One of Google Wave’s many quirks is that it doesn’t currently auto-convert embed codes into YouTube videos, flickr photos, etc as most have grown to expect from modern web applications. I’m sure most of you fellow Wavers have discovered that URLs from some domains (like YouTube) will ask if you’d like to embed instead, but most sites won’t support this behavior for a while.

Thanks to my awesome boyfriend for discovering a way to hack this until the rest of the internet catches up It’s a little inelegant but it gets the job done.

If you follow these steps, you’ll be able to embed ANYTHING, or even throw in html on a whim (supports code view too, for my fellow nerds).

Proof:

If you’re using Wave already, I’ve created a public wave here that lets you install this extension with just a simple click. There’s an installation guide below for anyone who wants to do it manually, but the process is kind of a beast right now.

Now that you’ve installed the extension, here’s how you add your embed code or any html to your waves

1. while editing a wavelet, click the rather ugly button in your editing toolbar labeled .html (for me it’s in the upper right-hand corner, next to the map-pin icon).



2. Click the edit button in the upper left-hand corner of the grey module that appears
3. Add your code and click view
   

4. You’re done!
   

1. Login to Wave
2. Go to the Extensions Gallery Wave in your inbox
   
   

3. Click on the Install button on the very last extension on the list: called the Extension Installer
   
   

4. Click confirm on the dialog box that appears
   
   

5. Click the down arrow beside the Create New Wave button and choose the New Installer Extension option
   
   

6. Put the following extension manifest URL into the dialog box that pops up:

   http://wave-ide.appspot.com/html-ext.xml

   

7. Click Install and invite anyone else you think might like to add HTML embed codes to their waves!
   
   
   

In light of the upcoming iPhone updates, I want to post a quick warning for anyone planning on picking one up.  Whatever you do….don’t get a rubberized case for the iPhone if you generally keep your mobile in your pocket.  I know 3 people personally, myself included, who torqued the screen and cracked it using a rubber case.  Luckily, mine cracked very low and in the corner of the screen so it hasn’t negatively affected the usefulness of the phone…yet, and I’ll undoubtedly get a shiny new on this week (I think I have a compulsion of sorts when it comes to this particular device ). I have a tragic history with iPhones thus far since my first one was stolen, and now this one is cracked. I ended up using my sucker’s voucher (yes I stood in line for one the first day and paid an extra $200 for my trouble…not for very long though, thanks to my non-tech-saavy locale in the middle of the country) on a new one after that happened.

Anyway, back to the point…frankly, I prefer going caseless.  None of them have solved the main reason I wanted a case in the first place: the plastic cover built into the iPhone that covers the camera lens almost immediately starts getting dirty and scratched and degrades the picture quality. I wanted a case that protected this part so that I could maintain the integrity of the camera itself over time. The screen is pretty difficult to scratch because it’s glass, but the back of the phone is plastic and it gets pretty scuffed up.

The only case I have liked so far has been the Ivyskin Xylo T2. It’s great that you can touch the screen through a harder plastic, but their industrial designer needs to do a lot of work on the sides of this case. It’s impossible to press any of the buttons or flip to silent mode without a lot of effort, and I have pretty tiny hands, so it’s probably easier for me than most. I also ended up with the reflective one since I purchased it as soon as it was released, and I really don’t like the mirrored action they have going on.  It’s distracting, really. Fortunately they’ve since come out with colors.

So, to recap…

Do NOT get one of these, whatever you do (no matter how much you like pink, or brown, or any other zune-inspired colors…hehe):

If you REALLY want a case immediately, this is pretty nice:

but it has some major design issues like deeply recessed button holes and poorly designed latching system:

Happy almost-keynote, folks

Following SXSWi 2008 (Best. Conference. Ever.) I spent a week overhauling my portfolio for the first time in 2 years. While I haven’t broken free from Flash for this revision due to time constraints, I completely restructured the site from an organizational, experiential and aesthetic perspective, and I’m pretty happy with the result. Let me know if you agree/disagree. Since I’m launching this blog in tandem with the portfolio redesign, I figure it makes sense for my inaugural post (yes…I’m ridiculously late to the blogosphere) to discuss my process. Hopefully the assumption that anyone might care isn’t too narcissistic…hehe.

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