bsuto.com

Slider Shots: Ruby Tuesday

Brian Sutorius — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

Palm Beach Gardens, FL
beef, american cheese, pickles, ketchup, mayonnaise

Spot the Bee: The High Line

Brian Sutorius — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 00:00:00 EST

Manhattan, NY

Slider Shots: Rubirosa

Brian Sutorius — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 00:00:00 EST

Manhattan, NY
meatballs, besciamella, tomato

The GQ Interview: 26-year-old Brian Sutorius, as 16-year-old Brian Sutorius dreamed he would be

Brian Sutorius — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 00:00:00 EST

GQ: Thanks for having me over, and congratulations on the movie. Still number one at the box office.

BS: Well thank you. Can I get you a drink?

GQ: I probably shouldn’t.

BS: It’s just as well. I only have Gatorade and Dr. Pepper.

GQ: You designed this house, right? What was your inspiration?

BS: I looked at a lot of my friends' studio apartments and kind of went from there. It’s a pretty small space for a house, just the kitchen, the bedroom, the bathroom, and the garage. But I park outside, so the garage can also be the living room when I have guests over.

GQ: That’s the room we’re in now, isn’t it?

BS: Yep.

GQ: You’re telling me you built a glorified studio apartment on this huge piece of Beverly Hills land?

BS: Sure, why not? Less to clean, and I have a lot of room to play sports outside whenever I want.

GQ: What do you play?

BS: How about we go inside.

…

GQ: I can honestly say that I didn’t expect your closet to just be racks and racks of sports shorts on hangers. You must have a pair of basketball shorts in every team’s colors, pro and college.

BS: This is pretty much what my dresser has looked like since I was in high school. The only difference is now I have more of them.

GQ: You dress like you’re going to the gym everyday?

BS: Absolutely. You don’t?

GQ: That can’t be true. I saw a picture of you dressed up at an event recently.

BS: Well yeah, I appreciate that there are of course times when it’s good to look good. That’s why I have a suit in the back of my car.

GQ: Is that your car in the driveway? A mailman truck?

BS: Got that at a Post Office auction! It doesn’t do too well on the highways.

GQ: What about celebrity opulence? Do you travel or go out a lot?

BS: The one extravagance I allowed myself was this custom Egg McMuffin machine. Any time of the day I can walk into my kitchen and press this little button. One button. ONE BUTTON! And three minutes later, an Egg McMuffin slides down this little chute. There’s a whole closet of machinery in the next room making this happen. But all I have to do is go to Vons once a week and buy two dozen eggs, a block of cheddar, and a… a tube of Canadian bacon. Load them up in the special refrigerator.

GQ: What about English muffins?

BS: Ok, that’s a second celebrity luxury. I have them flown in every morning from England. [laughs] Naw, I go to Vons for those too. Sometimes I get the stale ones to save money. It’s not like you taste a difference once they’re toasted.

…

GQ: You auditioned twice for Saturday Night Live but didn’t make it.

BS: Yeah, and there’s no bad blood about that at all. It let me go on to do all this other great stuff. And I keep in touch with Lorne; if I’m ever in a position to cast a live-action Mr. Peanut, I have his number.

GQ: Okay, one more question. What’s a secret you want to tell the ladies?

BS: I lost my virginity to Teenage Dream.

GQ: Didn’t that song come out last year?

BS: I thought you said that was the last question.

You can hear Brian as the voice of Huey in the DuckTales movie, now in theaters everywhere.

Slider Shots: Corners

Brian Sutorius — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 00:00:00 EST

Jupiter, FL
beef, american cheese

Spot the Bee: Jupiter Inlet

Brian Sutorius — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 00:00:00 EST

US 1 drawbridge

Spot the Bee: Mile 0

Brian Sutorius — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 00:00:00 EST

Key West, FL

Spot the Bee: Duffy's

Brian Sutorius — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 00:00:00 EST

Men’s restroom. Jupiter, FL

Slider Shots: Steak 'N Shake

Brian Sutorius — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 00:00:00 EST

Stuart, FL

steak, american cheese, a1 sauce
steak, american cheese, chipotle sauce
steak, american cheese, frisco sauce

Airplane Mode

Brian Sutorius — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 00:00:00 EST

My monthly cell phone bill is over $75, and I’ve been paying it for over three years. That’s enough time to get me out of the standard two-year contract, and I’m thinking about closing my account. As I’ve written before, my phone is not just a mobile device but an everything device. Does it lose that ability without a constant cellular connection?

I can test this by going into Airplane Mode, but leaving other antennas like WiFi and Location Services on. In some cases, I might need to buy a new app or service to cover the difference.

Phone: I can use FaceTime to “call” people with modern iOS or Mac devices, and just set the expectation that my video feed won’t necessarily be trained on my face. I can also port my current number to a Google Voice account, then forward that to a drug-dealer phone for “urgent” calls. I used a T-Mobile pay-as-you-go phone exclusively for most of college and it wasn’t bad at all.
Text messages: Again, I can rely on iMessage for people with modern iOS (and maybe Mac, in the future) devices. I can also use Twitter DMs.
Email, Twitter, RSS, web browsing: just wait until I’m at home or on public WiFi.
Camera, music, games, books: shouldn’t be a problem.
Maps: this is the tough case. I really only use this app when I’m out of WiFi range and need a data connection. The most straightforward option sounds like paying ~$50 for a GPS app from a company like TomTom that includes map files with the app bundle. Not cheap, but relatively easy.

Buying a pay-as-you-go phone and GPS app will probably set me back as much as one month’s bill. There’s the ongoing cost of phone minutes, though, and while I would intend for that phone to just be used for emergencies, I can totally see my parents redefining “emergency” to include regular Sutorius family updates, and that could turn costly fast.

Republic Wireless just launched their $19/month unlimited plan, which includes minutes, messages, and data. You have to use a specific Android phone, but if I was going to resign myself to a cheap dumbphone anyway, that’s not a bad spot at all. Without the fear of any overages, I could use a Republic phone for emergency calls and map data on the go, for only a quarter of the cost of my current phone bill. They piggyback on Sprint’s network, which isn’t terrible either. Combined with Google Voice to set restrictions on which numbers would actually be forwarded to the phone, and the ability to keep my current number, I might just go all in with this option. I’ll certainly report back if I do.

The one bummer about cancelling my AT&T account is that I’m grandfathered into some pretty great stuff. I still have the $30 unlimited data plan, the $10 for 1000 messages plan, and a 10% company discount for a company that I left two years ago. I definitely won’t get any of these back if I give them up now.

Spot the Bee: Outback

Brian Sutorius — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Jupiter, FL

Slider Shots: Duffy's

Brian Sutorius — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Jupiter, FL
pulled pork, coleslaw, “carolina” barbecue sauce, brioche buns

Slider Shots: Toojay's

Brian Sutorius — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Palm Beach Gardens, FL
sirloin, cheddar, lettuce, tomato, grilled onions

Slider Shots: Grease

Brian Sutorius — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 00:00:00 EDT

West Palm Beach, FL
beef, american cheese, onions, pickles

The Most Important Video Games

Brian Sutorius — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 00:00:00 EDT

This isn’t about the best or most-cherished video games, but rather the ones that are most important to the industry and the people who play. I don’t even really count in that latter category, I’m a noob. The following is just from the top of my head, with some quick Wikipedia research to make sure I didn’t get any facts incorrect.

Nominees

Super Mario Brothers, NES, 1985. No explanation needed, I think.
Wolfenstein 3D, DOS, 1992. Unleashed the first-person shooter. You can see a direct progression from here to current blockbusters like the Call of Duty series. Chosen over Doom, Halo.
Myst, Mac, 1993. Gorgeous graphics, a good story, and the freedom to set your own pace.
StarCraft, Windows, 1998. Exceptional realtime strategy for both single players and network play. It’s a professional sport, for chrissakes. Chosen over Command & Conquer, World of WarCraft.
Pokémon, Game Boy, 1998. Spawned an empire, even before the versions where you could breed them.
Guitar Hero, PS2, 2005. When video games began to cross over into real life, both in the means of control but also in something relatable to everyone. Chosen over Rock Band, Dance Dance Revolution.
Angry Birds, iOS, 2009. Surely this is the most important casual game of all time. There’s a reason every modern platform (including the Internet) has a native version.

Honorable Mentions

Early arcade titles like Pong, Space Invaders, Asteroids, and Centipede. I’ll just admit I’m too young to understand how much of an impact these had when they were released.
Oregon Trail, Apple II, 1978. Important now because of the heavy nostalgia factor. Did anyone really learn history from this, or did we all just shoot buffalo?
Sierra On-Line series. King’s Quest, Space Quest, and Leisure Suit Larry are all legendary franchises (and collectively an important part of gaming history) but I don’t know if one single game stands out. Chosen over Zork series, Rogue.
Madden NFL. Again, another franchise that I think is incredibly relevant for its lasting success, but without a specific outstanding installment. Chosen over NBA Jam.
Tetris, Game Boy, 1989. There were no characters (except faceless Russians maybe) but it was still fun, challenging, and accessible.
Grand Theft Auto 3, PS2, 2001. The first mainstream scapegoat game for the corruption of our youth, and a revolution in the open sandbox world.
Wii Sports, Wii, 2006. How many Wii owners never bought a game and just played the included title? Chosen over Mario Party series, anything for the Kinect.
Passage, PC, 2007. Introduced dumb dumbs like me to the idea of video games as art.

If you could only choose one, which would it be? Please tell me on Twitter.

Also tell me if I overlooked something, if I gave too much credence to one or not enough to another, or if you have any good jokes. This was mostly an exercise in curiosity and taking advantage of the savants who furiously edit Wikipedia articles that are just so dear to their hearts.

Mini Tour: Outer Trial Bank

Brian Sutorius — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 00:00:00 EDT

East Anglia, England

The remnants of a 1970s experiment to hold fresh water in the natural saltwater environment of The Wash. The offshore reservoir failed, saline water leached in, and the experiment was abandoned. It’s now a nature preserve.

Recharging on Wheels

Brian Sutorius — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 00:00:00 EDT

“Kicking is the most natural of human actions. Even unborn children kick.” I read that in a soccer magazine when I was little and it stuck with me long after I stopped playing. Lupe Fiasco’s breakout single reduced skateboarding to “kick, push, coast.” Put both maxims together and you have cruising around on your board as a natural extension of human instinct.

Or at least, that’s how I see it. I don’t—can’t—do any tricks. Get me out of the skatepark, and forget about any ollies. I just want to get on a board and head for some smooth asphalt. If the wind’s at my back and the world’s descending in front of me, I can cruise forever. No effort, no style, just me and my thoughts.

I’ve always felt comfortable alone. As one popular essay put it, alone time actually restores energy for some people (myself included—never had I thought “This person GETS me” until I read that). So I began to purposefully observe these solitary hours as recharge time, and often they entailed a ride around the neighborhood. A Prius recharges its batteries when you apply the brakes. I recharge mine when I cruise with abandon.

SIDEBAR: can I get a little MTV Cribs on you? I kind of see my two boards as cars. There’s the everyday ride, like some kind of luxury sedan, and the warm-weather sports coupe. More technically: a 34" Sector 9 deck with the perfect amount of flex, 180mm Randall trucks and 68mm Avalon wheels; and then an 18" Madrid deck, tiny 77mm trucks and 71mm Madrid wheels. I don’t know why the decks are imperial and the rest are metric. That’s skateboarding for you — NO RULES!

Whether on my main board which can roll forever, or my tiny board which I can grab without a second thought, I can ride away any pent-up anxieties. Sometimes I listen to music, but that can turn into its own thing—when I bought an iPod shuffle in college, I stopped skating to class because I wanted to take the extra time to walk and listen. I never take my phone with me. If I’m awake late at night or early in the morning, I’ll find an empty street on a downhill and gently carve subtle back-and-forths for its entire length, over and over. It always works. I come back refreshed, clear, and calm.

There are other ways to recharge, of course. Sitting in bed or a comfy chair and getting lost in a story. Turning the music up loud and putting the player or the remote out of reach. Packing a backpack and going to Vegas for 48 hours (but no more). Seriously. They’ve all worked for me. It’s about steering your mind towards something outside your everyday life and letting it play there. For me, that will always be the simple pleasure of cruising on a skateboard.

Slider Shots: Guanabanas

Brian Sutorius — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Jupiter, FL
beef, american cheese, bread and butter pickles

Spot the Bee: Miami Beach

Brian Sutorius — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Spot the Bee: Square Grouper

Brian Sutorius — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Jupiter, FL

Slider Shots: Chili's

Brian Sutorius — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Jupiter, FL
beef, bacon, american cheese, grilled onions, ranch dressing

Slider Shots: Yard House

Brian Sutorius — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Palm Beach Gardens, FL
beef, fried onion strings, bearnaise sauce

A Tale of Two Laptops

Brian Sutorius — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 00:00:00 EDT

A G3 iBook

Growing up, my family always had a Macintosh computer. This makes mine a pretty gifted childhood, especially for someone born in 1985. The Macintosh II, our family computer for a long time, easily cost more then five grand. Once we had a newer, faster Performa, I was able to spend uninterrupted hours dicking around in HyperCard and ResEdit on the II. I learned my way through every file in the System Folder for System 7.1, and almost every file’s resource fork too.

After junior high, my parents bought an iMac (first generation, third revision, “blueberry”), and it made so much more possible. 32-bit icons with translucency! The Control Strip and Launcher! THE INTERNET!

It took me a while to transition to OS X, but once I got there I also transitioned my need for a computer. Playing MP3s and surfing the web overtook tinkering with the system interface or playing the same handful of Ambrosia games over again.

Recently, I’ve had the itch to go back and recreate a Classic environment, to set it up just as I remember, the satisfaction of getting everything finally the way I wanted it through many frustrating Control Panels. Emulation solutions like Basilisk and SheepShaver haven’t really cut it. So I bought one of the last Apple machines that natively booted into OS 9: a 500mHz G3 iBook (not the toilet seat kind).

