Filed under: Media, Technology | Tags: Apple, Bare Bones Software, iPhone, Yojimbo
Yojimbo has earned a lot of fans for Bare Bones software. It’s a nice app for the Mac and probably has many uses as there are users – because there are countless ways to organize notes, clippings, passwords, in fact any kind of information.
Sadly there’s no iPhone version. Two years after the iPhone launched the Bare Bones site FAQ simply implies “don’t count on it”. I imagine there are plenty of challenges around syncing the database (maybe use Mobile Me?) so I’m not saying it’s easy, but now I’m looking for an alternate solution as I really want this kind of app sync’d on iPhone and Laptop. Surely there is a revenue stream in the iPhone App store waiting for them, as people are prepared to pay $39 for the desktop version of Yojimbo.
Yojimbo will sync (via Mobile Me) across multiple computers, but I would like it on my phone. There’s also a product called Webjimbo for this need – but you have to leave your Mac turned on – which is not ideal.
This is a couple of years old now, but no less cool for that. Check out Buzz Lightyear in the video below as he goes on Space Shuttle Discovery for a spell a the International space station (where else of course?!)
Filed under: Media, Photography | Tags: Aperture, Apple, Camera, DAM, ExpressionMedia, IDImager, iViewMediaPro, Lightroom, Photography
A few years ago, iViewMediaPro was the preferred choice for those handling large catalogs of media files – it proved especially handy for managing digital photo files. It was quick, stable, and easy enough to use. There were numerous ways to find photos in a hurry, and ample options to customize things. This was in the “early days” of DAM (Digital Asset Management), and with it’s ability to handle over 100 different media types, iViewMediaPro proved a winner.
In fact the application was so good that Microsoft acquired iView in what appeared to be an astute move at the time. They made some tweaks, re-badged it as Microsoft Expression Media 2, and life for Mac and PC users went on quite happily.
Well that was then and this is now. MS have now abandoned the product – most likely due to low sales (it is a niche product after all). While it’s still possible to download a 30-day demo, you cannot buy a license key or full version off MS. It is possible to find boxed product at online stores like Amazon, but for all intents and purposes the product has ceased to be.
I don’t mind that MS have had a change of heart – that’s their free choice – but in the absence of any word of a replacement from them, it seems criminal that they acquired iView and in subsequently abandoning it have stranded users like me from any future with the product. I wish they’d give the software code back to the original owners, or put it out as shareware or something.
Meantime, photo applications like Apple’s Aperture and Adobe’s Lightroom offer pretty good DAM functionality, but neither are close to what even the old iView could do – let alone the newer Expression Media. Both Aperture and Lightroom are a great start, but they struggle when your library gets into the tens of thousands of images – something pro-photographers get to in short order. Expression Media also had many other options and tools that these later offerings do not have (e.g. you can’t burn to DVD from within Aperture).
There is a Windows offering called IDImager but as a Mac user I’m hoping Adobe up the ante and make Lightroom 3 the industrial grade DAM product that Lightroom 2 is not. Or maybe someone like PhotoMechanic or IDImager for Mac will come to my rescue?
Filed under: Media, Technology | Tags: iPhone, Kaywa, QR Code, QRcode, QRstuff, zazzle
A QR Code is a matrix code (or two-dimensional bar code) created by Japanese corporation Denso-Wave in 1994. The “QR” is derived from “Quick Response”, as the creator intended the code to allow its contents to be decoded at high speed. (Wikipedia)
I’ve been wondering how these things are catching on – I see a few more all the time, but it’s not exactly an avalanche.
There are plenty of sites that will generate turn your text into a QR code – for the one above I used kaywa.com and from here you can use the image for pretty much anything – business cards, t-shirts, posters, flyers, adverts, and even a plain old blog like this.
One downside I have found is that while it’s an easy scan on the iPhone (plenty of free apps for that), if your QR Code points to a web site that uses Flash, well it won’t render on the iPhone – kind of defeats the point of using your iPhone as a scanner.
I also made a t-shirt with a code I generated at QRStuff – the code file can be ported to Zazzle who will soon have it on a t-shirt for you, BUT there’s a lesson here. My delivered t-shirt had a code that was a bit like the truncated address you get from a service like Tiny URL. This kind of frustrated me as that isn’t what I wanted. If someone scans my QR Code they should get an idea of where they’re going off the URL (my URL) and not see someone else’s domain as the decoded message. Sure it eventually points to my URL in the same way Tiny URL does, but this is what you get if you use QRStuff as a free-user. Another risk is that the parent URL (qrstuff) is out of my control – if they go bust my referral service is lost. So, the free-access to their generator is for fun but not really suited to business use – for that you’ll need to pay with QRStuff.
Lastly, if you use a free iPhone app like i-nigma as you camera/scanner you can scan if off screen before you commit to your code.
Press and hold down the Home button, then tap the Power button. The current screen will be captured and added to your Camera Roll of photos. Too easy.
A mighty-fine doco on the genius talent of photographer Richard Avedon (1923-2004).
This is part one of nine. If you like this, the balance can readily be found at YouTube.
Filed under: Media, Photography | Tags: Camera, Drew Gardner, Flash, Light, Location Lighting, Model, Photography, Photoshop
UK photographer Drew Gardner has an interesting “behind the scenes” DVD that is sure to appeal to many photographers.
The DVD comprises two shoots, and takes you through;
- Drew’s thought process (he emphasizes the importance of pre-scouting a location with great care, his preference for softbox’s and gridded lights outdoors, setting things up one light at a time, and so on)
- His work-flow on the day
- An overview of his processing back at the studio
While there are no “OMG” moments here, and the advice is practical perhaps even obvious at times – this is a very worthwhile DVD. A key message in this is how Drew “worries” his vision into reality - and the results speak for themselves. There are not many who can post creative images quite like these.
There is an emphasis on getting things right in-camera, although of course the computer has a significant role to play post-shoot. While Drew uses professional camera and lighting equipment, there is a suggestion that an advanced amateur could use some of these ideas for creative simulation around their own photographic efforts.
When you think about marshaling a water buffalo or a badger on site, you can appreciate that there’s a level of complexity on top of the model, location, and lighting considerations. Drew somehow makes it look manageable – testament to his experience and can-do attitude.
Highly recommended.
Filed under: Media | Tags: Censor, Censorship, Web Host, Web hosting service
Author Paul Carr has made a free PDF version of his novel available for download. That might not sound such a big deal – but the back-story is quite interesting, and he’s certainly testing the bounds of his contract with his publishers.
At a time when it feels as though eBook readers/Tablets are about to explode into the mainstream, the publishing industry sure has a lot to grapple with. I wonder what traditional publishers have learned from the Music industry – good and bad?
Read all about it here on TechCrunch
