Now Playing?
Now Playing one of my favorite iPhone/iPad apps that was an easy way to check on local movie times and reviews is “currently down due to a request by a data provider”.
on one hand i think it was free, but the idea of an app becoming persona non grata without any notice from apple strikes me as unacceptable.
it seems to me that if you are going to have a walled garden software platform then you when you choose to remove something an explanation is due (especially since they have been there since the beginning). an email explaining the problem would be a good start.
granted this hasn’t happened that much with the apps i use on a regular basis. but what if this happened to one of the many music apps i use to perform with? i suppose that might be a little far fetched, but it’s giving me another reason to consider switching to an Google based smartphone after my contract expires in july.
UPDATE-060510
i just got this email from the developer, Cyrus Najmabadi.
“I had to take the app offline due to one of the data providers demanding
more money to license their data. I’m trying to work through the issue
right now.”
i hope he can come up with a solution that makes financial sense for him.
Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-05-30
- my early impressions of being an iPad test monkey http://bit.ly/aUmKP2 #
- My Top 3 Weekly #lastfm artists: Death Cab for Cutie (11), Aimee Mann (9) and LCD Soundsystem (7) #mm http://bit.ly/aTA338 #
- Unintentional Exhibit A in the Case Against Academia http://is.gd/cdcNr #
- my early iPad review http://bit.ly/aUmKP2 #
- whatever you do, don’t drunk dial FreedomWorks (VIDEO) http://huff.to/b5BpJz #
- if south pasadena is such a great place to live, why do i have to pay them with a check for my water bill? #fb #luddite #
- according to yelp it looks like I’m about to experience the world’s most amazing torta http://www.yelp.com/biz/chago-ahogadas-los-angeles #
- LA Helicopter Tour: Complete Round Trip – a set on Flickr http://bit.ly/brdzWP via @atwatervillagenewbie #
- anybody else think jesse’s speech about woodship on ‘breaking bad’ was a callback to anthony michael hall’s in ‘the breakfast club’? #fb #
- “don’t worry about who you are, get rid of who your not, and the rest will take care of itself” – Image by… http://tumblr.com/xvxa3bs7s #
- via http://www.lewiz.org: Chrome Incognito Tracks Visited Siteshttp://bit.ly/9UmV0w #notsoprivate #fb #
- i wonder how long it’s going to be until somebody does an ebook of the month club? #fb #
- The Proto iPad (in 1988) http://bit.ly/cUVrWj #
- enjoyed improving out ideas on iPad with @patterngrid this morning. don’t mind cheesy sounds (imagination!) but wish it could record #fb #
- improvised this on the train this morning using PatternGrid on the iPad.”it looks like it’s going to work out” http://db.tt/T0LnHP #fb #
- “The rahbar basically told Obama to go fuck himself, didn’t he?” said my South Tehran friend, a little…” http://tumblr.com/xvxa413t5 #
- “it looks like it’s going to work out” (2010) http://bit.ly/d8umts music made using @PatternMusic on iPad #
- last day of commuting via train this semester
#fb # - just realized that simplenote is integrated with text-expander on the iPhone/iPad. Double Frakking Nerd Woot! #fb #
- The Attempting-to-be-Complete guide/review of bike commuting with a string instrument. (what about a trombone?) http://is.gd/cgmtd #fb #
- “The real you is dying and this thing that’s created is now going to be representative of you. And every…” http://tumblr.com/xvxa5dhe9 #
- RT NEW SONG WITH HEINALI http://tumblr.com/xmda53bvv /via @finneyerkes (btw Unbookable is a great name for a musicians blog) #