The fastest Mac anyone in our family owned before the switch to OS X was that iMac, with a 333mHz G3. This iBook feels faster than that; any delays are obviously a product of the OS rather than overtaxed hardware. The battery lasts about four minutes. I knew this going into the purchase, and it doesn’t bother me too much to leave it plugged in. The display is pretty crisp. OS 9 is way more pixelly than today’s operating systems—lots of straight lines and right corners—and it all looks great.

The hard disk holds 15GB, and for a machine with zero music or movie files and an old operating system, this feels like an infinite amount. I’ve ripped all the CDs of games I play as disk images and I still haven’t filled it halfway. The iBook came with the optional AirPort (802.11b only!) card, but I think it’s broken. No matter, because my choices are Netscape or Internet Explorer 5.

OS 9 itself shows its age and can be frustrating to use after so many years with OS X. For example, double clicking a folder in the Finder opens its own window. I remember finding this frustrating to change from, and changing back is even worse. Anxiety-inducing clutter!

The Launcher control panel is a necessity for anyone who uses the Dock regularly. The Control Strip is also still great: it’s funny that features migrated from the lower-left corner here to the upper-right corner in the OS X menubar.

I have all the greats from Ambrosia installed, some newer classics like Oni and Deus Ex, and some older gems like Carmen Sandiego, Spin Doctor, Spectre, and Lode Runner. Of course, I also installed ResEdit and HyperCard to see what I remember. The Macintosh Garden has been an essential resource in taking this trip down memory lane.

A MacBook Air

I’ve owned, in order, a first-revision 12" PowerBook G4, a first-revision white MacBook, and a first-revision 13" unibody MacBook. All of these were good computers but had serious shortcomings when compared to their second revisions. The PowerBook got USB 2 and DVI in addition to the usual speed bumps. The white MacBook went from a Core Duo to a Core 2 Duo — something Apple apparently cares about, judging by Lion’s requirements. The unibody MacBook became a MacBook Pro, significantly increasing its battery life and gaining a Firewire port and SD slot.

I bought the unibody MacBook with 4GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD from Apple, so it never felt slow. Most apps loaded in one Dock bounce or less. Beach balls were rare, but noticeable when doing something heavily reliant on Flash (the fan kicked in here too). This is a common thread in Mac reviews, and removing Flash is a common response, but I’ll admit that I watch my fair share of Megavideo, Hulu and other web video, so I’m dealing with it.

The only update to that model that ever bothered me was the bump in battery life. I don’t play games or make graphics enough to care about the upgrade from a 9400m to a 320m, and I don’t use my point-and-shoot enough that managing SD cards is a hassle. I do, however, spend more time away from my uncomfortable desk, and don’t enjoy retreating back there to plug in and recharge. The weight of the MacBook has never bothered me, but after holding a MacBook Air, who wouldn’t want the lighter machine?

Welp, Apple released the second revision of the second revision of the MacBook Air to coincide with Lion’s release, and I’ve moved up to a maxed-out 13-inch model. I keep a backlit keyboard (though it’s new to this revision), I lose almost three pounds, and the battery life essentially doubles. Coming from an SSD, the day-to-day speed increase is not that noticeable. I probably get the same amount of beach balls. Tasks like encoding MP3s or scrolling through iPhoto are noticeably faster, though.

Really, the upgrade was worth it for this machine’s portability. Most Air reviews I read include a phrase along the lines of “even weeks later, I still find myself marvelling at how thin and light it is.” It’s true. It’s so thin in front that the rubber feet on the bottom seem to elevate it as high as it is thick. This makes it look like it’s floating off the desk. The battery is fantastic, even with the i7. With WiFi on and the screen at a third-brightness, I get about eight hours of battery with light browsing. This is easily double the real-world performance of the old MacBook.

My first experience with Lion was on this new machine. This certainly supports the feeling that the OS was designed for this laptop especially. The 13" screen size seems like the upper bound at which full-screen apps make sense, and the trackpad’s surface area is just right. As an OS, Lion generally feels very familiar. I don’t use Expose, Dashboard, or now Mission Control (nor Launchpad), so there’s no learning curve for those features. I’m a fan of the “natural” scrolling direction. It wasn’t taxing to re-learn.

Versions is still confusing every once in a while. The Duplicate command essentially replaced Save As, right? All my old documents are Locked, but not in the Finder, but I can usually get a keystroke or two in before the system yells at me. It’s not frustrating (yet), but not seamless either. The worst thing is TextEdit force-saving my HTML and other documents into plain text. I know there’s an option for it not to, and I have it set. I’m not the only one either, I promise. (Updated 10/25/11: 10.7.2 fixes this bug, and HTML saves as HTML again.)

This machine, so slight in its appearance, can do everything I need it to do and last a full day on one charge, and that is supremely satisfying.

My Setup

Brian Sutorius — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 00:00:00 EDT

That picture is not entirely honest. There’s more to what I use on an everyday basis, but those two gadgets account for most of it.

Hardware

My only computer is a 13" MacBook Air, with Thunderbolt and a Core i7. It’s the best computer I’ve ever owned, with an incredible mix of portability, battery life, power, and storage. I usually have it away from a desk, but when plugged into the wall, I also use a Twelve South BassJump. For the price, size and convenience, I can’t think of anything better. All the stuff I’m listening to is compressed in some form and I don’t need a crazy sound system. Its drivers aren’t fully compatible with Lion yet—any audio from Safari crashes—but it’s plenty capable with music. (Updated 10/25/11: Version 2.0 of the BassJump drivers fixes this problem.)

Tucked away in a cabinet, there’s a 1TB Time Capsule pumping out WiFi, hosting Time Machine backups, and acting as a makeshift media server. I’ve downloaded a lot of TV in my time, and it’s all stored there for streaming whenever I want. I also have non-Time Machine backups of all my data since senior year of high school in a folder on there.

The 32GB GSM iPhone 4 is my everything device, not just a mobile device. It’s a phone, portable computer, e-reader, GPS device, camera, game console, MP3 player, and so on. It’s insane. When I listen to music, I plug in the Apple In-Ear headphones with the remote. Again, everything I listen to is compressed so I don’t need the greatest headphones, and these are pretty comfortable with a works-as-advertised remote for skipping tracks and answering calls. No case for the iPhone.

Software

The MacBook Air came with OS X Lion preinstalled. It’s clear that the OS was made for a laptop of this size with a multi-touch surface. It all works pretty well together. TextEdit, Safari, and iTunes round out the first-party apps that I use the most.

From the Mac App Store, I’ve installed Pixelmator for creating and modifying images, Transmit for maintaining my websites, and The Unarchiver for expanding compressed downloads. I also use Transmission for downloads.

There are a couple things running “behind the scenes,” like the Unarchiver. In Safari, I have the ClickToFlash, LastPass, and JavaScript Blacklist extensions installed. At a system level, I use Perian for watching movie downloads in QuickTime Player, Needle Drop to generate power hour playlists in iTunes as transparently as possible, and Hex Color Picker to help write CSS.

