Just a mind-dump. In no particular order… (more…)

Sometime in September, the American and Canadian dollar reached a parity. Of course, a “par-party” was in order. This involves traveling down to the States with your friends and purchasing whatever unnecessary product that your heart desires at a reasonable discount. The discount is based on the fact that most stores have not adjusted their prices to coincide with the dollar parity.

And so, the only thing that I could justify the effort for, was of course the “iPhone, uPhone, we all phone for iPhone!” Umm… sorry about that. Not sure where that came from. Anyway, with our dashboard GPS pointed towards the nearest mall in Buffalo, we headed down to the border.

My friend was looking to acquire an Phone too, but he was also down there to get a World Phone from Verizon. I only mention this because he explained to me the fantastic deal on unlimited data and voice roaming across North America and many other participating countries. This just made me realize first hand how bad we have it up here (in a phone plan sense).

But, I wasn’t about to let that destroy my excitement for my new phone-like device. The cashier at the iStore seemed to almost know what I was planning to do with it. She rang it through without a smile or “thank you, come again!” It wasn’t until we were on our way back that I received an email from Apple that included my receipt as an attachment. I thought this was really cool, but at the same time, that meant that Apple knew exactly where I was from and what I was purchasing. It probably showed up on the cashier’s display and she just put 2 and 2 together.

After we arrived back, the unpacking process began. Not quite as lengthly of a procedure as some of Apple’s other products, but still nicely done. The phone sits in a plastic cradle and even the underside of the lid is padded with foam.

Now the unlocking process can begin. Ironically enough, I was having issues with the jailbreaking software that was available at the time for mac. Either the software would think that I was running iTunes version 0.0.0.0 or the other software would just stall while completing any particular task. Fortunately, everything seemed to work with the semi-stetchy apps running on my friend’s Vista laptop. Reluctantly, I let him break my new toy out of jail.

A couple test SMS’d curse words and a test phone call proved that the operation was a success. Rogers’ service works just as it would with any other phone. They’re data plans top off at 10megs but if you are smart and stick to wifi’s for most of your “heavy” data, then you should be fine. An email addict will probably have a better experience with a Blackberry (same users probably prefer Outlook over Mail for many of the same reasons).

It’s honestly hard to describe how much I have been enjoying this thing. For a very long time now, I’ve attempted over and over again to combine my virtual data into one place. A HP iPaq PocketPC worked for a while but quickly became too large and clunky for what it was used for. Gmail helped immensely to rid my email transportation woes. But my contacts were still spread about all over the place and my calendar never felt like it was there when I needed it (and syncing that was just a pain). Anyway, this single device solves all that and tosses in my music library (really, I don’t have THAT much music), and adds many of the features of a simple laptop (oh and it phones people and stuff).

Being able to click on a phone number in a company’s contact page and jump straight to the phone call with said company just feels cool. Lots of people will say that there are many other devices out there that do almost everything that the iPhone does but seriously, it’s all about the details. It seems like Apple went through every use-case imaginable. For those who love the little things, then this is it. If you don’t, then that’s probably why you own a Camry/Civic instead of something like a 911. Face it, you just aren’t going to get it.

Ok, that may have been a little harsh and really I don’t mean it (seriously, I could be lucky to afford a Civic). However, the bottom line is that I love this little toy and I will enjoy it until the next shiny thing comes along… :-P

PS. WordPress is telling me that this is post #100 :)

For anyone who happened to visit this site over the summer, you would have noticed a “coming soon” page. Essentially, I had grown quite tired of this version of the site and wanted something that could show off some of my Flash Platform capabilities. Around this time, I was also looking at the possibility of moving on from my current job. It was my belief that I needed a kickass website before anyone was going to even look at me. I had a couple designs going and started development on one but I just couldn’t lock down what features I wanted. It seemed like everyday I would change my mind about the concept of the site.

Fast-forward a couple of months and I am now a Senior Interface Engineer at Organic Inc. Organic is a digital marketing agency with 5 offices around North America and has been around for quite some time. The work environment is relaxed with lots of little perks and a team of people that really inspire me to stay creative.

