Linked List: September 23, 2009

Wednesday, 23 September 2009

Jim Ray on Chrome Frame, a new IE plugin from Google which swaps out IE’s entire HTML/CSS/JavaScript engine and replaces it with Chrome’s version of WebKit:

As I’m in love, and a huge nerd, the first thing I did was start stalking my new affection.

And:

The irony here, as I see it, is that an old, insecure feature Microsoft built to try to beat Netscape is now being used by Microsoft’s biggest current rival to patch IE. The upside for developers is that Microsoft is going to have a hard time killing Chrome Frame because it actually does the right thing — it’s not hacking IE via undocumented APIs or unscrupulous haxie-like code injection. They used Microsoft’s own well-documented and fully supported platform to do this. Bravo indeed, Google.

Alexander Limi: Firefox Mac Installation Experience, Revisited ★

Sounds like a great solution to me.

Cabel Sasser’s Windows 7 Party ★

Microsoft releases painfully-awkward, cringe-inducing video with tips for how you can host your own Windows 7 “launch party”.
Cabel Sasser makes it dirty.
I can’t stop watching.

The Ultimate Productivity Blog ★

I have to say, this is a pretty well-thought-out system. (Via Sippey.)

OS Breakdown of Technologizer Readers ★

Interesting numbers from a general-purpose technology site: 66 percent on Windows, 24 on Mac.

Snow Leopard Adoption by Macworld Readers ★

Pretty similar to DF’s.

I Always Knew That Some Day I’d Make an Impression on Justine Bateman ★

My wife calls down a few hours ago, and says, “Well, Justine Bateman says you’re a shithead.”

Yankees First to Clinch Playoff Berth ★

Looking good for 27.

Ten Days to Go on the VRF ‘Masters’ Project at Kickstarter ★

Speaking of photography, my friends at the Vanderbilt Republic Foundation are making remarkable progress in their Kickstarter fundraising for their “Masters” project. They’re about three-quarters of the way to their goal, with 10 days remaining. They’ve already raised more money than any other Kickstarter project to date, but they’re not there yet, and Kickstarter’s gimmick is that it’s all-or-nothing.

This is a grand, ambitious, emotional project. If you’ve been waiting to help out, now’s the time. The best part: the VRF has received a $20,000 “challenge grant”:

If the VRF hits (or breaks) the $50,000 mark within the next 15 days, they’ll pledge 20K towards our cause. This also means that between right now and October 3rd, every dollar pledged to the VRF is doubled.

Pledge today and your donation will be doubled. Any amount will help; any amount will be doubled.

Chase Jarvis: The Best Camera ★

Remember Chase Jarvis? I linked up his excellent iPhone photography back in April. His mantra was, and remains, that the best camera is the one that’s with you.

He’s taken it to the next step and released his own $3 iPhone app, The Best Camera, which lets you apply various useful filters to the photos you take on your iPhone.The app also lets you upload to various web sites (but, alas, not Flickr). And, if that’s not enough, Jarvis has released a book of his iPhone photography.

iTunes 9.0.1 ★

Restores the old behavior to the title bar zoom button — clicking it now switches to the mini player mode, rather than maximizing the window. Bunch of bug fixes, too.

USB Standards Group Rules Against Palm ★

From Palm’s weeks-ago letter to the USB-IF asking for a ruling against Apple in the iTunes/WebOS cat-and-mouse game:

Palm will shortly issue an update of its WebOS operating system that uses Apple’s Vendor ID number for the sole purpose of restoring the Palm media sync functionality.

From the USB-IF’s response, after the part where they dismissed Palm’s argument that Apple was in the wrong:

I attach for your information the USB-IF’s adopted and published policy regarding Vendor Identification Numbers (VIDs). Under the Policy, Palm may only use the single Vendor ID issued to Palm for Palm’s usage. Usage of any other company’s Vendor ID is specifically precluded. Palm’s expressed intent to use Apple’s VID appears to violate the attached policy.

Please clarify Palm’s intent and respond to this potential violation within seven days.