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If you care to get Retrophisch posts via e-mail, now you can, thanks to Bloglet. Scroll down, and look for the Bloglet subscription box in the right-side column. Enter your e-mail address, hit the subscribe button, and that's it. Enjoy!
New meaning to the term "flipping off"?
Need to send an e-mail to a loved one's or friend's mobile phone, but can't remember the confusing phonenumber@anameotherthanthecompany.something e-mail address wireless services set up? Use Teleflip, a free service. You can use it from any e-mail client or web-based e-mail. Just send a message to phonenumber@teleflip.com, and that's it. Be sure to use all ten of the phone's numbers. (Note that any fees your wireless provider charges for receiving e-mail/text messages to your phone will still apply.)
Markdown for Backpack & Writeboard
Backpack and Writeboard, two excellent services by 37signals, both use Textile for text formatting. I have nothing against Textile; I used to use the plug-in for Movable Type on my blogs. When John Gruber released Markdown in to the wild, I was intrigued, and soon after, made the switch from Textile to Markdown, and I've used it for online formatting ever since. Like Merlin, I've found myself using Markdown syntax in other areas, but unlike Merlin, only while typing. Now I want to have my cake and eat it, too: Markdown for Backpack & Writeboard. After using the latter for a couple of days, I e-mailed 37signals with my request. I figured it would be something not-too-hard (I hesitate to use the phrase "fairly easy," because I am, for the most part, totally clueless about backend web server type stuff) for them to implement Markdown formatting for Writeboard. My suggestion was to make it a preference a user could select, leaving Textile as the default. The reply I received from 37signals honcho Jason Fried was encouraging. While he made no promise as to future implementation (not surprising, standard fare), it does sound like something they'll toss around the conference table. A whiff of hope is better than none at all.
Google Reader
Google's version of Bloglines, Google Reader, is now available as a public beta. The first feed I put in was for Jon's GoogleRumors, since that's where I found out Google Reader was live. I echo Jon's sentiments, and will also note, based on my own feed, that Google Reader doesn't recognize HTML tags in post titles. It doesn't seem as zippy as Gmail does, either. I'll keep my eye on it, but it won't be replacing NetNewsWire for me any time soon.
DoD cracking down on milblogs
No, the Defense Department isn't shuttering personal blogs of soldiers, Marines, sailors, and airmen, but it is asking them to be more careful. I can understand the frustration some of our active-duty milbloggers must feel, but for security reasons, it is better to err on the side of caution and not post something the enemy could potentially use and exploit.
More on the NetNewsWire acquisition
Tom's not happy with Brent and Sheila's sale of NetNewsWire to NewsGator. I'm going to chalk it up to the fact that he's literally on drugs. If you've spent any time on the Ranchero beta lists, exchanged e-mail with Brent, or read his blog posts on development, you know Mr. Simmons does not go off half-cocked with major business and development decisions. Despite Tom's dislike of NewsGator, I'm sure Brent and Sheila were quite careful with whom they chose to sell NetNewsWire. After all, this company is Brent's new employer. He would have to be convinced the company would foster the sort of development environment in which he would have the freedom to make NetNewsWire all it could be. As he notes, there are things he's wanted to do with NNW that he has been able to not get to, having to deal with the business and support aspects of being an independent software developer. By going in-house with NewsGator, Brent is now free from those other constraints, absent anything he may wish to do on the side with Ranchero's other products that NewsGator did not purchase. With regard to NetNewsWire, all Brent has to worry about right now is programming. One would reasonably believe this is a Very Good Thing™. I have no opinion about NewsGator, as a company or with regard to any of its products. They have never been on my radar before. Perhaps Tom knows something I do not, but again, I believe Brent would have done his research regarding the company before making such a commitment. With regard to selling out to Apple, I don't see that ever happening. Apple's nod to RSS is the feature built in to Safari. I don't see a standalone news reader in Apple's future, nor do I see Apple devoting the depth of features you can find in NetNewsWire in to the RSS cabinet of Safari. In the end, it appears this is a good thing for the Simmons, and a good thing for Mac users. NetNewsWire simply rules the news reader market, on any platform. No doubt this is the number-one reason NewsGator was interested in it, and I don't see any other product, much less an open-source initiative, knocking it from that perch any time soon.
