Ran Byron

I'm a Web Developer, working at Facebook, living in Tel Aviv and forever in search of the best coffee.

[ranbena]

EverythingMe Will Always Be Everything to Me

EverythingMe, the company I worked for and helped build, is shutting down it's activity. We started out as a small team with a big idea and grew into an amazing team with amazing products. Although it didn't work out as we hoped, I am extremely proud of what we've accomplished.

I came in as a web developer, eventually lead a team of developers and we stretched the limit of mobile web in every aspect. We developed mobile apps with our open-sourced JS framework, we created in-house tools in all kinds of technologies, we partnered with Mozilla and worked on FirefoxOS along with their dev teams, we opened a Hackathon for mobile web developers, I co-hosted HTML5IL - it was glorious and rewarding. As time went by, new challenges came forward and the team took on a new expertise - test automation. We took it all the way, creating Magneto and assisting the test community worldwide.

What EverythingMe is to me

I had many unofficial roles at EverythingMe. One of which was identifying and recruiting talent. Sitting down with candidates, I always started off with a quick warning - "I might have a really hard time shutting the fuck up already about EverythingMe". I used this intense passion of mine as a tool to weed out the irrelevant and otherwise blow the befitting's mind.

Convincing wasn't hard. A fun and supportive workspace, high end gear, a team of experienced and passionate supermen to work with and learn from, very well thought out processes assuring stable and frequent releases, internal hackathons allowing each and everyone to be of influence to the product and day-to-day office life, far out dev tools automating anything repetitive and dull letting you focus on what matters and extremely high standards of quality and delivery that may be intimidating at first but always inspiring and promoting growth.

On top of all these stood a product we all love and believe in. A launcher that actually makes lives better by making sense of all the increasing number of apps, contacts, content and notifications your phone is bombarded with. Our accompanying products - Mole, Notifications+ and Memory Cleaner were also awesome and refined. We were ranked Play Store top developers and hit top 10 in many countries time and time again.

Our engineering team was said to be the finest in Israel. Brilliant and motivated professionals, many times giving out lectures, actively participating in conferences, contributing code and efforts to open source projects and creating many of their own for no reason other than to give back to the coding and startup community.

All this made possible because this amazing group had the company culture from within. A culture of mastering their domains, of always seeking excellence and self-improving, finding balanced and well planned solutions, of being fearless, relentless and doing whatever it takes, having a deep hunger to look under the hood, being open, communicative and honest, avoiding "politics" and actually caring about peers and users, and constantly striving for impact.

Thank youz

I'd like to thank each and everyone who was part of the EverthingMe team. The following had a special and profound impact on me, and I'd like to mentioned them specifically:

Rami Kasterstein

I never thought I could get along with a CEO of Rami's caliber. Putting aside his oustanding business skills, Rami is a very likable person, bringing his experience, insights, intelligence and humor into every decision and conversation. He accepted me as I was from the start and let me lead my teams and aspects of the company as I saw fit, showing his full trust as I put mine in him.

Dvir Volk, Evyatar Amitay, Omri Bahumi, Arik Fraimovich

Dvir and Evyatar joined before me and working alongside them immediately exposed how much I lacked as a professional. These guys have brilliant minds and can take on anything quickly and percisely. Intimdated, I kept a secret challenge to live up to their expertise and abilities. Omri and Arik came along later showing incredible talent and capacity with a truly charming personality. Roey Berman, Amir Eshel - you're in this group as well. Witnessing you code was jaw dropping.

Oren Itamar

Oren started out as EverythingMe's data analyst. He's got a knack for it no doubt. Later on he took on managing the infrastracture team in his own unique fashion - cool, calm and collected. You don't get to meet many of those :) I am truly honored to have become his friend.

Ami Ben-David

Ami, to me, is dedication itself. I was in awe watching him put his whole being into the product. It's what is required to truly move something forward and unwittingly made me equally relentless.

Micha Cohen

Until I met Micha, HR seemed to me like a mindless and unexciting profession. Little did I know. Micha showed passion and care that I've seen only in the engineering world. He is able to read people, understand team DNA, with a true knack for identifying succesful connections and assessing risks. His passion drives him to search constantly for new methods to get this complex and non-deterministic job done. In this partnership we became lifetime friends inspiring me to always be true to myself, caring and giving.

