"A great pocket computer with phone capabilities" is what I am looking for, for my next phone. I'd happily read any N900 musings or links you may wish to post.
I think I read the N900 has slow cellular data, but that doesn't bother me--I'd use data services on wifi only.
Even worse, TSA is ALREADY expanding its scope to rail travel. His joke was disingenuous because he darn well knows this is happening already. There is no pat-down, though... not yet anyway.
It's hard to find news coverage of TSA scope expansion but it's easy to find personal reports on forums like this.
What you propose is nothing less than changing human nature. On a practical level I suspect that it would be a futile effort. And if it worked, given the methods that would probably be needed to maintain it, would it be worth living?
Those interested in exploring the topic may enjoy the sci fi works of Larry Niven. This exact sort of human improvement plan figured heavily in his "Known Space" stories. It is a major theme in the Man-Kzin Wars series of shared universe books, too.
In the books, all of humanity had been effectively brainwashed into a completely non-violent culture. History had been edited to remove all sorts of wars and conflicts. People in the year 2200 were taught that the last time anyone had fired a shot in anger was around the year 1800. Words like "warship" were excised from the language. Technology which could be used as a weapon was suppressed.
This policy had benefits. The biggest problem anyone had in this society was figuring out how to use their massive amounts of leisure time. Boredom, not violence, was the world's primary scourge.
But to maintain this society, a ruling body maintained an iron grip. People who showed deviant tenancies (like writing fiction with forbidden content) were forcibly medicated or even brainwiped. All communications were monitored. There was no freedom outside a narrow range of permissible activities. But most people didn't know any better, and were happy. This lasted for centuries.
But when humanity's first interstellar explorers met hostile aliens, human society had to re-invent itself to survive. Fun stuff, if you like military sci fi. And before the war starts, it also paints a grim picture of what a truly peaceful human society might look like.
Well my iPhone cannot be used as a mass storage device. You might expect a thing with gigabytes of storage space to, like, let you copy stuff to it if you plugged it into a computer, but in the case of the iPhone you'd be sadly mistaken.
Sadness, actually, is only part of the emotional rainbow my iPhone produced...
1. Plug phone in to computer; observe that it does not mount as a drive 2. Surprise. QUICK, Google this! There must be a setting buried somewhere... 3. Disbelief. WTF, Apple? This is by design? 4. Anger. I have to carry a thumb drive around still? Cupertino will BURN for this. 5. Upon mentioning this to a Mac Apologist friend and learning that no one ever really wants to copy files to USB devices anyway, and iTunes sync is plusgood, a killing rage develops. 6. Acceptance. I will perpetually feel a killing rage. At least this phone's web browser is decent.
(I was going to put this into the 5 stages of grief, but that won't work. Stage 3 is bargaining, and while you might try to cut a deal with God for your cancer-stricken mom, you know better than to try and bargain with Steve.)
So what I once thought was a really bone-headed, infuriating design decision by Apple turned out to be a foresighted attempt by the company to secure a military contract. Steve was ahead of the game again!
Disclaimer: I am generally a fan of Apple products but there are a few things in the ecosystem that drive me nuts.
As a big Stargate fan, I watched it, but never with any great enthusiasm. It tried so hard to be different that it left out the things that made previous Stargate shows work.
For example, jobs that park you in front of a computer and a phone all day can be done at home.
I think that the government ought to encourage companies to develop work-from-home programs. It's not a solution to traffic problems but it could be one piece of the puzzle.
"Project SHAMROCK... was an espionage exercise that involved the accumulation of all telegraphic data entering into or exiting from the United States. The Armed Forces Security Agency (AFSA) and its successor NSA were given direct access to daily microfilm copies of all incoming, outgoing, and transiting telegraphs via the Western Union and its associates RCA and ITT.... No court authorized the operation and there were no warrants.... At the height of Project SHAMROCK, 150,000 messages a month were printed and analyzed by NSA personnel."
I think the number of people who do not understand what they can legally do is a lot higher than you estimate.
