Sam Soffes

App.net is Dreaming Small

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If you haven't heard, there is this new social network called App.net. I don't like it. Here's why.

The name is terrible. "App" feels so technical. "App.net" is even worse. Now I'm thinking of Microsoft or that they couldn't get the domain they really wanted. I think naming it something that only appeals to such a small crowd is very short-sighted. Right off the bat, I have little faith in them just by the name.

Granted Cheddar isn't the best name for my product. It's not technical, but who doesn't like cheese.

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One Thousand Dollars an Hour

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Update: I've since adjusted my rate to $300/hr since I wanted to start taking clients. This crazy was designed to prevent getting work unless it was going to pay super well while I focused on other things.

Recently, I updated my hire page with my new rate: $1000/hr. Lots of people on Twitter have been going on and on about how this is ridiculous or how awesome they think this is.

If you think it's too high, don't hire me. Simple as that.

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Wrangling SVGs

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Cheddar uses SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) a lot. One of the big wins for using SVGs is they are vector, so they look great on Retina displays without you having to do any work.

Since I use Grater, everything looks great on iPhone, iPad, and desktops. I was using SVGs a few weeks before the Retina MacBook Pro came out. Since I had already optimized for the Retina mobile displays, I didn't have to do anything for the new MacBook Pro!

Anyway, I wanted everything to look crisp and was having trouble at first. After seeing GitHub do it so well, I asked a friend how to do it and spent the time to make them great. It's actually very easy.

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