tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11049281Tue, 16 Mar 2010 11:51:26 +0000I write software. I'm obsessive-compulsive. I like good stuff. Kittens are fuzzy.http://wilshipley.com/blog/noreply@blogger.com (Wil Shipley)Blogger136125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11049281.post-3879390592259865324Sun, 14 Mar 2010 05:01:00 +00002010-03-15T07:23:26.962-07:00When I started going to TED its talks weren’t on the web, and it was a very expensive, by-invite-only conference for about 1,200 people, so basically nobody I'd ever met had heard of TED, including me. Nowadays TED itself is still expensive and by-invite-only, but its talks are all online, and that's made all the difference. TED’s now Kind of a Big Deal.So when people see my TED laptop bag or my http://wilshipley.com/blog/2010/03/ted-2010.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Wil Shipley)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11049281.post-43897216646873509Wed, 03 Mar 2010 14:06:00 +00002010-03-03T06:06:40.466-08:00Enforcing patents is wrong. You’ve famously taken and built on ideas from your competitors, as have I, as we should, as great artists do. Why is what HTC has done worse? Whether an idea was patented doesn’t change the morality of copying it, it only changes the ability to sue.But when you sue someone for doing something you do yourself, you become one of the bad guys. Can you name a company you http://wilshipley.com/blog/2010/03/open-letter-to-steve-jobs-concerning.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Wil Shipley)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11049281.post-2240640073652448426Wed, 21 Oct 2009 01:50:00 +00002009-10-31T17:39:56.473-07:00mac communitycodebusinessIntroductionIf you’re developing commercial software, you’re going to want to sell it globally — for well-localized English-speaking software companies, for instance, I have seen between 20% and 25% of total revenue coming from non-English speaking countries. That’s, like, real money. You’ll want that.Delicious MonsterGross Sales byLanguage of CountryEnglish80.9%German8.1%French3.2%Japanese2.6%http://wilshipley.com/blog/2009/10/pimp-my-code-part-17-lost-in.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Wil Shipley)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11049281.post-4032813207250805473Fri, 21 Aug 2009 10:49:00 +00002009-08-24T21:38:37.575-07:00interface designcodeFirst off, I should mention that I don't think I use the word "heuristic" correctly – although in computer science it's grown to replace the word "algorithm" as just a general term for a way to solve a problem, traditionally it has a more narrow definition:Heuristic (/hjʊˈrɪs.tɪk/) is an adjective for experience-based techniques that help in problem solving, learning and discovery.(Yay, it's fun http://wilshipley.com/blog/2009/08/pimp-my-code-part-16-heuristics-and.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Wil Shipley)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11049281.post-4116794592786324162Sun, 24 May 2009 22:50:00 +00002009-05-25T14:52:42.706-07:00mac communityadvicerandom ideasbusinessThis document describes our process for reviewing applications for iPhones and iPods touch submitted to the iTunes App Store. We’ve avoided using legalese in this document so that you’ll actually read the whole thing. Please do so before starting to write your application, so that you won’t waste a bunch of time writing an application that we cannot publish.We hate having to reject anyone’s http://wilshipley.com/blog/2009/05/welcome-to-itunes-app-store.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Wil Shipley)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11049281.post-3622134808016348594Sun, 28 Sep 2008 22:31:00 +00002008-09-30T15:59:08.676-07:00random ideasOr, I Test-Drove a Tesla and All I Got Was These Lousy Adrenaline ShakesShort version: Tesla.--Long version: I've had insomnia since I was a wee lad, and at night I often calm my brain by thinking up idealized objects. Optimal house cooling, unpowered water purification, the ultimate graphics card, the coolest car ever. It's a good exercise, I think: if you don't have an idea of what you'd like http://wilshipley.com/blog/2008/09/tesla-v-supercharged-lotus-elise.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Wil Shipley)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11049281.post-400652803418999982Mon, 22 Sep 2008 23:26:00 +00002008-09-23T16:17:22.926-07:00mac communitybusinessCall me a proponent of free markets, but I think Apple needs to have a clearly-documented policy for approving submissions to the iPhone App Store, and it should be:• Publish all software submitted to Apple, as long as the software isn't actively harmful to users, illegal, and does not violate Apple's agreements with cell phone vendors.• Period.--The iPhone app store is, at heart, incredible. http://wilshipley.com/blog/2008/09/iphone-app-store-let-market-decide.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Wil Shipley)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11049281.post-4125953378764058135Wed, 30 Jul 2008 04:10:00 +00002008-07-29T22:23:12.670-07:00mac communitystoriesbusinessI guess I should first admit I hate the show Punk’d. I mean, here’s a guy who is famous for lying about his age so he seems hipper, telling us that his show’s purpose it to deflate the big egos on other stars, and show them what truly matters in life. So he sets up situations where anyone would get upset, and then laughs when he upsets people. I call *cough*bullshit*cough*. (Also *cough*jerkface*http://wilshipley.com/blog/2008/07/mojave-experiment-bad-science-bad.