iPhone 4 Woes and Media Bullshit

Well, I’ve had my fill of this iPhone 4 rampage going on lately and am now in need of some venting. This is also convenient because I’ve wanted to get back to personal blogging for quite awhile now.

Being one that spends the large majority of my time online, with my career and interests focused around an array of different technologies, I hear tons of media repetition. It’s my job to stay informed about certain things and it’s my interest to stay informed about other things, namely the iPhone 4. Unfortunately, however, the media tends to feed off negativity and will stab anyone they can for traffic and ratings — including the hand that feeds them. So what am I getting at? This giant poo cloud of negative hype and its associated stabbing frenzy surrounding the iPhone 4.

Everyone is going bat-shit crazy over the iPhone 4’s current issues. So let’s all take a step back from the hype and come back down to earth, joining those of us already living in reality. Yes, the iPhone 4 has an antenna design flaw that can cause reception issues. This isn’t the first time a device, including one of Apple’s, has had some sort of hardware design flaw that was annoying. A point I’d like to make here is that it’s an annoying flaw, but doesn’t render the phone broken. This happens in technology sometimes.

So, the phone isn’t broken. If you want to use the iPhone 4 before Apple decides to fix the issue, then quit being a moron and hold it in such a way as not to force the annoyance to occur (or get a case). Great, now you can continue using your phone without complaining like a two year old until a solution surfaces.

Some people, however, are having issues with their proximity sensor. From what I’ve read, this is due to faulty hardware, which happens in technology (remember Xbox’s red ring of death?). Take it to Apple and they’ll either fix it or replace it, just like you would with any other faulty piece of technology.

The most annoying aspect of all this is that people who don’t know anything about the iPhone 4 are going around telling other people that they heard the iPhone 4 is plagued with issues and faulty hardware, which is due to the media, Apple bashers and people who love to exaggerate. Those that actually know anything about the phone, don’t feed off drama and don’t have an intense hatred for anything Apple, actually love their iPhone 4 and report that it’s quite fantastic.

I am one of those people. My iPhone 4 is a fantastic improvement over my 3GS and runs like a dream. Yes, I can cause it to loose reception by holding it in a specific way. No, I’m not an idiot and I don’t hold it that way when in use then run around and lie to people about how terrible it is. Is it unfortunate that Apple occasionally acts like a bunch of douche bags and ignores their customers? Absolutely, but that’s no excuse to act like a child. Apple isn’t the only company that does this either, though they are currently in the lime-light.

If you’re interested in buying an iPhone 4, don’t let this media hype bullshit stop you. It’s a fabulous device that you might find quite similar to that of devices we dreamt about in TV shows and movies years ago (Star Trek?). It works incredibly well, even with the minor antenna annoyance which will very likely be fixed (if it already hasn’t been) shortly.

On the other hand, if you’re part of this hype bullshit, get rid of your iPhone 4 and go get a different phone so the rest of us don’t have to hear your relentless bitching!

End venting.

By Jarel in: Tech Toys   -  Tags: , , ,

Supercharge Website Performance With AWS S3 and CloudFront

200x200-1I wrote this tutorial for net.tutsplus.com

We live in a world where people are increasingly expecting more and faster speeds. In fractions of a second, your website can lose valuable visitors and in turn, money. Although most people think CDNs are for the “big dogs”, they’re actually super cheap and incredibly easy to use these days.

In this tutorial I’ll show you how to setup and use Amazon’s Web Services S3 and CloudFront to decrease website load time as well as show the performance differences.

Continue reading at http://net.tutsplus.com/articles/general/supercharge-website-performance-with-aws-s3-and-cloudfront/

Everything You Need To Know About Font Licensing For The Web

200x200I wrote this article for blog.ThemeForest.net

Unless you’re a copyright or digital media licensing pro, font licensing can be really confusing. Custom fonts are increasingly being used on the web via several methods. Each method may require specific licensing to cover your intended use and often times font licenses simply don’t specify restrictions associated with these new technologies.

In this article, we’ll take a look at font licensing for web usage via methods such as FLIR, sFIR, Cufón, @font-face, etc. and ways to protect yourself.

Continue reading at http://blog.themeforest.net/general/font-licensing-for-the-web/

Amp Up Productivity With OS X Finder Droplets

200x200I wrote this tutorial for blog.ThemeForest.net

Time is money and navigating your operating system is likely your most common activity. Optimizing it for your workflow means spending more time working and less time navigating folders, files and applications.

In this tutorial I’ll introduce you to OS X’s Finder toolbar and droplets as well as how to customize them to look great and amp up your workflow productivity.

Continue reading at http://blog.themeforest.net/general/amp-up-productivity-with-os-x-finder-droplets/

By Jarel in: ThemeForest.net Articles   -  Tags: , , ,

@font-face and 15 Free Fonts You Can Use Today

@font-face and 15 Free Fonts You Can Use TodayI wrote this article for ThemeForest.net

Fonts are a huge part of design (as we all know). Text on the web needs to be much more dynamic than in any other media. We have solutions like Cufón, sIFR, etc. but perhaps one of the better options is using @font-face in CSS.

We’ll take a quick look at using @font-face in CSS and 15 great free fonts you can start using today.

Continue reading at http://blog.themeforest.net/tutorials/css-font-face-and-15-free-fonts-you-can-use-today/

By Jarel in: ThemeForest.net Articles   -  Tags: , , ,

10 Data Backup, Storage and Sharing Solutions

10 Data Backup, Storage and Sharing SolutionsI wrote this article for net.tutsplus.com

In an increasingly digital age, data backup, storage and sharing is more important than ever. However, today’s data backup and storage solutions have evolved into much more feature filled services that let you share and access your data easier and from pretty much anywhere while still affordable.

In this roundup we’ll take a look at 10 online data backup, storage and sharing solutions to meet everyone’s needs.

Continue reading at http://net.tutsplus.com/articles/general/10-data-backup-storage-and-sharing-solutions/