While MS pulled some dirty tricks to get OOXML approved and many of us are rightfully questioning ISO's credibility, this article appears to be (at best) sensationalizing things according to one of the arstechnica comments:
Lars Marius Garshol This article is basically bullshit.
What's happened here is that lots of people joined the committee to oppose the standard, and while in the committee that's all they've done. Now that OOXML has been approved, they no longer have any reason to be in the committee, so they are leaving. That's hardly the committee imploding.
So let me say this again: not one of these people have done anything in this committee other than oppose OOXML being taken up as a standard. These people are not key people in the committee. They did try to get other people in the committee to join them, but nobody else wanted to leave in protest over this.
What they are, however, is media-savvy. They've worked on all kinds of IT-related advocacy (anti-DRM, pro-open source, etc etc), so they send out a press release stating that this is a big protest, and the committee is imploding etc etc. This article is basically that press release translated to English and prettied up to look like an article.
I guess at this point people will be wondering how I know this. I've been a member of this committee since 2001, and I know many of the people on that list personally. I voted against OOXML, because I thought it wasn't ready to become a standard. The trouble is: however much you may hate Microsoft, this article remains a piece of useless propaganda.
You're confusing "denial" over climate change (of course it changes! the Sahara was green thousands of years ago, we used to be in an ice age, etc) with being very wary about the political motivations of many of the more shrill people on the stage. Those who claim that the only reason we're looking at any climate change is because of human activity, and that ceasing human activity would magically restore the dynamic climate back to some idyllic state (um... maybe with a green Sahara, but without the continent-covering glaciers, etc?... they have to nail that part down)... well, it's nonsense. You want cognitive disconnect? Check with the people who are convinced that there are no factors involved except for humans, and in particular the people that aren't in their political party.
Where are these fringe Earth-is-flat/moon-landing-was-a-hoax type people who "claim that the only reason we're looking at any climate change is because of human activity, and that ceasing human activity would magically restore the dynamic climate back to some idyllic state"?
I would like to "Check with the people who are convinced that there are no factors involved except for humans", however, I haven't found anyone who takes up such an extreme position... even the most alarmist attitudes seem to be that human activity contributes to climate change rather than being the sole cause.
Or is it simply easier for you to dismiss global warming by portraying those who warn about it as naive and/or thoughtless?
The samsung Omnia has a 3.2 inch 400x240 screen, and is 0.5 inches and weights 5 ounces, and uses a better implementation of exchange activesync than the iPhone.
The iPhone gets less "special" every day.
You're correct in that as technology improves and companies innovate, almost all gadgets get less special everyday. The Omnia is very cool, but it has pros and cons like all devices... some of its advantages and disadvantages vs the iPhone:
+ Compatible with more media formats + A *much* better camera (the iPhone's is crap) + Can shoot video + Has a radio + Supports more input/navigation methods + Has a removable battery + Is a bit lighter - A less responsive touch screen - No multitouch - Smaller screen - Lower screen resolution - No visual voice mail - Currently expensive - Inferior predictive/corrective keyboard entry - Various interface quirks (the WM UI below Samsung's outer layers isn't finger-friendly, its auto-rotate is reportedly flakey, memory issues, etc... it's a new device so hopefully some of that will be resolved by software updates)
If the Omnia had a capacitance rather than resistive screen (as was originally rumored), and if it was higher than WQVA resolution (which is only 60% of the iPhone's HVGA), I'd be more excited about it. Still, it's a slick handheld and if I was to go back to WM, this would be one of the phones I'd consider.
The reason that everyone goes on about its interface is that so many other phones are such a PITA to use. Beyond that, there's also:
- visual voice mail - multitouch - capacitance touchscreen (allows for effortless finger dragging, navigation, and character input) - automatic screen orientation switching without lag - larger than 3", higher than QVGA screen in a less than 5 ounce device - larger than 3", higher than QVGA screen in a less than 0.5" thick device - quick and reliable syncing
Of the 16 touchscreen PDAs I've owned (since my old USR Pilot 1000) and of all the others I've used, the iPhone is the most effectively integrated and balanced between being a phone, web browser, and media player.
On the other hand, it lacks numerous features common to other smartphones. That doesn't negate the iPhone from being "special"; it just means that all phones including the iPhone have pros and cons. If it doesn't match up with your priorities, get something else.
The game was to find out who would see through this stereotypical newbie behavior, and who would fall for it. As one guide to trolldom puts it, âoeIf you donâ(TM)t fall for the joke, you get to be in on it.â
The problem is much worse these days compared to USENET 20 years ago. Before the web made internet forums mainstream, there weren't as many idiots online and it was easier to spot trolls... nowadays when I see some astonishingly stupid comment, more-often-than-not it's genuine.
And of course the transition from USENET to web-based forums has also had the unfortunate effect of information being redundant and/or more difficult to find. Between that and the sheer volume of trolling/idiotic posts, the usefulness of most online forums has diminished.
Even/. suffers from this to a certain extent, but for the most part its moderation system makes comments a little easier to sift through. Sure sometimes mod points are misused in ideological arguments, but it's still more effective than nothing (and much better than the useless voting system at sites like engadget).
So my question is this: How come other forums don't use a moderation system like/.?
You wrote that the Volt would be "a couple grand more" when the reality is that it'll be at least $8k more than the Prius' starting cost (at which it's well equipped, BTW). And that's assuming that it comes in at under $30k as initially announced... for reference, last month Lutz said that closer to $40k is more realistic, which would put it at ~$18k more than the Prius' starting price.
