Archive | August, 2010

Outside of the US and want to access US-restricted content? No problem!

Vevo was recently released on the App Store, and it’s one of those apps that contain US-restricted content (namely, music videos from popular artists).

Pandora Radio is also another app that’s limited to the US – if you’re outside of the US, then you can kiss any radio-listening dreams you had goodbye.

Then there’s Steam. There’s a whole bundle of games that are just plain unavailable outside of the US (namely, the Rockstar collection), not to mention all the price-gouging that goes on if you’re outside of the US.

Frankly, I was getting sick of all this. This is the 21st century – if you put it on the internet, expect it to be accessed by the whole internet.

With Super VPN Service, you can now access all of your favourite US-restricted content – even if you’re not from the US!

It’s pretty cool, you should totally check out their services.

Disclaimer: yes, I used this post to get a free lifetime (3 year) account. Don’t hate me – instead, do the same thing – full instructions here.

Business Insider will probably add an inflammatory headline about Joel Spolsky or Jason Calacanis here

But programmers are a special case. Because not only will they tell you how wrong you are, but they’ll also tell you how stupid and idiotic you are, and they’ll mathematically prove it, and you should never program again, and you should be fired, you moron. Their attacks are all-out personal insults on your intelligence, but much better written and argued than most internet commenters.

via Marco.org – Business Insider will probably add an inflammatory headline about Joel Spolsky or Jason Calacanis here.

For the life between buildings – some notes on the iPad

It’s a device for cities.

It’s not that it couldn’t be used in rural environments of course; just that it wouldn’t be. The general lack of third spaces in such places means that a phone and a PC are sufficient. By living in cities, in other peoples’ places, a different kind of device becomes appropriate. Something light and small enough to fit in a handbag or satchel, yet powerful and productive nonetheless. In the old view of city living – say, the classic Parisian apartment – the small size of dwelling meant that the bistro downstairs at the street level of the block becomes the dining room, the bar/coffee shop becomes the living room, the shared courtyard becomes the garden, and so on. While this vision is hopelessly romantic, there are numerous urban variants on this kind of living, and these transient (yet personal) spaces are where the iPad will fit right in. (Again, exurban environments clearly have coffee shops too, but they are not part of a integrated system of living in the same way. And so different tools will suffice.)

As software becomes a service, data resides in the cloud, various forms of wireless connectivity coalesce over the city, and yet face-to-face physical connection becomes more important than ever, a device like the iPad becomes obvious. The cloud is the connective tissue between these spaces, the software provides the platform for interaction with information, the tablet is the tool, and the forum is the city.

via cityofsound: For the life between buildings – some notes on the iPad.