- “It is widely thought not: Because various dates are fixed in our written Constitution, Americans have…” http://tumblr.com/xvxa5mhvc #
- i don’t think composers will be replaced by computers anytime soon, but journalists i’m not so sure about (via Slate) http://bit.ly/bW9kIJ #
- Video: Boing Boing exclusive: trailer for Winnebago Man documentary – Boing Boing http://tumblr.com/xvxa5z5sp #
- think the wired.com wiki’s are pretty cool, but what happens to them when wired goes under? same for all these other ‘DIY services’ #fb #
- I think i found a new twist in place of our monthly ‘Risk’ game: War on Terror, the board game http://instapaper.com/zw312xbD #fb #
- Photo: The dog that hasn’t missed a single riot for years » This Blog Rules | Why go elsewhere? via samuel… http://tumblr.com/xvxa6z82y #
- more end of semester thoughts on music theory: answering “the why” http://bit.ly/bymVWo #
- Introducing El Chavo – Meet Northeast LA’s only anarchist Huevos Ranchero’s Blogger Huevos Rancheros: Las… http://tumblr.com/xvxa77kd1 #
- Craig Venter creates synthetic life form | Science | The Guardian
(http://bit.ly/b7Pdxo) – http://www.guardian.co.uk @SkyGrid # - “Talent should be allowed to rise, but once risen it should be respected by those beneath it. The ideal…” http://tumblr.com/xvxa7hiye #
- playing at Bordello 11pm tonight with the Ladies Auxiliary. this brass/accordian/violin/tenor drum mashup will make the angels cry #fb #
- some youtube vlog called musicology, not sure why http://tumblr.com/xvxa8r56u #
- fun show last night! now back to reality (finish grading finals, update resume, cleanup websites) #
- “There is no gray area when it comes to street vendors. On one side of the coin you have the people who…” http://tumblr.com/xvxa8ymoa #
- Printable WTFLOL sign via @stretta http://tumblr.com/xvxa94rcb #
- “Even though these moneyed men may have been selfish schemers, nevertheless, the new government needed…” http://tumblr.com/xvxa98qox #
- customizing a wordpress blog is like herding cats #
- “Does open courseware mean we’ll be getting rid of professors? ” – › “Q: Does open courseware mean we’ll be… http://tumblr.com/xvxaaop23 #
- “Certain self-created societies” were stirring up trouble everywhere. The insurrection, the president…” http://tumblr.com/xvxaazi8y #
- saw the jung ‘red book’ & some art about art today at the hammer. 2nd rarely works and this time wasn’t any different #fb #
- i’m amazed how racism and intolerance is being defended as a free speech issue « ANABlog http://instapaper.com/zm6ihib3 #fb #
- via Peter Kirn | Create Digital Music » The Myth of Falling Fidelity, and Audio History Unburdened by Fact -… http://tumblr.com/xvxacg5fx #
- “The United States would furnish the singular spectacle of a political society without sovereignty, or of…” http://tumblr.com/xvxacsj30 #
- E-readers missing killer feature…and a solution. Keene on Tech (using evernote) http://bit.ly/b3NDkR #
- “there must be some public fools who sacrifice private to public interest at the certainty of ingratitude…” http://tumblr.com/xvxadiuzb #
- My Top 3 Weekly #lastfm artists: Paul Bailey (6), Metric (3) and Corey Dargel (2) #mm http://bit.ly/aTA338 #
- Photo: negevrockcity: http://tumblr.com/xvxae3qm8 #
- Munchie Box (tandoori chicken, doner kebab meat, pakora, fries and saladish mulch) food pr0n via Glasgow Scotland http://bit.ly/dkMbJ0 #
- “But I think take back our country is a shibboleth for anxious white Americans who…” via composer John Adams http://bit.ly/d7l5uz #
- just sent out an email updating the progress of my most recent recordings & reviews via my mailing list: subscribe via http://bit.ly/92gsmn #
- Does Los Angeles have a conscience?