I dunno why you don't want to compare the size of the 2010 Volt to the 2010 Prius, but it isn't especially relevant since (as I noted) the interior volume of the 2010 Prius > current Prius > 2010 Volt. At least that's true for legroom, shoulder room, and headroom. I'm not interested in spin... if the Volt has more cargo area or other space, then that's obviously important. But you wrote simply that it's larger without quantifying or supporting your statement. What is its interior volume? (the Prius has 110 ft^3)
It was widely reported when GM revised its realistic highway electric range from 40 miles to 32 miles (city range will obviously still be higher). My point about your use of the phrase "infinite MPG" is that it's misleading. Even if you never use any gasoline, you're still using energy, and most plug-in hybrids or electric cars provide a "MPG equivalent". For example, in the case of the all-electric Tesla, different numbers have been thrown around but for highway driving 135 MPG is commonly used.
I am curious about something else you wrote, which was that the Volt would take 3 minutes to charge. GM said:
"at 220 volts we will be in a position where within an hour you might be already have half of your range pumped into the battery".."those batteries have this behavior where the first half is faster than the second.".
At 110V, it'll take even longer. Where's your 3 minute charge time from?
For the record, I'm not anti-Volt or pro-Prius. Every car is a compromise. But you yelled at jonnythan for using FUD and not researching when you yourself seem to be guilty of it.
OK, first, the Volt is larger than the Prius, faster, has better acceleration, and will only cost a couple grand more, easily saved on the back end with infinite MPG on trips shorter than 60 miles, and at 60-80MPG when running on the engine.
{snip}
I WILL pay 30K for a car that gets the USD converted electrical equivolent of 150MPG average for my driving habits and takes 3 minutes to recharge.
DO RESEARCH BEFORE SPREADING FUD NEXT TIME!
OK, who modded you up? I'm excited about the Volt for many reasons but your post is filled with misinformation.
First off, the Prius starts at $21k. The Volt's targeted subsidized cost was $30k, but that has since been deemed unrealistic and it's now likely to hit $35k or higher (unsubsidized, it'll cost somewhere between $40k and $48k).
The Prius is roomier (the current generation Prius has more legroom, shoulder room, and headroom than the Volt and the 3rd generation Prius will be even larger).
The Volt will not get infinite MPG on trips shorter than 60 miles. For one thing its electric range was never 60 miles... it started at 40 miles. However, rumor has it that's been reduced to 32 miles (on a side note, its 600 mile gasoline range has been dropped to 360 miles). More to the point is that even if the Volt achieves its goal of the equivalent of 150 MPG, that D.N.E. infinite.
So, next time you decide to accuse someone of not doing research and spreading FUD, perhaps you should do a little research yourself. Or at the very least, don't shout.
I thought he was funny 20 years ago when he was topical. In his recent stuff, I just saw him as a bitter old hippy, taking cheap pot shots at the Republican establishment. I saw no humor or insight, just a bunch of cursing, whining, and hypocrisy. The early stuff, the routines that made his reputation, were outstandingly funny.
Nonsense. His politics have been part of his routine for over 20 years: back in the 80s, he was criticizing "Ronald Reagan and his criminal gang" (as he put it). Agree with his ideology or not, he's always been topical.
But yes, he became cankier as he aged. IMO it suited him.
The/. story (and next-gen article it's based on) are both very misleading. next-gen article states:
The result showed that the youths burned 60 calories (in nutrition terms) more an hour playing Wii, a 2% increase in the amount of energy burned versus the Xbox 360 players. Uhuh... if 60 calories more per hour is only a 2% increase, that'd mean that playing XBox burns 3,000 calories an hour! For anyone not familiar with a person's energy consumption, that's about triple what a 140-pound adult burns racing a bicycle at 20 MPH or running at 9 MPH. Since a typical 13-15 year weighs 110-pounds, the supposed 3,000 calories/hour would be more like quadruple what they would burn running/bicycling.
So obviously that article is wrong. This less sensational and more accurate article states:
Microsoft's Project Gotham Racing 3 for XBOX 360 can't hold a candle in fitness for teens to bowling, tennis, or boxing on Nintendo's Wii Sports, researchers found here.
But neither compared with fitness gains from playing live sports, reported Gareth Stratton, Ph.D., of Liverpool John Moores University, and colleagues in the Dec. 22 issue of BMJ. and
- For Project Gotham Racing 3, the mean energy expenditure was 125.5 kJ/kg/min. - For Wii Sports bowling, it was 190.6 kJ/kg/min. - For Wii Sports boxing, it was 198.1 kJ/kg/min. - For Wii Sports tennis, it was 202.5 kJ/kg/min. So the study actually states that playing Wii Sports burns 51-61% more energy per hour than Project Gotham 3 on the XBox 360. However, the difference in total overall energy consumption over an entire week (counting time doing other things) is only 2%. It isn't clear in the medpagetoday article how many hours of play resulted in that 2% increase. However, if someone burned 12,000 calories per week then 2% of that would be 240 calories, which equates to 4 hours per week (keeping in mind that their definition of an hour includes a 5 min break for every 15 min of play).
Of course, how you play will affect how quickly you burn the calories too... I know people who play Wii sports sitting still while only flicking their wrists and others who stand up and move their whole bodies pretending they're really boxing/batting/whatever.
Does anyone have the inside scoop on why -- over a year after introducing this product -- Nintendo has not been able to ramp production up to meet demand? It wasn't a surprise that they couldn't meet demand last Christmas. But, this time around they've had a full year to get the production line up to speed.
To summarize, Nintendo more than doubled production (to 1.8 million/month) but underestimated how much demand there would be (can't really blame them as this is the first time I remember one item being the thing to get two Christmases in a row).
It's estimated that they could've made an additional billion in sales this season. However, increasing production too quickly is risky as it can cause decreased quality control. And while it appears they're not trying to manipulate demand, they're also don't want to cause it to plummet by putting too many units on the market.