And so, since (at this point) I really just want my space to yammer on about anything, I’ve reactivated the ol’ blog site and will just continue to work on a new version when I can.

I think my home office setup has finally reached a plateau.

I remember the days when I would be chugging along with my 486 while my friends had fancy new Pentiums and could actually run interesting games like Warcraft 2. Heck, I didn’t even have an internet connection for the longest time. I always went somewhere else to get my Duke Nukem 3D playtime or to even a quick round of Quake 3 Arena (a beta at the time). But it’s experiences such as those that help you to appreciate when good things finally come to the patiently waiting. I really do thank my parents for using what was probably their savings at the time to get me my first computer at the young age of 10 (an already aging 386 that ran Links Golf like nobody’s business).

Now I sit at my desk and look around and just think that I am really fortunate to have what I have today. I have a wonderfully large and sturdy L-shaped desk and comfortable chair inside a den of my (and my girlfriend’s) condo apartment. Because the condo is located next to the CN Tower/Rogers Center in a complex called CityPlace, I have access to what is (apparently) the fastest residential internet connection in Canada (100Mbit). This connection feeds into a new 802.11n-enabled Airport Extreme router (which also shares the wireless workload with an Airport Express in the living room). I can download movie trailers or whatnot at speeds of up around 4 to 5 megabytes a second (that is of course at it’s peak and can only be attained if the server on the other end will allow it). Connected to the router is a 500 gigabyte harddrive in some funky enclosure and being shared via AirDisk (for backups and such). My computer is a 15″ MacBook Pro (Core Duo). Since I’ve always been a mac user trapped in a PC user’s case/body, getting this laptop was a huge deal for me. A 100 gigabyte GDrive Mini is connected to the laptop and just gives me breathing room for CVS etc (I’ve put my entire music and photo libraries on the external drive). My audio is through a great set of Altec Lansing speakers + subwoofer (this is actually the oldest element on my desk).

Technically, the most recent purchase for my setup is a Microsoft Wireless Laser Keyboard and Mouse 6000 (that’s the short name). I love the lower profile keys of the keyboard and Microsoft has done a great job with Mac software support so all the extra media keys work logically and are fully customizable. However, this keyboard and mouse set was not the purchase that placed me at my aforementioned plateau, they were just needed since the laptop now stays closed and runs off of an external LCD monitor.

A 30 inch Dell monitor (3007WFP-HC).

This thing is the Hummer of monitors. Most people will look at it and laugh at its size, saying that it’s stupid to have something so big. For the most part, they are correct. At work, I’m using a 22 inch Dell LCD and the 15 inches of the laptop set to dual-display. This setup is great and I have no complaints about it. So why go for this monstrosity? Well, I don’t have some smart answer for that. I just wanted it. A friend of mine already owns one and I had the chance to do some Flash development on it and it just got me hooked.

In Flash, I have a complete row of panels down the right-side (with lots of room for the Library), the Actions panel docked next to it (again with lots of space to do all my coding), the Timeline has enough room to show plenty of layers and animations, and all that can be viewed with an 800×600 stage (my usual target dimensions).

It’s just so nice. I don’t know what else to say. The color, contrast, brightness, etc are all top-notch. It comes with a 9in1 card reader and 4 USB ports and it turns every which way but loose (tilt, vertical movement, and horizontal rotation). Oh, and being the rather tall boy that I am, I do appreciate the fact that I don’t have to look way down at the display and hurt my neck (which is usually what happened with the laptop just sitting flat on the desk).

Ok, I just wanted to gush a little. I am thankful though. :)

During a time of deep Flash, Flex, and Flash Media Server development, it’s nice to be able to get away and delve into my other passion which is of course, cars. I have been to the Toronto AutoShow every year for the past 6 years or so. This year I took the opportunity to attend twice in one week. These events are usually much more fun when a few friends join you. It also helps if they have some mild interest in vehicles.

