Apple Inc.: November 2004 Archives

So, after my last post about Delicious Library there are a few clarifications that I'd like to make. So, when I talk about posting the content that I add in Library to my blog, I'm not just talking about modifying the XML template that Movable Type uses to render my main blog page. Rather, I'm talking about spinning up a separate blog (a "stuff" blog), and having Delicious Library post directly to that. Then, insofar as I understand, there are ways in which you can integrate multiple blogs into one main page.

Looking at the Delicious Library XML data file, it seems like the main challenges will be harvesting out only the entries that are "new" since the last time the integration was run, and triggering the integration in an automated fashion. I think that the integration is either going to need to keep some local state (date/time of last successful run), or possibly it might be able to examine the state of the blog that it is posting to, in order to figure out which items in Library are new.

In terms of automation, it would be idea if Library had some sort of plugin API. I haven't looked too deeply at it yet, but it doesn't seem like there is one. :(

I am intrigued by Justin's idea -- of making library P2P-aware. There is definitely some fertile development ground there. But right now, I am feeling selfish, and want to work on getting Library integrated with my blog. :)

I read a kick-ass review of Library last night on Ars Technica (John Siracusa is totally awesome). Initially, I was thinking about only buying Library if I could get it integrated with my blog, but now after reading that, I think I'm just going to buy it regardless.

-Andy.

So, Delicious Monster finally released their first application, "Library", today. I have been reading some hype about this application on the web for a few months now, so I was eager for a chance to check it out. Basically, it is a really slick way of tracking all of the movies, games, CDs, and books that you own in the physical world. The key thing about it is that you can use your iSight (or any other video camera) as a barcode reader, which simplifies that task of getting information about your stuff into the Delicious Library

So, playing around with the demo, I found that while the iSight barcode scanning does work, it is a little finnicky. Reading the FAQ, it seems like once you get the hang of it, scanning barcodes gets much easier. However, in my testing, I could have gone faster just by typing in the UPC #'s. But other than that, it works as advertised.

The only reason that I can see myself paying $40 for this thing is if I can somehow integrate it with my Blog. I have been fascinated with the idea of automating parts of my blog recently. My idea is that, as the physical objects drift into my life, I'll make some digital record of them, which will be tracked in my blog. In that way, other people can see what I'm buying. This could lead to better recommendations of other things that I should check out. And of course, lots of flames about my poor taste in music (Chris and Steve would vote for "Sleater-Kinney", for example). Also, it'll be easier for me to go in and do reviews of things (which I like to do from time-to-time). The ultimate extension of this idea would be if I were to imprint things that I was only thinking about buying. Then my peer group could comment before I commit, and potentially steer me either towards or away from the potential purchase.

As it stands right now, Delicious Library stores all of its data in an XML file. So, I would have to write some code that parses the file, and posts the interesting bits to my blog. The hard part would be in triggering my little machination -- it doesn't look like there is a way to have Delicious Library fire off external commands whenever you add a new item, for example. Maybe the Automator coming in MacOS X 10.4 could help me out here?

-Andy.