Author: Alderete

TextMate

I’ve been a BBEdit user for more than a decade, and consider it one of the finest pieces of software I’ve ever used. But a new text editing application, TextMate, has me re-evaluating my loyalty. I hope to make 2006 the year I achieve “text editing zen,” and I think TextMate is the application to help me do it.

I’ve used BBEdit for many years, starting with version 3.5 and buying every version released since then. It’s a wonderful application, one where when I learn of a new version, I send them my credit card info before reading what’s actually in a new release. To say that I love BBEdit is an understatement; it’s been one of the core tools I’ve used to earn a living for more than a decade.

A little over a year ago, a new kid on the OS X text editing block appeared. TextMate was the first text editing application I’ve seen in 10+ years which has tempted me to leave BBEdit, mostly on the strength of a screencast for Ruby on Rails, where TextMate was (in theory) an incidental part of the demo.

Continue reading “TextMate”

How Do You Take iPod Screenshots?

I want to take screenshots of an iPod screen, to add more documentation and information to “Aldo on Audiobooks”:/audiobooks/, but I can’t figure out how to take them. Apple includes “terrific screen captures from iPods”:http://www.apple.com/support/ipod101/anatomy/2/#1 — both old and new — in their iPod 101 site. How do you do it? Do you just take photos of the screen using a normal camera? The quality of Apple’s screens is too high for that…

Anyone know? Please tell me!

I want to take screenshots of an iPod screen, to add more documentation and information to Aldo on Audiobooks, but I can’t figure out how to take them. Apple includes terrific screen captures from iPods — both old and new — in their iPod 101 site. How do you do it? Do you just take photos of the screen using a normal camera? The quality of Apple’s screens is too high for that…

I tried Googling around, but came up with nothing. Anyone know? Please tell me!

Update: The iPhone and iPod Touch both allow you to take screenshots without any special hacks; just press both the top Sleep button and the bottom Home button at the same time and, after the screen flashes, the screenshot goes into the Photos application. What I was interested in was how to take screenshots of the “classic” iPod user interface, which seems to not be possible unless you are Apple.

iPod 101

There’s not much about audiobooks (except how to buy them in the iTMS), but Apple’s new “iPod 101”:http://www.apple.com/support/ipod101/ is likely to be an extremely useful resource to all the many visitors who are coming here after getting an iPod for Xmas.

There’s not much about audiobooks (except how to buy them in the iTMS), but Apple’s new iPod 101 is likely to be an extremely useful resource to all the many visitors who are coming here after getting an iPod for Xmas.

Do check it out, and then come back to Aldo on Audiobooks to start on iPod 102, all audiobooks, all the time.

Tequila Trails

Two years ago, Rochelle and I were held captive during the imfamous “Tequila Hostage Crisis”:/blog/349 of 2003. This month an article in the San Francisco Cronicle describes a local journalist’s experience on a similar trip.

Two years ago, Rochelle and I were held captive during the imfamous Tequila Hostage Crisis of 2003. This month an article in the San Francisco Cronicle describes a local journalist’s experience on a similar trip.

Tequila trail leads to innovation gives some of the highlights, which we remember well, and alludes to the impact of the more intense moments of the trip (of which we remember little ;-), by describing the author’s regimen of no alcohol and lots of exercise for 10 days before the trip, and no activity at all for 3 days afterwards.

Entertaining and educational to read, there’s some good new tequila drink recipes as well. We will have to visit the local bartenders mentioned, and try them all out!

Corporate Drone

I was surprised to discover this evening that Rochelle’s very creative movie (given the constraints of our 1999 digital camera’s 10-second video limit) is not the top result for “corporate drone”:http://www.michaelandrochellessite.com/resources/moov/happy-boss-day.mpg on Google.

I was surprised to discover this evening that Rochelle’s very creative movie (given the constraints of our 1999 digital camera’s 10-second video limit) is not the top result for corporate drone on Google.

I have to admit, I bought Apple’s iMovie, and then Final Cut Express, and then upgraded it, all without producing something as compelling as what Rochelle dreamed up on a (slow) Happy Boss Day at the office. Check it out.

Announcing Aldo on Audiobooks

When I posted my instructions for importing audiobooks into iTunes and the iPod, it quickly became the single most popular post on this site, both in page views and in comments. I followed it up with a companion piece, covering the differences for MP3 CD audiobooks, and that quickly became the 2nd most popular page on the site. After weeks of on-and-off-again writing, I am replacing those posts with a whole new section of Aldoblog: Aldo on Audiobooks. Please check it out.

When I posted my instructions for importing audiobooks into iTunes and the iPod, it quickly became the single most popular post on this site, both in page views and in comments. I followed it up with a companion piece, covering the differences for MP3 CD audiobooks, and that quickly became the 2nd most popular page on the site.