Meytal Sandor

An HR specialist and personality assesser, she had a crucial role in our recruitment flow. She didn't visit often, but when she did, she would light up the room with her vibrant smile. Her professional delivery is the best in the business and I keep finding myself hoping for a surprise visit.

Rotem Mizrachi

Our first ever Android developer and one of the funniest and greatest people I know. Loved working and lunching with him. Gonna miss you Buddha buddy.

Mark Koltnuk

I only recently got to know Mark and let me tell you, I love listening to Mark talk about anything. Determined, professional and with a natural ability to captivate and instruct. This guys is da shit.

Fade Rudnitsky

Took me some time to get him. Fade explodes with talent and displays an incredibly sincere excitement from exceptional design and user experience. I'm gonna miss his childlike excitement as he anxiously shows me an exquisite new feature. I recall watching him pitch the launcher to someone and understanding exactly what it is I need to become :)

Shay Danan

Shay is as talented and cool as a guy can get. Give him what he needs, close him in a room (although his office lacked a door..) - 10/10 you'll WOW. And he can't bullshit you even if he wanted. He's simply one of the best guys I know.

Gur Tirosh

Gur came in as our content team manager. I was appointed as his buddy (accompanying him on his first week on the job) and it was frustrating. He didn't seem like our DNA at all. I was wrong. Working together I gradually discovered smarts and cleverness rarely encountered. I have much to learn from him and I envy whoever is by his side.

Ran Mussman

It seems almost unfair to talk about Muss here cause it's like giving stage to a family member. Muss and I clicked immediately, forming a rare brotherhood. Oh and he's super awesome at what he does. He and Shay Danan (MussNan if you will) worked so well together creating marketing content for the ages and comedy gold.

Dan-ya Shwartz Bar-El

This gal is unbelievable. Super smart, super verbal, always respectful and always kicking ass. I don't think a lot of people can do what she does.

Avi Charkham

I didn't know what Product really was until Avi joined our team. This guy lives and breathes users. And with an incredibally charming personality he sweeps anyone off their feet when he speaks of product, features, users and insights. Truly awe inspiring.

Joey Simhon

Joey. I can write a book about Joey. Everything I said about EverythingMe, the culture, the accomplishments - it was a team effort that originated from this man and his vision. He is personally reponsible for the evolution of many, if not all, of the members of EverythingMe. His drive and focus are contageous. If I had a hard time getting someone onboard EverythingMe, it was only a matter of finding an open spot on Joey's calendar - 30 minutes with him and you got yourself a follower. Working along side Joey means constant progress, new opportunities and extreme challenges. Over the years I've seen many employees being called in for a 1on1s - sometimes for praise, sometimes for harsh critique - but always walking out the door with something learned. That's the kind of guy Joey is. He'll never compromise - not work, not friendship, not family. He'll never break a promise, will always stay respectful of trust put in him and he expects nothing less of the people around him. I'm proud to have been his partner for the past 10 years. We've proven we can do anything together and I have no intention of stopping until we reach what we set out to do.

Conclusion

Now, the team will unfortunately dispurse. But everything I've learned will live on and continue wherever I may find myself next. I'm still hungry and I strive to keep evolving and finding ways to make profound impact.

And now for some much needed rest.

[ranbena]

Let Byrons be Byrons

From now on, Gila and I are “The Byrons”. Since it’s uncommon for Israeli males to change last names, I am often approached and asked what lead to this. The askers usually approach the subject with caution, giving me room to decline a full answer, believing the subject may be a bit too personal.

But in fact, I totally welcome the discussion. It’s an opportunity for me to demonstrate open minded thinking in hope to inspire.

Gila and I got married a year ago in New York. We both felt right having the same last name as a symbol of our bond. Naturally I believed there’s no objection to her taking on my last name “Ben Aharon”.

Gila says No

“Gila Ben Aharon” does not sound good, more fitting a respected old timer, like a supreme court official or a stage drama instructor, than a young fun loving philosopher artist such as she. This brought me to the realization that I myself never really felt comfortable with "Ben Aharon” either. It’s hard to pronounce, archaic and I’m was willing to let it go.

So, I naturally suggested my nick - “Bena”. “Ran Bena” YES, “Gila Bena” NO. It doesn’t have a good feel to it. If we’re choosing a new last name it must work for both of us equally. So it’s off the table. What now?

