New Podcast Series on Microsoft Emerging Technology

My company recently produced a new podcast series called OnMicrosoft (and yes, its about Microsoft). Here's the official blurb.

OnMicrosoft—Each week, we will talk to some of the IT Pro and Developer community's leading experts about a wide range of programming, systems, and software issues. Our interviews include talks with Microsoft’s Program Manager on the .NET Framework- Brad Abrams, Connected Systems Division Architect at Microsoft- Chris Anderson, Wintellect Co-Founder- Jeff Prosise, and Group Product Manager at Microsoft- Brian Goldfarb. With discussions on topics including ASP.NET AJAX, Silverlight, PowerShell WPF, Orcas and SharePoint, we have something for professionals working in every part of the industry.

You can check it out in iTunes by clicking here – Video Feed or Audio Feed.

Apple Recognized for Good (Architectural) Design

Just saw this cool blurb over at MacRumors (it’s a rumor/news site). The American Institute of Architects named two Apple retail stores to its list of the 150 best works of architecture. You can view the entire list here, which is also a great chance to look at good design.

• The 5th Avenue Apple Store in New York City was the 53rd favorite example of architecture

• The Apple SoHo in New York City took the 141st spot

Head on over and explore some great works of design.

Dinosaur... Oh, Dinosaur... (Evolve or Die)

I've always praised Adobe for their liberal upgrade policies (if the last release didn't impress you, you can skip a version and still upgrade). In fact, Adobe had one of the least strict policies of any manufacturer and didn't hold you hostage to constant upgrades.

Well, the policy is changing (a bit). Adobe is tightening up its policy on upgrades and applying limits to just how old a copy can be in order to be upgraded. According to the FAQ posted for Photoshop CS3:

Q. If I buy Photoshop CS2 today in order to get access to the Photoshop CS3 beta, will I get a free upgrade to Photoshop CS3?

A. No. The rich feature set and productivity enhancements of Photoshop CS2 already provide a strong upgrade value, and the opportunity to preview the upcoming CS3 release is an additional bonus. In addition, customers who are still using Photoshop version 6.0 or earlier will benefit from taking advantage of a more liberal upgrade policy for Photoshop CS2. Adobe will not offer upgrade pricing more than three versions back on Photoshop CS3. Go to www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/index. html for more information on Adobe Photoshop CS2.

This means a minimum of Photoshop 7 must be owned to buy the upgrade to Photoshop CS3. I agree that this is a reasonable change... but I raise it to you know for you people forced to sit on the fence. I know plenty of people (especially in corporate and education fields) who are constrained when it comes to upgrades....

The bottom line... if you are still using Photoshop 6 or earlier... upgrade now to Photoshop CS2.

Thoughts on the iPhone

I was there... I oohed and aahed with the rest of them... then I asked questions. Is the phone really cool? Yup. Will I buy one? Yup. Is it perfect? Nope... and here's hoping that Apple will listen to some of the criticism.

First off... if you haven't looked at the online demo on Apple's website, be sure to check it out. It is both informative and an impressive use of the web for an interactive demo.

Cool... huh? I agree... but here's my list of gripes.

1. The battery is not user changeable. I travel a lot and carry three cell phone batteries with me. I've also run my iPod dead while on a plane. See the math? What also happens when the battery stops charging all the way? Currently Apple needs to service iPod batteries and it takes a few days.

2. They say it runs OSX and "desktop class" applications – but that doesn't really mean any application and no they won't let third-party software develop titles independently. Rather, it'll be more like iPod games, just a few titles and tight control.

3. It looks to have none of the following items – no iChat, no AIM, no Games, no GPS, no Java, and no Flash (yet most carriers and phones offer these).

To be fair... here's what's great about it:
1. You iPod accessories and chargers work with it.
2. Apple has confirmed that they can (and will) release updates for it like the iPod.
3. Apple i supporting third-party hardware development.
4. The map features is really cool.
5. It has an "airplane mode" so you can turn off wireless but leave the unit on.
6. You can see all your voice mails as a list and check them out of order.
7. Widescreen video playback.
8. A great looking web browser.
9. It's really thin!

David Pogue has lots of great info on his blog | post 1 | post 2

And hey... the release date isn't until June. So maybe they'll continue to tweak it a bit.

Adobe Releases New Articles on Digital Photography

If you are in need of some new ideas or inspiration, be sure to check out the new articles from Adobe experts. There's a full list posted over at PhotoshopNews.com and there's some truly great stuff in there. While the articles skew towards digital photographers (like most of Adobe these days), I found these two very useful.

Digital Image Integrityby George Reis Photographs have been altered or “faked” ever since the very beginning of chemical photography. Learn how Photoshop CS is providing forensics experts and law enforcement specialists better tools for evaluating the authenticity of a photograph.

Black and White Conversion Tutorial by John Paul Caponigro Are you looking for more detail in your digital B&W conversions? Or perhaps better contrast and tonal separation? Here’s an opportunity to learn how to get maximum flexibility out of your B&W conversions. Follow along step-by-step, as John Paul Caponigro shows you how the pros do it in this dynamic PDF tutorial.

iPod Vending Machine – For Real

While at the Ottawa Convention Center for the Podcasting and Portable Media Expo, I was quite surprised to see a large vending machine filled with electronics. Everything from iPods to PlayStation Portables stocked this machine. It was really pretty amazing. Swipe your credit card and you could be basic things like an iPod cable or laptop cable, to a 60GB video iPod. Prices were the same as retail in a store... so there was really no disadvantage to buying (although I imagine returns or exchanges would be tricky). And unlike that bag of M&Ms, they product does not fall to the ground (a robotic arm/magic elf gently moves the package from shelf to pickup bin).I am sure there are more of these out there... anyone ever buy from one?

The Truth About Laptops, Cell Phones, and the TSA

As a person living in target number one (Washington, D.C.) the news of a recently foiled terrorist attack greatly bothered me. As the frequent business traveler, I was stymied by the news reports that all sorts of items such as laptops, cell phones, and iPods were being banned. I thought... how could they? Could you imagine a flight where no business traveler got any work done no child could watch a movie, those of us who like quiet time couldn't ignore the world by drowning it out with an iPod?

Advanced Calendar Program with Filemaker Pro

We've switched the office over to a new calendar program. We've outgrown iCal and needed something beefier. After a lot of searching and trials, we decided upon CC Calendar (Scheduling Edition). The Calendar is essentially a Filemaker Pro file, which means you can share it with other users in the office. It's totally flexible and allows for tracking of rooms, people, and to-do items. And as far as iCal goes, it even offers syncing options.

To download a demo.
To download FileMaker Pro demo.