But I didn’t.

• The iPad is heavy (it would be light if it were a fully-functional computer)
• The screen really isn’t that impressive (pixels are very evident)
• It’s not that zippy (boots up quick, but aps take a while)

The iPad might be selling well, but perhaps not for long. Faced with “iCan’t” at every turn, users might feel betrayed. (Really, not having flash is pathetic.) Then again, if used solely as a gaming/entertainment device, perhaps people won’t notice that they just paid $500 or $700 for a toy.

© 2010, Mark Adams. All rights reserved. For inquiries press here.

As it is presently configured, there two ways to enter data into the iPad. You can either use the onscreen fingerboard or else a Bluetooth connected Apple keyboard. However, if Apple truly wanted to make a device for every person, that device would have multiple means for entering and receiving data. Again, this is a case of iCan’t.

Apple may have engineered the iPad to be a commercial success, but they have not engineered it for accessibility.

© 2010, admin. All rights reserved. For inquiries press here.

Good grief. Now, there is a website that lets you broadcast your spending habits. Called Blippy (see MSNBC story), registered users input their credit card numbers to track — publicly — their purchases on the world-wide web. Friends and even total strangers (although there is a setting to block strangers) can view your transaction history — not critical details such as credit card numbers, but general stuff like: “Joe1234 spent $2.98 at iTunes.”

In an age when privacy is diminishing daily, why on earth would anyone want to advertise his spending habits on the Internet? For fun? To show off? Have we lost all sense of decency? Is there no modesty? Good grief, there are just some things that should be private… like your private affairs.

© 2010, Mark Adams. All rights reserved. For inquiries press here.

© 2010, admin. All rights reserved. For inquiries press here.

I’m not buying it.

It seems Apple wants everyone to own three devices — a computer, an in-between “media” device, and a smartphone. That’s cynical. Starting at $499, the iPad could serve as a laptop replacement, but Apple doesn’t want the iPad to be a laptop replacement (MacBooks, mind you, start at $999). So they’ve created an “in-between” device. I call it the iCan’t.

The iPad can’t…

1. Record video (no camera)
2. Browse all websites (no Flash plugin)
3. Connect to external devices (no USB connecter)
4. Play DVDs, CDs, etc. (no drive)
5. Install third-party software from non-Apple vendors
6. Multi-task (an Apple can’t multi-task? — what’s that all about?)

Considering that the iPad can run games, video, music, etc., it’s not as if the iPad couldn’t run versions of MS Office, OpenOffice or any other piece of software. Only consumers will have to buy programs from their app store. There, consumers will be limited to a “tablet” version of iWork; they won’t have access to MS Office or OpenOffice. This is a built-in limitation, not a technological limitation.

It’s not as if the iPad is a strike-out — it’s a remarkable device, really — but it’s not a home-run. For any tablet computer to succeed, it will have to hit one out of the park, but the iPad can’t.

© 2010, Mark Adams. All rights reserved. For inquiries press here.

I’ve been using the WordPress blogging script for a little over a year now, having migrated from ExpressionEngine in the summer of 2008. (Apologies to the general reader; this post is directed toward fellow web bloggers.) A few weeks ago, I reevaluated the types of plugins used at Agabus.com, eliminating a few, but keeping the majority. I’ve also found a few others I’d like to now recommend.

My first review of plugins can be found here. As I wrote there, increased functionality generates traffic; overdoing it, however, bogs things down. Here are some recommended plugins:

1. Contact Form 7 (link) — Posting your e-mail on your blog opens you to spam attacks. Having a contact form eliminates that concern. As of this writing, Contact Form 7 is the third “most popular” plugin at WordPress.org. The reason is quite simple: the plugin is easy to use. Multiple forms can be created and manipulated to suit any webmaster’s needs. The “Really Simple CAPTCHA” plugin integrates with Contact Form 7 for added protection.

2. WP-Forum (link) — If you are looking for an integrated solution, WP-Forum is it. Simply install, choose your theme (more than one is offered), and set up categories and forums. Registered users to your blog are already members: this is a plugin, not a workaround. Though I am a fan of phpBB, if you want a blog/forum, go with WP-Forum. Note: Be sure to get plugin directly from author; the version at WordPress.org does not seem up-to-date.

3. Lester Chan’s Plugins (link) — Lester offers a series of simple plugins that greatly increase a blog’s functionality. Among his offerings, WP-Ban (ban annoying visitors, spammers, etc.), WP-Print (add a “print this” function) and WP-Email (offer a localized “share this” function) among others.

4. Organize Series (link) — Got a few posts on the same subject? Organize them into a series. This works within the post interface, allowing you to join several posts together in a series. This one isn’t based on associating articles from particular tags, but on creating an actual series. This plugin generates page views as visitors bounce from post to post.

5. Similar Posts (link) — There are lots of “related posts” plugins. I’ve tried a few and found this one to work best. Like other “related posts” plugins, this one draws from data in tags, headlines, etc. I’m typically pleased with the results, though I am also careful to tag my posts appropriately (few tags, meaningful tags). This plugin works “out of the box,” requiring no modifications to your theme (unless you want to customize it further). Posts can be featured at the bottom of a post, sidebar, and several other ways. Requires Post-Plugin Library from same author.

Also, Random Posts, Recent Comments, etc. (visit website).

6. Old Post Promoter (link) — This plugin draws one post periodically, according to admin’s preferences, to post onto the home page in the first or second position. Talk about a way to generate traffic. I give this plugin 5 stars. Very simple to use “out of the box.” It’s a wonderful way to resurrect old posts.