I covered the apps I use most frequently on my iPhone here.

There are a couple things I used to have installed that I realized I don’t need anymore. For example, I got Flip4Mac when it came out to compliment Perian, but I never downloaded a single WMV file. Similarly with Perian, there’s no real need for VLC (in my casual media usage). On the iPhone, I used to have TouchPad installed when I had a TV to plug my computer into, but that’s not the case anymore. I still wholeheartedly recommend the app as the best in its class for using an iOS device to control a Mac.

There’s not a lot to this setup, but it empowers me to do everything I want. That’s pretty cool.

Slider Shots: Krystal

Brian Sutorius — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Daytona Beach, FL
beef, american cheese, onions, pickle, yellow mustard

Spot the Bee: Bourbon Street

Brian Sutorius — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 00:00:00 EDT

New Orleans, LA

Slider Shots: Burger King

Brian Sutorius — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Vidor, TX
chicken, american cheese, pickles, mayo

Spot the Bee: Prada Marfa

Brian Sutorius — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Back side. Valentine, TX

Slider Shots: KGB

Brian Sutorius — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Las Vegas, NV
beef, cheddar, tomato

Slider Shots: The Counter

Brian Sutorius — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Palo Alto, CA

beef, lettuce, tomato, provolone, fried onion strings, sun-dried tomato vinaigrette
beef, greens, tomato, brie, basil, apricot sauce
beef, greens, bruschetta mix, fresh mozzarella, balsamic glaze, pesto
turkey, sprouts, scallions, carrot strings, asiago, peanut sauce

Slider Shots: MoGo Food Truck

Brian Sutorius — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Palo Alto, CA
short rib, slaw, cheese, sauce, hawaiian king rolls

Slider Shots: Old Pro

Brian Sutorius — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Palo Alto, CA
fried chicken, coleslaw, pico de gallo, lettuce, chipotle mayo

Slider Shots: TGI Friday's (Frozen)

Brian Sutorius — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 00:00:00 EDT

from Safeway, Menlo Park, CA
beef, cheese, barbecue sauce

Slider Shots: Burgerlicious

Brian Sutorius — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Redwood City, CA
beef, american cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, mayo

What's in my Pockets

Brian Sutorius — Sun, 22 May 2011 00:00:00 EDT

The The Items We Carry group on Flickr used to be really captivating before members started adding promotional photos, multiple angles, or the full contents of their bags. At its beginning, each photo showed the few items its photographer carried in his or her pockets. I followed it for a long time because I definitely take some satisfaction in the constraint of limiting what I bring with me to what can fit in my pockets.

Every day, I am at least carrying my house key, my wallet, and my phone. The middle of these is the most dynamic; it’s a ViewSlimmy wallet by Koyono that helped me pare down what I carry. It has four compartments: a clear one for my ID, one for cash, one for cards (only one credit and one debit), and one left over. When I go to work, the “left over” compartment houses my transit card. I used to carry a blank business card in my wallet as a space for notes, but building Pastecard has let me move that to my phone. Any receipts I might pick up during the day go in here too.

Monday through Friday, I also carry my company badge and its zip-up belt clip, and the key to my work laptop’s security lock. At first, I thought of them as necessary evils, but “evil” is too strong a word. It still feels nice to dump these on my desk during the weekend, though.

UPDATED 8/23/11
As I write this update, I’m on the other side of the country as when I originally wrote the post. I’m also not working. This means I don’t carry my badge, laptop key, or transit card anymore, but I also find myself in a completely different state of mind. In San Francisco, I was intrigued by products or services that could consolidate everything I needed to carry onto my phone. For example, Square Card Case could replace my wallet and Lockitron could replace my keys. This would be the greatest, since I’m carrying my phone around with me all the time anyways.

Now I’m living a beach bum lifestyle and suddenly there’s no desire to have my phone on me all the time anymore. I’m more interested now in the simplest way to carry around my house keys, and sometimes a book or a little cash. There’s nothing to buy at the beach, and I don’t want to check anything on the Internet while I’m there. I currently have a keyring attached to a bungie that I can wrap around my wrist (for pocket-less swimsuits), but suggestions are welcome. These lighter pockets feel even better.

Mini Tour: Sunken Cemetery

Brian Sutorius — Tue, 10 May 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Camiguin, Philippines

Much of Cagayan, the capital city of Camiguin, sank into the sea after nearby Mount Vulcan erupted in 1871. This giant cross marker was built in 1982 to mark the location of the former cemetery. Tourists can take a boat to the marker and climb to the top.

My iPhone Home Screen

Brian Sutorius — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 00:00:00 EDT

You can tell a lot about a person by what they choose to have on their homescreen, and a lot of people seem to enjoy these introspections. Here’s a play-by-play of the homescreen on my iPhone 4 (GSM, black, 32GB). The top four apps are easily the ones I use the most.

Twitter — Purchased as Tweetie 2, stayed with it since. iOS 4 with multitasking killed its List support, though. My theory is that since apps no longer fully quit, the table of tweets from a List remains in cache. Pulling to refresh on a List inserts the 20 most recent tweets on top of the last tweets you viewed (even if days ago), but doesn’t render the “accordion” between them, removing the opportunity to fill in any tweets that were posted inbetween. Otherwise, great.

Reeder — Nice design, with quirks that aren’t obnoxious. I set the preference to cache all starred items, which are fun to review every once in a while (and this way, I don’t have to wait for the media to load). The list of sharing options is impressive, and equally impressive that it’s so granularly controlled. I have Instapaper, Instapaper Mobilizer, Copy Link, and Send to Safari enabled.

Instapaper — Easily the app where I spend the most time. The whole service is incredible; I paid $10 for the Pro app when it was first released and am happy to have done so. My only feature request is to be able to edit the titles of saved articles directly in the app rather than through the web interface. I obsessively strip site names and other unnecessary words from article tites.

Pastecard — I’ve written more about why I use Pastecard elsewhere. I probably launch this app around 20 times a day.

Camera — The iPhone 4’s camera is great and slowly replacing my point-and-shoot. I tend to dump all the photos to my computer every time I sync, only keeping the ones I want to post on Twitter (and then deleting them after).

Settings — I keep as many antennas off as possible to conserve battery, and it’s useful to have this up front when I need to toggle one back on. Out of the apps I use, only Reeder puts its settings in the Settings app.

Phone — The iPhone is a phone, but I don’t like making or receiving calls. I will say that I don’t remember what voicemail was like before iPhones, so that at least is nice.

Messages — I use text messages way more than I thought I would.

Safari — Other than editing Instapaper entries, mostly used for Google and Wikipedia searches. I know it’s possible to also do this by swiping left into Spotlight, but that ends up launching Safari anyways, so I don’t bother.

iPod — The reason I bought a 32GB iPhone was to fully replace any need for an iPod. My entire music library is on here with plenty of free space remaining.

