Month: January 2006

So 37signals reminds us that we could all use some editors to give our words a diet with “The positive side effect of big text: less text.” I’ll stop now. Even if I didn’t make the font bigger. I know some sites (cough) which could take some of this to heart.

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell dripped through my reading time over the last two weeks. This one has been on my list since October 2004, so it’s about time. Time, that is, for more fiction set in the early 1800s, during the Napoleonic wars.

The two magicians of the title help fight the war, too, with phantom fleets, helpful weather, and temporary roads for Wellington’s troops to chase the French north out of Portugal. Magic as a political tool, with society manners, Lord Byron, Venice, academic jealousy, and lots of footnotes. The footnotes are fun, ranging from little vignettes from “history” (the magical history of England) to a parallel publishing war amongst magical periodicals.

The website says the story has been optioned for a film. We’ll see. I bet a second novel (yes, this is Susanna Clark’s first) comes first. Metacritic score of 83 is deserved. More novels from Clark would be welcome.

(Updated a few times… see end of entry.)

At the tail end of last week, I found 45 minutes to wander around at Macworld. My one goal — beyond seeing the show — was to find a solid external hard drive, with at least a FireWire400 interface. So I picked up a ROCPRO 400 AV 3.5″ FireWire 400 External Hard Drive. Choice was based on what was available and seemed to be reasonably priced. I’ve waited long enough, so availability leading into the three-day weekend helped me pull the trigger.

Of course, it’s the last of those three days, and I started partitioning the drive over 30 minutes ago, and it doesn’t look like it will be done for another 45 minutes if the progress bar is to be believed. Argh. I’m simply using the Disk Utility software bundled with the Mac OS… maybe I should have looked around for something faster. But at least the process is in progress.

My steps are:

• Partition the drive. I want to back up both the 250GB internal from the iMac and the 80GB internal from the PowerBook, so one partition for each.
• Install Tiger on both partitions. I’ve been postponing the upgrade on both computers until I do a backup.
• Back up the laptop. Planning to use SuperDuper… which I’ve downloaded, but not yet installed or purchased.
• Upgrade to Tiger on the laptop. There are a few pieces of data on the laptop which are critical, but less disruptive to daily flow if I run into any glitches with that computer.
• Repeat last two steps for iMac. And then I can try and figure out what kind of schedule to do incremental backups on.

I will update this post when it’s all done, with any notable events or glitches. I am no longer optimistic that it will all be done today.

The only rule when all of this is done? Backing up must be mindlessly easy.

Update, Monday Jan 16, 8pm PT

Well, the laptop went well, although it took much longer than I envisioned, in large part because I asked SuperDuper to repair permissions before making the copy. But the laptop (on which I’m typing) is now running Tiger, and has been updated to 10.4.4, and the backup is complete and valid up until the OS upgrade.

The desktop is still in progress. It ran over 21 hours in the “Repair Permissions” segment of the process, so I finally stopped it, and set it to make the original backup… which looks like it will run at least overnight. I hope no longer.

Update, Wednesday Jan 18, 7:20pm PT

The desktop got stuck after only 600MB or so. I restarted and tried again. No dice. Got stuck in a similar place (by MB). The log portion of SuperDuper came in handy, as I emailed the details to the support address and, even before I’ve become a paying customer, I got a helpful response pointing out that the recent iTunes update for 10.3.9 (which I’m on, until I backup… Catch 22!) broke the “Repair permissions” function. That doesn’t explain why I still can’t successfully run the backup without that option, despite restarting a few times, and dumping the original partition and letting SuperDuper create one instead. I’ll try a few more things… but I’m certainly buying SuperDuper for the laptop.

First time in a long time I’ve watched two movies back-to-back… following The Constant Gardener, we put on Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. This pun-filled animated amusement was spot on. Couldn’t have stayed awake for anything deeper, either.

Metacritic score of 87 seems high, but this is excellent for its type. The Aardman folks aren’t Pixar, but they deliver.

The Constant Gardener moves too slowly. The story is interesting (if a bit shallow in points), but I wanted a conspiracy thriller to move more quickly. Also, the key husband and wife relationship felt impossible to me. Maybe the book gave the depth which is hinted at, but skipped, in the movie.

John Le Carré wrote the book from which this movie was made. Le Carré made his name with cold war spy thrillers. While current events now would seem to point to Russia being worth watching still, we don’t have a simple enemy to use in movies anymore. In The Constant Gardener, global drug companies are asked to fill the “simply enemy” role, as environmental and ethical terrorists testing drugs on Kenyans without their consent. A bit much, although I’m sure there are elements of the caricature which ring true.

