WHO IS MAGGI TRYMBILL™?

My name is Magnus Ingi Sveinbjornsson, but for the sake of sanity you can call me Maggi or Maggi Trymbill (if you dare to pronounce it). I’m 25 years old, born on May 1st, 1986 in a small town called Seltjarnarnes, just outside of Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland. I’ve been fascinated by technology since I can remember and created my first website only 12 years of age. I’ve got an eye for good design and a perfectionist view towards user interfaces and user experience.

Next to my enthusiasm for technology comes music. I’ve studied the piano since I was 7 and started playing drums when I was 12. I’ve also been messing around with electronic music the last few years and found out in the process that I love to make, listen to and be involved with music.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

2003 – 2006 | Studied Computer Sience in the Reykjavik Idnskoli

Programming languages: PHP (good) and Python (excellent).
Web based development: HTML, CSS and Javascript (including a lot of work in jQuery).
Buzz-word development: HTML5, CSS3 and responsive web design.
Design and image work: Photoshop and Illustrator.
Human languages: Icelandic (excellent) and English (good)

WORK EXPERIENCE

Summer of 2005 | PHP Developer and Designer for Mentis
Designed and programmed software, used to run a huge screen in front of Kringlan, the biggest mall in Iceland.

2006 – 2007 | Developer, Designer and SEO consultant for Nordic eMarketing
Designed multiple websites for customers, created my own CMS and was in charge of maintenance of old websites, servers and such.

2007 – 2009 | PHP Developer and Designer for The University of Iceland
Development of the intranet website “Ugla” (e. Owl) for the University of Iceland. Developed in PHP, HTML, CSS and Javascript (mostly jQuery).

2009 – Today | CDO and Python Developer for CLARA
Co-founded the startup CLARA where I was titled CDO (Chief Design Officer). In charge of all design decisions made, front-end development and everything else; I.e. a typical startup company job. Developed in PHP, Python (on Pylons), HTML, CSS and Javascript (mostly jQuery).

WEB DESIGN PORTFOLIO

• 2011 | Website for CLARA
  Idea, design and implementation into WordPress - www.clarahq.com
• 2012 | Website for Runa Magnusdottir
  Idea, design and implementation into WordPress - www.runamagnus.com
• 2012 | Website for Valkyrie Icelandic
  Idea, design and implementation into WordPress - www.valkyrieicelandic.com

CONTACT INFORMATION

E: maggi@trymbill.is
P: +354 846 0062
A: Lambastadabraut 1, 170 Seltjarnarnes, Iceland

Newlands by Justice

Helix by Justice

And, without a doubt my favorite, Canon:

Canon by Justice

You better believe it, this looks like a possible winner for the best techno album of the year! Holy motherless monkey balls, disco!

A Little Back Story

I started eating food advised in 4HB (The Four Hour Body) about a month ago. I’ve also been going to the gym at least 3 times a week for the last 3 weeks, so the logical step was to go for the PAGG and finish up the trilogy that is food, exercise and supplements. I’m no expert on any of this, I’ve once managed to go from around 240 lbs down to about 180 lbs and at that time I did it with a lot of working out, eating healthy and drinking protein shakes. This time, I’m going a similar route. I’m 230 lbs now and I want to get down to around 180, but at the same time stay healthy and do it without forcing my body down since that will only lead to the risk of gaining the weight back and even increasing it after that.

So my plan is to add PAGG to my exercise routine and list up, every week, what goes on in my head, body and soul. Here we go!

Week 1 - It’s All About I/O

Stats: 104 kg / 229 lb (-5 kg / -11 lb in 2 weeks) Total loss: 5 kg / 11 lb

Day 1: Input / Output. What comes in, must come out. Well, almost. I just took the first pill about 2 hours ago. We take an AGG before every meal and then PAG before bed. This is going to take some getting used to, but I’m pumped!

5 Days in: It’s weird taking all these pills. It makes me feel like I’m doing something to my body that it doesn’t want or need but at the same time I’m confident this will help me lose weight and if not, I can at least say I tried. Today is Saturday, which is binge eating day, so I can eat what ever I want and drink what ever I like. It’s also a break from PAGG since Tim Ferris says so. “Skip PAGG 1 day every week and 1 week every 2 months.” I think the idea behind that is to trick your body into thinking it’s not just going to get these new nutrients every day and prevent it from storing it as fat.

