a) When the Mac Mini was first announced and a certain open source media hub project was announced soon after, I wrote a commentary that Apple would certainly launch a fully integrated iApp type solution within the year, rendering the open source venture obsolete. This was picked up by a specific blog, with no credit to my posting on their own forums. b) More recently, and more specific than the last example, after Apple announced a major investment in Flash memory supplies, rather than comment on the obvious use in future iPods, I discussed the practicality of a Powerbook Nano. A totally solid state machine designed for instant on and robust handling. Effectively, the next iBook - and ideal for destructive kids. The same Mac blog then discussed this, again, NOT crediting my posting on several forums, their's included! (Separately, I believe that a touch screen pen / keyboard hybrid could be on the horizon too.) Anyway, as a technical innovator, I believe the theft of ideas to be as great a sin as the theft of physical property, and should be punished accordingly. Hmmm?
...and so totally vindicates scientists who warned of the consequences of global warming. It is vital people realise that the Earth is no different than an animal with ticks on it's back. We, mankind, are becoming a nuisance by interrupting the slow but effective evolution of this planet into a life sustaining entity. If we mess with things, not through any unseen intelligence, but simply the laws of physics / nature, we will trip the switch. And we have. Oops. But we cannot say we were not warned.
Reason for code name Kaleidoscope revealed...
on
Mac mini, Apple DVR?
·
· Score: 1
...slashdot readers may or may not be aware but about a year ago, some Mac blogs and news pages reported that Apple had filed a patent for a device casing that used embedded (LED?) illumination to alter the perceived colo(u)r of the device. This would possibly provide a chameleon effect to help the device blend in with it's intended environment. After all, not everyone will want a metal / silver / white chunk of technology in their living room. Similar to those nice Philips flat panel TVs, the casing could glow with white in a modern white painted apartment, glow yellow in a room with slightly warmer lighting, green for those with no taste whatsoever and red in the lurrrve den. (I jest, but am dead serious, no one ever gets it totally right with what Apple has up their sleeves, and it's rarely just a minor aesthetic upgrade to a previous product, but as per the iPod Nano, totally ground breaking. Cue the digital hub that not only AUTOMATICALLY changes colo(u)r to blend in with it's surroundings but flashes to it's iTunes too.
Sorry for delay in reply. A very good question! I learned from my parents who bought me up to be hard working, polite, responsible etc. It was in my genes. but like everyone, I do have my flaws! A lot of your skills will be learned the hard way. You will make mistakes. There are books on leadership, but I believe real world experience is the best way. You mention a book camp. A great thought! You may like to consider taking a leadership role at a paint ball contest or similar.
...assign any potential engineers one or two tests to evaluate their ability to a) Solve problems b) Respond on time. After all, how can you project manage if one or more members of your team cannot be relied upon? Don't just say YES to the first resume or team that you discover or that approaches you. 'Shop around'. Have a one on one on the phone to evaluate their personality. However, be aware that an arrogant or socially hopeless engineer may well be a great coder, so don't be put off. All you should care about is honesty, reliability and ability. All the words ending in 'ty !:-)
Don't you hate it when that happens? You write something well meaning and helpful, do a Preview, and yet still fail to spot all the errors until after posting it. I guess it's the thought that counts! The fact most/. postings are written by busy people in the mo of the heatment mean that mustooks are bond to hippin wonse in a wyle. Oh whell.:-)
...working with software (and hardware) engineers is this.
a) Only work with people you know and trust. Until you're Microsoft, you cannot (CANNOT!) afford to make hiring mistakes, everyone in your team must be experienced and brilliant.
b) Try to arrange for everyone to be in the same building or room, THE only way to brain storm is on an old fashioned whiteboard, not on a chat client, which is really only suited to quick questions and answers, not visual thinking. That's why companies still have physical offices, even in a world of broadband and video converencing.
c) ONLY allow remote workers if you can be guaranteed they WILL be available online when YOU are online to ensure maximum productivity and real-time discussion of vital issues.
d) Only farm out small modular tasks to remote workers, keep your core coders close to hand and reward them with ownership in the project.
e) Have a well written contract and strict but fair code of conduct that should be signed by all parties on paper (not e-mail 'replies').
f) If you lack the personality to be firm with those who let you down, or cannot hire someone to take on such a role, do not embark on your venture, else your ship will drift all over the place only to be washed up on the rocks.
g) Else, go for it and if you need any more tips (or can provide any!), reply to this with posting.
