Author Archives: Max Swisher

About Max Swisher

14-year-old web developer and writer. Avid collector of vinyl, cameras, and typewriters.

Remember The Milk

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We all have things to do.

And that’s why there’s an app called Things, which won an apple design award, etc, etc. But that costs $50! Yah, umm… NO. so that’s why I love Remember The Milk.

Remember the milk doesn’t have all of the features of Things (I’m pretty sure Things comes with a manual…), but for a great free online to-do list service, Remember The Milk is perfect.

Remember The Milk gives you features like multiple lists, tagging, due dates, priorities, the ability to postpone, the ability to share tasks, and more. It also includes smart lists (similar to Smart Mailboxes or Smart folders), which can filter multiple lists.

RTM (R.emember T.he M.ilk) will automatically sort items in order that they need to be done which depends on priority and due date. This is great becasue you just add in the things you need to do, and instead of spending 5 minutes thinking of which to do first the answer is right there in RTM.

Also, I turn to RTM when I have nothing to do because I probably have something I need to do somewhere. I also use RTM to organize ideas for blog posts, and that’s how this postapalooza has been occurring (One post every day from Jun. 9 until an unspecified date). It has boosted my productivity by 7x (I used to have on post per week).

When you add a task, you can add things like ![number] to set the priority after you enter the task name. So If somethig is really important, I ust go to the list and in the box I enter:

Really Important Thing !1

And hit return, and it will be added to the list and sorted. You can also do similar things to ad due dates and more.

Another cool feature is that you can have friends and share tasks with them. I haven’t yet been able to test out this feature, but at least the idea is a great one.

For heavy users of RTM, you can get a pro plan which is $25/yr. This allows some extra features like access from the mobile app (If you don’t have pro, you can always just go to m.rememberthemilk.com on your mobile phone for a much liter interface) and some other goodies.

Thanks to RTM and one other application (review coming… tomorrow probably), I am able to keep this postapalooza alive and I don’t know when it will stop… I guess when I run out of ideas.

http://rememberthemilk.com

Traitor? I think not.

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Some people have said some hurtful but understandable things about me, as said in the title of the post.

Well, allow me to say, that I’m not switching over to chrome OS. I’m not switching to windows either, I’m just switching over to android.

What’s the big difference between Mac OS X and iOS? Well, I mean other than one is a mobile operating system. Mac OS X allows development to run in the background. Mac OS X also allows applications to manipulate the core of the operating system (although not preferred).

iOS is completely shut off. For example, people can’t even use their own APIs! It is a closed off system and it is completely CLOSED source.

Android on the other hand seems more like Mac OS X. It is open source, so people can use their own APIs to do whatever they want. Apps still need to be accepted into Android Market, but there is an option to allow other applications that weren’t approved by the app store to be installed. And that’s what makes the difference.

So I’m not exactly a traitor, I’m just supporting what I believe in and personally is best for me. I’m sure I’m not the only one…. Anyone?…….. Comments welcome.

CloudApp

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Who here tweets, IMs (or “Chats”), or emails?

Yah, that’s what I thought.

Sometimes I know I like to send people files. But if you are on IM it can take a long time and isn’t very compatible between different clients.

So instead, how about you put the photo in the cloud and send them a link?

Usually this would take a server and FTP access. But CloudApp makes it much easier.

Once you open cloudapp, you’ll notice this in your menubar:

This is what I like to call “The cloud” (I think you understand why…).

To upload a file, just drag and drop it over the cloud:

You will then see it change to this icon to indicate uploading progress:

Once it has uploaded, you will see this icon indicating it is finding the URL and pasting it to your clipboard:

And once the file is done uploading, you will see this icon:

Depending on the size of the file, that shouldn’t take long.

But where’s the file?

The answer is on your clipboard. Literally.

Now you can just paste into the chat window and a link to the file will be sent. Cool! Opening the link will have different results: If it is an image, it will just be displayed in the window. If it is another file, there will be a download link so they can download the file.

And that’s all there is too it. Just drag and drop, wait a few seconds, and paste the link. Now it’s easy to share files over twitter!

Also, I know that some of you may just want to take a screenshot and upload that. I know I like to do that alot because I can show anybody what is on my screen without any confusing file conversions or prints.

CloudApp makes this particularly easy by adding a Autoupload screenshots feature in the menu:

This means that it will automatically upload a screenshot right after it is taken. Cool!

So you take a screenshot, wait a few seconds, and paste into the tweet or chat window.

Now if you look up at that screenshot you will notice numbers next to the different files.

Those files are my recently uploaded files, and those numbers indicate how many time each on has been viewed.

Clicking Open Web Interface… will… well… open the web interface. There, you can delete uploaded files and more.

Now let me warn you, getting the app is also a process.