On Day 5: I was warned this might happen. My piss just started smelling like asparagus. Oh well, I guess I’m the only one who needs to know about that. Wait, doh!

Week 2 - Gas

Stats: 103.3 kg / 227 lb (-.7 kg / -1,5 lb) Total loss: 5.7 kg / 12 lb

Day 8: The title for this week says it all. I don’t remember ever having this much gas, ever! It started around day 4 but today it’s just been hurting, non-stop, all day. Hopefully that goes away and hopefully it’s just the amount of beans I’ve been eating, since I’m doing the 4 Hour Body diet as well. I’m pretty sure that’s the reason but non the less, week 2 has introduced gas, and lots of it :-/

10 Days in: I weight in today and I’m a bit sad that I didn’t lose more than .7kg last week. To be fair, I didn’t go to the gym at all last week. I ate healthy and took my PAGG, but no gym, no exercise and no burning of the calories I took in (see week 1, i/o). I’m hopeful that this week will be a greater fat loss and to try and guarantee it I’ve set myself a rule: No binge eating until I’m under 100 kg! That means that this Friday, October 21st 2011, if I’m not under 100 kg, I won’t binge eat the day after, on my binge eating Saturday. Lets see how that goes …

Week 3 - It’s Working!

Stats: 101.9 kg / 224 lb (-1.4 kg / 3 lb) Total loss: 6.9 kg / 15 lb

Day 15: I’m happy with the results so far. I’m consistent in my weight loss, neither going to fast nor to slow. I feel good even though my binge eating days sometimes have the effect on me that in the middle of the week I get cravings for random, nasty, unhealthy stuff. Other then that, it’s going great!

- – This journey isn’t over! Tune in after a week and see my progress. – -

A dying man needs to die, as a sleepy man needs to sleep, and there comes a time when it is wrong, as well as useless, to resist.

The Idea

I got the idea from watching a guy on YouTube called Shay Carl. He was, at the time, documenting a project where he wasn’t going to shave his beard until January 1st, 2009. I’m not sure when he started but I really liked the attitude he had for the whole project, how he approached it and how fun it looked to be so totally out of the ordinary people actually recognized him for it. The growing of the beard became his trademark and I remember thinking; “Wow, this is awesome! I can do that!!”

A few weeks went by and I found the right moment to launch this project. At the time my little sister, Birgitta, was going to South America as an exchange student and I thought it would be a perfect time to do this. And so it began.

The Process

It’s not hard growing a beard. I mean, it’s basically just not shaving … that’s the whole task. I had the rule that I couldn’t even trim it, except for my mustache, so the beard grew wildly and all over the place. I loved it, for the most part. It worked as an icebreaker for every single person I met and I was getting approached by a lot more random people who wanted to know what the hell I was thinking. That being said, girls didn’t seem to enjoy it as much as I did myself. Don’t ask me why, but my honest guess is that I used the wrong colon that year, wore the wrong clothes or it might be the fact that I just scream, uncontrollably, when girls come up to me.

Hey, what’s your na … AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

So as planed, this went on for a whole year and since me and a few friends had the fantastic idea to create a web based TV show at the same time, called Dead Drunk but Trying, it gave me a mini-trademark of my own. I was recognized on the streets of Reykjavik, Iceland as the weird bearded dude from that awesome show on YouTube. It also gave me an idea for the next project I wanted to do, but that one is still in the works so I can’t tell you about it for now. I can tell you that it has something to do with time and music. No more! My lips are sealed!!

The Finale

A video says more than a year of growing a beard … or something like that. Please watch:

Conclusion

Would I recommend doing this? Yes, if you’re brave enough. Would I do this again? Hell no, I’m not brave enough!

1) It’s Not an iPhone 5

The hardware update, I feel, is a bit half-assed. You get a dual core CPU, oh so cleverly called A5 which is the same they have in the iPad now (sound familiar?). You get a minor upgrade on the camera, some speed improvements through some “breakthrough antenna technology” where it switches between antennas. 4G speeds, that is 14,4 down (from 7,2 in the iPhone 4) and 5,8 up (no change there) and some other minuscule things.