Does it have a heart? : http://tumblr.com/xvxaej4ss #
- “Indeed, it was often the difference between Jefferson’s impulsive opinions…”: via: Empire of Liberty http://tumblr.com/xvxaem63p #
- the original home of chicken boy!: http://tumblr.com/xvxafzbp9 #
- In Search of the Meaning of “Mozingo” | MetaFilter – Joe Mozingo had always been told that his family name… http://tumblr.com/xvxag12ww #
- it’s the end of may so it must be time to sell the old gear to help fund the new. 12 hours in and already sold a camera and a guitar #fb #
- Create Digital Music » Android 2.2: Badly-needed Improvements to Audio, Touch, More; What’s Missing (UPDATED)… http://tumblr.com/xvxagfozl #
- Amazon Kindle Fails First College Test #Slashdot http://is.gd/cp5fb #
- “Therefore he published a lengthy pamphlet laying out all the sordid details of the affair with Mrs….” http://tumblr.com/xvxagiug6 #
- i wonder what guy debord would think of banksy’s ‘exit through the gift shop’? #fb #
- trying to print usps labels in OSX and only option is IE8. i’d rather hand deliver the mail than install that steaming pile of code #fb #
- i guess if i was using a linux box i would just have to send it by horse #
- great story about what “who you know” really means in the music business | via Derek Sivers http://bit.ly/9iVQlX #fb #
- Wired.com iPad app is shiny, but disappointing. why would I read articles that I couldn’t share, annotate, or link to? ‘exclusive… #fb #
- … exclusive content is pretty, but not vital. if it’s not important enough for the original story, then why should I care? #fb #
- Does Banksy’s Exit Through the Gift Shop mark the end of the street art movement? #SlateMagazine http://is.gd/cpWIq #
- if you have an iphone why the need for a data plan when you can jailbreak and use tethering? I’m already paying $30 a … http://disq.us/dntqh #
- “Either way, the syncing era is clearly on the wane. It seems likely that in a few years’ time, every…” http://tumblr.com/xvxai35qo #
- Build a Chicken Coop – Wired How-To Wiki – I really like skimming wired’s wiki’s and on our last vacation the… http://tumblr.com/xvxaibp6i #
- “The Revolution had been largely about securing the right of the natural aristocracy of talent to rule….” http://tumblr.com/xvxaidnx6 #
- my birds act like they don’t notice, but I love how they come out and ‘play’ outside the cage whenever I’m in the room with them #fb #
- scary that i been throwing all my scores from 09-10 in piles around the house. glad i found them all before i threw something out #fb #
- The Bigger Picture: a end of the semester post for all of us tired teachers http://bit.ly/bViwf0 #
- Architecture review: Renzo Piano’s Resnick Pavilion a reserved LACMA presence – latimes.com – “The pavilion’s… http://tumblr.com/xvxajz4iw #
- Photo: toxicmarkers: http://tumblr.com/xvxalkib0 #
- i thought AT&T’s cell phone service was bad in highland park, but they aren’t even trying in sylmar. really??? #fb #
- Quote: via Empire of Liberty http://tumblr.com/xvxam425m #
- “all notes must finish, like dying…” All the Mornings of the World (French, 1991) http://imdb.to/aL62Ti #fb #
- “it’s every man for himself” In Remembrance of the Great Recession http://bit.ly/dvyyzY #
- offroading in the forgotten trails of debs park http://tweetphoto.com/24631545 #
- suck it risk! http://tweetphoto.com/24691420 #
- up early and the ideas are flowing. looking forward to hanging at the ramen festival in Torrance with deb later today #fb #
- 2nd time around i’m liking the $10 monthly rhapsody subscription service on the iPhone much better (especially with multitasking
#fb # - looking forward to when i can do this via youtube | how to replace your email responses with a very small shell script http://bit.ly/djSn5r #
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it looks like it’s going to work out (2010)
i have been making music on my train commute each morning to CSUF improvising and creating songs using my new iPad and looping music programs like PatternMusic. So far i’m really enjoying the fact that there is a finally a robust portable music device that you can create/improvise/compose on without a laptop/desktop/studio. yeah the sounds are cheezy, but when it comes to working on computers i have always liked it that way. i’d rather imagine what it could sound like on acoustic instruments than create something that is almost (but not quite)
for the first time it’s nice to take it with you. one one hand i like that it’s kinesthetic, and on the other i’m glad i have good ears cause playing by ear on a grid based pattern/step sequencer can be pretty awkward.
