Re-kindling an interest in reading

kindle-2009

I was a relatively early adopter of the Kindle, thanks to a birthday gift of the Kindle 2 in 2009. It has been a transformative device for me; I’ve read more since I got the Kindle than I had previously, and I pretty much read every day with it.

Sadly, the Kindle 2, which had been in service for so long, has recently decided it had enough. My screen effectively began to divide in two and reading on it became nearly impossible. The time had come to replace it. Continue reading

Streaming economics revisited, thanks to Taylor Swift

pandora-streaming

Earlier here on the blog, I featured some thoughts about streaming music and the economics behind it. It’s come up again recently, thanks to Taylor Swift pulling her music off of Spotify as a protest over the streaming rates paid, and Sony Music was reportedly evaluating whether it might do the same. Continue reading

Game on: Internet Arcade takes you way back

internet-arcade

I didn’t get a chance to write about this earlier this month when it was announced, but there’s still plenty to enjoy so I’m sharing it now: Earlier this month the Internet Archive announced an extension of their site that archived classic video games from the early years of arcade machines in what they’ve dubbed the Internet Arcade. Continue reading

A logical extension to puzzle apps

egghead-logic-problems

I’ve written here previously about my puzzle solving during my work commute. In the past few months I’ve reconnected with Penny Press and Dell puzzle magazines, which is how I got my start in puzzle solving at the age of 10 when my dad bought me a Dell puzzle magazine to keep me occupied during a flight. Continue reading

Mourning the death of the iPod Classic

ipod-classic

I’ve been using various iPod Classic models for more than a decade now; I prefer the controls, especially when driving or commuting, as I don’t have to look at the device to perform certain actions – it’s intuitive thanks to the four buttons on the scroll wheel. The iconic scroll wheel was even parodied by The Onion in a viral video. Continue reading

Are you my type? Google hones in on fonts

roboto-updates

The roles I’ve held at my current employer has meant that I’ve spent more time than many thinking about fonts over the years. This has meant I’ve looked at fonts from various perspectives, from highway signs to Twitter seeking a slightly more unique look, to even how font selection while printing can save money on ink. But what about usability on small screens? Google’s been working on that problem for some time, using techniques that normally aren’t considered normal. Continue reading