Anoop Eats a Chocolate Covered Key Lime Pie Ice Cream Bar

Apple recently selected Anoop Ranganath’s Graffitio service as one of 500 applications to be included in the launch of the iTunes application store for the iPhone.  Over 4,000 pre-screened developers had the opportunity to get their applications in the store.  They choose Anoop as one of the 500 elite; Anoop is also a cVillain and a big foodie.  You may have visited his not-so-recently updated blog, “Stay in the Shallow End.”

On Thursday, Anoop let me play with Graffitio before you could download it officially (you can now download the free application if you have an iPhone).  It’s pretty neat because you can easily have a conversation about any nearby place without all the annoying registration requirements.  Importantly, you can’t talk about a place unless you are physically in that location.

Anoop and I had a tough time brainstorming how to describe Graffitio.  We ended up thinking that “Around Places” was a good catch phrase.  Is it? 

Social networks typically use people as the focus of a conversation, but Graffitio centers around unique places and events, created by you based on the location data on the iPhone. Instead of registering for a profile, just simply be in the right place and the relevant places automatically appear on the Graffitio walls. When you write on the wall, the app records your thoughts and adds it to that specific converstaion stream.  Graffitio intelligently organizes locations based on number of items and by dynamically evaluating the number of walls, so you always see the right number of relevant things.

Here is a screen shot of the application:

Anoop told me there have been over 1,000 3,000 walls created in less than 24 hours and that he expects that number to grow quickly.  If you have any suggestions for the application or get a chance to play with it, let Anoop know! He’ll be watching!

P.S. if you comment on the Spicy Bear HQ wall, I’ll give you brownie points.

Popularity: 52% [?]

Today you can buy (if you can find it) the iPhone 3G from AT&T, the hottest thing to hit the market since sliced bread.  You may recall one of our own being one of those trendy types who is probably waiting in line as we speak. According to a poll in that same thread, 25% of you will be getting the iPhone 3G.

On the flipside, that hunk of metal, glass, plastic and electronics creates more buzz than starving babies.  No, I’m serious.  On this website Engadget, they field questions from eager morons about meaningless things, like the following:

Santz24: How wildly does it dance on the table compared to the first iPhone?
If you’re asking how the vibrate function compares to the original, we got the two buzzing side by side and they feel pretty much identical.

If you’re asking whether it wobbles on the table as you use it, yes, it does — but the amount of wobble depends on the type of surface. But even on a hard, flat surface it’s not really that bad, and we’re usually sticklers for that kind of thing.

My wobble has always depended on the surface.  Do you think they will start including it as a phone feature?  Seriously, if people care this much about a phone, then I consider my existence no longer meaningless.

Looking for an iPhone in Charlottesville? »Read More

Popularity: 63% [?]

Today, we are blessed with the knowledge that Vintage Virginia Apples plans to construct a 4,000 square foot cidery (like brewery, but for apples) and tasting room on their farm on 29 South.

Vintage Virginia Apples will seek approval tonight from the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors. Yum.

DP’s claim that cider production has “largely fallen out of flavor in the US,” is only partially true.  While, cider consumption in 1767 doubled today’s beer consumption (40 gallons vs 20 gallons), a lot of this had to do with familiarity in cider production and the fact that fermented cider served as a bacteria-free drink.  Even, John Adams successfully drank a pint of cider every morning to “settle his stomach.”  You can’t make that excuse with beer, now can you!? [ref, ref]

Cider’s popularity did dwindle pre-1990; the fault of those pesky Germans who knew how to brew amazing beer on the cheap.   Evidence also suggests that NASCAR played a strong role.  I digress.

Cider is on the rise and according to the same report, it was reintroduced to the US in 1990.  By 1995, the total number of cider cases shipped was 1.6 million. In 1997, the total was 2.7 million cases.  Money time!

Cider is on the rise and you only have to be around a few places in Charlottesville to realize its popularity.  You can find Woodchuck in any major grocery store, plenty of local bars have had Original Sin on draft and high-end beer places like Market Street Wine Shop and Beer Run offer solid rotating cider selections.

Sure, you can’t find cider at Applebee’s, but you can’t find micro-brews, either.  So, keep your eyes peeled on this one and we should soon be celebrating the real meaning of an Apple A Day!

[via Daily Progress]

Popularity: 61% [?]

Not sure if this is news, but I haven’t seen any mention of it since the Apple Store/Downtown Mall posting a while ago.  I was in the University Book store (on top of Newcomb parking garage) this afternoon and they have a bunch of renovations/new construction taking place next to Cavalier Computers.  While Cavalier has always stocked Macs and kept a dedicated display, this looks to be quite the upgrade.  Plastic sheeting was hung, but it appears that the new space will double or triple the size of Cavalier Computers (roughly a 20′x20′ room now).

I asked what was going on and the guys behind the counter told me that it was going to be an apple store; I can’t answer as to whether or not it’ll be staffed by Apple or University employees, presence of a genius bar, completion date, etc

If someone wants to call Cavalier Computers/hound them for more information, please step up to the plate!

[See This Thread for More Rumors on the Apple Store] [pic]

Popularity: 54% [?]

Sorry, I didn’t see you there. Looks like you caught me sending and receiving email on my iPhone, which also has Google and even the internet! Oh man I can’t wait to join the ranks of you obnoxious bastards. The new iPhone was unveiled yesterday, and unless you were living under an e-rock at your i-job, you watched the Mac Rumors liveblog and had little daydreams about going to the store and buying the iPhone last night.

»Read More

Popularity: 33% [?]

Some of you probably recall our rumor from back in March about an Apple Store coming to Charlottesville. While we don’t have any more concrete evidence, we did hear through the grapevine that two certain Apple store executives were surprised when one of our informants asked them about the gossip.

Their response: “We can’t comment on upcoming stores until a certain date.” When pushed they did seem a little surprised at our knowledge of the “omni meeting.” The informant was convinced that cVillain spilled the beans, and, indeed, there is an Apple store coming to Charlottesville.

Anyway, for the 50% of you that have to drive to Richmond to fix your computers, this should be good news. Anyone have an in with the real estate folks? They have got to be thinking about putting the store on the Downtown Mall, but maybe you know better.

Popularity: 30% [?]

I ordered a replacement keyboard for work, because I put coffee in my old one and it stopped doing its job. Made it hard for me to do mine. So I ordered from Apple (“Apple recognizes its responsibility as a global citizen”) a brand new keyboard. So today when I got back from lunch, I received this box:

»Read More

Popularity: 40% [?]

Anonymous Coffee Drinker writes:

Not sure, but I _did_ notice that a number of the conference rooms at the Omni were reserved for Apple Computer today. There were a fair number of people in there… whether they’re having a training session or whether this has something to do with the proposed Apple Store on the Mall, I have no idea… I mean, what explanations do you have for a contingent from Apple coming to Charlottesville?

While we do know that UVA kids love macs and we are absolutely mac lovers (over 50% of you), Charlottesville sounds a little small for an Apple store.  Anyone have more deets?  All the press by the media might have something to do with this.

Doesn’t Apple have a lot of reps that work at UVA?

Popularity: 17% [?]