Christopher White

"Chris, I just want to say that you are very welcome, and thanks for replying. I’m glad to hear..."

Thu, 17 May 2012 14:43:00 -0600

“

Chris, I just want to say that you are very welcome, and thanks for replying. I’m glad to hear that your issue has been resolved, and I was able to provide you with the support you deserve. I know it is always such a feeling of accomplishment, when things work out the way you want them to.

I am glad that I could assist you and best of all, put a smile on your face. Believe me, nothing makes Apple happier than knowing that we have pleased our wonderful customers. I truly hope that you continue to enjoy all that the iTunes Store has to offer.

Also, Apple (and myself) are currently striving for the best experience possible in making sure our customers have been taken care of to their satisfaction.

It was a pleasure to assist you, and I will now close this request. Remember support is just an email away if needed. You’ve truly been a remarkable asset to the iTunes Store Family and Thank you for choosing the iTunes Store.

”

- Apple’s iTunes Store support in an email to me after resolving an issue.

Now that I’m doing support for AgileBits I’ve been even more keenly aware of support interactions than I was before and this response impressed me.

While it’s certainly a snippet and a bit overly formal it’s the ‘support you deserve,’ the ‘smile on your face’ and ‘it was a pleasure to assist you’ that make me feel good, cared for and valued as I read it.

I have received better, faster and warmer support from a handful of other companies — I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t — but they are very much the exception to the rule and none of them have been a even thousandth of the size of Apple. Apple may not be able to make me feel uniquely special but I do feel cared for and that is a job well done.

xkcd: Felidae So… now what? Let’s go with Ocelot...

Wed, 16 May 2012 10:18:05 -0600

xkcd: Felidae

So… now what? Let’s go with Ocelot for 10.9.

I still don’t understand whey they didn’t save Lion for the end.

Repetitive Tasks by Chart Porn Replace “scripts”...

Tue, 15 May 2012 17:41:00 -0600

Repetitive Tasks by Chart Porn

Replace “scripts” with a general “automated solution” and I’m pretty sure you could consider this a geek’s manifesto. Love it!

[Via Swiss Miss]

Viking Warlord by Matt Hubel

Tue, 15 May 2012 12:56:16 -0600

Viking Warlord by Matt Hubel:

Because the iPad is a consumption only device.

My friend and former classmate Matt painted this awesome image on his iPad using the app Procreate. The iPad can be truly inspiring tool in the hands of someone so talented and dedicated to his craft.

Nice work Matt!

Carrot Wins Jaguar, Sends Don Draper a Condolence Letter - The Denver Egotist

Mon, 14 May 2012 18:36:53 -0600

Carrot Wins Jaguar, Sends Don Draper a Condolence Letter - The Denver Egotist:

Brilliant.

"Doing business in China is notoriously hard for western companies. We understand this and we..."

Wed, 09 May 2012 22:48:24 -0600

“

Doing business in China is notoriously hard for western companies. We understand this and we understand that we don’t have all the answers. We thought about taking the easy road and ignoring China altogether, but that approach just isn’t Evernote-y. In a perfect world, great companies with roots in Silicon Valley should be able to succeed in China and great companies with roots in Beijing should be able to succeed in San Francisco. Most importantly, global products designed and developed through the cross-pollination of the world’s top centers of entrepreneurship and innovation will be better than products built in a vacuum.

We don’t live in a perfect world, but through hard work, innovation, optimism and transparency, we think we can nudge it along a little.

I’m really excited about this launch.

”

- Evernote Launches Separate Chinese Service | Evernote Blogcast

You’ve got to admire Evernote’s attitude; very few startups are thinking as big or as strategically as Evernote does. How many other services do you use that are thinking 100 years ahead or building this level of localized development?

"This guide is intended to help people who have already purchased software, but are for whatever..."

Wed, 09 May 2012 17:16:22 -0600

“This guide is intended to help people who have already purchased software, but are for whatever reason unable to access their credentials, either temporarily or permanently. Gizmodo does not support software piracy. Further, this is general information, and you should proceed at your own peril.”

