Author Archives: John Rockefeller

YouTube’s New UI

Posted on by John Rockefeller

If there was one website that needed a new UI it was Youtube.com. The site’s design hadn’t changed significantly since it’s introduction in 2005 and it was slow, heavy, and out-of-date.

Since the purchase of Youtube by Google, a few new features have shown up from time to time including the ability to sign in with your Google Account. Unfortunately, the site still felt like a third-party product and not part of the Google package.

In line with the across-the-board design upgrade to all of Google’s offerings, Youtube has just upgraded its design to match its Google siblings, Gmail and Docs. It’s a huge boost in terms of design and functionality, but it’s not all peachy. First, the bits that work well.

  • The Account Switching feature that’s found on Google Docs and Gmail is a very welcome addition, especially for people that make Youtube videos but also have a personal account with separate preferences and subscriptions.
  • The site is much faster. It’s hard to describe how good it feels to actually watch videos on the site now. Before, the site would stop loading randomly, usually just as we sat down to eat after clicking Play or when showing someone a video you’ve raved about.
  • Buttons are in the right spots and don’t move while the site is loading. I’ve griped about this sort of UI mistake before on other websites, especially twitter.com. The problem is something will move as soon as I go to click on it because another part of the website has loaded. I end up clicking on something else (usually an ad) that I didn’t want at all. It’s terribly frustrating and (thankfully) has been much improved in the UI upgrade.

And now for the not so good. Don’t worry, there isn’t much.

Is this Yahoo or Google?

There is way too much stuff on the front page. When Google first launched their search engine, designers lauded the simplicity of their design. It was common to compare yahoo.com up against google.com. Unfortunately, the front page of Youtube seems to be going in the wrong direction: more and more things just keep getting piled on the front page until it becomes a cluttered mess and I’m unsure exactly what I’m supposed to be looking at.

What’s your take?

Dropbox For Teams?

Posted on by John Rockefeller

Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a huge fan of Dropbox and have been using it for years. I learned about a new service that they’re offering called Dropbox Teams. One would assume that this version of the software would offer tighter integration with teams or some other features to justify the $795 cost which includes 5 seats.

Looking over the FAQ offered a lot of technical questions and answers but not what I was looking for: Why would anyone choose this option over the free or $10/month 50GB option?

Is there anyone out there using Dropbox Teams that can shed some light on why they went that route versus the regular service?

Edit: I see now. It’s basically a huge jump in the amount of storage capacity with some support thrown in that one will likely never use.

Second Tai Ji Quan Class This Evening!

Posted on by John Rockefeller

Last week was my first class of Chen-style tai ji in Guelph. I’m very lucky to have found this class and to be studying under a pupil of Master Jack Yan. Being a computer programmer has its perks, but being fit is not one of them. I’m not obese by any stretch, but my lack of movement and constant sitting gives me a feeling of atrophy, especially in my legs.

During the first class I could really feel the problem areas but it only made me want to push harder. I’m excited to go back tonight.

If you’re in Guelph and you’re interested in training in Taijiquan, talk to James.

Spending Money

Posted on by John Rockefeller
Shanghai

Shanghai.

I thought of a neat way to curb small purchases of < $15 that one makes daily.

It’s been a long-term goal of mine to travel to China and Taiwan. That costs money. So, I need to save.Cutting back on big purchases like laptops, furniture, and car stereos is easy. And that’s great, because if you don’t have the big you don’t have the small. But, as the old saying goes: “Take care of the pennies and the dollars take care of themselves,” I often find myself picking up $5 worth of coffee during a stay at the cafe or, in the case of today, $12 on an awesome game soundtrack. (Gridrunner Revolution from Turbo)

What if I set a goal of seeing how long I could go without spending any money on a day-by-day basis?

Enter the #spentmoneytoday hashtag. Every time I spend even 1 penny in a day on anything below $15, I will tweet what I bought with the #spentmoneytoday hashtag on Twitter. This is sort of a transparent way of embarrassing myself publicly for pushing my trips to China and Taiwan back by minutes or hours (cents and dollars).