On top of this you get this thing called Siri, which is suppose to be the cure for talking to your device. Yeah, I’m not going to buy in on that until I’ve tested it in the rain, during traffic on the 405 screaming at it to call my best friend, not my mom. Also, if I’m not mistaken, this feature is only available for the 4S and not included in the iOS5 update, which sucks.

2) iOS5 > iPhone 4S

I think, since I currently own an iPhone 4, the major updates coming from Apple this fall with regards to the iPhone, iPod or iPad is the iOS5.

I’m really excited about that and feel, with what I’ve seen from the hardware update the 4S brings to the table, iOS5 will be more then enough for me to last another year on my already awesome iPhone 4. To be honest, the only real update I’m excited about is the notifications center, or what ever they’re calling it. The rest of the updates aren’t really that amazing, but Apple know how to market it so, for some reason, I’m also excited about that. Damned sorcery!

3) Two Phones in Between

My first iPhone, like I said, was the original iPhone. I didn’t see the need to upgrade through 2 upgrade of the phone and I feel it might go the same way this time. I’m going to need some breakthrough technology in the next iPhone for me to consider upgrading it. That being said, I’m not saying that it’s out of the question, I just don’t feel the jumps Apple make in their iPhone upgrade are worth buying a new phone every time. Every 3 times worked out fine for me last time, and I’m seeing a pattern emerging.

4) Money

Again, these are my reasons and since I’ve quite recently purchased the iPhone 4 (well, over a year now but …) purchasing a new one costs me too much. The reason I didn’t go through 3G and 3Gs was not only because I didn’t see the need, it was also because these mini-computers aren’t cheap. I’m not complaining, but for the time being it’s not going to be on my list for purchases since I need money for a MacBook Pro, want to get the Native Instrument’s Kontrol S2 and hopefully have some money left to buy food.

S) In Conclusion

In my opinion, only get an iPhone 4S if …

1. You don’t have an iPhone
2. You haven’t updated since iPhone 3G
3. You think video chat came with Facetime, reading books came with Newsstand and voice recognition came with Siri. And if so, dude – the fuck?! :-)

Switching IDE’s is nothing like switching underpants. EOD!
- Maggi Trymbill

1) Any OS Goes

I personally love the way Textmate looks and works, but that’s only for the Mac. While I used Windows I tried E Texteditor, which was suppose to be Textmate for Windows, but wasn’t. I then used the only non-java IDE I could find with built-in support for Python and found Komodo. That soon got bloated so I started searching again and found Sublime Text. To my surprise it’s available for every OS and it isn’t flawed on Linux like most of the IDE’s I’ve tried that say they work on every OS. So, any OS goes!

2) Textmate Bundles Friendly

Just like with E Texteditor, Sublime Text is Textmate bundles friendly. This means you can run through, for an example, the whole directory of awesome themes available for Textmate and use them with Sublime Text. Snippets also work well and this opens up a can of whoop ass for awesomeness.

3) It Looks Awesome

Need I say more?

By the way; I’m using the Twilight color scheme (included) and the Soda Dark theme. Looks cool, right?

4) It’s Superman-Fast

File switching, function crawling and jumping to lines is so quick I feel I’m cheating some law of physics when doing it. There must be some kind of magic dust in there that enables this, or perhaps, it’s simply because it’s not running on java (yes, I went there!). I haven’t used the folder tree for 6 months now since Komodo, the IDE I used before, had really nice quick-open functionality. Sublime Text takes that whole concept to another level.

Through a single keyboard shortcut (ctrl/cmd + P) I can access all the files in my project, even though the project holds over 50k files and Sublime Text doesn’t even show the slightest sign of hiccuping. With another keyboard shortcut (ctrl/cmd + shift + P) I can also access all my snippets, functions within Sublime Text, install packages, etc. It takes me away from my mouse, and I love it!

5) Package Control

A guy with the name of Bond, Will Bond (he probably doesn’t get enough of that) created this amazing package control add-on to Sublime Text. It simplifies the task of finding, installing and maintaining packages available for Sublime Text and makes it idiot proof and quick.

