Jon Stepro http://stepro.posterous.com A place for my stuff ... posterous.com Wed, 06 Jun 2012 05:10:07 -0700 Venus Transit 2012 - Great Video http://stepro.posterous.com/venus-transit-2012-great-video http://stepro.posterous.com/venus-transit-2012-great-video

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/87277/me_100px.jpg http://posterous.com/users/eGcpICoyDT Jon Stepro Jon Jon Stepro
Sat, 15 Oct 2011 13:00:44 -0700 Could Apple's Siri Replace Ford Sync? http://stepro.posterous.com/could-apples-siri-replace-ford-sync http://stepro.posterous.com/could-apples-siri-replace-ford-sync It just dawned on me that Apple's Siri could trump a system like Ford's Sync system. If voice recognition in a phone is growing in it's capabilities why would one want to pay extra to have it built into their car when they could carry it around all the time?

I am always afraid to buy options like high end audio/gps head units. I am of an age when we used to replace head units after a few years either to gain capabilities or because the OEM unit broke. Seems we are approaching a day when all we need is an interface to the phone. I still think a radio is a good thing as I live in a major metro area and traffic and weather info can change by the minute and you don't have to fuss with which app to use or the like. But, I digress.

If we just had a radio head unit/amp/bluetooth/usb thing in our car you could forget the complex GPS or crazy interfaces these OEM folks give us. Perhaps this won't happen tomorrow, but I can hope for a day when I can dock my iPhone or Android phone IN THE DASH and let it do the heavy lifting.

Siri? Give me directions to the Apple store.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/87277/me_100px.jpg http://posterous.com/users/eGcpICoyDT Jon Stepro Jon Jon Stepro
Thu, 06 Oct 2011 17:40:00 -0700 Steve Jobs http://stepro.posterous.com/steve-jobs http://stepro.posterous.com/steve-jobs

Like most folks on the Internet I felt compelled to post some thoughts on the passing of Steve Jobs. The majority of us never met or really knew Steve but we would like to think he represented us in the halls of Apple. 

The Mac was invented to be the computer for the people and even though it had a high price, the capabilities it provided me and many others was invaluable. I first saw a Mac in college and felt from that day forward this computer would be pivotal in the area of typography and desktop publishing. Plus many folks forget the Laserwriter printer was a breakthrough product providing near typeset quality text on plain paper.

The iPod, iPhone, iPad are truly great innovations, but my history with Apple (and indirectly Steve) goes back to the Mac Plus. I was a student at Purdue University and a student of graphic design. I got an ad for the Mac at the student union and took it to my Dad. My father was an early computer adopter and I felt there was a chance he could see the benefit of this device. The funny thing is my Dad saw it as a spreadsheet and number cruncher. I saw it as a cool way to make text and make a brick wall pattern. Whatever the case, we both saw the benefit and my father agreed to purchase the Mac Plus.

I wish I had it back, but I ended up donating it to a school who needed it worse than I. I already had moved on to a newer Mac and felt the old Plus needed a better home and in all honesty it was the best solution. I passed it on and like to think another kid got inspired to do something creative.

With that said, I know there are many stories like this one out there on the net. I just wanted to throw my two cents in and thank Steve and his drive for perfection to give us creative and powerful tools that at their core made our world a little better.

Thanks Steve. Rest in peace.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/87277/me_100px.jpg http://posterous.com/users/eGcpICoyDT Jon Stepro Jon Jon Stepro
Mon, 01 Aug 2011 10:34:31 -0700 Adobe Edge http://stepro.posterous.com/adobe-edge http://stepro.posterous.com/adobe-edge
Adobe Edge looks like a good first step for Adobe to get into HTML5 animations. If you are into Flash Animations then this looks like a good transition tool. Worth a look.
 

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/87277/me_100px.jpg http://posterous.com/users/eGcpICoyDT Jon Stepro Jon Jon Stepro
Mon, 01 Aug 2011 10:21:00 -0700 I am attending Adobe MAX 2011 http://stepro.posterous.com/i-am-attending-adobe-max-2011 http://stepro.posterous.com/i-am-attending-adobe-max-2011

I am attending AdobeMAX

Great conference. I have attended multiple times since 2002. I highly recommend attending. Hope you can make it.

 

By the way, 2011 will be my 7th MAX. I have been to ...

