Category Archives: Asides

Interesting links.

Multiple Google Accounts

Asides

The ability to access two Gmail accounts at once in the same browser is my favorite feature that Google has added in a long time, even though I don’t use Gmail. I have some accounts I basically use for archival and search that I always end up having to open a different browser to access. Unfortunately, this feature breaks the already-fragile GV Mobile on my jailbroken iPhone 4. The two things I miss from Android are Google Voice integration, and the Navigation feature.

New Kindle

Asides

There’s a new Kindle out, which I just ordered. I love the Kindle — even more than the iPhone 4. On my iPhone I do the same stuff I do on my computer, just mobile. The Kindle helps me to read and my life has been more enhanced by books than any other medium I’ve experienced. I’ve bought probably 10 since they came out for me, friends, and family, and sold 100+ to other people. (Before the Kindle came out I randomly got a demo of it from Jeff Bezos at the EG Conference, and it was love at first sight.)

Centered Twitter Backgrounds

Asides

I don’t usually make public feature requests and I know our friends at Twitter are dealing with crazy scaling issues but I would like to register one simple request: the option for centered backgrounds. Background: Twitter lets you upload a background image, but it’s always left-aligned which means unless its tiling interacts awkwardly with the main centered window. But with a single line of CSS, background-position: center, you could use the width of Twitter’s content window (763px) to create something beautiful and exciting that dovetailed perfectly with the main content area. If you’re feeling crazy afterward, allow a different background to be specified for single-tweet permalink pages, which would also make Blackbird Pies even tastier. If your name is Ev Williams, Biz Stone, Dick Costello, Ryan King, Kevin Cheng, Mark Trammell, Doug Bowman… pass this on to someone. (And help me verify the WordPress account.) 🙂 I think a whole new Twitter design community could flourish. And I could forgive you for using a table for layout. Update: This is getting some nice pick-up.

Mena Suvari Mystery

Asides

Yesterday in front of my building in Montreal I ran into (almost quite literally) Mena Suvari. There’s been a large filming crew hanging out the past few days and they relabeled the building from 400 Sherbrooke to Nottingham Hotel. None of the movies under production on her IMDB page seemed likely candidates and in the news she’s mentioned arriving in Montreal but for unknown reasons. I finally talked to a member of the crew and it turns out they’re filming a made-for-TV movie called No Surrender, but I was unable to confirm this or find any more info online. I’d like to see it when it comes out since I might be in one of the shots. 🙂

Unbolding

Asides

Bad mornings are the ones where I sit at home compulsively unbolding things hoping that somewhere in there there will be the gem of connection and stimuli that gets me out the door.

Kellan Elliott-McCrea on a 2006 post called Twitter Curve. I really like the word “unbolding.”

Syn-thesis 1 and Chris Pearson

Asides

I ended up in an impromptu conversation with Chris Pearson and Andrew Warner earlier today regarding the issue of Thesis violating WordPress’ license. For entertainment purposes you can read some choice quotes on Hacker News (here’s another) but the whole thing is worth a listen even though I did not articulate the issues as well I could have. Ultimately the legal, community, and pure business arguments fell on deaf ears, so no minds were changed but yours might be after listening to it. Unfortunately it ends with Mr Pearson basically saying “sue me.” See also: Jane’s post.