12.04.06
Jet Set Future
Cel shading may have officially jumped the shark by venturing into reality, but that doesn’t make it any less cool. Can’t help but think it would really hurt to bang your shins on something, though…
09.28.06
Time to whale on Joel again
Well, Joel has gone and had a brain fart again. After succeeding in destroying all his geek credentials with a mal-formed and ill-advised rant against rails while extolling the virtue of his own, proprietary, scripting language (wasabi), Joel has moved on to basically talk bollocks about agile programming in general, spurrred on by Google’s Steve Yegge.
James Robertson (who writes an awesome blog on Smalltalk goodness) sums it up better than I could (strongly suggest the visit), but it really seems like Joel is in some kind of ‘destroy your cred’ competition at the moment. With, I don’t know, K-Fed or something.
Apparently, Joel is still in the camp of folk working in software who still think that Agile programming is new and amazing, lots of “beta” tags and magic, as opposed to a fairly unamazing and effective approach to completing a project in a small space of time, with limited resources. Of course, this is the antithesis of Steve Yegge and Google’s world, where smart people get to hang out and never finish anything. Agile this is not.
So a quick refresher for everyone out there:
- Agile has been around for many many years now. Not as many as C, but almost exactly as many as J2EE (and that ain’t no coincidence, people).
- Agile == limited resources, small teams, defined end date. It’s a process of optimising for a limited budget, shifting technology, small teams and a hard deadline. Those are the only circumstances where it works perfectly, and unsurprisingly moving these factors causes “hiccups”.
- “Good agile” a la Steve Yegge (no end date, do what you want, unlimited resources) is *not* agile. It’s just plain bloated. Agile is, and always was, about doing the best you can with what little you have - something Google may have somewhat forgotten in the path to the largest market cap in history. C’est la vie, I guess.
- To summarise: Time, budget, scope. Pick two.
(Not rocket science, I know - but it had to be said).
09.24.06
Return of the Macbook
Yes kids, it’s back! I took delivery on Friday of my Macbook… completely unrepaired. Yes, since I was no longer working in Melbourne, I had to collect my still unrepaired laptop from Apple to take to Sydney for repair at a later date.
After a suitable period of venting at a customer relations (digression: is it called “customer relations” because after dealing with them you feel like they’ve had some rather rough ‘relations’ with your tradesman’s entrance?) they put forward their view of the world:
- Apple made a defective product. Not their problem.
- Apple then couldn’t figure out how to fix it for several weeks. Not their problem either.
- Apple then had manufacturing problems making the replacement part. Also not their problem.
- Apple’s supply chain through Singapore had several problems, making it hard for them to land the replacement part. You guessed it, not their problem.
So the upshot being, after all aspects (design, testing, manufacture, supply chain, service, customer relations) of the process of delivering an item to a paying customer failed, it is the responsibility of the customer to bear the negative consequences. I call bullsh*t on that, Apple.
09.12.06
Its settled. Apple really does hate business people.
So I spoke to Apple again today - still no ETA on repairing my Macbook. 22 working days after putting it in for repair, and not even a hint as to when I might expect it back. I directly asked Apple Australia Customer Relations if they considered it acceptable to spend 22 working days without replacing a work machine, they answered _YES_ (albeit with a bit of weaseling).
So, we have the definitive answer: Apple Australia is totally unwilling to support business users. Noone in business can expect a full month with no repair on a basic warranty issue. Irony is, had I thrown it off a building, my insurance would have replaced it _faster_ than Apple have been able to so far. Truly, I am shocked and awed at the sheer unwillingness to make a customer happy here…
Oh well, on the upside at least my Powerbook’s battery hasn’t ignited yet (touch aluminum)…
The Breakfast Buffet
Time for the first review in the (dum dum dum!) “Quest for the Perfect Laptop Bag”: The Breakfast Buffet
by Crumpler.
Crumpler is a pretty well-known and regarded Australian bag company that started out making messenger bags for bicycle couriers. Their irreverant attitude and distinctive style has endeared them to many an owner, but will their smaller Breakfast Buffet measure up?
First, an overview. Small and bottom-heavy, this is really a bag I use for carrying around my 12″ Powerbook. It comes in a number of colours, but the muted light blue/yellow combination of mine certainly draws approving comments.
There are no external pockets, just a small (awkward) handle and the little crumpler man logo.
Opening it up, we see the internal yellow. The flap contains a mesh pocket and there is a small outside pocket.
The crumpler attention to detail shows up with the _very_ usable logo zip. Really like this, its size, weight, shape and even paint is great to zip and unzip! (Yes, I fear I might be autistic) The mesh pocket is intended for carrying cables, and makes the flap bulge somewhat.
