Last autumn, inspired by a conversation with Jamie Thinglestad, I took a couple lunch hours and hacked together a tool that dramatically improves my web browsing experience. Since then, I hadn’t used it much. Nor have I revisited it to polish it up. Jamie and I have shared it with a small handful of people …
Author Archives: Garrick van Buren
Why Can’t Smart Phones Read?
I’ve been investigating useful uses for QR codes and while I’ve got a couple…they still feel rather flimsy. Like the QR Code is being used as a cute novelty – rather than a way to enhance communication. QR Codes are inherently temporary (as in, tomorrow a better encoding technology will exist and today’s readers aren’t …
John’s Phone
To this day – the Palm Treo, for all it’s flaws, was my favorite phone. The team that designed the phone UI – had experience actually making phone calls. Every phone I’ve had since – including my current one – I’m less confident of that. Instead, I have a pocket-size computer that always promises to …
Impression
I had a really fun lunch today at the Bewiched Deli (I highly recommend the roast beef w/ horseradish sandwich). As we were sharing some of the projects ideas we’re working on he stops the conversation suddenly and commands: “Stay away from advertising. If I have to beat it into you – I will. Stay. …
Fermenting: Sour Cider (Mach I)
I’ve been itching to make a cider. Yet, since it’s off season, I don’t feel like going too crazy. So, I thought I’d make a nice simple recipe. If successful, this should be ready around Thanksgiving. If really successful, it’ll be gone by then. Sour Cider (Mach I) 4 gallons Indian Summer apple cider ~2 …
Fermenting: Aloysius Amber Rye
Turns out, I’m addicted to Hopville’s Beer Calculus in much the same way others are addicted to Angry Birds. And the game play (get a group of ingredients to match a beer style) I find just as engaging. The first of many recipes I’ve been working on is this Amber Rye in dedicated to my …
Success: Actual Size
For the past 8 years, I’ve run my own company. A digital product consulting company. Across those 8 years, I’ve launched 3 products of my own that I’m very proud of – while doing interesting client work, that I’m also very proud of. I’ve also become a father of 3. As I write this, my …
To Make Matters Worse.
“You should analyse which cookies are strictly necessary and might not need consent. You might also use this as an opportunity to ‘clean up’ your webpages and stop using any cookies that are unnecessary or which have been superseded as your site has evolved.” [pdf] Upshot: Strictly necessary cookies don’t require explicit user consent. Which …
Why I Auto-Renew Domain Names
A couple weeks back, I had this idea for a new web app. Like so many of these ideas – I wrote it down. Just to get it out of my head. This afternoon, I get an email from my sister describing the need for a web app not unlike the one I wrote down …
Turn On, Tune In, Opt Out
For a couple years now, I’ve felt Timothy Leary’s 60’s mantra ‘Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out‘ has gained new relevance. The first two sections of the triplet seemed quite obvious. We can even re-use Leary’s explanation of them. The third section was more elusive. While Leary preferred to describe it as a commitment on …