Buying a sketchy looking copy of a CD with a crudely photocopied insert on a streetcorner--that is obviously illegal to most people.
But "sharing" some files that someone gave to you... or making a friend a mix CD... those common acts of piracy are not recognized by a lot of people, in my experience.
What I liked a lot about Stargate SG-1 (and really the whole franchise) is that it showed Earth growing from the pre-spaceflight era into a major power. Along the way, we even learned to cooperate among ourselves. The Stargate program became an international effort. It was a like a Roddenberry hope for the future... but with more action.:)
In the very first episode, the Stargate is a forgotten relic under a tarp in a military facility... by the last episode Earth forces are fighting off alien demigods in ships we built ourselves.
Lots of other SF shows have had good, long story arcs but I think Stargate is unique in showing so much "future history" unfolding. I really miss it.
Millions of Mac users have been conditioned since the beginning that they can get their software from anywhere they please. I don't think it is likely that Apple will close a platform that has been open for decades. If they tried, I think the outcry would give even stubborn Steve second thoughts.
And if it does come to pass? Save me a torch and a pitchfork.
My problem with Microsoft is that they insist on programming everything in-house and lock you in to in-house networks and in-house apps.
Good old Windows Mobile 5 and previous Pocket PC OSs had a very rich software ecosystem. They were even available on PDAs with built in phones, and no jailbreaking was needed to put your own apps on them. If version 7 forces me into an official app store, there is zero chance I will choose Microsoft for my next phone OS.
Good gravy, I can't believe I was just reminiscing about the "good old days" of the horrible Pocket PC OS.
Texting is expensive and not a good idea while driving. I'll also really miss GOOG-411, with which I could search for a listing and get connected all over the handsfree.
This guy chose not to pay and by the letter of the law, the fire department let his house burn down. Everyone agrees that the home owner should have paid the fee.
But I don't want to live in a place where the fire department chooses to let someone's homes and pets burn, even if that person is a cheap SOB. I would hope that the fire fighters would say, "Screw the rules, we're going to do the decent thing anyway."
But what is more appalling than the department's inaction is the number of people I see on forums like this who are gloating over this man's misfortune. "Hah hah, there's your libertarian paradise!"
Well, your socialist paradise looks like it may be full of jerks too.
It's interesting that he cites licensing as the roadblock, not cost. Obviously there are plenty of computers with BR drives, but perhaps the kind of integration that Apple wanted meant negotiation some kind of new license. Apple and Sony negotiating? I can easily see that process coming off the rails.
It proudly proclaims to have been online since 1995... in blinking text. The first topic? Reintroducing the notion of the aether.
A serious scientific author would probably not associate himself with a site like this. However, if I am wrong and this is a wonderful scholarly work, please let me know.
Here in the U.S., if I'm not mistaken, we're at the top of the list for the number of people imprisoned as a percentage of population. This leads me to believe that we incarcerate people for a lot of petty bullshit, especially the poor. Big prison populations mean big money for companies like Corrections Corp. of America. http://www.google.com/finance?client=ob&q=NYSE:CXW
When these gadgets were over $300 and had screens with poor contrast I would have agreed with you. But today you can get an e-ink reader with a pretty nice screen for about $150. I have seen sales on the outgoing generation of Sony readers for about $120, and those too are good units... and you don't even need to install ANY Sony software to use them for reading material that you source yourself.
For a gadget that can store hundreds of books, accepts open formats like epub, and is pretty pleasant to read on even in full sunlight, I don't think $150 is overpriced at all. It's not for everyone, but don't dismiss all of these products as worthless and overpriced.
Windows DOES hibernate fine... It's a great feature for me on 3 machines. I don't doubt your experiences, though. I'm a long time Windows user myself and have my own such stories. And as you also note, I have far fewer such stories from my Macs...
That's one of the most frustrating things about Windows--each installation has its own personality. Some of them are sociable, some of them have Asperger's, and some of them are sociopaths.