The strap is wide and well-made, attached by a double velcro strap to the bag. Feels very sturdy and I haven’t had any issues with it yet. Crumpler logo shows up on the velcro again.
Looking inside the main section, you see the main problem - it’s tiny. There is a shock protected pocket that holds a 12″ laptop securely, but otherwise there is limited space for anything else.
… and that’s pretty much it! Which leads to the basic issue with this bag: it has no storage for anything much. I can fit the Powerbook, my notebook, perhaps one other item (PSP, Camera) and the power brick in the flap. Far from perfect.
The flap storage pocket is also not without issues - because is goes all the way through the flap, when you open it up items drop down into the bottom, which prevents the flap from closing: somewhat of a problem, especially if you’re in a hurry.
So, a summary of the good:
- Sturdy construction and attractive design
- Well-padded laptop storage.
- Good attention to detail
- and the not so good:
- The padded shoulder guard is not attached to the strap, which makes it skate around when you’re walking - a real pain in the a**. Or shoulder, as the case may be.
- There are no external pockets
- There are almost no _internal_ pockets - everything goes in the same 2 compartments with no filing.
- The flap pocket catches items in its base, preventing closure.
And against the criteria:
- macbook: NO
- psp or ds lite (or preferably both): One (possibly)
- iPod Nano: Yes, but with no protection
- power brick and mouse: YES
- moleskine notebook: YES
- document pocket: No Sir
- camera: Not really
- a book to read on plane takeoffs: Not even close.
- miscellaneous junk: Also no hope.
So, nice for a specific use but far from perfect. The quest continues.
09.06.06
Why Apple hates business people
After an exhausting (and still ongoing) encounter with Apple support in Australia, it seems clear that Apple are unwilling and uninterested in supporting the use of Apple computers in a business.
My odyssey began when my new (< 3 months old) black Macbook started the dreaded random shutdowns (a la Kevin Rose on Diggnation - possibly recently explained?). I’m currently travelling back and forth between Sydney and Melbourne for work, so on the weekend at home (Sydney) I backed up and prepared to take the Macbook in for servicing, figuring I could do without it for a couple of days without a serious work issue (I have a client PC to use for email). After taking the Macbook to Melbourne on Monday, I prepared to drop it off with the local reseller who I had purchased it from (fortunately on a Gold Card, more to come on that).
However, upon opening the case Monday to do a last check on my backup, I was greeted with a piece of the edge of the topcase “sproinging” off, holding on by merely a thread. Literally, I saw part of the case detach spontaneously! This piece fell off completely when i closed the lid. Insult to injury and all that. I took the Macbook in to the Apple reseller on Monday 14th of August. After some days I had received no contact, no information and no indication of when I might receive the computer I work on back. It was suggested I speak to Apple Australia customer relations by the reseller in order to escalate the priority of the repair, however Apple seemed surprised to be called in this case and referred me back to the reseller again.
After a few more days and call, eventually I was told that it would be somewhere in the realm of 5 or more working days for Apple to decide if they would replace the cracking case under warranty. After having a minor rant at customer relations about this being a work pc and this kind of downtime being untenable, they came up with a compromise: they would tell the reseller to install a new logic board to fix the shutdowns, return the Macbook to me that Friday (18th August) and take the cracking case offline for resolution (they had photos of it so could run their process independent of me getting my computer back to work on).
But it was not to be.
After waiting until Friday with no contact, I called the reseller for an update. They were too busy dealing with repairs instore (probably more with random shutdown problems!) to take my call, and promised to call back… but didn’t. This pattern that repeated itself several times until on WEDNESDAY 23rd, I finally got in touch, only to find out they hadn’t been given any instructions to return the Macbook and they were still waiting on an email from Apple Care Engineers to send the photos through so they could judge if the case issues was a defect. I got on the phone again to Apple customer relations - upon which, after much ranting, I was informed that their policy was if they decided that the case was damaged (not a defect) then they would refuse to fix ANY defects under warranty on the basis the physical damage might have caused them. Ye gods.
Fortunately, this particular f-you from Apple turned out to be a false alarm: On the 29th of August, I was informed that the case was considered damage, and it would not be covered, HOWEVER Apple would continue to look at fixing the random shutdown. Fortunately, through purchasing the laptop on a Gold Card that had purchase insurance (against any physical damage in 90 days), I was able to claim for the repair, no thanks to Apple. I kicked off the purchase insurance proces, which due to paperwork, processing etc takes some weeks to resolve. However, I felt at this point (2+ weeks after putting it in for repair) that the process had been unacceptable - an obviously defective (random shutdowns) unit was still not repaired, and I was becoming steadily more impaired in my ability to work. (As an aside, I work in IT Consulting where my rate charged to a Customer is roughly 1 Macbook/day - so the loss in productivity was quite an issue!)
