lifestyle The Pink Mac

“Be a yardstick of quality.”

An unfortunate thing has happened since I last posted on this blog, and as you probably already know, Steve Jobs passed away on October 5th from complications associated with the pancreatic cancer he had been fighting for years. I know I didn’t know him, but I certainly felt connected to him through the numerous products of his that I brought into my life. I know that may some crazy to some people, but I believe objects can connect people (not just through the internet) and I believe Steve felt the same way.
Since Steve’s passing there have been so many publications focusing on his life, a biography, numerous magazine articles, and countless news and opinion pieces. I feel like I have been inundated by information regarding this man I never knew, yet who had such a big influence in my life. I saw a quote the other day from him that goes “Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected.” You know, the funny thing about this quote is that I think the world considered Steve to be so revolutionary because he was living this way in a world that had forgotten the value of quality. So, lets all start living this way, expecting more from ourselves and others, because in the end that quality matters!
lifestyle The Pink Mac

Why I am canceling my Netflix DVD service

This morning, like many others, I woke to find an apologetic email from Netflix CEO Reed Hastings explaining yet another change to my Netflix service. As you may already be aware, this email discussed the further dismemberment of Netflix services by explaining that Netflix DVD service is now re-branded as Qwikster, a service that will replicate the current Netflix DVD service, but will ultimately be a separate entity from Netflix and a separate website.

When I first joined Netflix in 2009, I was lured in by the convenience of having an instant library of movies that could stream to my computer as well as the flexibility of receiving DVDs by mail when my movie or TV show of choice was not available in streaming. It was like having access to a complete library of movies and shows practically 24/7 and it couldn’t have been any more convenient. On top of that, the prices for the plans were unbeatable. So much so, that I did not and, still do not, have expanded cable. Netflix was saving me and plenty of others probably about $100 a month!
But then of course, earlier this year, they announced the change in their plan pricing that doubled the price of my plan. Although many were unhappy enough to leave Netflix behind, I understood the reasons Netflix was forced to take up pricing as even that was still a good price for the convenience and excellent service Netflix provided. So, I continued my same service, DVDs and streaming at the new increased price.

This new change, rather, separation, of the services has pushed me over the line. The major reason for this is that now, instead of having one website where I can go to browse movies, I will now need to browse two. The Netflix site was great because you could view movies by your taste and if you found something you liked you could add it to either one of your queues. Now, if you can’t find a movie in streaming, you will need to look for it on Qwikster and then manage that queue. I don’t want to seem lazy, but I am a consumer after all and I want things streamlined. I don’t want to jump from list to list, site to site to put my entertainment in order. Now, since I do use a majority streaming, I don’t want to loose that. I only use about 1-2 DVDs a month and the movies are usually things I can get on demand from Comcast my cable provider. So instead of paying Qwikster $8 a month to give me two DVDs, I will just rent the new movies from Comcast for a few bucks each. For the price of the service, its just not worth it to do double duty for something I rarely use.

I am sure I am not going to be the only one that feels this way, but if you have an opinion on the matter, please feel free to comment to add to the discussion.

As always, thanks for reading!

The Pink Mac

How Do You Carry Your iPad?

lifestyle The Pink Mac

An Immaculate Desk

Earlier this week I posted a video of my Office Tour that I hope everyone enjoyed. Since I now have my own office space in my new apartment, I am really excited over the idea of having an immaculate desk space. I think when you have a home office that you use for personal use, its very important for that space to be a place you want to be sitting and working at especially after a full work day at your actual office. For me, I really need a creative space to inspire my writing and I hope I am very close to achieving the balance I need to keep me focused and to keep me in my chair writing.

I found these images of other immaculate desks, as I like to call them, and I thought I would share them with you! These are taken from the Who What Wear offices. WWW is a fashion website, which would explain the awe inspiring decor, that reminds me of the set of The Devil Wears Prada. Now, I’m certainly not running a fashion empire from my little office space but I would certainly like to set a good mood for my space and these images are just the inspiration I need and I hope you also get a little inspiration for your own desk space. Enjoy!

The Pink Mac

In Search of the Perfect iPad Case

So many to choose from.