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Wil Shipley)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11049281.post-239909600890133322Tue, 08 Jul 2008 00:15:00 +00002008-07-07T17:19:37.288-07:00Last week, a customer reported a bug to me in Delicious Library 2: when he first launched version two, his version one data would start to be imported, but after waiting for tens of minutes watching the annoying aqua progress bar creep along, his entire machine would crash. Every time.His collection was so huge it took me two solid days to download his version one files onto my machine. When I http://wilshipley.com/blog/2008/07/pimp-my-code-part-15-greatest-bug-of.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Wil Shipley)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11049281.post-4730040031687472185Sat, 21 Jun 2008 09:23:00 +00002008-06-21T02:40:43.478-07:00storiesbusinessOk, well, actually Delicious Library 2 shipped like four weeks ago. Sorry I didn't tell you. It's not because I don't care. Honestly, I tried to tell the press, but I think they're pretty sick of me, so there wasn't much of a splash on the news sites.Sales have been great, though, so I can't complain.But, hey, enough about me... what's up with your life? (Use blank space provided.) _______ ______http://wilshipley.com/blog/2008/06/delicious-library-2-has-shipped.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Wil Shipley)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11049281.post-6133049425738026354Sat, 12 Apr 2008 10:52:00 +00002008-04-12T03:54:30.195-07:00storiesIn 1987 I was a senior in high school and my mother was in the hospital with leukemia; a long, very painful experimental treatment would either cure her (but leave her changed for life) or she would die.With the profits I'd made from my summer job, I had bought a $400 Technics portable CD player, one of the very first ones ever made. It was solid metal and heavy as hell, and the rechargeable http://wilshipley.com/blog/2008/04/its-just-story.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Wil Shipley)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11049281.post-2431425723751061940Mon, 24 Mar 2008 07:51:00 +00002008-03-24T00:59:10.366-07:00storiesThere is a moment when you are touching a woman, innocently, you say, innocently, she says, but you are massaging her back, stroking her hair, running your fingers lightly over her face.There is a moment when you think to yourself, "I want to kiss her, I should kiss, I am going to kiss her."And you know that if you are wrong, you will feel stupid. And she will leave. And you will apologize. And http://wilshipley.com/blog/2008/03/there-is-moment.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Wil Shipley)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11049281.post-6660912869301801031Sat, 01 Mar 2008 00:11:00 +00002008-02-29T16:14:29.199-08:00storiesI am back, after a fashion. The night before TED, my new MacBook Air was stolen out of the lobby of the Portola Plaza hotel, leaving me in the dark for days, feeling incredibly violated.My old, now kind of stinky-seeming MacBook Pro has been shipped to me, so at least I can connect to the sweet mother intertron, whose warm nectar I crave daily. Also, I can now track down the frakker who took my http://wilshipley.com/blog/2008/02/ted2008-part-1-gossip.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Wil Shipley)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11049281.post-3542284008220396844Mon, 18 Feb 2008 00:36:00 +00002008-02-17T18:04:23.445-08:00mac communityLots of people have asked for my impressions, so I thought I'd post a more sober (literally) look at life with my little MacBook Air. With no cussing!• It feels really nice, like a pebble. A large, smooth pebble, from a stream. This shape speaks to me, like the MOTOPEBL did, except that was a crappy phone and not a really nice computer.• It is super-solid. It feels way more structurally solid http://wilshipley.com/blog/2008/02/macbook-air-rambling-first-impressions.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Wil Shipley)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11049281.post-1326760229234214113Sun, 10 Feb 2008 01:18:00 +00002008-02-09T17:22:18.472-08:00mac communityinterface designcodeadvicebusinessMr. Rentczchxh has posted my talk from C4, and if you would enjoy watching a talk without paying, you can watch it. It's on hype, and how I generate it, but it also touches on other topics concerning having your own software company, like making good software, bundling, getting into stores, having sex with cylons, &c.Watch it!Or don't.http://wilshipley.com/blog/2008/02/my-c41-talk.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Wil Shipley)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11049281.post-3373294962908008560Wed, 16 Jan 2008 05:07:00 +00002008-02-04T19:32:37.069-08:00mac communityinterface designbusinessI thought of a lot of titles for this post, but, really, the first one that came to me seems the best.I've read nothing but whining about the MacBook Air on Mac news sites since it came out this morning. Honestly, I just want to shake these people. Not, like, shake some sense into them, but shake them like you're not supposed to shake a baby.The criticism all basically goes like this: "It's not http://wilshipley.com/blog/2008/01/macbook-air-haters-suck-my-dick.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Wil Shipley)84tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11049281.post-7324027759449864806Sun, 23 Dec 2007 01:58:00 +00002007-12-22T17:59:36.513-08:00mac communityhumor?businessOh... You feel your brain's been locked up tightWriting good code at only at nightWaiting for a jobTo challenge youYou're cracking your knuckles, trying to code my wayBut that don't mean I'll hire you right awayLaddy, Laddy, Laddy (Lady, Lady, Lady?) Yo yo... Your mouth's saying hire meOh woe...But my brain's saying let's see CIf you wanna work for me, laddy There's a price you pay I'm a sticklerhttp://wilshipley.com/blog/2007/12/are-you-genie-in-bottle.