James Shane

MacWorld '09 Guesses

2009-01-05T19:35:24Z

My yearly rumor round up based on no scientific application what-so-eva! 100%:

Snow Leopard
Steve Jobs will pop up at the last minute, and join Phil in the following...

90%:

New iLife, iWork
New Mac Mini

75%:

Cinema Displays
17 inch MacBook Pro

25%:

New Intel chips in the computers

10%:

iPhone Nano
New iPhone OS
Mac Netbook

0%:

iPhone for Verizon

The hype machine has been a little quiet. Probably a good thing.

Missing @

2009-01-01T17:41:46Z

@jaggedpen: *reading twitter post from bugfrog contain the word jaggedpen* You forgot the @. @bugfrog: So. @jaggedpen: How am I suppose to find it without the @? @bugfrog: You just read it. @jaggedpen: Yeah, but my name doesn't have the @ next to it. How am I suppose to see it? @bugfrog: You just saw it. @jaggedpen: ...

Have a cool summer!

2008-12-01T05:08:00Z

Well, it's been a ride, and I learned a lot. Thirty days, four days no post. Donated a little money to charity. Now, I will reward myself by just saying thanks to everyone that read a few posts. My Twitter post was even bookmarked on a social site! I don't know what's next, but I will be posting more in the future. Plus, I'll be doing to NaBloPoMo thing again come February. Ta-Ta for now!

5 Reasons To Jailbreak Your iPhone

2008-11-30T06:15:48Z

I did it. I totally voided the warranty and jailbroke my iPhone. This means I can download and install applications that aren't authorized by Apple. Why would I do this? Backgrounder - When you start a program on the iPhone, you are pretty much stuck with that program until you are done with it. Once you press the home key, it"ll stop the program and reset the session. Backgrounder lets the program run in the background, so you can switch between programs without losing their sessions. WinterBoard - This program allows you to tweak the look in feel of the iPhone. Change the look of the icons, the background, and also the sound. Give the iPhone a little personal touch. Cycoder - This application changes the still camera of the iPhone into a video camera. It captures the video and sound on to the iPhone so that it can be downloaded for YouTube upload. Qik - Qik does the same to the iPhone camera, but instead of saving the video on the iPhone, the video is streamed live to the Qik website. There, other's can see your live event. Life casting here we come. Rumor has it this will be released legally to the App Store soon. Openssh - Openssh puts a Secure Shell client and server on you iPhone. What? Well, for those that don't know secure shell, it's a way to connect, command and copy assets (files) to/from the iPhone over a encrypted channel. I.e., copy those files to you computer made by Cycorder. Making the iPhone an accessible storage drive. Now, how does one jailbreak the iPhone? Go here. This is the tool I use.

iPod Check #3

2008-11-29T06:28:44Z

Sorry I missed last Thursday, and another apology for moving this iPod Check to Friday. First up is Dannii Minogue. Who?!?! It's Kylie Minogue's sister. She has a lot of sounds going on in the club scene. I heard about her from one of my favorite internet radio sites XRM Radio. I heard this song on the movie Real Genius. I fell in love with the song due to the fact that the movie parallels my life. Boy genius not accepted into normal society, must stop a egotistical professor from building the ultimate in laser warfare. Ahh, good times... For those who hate country, leave now. It's not quite, but close to it. Alison Krauss is awesome. Her original style brings my home every time. If you ever wanted to swing over to country music for a bit, she is a great place to start. Are you surprised I like this crap? I like it all.

Even Steven On TGD.

2008-11-28T05:06:52Z

Thankful for... Not: My acid reflux. Am: $4 Zantac at Walgreens Not: The current economy. Am: My job. Not: The cold. Am: Enjoying a warm Dr. Pepper, with a slice of lemon. Not: WordPress' constant upgrade request. AM: Not publishing the whole site at each post. Not: The 1,000 mph bus going down my street every 15 minutes. Am: My apartment that is close to every thing cool. In these trying times, I tend to break even.

Old Time-y Potato Bread Stuffing

2008-11-26T16:22:05Z

Another traditional Thanksgiving dish. Number of happy eaters: 6 What you need:

6 medium potatoes
1 cup whole milk
4 slices whole-grain bread
1 cup onion
1 cup celery
1/4 cup fresh parsley
2 tsp Mrs. Dash
Salt and pepper to taste

What you do: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook, peel and mash those taters. Mash them up with 1/2 cup of the milk. Dice the bread into little squares, place them in a bowl with the rest of the milk, let soak. Chop up the onion and celery, put them in a skillet with some oil. Saute over low heat until onion is brown and celery is tender. Combine the onion and celery with the potatoes. Stir in bread, parsley (chop it first) and Mrs. Dash. Salt and pepper it. Pour the whole mass into an oiled baking pan, bake it for 60 minutes. You'll know it's done when the top is brown. Serve with butter, and enjoy!