If Negreponte's goal is to get cheap laptops in the hands of poor children, why would he be angry? Those poor kids deserve choice, and competition from the Classmate provides that. So fewer kids get the XO, so what? Seems like Negreponte is letting his ego cloud his vision. Sure he's also expressed disappointment/anger at some of the actions and comments made by Intel and Microsoft, but they're directly competing with the XO: Intel released the Classmate and Microsoft cut Windows to $3 specifically to derail the XO while making comments like (from TFA):
In December 2005, Intel Chairman Craig R. Barrett called an early version a "$100 gadget" that wasn't likely to succeed. At a conference in March 2006, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates said: "Geez, get a decent computer where you can actually read the text and you're not sitting there cranking the thing while you're trying to type." Classy. And now many leaders are going back on verbal/handshake contracts to buy the XO. But despite all that, Negreponte said (also from TFA):
"From my point of view, if the world were to have 30 million" laptops made by competitors "in the hands of children at the end of next year, that to me would be a great success," he said in a recent interview. "My goal is not selling laptops. OLPC is not in the laptop business. It's in the education business." So I'm wondering why was your comment about his ego was marked insightful as you apparently didn't RTFA.
The iPhone doesn't work on my university's network due to its poor (non-existent?) implementation of 802.1x. The final conclusion was that there is nothing we can do about it; Apple made their phone where it will not work on secured networks. Depending on where you live/work, the lack of real wifi is a deal-breaker to me.
If I wanted something like the iPhone, I'd wait for the Neo1973.
Out of curiosity, how is your university's network secured? I have yet to find a wifi network that I can't use the iPhone on, such as my university and town networks (UMass, Amherst), my personal and company networks, and and places like Panera. I routinely run on WEP, WPA, and open networks (many with authentication requirements).
Christ-in-a-sidecar, give us PIM search and copy/paste.
BTW, watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXgsQhiGeag (mostly because it pokes fun at the slightly-creepy iPhone tutorial dude, but also because it's actually a smart copy/paste implementation)
Apart from that, flash in Safari, a spreadsheet, PDF reader, Chess, internet radio, and RDC/VNC clients would be nice. Of course, 3rd party apps already gave us a dictionary, iChat, ssh, etc so those other apps can't be far behind.
If we're talking hardware changes, all I really want is a GPS (everyone bitches about 3G, but there's no coverage for it where I am anyway).
On the one hand I was happy to shell out $600 for the iPhone given that I've been waiting for a wifi PDA/smartphone that doesn't suck for years (the iPhone has its limitations, but frankly I was fed up with Palm's and Windows Mobile's problems).
On the other hand, while I fully expect price drops and product improvements ~6 months after buying something like this, $200 (33%) after 10 weeks is pretty rough. So I think a $100 credit is a fair compromise. Had Apple not done anything, they would've risked tarnishing their brand name (which is perhaps their most valuable asset).
In fact I suggested this exact solution over at the Apple and brighthand forums. Apple deleted my thread, but the important thing is that they're actually doing it.
I was out of town for a couple days, but I'm happy to elaborate on my post. First off, you mentioned the N800, which I actually considered as an alternative (as well as the N770).
You dismissed the weight difference, but the N800 being 50% heavier (7.2 vs 4.8 ounces) and almost double the volume makes it too-big-so-I'll-leave-at-home instead of pocketable-enough-to-always-carry (not to mention that I would also need to carry a cell phone).
You also talked about how'd you'd rather have an 800x480 screen when viewing videos. So would I, but the N800 has no hardware decoder and can't play h.264 at all. Less intensive codecs only play at QVGA (half the resolution of the iPhone). So sadly, video playback on the N800 isn't too hot and hopefully Nokia will add a decoder to their next version.
BTW, when sstraub wrote (in response to you about the N800): "And don't start about VOIP. That's good as a backup, but you aren't going to roam the streets looking for an open WAP when you need to make a phone call!", you (amusingly) replied: "The n800 does call over VOIP. Every phone in my company is solely VOIP and we have thousands of employees. It works great.". As sstraub pointed out it's still not a phone unless you're connected to a WAP.
Now onto the iPhone. You replied to me "You insist the OS is reliable, and given the phone has barely been out long enough to be tested, that is just a ridiculous claim."
I've been using it for a month. It has never crashed or suffered from random system slow downs... the worst I've had is Safari crash, which while irritating is far better than the other devices I've dealt with. Every WinCE/PPC/WM device I've owned and used (even without any 3rd party software) had system-wide performance and reliability problems right away, requiring resets (starting the day I got them). I've owned multiple devices from Dell, Compaq, and HP; it wasn't a fluke. I've also had no syncing problems with the iPhone, unlike the nightmare that is ActiveSync.
To be fair, the PalmOS and Nokia smartphones I've used faired better than the CE devices, but they also had various reliability issues.
You wrote "Intuitive and fast interface? This is the standby claim that all Apple products have superior interfaces. In reality, I can much more easily (and quickly) navigate on a standard phone with one hand than have to fight with a touchscreen and use two hands."
Unless I'm typing in something with the QWERTY keyboard, I use the iPhone with one hand. However, that wasn't even what I was getting at... the interface on the iPhone is so easy to navigate it requires no manual/training/learning. And it always responds quickly. While I can adapt pretty quickly to interfaces on other phones, the point is that they're a PITA. How is that being a "fanboy" or "revisionist"?
You wrote "Durable touchscreen? A brand new product that hasn't been tested yet has unparalleled durability. These statements come across like blind fanaticism."
It's durable because its screen is capacitance-based instead of pressure sensitive and it's got a scratch-resistant glass layer. It is the only touchscreen smartphone I know of with this feature.
After a month, the screen is still perfect despite not using a case or screen protector. This is in sharp contrast to the other 14 touchscreen PDAs I've owned over the years, all of which scratched very easily. Also note PC World's iPhone test, which would've wreaked havoc on other PDA screens: http://www.pcworld.com/video/id,545-page,1-bid,0/v ideo.html
So why is what I wrote "blind fanaticism"?
