It’s well known that Lost was a significant gamble, with its extraordinary budget and at-times meandering plots, which sometimes shed viewers along its six year journey. But on the whole, it is regarded as overwhelmingly successful. And really, credit to the writers and producers who can create a show about faith and make it work on network television.

But we all know that for some time now, and certainly now more than ever, network executives are going to be desperately searching for the “next Lost.” And really, how does one manage that? This isn’t a statement to say that one cannot follow up or even surpass Lost. Far from it, truth be told. I’d love to see it happen. But like any good business endeavor, one can expect the networks to trim the costs while providing the product. And we can see this across the channels, as scripted programs are shut down in favor of cheaper-to-produce, recyclable “reality” shows.

One thing we can know for sure, is that when the next “Lost” comes around, we won’t know it’s the next “Lost.” It won’t look anything like “Lost.” Heck, we didn’t even know “Lost” was going to be what it was for a while into the series.

With that said, we know that “Lost,” and the great successful shows before it, were built on great characters. It’s no more clear than in our most recent example: It didn’t matter at all whether Jack was doing surgery or fighting some ancient monster to the death. It made no difference whether Sawyer was a con man or a cop. We didn’t care that Kate was a killer once she was on the island. They were compelling characters that audiences gravitated to, and that is one of the biggest, most important pieces to the puzzle. It’s plausible that some audiences would have watched Evangeline Lilly make macaroni art for an hour a week and still called it good – such is the power of character.

The other big victory that “Lost” scored, was the way it engaged its audience. Some people, maybe most people, look at them now as loose ends, but the many mysteries that the show introduced, they were able to bring fans together and interact in a way that hadn’t been done in some time. What were those numbers? What was their significance? We may never know, but we do know that a few thousand people have played the numbers in various lotteries around the world since they appeared in the show.

But ultimately, it will be some time before we see the next “Lost”, whatever it may be. Networks have been trying to create it ever since the show became popular, and while they’ve tried, many have failed. Shows like “Life on Mars,” “Heroes,” “FlashForward” and “Surface” come to mind, and those are only a few of the big-budget losses that the networks have endured. It’ll take some time for their wounds to heal, and for the right pitch to come around. However, I guarantee you that when it does, it won’t matter what the concept is. If it has good characters and good hooks for the audience, I promise – we’ll watch it.

*Note: Much as I’d like to claim otherwise, I am not actually Iron Man.

There’s a great article written by Mark Crump for The Apple Blog regarding using the newly announced iPad for business uses, that echo what I’ve often told people since the official announcement of the device. As somebody who uses Macs for daily work, business use on the iPad was indeed at the forefront of my considerations for such a tool. Certainly, there is more to it than just being able to run the iWork suite on it, though it is definitely a boon.

A lot of folks have been disheartened by the iPad, calling it little more than an oversized iPod Touch. And sure, it’s fair to make that comparison. Both devices use iPhone OS, and both devices share a large amount of functionality, as well as expansion protocols wrought by Apple’s proprietary Application Store.However, it’s important to remember that iPhone OS is still simply an embedded version of OS X, and as such it can handle a lot of what developers throw at it. Obviously nobody is going to be running Xcode or Maya on an iPad anytime soon, but for the traveling professional, this device may just be what we’re looking for.

It’s extremely portable – far more so than a comparatively bulky Macbook Pro, and decidedly lighter to boot. That makes it ideal for any kind of commute, or airline travel. It’s a very sexy piece of equipment for the folks who need to give presentations and conduct meetings, and since it’ll connect to most projectors, the effective usage of the device won’t be reduced.

And for folks who subscribe to the GTD model of productivity, it’s a great reminder to work lightly while on the go. Let’s face it, if you’re on the go, what are you REALLY going to work on? The iPad is great for email, keeping up on articles, a bit of word processing, Keynote-ing and spreadsheets. For most people, a Macbook Pro or other comparable laptop is just over the top, and creates distractions.

Anyway, take a look at the article for the more verbose read, but come on back here and let me know what you think in the comments!

Disclosure: I write this article as an Apple iPhone developer, but not as somebody privileged enough to receive advance information on the impending tablet device which we believe will be officially announced this month according to a Wall Street Journal report. I don’t have any other information aside from what most other tech bloggers and prognosticators have, it’s all speculation on my part.

