the steering wheel but the overall design is so cool!

Posted via web from Isaac Bythewood

The Greatest Invention Of The Decade

2010-02-05T10:43:00.001-08:00

That's right. The greatest invention of the decade is a new ketchup package from Heinz. It allows both easy squeezing AND a side for opening if you wish to just dip directly into the ketchup. Also, wait for it, it had three times the amount of a normal ketchup packet!

Amazing.

http://www.wcbs880.com/pages/6286330.php

Posted via email from Isaac Bythewood

Teaching Children To Program Killer Robots

2010-02-04T10:22:00.001-08:00

I wonder how many people will stumple upon that title in a Google search.

Just looking at this toy wants me to have a full life size version. That I can drive. That has lasers. And can act as a hovercraft. However, this toy one will have to do.

Maybe I can still add the lasers.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/04/robonica-roboni-i-programmable-robot-toy-review/

Posted via email from Isaac Bythewood

Steve Jobs: Google's "Don't Be Evil" Mantra is "Bulls***"

2010-01-31T11:27:00.001-08:00

Also about Google, Jobs said that company "entered the phone business. Make no mistake they want to kill the iPhone. We won't let them."

via gizmodo.com

I don't think I can agree less with this. Yes, I have been a Google fanboy as of late for full disclosure; however, I believe Google entered the phone business to provide some sort of competition. Apple's iPhone was running away with the phone business for a solid 3 years, I even owned an iPhone for that long. The Android finally provides an alternative choices for people who want a good smart phone. On top of that, I believe the Android targets a different audience than the iPhone. It targets a more tech savvy crowd. Most of my friends and family still haven't even heard about Android phones. They have, of course, read about the Nexus One, but aren't that interested in the carriers nor the price. For 100 dollars people can purchase an iPhone 3G and instantly have around 120,000 apps. This seems much more compelling to them than a phone that provides great ssh clients and customization.

Posted via web from Isaac Bythewood

The Earth's Satellites, Visualized By Nation [Satellites]

2010-01-30T21:10:00.001-08:00

via gizmodo.com

What stuck out the most in this image to me is the amount of space debris that is out there. The US seems to be the leader of useless metal floating in space, however, the ratio of China's actually satellites to orbiting space debris is quite amazing. I guess China just fails at launching stuff. I would not like to be a Chinese astronaut.

Posted via web from Isaac Bythewood

Physical color picker

2010-01-29T10:38:00.001-08:00

via blog.makezine.com

I just thought this was the coolest pen ever. It's simply a pen that you can scan a color into and then use that color. I would easily pay 100-200 dollars for this amazing pen. It would be an amazing help for when I do my paper website sketches.

Posted via web from Isaac Bythewood

No More "Click Here" Links

2010-01-29T10:28:00.001-08:00

Just a quick rant, maybe not even a rant, but 70% of the time I'm reading my email and browsing the web via a touch screen device now. The words "Click Here" should no longer be used for website or email links. They just are simply not relevent to an increasingly larger audience especially now with the rise of Slate/Pad devices. Also, writing "Touch Here" just sounds creepy so displaying a different webpage to those on touch devices does not help.

I'm not sure what people should use in place of the words "Click Here" now days, but I suggest just giving the wording some more thought from now on. If your website or email has any chance of being read by someone on a touch device, which it more than likely does, then these words just make it feel cheap.

Posted via web from Isaac Bythewood

Choosing Between GIT, SVN and BZR

2010-01-09T20:29:00.001-08:00

If any of the following apply in the given list of questions then you
should use the given VCS:

Do you have 10+ people working on the same project and you all have
Mac and Linux boxes? Do you have anyone in the project who possibly
dislikes Ubuntu/Canonical? Do you want to be hip and cool with the
easiest in merging and crowd control, but horribly difficult to
understand revision numbers and reverting system? Do you really like
the GitHub.com interface? Use GIT.

Do you like a simple, straight forward, revision numbering system with
an easy way to revert to previous builds? Are you going to be working
on the project yourself? Are you using Windows in which GIT is a pain
to install and use on? Do you work with anyone who use Ubuntu
fanatically? Do you like Launchpad.net? Use BZR.

Does your company require SVN? Then, and only then, use SVN.

I switch between using GIT and BZR depending on the people I work
with. Though, when I'm on my own, I tend to like the simplicity of
BZR. GIT is extremely nice but the revision numbering system is a huge
turn off for me because I don't like tagging on version numbers. I
prefer just using the revision number given to me when referring back
to my code.

Posted via email from Isaac Bythewood

MacBook Pro Battery Life

2010-01-09T19:52:00.001-08:00

My battery has died again and only after ~70 cycles. I am now on my
forth MacBook Pro and have run into the exact same problem with this
one as with the previous three. And, what do you know, it happens a
few months after my warranty expires every single time. I have read
through various forums of other people having the same problem and
with no way of fixing it. I guess just another good reason for me to
switch to a new brand of laptop.

Posted via email from Isaac Bythewood

The Droid Dead Pixel

2010-01-08T17:33:00.001-08:00

My Droid has had a dead pixel for two or three weeks now and I finally
decided to take it in for repair. The technician who looked at the
screen was in his 60s or 70s and he said he couldn't see it, however
he said he would just take my word on it. I am now getting a new Droid
in the mail on Monday or Tuesday and am extremely happy with the
Verizon customer service.

The last two times I've taken in my devices into Apple for dead pixel
problems I have been turned down and told that it was not covered
under the warranty. Seeing the support I got from Verizon and Motorola
with the Droid, this only further pushes me to stop buying Apple
products. I have had a Macbook Pro and iPhone since they were
released. I bought both of them the first day and have purchased an
upgrade almost every year since, but now I think I'm going to branch
out and take my business elsewhere. I am now looking to purchase one
of the laptop/touchscreen slate hybrids I am seeing at CES. This is
not because I don't like Apples products it is because they provide me
with horrible customer service and warranties.

On a side note, we need to come up with a name for the
laptop/touchscreen slate hybrids. The devices that look like a normal
laptop but the screens pop off and become a separate computer for
taking anywhere.

Posted via email from Isaac Bythewood

Hello World

2010-01-08T16:57:00.001-08:00

I am now posting to over 10 places at once and only sending one email. I love posterous! My main site can now be viewed at http://isaacbythewood.com/ and I will soon have a feedburner feed up asap. Not all DNS servers have registered the new website location.

Posted via web from Isaac Bythewood