This year, I got another chance to sit in my favorite realistic car (I have categories for my favorites), which is the Nissan 350Z. I love this car. It’s not the fastest, it’s not the cheapest, and it’s (arguably) not the best looking car, but I like it damnit. However, it was a car from a completely different company that stole the show for me. This car actually stunned me when I saw it circling on it’s platform. This car is the Audi R8. I remember seeing images of the concept but seeing this rolling wedge of gorgeousness in person was just fantastic. Seriously, I believe I have a new favorite unrealistic car, toppling the fantastic Ferrari F430 (although that car will stay as a close second). I can’t wait for Clarkson, May, and Hammond to get a hold of one and drift it in one of thier ridiculously entertaining reviews.

An interesting Flash related thing I found at the show (in the DaimlerChrysler section) was the vehicle knowledge displays that were scattered around. They were large touch screens (about 50″) and had what I believe to be a Flash app that allowed the user to learn about DaimlerChrysler’s cars. The app was well designed and built and a great example of product knowledge through Flash. After some digging, I found that the app was created by McGill Digital Solutions (here’s the link to their press release and case study). If anyone from McGill is reading this, I’d love to know if the app is in fact Flash or maybe Flex? An interesting thing about the display is that touch screen that large didn’t actually use “touch” technology as I’m used to. I was still able to interact while my finger hovered over the button. Not sure what’s going on there but it did work well.

I am holding a jar of Vicks Vaporub. It is a small jar and looks like it was bought about 10 years ago. Apparently, the paste helps with the Red Ant bites that are all over my feet. I haven’t put any on yet though because the rain seems to be soothing the bites. I guess we ran over one of ant’s nests when we drove into the mud. The rain is also washing off some of the mud that was kicked up by the spinning tires and landed on the car. The tires are struggling to gain grip as the car jerks back and forth. I think I am far enough away from the truck that is tugging at the rear of our car. Also keeping their distance are the other spectators that have gathered. They are sweating from the afternoon sun (or is it just the rain?). Among the spectators is a giant statue of Moses. He looks over us and the green plains that surround us. In the hazy distance, Moses and I can see the town of Cariaco. I think to myself that this would make a great photo. In a pure gringo accent, I yell out “Viva Venezuela!” and everyone smiles, including me.

A long-time friend’s mom passed away just last week after a long battle with cancer. She was a fantastic woman and a terrific cook. Mrs. R will forever be remembered as always happy and injecting positive energy into everyone she met.

Matthew Oliphant created pinkforoctober.org to urge other sites to “Go Pink during the month of October to bring attention to Breast Cancer Awareness Month, get people talking about breast cancer, and raise money for research.” With already 200 sites gone pink, the event is off to a great start. I can’t wait to see how large of an initiative this becomes by the end of the month.

A couple of months ago, Zipcar launched in Toronto. I had picked up a flyer from some folks standing on the street corner near my office (I assumed they worked for Zipcar) and then I kinda forgot about it.

After failing to secure a vehicle for a particular long weekend, my frustration with not having “wheels” grew to an all-time high. I decided (along with the help of some co-workers and a calculator) that owning a car while living downtown just didn’t make much financial sense. My alternative, the rental, only really worked for one to three day timeframes and I had to know that I needed the vehicle well in advance to ensure that it would be available to me. Since deciding last minute and flying by the seat of my pants is usually how these events come to fruition, the rental was quickly losing appeal.

This is where AutoShare steps in.

“Wait. What? Don’t you mean Zipcar? You can’t just change topics on a whim like that! I get all discombobulated!”

Easy, anonymous reader, I’m getting there. The truth of the matter is that I actually heard about AutoShare long ago and it was the service that seemed to answer all of my prayers. I could rent cars by the hour or by the day, they had some reasonable price plans, and it seemed like I had more of a chance to get a car when I needed it. After getting all excited about it, I finally read the fine-print and found the one catch: you had to be over 25 to join. Damnit! I am only 22 but I drive better than a lot of the wing-nuts out on the road and my record proves that. It’s the same treatment with rental companies (who charge extra for “underage” drivers).

This is where Zipcar steps in.

As soon as I visited zipcar.ca, I realized how much more I liked their marketing strategy. I don’t know, something about the green flat colors just seems more approachable. But of course, I couldn’t just judge a book by it’s cover/logo color. Learning from my mistakes of getting all hyped up, I immediately jumped to their fine-print-ish FAQ section and saw that you only had to be 21 or older to join. Finally! As I continued reading, I got more and more excited about the features/benefits that Zipcar was offering.

