I started a list several months ago of iOS-first applications that had everything to gain from launching on Android but seemingly just decided not to. Far from complete, and probably like the third post I had ever written on anything, but it was a start. Anyways, this morning on All About Android I heard about this guy who tried to elucidate the point in probably the most smug way possible. The tone makes me feel like he would carry hand sanitizer around just in case he accidentally touched an HTC One. So here is my attempt to FJM this whole thing.

photo: Andy Ihnatko via Compfight

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I can’t decide if flying Southwest is worth it or not. It is generally not that much cheaper than Delta, especially to regional stops. The free checked bags are nice – I paid a few hundred dollars to fly myself here, I’m not putting up another $35 for my belongings to go too. But the vibe feels a little off-putting, and I am pretty sure it is their “seat yourself” policy.

We got on in the early B group for a couple flights, so we got on behind roughly 60 people. None of them sit together apparently. Each time, they filled up the first 20 or so rows by taking the aisle and window seats, and leaving the middle. They all know goddamn well that it was a full flight, and this is just going to slow everyone down, but they did it anyway. Then on our return flights, I didn’t check in until a few hours before, which means to Southwest you might as well be riding with the luggage. Sure enough, the 120 or so people had sat in 4 columns through the back of the plane, middle seats the only ones left. I understand the middle seat can be uncomfortable or whatever, but the lady in the aisle seat next to my wife had her husband sitting in the aisle seat directly across from her. Who does that? The lady had a Louis Vuitton bag. Who flies Southwest with a Louis Vuitton bag? And sits in the back of the plane?

I paid the upgrade fee for the last leg home to get on the plane first. I just wanted to sit with my wife and watch Doctor Who on my tablet. I bought a headphone splitter weeks ago. And on Delta, or whatever other airline you like, I would have known weeks ago that we were sitting together and could use it, even if we were the last people to board. Sure, I would have to lug my suitcase on with me, but you know what? Everyone does this on Southwest too. I don’t know if they aren’t aware or just pack way too much. Our last plane was delayed 15 minutes because seemingly everyone checked 2 bags, and they took their sweet time loading them up.

So there it is. The Southwest upcharge isn’t hidden with bags. It is hidden in your flight experience. It is a weird combination of party bus and muted commuter hostility that you have to pay to escape — well, not even “escape”, but “get in front of”. It works going to Vegas, but is a little bit off everywhere else.

Stray observations:

  • The percentage of passengers who will talk to you goes from maybe 5% on other airlines to about 40% on a Southwest flight, in my experience. It is pleasant conversation, usually.
  • Lot of gray hairs. I don’t know enough to attribute it to flying on a Monday or to the airline, but a lot of them had coupons.
  • Glad I got to travel before “TSA agents” turned into “unpaid TSA agents.”

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I am stuck in the second half of my 2 year phone contract. The first half is when the phone is all new and shiny and the manufacturer keeps it up to date with current software. The second half is when all those benefits fade and you are still on the hook for another year. For whatever reason the a one year contract tier is now a thing of the past. Locked down or contract-free are the only options left.

On top of that, my contract is with Big V (for “Voldemort”, but worse). Verizon has built a great network, but it is horrible for tech enthusiasts (I have no experience with AT&T, which is probably just as awful, but in different ways). I don’t have a landline (and who could afford one with the price of a smartphone plan?), so sticking with solid service seems to make sense. But I also don’t make many calls, so my gigantic cell phone plan is mainly for data. That’s not so bad, because it is unlimited. At least, until Verizon caps my data when I renew my contract.

Other random VZW problems:
– Can’t use their phones anywhere outside the US without paying out the nose. This is a Sprint problem too, because neither use GSM technology, but I’m not sure that Sprint requires you to hack THEIR OWN global phones to get them to work correctly
– They instated this fee two weeks before my last official upgrade (mostly just personal bitterness there)
– They don’t fight for users’ privacy rights. Even Comcast and AT&T pretend like they care.

Clearly, they are an easy target for user ire. Rightfully so, because of how much of my time and my income is spent on them and their phones. But this brings up another major problem. Demanding the highest quality devices from the company with the highest quality wireless service should not be the leap in logic that the market is making it out to be. New flagship phones are coming to VZW late or not at all, and I believe the reason is the Galaxy Nexus Saga.

