Some of the games were not of my most interest, however. Back at home, my parents did not have fast Internet (like that of many of my friends), so what I would spend a big portion of my time doing, is searching through my friends’ computers for MP3’s, videos, and other interesting files, copying them over to my machine if I found them particularly interesting.

My friend Drew had a large collection of MP3’s that were of interest to me: Nirvana’s entire catalog, various Incubus archives, other bands I enjoyed. So, without thinking twice, I copied everything he had that was interesting onto my own computer.

Thing is — these MP3’s of Drews are of a particularly low quality. MP3’s have a bit-rate, which essentially is a measure of how much information is contained in each second of music within the file. Naturally, the higher the bit-rate, the more information in the song, the larger the MP3 file. Keep in mind that this was circa 1999-2001, when hard disks didn’t come nearly as large as they do now, and didn’t come nearly as cheaply as they do, now, either.

CD-quality is essentially 128kbps (meaning 128 kilobits of information are contained in each second of music). Drew — who perhaps doesn’t possess “audiophile” level hearing — had made a decision to store all of his MP3s at 56kbps to save space (on his small, expensive hard drive). He saved space and the expense of reduced quality, which he couldn’t tell the difference. And to be fair, I couldn’t tell the difference too much, either.

But then speakers got better. And iPods came out. And headphones got better. And and and and… 56kbps MP3s that previously sounded adequate started to sound like absolute crap. Drums are tinny, vocals are scratchy, and the details are missing. They don’t take up much space, though.

So here it is 2010. Disk space is large and disk space is cheap. Speakers and headphones are of high quality. And I still have about 80 really, really low quality MP3s hanging around that have followed me from computer-to-computer-to-computer over the years.

These low-quality files come up occasionally when I’m on shuffle and at first I won’t notice. I’ll get into it. Then when that chorus hits and Dave Grohl’s drumming starts to sound like Doug Funnie banging on a trash can, I know.

Drew, your MP3 from ten years ago got me again!

Getting a new business card has always been exciting to me. It’s just a small piece of paper that I don’t frequently give out, but it just feels great to have it in hand. It’s like a validation.

Could’ve used this before f8, but oh well.

I miss driving. Listening to music possibly too loud while on the way to work. Keeping up with the radio. Just generally controlling my own pace and being able to go beyond the city in which I live. I don’t miss having to find parking, though.

I miss thunderstorms. It rains here, but it’s that weird, unfulfilling, cold rain. Everyone uses umbrellas they don’t need and nearly poke out my eye as we pass on the sidewalk. And thunderstorms are just cool. I love watching it pour rain outside from under a porch roof in the summer. The smell. Lots of things.

I miss hoagies. You just can’t get the same thing here. And I want one. Often.

Sigh.

What I’m getting at is… I like my string cheese warm. Not cold like I prefer balls or slices of mozzarella.

How do I get it warm? I’m glad you asked. My favorite snack-strategy developed at my new job is the string cheese pocket warm-up. It’s pretty simple:

1. Grab a string cheese from the fridge
2. Put it in your pocket (keep it wrapped, please!)
3. Walk around and talk to a few people.
4. Get back to work
5. Then… remember you have the string cheese in your pocket.
6. Promptly remove and devour.

Wonderful.

In related matters, you may want to read the first part of this list before continuing. Now let’s continue:

It Might Get Loud – August

I’m not normally much of a documentary fan (though a few have sparked and held my interest over the years), but this seemed like a good, old-fashioned, awesome time. Comparing and contrasting the careers of Jimmy Page, Jack White, and The Edge with lots of concert and backstage performance material must’ve been a blast to film and put together for filmmaker Davis Guggenheim, and I’m certain it’s a joy to watch and listen to at home. Plans? Watch on DVD soon.

Extract – September

It’s about that time. Time for Mike Judge to make another film that splits critics and box offices alike. How could this one miss with Jason Bateman, Mila Kunis, JK Simmons, and even Ben Affleck taking turns giving their comedic best? To be perfectly frank, I’m not even sure what factors move the plot of this movie, but I know that I’m just more than likely to love anything Judge puts out. Unfortunately for him, I’m like most everyone else, and won’t enjoy this one until DVD.