First, go to http://getcloudapp.com and click sign up. Then enter your email and desired password. Check your email and open the activation link. At the screen that appears, click on tools in the top left and the first item there will be CloudApp. Click Download to download the application. Once you’ve downloaded the app and moved it to your applications folder, open it up. You will see that cloud in your menubar. However, you need to activate it first. Just click on it and click Preferences. Then, click the accounts tab, and enter the email and password you used on your CloudApp account. Close the window and you are ready for uploading!

Once you have downloaded the app and moved it to your applications folder, open up the app.

Too many apps in the app store?

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As we all know, Apple has been boasting about their 200,000 apps in the app store.

This is cool, but a little too many.

Actually, no. Ironically, I feel that too many apps are being accepted into the app store.

My theory: An app should only be accepted if it either:

  • No other app has the same functionality
  • It is better than another app with the same functionality

So we don’t get copycats cluttering the store.

With all of these copycats, the store is harder to search. When you want something, you usually have to turn to a third party to figure out which one is best.

Also, what’s up with these lite applications? They are like trials but they are completely different applications. I think that there should be a trial link in the full application description page. Because after all, the lite version is just a disabled version of the full one, and it doesn’t deserve to have a completely separate entry into the app store.

Do you agree?

Comments welcome.


Change your Google background

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If you’ve been sing bing instead of google (I sure hope not, google overpowers all), you may have noticed that there is a beautiful background picture that changes daily on the hmepage. Google is finally allowing some more customization, and you can add your own picture to the google background! Here’s how:

1. Sign in to google

Go to google.com and click sign in on the top right. Enter your google username and password and you will be signed in and redirected to the main Google page.

2. Select a photo

If you want to upload a photo from your computer, it needs to be more than 800X600. In the bottom left, click change background image. You will be given the options to get the photo from your computer, picasa albums, or public feed stuff.

You can click browse to select a file on your computer’s hard drive. Then click Upload and your photo will be added to a picasa album and applied behind your Google logo. But if you don’t find a background you think is fitting, you can select a picture from the picasa public gallery and picasa editor’s choice.  Now beware that the Google Logo will be white, so if you want it to stand out make sure you select a picture that is not white or yellow. Now beware that the picture will only appear if you are logged into your account.

Safari 5

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While Steve Jobs took the stage to announce the new iPhone, something else was happening on the apple website. It wasn’t on the front page, nobody had any idea whatsoever. Except for my friend Spencer Schoeben (CEO of Teens In Tech Networks, he ROCKS!) who tweeted that he was stickin to Safari 5 for now. I looked at is and said to myself “Wait a second… safari 5?” And here’s what’s new:

Speed

In many tests, it beat Chrome or was equivalent for speed. This is one of the main reasons to switch!

HTML5 Compatability

The new safari has a lot more support for HTML5, still expanding Apple’s belief in no flash. Of course Safari still has flash, because if it didn’t we would have… well… a small issue. And a mob in front of Apple headquarters…

Safari Reader

Safari Reader makes it easier to read posts and stories on the web. It isolates the content of a page and displays it in a clean, maginifiable interface. Just go to an article and click Reader in the URL bar.

A little more eyecandy

The Top Sites page got a facelift, and now features an easy link to get to your history in cover flow view. Also, there’s that blue loading bar in the top again, just like good ‘ol safari 3.

Improved URL bar

You can now enter the name of a webpage you’ve visited in the past and it will automatically find the URL from your history. Cool, but I still like the omnibar approach of Google Chrome.

Extensions

Exact same as Google Extensions. Developers can create toolbars and other goodies to work with Safari, just like chrome extensions. Cool, but a little behind, don’t you think?

Other than that, safari is the same browser you used to know.

Safari 5 Homepage

Safari 5 Download Page

Rent an iBook?

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Apple has been boasting about their iBooks app featuring the iBookstore. I’m soon going to be taking a trip to Japan, so i’d like some books to read on the way there. So instead of csarrying around books I’d love to just take my beautiful thin iPad.

But all of the books in the store are about $15 (varying on the book). I could just go down to my local library and get it for free and just give it back when I’m done.

So woultn’t it be great if there was an iLibrary instead? How about you can download the book for free, but just like rented movies it could only be on one device. How about you could send it to someone else if they want to read it? And how about there’s a due date, and you can renew it 2 times before it needs to be sent back to the library. And if you don’t want to send it back or you are saving it, you could just buy it?

Now as good as this sounds, I doubt that the publishers would be in much favor. After all, the iLibrary wouldn’t be paid for by taxes.

But how about the libraries offer books in ePub format, and you can rent them and sync them to your iPad? Apple would have to add support for rentals, but they wouldn’t have to deal with the publishers.

Sounds good eh?

Hopes and dreams…

AT&T is the data devil

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AT&T has been having network problems for a long time.

But their solution to solving it is to make people stop using it…

Hence, AT&T is the data devil.