...and introduce a light weight touch screen laptop that combines some of the concepts of MiT's sub $100 machine, a Sony VAIO (or is it VIAO?), the current iBook build quality and a swivel screen. An Inkwell based pen driven interface would be far more intuitive and offers a natural instinctive GUI - just what children need to stimulate their imaginations. The whole paradigm of using a mouse, trackpad and keyboard is so counter productive, except for specific desktop and power user applications. Bring on the PowerPad! Intel inside, Inkwell outside!
I wrote a specification for something nearly identical to Google Base a few years ago. And our engineers are working on it. A form of universal database that blends symentic web concepts with AJAX. I am not sure if your project was just a hobby or not, but ours is a serious commercial venture. But where Google have pulled the rug from under everyone (Yahoo included) is in the fact their service is free. So, even if we come up with something better, we may not be able to charge for it.
Exactly! The weather here is bonkers. One day, it is so warm, you can wear a t-shirt, the next, a jacket and scarf. It was a mosquito. I saw it and it's friends, they were buzzing us in Hyde Park. I have bites on my head and having lived previously in the country side for many years, know exactly what I was experiencing. Climate forcasters made it clear that with global warming would mean al alternation in animal behavior, migration patterns, hibernation etc etc. When I was young, and without fail, it would be below zero every day and night in November. We would stand in the freezing cold watching the Fireworks on Nov 5. The problem is, today's youth, who SHOULD be protesting have no recollection of how it used to be, so assume this is all quite normal. It is not! We're messing with nature. I want my winter back so I can enjoy the snow. What right do non-electable corporations have to trash our planet or alter it without my say so? And when I say 'my', I refer to all of us individuals of course.
...I got stung several times by a mosquito, and have the lumps to prove it. Having lived in the UK since 1963, I can confirm having never ever ever seen or been stung by a mosquito in November - they normally appear in the summer months. To any detractors out there, global warming IS happening, but because a number of large corporations stand to profit from it (were the ice sheets are melting), it's just not being given the sort of focus that it should be.
...the evil selfish "let's squeeze every drop from the Earth" oil industry doesn't buy up and discredit any commercial offshoots of this DARPA project and sweep it under the carpet. This kind of behavior is common, but the public rarely hear about it. The solution is for the world's populace to revolt by trying ever so hard not to purchase gasoline. Instead, whenever possible we should walk, bicycle or rollerblade to our place of work or relaxation until solar panels produce enough of our electricity to make a real practical difference. owonder.com/eco
And who is 'we' ? Far better if you choose to critique or claim to represent a group to have the courage to publish your nick name or some form of identification. That way it doesn't look so childish and denigrate the sometimes intelligent discussions on/.
As per my (password protected) blog at owonder.com/alex, where I provide some 'tech tips' to my technically illiterate friends and family, keeping all your content on one (frequently backed up) hard drive is the only way forward. It's convenient, you can always upgrade to a large hard drive as your needs dictate and your data will always remain accessible due to the fact hard drive interface technologies will advance at the same rate you upgrade to a larger drive. IE, SCSI, Parallel, USB 1.0, USB 2.0, Firewire, ??? Etc. All these DRM technologies and issues are a waste of time. Like printed books, let people freely loan (lend) or borrow content! There will always be enough people who purchase the first original copy. After all, how would a band or author become popular if it wasn't for a few loaned copies? Want access to my blog? Write to 'alexblok AT owonder DOT com'.
The more corporations worry about DRM and other issues, the more complex and unreliable the products and services that deliver and playback content are going to become. (As an example, my iTunes no longer allows me to play the several songs I paid Apple for - and I have no idea why.) The American individual's obsession with possession over the Christian / Judaic / Islamic values of doing something for others for no personal gain is responsible for all this and needs to end. A radical shift in 'programmed values' from kindergarten through to adulthood is the only way this will come about. And yes, this is very appropriate to the subject of this/. article. And it's the answer to most of Americas current woes.
the first line of your reply does more to indicate YOU are an idiot than I am. I posted an interesting point, I did not insult. I am willing to bet you are a person with significantly greater technical knowledge than social ability and it is people like you that (continously) dumb down Slash Dot which is why it is not taken at all seriously by those in the professional industry.
Although we have advanced technologically since the last serious epidemic and are able to communicate effectively allowing people to take precautions, there exists one serious difference between modern Western society and previous. Our ultra clean lifestyles of the last 50 years or so mean our imune systems have not faced the daily bacteria count of previous generations. While we may appear healthier and wealthier, are we really as robust?