it looks like it’s going to work out: (2010)
It looks like it’s going to work out by paul bailey
improvised and performed using an iPad and PatternMusic (051810)
also pardon the sound quality. for now the only way to record is with a miniplug line out which adds a bit of noise
How the Apple iPad Was Dreamed Up — in 1988 – PCWorld
“The device was about the size of a paper notebook, and it packed a high-resolution color touchscreen with a virtual keyboard, gigabytes of solid-state storage, cellular connectivity, GPS, and a built-in microphone and speaker. Sophisticated software based on UNIX let you tap icons on a desktop and use pop-down menus to use it for note-taking, connecting to online services, driving directions, e-mail (complete with junk-mail filtering), social networking, 3D games, and both network TV shows and wacky user-generated video. Accessories included a wireless keyboard for those who preferred to touch type, and if you lost your tablet, a clever service even let you use the GPS to track it down.”
How the Apple iPad Was Dreamed Up — in 1988 – PCWorld
My Early iPad Review
so far the iPad has been a pretty interesting and although i’ve had only for a week i think it’s still to early to tell on how useful a mobile device it will become. instead of trying to read the tea leaves of what it might become, i’m going to break it down in some smaller chunks:
Things I Like
- great to read magazine length multimedia content on the interwebs
- i also prefer it as a newsreader and really a perfect couch computer
- great for viewing photo slideshows and movies
- at the end of the day it shines as a media consumption device
Limitations
- not really great for content creation
- iWork is buggy, editing rich text documents without a mouse is a pain (although it’s been shown you can easily hack a Bluetooth mouse)
- it’s a pain in the ass to type on (in relation i prefer to type much more on my iphone) i have pretty big hands and i have to peck out words one letter at a time
- using it with a bluetooth keyboard makes you miss the mouse even more
- no good Twitter client yet (twitterific is ok, wish they had echofon)
- to heavy to read comforably in bed or on the couch
- iBooks are too expensive. no reason not to continue using amazon and their very good kindle app for the Ipad
- multitasking would make many programs much more useful (textexpander, pastebot, 1password)
- screen glare is a problem, although works better in landscape
- not many must have iPad specific app yet (i assume this will change by the end of the summer once developers have adequate time to create and test their iPad specific apps)
iPad vs. iPhone
- after using it for a week i was surprised to discover that my iPhone is better for messaging and typing short notes and email. i think the form factor of the IPad makes it really a tweener mobile device. to big to do the basic mobile tasks, and not robust enough to do more than basic word processing.
- on the other hand i have found when teathering to my iPhone it makes the iPhone/iPad combination very compelling. one device for the mobile bits and a more robust device for the larger more complex tasks (reading, basic word processing, basic music composition/improvisation)
- like i said above i prefer to day most text entry on the iPhone. the iPad is too big and heavy to even write a long email.
My Favorite iPad Apps
- Instapaper i use basically as a tool to read most of the content i find interesting on the interwebs. it’s fundamental function is to strip out all the excess pictures and adverts to leave you with a text only version of whatever article/blog you were wanting to read
- simplenote is my basic plain-text word processor on the iPad and iPhone. i’m using it right now to write this article. the best thing about it is that it easily syncs between any mobile device your desktops. kinda like what google docs and pages should eventually be doing. although i used to be a big evernote user, the ease of use and the quick syncing has made simplenote my main tool to keep jot down quick notes on the go
- comiczeal is a very simple and effective pdf/comic reader. and have finally been able to enjoy reading graphic novels on my ipad
- Todo i have been using todo on the iphone for quite a while and it’s Ipad cousin is well worth the upgrade. i wish they would eventually have an OSX version (like things), but i’m very happy with the iPad and Iphone versions
iPad Case
Netflix
Kindle iPad app
- i really like that you can easily sync books and share your bookmarks and annotations publicly. i find that it’s to heavy for reading for long periods of time and think my kindle 2 overall is a better bookreader. i also noticed today that it doesn’t have the % read line at the bottom of each page, which for some strange reason i seem to prefer.
