Brian McKinney

Hi there, I’m Brian McKinney

Developer, designer, musician, recording engineer. In other words, I like to make things

Safari for Windows

Ok, anyone who is using IE or Firefox on Windows should give this a spin. From a design point of view, one of the things that is absolutely fantabulous about Safari is the font smoothing. Even a non-designer can spot the difference, and I think it makes the browsing experience much better.

Web development for the iPhone

I pretty much agree with the sentiments in this article. It would be interesting to build an iPhone app, but to really have some cool stuff on there you've got to release an sdk.

Crash Test Dummies

This is actually kind of cool. Consumer reports posted video of over 150 vehicle's crash test results. Interesting and freaky.

Week in Pictures

This is a weekly thing they do on MSN. Ami is obsessed with it. There usually are some pretty interesting pictures in here, check it out.

The most important video. Ever.

I don't usually post anything too serious on here, but this video was truely moving. I felt compelled to post this, because it made a big difference in my life and I really want to share that experience with others.

Spelling Bee Champ and Insane Dweeb

This kid just won a spelling bee and gets interviewed on CNN, so he decides to be an unbelievable a-hole to the lady interviewing him. The lady that had to make it through this excruciating interview deserves a raise.

Interesting Explanation of Audio Compression

This is an interesting illustration of the compression used in modern recordings. I think this is exaggerated a bit to make the point, but it is a good point and one worth knowing about.

Apple Releases New Macbook Pros

Apple comes out with an update to their Macbook Pro line. A couple of interesting specs: Faster Ram up to 4 GB, LED backlit display. The LED backlit display is particularly interesting, I am thinking this would have a noticable effect on battery life.

Microsoft releases "Surface"

Microsoft has released a new product that is pretty ambitious. Some people think it is really cool, but I am more of a wait and see on this one. Microsofty has a history of releasing "cool" products that they have to create a market for. Until Auntie Mae's has tables that are made out of these things, I call BS.

Shakira covers Acca Dacca's Black in Black

I can't even believe this. No wait, I can. This really irks me. Only a handful of people on this planet should be legally allowed to cover AC/DC. Cool game to play: start this video and see how long it takes you to want to stab yourself in the ears and eyes, until you can no longer feel the true pain of this pathetic attempt to "re-work" a brilliant song.

Classic Mr. Show

I used to watch Mr. Show all of the time. This is a classic sketch from the show, about a chance meeting with a twist.

Kevin Rose - Bold and Daring

All the internet hubub over the last couple of days is about a hex code can be used to unlock HDDVDs that was published on a bajillion web sites. Several users posted the code on Digg.com, Digg was promptly ordered to remove said code or face legal action. They left it up. This is an incredibly gutsy move on Kevin Rose's part, as he is going up against some major big business.

Microsoft Announces Silverlight

This is an interesting new technology for Microsoft. We'll see how this plays out, but it's an interesting cross-platform step for a company so steeped in software nepotism.

Freaking Awesome Santana Concert

For those of you who haven't checked out Wolfgang's Vault, you've got to try it out. They have a ton of great classic concerts you can listen to for free (registration required). This is one of my personal favs.

The Making of the Dr. Who Theme

This video is a trip back to a time when polyphonic synths were "high-tech". At the same time incredibly cheesy and interesting.