web-goddess

Category: Computers

  • “E-commerce”

    I Asked MetaFilter a question about e-commerce websites tonight.

  • Weekend Update

    Rusted Root(Ha! I just had an email asking if I was all right, seeing as how I hadn’t blogged in two days. At least I know I’ll never go missing with you folks around.) Anyhoo, I spent most of Saturday afternoon working on a new knitting project: Rusted Root. It’s a little cotton T-shirt with a puffy sleeves and a lace panel down the front. It’s knitted from the top down, which is nice because you can try it on for size as you go! I’m probably a third of the way done with it. Saturday night we headed into the city for a friend’s surprise birthday party. Unfortunately it was also Mardi Gras, which meant fighting our way through crowds of slutted-up freshers in sparkly cowboy hats. (Theory: Mardi Gras in Sydney is like Halloween in Sunnydale. Most of the actual gay people stay far, far away, and you’re just left with kids playing in costume.) We had a fantastic meal at Bar Reggio in Darlinghurst. I walk past there every day on my way to work, and it always smells fantastic. The service was execrable, but the food made up for it. (Excitement! The Snook spotted the Critic from The Chopping Block unsuccessfully trying to get a table.) We got home very late, and Sunday we slept in as long as the cats would let us. I spent most of Sunday setting up my new Macbook, which we bought Thursday night. The Snook managed to remove the hard drive from my dead iMac and set it up so I could transfer everything to the new computer. Then we took the iMac back to the Apple Store where they – as expected – quoted me like $1500 to fix it. Eek. I spent hours futzing around with iLife ’09, including the fun “Faces” feature within iPhoto. I also got DeskCam working again, in case you missed it. I had planned to go for a long run this evening, but the skies opened and it poured rain. So it was a quiet night in for me.

    And did I mention that the Snook has a new job? No? It’s pretty cool. He starts in three weeks. 🙂

  • Knitting Apps

    Venks just sent me this list of knitting apps for the iPhone. I knew about StitchMinder, but the others were new to me. I did a search on the App Store and there are even more now! I just downloaded Yarn Pirateer, which is a free stash organiser.

  • Review: Balsamiq Mockups

    Back at my previous job, I was using a piece of software called “Axure” to generate mockups of web applications. When I started at the new job and they asked me what software I needed, I suggested that one. I nearly had a heart attack when I realized it’s $600 for a single user license! That’s nuts. So I started looking around. I toyed with the idea of using Visio (it’s just so clunky!) before somebody recommended Balsamiq Mockups to me. It looked like just the thing I needed, and the license is only $70. I was debating on buying it when I noticed that they offer free licenses to “do-gooders” and bloggers. I sent them an email, and they wrote back with a license the very next day! I was floored by the business and I hadn’t even started using the software yet. Of course, I wasn’t going to give them a glowing review for nothing. I’ve spent the last month or so putting Mockups through its paces.

    The software: I was a bit dubious about this whole “Adobe Air” thing, but the installation proved painless. (I tested it on both PC and Mac.) Within 10 minutes of launching it I was generating mockups for both web pages and mobile phone handsets. I wasn’t sure how technical people would react to the deliberately hand-drawn look of the diagrams, so I showed it to a couple developers for their opinion. They all liked it and said it was more fun than getting a PowerPoint or Visio drawing. I’ve been using it extensively for a few weeks now and I’ve got zero complaints. (The only bug I found was fixed a few days later.) It’s so quick to create something from scratch, and changes take hardly any time at all. People have literally stopped by my desk to point at what was on my monitor. This app makes you look like you spent a lot more time/effort than you really did!

    The business: Like I said, I was predisposed to like them just because they sent me a free license. Still, I’ve been hugely impressed by how the husband-and-wife team support and promote their software. Releases are free and having been happening every week or two. (The most recent one has custom iPhone interface elements, which will be *very* useful to anybody doing mobile stuff.) They’ve got a blog that gets updated frequently, and the developer is a frequent Twitterer. I really can’t say enough good stuff about them. If you find yourself trying to figure out what a website should look like, you should definitely try this one out. (And I think they’re working on an online version soon…)

  • Web Censorship may be defeated after all…

    So Senator Xenaphon has effectively killed the web censorship plan? GREAT! I hereby forgive him for nearly scuppering the forthcoming economic stimulus payments.

  • Super Pii Pii Brothers

    Hmm, should I call up EB Games and see if they’ll let me put down a deposit on Super Pii Pii Brothers? (Link courtesy of new co-worker – and blog reader! – Tim.)

    I forget that it’s still April 1 in America. Eileen totally got me this morning with her Ryan Seacrest story.

  • Planet MM

    Very sneaky! I noticed this site popping up in my referrers the other day. It looks like a public page somebody has set up to track a couple blogs. “Hmm,” I thought. “MM are the initials of my new company.” So I started looking at the other sites that were listed… and at least one of them is another employee. Looks like somebody over at Mobile Messenger has set up an employee blog portal!

  • iPhone

    The SMH asks: “Would you still buy an iPhone if it was locked to Telstra?” Sadly, I’ve gone past the point of rational thought. Yes. Yes, I would.

  • Wii Fit

    Attention Australian Wii Owners: I stopped in at EB Games this morning and I was able to confirm that the Wii Fit is now “listed in their system,” meaning you can put a deposit down for it. It’s definitely out on May 8. Hooray! I’m looking forward to it.

  • Subvocalization is neat.

    Wow. Scientists have developed a neckband that allows for subvocal communication. Now where do I get my Jane?