Al Qaeda may not need to continue with terrorist attacks to bring down society. Chances are, if Bird Flu really is that serious, it will kill off such a large proportion of ultra white ultra clean liberal democrats, 'our' cities and cultures will be there for the picking. In a way, this is similar to the plot of War of the Worlds, where the so called 'bad guys' are wiped out by a common virus. And to a certain portion of the world, white Western 'civilisation' is/are the bad guys. Thoughts?
1) iMac + Front Row. So, I'm forced to us a 17" or 20" iMac. Why note the Mini Mac, which can be connected to a larger 30" monitor and therefore more the size of a decent large screen TV? Seems very boring to me. And why is the remote infra red and not Bluetooth so it is not line of site?
2) iPod 'video'. Why watch video on a 2.5" screen? No input capability for editing contacts. No gaming ability. A PSP has a larger screen, plays games, surfs the web and has built in WiFi. I just don't see the point! I will buy a Sony Ericsson P990 wish 4Gig Memory Stick and be able to view several movies on the go on a larger screen - and have all the benefits of a smart phone.
None of this is very innovative and offerings from Archaos are more flexible, even if not as sleep and well integrated. I HAVE NO INTEREST IN WATCHING LOST ON A 2.5" SCREEN! I WANT TO WATCH IT ON A LARGE SCREEN, AND NOT BY FIDDLING AROUND CONNECTING AN iPOD TO MY TV! I WANT THE FILES ON MY HOME MEDIA SERVER!
Mac Mini is Apple's real secret weapon...
on
Video iPod Oct 12?
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
Understated styling, minimal reliance on soon to be obsolete removable solid state media, compact physical size, stable future proof OS, slowly evolving price / performance ratio equals the perfect home media hub, and we all know that people simply do not and cannot watch movies on a portable device, except for news and sports clips - something that can be done on the latest 3G phones. Chances are, Apple are prepping or will soon release an iApp that not only provides a media centre interface for all ones own and broadcast content, but integrated with an iTunes type service for home movie downloading and viewing. The movie making apps like Final Cut and iMovie will of course allow movies to be created on the power hardware (such as Powerbooks and G5 Powermac systems) and in a fantastic piece of irony for Apple, viewed on their Mac Mini based media hub - or iBooks and Powerbooks too, which are FAR MORE PRACTICAL for viewing movies! Any future iPod is far more likely to morph into an 'only Apple can do it this way' smart phone / remote control device for ones life and the Mac Mini. Remember you read it here first!
Slashdot Mirror
a) When the Mac Mini was first announced and a certain open source media hub project was announced soon after, I wrote a commentary that Apple would certainly launch a fully integrated iApp type solution within the year, rendering the open source venture obsolete. This was picked up by a specific blog, with no credit to my posting on their own forums. b) More recently, and more specific than the last example, after Apple announced a major investment in Flash memory supplies, rather than comment on the obvious use in future iPods, I discussed the practicality of a Powerbook Nano. A totally solid state machine designed for instant on and robust handling. Effectively, the next iBook - and ideal for destructive kids. The same Mac blog then discussed this, again, NOT crediting my posting on several forums, their's included! (Separately, I believe that a touch screen pen / keyboard hybrid could be on the horizon too.) Anyway, as a technical innovator, I believe the theft of ideas to be as great a sin as the theft of physical property, and should be punished accordingly. Hmmm?
...and so totally vindicates scientists who warned of the consequences of global warming. It is vital people realise that the Earth is no different than an animal with ticks on it's back. We, mankind, are becoming a nuisance by interrupting the slow but effective evolution of this planet into a life sustaining entity. If we mess with things, not through any unseen intelligence, but simply the laws of physics / nature, we will trip the switch. And we have. Oops. But we cannot say we were not warned.
...slashdot readers may or may not be aware but about a year ago, some Mac blogs and news pages reported that Apple had filed a patent for a device casing that used embedded (LED?) illumination to alter the perceived colo(u)r of the device. This would possibly provide a chameleon effect to help the device blend in with it's intended environment. After all, not everyone will want a metal / silver / white chunk of technology in their living room. Similar to those nice Philips flat panel TVs, the casing could glow with white in a modern white painted apartment, glow yellow in a room with slightly warmer lighting, green for those with no taste whatsoever and red in the lurrrve den. (I jest, but am dead serious, no one ever gets it totally right with what Apple has up their sleeves, and it's rarely just a minor aesthetic upgrade to a previous product, but as per the iPod Nano, totally ground breaking. Cue the digital hub that not only AUTOMATICALLY changes colo(u)r to blend in with it's surroundings but flashes to it's iTunes too.
