Worth noting....

April 4, 1975: Bill Gates, Paul Allen Form a Little Partnership:

"1975: Bill Gates and Paul Allen create a partnership called Micro-soft. It will grow into one of the largest U.S. corporations and place them among the world's richest people."

Happy Birthday....

Apple turns 32 today

As I've said before, my first computer was an Apple II that I bought in 1978, specifically for the purpose of learning what in the world all the fuss was about. It was "the only kid on the block" at that time (except for the S-100 bus stuff, but that was way too esoteric and expensive); and besides giving me a good foundation in basic computing, it, also, got me into reading BYTE Magazine and a host of other material that led me in other directions.

The rest, for me, is history.... and prologue.

We wanted one VERY badly....

March 25, 1954: RCA TVs Get the Color for Money:

"1954: RCA begins production of its first color-TV set for consumers, the CT-100. It's destined to become a costly classic."

A personal hero of mine....

Joseph Weizenbaum, Famed Programmer, Is Dead at 85

Joseph Weizenbaum, whose famed conversational computer program, Eliza, foreshadowed the potential of artificial intelligence, but who grew skeptical about the potential for technology to improve the human condition, died on March 5 in Gröben, Germany. He was 85.

In 1976, he sketched out a humanist critique of computer technology in his book “Computer Power and Human Reason: From Judgment to Calculation.” The book did not argue against the possibility of artificial intelligence but rather was a passionate criticism of systems that substituted automated decision-making for the human mind. In the book, he argued that computing served as a conservative force in society by propping up bureaucracies as well as by redefining the world in a reductionist sense, by restricting the potential of human relationships.

His book is one everyone who has ever used a computer should read. I first found it as a recommendation from the old Byte Magazine in the late 70's when I first starting fooling around with my original Apple II; and it remains in my all-time top 10 reading list along with Catch-22, Zen & The Art of Motorcycle Maintainance, The Book (Alan Watts), etc. While a bit long-winded, Weizenbaum's thesis was how very easy it is to "let the machines do the work" while we turn into idiots (seems he wasn't too far off the mark); and it always motivated me to understand what computers were all about and how they do what they do - it's why almost everyone I know calls me when they have a computer problem.

Whatever we have gained from all this technology (and you can make a great argument that it has really been very little), we stand to lose just as much by surrendering a great deal of our humanity in the process. Pay attention......

I'm not doing that much today, so maybe...

Make a Suit of Chainmail Armor From Soda Can Tabs

There is no comparison...

PC Magazine

Mac OS 10.5 Beats Vista

More to follow...although my grandmother, may she rest in peace, could beat Vista.

Welcome to Apple....a Mac documentary is coming

Ah...the Pig Phone

If you’re info gadgets designed to look like pigs, like the Pig USB Drive or maybe the Eco-Friendly Pig LED Flashlights, then here’ss the phone for you."

This is very large....

Wired News:

"Netflix Inc., the online movie rental company, said Monday it is switching exclusively to the Blu-ray format for high-definition DVDs, following four major movie studios in selecting the Sony technology over one pushed by Toshiba Corp."

Another nail in the HD-DVD coffin as far as I am concerned. This is a good thing - Blu-Ray should be a better format because of its greater storage capacity, and we can start focusing on a single format going forward. Prices will come down faster and adoption rates will increase. Sony finally wins one!!

Love my iPhone....

It's been exactly 30 years since I bought my first computer, an Apple II that was my introduction to personal computing. Since then I have purchased Lord knows how many different systems, but none of them Apple products. Following months iPhone envy, though, I caved the other day and picked one up at the Apple Store. After just a couple of days, I have to admit that it is everything it claims to be and then some.

More than just a phone and an iPod squeezed into a nice little form factor, it's a whole new platform for portable computing. The screen is incredibly gorgeous and readable for its size, and the user interface is a miracle of ergonomic engineering. Apple designs their products to make life easy for their users - Microsoft designs their products to be good for their stockholders. More to follow...

Like an episode of Northern Exposure...

U.S. Spy Satellite, Power Gone, May Hit Earth

“Appropriate government agencies are monitoring the situation,” Gordon Johndroe, a spokesman for the National Security Council, said in a statement. “Numerous satellites over the years have come out of orbit and fallen harmlessly. We are looking at potential options to mitigate any possible damage this satellite may cause.”

And the Pinto was safer than the Corvair....

Vista More Secure Than XP and Open Source
We owned a 1961 Corvair (remember, this was well before anyone knew who Ralph Nader was). When it finally would reach 40 mph, it used to shake quite a bit, and it felt more like it was doing 60....Nowadays, with my Vista powered laptop from Dell, it's not hard to notice that everything moves significantly slower than it used to.
Ass backwards? You bet.....Hard to imagine that we gave Bill Gates all that cash for all this junk.

Private email?

The Belmont Club discusses secure networking & terrorism:

AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson "told a conference at the World Economic Forum that the company is looking at monitoring peer-to-peer file-sharing networks, one of the largest drivers of online traffic but also a common way to illegally exchange copyright files" just a few days after Direction of National Intelligence Mike McConnell suggested the US government needed unfettered access to information flowing over the Internet to protect national security. A coincidence?

A worthwhile read if you have the time....

I want one.....

Polymer Vision Readies Rollable E-Book, Cell Phone

Polymer Vision plans to launch Readius, an e-reader with a flexible screen weighing little more than a cell phone, in the middle of this year, it said Tuesday.

The long-awaited gadget will be a boon to those who now get their daily news fix by scanning the headlines on an e-reader -- but who miss the way they could roll up their old newspaper and tuck it in a pocket when they had finished reading.

The key feature of the Readius is its flexible screen, 5 inches across the diagonal, with a resolution of 320 by 240 pixels (QVGA) in 16 shades of gray.

Steve Austin comes home....

Researchers Develop Bionic Contact Lens

Scientists have taken the first step toward creating digital contact lenses that can zoom in on distant objects and display useful facts.

For the first time, engineers have installed an electronic circuit and lights on a regular contact lens.

Moving to the end of Windoze....

Leopard satisfaction driving "explosive" Mac sales:

"High levels of customer satisfaction with Apple's new Leopard operating system are spurring 'explosive sales' of the company's Mac computer line, a new consumer spending survey has revealed."

Take a look at what Apple is up to lately - take a look at what Google is developing - and then take a look at your Microsoft platform. Back in the day, Microsoft took on venerable IBM and kicked its ass because the suits just couldn't see what was coming. While nobody at Microsoft wears a suit nowadays, it seems to me that they had better take a long look over their shoulder because everything I see says that they are getting their clock cleaned by competitors that have better, more reliable, and more interesting products.

Now, having some $25+ billion laying around the office for a rainy day ain't a bad position to be in; but I can tell you that as a dedicated heat-seeking consumer, I have not considered a single Microsoft product for purchase in quite some time - and I do not intend to. My next computer will definitely be a Mac of some variety; and after being exposed to Vista and MS Office 2007 for the past year, I would rather eat nails than stay on this boat......

iPhone Car Control WebApp - MY iTablet

Sorry, but by itself this is enough reason to get an iPhone!

Dephi has been designing a concept application for real time control over a car. Using an iPhone and a GM Acadia, Delphi was able to demonstrate their concept by starting the car, rolling down the windows, and displaying real-time RPM data via the iPhone. This application is used with nothing more than a WiFi connection and Safari. Delphi is currently working on bluetooth capability without adding any more bulk to the device.

iPhone is the Next Sex Toy
Well, then, I'm getting one...