In LA

I want to try the multicam feature in the new FCP X 10.0.3 update, so I fire up Software Update. It checks Apple’s server and tells me that there are no available updates. How can this be? I’ve clearly got FCP X 10.0.2 installed, so the 10.0.3 update should appear. I run software update again, and again, with the same result. I ponder this a while, and then attain enlightenment.

Of course! FCP X is installed via the App Store application, and updates are likely also distributed via this route. –And so it is, I check for available updates in the App Store, and the 10.0.3 update is patiently waiting for me.

I’m happy to have found the update, but am a little surprised how unwieldy¹ the process of finding updates has become. Apparently I need to keep it straight in my head that OS, Safari, iTunes, and some other updates are always delivered via the system’s “Software Update” function, and updates for apps installed via the App Store (should I ever manage to remember their provenance) are to be found only in the App Store app. And then there’s 3rd-party apps that have their own update mechanisms — if I’m lucky they use the Sparkle framework, which informs me of updates as soon as the apps are launched –nice.

If I’m confused about where to look for software updates, other users may be as well. An easy stopgap measure Apple could implement would be to add a line to Software Update when App store App updates are available such as “there are also 32 available updates waiting in the app store for you. Launch app store?”. Here’s an ugly mockup:

I expect Apple will either do something like this, or will come up with some wonderfully elegant way to make this unnecessary, or will release a new Mac Pro². Maybe all of the above. If they make this happen via a Software Update, I hope I can find it.

1. One might say “Windowsy” [↩]
2. unrelated, but please please please [↩]

If you’ve got an iPad and enjoy classic arcade games or have ever thought of building a MAME cabinet, you might want to jump on this deal. Bed Bath and Beyond is clearing out their stock of iCades for half-off, at $49.99. I haven’t tried this, but it may be possible to even bring the price down further — Someone online says “Sign up for emails and get a printable 20% coupon bringing it to $39.99!”¹

The iCade is a cabinet for the iPad that features an arcade-style joystick and eight buttons. It connects via bluetooth to the iPad as a wireless keyboard, and support for it is built into several gaming apps, including Atari’s Greatest Hits. Here’s one user’s review.

If you’ve got a jailbroken iPad² you can use the iCade to control imame4all³ and other emulators. It’s great to play such games with a real joystick and buttons. I’ve been using an iCade for a while, and still plan to replace its joystick with a real sanwa, which apparently isn’t that difficult to do.

I don’t know how long this deal will last, but I think it’s a good one.

1. Not my exclamation point, I should perhaps include a “sic” of disapproval. [↩]
2. jailbreaking the thing is very easy to do right now and is legal [↩]
3. just jailbreak and then install imame4all via cydia [↩]

When applications running on my mac attempt to send information back to servers on the net, I like to be informed. I also like to have the opportunity to block such communication when I feel it’s of questionable utility or I don’t trust the motives of the software developer. If you live at or beyond my level of paranoia, you might be interested in buying yourself a copy of Little Snitch, it’s available on a site called MacUpdate for half price for another day or two, $14.99.

I get no kickbacks or referral fees from providing this link, I just think it’s a useful piece of software and it’s not normally available at this price.

I threw together this little¹ damask pattern, which I’m using as my desktop, iPhone, and iPad background. Figure I’d share in case anyone else would enjoy it.

Click the thumbnail at right to get hold of a png image at the exact resolution required for the iPhone 4G’s “retina” display. 960×540. Perhaps you can spot the game of Pong in it?

If you feel like using it on your phone, click through to the full-size image, then click and hold on the image to save it to your library, then navigate to and choose it in the wallpaper settings. Neato.

To make your own damask pattern, sit yourself down in front of a computer running Adobe Illustrator and check out this great tutorial over at tutsplus.com.

1. Don’t you just love it when people are proud of an achievement, and they express their pride couched in diminutive adjectives and verbs that indicate the achievement took a minimal amount of effort. e.g.: “Oh, those little baubles I tossed off the other day? The full-scale model of the pyramids at Giza? It was nothing.” In this case, I think I’ve come up with a pattern I like (partly due to subject matter) but the pattern will probably please very few, (partly due to subject matter). I’m using the diminutive out of respect for those who hate retrogaming or hate damask patterns or just hate life in general. [↩]

I thought this screenshot might amuse. Click the photo to see it at full-size. At the top of the image are photos that include Chow Yun Fat, cropped to just the automatically recognized face. Below a line are photos that Aperture 3 thinks may be the same person. To refine the computer’s idea of what his face looks like and tag more photos with the appropriate name I had to select all Chow Yun Fat photos from the bottom part of the screen and drag them to the top, above the line.