Sorry for delay in reply. A very good question! I learned from my parents who bought me up to be hard working, polite, responsible etc. It was in my genes. but like everyone, I do have my flaws! A lot of your skills will be learned the hard way. You will make mistakes. There are books on leadership, but I believe real world experience is the best way. You mention a book camp. A great thought! You may like to consider taking a leadership role at a paint ball contest or similar.
...assign any potential engineers one or two tests to evaluate their ability to a) Solve problems b) Respond on time. After all, how can you project manage if one or more members of your team cannot be relied upon? Don't just say YES to the first resume or team that you discover or that approaches you. 'Shop around'. Have a one on one on the phone to evaluate their personality. However, be aware that an arrogant or socially hopeless engineer may well be a great coder, so don't be put off. All you should care about is honesty, reliability and ability. All the words ending in 'ty ! :-)
Don't you hate it when that happens? You write something well meaning and helpful, do a Preview, and yet still fail to spot all the errors until after posting it. I guess it's the thought that counts! The fact most /. postings are written by busy people in the mo of the heatment mean that mustooks are bond to hippin wonse in a wyle. Oh whell. :-)
a) Only work with people you know and trust. Until you're Microsoft, you cannot (CANNOT!) afford to make hiring mistakes, everyone in your team must be experienced and brilliant.
b) Try to arrange for everyone to be in the same building or room, THE only way to brain storm is on an old fashioned whiteboard, not on a chat client, which is really only suited to quick questions and answers, not visual thinking. That's why companies still have physical offices, even in a world of broadband and video converencing.
c) ONLY allow remote workers if you can be guaranteed they WILL be available online when YOU are online to ensure maximum productivity and real-time discussion of vital issues.
d) Only farm out small modular tasks to remote workers, keep your core coders close to hand and reward them with ownership in the project.
e) Have a well written contract and strict but fair code of conduct that should be signed by all parties on paper (not e-mail 'replies').
f) If you lack the personality to be firm with those who let you down, or cannot hire someone to take on such a role, do not embark on your venture, else your ship will drift all over the place only to be washed up on the rocks.
g) Else, go for it and if you need any more tips (or can provide any!), reply to this with posting.
Good luck, and "May The Force be You!"
...just like other tablet PCs, but done the Apple way, the right way.
...and introduce a light weight touch screen laptop that combines some of the concepts of MiT's sub $100 machine, a Sony VAIO (or is it VIAO?), the current iBook build quality and a swivel screen. An Inkwell based pen driven interface would be far more intuitive and offers a natural instinctive GUI - just what children need to stimulate their imaginations. The whole paradigm of using a mouse, trackpad and keyboard is so counter productive, except for specific desktop and power user applications. Bring on the PowerPad! Intel inside, Inkwell outside!
I wrote a specification for something nearly identical to Google Base a few years ago. And our engineers are working on it. A form of universal database that blends symentic web concepts with AJAX. I am not sure if your project was just a hobby or not, but ours is a serious commercial venture. But where Google have pulled the rug from under everyone (Yahoo included) is in the fact their service is free. So, even if we come up with something better, we may not be able to charge for it.
I should have previewed first!
Exactly! The weather here is bonkers. One day, it is so warm, you can wear a t-shirt, the next, a jacket and scarf. It was a mosquito. I saw it and it's friends, they were buzzing us in Hyde Park. I have bites on my head and having lived previously in the country side for many years, know exactly what I was experiencing. Climate forcasters made it clear that with global warming would mean al alternation in animal behavior, migration patterns, hibernation etc etc. When I was young, and without fail, it would be below zero every day and night in November. We would stand in the freezing cold watching the Fireworks on Nov 5. The problem is, today's youth, who SHOULD be protesting have no recollection of how it used to be, so assume this is all quite normal. It is not! We're messing with nature. I want my winter back so I can enjoy the snow. What right do non-electable corporations have to trash our planet or alter it without my say so? And when I say 'my', I refer to all of us individuals of course.
...I got stung several times by a mosquito, and have the lumps to prove it. Having lived in the UK since 1963, I can confirm having never ever ever seen or been stung by a mosquito in November - they normally appear in the summer months. To any detractors out there, global warming IS happening, but because a number of large corporations stand to profit from it (were the ice sheets are melting), it's just not being given the sort of focus that it should be.
