I'm discontinuing this blog and moving furtherposts to:
• Rontronik.com
• Smartbomb.net
Thanks for your continued support
-R
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
Album Cover of The Month: NIA
Special shout to my dude Brent Rollins. Always inspirational work. This is just one of many covers he has art directed/designed. Check The Stimulus Package (Freeway and Jake One release)!
Sunday, May 09, 2010
Steve Jobs: Thoughts On Flash
Apple has a long relationship with Adobe. In fact, we met Adobe’s founders when they were in their proverbial garage. Apple was their first big customer, adopting their Postscript language for our new Laserwriter printer. Apple invested in Adobe and owned around 20% of the company for many years. The two companies worked closely together to pioneer desktop publishing and there were many good times. Since that golden era, the companies have grown apart. Apple went through its near death experience, and Adobe was drawn to the corporate market with their Acrobat products. Today the two companies still work together to serve their joint creative customers – Mac users buy around half of Adobe’s Creative Suite products – but beyond that there are few joint interests.
I wanted to jot down some of our thoughts on Adobe’s Flash products so that customers and critics may better understand why we do not allow Flash on iPhones, iPods and iPads. Adobe has characterized our decision as being primarily business driven – they say we want to protect our App Store – but in reality it is based on technology issues. Adobe claims that we are a closed system, and that Flash is open, but in fact the opposite is true. Let me explain.
First, there’s “Open”.
Adobe’s Flash products are 100% proprietary. They are only available from Adobe, and Adobe has sole authority as to their future enhancement, pricing, etc. While Adobe’s Flash products are widely available, this does not mean they are open, since they are controlled entirely by Adobe and available only from Adobe. By almost any definition, Flash is a closed system.
Apple has many proprietary products too. Though the operating system for the iPhone, iPod and iPad is proprietary, we strongly believe that all standards pertaining to the web should be open. Rather than use Flash, Apple has adopted HTML5, CSS and JavaScript – all open standards. Apple’s mobile devices all ship with high performance, low power implementations of these open standards. HTML5, the new web standard that has been adopted by Apple, Google and many others, lets web developers create advanced graphics, typography, animations and transitions without relying on third party browser plug-ins (like Flash). HTML5 is completely open and controlled by a standards committee, of which Apple is a member.
Apple even creates open standards for the web. For example, Apple began with a small open source project and created WebKit, a complete open-source HTML5 rendering engine that is the heart of the Safari web browser used in all our products. WebKit has been widely adopted. Google uses it for Android’s browser, Palm uses it, Nokia uses it, and RIM (Blackberry) has announced they will use it too. Almost every smartphone web browser other than Microsoft’s uses WebKit. By making its WebKit technology open, Apple has set the standard for mobile web browsers.
Second, there’s the “full web”.
Adobe has repeatedly said that Apple mobile devices cannot access “the full web” because 75% of video on the web is in Flash. What they don’t say is that almost all this video is also available in a more modern format, H.264, and viewable on iPhones, iPods and iPads. YouTube, with an estimated 40% of the web’s video, shines in an app bundled on all Apple mobile devices, with the iPad offering perhaps the best YouTube discovery and viewing experience ever. Add to this video from Vimeo, Netflix, Facebook, ABC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, ESPN, NPR, Time, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Sports Illustrated, People, National Geographic, and many, many others. iPhone, iPod and iPad users aren’t missing much video.
Another Adobe claim is that Apple devices cannot play Flash games. This is true. Fortunately, there are over 50,000 games and entertainment titles on the App Store, and many of them are free. There are more games and entertainment titles available for iPhone, iPod and iPad than for any other platform in the world.
Third, there’s reliability, security and performance.
Symantec recently highlighted Flash for having one of the worst security records in 2009. We also know first hand that Flash is the number one reason Macs crash. We have been working with Adobe to fix these problems, but they have persisted for several years now. We don’t want to reduce the reliability and security of our iPhones, iPods and iPads by adding Flash.
