Society by Joe WilcoxMar 14, 201511:29 am

Comic-Con Heroes: The Volunteer

Three more profiles, and the conclusion, remain before I release my ebook Comic-Con Heroes: The Fans Who Make The Greatest Show On Earth into the public domain, on July 8, 2015, after my current commitment with Amazon KDP Select ends. To recap: The tome features 12 attendees from the 2013 San Diego convention. This year marks my seventh, but I am a paying participant; for reasons I don’t understand, my press credentials weren’t recertified.

So far we have met, in order of appearance: The Dark Knight, The Fighter, The Collectors, The Academic, The Nerd Culturist, The Writer,The Bicyclists, The Heroine, and The Time Lord. They represent a surprising cross-section of Comic-Con attendees, ranging from a toy anthropologist to a hopeful future storyteller. They’re all worth your attention. Place look back.

Living by Joe WilcoxMar 14, 201510:40 am

The Accident at Maryland and Monroe

Among the worst sounds—that which send shivers through my body—are the screeching of brakes followed by impact. The sun blazes this fine, clear Saturday in San Diego. with air temperature already 26 degrees Celsius and heading up to 31 (78 and 88 F). Windows are open throughout our apartment, and those shivering-sending sounds broke the morning calm.

Two cars collided at the intersection of Maryland and Monroe, where I am surprised more accidents don’t occur. Little Lou Lou, our neighbor’s cat was run down there, at the turn, on another Saturday in April 2013. Many drivers go too fast, and visibility is often obscured.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMar 14, 20157:10 am

Flickr a Day 73: ‘OMG!’

Reviewing the last few days of selections, I see that the subjects are all older. We can’t have that! I picked today’s pic mainly for staging. The umbrellas are perfect additions, and what’s not to […]

Photo by Joe WilcoxMar 13, 20157:12 am

Flickr a Day 72: ‘Going That Way’

For this second Friday the 13th of 2015, Juan Carlos Gonzalez is your lucky charm. His Flickr stream is a magnificent presentation of color and composition. Many of the photos seem to leap off the […]

Apple by Joe WilcoxMar 12, 20158:16 pm

Google pulls an Apple-Like Media Coup

Bias in the media is inevitable, and any news gatherer who denies this fact is a liar. Companies seek favor or to influence in countless ways. It’s the nature of the beast, which cannot be tamed. So I wonder how Chromebook Pixel embargoes impacted reporting about Apple’s newest laptop. If they did, as I’m convinced, Google pulled off one hell of a marketing coup.

The search and information giant provided many tech blogs and news sites with the new Pixel about a week before the l aptop launched yesterday and the first reviews posted—that was also days before Apple’s well-publicized media event where a new MacBook was rumored. Both computers share something in common: USB Type-C, which is bleeding-edge tech. The connector received much media attention on Monday and Tuesday two ways: Buzz about it being the next great thing, and MacBook having but one port (Pixel has two, and others).

Apple by Joe WilcoxMar 12, 20151:33 pm

Chromebook Pixel or New MacBook?

Two new laptops launched this week, both pioneering USB-C and packing 12-inch displays. The likenesses stop there, and the distinctions can’t be overstated. One computer you can buy now, the other comes next month. Should you consider either? My primer will help you decide.

Apple unveiled the new MacBook, which measures 1.31 centimeters at its thickest and weighs less than a kilogram, on March 9. Sales start April 10, 2015. Yesterday, Google launched the second-generation Chromebook Pixel, which is immediately available for purchase (mine arrives tomorrow from the new Google Store). Both laptops adopt USB Type-C for power and, using adapters, hooking up to other devices. USB-C puts both computers at the bleeding edge for charging and connectivity, But their approach to ports couldn’t be more different.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMar 12, 20156:50 am

Flickr a Day 71: ‘Silence & Serenity’

Belgian Lie—”pronounced as ‘ee’”, she says—distinguishes her photographic art by a distinctive characteristic: Red. She uses the color to accent and punctuate her images. If you spend time browsing none of the other photographers’ photostreams […]

Apple by Joe WilcoxMar 11, 20159:33 pm

New MacBook Gasps for Air

Across tech sites and forums there are rumbling complaints about Apple choosing to provide just one port on the 12-inch MacBook and the compromises the design presents. The flawed approach is much bigger, and the laptop line has been this way before—where thinning down means giving up something many users want, which is why I am so surprised that little of the discussion focuses on the original MacBook Air.

Stated simply before the long explanation: If you don’t mind paying $1,299 or $1,599 for the performance equivalent of a souped-up tablet, running OS X but lacking touchscreen, Apple’s tiny laptop is a good choice. Otherwise, stop whining and buy something else. There is no shortage of choices in the slim-and-portable category.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMar 11, 20157:27 am

Flickr a Day 70: ‘Reading Light’

Lighting is today’s selection’s winning quality. Illumination behind the subject, enveloped by darkness all around, creates cozy feeling. Don’t you just want to grab a book and join him? Carol Blyberg shot self-titled “Reading Light” […]

Photo by Joe WilcoxMar 10, 20156:49 am

Flickr a Day 69: ‘Breaking the Silence’

The intensity exploding from the photographs of Isengardt can’t be ignored, and it draws in and envelopes you. Today’s selection is among his tamest, but I’m not alone fancying it. The image is his Flickr banner. Color and mood make self-titled “Breaking the silence”. Yeah, I can almost hear that car punching through the fog.

Bond is a name. You don’t need to hear the James. I have to say the same of Isengardt, whose name is a mystery to me. But not his equipment. He used the Canon EOS 550D to shoot this photo, on Sept. 30, 2012.

News Media by Joe WilcoxMar 9, 20158:58 pm

Goodbye Gigaom

Twice a day, my wife or I take meals to her 93 year-old dad, if he doesn’t want to eat out for lunch. I sat with the gent in his apartment early this evening reading to him about the day in history when a Twitter notification from Harry McCracken caught my attention: “Stunned to hear that Gigaom is no more, but also confident that its excellent staff will find good gigs elsewhere”. Say what?

It’s true, and not a prank as I first suspected. A pioneering tech blog—one of the few credibly news reporting—has ceased “all operations”. What looked like a normal day of posting, and with higher output given the Apple Watch event, was anything but. Maybe the backstory will make sense of today’s closure. For surely an operation with news, research, and events doesn’t evaporate suddenly. The greater concern is resurrection as something less, with menial staff, and focus on posting for pageviews.

Apple by Joe WilcoxMar 9, 20154:50 pm

Apple Returns to Its Roots

Following today’s splashy media event, Apple looks lots more like the company I loved—and loathed—last decade. The smartwatch and new, ultra-thin and light MacBook take Apple back to its core (no pun intended). Both products are all about status. Make no mistake: The devices you use establish status—having the newest, coolest thing. Appealing to the desire for coolness is a longstanding Apple design prerogative.

But that aspirational quality has been missing for a good half decade—and I suspect not coincidentally during the latter stages of cofounder Steve Jobs’ illness, retirement as chief executive, and tragic death. Aspiration remained in the marketing but the quality falls short of products released from around 1998 to 2010. On Twitter today, “Wow” is a common response to the new MacBook, about which many tweeters regard as the bigger announcement. I agree. The 12-inch screen laptop goes on sale April 10, starting at $1,299.