Year-End Deals! No Money Down!
4 comments (closed), posted on december 31, 2003, tags: me
The end of 2003. Here comes 2004. But before that stupid ball drops in Times Square (known tonight as "Clearly a Terrorist Target Square, but please cram in, we can fit plenty more"), I thought I might take a moment to say a few things:
First, this year I have greatly disliked the following people: Paul Allen, Tom Ridge, George Bush Jr., Bobby Flay, Paris Hilton, and Mike Bloomberg. There are others, but I can't think of them right now.
Aside from that, it was a pretty good year. Moved in with Katia, got two cats, released xPad, quit one job and got another in a cool 30 days, made decent money doing freelance development over the summer. Not too shabby. Here's hoping that next year will be even better.
Oh—Clay Aiken. I dislike him too. I just remembered him.
They Live on the Ceiling
3 comments (closed), posted on december 30, 2003, tags: me
As promised in this entry, here's a picture of our cats, Oscar (left) and Felix (right) lying on top of the cabinets in our kitchen.
Also of note in this photo is the paint smeared on the left-most cabinet due to lazy remodelers, the Kit-Cat clock hanging on the wall (which resembles Felix quite well) and the teapot that's sitting on top of the cabinets over the stove (we don't use it and don't have much room). Oh, and even though you can't see it—the dirt on the light fixture.
The Office: First Episode Quote
2 comments (closed), posted on december 29, 2003, tags: entertainment
My favorite quote from the first episode of The Office:
"My proudest moment here wasn’t when I increased profits by 17%, or cut expenditure without losing a single member of staff. No. It was a young Greek guy, first job in the country, hardly spoke a word of English, but he came to me and he went ‘Mr Brent, will you be the Godfather to my child?’
Didn’t happen in the end. We had to let him go, he was rubbish. He was rubbish!”
I plan to post my favourite line from each of the six episodes of the first season. If you're interested, get your copy of The Office right here.
I'll Admit
1 comment (closed), posted on december 29, 2003, tags: xpad
In the grand scheme of things it really doesn't matter but, none the less, certain things made me feel really great during the flurry of xPad press. In no particular order, the following were especially appreciated:
- xPad in "The Coolest Things of 2003" list at The Foreign Embassy
- "...Garrett Murray, one of the nicest developers around." Quote from Airbag
- "That is so nice. I can't believe I got excited about a notepad application." Quote from Mac Forums
- "This is a gorgeous application." Quote from MacUpdate
There are plenty more, but those are just a few that I've remembered today.
Playing Catch Up
4 comments (closed), posted on december 29, 2003, tags: me
My time lately has been spent answering emails, generating license codes, and generally overseeing xPad. The release went really well, and I'm gearing up to start the next version. I was really pleased with all the positive feedback I got, and I think it's going to be even stronger after the next release. Aside from xPad:
Christmas was good. We went to my mom's place on Christmas Eve and spent the night. Got a much needed microwave that is actually capable of cooking food rather than just 'slightly heating' it. We can also now fit a full dinner plate inside the microwave without having to angle the plate at 45 degrees and then push really hard. Good stuff.
The only problem with the new microwave is that it allowed Oscar to finally see on top of the refrigerator—a place he wouldn't jump to before because he couldn't see where he would land—and now the cats have been lying on top of the hanging cabinets and jumping back and forth near the ceiling. It's crazy. I'll have to take some pictures of Felix lying up there looking down at us.
We also got an ice cream maker, which works really well. We tried it for the first time on Saturday when we made some Peppermint Bark ice cream from a Williams-Sonoma recipe. It turned out really, really well.
We're heading to Katia's parents' house for New Year's Eve, which should be fun. After that it's back to work. The end of December is really great because of all the gifts and time off work, but it really makes January-April feel horrible. No time off, no gifts. Hopefully this year we'll be able to go on vacation in April and that should ease the pain.
What did you get (or give) for Christmas?
xPad Version 1.0
16 comments (closed), posted on december 17, 2003, tags: xpad
I have spent the last nine months working on my first OS X application. Countless hours, frustration, elation and work. I can't tell you how this feels. It feels like nothing I've ever felt before. I created something, from beginning to end, and now I get to share all of my hard work with you.
It is with great pride and immense pleasure that I announce the immediate availability of xPad Version 1.0.
On the Scale of Pointlessness...
6 comments (closed), posted on december 14, 2003, tags: tech
...this ranks 10. Just above ordering salad at a steakhouse and just below waiting for crosswalk signs to say "walk" in New York. In an effort to escape xPad for at least a little while today, I spent just over an hour creating a "Maniacal Rage" theme for my cell phone.
