Geek Alert

Plot Device, and cheap VFX

July 1, 2011 Geek Alert, Software, Video

[Plot Device](http://vimeo.com/24320919), a short film directed by Seth Worley (and funded by the Magic Bullet plugin folks), does a good job balancing story and how’d-they-do-that.

The [behind-the-scenes](http://www.redgiantsoftware.com/videos/redgianttv/item/140/) is longer than the short itself, but worth watching. Beyond the software, it’s impressive how much Worley and his collaborators were able to do with minimal crew and equipment. Everything they’re doing is well within reach of a high school student. The challenge, as always, is combining what’s possible with what’s interesting.

/via [SlashFilm](http://www.slashfilm.com/votd-plot-device-short-film/#more-106736).

How Less IMDb came to be

January 5, 2011 Follow Up, Geek Alert

[](http://quoteunquoteapps.com/less-imdb) [Less IMDb](http://quoteunquoteapps.com/less-imdb), our browser extension for de-cluttering the otherwise useful movie site, seems to have achieved good traction. In its first month, it was installed more than 8,000 times, and made it to the main page of Apple’s [Safari Extensions Gallery](https://extensions.apple.com/#entertainment).

It is now available for Safari, Chrome and Firefox. A quick break down by the numbers: ((These stats reflect downloads from our site, not any direct installs via the Safari Extension Gallery. As the extension updates, we should be able to pull more precise figures.))

Safari: 6,118
Chrome: 849
Firefox: 1,088

I’m not surprised the Safari version is way ahead of the others; it came first, and got a big boost from the Apple-centric [Daring Fireball](http://daringfireball.net) site. But I would have expected more love from Chrome, honestly.

I’ve asked Ryan Nelson, who did all the design and coding, to give a walk-through of our process building and deploying the extension. This recap has a fairly high geek factor, but you may find some of the decision points interesting even if the details whoosh over your head.

—-

Per Twitter, most people hated the newly-redesigned IMDb. When John first brought up the idea of reformatting it with a Safari extension, his direction was minimal and straightforward: move credits from below-the-fold to up near the top.

He even provided a mockup of how it should look. When working on a new design, it’s fairly typical for John to create a wireframe or rough as a starting point:

And how would the user control the extension? John’s original suggestion:

John essentially decided what content Less IMDb would show, and what it would hide. But how would it deal with other bits of the interface, like IMDb’s ability to expand or collapse filmography listings?

The “less features is a feature” attitude informed the rest of the choices made when stripping IMDb to its bare bones.

Upgrading to the Air. Or not.

December 13, 2010 Geek Alert

For the past week, I’ve been debating getting the 13″ Macbook Air to replace my 13″ Macbook (Non-Air, Non-Pro), which is a couple of years old.

My main computer is in the office, so I only use the MacBook for travel. ((My iPad has taken over all the other light web surfing functions that my laptop used to perform.)) But lately, that’s been a lot. A few weeks in New York, three days in Austin, a blur of day/night in Beijing. I’ve been using it daily, and noticed it getting pokier and pokier.

The new Airs really are amazing to hold; it’s worth an Apple store visit just to admire the fit and finish.

The Air would actually have the same processor, so other than being thinner and lighter, it would be largely the same computer. But I didn’t like the keyboard as much when I tried it out in the store. And when I take my MacBook someplace, I’m mostly plopping it on a hotel desk, so it’s not especially crucial that it be lightweight.

I wasn’t eager to give up the optical drive or the ethernet connection. I often watch dailies and screeners on DVD, so it’s nice to have one always available. When I’m in a hotel room, I find it handy to share the wired internet connection with my iPad and iPhone using the Mac’s internet sharing feature. Without an ethernet port, that wouldn’t be an option. ((AirPort Express is another way to share a wired connection. But that means bringing an extra gizmo.))

In the end, I decided to keep my computer, upgrading the memory (to 4GB) and swapping the hard drive for an SSD (240GB). The process was remarkably straightforward — thank you [tutorial videos](http://eshop.macsales.com/installvideos/macbookpro_13_unibody_hd_m/) — and the result feels like a new computer: snappy and quiet. Final Draft opens in one bounce, rather than five.

Plus, I still have my DVD drive and ethernet port.

All in, the upgrades ran me $580, including the special screwdrivers. The resulting computer isn’t as light as the Air ($1599) or as zippy as the newest MacBook Pros ($1499), but feels like a happy middle.

UPDATE: My friend Troy [points out](http://twitter.com/tgaul/status/14449982539046912) that I’d be getting a higher-resolution screen with the new MacBooks.

Introducing Less IMDb

November 15, 2010 Geek Alert, News

[](http://quoteunquoteapps.com/less-imdb)I love IMDb. I’m forever thankful that such a great and free resource exists.

But the new layout blows.

They’ve made it more difficult to do the one thing I come to IMDb to do: look at credits. New sections for photos, videos and trivia (star signs!) push credit lists below the fold, forcing you to scroll.

Rather than complain about it, Ryan and I decided to fix it.

[Less IMDb](http://quoteunquoteapps.com/less-imdb) is a Safari extension — and now Chrome and Firefox — that rearranges IMDb’s name and title pages to bring credits to the top. So instead of this:

IMDb Profile Page

You get this:

Less IMDb Profile Page

Just install the extension and you’re done. It will automatically update if something changes on IMDb’s end. And if you need to turn it off for a given page, the switch is always available on the right-hand side.

[Check it out](http://quoteunquoteapps.com/less-imdb), and pass it along if you find it helpful.

**Update:**

A few readers have written in with suggestions about how to get back to the pre-updated layout by [changing settings at IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/help/show_leaf?redesignolddesign). I think this is a case of rose-colored nostalgia, however. It was always pretty bad.

Here’s the same screenshot with the original layout:

original IMDb layout

Credits are still buried deep on the page, under quite a bit of junk. It’s familiar, but it’s hard to call it “better.”

(Quick tip: Add a + to the end of the URL to force it to use the original layout. Helpful if you want to compare old vs. new layouts. Works with the extension installed or not. Thx [Hannes](http://twitter.com/officialstation/status/4269227879960576).)

[Try out Less IMDb.](http://quoteunquoteapps.com/less-imdb)

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