The opt-in button is messy but results are very precise and reliable. Some use cases warrant it, some do not. Maxmind claims 79% accuracy on a city level: is the google api worse? All other things being equal I would be inclined to pick the one that didn't require me to frequently install binary patches or update a database.
Your best bet is html5 geolocation + modernizr.js + a shim. Browsers that support html5 geolocation will return highly accurate results while those that don't support it will fall back to calling the google maps api (ip to geo).
Good idea and I think it would work for Spaces too. Probably possible to build yourself with Automator. Related feature I want to see: focus-follows-mouse.
It is an especially good time to be a pragmatist. Communities can help us interpret the wake-up call but at some point the individual must do his own research, think hard and execute on a solid vision.
Your last sentence rings especially true. Each step is a potential point of failure. I tried to set up cap and passenger one day but got stuck on a couple of steps. Sure I could have plowed through and gotten it to work eventually, maybe switched to a different computer or whatever but time is precious. The word "easy" is thrown around too casually in tech circles. Today I've got three domains running on herokugarden and it still shocks me how short the procedure is. Thanks.
Why does the installation of new electronic components have to be such a headache? We don't even have wifi in our cars today. To get a standard cubicle feature in your car it's a PITA DIY project. Maybe we need to design with customizability and modularity in mind.
Take mobile music for example. There is no respect for wifi or CRUD. If you want internet variety you're stuck with either an iPod or a CD player. Wouldn't we all like access to last.fm, pandora or a simplified version of itunes in our cars? Wouldn't it be nice if, whenever your car was in an open wifi area, it synced account preferences and pulled appropriate new content? You should be able to blacklist tracks and podcasts on the fly. Instead you have to remember preferences in your head so that the next time you sit down at your computer you can edit your playlist.
I think Detroit should open up standard panels in the dashboard so commuters can snap out last year's modules and plug in this year's technology. Nobody wants to perform majory surgery on their car, they just want to pop in whatever 3rd party vendors are selling this year. Break the rules, Detroit, and open up an API so 3rd party developers can access a few standard buttons.
Yep git rocks and I think yours is a useful recipe. For my needs I prefer herokugarden to running my own server. Cname with them was a snap plus everything is free and if the need arises I can upgrade to heroku (rejiggered, currently in private beta). One thing that had me concerned at first was that I'd be stuck with a banner ad at the bottom of every page - but that's just their config/.yml scaffolding. Also their text editor is beautiful but I find I don't use it, for me TextMate and git gitter done. Their post yesterday on the future of deployment I thought was prescient: http://blog.heroku.com/archives/2009/2/6/future_of_deploymen...
That blog is sometimes a revealing read. Evidently they offered +$200k for the dot-com name of a small, mythical, woodland creature. They also: budget $15-20k for patent filings, defend Jellyfish's use of PR firms, detail Alice.com's pre-launch strategy, explain why they see every employee as an animal, and reveal why they'll never hire anyone from Michigan State.
How hard have you worked on the fundamentals in the areas you want to master? Newton slaved for years in deliberate practice to connect the neurons you admire so much. Many people who think they are doomed to mediocrity in fact are not. What exactly are your goals, where are you now and what are your habits? Maybe you are too stupid to achieve your dreams, but more often I think people are too lazy.
How disciplined are you? Everyone values genius, welcome to the crowd. It is a convenient excuse to obsess on others' talent as if genes and childhood were all that separated you from them. You appear to be focusing too much on outcome rather than on the hard work necessary to achieve it. Skills always look natural from the outside! But ask the honest, reflective people you admire and they'll tell you: they worked their butts off on fundamentals. Psst: fundamentals are open to you too.
Don't obsess over shortcuts. I would love to see you explain to a person with no arms how you'd gladly cut yours off for slightly better gray matter.
Practice with intense effort. If forum composition and wordsmithing is a challenge, discipline your technique by journaling stream-of-consciousness. To improve your memory treat it like a muscle: high reps, low weight at first.
How is your health? Do you exercise, eat right, avoid alcohol, have a positive attitude and sleep well? These are simple but powerful levers.
Talent is overrated. Upgrade your attitude not your physical brain, silly. :)
If the issue is not the responsibility or fault of the person I am speaking with I do not expect their personal apology. If it is clear they are innocent of wrongdoing it seems unnatural for them to slavishly gush about how sorry they are.
I find plenty of quality news in text form. What I want is better stuff for when I'm on the go. Radio fails - it's mostly ads and the banal. Podcasts are better but they're not interactive and I can't un/subscribe until I'm back at my computer. Audio books and lectures from The Teaching Company dominate my ipod in transit - but with these I don't get news or blog content.
Maybe the solution is phone based. What if you could call a phone number and hear the news read to you by a good narrator? By pressing keys you could drill down into Tech, World, blogs etc. It would be an opinionated filter of news, essays, wikipedia. Like this http://audiothink.com/concept1.png. With twilio you could <play> .mp3s. First time callers could maybe get x minutes free after which point they'd pay for their callerID to continue working. Not sure how to handle payments - sending phone visitors to a web page might kill conversion. I think bored commuters with hands-free devices and cell minutes to burn might use such a service.
That sounds good expense-wise. Maybe also include a rectangular sheet of clear, flexible plastic to serve in place of the front glass. And one for the matting.
