I needed a FinalCut Express to edit some video. I would have usually got it on the on-line Apple Store, but for the very first time in my life I'm in a town with an Apple Store just when I need something from Apple, why don't get a lift there and get the full Apple Experience? I did. And after waiting 10 minutues thet told me they didn't have it. Back at home I ordered it on-line. Sigh.

The first day at Bloggercon IV was quite interesting. Lots of smart discussions between smart people. It was great to meet a lot of friends, some of them for the first time (I'm not describing again how interactions between bloggers work).

One of the most interesting aspects of the day was Doc Searls' real time outlining of the event. It was not only fascinating because it was making notes about the unconference available in real time to everybody, it was the very writing process, happening in real time on the big screens. I usually get hypnotized like this when assisting a live musical performance: I can spend hours looking at somebody playing a musical instrument. There was something similar, creative and magical, in the real time writing and editing that Doc did today for all of us.

The trip was okay, we had a good dinner in London with Matt, the flight with British Airways was long and nicely uneventful, we settled at Marc's home in Walnut Creek (don't forget the PeopleAggregator open house next Wednesday).

As you might have noticed, my cellphone works fine and I can even post pictures to Flickr on the go (I'll let you know how much this trick costs once I get my next phone bill).

Today we are taking the BART to San Francisco, just to visit, do some shopping and tourists things.

It's great to be here :-)

Tomorrow we are leaving for a pretty long trip, we will be away for almost 3 weeks, travelling to London, San Francisco, Seattle and back London before coming back home. Out cats are going to be seriously mad at us by the time we'll get back :-)

It's not a real vacation, we'll keep working from another time zone, but it will be a great opportunity to meet old and new friends, participate to some exciting events and conferences and try figure out what has been happening on the West Coast since we last visited five years ago.

Following the news, this morning I donwloaded and installed Flock. It's early for conclusions, but I have a positive feeling about it.

Things I like:

• I can drag and drop images from my Flickr account to a blog post and do some basic formatting in wysiwyg mode
• Looks like I can use the aggregator in River of News mode, and keep feeds in folders/groups
• The RSS aggregator has a "Blog" button below every item (just like Radio had 4 years ago, but it's nice to see it again)
• The clipboard at the bottom of the page where you can drag stuff to use later is killer

Things I don't like:

• So far I haven't been able to post with Radio using the Metablog API
• Looks like I can't export my OPML subscriptions
• Can't install Firefox Web Developer extension
• Looks like I cannot put a folder of bookmarks in the toolbar

If they can solve some of these problems in one of the next releases, this is going to be my next browser.

Tags: Flock

Here's Bloggercon IV schedule, blog, and mail list. I feel much more involved in this unconference than the conference I'm speaking at tomorrow in Turin.

Today Google announced the availability of SketchUp for MacOS (the Windows version has been available for a while). I have used SketchUp in the past, it's a very simple to use yet quite powerful 3D modelling application. If you have some basic ideas about 3D modelling and architectural design, you can produce quite accurate models very quickly. SketchUp has some smart tools which, unlike many other similar applications, are actually smart.

Of course, the cool new thing about Google's version of SketchUp is that you can import your model in Google Earth. You can design your home, and then put it on the map.

I think that sometime soon Google will introduce another application or integrate existing ones which will allow us to create characters to move in this real world.

Then we will move from Second Life to the Real World (a google [dot accent] ;-).

The identity transplant bewteen my old PowerBook and the new MacBook took about two hours, but it went smoothly and now all my stuff is on the new computer. Apple is definetly making upgrades a no brainer.

I must say that it feels fast. Browser, email, but even PhotoShop (which is not native), are extremely responsive. Yesterday I experienced the backlit keyboard. I have never had problems using other keyboards in the dark, but it looks pretty cool. The built-in camera is fun.

So far (but I have only used it for a couple of hours) the only issue I had with the new processor is that I haven't been able to see some ShockWave stuff because the plug-in is not up to date.

I'm considering dropping the dual computer set-up I have been using for many years: I've always had a powerful desktop computer hooked to a big screen for design work and a portable with email and the rest of my life. But now, this new MacBook seems to be faster than my desktop G5: I might end up hooking the MacBook to the 22" screen and start using a single computer. But I'm not sure about this step yet.

Tags: MacBook Pro

I have just unpacked my new MacBook Pro, stuff is moving from my old PowerBook to the new one, still one hour to go. I surfed back in time on my blog to try to figure out when I started using my old PowerBook: exactly 3 years and one day ago. 3 years is a pretty good lifespan for a laptop.

The powerbook still works well and it only has a few minor scratches, but it feels very slow. I'm sure that reformatting and installing a fresh OS will improve the situation and it will start a new life in new loving hands.

Tags: PowerBook, MacBook Pro

I'm happy for Robert Scoble, I really am, I'm sure that at PodTech.net he will be able to change the world faster than at Microsoft.

But... what about us?

For years we have been trying to convince companies to open weblogs, to hire bloggers, to be open in the way they communicate, with this very line: "well, for example, there's Robert Scoble at Microsoft".

What will we say now? It's the end of an era.

;-)

Tags: Robert Scoble

It's official: I'm going to BloggerCon IV!

:-)

There are currently 2,629 photos tagged "reboot8" on Flickr. Amazing. But photos are ordered by author, which makes them useless to tell the story of an event.

Somebody should tell Flickr/Yahoo about reverse chronological order. Just imagine being able to browse, page after page, hundreds of pictures of Euan taken from 200 slightly different angles. And then Doc. And then Stowe... ;-)

Work in the same office.