RobiNZ CAD Blog

9th Anniversary!

March 31st means it is blog’iversary time again. I find it hard to believe nine years have flown by since that first tentative post. To everyone, everywhere, thanks for visiting, reading and subscribing!

Statistics:

Last year broke the million visit mark and in spite of reduced posting from me this year, this is a hobby!, visits held up.

Visits & Subscribers:

The weekly “blog beat” is fairly constant apart from a blip caused by over 300 visits to one post, of only two I made, in April.

In spite of RSS and feed technology not being talked about much and, soon, Google actively discouraging readers subscriptions are still steadily growing.

Location:

As usual the US dominates but nice to see Australasia third behind Northern Europe in the regional list.

Browser & Operating System:

It’s interesting to watch this over the years even if it doesn’t really mean much. Compared to 2012 IE lost 4% and Firefox was also down 5%. iOS Safari also rose to 2.2% from 0.68% last year.

The winner was Chrome up 6% and, for the first time on my blog, overtaking IE.

Windows 8 arrived in my platform/browser stats and, perhaps more surprising, someone out there is still using Windows 98!

Thanks for reading, see you in year ten!

Thoughts on the demise of Google Reader

Google are killing Reader, their RSS feed aggregator:

Official Blog: A second spring of cleaning

“We launched Google Reader in 2005 in an effort to make it easy for people to discover and keep tabs on their favorite websites. While the product has a loyal following, over the years usage has declined. So, on July 1, 2013, we will retire Google Reader.”

Who cares about RSS? I do!

Google cite declining Reader use and I wonder if Twitter and Facebook have killed RSS? While I use both, tolerating Facebook and loving Twitter, I still use RSS in the way I used to use newspapers!

I don’t read all the content of all 1200+ feeds I subscribe to but use them to get information about a subject when I need it.

Today the Formula 1 season begins so I’ll review the bunch of Formula 1 site feeds I follow for the the first time in months. I was a work when Samsung launched the Galaxy S4 but reviewing my mobile IT feeds is the most efficient way to catch up with that.

While Twitter can tell you a post is there and is awesome for near live interaction there is no way it can compete with RSS as a knowledge aggregator. Tweets just disappear too fast. Facebook only tells you what others are interested in via a crappy web interface!

Looking for an Alternative?

Although I had imported my feeds into Google Reader — primarily for travel access — on the PC I use an off-line reader. The demise of Google’s Reader doesn’t really worry me but I am looking for an alternative to RSS Bandit.

It began as a .net demo project from some Microsoft Employees and was then made open source. Development has stalled — last updated in 2009 — so I’m on the search for a good Windows 7 (work), 8 (home) and Phone RSS reader. Ironic that I was seriously considering converting to full on use of Google Reader!

I was hoping to find a good Windows 8 Modern reader but the few that I’ve tried haven’t impressed. Many, like iPhone/iPad, apps rely on Google Reader API and just present the info it provides or they just collapse in a heap when my 1200+ feeds are imported.

Feedburner lives… on death-watch?

I was somewhat surprised this Google ‘spring clean’ spared the Feedburner feed service. I’m glad as my own TypePad feeds use FeedBurner for a few reasons:

• It detached the feed from the blog platform. The prime reason for that is you could change platforms without requiring readers to re-subscribe. Ironic I am still very happy with TypePad and FeedBurner is the service in doubt!
• It added useful extras like serving the post headlines and excerpts which are seen on my index page.
• It also provided feed use stats, of dubious value recently, which TypePad does not report at all.

FeedBurner was a great company, innovative and responsive to user feedback. Then Google took over and I thought it would develop further. How wrong that was! Apart from porting the reporting to their ‘Google Analytics look’ Google have pretty much ignored it since acquisition.

I regard FeedBurner as being on death-watch as Google have killed their FeedBurner blog, Twitter account and Adsense for [RSS] Feeds. Seems like RSS is dead for Google. FeedBurner has also become unreliable with quite frequent ‘0 report days’ Google don’t seem to give a damn about fixing.

Reader goes, readers gone?

One thing the demise of Reader may reveal is the worth of Google’s feed statistics. According to Feedburner the vast majority of my 9000’ish feed ‘subscriptions’ are from Google Feedfetcher.

I have often wondered about the validity of this number, even tested it. When Reader goes will they disappear too?

* Google Feedfetcher: Feedfetcher is how Google grabs RSS or Atom feeds when users subscribe to them in Google Reader or iGoogle.

Windows Live Writer - Changing the Drafts/Recent Posts folder location

I’ve been using Windows Live Writer to create drafts for this blog for several years. The, recently decommissioned, Mesh/Live Mesh sync service to enabled me to blog from my PC or Netbook. When I fired up Windows Live Writer all the post drafts, images and other resources would be identical.