- How to Pirate Software Without Getting Caught

Gizmodo and Gawker, the internet’s most trusted source and paragons of integrity.

Who signed off on this story?

There's a difference — David Chartier

Wed, 09 May 2012 11:29:04 -0600

There's a difference — David Chartier:

If you use, buy or talk about apps this is the most important thing you’ll read this week.

"Ever since we launched Path in 2010 we’ve enjoyed a dynamic dialogue with you, our users. You..."

Sat, 05 May 2012 10:01:32 -0600

“Ever since we launched Path in 2010 we’ve enjoyed a dynamic dialogue with you, our users. You told us what you liked about the product, what you wanted to see in future updates and, every now and again, what you didn’t like at all. Some aspects of the service that definitely stood to be improved upon were the legal terms that governed the relationship between Path and its users. Today, we’re happy to share with you our updated Terms of Use and Privacy Policy that are easier to understand and better reflect our strong commitment to your safety, privacy and enjoyment of Path.”

- Path newsletter — May 4, 2012

Path’s new Terms of Service and Privacy Policy are still long and they still have some legalize but for the most part they are quite human readable and you should read them.

Highlights — as in you need to know this stuff

The price of free:

Our Service may change from time to time and/or we may stop (permanently or temporarily) providing the Service (or features within the Service), possibly without prior notice to you.

In other words, you’re not entitled to anything.

Content and your submissions

By posting Content to the Service, you grant us the right and license to use, modify, publicly perform, publicly display, reproduce, and distribute such Content on and through the Service. You agree that this license includes the right for us to make your Content available to other users of the Service, who may also use your Content subject to these Terms. You retain any and all of your rights to any Content you submit, post or display on or through the Service and you are responsible for protecting those rights.

You know that this is in almost every service you upload anything to, right?

We don’t have an obligation to monitor your access to or use of the Service or to review or edit any Content, but we have the right to do so for the purpose of operating the Service, to ensure your compliance with these Terms, or to comply with applicable law or the order or requirement of a court, administrative agency or other governmental body. We reserve the right, at any time and without prior notice, to remove or disable access to any Content, that we consider, in our sole discretion, to be in violation of these Terms or otherwise harmful to the Service.

Indemnity

You agree to indemnify and hold us harmless from and against any and all costs, damages, liabilities, and expenses (including attorneys’ fees) we incur in relation to, arising from, or for the purpose of avoiding, any claim or demand from a third party that your use of the Service or the use of the Service by any person using your Account violates any applicable law or regulation, or the rights of any third party.

Breaking the terms can result in a lot more serious consequences that being banned.

Privacy Policy

We will also collect the contact information of your friends, if you choose to connect your contacts and address book information with Path and your login credentials to your social network accounts, such as Facebook and Twitter, if you choose to connect those accounts with your Path account.

Why aren’t these hashed yet? This should have been implemented immediately after the address book fiasco.

How Do We Use the Information We Collect?

…for any other purpose for which the information was collected.

What Information Do We Share With Third Parties?

in connection with, or during negotiations of, any merger, sale of company assets, financing or acquisition, or in any other situation where personal information may be disclosed or transferred as one of our business assets.

I’ll bet Instagram and Foursquare had essentially this clause before being acquired by Facebook.

Your account

You can deactivate your account by selecting the “deactivate” link. Deactivating your account lets you remove your profile without permanently deleting it. When you deactivate your account, other users will no longer see your profile or information (but your information is saved, in case you want to reactivate your account at some point in the future). If you want to delete your information and your account, please contact us with a request that we delete your account and information. We will take steps to delete your information as soon as is practicable, but some information may remain in archived/backup copies for our records and as otherwise required by law.

This needs fixed.

