luminary blur » Tech

WordPress: Please Move the Formatting Bar

Ben — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 17:21:29 +0000

It’s been a long time since I’ve done a regular blog post. Most of what ends up here gets auto posted from Posterous.

So, with that in mind, here’s a regular post. I’m writing this using the latest version of the WordPress app on my iPad 2. Since my blog is self-hosted, it’s nice that WP gives away a free editor when they could easily restrict it to only those blogs hosted by WordPress.com. One of the “big” new features of the new app is the formatting toolbar located just above the keyboard which appears when you’re writing a post. In theory this is a good idea—no more typing in HMTL markup directly. And maybe on an iPhone where I type with two thumbs that makes sense. But on the iPad, I’m a landscape-oriented 10-finger touch typist. And, as I’m sure is apparent, touch typing when there’s nothing to actually touch is more an exercise in trust (that autocorrect will work) than pure skill. That’s where the placement of the formatting bar comes in. I’m sure it’s placed near the keyboard for convenience but it is certainly not convenient to invoke a blockquote when I’m going for an “e” or a hyperlink when I’m typing a “w”.

I hate complaining without offering a solution. Here’s my solution: put the formatting bar at the top of the editing pane. Let’s face it, an iPad screen is not so big that this placement would greatly affect usability or convenience. And it would eliminate the possibility of inadvertently invoking formatting commands. At the very least make this a user-selectable option.

Apple Snobbiness or Harsh Reality?

Ben — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 05:09:11 +0000

This is the sort of thing that separates Mac and Windows users. I like it. Warning: language probably NSFW. http://ping.fm/FPXsS

via Ping.fm

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Droid X – Ewww!

Ben — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 20:42:00 +0000

From Daring Fireball by John Gruber

Matt Buchanan on the Droid X

Matt Buchanan:

As a pure expression of the limits of mobile hardware and industrial design, the Droid X is kind of a beautiful thing. But that’s about the only good thing about the Droid X.

The software — a discordant melange of the not-so-fresh Android 2.1 and various bits of the Blur “social networking” interface from Motorola’s lower-end Android phones — is the shudder-inducing poster child for the horrors that can occur when most hardware companies try to make software. It’s ugly, scattershot, and confusing. It feels almost malicious.

Sounds great.

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Vlogging?

Ben — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 20:11:05 +0000

Download now or watch on posterous

IMG_0198.MOV (4995 KB)

Sent from my iPhone

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Ridiculous Line for IPhone 4

Ben — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 08:33:48 +0000

This was what I was greeted with on June 24 when I attempted to pick up my “reserved” iPhone 4 at Orland Square Mall in Orland Park, IL. The line went from the center of the mall (past the Apple store) almost all the way down one of the spokes to Sears. It was around 11 AM and I stood in line for about 20 minutes, moving up a foot or so. I bailed after that and vowed to come back later.

I didn’t. So my iPhone for is now on order, “shipping by June 14.”

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On Modern Family and the iPad

Ben — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 03:00:16 +0000

One of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to TV shows is fake products and blacked-out logos. To me, one of the most distracting things about a TV show is logos removed from cars (see “The Middle” or “Human Target”). I know it’s a Chevy (or a Ford or a BMW), so why remove the logo and leave a black bowtie or oval or circle? It really annoys the crap out of me. Or why, when a TV character is searching online, can’t they just use Google? Why is it always a fake search engine? Let’s face it: just about everyone uses Google. Making up something fake for a TV show takes me out of the narrative.

So, when it comes to Modern Family, I think the same reasoning holds true. I can easily believe that Phil is a gadget junkie—it completely fits in with his personality. Yet if the producers had made up an obviously fake gadget, I would have absolutely hated it. That it was an iPad—and that the iPad’s release date was so near—made it believable. If you’re concerned about product placement, get over yourself. It’s called real life. And I like my TV better when it reflects that.ds

More Thoughts on Apple and Patents

Ben — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 04:02:56 +0000

I keep hearing over and over that patents stifle innovation. That it is the iteration of innovation that creates new innovation. I’m sorry, but I really don’t think that’s true. The mark of true innovation is something that is truly innovative, not some mere iteration of someone else’s idea. Take, for example, the iPad. I would wager that no one would call the device innovative—after all, it’s just a giant iPod touch. But wait, it’s more than that. It’s an iteration of the technology used to make the iPod touch and iPhone. But it is far from innovative.

Innovation happens when someone breaks the mold. It happens when something new is created where there wasn’t something before. The original iPhone was an innovation in this regard. And, to those who hold up Apple’s past “transgressions” as proof that stealing ideas is ok, I also put forward the claim that the original Macintosh was an innovation. Sure, it used bits and pieces of different technologies that were already there. But, it put them together in a wholly new and innovative way.

Compare the story of the Mac’s creation with, say, the HTC phones that supposedly violate Apple’s patents. These devices aren’t taking what the iPhone started and making something new with them—they’re still just phones. I think Apple has every right to demand that HTC actually come up with something innovative rather than the derivative drivel that they’re pushing today.

MacJournal: The New Way to Post…for Now

Ben — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 07:02:04 +0000

Just got MacJournal with the MacHeist nanoBundle2. I’ve been using ecto to post to my WordPress blog but I think this seems more intuitive for personal blogging. Plus, I like the idea of keeping separate “journals” of posts that may or may not be fit for publishing. We’ll see how long this arrangement lasts.

Oh Apple, what does this mean?

Ben — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:16:24 +0000

I’ve got an Apple TV and two iTunes libraries on my local network. Remote (on my iPhone) connects fine to my main iTunes library but gives this error message when connecting to either the aTV or the secondary library:

Obviously it’s not a router issue since all the devices in question (iMac, MacBook, and aTV) are connected to the same Airport Extreme.

So…what’s the deal?

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WordPress for iPhone…Working Again

Ben — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 06:35:32 +0000

Apparently there was an update to the WordPress app for the iPhone today and it finally works with my blog again!!! For some reason the previous version would crash every time I tried to acces this blog. Not any more!