Brent and Sheila sell out
Gruber points out that Ranchero Software has sold NetNewsWire to NewsGator. Big, big news in the Macintosh community it is. It appears this is a good move for Brent and Sheila Simmons, and will not affect NetNewsWire aficionados, yours truly included. I am a little concerned about MarsEdit, which Brent says, in the above-linked interview, they are searching for a new home for. I'm sure Brent will take some heat from certain zealots in the Mac blogosphere and beyond, but he will get none from me. He and Sheila have to do what's best for them, and by throwing in with NewsGator, it would appear the sky is suddenly the limit. Our best wishes to the Simmons, and we eagerly await the next version of NetNewsWire! Update, 9:35 PM CST: Gruber notes the post in Brent's blog regarding the acquisition.
Writeboard is live
Writeboard, the latest web service from 37signals, is now live. Think of Writeboard as a web-based whiteboard that can save all of your edits as you share with other users, and you can use Writeboard solo, too. Backpack users can attach writeboards to their backpack pages. The Writeboard web service is completely free. I'm definitely going to look in to this more, as I agree with the 37signals gang: "Wikis are icky."
Bye-bye TrackBack
I've disabled TrackBack on this blog and on Godblog. Two reasons have brought about this change. First, the TrackBack spammers have gotten out of control. SpamLookup is heading them all off at the pass, and none are getting published (thanks, moderation pref), but it's taking up too much of my time to moderate them to Junk status and delete. Second, I can count on one hand the number of folks who have trackbacked to Retrophisch, and on two hands the number of times they have done so. I sincerely appreciate these, but for the two handfuls of legitimate pings I'm getting, it's not worth keeping open and dealing with the spam. Godblog's managed only a single trackback, so the same logic applies. This will not prevent me from giving trackback love to those who deserve it. Comments are still open and their use encouraged.
I'm thinking <i>Cluetrain</i> should be required reading for the Authors Guild
Note to self: do not join the clueless Authors Guild. I echo Gruber's sentiments regarding the decision of the Authors Guild to sue Google over Google Print. For one, an author can choose to exclude his work in a fairly simple process. Second, as an aspiring author, were I to publish a book, I would love to see it read by as many people as possible. If Google Print helped me accomplish that, so much the better.
Promotion
Congratulations to Michael Hyatt, who is going to have to change the graphic on his blog after his promotion yesterday. (What Mr. Hyatt doesn't know, is that when I finally get around to writing my Christian-worldview technothriller, I will relentlessly harass him to publish it. So keep that between us, okay?) Seriously, though, Mr. Hyatt has big shoes to fill, and we wish him the best and will keep him in our prayers. Sure, all businesses exist to make money, but my view is that Christian businesses, and notably in this case, a publishing house, exist for a higher purpose as well.
Gtalk
Jon reports that Google Talk has gone live. The IM product builds on Gmail accounts and the open-source Jabber IM service. I'm already up and running on it with AdiumX, so I guess iChat will be taking a hike, and my fun balloons won't be used in the future. (Can anyone point me to a reasonable substitute for Adium?) If you want to jaw via Jabber courtesy of Google, use my site name at gmail dot com, but you have to have a Gmail account to play along. Let me know if you'd like an invitation via the e-mail address noted in the previous sentence.
In search of a good web whacker
That's web whacker, not weed whacker. The latter is taken care of by our Black & Decker Grass Hog. A friend is looking for a Mac- or Java-based web whacker/sucker program for a project. According to what he's tried so far: + Web Dumper doesn't work + PageSucker stops working while in use + Site Orbiter doesn't save files for browsing offline properly + Safari's Web Archive feature isn't cutting the mustard, either The project in question is taking a dynamically-generated web site (which does not output HTML files), whacking/sucking it to a local machine in HTML format, then moving it offsite to another web server. Please leave suggestions in the comments. Thanks!
Strongspace™
Secure online storage and file sharing. Eight bucks a month gets you 4 gigs. No bandwidth charges, no contract. Nifty. [Via Todd Dominey.]
Buy your books like you buy your music
At least that's what VitalSource is hoping you'll do: buy eBooks from them in the same way people buy music from the iTunes Music Store. James Duncan Davidson just finished the new version of their client application, which looks pretty nice. I, for one, cannot get in to the whole eBook thing. I have a few PDF-based books that I use for reference material, and I've read Cory Doctorow's books in electronic format, but the latter is really because I'm unemployed and have to do what I can on the cheap. I much prefer the dead-tree edition of literature still.
GoogleRumors
Not content to rest on his laurels, Jon's decided to start GoogleRumors.com. I also can not believe there wasn't a site like this already.
Gmail on Mailsmith
I finally attempted, once again, to set up POP access to my Gmail account in Mailsmith. I used all of the settings found on the Configuring other mail clients page, made sure to check "Leave Mail on Server", and like any good technology, it all just works.
Magic Pot of Jobs
Tiffany has a new project. If I could only get a recruiter as good as her here in DFW...