6) Side by Side Editing

I’ve never been a big fan of side by side editing. Probably because I’ve never seen the need to use it.

After I started using Sublime Text I messed around with all the features it’s got and I found the split screen editing works really well. It’s smooth and lean and with the zoomed out overview (a.k.a. Minimap) on the left hand side it becomes much more visual. Which brings me to my next reason …

7) The Minimap

The Minimap is a fantastic tool. It gives you an at a glance overview of the file you’re looking at. If you’re searching for something within the file, you can see the phrase highlighted in the Minimap also, giving you a sense of how many instances there are of that phrase or word. It also makes scrolling directly to a function you know very well easy, from 10,000 feet away, since you know the layout of the code around it. That being said, I’d always use the keyboard shortcut ctrl/cmd + R to access definitions / functions quickly.

8) Distraction Free Mode

I know this is a minor feature and a simple one to say the least, but it’s one of the reasons I love Sublime Text.

It simply throws away everything, except my code. But, how do you access the folder tree then?! You don’t. But, how do you see a list of all the definitions or functions in the file that is open?! You don’t. But, how do you get out of it?! You don … oh wait sorry, yeah that’s simple, shift + F11. With the super fast quick-open feature built in Sublime Text, this way of coding has become the way to go for me.

9) It’s Not Finished

Sublime Text 2 isn’t finished and I think that is definitely a good thing but might also turn out to be a bad thing. If the development of this awesome IDE keeps going in this direction, it’s easily going to replace Textmate, E Texteditor and other competitors in this category of the IDE market. But my concern is that it might get bloated, since keeping an IDE feature rich but at the same time fast and minimalist hasn’t been accomplished yet. Well except for VIM, but we’re not going into that discussion now.

What Are You Waiting For?

Welcome to the 21st century, IDE’s aren’t bloated, slow nor only for a certain portion of the OS’s out there. Sublime Text 2 is the way to go, it’s got the Trymbill approval stamp (not an official stamp, yet)!

1) I’m a Developer

I’ve been a developer for over half of my life now. I started messing around in HTML when I was 11, I found it really interesting only have found out what the Internet was a few years earlier. I built a website for my moms company at the age of 12 with some help from the horrendous software, Microsoft Front Page. I’m pretty sure that damned thing slowed my learning process down quite a bit instead of helping me understand what I was actually doing, what that HTML element did and how I could manipulate it in code, instead of context menus.

As a developer it’s important for me to work in the same environment as the servers I talk to every day. I haven’t touched, when it comes to server side software, IIS, MSSQL or anything else stamped with Microsoft for over a decade now and I feel it was holding me back, running Windows as my main OS but running code or talking to servers that were running UNIX-like Linux. I would love to be able to keep using Linux, as I’ve done for the past year now, but having to switch over to Windows (dual booted) for simple Photoshop, Illustrator, Premier or even Sony Vegas tasks is boring, takes time and makes me want to throw up a little bit in my mouth. On top of that, I can’t play real games on Linux, it simply doesn’t work.

With a Mac and the UNIX based Mac OS X, which by the way looks and feels amazing, I think 1) My workflow would change for the better, 2) I’d not have to spend time switching over to the dreaded Windblows for use of Adobe software and 3) I could play games from time to time which is one of the things I haven’t been able to do for a while now on my own personal machines due to lack of hardware power and software design.

2) I’m a Designer

I might have touched on this in the first reason, having to move from Linux to Windows for the good ol’ Adobe Suite of amazing software that simply doesn’t work on Linux (and yes, I’ve tried Wine … it doesn’t fly). But being a designer doesn’t just mean I need access to software that gives me tools to design. It also means that I like everything I work on to be clean, neat and good looking. I don’t get that with Windows and I most certainly don’t get that with the hardware from IBM, HP or any of the other major PC manufacturers. They simply don’t have that X-factor that Apple has developed over the years when it comes to hardware design.

