How I Tracked Everything in 2015
This post isn't going to do you much good without seeing this infographic about some stats I tracked in 2015. So check that out first and then come back to see how everything was collected.
Workouts
The number one tool I used for this was a sheet of paper with a custom-made
Show Invisible Files with this Simple Alfred Workflow
I'll keep this short and sweet. You want to see invisible files in the Finder and you don't want to waste any time. All you have to do is run a Terminal command to show them and another one to hide them again (because you really don't want to
Merry Christmas!
The best work I could do as a 5 year old.
For the second time in less than a month, it's going to get a little quieter around here. Today is my last day of work before getting a sweet 5 days off for Christmas. Just like when this happened for Thanksgiving, I&
The 'Best' Android Apps Don't Stack Up
LifeHacker put together a list of what they are calling the best Android apps.
In our annual Lifehacker Pack for Android, we chose the best, most useful, and most essential apps you could ever need on your phone.
The list includes all the apps you would expect: Evernote, Wunderlist, Falcon Pro, Hangouts, and many more
Using the iPad for: Photo Editing
This is part 2 in an ongoing series on BirchTree. You can read part 1 here.
The iPad has a big, beautiful screen and it's my favorite screen to view my photos. Swiping, pinching, and dragging through my photos is a more pleasant experience than clicking though them on my Mac. It'
6 Republican Candidates Give a Big Thumbs Up to Bigory
H.R.2802 - 114th Congress (2015-2016): First Amendment Defense Act doesn't sound that bad judged by just its name. It's incredibly short though, so let's take a look at the text:
Prohibits the federal government from taking discriminatory action against a person on the basis that such person
BirchTree's Top 10 Songs of 2015
2015 turned out to be a year where a ton of artists I love released albums I…liked. Still, even in an off year like this, there are always great songs released. I’m not saying these were the best, or most important songs of the year, but they’re the songs that dug deep
My Legs Hurt
It's December 19 and my legs are killing me. I feel it in my calfs, a dull throbbing that's more discomfort than actual pain. I can't seem to get comfortable no matter how I sit here. Maybe I should go lay down…
At the same time, looking at this
How Adobe Disrupted Itself
Adobe announced their 2015 Q4 financial results last week, and things are looking good for the San Jose company.
* 22% revenue growth
* Recurring revenue is up $350 million
* 2015 total revenue up 16%
* Creative Cloud subscriptions almost doubled over 2014
Just a few years ago, Adobe was a classic example of a company ripe for
Apple Gets Slimy
Whoa. Just got an ad for the 6S inside the App Store app. (can I get Peace for that, @marcoarment?) pic.twitter.com/ihkXi1JtRE
— Adrian (@adrian_haus) December 11, 2015
Apple has gotten in trouble a couple times for pushing unwanted content to people's iDevices, and usually I've forgiven them[^1]
That Tap on the Wrist
Michael Rockwell:
After two weeks, I’ve learned that Notifications are by far the most compelling feature. They might not have the pizzazz of third-party apps or digital touch, but they are the primary reason I continue to wear my Apple Watch everyday. Especially considering that most notifications are actionable — being able to like,
Disney Getting Crazy with DMCA Takedowns
ArsTechnica summarizes the story, but essentially someone bought a toy from a Wal-Mart and posted an image to Facebook. Disney then made a DMCA takedown request saying that the Facebook user didn't have permission to post photos of that toy. Facebook took down the photo and banned the user from the site
Best Games of 2015
This was a solid year for games, but I feel like I missed out on a ton. This was the first year in a long time that I felt like I was missing out on a lot of games due to not owning an Xbox One or Wii U. Not only that, but I'
Selling the Apple Watch Short
How Fitbit Kept The Wearables Crown - ReadWrite
When the Apple Watch was first announced, we expected it would cut into the fitness-tracking market. Instead, the Apple Watch has mostly hurt other smartwatch makers, like Samsung, which fell out of the top five this quarter.
TomTom stock continued to skyrocket for 6 months after the
Intentional Video Game Design
the more games I play, the more I find what gives me retro nostalgia isn’t graphics or themes but intentionality and economy of environments
— Zach Gage (@helvetica) December 12, 2015
Links Awakening’s world map was 16x16 gameboy screens, no scrolling. every single person, enemy, building, and empty screen was intentional
— Zach Gage (@helvetica)
What Happened to the Melting Pot?
Soothing words Google CEO Sundar Pichai:
The open-mindedness, tolerance, and acceptance of new Americans is one of the country’s greatest strengths and most defining characteristics. And that is no coincidence — America, after all, was and is a country of immigrants.
That is why it’s so disheartening to see the intolerant discourse playing
Wal-Mart to Abandon CurrentC?
New York Times:
Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, says it's testing its own mobile payment system that will allow shoppers to pay with any major credit or debit card or its own store gift card through its own app.
So once all is said and done, the only effect CurrentC
My 3 Favorite Tech Purchases of 2015
We're drawing in on the end of the year and I'm feeling a little nostalgic for 2015. The year brought some great tech that goes in our pockets, to on our desks, to on our wrists, and even all over our faces. Mid-range phones got very good this year and