You wrote "Feature-rich web browser? Where is the Flash support? Oh, it doesn't exist."
Yes, which is why I listed it among the things the iPhone can't do. It's still a feature-rich web browser given that it renders accurately and quickly and its intelligent zoom
The iPhone makes several compromises and it lacks a number of features: There's no video recorder, voice recorder, GPS, MMS, installable apps, expandable memory, replaceable battery, flash, physical keyboard, copy/paste, PIM-search, etc. Also EDGE can be quite slow. And of course it's a closed system with both the hardware and software from a single vendor.
On the other hand, its formfactor, screen/footprint/thickness ratios, responsive and reliable OS, intuitive and fast interface, durable capacitance touchscreen, feature-rich web browser, visual voice mail, battery life, included memory, and tight integration between the apps are all unparalleled among other smartphones.
If it's an effective tool for you and you enjoy using it, get one. If not, get something else. But enough with the whining already.
With solar, it all eventually comes back to storing the power, as they obviously don't operate in darkness. So how much would the batteries cost (initially, and in maintenance) to make this a viable power solution? How much wattage would you need to have enough "storage" for nighttime? Or more practically, for a few cloudy/rainy days in a row? There are several options other than chemical batteries. Pumped-storage hydroelectricity is commonly used, but it's inefficient (for example, Northfield Mountain only returns ~35% of the energy that's expended pumping the water uphill). Flywheels are very promising. I read some interesting articles in the 1990s about using them in electric cars, but that presents various challenges (cost, gyroscopic forces, what happens when a car crashes, etc). Even if we can't get that to work, is seems like they're a great choice for stationary energy storage. Currently they're still very expensive and are only used for this in a few applications (such as satellites and some UPSs).
The facts are agreed by all parties, the fight is over WHICH members of management/board were responsible. Apple is blaming a FORMERCFO who is no longer CURRENT management, hence the spokesman's weasel words, which you unthinkingly parrot. I don't need another source, you just need to THINK. Unthinkingly parrot? It's from the article that you linked to and I even put in the qualifier "Sure the weight of that statement is diminished given that it's from an Apple spokesman". I have no interest in this deteriorating into a flamewar, but it seems to me that you unthinkingly cited that article. Clearly some previous board members and/or upper management are guilty. But that's not the argument... to recap:
you claimed in your initial post that Apple's upper management *including* Steve Jobs have admitted to doing this stuff
you used that article as a source for your claim
that article doesn't back up your claim and in-fact contains a passage that contradicts it
Note that I haven't taken any position on whether or not Steve Jobs is innocent.
whoever did this is engaged in very tiny-scale fraud compared to what Steve Jobs and the rest of upper management have already admitted doing.
They have admitted:
* Inventing on paper a fake Board of Directors Committee meeting that never took place (source)
* Using this fake meeting to backdate options at a total benefit to Jobs of $20 million (contrary to Jobs' false spin) (same source)
{snip}
Those facts are agreed by all parties. In the article that you linked to, an Apple spokesman is quoted as saying:
"After an exhaustive independent investigation, the special committee (conducted by outside legal counsel) found no evidence that Steve Jobs, any member of the current board or current management was aware of that irregularity," he said. "The options grant was canceled and Steve Jobs realized no financial benefit from the grant." Sure the weight of that statement is diminished given that it's from an Apple spokesman, however, I didn't see anything in the article that contradicts him. So I'm puzzled as to why you used that article to support your assertion that Steve Jobs has "already admitted doing" this and that the "facts are agreed by all parties". Do you have another source to support your claims?
In order to use OSX you have to own apple hardware. Parents buying computers for their kids for college/hs are going to care about one thing: Price.
You can pay $1300 for a mac...or you can spend $700 for a PC.
{snip}
If I could buy OSX for my PC...i probably would, just so I could have both. But I don't want to have to spend twice as much on my computer
You're right about one thing... parents choose to buy the Windows computer because they *think* getting a Mac will cost twice as much (in part because of a misperception that people like you keep perpetuating).
The reality is that Macs are medium-high grade machines that are priced in the same ball park as similar Windows machines. You can get low-end Windows boxes cheaper than Macs just like you can get low-end Windows boxes cheaper than medium grade Windows boxes.
For example, a well equipped iMac costs $1099 for a 17" and $1399 for a 20" (edu pricing, which pretty much everyone qualifies for). These have 1 GB RAM, dual-layer DVD, 2.0 or 2.16 GHz Core2Duo CPU, web cam, microphone, wireless remote, firewire, BT, and wifi all integrated into a slick, flat chassis. These often come with free printers and/or iPods after a rebate.
Get an all-in-one unit with Windows and it'll be priced comparably (and in some cases, the Windows machine costs more). Or you can get a cheap Dell with a standard tower case for $700, but it wont have all those features and will come with a lesser flavor of Vista.
Likewise, my university store sells the midrange MacBook (1GB RAM, dual-layer DVD, 2 GHz Core2Duo, BT, wifi, webcam, microphone, firewire, mag-power connector, widescreen) for $1119 ($80 cheaper than normal edu pricing).
Yeah, you can get a low-end Windows laptop at Bestbuy for $600-900, but it won't have those features. Instead, you're looking at $900-1300 to get a medium-grade Windows laptop, which puts you close to the price of the MacBook.
So enough of the "it costs twice as much" nonsense. Sure, you *can* configure expensive Apple systems, but you don't have to.
The iPhone's interface is amazing and I would like nothing better than to ditch the embarrassment-of-an-OS that is Windows mobile (mediocre interface, intermittent syncing problems, crippled web browser, nightmarish memory management, unreliable alarms!, and all-around temperamental and sluggish behavior).