SkyDrive, nearly but not quite Mesh

Microsoft SkyDrive is the Mesh replacement. It is nicely integrated in Windows 8/Office 13 but it has one (for me) crucial missing feature. Mesh allowed you to sync any folder, anywhere, to any chosen location on the other machine. I could use Mesh to clone C:\Users\RobinCapper\My Documents\My Weblog Posts to say C:\Users\RCNetbook\My Documents\My Weblog Posts and all the contents sync'd.

With SkyDrive Microsoft chose to follow the Dropbox model and forces you to build a Sync folder hierarchy under the hardcoded User/SkyDrive Folder. Unfortunately Windows Live Writer is hard coded to save drafts in User\My Documents\My Weblog Posts which SkyDrive does not sync. It was one reason I much preferred Mesh to Dropbox.

Redirect Live Writer hack

This hack from LEHSYS allows you to redirect the Live Writer folders, so I can use SkyDrive!

How to change the Drafts and Recent Posts folder in Windows Live Writer 2011 | LEHSYS

Windows Live Writer is a fantastic offline blogging tool with a WYSIWYG editor. It interfaces with just about any blog service [Blogger, LiveJournal, TypePad, WordPress, etc.] If you’re a blogger you’ll find this tool incredibly helpful- and it’s refreshingly free from Microsoft.

One of the things that’s a hindrance to the application; it doesn’t let you choose where you want to put your drafts and recent posts.

But ah-ha! Seems after years of asking, there’s a registry hack for Windows Live Writer that’ll allow you to save your Drafts and Recent posts anywhere you’d like…

Their post has full details and, if you’re not comfortable editing the registry, a utility to do the change for you but these are the basic steps:

• Open up regedit (in Win7, just type “regedit” into the start menu)
• Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows Live\Writer
• Right click on the “Writer” folder in the left pane and choose New > String Value
• Name the value PostsDirectory and then double-click on it to edit
  • You can try pointing it to your documents folder, which is normally “C:\Users\<your-username>\Documents\” in Win7
  • Or point it somewhere else.
• Note that Writer will create two child folders wherever you point it: Drafts and Recent Posts

This works on the Windows 7/Essentials 11 and Windows 8/Essentials 12.

2012 Blogging Highlights

Wow, where did 2012 go? Months flew past like weeks and now it’s nearly is 2013*. Time to look back at the past year from a (not just CAD) blog perspective:

Best Blog Event:

Usually it is Autodesk University but I didn’t get there this year. However, I did see some of it on-line. It was a bit strange to watch the keynote, on the netbook, in bed at about 05:00am NZ time! I enjoyed the virtual event, enhanced by the live Twitter stream which accompanied it, but it wasn’t quite like being there!

Although I haven’t blogged about it much I think a new Meetup group also deserves a mention. EPIC is a local initiative to create a true cross platform, multi discipline forum for model based design collaboration. The impetus for EPIC was improving how 3D design data is created, used and shared between all the participants of a project. Although it grew out of experience, OK maybe frustration, with AEC industry projects that is not the only audience. EPIC events to date have seen participation from the design, fabrication, construction and education disciplines.

Effective Prototyping, Interoperability & Communication Grp. (Auckland) – Meetup

This group was started to fill the void left by marketing between software platforms for 3D design, fabrication, construction and operations.

We get together to see actual demonstrations of how software interacts, and have real discussions about the pros and cons. All findings are publicly available, and everyone involved in this industry is welcome to participate.

Also see EPIC on LinkedIn

Best Comment(s):

A post about Mindjet’s lousy handling of a change to its business model attracted the most comment this year. It was good to see Mindjet reacted (not because of my post I must add) with a revised offer a few weeks later. I’m not sure if part of that was due to the power of social media but one comment on my personal blog demonstrated this and was my favourite.

Back in February I heard a podcast interview from Radio Australia with Fairlight synthesizer inventor Peter Vogel (and Thomas Dolby). I wrote a post reminiscing how I first learnt about the Fairlight, and heard it on demo cassette, via an 80s Aussie science/fiction magazine. I was amazed when Peter found my post and commented on it offering links to the audio I had first heard decades before.

An old media memory made a new media connection.

Best Podcast:

I suspect my US readers know of Radiolab already but I was introduced to it by ‘Capt. Toast’ from Skeptics in the Pub. I love both the content and its unique presentation. Visit the website for subscription info or have a listen to the latest episode below.

www.radiolab.org

Radiolab is a show about curiosity. Where sound illuminates ideas, and the boundaries blur between science, philosophy, and human experience.