The Informant! – September

How was this movie not a huge success!? Matt Damon (who, at this point, is almost always incredible) playing a high-ranking executive turned hilariously bumbling whistle blower already sounds like a farce worth betting on. Plus! Joel McHale plays a pretty decent-sized part. I’m sold. Still worth tracking down? Yes. And worth a DVD rental.

The Invention of Lying – October

Ricky Gervais movie. Done. But! A movie set in an alternate reality where everyone tells the truth, except for this one dude (Gervais) who schemes a small lie in a quandary over his rent? Seems plausibly weird and fun. Worth a look once it hits cable.

Whip It – October

So this is a chick flick directed by Drew Barrymore. That sounds like a rough draw, but Ellen Page has stolen movies to success, before, and this just had the feel from its trailers of another good show. A country girl finding her calling in joining a roller derby team that has Kristen Wiig as a member plus as a bonus she has a friend in Maebe Fünke (Alia Shawkat)! Awesome. May wait for TV or jump on a DVD.

Couples Retreat – October

I know. The reviews were bad. The trailer was kind of bad. Vince Vaughn was playing the same character he always does. Jon Favreau hasn’t done much redeeming work since directing Elf. The deck is stacked hard against this one, but I can’t let the dream that every Jason Bateman movie is gold die. I’ll have to see for myself, just maybe not anytime soon.

An Education – October

1960’s coming of age movies are probably the best type of coming of age movies. That this one is British probably helps it in a few key regards. The sexual and relationship patterns in this movie would be a blast for a psychologist to examine, which I think makes this interesting. I’ll catch it on TV.

Where the Wild Things Are – October

It is one of the bigger let downs of my 2009 that I didn’t make time to see this movie. Everything I’ve heard is everything you’ve heard: it’s a beautiful, poignant, and original take on a cherished children’s story. They turned 20-or-so pages of illustrated artwork and a few run-on sentences into a full length feature, but didn’t miss a step. The costumes, scenery, animation, and everything are brilliant. Why didn’t I skip work to see this one, again!? Must watch. Quick.

Precious – November

While October was a pretty good month for movies I missed, gear up for November. Precious starts off the November set with a bang. I think the primary reason I missed this movie is that I was just never set or ready to go see it. It will take a lot out of someone to watch another person be beaten, berated, belittled, and attacked on screen. This is certainly a serious movie with serious material, and word on the street is that it’s all well done. Mo’nique is earning favoritism for an Oscar and the star Gabourey Sidibe is fantastic (so say the critics). Sidibe is pretty awesome, too, as she was one of the best guests Conan O’Brien had this past fall when she was on tour for the movie. Should see ASAP.

Pirate Radio – November

I didn’t know this previously, but Pirate Radio is actually The Boat That Rocked, a British import that was re-cut and re-titled for US release after its critical and box office failure overseas. That cuts this movie down a bit for me, but I’ve got to say they did a bang up job with the trailers. I’m sad to read that the movie failed commercially and that it wasn’t well-received, but still think it looks like a good way to spend a couple hours of my time. I’ll probably catch it on Netflix.

Fantastic Mr. Fox – November

As with Coraline before it in 2009, Mr. Fox aims high with its stop-motion animation and starts with absolutely excellent source material from Roald Dahl’s original childrens’ book. I’m a sucker for anything Dahl, but am over a barrel to see this movie with the talents of Wes Anderson behind and Clooney, Streep, Murray, and Schwartzman in front of the camera. Well, their voices, at least. Quick fact: Henry Sellick was co-directing with Anderson on this one until the original studio folded and he left to direct Coraline. That there was early project turmoil is not enough to deter me from getting this on the Netflix queue as soon as its out.

The Messenger – November

This movie follows The Hurt Locker on this list in the military epic class, but attacks the effects on personnel back here at home. Ben Foster plays a soldier who is assigned to work with the Army’s Casualty Notification service upon returning from tours in Iraq. He pairs with a veteran mentor to the task in Woody Harrelson. While struggling with the mission at hand, a love story develops between Foster’s character a wife he has notified of her husband’s death. This movie flew under-the-radar a bit, but has earned great acclaim. That Harrelson appeared in this in the same month as Zombieland is wickedly interesting. Must see when ready.

The Road – November

Cormac McCarthy’s novel features life of a man and his son living in a bleak, post-apocalyptic wasteland, scavenging along a great trip south. Along the way, they must avoid cannibals and other obstacles in this dreary life. Viggo Mortensen is a solid actor worth seeing in most anything, and this movie seemed like just the downer of a vehicle to let the dramatic chops fly. I want to see it, but after reading the book.

