Technology posts

Inspecting Network Traffic on Ubuntu Linux

2017-07-17

Inspecting network traffic is a pain. Here are a collection of (built-in) tools and techniques for seeing what's going on under the hood in Ubuntu Linux.

Touch UX Trends Started by Apps

2017-04-17

It’s interesting to watch how the accepted standard for User Experience (UX) evolves over time. It’s like there is a universal “vocabulary” of actions and gestures. We intuitively understand them and also expect them to be implemented in every app we use.

Some Thoughts Inspired by Nintendo's Hybrid Device, the Switch

2017-03-24

Nintendo's hybrid device, the Switch has been hugely popular. What does this tell us about the future of hybrid devices in general?

Conditional E-mails from SQL Server Reporting Services

2015-05-17

SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) is a great reporting tool, especially its ability to schedule reports to be sent out via e-mail. But one thing nobody wants is useless e-mails flooding their inbox. Some of the reports I’ve built using SSRS list problem data that needs to be cleaned up. I don’t want those reports getting sent out every day, even when they’re empty. I’m going to show you the method I used to get SSRS to only send a report under the correct circumstances.

What PowerShell Summit Showed Me

2015-04-25

PowerShell Summit was a blast. I learned some great new skills and connected with a ton of folks who are as passionate about technology as I am. But even though PowerShell Summit is a conference about Windows PowerShell, attending it opened my eyes to some other important lessons that apply to everyone in IT.

Password Strength is Relative to Attack Algorithm

2013-04-18

Passwords are everywhere in our technology laden world. The number of accounts a single person has grows constantly (I sign up for a new web site or service at least once a month). Because of this, it’s of ever-increasing importance to be smart about how you secure your accounts and choose passwords with a high password strength.

Adaptive Gadgetry - Exposing Different Functions as a Function of User Capability

2013-04-01

Omgpop, Zynga, and the One Who Got Away

2012-03-27

As many casual gamers already know, the company Omgpop, makers of the mobile sensation Draw Something, was acquired by Zynga, makers of Farmville, Words with Friends, and many other popular social and/or casual games. This morning I saw an artible on Gamasutra about the one Omgpop employee that didn’t sign on to continue working under Zynga.

Microsoft vs. Apple, the Fabricated Rivalry

2012-03-21

I spotted this headline today:

The iPad’s Retina Display Spells The End For Bloated Magazine Apps | Cult of Mac

2012-03-09

The Cult of Mac has an interesting article about how the Retina display is going to make it unmanageable for “magazine” apps that store all of their content as fullscreen images: The iPad’s Retina Display Spells The End For Bloated Magazine Apps.

iPad 3 to Include Haptic Display Technology? - Mac Rumors

2012-03-07

I spotted this story on MacRumors this morning. It seems a bit outlandish, but it’s still cool to think about: iPad 3 to Include Haptic Display Technology to Provide On-Screen Textures? - Mac Rumors.

Thoughts on the Windows 8 Consumer Preview

2012-03-06

The Windows Flavor of the Month - "Professional Plus"

2012-03-02

The registry in the Windows 8 Consumer Preview indicates a possible new edition of Windows called Professional Plus.

iOS's App Store Comes to the Mac, More to Follow?

2011-01-08

The interface that Apple provides to its users on the iPhone and iPad for downloading third party applications has been wildly successful, and now that same experience is coming to the Mac. The creation of iPhone OS (now iOS) when the first iPhone was released forced Apple to rethink many things about a device’s operating system and the way in which the user interacts with it. No doubt, many valuable lessons were learned and it’s impossible that the iPhone and iPad would be so popular if that weren’t the case. I believe extending the App Store to the Mac is, for Apple, a step towards bringing those lessons to OS X.

Apple Renames iPhone OS to iOS

2010-06-07

At his WWDC Keynote speech today, one of the things that Steve Jobs revealed is that version 4 of iPhone OS will be bringing with it an entirely new name: iOS. This seems to be a completely logical change considering how little sense it makes to continue to run the “iPhone” OS on an iPad. At the same time, I think this hints at bigger things to come. I think Jobs may well envision iOS as a full operating system that may one day stand shoulder to shoulder with OS X, at least for casual computer users.

Is Flash Dying?

2010-04-04

With the launch of Apple’s iPad yesterday, it really makes me wonder if Flash is going to get phased out. Actually it almost seems better just to ask how quickly Flash is going to get phased out. Based on Apple’s list of iPad ready sites, there are some major players that have already cast their lot with HTML5. It seems perfectly logical that web sites are more interested in delivering their content than trying to get Apple to support Flash on its mobile devices.

Buzz words

2008-11-02

Having just attended Microsoft's PDC 2008, including the introduction of the new Azure services platform, I don't think I ever want to hear the word "cloud" again. Buzz words like "cloud computing," "extensible services," and many more can be useful but more often than not I think they have a negative impact on developers. These effects can be seen both outside and inside the development department.