Orlando - 2002

Anaheim - 2005

Chicago - 2007

San Francisco - 2008

LA - 2009

LA - 2010

 

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/87277/me_100px.jpg http://posterous.com/users/eGcpICoyDT Jon Stepro Jon Jon Stepro
Mon, 01 Aug 2011 07:10:15 -0700 Virtual Movie Set http://stepro.posterous.com/virtual-movie-set http://stepro.posterous.com/virtual-movie-set Very cool technology here in this video.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/87277/me_100px.jpg http://posterous.com/users/eGcpICoyDT Jon Stepro Jon Jon Stepro
Sat, 18 Jun 2011 19:16:00 -0700 In honor of Dad ... http://stepro.posterous.com/in-honor-of-dad http://stepro.posterous.com/in-honor-of-dad

It has been just over a year since I lost my Dad to cancer. He lived a good long life, but I cannot help but think if it were not for that cancer he would still be with us.

If you happen to come across this post, and your father is still among the living, by all means give him a call. I wish I could call mine. Happy Father's Day Dad. I miss you.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/87277/me_100px.jpg http://posterous.com/users/eGcpICoyDT Jon Stepro Jon Jon Stepro
Fri, 28 Jan 2011 05:33:00 -0800 Challenger: 25 years ago http://stepro.posterous.com/41233039 http://stepro.posterous.com/41233039

CNN: Challenger Disaster Live on CNN

I remember this day like it was yesterday. I was a sophomore in college and had the flu. I was listening to the launch as I was sick. When it happened I sprang out of bed and like many people was glued to the TV rest of the day.

 

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/87277/me_100px.jpg http://posterous.com/users/eGcpICoyDT Jon Stepro Jon Jon Stepro
Tue, 18 Jan 2011 05:32:56 -0800 Coyote Cobra http://stepro.posterous.com/coyote-cobra http://stepro.posterous.com/coyote-cobra Coyote Cobra: Superformance MKIII roadster powered by the Mustang's
5.0L V8 http://tinyurl.com/4rmrc9r

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/87277/me_100px.jpg http://posterous.com/users/eGcpICoyDT Jon Stepro Jon Jon Stepro
Mon, 17 Jan 2011 06:56:08 -0800 Happy Birthday Steve Earle http://stepro.posterous.com/happy-birthday-steve-earle http://stepro.posterous.com/happy-birthday-steve-earle Steve Earle - Copperhead Road

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/87277/me_100px.jpg http://posterous.com/users/eGcpICoyDT Jon Stepro Jon Jon Stepro
Thu, 13 Jan 2011 11:30:39 -0800 Rolling a Reliant Robin - Top Gear http://stepro.posterous.com/rolling-a-reliant-robin-top-gear http://stepro.posterous.com/rolling-a-reliant-robin-top-gear

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/87277/me_100px.jpg http://posterous.com/users/eGcpICoyDT Jon Stepro Jon Jon Stepro
Thu, 13 Jan 2011 11:21:55 -0800 So long iPad http://stepro.posterous.com/so-long-ipad http://stepro.posterous.com/so-long-ipad After long period of consideration I decided to sell the iPad. It is a
great device, no doubt. Still it was not for me.

It became apparent on my last big trip to LA. I was traveling with a
MacBook Pro, the iPad, and a phone. It was just too much. I like to
travel light. And to have two computer like devices (almost 3) it
seems like overkill.

Last year when the iPad came out I suppose I was caught up in the the
fever and got rid of a perfectly good iPod Touch to get the "pad". I
had fun with it, and it was a great thing. But just to have it ...
seemed like a waste. The only thing I did with it was read email and
play Angry Birds. Still the weight and size of it made it less than
portable.

So, I reverted. I sold the iPad to a co-worker who needed one for the
holidays and I got some cash. I had a moment where I though about
getting the new MacBook Air, but again, another computer? I have one,
thanks. Therefore, I got a new 32 gb iPod Touch.

I love it. It fits in my pocket. One thing the iPad will never be is
small and I like small. Getting on a plane I can slip it in my shirt
pocket and off I go. No more struggling on the plane to get it out and
balance bags and spill stuff out everywhere. I can watch movies,
listen to podcasts, play a few games, all in a nice tidy package with
no monthly fee.

Plus, it takes videos and photos! Yippee! I am most pleased with it. I
feel like I can once again live up to my Twitter handle
"IntoTheTouch".

