BRADLEY CRAVEN

iPhone Jailbroken!

Bradley Craven — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 18:10:17 +0000

took my original iphone and jailbroke it. Have to say, Apple is missing out on a lot of incentives for folks to use / switch to the iphone. For example, I can now take video with my iphone! Sound and Motion! Come on! I can also customize the background, even the battery icon when it’s charging. The big plus here is that there are folks who can create fantastic products and applications. They are valuable to the growth of all software and have to go underground. Well, can’t wait to go overseas with my unlocked phone and just pop in a SIM, take some video, use skype, etc. We are there technologically, just some folks not allowing it to be released. You could charge for these apps and folks would happily pay.

Here’s the link. Straight forward!

http://iclarified.com/entry/index.php?enid=1557

Enjoy!

New Mac Stuff

Bradley Craven — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 21:31:00 +0000

Underwhelmed is how I feel about the new product lineup. The new notebook lineup, while impressive isn’t what I thought it’d be. HOWEVER, the products are still way beyond what’s out there. It is also important to point out that Apple is growing and will continue to do so. They bring not just a better product - both hardware and software, but a better experience. I have an old mac that’s running Leopard and if you saw the screen and used the apps, you wouldn’t know it’s a 1ghz G4!I guess before they can reinvent the computer, you have to invent it. They did this by going to the beginning - what is the computer - how is it made. The walk through of how the notebooks are made is truly interesting and shows their dedication to quality. This is what a consumer pays for. That is still Apple’s biggest hurdle. you pay for quality and an experience that you can not get with a POS plastic windows machine.Apple is trying to grab market share by selling macs - and introducing folks through the ipod / iphone line. They would be smart to start selling OS X as an operating system and allow folks to install it on their pc’s. Let the user experience Apple software at a lower price point. After time those that can’t digest the price, will soon realize why they should.At any rate, good that the air will be updated and it will be interesting to see how powerful the NVidia cards will be.back to my apple.

IE on MBP w/out Windows!!!

Bradley Craven — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 22:21:01 +0000

Running Internet Explorer on a MacBook Pro without windows and without any virtual machine. That’s right, no VMWare Fusion, Crossover, Parallels, etc.There are some sites that out there that still write only for IE. Hopefully, not for too much longer. The solution is http://www.kronenberg.org/ies4osx/ So big thanks for this!!!!

Video Editing

Bradley Craven — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 14:49:13 +0000

So I am now a video editor. Work required some snatching files from dvd formats to embed in PowerPoint. To some, a few clicks in Final Cut and the job would be done. I was limited to free open-source products.

I decided to use my MacBookPro because it’s faster than my Lenovo T60 and well, more fun. The process began by selecting a program to “rip” the dvd. For that, HandBrake, was selected because it was free AND its ease of use. In two clicks, you’re ripping!

To edit and then export clips into PC PowerPoint friendly *.avi format, iMovie was the obvious choice. It is a robust tool for the amateur that, when fiddled with, can deliver some high impact results - exactly what was needed.

What really stands out is the difference between a Mac and PC. Aside from speed an aesthetics, the software is light years ahead of Windows. It just works. The interface is so simple, so basic, so user friendy - logical. While the prices are dramatic, it’s worth it. Even in these days, when folks are concerned about income and large out of pocket purchases, an Apple computer is an investment that will last.

Searching the web and email now includes adding your own pictures, taking movies, etc. The built in isight also helps for video conferencing, which is free. It’s all in one package. No more add ons and wires and all that. One box!

James May’s 20th Century

Bradley Craven — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 14:38:28 +0000

James May is best known as one of the tv presenters for BBC’s Top Gear. He has written a great book, “James May’s 20th Century,” which is his personal selection of great achievements in the last century.

you can buy the book here:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Mays-20th-Century-May/dp/0340950919/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1217514919&sr=8-1

His wiki is here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_May

I am enjoying the book because it isn’t boring history. He is able to detail the impact of a particular event in a few paragraphs, while sneaking in some obscure but interesting facts.

CUIL: competitive search engine

Bradley Craven — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 01:00:25 +0000

Cuil is a new search engine. It was started by ex googlers and the interface is fantastic! When searching for artist Linda Zacks, this is what it returned:http://www.cuil.com/search?q=linda+zacksAt some point, will the masses become tired of the google bland page?The biggest problem is, how do you pronounce CUIL? What does it mean, do we care? But it will be difficult to build a word of mouth - or will it be a conversation piece?