Africa — in this movie, Nairobi and (in one sequence) Sudan — shows as sunblasted landscape and human despair. The scenes in the rest of Europe, especially in London, are just overtly grey, damp, and gloomy.

Metacritic score of 82 shows why this is an Oscar candidate, I suppose. A faster pace, and I would have leaned towards a higher opinion of the movie.

Brokeback Mountain is a good movie, though tough to live up to the hype. The Metacritic 87 is the highest score I’ve seen in my short experience with Metacritic. On the all-time scores Brokeback Mountain ties for 64th… note, however, that Metacritic has only been around for ~5 years, and while they are working backwards to include films from the pre-internet era, it’s not a comprehensive list in any way before 2001.

Strangest part about watching the film for me was that all I knew going in is that it’s a love story about gay cowboys. Most movies about love stories build to a match, so when the central couple gets together early in the film, I didn’t know what to expect for the rest of the movie.

The mountains of Wyoming play a gorgeous supporting role.

I’m inspired by my colleagues at Metacritic to try a composite review. Instead of a movie or DVD, I’m going to try it with a product, the Palm Treo 700w.

Background
I own and enjoy (most of the time) a Palm Treo 650, via Cingular (no love lost on the carrier, but not sure it matters), so I’m quite familiar with the device prior to the 700w. The resolution of the 650 screen is a big selling point, and having seen the Treo 600, I wouldn’t give up those extra pixels. As most below note clearly, the Treo 700w has a lower-res screen. My take is that if you don’t care about a good screen, then you’d carry a much smaller cellphone. It’s all about the e-mail. Guess I’m fortunate that CNET Networks is willing to use GoodLink software with the Palm OS, so I haven’t had to wait for a version “native” to Microsoft Exchange. Personally, I won’t be looking for a replacement until I get fed up with the VGA camera in the 650.

On to the reviews…

What did I learn? It’s very hard to normalize scores across different reviews, especially when some of the most interesting reviews don’t give any score at all.

The punchline? I couldn’t come up with any meaningful score. If I had to come up with something to sum up the general opinion on a 100 point scale, I guess it would be a 68. That’s a total guesstimate.

CNET.com – 7.6 out of 10, Very Good
Palm Treo 700w
Reviewer: Bonnie Cha
Review date: January 4, 2006

The bottom line: The Treo 700w brings Windows Mobile and a number of useful features–such as push e-mail and photo speed dial–to the much-beloved smart phone, but its heft and washed-out screen has us giving the edge to the Treo 650.

Bonus: Video of the Treo 700w (didn’t see this anywhere else)

Updated January 24, 2006 Score is now 7.3. I’ll have to inquire why it dropped, or what changed in the 20 days between the initial review and the current review, as the bottom line didn’t change. 98 users have weighed in, with an average score of 6.3.

NYTimes.com – No number score
A Marriage Not Made in Heaven
Reviewer: David Pogue
Review date: January 5, 2006

The Treo 700W ($400 with a two-year Verizon commitment) is a Frankensteinian mishmash. Some of its features are so inspired and well executed, you can’t help grinning, while others are so clumsy, you smack your forehead.

Wall Street Journal – no number score
A New Palm Treo Uses Microsoft’s Software, But It Doesn’t Beat 650
Reviewer: Walter S. Mossberg
Review date: January 5, 2006

The Treo 700w will appeal to some Windows Mobile fans, and to some corporate IT staffs. But for everyone else, I advise sticking with the Palm-based Treos.

Boston Herald – no number score
Treo 700w takes steps forward with some useful new features
Reviewer: Eric Convey
Review date: January 9, 2006
Generally positive, but no firm opinion to quote. Closest would be this one…

For individuals, it will come down to a matter of taste. I love Palm as a company, but have found Windows Mobile more appealing than the Palm OS.

Treonauts – no number score
Treo 700w: The Treonauts Take
Reviewer: Andrew
Review date: January 6, 2006

It seems that many Treonauts cannot wait for me to finish my detailed review of the Treo 700w and would like to know _now_ exactly how I feel about this latest addition to the Treo family so below is my take…
Overall, I cannot categorize the Treo 700w as being better or worse than the Treo 650 – they are simply different. Having said this, there is something to be said for the fact that the Treo 650 is one generation older than the Treo 700w and that it is nonetheless still able to firmly hold its ground in the face of a fresh new contender a full year after its release

Note: Treonauts got started earlier, in late December 2005. The detailed review is in progress, with three lengthy posts covering specifics already out there.

PC Magazine – no number score
Palm, Verizon Release Treo 700w
Reviewer: Sascha Segan
Review date: ?
Thorough review of the specs from CES, but no firm opinion.

We’ll give you more impressions of the Palm Treo 700w later in the show.