We went for coffee and discussed the differences in our training. We both admitted that I could use some more training using the GPS. However he offered his time in trade get some more experience with my flight computer (plastic slide rule for headings and wind for the non pilots) and knee board. He recognized that if he ever did loose his GPS for what ever reason, a manual system might be good to know.
You can get a private pilot's license without needing to know how to fly without the GPS?
I assumed the GPS was like a dive computer... you gotta learn it the old fashioned way first to get certified.
GFWL is so bad that I really wonder how it ends up in other publishers' games. What does Microsoft offer or threaten with to get a publisher to infect their game with the hateful GFWL? Can some Microsoft Games Studios biz dev guy post the secret?
Like others have posted, I won't buy a game that includes it.
High speed rail has none of the big downsides of air travel like the need to get to the airport 2 hours before the flight to check in, the need to pass through 3 layers of security, bans on liquids and other things...
The minute someone tries to blow up a train in the US, that will probably change. Hopefully it will never get as bad as air travel since the train cannot be commandeered and driven into an arbitrary target.
I have never played in a tournament but my understanding is that the tilt is set to be very, very sensitive. A tilt setting that a "normal" player considers to be just loose enough to be fun is too easy for the truly good players. I have seen videos of players nudging a game in such a way that the ball works its way back up out of a side drain... You don't want that in a tournament, you'd be there forever.
Slashdot Mirror
"A great pocket computer with phone capabilities" is what I am looking for, for my next phone. I'd happily read any N900 musings or links you may wish to post.
I think I read the N900 has slow cellular data, but that doesn't bother me--I'd use data services on wifi only.
Even worse, TSA is ALREADY expanding its scope to rail travel. His joke was disingenuous because he darn well knows this is happening already. There is no pat-down, though... not yet anyway.
It's hard to find news coverage of TSA scope expansion but it's easy to find personal reports on forums like this.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travel-safety-security/1173803-tsa-suburban-chicago-train-station.html
What you propose is nothing less than changing human nature. On a practical level I suspect that it would be a futile effort. And if it worked, given the methods that would probably be needed to maintain it, would it be worth living?
Those interested in exploring the topic may enjoy the sci fi works of Larry Niven. This exact sort of human improvement plan figured heavily in his "Known Space" stories. It is a major theme in the Man-Kzin Wars series of shared universe books, too.
In the books, all of humanity had been effectively brainwashed into a completely non-violent culture. History had been edited to remove all sorts of wars and conflicts. People in the year 2200 were taught that the last time anyone had fired a shot in anger was around the year 1800. Words like "warship" were excised from the language. Technology which could be used as a weapon was suppressed.
This policy had benefits. The biggest problem anyone had in this society was figuring out how to use their massive amounts of leisure time. Boredom, not violence, was the world's primary scourge.
But to maintain this society, a ruling body maintained an iron grip. People who showed deviant tenancies (like writing fiction with forbidden content) were forcibly medicated or even brainwiped. All communications were monitored. There was no freedom outside a narrow range of permissible activities. But most people didn't know any better, and were happy. This lasted for centuries.
But when humanity's first interstellar explorers met hostile aliens, human society had to re-invent itself to survive. Fun stuff, if you like military sci fi. And before the war starts, it also paints a grim picture of what a truly peaceful human society might look like.
Well my iPhone cannot be used as a mass storage device. You might expect a thing with gigabytes of storage space to, like, let you copy stuff to it if you plugged it into a computer, but in the case of the iPhone you'd be sadly mistaken.
Sadness, actually, is only part of the emotional rainbow my iPhone produced...
1. Plug phone in to computer; observe that it does not mount as a drive
2. Surprise. QUICK, Google this! There must be a setting buried somewhere...
3. Disbelief. WTF, Apple? This is by design?
4. Anger. I have to carry a thumb drive around still? Cupertino will BURN for this.
5. Upon mentioning this to a Mac Apologist friend and learning that no one ever really wants to copy files to USB devices anyway, and iTunes sync is plusgood, a killing rage develops.