I was pretty on the fence about Apple’s iPhone, when it was first announced. Truth be told I was pretty on the fence about smartphones in general. I had an iPod, I had a PDA, I had a cell phone. I liked using all of those devices, but thought that convergence was going to be a problem – why would I listen to music all day and then prevent myself from making phone calls? It just didn’t jive for me. Even when I finally did wind up with a smartphone for necessity’s sake – an HTC Wizard (Cingular 8125 for the locals) – it just wasn’t as good as I’d hoped. It was slow, the web browser never worked, it was bulky, it had a terrible OS and its software support was abysmal.

During the time I used this phone, I had come to use an Apple laptop at the urging of one of my programmers and good friend. Boot Camp had come out and he insisted that Apple machines would be just as viable of a development platform as any otherwise-built pure Windows machine and then some. I’d discovered that OS X and its associated programs (iCal, Mail.app, et al) fit my workflow so much more perfectly that I made that switch, and bought a Mac Pro as soon as it was feasible.

And then the iPhone came out – as a recent Apple convert I was interested, but it was a smartphone. I’d had a terrible experience with a smartphone – my 8125 refused to synchronize well with my Macs, even with a copy of The Missing Sync helping it out. But by this point I could see the promise.

I bought the iPhone almost on a whim. I hadn’t planned on buying one, but I was in the local Apple store on launch day and there was one left. With a “what the hell” and a swipe of the credit card, I was on my way.

I’ve never looked back.

I can honestly say, unflinchingly, that the iPhone absolutely changed my digital life. Everything works the way it should, it’s accessible, it’s extensible, and quite frankly it’s everything I could want in a phone.

Recently on a trip to Asia, I bought a netbook for some easy portable computing. I had a deal on a Dell, I didn’t spend a lot and I didn’t want to, I do believe I got what I paid for. Netbooks however, were another bit of tech that I was on the fence on. Less so than smartphones, I ‘got’ the netbook’s utility a lot sooner, but never took the plunge until I really needed one, as opposed to my usual stance as an early adopter.

I hesitated, though, because I’d heard the rumor of Apple planning on releasing a netbook of its own – except not quite a netbook, but a tablet! Like an iPhone, only bigger! My mind whirled with the potential of such a device.

And it was my iPhone that sold me on the product: What the iPhone does for me in mobile connectivity and computing, I believe the iSlate will do on a larger scale.

It won’t be as powerful as a MacBook, but it won’t have to be. Certainly we will expect ports of existing iPhone apps – just shifting them over to the new device will cause the 480×320 pixel applications to look pretty darn ugly.

But much like how applications made the iPhone successful, the same model will apply here. When we find out precisely what hardware it’s working with later this month, we’ll know precisely how it’ll affect our lives, but after the iPhone, I’m convinced that it’ll be for the better.

You’ll find me in line on launch day.

It might be up your alley! Check it out!

As the Wall Street Journal reports, “the new 35% rate applies to what is known as “carried interest,” which is income that only materializes if fund managers wisely invest the fund’s capital and only after other investors in the fund have benefited. Venture and private equity fund managers already pay normal income taxes on their regular salary derived from management fees. The carried interest, no sure thing, represents a capital gain on a successful investment and has therefore been taxed that way.”

Even better, the whole thing was couched as an addition to a completely unrelated research & development bill. House Resolution 4213, otherwise known as the Tax Extenders Act, is billed as legislation that “renews a crucial research and development tax credit, as well as tax credits for middle class families and teachers.”

And lest the whole thing be dismissed as scaremongering by News Corp., the Coalition on Human Needs highlights the bill in their report from that week, and the press release from the House of Representatives is right here.

This is the kind of thing that has to stop. In the press release, it states that “the bill, which is deficit neutral, is paid for by closing tax loopholes that allow investment fund managers to pay a lower tax rate than other Americans, and by empowering the Treasury Department with new tools to crack down on tax evasion.”

Let me address our elected officials for a moment: Friend Representatives, reclassifying a category of income is not closing a loophole. It is not even a ‘crackdown’ on tax evasion. This is rejiggering the books, pure and simple, and to hide it in this manner is shameful, and wholly unacceptable. I do not expect all our elected officials to be economists, or even well versed in economics or investment-related things. However, when attempting to pass a resolution of this nature, some education is paramount to the creation of quality legislature. So if I may – a capital gain is a profit that comes from the investment into a capital asset, such as stocks, bonds or real estate. It is the very result of the axiom “buy low, sell high.”