The background is a photo I took from a house in Sea Ranch, CA.

It’s equally informative what isn’t on my homescreen. I have the Mail app set up to my personal Gmail account, but I barely use it. I feel the same way about email as I do about phone calls. For text-based communication, I prefer text messages and Twitter. Most of the built-in apps, from the two stores to widgets like Stocks and Weather, are grouped together in a folder called “Trash.”

Finally, the phone is set to Edge instead of 3G. This lets me use the phone pretty heavily for two full days before recharging, and the speed is plenty fast. Of course, the four apps I use most primarily retrieve text off the Internet, rather than images or video.

What Apple could do with the iPod shuffle

Brian Sutorius — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 00:00:00 EDT

The first iPod shuffle was still an iPod; more of a device—a gadget—than an accessory. Sure, it had a secondary cap that was attached to a lanyard, but I only used that once and rarely saw it on anyone else. When you unplugged the headphones, the iPod was a rectangle of iconic white. It had a button on the back with an LED whose color denoted remaining battery life. It was the very tangible size of a pack of gum. It was even reviewed to put out the highest-quality audio of the iPod line at the time.

In three successive generations, the shuffle has gotten smaller and more wearable. Its target market is clearly those who exercise to music, not those who just want a small MP3 player. As a member of this second group of people, the shuffle is another example of a satisfying constraint. When I owned the first-generation shuffle, it was paired with a 20GB fourth-generation iPod. The latter had my entire music library (with half of its capacity to spare), where any song was accessible on a whim after much circle-scrolling. The 512MB (!) shuffle, on the other hand, was perfect for containing the most recent songs I’d downloaded and wanted to listen to, along with a couple favorites. In iTunes, I organized the shuffle’s only playlist by date added, so when the shuffle was engaged in non-random order, hitting Play queued up my newest song. It was easy and dependable for something based on randomness.

When the iPod nano came out and offered a mix of the capacity of the larger iPods with the portability and durability of the shuffle, I sold both in favor of a nano. Six years later, Apple has released a fourth-generation shuffle that is hardly bigger than its control pad. The constraint of a small, dedicated music device is still appealing to me—even though the current shuffle has the same 2GB capacity as the nano I owned—but I think Apple has an opportunity to further specialize it.

Instead of a dedicated battery life button, the current shuffle has a dedicated button to trigger its VoiceOver mode, which is not as useful given the controls on its face. The current nano, which is honestly not much bigger, can be used with the Nike+ program once you attach an adapter to its dock connector. The iPod touch and iPhone both have the sensor from this receiver built in. As Apple has demonstrated, high technology and adequate battery life can be maintained while reducing size. If they still have some magic to exercise, why not build Nike+ technology or at least a pedometer into the shuffle?

There are many difficulties, I know.

Control: it would be unclear how to operate the function. Apple has the VoiceOver feature already built in to return feedback to the user, and my off-the-cuff suggestion is to use the dedicated VoiceOver button to instead toggle Nike+ functionality (more an on/off switch than a single button). How to initially configure it and synchronize it to the shoe transmitter is a tough problem.
Feedback: how do you track your progress without a screen? Perhaps more iTunes software that reads data from an exercise session and presents it in a tab of the shuffle’s “Device” screen. We know Apple’s not above tacking features onto iTunes. Maybe they would even allow you to share your results via Ping.
Size: it could very well be impossible to fit more hardware into the shuffle, even with optimizations to its current technology. And even if you could, it’s another drain on the battery, which itself doesn’t have room to grow.

It’s a stretch. But if Apple builds exercise features into its clearly exercise-focused iPod shuffle and maintains its size, functionality, and battery life, they’ll have a buyer in me.

Slider Shots: Armadillo Willy's

Brian Sutorius — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 00:00:00 EST

Los Altos, CA
beef, cheddar, tomato, sauce

Slider Shots: Burger Meister

Brian Sutorius — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 00:00:00 EST

San Francisco, CA

beef, sliced roll, mushrooms, bleu cheese
beef, sliced roll, tomato, cheddar

Slider Shots: Epicenter Cafe

Brian Sutorius — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 00:00:00 EST

San Francisco, CA
lamb, feta, arugula, tomato

Slider Shots: Palo Alto Creamery

Brian Sutorius — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 00:00:00 EST

Palo Alto, CA
beef, buns

Mini Tour: Greenwich Steps Parking Meter

Brian Sutorius — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 00:00:00 EST

San Francisco, CA

An official city parking meter halfway up the Greenwich Street steps, where no car could ever go. The meter is number 568 47610 and will take your quarters, but it doesn’t buy you any extra time on the accompanying wood bench.

Spot the Bee: Greenwich Steps

Brian Sutorius — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 00:00:00 EST

San Francisco, CA

Slider Shots: Jollibee

Brian Sutorius — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 00:00:00 EST

San Francisco, CA

Egg, cheese, bun
Corned beef, mayo, bun

Mini Tour: The Lone Cypress

Brian Sutorius — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Pebble Beach, CA

This tree has been a symbol of the Pebble Beach community since the 1880s for its determination in continuing to live on an isolated rock. More recently, it was actually trademarked as the official symbol of the community and golf course.

Spot the Bee: Palazzo

Brian Sutorius — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Las Vegas, NV

Slider Shots: BLT Burger

Brian Sutorius — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Las Vegas NV

kobe beef, bacon, sauce
kobe beef, grilled onions, barbecue sauce
kobe beef, bleu cheese

Slider Shots: Foster Farms (Frozen)

Brian Sutorius — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 00:00:00 EDT

from Safeway, Menlo Park, CA
chicken, pepper jack, chipotle mayo, sesame seed buns

Slider Shots: Weight Watchers (Frozen)

Brian Sutorius — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 00:00:00 EDT

from Safeway, Menlo Park, CA
beef, cheese, buns

Spot the Bee: Facebook HQ

Brian Sutorius — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Cafe 6, Palo Alto, CA

Slider Shots: Me

Brian Sutorius — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Palo Alto, CA
turkey, jalapeño cheddar, grilled onions, creamy horseradish, king’s hawaiian rolls

Slider Shots: Boston Market

Brian Sutorius — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Palo Alto, CA
meatloaf, cheddar, barbecue sauce

Slider Shots: Hot Pockets (Frozen)

Brian Sutorius — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 00:00:00 EDT

from Walgreen’s, San Francisco, CA
beef, cheese, buns

Slider Shots: Boston Market

Brian Sutorius — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Palo Alto, CA
chicken, cheddar cheese, barbecue sauce

Feature Phones

Brian Sutorius — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 00:00:00 EDT

For most of college, my phone was a Samsung x495 on a pay-as-you-go T-Mobile plan. This little phone was was everything I needed at the time and nothing more. I once dropped it out of a second story window and watched it bounce off the asphalt parking lot below. It picked up some scuffs, but continued to function normally until I upgraded (by choice) to another phone. Its battery life would last for days — seriously, like an entire workweek. It got great reception, and people never complained about the call quality. My text message usage was low enough that the keypad-style of entering letters never bothered me, nor ate up my prepaid minutes.