Click the image for a larger version.
And, of course, what kind of person would I be if I didn't allow you to download the theme (28k) and use it yourself if you'd like to (this will only apply to crazy people who also happen to have a cell phone like mine). It requires a Sony Ericsson T610/616 phone (won't work on the older T68/i phones, sorry).
xPad Makes Garrett Crazy
1 comment (closed), posted on december 13, 2003, tags: xpad
Well, my host has been having CGI problems since last night, so if you tried to comment on any entries you got an error. Sorry about that. It also meant that I couldn't post an entry at 5:30AM last night, when I deliriously created some documents in xPad and then took this screenshot*:
Click the image for a larger version.
Last night I sent my closest beta testers release candidate one. The app is is final testing and almost ready to go. Of course, I'm slowly going crazy, but it's okay. It's all worth it.
* Note that the smudgy looking spots in that document were not done in Photoshop. xPad can use Panther's shadow property for text!
xPad Release Information Soon
posted on december 12, 2003, tags: xpad
Just a reminder: if you haven't yet signed up for the xPad announcement list, you should head over to the xPad page and sign up. That way you'll hear from me before xPad is released. You'll also be the first people to know when the new xPad page goes live, which will be very soon.
The application is feature-complete for the first release. There are a few miscellaneous things to finish up tonight, and then I should be done. I don't want to make any promises, but I foresee releasing xPad within the next 4 days. Look for some fun new screenshots and information in the next day or two, and be sure to sign up for announcements.
I'm Looking for [This]
posted on december 12, 2003, tags: site
Here are the top 15 terms people found Rage with using Google during the month of November.
***********************************************
MULTIPLE-HIT SEARCHES, LISTED BY NUMBER OF HITS
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73 marshal mathers
40 stupid shit
23 15gb ipod
23 new ipod review
21 currently hearing
19 ipod review
18 bbedit easter egg
16 i hate verizon
9 verizon
8 maniacal rage
7 best car commercial
7 i hate ikea
7 safari cache bug
6 ikea
6 mtentrydate
Remind me to write an entry specifically about "stupid shit," since a lot of people seem to be looking for it here. Also, I like how more people hate Verizon (16) than not (9)—the same goes with IKEA (7 to 6).
In the long run, though, I just want to stop getting emails from people who think I'm Eminem (see number one Google search referrer for the past 5 months) and feel it's acceptable to write things like, "Ur so hott!! Will u marry me??! Pleeze!! xoxo," and/or "my friend says your gay but i told him no you aren ot your the best raper in the earth." (Both of those are extracts from actual emails I've received. I especially like "best raper" because only a typo could create a title not a single sane person on this planet would strive for.)
Qo' je Apple De'wI'? SoH Hegh batlhHa'!
9 comments (closed), posted on december 11, 2003, tags: software
On Apple's website, in the Panther section, there's a link to a video that shows some of Panther's new features. It's been around for a long while, but I just got a chance to watch it today. Let me just say that I'm impressed. Apple manages to innovate on every level, even in their informative/advertising campaigns. I mean, to use a Klingon to scare me into buying Panther is just brilliant.
I'm sure I'm not the first person to mention this, but the Klingon in question is Omar, the narrator/host/scary-looking-bastard. He has some of the most fantastically frightening facial expressions, and to make it even better: none of them relate to emotion. He seems to just randomly grimace in the middle of a regular sentence. He even makes angry faces when he gets happy. Here are a few shots from the video:
Click the image for more!
It's truly amazing to watch his face as he talks. Sometimes I'm scared, sometimes I'm laughing, sometimes I'm crying—but I'm always considering purchasing Panther immediately, which is exactly the goal. Granted, I've already bought a copy and the only reason I'm considering buying another is that I feel if I don't purchase it Omar might fly his Bird of Prey into my apartment building or cut me with one of those curved blade sword things, but the reasons don't matter.
The best part of the video is when you get to watch Omar transform from a semi-normal looking Klingon to a fucking scary Klingon when Humanoid BT tells Omar he's had his PowerBook stolen once in the past:
The whole video is a gem. I can't wait for the video for OS X 10.4, in which I've heard they plan to have Omar battle Patrick Stewart and then eat raw meat. Until then, watch the Panther Video.