Unless one wishes to claim that a fund manager is employed by the very companies they invest in, then this is not regular income and should not be classified as such. It’s basic stuff, really, but the need for clarification is apparent – so I’m just doing my part, my civic duty.

Thankfully the bill is only through the House, and it’d be great if this thing is nipped in the bud. But if the President is serious about stimulating small-business growth, especially in science and technology, then he needs to make that capital gains elimination permanent, instead of a mere one-year tease, and take steps to ensure that this kind of tax increase does not, and will not happen under his watch.

After all, the goal is to grow the economy, not frustrate it.

Update, May 2010: I wrote the President about it, and I got a response back. This is what it said.

Dear Friend:

Thank you for writing to me.  I appreciate hearing
from you and value your input.

Each day, I am moved by the messages I receive
from people across the country.  Far too many Americans
are struggling–falling behind on mortgage payments,
coping with illness, or losing a job without warning.  My
Administration is working to address the serious challenges
our Nation faces.  I am committed to taking immediate
steps that generate job creation and economic recovery, and
I am determined to make investments that lay a new
foundation for real and lasting progress.

As I move forward on key initiatives, I am making
my Administration the most open and transparent in
history.  Part of delivering on that promise is hearing from
people like you.  I take seriously your opinions and respect
your point of view.  Please know that your concerns will be
on my mind in the days ahead.

I hope you continue to explore
www.WhiteHouse.gov, which is regularly updated and
more interactive than ever before.  Thank you again for
writing.

Sincerely,

Barack Obama

I’m not entirely sure he read my letter.

One of the big talking points for Apple has been that this upgrade only costs $29 – well below the standard price of an operating system upgrade. (Unless you’re using Linux or something.) So the question remains – is it worth your $29?

One of the first things I noticed about Snow Leopard is how long it took to install. I put it on my older Mac Pro on top of a clean 10.5 – or, Leopard – installation, having backed everything up to a Time Machine drive, as well as a spare drive for safety and redundancy. It took about 45 minutes just to apply Snow Leopard to my machine from start to finish. For me, that wasn’t a big deal, I had other things to do, but I was astonished at how long this took, when a full install of the previous OS didn’t even take that long. This is not common with other experiences out there, generally people have found Snow Leopard to install more quickly than Leopard – sensibly so, since it is a smaller package, but for some reason it took me longer.

Apple made a big deal out of Snow Leopard being able to save you space by being smaller than its predecessors. There’s two ways it does this – both are noteworthy, but it’s not as straightforward as you’d think.

Less conspicuously, Snow Leopard has changed the way it reports disk space. In 10.6, disk space is reported to match manufacturers’ reports, so that if you buy a 100gb hard drive, then it will show up as a 100gb hard drive. It does this by calculating the disk size in base 10 instead of base 2, which all previous Apple OSes have used, as well as every version of Windows to date. It’s debatable as to whether this is beneficial, since software uses base 2 computation, and developers will be left without consistent file size and usage statistics across operating systems, but it does match up more with consumer expectation. Personally, I don’t know if more clearly reporting where that extra .3gb went is more useful, but maybe people will like that. It remains to be seen.

Then what most people have heard about by now, is that Snow Leopard removes “Rosetta,” which allows older programs not explicitly written for Intel machines. It’s part of Apple’s push to get everybody to upgrade, of course, but what this also results in is a bunch of broken programs. The good folks over at Wikidot have compiled a fairly exhaustive list of OS X programs, and their compatibilities with Snow Leopard. It’s absolutely worth checking, to see if your favorite programs work in Snow Leopard before taking the plunge. This also doesn’t include plugins for Safari, or other items that live in your System Preferences pane, so do a little extra research first.

Other things that break, I’ve found, include some custom Apache installs and server scripts – I haven’t delved too deep into why this is yet, and it may take somebody more learned on the subject than myself to really get it, but as with your software, if there’s anything essential, proceed with caution.

As far as speed goes, tech blog Gizmodo did a number of benchmark tests, which note a number of interesting results. Ultimately, they found that Snow Leopard is faster than Leopard – though mostly in first-party applications. This is pretty consistent with my own experience, while Mail, iCal, iTunes and other Apple apps absolutely ran snappier, neither Photoshop CS4 Extended, Flash CS4 nor even Firefox really seemed to experience any kind of benefit from the new OS.