In addition, Flash has not performed well on mobile devices. We have routinely asked Adobe to show us Flash performing well on a mobile device, any mobile device, for a few years now. We have never seen it. Adobe publicly said that Flash would ship on a smartphone in early 2009, then the second half of 2009, then the first half of 2010, and now they say the second half of 2010. We think it will eventually ship, but we’re glad we didn’t hold our breath. Who knows how it will perform?
Fourth, there’s battery life.
To achieve long battery life when playing video, mobile devices must decode the video in hardware; decoding it in software uses too much power. Many of the chips used in modern mobile devices contain a decoder called H.264 – an industry standard that is used in every Blu-ray DVD player and has been adopted by Apple, Google (YouTube), Vimeo, Netflix and many other companies.
Although Flash has recently added support for H.264, the video on almost all Flash websites currently requires an older generation decoder that is not implemented in mobile chips and must be run in software. The difference is striking: on an iPhone, for example, H.264 videos play for up to 10 hours, while videos decoded in software play for less than 5 hours before the battery is fully drained.
When websites re-encode their videos using H.264, they can offer them without using Flash at all. They play perfectly in browsers like Apple’s Safari and Google’s Chrome without any plugins whatsoever, and look great on iPhones, iPods and iPads.
Fifth, there’s Touch.
Flash was designed for PCs using mice, not for touch screens using fingers. For example, many Flash websites rely on “rollovers”, which pop up menus or other elements when the mouse arrow hovers over a specific spot. Apple’s revolutionary multi-touch interface doesn’t use a mouse, and there is no concept of a rollover. Most Flash websites will need to be rewritten to support touch-based devices. If developers need to rewrite their Flash websites, why not use modern technologies like HTML5, CSS and JavaScript?
Even if iPhones, iPods and iPads ran Flash, it would not solve the problem that most Flash websites need to be rewritten to support touch-based devices.
Sixth, the most important reason.
Besides the fact that Flash is closed and proprietary, has major technical drawbacks, and doesn’t support touch based devices, there is an even more important reason we do not allow Flash on iPhones, iPods and iPads. We have discussed the downsides of using Flash to play video and interactive content from websites, but Adobe also wants developers to adopt Flash to create apps that run on our mobile devices.
We know from painful experience that letting a third party layer of software come between the platform and the developer ultimately results in sub-standard apps and hinders the enhancement and progress of the platform. If developers grow dependent on third party development libraries and tools, they can only take advantage of platform enhancements if and when the third party chooses to adopt the new features. We cannot be at the mercy of a third party deciding if and when they will make our enhancements available to our developers.
This becomes even worse if the third party is supplying a cross platform development tool. The third party may not adopt enhancements from one platform unless they are available on all of their supported platforms. Hence developers only have access to the lowest common denominator set of features. Again, we cannot accept an outcome where developers are blocked from using our innovations and enhancements because they are not available on our competitor’s platforms.
Flash is a cross platform development tool. It is not Adobe’s goal to help developers write the best iPhone, iPod and iPad apps. It is their goal to help developers write cross platform apps. And Adobe has been painfully slow to adopt enhancements to Apple’s platforms. For example, although Mac OS X has been shipping for almost 10 years now, Adobe just adopted it fully (Cocoa) two weeks ago when they shipped CS5. Adobe was the last major third party developer to fully adopt Mac OS X.
Our motivation is simple – we want to provide the most advanced and innovative platform to our developers, and we want them to stand directly on the shoulders of this platform and create the best apps the world has ever seen. We want to continually enhance the platform so developers can create even more amazing, powerful, fun and useful applications. Everyone wins – we sell more devices because we have the best apps, developers reach a wider and wider audience and customer base, and users are continually delighted by the best and broadest selection of apps on any platform.
Conclusions.
Flash was created during the PC era – for PCs and mice. Flash is a successful business for Adobe, and we can understand why they want to push it beyond PCs. But the mobile era is about low power devices, touch interfaces and open web standards – all areas where Flash falls short.
The avalanche of media outlets offering their content for Apple’s mobile devices demonstrates that Flash is no longer necessary to watch video or consume any kind of web content. And the 200,000 apps on Apple’s App Store proves that Flash isn’t necessary for tens of thousands of developers to create graphically rich applications, including games.
