Gregg Hilferding


Which Is Precisely Why I Make Sure to Read 43 Folders

In an addendum to Merlin's The Case for a 'Pause' Button:

In fact, if you end up spending less time here because you’ve learned how to treat your attention as a free agent with incalculable value, then, in an unexpected way, you’ve paid both of us the highest compliment I can imagine; you’ve crossed the shit out of that river, and now you’re ready to just let other folks use the boat for a while.

Too many so-called productivity resources are, in fact, enabling the very time wasting behaviors for which they claim solutions.

Published by Gregg Hilferding on August 27th, 2008 at 1:08 pm. Filed under Signal1 Comment

Coda 1.5: It Has Subversion Support, So We Can All Switch Now.

The title says it all, and this quote from the description page:

Subversion. Work with a team using the most popular source control system there is, baked right into the sidebar. Check out code, update, commit changes — yep, Coda just saved you even more time.

And it's a free upgrade? Yow.

Get it while it's hot.

Update: Release Notes 11 New, 82 Improved Features. Yow indeed.

Published by Gregg Hilferding on August 26th, 2008 at 4:30 pm. Filed under Signal, Webmaster1 Comment

“Only This Time, the Battle Is in Your Pants.”

Mike Lee's call to arms:

Now we’re fighting again, only this time the battle is in your pants. Every one of these little trouser Macs represents a victory in the next big wave in personal computing.

...

There’s only one answer we can afford to accept, because to lose this battle is to lose the war.

Mike has provided the best response thus far to his own critique of the App Store.

Published by Gregg Hilferding on August 20th, 2008 at 8:56 am. Filed under Apple, SignalNo Comments

Why “I Am Rich” Was Pulled

One of the intriguing products of the new iPhone economy was "I Am Rich," a program that promised nothing but bragging rights and apparently delivered a conundrum for Apple.

Many believe the only reason for pulling this product from the Applications Store was because someone might "accidentally buy it." I love Steven Frank's analysis of this problem:

You have to be dumber than a box of dried-out paintbrushes to "accidentally purchase" something, and even if you're unwilling to accept personal responsibility for your own actions, it should be an open-and-shut case of giving the unwitting user a refund and moving on.

Of course, people "accidentally buying it" isn't the reason for pulling an application like this, even with John Gruber's logical business decision for pulling a product with a high return rate. Apple's most likely reason to nip this idea in the bud? Stem the tide of copycats.

As soon as the word got out that Heinrich was able to profit $5,600 from a few hours labor, we would have been treated to the $899 "I'm Rich" application which displays a blue gem. Then, hours later, the $799 dollar "Phat Pimpin'" application which displays an jingling gold chain and flashing diamond-encrusted dollar sign. And, eventually, when the horse has been beaten to death, there will be free versions.

If there's anything we've learned on the internet, it's that a unique, interesting and utterly original idea that can actually work once will be mindlessly duplicated en masse by people who don't get it.

Apple removed "I Am Rich" only because they didn't want to add a new category for "Status Symbols."

Published by Gregg Hilferding on August 15th, 2008 at 5:28 pm. Filed under Apple, SignalNo Comments