7. FD Footnotes (link) — If you write scholastic posts, you need footnotes. I’ve tried a lot of other plugins, but this one is the simplest and easiest to implement. Footnotes are posted at the bottom with anchors. At Agabus.com, I probably should work adjust my CSS settings, as the spacing between lines is augmented, but it’s really not visually upsetting, and seems to work well with most other themes. I’ve stuck with this one because it’s never been buggy.

8. Link Library (link) — Create your own link directory with Link Library, which draws links from the built-in link system in your WordPress installation. Simply install, activate, create a page and post code. Highly configurable. Requires little effort to generate a full page. It has its limitations: no user submit function, no link-share function, no multiple pages function (which becomes an issue if you have tons of links), no search function. That said, adding those functions has proven to be a bear for most other plugin developers. I prefer at this point to keep it simple.

Note about WordPress Link Directory — This plugin is so fraught with problems — currently the author’s website is listed as “unsafe” by Internet security companies — I had to remove it from Agabus.com. Does everything a link directory should do within a WordPress installation, but buggy as heck. I will wait for a stable version.

9. Page Links To (link) — This plugin lets you create a page that actually links elsewhere. I find this useful to promote my other websites, giving those sites the prominence of a page. The Page Links To plugin creates a field at the bottom of a post, where you can supply the link and action attributes. Very simple, unobtrusive.

10. WordPress Automatic Upgrade (link) — You’d think that now that WordPress has automatic upgrade built in, you wouldn’t need this plugin, but I’ve never gotten the built-in upgrade function to work (perhaps it’s how my server is set up, I don’t know). The old WordPress Automatic Upgrade works. That’s all I have to say about that.

11. Events (link) — I’m a performing folk singer, and I use the Events plugin at GospelDays.com. This plugin adds an “events” panel in the admin section, wherein you can enter dates, addresses, links, etc. Doesn’t integrate with iCal or Google Calendar, though.

12. Register Plus (link) — This plugin lets you collect more data at registration, and allows you to post agreement and licensing notices, etc. Let’s users choose their own passwords (I like this a lot).

13. WordPress Download Monitor (link) — This plugin allows you to share files (mp3s, programs, etc.) through your WordPress installation. I use it to share mp3s of my music (see GospelDays.com). Among the many download managers, this one stands out.

14. Subscribe to Comments (link) — It mystifies me how this is not a built-in function. This is the older plugin, but it works fine.

There are a lot of other great plugins, but most WordPress bloggers know about them (Akismet, WordPress.com Stats, etc.). I’ve found these to be particularly useful.

To see a list of all plugins used at Agabus.com, keep reading (courtesy Lester Chan’s WP-PluginsUsed plugin):

[stats_pluginsused]

Active Plugins

[active_pluginsused]

Inactive Plugins

[inactive_pluginsused]

© 2009, Mark Adams. All rights reserved. For inquiries press here.

Israeli researchers said Thursday they are developing a computer program to make ancient documents more legible and easily indexed, which could eventually lead to a searchable catalog of archived historical texts.

via Israeli team works to decipher ancient texts – Science- msnbc.com.

Behind every lay-scholar’s work stands the efforts of countless scribes, technicians and scientists. What a wonderful thing it is that God provides such faithful workers.

© 2009, admin. All rights reserved. For inquiries press here.

And…

Still more…

More… This one is astonishing. One guy even warns Chris Hansen about Dateline and that other show, To Catch a Predator! “Yeah,” replies Christ, “I’ve seen that show.” It’s actually quite sad.

Yeah, more…

There’s more, just click on YouTube video to follow links…

© 2009, Mark Adams. All rights reserved. For inquiries press here.

Responding to a March 17 Crave article, which pointed to an article on HDGuru.com describing how Best Buy employees refused to honor the store’s own price matching policy, the electronics retailer has supplied a written statement. According to the statement, “The price match in question was over $700 difference from our pricing at the store; while our pricing may vary from our competition, such huge fluctuations in price are rare and rightfully set off red flags to our employees.” The statement encourages dissatisfied shoppers to contact customer service. We asked the Best Buy representative who sent us the statement whether the policy had a price limit, and he said that it did not.

via Best Buy responds to price match accusations | Crave – CNET.

I guess it could be better elsewhere.

© 2009, Mark Adams. All rights reserved. For inquiries press here.

For two years I was obsessed with trying to turn a blog into a business. I posted 10 or 20 items a day to my site, The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs, rarely taking a break. … I rationalized this insane behavior by telling myself that at the end of this rainbow I would find a huge pot of gold. But reality kept interfering with this fantasy. My first epiphany occurred in August 2007, when The New York Times ran a story revealing my identity, which until then I’d kept secret. On that day more than 500,000 people hit my site—by far the biggest day I’d ever had—and through Google’s AdSense program I earned about a hundred bucks. … I walked away feeling burned out and weighing 20 pounds more than when I started. I also came away with a sneaking suspicion that while blogs can do many wonderful things, generating huge amounts of money isn’t one of them.

via Growing Rich by Blogging Is a High-Tech Fairy Tale | Newsweek Daniel Lyons | Techtonic Shifts | Newsweek.com.

Kevin Donovan at TechDirt.com disagrees, noting that Dan Lyons landed a lucrative book deal. But the essential point of Lyons’ article remains true: there really isn’t much money to be made in blogging, unless you find a niche or else combine blogging with some other enterprise. By niche, I mean uber-niche, something so specialized and appealing that you can make a tidy sum (see this related article at MSNBC). Otherwise, blogging works only as an essential component of a larger plan.

For most bloggers, Google’s Adsense and programs like it are more intrusive than they are worth.

© 2009, Mark Adams. All rights reserved. For inquiries press here.