Disqus - Latest Comments for cjsparno

Re: Scripting News: Full faith and credit

cjsparno — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 08:34:32 -0000

Well said, Dave.

Re: Can Disney help Gowalla in its battle with Foursquare?

cjsparno — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 21:18:17 -0000

Robert, Gowalla has become our main check in tool since it handles the check in to Foursquare too - so one app, two check-ins. We also enjoy the item discovery feature (where you collect items in locations and leave items behind). While sometimes not as fast as Foursquare, it is certainly more visually interesting.

As for your comment about not seeing Gowalla info on Disney property, with the exception of Kodak picture spot signs (which are also disappearing like that partnership) you won't. That's Disney. But rest assured, as Annual Passholders, the quarterly newsletter lists the current Gowalla badges and "hunts", as well as collateral in DVC (Disney Vacation Club) and Disney Insider Newsletter email communication. Disney has taken the time to craft some nice artwork with Gowalla for badges and locations and the checkins are blast when on property. I agree that there is a missed opportunity for more cross-promotion but maybe this will change in the future. We have seen many of these marketing partnerships come and go over the years, both here in FL and in CA. Disney is an odd beast when it comes to reading their moves, and even the most mundane issues, like the items stocked in specific stores, changes so frequently that its hard for a brand to get any type of traction for very long within their gates.

Re: iMessage Makes Texting Obsolete, Surprises Cell Carriers

cjsparno — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 12:49:05 -0000

Really not a big deal. There are already 3rd party apps to do this, like Meebo and AOL Messenger. If you are not sending a message to an iOS device, it goes via SMS. So don't ditch the SMS plan yet. Besides the carriers make money on data plans still. Frankly was surprised this was not, by default, wifi only. But good for Apple. They are putting the customer before the carrier. All in all a good piece, thanks Glenn.

Re: iMessage Makes Texting Obsolete, Surprises Cell Carriers

cjsparno — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 12:49:05 -0000

Re: Stay N Alive: Why as a Developer, I Switched to Blogger.com and Why I'm Staying With It

cjsparno — Fri, 13 May 2011 09:08:04 -0000

Jesse, thanks for this article. I too recently moved from a combination of Posterous and self-hosted wordpress to 100% blogger (although I still maintain the Posterous site for autoposting - something Blogger does not do). I too love the simplicity and stability of Blogger and I feel my site is safe there.

My two gripes with Blogger were:
1. The lack of a good posting tool (I use the Posterous tool as the archetype - it pulls images and or quotes from the article I want to clip, if that is what I am posting about). I have tried the Chrome extension, the bookmarklet and other third party tools but none are as easy as the Posterous tool.
2. Lack of Auto-Post (cross-post). I wanted to tweet posts and also add them to my Facebook Fan Page. No native support which would be ideal. I am using Twitterfeed to get around this, and while this is a nice tool, it's another link in the publishing chain that I have no control over - wish this was integrated better right in Blogger.

You mentioned the lack of a mobile theme. Let me say that I LOVE WPTouch for Wordpress. There is nothing better in my opinion and Google would be well served to implement something this slick and full futured into a future version of Blogger. But there is a mobile version that is hard to get until you know the trick. The blog "Google Operating System" has instructions on turning this one and while it's not as pretty as the WPTouch style template, it does the job nicely on iPhones and other mobile webkit devices. Their instructions can be found here: http://googlesystem.blogspo...

Best of luck with the site - it looks great and I look forward to reading more of your great content on Blogger. If you get a chance, visit my new home at cstechblog.com -Chris

Re: Sure, $100 for F’ing Smurfberries, sounds fair Apple, thanks

cjsparno — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 15:19:21 -0000

Jeff, I agree with you. Apple should have, in my opinion, sided with you. BTW, are you gonna use all those smurfberries? Wonder if there is an aftermarket, like Gazelle, for the unused portion. Cheers! -Chris

Re: Sure, $100 for F’ing Smurfberries, sounds fair Apple, thanks

cjsparno — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 09:24:15 -0000

I find it interesting that your post only blames Apple (who did not create the app and only got $30 of the $100 in "smurfberries"). You should also place some of the blame on the developer who created this money pit. I bet there was not a big disclosure banner that appeared on screen saying "Warning, in order to play this game, there will be frequent charges for in-app purchases, please ask a parent's permission before continuing". There are a lot of sneaky apps that are starting this practice, for example camera apps that start out as free and then require the purchase of film and lenses to use them (and the film runs out like real film - really? Come on.). While I think Apple should have sided with the consumer (you) in this case, I think this type of app is becoming the new spamware of the App world and is getting out of hand. Apple's bigger mis-step is allowing this type of greed to run rampant in the app store.

