Erica Sadun

Senior Writer

Erica Sadun holds a PhD in Computer Science from the Georgia Institute of Technology. She has written, co-written, and contributed to dozens of books about technology, particularly in the areas of programming and digital media. An unrepentant geek, Sadun has never met a gadget she didn't need. Her checkered past includes run-ins with NeXT, Newton, and a vast myriad of both successful and unsuccessful technologies. When not writing, she and her geek husband parent three adorable geeks-in-training, who regard their parents with restrained bemusement.

Erica Sadun's Latest Posts

Big Nerd Ranch Clash of the Coders: Rule-based lock screens

by Erica Sadun (May 3rd 2013 4:00AM)

One of the nicest things about hanging out with coders is the exposure to their pet personal projects. Brian James Turner at Big Nerd Ranch has been working on a new take on lock screens. Hosted at github, Turner's project transforms the iOS lockscreen from a series of memorized numbers or ...

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Big Nerd Ranch Clash of the Coders: How BNR smote the NDA

by Erica Sadun (May 2nd 2013 6:00PM)

The Big Nerd Ranch has conducted iPhone development courses all the way back to the very beginning, when the App Store first launched in 2008. Doing so had its challenges. At that time, Apple had imposed a nondisclosure agreement on all developers, with little indication if and when it would ever ...

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Big Nerd Ranch Clash of the Coders: Innovation, fun, inspiration

by Erica Sadun (May 2nd 2013 3:00PM)

Founded 12 years ago, Atlanta's Big Nerd Ranch is well-known among the Apple developer community as a prime source for corporate and individual training. Created to provide professional services for Apple technologies, its mission has grown to include both contract programming as well as ...

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Daily iPad App: Animator's Survival Kit moves to iPad, brings in-depth look at drawing essentials

by Erica Sadun (Apr 30th 2013 3:00PM)

Richard Williams is an Oscar-winning animator, with an extensive history in the film business. His well-reviewed Animator's Survival Kit (US$22 on Amazon) is currently in its second edition. For a mere $959.50, you can pick up a 16-DVD boxed set showcasing all the material covered in the ...

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DevJuice: Does WWDC need a lottery system?

by Erica Sadun (Apr 25th 2013 1:45PM)

WWDC sold out in just minutes this year. As iOS developer Josh Avant put it, "Next year, tickets are going to sell out before they even go on sale." Many developers were greeted by server errors, failed purchases and the "Sorry, tickets are sold out" banner. Others, like Daniel Jalkut of ...

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Apple announces WWDC video feeds for developers

by Erica Sadun (Apr 24th 2013 9:10AM)

Although the social component and Apple-staffed labs are two important reasons for developers to attend WWDC, early access to tech briefings has long been a motivating force for buying that expensive ticket. Today, it looks like Apple introduced a major change into their oversubscribed WWDC ...

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Timebar: Turn your menu bar into a countdown timer

by Erica Sadun (Apr 22nd 2013 9:00PM)

Timebar ($2.99) has got to be one of the wackier utilities I've come across but it's one that may deserve to find a loyal audience. It works like this: You pull down the menu, set a stop time and an optional audio alert. Click "Start" and boom, the menu bar at the top of your screen ...

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RIP Mike Culbert, iOS and Newton pioneer

by Erica Sadun (Apr 21st 2013 10:05PM)

We've received direct word and noted on Twitter that that Mike Culbert, a longtime Apple hardware engineer, has passed away after battling cancer. According to his friends, he was a "brilliant engineer, a wonderful human being." He will be missed. Culbert began working at Apple over 25 years ...

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DevJuice: Forget iUI. Say 'welcome' to Emy for web-based cross-platform mobile dev

by Erica Sadun (Apr 18th 2013 5:00PM)

For years, iUI has been the gold standard of iOS web development. Dating back to 2007, iUI was initially created by Joe Hewitt to simplify the development of iPhone web apps using an iPhone-style look and feel. It's been stuck at its 0.4 release for some time. Developer Remi Grumeau has been ...

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Popup Window for OS X

by Erica Sadun (Apr 17th 2013 6:30PM)

Popup Window (US$5.99) provides an organizer utility for your desktop, enabling you to stick folders onto the edges of your screen and fold them in and out on demand. I loved the idea of this app although I ran into several problems when actually using it. The app is meant for anyone who ...

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