This Samsung and a first generation 512MB iPod shuffle were once the only gadgets brought along on a long-weekend vacation, and I remember finding these constraints refreshing. I had my favorite songs with me on a device that was easy to take anywhere, and a phone that—whether for financial concern or otherwise—I never felt compelled to check or answer. I discovered on that trip that the pathetic TZones WAP internet service, through some loophole, was provided for free and I could actually get news headlines and sports scores from anywhere there was a GPRS signal. This in itself was a restraint because one was limited to the few content providers T-Mobile had selected, but I remember the aha moment where I realized that I could easily get lost in having the Internet anywhere I was.

Today, I have an iPhone 4, which does way more than that little Samsung and holds much more music than that iPod shuffle. I read Twitter and RSS feeds and saved articles wherever I am (obligatory asterisk to a smarmy footnote about AT&T reception). I have playlists and every MP3 I own stored on it, so I can either listen to my favorites as usual or pull up a specific song on demand. It has a camera that compares with the 3MP point-and-shoot I owned at the same time as my old phone. Even with all this usage, its battery still lasts about two days, which is more than satisfactory to me. On top of it all, the user experience (led by the crisp display) is perfect. My expectations and requirements for mobile devices have changed, and this again is the device that provides everything I need right now (but probably a little more too).

Though sometimes I wonder what it would be like to disconnect in a way and go back to that simple flip-phone with barely a data plan and a separate music player with no display and limited storage, and whether the constraints would be refreshing again, or frustrating.

Slider Shots: Urbun Burger

Brian Sutorius — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 00:00:00 EDT

San Francisco, CA
beef, american cheese, grilled onions, thousand island

Why Pastecard

Brian Sutorius — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Over four years ago, I started carrying a blank business card in my wallet so I would always have something to write on. There are no limitations to a blank piece of paper other than its size — it can be used to write down reminders, driving directions, lists, ideas, to-dos, jokes, more. Even before I owned an iPhone, I realized that having a digital version of this would be useful. There were already dozens of GTD apps and task managers that required you to enter data in certain formats and under certain UIs. I just wanted a digital blank piece of paper that functioned equally on my desktop and my phone.

The UI

To access Pastecard, you just navigate to the URL where you installed it. There’s no authentication step of any kind. When the page finishes loading, it’s just a rectangle of plain text. There are no buttons or images. Clicking or tapping on the box makes it editable and reveals two buttons to save changes or cancel out, and both those actions bring the window back to its original state. I essentially wanted no UI, nothing to get in the way of reading and editing.

The Simplicity

Simplenote’s explosive popularity started after I had been using Pastecard on an iPhone. I bought it and used it for a while, and actually really liked it. The most immediate advantage was the ability to use it without an Internet connection, something that was impossible with a web app (and likely to remain impossible by choice, despite cache manifests and HTML5 local databases).

But after a couple months, I realized that I didn’t need the ability to store multiple notes or the ability to search through them, and I certainly didn’t enjoy logging in from each new desktop browser I used. So I went back and rewrote Pastecard to reduce its filesize and make it load faster, even over anemic cellular data connections. Don’t get me wrong: Simplenote is great and is only getting greater, but it turns out I wanted Simplernote.

The Security

The only thing preventing someone from hijacking my Pastecard is that they don’t know its URL. This is true to life; the only thing preventing someone from scribbling over my blank business card is that they don’t know where it is. In either case, if someone else has access, they’re free to edit as they want, and I am fine with this. The kind of information that I put there isn’t sensitive or of dire importance. If it was, I could just remember it (I hope).

The Future

I’ve shared Pastecard with a couple friends and posted the source code on my personal site for everyone to use. I’ve thought about offering it as a complete package (pastecardapp.com/username maybe) — for free, of course, and still without any authentication. I may attempt to rewrite the web app to function offline somehow. No matter what happens, I will make sure Pastecard stays true to its roots of a digital scrap of paper.

UPDATED 10/30/10

Going Public

Pastecard is now a publicly-available product. While I still provide the source for download at the site, people may now register a username and host their personal card at pastecard.net. I have migrated my personal card there and those of two of my friends, the site’s first three users. Just as with the product, the site itself is simple, with only a home page, a signup form, a help page, and the download page. I’m choosing not to promote it for now, and to see how it spreads via word of mouth.

The product’s light footprint makes it relatively cheap and easy to serve. I’m using a shared server with A Small Orange, and their least-expensive plan at that. Assuming my hosting load and bandwidth do not exceed the plan’s offerings (more on this in a bit), the total cost of running the site will be $35 a year, including the domain. The increased speed combined with the satisfaction of maintaining a complete product is worth the cost to me. No need to run ads or otherwise recoup this cost.

As of this writing, the site’s assets take up about 56K of space. Each individual user takes up no more than 2K, depending on how much text they’re storing at any given time. Going by my own usage, each user will access their card 20 times a day on average, resulting in roughly 160K of bandwidth (excluding any visits to the main site). I manage the site using Google’s free apps for domains, specifically Gmail and Documents. Pastecard should scale very well with its estimated usage.

UPDATED 6/8/11

The Cloud

Pastecard hasn’t gotten many more users since the last update, but cloud storage is going to receive a lot of attention soon, now that Apple’s put an i in front of it. Pastecard has always worked like a cloud app, thanks to being entirely on the web. Being able to “install” the web app to your phone can make it seem more like a native app, but it’s always been “cloud-powered.” I don’t expect cloud mania to drive more people to Pastecard, but the cloud’s growing popularity reassures me that the choice to build for the web was the right one.

Just as Apple’s solution makes the cloud the primary hub, rather than a desktop computer, so is the same with Pastecard. It’s what keeps it simple. And, despite what I wrote above, the iOS home screen version of Pastecard can now store data locally so it can open without a data connection. Keeping with the cloud-centric philosophy, the end device is still only a consumer from the cloud. Offline mode cannot make edits that are published later; it’s just read-only until you can get back online.

Spot the Bee: Rose and Crown

Brian Sutorius — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Palo Alto, CA

Slider Shots: Moss Beach Distillery

Brian Sutorius — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Half Moon Bay, CA

beef, red onion, jack cheese
beef, grilled onions, sauteed mushrooms
beef, bacon, cheddar cheese

Spot the Bee: St. Peter's Square

Brian Sutorius — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Spot the Bee: Boboli Gardens

Brian Sutorius — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Florence, Italy

Slider Shots: Slider Bar Cafe

Brian Sutorius — Sat, 22 May 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Palo Alto, CA

kobe beef, lettuce, tomato, red onions, pickle, parmesan sauce
beef, american cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onions, pickle, mayo

Slider Shots: Armadillo Willy's

Brian Sutorius — Sat, 08 May 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Sunnyvale, CA
beef, cheese, red onions, pickles, barbecue sauce

Spot the Bee: Aquarius Theater

Brian Sutorius — Sat, 01 May 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Palo Alto, CA

What About The iPhone?