Wine Glazed Brussels Sprouts

2008-11-25T23:24:02Z

This is a recipe I tried last X-mas, and it went over with grand reviews. What you need: 2 lbs Brussels sprouts 1/2 cup red wine 4 tbsp honey 2 tbsp soy sauce 1 1/2 tsp cornstarch What you do: Cut the stems off the Brussels sprouts and cut a slit into the base of the sprout, about 1/4 inch deep. Mix the wine, honey, and soy sauce together, then mix that with 1/2 cup of water. Now, stir that with the sprouts and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Uncover and stir every so often for 10 more minutes. Add some water to the cornstarch, then quickly stir that with the sprouts for five minutes. Remove from heat. Enjoy!

Where is my flying ride?

2008-11-24T23:35:38Z

When I was younger I had a book that instructed me on how to draw cars in 3D. I'm horrible at drawing, so it didn't help. The last section of the book talked about the cars of the future. How at the turn of the millennium, our cars would have the power of flight. The world's skies would be full of cars powered by jet engines, and the roads would be just landing strips to the destination. The picture in the book showed floating traffic lights, floating traffic signs and happy motorists riding in floating cars like this:

Ugly, but freaking cool! Cars that owned the road at the time looked more like this:

So, here it is 2008, almost 2009, and I have been waiting over three decades for a flying car. At this point, I expect to look up and have the sunlight interrupted by undercarriages involved in sky-ly traffic jams. Instead, I see these vehicles rule the sky road:

Helping Hands of Yellow

2008-11-24T05:40:42Z

In October of '95, I had to under go a back operation. The odds weren't in my favor for a 100% guarantee that the operation would be a success, but for me to live a better life the operation was a must. I went under the knife for about 12 hours. Two Doctors took shifts adjusting my back and fusing a couple of bones against my spine. The operation turned out well, with a few minor complications, but the hardest part had to be the two weeks after. I was stuck in a hospital with little communication to the outside world. My home was about 100 miles from the facility, so my parents took shelter in a local Ronlad McDonald House (RMDH). There they were able to come to the hospital at anytime to check on my progress. When one parent decided to spend the night in the uncomfortable chair next to my bed, the other went to the RMDH and got a relatively good night's sleep. The RMDH made a trying time easier to accept, and allowed my family to support me during my hospital stay. My first donation goes to them as a thank you for what they do for families that need assistance. Without them, families wouldn't be able to ease their minds and focus on the loved ones that need attention.

Top Five Things I need Google To Do

2008-11-22T06:03:10Z

Google, you know I'm pro-G. If you made clothes, I'd wear your gear. Why tease and provide some features in the basic site, but not apps? You don't have what I would consider vital to Google production. Here they are: 5. Contact syncing for Google with Windows Mobile - I know I have a meeting, but with who? Come on, I need my peeps! 4. iGoogle for apps. - iGoogle looks so nice with all those widgets. My custom start page for chunk-o-cheese.com is so dry. 3. Themes on Gmail for Google Apps - Have you seen the new Gmail themes? Again, why no love for the app people who have embraced Google? 2. Reader for Google Apps - I use my apps to centralize my life. Reading content online is part of that. Be nice to not have two logins to achieve that task. 1. Editable Docs on Google Docs - Now you can add one doc and edit it with the mobile device, but proper collaboration with documentation still needs the desktop. Go ahead, bind me to that damn machine! Dear Google, I've been there from day one. From the two page search (even when one of them was goggle.com) to the search citadel you are now. You've never asked for my love, but now you are going to need to earn your right to control what is dearest to me, my domain. XOXOXO, JaggedPen

007 Story #1

2008-11-20T05:00:55Z

In 1985 Roger Moore (look at those Knightly man boobs!) left the role of James Bond, and Broccoli inc was looking for a new 007. Pierce Bosnan's career as Remington Steele ended roughly at the same time. It was a perfect chance to approached Brosnan to take the helm in the next Bond film. Unfortunately, Brosnan's contract with NBC was still active and needed to be fulfilled. Shortly after Pierce turned down the role, he made a deal with Coca-Cola to make a couple of Diet Coke commercials were he played, you guessed it, a secret agent. Many rumors were circulating at the time. Pierce turned down the role to take care of his sick/dying wife. Not True. Pierce made the commercials thinking he was going to be the next Bond, but was denied for the more lovable Timothy Dalton. Wrong Again. Phew! Good to clear the air on that one!

