The Oatmeal’s State of the Web
Posted: July 26, 2011 Filed under: Other | Tags: state of the web, the oatmeal Leave a comment
This summer’s State of the Web has been released by the Oatmeal, and it’s just as good as the last. Interesting facts include: the average Facebook gamer is a 43 year old woman; Microsoft, through Skype, has now directly integrated with Facebook; and Tumblr has stopped using the Tumbeasts. For shame. Apple gets a mention, but Facebook is clearly the central focus – obviously this is as it should be, since Facebook IS the internet for more and more people every day.
New Lion Keyboards
Posted: July 22, 2011 Filed under: Apple | Tags: Apple, keyboard, Launchpad, Mission Control Leave a comment
Called this one a few days ago, and I’m glad it came to pass. iSpazio reports the external keyboards (at least the wired one) as well as the new Macbook Air’s backlit keyboard have new function keys dedicated to Mission Control and Lanchpad. Instead of the Dashboard icon currently occupying the F4 key, now there’s a grid of boxes signifying Launchpad. It really looks like Apple is pushing Dashboard to be its own space instead of the classic overlay, which I have mixed feelings on. The Mission Control icon on F3 is very similar to the old Exposé, but lacks a border.
– via 9to5 Mac, top photo from iSpazio, bottom photo from Apple’s Macbook Air site.
New hardware for Lion
Posted: July 20, 2011 Filed under: Apple | Tags: Apple, Cinema display, Mac mini, MacBook, MacBook Air Leave a comment
Along with the new OS today, Apple released brand new MacBook Airs, Mac minis, and thunderbolt-equipped Cinema displays. The new Airs are easily the biggest story, with massive performance gains and i-series processors. Interestingly, the minis also lost their optical drive. Definitely a sign of things to come.
On a related note, the white MacBook has finally been discontinued. I have mixed feelings about that, since I own the previous generation MacBook, but it’s obviously inferior to the Air. Rumor has it the white laptop is still available for education, but it’s clearly deprecated.
The cat is out of the bag
Posted: July 20, 2011 Filed under: Apple | Tags: Apple, John Siracusa, OS X Lion, Shawn Blanc Leave a comment
In case you didn’t hear, OS X 10.7 Lion was released today. I’ve spent some time with it, but reviewing a full desktop operating system is something best left to John Siracusa. I’ll post some general impressions later, but for now, I recommend a download posthaste. It’s a tangible improvement, and I’m confident in declaring it the most significant upgrade in the history of OS X. (That’s mostly because a lot of other people are saying it too.) If you haven’t downloaded it yet, you can find it on the Mac App Store on 10.6. Use this link from Shawn Blanc and support a great tech writer with a small kickback. You won’t have to pay anything more, and he’ll get a tiny bit of support. What’s not to like?
Mike Doyle’s reMOCable
Posted: July 19, 2011 Filed under: LEGO | Tags: AFOL, LEGO, Mike Doyle, MOC, reMOCable Leave a comment
Mike Doyle, creator of the best LEGO architecture I’ve ever seen, just announced his new blog, reMOCable. He picks a theme and curates several MOCs from around the web (all dutifully linked of course) to present as a set. This results in a striking display of the different styles and recurring themes in the community, not to mention the sheer quality of the featured MOCs. As someone constantly looking for new AFOLs to follow and study, could be an invaluable resource. I’ve already subscribed without a moment’s hesitation.
50 Creations
Posted: July 17, 2011 Filed under: LEGO | Tags: Creator, LEGO, Tyler Neylon Leave a comment
– via Jason Kottke
Bloggers react to Lion’s non-release
Posted: July 14, 2011 Filed under: Apple | Tags: Forkbombr, OS X Lion Leave a commentStephen Hackett at Forkbombr has collected the reactions of several key Mac bloggers around the internet as they speak out against Apple’s inability to release Lion on the rumored date. (total satire if you aren’t sure)
Keyboard Questions
Posted: July 11, 2011 Filed under: Apple | Tags: keyboard, OS X Lion Leave a comment
All the Lion talk today got me thinking – what happens to the standard Mac keyboard when Exposé and Dashboard merge? Today’s keyboard has distinct buttons for Exposé and Dashboard, but the upcoming Mission Control merges those concepts. My guess is the Dashboard button will take you to the Dashboard Space, and the current “view all windows” button will go to Mission Control. I wouldn’t be surprised to see an upcoming change in the keyboard layout to more properly reflect the new interface. That said, it’s pretty obvious that Lion’s preferred input method is the trackpad swipe, not the keyboard. Maybe these keys will disappear entirely?