But the iPhone's amazing hardware and multitouch interface do me no good if it doesn't have a browser with proper AJAX support (Safari doesn't), spreadsheet, SSH, RDC/VNC clients, and a way to store encrypted passwords.
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A preliminary analysis of air samples from North Korea shows "radioactive debris consistent with a North Korea nuclear test," according to a statement from the office of the top U.S. intelligence official.
The statement, from the office of Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte, was sent to Capitol Hill but not released publicly. CNN obtained it from a congressional source.
If confirmed, the nuclear weapons test that North Korea claimed it conducted on Monday would be the first of its kind since Pakistan's underground blast in 1998.
Pyongyang's claim has renewed fears of a regional arms race and that North Korea might aid terrorists with nuclear materials or technology.
The national intelligence office statement said the air samples were collected Wednesday, and analysis found debris that would be consistent with a nuclear test "in the vicinity of Punggye" on Monday.
"Additional analysis is ongoing and will be completed in a few days," the statement said.
The South Korean Defense Ministry told CNN that the United States has informed it that radioactivity has been detected.
The report is in contrast to information provided to CNN earlier Friday from two U.S. government officials with access to classified information. Those officials said that an initial air sampling over North Korea showed no indication of radioactive debris.
The White House said it had no confirmation that the North Koreans conducted a nuclear test.
"We've seen the various press reports," said National Security Council spokesman Fred Jones. "We still have no definitive statement on the event. The intelligence community continues to analyze the data."
The U.S. Air Force flew a WC-135 Constant Phoenix atmospheric collection aircraft on Tuesday to collect air samples from the region.
The intelligence community and the military will also continue to collect air samples in the region and use satellite information to try to collect radiological data that would confirm a nuclear test, officials said. But as time goes on, it will be increasingly difficult to achieve confirmation.
Officials emphasized earlier Friday that the data collected are preliminary and provide no conclusive evidence about the North Korean event.
It is possible there was no radiological data. That could be the case if: the North Koreans successfully sealed the site; it was such a small detonation and so deep underground there was no escape of nuclear debris; or the test was actually conventional explosives.
The U.N. Security Council has agreed to vote Saturday on whether to impose sanctions on North Korea over the purported nuclear test, according to John Bolton, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
CNN's Suzanne Malveaux, Jamie McIntyre and Barbara Starr contributed to this report.
Why did they use the "all or nothing" approach of requiring the admin password to install some things? Why not introduce a new model where everything in the filesystem is an object of one of the following types:
- operating system - hardware - hardware configuration - program - program configuration - interface configuration - data
Have the option of using different passwords for access to operating system, hardware, and program objects. When you run a program installer, it wouldn't be able to mess with your hardware or OS that way. The admin password would basically never be needed unless you were doing OS updates.
Slashdot Mirror
While MS pulled some dirty tricks to get OOXML approved and many of us are rightfully questioning ISO's credibility, this article appears to be (at best) sensationalizing things according to one of the arstechnica comments:
Climate change denial
You're confusing "denial" over climate change (of course it changes! the Sahara was green thousands of years ago, we used to be in an ice age, etc) with being very wary about the political motivations of many of the more shrill people on the stage. Those who claim that the only reason we're looking at any climate change is because of human activity, and that ceasing human activity would magically restore the dynamic climate back to some idyllic state (um... maybe with a green Sahara, but without the continent-covering glaciers, etc? ... they have to nail that part down)... well, it's nonsense. You want cognitive disconnect? Check with the people who are convinced that there are no factors involved except for humans, and in particular the people that aren't in their political party.
Where are these fringe Earth-is-flat/moon-landing-was-a-hoax type people who "claim that the only reason we're looking at any climate change is because of human activity, and that ceasing human activity would magically restore the dynamic climate back to some idyllic state"?
I would like to "Check with the people who are convinced that there are no factors involved except for humans", however, I haven't found anyone who takes up such an extreme position... even the most alarmist attitudes seem to be that human activity contributes to climate change rather than being the sole cause.
Or is it simply easier for you to dismiss global warming by portraying those who warn about it as naive and/or thoughtless?
The samsung Omnia has a 3.2 inch 400x240 screen, and is 0.5 inches and weights 5 ounces, and uses a better implementation of exchange activesync than the iPhone.
The iPhone gets less "special" every day.
You're correct in that as technology improves and companies innovate, almost all gadgets get less special everyday. The Omnia is very cool, but it has pros and cons like all devices... some of its advantages and disadvantages vs the iPhone:
+ Compatible with more media formats
+ A *much* better camera (the iPhone's is crap)
+ Can shoot video
+ Has a radio
+ Supports more input/navigation methods
+ Has a removable battery
+ Is a bit lighter
- A less responsive touch screen
- No multitouch
- Smaller screen
- Lower screen resolution
- No visual voice mail
- Currently expensive
- Inferior predictive/corrective keyboard entry
- Various interface quirks (the WM UI below Samsung's outer layers isn't finger-friendly, its auto-rotate is reportedly flakey, memory issues, etc... it's a new device so hopefully some of that will be resolved by software updates)
If the Omnia had a capacitance rather than resistive screen (as was originally rumored), and if it was higher than WQVA resolution (which is only 60% of the iPhone's HVGA), I'd be more excited about it. Still, it's a slick handheld and if I was to go back to WM, this would be one of the phones I'd consider.
There's nothing that special about the iPhone...
The reason that everyone goes on about its interface is that so many other phones are such a PITA to use. Beyond that, there's also:
- visual voice mail
- multitouch
- capacitance touchscreen (allows for effortless finger dragging, navigation, and character input)
- automatic screen orientation switching without lag
- larger than 3", higher than QVGA screen in a less than 5 ounce device
- larger than 3", higher than QVGA screen in a less than 0.5" thick device
- quick and reliable syncing
Of the 16 touchscreen PDAs I've owned (since my old USR Pilot 1000) and of all the others I've used, the iPhone is the most effectively integrated and balanced between being a phone, web browser, and media player.
