EchoDitto Blog

      To all you cynics out there

      By: Nicco Mele  |  January 26, 2010

      Cynicism is for cowards.

      Someone I don’t even know very well recently challenged me to name three leaders who were true to “public service”, suggesting there weren’t any and that “those who might have the ability and resources to "change our world" put their professional and personal agendas before the need of those they might help, and therefore the world is screwed and there is no reason for anyone to think they can make a difference.” more

       

      In 2008 Google launched the first Android smartphone, taking a bold step away from the safe and wonderful world of the ‘web’ into the universe of making ‘real things.’ I admit to being a little confounded by this move at the time, feeling that perhaps the masters of the internet were straying too far from the core business: online search. more

       

      Time for part two of my series on iPhone development basics (you can find part one on the EchoDitto Labs blog). Last time, I gave some tips on writing settings to a binary file using Apple's Foundation Library. This time I'll show you how to retrieve those settings -- either from a cached version of the property list or from the filesystem itself. As with the first article, let's dive in head first with some code. more

       

      First, let me say how excited I am to be a Ditto! After a few years working in this field, I am thrilled to be a part of this great team doing great work. more

       

      The news about Apple's new tablet, the iPad, is only just minutes old at this point, and yet I feel compelled to write this blog post. Let me first be clear that I am (hopefully obviously) a big fan of new and exciting technology. I have an iPhone and love it, and I'm looking forward to trying out the ...iPad (it hurts me to even type the name). more

       

      Back in November I wrote about a new client of EchoDitto's, Stefany Shaheen, and her blog focused on what it's like to parent a child with diabetes. more

       

      What are you doing Monday?

      By: Michael Silberman  |  January 15, 2010

      Monday is Dr. Martin Luther King Day. It's a national Day of Service and a time to reflect on social justice.

      The crisis in Haiti brings extra focus and intensity to the question of how we care for each other. How did one of the world’s poorest countries struggle to survive just miles off the coast of Florida? Why does it require a massive earthquake for us to turn our attention to Haiti? more

       

      It is perhaps a testament to the fast paced, hurly burly of our times that many bright moments in the affairs of the country pass with barely a whisper. This is particularly so when such events require reflection - not lending themselves to an easy headline or front-page story. more

       

      Haiti: Finding light in the dark

      By: Cristen Perks  |  January 15, 2010

      [You may have already heard from a few Dittos about this. Just in case: an update.]

      Luke Montgomery, a close friend of a couple Dittos started a non-profit a few years ago called WeCanBuildAnOrphanage.com. Since it's early days, Luke has worked tirelessly to help build an orphanage in Haiti for children with AIDS. Since Tuesday's earthquake, Luke has been scrambling to get to Haiti to find out more about the status of the orphanage and of the children. Below is an update that we received this morning.  more

       

      10 days in Haiti

      By: Nicco Mele  |  January 13, 2010

      In December of 2007, I spent 10 days in Haiti. Most of my time was spent up in the Central Plateau in a town called Thomonde, near Hinche. I spent a day or two on either end in Port-Au-Prince. I was working on a solar power project with the Catholic Diocese of Richmond, which had paired each church in Diocese with a church in Haitimore