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Just when I thought I was jaded and beyond impressing, my iPhone somehow managed to blow my mind again. I just deposited a check into my bank account without leaving my living room.  All I had to do was take a picture of the front and back and magic of the intrawebs made me (vaguely) richer!!!  I was pretty sad when WaMu got taken over by Chase a couple years ago, but this one app has pretty much single handedly changed my mind.  I ♥ Chase!  Until they charge me some ridiculous overage, of course, then I’ll likely write a much complainey-er blog post about them.  Until then: if you have an iPhone + Chase, download their mobile app.  It will help you be so much lazier! 

Just when I thought I was jaded and beyond impressing, my iPhone somehow managed to blow my mind again.

I just deposited a check into my bank account without leaving my living room.  All I had to do was take a picture of the front and back and magic of the intrawebs made me (vaguely) richer!!!  I was pretty sad when WaMu got taken over by Chase a couple years ago, but this one app has pretty much single handedly changed my mind.  I ♥ Chase!  Until they charge me some ridiculous overage, of course, then I’ll likely write a much complainey-er blog post about them.  Until then: if you have an iPhone + Chase, download their mobile app.  It will help you be so much lazier! 

Jul
27
2010
Posted in:
Technology Fantastic Stuff
Comments
photo
Nerdtastic: in the Starbucks a half block from wwdc. One developer already updating his code. Everyone else on their iPhone or laptop following the liveblogging of what’s going on inside. Back to that myself now ;)

Nerdtastic: in the Starbucks a half block from wwdc. One developer already updating his code. Everyone else on their iPhone or laptop following the liveblogging of what’s going on inside. Back to that myself now ;)

Jun
7
2010
Posted in:
Technology San Francisco
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video

Vincey Mas Wings

Vincey Mas Wings

Turtle Enjoys our Valentine Flowers

Turtle Enjoys our Valentine Flowers

View of Downtown LA from Griffith Park

View of Downtown LA from Griffith Park

Clouds over Hollywood

Clouds over Hollywood

I Don't Know Why This Bear Looks So Sad

I Don't Know Why This Bear Looks So Sad

Hipstamatic is my favorite new app for my iPhone!  It costs only $1.99 and makes taking photos fun again, because you never know quite what you’re going to get.  Select a vintage film stock, your favorite lens, and decide if you need a flash or not.  Just enough options to get you hooked (and make you want to buy the expansion packs… which I’ll probably be doing before spring break.)

The app loads a little slowly (which has caused me to miss a few choice photo opportunities) and has kind of a groan-worthy name, but it takes good photos and has a well designed interface to make you feel like you really are holding an old-school camera.  Overall, I love the concept and it’s quickly become one of my top ranked/used iPhone applications.

Feb
27
2010
Posted in:
Photography Technology Reviews
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link
Foreverscape

Lots of posts to catch up on after a crazy few weeks… In the meantime thought I’d pass along this amazing website a long-lost friend from high school created and sent to me.  87 feet of hand drawn art all linked together and scrolling on the intrawebs.  Pre-tay pre-tay cool.
Feb
2
2010
Posted in:
Art Technology
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link
Text "Haiti" to 90999 to automatically donate $10 to the Red Cross

Donate by text is probably one of the most unique and helpful mobile innovations to come around in the last year or so. I first learned of it in December when listening to my weekly podcast of This American Life. Ira Glass implored listeners to donate just $5 to help keep the podcast on the air. What made it so great and easy to do, however, was that I could donate at that exact minute - while I was out walking around a farm in Broomfield, Colorado with only my iPhone and a few cows to keep me company - and the charges would simply go on my monthly mobile phone bill, which is set up to automatically deduct from my bank account. No remembering to sign online when I got home. No entering of my credit card number into yet another website. Simple, easy, and safe.

This innovation has also recently been used to help the earthquake victims in Haiti. I’ve been meaning to donate since it happened, but kept forgetting until I found out I could donate via text. I sent them two messages and added my own meager $20 to the relief. I imagine many people have done similarly, people who in the past were well intentioned but never quite remembered to go to the Red Cross’ website after a long day at the office. So far the texting generation has raised $22 million to support the disaster relief! And if you’d prefer to donate to another organization, they accept text donations, as well. Click the link above to be taken to an article with more information.
Jan
18
2010
Posted in:
Technology Fantastic Stuff
Comments
photo
Okay, I get the concept of the Window’s 7 ads: Let’s appeal to average people and show that we listen to our customers (and fixed the abysmal aborted fetus that was Window’s Vista…)  But I totally don’t get their billboard ads.  One features a woman making a really retarded face as she steps into the traffic, and this one features a guy mid french-fry bite.  Is it because average people eat French Fries?  I mean, maybe… but why couldn’t it have just been a guy sitting at a table with a plate of fries in front of him?  This photo is a remarkably unattractive photo of a moderately attractive guy.  I feel that if this photo were tagged of him on Facebook, he would untag himself.  So why on earth was this deemed giant-billboard material? Ergo, my Mac makes me happy.

Okay, I get the concept of the Window’s 7 ads: Let’s appeal to average people and show that we listen to our customers (and fixed the abysmal aborted fetus that was Window’s Vista…)  But I totally don’t get their billboard ads.  One features a woman making a really retarded face as she steps into the traffic, and this one features a guy mid french-fry bite.  Is it because average people eat French Fries?  I mean, maybe… but why couldn’t it have just been a guy sitting at a table with a plate of fries in front of him?  This photo is a remarkably unattractive photo of a moderately attractive guy.  I feel that if this photo were tagged of him on Facebook, he would untag himself.  So why on earth was this deemed giant-billboard material?

Ergo, my Mac makes me happy.

Dec
10
2009
Posted in:
Stupid Stuff Technology
Comments
text

Why I hate “private” Facebook gifts

This is one of those things I hate myself for hating, but I just felt the need to rant. I think “private” Facebook gifts are evil!

For those not “in the know,” on Facebook you have the option of sending your friends “gifts” which post to their profiles. Each gift costs somewhere between zero and $1 and shows a cute little icon of your choosing and a personalized message. When you send a gift, you have the option of sending it as a public, private, or anonymous message.

Public messages can be seen by everyone and show the senders name next to the gift, anonymous gifts are, well, anonymous, and private gifts show up on the user’s profile as “private” - the recipient knows who sent it but no one else does, nor can they see the message.

Evil

Private gifts just irk me because they’re basically a way of saying “I have something I want to say to a person, and I want you to know that I have something to say to them, but you can’t know what it is.” I imagine these gifts smiling evil little grins then turning their backs on me to gossip with their other little mean gifty friends. Grr.

And, yes, I am quite aware of the stupidity of my hatred. And even more aware that this is something that really only bothers me because there is a specific person who has the power to make me very jealous and upset by doing something so minute and silly. But it still bothers me.

If you have something private to say, send an email or make a phone call or drop a note in the old tree trunk over on McGilacutty’s farm, but don’t send a Facebook gift!

I’ve decided that private fb gifts are silly and amateurish and below me. Well, they are now at least… not like I’ve ever sent one privately with the express knowledge that it would likely bother someone else…

At any rate, I’ve decided to grow up and have made the exceedingly adult decision to only send public Facebook gifts from here on out. I know, I am such a better person for it. This is a magnanimous huge step forward for man kind. Won’t you join me in my selfish and pointless protest?

Jan
13
2009
Posted in:
Stupid Stuff Technology
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