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Wil Shipley)7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11049281.post-4430606081417953346Tue, 18 Dec 2007 12:45:00 +00002007-12-19T17:56:34.618-08:00mac communitystoriescodeIt's been a crazy couple of weeks for me...First off, Lucas Newman is leaving Delicious Monster -- as of January 1 he will be an iPhone engineer. This is an amazing opportunity for him, one I would never ask a friend to pass up. We remain buddies, although I'm running around Zoka these last couple weeks telling every girl I see that Lucas was secretly super-hot for her and is leaving now, which Ihttp://wilshipley.com/blog/2007/12/transitions-and-epiphanies.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Wil Shipley)14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11049281.post-7728157748076184531Sat, 08 Dec 2007 23:56:00 +00002007-12-08T16:14:53.001-08:00storiesI killed him today - 10 minute ago.F.P. Murray Fuzzcat was a pure-bred Persian born to champions, bred by my sister (a veterinarian in California) to show or sell. His nose was deemed "too large" at birth, so she gave him to me, for mere room and board. Later in life, my sister would inspect him and reverse her decision -- he had "grown into" his nose and could have been a champion, had I not http://wilshipley.com/blog/2007/12/mr-murray-is-dead.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Wil Shipley)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11049281.post-868996496130465716Wed, 05 Dec 2007 08:41:00 +00002007-12-05T00:41:24.675-08:00storiesThere are so many clichés that, as I grow up, I find are really true. And with every one, I go through the same process:"Gee, I've discovered this amazing and unique thing about humanity that no one has ever discovered before, but how can I express it in words... Hmm, well, in this case, I want to convey the idea that sometimes you want to express a sexual attraction to a person and have them http://wilshipley.com/blog/2007/12/on-saying-goodbye.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Wil Shipley)7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11049281.post-6984489276322327423Sun, 18 Nov 2007 12:26:00 +00002007-11-18T04:33:46.229-08:00humor?Who doesn't love sequels? Certainly no red-blooded American. But, sadly, some movies never get sequels. Why? And what can we do about it?I think the only thing to do is for us to show truth to power, and point out these omissions. Maybe we can inspire some Hollywood hack who has lost his way. If even one sequel gets made that would have otherwise been an original idea, wouldn't it be worth it?So,http://wilshipley.com/blog/2007/11/movie-sequels-we-need.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Wil Shipley)12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11049281.post-3147029296428814345Thu, 18 Oct 2007 10:26:00 +00002007-10-18T04:19:00.569-07:00mac communityrandom ideasWe've got it! We got our SDK! Well, I mean, we don't HAVE it yet, but we have a promise, and a promise that times nicely with my being done with Delicious Library 2 and looking for something to do before I start on v3.So what are we going to do with it? Sure, we're going to port Peggle (from PopCap), the BEST GAME EVER, and I hope there's a native version of Xeno Tactics (please write me if you http://wilshipley.com/blog/2007/10/video-game-ideas-iphone-sdk-edition.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Wil Shipley)70tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11049281.post-2518147644773667669Thu, 11 Oct 2007 15:50:00 +00002007-10-11T08:50:46.394-07:00mac communitybusinessI own an Apple TV. (Yah, I'm the one.) I turned it on when I first got it, thought it looked really pretty, then turned it off and never touched it again.BUT! I think Apple TV will be an amazing device, and a massive success for Apple... after they make a few changes.Why did I turn mine off? Well, because in my TV room I also have a Mac mini hooked up to a 2TB drive. The Mac mini runs Front Row, http://wilshipley.com/blog/2007/10/open-systems-closed-systems-and-future.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Wil Shipley)16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11049281.post-4686967194611815234Tue, 02 Oct 2007 09:06:00 +00002007-10-02T02:23:58.781-07:00random ideasThemes explored: when does the player feel violence necessary, how do people's backgrounds influence this decision, and (major theme) that you HAVE to make a decision on this point, that you can't decide not to decide because reasonable people disagree and people will be hurt or happy either way.Setting: you inherit a rescue-and-treat space facility from someone (your dead, estranged dad?). You http://wilshipley.com/blog/2007/10/video-game-idea-space-911.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Wil Shipley)16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11049281.post-4482694745307531130Thu, 27 Sep 2007 08:55:00 +00002007-09-27T02:13:15.886-07:00I own the entire first season of Heroes -- bought it on iTunes. Same with Battlestar Galactica seasons 1 and 2, and The Office.Of course, I don't own Heroes season 2, because Mac users aren't allowed to download NBC's shows this season, and I don't have cable. I'm allergic to ads anyways. I've reached a point in my life where my time is just more valuable than that.I'm a honest man, so I http://wilshipley.com/blog/2007/09/go-nbc-youre-smurt.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Wil Shipley)