Smarterware

I Had a Degree in Computer Science Before I Owned a PC
June 16th, 2011, 15 comments

Yesterday on TWiG I said something in passing that needs clarification: I mentioned the rumored Nexus 4G's phone specs are better than the first computer that I ever owned, in 1997 or 8. That made some people feel old. But that 1997 PC wasn't the first computer I ever used.

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This Week in Google Episode 72 · Got to chew over all the recent Google News with Tom Merritt, Jeff Jarvis, and Kevin Purdy this week while Leo was at the Le Web conference. We spent a lot of time talking about ChromeOS and the Cr-48, and during the show I said I was dubious about a web-only computing experience, and that I didn't know how I'd write, compile, test, and manage code using it. Since then I've received my Cr-48 and begun trying it out for myself, and jQuery creator John Resig described how he conceivably would program on it day-to-day. The fact that there's a terminal with the ability to SSH into a remote server--and more robust "chromoting" remote desktop capabilities to come--make ChromeOS a much more viable everyday computer for me. More on living with the Cr-48 after I spend more time with it. ∞ December 10th, 2010, 2 comments

This Week in Google One of iTunes’ Best Podcasts of 2010
December 9th, 2010, 3 comments

Big thanks to iTunes Rewind for including This Week in Google (video) on their Best Podcasts of 2010 list. Two years ago, if you told me that I'd ever love doing a web show as much as I love TWiG, I would've never believed you. But Leo has built an unbelievable network of shows for and by smart people who love tech at TWiT, and it's a privilege to be a part of it. Congrats to Leo and Jeff, and thanks for 72 great episodes to far. To many more!

This Week in Google, Episode 71 · Really fun episode yesterday with Matt Cutts, one of Google's most friendly and well-known engineers. We talked about the power of links (even negative ones), net neutrality, Google possibly buying Groupon, and Google TV. My tip of the week was doubleTwist's new wireless media syncing feature, AirSync. ∞ December 2nd, 2010, 3 comments

This Week in Google, Episode 68 · Got to talk about Google TV, Android tablets, Google bonuses and more with Jeff, Leo, and our guest Joel Johnson this week on TWiG. I was quieter than usual, working on only a couple hours of shuteye after my trip back from DC, but these guys always keep me on my feet. ∞ November 12th, 2010

This Week in Google Episode 67 · This week's was one of the most fun episodes of TWiG we've ever done. Joined my my Lifehacker pal and Complete Android Guide author Kevin Purdy, Jeff and Leo and I got to talk Facebook, Chipotle, and Google TV. My tip this week was to check out the the new Android gesture keyboard, 8pen, but I gotta admit: after playing with it and a few other alternatives, I've settled on SlideIT, a Swype/Shapewriter cousin. More on that soon. ∞ November 5th, 2010, 2 comments

This Week in Google, Episode 51 · Leo, Jeff and I jawed about the new Android App Inventor, Picnik in Picasa, mobile local search, my 23andme results, and iPhone 4 in this week's episode. My tip of the week: setting up a rich text signature in Gmail. ∞ July 15th, 2010, 2 comments

This Week in Google, Episode 50 · Jeff and Leo and I chatted about Droid X, Prince, Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) and the iPhone 4 in our latest episode of TWiG. Also, listeners are helping send an Android phone into space! My tip this week: Chrome to Phone, which pushes your open Chrome tabs to your phone with the click of a button, for browsing on the go. ∞ July 9th, 2010, 1 comment

This Week in Google, Episode 47 · Great conversation today on TWiG with our guest Chris Messina, who dropped knowledge on the history and differences between OAuth and OpenID--which in an age of "Facebook wants to own all your sign-ons," is an important discussion. My tip this week: to grab the Android Swype beta within the next couple of days while it's still available, as previously-recommended ShapeWriter is no longer in the Market. ∞ June 16th, 2010, 35 comments

This Week in Google, Episode 46 · This week's episode of TWiG featured Jeff Jarvis Skyping over 3G from a moving car on a NJ highway, Brad Stone from the NY Times who was a total trooper during our criticism of the Times' takedown of the Pulse iPhone RSS reader, and Om Malik of Gigaom, a very smart teddy bear who I'd like to hug. My tip this week: the new Gmail Labs' Maps Preview, which embeds a Google Map into any email that has a U.S. address in it. ∞ June 11th, 2010, 2 comments

This Week in Google Episode 45 · In this week's episode of TWiG, Leo, Jeff, and I talked about Google's "ban" of Windows PCs for employees, Android tablets, the Sprint EVO (which I love), blogger journalism, and some of Steve Jobs' remarks at D8. My tip of the week was the new "Save to Google Docs" link in Google's PDF viewer. ∞ June 4th, 2010, 4 comments

TWiG: The Un-iPad Episode · Hopefully better late than never: in this week's episode of TWiG, Jeff reboxes his iPad to return to the store, we talk Twitter developer relations, and my tip of the week was a web front end to the Android Market, at thanks to doubleTwist. ∞ April 16th, 2010, 1 comment

TWiG: The iPad Episode · This week's episode of This Week in Google included my friend Matt Haughey. Because we recorded on iPad launch day, the conversation inevitably centered around the new device, which I didn't buy. A live viewer told me I looked a little bored at times--and I'll admit, since I didn't have one of the toys to play with myself, I kind of was. Still, it was a fun discussion full of iPad love, even though Jeff Jarvis had a little morning-after regret. ∞ April 7th, 2010, 2 comments

TWiG Live from SXSW · Had a blast recording the latest episode of This Week in Google in person with Jeff Jarvis and Leo Laporte in Austin at SXSW this past Saturday. We had a live audience in-studio of friends and supporters there too, with guest appearances by Matt Haughey, Adam Pash, and Jake Jarvis rotating in on the fourth mic. It was so cool to see what happens beyond my Skype headset every Saturday and finally get to give Leo a big hug in person. Speaking of Leo at SXSW, if you haven't seen him crowdsurfing at the Diggnation party, you must get yourself to the YouTube clip of that stat. ∞ March 16th, 2010, 2 comments

This Week in Google Video Podcast Now in iTunes · I've been a slacker posting up the YouTube videos of each week's This Week in Google episode, so I'm getting back to it. This past week was particularly fun for me because Jeff, Leo, and I were joined by Kevin Purdy, my colleague from Lifehacker who shares my enthusiasm for Android. The TWiT folks also tell me that TWiG video is now available in the iTunes Store as well; here are the feed links for TWiG video both large and small. ∞ March 9th, 2010