Issues are always expected for early adopters and today has been no exception. Apple stated that pre-orders would begin today, September 12th, for their iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. The Apple Online store was still down at 4AM Central, and came up some time by 5AM Central. The only way that users seemed to be able to access the store was through the Apple App Store application on their iPhones and iPads.

There are many reasons to deal with all of the issues and try to pre-order as soon as possible. The primary reason is shipping delays. As of 5:45AM Central Time, the shipping times for the iPhone 6 from all the carriers (AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, and T-Mobile) and in all sizes (16GB, 64GB, and 128GB) and in all colors (Silver, Gold, and Space Gray) is still 9/19. However, the iPhone 6 Plus is a different story.

. All iPhone 6 Plus Models are now at 3-4 weeks for all carriers and colors. These must be in shorter supply than the iPhone 6.

I posted that my iOS 8 for Users and Developers e-books were available for pre-order. These books still are available for pre-order. However, the release date has been moved up from October 1st to September 17th. Get your copy now.

Pre-orders are available from Apple (ePub), Apple (iBooks), or Amazon (ePub).

In case you are not aware, Apple is having an event on September 9th, 2014 beginning at 10AM Pacific Time/1PM Eastern/1700 UTC/1800 London Time. Typically, we would not know until the day of the event whether Apple would be live streaming the event or not. This time around, Apple has set up a page with a countdown. It can be viewed here. This link is also the link to the live stream. With the event a mere 4 days away now, there have been a plethora of rumors for what Apple will announce. Here are my thoughts about all of it.

• iOS 8
We will definitely see iOS 8, and likely know the release date. My prediction is that iOS 8 will be available to all iPhone owners as of September 17th. If Apple's patterns hold true, this will be the case. There has not been a developer update since early August. Apple has traditionally stopped providing updates for developers approximately one month prior to launch of an operating system.
• 4.7" iPhone 6
Yes, we will definitely see at least one new phone. Reportedly it will be a 4.7" model. There have been enough part leaks, as well as a video of a fully assembled phone (from parts) that has booted and connects to iTunes. This is too much evidence to not have this be real.
• 5.5" iPhone 6
While this is possible, it would not be surprising to see Apple release a 5.5" iPhone 6 as well. There has not been enough evidence to support this. But it is possible. The evidence in iOS 8 with Adaptive layouts points to this being likely.
• Updated iPad Air
This is the latest rumors to be unveiled. It is possible that Apple will release an updated iPad Air. It will most likely have a Touch ID sensor built-in, as well as 802.11AC. Both of these seem quite plausible.
• Update iPod Touch
It is not clear whether Apple will release an updated iPod Touch. The consensus is the iPod Touch will not get an update. This strikes me as a bit odd given that the iPod Touch last received an update in September of 2012. I predict that we will see an updated iPod Touch. It may not be running an A8 processor, but likely an A7, with Touch ID. The updated iPod Touch may carry a slightly higher price tag than the current A5-based iPod Touch, but I think we will see an updated iPod Touch.
• Wearable
There have been plenty of people that are speculating as to what Apple will be doing in the realm of wearables. Nobody has seen any type of wearable prototype. This is to be expected. In the US there is a requirement of having both Federal Communication Commission (FCC) as well as U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for any type of wearable that transmits health information. If Apple is going to release a wearable, they would want to announce it before it can be leaked by either of these agencies. This would be a similar tactic that they used with the original iPhone. If Apple does unveil a wearable product, it will likely not be available until Spring 2015. Apple also did this in September 2006 when they unveiled their first Apple TV.
• Apple TV
The Apple TV was last updated in March of 2012. While it is possible that the Apple TV will not see an update, it seems unlikely. Many have postulated that the Apple TV will become a gaming box. While this is definitely a possibility, the lack of storage seems to negate this possibility without an updated Apple TV. The only features currently missing from the Apple TV would be 4K output, at 60 Frames per second.
• HomeKit Accessories
At their World Wide Developer Conference 2014 (WWDC) keynote, Apple announced a couple of new frameworks. One of them being HealthKit, and the other being HomeKit. HomeKit is for the "Internet of Things" that allows users to control the devices that are Internet-enabled with their iOS devices. HomeKit offers the ability to string actions together to have any HomeKit enabled accessories perform actions. Apple could release some new accessories, or a completely new line of products, that is able to work with HomeKit. Some examples could be light bulbs, microwaves, or even an actual television; which has also been rumored for a long time.
• OS X 10.10 Yosemite
I do not think that we will see OS X Yosemite released at the September 9th event. While it may be mentioned in the context of items like Handoff, SMS and Phone Relay, and other Continuity features. However, if Apple follows the same patterns, OS X 10.10 Yosemite will be released in October. Any updates to existing Macs, like the Mac Mini or even the Retina iMacs, would most likely come at the same time.