I think this might actually be an even more important reason for me to switch over, then being a developer. I haven’t seen a single designer here in San Francisco using a HP, an IBM or any other type of horribly designed hardware. Am I scared of being left out, being an outsider and not like the cool folks? No, but my reasons hold the same ground as theirs and, as far as I can tell, I’m the only designer here using a HP ThinkPad running Ubuntu. OK, I might be a little bit scared, but at least I’m not crying … *sniff*

3) OS X vs. Windows

I’ve used Windows most of my life. Only recently did I see the light and switched over to Ubuntu. A combination of frustration with Windows and the fact that Ubuntu was starting to look really good led me down that road. But comparing OS X Lion to Windows 7, in my mind, is like comparing the quarter back from San Francisco 49rs to a retard. It’s just not fair.

Windows have been dragging behind for a few years now and their next release, Windows 8, which looks like a big fail already, simply doesn’t make me want to hold on to that operating system. Also, history has shown us that every other Windows release has failed. Windows 95 – Windows 98 - Windows 2000 – Windows ME – Windows XP – Windows Vista – Windows 7 – Windows 8 … need I say more?

Hey, I’ve got an amazing idea! Let’s take a buzz word, HTML5 will work, and somehow convince people that Windows 8 runs on it. Yeah, that will get them! Muhahaha!!

4) Maybe Three is Enough …

Sorry to disappoint, but I’ve ordered a Mac Book Pro already. It boils down to this:

• Writing this post drove me nuts: Not mentally or anything, don’t worry I’m all right. That being said – simply listing up these 3 points got me thinking; “Why am I dragging this on? I want a Mac. Let’s do it!”
• I’ve waited 5 years already: I almost don’t remember when I started talking about wanting to switch over to a Mac, it’s been so long.
  
• These 3 points were enough: I’m not one to quit on tasks like these, I dislike more than anything to be a quitter. But the fact is, for me personally to make the decision, these 3 reasons was all I needed.

Conclusion

I’ll be sure to write up on how my experience with a Mac will be. I feel that the bridge I’ve used to compromise for the fact that I had a PC, being Ubuntu 10.4, has served me well. What an amazing accomplishment Linux is, I must say. The fact that the developers behind this masterpiece are surpassing, without asking for a dime, a multimillion dollar giant, dinosaur, retard, is incredible. Give credit where credit is due! If it wasn’t for that piece of operating system I probably would still be struggling with everything I’ve mentioned above and not be switching over to Mac anytime soon. Thanks for showing me that an operating system can – excuse my French – not suck!

How about you? Have you made the switch? What are you waiting for?! Tell me in the comments below.

Free Parking

All the good parking spots and all the meters are “out of order.”  I don’t have to pay for parking, anywhere I go.  This saves me a bunch of money in the long run and it saves me time because I can easily park closer to where I’m going.  On top of that, there aren’t any cars in the best parking spots, because everyone’s sleeping.  I can easily park in the best spot in the lot, at every lot!  This, I love.

No Traffic

And I’m not only talking about car traffic here.  Any store I go into, any road I drive on, any sidewalk I walk on.  No – Ones – There!  Don’t get me wrong, I like waiting in lines, sitting in traffic and being cramped into places just as much as the next person.  Oh no, wait a second, I don’t!  With no traffic and allot fewer people in general, I’m not bothered by these things.  This, I love.

Darkness

Even though I live in Iceland, which means that during summertime, at night it’s actually daytime, I like the darkness.  I like it because it doesn’t hurt my eyes, it soothes me and relaxes me during my waking hours.  I know the sun gives me vitamin D, but I can get that through pills or daylight lamps like the one we have at our office.

So during summertime, it doesn’t really matter when I’m awake.  But during wintertime, I like the darkness because it soothes me.

Smart People Sleep Late

Robert Bolizs at Semmelweist University, and his coworkers, have shown that encephalograms during sleep illustrate how sleep elements are directly related to “wakeful cognitive performance.” Studies by researchers H. Aliasson and colleagues show the timing of intervals of sleep “correlates closely” with student academic achievement. (http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/westview/smart-people-sleep-late-82486792.html)

Bing bang boom, that’s how babies are made!

- – -

All in all, I just don’t care anymore.  The procedure of trying to correct my own timezone, in accordance with the timezone I’m currently in, is just to much of a hassle.  So for now, I’m just going to sleep when I’m tired, and wake up when I don’t need to sleep anymore.  Lifestyle fit for a king!