The brotherhood

Stuck, we sought advice from my brothers Gadi, Rafi and their significant others. Apparently, they too considered other last names. Now we’re talking! I deeply love my brothers and thrilled to do this together. Mom was positive and liberal about it. Dad was not enthused but told us we can do whatever we want.

It’s rarely known that “Ben Aharon” is not actually our original last name. Back in Romania, it was “Aharonson” which at the time of my family’s Alia (1964), for some unknown reason was registered as “Aharon”. In 1978, when I was born (1978. Deal with it.) my parents officially changed it to “Ben Aharon” after having enough of the “double first name” conundrum (Aharon is very common first name).

So, we’ll go with “Aharonson" then? NAY. It’s as dated as the original.

A name that works for us

We brainstormed for months. We agreed we wanted a name that’s easy to pronounce abroad (we’ve had it up to here with airport extra screening), short and powerful (airforce-pilot-esque) and somewhat close to the original.

I myself leaned towards “Bena” and “Baron”. Gadi favored “Aharonson” while his fiancé Rossita was actually more fond of the original. Rafi and his GF Ruth took a liking to “Byron" and in a gutsy, out-of-nowhere move, updated their Facebook profile names to try the name on for size.

Sealed the deal

Ran and Gila Byron. Yeah, that works. So, what.. we’re the Byrons now? Stop over thinking it! To hell with analysis paralysis. If it works, just do it. So we did. After minor form filling and a 3 hour queue, we are officially “The Byrons”.

The inevitable question

“Isn’t your family’s legacy important to you?” is a reoccurring question.

Women change their last names all the time. Why does no one bring up the question then? That’s because the "legacy" is not the real issue. The real issue is that people are afraid of being forgotten after they die.

For most people, their name is the only thing that can carry their existence into the future. Few people like Einstein, Freud, Sinatra, Newton, Bach, Shakespeare, Darwin, da Vinci actually made an impact on the world that will last for centuries. They don’t need a superficial and artificial method of being remembered.

Men fear that if they change their last name, it’ll give legitimacy for their offsprings to change theirs - which would mean that their name won’t live on after they pass away. And that’s a concept that people have a hard time accepting. We force our fears onto generations to come, unable to face our own inability to actually create a true legacy.

There’s another way to look at it but the reason remains the same. We have a deep connection with our parents and after they pass away we’re left with a painful void. People find amazing and meaningful ways of expressing that feeling. We dread the reality of our loved ones being forgotten, giving it an unrealistic interpretation that their past existence never had any meaning. So we force our surroundings to respect the name and keep it moving so that one day, we too won’t be forgotten.

But being hung up on things that don’t really matter, keeps us from living the life that WE want. And make no mistake, these things matter only to ourselves and to no one else.

Gila and I will live our lives and try to make the most of it. One day we will die and probably be forgotten. We’re ok with it.

————————————

No more Bena? I’m keeping the ranbena nick and domain. People in the industry know me by that nick and I very much like it. So keep calling me Bena. It’s just gonna be one of those “why do they call you that” nicknames.

[ranbena]

USA trip 2014

Gila was rejected a US visa. Apparently, they're afraid she'll stay forever. So, no ComicCon, no Rifftrax, no concerts, no nothing :(

So, we got her cleaned up Peter Russo style, worked on her message and crossed our fingers as she re-applied and well, as you might have guessed... Best. Trip. Ever!

The Big Apple (6 days)

First item on the agenda - get married in NYC. We both feel the same about religious Jewish weddings. Not big fans. So New York Marriage Bureau it was. All we needed was some cash, passports, wedding rings and a witness. We came a bit ill prepared and had to beg for one on Facebook.

Eventually, a friend of a friend, Aya Port, was up to the task! Two and a half hours of paperwork later, we got our marriage on and were jumping in the streets.

Yes I do actually jump really high. Wasn't sure you'd notice.

The actual wedding - don't worry, it's a cool 1 minute long vid.

Once over, we freed up to roam the city and loved it. We got to places easily from an Airbnb apartment in Hell's Kitchen. Caught a broadway show The Book of Mormon. Too musical. We nodded off. Still, it was funny.

