AlexiaBautista.com » Technology

Apple’s New iPad.

Lex — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 19:49:06 +0000

Post-announcement, I really like the new iPad. A lot.

I was never in the market for a Netbook or eBook, but this is a really impressive piece of hardware. Much like the very first iPhone or even the MacBook Air, it is probably a much different experience when you get something that sexy into your grubby little hands.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not going to be running out to get in line for one. It’s not something that I feel I “need”. I have a trusty 15.4″ MacBook Pro and a cheap cell phone that work fine for me right now. Perhaps if I had only a desktop computer and wanted something more streamlined and portable than a MacBook Air, for the base price of $499 (US), it’s an amazing device. Oh and the accessories, like the keyboard dock, are pretty slick. ;) … continued...

Laugh Out Loud

Lex — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:54:18 +0000

A little late to the game (by about 4 months), I’ve just recently started listening to “The Movielicious” podcast, a show about movies featuring three of the best podcast personalities that I know of: Patrick Beja, Mark Turpin and Nicole Spagnuolo. Right now, I am only 7 episodes in, but it’s clear that this trio has way too much fun giving their thoughts (not quite reviews) about movies they watch, both recent and classics. They don’t always agree – and I don’t always agree with them – but their “reviews” aren’t the reason I recommend this podcast.

Mark Turpin, better known as “Turpster”, is one of the funniest guys I’ve come across. His sense of humour and quick British wit often catch me off-guard and make me burst out laughing. Sure, I can chuckle or smile about something I come across while surfing the web, but it takes a lot to make me actually LOL. Having said that, just a little bit of Turpster is plenty for me.

You can check out The Movielicious web site or subscribe to the podcast via iTunes.

Bring Down IE6!

Lex — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:21:45 +0000

As a designer, I don’t even know where to start when it comes to some of the grief that cross-browser compatibility issues has given me over the years. More specifically, IE6. Ugh. It makes my skin crawl just thinking about all the hacks and workarounds to just get images to line up and to have the design you envision just render the way it should. Other browsers have united to embrace web standards and help in the progression of web development, but IE6, most commonly used in business practices, keeps holding us back. Having a layout work beautifully in 3 or 4 browsers, only to have to backstep and butcher your code to make it work in IE6, is enough to break your spirit.

BringDownIE6.com is hoping to bring awareness to those who don’t see why it’s such a big deal. It costs time and money to deal with out-dated technology. Time and money that would be much more effective developing “Minority Report”-style computer interfaces. Yeah. That’s what I’m talking about… /drool

IE6 is the new Netscape 4. The hacks needed to support IE6 are increasingly viewed as excess freight. Like Netscape 4 in 2000, IE6 is perceived to be holding back the web. – Jeff Zeldman, standards guru

Etsy Alert: My New Desktop Widget

Lex — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 22:05:49 +0000

A huge thanks to Terry over at One True Tree, for making me this awesome new desktop widget! This handy little goody will keep you up-to date on the latest handmade products added to my shop, Knit Purl Geek Girl. (Requires Mac OS 10.4.x-10.6.x.)

Download the widget:
Knit-Purl-Geek-Girl-v1.0… continued...

My New Etsy Store is Now Open!

Lex — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 22:11:56 +0000

With temperature starting to dip below 10C, it’s definitely time to bring out the sweaters. Doggie sweaters, that is. :)

Knit Purl Geek Girl, my new Etsy shop, is now open! Right now, there are only four sweaters listed, but I have another two in the wings that just need those last finishing details.

If you think you’re experiencing déja vu, you’re pretty close. Yep, around this time last year, I opened “Knick Knack Pack”, my first Etsy store. After taking a break from knitting during the summer and after an inspired new, catchier shop name, I felt like starting fresh. And why not? All the previous sweaters were sold, so there wasn’t even any old stock to carry over. A new products for a new season! Feel free to stop by, maybe pick up a sweater or just tell your friends about it. :)

Also featured on these blogs:
Oh I Love That (Thanks, Jenny!) and Bara Litten (Thanks, Katharine!)

Knit Purl Geek Girl: My new Etsy shop

Lex — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 18:31:07 +0000

A few weeks ago, as the temperature outside was starting to dip, I decided to try knitting Bella a little sweater, following a pattern I found in one of my knitting books, Stitch ‘n Bitch Nation. It turned out pretty nicely, but I wanted to see what other patterns were out there. Although that pattern wasn’t overly difficult, it was a bit slow-going, so I looked online for free patterns, looking for something a little simpler. By the end of 3 or 4 days, I somehow had three different sweaters completed, each with their one unique little touches. I even attempted a couple of intarsia motifs for the first time and they turned out pretty nicely, too. For the curious, one was a snowflake and another sweater had a skull & crossbones. :)

One thing lead to another and I started looking into how Etsy.com works and just a little over a week ago, I opened my shop, Knick Knack Pack.

I wish I had thought of it sooner because within just four days of opening the store, I had three sales under my belt, two of which were custom requests (the skull & crossbones seems to be a popular look). I didn’t make that much off the first couple of sales because I hadn’t quite figured out the best ratio of sale price vs. fees vs. shipping/packing costs. Can you believe it actually costs MORE for me to ship within Canada than to ship an identical item to the U.S.? What the …?!

Anyway, I think I’ve balanced out the numbers better now for future potential sales (one of which just happened again today!). I have to admit that although it’s still in its humble beginnings, this is kind of exciting and empowering. :)

a bit of inspiration

Lex — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 20:33:13 +0000

I came across this Japanese site (Font Park), that lets you play around with typography to create your own little piece of art. This reminds me of a school project I had to do in college, using the letters of your name to convey something about your personality, true or not. From what I remember, I came up with about a dozen different ones for critique day. One of my favourite ones was the one that came out looking like an alien. Not that that’s true or anything.… continued...

flickr/facebook fan base

Lex — Sat, 31 May 2008 03:21:13 +0000

I was just recently introduced to a Facebook application called “Pieces of Flair”, where you can collect (or create) button badges that go on a corkboard in your profile. Out of curiosity, I did a search for “Flickr” related pins and found this… and I didn’t make it!

Oh, for those who don’t know what I’m talking about, the “button” on the right was made using this photo I took of myself and an IKEA catalogue a few years ago.

Boy, do I have fans in the oddest places or what?… continued...

down with digg

Lex — Wed, 28 May 2008 19:28:19 +0000

What’s up with Digg? As a fan of it since 2006, I’ve noticed that, lately, the quality of stuff that gets on the front page is ridiculously low. There are a lot of really dumb (and really old) articles that somehow get there with only a few diggs. Where’s the quality control? I guess it’s similar to how some other sites evolve from their lovely, simple births to their overblown current states once they really hit the big times (eg. Facebook).

*sigh*… continued...

puttin’ the hate on

Lex — Tue, 06 May 2008 15:17:41 +0000

When it comes to cross-browser compatibility, IE “version anything” can suck it. ‘Nuff said.… continued...