Author: Joe Wilcox

Gear by Joe WilcoxJan 31, 20155:15 pm

Nokia Lumia Icon takes a Trip

I cursed Microsoft’s find Windows Phone feature yesterday, after my mom misplaced—okay, lost—her Nokia Lumia Icon. I knew GPS might be a bit inaccurate, but repeated attempts to locate the device put it inside a building, then in the parking lot, then somewhere else around the facility. Icon’s location bounced around, as every effort to lock it failed and the device frequently couldn’t be found.

But I wrongly faulted the tech. Turns out, Microsoft’s service accurately provided the locations. Mom’s Icon was on the move, something that wouldn’t be known for several hours later.

Living by Joe WilcoxJan 31, 20153:58 pm

Comic-Con Heroes: The Academic

My fourth installment of excerpts from ebook Comic-Con Heroes: The Fans Who Make the Greatest Show on Earth takes an interesting directional shift. So far we’ve met The Dark Knight, Medieval fighter, and twin-brother toy collectors. Would you believe there are people who study toys as a profession? Read on to see.

To recap: I attended San Diego Comic-Con 2013 with intention of profiling one-dozen among the 130,000 attendees. As SDCC 2015 approaches, I am posting 13 installments, after which the book will release into the public domain, on July 8, 2015, when my current commitment for Amazon KDP Select ends.

Gear by Joe WilcoxJan 31, 20159:21 am

Rethinking Chromebook Pixel

Yesterday marked my second full day using Chromebook Pixel, following a nearly 7-month hiatus and pointless journey to Windows 8.1 and OS X Yosemite. Last summer, I sold my 64GB LTE Pixel to a student from Brazil; I had purchased the laptop new off Craigslist, substantially discounted. I feel foolish for letting it go. I type on the 32GB WiFi model—used, and I’m grateful to have it.

Google unveiled the Pixel two years ago next month. The hardware is unchanged, while competitors—and even most Chromebook manufacturing partners—have moved on to newer hardware. The only real difference is Chrome OS, now at version 40, up from 25 when I reviewed the computer in late February 2013. My questions today, rethinking the computer: Is there still a place for the Pixel, and, if so, should Google release updated models?

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 31, 20156:56 am

Flickr a Day 31: ‘Couple’

Today’s selection comes from Flickr searches for the Leica X1 and X2 digicams. Photographer Andrew Xu uses the latter, and I once owned the former. Originally from China, and living in New Zealand, the VFX artist is true to his profession, by posting photos that punch you with their terrific visual style.

I could easily fill the remaining 324 Flickrs a Day with Andrew’s images, which is comment about the challenge choosing one. I left the decision to fate, picking the pic from my initial search. Andrew’s style is so strong because, in part, he has a photographic philosophy that merges art and science. I recommend reading the full explanation on his Flickr profile page.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 30, 20157:25 am

Flickr a Day 30: ‘Try’

Where is Fe Ilya? He joined Flickr in July 2008, but his last posted pic was taken Dec. 11, 2011. I see him on Tumblr, where his last posted photo was June 7, 2014; despite bleeding-edge presentation, […]

Apple by Joe WilcoxJan 29, 201510:20 am

Sameness is Secret to Apple’s Success

Apple is boring. Perhaps you have seen such statement somewhere on the InterWebs sometime during the last couple of months and increasingly the past few weeks. It’s a meme slowly growing—and for good reasons. While others innovate, Apple iterates and succeeds unblushingly well. The company is mountains more successful today innovating less and taking fewer risks.

Apple is the new Microsoft, where maximizing margins matters more than innovation. Look how much more successful Apple is by being boring and following where innovators lead. Consider today’s Strategy Analytics report that puts Apple and Samsung tied for calendar fourth-quarter smartphone shipments. Such scenario was all but unfathomable two quarters earlier. Yet the foundation laid long before Apple cofounder Steve Job’s death, when logistics genius and now CEO Tim Cook managed day-to-day operations. Risk-to-innovation defined Jobs’ management style. Cook is more tactical.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 29, 20157:14 am

Flickr a Day 29: ‘Tiny Houses’

Vantage point best describes the photography of Jessica P., better known as jjesskalee around the social networks. Perspective works just as well. She sets very defined viewpoints, often getting in close to subjects. Like me, she uses the Fujifilm X100T, which shoots surprisingly great Macros; the f/2 lens gives shallow depth-of-field that produces fantastic bokeh.