I had tickets to one of my musical idols - Andy Timmons. Been listening to his music since forever and it always hits the spot (googly eyes). Maybe I'll write a post about him someday. Anywho, it turns out the place was super small and I was super close to the stage. Great show, got to meet him, talked a bit and gave him way too many hugs :O

Two vegan restaurants totally blew us away with "you sure this is vegan?!" dishes. Gobo. Classy restaurant. Diverse menu with incredibly tasty food. And The Vegan Divas. Really awesome vegan baked goods and desserts. Cupcakes, cookies, brownies, muffins, doughnuts and the likes. We even bought the book :)

Apparently, NYCeWheels aren't really used to fan boys. An awkward silence when I told 'em I'm hooked on their bike review videos. Went all out on gear for my Brompton folding bike! Plug-o: How I Chose My Folding Bike

Toronto, Canada (3 days)

Gila's sis lives in Toronto so we flew over to spend some time with her and her family. Also met my long lost relative, Ady, who apparently eats raw food and suggested we have dinner at a place called Fresh.

THIS is what FOOD is to me. Their menu is chock full of all the healthy, energizing, satisfying items I'd ever want in front of me - greens, beans, legumes, nuts, superfood smoothies, you name it!

Hellz yeah, we got two of their cookbooks!

And Toronto's Subway.. their trains are one long ass car!

Minneapolis, Minnesota (1 day)

Such green. So mall. One with an amusement park at the center. Do you comprehend what I'm saying to you?! Roller coasters inside the mall!

Very yummy vegan pizza at downtown Pizza Luce.

But that's not what we came for. Our mission was clear. Rifftrax Live. The god-like stars of the legendary cult TV series MST3K wisecracking at a live screening right in front of our faces. It was Sharknado's turn to get ripped apart. Wonderful show. Horrible film. Perfect combo. (even though Curly McLargeHuge was obstructing most of the view for me...).

Las Vegas, Nevada (3 days)

We just had to experience Las Vegas didn't we?

No no no no no. Too hot. Too crowded. Too drunken, gambly and sleazy. Not our kind of a thing. We ate well, hit the gym and went shopping. THAT'S a vacation for us.

We also went to two AWESOME shows. Pen and Teller, the magic show duo were jaw dropping and Absinthe was.. well.. raunchy and spectacular. Go see 'em!

Yosemite, California (4 days)

We needed contrast to all the consumption, cue Yosemite.

From the Sequoia trees to the water falls, lakes and viewpoints - Yosemite was a much needed contrast to Las Vegas. Didn't plan on being there for so long but nature called. We booked stays only a day before at this point in the trip so we were free to tread any path till San Diego. Really recommended.

Los Angeles (3 days)

Almost out of time before Comic Con, we wanted a few days in LA to do our own thang.

The mighty Six Flags Magic Mountain theme park. It was INSANE! We will forever remember the X2 ride that takes you up backwards ever so slowly with Enter Sandman in the background. It's gets to crazy speeds, the seat flips on it's axis and even actual fire gets thrown at you.

A video is worth 1000 photos (so here's someone else's):

And get this - Rafi knows a guy at Dreamworks (you know, the animation studio that made Kung Fu Panda, How to Train your Dragon and.. um.. Shrek) and we got ourselves a private tour. The place was not your average office building - it's a campus with little lakes and lots of vegetation and people doing yoga - very inspiring.

And we totally went out of our way for VeggieGrill. Simply wow. Great menu, perfect mocks ands tons 'o KALE. We were stuffed.

San Diego - Comic Con International (5 days)

And then there was Comic Con International.

It's no secret that I'm a bit of a comic book buff. Especially of my Batsy. It's also no secret that Rafi, Gila and I are madly into pop culture, internet series and of course animated and sci-fi films. Comic Con was truly created for us. And it's 'bout damn time we joined the party!

Look, this post is getting way too long. So, more on San Diego Comic Con on my next post!

P.S I got me a GoPro Hero 3 camera with all sorts of accessories. Stay tuned for some good "look at me drum!" videos.

[ranbena]

A day in the life

Amir from my team had to film himself throughout the day for his physiotherapist and it quickly became an office craze. Matias went ahead and directed the camera at me today. One shot per minute and my full day is summed up in 22 seconds of me being mostly over concentrated at the screen.

It goes by too fast. Here's what you missed.

Stress face.

For someone who often dislocates his shoulder, I stretch way too dangerously.