In October 2011, Google unveiled Android 4.0 and its flagship device, the Galaxy Nexus, exclusive to Verizon in the US. Presumed to be the ideal phone on the ideal carrier, it would receive timely updates from Google because it ran stock Android (the specific reason I bought it!) while running on the fast VZW LTE network. But then the phone was delayed for a month while Verizon disallowed Google from putting its own Wallet software on the phone. After release, each new Android iteration would update international and unlocked GNex units, leaving VZW customers months behind. The phone is finally up to date as of March, over a year after its release. I have heard it called the Fallacy Nexus (by nerds), and I am inclined to agree.

The problem with mobile computing is this carrier influence. Even five years ago, the hardware and software used for personal computing was controlled by (surprise!!) the hardware and software companies selling the computers. Now that most personal computing is done on phones, the phone companies have changed that dynamic. They push the innovators into conservative design decisions, market only the devices that kowtow to their demands, and preach “pay no attention to the duopoly in the corner.” Until they function like a (mostly) dumb pipe like cable internet, this is the way the world will be.

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I will start off by saying I am a Path apologist. I love the app; it is my go-to for sharing moments from my phone. The design is cutting edge, and the concept works well. I began using it around their second major release (found out about it here) before their last privacy kerfuffle. This was serious, but they fixed the issue almost immediately. They ended up paying an FTC fine for accidentally collecting this contact data from minors (which, again, it immediately deleted).

Path went on its merry way, creating new ways to interact for Facebook to copy (see: Path’s search and Graph Search, launched in beta a month later). But when the only major story about you has been a privacy issue, that seems to be all anyone remembers. This past issue frames new attempts at growth in a bad light, which is why the tech media is accusing Path of spammiing users’ contacts.

The “spam” in question, which, albeit annoying, is far preferable to whatever other monolithic networks are doing without telling you. Furthermore, it is most likely due to user error. I have never heard any of my contacts complaining about spam from Path (contacts – please correct me if this assumption is wrong), and I know from use that there are 2 prompts to go through before Path gets any of my contacts’ info. It invited a couple family members, but only when I specifically told it to do so. Path’s biggest issues here are occasional lag time (which is probably why these “spam” messages were sent after this guy uninstalled the app) and selecting everyone for invite by default. It is a little uncouth, but it is an easy fix – last I checked (after the latest update), the “Invite Friends” list left my contacts unchecked by default.

I realize that some people see this as a second strike on privacy, but the team at Path has shown that, while they make a few sloppy mistakes every once in a while, they are committed to fixing those mistakes and keeping users’ trust, not alienating them as the tech media seems to think. No matter how douchey the CEO might be, people should soon realize Path makes a product they would enjoy greatly, and is FREE TO USE. They occasionally accidentally use your data to contact people you know, and then fix it when they realize the mistake. In my book, that always beats selling your data to people you will never meet.

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Video games are a staple of culture, regardless of what Roger Ebert thought (RIP). The joke is that parents let TV raise their kids, but my generation was raised by Nintendo (or Sega), and the current generation is raised by the spectre of Steve Jobs. These relationships are two way streets as well; video games are coming of age along with us, and it is extremely satisfying to experience a game done right in all its facets. I just finished the newest game in this category: Bioshock Infinite, and it knocked my figurative socks off.

Dictionary.com (because Merriam-Webster’s website buried this general definition) defines art as the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance. In his piece, Ebert uses Plato’s definition of art, the imitation of nature, but he goes on to say that art “improves or alters nature through an passage through what we might call the artist’s soul, or vision,” and that it is a matter of taste. Clearly he never met Ken Levine. Ebert chose to see beauty expressed through the lens of cinema, and sadly did not take the time to find “more than ordinary significance” in the Bioshocks and the Mass Effects and the Fallouts of the world. The saddest part is that he probably would have enjoyed it.

Video game reviews like to deal in technical aspects like graphics and gameplay mechanics, but trying that with something as poignant as Bioshock is a bit like forming an opinion on a novel based on its grammar and spelling accuracy. “The margins were consistent throughout, but the font made the letter G look weird.” Things like that. But video game reviews tend that way because there has never been much substance above that. I think that is what makes it hard for gamers like myself to synthesize these ideas from a video game and put them into words. (Or it could be that I just don’t write a lot.)

BioShock Infinite takes place on the steampunk...

BioShock Infinite takes place on the steampunk air-city of Columbia. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Experiencing the story of Booker DeWitt and the flying city of Columbia through any other medium would not evoke the same reaction. I am convinced of that much. Sure, on paper, you could still form your own ideas about his motivations and your own relationship with Elizabeth. One could picture an actor swinging on sky lines, catching ammo cartridges from an actress on the big screen (see footnote). But it would not match the immersion of Infinite.