             

Blog Surprise?

I doubt Lynn Allen would have ever known I existed without this whole bloggie thing. Back in May I was delighted to get an invitation to dine with her in Auckland.

I was amused, given she was in NZ for the Autodesk 2013 and 360 Cloud launch, to see Berries with Vanilla Cloud on the dessert menu! It was part of their regular offer, not something Lynn had conjured up!

Having spent the day working on “cloud” presentations she decided it was just one cloud too many but I had to try it.

The verdict, Heavenly!

Busiest Month:

As seems usual March was busiest on the CAD Blog. It used to be annual Autodesk launch posts which drove this but for me that spread over several months. I was on holiday (cycling in Northland) so missed the international launch in March and the the NZ launches were in May.  February was busiest on the Personal Blog, for some reason, due to an old Fiat X1/9 post.

Blog Concern:

Work and personal commitments meant fewer posts from me this year (~10/month vs. ~14 last year on both blogs). I have plenty of drafts and topics to cover in 2013 so just have to find the time!

Best Blog Tool:

I didn’t really change how I blog, hardware or software wise, this year so no radical new tools. One utility which was useful is VirtualBox from Oracle. Its a free virtual machine which allowed me, with some great tips from Ralph Grabowski, to try the previews of Windows 8 without needing a spare machine. Odd that it could do this better than Microsoft’s own virtual machine platform.

I have reserved my verdict on Windows 8 until I try it on real hardware and am contemplating upgrading my home PC over the New Year break. There is a discount, currently, offered till Jan 31 for on-line upgrades so it is worth considering before then.

“Doh!” of the year:

Nothing dramatic other than getting quite excited about two products only to find they would not be available in New Zealand. Hopefully this will change in 2013!

• Revit LT: First got my attention when Autodesk Labs Project Spark arrived. New Zealand has a large AutoCAD LT user base and it seemed Spark offered a path to BIM for AEC focused LT users. Although disregarded by many “full Revit” users I think it offered most the tools a lonely BIM’er needed to join the Revit’lution.
  When Spark launched as Revit LT it was not offered in APAC! This is quite common for new Autodesk platforms, we rarely see V1 of anything, but LT is hardly that being based on the established Revit platform.
•  Microsoft Surface: Although the RT version has got mixed reviews I think the Pro Surface and similar tablet/ultrabook combos will be the new default mobile computer form factor for those needing more than ARM processors.
  Microsoft NZ have yet to launch Surface here although a few ‘parallel import’ units have been seen.
  They are not alone as the established Wintel hardware manufacturers have been slow off the mark too. Finding touch enabled Windows 8 hardware, of any form factor, at retail has been a bit of a challenge.

Happy New Year!

Thanks for visiting, reading and coming back. Lets see what 2013 brings!

* OK, so it took a few hours longer than I expected to get this on-line!

CAD Notes Batik

One of the most amazing aspects of this whole “blogging thing” is the unexpected connections it brings. Primarily this has been meeting, both virtually and in person, some amazing people like the subject of this post.

Way back in March 2010 Edwin Prakoso ran an AutoCAD Tips competition on his CAD Notes blog. He asked me to help judge it and I was happy to do so. A short time later an unexpected gift arrived in the form of a lovely piece of Batik art.

After much procrastination — my weakness — the work is now framed and on display for more than just me to enjoy. Thanks, belatedly, Edwin for a lovely gift.

CAD Notes | CAD Tutorials and Best Practices for professionals and students

About the new look blog

See the details behind the current bioluminescent theme here

A new look for RobiNZ CAD Blog, a very natural glow!

A few weeks ago I mentioned I was considering a redesign for the blog. At the time I made a few tweaks as realised a new ‘look’ would take more time than I had to spare. A few months ago I was one of many who helped crowd fund a “Evolution in Action” science project. The aim is serious, studying bacterial genetic evolution to help combat disease, but one of the fun rewards provided a new blog logo and inspired the theme.

Siouxsie Wiles is a microbiologist, bioluminescence enthusiast (with very pink hair!) and “Infectious Thoughts” science blogger who heads up the Bioluminescent Superbugs Group at the University of Auckland, New Zealand.

She drew the new logo in bioluminescent bacteria, literally a live glowing design. The current banner image, from the video below, shows her bioluminescent bacteria inside a live mouse in the mouse poo.

AutoCAD Exchange (ed) for AutoCAD Facebook, but not for me

Coincidence is a strange thing. Last night I was playing around with some new TypePad Blog Themes and considering a major re-design. While that may happen it will take a while so I decided a quick “makeover” was needed. Although the design hasn’t changed I have reviewed the sidebars and cleared out some dated content.