Re: Scripting News: Apple's brewing shitstorm

cjsparno — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 22:26:17 -0000

Dave, great article as usual but to compare Apple's iPhone 4 issues to the BP oil spill disaster is a bit of a stretch. All affected owners have or had the chance to return their iPhones if they did not work. Unfortunately, we don't have that same luxury with the millions of gallons of oil spewing into our gulf.

Re: Scripting News: Writing good bug reports

cjsparno — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 08:40:11 -0000

Dave, an insightful post that I am sharing with my coworkers. Thanks!

Re: Google Chrome OS to Launch in Autumn

cjsparno — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 09:45:36 -0000

It sounds like the plan is to release it on hardware now? So no version for existing Netbook owners?

Re: iPhone Armageddon: A Week With Android & EVO

cjsparno — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 22:22:48 -0000

I know, but I really am trying. Actually, I think I am an iPhone dweeb since that is the only Apple product I own.

Re: iPhone Armageddon: A Week With Android & EVO

cjsparno — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 13:05:04 -0000

Wow, its a phone, not a PC. I think the first sign of a crash dialog and having to manage my apps via Ctl-Alt-Del style "Task Management" would be enough to say no thanks. I'll keep my iPhone with it's closed ecosystem and ATT call quality thank you. It just works. Its the one thing in my tech life I don't need to fiddle with to get it to meet my needs and work without crashing. Its bad enough I have to deal with PC issues all day and night as a technology manager/worker. I just want my phone to work without the constant adjustments.

Re: My instant review of Twitter's new business plan. (Scripting News)

cjsparno — Fri, 28 May 2010 18:19:12 -0000

Vince, I think so. I guess I still don't understand why Twitter removing ads is a bad thing. I hate ads in my personal stream and like you, would unfollow (and have by the way) those who do it to me.

Re: My instant review of Twitter's new business plan. (Scripting News)

cjsparno — Tue, 25 May 2010 07:16:22 -0000

Dave, having trouble understanding your argument(s) here. Why is the removal of spammy ads from the news stream a bad thing? I don't think this means that if I share a link to an interesting article that happens to contain ads (most do) with you and my other "friends" on Twitter that I am violating their new policy or that I am "on the hook" to pay them ad revenue. I think this is squarely aimed at folks who use Twitter to blast junk ads to people. Am I wrong on this?

Re: Android Froyo Is a Slap in Apple’s Face

cjsparno — Thu, 20 May 2010 18:15:25 -0000

Geez, it's 1997 all over again for so many people. Should we restart the Apple deathclock? Gimme a break. WWDC is in a couple of weeks and Apple will be able to make their own snarky comments about Google and Adobe, and the show goes on. Microsoft is no longer Public Enemy #1 I guess. Makes for entertaining reading/viewing but not much else. Google, fix Buzz and then we'll talk some more. You are at your best when you innovate things like search and location and cool developer tools. Making fun of other companies or stealing their buzzwords is last decade. Nobody wins. I tried an android device last week and overall liked it, but it felt a little half completed. The UI leaves a lot to be desired. Maybe the new OS fixes this. The real problem becomes the carriers, their spotty service (all of them) and their cost.

Re: Is the iPad Driving E-Book Piracy, and Does It Matter?

cjsparno — Mon, 17 May 2010 16:38:22 -0000

It seems like this article is attempting to latch on to the popularity of including the iPad into the title of a blog post without there being any underlying facts. Where is the correlation that iPad users are downloading books illegally via BitTorrent? How is that even possible when the iBook store is a closed system (which others are complaining about in other articles). Great example of headline sensationalism. Better luck next time.

