Tag Archives: tech

Stuff I use

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In addition to the writing and editing I do at CL, I try to work on outside projects whenever I have the time. Since I haven’t run it down in a while, here’s a list of the stuff I’m currently using in the execution of, well, everything I’m doing professionally when I’m not drinking wine with the wife, hanging out with friends or trying to catch up on a little sleep.

COMPUTER: I’ve got two 13-inch MacBook Airs (circa 2012), one I bought to be my main machine while I was still working for a marketing company—with generous help from my wife and friends who pitched in with some gift cards for my birthday—and one corporate machine I inherited when I came back to the paper last year. I’ve gotten into doing more basic image optimization/manipulation, and the work laptop has InCopy and Photoshop on it, but both still run fast enough for my needs. There’s also an ancient (white, pre-Retina) iMac in my home office that I still use regularly when working in the paper’s CMS, doing research or using Google Docs.

PHONE: HTC One M7 (2013), the first year HTC went all-out and released this top-notch flagship with the brushed-metal chassis. I side-loaded the Google Now launcher, and keep it as close to stock Android as possible without rooting. There have been two new iterations, but mine’s still plenty fast. I’ll probably upgrade soon anyway, however, because A) I’m leaving my carrier of more than a decade, Sprint, because I’m dissatisfied with their coverage and B) The ONLY thing that sucks about this phone is the camera, and I’ve been needing to use my phone camera a lot more lately for work-related social media stuff, which has gotten me in the habit of using it for personal social media stuff (my Instagram account is, like, a month old). Plus, I’m toying with the idea of going bigger, to a Note or Nexus 6, so doing blog stuff without opening my laptop will be a little easier.

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LAWBI #80: Dream a little dream

Recently, the New York Times Magazine published an excellent piece by writer Eve Fairbanks called, “How Did Sleep Become So Nightmarish?” (It’s available online; go ahead, I’ll wait.) In it, she articulates many of the loose and often vaguely worrying notions about sleep that have been skittering around my own brain for a while now — often, ironically enough, when I’m trying to get some rest.

In her piece, Fairbanks considers how a “capitalization” of sleep has emerged from our work-culture’s obsession with productivity. She points out how, just a decade or so ago, we never would have thought to worry about how to set ourselves up to get the best sleep possible, in order to optimize our brains (and, by extension, ourselves) to wring the maximum productivity out of them the following day.

We slept because we were fucking tired.

Read the rest at Creative Loafing

Tampa Stereo Shop The First To Put An Ipad Mini In a Car’s Dashboard, Or At Least the First to Crow About It Online

The aces at Tampa’s Soundwaves created a dashboard frame sized to fit the new iPad Mini before the hot little gadget was released this morning, and so were the first folks to proudly shove the fruits of their labors on to the net.

Here’s the story, via Engadget. (Though, what’s above is basically it. iPad Mini in car. First. Maybe.)

On the Subject of Gear Acquisition Syndrome

So yeah, I’ve got the wandering envious eye for a new laptop again.

As I’ve said before, I’m not a hardcore “tech guy.” My interest in gadgets is mainly rooted in their ability to make lives (read: my life) easier, more convenient and productive. That said, just because I can’t root a phone doesn’t mean I’m immune to the siren song of really cool new shit simply for really cool new shit’s sake. But at the end of the day, I just want my tech to suit my needs and my aesthetic.

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My 8 Tech Startups

RenderTender (something something automated video file changes backup something)

Prick.ly (a website for people who like to eat cacti and look at dongs)

Squirrel.ly (a phone app and social network that shares pictures of what you and your friends would look like as late-stage meth heads)

FrySpace (cooking site dedicated to the battered arts)

Bitchr (messaging app that helps you compose scathing critical texts)

LudeTunes (slows any audio file to half-speed)

Necktar (online tie sales. but not just ties! ascots and scarves and garrotes and shit, too)

RedBrd (tweets guys whenever a ladyfriend’s, erm, cycle is approaching. with a cute cardinal icon!)