So how does Snow Leopard get faster? In a nutshell, Apple has improved its multicore processor support, and rewritten most of the applications it ships with to run in 64-bit mode to take advantage of this. Since most third-party apps AREN’T written in 64-bit, that generally explains the discrepancy.

While Apple has been pretty satisfied with their UI as of Leopard, they did make a few tweaks in Snow Leopard that some folks might find useful.

For one, icons in Finder are now scalable, via a little slider in the window.

Icons now scale up to 512×512, which is not really that useful for most people, but it does mean that you can preview movie files in the icon now. I personally prefer the quick look functionality introduced in 10.5, but everybody has their own preferences of course.

The dock, and Exposé have been improved as well, enabling users to select which instance of a window they’d like open, which is nice. Stacks, which came about in the previous OS has been improved as well, enabling users to do more than just drag items in and out of the stack, or open a file. Scrolling has now been enabled in grid view, as well as adding a “smart list” view which helps to see more items in the stack at one time.

Some of the included apps have seen upgrades beyond simply running in 64-bit, as well. Mail, Address Book and iCal now work with Microsoft Exchange, which has been a big deal for a number of enterprise workers who have wanted to hook their Macs into their work network.

Quicktime 10 has seen a particularly notable upgrade, enabling video editing as well as screen (video) capture – great for amateur filmmakers and screencasters alike.

There’re more added features as well, which Gizmodo has done a great job of visually rounding up. Take a look for more of the gooey details on that front.

Of course, the ultimate question is whether Snow Leopard is worth it. The big thing – which a number of other critics agree – is that Snow Leopard is essentially a service pack for 10.5. There aren’t enough new features to really go ahead and call it a new operating system. However, the improvements it DOES make are certainly worthwhile, if you could use them. Exchange support, built-in screencasting utilities and other accoutrements are pretty nice to have – they’re nothing that you didn’t know you needed, but they’re great for folks who need them.

Is it worth shelling out $29 for a service pack? Well in my case, I was going to buy a screencasting package in the coming weeks so getting an update to my operating system along with it sure isn’t a bad way to go. It was good for me, but your mileage may vary.

Images courtesy of Apple Co. and Gizmodo. Thanks guys!

For me, the iPhone is the first phone I’ve ever owned where playing games actually seemed like a worthwhile pastime. Previously, cell phone games have been dodgy at best, with relatively few titles to really score a home run and make them worth a purchase. Not so with the iPhone and its AppStore! Apple has already seen a fair bit of money out of my pocket, and if developers keep it up with games like these, there’ll be plenty more to come.

Must. Eat. Birds!

Must. Eat. Birds! by Mediatronic

Must. Eat. Birds! is one of those games that is relatively simple, but is all about the presentation. Using a makeshift slingshot, players must launch hungry meatball-looking critters called “nomsters” at the birds descending on a cake-laden picnic. The nomsters dutifully devour the birds, leaving the picnic free for snacking.

Some birds come armed with eggshell shields, which require a nomster to break before they can be eaten. Other birds are just too big for a regular nomster to eat, which requires the creation of a super nomster, which is accomplished by eating other nomsters.

Eating enough birds in rapid succession causes a giant cake to rise in the background, and triggers Maximum Bake mode, in which every nomster on the screen continues to bounce around until the mode ends, eating more than their normal share of birds.

It’s got its flaws, of course. The input is sometimes laggy, resulting in missed shots. And it doesn’t manage memory too well either, I haven’t tested it on the new iPhone 3Gs, but on the iPhone 3G it is prone to crashing. And the music does get repetitive after awhile, though that can easily be turned off.

The game’s nothing new, and on a touch screen we first saw it as a minigame in Nintendo’s Super Mario 64 DS. But never has it come across this colorful, or this crazed. And for a dollar, it’s a pretty good buy.

Peggle

Peggle by Pop Cap

What can I say about Peggle that hasn’t already been said a hundred times elsewhere? This delightfully addicting mixture of pinball, pachinko and plinko adds up to one fantastic game. It’s on pretty much every platform known to man, because people are willing to pony up for it every time, which says something.

Some have griped that there’s no music, but for me, it goes unmissed.