New open standards created in the mobile era, such as HTML5, will win on mobile devices (and PCs too). Perhaps Adobe should focus more on creating great HTML5 tools for the future, and less on criticizing Apple for leaving the past behind.
Steve Jobs
April, 2010
I wanted to jot down some of our thoughts on Adobe’s Flash products so that customers and critics may better understand why we do not allow Flash on iPhones, iPods and iPads. Adobe has characterized our decision as being primarily business driven – they say we want to protect our App Store – but in reality it is based on technology issues. Adobe claims that we are a closed system, and that Flash is open, but in fact the opposite is true. Let me explain.
First, there’s “Open”.
Adobe’s Flash products are 100% proprietary. They are only available from Adobe, and Adobe has sole authority as to their future enhancement, pricing, etc. While Adobe’s Flash products are widely available, this does not mean they are open, since they are controlled entirely by Adobe and available only from Adobe. By almost any definition, Flash is a closed system.
Apple has many proprietary products too. Though the operating system for the iPhone, iPod and iPad is proprietary, we strongly believe that all standards pertaining to the web should be open. Rather than use Flash, Apple has adopted HTML5, CSS and JavaScript – all open standards. Apple’s mobile devices all ship with high performance, low power implementations of these open standards. HTML5, the new web standard that has been adopted by Apple, Google and many others, lets web developers create advanced graphics, typography, animations and transitions without relying on third party browser plug-ins (like Flash). HTML5 is completely open and controlled by a standards committee, of which Apple is a member.
Apple even creates open standards for the web. For example, Apple began with a small open source project and created WebKit, a complete open-source HTML5 rendering engine that is the heart of the Safari web browser used in all our products. WebKit has been widely adopted. Google uses it for Android’s browser, Palm uses it, Nokia uses it, and RIM (Blackberry) has announced they will use it too. Almost every smartphone web browser other than Microsoft’s uses WebKit. By making its WebKit technology open, Apple has set the standard for mobile web browsers.
Second, there’s the “full web”.
Adobe has repeatedly said that Apple mobile devices cannot access “the full web” because 75% of video on the web is in Flash. What they don’t say is that almost all this video is also available in a more modern format, H.264, and viewable on iPhones, iPods and iPads. YouTube, with an estimated 40% of the web’s video, shines in an app bundled on all Apple mobile devices, with the iPad offering perhaps the best YouTube discovery and viewing experience ever. Add to this video from Vimeo, Netflix, Facebook, ABC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, ESPN, NPR, Time, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Sports Illustrated, People, National Geographic, and many, many others. iPhone, iPod and iPad users aren’t missing much video.
Another Adobe claim is that Apple devices cannot play Flash games. This is true. Fortunately, there are over 50,000 games and entertainment titles on the App Store, and many of them are free. There are more games and entertainment titles available for iPhone, iPod and iPad than for any other platform in the world.
Third, there’s reliability, security and performance.
Symantec recently highlighted Flash for having one of the worst security records in 2009. We also know first hand that Flash is the number one reason Macs crash. We have been working with Adobe to fix these problems, but they have persisted for several years now. We don’t want to reduce the reliability and security of our iPhones, iPods and iPads by adding Flash.
In addition, Flash has not performed well on mobile devices. We have routinely asked Adobe to show us Flash performing well on a mobile device, any mobile device, for a few years now. We have never seen it. Adobe publicly said that Flash would ship on a smartphone in early 2009, then the second half of 2009, then the first half of 2010, and now they say the second half of 2010. We think it will eventually ship, but we’re glad we didn’t hold our breath. Who knows how it will perform?
Fourth, there’s battery life.
To achieve long battery life when playing video, mobile devices must decode the video in hardware; decoding it in software uses too much power. Many of the chips used in modern mobile devices contain a decoder called H.264 – an industry standard that is used in every Blu-ray DVD player and has been adopted by Apple, Google (YouTube), Vimeo, Netflix and many other companies.
Although Flash has recently added support for H.264, the video on almost all Flash websites currently requires an older generation decoder that is not implemented in mobile chips and must be run in software. The difference is striking: on an iPhone, for example, H.264 videos play for up to 10 hours, while videos decoded in software play for less than 5 hours before the battery is fully drained.