On the other hand, it lacks numerous features common to other smartphones. That doesn't negate the iPhone from being "special"; it just means that all phones including the iPhone have pros and cons. If it doesn't match up with your priorities, get something else.
The game was to find out who would see through this stereotypical newbie behavior, and who would fall for it. As one guide to trolldom puts it, âoeIf you donâ(TM)t fall for the joke, you get to be in on it.â
The problem is much worse these days compared to USENET 20 years ago. Before the web made internet forums mainstream, there weren't as many idiots online and it was easier to spot trolls... nowadays when I see some astonishingly stupid comment, more-often-than-not it's genuine.
And of course the transition from USENET to web-based forums has also had the unfortunate effect of information being redundant and/or more difficult to find. Between that and the sheer volume of trolling/idiotic posts, the usefulness of most online forums has diminished.
Even /. suffers from this to a certain extent, but for the most part its moderation system makes comments a little easier to sift through. Sure sometimes mod points are misused in ideological arguments, but it's still more effective than nothing (and much better than the useless voting system at sites like engadget).
So my question is this: How come other forums don't use a moderation system like /.?
You wrote that the Volt would be "a couple grand more" when the reality is that it'll be at least $8k more than the Prius' starting cost (at which it's well equipped, BTW). And that's assuming that it comes in at under $30k as initially announced... for reference, last month Lutz said that closer to $40k is more realistic, which would put it at ~$18k more than the Prius' starting price.
I dunno why you don't want to compare the size of the 2010 Volt to the 2010 Prius, but it isn't especially relevant since (as I noted) the interior volume of the 2010 Prius > current Prius > 2010 Volt. At least that's true for legroom, shoulder room, and headroom. I'm not interested in spin... if the Volt has more cargo area or other space, then that's obviously important. But you wrote simply that it's larger without quantifying or supporting your statement. What is its interior volume? (the Prius has 110 ft^3)
It was widely reported when GM revised its realistic highway electric range from 40 miles to 32 miles (city range will obviously still be higher). My point about your use of the phrase "infinite MPG" is that it's misleading. Even if you never use any gasoline, you're still using energy, and most plug-in hybrids or electric cars provide a "MPG equivalent". For example, in the case of the all-electric Tesla, different numbers have been thrown around but for highway driving 135 MPG is commonly used.
I am curious about something else you wrote, which was that the Volt would take 3 minutes to charge. GM said:
"at 220 volts we will be in a position where within an hour you might be already have half of your range pumped into the battery".."those batteries have this behavior where the first half is faster than the second.".
At 110V, it'll take even longer. Where's your 3 minute charge time from?
For the record, I'm not anti-Volt or pro-Prius. Every car is a compromise. But you yelled at jonnythan for using FUD and not researching when you yourself seem to be guilty of it.
OK, first, the Volt is larger than the Prius, faster, has better acceleration, and will only cost a couple grand more, easily saved on the back end with infinite MPG on trips shorter than 60 miles, and at 60-80MPG when running on the engine.
{snip}
I WILL pay 30K for a car that gets the USD converted electrical equivolent of 150MPG average for my driving habits and takes 3 minutes to recharge.
DO RESEARCH BEFORE SPREADING FUD NEXT TIME!
OK, who modded you up? I'm excited about the Volt for many reasons but your post is filled with misinformation.
First off, the Prius starts at $21k. The Volt's targeted subsidized cost was $30k, but that has since been deemed unrealistic and it's now likely to hit $35k or higher (unsubsidized, it'll cost somewhere between $40k and $48k).
The Prius is roomier (the current generation Prius has more legroom, shoulder room, and headroom than the Volt and the 3rd generation Prius will be even larger).
The Volt will not get infinite MPG on trips shorter than 60 miles. For one thing its electric range was never 60 miles... it started at 40 miles. However, rumor has it that's been reduced to 32 miles (on a side note, its 600 mile gasoline range has been dropped to 360 miles). More to the point is that even if the Volt achieves its goal of the equivalent of 150 MPG, that D.N.E. infinite.
So, next time you decide to accuse someone of not doing research and spreading FUD, perhaps you should do a little research yourself. Or at the very least, don't shout.
Nonsense. His politics have been part of his routine for over 20 years: back in the 80s, he was criticizing "Ronald Reagan and his criminal gang" (as he put it). Agree with his ideology or not, he's always been topical.I thought he was funny 20 years ago when he was topical. In his recent stuff, I just saw him as a bitter old hippy, taking cheap pot shots at the Republican establishment. I saw no humor or insight, just a bunch of cursing, whining, and hypocrisy. The early stuff, the routines that made his reputation, were outstandingly funny.
But yes, he became cankier as he aged. IMO it suited him.
it's = contraction of it is
its = possessive of it
By that logic, why not sue all the MP3 manufacturers that don't support MP4/M4A?
So obviously that article is wrong. This less sensational and more accurate article states: Microsoft's Project Gotham Racing 3 for XBOX 360 can't hold a candle in fitness for teens to bowling, tennis, or boxing on Nintendo's Wii Sports, researchers found here.
But neither compared with fitness gains from playing live sports, reported Gareth Stratton, Ph.D., of Liverpool John Moores University, and colleagues in the Dec. 22 issue of BMJ. and - For Project Gotham Racing 3, the mean energy expenditure was 125.5
kJ/kg/min.
- For Wii Sports bowling, it was 190.6 kJ/kg/min.
- For Wii Sports boxing, it was 198.1 kJ/kg/min.
