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    Favorites of 2010

    Happy New Years Eve! As tradition for the last couple of years, here is a list of my favorites from 2010.

    • Favorite Tech Toy: Amazon Kindle. Competition was pretty stiff this year with all of the new gadgets I got- an iPad, a new Macbook Pro, and most recently, the HTC Incredible. I also broke from choosing my cell phone as my favorite tech toy. I got the Kindle for Christmas last year and love it. I’m including it in the 2010 running because most of the use came in 2010. The reading experience is superior to the iPad, the book selection is huge, it’s lightweight and very portable, and I love that you can make notes and annotations on it. I feel like I read more in 2010 because of the Kindle.
    • App/Website: Dropbox. This is another thing I had in 2009 but didn’t start really using until 2010. Dropbox makes it amazingly easy to sync across all of my devices (Mac, PC, iPad, Android Phone). I’m considering upgrading so I can try some of the neat advanced things you can do.
    • Favorite Book: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. My friend Katie recommended it, and even though it’s a fairly long book, it’s a quick read because of the fast pace of the story. I highly recommending it. I’ll be starting the next one soon!
    • TV Show: Dexter. I was lucky enough to start a series this year that I’ve been missing out on. Dexter is an awesome show about a good guy who’s also serial killer. The show is thrilling and intellectually stimulating, and the acting is rock solid. I highly recommend it if you’ve never watched it.
    • Movie: Inception. Leo DiCaprio had a great 2010. For a while, I though Shutter Island would be the best movie of the year. Then Inception came out and blew my mind. Cause for a lot of discussion and speculation, it’s a movie that keeps on giving, and an original idea at that.
    • Music: The Gaslight Anthem. My brother Phil and friend Danny told me about them in August/September and I’ve been listening to them daily since. I love their classic alternative rock sound (non of this new-alternative Nickelback crap) and the lead singer’s vocals are awesome. I highly recommend them. As far as new in 2010, Mumford and Sons is pretty awesome. You should check them out too.

  • Links Round Up for 12/19/10

    • Tech Parents Tech (google): Google made a resource for the goto tech person in the family. It has video tutorials for some of the most common questions we’ll get from family members this holiday season. I love Google.
    • On Speaking (simplebits): Dan Ceaderholm is one of my web design heros, and here he offers some great advice on speaking, which is definitely something I’d like to do if ever given the opportunity.
    • Web Design by Gender: This info graphic explores the differences between male & female web designers. It’s pretty interesting. Check out the color graph for each gender.
    • Behind the scenes of the 37signals Redesign (37signals): I love how clean and classy 37signals’ designs are- especially when it comes to their homepage. This is some great insight into the design decisions they make; it’s something every web designer should read.
    • Editorial: RIM seems to be as lost as my Blackberry (engadget): Great article. Sums up my thoughts completely. It’s a shame that such a trailblazer has fallen so far behind in their own game.
    • Word Lens (kottke): New augmented reality app for translating signs/text. Watch the video; be amazed.

    Merry Christmas everyone! If you need some ideas for last minute gifts, check out my list of Tech Gifts for 2010. Also, I saw Tran-Siberian Orchestra last night. It was my fourth time seeing them; if you get the chance, you need to go. It’s an amazing show (musically & theatrically) and it will put you in the Christmas spirit!

  • Links Round Up for 12/12/10

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    Great Tech Gifts 2010

    This is something I’ve wanted to become more consistent with, as I usually post these lists sporadically and at poor times. I figure Black Friday is a good day to settle on this type of post, since it is the official start of Holiday Shopping.

    Amazon Kindle: This is number one on my list of recommendations. E-Readers have been around for a few years now and I think the Kindle has proven king. It’s a great way to read books (it’s a lot like reading a real book), it’s easy on the eyes, and with apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android, you can keep your books with you and synced at all times. Plus, they are also offering a very affordable Wifi Only version. I truly love mine, which I got last Christmas. ($189 for 3G + Wifi, $139 for Wifi only)

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  • Links Round Up for 10/24/10

    • Dropbox’s Y Combinator Funding Application: Y Combinator is an investing firm for tech companies. This is the application Dropbox submitted to them and ultimately won funding with.
    • Above the Fold: “Above the fold” is a term used in newspapers for when you fold a paper in 1/2. The most important stories should be on the top half, or above the fold. People try to apply this to websites by wanting to put everything important before you have to scroll. You do not have to do that. People can scroll just fine.
    • Oct. 18, 1985: Nintendo Entertainment System Launches: See how awesome Oct. 1985 was? NES launched just 2 days before I did. I was destined to play video games.
    • FaceTime for Mac: Apple launched a beta of their popular iPhone app for the Mac. Allows you to make FaceTime calls to other Macs or iPhone users.
    • The Truth about Burning Bridges: This is something I’m often worried about, but have found about the same results.
    • After 31 Years, Sony Ends Production of the Walkman: The Walkman was awesome. It let you take music with you. How crazy is that? I had one, which I used to listen to Green Day, mostly.

    A new personal splash page service called About.Me entered beta this week. Here is my profile. Also, I saw Muse last night in concert. If you ever get the chance, you should most certainly go. Finally, I bought an iPad this week. Expect a review in the near future.

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    My Thoughts on Sparrow

    Sparrow is a Mac only desktop email client specifically for GMail. They way they describe it on their website  is this way:

    Sparrow is a minimalist mail application for Mac. It was designed to keep things simple and efficient. No fancy stuff here… just your mail and nothing else.

    I decided to take it for a spin; I’m not a huge fan of Apple Mail (or most desktop clients), but Sparrow seemed different since it’s specifically for GMail.

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  • Links Round Up for 10/3/10

    It’s October! My favorite month, and not just because it’s my birthday this month. Baseball postseason, Football in full swing, the weather is cool, and the leaves are changing. What more can you want? But enough of that. Here are the things that caught my eye during the last week of September.

    Some closing notes: Dexter Season 5 premiered last week: Here’s the full episode from Showtime’s official YouTube page. As far are music goes, I picked up Brandon Flowers’ (of The Killers) new album, Flamingo. It’s pretty good (note: really good. very personal).