I asked Apple what the complaint process was, and I was told that my only recourse would be to mail or fax (iLife, anyone? Nice to see a supposedly modern computer company using Fax and Snail Mail) a complaint to Apple - which I did. I have yet to receive any response to this complaint.
On Friday the 1st of September, I spoke to the reseller, who told me they had ordered the logic board, and it would arrive Monday. Note they didn’t order it when I brought it in, but rather waited until the latest necessary time. Good call. Upshot was, I would finally get the laptop back, over three weeks after it had been sent in with a known issue, on Monday the 4th of September. No word on Monday, so I contacted them Tuesday the 5th. I was informed that the logic boards were out of stock (I guess there are a lot of defective 2GHz Macbooks out there in Aussie!) and they couldn’t tell me when one might be available, and to contact Apple to get more info. I contacted Apple _again_ and was told they didn’t know when one would be available, but would get back to me. Come Wednesday, I was informed they were unable to give me any ETA whatsoever, and I was back in limbo.
So the current state of play: I have been without a work machine for 3 and a half weeks, Apple have basically told me they won’t do anything to resolve the issue, I still have no ETA on the repair, no idea when I might get my laptop back, and to make matters worse the case is defective and won’t be repaired under warranty! At the end of the day, it looks like the only way to get any accountability from Apple is to name and shame them! There are several key lessons everyone out there should be taking away from this:
- Apple (in Australia at least) are unwilling to support the needs of a business user.
- Apple Australia will gladly screw their customers to avoid replacing a defective unit.
- Make sure if you buy an Apple product that you have alternative purchase insurance or you run a high risk of getting a defective, unfixed product.
- Reiterating 1) above - if you are in business, and want to use an Apple, buy two and keep them synchronised - when one of them goes in for repair, you’ll need the other to tide you over.
- Apple make defective products, and don’t support them. Okay, laptops are complicated to make, and all manufacturers have a return rate, but at least they generally fix them quickly when they are defective!
PS: To add to the fun, my backup computer is an old 12″ Powerbook. And yes, I recently learned that it’s included in the battery recall. While the Macbook is in the shop, I can’t give up the battery (they expect you to hand in your battery, then wait EIGHT WEEKS for a replacement! Go Apple Australia again!) so any day now I fully expect it to explode on me. Joy. If anyone else out there in the Australian internetland has had a similar experience, add to the comments: it would be good to get a body of evidence for us all to take to the consumer commission!
08.27.06
show your computer how much you love it
chumby is a “snuggly” bedside computer - now you can sleep with your cosy computer! The mind boggles with possibilities. I can immediately think of many possibilities for this one 
the quest begins…
Anyone who knows me, knows that I really struggle to find a laptop bag I like. Part of my job involves carrying a laptop bag around pretty much everywhere, so it’s a subject close to my heart.
However, despite trying many contenders, I have yet to find a laptop bag that _perfectly_ suits my needs. So, a recurring feature of this publication will be:
(drum roll please)
“The Quest For The Perfect Laptop Bag”
(impressed yet?)
To begin with, I’ll review the ones which have failed in the past, including bags from booq, Tom Bihn, Crumpler and more. Then, I’m open to suggestions of what to try next!
The criteria I’m looking for in a winner: must be a messenger-style bag (gives easy access to its contents) that can successfully fit the following:
- macbook
- psp or ds lite (or preferably both)
- iPod Nano
- power brick and mouse
- moleskine notebook
- document pocket
- camera
- a book to read on plane takeoffs
- miscellaneous junk.
Many have been tested, all have failed! But who knows what the future brings…
08.25.06
how the java community continues to not get it…
Well, the Java blogs are afroth (digged, even) over Tom Ball’s post on Java.net asking ‘Is writing code a Career Limiting Move?’. Once again, kids, it seems that we might be missing the point a little.
See, CLM’s (or “Career Limiting Moves”, as Tom calls them) really only matter if you are inclined to embed yourself in the slow crawl up a corporate ladder (as so many Java guys are prone to these days). Yes, if you want to rise within a company from the Java coder to the CIO at some point you have to show ability to manage, lead, understand conflicting objectives, market trends, run projects, etc, etc. In other words, learn and display the skills necessary to do the job of CIO.
However, that doesn’t mean you have to stop coding to advance your career - just that you have to do so if you want to rise through the management ranks in a management-centric culture.
There are alternatives. For example, if you want to keep coding, come up with a cool idea, code it, and launch it to the world. You can keep on coding, without ever needing to learn about management - you can hire people to manage for you! Before you start complaining about having to stop coding, consider alternatives to being a wage slave.
Remember, beautiful code is out there.