Glengarry me.

2008-11-19T05:57:08Z

In two days I'm going to see a performance of Glengarry Glen Ross. This play, written by David Mamet, is about four Chicago real estate agents and their struggles to sale prospective buyers land. If they don't sale enough to make top prize in a company contest, they lose their jobs. There is a twist to the story that causes an uproar over stolen property of the agency that develops into dramatic realization on life and why they give up so much for so little. One of my favorite scenes is the leadership speech given by the top salesman. A visitor to the agency from "downtown" sent to put some fire in the sales team by way of threats. This scene was not written in the play, but was put in for the movie released in 1992. The actor playing the part is Alec Baldwin, and boy is his performance amazing. I'll play that scene later. But first, let me play the scene performed by some unlikely actors. First is a small boy: I'm a big fan of Brandon Hardesty. He has made it an art to re-enact famous scenes from movies. Brandon is quite the talent, and his doesn't disappoint with the Glengarry scene. And, the master... I don't know if this scene was put in the play after the movie, but I'll know later this week. Follow-up to come.

Twitter Invasion!

2008-11-18T04:50:12Z

There is this little social tool we all know and love called Twitter. Call it a microblog, call it a communication tool, call it oxygen, hey call it what you want. Everyone is tweeting. From the average Joe to a mythical bird on Mars, Twitter is a way of life for most. If you haven't jumped on the Twitter band wagon please visit a friend of mine who has an awesome Twitter 101 to get anyone started. Twitter is all about the development of social media. Many of the ideas that Twitter rolled into their production site came from the users that love it. The developers at Twitter have created an API just to ignite that creativity to the next level. Here are some examples of Twitter API use and just how amazing the power of open creativity is: Twitter Peeps: Who are these people that tweet? Twitterholic.com -- Find the people who make Twitter, Twitter Twubble -- Find out who they follow TwitterLocal -- Find someone near you Twitter Hotness: Now that I'm on Twitter, what do I read? Twitscoop -- Find the hot topics on Twitter Tweet Scan -- Search Twitter for topics Twitter Search -- Twitter owned search tool Tweetmeme -- Follow a discussion on Twitter Twitter Alt-Read: There is so much, how do I get only stuff I want sent to me? Twitter Alerts - TweetBeep.com -- Email Tweet Alerts Feed My Inbox ~ RSS to Email ~ Feed to Email -- RSS to Email Twitter Phone: How about twitter for my phone? Twitter -- Mobile Twitter Interface Hahlo 3.1 -- Another Mobile Interface Twitter Apps: Are there apps for Twitter, like desktop apps? twhirl | the social software client -- Small, full functionality TweetDeck -- My Personal Fav. Twidget - Twitter.com Dashboard Widget -- Mac OSX TwitBin - twitter your browser - twitbin.com -- For the Firefox browser Twitter Voice: I don't like typing. twitsay | Give your Twitter Account a Voice -- Call in a tweet Twitter Non-Text: Can I put other things on Twitter? Pictures, vids, or other web content? TwitPic / Share photos on Twitter -- Post a picture twittergram -- Flickr + Twitter TwitThis -- Connect Blogs and Twitter Twitturly - Real-time Link Tracking on Twitter -- See the sites people are Tweeting Twitter Fans: This is awesome, how do I get involved? Twitter Fan Wiki / FrontPage -- So, what can you do with the API?

R.I.P. Robert Neville

2008-11-17T03:11:42Z

In my post about my Sea Monkey experience (search for it) I mentioned of the lone survivor I Named Robert Neville. Today, I woke up this morning only to declare the passing of this great Sea Monkey. I had not seen him for the past few days, and suspected his final days. This post is dedicated to a brine shrimp that has not only proved my childhood dreams to be a success, but this shrimp alone has delivered joy to fellow Sea Monkeys and humans a like. I'd like everyone to join in a toast to the long survived of the plastic tank. To Robert Neville, from egg to Sea Monkey your crown shall shine on forever. Possible picture of Robert mating with another Sea Monkey: