I would have to agree. I have been saying this for years. If they could really bring down a plane, then there's no way they'd ever be allowed on the plane. It is simply a way to control the masses. As a frequent flier, I often listen to my iPod or play my PSP while taxiing, takeoff and landing. I have never been involved in any type of air incident. And have never been told of interference.
Most cell phones have issues tracking cell towers as they move fast. My cell phone is almost never turned off. I don't talk a lot, but when I need to, I need to. However, I do get lots of email. And I will start getting email, depending on the city, about 3-10 minutes before I land. It lets me know about any pending fires. Again, no problems.
It used to be pagers, now it is cell phones. But, again, cell phones are allowed to be in use during taxiing, so they can't be that disruptive, as that is one time communications is critical for airplanes.
As for people who want to talk on their phones, if the could, the entire flight, it doesn't bother me. That's what my headphones are for. I just put them on and ignore the rest of the world. Loud and obnoxious can be done without talking on the phone.
The fat binaries (or Universal) has been around for a very long time. NeXT first introduced them in this exact same format. Knowing that Mac OS X is the current incarnation of NextStep (the OS for NeXT machines), I assumed the Intel move would be relatively easy, if the had been maintaining the code.
Now, in retrospect, it looks like they have for Mac OS X, but maybe not for all the other applications (iLife, FCP, etc).
Now, given that the OS has a long history of multi-platform support, it is only a piece of the puzzle.
Application level changes are a bit harder, especially in relying upon functions specific to a chip. Which, for some applications, is the case. Others should be able to do a direct recompile, if the application is still around in source form, the author is interested, etc.
Back when I had acess to NeXT Cubes, I didn't have to worry about it. However, when I later bought NeXTStep 486, I had to. There were lots of applications for the 680x0 systems, I sometimes had to search for those 486 applications. I assume we are headed back into that world.
So, can it happen? Yes. However, I suspect that Apple will move on with the Intel architecture. I assume the PowerMac G5 will be a well respected machine in the meantime, as it does great for video editing, something Widnows machines still work hard to do poorly.
I suspect it might be like the Amiga. While the Amiga didn't get a lot of respect, those in the video editing world used it much longer than people antipicated.
But, in the end, the new macs will be Intel. As a side note, I just sold my G5 DP to someone looking to do video editing with FCP. Even with them knowing the Intel systems were coming out, they still wanted it.
Well, with the odds being so good, I plan on selling my G5 2.0. I have been waiting for this, as if the laptops are truly coming, I can quit using my ThinkPad for work.
I am excited, can't wait. This week is CES, next week Macs. Whoohoo!
I do serious travelling. By serious, I mean I log over 100,000 miles by airplane alone, each year. And I have had a plethora of laptops. WIth that said, I have yet to find a laptop that holds up really well under those circumstances. However, I will tell the story of my laptops.
Every laptop I have had has had some issue, or another. For example, my old TI 486 had problems galore, including the battery latch not latching the battery. After a year of use, it was garbage.
Then, various IBM ThnkPads. They hold up well, almost. Except my last one. At 2 years old, the motherboard was replaced twice, the screen wouldn't stay in one place as it would fall down all the time. The black casing around the monitor broke off on the left side. The one before that was like a tank. And weighed as much, too.
My HP, which saw life as a desktop system, has been the worst of all. The screen couldn't hold it's own weight. And the power connector, if moved, would shut the machine off. Ooops.
And all of them have miserable battery life after 1 year.
And, my one and only Apple Laptop, a 12" PowerBook. At 4 weeks, my nephew dropped it. It slammed into the tile floor and beyond cosmetic damage held up well. It bent part of the case, but everything was still there and fully functional. At 3 years old, the latch broke. It came off. Battery life is still good, but not nearly as well as it was before. But, it holds up almost as much as my 8 month old T43p.
Out of all my laptops, so far, I would say the Apple has held up the best. It's not been perfect, but damn close. After they go Intel, I plan on getting one for personal use.
Again, I might be tough on my laptops but this is an indication of how they hold up..
It's simple. It's a text entry screen. Its not a windows gui app, like Etrade, as that takes far too long.
The oder would look something like this, depending on the system:
Sell 1 MSFT 6100
vs
Sell 6100 msft 1
Which one is correct?
I was flying home, having just finished the work, when the company card was cancelled.
It turns out, this company I worked for had a bad reputation (and getting worse) for customer service. It is one of my personal pet peeves. Customer service is the lifeblood of any consulting (or any other, for that matter) organization. This company's reputation was falling fast.
I left and three years later they went out of business. All sorts of problems. Here's the strange part... the business model almost couldn't fail. Hire people for 25K/year. Then send them out for implementations at 12-2500/day. Huge profit margins. Management embezzled, mismanaged and basically ruined a cash cow.
Of course, after my issues with the company, I wasn't all that unhappy with the outcome.
The company I work for has been very good, for the most part. We have had a lot of turnover due to acquisitions that haven't been well managed.
We acquired a larger competitor and the employees designated for termination during that time were instantly locked out.
Over the course of the last year, there's been a lot of turnover. IT, developers, sales, management, you name it. One of my favorite IT guys just left, and he was allowed to work the entire two weeks.
I also had a teammate of mine leave. I think he was on the payroll, and had system access, but had zero responsibilty for his last two weeks. Then again, he doesn't have much access anyway.
I have another co-worker. We have known he would be leaving for quite some time. He is "retiring" into another career and will be leaving this month.
The company, for some people, will simply let them go. We had a scenario where a technical sales person was leaving for a competitor (which, ironically we bought a while later). He wanted to be involved in a senstive discussion over the sales stragety and pricing for the product. The competitor was also there. The sales team didn't know it at the time, but he had already accepted the offer from the competitor. The sales team did not find out until after this meeting that he would be leaving.
So, time goes on, we lose the deal to the competitor. My company has a long history of bringing back former employees. However, when talking to our general counsel, she said he would not be welcome back. So, when we acquired the company he went to work for, he was terminated on the spot.
It's one thing to be removed from system access. I once gave a company two weeks noticed and finished my current task, doing onsite development. I was travelling and using the company provided credit card. They knew why I was leaving and I was still finishing up all my projects. The card was cancelled even before I finished the work assignment. That was a nice little touch, which simply confirmed why I was leaving.
This issue is user experience. You can add all the gadgetry you want, but it becomes a complex tool. People want their music device simple, easy to navigate and elegant. They don't want the kitchen sink thrown into the tool.
Now, a long time ago, Jobs used to run a company called NeXT. NeXT had the coolest hardware and great software. The hardware was expensive. So, NeXT decided to release different versions of NeXTStep, including NeXTStep 486. I had it.
However, just like any other OS that has been ported to x86 from the 680x0 and PowerPC lines, it didn't do that well on the x86 platform. Remember BeOS. Cool, but didn't sell well.
NeXTStep had a concept of fat binaries, which included the binary code for the platforms it supported, like x86 and 680x0. Which meant that users had to determine if the application would actually run on thier hardware. Most users do not want to do that.
In addition to this, by turning NeXT into more of a software company, they had some successes, like WebObjects but the OS suffered a bit. When purchasing NeXTStep 486, you had to make sure that your hardware was compatible. Its much like Linux is/was. You need to make sure you are not on the bleeding edge, as your video card may not work. BeOS anyone?
Now, due to Mac OS X's lineage, I wouldn't be surprised to find out that a OS X x86 version is kept around, and perhaps in use at some lab in Cupertino.
However, supporting Mac OS X on x86 is more than just CPU support. The chipsets, graphic cards, IDE controllers and myriads of hardware configurations have to be supported. That is a lot of work.
Ask Be. Ask NeXT. Ask those Linux users on laptops that switched to Macs due to better support for certain hardware devices.
See, Apple make a decent product. They have the most successful online music service. The most successful music players. Yes, because they chose to control the system and not share, people get pissy about it.
Are all of their practices perfect? No. But, they created the environment and don't want to "give" their competitive advantage away. This is a far cry from using computer dominance to go into video games , etc.
Let's try this. Create a product. Then give away your IP an see how well you compete.
No, the problem is simple. This system is the world's biggest Ponzi Scheme.
So, you or I try to run a program like this, the FTC comes after us and tries to send us to prison. The government does it and it is a large, legal re-distribution of wealth. The only difference: You don't have a choice.
Before Social Security, people mainly relied upon family. Hence, large families. I get on one kid's nerves, I can move into another one's house.
I have been with NetFlix for about a year. I have enjoyed the service and find the website easy to use. I am a tab browsing addict and open a ton of pages at once. Browsing one page at a time is too slow, even over broadband. So, the Netflix site rules for ease of navigation.
I return movies the day after I receive them, most of the time. A few months ago, I decided to try BlockBuster. The net service is a little cheaper and I can also get two instore rentals a month. The big advantage is the games.
So, I am finally catching up on movies and I need to decide which service to keep. Here's the kicker: Both places have service centers in Denver. So, my movies go to Denver no matter what. However, BlockBuster's service is constantly faster. They claim the post office notifies them of which movies are sent for return and cross ship. This gives me a couple more rental periods each month.
For example, after Christmas, I sent 6 movies back to NFLX and BB on the same day. All three BB movies arrived before the first two from NFLX. What gives?
So, for me, after I receive my last two movies in my queue, I am cancelling the NFLX account. However, I do wish BlockBuster.com was easier to navigate...
I root for the underdog, but I am also a capitalist. Therefore, I go with the cheaper service that gets the movies to me fastest. And on both accounts, it is currently BlockBuster.
I switched my wife to a Mac because I was tired of fixing her system. Now she has an iBook with everything she needs and more. No more getting stupid questions on how to do stupid stuff.
Mac mini: 500
Additional stuff: 300
Never hearing: "what does this blue screen mean?": Priceless
I just realized that I have always gravitated towards the platform with the best user experience. In the 80s, I was using an Amiga. I had 4 of them, the last one an A3000UX. It was a great machine.
However, I saw the platform coming to an end and bought into the 486. I tried Os/2 Warp, Windows and Linux. Linux was fun to tinker with, OS/2 was nice but clunky and windows... well, between crashes, it worked ok.
I grew tired of the windows crap and moved to Mac OS X, as I really didn't like the Mac OS 5-9 user experience.
I would love to try AmigaOS 4. But mainly to tinker with it. If it ran on my g5, it would certainly be something to consider. Yet, they are making it a closed platform, which means that you can't even get a taste of it without shelling out a few hundred bucks.
Seems kinda like the quandry BeOS was in, doesn't it? That's why they ported it to the Mac architecture then to x86.
Unless they open it up to other hardware, it is just a moot point. People will refuse to buy into expensive hardware for even less support, less software than the Mac. People complain about Apple hardware costs. Try Amiga? Naah, won't happen.
So, I can't listen to my music when I am not wearing shades?
I want a bluetooth remote for my iPod, I want a bluetooth module for my Bose QuietComfort 2s. I want to control it while I am on a plane, without worrying about all the damned wires.
With that, I don't need electronic embedded clothing...
Well...
An aqua version would be cool. But, I never used OO.org much on the Mac... so, it's sad in a way, but I get the feeling there's a lot of people like me out there..
I got so sick and tired of acronyms while working in the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), I came up with my own. S.A.M.B.A. Society Against Making Bad Acronyms.
Diesel has several advantages.
First, less processing effort.
For many vehicles, better mileage than the gasoline counterpart (like the TDI line of VW cars).
The ability to run off of biodiesel or WVO. Biodiesel, for those that don't know, can be 100% to 5% and combines both fossil diesel and biomass to create an energy source.
Many vehicles require very little to run Wast Vegetable Oil, and every diesel (or just about) can run from biodiesel without issue.
The only bad sides of diesel, as far as I care, are the smell. Diesel vehicles have difference driving characteristics, but I prefer my Cummins engine to the Triton engine I had...
It is done in all sorts of products. By adding weight, people believe they are more solid than they thought. For example, I worked for Iomega. The Iomega Buz's (a video capture device) breakout box had a weight in the bottom to give it the a truly solid feeling.
I believe the new iPof disktop dock is the same way....
Slashdot Mirror
I would have to agree. I have been saying this for years. If they could really bring down a plane, then there's no way they'd ever be allowed on the plane. It is simply a way to control the masses. As a frequent flier, I often listen to my iPod or play my PSP while taxiing, takeoff and landing. I have never been involved in any type of air incident. And have never been told of interference.
Most cell phones have issues tracking cell towers as they move fast. My cell phone is almost never turned off. I don't talk a lot, but when I need to, I need to. However, I do get lots of email. And I will start getting email, depending on the city, about 3-10 minutes before I land. It lets me know about any pending fires. Again, no problems.
It used to be pagers, now it is cell phones. But, again, cell phones are allowed to be in use during taxiing, so they can't be that disruptive, as that is one time communications is critical for airplanes.
As for people who want to talk on their phones, if the could, the entire flight, it doesn't bother me. That's what my headphones are for. I just put them on and ignore the rest of the world. Loud and obnoxious can be done without talking on the phone.
The fat binaries (or Universal) has been around for a very long time. NeXT first introduced them in this exact same format. Knowing that Mac OS X is the current incarnation of NextStep (the OS for NeXT machines), I assumed the Intel move would be relatively easy, if the had been maintaining the code.
Now, in retrospect, it looks like they have for Mac OS X, but maybe not for all the other applications (iLife, FCP, etc).
Now, given that the OS has a long history of multi-platform support, it is only a piece of the puzzle.
Application level changes are a bit harder, especially in relying upon functions specific to a chip. Which, for some applications, is the case. Others should be able to do a direct recompile, if the application is still around in source form, the author is interested, etc.
Back when I had acess to NeXT Cubes, I didn't have to worry about it. However, when I later bought NeXTStep 486, I had to. There were lots of applications for the 680x0 systems, I sometimes had to search for those 486 applications. I assume we are headed back into that world.
So, can it happen? Yes. However, I suspect that Apple will move on with the Intel architecture. I assume the PowerMac G5 will be a well respected machine in the meantime, as it does great for video editing, something Widnows machines still work hard to do poorly.
I suspect it might be like the Amiga. While the Amiga didn't get a lot of respect, those in the video editing world used it much longer than people antipicated.
But, in the end, the new macs will be Intel. As a side note, I just sold my G5 DP to someone looking to do video editing with FCP. Even with them knowing the Intel systems were coming out, they still wanted it.
Well, with the odds being so good, I plan on selling my G5 2.0. I have been waiting for this, as if the laptops are truly coming, I can quit using my ThinkPad for work.
I am excited, can't wait. This week is CES, next week Macs. Whoohoo!
No fanboy here. Just honest feedback.
I do serious travelling. By serious, I mean I log over 100,000 miles by airplane alone, each year. And I have had a plethora of laptops. WIth that said, I have yet to find a laptop that holds up really well under those circumstances. However, I will tell the story of my laptops.
Every laptop I have had has had some issue, or another. For example, my old TI 486 had problems galore, including the battery latch not latching the battery. After a year of use, it was garbage.
Then, various IBM ThnkPads. They hold up well, almost. Except my last one. At 2 years old, the motherboard was replaced twice, the screen wouldn't stay in one place as it would fall down all the time. The black casing around the monitor broke off on the left side. The one before that was like a tank. And weighed as much, too.
My HP, which saw life as a desktop system, has been the worst of all. The screen couldn't hold it's own weight. And the power connector, if moved, would shut the machine off. Ooops.
And all of them have miserable battery life after 1 year.
And, my one and only Apple Laptop, a 12" PowerBook. At 4 weeks, my nephew dropped it. It slammed into the tile floor and beyond cosmetic damage held up well. It bent part of the case, but everything was still there and fully functional. At 3 years old, the latch broke. It came off. Battery life is still good, but not nearly as well as it was before. But, it holds up almost as much as my 8 month old T43p.
Out of all my laptops, so far, I would say the Apple has held up the best. It's not been perfect, but damn close. After they go Intel, I plan on getting one for personal use.
Again, I might be tough on my laptops but this is an indication of how they hold up..
It's simple. It's a text entry screen. Its not a windows gui app, like Etrade, as that takes far too long. The oder would look something like this, depending on the system: Sell 1 MSFT 6100 vs Sell 6100 msft 1 Which one is correct?
Au Contraire.
I was flying home, having just finished the work, when the company card was cancelled.
It turns out, this company I worked for had a bad reputation (and getting worse) for customer service. It is one of my personal pet peeves. Customer service is the lifeblood of any consulting (or any other, for that matter) organization. This company's reputation was falling fast.
I left and three years later they went out of business. All sorts of problems. Here's the strange part... the business model almost couldn't fail. Hire people for 25K/year. Then send them out for implementations at 12-2500/day. Huge profit margins. Management embezzled, mismanaged and basically ruined a cash cow.
Of course, after my issues with the company, I wasn't all that unhappy with the outcome.
The company I work for has been very good, for the most part. We have had a lot of turnover due to acquisitions that haven't been well managed.
We acquired a larger competitor and the employees designated for termination during that time were instantly locked out.
Over the course of the last year, there's been a lot of turnover. IT, developers, sales, management, you name it. One of my favorite IT guys just left, and he was allowed to work the entire two weeks.
I also had a teammate of mine leave. I think he was on the payroll, and had system access, but had zero responsibilty for his last two weeks. Then again, he doesn't have much access anyway.
I have another co-worker. We have known he would be leaving for quite some time. He is "retiring" into another career and will be leaving this month.
The company, for some people, will simply let them go. We had a scenario where a technical sales person was leaving for a competitor (which, ironically we bought a while later). He wanted to be involved in a senstive discussion over the sales stragety and pricing for the product. The competitor was also there. The sales team didn't know it at the time, but he had already accepted the offer from the competitor. The sales team did not find out until after this meeting that he would be leaving.
So, time goes on, we lose the deal to the competitor. My company has a long history of bringing back former employees. However, when talking to our general counsel, she said he would not be welcome back. So, when we acquired the company he went to work for, he was terminated on the spot.
It's one thing to be removed from system access. I once gave a company two weeks noticed and finished my current task, doing onsite development. I was travelling and using the company provided credit card. They knew why I was leaving and I was still finishing up all my projects. The card was cancelled even before I finished the work assignment. That was a nice little touch, which simply confirmed why I was leaving.
They won't put a dent in the iPod sales, either.
This issue is user experience. You can add all the gadgetry you want, but it becomes a complex tool. People want their music device simple, easy to navigate and elegant. They don't want the kitchen sink thrown into the tool.
Then again, they could hear the clamoring over installing DRM Rootkits without the software.
I can't find the link, but yes, the Apple system will allow booting of Windows XP. An Apple Exec said it.
You are wrong. You stand Corrected.
Let me see...
How many things has Jobs gone back on?
One Button Mouse? Is it still there?
Check.
Now, a long time ago, Jobs used to run a company called NeXT. NeXT had the coolest hardware and great software. The hardware was expensive. So, NeXT decided to release different versions of NeXTStep, including NeXTStep 486. I had it.
However, just like any other OS that has been ported to x86 from the 680x0 and PowerPC lines, it didn't do that well on the x86 platform. Remember BeOS. Cool, but didn't sell well.
NeXTStep had a concept of fat binaries, which included the binary code for the platforms it supported, like x86 and 680x0. Which meant that users had to determine if the application would actually run on thier hardware. Most users do not want to do that.
In addition to this, by turning NeXT into more of a software company, they had some successes, like WebObjects but the OS suffered a bit. When purchasing NeXTStep 486, you had to make sure that your hardware was compatible. Its much like Linux is/was. You need to make sure you are not on the bleeding edge, as your video card may not work. BeOS anyone?
Now, due to Mac OS X's lineage, I wouldn't be surprised to find out that a OS X x86 version is kept around, and perhaps in use at some lab in Cupertino.
However, supporting Mac OS X on x86 is more than just CPU support. The chipsets, graphic cards, IDE controllers and myriads of hardware configurations have to be supported. That is a lot of work.
Ask Be. Ask NeXT. Ask those Linux users on laptops that switched to Macs due to better support for certain hardware devices.
McQuitty's Law States: No matter how fast the computer, it's always too slow.
See, Apple make a decent product. They have the most successful online music service. The most successful music players. Yes, because they chose to control the system and not share, people get pissy about it. Are all of their practices perfect? No. But, they created the environment and don't want to "give" their competitive advantage away. This is a far cry from using computer dominance to go into video games , etc. Let's try this. Create a product. Then give away your IP an see how well you compete.
Sounds like a ponzi scheme to me...
No, the problem is simple. This system is the world's biggest Ponzi Scheme.