Brothers – December

I saw a trailer for this one night and was immediately hooked. To have Tobey Maguire, of all actors, in the incredibly creepy tormented brother role is a nice twist. Jake Gyllenhaal and Natalie Portman are excellent actors, as well, rounding out the core of a talented cast. In this movie, a family that has moved on after their father (Maguire) goes missing and is pronounced dead in Iraq, hears news that their father is alive and returning home. His wife (Portman) and brother (Gylenhaal) have bonded in the time since he has left and his return dismantles the family that had learned to cope with his loss. Seems like it could have been a tear-jerker, but they crafted it into a psychological thriller… or I’m misreading its advertisements. Either way, I’m in for a quick Netflix catchup.

Crazy Heart – December

I’m going to be totally serious with you on this one. It’s getting rave reviews and there is Oscar talk abounding for the music and movie. And the main character is The Dude, perhaps better known to most as Jeff Bridges. Having recently re-watched The Big Lebowski, I’m all in for Crazy Heart, however incomparable those two films are. DVD only if I can’t get to a theater soon enough

Avatar – December

I have *very* mixed feelings about this one. I really had little interest in seeing it. I thought it was going to be stupid and had a heavily recycled plot and maybe too many special effects and not enough substance. Those things may all be true, but the movie has grossed over $2bil and people are still going crazy over it. I’ve heard (and believe) it must be seen in the theater in 3D, and that’s probably what I’ll buckle down and do. I mean, it’s not going anywhere anytime soon. Verdict? Theater probably, if not — then what?

And that about does it. That’s my list of Movies I Missed from 2009 — the movies I wanted to see, but didn’t get around to for one reason or another. Stay tuned this week for more movie-related list geekery and let me know if you agree, disagree, or have advice for anything based on my list by commenting.

So in the vein of movies, I present to you, dear reader, my first movie list from 2009. Yes, I realize we are now squarely in February of 2010, but these things take time. We’re coming into awards season full-on with Oscar nominations to be announced tomorrow. My first list, no doubt, includes some likely Oscar noms in it:

The Moves I Missed from 2009

These are movies I fully intended to see. I really wanted to get to them, either because they looked good in commercial, I’d read about them online, or they featured actors I love. For some reason or another (laziness, cost-cutting, forgetfulness, inability to drag anyone else along with me, etc.), these are the movies that I never made it to from 2009, in order of release.

Coraline – February

Dakota Fanning voices a young girl that navigates her way through a surreal and creepy netherworld of sorts… in full 3D stop-motion animation!? There aren’t enough movies that aim this high anymore, and the allusions to The Nightmare Before Christmas are many. This was playing in 3D a few places in the city, and I never made it. Verdict? I’ll be catching up on DVD soon.

Fanboys – February

When the previews sold it accurately as a band of post high school nerds reunited over a plan to break in Skywalker Ranch heading up to the release of 1998’s The Phantom Menace, I became very excited. A period piece about Star Wars fans with mad cap antics, guest cameos, and all sorts of other fun can’t go wrong. Then I couldn’t find it listed anywhere and before too long forgot it had come out in theaters. The film didn’t do well (and wasn’t reviewed very well to boot), but there’s still a part of me that plans to seek this one out. Verdict? Probably DVD, maybe catch-up on TV.

Sunshine Cleaning – March

I think Amy Adams and Emily Blunt can light up the screen, so that’s excuse enough to see a movie that features both of them. That the producers are those from another well-received movie with “Sunshine” in its title (2006’s Little Miss Sunshine) is another push in the right direction. In the film, the two start a business cleaning crime scenes and learn a lot about their roll in helping others cope with loss. Throughout, they are confronted with their own unresolved feelings regarding their mother’s suicide. It’s heavy subject matter with a sunny title, and I’m still interested. Verdict = Definitely DVD.

The Haunting in Connecticut – March

This horror movie is based on true events and I’ve seen enough specials about the house and family in question to know that it’s some real, serious stuff. A family moves into a former mortuary. That’s the setting. Add in a gateway to hell, the possession of a son who moves into the basement, and a boatload of creepy imagery and you’ve put together a pretty adequate horror movie. Now that I think back to this one, I’m not sure it’d be worth seeking out, but I’d stop on the channel for a while should it pop up on TNT or FX in a year. Verdict? Won’t try to not see it.