iPad apps that show promise
SkyGrid
- it’s kind of a curated newsreader. i don’t have any clear idea how it works, but if i just want to catch up on the news it’s great place to start. i wish it had instapaper support or would let me open another browser to save an article for later, but for now all you can really do is email a link to yourself.
textexpander, pastebot, and 1password
- i’m starting to use these more and more between my macbook/iphone/ipad and i can see them becoming more useful when multitasking comes to OS 4 later this summer (and they release an iPad specific app)
iPad as a Music Controller
PatternMusic
- so far it’s the most interesting music performance app. it’s a pattern based looper (similar to the session view side of ableton live) one of the great things about it is that it starts to show the possibilities of using the ipad as a stand alone musical instrument (instead of just a controller) right now its sound pallete is limited and would be great if it offered midi out and the ability to internally record it’s own performances
ChipPad
- mp3 based sequencer in which you launch your own loops. it offers an interesting alternative to the session view and arrangement views in ableton live
Electrify
- seems like a ipad specific version of the Electribe/Groovebox, andcould be useful, but still haven’t figured out how to make it sing
Eliss
- really not a music controller, but a interesting generative music game that was pretty cool on the iphone, but is much cooler (b/c of the bigger size) on the iPad
also if you haven’t tried this out for your iphone/ipad, your really should.
iWish
Dale Dougherty, (editor and publisher of MAKE) makes the point that the Ipad could eventually be a great interactive multimedia consumption device (think educational CD’s from the late 90′s) if only there were the software to create it.
“So, when I think of the iPad, I wonder if a new opportunity will exist for interactive applications, which will find a space somewhere between a computer and the TV. They’ll need to do more than convey information, as most ordinary websites do. They’ll need to be more user-driven than television but they’ll need to integrate all forms of media. iPhone apps certainly look more like simple CD-ROM apps than they do websites.
What’s missing today is HyperCard, or an equivalent tool that can be used to create a new wave of applications for the iPad. And if Apple isn’t thinking about it, you’d expect that Adobe would be, especially since its acquisition of Macromedia brought in-house the other professional tool used by CD-ROM creators, Macromind Director. It’s not that HyperCard or Director is the answer, but I am just pointing out the lack of really good tools available for amateurs and professionals to use to create new kinds of applications for the iPad. HyperCard was not only used by The Voyager Company; it was used by teachers to create coursework; or students to prepare a report; it was used by individuals to develop novelty applications like recipe databases. We had highly produced, professional applications and mostly free shareware apps.
Making it easy to create content and increasing the number of people who can create applications for the iPad could be very important to its long-term success. The web has made producers of us all. If the iPad is just another consumer platform for consuming and not creating content, then it will just be another way to watch TV or listen to music or download information. Convenient, yes, but just another device. To be something different, the iPad must not be just a delivery platform but a creative one, offering professionals and amateurs an opportunity to create a unique experience with interactive media“
A Possible Future for Multi-Touch Music Controllers
why the future of multi-touch music controllers might be created outside of apple (using windows 7, linux, or google’s android)
via create digital music talking to stantum (lemur/jazzmutant cofounder Guillaume Largillier)
“In other words, we’re waiting for someone to ship a product that incorporates their technology. Windows 7 already includes multi-touch APIs out of the box in all but its Starter edition, so the Windows platform is a major candidate. Windows, while proprietary, has none of the developer, language, software, or hardware restrictions that the iPad platform does, so if your application doesn’t fit the iPad model or needs pen input, Windows’ stock just rose. Free software is possible too. Linux already supports the Stantum Slate PC and a number of other digitizers, support that will be baked into the kernels shipping in this year’s major Linux distros. We’re not just talking drivers, either: the whole Linux community is working on everything from libraries for environments like Java to support in the windowing system to touch-centric distros. (More on the Linux situation later this week.) Google’s Android has a multitouch API, too. I’ve used it, and got frustrated quickly not because of the OS, but because the hardware on current phone handsets just doesn’t work well with more than one finger. That could change if Stantum’s tech starts to appear in licensee products; Android as a touch OS could take off.”
