Isaac Schmidt

Reusing UITableView Header Views+Controllers

I’m a big fan of UITableViews, as a class they enjoy the distinction of being completely ubiquitous and complete workhorses, whilst still managing to look gorgeous. But they must be treated delicately, for example best practice dictates that table’s cell views be reusable, and the architecture of UITableView reflects that. Recently, I wanted to create [...]

Siri, where can I find an opinion?

Siri, for her many charms, is not actually a “her”, and not actually a “human”. She doesn’t have opinions, and her stated position on any topic under the sun can and must be reduced to the simple expression of a one or a zero. PCMag is running a piece on the fact that Siri [...]

Three’s a collection.

My sister returned from Shanghai last week, bearing amongst other things a snazzy new Mao t-shirt. Apparently it “had my name on it” although I can’t decipher the characters.

Placed lovingly beside my existing East German and Soviet themed shirts, this new Mao constitutes a shift from coincidence to collection of ironic socialist-themed t-shirts.

[...]

So close.

I’ve been reading Steve Jobs biography, and I’ve discovered lots of cool things.

I never knew that Apple got it’s name from an organic orchard outside my (adopted) American hometown of Eugene, Oregon.

Nor was I aware that he used to kick-it with his sister in the (former) offices of my long-term client, The [...]

Why Computers Don’t Work in Classrooms (yet)

Long an interested observer in the role of technology in the classroom, I must admit some dissapointment in skimming the results of several recently completed studies indicating that classrooms full of computers and technology don’t actually generate any observable benefit in academic performance on the part of students.

First, I do think it’s important to [...]

App Of The Week

Friends, it’s been a month – and a busy one at that. WWDC, a stint on the exotic islands of New Zealand and Australia in the South Pacific, and a rather anticlimactic return to New York City and my APP OF THE WEEK column.

I actually do have some things to say about my travels, [...]

WHEREABOUTS

Much has been written and said following the revelation that Apple’s devices maintain a database (to use the term loosely) with entries, that, properly parsed, can be used to demonstrate more or less where the iPhone has been geographically over the course of it’s little iLife.

So: Is this a problem, and if so, how [...]

My latest App: Stanley Mows the Lawn

Apple has approved for sale my first children’s book app, a joint venture with acclaimed illustrator and children’s book author Craig Frazier, titled Stanley Mows the Lawn. Without spoiling the story, Frazier’s well-loved Stanley character appears in this title to perform the rather unpleasant chore of mowing his overgrown lawn, [...]

Digital Shift Boosting Job Growth At Major Publishers

An interesting read on technology journal FIN’s site, Joseph Walker’s article provides some insights into the approaches (or in some cases the lack thereof ) at several major publishing houses in adjusting to the rising tide of digital content consumption. There isn’t much I could add to [...]

All The News That’s Fit To Paywall

InfoWorld’s Galen Gruman is absolutely right in asserting that the NYT’s introduction of it’s tiered paywall is a necessary development, but that the media giant has gotten its price structures horribly confused, and, as a result, the unhappy experiment will probably fail miserably (again).

While continuing to provide the anonymous masses unfettered free access to [...]