Please work, code.

There's a perfectly good explanation for this.

Air drumming, air guitaring, this happens a lot. Blame it on the (Satch) Boogie.

If you know me, you know exactly what I'm about to do.

Stock photo programmers.

Shayler Durden

Laterz!

[ranbena]

New talk - a tour through my dev process

Yeah yeah, HTML5IL has taken a pretty long break. I sometimes peak at the "last meetup" counter in the html5il site and freak out. But it's all good 'cause there's a really cool meetup this Sunday!

Alex and I thought hard on the upcoming meetup. Last year a bunch of FED related meetups have been popping up and we want to stay unique. We've got 2 things that most do not:

We're not funded by anybody, there's no company backing us and no hidden agenda. We can do whatever we want and host whoever we please and answer to no one.

We've got connections. Alex, Ron and I have been around and manage our own HTML communities. We can reach the most interesting speakers.

So we came up with "HTML5-IL #6 - The one about features makin' it to production".

We've got speakers from Fundbox, Fiverr, DudaMobile, EverythingMe (me!), Mozilla and Chegg talking about their development process. The theme is “what happens to code from commit to production” - IDEs, tests, source control, code reviews, ci system etc.

It's gonna be good. It probably won't be filmed for privacy reasons so it's better you come on over. Would love to see all of you there!

[ranbena]

Hearing Mark Zuckerberg denounce HTML5 made me angry at first, but then I looked at some data and realized that the main reason was not performance or APIs but the lack of memory management and debugging tools

Me quoted on Mobile Web research article by VisionMobile. Yayz!

[ranbena]

How I chose my folding bike

It's been only two weeks since I first started commuting with my new bike, so I may be over enthusiastic saying I'm ecstatic about it! Long story short - I got a Brompton.

As a kid, I used to ride everywhere with my bike and was proud of my disproportionally developed quads. They shrunk back over time...  Gila and I always knew we should get bikes for fun and travel but never went through with it. So, now that I did - I hope to help you guys with your decision through my experience and process.

My checklist

Storage

There was no way I'd leave a locked bike outside the house. Let alone in the street or anywhere in Tel Aviv. Bike thieves are skilled and equipped. The alternative, having to drag a full sized bike up a flight of stairs and letting it take up precious space, is no good either. Me likes pretty apartment.

Folding bikes are the way to go, saving up space and easy to carry around. I'll go for that.

Portability

I'm into comfort and I despise driving to work in rush hours. Bus bad, train good and it's only a 20 minute ride to the station.

The bike, though, has to be comfortable enough to carry around the station. I want to be able to move with ease and even take the stairs if I so wish.

Another important feature is the ability to be neatly tucked away near a seat. I've seen many riders forced to stand by or sit uncomfortably beside their ill-folding bikes. Also, I want the flexibility of deciding whether to take a bus or hop in a car, so the bike must be compact enough to fit any situation.

Weight

I know I'm going to have lift the bike often so every kg matters. This rules out the electric bikes for me (which rules out dry shirts...). I can tough it out with 10kg.

A good ride

The road and it's endless obstacles (scram pedestrians!) require fearless maneuvering. It's crucial to be able to stand, bike hop, adjust speed, quick brake and a have a smooth ride. Which means, a standard frame, big wheels, wide tires, disc brakes and shock absorbers. Good luck with all that!

Contenders

Strida

I first raised a brow at a co-workers folding bike. The Strida 5. I'm drawn to clean and smart engineering and this bike totally lit a spark. It's got a very unorthodox.. well, everything! The frame is triangular, looking quite clown-bicycle-ish. The fold is quick and vertical and allows rolling on the wheels instead of carrying it. The chain is also grease-free. No seller in IL but you may find second hand ones for under 500$.

The ride though was less impressive. The frame won't let you change your stance and do some essential moves. It's just too limiting for my taste.

IF Mode

Scouring the web I encountered the amazingly designed IF Mode. It folds neatly, unfolds very quickly, looks futuristic and is full sized. But, it's incredibly costly running at 2600$. Yikes.

IF Reach

Then, I found out about it's brother - the IF Reach. Genius design, sporty look, 18 speeds and quite cheaper. I was in love... it's perfect! But, no seller in IL. Available for overseas order though there will be at least an 18% increase over the original 2060$ price. I'm putting a pin in it.