6. Acceptance. I will perpetually feel a killing rage. At least this phone's web browser is decent.
(I was going to put this into the 5 stages of grief, but that won't work. Stage 3 is bargaining, and while you might try to cut a deal with God for your cancer-stricken mom, you know better than to try and bargain with Steve.)
So what I once thought was a really bone-headed, infuriating design decision by Apple turned out to be a foresighted attempt by the company to secure a military contract. Steve was ahead of the game again!
Disclaimer: I am generally a fan of Apple products but there are a few things in the ecosystem that drive me nuts.
As a big Stargate fan, I watched it, but never with any great enthusiasm. It tried so hard to be different that it left out the things that made previous Stargate shows work.
We should also reduce people's desire to travel.
For example, jobs that park you in front of a computer and a phone all day can be done at home.
I think that the government ought to encourage companies to develop work-from-home programs. It's not a solution to traffic problems but it could be one piece of the puzzle.
The government has a long tradition of going to private business and saying, "O HAI why don't you let us see what your customers are up to."
For example:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_SHAMROCK
"Project SHAMROCK ... was an espionage exercise that involved the accumulation of all telegraphic data entering into or exiting from the United States. The Armed Forces Security Agency (AFSA) and its successor NSA were given direct access to daily microfilm copies of all incoming, outgoing, and transiting telegraphs via the Western Union and its associates RCA and ITT. ... No court authorized the operation and there were no warrants. ... At the height of Project SHAMROCK, 150,000 messages a month were printed and analyzed by NSA personnel."
I think the number of people who do not understand what they can legally do is a lot higher than you estimate.
Buying a sketchy looking copy of a CD with a crudely photocopied insert on a streetcorner--that is obviously illegal to most people.
But "sharing" some files that someone gave to you... or making a friend a mix CD... those common acts of piracy are not recognized by a lot of people, in my experience.
I was about to send you a fruit basket 'til I saw that extension was Safari only.
A quick search found "Facebook Disconnect" for Chrome... anyone have a recommendation for Firefox?
What I liked a lot about Stargate SG-1 (and really the whole franchise) is that it showed Earth growing from the pre-spaceflight era into a major power. Along the way, we even learned to cooperate among ourselves. The Stargate program became an international effort. It was a like a Roddenberry hope for the future... but with more action. :)
In the very first episode, the Stargate is a forgotten relic under a tarp in a military facility... by the last episode Earth forces are fighting off alien demigods in ships we built ourselves.
Lots of other SF shows have had good, long story arcs but I think Stargate is unique in showing so much "future history" unfolding. I really miss it.
... but let's not be hasty.
Millions of Mac users have been conditioned since the beginning that they can get their software from anywhere they please. I don't think it is likely that Apple will close a platform that has been open for decades. If they tried, I think the outcry would give even stubborn Steve second thoughts.
And if it does come to pass? Save me a torch and a pitchfork.
My problem with Microsoft is that they insist on programming everything in-house and lock you in to in-house networks and in-house apps.
Good old Windows Mobile 5 and previous Pocket PC OSs had a very rich software ecosystem. They were even available on PDAs with built in phones, and no jailbreaking was needed to put your own apps on them. If version 7 forces me into an official app store, there is zero chance I will choose Microsoft for my next phone OS.
Good gravy, I can't believe I was just reminiscing about the "good old days" of the horrible Pocket PC OS.
Maybe I can get a VAX or PDP-10 phone?
Texting is expensive and not a good idea while driving. I'll also really miss GOOG-411, with which I could search for a listing and get connected all over the handsfree.
This guy chose not to pay and by the letter of the law, the fire department let his house burn down. Everyone agrees that the home owner should have paid the fee.
But I don't want to live in a place where the fire department chooses to let someone's homes and pets burn, even if that person is a cheap SOB. I would hope that the fire fighters would say, "Screw the rules, we're going to do the decent thing anyway."