When websites re-encode their videos using H.264, they can offer them without using Flash at all. They play perfectly in browsers like Apple’s Safari and Google’s Chrome without any plugins whatsoever, and look great on iPhones, iPods and iPads.
Fifth, there’s Touch.
Flash was designed for PCs using mice, not for touch screens using fingers. For example, many Flash websites rely on “rollovers”, which pop up menus or other elements when the mouse arrow hovers over a specific spot. Apple’s revolutionary multi-touch interface doesn’t use a mouse, and there is no concept of a rollover. Most Flash websites will need to be rewritten to support touch-based devices. If developers need to rewrite their Flash websites, why not use modern technologies like HTML5, CSS and JavaScript?
Even if iPhones, iPods and iPads ran Flash, it would not solve the problem that most Flash websites need to be rewritten to support touch-based devices.
Sixth, the most important reason.
Besides the fact that Flash is closed and proprietary, has major technical drawbacks, and doesn’t support touch based devices, there is an even more important reason we do not allow Flash on iPhones, iPods and iPads. We have discussed the downsides of using Flash to play video and interactive content from websites, but Adobe also wants developers to adopt Flash to create apps that run on our mobile devices.
We know from painful experience that letting a third party layer of software come between the platform and the developer ultimately results in sub-standard apps and hinders the enhancement and progress of the platform. If developers grow dependent on third party development libraries and tools, they can only take advantage of platform enhancements if and when the third party chooses to adopt the new features. We cannot be at the mercy of a third party deciding if and when they will make our enhancements available to our developers.
This becomes even worse if the third party is supplying a cross platform development tool. The third party may not adopt enhancements from one platform unless they are available on all of their supported platforms. Hence developers only have access to the lowest common denominator set of features. Again, we cannot accept an outcome where developers are blocked from using our innovations and enhancements because they are not available on our competitor’s platforms.
Flash is a cross platform development tool. It is not Adobe’s goal to help developers write the best iPhone, iPod and iPad apps. It is their goal to help developers write cross platform apps. And Adobe has been painfully slow to adopt enhancements to Apple’s platforms. For example, although Mac OS X has been shipping for almost 10 years now, Adobe just adopted it fully (Cocoa) two weeks ago when they shipped CS5. Adobe was the last major third party developer to fully adopt Mac OS X.
Our motivation is simple – we want to provide the most advanced and innovative platform to our developers, and we want them to stand directly on the shoulders of this platform and create the best apps the world has ever seen. We want to continually enhance the platform so developers can create even more amazing, powerful, fun and useful applications. Everyone wins – we sell more devices because we have the best apps, developers reach a wider and wider audience and customer base, and users are continually delighted by the best and broadest selection of apps on any platform.
Conclusions.
Flash was created during the PC era – for PCs and mice. Flash is a successful business for Adobe, and we can understand why they want to push it beyond PCs. But the mobile era is about low power devices, touch interfaces and open web standards – all areas where Flash falls short.
The avalanche of media outlets offering their content for Apple’s mobile devices demonstrates that Flash is no longer necessary to watch video or consume any kind of web content. And the 200,000 apps on Apple’s App Store proves that Flash isn’t necessary for tens of thousands of developers to create graphically rich applications, including games.
New open standards created in the mobile era, such as HTML5, will win on mobile devices (and PCs too). Perhaps Adobe should focus more on creating great HTML5 tools for the future, and less on criticizing Apple for leaving the past behind.
Steve Jobs
April, 2010
Saturday, May 01, 2010
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
iBeat's The Death Of Keith Elam – GURU Tribute show
"Guru taught me how to use my voice and the importance of taking two and pass. When I broke up with my girlfried, I chanted “next with the ex-girl.” Keith Elam, you will be missed and these 2 hours is not enough to truly honor your wisdom." — iBeat
R.I.P G/ifted U/nlimited R/hymes U/niversal
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Thursday, April 08, 2010
Tuesday, April 06, 2010
Dam-Funk “The Things That Dreams Are Made Of” Video
Dam Funk has covered “The Things Dreams Are Made Of” by synth-pop band The Human League. The song & video were made for shoe brand Dr. Martens 50-year-anniversary celebration, along with a total of ten modern-day producers who remade cult classics in their own style. The video was directed by Ace Norton.
