Web stuff

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Fri, 04 Jun 2010 16:36:11 -0400

APPLE V. FLASH: FORWARD VS BACKWARD LOOKING

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 23:00:00 -0500

Recently there was a lot of talk about Apple not supporting Flash in the iPad. Moreover, there were articles in the press stating that Steve Jobs said Adobe was “lazy” when developing Flash. Those remarks were the cue for Adobe to enter the field and hit by saying that Apple has created a closed platform that can only be governed by them.

Basically most of the opinion articles around the web either say that Apple is right because Flash apps would crash the iPhone/iPad or that Adobe is right because it is the user’s device and he can do whatever he wants with it.

If we try to understand each company’s policies, and market behavior, we can see how they reached this situation.

Apple is a company that is forward looking, there are tiny compromises in terms of compatibility. This was proven over time like when the iMac shipped without a floppy disk or the Macbook Air without an optical one. Not only that but most of Mac OS releases only worked with a limited amount of older computers.

This means that Apple is always trying to bring the best possible experience to the user regardless of what is out there. Flash is proven to be less than optimum in the Mac and you can only imagine how it would look like in the iPhone. So they just decided not to support it.

Adobe, in the other hand, always tries to be compatible across the board. Flash, a technology that Adobe bought from Macromedia, was developed to bring compatibility, and extended features, to the web.

It is definitively not an easy task to be compatible with every platform out there, kudos to Adobe on that, but the compromise they need to do in order to bring Flash to every device almost ruins the user experience in some.

Furthermore, there are news today that Adobe wants to bring it’s AIR system to different platforms on the mobile space so developers can have one version of their app that works across the board.

As a user it’s frustrating that I cannot see Hulu on my iPhone but it is not pleasant seeing my CPU hitting 100% when I am watching it on my Mac.

That is why, in my opinion, new standards of web technology are needed that work on every device that supports them so there is no need for an artificial abstraction layer that compromises speed and reliability in terms of compatibility.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO HAVE A (GOOD) WEBSITE FOR YOUR BUSINESS?

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:00:00 -0500

Nowadays it is almost instinctive for any business to create a website. Basically every person that is asked if a business should have one would doubt very little to reply affirmatively. But when asked “Why?” the doubt starts to grow.

It is so simple and so powerful that is hard to imagine why not, but in this humble post we will try to explain why it is not only important to have a website but a good one.

Before the internet was born businesses used strategies to promote themselves like having a big sign on top of the store, advertise on newspapers or TV, mail coupons or fliers, have a nice window display and rely on the happy customers to spread the word about it. This strategies are still being used today but they are moving online.

Having a website for your business is like opening a new virtual office or store. Visitors will come in, look around and eventually convert to customers or leave. It doesn’t matter if you sell shoes or plumbing services. Visitors will come in, and if your website works properly, you will get new customers.

And the beauty is that not only are you opening a virtual office for visitors around you but for a world wide audience. You might have the biggest sign on your town, but from two miles away it is hardly ever seen. You might have the biggest ad on the local paper but no one will call you from out of state. A website can open a business virtually unlimited opportunities.

The value of an internet presence is much more tangible for retail stores since they are opening their doors 24/7 to customers all over the world without much hassle. If your store is in Kentucky you wouldn’t care to ship your products to Bangladesh, there is almost no difference that shipping it to New York. For a small investment your possible customer base is expanded borderless.

So, what will a site provide you? First of all, presence. If you have your website it will be there when someone is looking for your products or services. It will also let you tell the story, it is not just a phone or address in the Yellow Pages but a display of what you want to tell your customers. If they have a warmer feeling about your website they will pick you instead of the competition, the battleground has changed. And lastly, it is a great tool to communicate with your patrons. Not only you can tell your message to them, but you can also hear them back, receive feedback about your work and how to improve it.

With the present status of the internet the communication is not only between you and your customers, but between them. The mouth to mouth marketing has moved to social networks like Facebook and Twitter. If you fix computers and someone was happy about your work they will talk about it and your site can be the hub of that information, and if someone was unhappy you can prevent the word from spreading by just saying sorry.

It is now clear that you must have a website. The quality and functionality of it will depend on your budget and willingness but if it is just a free one with the business description and a phone you are on the right track.

Moratoria del IRS

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:11:08 -0500

En Argentina cada tanto hay moratorias para que la gente pague los impuestos que debe. Son populares porque no solo se ofrecen pagos en cuotas sino por que a veces hasta hacen descuentos.

El IRS (la agencia de recaudación de impuestos de USA) hizo una moratoria recientemente. Las condiciones son un poco distintas. Los ciudadanos debian declarar las cuentas bancarias offshore y a cambio el IRS no les haria juicio si encontraba una cuenta.

El resultado: cerca de 15.000 individuos declararon sus cuentas pagando la totalidad de los impuestos adeudados.

[Via: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/17/offshore-bank-accounts-re_n_361136.html]

GPU-Accelerated Flash Player Provides Smooth HD Video, Arrives Next Month - GPU-accelerated flash - Gizmodo

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 11:05:05 -0400

GPU-Accelerated Flash Player Provides Smooth HD Video, Arrives Next Month - GPU-accelerated flash - Gizmodo:

Long live hardware acceleration

PRESS RELEASE: 37SIGNALS VALUATION TOPS $100 BILLION AFTER BOLD VC INVESTMENT - (37signals)

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 14:40:28 -0400

PRESS RELEASE: 37SIGNALS VALUATION TOPS $100 BILLION AFTER BOLD VC INVESTMENT - (37signals)

"Yeah,” he says, “At the end of the day, ship the fucking thing! It’s great to rewrite your code and..."

