Chris Ullrich | Dot Net

Even though I’ve had an iPad since day one, I haven’t really embraced it as a pure writing tool and it hasn’t completely replaced my laptop for that purpose as I hoped it would. I have used it for some writing, and various other tasks like watching videos or perusing Flipboard, but I still found myself turning to the laptop for any work for The Flickcast or for this site, especially when editing pictures or embedding video were involved.

However, I recently discovered that the iPad is particularly great for writing at least one thing: scripts. I discovered this fact when I finally got around to using the Final Draft Writer app for the iPad that I’ve had installed for some time but basically ignored in favor of its Mac OSX-based brother.

In short, the Final Draft Writer app is quite intuitive and works extremely well. And, much to my surprise, it’s very usable without an external keyboard. I just type on the screen. That’s a big plus when it means you only need to carry an iPad in your bag which, even compared to my 13″ MacBook Air, is still lighter and much more portable.

Plus, the Final Draft Writer app integrates with Dropbox so I can work on scripts and then save them to the Cloud for later editing on the MacBook Air, desktop or even the iPhone (if I’m really bored in line at the DMV or something). Sorry, no Google Drive integration yet, just Dropbox. And yes, to take advantage of this feature you do need an iPad with a data connection (I have the Verizon 4G LTE version) or, of course, available WiFi.

Still, the combination of the Final Draft Writer app, Dropbox integration, the retina display and long battery life of the iPad and no need for an external keyboard, makes this an excellent alternative to a laptop or desktop. In fact, I’m going to try using the iPad exclusively to work on my various scripts for the next couple weeks and see if I can leave the desktop and laptop behind.

I’ll keep you posted.

And before you ask, no, I’m not writing a script called “The Swans of Brooklyn.” That’s a demo script that comes with the software.

Just a quick post to test out the new Beta of Ecto, my blogging software of choice. So far, so good. Especially considering the last verion of the Beta would not talk to my blog at WordPress. Now, it does. Thanks guys at Ecto for all the hard work. It’s a good program and well worth the 20 bucks so give it a try.

Also, I’ll be back to more frequent writing here and at other places too pretty soon. It’s just taken a bit of time to get back into things. I’m sure you can understand.

Oddly enough I can’t embed a video here from a site called Jumpcut. Even though the video is an interview with WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg conducted by LAist head honcho and all-around cool guy Tony Pierce. You would think they would make an exception this time, but no.

So, I can only link to LAist where the video is for you to have the opportunity to enjoy it. I find the whole situation pretty ironic. Oh well, at least Matt seems like a nice guy even if I sometimes don’t quite understand the rules around here — as in why YouTube videos are ok and Jumpcut videos are not. Still, glad to be here and: Go WordPress!

Tony was very busy and also got several more interviews while attending SXSW in Austin this week. Some of them include the guys who started Web 2.0 “it” site of the moment Twitter as well as and interview with Mary Colvig of Mozilla. Some interesting stuff — especially if you love the tech like I do and are also super-jealous of Tony for being able to attend SXSW this year. Next year, dammit, I’m there for sure.

Oh, the picture has basically nothing to do with this post at all. Its just something I used over at LAist for a recent Tech News post and I liked it. Happy weekend all.

As much as I love ecto and all its blogging goodness I sometimes wonder if something better is out there to suit my needs. So, I have decided to give Mars Edit a try. I only downloaded it this evening and this is the first post with it. So far, so good. Over the next week or so I am going to put it through its paces, kick the tires and generally see what’s what with the program.

Then, as I often do, I will give it a thumbs up or down and say some reasons why. Until then, happy blogging all and to all a good night.

in case you have been living in a hole or something, apple released details on its new upcoming OS, codename Leopard, this week. all the gory details can be found at the various sites that cover this type of thing. for me, either engadget or the unofficial apple weblog are where i would go for all the goo deets.

for the moment, i’m more interested in the new version of leopard server, set to be released at the same time as the version for the desktop user. things like shared calendar via an ical server, a wiki server, an ichat server and many other things make this a great leap forward for apple in the server space and may help to move more people to the mac platform and replace those annoying microsoft exchange installations.

oh, i guess i should fess up and also say that i am really looking forward to getting my hands on a new mac pro desktop. those baby’s look pretty sweet (well, they look like a g5 tower but the specs are sweet in any case). although, i think i will wait for leopard to be closer to release before dropping 3 or 4 grand on a new computer and monitor combo. in the meantime, the 20“ iMac core duo is doing just fine, thank you.

well, here i sit at my local, and still favorite, Starbucks in studio city. john coltrane’s “a love supreme” is playing. for once, they have some pretty good music here. usually, its some junk i don’t know or like very much. but sometimes, they hit it right on the mark. at least the days of hearing alanis morissette’s “jagged little pill” acoustic record twenty times a day are gone. i almost lost it a few time i can tell you. that was almost too much.

anyway, i am trying out a new piece of software (at least for me) called Mars Edit. what is is? its for blogging, silly. much like ecto, Mars Edit is a blogging post tool. it allows you to write, edit, etc. blog posts and then upload them for all to see and enjoy. or whatever it is people do during and after reading my blog entries. the people that make Mars edit also make my rss reader of choice, NetNews Wire.