But what is more appalling than the department's inaction is the number of people I see on forums like this who are gloating over this man's misfortune. "Hah hah, there's your libertarian paradise!"
Well, your socialist paradise looks like it may be full of jerks too.
Jobs once said, "Blu-ray is just a bag of hurt. It's great to watch the movies, but the licensing of the tech is so complex, we're waiting till things settle down and Blu-ray takes off in the marketplace." (from http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/14/steve-jobs-calls-blu-ray-a-bag-of-hurt/)
Has BR taken off? I don't know, I am not a user.
It's interesting that he cites licensing as the roadblock, not cost. Obviously there are plenty of computers with BR drives, but perhaps the kind of integration that Apple wanted meant negotiation some kind of new license. Apple and Sony negotiating? I can easily see that process coming off the rails.
The Times Square incident was just the soft launch for his new site, Free-Bomb.com.
Wouldn't be the first dotcom bomb.
This review tickled my BS detector. I looked up the "controversial" Stephen Rado and found what appears to be his site:
http://www.aethro-kinematics.com/
It proudly proclaims to have been online since 1995... in blinking text. The first topic? Reintroducing the notion of the aether.
A serious scientific author would probably not associate himself with a site like this. However, if I am wrong and this is a wonderful scholarly work, please let me know.
Here in the U.S., if I'm not mistaken, we're at the top of the list for the number of people imprisoned as a percentage of population. This leads me to believe that we incarcerate people for a lot of petty bullshit, especially the poor.
Big prison populations mean big money for companies like Corrections Corp. of America.
http://www.google.com/finance?client=ob&q=NYSE:CXW
...silly, overpriced book readers.
When these gadgets were over $300 and had screens with poor contrast I would have agreed with you. But today you can get an e-ink reader with a pretty nice screen for about $150. I have seen sales on the outgoing generation of Sony readers for about $120, and those too are good units... and you don't even need to install ANY Sony software to use them for reading material that you source yourself.
For a gadget that can store hundreds of books, accepts open formats like epub, and is pretty pleasant to read on even in full sunlight, I don't think $150 is overpriced at all. It's not for everyone, but don't dismiss all of these products as worthless and overpriced.
Windows DOES hibernate fine... It's a great feature for me on 3 machines. I don't doubt your experiences, though. I'm a long time Windows user myself and have my own such stories. And as you also note, I have far fewer such stories from my Macs...
That's one of the most frustrating things about Windows--each installation has its own personality. Some of them are sociable, some of them have Asperger's, and some of them are sociopaths.
We went for coffee and discussed the differences in our training. We both admitted that I could use some more training using the GPS. However he offered his time in trade get some more experience with my flight computer (plastic slide rule for headings and wind for the non pilots) and knee board. He recognized that if he ever did loose his GPS for what ever reason, a manual system might be good to know.
You can get a private pilot's license without needing to know how to fly without the GPS?
I assumed the GPS was like a dive computer... you gotta learn it the old fashioned way first to get certified.
Very interesting!
GFWL is so bad that I really wonder how it ends up in other publishers' games. What does Microsoft offer or threaten with to get a publisher to infect their game with the hateful GFWL? Can some Microsoft Games Studios biz dev guy post the secret?
Like others have posted, I won't buy a game that includes it.
High speed rail has none of the big downsides of air travel like the need to get to the airport 2 hours before the flight to check in, the need to pass through 3 layers of security, bans on liquids and other things...
The minute someone tries to blow up a train in the US, that will probably change. Hopefully it will never get as bad as air travel since the train cannot be commandeered and driven into an arbitrary target.
I have never played in a tournament but my understanding is that the tilt is set to be very, very sensitive. A tilt setting that a "normal" player considers to be just loose enough to be fun is too easy for the truly good players. I have seen videos of players nudging a game in such a way that the ball works its way back up out of a side drain... You don't want that in a tournament, you'd be there forever.
And the 4th option is to select one photo, hit the space bar for Quick Look, and then use the arrow keys.