Monday, April 05, 2010
Friday, April 02, 2010
Thursday, April 01, 2010
Album Cover of The Month: Freeway & Jake One "The Stimulus Package"
Brent Rollins you have done it again!
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
New DJ Mix: Radio Rontronik - Broadcast 8 (Optical Audio Interface)
CGN presents Radio Rontronik: Broadcast 8 (Optical Audio Interface).
1. Forever (Nosaj Thing Remix) by Drake (Feat. Kanye West, Lil Wayne and Eminem)
2. Daily Routine (Phaseone Remix) by Animal Collective
3. Heroes (Kruder’s Long Loose Bossa) by Roni Size / Reprazent
4. Spacecapades by Dam Funk
5, Young Turks by Rod Stewart
6. Get Lite by Anti-Pop Consortium
7. Get ‘Em High by Kanye West (Feat. Talib Kweli and Common)
8. Cyclotron by Harmonic 313
9. Deux Three by Mike Slott
10. Purple Smoke by Black Cow
11. I Owe You (Remix) by Isolee
12. Mono by Caro Intelecto
running time: 00:46:58
Get it HERE.
Monday, March 22, 2010
NY-Z: An ABSOLUT Collaboration with Jay-Z
ABSOLUT® VODKA UNVEILS “NY-Z” – A SHORT FILM FEATURING LEGENDARY ARTIST AND NATIVE NEW YORKER JAY-Z
Director Danny Clinch and Hip-Hop Icon Pay Tribute to New York City with Black & White Short Film; Latest Creative Collaboration from World’s Most Iconic Vodka
NEW YORK (March 22, 2010) – Today, as part of an ongoing creative collaboration with JAY-Z and Madison Square Garden (MSG), ABSOLUT® VODKA introduces “NY-Z” – a 14-minute short film featuring JAY-Z and directed by popular music and culture photographer Danny Clinch. Featuring exclusive footage of JAY-Z and John Mayer as they prepare for the September 11 benefit concert at MSG, NY-Z offers a rare glimpse into the life of native New Yorker Shawn “JAY-Z” Carter as he discusses his hometown and what it means for an artist to “arrive” with a performance at the world’s most famous arena. The short film is available for viewing at facebook.com/ABSOLUT.
In September 2009, ABSOLUT and Madison Square Garden announced the ABSOLUT CONCERT SERIES, a sponsorship dedicated to giving music fans the ultimate concert experience through a series of high-profile performances – ranging from rock and roll to country. To kick off the series, JAY-Z put on a one-night-only concert on September 11 with surprise guests, (among them Mary J. Blige, Kanye West, Beyonce and Rihanna), to benefit the New York Fire and Police Widow and Children’s Benefit Fund.
NY-Z paints a rare portrait of the hip-hop icon, with unprecedented access to JAY-Z the days and moments leading up to, and after, his legendary benefit concert. Danny Clinch gives viewers an intimate glimpse into JAY-Z’s childhood, his motivation as an artist, his passion for music, and his muse, New York. The film marks yet another unprecedented collaboration for the spirits brand in a long line of artistic partnerships dating back to the 1980s when ABSOLUT engaged pop culture icons, such as Andy Warhol and Keith Haring.
“NY-Z is a great product of the collaborations behind the ABSOLUT Concert Series,” Danny Clinch, Director of NY-Z said. “As the director, the creative spirits behind ABSOLUT and two iconic NY brands, JAY-Z and MSG, allowed for such a natural and seamless foundation, that the rest was really about celebrating New York through JAY-Z’s eyes and exploring the notion that you have truly ‘arrived’ as a performer when you are playing at the Garden.”
NY-Z was shot by ABSOLUT agency of record TBWA, in black and white in New York. For more information about NY-Z, visit Facebook.com/ABSOLUT.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Chasing Emily (NSFW) Pilot Episode
Chasing Emily - TV Pilot from Emily Morse on Vimeo.