Jessica shot self-titled “Tiny Houses” on Dec. 31, 2014. The houses belong to board game The Settlers of Catan, which was unknown to me before seeing this pic and a companion my wife prefers. As someone who fanatically role-played Dungeons and Dragons and Empire of the Petal Throne in high school, I’m surprised to somehow have missed Catan, which Klaus Teuber developed and released to the German market 20 years ago.

Apple by Joe WilcoxJan 28, 20158:02 am

The Jesus Phone adds 75 Million Disciples

Hallelujah and praise be Steve Jobs. What’s that saying about the ghost in the machine? Because his spirit, or something, leads the sometimes-called Jesus phone to miraculous sales. After the market close yesterday, Apple revealed calendar Q4 2014 (fiscal Q1 2015) results for the period ending December 27: 74.688 million iPhones.

Get this: Apple sold in the one quarter more iPhones than during fiscal years 2007-10 (73.946 million) combined, or twice as many as sold (37.044 million) during the same three months in 2012. On its own, iPhone generated more revenue, $51.182 billion, than all of Apple in any quarter in fiscal 2012 and, singly, three of the four quarters in each of FY 2013 and 2014. The amount also exceeds every fiscal year through 2009, which revenue was $42.905 billion.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 28, 20156:56 am

Flickr a Day 28: Licensing Lesson

All photos in this series are authenticated for copyright. Sometimes the process for the photographer is more difficult, particularly when language and location are factors. Luigi Alesi shot today’s selection, licensed Creative Commons noncommercial, on […]

News Media by Joe WilcoxJan 27, 20152:48 pm

Responsible Journalism Cheat Sheet

Several themes consistently recur in my posts about good journalism. They’re spread out over about five years of posting, and it’s unrealistic to expect anyone to read everything to find them. So for your benefit, and even my own, I pull together some quick tips that every news gatherer should strongly consider adopting as part of his or her daily routine.

News reporting isn’t a profession but a lifestyle. Ethics you adopt shape it—and you.

News Media by Joe WilcoxJan 27, 201512:58 pm

Empower Your Readers

Evergreen articles are rarely as good as James Kendrick’s ZDNet analysis “Corporate layoffs: Prepare your BYOD smartphone for the worst“, which reminds what good, longer-form, long-lasting journalism is supposed to be: Informative and useful to readers in the intended audience.

In contrast, the trend among bloggers is to write a question in the headline that someone might ask in search. While the information in the post can be useful, the intended audience is the search engine, not people. Consider this example from Gizmodo today: “Why Do Radio Signals Travel Farther at Night Than in the Day?” The topic marginally fits Gizmodo’s target tech audience, which I presume is likely to know the answer. The story is republished from site Today I Found Out, where there are more reader-useful graphics. James’ story informs and educates, while the Giz post is more like a non-curated Wikipedia entry.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 27, 20156:45 am

Flickr a Day 27: London Rain

Can’t you just feel the chill? Duncan Harris shot this photo, in front of Harrods in Knightsbridge, on Dec. 19, 2011. For those people obsessed with the fanciest camera, the photographer matters more. He used the Nikon Coolpix S2500 to capture this atmospheric moment. Duncan says the 12-megapixel compact “is almost as good as a dSLR”. Perhaps in the right hands, as his are.

The image captivates for so many reasons: Motion of the pedestrians set against the crisp still cars; raindrops on the vehicles and reflections from fallen water; shimmering lights escaping the wet mist. I found this photo around Flick a Day 8 and reluctantly waited to post, as this isn’t the first wet street pic featured. See days 7 and 13.