I'm Will Van Wazer.

(via Instapaper)

MG Siegler:

In September 2010, I wrote a post that ignited an absolute shitstorm around these parts. “Shitstorm” in this case meaning a post with a thousand comments, the majority of which were spewed up by rabid Android fanatics. The title of that post:

Is Android Surging Only Because Apple Is Letting It?

At the time, we were in the midst of a massive Android surge to the top of the smartphone ecosystem food chain. This was happening all around the world, but the focus of this particular post was the U.S. market. Based on some comments made by developer David Beach at the time, I wondered if, as the title suggested, Android was only doing so well in the U.S. because the iPhone was still only available on one carrier, AT&T?

It’s time to revisit that thought because there’s now absolutely no question that this was the case. There’s now data to back it up. What’s more, despite what some surveys suggest, this trend may have fully reversed itself.

As a Verizon customer for the past 10 or so years, I can attest to this being true. I came really, really, really close to just buying an Andriod phone when my contract was up in October of 2010, even with the rumors of an “imminent” launch of the iPhone. I held out for a variety of reasons, and couldn’t be happier (despite the 26 months with a shitty Blackberry Tour). I wouldn’t be surprised, however, if I was one of the few to really hold out that long though.

Jennifer Rubin, WaPo:

Richard Grenell, the openly gay spokesman recently hired to sharpen the foreign policy message of Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign, has resigned in the wake of a full-court press by anti-gay conservatives.

In the National Review, Mathew Frank wrote late last week: “Suppose Barack Obama comes out — as Grenell wishes he would — in favor of same-sex marriage in his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention. How fast and how publicly will Richard Grenell decamp from Romney to Obama?”

The argument that Grenell could essentially not be openly gay and serve on a GOP presidential campaign was belied by the fact that Grenell has been a loyal Republican for many years, working for esteemed foreign policy figures including former Ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton.

The ongoing pressure from social conservatives over his appointment and the reluctance of the Romney campaign to send Grenell out as a spokesman while controversy swirled left Grenell essentially with no job. The Romney camp has not responded to my request for comment.

Even though I would probably disagree with Grenell on a lot of issues, he should be able to work for the presidential candidate or president.

Shawn Blanc:

There is no way I could get by without the internet for a year because my entire career is tied to the Web. Giving up the Internet would mean quitting my job.

If, however, that were not the case, the challenge and change of pace to give up the Internet for a year, or even just a month, sounds fun. It would be a lot like giving up electricity.

No, it would not be fucking fun. Are you kidding me?

I like Shawn a lot, but this is absolutely crazy. There has never been a better time to be on the internet.

Let me just lay out a few ways. Through Twitter, I get an up-to-the-minute stream of news about things that I really care about. I can carry around an entire library of books on my iPad or Kindle, and download new ones with just a tap of a finger. I can read literally every single newspaper across the country on my iPad, and most of those around the globe. I can subscribe to magazines for a fraction of what it would cost to subscribe to the print edition, and I can carry all the issues for the past year around with me wherever I go. With Instapaper, I can save and take with me a large selection of the vast quantities of great material on the internet.

Hell, I can look up practically anything from the entirety of human knowledge with just a few simple clicks. Why on earth would I want to give that ability up?

This is a wonderful time to be on the internet. Just because it can be distracting does not mean its worth giving up. That’s just stupid.

(via Instapaper)

I was actually in the office of Chris Wagner, the former Director of Web Development for the Post, when that porn email came in. We had a pretty good laugh about it, and then Patrick Pexton had to go and make it all serious.

I’m glad, however, that the site now seems much, much faster. I started seeing the difference when the new, slick menus launched. It makes me very happy.

For all those people who type in a different way:

To some the split keyboard actually splits in the wrong place, making it uncomfortable to hit certain letters.

Users may, for example, wish to tap the ‘T’ button with their right thumb, rather than the left as Apple expects them to. They can do that now, but they need to reach right over to the opposite side of the screen to do it. It’s a great idea to chew on, and it’s actually rather cumbersome, too. But it’s OK. Apple’s got your back.

This is what I call attention to detail.

As a frequent driver in DC, and hater of fucking bikes who continue to cut me off and break all the rules of traffic, I welcome this.

My general policy, which I also adopt when biking, is choose either to be on the road and obey all traffic laws, or get on the sidewalk.

Simple as that.