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/87277/me_100px.jpg http://posterous.com/users/eGcpICoyDT Jon Stepro Jon Jon Stepro
Wed, 05 May 2010 12:35:59 -0700 Adobe vows the "best" HTML5 tools http://stepro.posterous.com/adobe-vows-the-best-html5-tools http://stepro.posterous.com/adobe-vows-the-best-html5-tools This is really encouraging news. I had just commented yesterday about the need for an IDE. I hope Adobe can do this!

http://www.electronista.com/articles/10/05/05/adobe.says.wont.ignore.html5.for.flash/

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/87277/me_100px.jpg http://posterous.com/users/eGcpICoyDT Jon Stepro Jon Jon Stepro
Tue, 04 May 2010 10:41:52 -0700 Now for something completely different http://stepro.posterous.com/now-for-something-completely-different-7 http://stepro.posterous.com/now-for-something-completely-different-7

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/87277/me_100px.jpg http://posterous.com/users/eGcpICoyDT Jon Stepro Jon Jon Stepro
Tue, 04 May 2010 10:24:00 -0700 Killing Flash: Throwing the baby out with the bathwater http://stepro.posterous.com/killing-flash-throwing-the-baby-out-with-the http://stepro.posterous.com/killing-flash-throwing-the-baby-out-with-the

This is frustrating. I continue to hear "Flash Sucks", and "there is no good reason for Flash" on podcasts and blogs. I understand many of the arguments, but there are still cases that still stick with me that need to be addressed.

LACK OF SUPPORT:
As a Flash developer, I still have not yet seen any tool that can touch the speed and capability I have right now with Flash. I tried to find some examples of HTML5 animations to look at. First things first; they don't run in all browsers. As I write this neither Firefox nor IE support it. Remember folks, some users cannot switch browsers such as those working in government offices.

EFFECTIVE TOOLS:
Again, I can set down and draw shapes and animate them at a moments notice. I am productive and can deliver products back to my client in a timely manner. Perhaps in a few years we will see a convergence or evolution of the tools we have now to those that can produce HTML5 code. But until then, I cannot take backward steps to hand code and deliver substandard animations that only work in certain browsers.

MOBILE DEVICES ONLY?:
Another small but related point has to do with mobile devices. With these you want as small a code footprint as possible. But many folks don't realize is you cannot lump all users into a mobile category. All of my users are basically forbidden from using anything but a hardwired connections.

THE BOTTOM LINE AS I SEE IT:
Sure, Apple has interest in non-Flash web. Sure, it is to their advantage. This way they won't have to support Flash. AT&Ts network "might" run faster due to less bandwidth and hence iPhone will load faster. However, not all users run iPhones. The business user setting at their desktop needs power and resources offered in a timely manner.

I hope Adobe does take the forefront in transitioning Flash (the authoring tool) into an HTML5 IDE. I bet it will happen. Lastly, for the sake of us still making a living how about we agree to use different language like "evolve" or "transition". Again, I understand HTML5 is the future, but here and now some of us depend on Flash for needs here and now. That is why all this talk scares me. All it takes in one person of power to hear "kill Flash" and make a bad decision based upon an incomplete understanding of the ramifications. By doing this they may end up "throwing the baby out with the bath water".

PS: I just bought an iPad 3G and I really like it. It's true!

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/87277/me_100px.jpg http://posterous.com/users/eGcpICoyDT Jon Stepro Jon Jon Stepro
Tue, 13 Apr 2010 19:35:46 -0700 The Flash Wars, begun they have. http://stepro.posterous.com/the-flash-wars-begun-they-have http://stepro.posterous.com/the-flash-wars-begun-they-have
With all due respect to "Yoda" (and Lucasfilm LTD. Inc. etc ... ) Wow. What a week. Apple is putting down Adobe. Adobe tries to release new software. People continue to criticize Flash. All for what? Because Flash won't run on the iPhone OS? Because Apple is blocking Adobe from authoring iPhone OS apps?
 
I hope those fans of both companies take a higher ground. No, I am not going to get rid of my MacBook Pro. No, I am not going to give up my Flash Professional software. I love them both. If you are in my situations 95% of my audience uses Windows anyway. Do I care if Flash won't work on the iPad? No. That is not my audiance. I suppose if it were I would care, but my client is too big to change to something like the "Pad".
 
So, a word of advice for Flash developers; don't fret. There are still a billion machines out there that "will" run your code. In the meantime, I am getting an iPad ... just for fun.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/87277/me_100px.jpg http://posterous.com/users/eGcpICoyDT Jon Stepro Jon Jon Stepro
Wed, 31 Mar 2010 20:21:17 -0700 iPad 3G is for me http://stepro.posterous.com/ipad-3g-is-for-me http://stepro.posterous.com/ipad-3g-is-for-me I love my iPod Touch. it has given me years of faithful service. I
started my twitter account to brag about my love for this device. So,
when the iPad came out it seemed like the next logical step for the
touch interface to go.

