skeltoac » Unpigeonholed http://skeltoac.com First name: Andy. Last name: Skelton. Sat, 04 Feb 2012 19:15:56 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4-alpha-19814 How to Read Tech News http://skeltoac.com/2011/08/19/how-to-read-tech-news/ http://skeltoac.com/2011/08/19/how-to-read-tech-news/#comments Fri, 19 Aug 2011 15:13:58 +0000 Andy Skelton http://skeltoac.com/?p=1876 Continue reading →]]> News should be read with global context and broad perspective. When you blend Techmeme headlines with Voice Of America it’s hard to get so excited about rounded corners and iPads. Try it:

Techmeme & Voice Of America

Too often we configure our news experience to focus on the safe and the comfortable. Blinders are fine until you forget that you put them on yourself. Remember to take them off sometimes and look around.

]]> http://skeltoac.com/2011/08/19/how-to-read-tech-news/feed/ 1 Ftrain.com http://skeltoac.com/2011/07/11/ftrain-com/ http://skeltoac.com/2011/07/11/ftrain-com/#comments Mon, 11 Jul 2011 15:22:23 +0000 Andy Skelton http://skeltoac.com/?p=1866 Blast from the past: Paul Ford. I don’t remember how I got there but I used to read his site all the time. He’s still amazing. Read this perhaps dystopian father-daughter short story.

]]> http://skeltoac.com/2011/07/11/ftrain-com/feed/ 0 Help for distracted thinkers http://skeltoac.com/2009/03/26/help-for-distracted-thinkers/ http://skeltoac.com/2009/03/26/help-for-distracted-thinkers/#comments Fri, 27 Mar 2009 02:24:09 +0000 Andy Skelton http://skeltoac.com/?p=1604 Continue reading →]]>

Let’s limit our attention to one application—any application—at any time. Let’s make it easy to change focus when we have to. Let’s allow ourselves to bring other apps up quickly if we need them, but put them out of sight again just as quickly.

Let’s rediscover how to focus, and get back to thinking.

Think helps you concentrate on a subset of your visible applications in Mac OS X. Think is a contrast knob for your brain. Think is free.

Vanish distraction

Vanish distraction.

When you “illuminate” an app, everything else pops behind a full-screen mask consisting of any solid or transparent color you like. It could be prettier, smoother, more capable, and more configurable, but I love it. Its three hot keys are easy to learn and it works well with Quicksilver. And unlike “Hide Others” (command+option+H) Think also hides my desktop icons and wallpaper.

]]> http://skeltoac.com/2009/03/26/help-for-distracted-thinkers/feed/ 1 status: waiting http://skeltoac.com/2008/08/15/status-waiting/ http://skeltoac.com/2008/08/15/status-waiting/#comments Fri, 15 Aug 2008 16:16:32 +0000 Andy Skelton http://skeltoac.com/2008/08/15/status-waiting/ Continue reading →]]> I like to travel and I like to blog. I don’t do either as much as I might like. Microblogging gets done even less despite supposedly being easier, faster, more convenient. Am I doing it wrong?

It is common among my San Francisco friends to sling tweets in a bar or restaurant or shopping mall while friends look on. It gets less annoying over time but in a social situation the snub sticks because the act is essentially parasocial. The elitism faded after the rise of microblogging via SMS but the snub still sticks.

During a cross-country motorcycle trip I twittered my gas stops. This was a comfort for friends and family and I might find it useful if I decide to retrace my path and need a reference. That kind of usefulness doesn’t come around often.

I am waiting for a plane, typing on a sub-qwerty BlackBerry Pearl keypad into the standard WordPress post box, even though it is crippled by my primitive mobile browser. It seems I think of mobile blogging not when engaging in exciting outdoor activities, or seeing amazing things, or talking with interesting people, but when I have nothing better to do. (If you wonder, I press 18 keys to add emphasis each time.)

Usually I am happy to spend waiting time immersed in an audiobook or music. Today I posted a few words of status on Facebook when I sat down for a wait. I remembered that just a few minutes ago while driving I turned off the radio to develop some thoughts by expessing them out loud. Had I thought to buy speech recognition software and a voice recorder I could be editing those forgotten words on my laptop right now.

I don’t think I will ever get the hang of microblogging until I have a device that makes it so easy that it outweighs the lack of usefulness. And now they are closing the aircraft door and my thumbs hurt. Bye.

]]> http://skeltoac.com/2008/08/15/status-waiting/feed/ 3 Stripes http://skeltoac.com/2007/02/03/stripes/ http://skeltoac.com/2007/02/03/stripes/#comments Sat, 03 Feb 2007 23:08:46 +0000 Andy Skelton http://skeltoac.com/?p=104 Red or white?

]]> http://skeltoac.com/2007/02/03/stripes/feed/ 4 Andy Says http://skeltoac.com/2006/05/02/andy-says-3/ http://skeltoac.com/2006/05/02/andy-says-3/#comments Tue, 02 May 2006 19:23:02 +0000 Andy Skelton http://skeltoac.com/?p=70 There’s no such thing as a free estimate.

]]> http://skeltoac.com/2006/05/02/andy-says-3/feed/ 0 Andy Says: http://skeltoac.com/2006/03/01/andy-says-2/ http://skeltoac.com/2006/03/01/andy-says-2/#comments Wed, 01 Mar 2006 09:24:05 +0000 Andy Skelton http://skeltoac.com/?p=58 I have a creative memory.

]]> http://skeltoac.com/2006/03/01/andy-says-2/feed/ 3 HD Boycott http://skeltoac.com/2006/02/24/hd-boycott/ http://skeltoac.com/2006/02/24/hd-boycott/#comments Fri, 24 Feb 2006 09:16:56 +0000 Andy Skelton http://skeltoac.com/?p=57 Don’t buy things that take away your rights.

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]]> http://skeltoac.com/2006/02/24/hd-boycott/feed/ 0 Geography Quiz http://skeltoac.com/2006/02/22/geography-quiz/ http://skeltoac.com/2006/02/22/geography-quiz/#comments Wed, 22 Feb 2006 15:19:20 +0000 Andy Skelton http://skeltoac.com/?p=56 What city do you see in this map?

]]> http://skeltoac.com/2006/02/22/geography-quiz/feed/ 6 Apple iTunes Music Store Support http://skeltoac.com/2006/02/21/apple-itunes-music-store-support/ http://skeltoac.com/2006/02/21/apple-itunes-music-store-support/#comments Wed, 22 Feb 2006 06:25:05 +0000 Andy Skelton http://skeltoac.com/?p=55 Continue reading →]]> Message from Andy Skelton to iTunes Support

“One of Them” and the rest of Season 1 and 2 are nicely encoded. “The Long Con” was very poorly encoded. The sound is scratchy and the video is dark. It’s painful to watch.

Lost is heroin and you’re delivering this dose with a corroded needle.

Response from iTunes Support

Dear Andy,

Thank you for your interest in iTunes videos. iTunes videos are optimized for playback on Apple’s new iPod. While all videos look great on iPod, some videos may look blotchy if you play them on your computer or HDTV. I recommend enjoying your purchased videos on Apple’s new iPod.

Sincerely,

Ben
The iTunes Music Store Team

Translation: upgrade your needle.

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