Buy an iPad?  No thanks, I’ve got a phone and a laptop.  I don’t see the need for something in the middle …

… was something I said before I got an iPad 2.  Now, even though I didn’t buy it myself, for my own salary, with my own blood money, I still feel like an idiot buying into Apple’s amazing, to say the least, marketing stunt.  $629 for the 16 GB 3G version?  I could buy 2x AR Drones for that amount, and I’m sure it would give me much greater pleasure then reading Facebook statuses on a screen that’s bigger then my iPhone, but smaller then my laptop.  That was essentially the only thing I saw in the iPad;  „It’s bigger then my iPhone but smaller then my laptop.“  Is that really a $629 feature I’m willing to spend my money on?  Nope!  But then again, I didn’t buy it myself, and further more, this article wasn’t suppose to turn into an anti-iPad rage post.

Finding Use in the Useless

After I got the iPad I started searching for any sensible, useful need in using it.  I got the New York Times app (limited news coverage, unless you pay them money, in a fancy manner), the GarageBand app (decent time waster), Dropbox (one love) and some random free apps from the „Top 25“ list.

All of this I could do with my iPhone on the run or laptop when stationary.  It wasn’t doing anything new, it’s just a bigger iPhone, sitting there, facing me, by the right hand side of my 27″ HP 2711x monitor.  Wait.  Why don’t I just use it as a secondary monitor?  Someone must have thought of that and created an app for it.  We’ll, it turns out, a bunch of people already have.  That’s awesome!  Finally, I find use for this useless hardware.  Now, which one to use.

Face the facts

One thing I found out when looking through these applications, that also support Windows, was that they all say that Aero for Windows 7 has to be turned off.  This was a let down since I like a good looking OS but I decided to turn it off and have my Windows 7 machine take up the look of Windows Classic, which isn’t bad at all.  I mean, this is my work computer.  I don’t need those fancy windows and transitions, I just want it to be fast and I want to be able to use my iPad as a secondary monitor!

Too Cheap or not Too Cheap

If you’re not worried that you’re pricing it too cheap, you’re not pricing it cheap enough.

Searching for „Using iPad 2 as a secondary monitor“ gives you a couple of good results, but none of them list up all available apps with reviews and thoughts on each one.  That’s why this article was written and so begins my quest for the „Best iPad 2 as a secondary monitor application“ hunt.

FIRST TRY: iDisplay from SHAPE Services

At $4.99, it works for both Windows and Mac OS and is also the cheapest one I could find.  Works for both iPhone & iPad and seems to be frequently updated.  It’s only got 2 stars overall, but 3 stars for the current release.  Reviews seem to point out it being really buggy in the 2nd Q of 2010.  Well, they’ve had a whole year to fix it and get it running smoothly, so I decided to give them a change as my first tryout.

My Review
First impressions were OK.  There was a good amount of lag which is understandable since it’s going over WiFi and it’s probably generating data / images from my computer to send over to the iPad each time I do anything.  It was simple to setup on my computer and the app it self found my computer straight away, I could connect without any configuration and start using it right away.

After using it for a week, I can’t recommend it though.  I’ve had numerous issues with it; crashing, lag to the point of it being unusable and lack of good support from Shape Services.  I managed to get it running, but the lag made it impossible to use in any other way than to have console windows open on it for a quick glance.  If I wanted to drag windows around or use it to edit files, well, I couldn’t.  I spent $5 bucks on it and would love them back because this application isn’t working as advertised.  Well, on to the next one I guess; Air Display.

SECOND TRY: Air Display from Avatron

At $9.99, it’s the most expensive one I could find but with the most talk around it as well.  Works for both iPhone & iPad, both Windows and Mac OS and looks like it’s updated frequently.  With 3 stars out of 1297 ratings, it’s the highest rated one I found.  With that said, it seems that their users are on two highly different opinions, since about 50% of them say it rocks (5 stars), but the other half says it sucks (1 star).  Why?  Don’t ask me, ask Avatron.

They give a heads up that on Windows 7, while using Air Display, both Aero and DirectX will be disabled, which is a good thing to know before you buy.  I’ve already decided not to have Aero running, so it doesn’t effect me at all.