That is what great games offer: total sensory immersion into a world, at an unprecedented level. You don’t just read about it, and you don’t just watch someone act it out in front of a green screen. You explore as you see fit, you make the decisions, and you suffer the consequences. And I am only referring to single-player games here, because adding other human-controlled elements makes this another conversation entirely. One can find a deeply personal, touching and gratifying experience with buttons and joysticks and keyboards in hand, and it makes me happy to live in this brave new world.

TL;DR Two thumbs way, way up.

(Footnote: I’m thinking maybe Jon Hamm playing Booker, Zooey Deschanel as Elizabeth, Anthony Hopkins as Comstock, Tilda Swinton as Lutece.)

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So, I hadn’t been on Facebook directly for about a month until a couple nights ago (not counting one post from Spotify, where I tried to post to Twitter instead of FB but did the opposite – stupid share buttons). Man, the nostalgia wave was intense. I enjoyed my sojourn into the internet wilderness for a month, but this one relapse visit just made it feel lonely.

My renewed interest was piqued by their announcement of Facebook Home. It is an intriguing concept. The cynic in me knows they just want to put one less layer between you and them (and their ads). The pragmatist in me knows that Android has been dying for some kind of integrated messaging ala iMessage, and this looks like a great solution (until Google announces their own at I/O next month). It is another great way for them to leverage their user base and practically inevitable since their introduction of their own app system. Facebook is the only social network robust enough to attempt something like this. I will try it out of morbid curiosity, and will probably start sharing things there more often. At least until I want control again.

But, that aside, it was very easy to function without Facebook. There was more time to read important things, like literature. My phone locked up less often, honestly. I could find updates in other places if I needed to know how someone was doing.

Coming back was even easier, though. One picture posted, 5 likes by the end of the night. Churning out content is fairly easy, but without a built-in audience, what is the point? I guess when the average user is ready to drop out of there and go somewhere else, I know that I will be ready too.

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I didn’t listen to Is This It until after I had heard Room On Fire. That means I have no hipster cred, and was not fully aware of the hype surrounding both (but primarily the first) at the time. Much like the Grantland review, I have days where I think the latter is better than the former. But damn, it does not get much better than the simplistic beauty of tracks 2-4, or 1-8, or hell, the whole debut album of The Strokes.

I was hooked. I have bought all the albums since then, on release day. I bought most of the solo albums, and listened to the rest online. It’s how I was able to recognize Little Joy (Fab!) when it appeared in a VW commercial. It’s the reason I don’t understand why it is cool to hate The Strokes.

Music journalism has a nebulous goal: to translate the sonic and aesthetic qualities of a musical work or group into the written medium, which inherently cannot convey all of said qualities. And the world (from America’s perspective) was in a weird place after 9/11 (understatement like that deserves its own font). So that world simultaneously embraced NYC rock saviors and revolted against the hype machine that built itself around them. As Spin put forth, what would Is This It have been like in the age of Twitter? It might have still been polarizing, but I still feel like I would fall into the same camp.

As of right now, I have “All The Time” stuck in my head. “Tap Out” is interesting, and my favorite is “Welcome To Japan.” All in all, it is a good album, and it is a Strokes album. I am holding out hope that they will do more now that they have fulfilled their RCA contract, and that this album was just to be done with that (no fanfare? stock demo logo as album art?). I guess what I am trying to say is: Hi, I’m pilch, and I am a Strokes fan. [hi pilch] I’ve been a Strokes fan for roughly 10 years. I don’t really care about the next 11 steps in the process, I just needed to get that out there.

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Since the advent of broadband internet, and even a bit before, “piracy” has been a problem. I use quotes because there is probably a better term that evokes illicit copying rather than Captain Hook. It is one of those problems that is supposed to get the same reaction from anyone. Asking a congressman to justify almost anything they do yields the response “because ______.” Only one of the following reasons is acceptable to fill in that blank:

  •  Terrorists
  •  The children
  •  Piracy

Why is our defense budget so high? Because terrorists. Why do we need to take away all the guns/arm all the teachers? Because the children. Why can’t we unlock our cell phones? Because Nazis… I mean, because piracy.

No one is learning how wrong-headed that is right now more than EA. They bought and resurrected one of the most beloved and storied game franchises of all time, Sim City. It released this week, and was purported to be fantastic. The majority of the people who bought it, though, apparently would not know. EA designed this game to require a constant connection to their servers, even though it is essentially a single player experience. They claim it is for a social aspect, so people can share cities or something, but let’s be honest: it is for piracy. EA wants your $50-60, and wants to make damn sure that you can’t play if you didn’t pay. (Also hilarious: they are not offering refunds.)