They will be removing the unlimited data option and replacing it with a 250mb a month for $15 and 2GB/mo. for $30. The new plans will take effect on Jun 7…

Wait isn’t that the same day as something else? Hmm… Let me think… Hmm… OH yah, the iPhone. So basically what this is saying is that SOMETHING on the iPhone will take a lot of data… like.. I dunno, TETHERING? Now I find this funny. For tethering you have to pay an extra $20/mo. on top of the data plan, and you are still restricted bandwidth-wise. Another thing is I don’t know, VIDEO CALLING? This takes up an average of about 84mb per minute, so after about 4 minutes of video calling your data plan will be up. *Edit: the video chatting requires WiFi, and if I have WiF i’d rather be chatting on my computer… just sayin… I dunno, but this seems kinda devilish…

Now currently on verizon I have an unlimited plan, and I’m guessing I use more than 2GB becasue of my tethering (which im not paying extra for). Also, I get coverage at my house, which might come in handy. So even if I switched over to AT&T and got the new iPhone, I don’t know if I would be able to cap my data at 2GB. I’d rather be free with verizon.

So basically, here we have a data hungry phone that AT&T has put on a diet (nice metaphor, eh?). I don’t know how this will go over, but I can’t wait to read all of the complaints becasue people go over their bandwidth limit.

Oh, AT&T…

iPhone 4: Not as exciting as iPad

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Today, the iPhone 4 was released. Of course it’s exciting, but it’s much less exciting then the iPad.

Why?

Because compare this picture from Gizmodo from 2 months ago:

Gizmodo's iPhone, April 19th

To this one on the apple website.

Apple's iPhone, Jun 7th

I think they’re pretty similar.

And that’s why the news of it during WWDC was.. well… almost outdated. Everybody had already seen the fourth iPhone, just unofficially. So nobody was in for much of a surprise today.

But for the iPad, nobody had a clue. People were sure it would run Leopard, have a CD drive, USB ports, and they gave us this whole different idea. Not a tablet per se, but this thing that just made sense. And who knew!

But everybody knew about the iPhone. I didn’t walk home that day grinning because of excitement like I did during the iPad announcement. Because I had already seen the thing. And I’m pretty sure you all have as well.

TeenTechie

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You may have read my post asking for technology passionate teens (thanks all of you teens who emailed me!). And we have finally mostly completed project teengather.

  1. It is now named TeenTechie!
  2. It is all about teen opinion of technology news
  3. You can find it at teentechie.net
  4. We have 6 authors, all younger than 17! (not for long… :P)
  5. It also has a podcast!
  6. Beware, the site is still under construction! Don’t email me your complaints JUST yet…
  7. Our writers haven’t been very writiculous… (COUGH COUGH)
  8. You can find the site at teentechie.net

There you go, a numbered outline about TeenTechie. Enjoy!

Bluetooth not available? Here’s a 10-step fix!

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I’ve had this happen a few times where suddenly for no reason it appears, my bluetoth magic mouse stops working. I go to my bluetooth icon to see if it is connected and it is greyed out with a squiggly on it. Clicking it shows this text:

Bluetooth: Not Available

Usually when this happens I end up wiping out my computer and reinstalling snow leopard. but instead, I tried a little harder this time.

By instinct, I just restart. I go up into the menu and hit restart. The sad truth about this is that it never shuts down the computer, it never stops running. (If it did, how would it know to boot back up again?)

However this didn’t work. So I thought that maybe something on startup was consuming the bluetooth card, making it unavailable for the little menubar to see. To fix this, I just went into System Preferences under Accounts, Login Items, and deleted every single item there. I then shut down, unplugged the power cord, took out the battery, put back in the battery, plugged in the power cord again, turned off bluetooth in every other device I had laying around, and turned it on again. Tada! I had bluetooth again. So here’s an easier guide:

  1. Open System Preferences.
  2. Click on Accounts
  3. Click on Login Items under your username
  4. Select the top item and click the – until there are none left in the box
  5. Go to  in the menubar and click Shut Down…
  6. After it shuts down, remove the power cord
  7. Remove the battery (If possible)
  8. Reinsert the battery
  9. Reinsert the power cord
  10. Turn off bluetooth on all surrounding devices

Start back up and your bluetooth should be available again!

    picplz

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    We all have twitter accounts.

    What is twitter for? It’s for sharing what you are doing right then in less than 140 characters.

    picplz is similar, but it uses pictures with tags and captions instead of just text.

    Sorry guys, but the app is only available on android. 🙁

    So here’s how it works:

    Open up the app and you are instantly greeted with the view of your phone’s camera. Tap the camera button to take a picture. If you have foursquare configured, tap the venue that you are at. You can then tap someone/something to tag them in the photo. Then you can click edit details and enter a caption and decide which services you want to post it to (twitter and foursquare). Then click post and your picture will be posted! This is great because you can see which pictures you’ve taken at different foursquare venues. Your profile will be located at picplz.com/user/username. Check mine out here!