My Review
First impressions are amazing!  I love the look and feel of the application on the iPad, much more engaging than the iDisplay one.  Right off the bat, they explain how to install the client software and how to connect your PC / Mac to the application, and they do this in a really nice looking way.  Eye candy FTW!   I did have some issues with connecting to it, but that was just because I wasn’t connected to the WiFi on my PC, but wired in instead.  That wasn’t a problem for iDisplay, since I could manually type in my IP and port and it connected, but Air Display don’t provide a way to do that.

I threw up an ad hoc with Connectify, after having loads of issues with the built in ad hoc in Windows 7.  After that quick fix, I got Air Display working, and boy did it work!  It’s so much faster than the iDisplay, considerably less „laggy“ and as of now, after testing it for a few hours, it doesn’t seem to crash as easily.

Only thing I’m having problems with, is that it matters in what order you launch the software (client vs app).  If I launch the Air Display on my iPad first, and then on my PC, I can’t get them to connect.  But if I do it the other way around, it works without a problem.  A minor bug, easy to get around, but something they should address.

Overall: Without a doubt the app you should buy!  Don’t waste money on iDisplay and don’t even bother checking out MaxiVista.  Air Display are doing a great job with this application, and it does everything they tell you it can do, which doesn’t seem to be the norm.

DIDN’T TRY: MaxiVista

With the worst possible name, incorporating that dreaded „Vista“ into it, and also at $9.99, one would think it should support Aero and DirectX, but no.  They only support Windows and the application is only for the iPad, bad luck there.  The apps got a 2 and a half star rating with the wast majority giving it a single star, possibly something more than bad luck there.

They also give a heads up on the lack of Aero and DirectX support.

My Review
I didn’t have to try this one, since Air Display did what I wanted without any issues.

Conclusion

I found use for my iPad 2.  Using Air Display, I can have 2 console windows open while I work.  To access these 2 console windows, pre-Air Display, I had to alt-tab to ‘em but now, I can just glance over at my iPad, sitting on my desk (like it always does), and see what’s going on on my servers.

My advice to you: Buy the Air Display right away, it’s the way to go for your „Use the iPad as a secondary monitor“ needs.

Part 1: The Man Who Contacts the Dead. Probably my favorite of the 3.  I love the notion of being able to talk to dead people.  I actually thought I could for a few weeks when I was around 14 years of age.  The idea came to me after watching an episode or a movie about psychic and I remember thinking to myself „That is so f*in cool!  I want to be able to do that“ because it is, it is fucking (whoops!) cool.  But it’s as cool as it is fake and fundamentally sick in every single aspect of it.  Tim Minchin said it best:

These people aren’t playing a skill, they are either lying or mentally ill!

Telling some woman that just lost her 4 year old child that your in touch with the other side is the most horrible thing you can do to a human being and I really am astonished that something that horrible is allowed and cannabis not.

Part 2: The Man With X-Ray Eyes. Something that I had no clue what was and I had never heard about this ideology that by moving your hands around you could give blind people sight.  I found it particularly interesting to see how the founder, idealist and to say the least, idiot, that thought of this silly thing went mental when Mr. Brown started to question him and his ways, the same way the man who could contact the dead started behaving when Mr. Brown ask if he was fake.

Part 3: The Ghosthunter. It didn’t surprise me that in the end of this episode, Mr. Brown said that he couldn’t find any physical proof for any reason to believe in ghosts or an afterlife and that the only reason to believe in such a thing was for lack of hobbies or excitement in one’s life (my words, not his).  It didn’t either surprise me to see the ghosthunter get angry when questioned.  I would think that, if you believe in something this strongly, without a question in your mind (and this goes for each episode), you should embrace the questioning and challenges you are given instead of throwing a tantrum and by doing so, foolishly diminishing everything you believe in and stand for.

That’s my two cents on Derren Brown Investigates.  I would’ve wanted more episodes and I kinda would’ve wanted Mr. Brown to me more direct, more of a bastard.  More like Richard Dawkins!

I leave you with Tim Minchin and these words; „If you open your mind to much, your brain will fall out!“