Apple is holding their event at the Flint Center for performing arts in Cupertino. This has some significance for Apple. The original Mac, released in 1984, was unveiled last the Flint Center, as was the original iMac. It would make sense that Apple would release another "original" product at the same location. The Flint Center holds three times as many people as their typical venue, the Yerba Buena Center.

The last significant item regarding the location is that Apple is building a three-story large structure around the Flint Center's statue. It is not known what the purpose of this building is, but we will find out on Tuesday. Below is a picture of the structure. Regardless of what Apple does have in store for us, be sure that it will not be a small affair and that it will be one to be sure to live stream.

Picture via MacRumors

Here is an in-depth look at the new Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare's Multiplayer.

I've spent the last three months working hard on writing two new e-books. They are "iOS 8 for Users and Developers" and "OS X 10.10 Yosemite for Users, Administrators, and Developers". These are available in two different formats, iBooks and ePub.

iOS 8 for Users and Developers looks at all of the new features for iOS 8 including Family Sharing, Health, Spotlight, iCloud, Extensions, Custom Keyboards, Handoff, HomeKit, Changes to Messages, Safari updates, and Mail changes.

Specifically for developers we look at Handoff, HomeKit, extensions, Custom Keyboard Security, Touch ID API, Sprite Kit, Scene Kit, CloudKit, PhotoKit, WebKit (WKWebView), Universal applications and Size Classes, switching to Modern Objective-C, Visual Debugging, the basics of Swift, and how App Bundles will affect developers.

Pre-orders are available from Apple (ePub), Apple (iBooks), or Amazon (ePub).

OS X 10.10 Yosemite: for Users, Administrators, and Developers looks at all of the new features of OS X 10.10 Yosemite, including Handoff, SMS Relay, the updated look, Extensions, and changes to Safari and much more.

For Server Administrators we look at the ability to customize connectivity globally as well as on a per-service level and the implications of some configurations. Also discussed is the new “Reachability” feature and security.

For the Developers we take a look at the new Frameworks available with OS X 10.10 Yosemite, the changes to Xcode, and a brief look at Swift.

OS X 10.10 Yosemite for Users, Administrators and Developer has something for all users of OS X.

Pre-orders are available from Apple (iBooks), Apple(ePub), or Amazon (ePub).

One section of the OS X 10.10 Yosemite for Users, Administrators and Developers has also been made into a separate e-book. That e-book is titled "OS X 10.10 Yosemite for Server Administrators"

OS X 10.10 Yosemite for Server Administrators looks at all of the new features of OS X 10.10 Yosemite, including Handoff, SMS Relay, the updated look, the ability to customize connectivity globally as well as on a per-service level and the implications of some configurations. Also discussed is the new “Reachability” feature and security.

Pre-orders for OS X 10.10 Yosemite for Server Administrators are only available from Apple. The two versions are iBooks or ePub.

This post is an off-shoot by my post "How I Use Twitter". Originally I was going to publish it was one post, but after looking at the length of each, I decided to separate them out. Either way, both of these stem from Episode 3 of Analog(ue) on Relay.fm where Casey and Myke discussed Identify. There was one section in particular that got me to thinking about it, because I can completely relate.

During the conversation Casey stated:

"I think of myself...and as a hard worker, and decent at my job. I scratch fewer itches with my JOB job, and I scratch more itches with this...that's been an odd thing for me to come to terms with. Where I used to put 150% into my JOB job, I don't feel as though I haven't gotten a lot out of my J.O.B. job lately, and because of that I would say that I'm not putting in 150% anymore."

This last sentence, absolutely rings true for me. Sure, I still do my job and get things done but I am no where near as happy, nor as fulfilled, with my J.O.B. job as I used to be. It could be due to burn-out, or it could be due to having to pick up too much slack from others. Regardless of the reason, this also got me to thinking "How have I been "scratching my itches?" For the last 3 months it has been writing two e-books (which are almost ready as I write this). That's how I have been scratching my itches lately. In the past I have done other things to scratch my itches, more on those in a bit.

There's another show on Relay.fm, Inquisitive where the first question is always "What do you like to be known for?", and it's a very good question. When I first thought about the question, I honestly didn't know how to begin to answer it.