Dahon

Most local shops offer Dahons. They're much cheaper, priced at 500-800$. But from what I gather, they're not a quality ride. And what's for sure - they don't fold up nicely and are simply not comfortable to carry around. No thank you.

The winner - Brompton

On the next post I'll be going on and on about the Brompton and why it won me over. Stay tuned!

[ranbena]

A new HTML5IL meetup! Gonna create something cool.

http://www.meetup.com/HTML5-IL/events/118208822/

Matias and Omri from Everything.me are putting together a talk about Arduino and Javascript. I'm gonna provide a demo - HTML5 Etch-A-Sketch controlled by multiple options - keyboard on Desktop, in-page buttons (using postMessage), Touch controls on Tablet (using websockets) and of course Arduino switches!

Update: ditched the Etchasketch and went for a simple (but cool) experiment instead - Browstick, connecting our Atari joystick to HTML5 games! Here's the bookmarklet source.

AND I gotta get the HTML5 News blitz together... that's a lot of content in 10 minutes! I got homework to do.

Wish me luck!

[ranbena]

Working with Mozilla on Firefox OS in the past year gave us the privilege of familiarizing ourselves with Git best practices. Their strict collaboration process felt annoying at first but its true value revealed itself many times. Keeping a specific branch structure and using those normally untouched git commands make for a minimum friction workflow with a distributed team of developers.

I am not a Git master just yet. There’s much to learn, understand and utilize. But I do know how to get myself out of version control messes and lead frustration free collaboration. Here are the basic guidelines.

http://geeks.everything.me/2013/03/18/mozilla-taught-me-how-to-git/

[ranbena]

My talk on Firefox OS at HTML5IL #2

Last week I did a half hour talk about Firefox OS at the 2nd HTMLIL meetup. I got mixed reviews on the talk. Some said it was great, some were disappointed cause it wasn't technical enough. I agree I spent too much time digging into some obvious things. Not enough demoing :/

So, next time I'm on stage I'll do it differently. Thanks for the feedback. As compensation, I will be publishing a technical post here and in other tech blogs soon.

So here's the video and underneath are the slides.

[ranbena]

First HTML5IL Meetup

When Ron Reiter asked me to join him and Alex Wolkov in organizing a Front End only sessions meetup, there was no doubt in my mind. There are some FED meetups and conventions happening in IL but not frequently and not solely FED related.

Ron Reiter, Alex Wolkov and myself

The three of us have been around for a while and are happily giving back to the community with lectures and lessons, participation in hackathons, creating and managing communities, creating tools, contributing to open source projects and sharing knowledge. Now, to further our involvement using our connections and experience, we wish to bring forth the best people in the industry from the most influential companies to talk about the hottest and most useful stuff.

Wednesday was the first meetup and it went very well. Thanks to Google Campus opening it's venue and supplying the pizzas, we had successful sessions and a good time with the ~120 participants.

Lots of FEDs in one room

People came in quite early and began munching and mingling. I gave a quick who/why/what and we were off with the first talk - Elad Katz on creating native apps for Windows 8 in HTML. Then, came up Ido Green talking about Google Chrome and future features. Took a break and came back for a final talk from Idan Gazit about Advanced Typography.

Elad Katz and Ron with last minute preparations

Then a group of us went over to a nearby restaurant to celebrate a successful evening with beers and (veggie) burgers.

Alex set a feedback page and from a quick look it seems that we shouldn't have rushed the talks. Either we extend their duration or prepare the speakers for the specified time. We'll get it right on the next one :)

[ranbena]

Jawbone Up review

Gila and I have been living it up with Jawbone Up for the last 2 months. A comprehensive review is overdue.

For those who don’t know, Jawbone Up is a nifty band that’s meant to be worn all day long, assisting you in staying healthy by recording your every move, offering stats and insights about activity, sleep and nutrition.

(Gila enjoying slumber)

The Price

Can't yet get it out of USA so:

Jawbone store - 129.99$ + 9.10$ Delivery by Mustop - 27$ Customs VAT - 27.83$ ———————— 193.92$ = 720₪

The Band

Comfort: Meh. The texture is pleasant but it sometimes pulls on my forearm hair and feels a bit too thick. The crossing ends can get annoying as well. Moreover, you never really get used to it’s presence. It’s pressure is light, but you’re constantly aware of it.

