Jeff Does the WWDC ’09 Podcast Circuit

Posted on June 16, 2009 by jeff

Apple’s World Wide Developer Conference keynote was chock full of chewy morsels this year, and apparently I had plenty to say on all the big announcements. iPhone 3G S, iPhone OS 3.0, new MacBook Pros, and more — and I spent plenty of time gabbing about all of that on the iPhone Alley, MacJury and Apple Weekly Report podcasts.

I’m lucky enough to work in an industry that’s loaded with talent, and I had the chance to talk about Apple’s announcements with a crazy-long list of pros that includes Chris Breen, Michael Johnston, Chuck Joiner, John F. Braun, Terry White, and Bryan Chaffin. We talked about the good and bad with the new iPhone, gave AT&T the smack-down for fumbling on MMS and tethering, and got all worked up in anticipation of Mac OS X 10.6.

It was a true uber geek-fest, and a great reminder that I really do have the best job in the world.

Behind the scenes true fact: I was completely hopped up on Codeine when I did the iPhone Alley podcast thanks to a nasty little gum infection. End result… I’m not that different when I’m drugged or sober. Go figure.

June 11: Chatting Up WWDC at CoMUG

Posted on June 11, 2009 by jeff

Apple kicked off its World Wide Developer Conference earlier this week with some pretty big announcements. You know, like iPhone 3G S, the iPhone Software 3.0 release date, and new MacBook Pro models. I spent all day on June 8 covering WWDC news, and now I’m going to spend the evening of June 11 at the Colorado Mac User Group talking about everything Apple dumped in our laps.

The ever-exciting Jay Nelson, CoMUG’s amazing leader, is out of town this week, so I’m going to be filling his shoes as host for the evening, too. That’s just in case you can’t get enough of me online.

The meeting is on June 11 at 7PM at the NCAR facility in Boulder. And don’t forget: The CoMUG crew also hangs out at Ihop in Boulder after the meetings. Pancakes, tech and free Wi-Fi. What more could you ask for?

The evening lineup along with directions is available at the CoMUG Web site.

Layers Magazine: CopyFlow Gold Review

Posted on May 16, 2009 by jeff

It’s not like I ever leave my desk, so I might as well make your life easier by reviewing products every now and then. That’s exactly why I reviewed CopyFlow Gold for the May/June 2009 issue of Layers Magazine. Well, that and it looked like a really slick product.

CopyFlow Gold is a cool add-on for Adobe InDesign that makes it super easy to suck the text out of an InDesign document, hand it off to someone else for editing, and then flow it back into your layout. For the rest of the nitty gritty, and my full review, you’ll need to hop on over to your favorite newsstand and pick up a copy of Layers Magazine.

Star Trek: Now with Warp Speed

Posted on May 15, 2009 by jeff

You know what the Star Trek franchise needed? A good kick in the pants. You know what JJ Abrams gave it? Yeah, a good kick in the pants. If you haven’t seen Abram’s re-imagined take on the original Star Trek series yet, go get in line right now. It’s OK. I’ll still be here when you get back.

I was initially a little worried when I heard that a new Star Trek movie was in the works, and it was going to focus on the early years of the original cast of characters. Gene Roddenberry had a very clear vision of who the characters in his Trek universe were, and it would be oh-so-easy for Abrams to throw that all away. But he didn’t. Instead, he embraced what made each character unique and used that to breathe new life into Gene’s dream.

Just like the best of the original series episodes, the new Star Trek movie uses the characters to build the story. Kirk, Spock and McCoy all play off each other as they learn and grow. Uhura gets to be the strong woman that 1960′s TV didn’t let her be. Mr. Scott works miracles of technology, and Sulu and Chekov get to be more than space chauffeurs.

The movie gives us a fresh look at the characters we’ve known for years, but keeps them familiar, too. That’s important since there are plenty of long-time Trek fans that wouldn’t be happy if the U.S.S. Enterprise crew came across like caricatures of the original cast.

The story draws you in right away and keeps a firm grip on you all the way up until the end credits roll. The musical score plays wonderfully off of the scenes without detracting from the story, and the special effects (aside from an occasional lens flare effect that I found distracting) are wonderful eye candy without being gaudy. The story works well, too, for long time Trek fans and new comers alike.

I could’ve walked away from this movie feeling cheated, like Abrams gave us a commercialized bit of nostalgia, but he didn’t. What he did give us was a fresh new take on a pillar in the Sci-Fi world — a take that’s welcome and will give us great stories for years to come.

And just in case I wasn’t clear: If you haven’t seen Star Trek yet, go get in line right now. It’s OK. I’ll still be here when you get back.

Adobe, Now in Sweet Pillowy Goodness

Posted on May 4, 2009 by jeff

After spending a long day with your face buried deep in Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign, what do you want to rest your talented little head on? How about Adobe application icon pillows. Yeah, me too.

The clever gang at mysuitestuff whipped up a collection of hand-made pillows that let you bring Adobe’s app icons off your Desktop and onto your couch so you never have to worry about letting the Creative Suite get too far away. They have pillows for Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Flash, Dreamweaver and After Effects. Each costs $15, and you can get the whole set for $80.

I’m thinking Photoshop will feel nice and comfy behind my head, but Dreamweaver will definitely go under my butt.