...the evil selfish "let's squeeze every drop from the Earth" oil industry doesn't buy up and discredit any commercial offshoots of this DARPA project and sweep it under the carpet. This kind of behavior is common, but the public rarely hear about it. The solution is for the world's populace to revolt by trying ever so hard not to purchase gasoline. Instead, whenever possible we should walk, bicycle or rollerblade to our place of work or relaxation until solar panels produce enough of our electricity to make a real practical difference. owonder.com/eco
And who is 'we' ? Far better if you choose to critique or claim to represent a group to have the courage to publish your nick name or some form of identification. That way it doesn't look so childish and denigrate the sometimes intelligent discussions on /.
As per my (password protected) blog at owonder.com/alex, where I provide some 'tech tips' to my technically illiterate friends and family, keeping all your content on one (frequently backed up) hard drive is the only way forward. It's convenient, you can always upgrade to a large hard drive as your needs dictate and your data will always remain accessible due to the fact hard drive interface technologies will advance at the same rate you upgrade to a larger drive. IE, SCSI, Parallel, USB 1.0, USB 2.0, Firewire, ??? Etc. All these DRM technologies and issues are a waste of time. Like printed books, let people freely loan (lend) or borrow content! There will always be enough people who purchase the first original copy. After all, how would a band or author become popular if it wasn't for a few loaned copies? Want access to my blog? Write to 'alexblok AT owonder DOT com'.
Nothing more annoying than making a point and spoiling it with a grammatical error.
The more corporations worry about DRM and other issues, the more complex and unreliable the products and services that deliver and playback content are going to become. (As an example, my iTunes no longer allows me to play the several songs I paid Apple for - and I have no idea why.) The American individual's obsession with possession over the Christian / Judaic / Islamic values of doing something for others for no personal gain is responsible for all this and needs to end. A radical shift in 'programmed values' from kindergarten through to adulthood is the only way this will come about. And yes, this is very appropriate to the subject of this /. article. And it's the answer to most of Americas current woes.
the first line of your reply does more to indicate YOU are an idiot than I am. I posted an interesting point, I did not insult. I am willing to bet you are a person with significantly greater technical knowledge than social ability and it is people like you that (continously) dumb down Slash Dot which is why it is not taken at all seriously by those in the professional industry.
Al Qaeda may not need to continue with terrorist attacks to bring down society. Chances are, if Bird Flu really is that serious, it will kill off such a large proportion of ultra white ultra clean liberal democrats, 'our' cities and cultures will be there for the picking. In a way, this is similar to the plot of War of the Worlds, where the so called 'bad guys' are wiped out by a common virus. And to a certain portion of the world, white Western 'civilisation' is/are the bad guys. Thoughts?
2) iPod 'video'. Why watch video on a 2.5" screen? No input capability for editing contacts. No gaming ability. A PSP has a larger screen, plays games, surfs the web and has built in WiFi. I just don't see the point! I will buy a Sony Ericsson P990 wish 4Gig Memory Stick and be able to view several movies on the go on a larger screen - and have all the benefits of a smart phone.
None of this is very innovative and offerings from Archaos are more flexible, even if not as sleep and well integrated. I HAVE NO INTEREST IN WATCHING LOST ON A 2.5" SCREEN! I WANT TO WATCH IT ON A LARGE SCREEN, AND NOT BY FIDDLING AROUND CONNECTING AN iPOD TO MY TV! I WANT THE FILES ON MY HOME MEDIA SERVER!
Understated styling, minimal reliance on soon to be obsolete removable solid state media, compact physical size, stable future proof OS, slowly evolving price / performance ratio equals the perfect home media hub, and we all know that people simply do not and cannot watch movies on a portable device, except for news and sports clips - something that can be done on the latest 3G phones. Chances are, Apple are prepping or will soon release an iApp that not only provides a media centre interface for all ones own and broadcast content, but integrated with an iTunes type service for home movie downloading and viewing. The movie making apps like Final Cut and iMovie will of course allow movies to be created on the power hardware (such as Powerbooks and G5 Powermac systems) and in a fantastic piece of irony for Apple, viewed on their Mac Mini based media hub - or iBooks and Powerbooks too, which are FAR MORE PRACTICAL for viewing movies! Any future iPod is far more likely to morph into an 'only Apple can do it this way' smart phone / remote control device for ones life and the Mac Mini. Remember you read it here first!
Huggable Unreliable Malitious Adorable Naughty Which is why they are indispendible.
I would prefer Texas the size of an asteroid.
...the Japanese eventually capped the volume on the devices. The very first models were much louder than today's.