Brian Sutorius — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 00:00:00 EDT

I have not played with an iPad yet — just observed some from afar and read the many reviews and reactions. A lot of these reactions talk about its magical battery life and how it’s a great all-day, on-the-go computer. Other reviews marvel at its abstraction of the filesystem, the user experience of the touch interface, and so on. While at Chirp, the Twitter developer conference, I saw a lot of iPads. The perfect conference computer, right? Power, battery life, and a big screen for sharing.

I do not have an iPad, but I have a computer with all of those features (save the big screen): an iPhone 3GS. Have we forgotten how “magical” this thing is? I used it as my only computer at Chirp, for email, tweets, and web browsing. I was also able to take pictures, stay connected to the Internet via 3G, and send text messages, all things that the (currently WiFi-only) iPads could not do. When the WiFi networks acted up, I was still going (albeit slowly). When something urgent came up, I was able to send a text message or make a call. And when someone came up to talk to me, I put my iPhone in my pocket and was able to shake hands. I didn’t have to fumble a large device, put it down, or awkwardly tuck it under an arm. And the battery lasted all day, admittedly in some part due to my turning 3G off in the final hour.

It’s practically a given at this point that Apple will announce a new iPhone this summer, likely in late June. It could have a higher-resolution screen, a better camera, a second camera, the A4, improved battery life, an aluminum unibody construction (but if so, please not at the expense of reception), and a microwave. I’ll upgrade soon after it comes out, once the reviews are in. Partly because I’m a sucker, but also because I still think this thing is magical. It’s got most of what makes the iPad so special, and it fits in my pocket.

Spot the Bee: Fort Mason

Brian Sutorius — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 00:00:00 EDT

San Francisco, CA

Spot the Bee: Twitter HQ

Brian Sutorius — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EDT

6th floor, men’s restroom. San Francisco, CA

Spot the Bee: Fat Angel

Brian Sutorius — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Restroom. San Francisco, CA

Slider Shots: Fat Angel

Brian Sutorius — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST

San Francisco, CA
beef, cheese, grilled onions, sauce

Spot the Bee: Nepenthe

Brian Sutorius — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

Big Sur, CA

Slider Shots: Me

Brian Sutorius — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EST

Palo Alto, CA
beef, american cheese, grilled onions, creamy horseradish, king’s hawaiian rolls

Slider Shots: Burger Bar

Brian Sutorius — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 00:00:00 EST

San Francisco, CA

angus beef, bacon, lettuce, tomato
buffalo, caramelized onions, lettuce, tomato
country natural beef, american cheese, lettuce, tomato

Slider Shots: Red Robin

Brian Sutorius — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

San Bruno, CA
steak, swiss, onion strings, chipotle mayo

Spot the Bee: Zzyzx, CA

Brian Sutorius — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Spot the Bee: Lost Lake

Brian Sutorius — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT

San Bernardino, CA

Slider Shots: Southern Hospitality BBQ

Brian Sutorius — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT

New York, NY
pulled chicken, barbecue sauce

Spot the Bee: Crif Dogs

Brian Sutorius — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Manhattan, NY

Slider Shots: Nola's

Brian Sutorius — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Palo Alto, CA
beef, cheddar, onion strings, chipotle aioli

Slider Shots: My Parents

Brian Sutorius — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Palo Alto, CA

beef, dried onions, tomato, swiss, horseradish
beef, dried onions, tomato, cheddar, barbecue sauce

Slider Shots: Best-O-Burger

Brian Sutorius — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT

San Francisco, CA

sloppy joe beef, onion strings, chipotle mayo
breaded chicken, lettuce, chipotle mayo
beef, cheddar, lettuce, tomato, pickles, chipotle mayo

Spot the Bee: Sutro Baths

Brian Sutorius — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Parking lot. San Francisco, CA

Mini Tour: Mr. Little Guy's House

Brian Sutorius — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Minneapolis, MN

Mr. Little Guy is an elf who lives at the base of a tree near Lake Harriet in Minneapolis. Every summer since 1995, people have written him letters and left them inside his door. He gets as many as 1,500 letters a summer, but he answers every one.

Slider Shots: The Malt Shop

Brian Sutorius — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Minneapolis, MN

beef, swiss, mushrooms
beef, cheddar, bacon
beef, pepper jack, bacon, guacamole

Slider Shots: Facebook

Brian Sutorius — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Palo Alto, CA
beef, lettuce, onions, cheese, thousand island

Spot the Bee: 500 Ocean Trail

Brian Sutorius — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Jupiter, FL

Spot the Bee: Publix

Brian Sutorius — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Jupiter, FL

Slider Shots: Chick-Fil-A

Brian Sutorius — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Atlanta, GA
breaded chicken, mini biscuits, honey

Ode to TextEdit

Brian Sutorius — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

I’m by no means an expert at any real programming languages. But I’ve been playing around with HTML and CSS for years, and always feel the most comfortable writing the related code out by hand in plain text. There are many specialized text editors out there, and I’ve tried a couple (from the Source mode of Claris Home Page on the old family computer, to vi in the terminal, to Coda), but I always go back to the simple text editor bundled with my Mac.

I remember keeping a copy of SimpleText on the floppy disk I had in grade school, so I could edit my homework in a familiar writing environment. Writing assignments were much simpler back then – no need for fancy fonts or formatting. Eventually, I started using Microsoft Word for documents that needed rich text, but kept SimpleText around for all my web work. I even kept a copy of SimpleText on my first college laptop and booted into Classic just to run it.

I knew about TextEdit in OS X, and how it was SimpleText’s successor, but I was initially turned off by its default setup with rulers and rich text. Once I figured out how to optimize it for plain text by default, I switched to it for almost everything. Today, I do all my web work, track my to-dos and lists (option-8: learn it, love it), and draft correspondences and ideas in TextEdit. I have folders and folders of plain text documents on my computer, and even built my first web app around a plain text file.

I’m not preaching the virtues of a simple text editor like TextEdit to everyone. For me, it’s exactly what I need: more GUI than a terminal window, but nothing extra; instantaneous load time from double-click to new document; spell-checking when I want it, and stability (it even autosaves in Leopard). For people who work closer with code, syntax highlighting and more powerful tools are of course necessary. But the bundled plain text editor will always be enough for me.

Slider Shots: Jack in the Box

Brian Sutorius — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Redwood City, CA
breaded chicken, lettuce, ranch, frank’s redhot sauce

Spot the Bee: Peter Hay Golf Course

Brian Sutorius — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Hole 4. Pebble Beach, CA

Slider Shots: Facebook

Brian Sutorius — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Palo Alto, CA
chorizo, beef, onion, poblano chile, chipotle and garlic patty; jack cheese

Slider Shots: Facebook

Brian Sutorius — Thu, 28 May 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Palo Alto, CA
lamb, cucumber, roasted red peppers, tzatziki

Slider Shots: BJ's

Brian Sutorius — Wed, 27 May 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Cupertino, CA
beef, bacon, cheddar, grilled onions, ketchup

Spot the Bee: Lockspot Cafe

Brian Sutorius — Mon, 25 May 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Seattle, WA

Spot the Bee: Fremont Troll

Brian Sutorius — Mon, 25 May 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Seattle, WA

Mini Tour: Door to Hell

Brian Sutorius — Fri, 22 May 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Darvaza, Turkmenistan

When geologists were drilling for resources in 1971 and encountered a pocket of natural gas, their rig collapsed and the poisonous fumes began to escape. To protect the nearby town, they decided to light the gas on fire and burn it off, and it has been burning ever since. At night, you can see how it got its name.

Slider Shots: Thirsty Bear

Brian Sutorius — Fri, 15 May 2009 00:00:00 EDT

San Francisco, CA
lamb, lemon relish, caper aioli, caramelized shallots

Spot the Bee: Bottom of the Hill

Brian Sutorius — Sat, 09 May 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Men’s restroom. San Francisco, CA

Spot the Bee: Rincon Island Causeway

Brian Sutorius — Fri, 08 May 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Slider Shots: Chili's

Brian Sutorius — Fri, 08 May 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Monrovia, CA
breaded chicken, american cheese, onions, pickle, ancho-chile ranch

Spot the Bee: Pyramid Lake

Brian Sutorius — Thu, 07 May 2009 00:00:00 EDT

One of the maps in the parking lot.

Spot the Bee: Pomona College Baseball Field

Brian Sutorius — Thu, 07 May 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Spot the Bee: Carnegie Building

Brian Sutorius — Thu, 07 May 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Outside the men’s room on the first floor. Pomona College

Slider Shots: Burger King

Brian Sutorius — Thu, 07 May 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Grapevine, CA
beef, american cheese, ketchup, mustard

Slider Shots: Monte Carlo Pub Grill

Brian Sutorius — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Las Vegas, NV
beef, cheddar, barbecue sauce, relish

Slider Shots: Jack in the Box

Brian Sutorius — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Redwood City, CA
sirloin, american cheese, grilled onions, ketchup

Slider Shots: White Castle (Frozen)

Brian Sutorius — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 00:00:00 EDT

from Safeway, Menlo Park, CA
beef, cheese, onions

Slider Shots: Armadillo Willy's

Brian Sutorius — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Sunnyvale, CA
barbecue beef brisket, sesame seed buns

Slider Shots: Me

Brian Sutorius — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Menlo Park, CA

tabasco beef, salsa, jalapeños, bacon, avocado
beef, bacon, cheddar, barbecue sauce
beef, provolone, marinara sauce

Slider Shots: Elephant Bar

Brian Sutorius — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 00:00:00 EST

Montclair, CA
beef, grilled onions, chili-ketchup

Slider Shots: Burger King

Brian Sutorius — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 00:00:00 EST

San Jose, CA
ham, american cheese, “scrambled” eggs, cheese sauce

Slider Shots: Facebook

Brian Sutorius — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 00:00:00 EST

Palo Alto, CA
beef, grilled onions, american cheese

Mini Tour: Vulcan Point

Brian Sutorius — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 00:00:00 EST

Luzon, Philippines

The “smallest island in a lake, on an island in a lake, on an island” in the world. Vulcan Point is in Crater Lake, on the Taal Volcano, in Lake Taal, on Luzon.

Slider Shots: La Esmerelda

Brian Sutorius — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Incline Village, NV
beef, jalapeños, cheese, southwest sauce

Slider Shots: Cheesecake Factory

Brian Sutorius — Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Palo Alto, CA
beef, cheese

Slider Shots: Cheesecake Factory

Brian Sutorius — Sun, 11 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Palo Alto, CA
breaded chicken, southwest sauce

Slider Shots: TGI Friday's

Brian Sutorius — Sun, 04 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Cupertino, CA
chimichurri beef, provolone cheese, garlic & herb sauce

Slider Shots: Gordon Biersch

Brian Sutorius — Fri, 02 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Palo Alto, CA
kobe beef, pickles, sauce

Slider Shots: Trader Joe's (Frozen)

Brian Sutorius — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Menlo Park, CA
angus beef, cheddar cheese

Slider Shots: Old Pro

Brian Sutorius — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 00:00:00 EST

Palo Alto, CA
angus beef, cheddar cheese, grilled onions

Slider Shots: The Counter

Brian Sutorius — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 00:00:00 EST

Palo Alto, CA
beef, cheddar cheese, onions, red relish

Mini Tour: Mojave Phone Booth

Brian Sutorius — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 00:00:00 EST

Mojave Preserve, CA

From sometime in the 1960s to 2000 (according to Wikipedia), there was an operational public phone booth in the middle of the desert. Fans would come all the way out to answer calls.

Mini Tour: Prada Marfa

Brian Sutorius — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 00:00:00 EST

Valentine, TX

A tiny Prada store, out in the middle of nowhere on Highway 90 in Texas. Just kidding—it’s an art installation by two German dudes, part of the nearby art community of Marfa. There are shoes and purses from the Fall 2005 collection on display, but the doors are sealed shut.

Mini Tour: Just Room Enough

Brian Sutorius — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 00:00:00 EDT

Hub Island, NY

One of the Thousand Islands on the St. Lawrence Seaway, between Canada and New York. Hub island has a cottage (nicknamed “Just Room Enough”) which takes up exactly the amount of dry land provided.

Mini Tour: Floating Outhouse

Brian Sutorius — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 00:00:00 EDT

Pyramid Lake, CA

When you’re in the middle of a giant reservoir and have to pee, be thankful that the parks department installed a floating toilet that almost certainly does not dump back into the lake.

Mini Tour: Mill Ends Park

Brian Sutorius — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 00:00:00 EST

Portland, OR

The smallest municipal park in the world, in a hole for a lightpost that was never installed. It was created in 1948 by Oregon Journal columnist Dick Fagan as “the biggest leprechaun colony west of Ireland.” Fans have left behind leprechaun-sized goodies including a mini swimming pool and a mini Ferris Wheel.

Mini Tour: Sutter Buttes

Brian Sutorius — Mon, 20 Mar 2006 00:00:00 EST

Sacramento, CA

Remnants of a dormant volcano that show up as a small dot in the middle of a flat valley on a topographical map of California. Known as the “smallest mountain range in the world,” with a diameter of 10 miles and a surface area of about 75 square miles.

Mini Tour: Rincon Island

Brian Sutorius — Fri, 03 Mar 2006 00:00:00 EST

Carpinteria, CA

A man-made island designed for oil extraction, off the 101 freeway between Santa Barbara and Ventura. Oil production in the surrounding area approaches 1.5 billion barrels per year. The island and its private bridge were completed in 1958.

Mini Tour: Lost Lake

Brian Sutorius — Fri, 03 Mar 2006 00:00:00 EST

San Bernardino, CA

A sag pond on the San Andreas Fault, located near the 15 freeway and Old Route 66. It sits where the north-south oriented boundary hits a jog to the east; as the Pacific plate shifts north relative to the North American plate every year, the jog in the fault spreads into a sinkhole, which fills with water.