Re: Ray's Pizza makes me happy. (Scripting News)

cjsparno — Mon, 10 May 2010 17:19:32 -0000

I concur, it's the water. It makes the dough perfect. In pizza, bagels and real Italian bread. Everywhere else, it can be good, but not as great. Born and raised in NY, not been back since my 20's and still have not found a similar pizza or bagel in quality or taste anywhere in the world, even Italy. Dave, I like you, but you are just a mean man - and posting the picture was over the top mean. I may have to stop reading your blog entries after all these years (Davenet never tortured me this way). Shame on you and your food porn!

Re: What it means to be a blogger. (Scripting News)

cjsparno — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 15:20:01 -0000

Dave, just keep writing. Those of us that have followed you for many years know your voice and appreciate what you have to say.

Re: To Facebook the answer must be no. (Scripting News)

cjsparno — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 08:47:20 -0000

Nadine, I think you hit the nail on the head. It's a similar reason as to why LinkedIn still exists if Facebook is the "place to be". I am bemused by the conversations that ultimately bubble up over the marketing and social reach impact of these Facebook changes and how they are somehow going to change the entire web. I really don't get it - just like my DVR, I move past the ads and cruft to get to the content, so while "liking" something to Facebook is great for my close personal friends to know what turns me on, it's limited to those I know - many of them near Luddite in their aversion to technology and geekdom, and frankly, its the people I am not close friends with, like all of you, from whom I derive the most value when I need to feed my head. Facebook serves a need and I enjoy using it, but it's closed nature, at least for me, does not make it a game changer.

Re: How to (really) turn off Mac screen? (Scripting News)

cjsparno — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 08:31:49 -0000

Dave, can't you just "Shut Down" instead of "Sleep"ing it? I know its not the most elegant fix, but at least you will get a good night's sleep. By the way, glad you made it safely to NY. Glad to have you on the east coast.

Re: Build 77 – Taste the Rainbow!

cjsparno — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 08:05:12 -0000

Nice enhancements, but was hoping to see a new service or two, in particular Yammer, as we are using both in our business and would love to have only one client for all our IM/Social/Notification needs. Are you working on inclusion of Yammer for a future release?

Re: Buzzie: Google Buzz Gets Its First Third-Party iPhone App

cjsparno — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:42:23 -0000

Actually, Buzzie is quite nice. Just downloaded. I paid for Tweetie, so not really upset (like some) about the $1.99 price or paying for iPhone social apps - if they are well done, like Buzzie is. So far, the app is quick, stable and actually easier to read than either the Gmail interface or mobile browser version (which is a little clunky for my taste). Overall a good job and a nice app. Glad I came across this article and the app.

Re: Google Buzz Is Not A Facebook Killer

cjsparno — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 08:43:40 -0000

Jason, I enjoyed your article. I think you hit the nail on the head, and I am reading this well after the initial impact of Buzz has started to wane. I have personally gone back and forth on Buzz, even turned it off for a couple of days, but I think you are right in that you need to use social networks for what they are and everyone lately has been trying to find that "Holy Grail" of solutions that will enable them to ditch everything else and use one system. Not a shameless "self plug", but I wrote something about that on my own blog if you'd like to read it and comment back. http://cjsparno.com/2010/02...

Re: A week of Buzzing. Whatcha think? (Scripting News)

cjsparno — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 16:13:02 -0000

Dave, was using it until noon today. The noise was too much, and it slowed down Gmail. Will wait until collapsing comments appears - was driving me nuts having to scroll for a mile to get to the bottom of a post.

Re: Google Buzz copied FriendFeed’s worst features, why?

cjsparno — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 16:13:12 -0000

Robert, I made this exact comment yesterday in my Buzz stream. You hit it right on the head! Some posters (who I like as people, but don't care for as posters) will post something trivial, like "let's see what happens when I post this meaningless comment" and because of their celebrity status, will get 200+ equally useless comments. And of course, as you eloquently pointed out, this just elevates their feedback to the top of my list, adding to the noise and reducing signal. While I agree that some of the worst of FF seems to have been copied over to Buzz, I am still hopeful that things will continue to improve and new feature will be added. I just hope that the smaller but equally important voices are not drowned out in the volume generated by some of the posters I am now seeing with little to say and a lot of bandwidth used to say it.