P.S. LIMITED LIABILITY

OUR TOTAL LIABILITY TO YOU FROM ALL CAUSES OF ACTION AND UNDER ALL THEORIES OF LIABILITY WILL BE LIMITED TO THE AMOUNT YOU PAID FOR THE APP AND IN NO EVENT WILL IT EXCEED $50.

Is it really necessary to shout? That’s one part of these policies that I’ve never understood, they actually discourage people from reading these very important sections.

"Making sure you receive proper attribution when your photos on Flickr are shared elsewhere on the..."

Wed, 02 May 2012 10:41:00 -0600

“Making sure you receive proper attribution when your photos on Flickr are shared elsewhere on the web is very important to us. Given the sheer volume of fantastic photography that you upload to Flickr on a daily basis, it’s no surprise that photos on Flickr are amongst the most popular content pinned to Pinterest. Today, we are very happy to announce that we’ve worked closely with Pinterest to make it even easier for you to share to Pinterest in a way that will ensure that your Flickr photos are properly attributed, regardless where they are pinned from.”

- Attributed sharing from Flickr to Pinterest « Flickr Blog

This is good news and it seems like better attribution is becoming a trend among media driven sharing tools.

"Apple has conducted all of its business with the highest of ethical standards, complying with..."

Tue, 01 May 2012 09:20:17 -0600

“Apple has conducted all of its business with the highest of ethical standards, complying with applicable laws and accounting rules. We are incredibly proud of all of Apple’s contributions.”

- Apple’s Response on Its Tax Practices - NYTimes.com

Smart, decisive and objective. All four paragraphs of Apple’s response are great.

[Via David Chartier]

"Viewers who stream network TV shows may soon discover the free ride is not so free. Hulu, which..."

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 21:19:14 -0600

“

Viewers who stream network TV shows may soon discover the free ride is not so free. Hulu, which attracted 31 million unique users in March under a free-for-all model, is taking its first steps to change to a model where viewers will have to prove they are a pay-TV customer to watch their favorite shows, according to sources. In fact, the move by Hulu toward the new model — called authentication because viewers would have to log in with their cable or satellite TV account number — was behind the move last week by Providence Equity Partners to cash out of Hulu after five years, these sources said.

”

- Hulu, TV Networks to Change Model of Free Streaming | Fox Business

Remember when Hulu were the rebels with the new business model? Awesome, right?

I had always hoped that they’d be able to prove that Hulu’s model works better in today’s internet world — to do the same thing that Apple did with the music labels — it might have been an unfounded dream all along but it’s still disappointing that they’ve failed.

Might upgrade to the paid version someday – Marco.org

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 15:14:00 -0600

Might upgrade to the paid version someday – Marco.org:

Marco Arment:
I t’s a very common user mindset: they tolerate a lot of limitations, ads, and nags to avoid paying. It’s not that they’re cheap, per se: they just really don’t believe that apps are worth paying for, and they feel cheated or defeated if they end up needing to pay for one.

David Chartier’s response nails it:

Thanks, Google and all the other companies who give everything away for free. You’ve created a culture of people who “feel cheated or defeated if they end up needing to pay” for something.

This needs to change.

"Did you know that by joining Creative Density you instantly become a member of the global coworking..."

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 13:29:16 -0600

“Did you know that by joining Creative Density you instantly become a member of the global coworking movement with a Coworking Visa Passport. Members can travel most major cities in the US and Europe and get to be part of a new coworking community with free coworking. So go ahead, extend your vacation/business trip a few extra days and just spend a few hours coworking to catch up on e-mail or finish a project. No need to rush home, you have a group of cowokers ready to make you comfortable where-ever you go.”

- Join Creative Density and you get free days in Austin, Boston, San Francisco, Paris…. » Creative Density – Denver Coworking - - Shared, Collaborative, and Affordable Work Space and Office.

This is awesome, whomever organized this really came up with a brilliant idea and I’m stoked that I’ll be able to utilize it next time I’m traveling anywhere.