She went to Michigan ... I remember her - she was pretty hot then too...
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
Tunde Olaniran - Cobra from Babatunde Olaniran on Vimeo.
Flint-town Get-down!
Big up to Olivia Brown for link!
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Reggie Watts in F_CK SH_T (NSFW)
LOOSEWORLD x Waverly Films: Reggie Watts in F_CK SH_T STACK from LOOSEWORLD on Vimeo.
Big up to Gary Doomsday for the link!
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
NEW DJ Mix: Speakeasy Wednesdays
“Speakeasy Wednesdays” was a series of “test sessions” that were setup to expand into a weekly and monthly event. This mix is an excerpt of one of those nights.
Tracks include songs from Anti-Pop Consortium, Gorillaz, Massive Attack, Osunlade, Hot Chip, Bomb The Bass, Derrick May and more…
Get it HERE.
For track listing contact me at rontronik@rontronik.com
Monday, March 08, 2010
Wednesday, March 03, 2010
Tuesday, March 02, 2010
Dead Kennedys Vs. The Record Industry
Make sure to read the text on the cassette tape sold to consumers at release... Priceless.
Monday, March 01, 2010
Friday, February 19, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
NEW DJ MIX: Radio:Rontronik - Broadcast 7 (An Affair Of The Heart)
CGN presents Radio Rontronik: Broadcast 7 (An Affair Of The Heart). A Special Valentine Mix.
1. One Life Stand (Carl Craig Remix) - Hot Chip
2. Seven (Seth Troxler Remix) - Fever Ray
3. Gobbledigook (Gluteous Maximus Mix) - Sigür Ros
4. The Whistler (Jessie Rose Mix) - Claude Von Stroke
5. Afreaka - Solo
6. Paradise Circus (Gui Boratto Remix) - Massive Attack
7. Walking Away - She Wants Revenge
8. Debby Downer - Argy + TMB
9. Black & Blue - Bim Marx
10. Don't Stay For Breakfast - Stroer
11. Filter Kings / No Highs / Finale - 69
12. Porcelain Sky (O-Ren Ishii Mix) - Rontronik
13. In For The Kill (Heartbreak Remix) - La Roux
Total Running Time = 58minutes 5seconds
Get it here.
Favorite TV Show Promotion Of The Year (So Far)
Psych (Promo Video)
Hall & Oates (Original Video)
Big shout to C. Booker for putting me on to the show.
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
Monday, February 01, 2010
The Knife "Tomorrow, In A Year" A Darwin Electro-Opera (Excerpt)
The world seen through the eyes of Charles Darwin forms the basis for the performance 'Tomorrow, in a year'. Theatre production company Hotel Pro Formas striking visuals blend with pop-duo The Knifes ground-breaking music to create a new species of electro-opera.
Hotel Pro Forma is supported by the Danish Arts Council - Committee for the Performing Arts.
Possibly The Best Contest Ever
I'm not the biggest fan of American Apparel but this contest is pretty sweet. Get involved here.
"BOOTY BOOTY BOOTY BOOTY ROCKIN EVERYWHERE"
—Bubba Sparxxx (Ms. New Booty)
Steven Colbert Thanks Geoff Sanoff In Grammy Award Acceptance Speach
Big Ups to Geoff! (1min 37second mark of video)
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Obama Goes To GOP Lions' Den And Mauls The Lions (Full Video)
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Friday, January 29, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Massive Attack "United Snakes" Video
United Snakes from United Visual Artists on Vimeo.
Massive Attack: “United Snakes”
Animation by UVA, directed by Dave Ferner
Originally designed for Massive Attack’s live show at Beck’s Fusions 2008, this animation is now available online. The video was designed using custom 3D software developed by UVA, which allowed the creation of spontaneous, organic forms, simply by “sketching” the outlines.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
Copyright Criminals Trailer
Copyright Criminals - Trailer from IndiePix on Vimeo.
Shout to DJ Prolific and NKH for the "heads-up."
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Thursday, January 07, 2010
Friday, January 01, 2010
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
