Docktopus

Eric and Startly released a new app last week - Docktopus.

I tend to stay away from most utilities*, but I'm finding this one pretty useful. It gives you four quadrents per dock icon, where you can attach little monitor and utility badges. I use the CPU monitor on all my apps(which is really useful for seeing when an application is hung, or which one is chewing up all of my processor), as well as the Mail and iCal peek badges (for seeing unread emails and upcoming events). I've tried the others a bit, but these have been the most useful so far.

Since I only use one or two badges per app, it doesn't add much visual clutter to my dock. It does however allow you to create the bug-eyed-vampire-finder:



The other thing I'm finding is that I really seem to want to mistype the name - I keep going back to correct myself from typing Doctopus, Docktapus, and Doctapus. At least it's much easier to _say_.

*Back in my OS9 days I used to have tons of apps that I would install and use on every machine, but once I started doing OS X testing and having to install a new OS at least once a day, it gradually wore me down so that I use very few extra utilities. Quicksilver is the other notable exception to this...

Fixing Bugfix Petitions

Software petitions are nice and all, but they don't really mean much. Sure it's great to be able to say 'X' number of people have signed a petition, but it doesn't have much impact because it takes very little effort to say "me too". However, it's much easier for people to think about things in terms of money - and that's how petitions could be "fixed" (no, not the bad connotation of the word "fixed" :)

When I moved recently, I used the online USPS page to switch my address. The site charges you a $1 fee, probably just to lower the number of people that would try to hack the system. So petitions could do the same thing, except it would give the money to charities instead of the post office!

Someone (not me, since I'm not a web guy) could set up a site that would keep track of the different bug petitions and allow users to vote by making donations to specific ones. It suddenly becomes much easier to grasp _how_much_ people want a bug fixed, because they are donating money that either wouldn't have been donated otherwise, or could have been associated with a different bug.

Any thoughts?

Overheard at Blockbuster

employee: ...if you're looking for something for a 10 year old, there's this new movie that's out... it's action and comedy, without too much violence, and no swearing... it's called "Taxi Driver"

(short pause)

man at store: are you sure you don't mean "Taxi"?

Let's all just forget about August…

So the chaos that was August is now behind me. In that time I taught a week of band camp, wrote a bunch of music, had other miscellaneous drumline practices, had tons to do at work, packed all of my stuff, moved, and probably some other things I'm forgetting.

I'm still getting all my services straightened out at my new place, but I finally got internet access (via Comcast cable) hooked up and working on Saturday. I'm trying to get a TV working so that I can see the DCI finals on ESPN when they're showing on Tuesday, but there have been complications so far.

Send me an email if you need my new address for something... my cell phone and email info are still the same, and they're usually the easiest way to get ahold of me.