Adventureland – April

This has been described to me as “Superbad without all of the jokes,” but I’ve also heard a lot of good things about it from trusted movie-opinionated friends. The key thing is that I’m a sucker for most movies Ryan Reynolds is a part of (save for Smokin’ Aces… ugh) and Jesse Eisenberg seems, to me, like Michael Cera if Michael Cera didn’t get all annoying. So, cool. Verdict? I’ll probably Netflix Instant it.

The Soloist – April

Has anyone before ever resurrected a career the way Robert Downey, Jr. has resurrected his career over the past couple of years? He’s a personality that really owns a movie when given the chance, and this always looked like a serious movie that was going to happen in. Jamie Fox, we’ve seen, is surprisingly better in serious roles, and seemed like excellent casting in this drama about a homeless cello prodigy with schizophrenia looking for an opportunity to succeed. That sentence sounded right out of the trailer, just put “In a world” in front of it. I tend to catch up on comedy faster than drama, but perhaps this one will get seen soon. Verdict? Good to go for Netflix Instant sometime down the line.

Drag Me to Hell – May

As we’ve already covered, I’m a sucker for some good horror (see Haunting in Connecticut, The). This movie has the doubly good fortune of being a Sam Raimi flick. Yes, he of The Evil Dead fame. The plot seems about as shabby as you’d expect — a banker denies an old lady an extension on her mortgage and is cursed for eternity in response — but plot’s not the point. This movie looks like it features a lot of good quick scares, makeup, and visuals that help prop up the lesser plot. And let’s be honest, that’s a good enough plot to lean on for a horror movie these days, anyway. Verdict? I’m sure this won’t take long to get to cable.

The Taking of Pelham 123 – June

John Travolta and Denzel Washington, together at last! Yes, this is a remake. And yes, I’ve heard the original is quite good. But still, seeing John Travolta play the creepy bad guy instead of the heartwarming good guy gives me shivers of 1997 as it gets me thinking of the switcheroo good-guy/bad-guy Travolta from Face Off. Verdict? I’ll take it all the way to Netflix, eventually.

Year One – June

It’s important to note this list is just as much as list of movies I *wanted* to see as it is a list of movies I now *want* to see. We’ve all heard the reviews that slammed this movie as sophomoric and stupid. I am not deaf to these claims, but point out that Michael Cera and Jack Black as cavemen with a guest appearances by McLovin and David Cross can’t be all that bad. Can it? Maybe it can, now that I think about it. Verdict? I’ll catch it on cable.

The Hurt Locker – June

Having recently spoken to director Kathryn Bigelow in person (albeit not about this movie, but instead about my crack, on-the-spot, improvised role in a recent showing of Point Break Live), I’d much like to see this movie. But even before that chance encounter, this movie was something I wanted to give a good look. Military dramas are not often my thing, but this movie is a highly-acclaimed film detailing the painful exposure to war-time situations in Iraq, as well as issues of re-deployment and more. Verdict? Definite DVD soon.

Public Enemies – July

Johnny Depp as John Dillinger. Gunfire. Bank robberies. Explosions. Prison escapes. Excitement. Verdict? Streamed over the Netflix tubes.

Brüno – July

I don’t think anyone needs a reason or excuse to see Sacha Baron Cohen performing as any one of his characters. Friends had mixed reviews, but I’m going to have to see for myself sometime, yeah? Verdict? Can’t wait for the censored version, so I’ll have to Netflix it, but I’m not in a rush.

Orphan – July

File this as another “I’m a sucker for horror films” entry. The concept, though it is very The Omen-esque, is just a creepy one. This was heavily advertised, and that’s either a good thing or a bad thing. Verdict? I’ll see it when I see it, but I will definitely see it.

District 9 – August

This is the movie that every geek was going crazy over this summer. Early in the year, it was Watchmen (stay tuned for that movie’s appearance in another list of mine), then it was this one. “Peter Jackson has done it again” was a frequent comment. The entire concept and its storytelling links to South African Apartheid make this a culturally relevant story worth tracking down, whereas the content and style make it a summer movie worth checking out. The verdict? I’ll catch it at home on DVD soon.