Also, if you’re in Denver give Creative Density a try, I’ve worked there twice and really enjoyed it, I’m officially signing up next month. If you’re more into the coder/hacker thing or you want a little more open environment you should check out Uncubed as well.

"To the shock of most sentient beings, Facts died Wednesday, April 18, after a long battle for..."

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 15:35:24 -0600

“

To the shock of most sentient beings, Facts died Wednesday, April 18, after a long battle for relevancy with the 24-hour news cycle, blogs and the Internet. (…)

Facts held on for several days after that assault — brought on without a scrap of evidence or reason — before expiring peacefully at its home in a high school physics book. Facts was 2,372.

”

- Facts, 360 B.C.-A.D. 2012 - chicagotribune.com

Published yesterday this feels right at home on Earth Day.

[Via Chartier]

"Until we talk again, please remember: sharing isn’t a mouse click, friendship isn’t the vacant..."

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 10:18:51 -0600

“Until we talk again, please remember: sharing isn’t a mouse click, friendship isn’t the vacant observation of timelines, and digital soapboxes only serve to drive us further apart.”

- Money, meet mouth - Blog - jxpx777.com—Personal website of Jamie Phelps

"If Facebook buying Instagram pissed you off, I have a suggestion. Don’t just stop using Instagram,..."

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 09:50:15 -0600

“If Facebook buying Instagram pissed you off, I have a suggestion. Don’t just stop using Instagram, stop using free social networks and services period. Stop using sites like Twitter, Tumblr, Foursquare or Pinterest, because it is a given that they will all inevitably let you down in favor of the bottom line1. More often than not, when you actually quit a service, it’s not because they were evil. It’s just because they either became useless or boring. The reality is that you’re not going to stop using services that are useful to you2. You’re just going to waste time switching from one company to the next until your latest service inevitably falls short or sells out.”

- Stop crying about free services (via chartier)

I’ve expressed my disappointment about Instagram being bought by Facebook but I’m not angry. Free means I’m not entitled to jack and this is how the business works. And you know what? Damn those guys at Instagram earned it.

"Today Facebook has NO revenues from mobile. None. That’s amazing, since so many people,..."

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 15:45:30 -0600

“

Today Facebook has NO revenues from mobile. None. That’s amazing, since so many people, hundreds of millions of us, use Facebook on mobile clients.

That will change very quickly after the IPO. Instagram will play a huge role here, plus Facebook gets a very talented mobile development team that has built world-leading mobile apps on iOS and Android (which got a million users in its first day).

Let’s say that Facebook can turn on monetization on mobile clients. That could mean $500 million in revenue on first quarter, $700 on second, $900–$1 billion on third. Looking at it this way paying a billion for Instagram makes a LOT of sense.

”

- Facebook-Instagram Acquisition (April 2012): What was it about Instagram that made it worth a $1B acquisition by Facebook? - Quora

Interesting perspective on Facebook and Instagram from Robert Scoble (on Quora no less).

"In the rapidly changing world of eternal mathematical truths, we need to innovativize for the..."

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 12:11:35 -0600

“

In the rapidly changing world of eternal mathematical truths, we need to innovativize for the sustanation of our competitive advantage. So instead of serving our customer base with the same old encryption algorithms that are used by governments, military, and most of the Internet, we want to provide the world with new, proprietary systems that should clearly set us apart in the marketplace and among the expert community.

With great pleasure, I’d like to introduce our forthcoming encryption system: Cipher of Advanced Encryption Substitution And Rotation (CAESAR).

”

- Cipher of Advanced Encryption Substitution And Rotation | Agile Blog

AgileBits unveils a new encryption system, CAESAR, ushering in a new era in cryptography and virtual security.

Also, it’s English only for the sake of security, for the sake of the entire world.

Lego Space Shuttle (by vinciverse) Quite possibly the most...

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 17:47:48 -0700

Lego Space Shuttle (by vinciverse)

Quite possibly the most awesome thing ever done with Lego.

[via: TheEditDoctor]