However, a bigger question loomed over me when considering an iPad
purchase. Do I go WiFi or 3G? For some in the tech community there was
little hesitation. They want the WiFi version. The reason seems to be
because these folks already pay for a data plan (via iPhone or MiFi).
I have neither.

I have a philosophy that bars me from having such devices. Mostly
because I do not want to make perpetual payments to have a device
connected all the time. I spend a lot of time in front of a computer.
The only time I need a constant connection outside work or home is on
vacation or on a business trip (and even then I usually stay at a
hotel with free Internet).

Therefore, I will be getting the 3G iPad. I can enable the 3G when I
need it, or use WiFi when not. That way I can control the spending. I
wanted a pay-as-needed plan and Apple seems to be delivering. I think
it is great, at least for me anyway.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/87277/me_100px.jpg http://posterous.com/users/eGcpICoyDT Jon Stepro Jon Jon Stepro
Tue, 30 Mar 2010 20:41:04 -0700 Why "kill flash" talk is short sighted http://stepro.posterous.com/why-kill-flash-talk-is-short-sighted http://stepro.posterous.com/why-kill-flash-talk-is-short-sighted In recent months there has been an uproar to "kill flash". It appears
this uproar is mostly due to Apple's resistance to allowing Adobe's
Flash plugin to work on the iPad/Phone/Pod. I am standing with a foot
on both sides of this issue. I love Apple products and am a
stockholder. However, I am also a Flash developer. So, I wanted to
make a few points about Flash and how all this talk worries me.

Let me first make clear that could care less if the iPad runs Flash or
not. I will get one regardless. My fear is this groundswell of people
jumping on statements from Apple about Flash and making the assumption
it is not needed. Sure, I can agree that when it comes to video H.264
is nice and Adobe even gives some avenues to encoding video this way.
A bigger issue to me is the lack of a real mature way to make vector
based animation. I have seen some samples using HTML5, but nothing
that can touch what I have been able to make in Flash Professional.

Right here, right now a designer can be productive and very creative
with Flash. We have created many animations that help explain some
rather technical procedures. I am not talking about relying on Flash
for some funky navigation or being the front end of a website (both of
which I agree is a mistake) but using Flash animations to explain a
process or procedure. I will give one example. We have a client who
wants to show how a water softener works. We made an animation that
shows how it works using Flash's vector based drawing tools.

To code such an animation in HTML5 is going to take a lot of coding
and time that some of us cannot invest right now. I am sure there will
come a day when an IDE will allow us to code HTML5 animations as
easily as Flash does now. However, until that day some of us cannot go
"cold turkey" and "kill Flash".

So, can we agree there will be a transition to HTML5? Clients and
folks I work with may see buzzing about killing Flash and not see the
bigger picture. Cool the bad mouthing Flash a bit. OK? I, for one,
will welcome a better solution ... as soon as it becomes usable.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/87277/me_100px.jpg http://posterous.com/users/eGcpICoyDT Jon Stepro Jon Jon Stepro
Sun, 28 Mar 2010 12:30:53 -0700 My Dad http://stepro.posterous.com/my-dad-237 http://stepro.posterous.com/my-dad-237 My father passed away on March 20, 2010. He had suffered from brain
cancer for going on 4 years. It was around 1:45 pm on a partly sunny
early spring day.

That morning I was feeling ill. My mother sister and I were there. I
had some sort of viral bug that was dragging me down. My mother and
sister told me to return to my parents home to rest. So, I did. Not 30
minutes had passed when my mother called and said she thought his
heart had stopped and his time was near. I arrived at the nursing home
to find a group of nurses around mom. He was gone.

It has been a tough week, but we are making it. The service (planned
by Dad) went great. There were lots of family and friends there to
show support.

It was tough to let Dad go, but he had suffered so long. He is no
longer suffering and is free from pain and confusion. It is tough to
see someone who was so intelligent and insightful lose the capacity to
think and do simple tasks.

So, if you are healthy and can think clearly and go about your life in
a normal way, count your blessings. For I have seen how easily it can
be taken away.

Goodbye Dad. I will see you later.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/87277/me_100px.jpg http://posterous.com/users/eGcpICoyDT Jon Stepro Jon Jon Stepro
Sat, 12 Dec 2009 16:42:00 -0800 Canon 7D Contest http://stepro.posterous.com/canon-7d-contest http://stepro.posterous.com/canon-7d-contest
I admit it. I am wanting to win this contest. 

Details here:

It is a long shot, but here it goes. Scott Bourne is giving away a Canon 7D. To be elegible to win, I need to post these links.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/87277/me_100px.jpg http://posterous.com/users/eGcpICoyDT Jon Stepro Jon Jon Stepro