i really like ecto and i think the guys that make it are doing a great job. that said, Mars Edit works pretty well for me so far too. plus, it looks like i will be able to post to other sites like Laist with Mars Edit as well, which would make life easier. i haven’t tried posting to Laist yet but i will soon. i hope it works as i don’t love having to go to a web page in order to post.

i think for text, Mars Edit will probably be just fine. it’s the image handling that has me concerned. will i be able to put the images in the posts the way they are supposed to be or will the site look weird after i post? well, only one way to find out, right?

i’m sure tony pierce is a good boss and won’t mind if i mess up the site by accident. i’m sure it will work out just fine. plus, i’m going to steal a picture from his site for your enjoyment that has absolutely nothing to do with what i’m writing here. i just felt like putting it up. so sue me.

i am trying the new version of the pretty cool browser called flock. flock combines many of the tools that i use (blog software, image browsing, search, news, etc.) into one easy to use interface. it’s really come a long way since the last beta i used. a really long way.

its tough though because i am now a big fan of camino, especially on the mac book. it really flies and loads pages very quickly. flock doesn’t seem quite as fast but it does offer many more features that are built into it so its got a lot going for it.

i will keep using it and make a few more notes down the road a little. in the meantime, i am still putting the mac book through its paces and more and more it is performing very well. even on my lap it is still a pleasure to use. not too hot. nor am i experiencing the swollen battery issue or any yellow stains, as some others are reporting. search and you will find the deets.

still not in love with the keyboard although i am getting used to it more each day. broken record, i know. sorry, i type on it quite a bit so it means something to me. also, i still wish it wasn’t quite so big. i wonder if there is any way to get a big screen experience on a small form-factor laptop? maybe some day.

last but not least some interesting news. tony pierce is the new editor-in-chief over at laist. i have read his blog for a long time so working with him now should be a great experience. i anticipate some nights of hard drinking and tall tales. or, maybe just one drink and a quick story. who knows?

so, check him out at laist. i am going to start posting more there as well. in fact, just did one a few days ago so if you have a spare minute, head on over an take a read. comments welcome. i especially am interested in anything constructive. simple abuse is not really helpful and makes you look like an ass. so there.

I find it interesting using the new browser called flock. So easy to get it going and to blog about something you see on the internet. Its almost like instant gratification (almost). Anyway, here’s some of the stuff going on around the internets today:

Phone companies may soon try to block those free calls you are making via skype. What, do they want to keep their monopoly going or something?

The sci-fi channel has renewed “stargate:sg-1″ and “stargate:atlantis” for another year. this makes “stargate:sg-1″ the longest running sci-fi show in history, beating out the “x-files”. Also, sci-fi i expected to renew “battlestar galactica” for a third season as well. After all, bsg is the highest rated show on the sci-fi channel and critically acclaimed so it would make sense to renew it. Not that TV execs always do things that make sense. How does one explain “everybody loves raymond” staying on the air for so long?

And, laser etching for your powerbook and ipod (hence the pic above). This is pretty cool. Now if only i could be away from my precious powerbook or ipod for the time it takes to get it laser etched. What?

Also, over at TUAW, they have a video of someone who was able to get Apple’s new software Front Row to run on his Mac Mini even though it is only “officially” supported on the new iMac G5. That didn’t take long. Come on Apple, take a hint and let it run on all of your computers. I think they will soon enough.

finally, an article about one of my favorite subjects, nanotech, talks about the state of the technology and where it might go. good read. we now return you to whatever it is you were doing before (gaming, porn, both?).

just testing flock, a new web browser that has integrated blogging tools, rss tools and a bunch of other stuff. its still an early beta and so, not for all. but you know me, i like to live on the edge.

well, i guess apple really likes press “events” because they had another today announcing even more stuff. what, you may ask? well, updated powerbooks (15″ and 17″) as well as new powermac g5′s with up to four processors (yes, you heard it). well, its really two actual chips but they have dual cores so that’s like four (more or less).

also, they announced something that i had been anticipating: a “pro” level photo manipulation app like photoshop called “aperture“. not exactly like photoshop, more like iphoto for pros. it has quite a few features that photoshop has but does them a little differently. all in all, its not an exact replacement for photoshop so maybe that’s why adobe doesn’t seem to be angry about it (at least not yet). it comes out in a few weeks but i am trying to get my hands on it sooner to check it out.

i have also been fooling around with the new ipod (the one with video and in black, of course) and have been putting my own video on it as well as a few shows i purchased from the itunes store. after only working with it for a few hours, i can say that the screen is better than i thought and that watching a tv show for only 40 minutes or so wasn’t that bad. the worst part was holding the ipod and looking down at it for so long. my neck started to get stiff.

sure, “Lost” looks much better on my big TV in all of its High Def glory but i can’t fit my TV in my pocket so one has to make some allowances. battery life seemed to be ok as well. i made it through at least on show and still had over half the battery left. no bad. i don’t have any long plane trips planned in the near future so i won’t be able to test the battery life to its fullest but i will try and see what happens.

as for the rest of my life, working as always. business is good. have a few other “entertainment related” projects that look to come to fruition so that could be fun. it might be nice to make a movie again. or, it could be a huge pain in the ass. really, it will probably be both.