Couldn’t find the additional impressions by searching PCMag.com.

Treocentral.com – 4 out of 5
Treo 700w
Reviewer: Michael Ducker
Review date: January 5, 2006

The Treo 700w was created to specifically address a demand in the marketplace for a Windows Treo, and Palm did an excellent job on their first try.

Found at the end of a lengthy review.

Techworld.com – no number score
Palm’s 700w – the Windows Mobile Treo: Other Windows smartphone makers had better watch out!
Reviewer: Yardena Arar, PC World
Review date: January 9, 2006

Buying advice: Mobile professionals tied to Micorosft Exchange should be pleased with a Palm that takes steps to solve the problems of Microsoft’s convoluted Windows Mobile operating System – and can access fast data services. … The Treo 700w is almost guaranteed to please a growing number of mobile professionals who are tied to Microsoft Exchange Server, and the fast data support is the icing on the cake.

Pocketnow.com – 4 out of 5
Your Snowball Won’t Melt Either : Palm Treo 700w
Reviewer: Christopher Spera, Senior Editor
Review date: January 7, 2006
Lengthy; detailed.

Over all, the device isn’t bad. … For a first swag, Palm came very close. The next generation WM Treo will likely be the better device for a power user like me.

Mobility Today – no number score
The Palm Treo 700W
Reviewer: Jack
Review date: January 7, 2006

Truly one handed and a unique Today screen that will make your user experience the BEST you have ever experienced.

But the reviewer admits he doesn’t even have the device yet!?

Hmmm…
For a long anticipated offering, it wasn’t easy to find true reviews (even lackluster ones), rather than just announcements. I’m sure there are more out there, but the ones above were the most obvious from a first cut search. I may add others over time, especially if helpful readers point them out in the comments.

Here’s the official Palm page for the Treo 700w. Also, someone was smart and grabbed the Treo700w.com domain name. I’m not going to link there to encourage anyone… it’s headlines with the product name in them, and some Google AdWords.

There are three calendars in my life.

First, there is my Outlook calendar, which I view on my Treo most often.

Second, there is my wife’s calendar, which lives on paper.

Third, there is a kitchen whiteboard, for the month, with the highlights of items which affect us both.

I’m investigating calendar solutions for a specific workflow problem at work, so the coincidence of seeing Tim Bray’s post PHP Calendar Fun tied together my personal mix with my professional need, though his solution isn’t for me.

I’m intrigued by how complicated the problem is for someone with significant technical chops and whose spouse is also a professional in the industry. What about the rest of us?! I’m not likely to convince my wife to go digital here.

I know many folks are itching to solve this problem now. Like every other late 1990s idea maybe the environment and infrastructure has caught up with the enthusiasm.

Enjoy this news analysis from April 1999: Calendars key to portals’ progress.

Just as 1998 was the year the Web discovered free email, 1999 is turning out to be the year of the calendar.

Ummm… not quite. Maybe it’s 2006?

I hope so.

(When.com isn’t resolving… it was a long time ago when the founders sold the company to AOL/Netscape.)

Newsvine is in private beta. Like many others, I expect, I’ve added my name to the waiting list. In the meantime, I’ve read a few reviews from those who have seen it.

• Hypergene MediaBlog » Heard it on the Newsvine: First impressions, which comes from the Amazoning the News team (which gives it a lot of weight in my book).
• Steve Rubel doesn’t give many specifics.
• Newsvine – Seeding the Vine. First Look! has a more in-depth look.
• Or just read a bit from the leader: Newsvine: First Day Traffic, Reviews, and More

In some ways, I envy these teams the opportunity to start from scratch, learning from what’s gone before and building on the latest technologies and ideas. The challenge, of course, for these newer sites is finding an audience. Newsvine, beyond its use of new technologies and interfaces, is offering to share the revenue generated from its audience’s activity.

Newsvine is going to pay people to be, in effect, good editors. If there is enough money in the system to make that an effective business platform for people, an eBay for news judgment, then it’s very powerful. But that’s the business. First, let’s see how it works for delivering information.

Why is this different than MetaFilter, which I’ve never really followed? Does news get created here, or noted and followed up on? Human-friendly, Web 2.0 savvy version of Slashdot for anything, not just tech? (Yes, I’ve seen Digg’s rise, and the recent discussion about the causes.)

I’m curious about the use of AP (Associated Press) content. I expect this seeder content is to avoid the blank slate problem, but I can’t imagine this kind of generic (by definition) content will suit the audience that Newsvine wants to attract.

When I get an account, beta or otherwise, I’ll post my own review.