Most of that was easy, Technorati code (remember them?), some dead links to blogs which have fallen off the web and generic search boxes I doubt anybody ever used. One item I looked at and wondered about was the AutoCAD Exchange panel (left).

It was launched with a flourish back in 2009, with blogger support via sidebar widgets, but I suspect never really became the community Autodesk had hoped for. Then today an email arrives announcing AutoCAD Exchange was moving to Facebook (per the screenshot below from AutoCAD Exchange):

That means AutoCAD Exchange is effectively dead for me as a work tool as Facebook not available on our corporate network. I suspect that is true for many and it makes the move rather hard to understand. While Facebook hosting is easier to manage for Autodesk I think it’s an awful move for the user.

Perhaps that view is tainted as my own presence on Facebook is reluctant, at best. I use it to connect with those who use it as their only social site rather than from any burning desire to be there. I mostly cross posts from Twitter Apps or TypePad as I hate the Facebook web UI and find their iPhone app slow, buggy and annoying.

So it’s goodbye AutoCAD on Exchange, I’ll see you on Twitter and YouTube but it is unlikely the Facebook page will see much action from me.

AutoCAD on Facebook — AutoCAD on Twitter — AutoCAD on YouTube

UPDATE 2012-08-01:

This is why we should never rely on facebook for doing business. reut.rs/MaG1oY

— Edwin Prakoso (@cad_notes) August 1, 2012

Edwin’s Tweet links to “Facebook sinks to record low as doubts grow” – Reuters

8th Anniversary!

I’d like to say it is blog’iversary time again but I’m about a month late posting this as the anniversary was back on Saturday March 31st. I knew this post would be late but will never forget why.

I was on a bicycle heading for Cape Reinga, New Zealand’s northern tip, and was happy to complete that with a bicycle circumnavigation of the iconic (in NZ at least) lighthouse. Things have been a little slow here recently due to the travel but it’s time to finish a whole bunch of Autodesk University (yes still), 2013 Release and Autodesk 360 draft posts. That’s just the CAD stuff!

I find it hard to believe eight years have flown by since that first tentative post. To everyone, everywhere, thanks for visiting, reading and subscribing!

Statistics:

Last year I wondered if 2011-12 would make me a millionaire (visit) blogger? Turns out that happened some time on September 11th 2011.

2011-09-10	257	999,697
2011-09-11	306	1,000,003
2011-09-12	435	1,000,438

Visits & Subscribers:

The weekly “blog beat” is fairly constant apart from a blip caused by over 300 visits to one post on January 25. Quite why the “Love the ribbon” post from 2009 attracted that I don’t know!

In spite of RSS and feed technology not being talked about much use in applications has subscriptions steadily growing.

Location:

As always the US dominates but that big spot over Auckland on the city map can’t just be me checking posts? (Google supposedly filters out that stuff)

   

Browser & Operating System:

It’s interesting to watch this over the years even if it doesn’t really mean much. Compared to 2011 IE lost 6.3% but I was surprised to see Firefox also down 4.75%. The winner was Chrome up 7.9%. Maybe the browser battle will settle down with three fairly equal contenders fighting for our eyeballs & clicks. Probably better than anyone dominating. iPhone/Safari doubled, but not really significant numbers, and iPad arrived on my platform/browser stats. Interesting to see both beaten by Firefox running on Linux! CAD Geeks?

On Shaan’s 14 Years at Autodesk

Seeing Shaan’s post & photo montage celebrating his Autodesk anniversary also brought back many memories for me. Curiously I’ve also been at TWL about 14 years, also having previously spent 3 years max in a role, so can relate to how that feels.

14 Years 98 in Dog Years - Between the Lines

Today marks my 14th year with Autodesk. I really never thought when joining Autodesk back in 1998 I would be here 14 years later…

I don’t remember when I first ‘met’, virtually, Shaan but it must have been a not long after he started at Autodesk through his beta role. I suspect many outside that world really got to know Shaan after he started blogging in 2003. My blogging was inspired by Shaan and many of my bloggie experiences have been supported by him. For that, and the chance to meet him in person, I’m truly grateful. Of my many Shaan photos I think this captures his mix of dedication, adventure and geekness:

This is not your typical tourist - RobiNZ CAD Blog (2006)

If you visit the world famous (in New Zealand) Huka Falls you’ll see lots of tourists. Typically they will have a camera, maybe a camcorder, but it’s rather unlikely they will also be blogging with a Blackberry…

I spent the weekend showing Shaan Hurley, Autodesk Blogger, part of the North Island (between Auckland – Taupo) and snapped him blogging from Huka Falls.

Congratulations on the anniversary Shaan, may there be many more.