But, after some thinking about it I did determine how I would respond. My answer would be "Writer". You might be thinking, "But you don't write for a living" and yes, you would be correct. However, I do write. I may not be writing what most people would considering "traditional" writing, but it is writing none-the-less. Yes, I do write e-books and I write blogs posts, like this one. Do I write for a living, no. I write in my spare time. It's what I use to "scratch my itch". The things I do write are Objective-C Code, HTML, CSS, and Javascript. These are most definitely not what one would consider "writing", but it is writing. The writing of e-books is pretty self explanatory. Thus far I have only written non-fiction e-books. I have not yet delved into the world of fiction. While all writing requires effort, Non-fiction requires some effort with unique items. Effort in the actual writing, through research, in editing the e-books, assembling the book and even posting them to the different stores. All of these take time and when something doesn't go right, it requires additional effort to fix the issue. I'm an engineer by nature. As an example, in a meeting after Amazon announced their Drone program, the topic of having a drone fleet at work came up. Instead of worrying about the implications and policy of what a drone fleet would mean, I was thinking "How would one control a drone fleet?", "What servers would be involved?", "How would one keep them charged?" and countless other engineering questions. Given my engineering nature, writing non-fiction could easily be seen as a natural fit. Non-fiction, much like engineering, makes you think about how everything fits together and works together. As an engineer you want to make sure everything is working, and most importantly, to do it yourself. Yes, you will have to rely on others for some things, yet you want to accomplish a majority of this by yourself. Since I like to write, would I like to write for a J.O.B. job? I think I would. If it's a "traditional" writing position it would have to be one where I can do some more in-depth research and does not necessarily have a strict quota for churning out posts. Sites that require a huge turn out, particularly at being the first to break some news, are the sites that I despise the most. When I write an e-book, I do have a deadline. It is typically the release date of the item that I am writing about. However, when I'm writing a web-app, or an actual app, there typically isn't a deadline. It's ready when it's ready. Regardless of what I'm working on, some days I make significant progress, others I do not. It just depends on what happens during that day. Overall, I want to be known as a writer. A writer of not only words, but code. Whether you write words or write code, the end result is a product, and that product should be what defines you. You shouldn't be defined by what clothes you wear, what phone you use, nor whether you are up to date on the latest trends. All of these are fleeting and in the grand scheme of things, not really worth the time. However, the result of these products that could last forever. These are what defines us. So my question to you, "What do you like to be known for?"

I finished listening to Episode 3 of Analog(ue) on Myke Hurley's Relay.fm. The topic was "Identity" and during the episode Casey and Myke were discussing Twitter and how some Twitter users all about the numbers. Hence, how some users define themselves by those they follow, or follow them, on Twitter. To some extent, I do this. While I do care about the number of people that follow me, because on some level we all do, it's not how I use Twitter. I have been using Twitter for 2775 days, or just over 7 1/2 years. During that time, the way I use Twitter has changed.

I originally used it as a way to indicate what I was doing throughout the day. If you look back at my first posts on Twitter, you would see this. A little over 2 1/2 years after joining Twitter, October of 2009, I started doing my "Daily Run Down" blog posts where I would summarize the news of the day in a list of links. I did this to garner more attention and share more on Twitter. I ceased the publication of my "Daily Run Down" articles on July 4th, 2013. Subsequently, the way I use Twitter has shifted again. Now I use it as a way to actually communicate and connect with people, not just as a broadcast medium.

I have never been a 100% completionist when it comes to Twitter. In the beginning of Twitter, I was more so than I am now. I follow too many people (1,551 as of this writing). I usually consider Twitter to be like a party. I don't usually know what happens before I arrived, and while I may hear about it during my current session on Twitter, I wasn't there at the time. Likewise, I don't know what happens after I leave. There are times that I will scroll back a bit to see what was said, and if the conversation is interesting enough I will try to trace it back to its start and read the entire thread.

When Twitter introduced lists back in September of 2009, I immediately began grouping those that I follow, and sometimes those that I do not. Some of the lists are just categorizations, like "Chicago", "Apps", "Bloggers" and more. Yet, there is one private list that where I am a completionist. It is a list called "Friends". This list is purely for those who I would, and in most cases do, consider friends. These are the individuals where I actually do care what happens and these are the individuals I interact with most often. If you're on this list then I will very likely read everything you post. Yet, you will never know if you are on this list, because it's a private list.

I don't have many "meat space", or "real life", friends. I only have a few. I make up for my lack of "real" friends by using Twitter. As mentioned before, I do consider many, if not all, of those on my "Friends" list, to be actual friends. You could say considering those I have never met to be friends, as an aspect to the introverted part of myself and to some extent this would be accurate. In general, I am not one who like parties (I don't mind family parties most of the time). I don't enjoy being the center of attention. Yet, strangely, I have no issues giving talks on things, provided it is a topic that I am well versed in. I tend to prefer staying out of the spotlight and at the edges of gatherings.

Twitter is where I go to find news, do quick rants, and overall converse with people. Twitter fulfills that physical interaction, which was mentioned in Episode 3 of Analog(ue), that a vast majority of humans need to survive. While I do not use Twitter like most others, It does serve a purpose for me. The question becomes, how do you use Twitter? Do you only follow celebrities? Do you only use it to socialize with your closest "meat space" friends? However you decide to use Twitter, as long as it works for you, ignore others if they say "you're doing it wrong". Because what's right for them, is not always right for everybody else.

You can learn from TV. Here is proof.

United States and its 50 Capitals

Nations of the World

Billy Crystal gave a tribute to his friend Robin Williams at the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards.