trometer

MacMerc.com is Back!

MacMerc.com is back… but why did it go?

I’m happy to announce the return of MacMerc.com and my intention to resume production on MacMerc.TV. It must have seemed strange after so much attention and effort was made to launch an ambitious podcast that was so well received (thank you all for that) to then not only stop producing that show but to take down the site that hosted it.

Believe me, it wasn’t part of the plan.

Let me take you back a year or so and I’ll try to explain.

Shortly after I launched the podcast, I started up a friendship over Twitter with Greg Grunberg ( @greggrunberg ) from NBC’s HEROES. He is an amazing guy with all kinds of projects on the go. At the time he told me about an idea he had for an iPhone app that would bring up coupons based on where the user was in proximity to the stores. He wanted to know if I knew anyone who could develop it. I did, of course. I connected him with my friend from my days on The Wizards of Technology, August Trometer ( @august ).

That was the start of the whirlwind of activity that became Yowza!! Mobile Coupons ( @yowza ). In the early months it took over a lot of my time and even distracted me from my day job a fair bit. I had no time to write blog posts, much less scripts. There was definitely no time for shooting and editing.

In the midst of all that, a hacker came a-hackin’ (it’s what they do). Somebody was repeatedly compromising MacMerc.com’s security and posting all kinds of filth and horror. With all the other stuff happening in my life, I couldn’t handle this as well. The only person that knew the site well enough to defend it was also the guy I recommended when Greg asked if I knew any coders, and he was busier than me.

I was sunk.

My only defense was retreat.

Through my friendship (and internship) with Cali Lewis at GeekBrief ( @calilewis ), I had met some amazingly wonderful people and made some great friends. One of them, Daynah ( @daynah ) came to my rescue and put up a “be back soon page” and went to work converting the data from my antiquated pre-Typepad content management system over to WordPress. She did a great job and I am so thankful for her help.

My participation with Yowza!! is much less than it was and I, once again, have time for blogging, script writing and podcasting.

Let’s dig in!

MacMerc.TV– TextExpander


Get more from every keystroke with Smile On My Mac’s TextExpander. Rick Yaeger puts the Preference Pane through its paces in this edition of MacMerc.TV.

Click for special offer»

Be sure to subscribe to MacMerc.TV in iTunes to get the latest edition as soon as it becomes available. We offer an iPod version and an HD one for AppleTV.

If you have ideas (software you’d like featured or tech concepts you’d like explained) for future episodes of MacMerc.TV, send me an email.

A few notes:»

    If you decide to register TextExpander, use the code MACMERC09 when you check out and you’ll get 20% off!! This offer is only good until March 31, 2009, so hurry!!

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    • The photos I posted to my blog were taken for me as a favor by my friend and business partner Greg Grunberg.
    • The “crazy long Amazon.com link” I posted to Twitter was for Band from TV’s “Hoggin All The Covers” MacMerc.TV   TextExpander, a CD/DVD of Greg’s band. Proceeds from the sale of this album go toward helping a handful of awesome charities and I heartily recommend buying it. These actors can really rock.
    • The exclamation that jumps out of the happy Mac at the end of the show is the logo for the product Greg, August Trometer and I are bringing to the iTunes App Store: Yowza!!.
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    Apple drops the NDA on released iPhone apps. A great day for iPhone developers.

    Picture 52 20081001 100406 Apple drops the NDA on released iPhone apps. A great day for iPhone developers.In A Message for iPhone Developers, Apple writes:


    We have decided to drop the non-disclosure agreement (NDA) for released iPhone software.

    We put the NDA in place because the iPhone OS includes many Apple inventions and innovations that we would like to protect, so that others don’t steal our work. It has happened before. While we have filed for hundreds of patents on iPhone technology, the NDA added yet another level of protection. We put it in place as one more way to help protect the iPhone from being ripped off by others.

    However, the NDA has created too much of a burden on developers, authors and others interested in helping further the iPhone’s success, so we are dropping it for released software. Developers will receive a new agreement without an NDA covering released software within a week or so. Please note that unreleased software and features will remain under NDA until they are released.

    Thanks to everyone who provided us constructive feedback on this matter.

    When asked to comment on the meaning and impact of this announcement, Mac and iPhone app developer August Trometer said, “One of best things about the Mac as platform is the tremendous developer community that’s built up around it. With the NDA being lifted, that same collaboration and sharing of ideas can occur with the iPhone. It’s truly a great day for iPhone developers.”

    Collaboration + Inspiration = Innovation.

    Note: