Vote Cave Johnson in 2012
January 20, 2012 at 4:52 PM | Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a commentTags: 2012, cave johnson, democrat, election, GOP, lemons, libertarian, obama, politics, portal, president, republican, ron paul, valve
Politics isn’t about asking “why?” It’s about asking “why not … get the hell out of our way?!”
My Vision of the iPhone 8
November 30, 2011 at 4:21 PM | Posted in Apple | Leave a commentImagine a seamless slab of glass, half the thickness of the iPhone 4GS. There’s no metal or physical buttons. The speakers and microphones are sections of the glass treated with some yet developed materials science, allowing for vibration generation without damaging the crystalline structure, using the piezoelectric effect. Both sides of the iPhone are retina displays. The entire body of the unit can change color and will do so automatically depending on location (i.e. white for your desk at the office, black for home, red while on the train, etc…) SIRI is the primary interface, with the spring board and touch UI still present at your command or when context requires. Recharges completely with induction, and syncs over 802.11Q — no dock port.
Commodore in the Steve Jobs Biography
November 2, 2011 at 10:01 PM | Posted in Apple, Commodore, History, IBM PC | Leave a comment
The Steve Jobs biography by Walter Isaacson is a good read, and I’d recommend it to anyone interested in getting acquainted with one of the computer industry’s most volatile and out-of-the-box thinkers.
When the story turns to the creation of the Apple II, Commodore and Chuck Peddle are both mentioned right out of the gate. Though I would argue the account of what transpired is highly questionable and one-sided (going so far as to email Isaacson that he should contact Peddle for the second edition of the book), mentioning the famous “$100,000″ meeting with Commodore shows the completeness of his research.
As expected, Wozniak gets in a jibe about the Commodore PET being a ”real crappy product”, that “kind of sickened [him].” Those of us who know better can discount that nonsense. (Let Woz enjoy living in the fantasy world he’s crafted for himself as the “inventor” of the personal computer.)
More interesting is Isaacson’s admission that the famous Apple ad welcoming IBM to the personal computer industry deliberately (and ”conveniently”) relegated “to irrelevance companies such as Commodore … that were doing just as well as Apple.” (135)
The tradition of Apple Revisionism continues with this text, but, nonetheless, it’s a fascinating read for the intimate portrait of Jobs, both professionally and personally.
Stop me if you’ve heard this one…
September 3, 2011 at 2:07 AM | Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a commentFour Android, Blackberry, Nokia, and Windows Phone users walk into a bar…
A New Slogan for the Samsung Galaxy Tab
August 20, 2011 at 12:28 AM | Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a commentTags: galaxy, ipad, sales, samsung, tab, tablet
Sluggardly sales of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is chief among concerns at Samsung these days. This has prompted tweaks in marketing and a new demographic target, as evidenced in this latest publicity graphic.
Poor Victimized Google Android!
August 5, 2011 at 1:06 AM | Posted in Apple, Art, Internet | Leave a commentTags: Android, Apple, Drummond, Google, iPhone, Microsoft, Patents, Steve Jobs, Windows
Here’s a look into the mind of Google’s Senior Vice President of Corporate Development and Chief Legal Officer, Dave Drummond. Seems that mean old Apple and Microsoft are hoarding patents to use against Android, and that’s just hurtin’ Davey’s feelings. *sniff*
Get the story here. If this is offensive — well, tough.
Lock Your Screen in Mac OS X
May 19, 2011 at 10:27 PM | Posted in Apple | Leave a commentTags: Cc
You don’t need to logoff your Mac to protect your privacy when you step away from your desk. Lock the screen as you would on Windows:
-Start “Keychain Access” app in “/Applications/Utilities”
-From the “View” pulldown menu, select “Show Status in Menu Bar”
-Using this lock menu, you can lock your Mac OS session.
Commodore USA and the New C64
April 6, 2011 at 7:44 PM | Posted in Commodore, History | Leave a comment
So, Barry Altman, the Bathroom Fixtures Wizard of Ft. Lauderdale, and his “Commodore USA” have finally released their monstrosity know as the new Commodore 64. Just what we needed, yet another Commodore revival. Altman is just another unqualified quack, the likes of Bill McEwan and the jokers behind the Gravel, tarnishing the legacy of a dead company. It’s disgraceful what this parade of starry-eyed amateurs has done to the Commodore name. (Anyone remember the Commodore MP3 players? Or the custom built “gaming” PCs? How about the “WebIt”? Oh, no? Not surprising!)
The DTV was the only product of any value released in a post Commodore world to bear the moniker proudly.
Seriously, what could possibly motivate these people to resurrect the brand, aside from the nostalgia a handful of silly geeks (I include myself) share? In its painfully protracted decline, Commodore was perceived as a joke in the marketplace, revered and cheered on only by those of us with the perspective and memory to care. To Joe Consumer, computer meant PC or Macintosh by the late 90s, which is as far back as his memory will go. (Ancient history in terms of computing!) What credibility does the brand have today, in a world that foolishly believes Steve Wozniak invented the personal computer, doesn’t know an Amiga from a pile of old microwave parts, and just vaguely remembers that toy computer they got for Christmas in 1984?
Yes, we are Commodore fans. And we’ve taken a good look at Commodore USA’s “designs”. That’s precisely the source of our emphatic rejection. We’re tired of half-baked schemes by amateur men of industry (his current company has an “F” rating from the BBB) to slap the Commodore name onto uninspired and unattractive commodity hardware.
That does more harm than good to the brand’s legacy.
I want Commodore to be forever remembered for being a part of the 70s “trinity” with the PET, the wildly successful C64, the first real affordable modems, and the Amiga. Not a bunch of MP3 players, gaming machines with airbrushed shenanigans, rebadged all-in-one PCs, and g-d damned bathroom fixtures.
If I had the fortunes, I’d purchase all Commodore intellectual property and donate it to the Computer History Museum in California.
Like Irving Gould, let Commodore rest in peace already.
iPhone 5 Book is Just a “Placeholder”
March 24, 2011 at 11:11 PM | Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment9to5mac thinks this item on Amazon.com hints at an iPhone 5 release date of June 30. Since they’re not real journalists, they didn’t bother to ask the co-authors for their take. I did.
How Public Radio is Funded (and NPR doesn’t run on your taxes)
March 9, 2011 at 4:47 PM | Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a commentI’m getting a little upset at the misconceptions certain high profile politicos and radio talk show hosts (all who should know better) have regarding the government’s role in funding NPR. Let me first state that many inaccurately use the phrases “public radio” and “NPR” interchangeably. This just doesn’t jive with reality. There are many independent community public stations that have zero association with NPR. (I’ve been a pubcaster for most of my career, and I often cringe when someone associates my station with NPR.) Furthermore, NPR does not own nor operate any station that carries its programming, and it doesn’t channel funds to them. As you’ll see, it’s quite the opposite scenario.
I’ve created the “follow the money” diagram below (click on it for a larger version) in hopes that it illuminates some. I’ll be happy if this simply results in folks no longer using NPR as a platform for arguments in favor of cutting public broadcasting spending, as NPR is arguably only one dimension of a multi-fasceted system. (My diagram doesn’t even touch on the television side of things.) Talk of “defunding NPR”, a proposition itself ludicrous since it isn’t funded by the Government, only serves to hurt the smaller pubcasters in the country, many of which are not affiliated with NPR.
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