- For Wii Sports tennis, it was 202.5 kJ/kg/min. So the study actually states that playing Wii Sports burns 51-61% more energy per hour than Project Gotham 3 on the XBox 360. However, the difference in total overall energy consumption over an entire week (counting time doing other things) is only 2%. It isn't clear in the medpagetoday article how many hours of play resulted in that 2% increase. However, if someone burned 12,000 calories per week then 2% of that would be 240 calories, which equates to 4 hours per week (keeping in mind that their definition of an hour includes a 5 min break for every 15 min of play).
Of course, how you play will affect how quickly you burn the calories too... I know people who play Wii sports sitting still while only flicking their wrists and others who stand up and move their whole bodies pretending they're really boxing/batting/whatever.
What's up? Is their a particular component that is hard to come by or has a real low yield? This was already discussed at slashdot:
http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/12/17/178206&from=rss
To summarize, Nintendo more than doubled production (to 1.8 million/month) but underestimated how much demand there would be (can't really blame them as this is the first time I remember one item being the thing to get two Christmases in a row).
It's estimated that they could've made an additional billion in sales this season. However, increasing production too quickly is risky as it can cause decreased quality control. And while it appears they're not trying to manipulate demand, they're also don't want to cause it to plummet by putting too many units on the market.
More details:
http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7965&Itemid=2
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/14/technology/14wii.html?_r=3&pagewanted=1&ref=technology&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
The iPhone doesn't work on my university's network due to its poor (non-existent?) implementation of 802.1x. The final conclusion was that there is nothing we can do about it; Apple made their phone where it will not work on secured networks. Depending on where you live/work, the lack of real wifi is a deal-breaker to me.
If I wanted something like the iPhone, I'd wait for the Neo1973.
Out of curiosity, how is your university's network secured? I have yet to find a wifi network that I can't use the iPhone on, such as my university and town networks (UMass, Amherst), my personal and company networks, and and places like Panera. I routinely run on WEP, WPA, and open networks (many with authentication requirements).Christ-in-a-sidecar, give us PIM search and copy/paste.
BTW, watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXgsQhiGeag (mostly because it pokes fun at the slightly-creepy iPhone tutorial dude, but also because it's actually a smart copy/paste implementation)
Apart from that, flash in Safari, a spreadsheet, PDF reader, Chess, internet radio, and RDC/VNC clients would be nice. Of course, 3rd party apps already gave us a dictionary, iChat, ssh, etc so those other apps can't be far behind.
If we're talking hardware changes, all I really want is a GPS (everyone bitches about 3G, but there's no coverage for it where I am anyway).
On the one hand I was happy to shell out $600 for the iPhone given that I've been waiting for a wifi PDA/smartphone that doesn't suck for years (the iPhone has its limitations, but frankly I was fed up with Palm's and Windows Mobile's problems).
On the other hand, while I fully expect price drops and product improvements ~6 months after buying something like this, $200 (33%) after 10 weeks is pretty rough. So I think a $100 credit is a fair compromise. Had Apple not done anything, they would've risked tarnishing their brand name (which is perhaps their most valuable asset).
In fact I suggested this exact solution over at the Apple and brighthand forums. Apple deleted my thread, but the important thing is that they're actually doing it.
I was out of town for a couple days, but I'm happy to elaborate on my post. First off, you mentioned the N800, which I actually considered as an alternative (as well as the N770).
You dismissed the weight difference, but the N800 being 50% heavier (7.2 vs 4.8 ounces) and almost double the volume makes it too-big-so-I'll-leave-at-home instead of pocketable-enough-to-always-carry (not to mention that I would also need to carry a cell phone).
You also talked about how'd you'd rather have an 800x480 screen when viewing videos. So would I, but the N800 has no hardware decoder and can't play h.264 at all. Less intensive codecs only play at QVGA (half the resolution of the iPhone). So sadly, video playback on the N800 isn't too hot and hopefully Nokia will add a decoder to their next version.
BTW, when sstraub wrote (in response to you about the N800): "And don't start about VOIP. That's good as a backup, but you aren't going to roam the streets looking for an open WAP when you need to make a phone call!", you (amusingly) replied: "The n800 does call over VOIP. Every phone in my company is solely VOIP and we have thousands of employees. It works great.". As sstraub pointed out it's still not a phone unless you're connected to a WAP.
Now onto the iPhone. You replied to me "You insist the OS is reliable, and given the phone has barely been out long enough to be tested, that is just a ridiculous claim."
I've been using it for a month. It has never crashed or suffered from random system slow downs... the worst I've had is Safari crash, which while irritating is far better than the other devices I've dealt with. Every WinCE/PPC/WM device I've owned and used (even without any 3rd party software) had system-wide performance and reliability problems right away, requiring resets (starting the day I got them). I've owned multiple devices from Dell, Compaq, and HP; it wasn't a fluke. I've also had no syncing problems with the iPhone, unlike the nightmare that is ActiveSync.
To be fair, the PalmOS and Nokia smartphones I've used faired better than the CE devices, but they also had various reliability issues.
You wrote "Intuitive and fast interface? This is the standby claim that all Apple products have superior interfaces. In reality, I can much more easily (and quickly) navigate on a standard phone with one hand than have to fight with a touchscreen and use two hands."
Unless I'm typing in something with the QWERTY keyboard, I use the iPhone with one hand. However, that wasn't even what I was getting at... the interface on the iPhone is so easy to navigate it requires no manual/training/learning. And it always responds quickly. While I can adapt pretty quickly to interfaces on other phones, the point is that they're a PITA. How is that being a "fanboy" or "revisionist"?
You wrote "Durable touchscreen? A brand new product that hasn't been tested yet has unparalleled durability. These statements come across like blind fanaticism."
It's durable because its screen is capacitance-based instead of pressure sensitive and it's got a scratch-resistant glass layer. It is the only touchscreen smartphone I know of with this feature.