* The title of this entry is Klingon for "No buy Apple computer? You die dishonorably!" Yeah, and it took me 45 minutes to find those words. It was worth it, though—that's funny shit!
xPad Announcement List
posted on december 8, 2003, tags: xpad
In preparation for the impending xPad release, I've made a few slight changes to the structure of this site. The xPad page has been changed from /xpad.php to just plain /xpad. You'll be automatically forwarded there if you still have the old address bookmarked, and the subdomain xpad.maniacalrage.net will now forward there as well. And, just because Apple doesn't do it (try typing apple.com/iTunes), I redirect if you type maniacalrage.net/xPad as well.
I've also added an announcement list, so now you can head over to the xPad page and sign up. That way you'll hear about it the moment xPad is released. You'll also be the first people to know when the new xPad page goes live, which will be very soon.
I Need a New Mouse
15 comments (closed), posted on december 8, 2003, tags: tech
I'm having a problem. I can't find a mouse that I like. I've owned at least seven mice in the past few years, and I can't find the right one. I've had two MS IntelliMouse Explorers (one wired, one wireless), an Apple Pro Mouse, a Logitech Dual Optical, an MS Optical Mouse Blue, a Kensington StudioMouse and most recently (what I'm using on my G5 now) a Kensington PilotMouse Optical. A rough total of how much I've spent: $294.
» Continue reading I Need a New Mouse
It's Snowing in New York
5 comments (closed), posted on december 5, 2003, tags: new york
Inaccurate Canadians
4 comments (closed), posted on december 5, 2003, tags: tech
I came across an article, Gifts for Geeks, over at the Toronto Star's website. It's written by their resident "Technology Reporter," Rachel Ross who, in addition to being quite scary looking, has written a plethora of articles which, like a majority of newspaper tech-writers' articles, offer nothing new or original 99% of the time. The article in question contains a list of five gifts you could buy for "a geek," one of which being the new Dell DJ MP3 player. She compares the Dell DJ to the Apple iPod, of course, and it's one of the worst comparisons I've ever read. It goes wrong right from the get-go, with her opening sentence:
The Dell DJ 20 Digital Jukebox is the MP3 player for music aficionados who aren't fans of the big Apple.
The big Apple? What in the hell does this mean? From the last reported count, Apple Computer, Inc. had 10,211 (source) employees. Dell, Inc. had 39,100 (source). That's almost four times as many employees. Apple's world-wide market share is below 3%, Dell's worldwide market share is 15.3%. In the United States, Apple's market share finally hit 3% this year, while Dell's market share hit 27.4% (source). Dell is, in fact, the largest computer seller in the US. Apple is, in fact, one of the smallest (that actually "competes"). So who, in this case, is "the big" company? Apple? Not a chance.
Like some of the new Apple iPods, the Dell DJ 20 holds 20 gigabytes of music: that's about 4,900 songs.
The implication here is that the Dell DJ 20 holds 20 GB of music, and that only some of the iPod models compete with that. While that's true, technically, it's not really accurate. It would be more accurate to say, "Like the mid-range Apple iPod, the Dell DJ holds 20 gigabytes of music: that's about 4,900 songs. Dell also carries a 15 gigabyte model, while Apple carries both a 10 gigabyte model and an iPod which holds 40 gigabytes of music, or about 10,000 songs." Ross attempts to play on the fact that there's a 10GB iPod as a negative thing, which is ridiculous. And not mentioning that the 40GB iPod is twice the storage space of the Dell DJ 20 was clever.
But Dell's simple user interface makes the iPod seem silly, if not altogether cryptic. Instead of the iPod's oversized, rotating circle, the Dell DJ has a small, clickable scroll wheel (much like the one found on computer mice). The Dell DJ is sleek and stylish but doesn't sacrifice usability for the sake of aesthetics.
While I understand usability can be mostly subjective, I still have to disagree with this. The iPod interface is not cryptic. She compares the DJ's "small, clickable scroll wheel" to the iPod's "oversized, rotating circle," in favor of the former. What she doesn't mention is that the small, clickable scroll wheel, like a mouse's, requires you to scroll by moving your finger from the top to the bottom, then lifting your finger, and placing it back at the top then moving again (or reverse if you're scrolling up). Or that the clickable wheel requires you to actually push it in, which could cause unwanted scrolling. The iPod's circle (which has not rotated since the second generation iPod, since then all iPods have been touch sensitive) allow you to scroll without ever removing your finger from the circle. You just move clockwise or counter-clockwise continuously. And a separate button in the middle of the circle means you won't accidentally scroll when you mean to select something. And I know "sleek" and "stylish" and "aesthetics" are subjective, but I would never compare the looks of the Dell DJ to the iPod—it's no contest. The iPod is smaller and lighter to boot. She says the circle is a usability sacrifice, I say it's quite the opposite.
