Living with Geeks

Entries categorized as ‘Apple’

Final Cut blues: crawling back to iMovie (for now…)

January 28, 2007 · No Comments

slacker

After some weeks of tinkering with Final Cut and being amazed and dazzled with its capability, I’m - only for the short-term - returning to iMovie and here’s why:

GRATIFICATION WITHDRAWAL!

Santa is disappointed too.

Yep - Final Cut is absolutely amazing and in-depth but it’s darned humbling!

No matter what I do in Final Cut, it looks like ‘The Suck’ (…as my man is known to say). I’ve ripped up footage, mis-aligned audio, and haven’t posted project-related clips on the blog in for-ev-ah (despite interviewing folks on a regular, fantastically fun basis e.g. footage is ready to fly!).

I fear this means I’m impatient in learning this. Ok! But the truth is, methinks learning in a collaborative environment with this may be useful. Or is that wimpy?

What’s your Final Cut (Express or Pro) learning-curve experience?!

Categories: Apple · Editing video · Final Cut Express/Pro

Apple outshadows Xbox + Macbook comes early for birthday

January 25, 2007 · No Comments

My man’s birthday is in April; and I didn’t want to wait LAST MINUTE for his gift.
{ subtext: I’m a sucker to see him glow with joy }

Plus Apple Recon gives Apple sales updates…in-ter-est-ing (blowing Xbox away).

Categories: Apple · Sean Stickle

Feldman justifies Jobs with saucy lingo: why Apple rejects Open Source

January 17, 2007 · No Comments

Lauren Feldman sums it up with common sense and a sharp tongue.

Categories: Apple · Open Source · Rant

Listen to a geek song: new Mac owner gives lyrical thanks

January 16, 2007 · No Comments

We recently gave an older Mac to DC Media Maker Phil Shapiro who connects unused computers to others wanting them in the community. It’s a great program. And the Mac’s new family, Mary, sang a song of glee.

…makes life worth livin’!

Categories: Apple · DC Media Makers

Geek debate: iPhone & Steve Jobs’ sales forecast

January 12, 2007 · No Comments

An interesting thread unfolds at Sharing the Truth.

Many Mac and tech loyalists chimed in on Jobs’ potentially over zealous sales forecast for the iPhone. Coming from a sales, non-tech background — I believe his $10m is appropriately aggressive as Apple’s leader. He is after all not only Apple’s Chief Enthusiast but its champion in profitability as well.

UPDATE: -more iPhone info on network carriers.

Categories: Apple · Equipment · Steve Jobs

Geek-takes: Google Earth & iPhone, the day after

January 10, 2007 · No Comments

Cool Google update per Techcrunch with an iPhone take-down at Graceful Flavor’s place.

Categories: Apple

Apple’s iPhone with iPod: yes, it is that hip & that cool

January 9, 2007 · No Comments

We guessed it was possible and now it’s here.

Categories: Apple

Interview pipeline: dreaming of Macworld ‘07 next week

January 2, 2007 · No Comments

Macworld logo

Mmm, wouldn’t that be a fine interview source to scope out developers at Macworld, San Francisco! Maybe I can watch who attends (could that info be tracked? maybe not…) — to get potential interview leads, esp core software folks.

This guy cleverly included Macworld in his 2007 predictions…ha!

Categories: Apple · Conferences · Interview Leads

Apple’s service, iMovie, & the project’s first female techi interviews for project

November 25, 2006 · No Comments

Just returned from Thanksgiving in Charlotte, NC. All was fantastic (heartburn heartburn heartburn). There’s much to give thanks for; & the trip brought that point home.

Thanks very much for the varied insights to my recent experience with Apple’s non-web customer service. The DVD-R format worked perfectly for burning my first short (…completion of which brought tears to the eyes - sappy but true). I cut it with Apple’s iMovie, which has been a good first-step program for smaller projects. In the next 12 months, I aspire to train on Final Cut Pro.

Yowza!

Next-up for this week’s interview pipeline:
-following up with Tony Boyd & his wife in Silicon Valley;
-meeting with DC Web Women’s technical director & her husband (the project’s first female ‘geek’ to participate);
-securing a Skype interview with Navigance’s CEO-&-spouse

May all be excellent your way.

Categories: Apple · Interview Leads

Apple customer service *not* the apple-of-my-eye

November 20, 2006 · 3 Comments

In between meetings today I called two different Apple customer support lines with a general question. Neither department knew the answer (one support member transferred me to sales who then wanted to transfer me elsewhere).

And the second customer/sales agent said I needed my computer’s serial number to avoid being charged for the call. Yikes(!) + odd(!).

I just cut a 7-minute short & needed to burn two dvd discs on Mac’s intel core duo machine. The question was thus:

Which dvd format e.g. plus or minus is most conducive to this type of Mac?

Time was pinched so at the office supply store I bought both formats. After reading more later, I learned the system should accept both types.

This was the first time to utilize Apple’s customer support teams (non-web). Ugh.

What’s been your experience?

Categories: Apple · Studio