For more info on the facial recognition feature in Aperture 3, check here on Apple’s website.

I have about 16,000 photos in my archive, and though the process isn’t completely automatic, the facial recognition feature made it much more feasible to tag all the people in these photos. Even just the fact that the application can display an entire set of photos cropped and resized to only show faces alone would be a huge help, the fact that Aperture 3 makes decent guesses is a bonus.

If this trend holds, I may have to break out the Windows 7 party favors at my birthday party next week as per my previous blog post on the subject.

Live spreadsheet:

Posted via web from Zach’s posterous

I’m still working my way through the iPhone application class Stanford put online, specifically the Winter 2010 CS193P course. I’d highly recommend the course for anyone wanting to reinforce their knowledge of object oriented programming concepts, regardless whether they plan to ever write an app for iPhone, iPad, or Mac.

Below is a screenshot of my version of assignment #3 running on my iPhone. Every control on that screen works as expected, it’s pretty neat. Most importantly, I finally understand how and why.

You can find the lecture slide PDFs and other materials on Stanford’s website, and video of each of the class lectures are available as a free podcast in “iTunesU”.

When doing sound mixes, film/video editors often make use of hardware control surfaces like the Mackie Control Universal Pro. Such mixers connect to the editing system via MIDI. The editor slides the faders on these fancy control surfaces to adjust the volume for each of the edit’s audio tracks during playback. When the editor is not moving the faders, motors built into the control surface move them to match the edit’s pre-existing settings. The automatic movement of the faders can seem a little like something from Poltergeist.

Unfortunately, the motorized movement of these faders can also be noisy, especially the clacking sounds emitted as many faders pop into position at once. This can be distracting when trying to mix a quiet, emotional scene. These controllers are also pretty expensive, starting at about $1000.

Enter the iPad and Saitara Software’s “AC-7 Pro Control Surface”:

(problems with the embedded video above? try this direct link)

The control surface in the video looks very cool to me. It’s silent, can be seen in a dark editing room, appears to function as well as I’d need, and the cost of the app is only $9.99. I’ve played with a friend’s iPad, and know the touch-sensitivity of that screen is accurate and responsive enough that I’d have no problem adjusting several tracks at once with this interface. For those addicted to the feel of hardware faders this might not cut it¹, but for me it’d be a big improvement over moving the faders in Final Cut Pro’s “Audio Mixer” window with a mouse. I can’t justify spending $1200 on a set of faders I’d barely touch except a bit towards the end of a project, but $10² ? Hmm.

Yet another reason to consider an iPad. I wonder how long I’ll hold out? Sigh.

1. I don’t think this is just a matter of purely subjective preference –one can feel where a hardware fader’s control is in space, and there’s probably a bit of resistance built in so the user can feel when the level has been set at unity without having to look. [↩]
2. $510 if factoring in the cost of an iPad, which can also be used to access the iPoo social network. [↩]

I bit the bullet and bought a license for the application “TuneUp”, which is now in the process of going through my entire iTunes Library to fix my track and album names and info as well as download album art for the tracks. It seems to work very well, and a working 20%-off coupon code can be found at the TuneUp developer blog.

Everyone and their uncle seems to be talking about how Apple’s market capitalization¹ is close to exceeding that of Microsoft. Apple did pass Microsoft on the S&P 500, but the S&P calculates a company’s value only based on public shares, and over 10% of Microsoft isn’t on the market.

I figured it’d be fun to keep an eye on this little competition. So I threw together the google spreadsheet embedded below. If² Apple’s market cap exceeds Microsoft’s, the phrase “Bill is still happy.” will change to something more Applelicious, and I’ll copy my former Apple coworker’s idea³ and throw a little party to celebrate the contribution of both companies to the US economy. I’ll use leftover party favors from the Windows 7 party I was selected to host last year and still feel guilty for not having thrown.⁴

I welcome any suggested changes or additions to the sheet. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I think Google Spreadsheets are neato. I think stocks are baseball cards, and invest accordingly. Nothing above is meant to be used as stock buying advice, but my brother probably has a 2001 Ichiro Suzuki Rookie Card you could buy.

1. Market Cap definition from Wikipedia: “Market capitalization/capitalisation (often market cap) is a measurement of size of a business enterprise (corporation) equal to the share price times the number of shares outstanding of a public company.” [↩]
2. or when :) [↩]
3. As proof that I was ever acquainted with the man whose startup may be next to rock the S&P, note that I’m just barely visible in the last of the photos in the image gallery on that linked blog post of Sachin’s. [↩]
4. I didn’t throw my planned Windows 7 party because I was ripped away from my everyday life and transported to Michigan for months to work on a film. it’s the sort of thing that can happen in my business. [↩]