Much the CES (Consumer Electronics Show) hype and coverage this week focused on the marriage of video content and online distribution, as Yahoo and Google and others offered up more experimental combinations. In a nod to how technology has become more mainstream, you can read about a few of the highlights in most major newspapers… the next day.

I defy anyone to have kept up with the flood of news, pictures, videos, announcements, analysis, audio, and more from News.com, sister site CNET.com (wonder how many of these announcements will be actual products still in the US market during the 2006 holiday season?), Engadget, or the like. Before online media took hold, coverage would have been limited to industry print outlets, for the most part, with their finite pages, several days after the fact. Instead, we had minute-by-minute reports from the keynotes. Too much information, sure, but people eat it up, on their own time and at their own pace. Makes you wonder who’s actually in Vegas at the show! (Of course, from all reports, it’s jam-packed.)

Before the show, Robert Cringely took a swing at the past, present, and future of media with “Stop the Presses! How Pay-Per-Click Is Killing the Traditional Publishing Industry.” One of his conclusions (“much of print publishing as we have come to understand it is doomed.”) is nothing new, although throwing the dart at pay-per-click is a slightly different take on the transition which is obvious to anyone who’s had their eyes open for the last decade. Measurability across all marketing spends is changing the marketplace, but Cringely gets it wrong when he says that advertising is the problem. The movement of the audience is the problem; advertising dollars are just following that movement… call them smart lemmings.

The more egregious mistakes, though, start here:

…A website is not really an electronic magazine. It can contain all the stories of its print equivalent, but IT CAN’T CARRY AS MANY ADS. … Now compare this to the edit-to-ad ratio for most web pages. The densest web page will have one banner ad at the top, eight to 10 Google ads down the right side, and maybe another Google ad or two at the bottom. That sounds like a lot, but on a strict real estate basis, it is very hard to exceed an ad-to-edit ratio of 50 percent, and most web pages have three times as much editorial content as ad space — the exact reciprocal of the experience with paper publications.

Cringely is underestimating both publishers (of all shapes/sizes) and advertisers. I expect the ad-edit ratio to continue to increase as long as it makes more money for the publisher. Customers will decide if that works or not, and most traffic trends I’ve seen demonstrate that customers are not rebelling against additional advertisements (whether numerically or by page ratios) on web pages. There are limits, and my company is growing on the strength of online advertising, so I’m sure we’ll help find some of those limits over time.

At one time, though, I would have thought Cringely is right.

An alternate universe

In early 2001, CNET introduced big square-ish graphical advertisements to the web, breaking the mold from the 468×60 tyranny. These “Messaging Plus Units” (MPUs), or what the IAB nows calls the Medium Rectangle IMU, were big, bold, and different. This change captured a lot of attention, especially near the nadir of online advertising.

A less recognized part of the proposition was the promise of exclusivity on a page. On News.com, where the MPUs were introduced, only one advertisement per page was shown. Prior to the MPU, the page had a collection of different size units and text links, probably totalling 8-10 ads per page. So, an advertiser was given a bigger canvas and less competition on the page. If that combined promise had been marketing nirvana, then Cringely might be right about the ratio issue (except that he’s still wrong… read on).

Marketers loved the new size, and we’ve all witness the explosion of new shapes, sizes, and formats in the online advertising world, most of them bigger still.

The exclusivity? Few cared, and after some time had passed, multiple ads per page became the norm once more. I remain surprised by this, in some ways, but the numbers don’t lie.

More content does mean more advertising

The more obvious, and more useful, way to carry more ads is to have more content, Cringely’s SHOUTING in the quote above notwithstanding.

Cringely ignores that content doesn’t disappear from one time period to the next online, as it does in print. Last week’s — or last year’s — story still carries ads, and more content does mean more ads. There’s 90,000+ News.com stories online from a decade of coverage. Sure, recent coverage gets most of the audience, but that (cough) “long tail” does still wag in wonderful ways.

The Washington Post recently open its archives for 60 days in a bet that making more of their content available will make them more money. It doesn’t hurt them that NYTimes.com and WSJ.com, the other two major contenders for “national” newspapers are gated to varying degrees. (I didn’t even think about USA Today in that role, despite its print circulation… what does that say?)

The model isn’t the same for everyone, but much online media can, does, and will thrive with advertising.

Cringely is probably right about this, though:

Print publications fade from sight or continue primarily as art forms, rather than businesses. It will take another decade to happen, but happen it will.

Guess I’ll be an art lover.

As an aside: I think all of these companies racing to distribute video content in new ways should be hoping that Sony gets the PlayStation Portable into as many hands as possible, as fast as possible. I don’t have one, but the screen is gorgeous, and notably bigger than the video iPod. Use case for portable video still seems limited to travelling moments, whether commuting or flying, but I’m sure I’m missing something here.