So, you or I try to run a program like this, the FTC comes after us and tries to send us to prison. The government does it and it is a large, legal re-distribution of wealth. The only difference: You don't have a choice.
Before Social Security, people mainly relied upon family. Hence, large families. I get on one kid's nerves, I can move into another one's house.
Social Security... Ugh!
I have been with NetFlix for about a year. I have enjoyed the service and find the website easy to use. I am a tab browsing addict and open a ton of pages at once. Browsing one page at a time is too slow, even over broadband. So, the Netflix site rules for ease of navigation.
I return movies the day after I receive them, most of the time. A few months ago, I decided to try BlockBuster. The net service is a little cheaper and I can also get two instore rentals a month. The big advantage is the games.
So, I am finally catching up on movies and I need to decide which service to keep. Here's the kicker: Both places have service centers in Denver. So, my movies go to Denver no matter what. However, BlockBuster's service is constantly faster. They claim the post office notifies them of which movies are sent for return and cross ship. This gives me a couple more rental periods each month.
For example, after Christmas, I sent 6 movies back to NFLX and BB on the same day. All three BB movies arrived before the first two from NFLX. What gives?
So, for me, after I receive my last two movies in my queue, I am cancelling the NFLX account. However, I do wish BlockBuster.com was easier to navigate...
I root for the underdog, but I am also a capitalist. Therefore, I go with the cheaper service that gets the movies to me fastest. And on both accounts, it is currently BlockBuster.
just my two cents.
I switched my wife to a Mac because I was tired of fixing her system. Now she has an iBook with everything she needs and more. No more getting stupid questions on how to do stupid stuff. Mac mini: 500 Additional stuff: 300 Never hearing: "what does this blue screen mean?": Priceless
I just realized that I have always gravitated towards the platform with the best user experience. In the 80s, I was using an Amiga. I had 4 of them, the last one an A3000UX. It was a great machine.
However, I saw the platform coming to an end and bought into the 486. I tried Os/2 Warp, Windows and Linux. Linux was fun to tinker with, OS/2 was nice but clunky and windows... well, between crashes, it worked ok.
I grew tired of the windows crap and moved to Mac OS X, as I really didn't like the Mac OS 5-9 user experience.
I would love to try AmigaOS 4. But mainly to tinker with it. If it ran on my g5, it would certainly be something to consider. Yet, they are making it a closed platform, which means that you can't even get a taste of it without shelling out a few hundred bucks.
Seems kinda like the quandry BeOS was in, doesn't it? That's why they ported it to the Mac architecture then to x86.
Unless they open it up to other hardware, it is just a moot point. People will refuse to buy into expensive hardware for even less support, less software than the Mac. People complain about Apple hardware costs. Try Amiga? Naah, won't happen.
I am not sure about wireless sunglasses.
So, I can't listen to my music when I am not wearing shades?
I want a bluetooth remote for my iPod, I want a bluetooth module for my Bose QuietComfort 2s. I want to control it while I am on a plane, without worrying about all the damned wires.
With that, I don't need electronic embedded clothing...
Well... An aqua version would be cool. But, I never used OO.org much on the Mac... so, it's sad in a way, but I get the feeling there's a lot of people like me out there..
I got so sick and tired of acronyms while working in the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), I came up with my own. S.A.M.B.A. Society Against Making Bad Acronyms.
Diesel has several advantages. First, less processing effort. For many vehicles, better mileage than the gasoline counterpart (like the TDI line of VW cars). The ability to run off of biodiesel or WVO. Biodiesel, for those that don't know, can be 100% to 5% and combines both fossil diesel and biomass to create an energy source. Many vehicles require very little to run Wast Vegetable Oil, and every diesel (or just about) can run from biodiesel without issue. The only bad sides of diesel, as far as I care, are the smell. Diesel vehicles have difference driving characteristics, but I prefer my Cummins engine to the Triton engine I had...
It is done in all sorts of products. By adding weight, people believe they are more solid than they thought. For example, I worked for Iomega. The Iomega Buz's (a video capture device) breakout box had a weight in the bottom to give it the a truly solid feeling.
I believe the new iPof disktop dock is the same way....
Strange how solid = quality.
great idea.... I have the kenwood kvt815. My MP3s in the car are played from the dvds.. works well