I also ended up answering a lot of questions in the comments to those two posts, trying to make the instructions more clear, as well as covering special cases which occurred for some people. From the number of questions, it was clear to me that there are a lot of people looking for help in getting their audiobooks onto their iPod. But my answers, while useful, were hard to find, because there was no organization except chronological in the comments. I decided it was time to rethink keeping that information in a weblog format.

Well, after weeks of on-and-off-again writing, I am finally ready to launch a whole new section of Aldoblog, Aldo on Audiobooks. This collection of information represents a complete reorganization and rewrite of all of the information I’ve posted here previously covering audiobooks on iTunes and the iPod, along with all-new information covering recommendations for what audiobooks to get, and where you can find the best places to get them.

This new section entirely replaces the earlier posts; I’ll be going back and amending them to note that fact. I’m also planning a number of additions to the section, which I hope to post in the run-up to the holidays, in time to help folks who get brand new ipods as gifts.

So, please, go on in and give the new stuff a look. Currently there’s no way to comment on the pages themselves, but I’d love feedback, either as comments on this post, or via email — my contact information is in the sidebar of every page on this site.

Back, Catching Up

We’re back from Palm Springs, where we had a great time. The cats decided to let us live.

We’re back from Palm Springs, where we had a great time. The cats decided to let us live. We’re still digging out from under all the mail, voicemail, and email that piled up. Should get caught up by Monday.

We didn’t do nearly as much as we’d have liked to accomplish on our various projects, but that just means we had a good time. This assertion is supported by some of the debris we left behind in the room, our empties, mostly champagne and vodka bottles…

!/images/ps-debris.jpg(Our empties…)!

Since getting back I’ve had my birthday. We went out for three straight nights, once for my birthday, once to someone’s Halloween party, and once to someone else’s birthday gathering. At least for me, the most fun was on Friday at Tres Agaves, which just opened last week. (Highly recommended, even though they are struggling under the load of instant success.) We started with drinks in the packed bar, and then moved to dinner. Where it turned out there was yet another birthday going on at the table next to us, except the ladies dressed up in theme. It was destiny that we would meet:

!/images/birthday05.jpg(Apparently I had a good time at my birthday dinner…)!

No wonder we still haven’t unpacked completely! Anyway, if you’ve been waiting for a phone call or email, we should be back to normal after this weekend. Talk to you soon.

Palm Springs!

Rochelle and I are currently in Palm Springs, on vacation for two weeks. So far we have done very little except eat and drink and sleep and…

Rochelle and I are currently in Palm Springs, on vacation for two weeks. So far we have done very little except eat and drink and sleep and…play Scrabble.

I don’t usually talk about our vacations on this weblog while we’re away, because I’m too paranoid: I don’t like telling people when it would be easy to break into our house. But this trip, we’ve taken the most valuable (to thieves) stuff (our computers) with us. (Plus we have house sitters for most of the two weeks. House sitters keep the cats from revolting while we’re away…)

Rochelle and I both have projects we’re working on during our two week “retreat,” and most of them involve or require the use of a computer. Sounds crazy, but it really is relaxing to be able to go away, and concentrate on things you’ve been meaning to do, but can’t find the time, or have too many daily distractions. And the things we’ve been meaning to do — writing, organizing photos, leaning new skills for work — are all intimately tied to technology. Welcome to the 21st century, I suppose.

At any rate, we’ll be back to San Francisco in a week or so.

For SaleSold!: PowerMac G4 dual-800MHz

Just a quick note in case anyone is interested, I am selling off my old Mac (a PowerMac G4 with 1 gig of RAM and a large, fast SCSI disk; more details in the listing) on craigslist.org:

“http://www.craigslist.org/sfc/sys/98433667.html”:http://www.craigslist.org/sfc/sys/98433667.html

All things considered, I’d rather sell to someone I know, so if you’re interested, let me know. (Quickly, it’ll surely sell this week.)

Just a quick note in case anyone is interested, I am selling off my old Mac (a PowerMac G4 with 1 gig of RAM and a large, fast SCSI disk; more details in the listing) on craigslist.org:

http://www.craigslist.org/sfc/sys/98433667.html

All things considered, I’d rather sell to someone I know, so if you’re interested, let me know. (Quickly, it’ll surely sell this week.)

Cannoli

I tried ’em. Ate 8 of ’em. I agree with “this guy”:http://www.talkofthepoint.com/TOTParchives/000163..html — “Romolo’s Cannoli and Spumoni Factory”:http://sanfrancisco.citysearch.com/profile/929884/ in San Mateo makes great cannoli. The only competitive cannoli I’ve had is from Modern Pastry in Boston’s North End. Both are outstanding.

I tried ’em. Ate 8 of ’em. I agree with this guy — Romolo’s Cannoli and Spumoni Factory in San Mateo makes great cannoli. The only competitive cannoli I’ve had is from Modern Pastry in Boston’s North End. Both are outstanding.

Romolo’s is open again after their remodel. Easy to get to, right off of El Camino Real, and just a few blocks from the Hillsdale exit of Highway 101. Go check ’em out.