Recharging: Once every week or so connect it to a usb port. Recharges fast. No complaints.

Syncing: Manual and requires physical connection to iOS device (via audio plug). It’s OK at first but gets annoying as time goes by. Wish it were over the air, but not risking health is important too.

Hardware interface: The band has one button and a few display icons. Flashing intervals and colors are feedback to modes and status. Not intuitive, often frustrating and confusing. A screen would be much more useful.

App user interface: Appealing, fun and engaging. Hurry up with Android!

The Features

Silent alarm clock: That was the foremost reason we were interested in the band. Gila would wake up early morning and I would startle from the alarm and struggle to get back to sleep. Up offers vibration instead of traditional sound. Though a bit disorienting - it does the job well.

Sleep cycle: Another feature we were excited about. Disappointing - never woke up feeling even remotely refreshed. Also, the sleep stats were off sometimes, indicating solid sleep on troublesome nights. Fail.

Nutrition log: Perhaps the best nutrition utility I’ve encountered. Full featured, intuitive and sleek. Too bad it has nothing to do with the band..

Activity: Counts your steps throughout the day and calculates calorie burn accordingly. I’m not convinced their method of measurement is sufficient and accurate, even after calibration. The stats also seem quite useless to us.

Insights: Every now and then an insight is suggested taking into consideration all the aspects of the band owners life. It’s mostly random bullshit..

Bottom Line

The concept is life changing, the product is very promising - but Jawbone Up is simply not there yet.

Last week it stopped working. We don’t know what the hell is going on. Gotta contact tech support..

I give it a thumbs down :(

[ranbena]

Batman Collectible Figure - my early bday gift from Gila

Yay! I've got the best girlfriend in the whole wide world!

Accidentally found out my bday gift just came in - The Dark knight Rises 1/6th Collectible Figure from HotToys. Look at this photo. It's the toy. Amazing!

May last year, Rafi and I stumbled upon a high end comics store in Tokyo and the HotToys figures were mesmerizing. Incredible detail, multiple joints for fun posing, true fan references and the faces are simply sculpted identically to the actors'. Down to the wart :)

Everything about it is totally movie accurate - the costume and texture, the accessories and weapons. GIla and I are gonna work on this week's pose ...yes, it's gonna change by mood.

and tomorrow my good friend, the talented Odeya Love is gonna help out with the perfect placement for the shrine.

Thanks baby!

[ranbena]

My talk at the HackAthing #2

HackAthing was great (apart for the missiles shot at Tel Aviv...). W3C brought in a camera crew to make this cool sum up video.

Also, did a preliminary talk about basic Mobile Web API's so participants know what's at their disposal.

Special guest appearance from Evyatar Amitay talking about Mobile Device Gaming experiments.

[ranbena]

My talk on Mobile Web Debugging at HTML5Fest

Last year I did a talk about Mobile Web Development at the HTML5Fest '11. Had to stop before getting to debugging tools.

So, in this year's HTML5Fest '12 I blabbed about mobile web console logging, to DOM inspection and dealing with device variety.

Next time I'm using Reflector App.

And the slides from SlideShare page

[ranbena]

My talk on Web Audio API in 15 minutes

When Serge Krul asked if I could do a short lecture at Netcraft's first DevShots I knew I had to put mobile web dev aside this time and talk about something new and exciting. It was a no brainer though - as a musician from childhood and a short term sound tech, the Web Audio API intrigued me. Even more so when I took a glance at the documentation realizing the standard is incredible and opens up new worlds. My expertise in sound tech was a big help.

I have been doing lots of talks lately. It's exhausting but I love it. I'm always stressed before I get on stage but when I'm up there I feel relaxed and fluent. This talk was filled with energy - mine and the audience. I really felt their attention and heard their laughter (with me, not at me) and the cheer at the end. More over, much appreciated FEDs came up to me to congratulate on a job well done and said they actually learned something new :)

I think I got 'em mostly with my demo of hulk lip syncing. Here's the project on my Github.

No video I'm afraid but the slides are here from the SlideShare page.

[ranbena]

My Talk on Mobile Web Development at HTML5Fest

Did my first public talk about basic Mobile Web Development at HTML5Fest '11.

The slides on my SlideShare page.