The big deal is its price – I picked the game up for a dollar, when Pop Cap was running an experiment/sale. It’s not that cheap anymore, nor was it to start with, and it’s left a lot of customers hot under the collar. But whether it’s one buck or five, it’s a great game and worth the money.

The Oregon Trail

The Oregon Trail by Gameloft

Gameloft’s version of the classic edutainment game is a real solid game that is worth the time and money. It is also easier than it used to be, in some respects.

Back in the old days, food and supplies came easy, as those of us who grew up on video games steamrolled every hunting opportunity and came back with nearly a ton of meat, allowing us to save our money for equipment and travel. Not so, in this new version. Hunting isn’t as easy, and food is more scarce. But supplies do get used up less, depending on the player’s skill at a number of fairly simple minigames.

It’s fun for a few minutes here and there, great for commuters, and evokes all the nostalgia of the old games. And sometimes, that’s all you need.

Mafia Wars

Mafia Wars by Zynga

The popular Facebook game gets ported to the iPhone in this stat-building game. It’s pretty good for killing a minute or three every so often, if you like pressing buttons and making noise like I do.

The hook of the game, as one might suspect, is building up one’s own mafia and using it to commit various crimes, get into fights with other gangs, make deals with the Godfather and amass weapons and wealth.

For the most part it seems like one might run out of things to do, but it seems that Zynga is looking to keep the game fresh by adding new jobs to do, and there is a special level 99 weapon you can buy, and for a free game it isn’t a bad diversion.

Of course, it remains to be seen whether the game will hold up over time, as of right now I’m simply grinding experience to get to that level 99 weapon, but it’s not bad to spend five minutes poking at buttons.

Vampires: Bloodlust

Vampires: Bloodlust by Zynga

It’s Mafia Wars with Vampires. There’s not much else to say other than that – but it’s about as entertaining. More so, if you like the color red.

The main difference between Vampires and Mafia Wars is that instead of property, you are hiring minions who harvest blood for you. The issue lies in that these minions are far more expensive to purchase than the various properties in Mafia Wars, for significantly less payout. There is a threshold where that changes, but in the meantime they’re barely worth the up front cost, aside from managing upkeep for your weapons and skills.

This minor difference does bump up the difficulty just a little bit, but the game plateaus once you get over it – and there are fewer jobs so you cover all the game’s content much, much faster than Mafia Wars, and there doesn’t appear to be a special level-based weapon at the end of the tunnel.

Is it worth the price?

Well, it’s free, so sure. You do get what you pay for.

Zenonia

Zenonia by Gamevil

In Zenonia, Gamevil (pronounced Game-ville, not Gam-evil) looks to produce an action RPG on par with Diablo or perhaps the Legend of Zelda. While it’s certainly an interesting attempt, and does well on a number of levels, it just doesn’t stack up to the games that inspire it – and that is not necessarily bad.

Zenonia is a fun game in which you control the archtypical young hero out for adventure, rescuing villagers, solving puzzles and slaying monsters.

The game is marred by a manky control scheme, namely, a virtual d-pad and action button built into the screen, awkward localization and awful music – it’ll loop about 50 times in the first three minutes of gameplay: you’ll want it off quickly.

Issues aside, Zenonia is an entertaining game that’s fun to play, and absolutely makes me look forward to what future developers do with the platform.

Trism

Trism by Demiforce

Trism is Demiforce’s first commercial release, after the aborted Drymouth – a picross clone – from years back. Having made their name in the ROM hacking and translation scene over the twelve or so years, Demiforce’s Steve Demeter decided to take his gaming ambitions in a more commercial direction.

Developing the original game on jailbroken iPhones before the official SDK was released, Trism was one of the first iPhone games to be released – and is to this day one of the best.

It’s a new twist on the falling puzzle piece genre, using the iPhone’s motion sensing technology to determine which direction the pieces will fall, and that tilting makes all the difference between a big score or ultimate failure. Hours of my life have already been lost to this game.

Of course, the AppStore is relatively new, and there will be plenty more games to come out in the device’s lifespan. Already developers are hard at work creating the next generation of iPhone games, to take advantage of the new hardware in the iPhone 3Gs – a device beefy enough to handle PlayStation emulation if YouTube videos are to be believed.

So this list will certainly see updates with time. Meanwhile, what’re your favorite iPhone games and apps? Let me know in the comments!

Its developers are looking for a new publisher to help them finish it out.