Various repeat and shuffle features are available on the Dell DJ, as well as equalization settings for different kinds of music. Sort your tunes by album, artist or genre.
Sort of like on the iPod. But does the Dell DJ count how many times you play a song? Does it allow you to rate music? Does it have a contacts feature, a calendar feature, a notes feature, games, an on-the-go playlist feature? Does the Dell DJ have a dock? No. The strange thing is, in Ross' article she fails to mention all but one of the things the Dell DJ features that the iPod doesn't (the one she mentioned was the built-in microphone, which you need to buy separately from a 3rd-party for the iPod). This includes the Dell DJ's reported 16-hour battery life (twice the iPod's), the fact that the price is significantly less than comparably-sized iPods, and that the DJ plays WMA files.
I understand the iPod is expensive, and therefore when something cheaper-but-comparable comes out, everyone jumps on the chance to knock the iPod from its throne. The only problem is, nothing has come out that actually compares to the iPod. Yes, the Dell DJ can hold 20 gigabytes of music and has a similar form-factor and theme, but it's bigger, clunkier, less intuitive and, well, cheaper. It's backed by an impersonal, unrelenting corporation that makes 300 products that all look the same, year in and year out. When I look at the Dell DJ, I think of Windows and Dell and beige and unfriendly things. When I look at the iPod I think of OS X and Apple and smooth corners and shiny metal and form and function.
I understand Ross' goal was not to make you not want the Apple iPod, or convince you Apple is doing wrong, or anything. I honestly think it was just an ignorantly written piece by a poor writer with minimal unique thought. Unfortunately, she's not the only person to have written this very same article. They're popping up everywhere, and many of them are nearly identical. I chose Ross' because it just struck that chord with me, and because it was the most recent one I've read.
Further Reading:
John Gruber's two articles on the Dell DJ, Dell's Dud and Dudley More.
My exhaustingly long entry, The [New 15GB] iPod Review.
A TechTV review by James Kim in which he compares the Dell DJ to (and prefers) the iPod, with some good comparison information.
xPad, xPad, xPad
3 comments (closed), posted on december 4, 2003, tags: xpad
All of my free time is xPad. That's what I do, that's what I think, that's what I sleep, eat and work on. All xPad, all the time. So very, very, very close now. xPad is waiting, around the corner, like that bully from kindergarten—waiting to jump out just as you walk by. It's coming. And until it does, I'm forever working on it. So close now. So close.
xPad Delay
1 comment (closed), posted on december 1, 2003, tags: xpad
UPDATE: After not paying attention and recording that xPad movie on my Cinema Display, I realized that it's far, far too big for most screens. I've re-shot the movie (it's now only 892px across instead of nearly 1200), and updated the links. Sorry about that.
Today was supposed to be xPad release day. But, like with most things in my life, I've fallen a bit behind and it isn't ready yet. I'm not entirely certain when I'll release it, but it will happen this month. Preferably as soon as is possible. I'm anxious to get the first release out there, and I already have plenty of ideas for the next release.
It's been a long 9 months, but everything is really coming together nicely. If you haven't noticed, I've put up a few screenshots on the xPad information page. More are coming very, very soon.
In the meantime, here's a video showing a few of xPad's features—you'll see me drag and drop a rich text file into xPad, rename it, create a new category and assign that category to the document. Then I'll create a new document just for fun. Enjoy!
Requires QuickTime 6 (24.3MB)
If you don’t want to stream it, you can download this SIT file at 13.3MB.
Three Years Old
2 comments (closed), posted on december 1, 2003, tags: site
This site was launched on December 1, 2000—three years ago today. A year ago, I removed 99% of the content and started over, and it's something I've not regretted once. The site has changed a lot in the past 365 days, and has grown even more. Here are some stastics for this site over the past year:
- ~89,000 Unique Hits
- ~1,320,000 Visits
- ~6,000 CurrentlyHearing downloads
- 170 Entries (or, roughly 1 every 2.14 days)
- 747 Comments (or, an average of 4.39 comments per entry)
- Busiest posting month: February 2003 (23 entries)
- Slowest posting month: November 2003 (6 entries)
There's still a lot of life left in this site, and I don't plan on stopping any time soon. Thanks for all the visits, all the comments, and all the downloads. There's plenty more coming.