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 11:08:12 -0400

““Yeah,” he says, “At the end of the day, ship the fucking thing! It’s great to rewrite your code and make it cleaner and by the third time it’ll actually be pretty. But that’s not the point—you’re not here to write code; you’re here to ship products.” My hero.”

- The Duct Tape Programmer - Joel on Software

Google Sync : Push Email on your iPhone!

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 12:23:51 -0400

Google Sync : Push Email on your iPhone!:

Finally Google now did the exchange integration with email too.

Global Debt Clock

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 10:49:20 -0400

Global Debt Clock:

Inspired in the US debt clock, from The Economist.

2010 Mercedes Benz Sls Amg 0 — Autoblog

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 09:31:34 -0400

2010 Mercedes Benz Sls Amg 0 — Autoblog:

You have to love this car. It’s the new gull-wing doors car (300 SL)

"the fundamental problem is that Democrats “are being asked to support a bipartisan bill that doesn’t..."

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 20:29:10 -0400

“the fundamental problem is that Democrats “are being asked to support a bipartisan bill that doesn’t have bipartisan support.” The compromise without the cover.”

- Sen. Jay Rockefeller Dumps on Baucus’ Bill and No Snowe Yet - George’s Bottom Line

Really funny acceptance speech Comedian Awards, Seinfeld Speech

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:02:01 -0400

Really funny acceptance speech

Comedian Awards, Seinfeld Speech

Mint Map: Global Wealth Distribution | MintLife Blog | Personal Finance News & Advice

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 18:58:41 -0400

Mint Map: Global Wealth Distribution | MintLife Blog | Personal Finance News & Advice

Petabytes on a budget: How to build cheap cloud storage | Backblaze Blog

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 16:22:09 -0400

Petabytes on a budget: How to build cheap cloud storage | Backblaze Blog

Lego Roboto Solves Sudoku - Lego mindstorms sudoku robot - Gizmodo

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 20:20:09 -0400

Lego Roboto Solves Sudoku - Lego mindstorms sudoku robot - Gizmodo:

How cool is this?!?!!

Digg Dialogg: Timothy Geithner

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 15:25:09 -0400

Digg Dialogg: Timothy Geithner:

Coming from Argentina it is quite impressive hearing someone speak like this.

The World's First Startup Wedding Registry

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 12:37:51 -0400

The World's First Startup Wedding Registry:

These guys are asking for random startup items as wedding gifts! Very creative :) via [venturebeat]

I can’t believe that IE 6 is the no 1 browser in the...

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 22:28:17 -0400

I can’t believe that IE 6 is the no 1 browser in the world. If you are using it, and 1/3 chances are that you are using it, would you please upgrade it?

Report: Firefox 3.5 Jumps To 4.5% Market Share In A Month, IE Hemorrhaging Slows

What alcohol and free markets have in common

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 10:37:00 -0400

As I am watching TV nowadays it seems the discussion about free markets is deeply polarized. Some people think that the market should heal all the economies wounds and some other say that the government must create regulations for everything. It seems that there is no middle ground.

Trying to find a way to explain this middle ground I thought about booze. Let’s think about deregulated markets as alcohol for a minute.

If you are on a party and you don’t drink at all you are probably not going to be brave enough to move forward on that hot chick. The same applies with market freedom. If you have none, there is no room for innovation or risk taking, hence no big rewards.

On the other end, if you take too much of your preferred drink you will end up doing stupid things. Fighting someone that you shouldn’t, singing on top of a table, etc. For companies works about the same way. If they are completely deregulated they will take far more risks that what they should resulting on a poor situation for them. Not only that, most companies act like frat boys where they start competing against each other on who takes the riskier move ending up on an environment way too risky.

Between those scenarios is the middle ground, where you can drink a bit to help your guts but not enough to knock your conscience. You might even end up with a nice date. Market’s wise this would mean some regulations, the problem is to find which ones.

You could say “what if I want to knock myself out with booze?” or “why do you care if I got all my money from my small shop to the casino and bet it?”. The answer would be that in most cases it doesn’t really matter. If you start singing naked in the middle of the party while trying to hook up with your wife’s sister is your problem. Almost no one would care either if you bet all your shoe shop’s money on the casino and then loose. That is socially irrelevant, knock yourself out.

But if you are drunk and then you want to start driving, on the highway, on the wrong side of the road, we all have a problem. If banks start lending money to people that will never be able to repay, we all have a problem. If health care companies deny you service because you got sick, we all have a problem.

Here is where regulation should be present and very strict. In fact if you drive under the influence of alcohol you could end up in jail. That is not meant for people to stop drinking or to stop driving, the law makes people think before they do both, and most of the time they don’t. Market laws could be stated so CEOs know that if the take risks they shouldn’t with other peoples lives on the line, there will be consecuences, legal consecuences; and maybe they will think twice before taking that road.

Hopefully some day there will be enough regulation in place so companies that could hurt the status quo of the society are regulated to not take irresponsible demissions and don’t become a burden on taxpayers pockets.

Shatner reading Palin poetry

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 11:12:47 -0400

Shatner reading Palin poetry