In an ironic twist, many who did pay still can’t play. EA has been working on adding servers all week to support demand, to no avail. Rather than updating the game to remove the requirement of connectivity, they have decided to save their precious game-breaking DRM by disabling the actual game features that require the internet, like leaderboards. Kotaku has billed this fiasco “Sim City Disaster Watch.” Polygon, who initally gave the game a review score of 9.5/10, has lowered its score to a 4. I can’t say it better than Chris Kluwe:

 

The other end of the spectrum is Game of Thrones (or it is a different spectrum, not sure). HBO could care less that it is the most pirated TV show for a couple years running, because it gets people talking about Game of Thrones. However, in their case, it is more about necessity than stealing. They offer no other avenues of purchase besides subscribing to their network (on top of a cable subscription, in the age of cable cutting).

Really, there has to be some middle ground here somewhere. A way for a company to take my money in exchange for a good product. Capitalism, maybe?

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Tweetdeck Android
Tweetdeck Android

Twitter dug itself into a deeper hole with its power users last night when it axed the non-web versions of Tweetdeck. It is somehow both totally uncalled for and long overdue. Twitter purchased Tweetdeck in mid-2011, when it was easily the best mobile Twitter client and arguably the best Facebook client at the time as well. As the picture illustrates, Twitter updated Tweetdeck only once, to remove its native picture sharing service, and it has languished in the Google Play Store ever since. In that time, Twitter has moved to a newer, locked-down API and has a new official app on most platforms. However, Tweetdeck arguably still has a better interface, as well as far more features.

I cannot make sense of this. I don’t think I would be mad if they integrated Tweetdeck’s columns into the default app’s interface, because it would greatly improve tracking conversations. Twitter has list functionality, but on mobile they are buried so far down they are practically useless. And why did Twitter sit on this app for a year and a half if they were just going to shut it down? They could have updated it, or just removed Facebook from it if that was the issue. Pushing an inferior version of your own product just to get people to look at ads is not the way to win the tech crowd.

Anyway, they already pushed me over to app.net, where I am hoping that someone will resurrect the Tweetdeck client in spirit.

I finally uninstalled the Facebook app on my phone about two weeks ago, mostly because it sucks. I checked back a few nights ago via the browser, and I had not missed much of anything (except an old friend getting engaged – congrats!). The next logical step is to stop sharing things on Facebook. For the better part of a year, I have prided myself on doing my sharing almost exclusively through third-party avenues (because I want control over my data, and I am a social network hipster), and the only step left is to stop.

Why do I go back, even to share? Because everyone else is there. Facebook has been around for eons in Internet Time. In the beginning, it functioned more like an actual “face book”, which people did not update daily. However, it was still people you actually knew and wanted to keep up with. Those roots continue to reinforce themselves over time as you build a digital archive of yourself, but what is left is a gargantuan filter bubble. It is much harder to break out of a filter bubble of people you know IRL, which Facebook knows. That is why the point of the site was lost somewhere between the immediate, actual, meaningful connections and “Your friends like Diet Coke, you should too!” (Of course, this could all change in a week.)

The laundry list of things Facebook actually does is pretty impressive until you consider that several other places offer the same service, usually better. General status updates work very well on Twitter; if it is longer than 140 characters, get a blog. Dropbox, Flickr, and Picasa all offer picture storage and sharing, with the added bonus of export. Instant messaging can be done with GTalk, iMessage, or the mother of all internet communique: email. Link sharing and other content curation are Tumblr’s forte. Foursquare has check-ins locked down. Personal moments meant to be shared with only close friends and family can be set up easily in Path or Google+. In fact, G+ does pretty much all of this, and shares it more intuitively than Facebook.

Lifehacker beat me to it, but the way Facebook has adapted their advertising is annoying, albeit nefariously intuitive. Ads themselves are not all that bad. The service has to make money somehow. Google is basically an advertising company, but aside from the search results page it is generally unobtrusive, and the service is good enough that it warrants forgiveness. Almost all the services mentioned are ad-supported, and the alternative to that is paying your own way with something like App.net.

So, for those visiting from my Facebook link, welcome to my page. You may see it pop up occasionally on my FB feed in the future, but independence has to start somewhere. One last cleanup of various outdated likes and other personal details, and I will be on my way. This is a break, not a full-on deletion (because how else will I occasionally use Spotify?). And if they change and improve somehow, I will gladly eat these words.