The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard – August

I hate to say it, but Jeremy Piven is becoming less cool to me. He seems like he’s always playing Ari from “Entourage” these days, but then again maybe he always has been. That this movie seems like a cheap remake of one of my all-time favorite comedies, Used Cars, is another subtraction for this one. However, if this movie gets anywhere near the classic Used Cars in quality or quantity of laughs, it has a lot going for it. I’m sure to point out that it’s a different movie, but I’m still going to see how it stacks up. The verdict? It’s in the Netflix Queue.

…

The shocking and exciting conclusion to this list is now up! Check out Movies I Missed from 2009, Part Two.

I’ll be sure to follow later this week with more 2009 lists, so stay tuned.

Making me wonder
If I’m having fun
Doing what I do

They travel around
They explore the world
And it all looks fine

I plot the future
I plan my next step
And wish theirs was mine

I work for a marketing agency that builds social marketing applications and ad campaigns in the world’s largest social networks. Paramount among these social networks is Facebook. I’m sure you’ve heard of it. One thing you may not know about Facebook is that they’ve not been officially tailoring to Internet Explorer 6 for some time, now. As a user of an outdated browser (even Firefox 2, Safari 2, and other oldies), you see this message on your home screen post-login:

What you see when you login to Facebook with an outdated browser

While this does not itself represent a failure to support the browser completely, it is an indication that your browser may render things a bit differently, because it’s old. They go so far as to provide helpful links to make your path to upgrade simple. As I understand it, this screen is Facebook’s way of saying, “Hey. Your browser is old. We can’t make everything look perfect for you until you upgrade.”

The message isn’t rude. It’s not forceful. They don’t prevent you from using the site,  and most of the things you’ll do with Facebook-proper look pretty fine in your old browser. Not everything, but most things.

I’ve felt for a long time that this is a good approach to web development — do your best to support the bleeding edge, and scale back your efforts on the lower end of the spectrum. Once it becomes a frustration and hassle to support things in the oldest of platforms, cut out the old platforms. Microsoft even acknowledges this, as they haven’t allowed IE6 or any of its lesser forefathers to even be installed on Windows Vista or the forthcoming Windows 7 (see chart of Microsoft’s commendably aggressive history of putting old browsers out to pasture). By focusing your efforts on the future, you are enhancing your own products going forward, without concerning yourself with the past. Odds are, the customers you are likely to attract with new and fun things are the ones running the more recent technologies themselves.

Internet Explorer 6 was a great browser. It was the industry benchmark for awesomeness… when it was released… in August, 2001. Eight years ago! I commend it for being a stable platform that opened doorways to a lot of advanced web development that has taken place in the past eight years. Unfortunately, it has been showing it’s age for years, now (I could list those reasons, here, but feel an excellent job is done in this post of hate declaration). It’s lack of support for some basic principles of design used in today’s development cycle make it the most hated thing for developers and designers like myself.

Why not just cut it off? Stop supporting it? Good question! The answer most development houses and agencies fall back on varies a bit, but always contains an amalgamation of the following points:

• Clients use IE6 as their primary browser at work.
• Many of these clients use corporate computers they have no ability to upgrade.
• IT staffs at many corporations are remiss to upgrade IE6 because some variety of intranet or HR software that was written over five years ago doesn’t look good in any other browser
• IE6 still maintains a considerable market share of overall Internet browsing (something near 15% at my last check)
• The client told us we have to support it

These reasons are understandable. They make sense. But they indicate a problem wherein clients (often large, lazy corporations behind on their technology) are thinking about themselves and not their customers. It is absolutely true that the browser distribution in corporate settings is ridiculously still IE6-leaning, but that is no indicator of a general consumer population, which is rejecting the browser for newer alternatives, be it the latest Internet Explorer (version 8 is joy to use over its ugly older step-siblings), FireFox (infinitely extensible, pretty fast, and standards compliant), Safari on macs (delightful to use and test on), or even Google’s Chrome (pretty slick). Consumers get it. They’ve upgraded and are using newer stuff.

So what it comes down to is corporate clients should take faith in the fact that the public is using newer technology then those within their walls and they should embrace that reality.

And agencies (like my own) should grow a pair and convince clients that the future is now. The past is the past. Look forward. You’ll be able to build a better, more feature-ful product. Plus you’ll get it in less time since there won’t be as wide an array of awful compliance testing for developers to engage in.

Oh, and you’ll make my life easier, but that’s just an added benefit. For me, at least.

Please?