Here is the pilot episode for the TWRR podcast. I needed to put something together quick in order to get a validated iTunes podcast. Looking forward to serving up some content from Macworld Expo in February in the short term, and we’ll see where this takes us in the long run.
Archive for January, 2010
Interesting Thought – Apple Tablet
Dave Caolo at TUAW posted a story about the long-rumored Apple Tablet device and textbook publishers. The following line caught my eye.
“As for the publishers, this type of distribution would eliminate the school’s resale of used books, which was a benefit for the students but did nothing for them.”
As a student, I tried to purchase used books whenever possible to save money for my growing collection of Yes, Genesis, and Neil Young import CDs (please don’t remind me.) I also tried to sell my used books back to the store or another student at the end of the semester.
I’m curious to see if Dave’s prediction comes true. If Apple does succeed in securing deals with the textbook publishers, I’m almost certain other device manufacturers/companies (Amazon anyone?) would soon follow. Publishers would love to reduce the used book market on campuses. I’m worried that we wouldn’t see discounted textbooks in electronic format, just like we haven’t seen discounts in other forms of electronic media*.
How many users would prefer to get their textbooks in electronic form? At first, the cost of the e-textbooks won’t be the deciding factor, due to the initial cost of the tablet and the high cost of the textbooks themselves. I think it will be convenience that drives adoption of e-textbooks. There’s also no denying that the cool factor will play into this for those that have the means.
* My claim on the lack of discounts for electronic media is not based on any real data. I only comment based on personal experience. Physical CDs and DVDs are not necessarily more expensive because you’re losing the CD booklet and the extra features found on most DVDs with their electronic counterparts.
New year resolutions
In the interest of putting things on “paper,” here’s a list of things I would like to accomplish in 2010.
- Write on this blog more. To help with that, I joined Project 52 which is the subject of a recent post of mine.
- Learn some new skills to help pay the bills. I want to learn some programming and scripting languages. I am looking into classes at UW-Madison, MATC, Herzing College, and a few online options. There are a few people at the office that can manipulate the hell out of data with a few scripts. Jealousy? I haz it.
- Improve this house. There are plenty of projects to do around here. The ceilings need repair in the master bedroom and dining room after ice dam damage a few years ago. I want to remodel the bathroom and kitchen, but I think we’ll only have the budget to tackle one of those this year. I may let Geri paint a room or two as well as she has been bugging me about that for the last two years.
- Organize this house. As Geri and I have been putting the Christmas decorations away, it is clear to us that we lack organization. We’re trying to stuff 1500 sq ft of $hit in this 1000 sq ft house. I think it is time to utilize the attic space and come up with other storage miracles.
- GTD. I started down the GTD path, but I’ve strayed often. I use Things on the Mac and iPhone on a daily basis, but it is currently a glorified to-do list. I have David Allen’s “Getting Things Done,” but I haven’t made the time to read it.
- Paint the garage. I think that is self-explanatory.
- Start saving aggressively. Whether the money will be used for a new house or for fertility treatments (more details in a future post,) we currently lack an emergency fund.
- Race! I ran in a 250 lap endurance kart race at Sugar River Raceway in 2009 and had a blast. It filled the void left by the lack of running the track at Gingerman Raceway in the Corvette. This may conflict with aggressive saving, but there’s also the component of my sanity to consider.
- Spend more time with friends. Geri and I have started this, but we could use more face time with our friends. It is a great distraction to the day to day grind.
- Start my damn podcast already. I’ve probably spent about $500 on software and hardware, and I’ll I’ve done is the interview with the filmmakers of “Welcome to Macintosh” which is posted here at the Typical Mac User site. I’ll use the podcast for items that can’t be covered by a blog post. It will be random release and random topics.
- Read more. I think the only books I read in 2009 were written by Wil Wheaton. I’m setting a goal of completing a book a month. I’ll need to get the GTD thing in place so I have more time to read. Should be a challenge.
- Most people will put something about losing weight or getting healthy on their resolutions list, but I started that in December. Ha!
Project 52
I decided to participate in Project 52. I discovered this project reading a post by Christina Warren.
What I hope to accomplish through this:
- Start writing. I hate writing. This hatred goes back to grade school. The only way to change this is to practice.
- In the beginning, I’ll just write to get some posts on this site. Over time, I will start analyzing for proper grammar and general flow.
- I want this to build my confidence in my writing. I need to carry this over to my job so I can write manuals and procedures for our team.
- I want to develop this into a regular habit. Recently, I’ve discovered that I’m more a creature of habit than I’d like to admit. Why fight it?
Ideally, I would like this to develop into writing for a professional blog site, Macworld app reviews, racing blogs, music sites, whatever.
Posts associated with this project will have the Project 52 category and tag.