- No charge for under 25!
- Cool brand new cars (including the MINI).
- Gas, parking, and insurance are all included in the rates.
- 24-hour service (through an online system).
- $50 free through the flyer that I had forgotten about.

Plus, their overall light-heartedness that is apparent in almost everything that you read makes … well, I don’t know, I just like it.

I’ve been a member of the service for almost 2 weeks now and I’ve rented on three separate occasions (two MINI’s and a new Civic with the funky interior). The system could not be any simpler. The online booking site makes complete sense and will automatically sort the cars based which is closest. There are little tips (written from the perspective of the car) given to you when you make a reservation so that there is minimal surprises when trying a new car. Gas is paid for via a fleet card with Esso (and if you can’t find an Esso, you can go somewhere else and they’ll reimburse you). The cars are always spotless and conveniently scattered throughout most of downtown Toronto. Locking and unlocking the car is done through your “zipcard” (which is pretty cool when you try it). And the list goes on.

For anyone living in downtown Toronto, I highly recommend checking out Zipcar.ca and taking a glance at their comparison charts (against owning and renting). For me, the opportunity to try the MINI is just too nice. Everyone that I let sit in it had a smile on their face and said they wanted one.

I don’t know if anyone else has noticed this, but Microsoft seems to be changing (and so is Apple, but that’s another story). Personally, I think it’s for the better. However, in everything that they seem to be doing better, they are always just playing catch-up. From the Vista operating system that brings OS user experiences up to par with those already being delivered by Apple to the Live initiative that recreates the software development and release methodology of Google (i.e. Betas). It’s funny that the two companies that I mention don’t really do what the other one does. Google doesn’t really release software that you want to lick and Apple rarely releases beta versions of their software.

And so, if Microsoft is now deciding that it needs to do something or get left behind, then is that bad? I would venture a guess and say no, it’s not bad. In fact, since Microsoft still dominates the personal computer market, the benefits of better design and usability can be had by a lot more people.

I suppose that you could take the stance that there is no need to wait around for the giant slow-moving company to catch up when a smaller, quicker group of people are already providing a better product. The problem is that a LOT of people depend on the giant. I mean, come on, Microsoft isn’t a huge company because its products are only used by a small group of people. Even for myself, I have a MacBook Pro (that I love) but I’m forced to Boot Camp into Windows XP everyday because of the programs I need for web development.

So, if we are stuck here, then can’t we make this a more livable space to be? More importantly, can we support those on the inside who are just trying to do something “cool”?

1. No, I did’t win the Best Canadian Developer award at this year’s FiTC. I am still unbelievably thankful for the nomination. The conference itself was great and the after-parties were interesting. I got a chance to chit-chat with some of the more popular faces in the Flash community. Watching Joshua Davis kick ass in Burnout on the Xbox360 and playing around of Fight Night Round 3 was fun (that game has insane graphics but the controls were a little weird).

2. After Apple released Bootcamp, I finally had a chance at convincing my boss that a MacBook Pro was a smart investment. It worked! This baby is sooo nice and I’ll be posting more on my experiences with switching some time later. Instead of taking a million pictures of it, I just took one while I was setting it up. Click here to see the picture.

3. Tomorrow, Yasmary and I will be moving from our apartment in North York to a rented-out condo in downtown Toronto. Actually, it’s right next to the SkyDo…Rogers Centre (Spadina and Front-ish). We will both be less than 10 minutes from each of our offices (no more 45 minute subway rides!). It would seem that the TTC has heard that today would be our last day of dependance on them, so they have decided to go on strike. :P

4. I got to try a Segway over the weekend. It was a lot of fun. A bunch of friends and I did a tour of the Distillery District while riding Segways. Of course, it’s a little weird to get used to at first, but after a while, it feels quite natural. I enjoy the benefits of walking so I really don’t need one but I want one just for fun. :)

5. Things have been really busy at work and I’ll be posting about the project, as soon as we get the web version released (right now it’s only available as a beta in kiosks).