As it has been well documented for us at The Pink Mac, we love iPad cases. Love them, obsessed with them, and yes, hoard them. Each of our cases have specific uses for specific times. For example my cheap $5 rubber case is for around house when I have little risk of putting my iPad in harms way in of the big wide world. Then there is my display case, perfect for different viewing angles which makes watching movies or showing off pictures a lot easier. But my most used is my rugged travel case. Thick padding and a cover fully protect my iPad while I take it out with me to school.

However, I have had this traveling case for some time, it is starting to wear down, and frankly I would like a change. So I need your help. I will describe everything I am looking for in an iPad case and if you have any ideas of what would fit my needs, please leave a comment below with a link to the case. If I like it and it is within my price range I will pick it up, use it, and even review it for the website!

1. Needs to fit an iPad 1
2. Needs to have a folio cover.
3. Have some padding for protection, but not so much that it is too bulky
4. Has a good method to hold the iPad in place, but does not cover too much of the sides around the screen.
5. Needs to have some form of a strap to connect the folio cover to the back while the case is open. I hate having a cover flap around and move while holding it.
6. It would be nice if there was a strap to put your hand through so you can hold the iPad with one hand.

Help me Pink Mac readers, your my only hope!

The Pink Mac

Back to the Blog: Office Tour

I know it has been a few months since my last post, but I am finally back to blogging after my eventful summer! I moved at the end of July and have been busy putting together my new apartment. I decided that I should give you guys a peek of my new office since I am pretty much done furnishing and decorating it. Enjoy and keep your eyes out for more new content coming soon!

Moleskine The Pink Mac

Getting Things Done with my iPad and Apps

For the past week, I have been utterly obsessed with trying to implement The GTD system! I don’t have the book, but there is a plethora of information on the Internet. I recently purchased this awesome fake snakeskin case from Target for just $16! I really like it because it is folio style with a zip around closure, multiple pockets and a pen/stylus holder. Only negative is that the elastic straps block parts of the corners of the iPad. Overall, however, I find that the case has been great for keeping me organized and on top of my work.

Now, if you too are interested in GTD and getting your work and your life organized I have a few links I found useful listed below.

GTD FAQ

GTD Clear out your inbox

{Happy GTDing}

The Pink Mac

The Missing Links 6.20.11

This week I believe I have gathered a great group of links to share with you! They range from fashionable tech accessories to newly released applications, and from Apple news to meditation. So, without further ado here are this weeks Missing Links!

  • If you’re one of the many Apple fans who were unimpressed with WWDC read this.
  • Are you a student looking for a new Mac? Read about Apples new Back to School Deal!
  • Wish your iPhone could get you a date? Well, there is some good news for you!
  • Are you interested in some new fashionable accessories? Click here Apple Fangirls and Fanboys.
  • The 5th Avenue Apple Store is getting a facelift, read about the cost of all that glass here!
  • Stuck in a mental rut and need to get the creative juices flowing, try meditating on this one.
  • I think this is a very interesting bag solution for the modern male.
  • Wacom introduces some Paper to go with their new iPad stylus.
  • Feel like your iPad Facebook experience has been lacking? Perhaps you won’t for long!
Happy Reading!
{Image via here}
The Pink Mac

The Missing Links 6.13.11

Lab II
I have decided to start a new series of posts weekly on The Pink Mac called The Missing Links! Each week I am going to post links to some interesting articles I read in the previous week that I thought would be good to share. Obviously, with the WWDC Keynote from Steve Jobs last week, many of these will be related to the Apple updates, but in the future I am going to try to provide more of a mix of topics. So, without further ado, here are The Missing Links for 6.13.11.
{Happy Reading}
The Pink Mac

iPad therefore I am.

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As a fan of sketch notes, I have always appreciated the work of others, but very rarely attempt to do the same on my own. Yesterday I wasn’t feeling very well so I lay in bed sketching for a bit. This is what resulted. I know Apple didn’t create the iPad to be used in conjunction with a stylus, but it really does help to use one if you plan to take full advantage of the sensitivity of the screen. Although the iPad is mainly a touch input device, I was reading an article from CultofMac.com that I thought I would share about how the iPad really is a great pen based tablet.
On that same note, I have been reading about various stylus’ to perhaps find one that would better suite my needs as I am finding that all styli are not created equal. I read a great review of 12 stylus’ from Macworld that I thought you may also find interesting if you, like me, are looking for a new stylus to use with your iPad.

{Image above was created using Penultimate for iPad and the BoxWave capacitive iPad Stylus}