After a month, the screen is still perfect despite not using a case or screen protector. This is in sharp contrast to the other 14 touchscreen PDAs I've owned over the years, all of which scratched very easily. Also note PC World's iPhone test, which would've wreaked havoc on other PDA screens: http://www.pcworld.com/video/id,545-page,1-bid,0/v ideo.html
So why is what I wrote "blind fanaticism"?
You wrote "Feature-rich web browser? Where is the Flash support? Oh, it doesn't exist."
Yes, which is why I listed it among the things the iPhone can't do. It's still a feature-rich web browser given that it renders accurately and quickly and its intelligent zoom
The iPhone makes several compromises and it lacks a number of features: There's no video recorder, voice recorder, GPS, MMS, installable apps, expandable memory, replaceable battery, flash, physical keyboard, copy/paste, PIM-search, etc. Also EDGE can be quite slow. And of course it's a closed system with both the hardware and software from a single vendor.
On the other hand, its formfactor, screen/footprint/thickness ratios, responsive and reliable OS, intuitive and fast interface, durable capacitance touchscreen, feature-rich web browser, visual voice mail, battery life, included memory, and tight integration between the apps are all unparalleled among other smartphones.
If it's an effective tool for you and you enjoy using it, get one. If not, get something else. But enough with the whining already.
- you claimed in your initial post that Apple's upper management *including* Steve Jobs have admitted to doing this stuff
- you used that article as a source for your claim
- that article doesn't back up your claim and in-fact contains a passage that contradicts it
Note that I haven't taken any position on whether or not Steve Jobs is innocent.They have admitted:
* Inventing on paper a fake Board of Directors Committee meeting that never took place (source)
* Using this fake meeting to backdate options at a total benefit to Jobs of $20 million (contrary to Jobs' false spin) (same source)
{snip}
Those facts are agreed by all parties. In the article that you linked to, an Apple spokesman is quoted as saying: "After an exhaustive independent investigation, the special committee (conducted by outside legal counsel) found no evidence that Steve Jobs, any member of the current board or current management was aware of that irregularity," he said. "The options grant was canceled and Steve Jobs realized no financial benefit from the grant." Sure the weight of that statement is diminished given that it's from an Apple spokesman, however, I didn't see anything in the article that contradicts him. So I'm puzzled as to why you used that article to support your assertion that Steve Jobs has "already admitted doing" this and that the "facts are agreed by all parties". Do you have another source to support your claims?
You're right about one thing... parents choose to buy the Windows computer because they *think* getting a Mac will cost twice as much (in part because of a misperception that people like you keep perpetuating).
The reality is that Macs are medium-high grade machines that are priced in the same ball park as similar Windows machines. You can get low-end Windows boxes cheaper than Macs just like you can get low-end Windows boxes cheaper than medium grade Windows boxes.
For example, a well equipped iMac costs $1099 for a 17" and $1399 for a 20" (edu pricing, which pretty much everyone qualifies for). These have 1 GB RAM, dual-layer DVD, 2.0 or 2.16 GHz Core2Duo CPU, web cam, microphone, wireless remote, firewire, BT, and wifi all integrated into a slick, flat chassis. These often come with free printers and/or iPods after a rebate.
Get an all-in-one unit with Windows and it'll be priced comparably (and in some cases, the Windows machine costs more). Or you can get a cheap Dell with a standard tower case for $700, but it wont have all those features and will come with a lesser flavor of Vista.
Likewise, my university store sells the midrange MacBook (1GB RAM, dual-layer DVD, 2 GHz Core2Duo, BT, wifi, webcam, microphone, firewire, mag-power connector, widescreen) for $1119 ($80 cheaper than normal edu pricing).
Yeah, you can get a low-end Windows laptop at Bestbuy for $600-900, but it won't have those features. Instead, you're looking at $900-1300 to get a medium-grade Windows laptop, which puts you close to the price of the MacBook.
So enough of the "it costs twice as much" nonsense. Sure, you *can* configure expensive Apple systems, but you don't have to.
The iPhone's interface is amazing and I would like nothing better than to ditch the embarrassment-of-an-OS that is Windows mobile (mediocre interface, intermittent syncing problems, crippled web browser, nightmarish memory management, unreliable alarms!, and all-around temperamental and sluggish behavior).
But the iPhone's amazing hardware and multitouch interface do me no good if it doesn't have a browser with proper AJAX support (Safari doesn't), spreadsheet, SSH, RDC/VNC clients, and a way to store encrypted passwords.
U.S. intelligence statement: N. Korea radioactivity detected
a .test.sample/index.html
From http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/10/13/nkore
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A preliminary analysis of air samples from North Korea shows "radioactive debris consistent with a North Korea nuclear test," according to a statement from the office of the top U.S. intelligence official.
The statement, from the office of Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte, was sent to Capitol Hill but not released publicly. CNN obtained it from a congressional source.
If confirmed, the nuclear weapons test that North Korea claimed it conducted on Monday would be the first of its kind since Pakistan's underground blast in 1998.
Pyongyang's claim has renewed fears of a regional arms race and that North Korea might aid terrorists with nuclear materials or technology.
The national intelligence office statement said the air samples were collected Wednesday, and analysis found debris that would be consistent with a nuclear test "in the vicinity of Punggye" on Monday.
"Additional analysis is ongoing and will be completed in a few days," the statement said.
The South Korean Defense Ministry told CNN that the United States has informed it that radioactivity has been detected.
The report is in contrast to information provided to CNN earlier Friday from two U.S. government officials with access to classified information. Those officials said that an initial air sampling over North Korea showed no indication of radioactive debris.
The White House said it had no confirmation that the North Koreans conducted a nuclear test.
"We've seen the various press reports," said National Security Council spokesman Fred Jones. "We still have no definitive statement on the event. The intelligence community continues to analyze the data."
The U.S. Air Force flew a WC-135 Constant Phoenix atmospheric collection aircraft on Tuesday to collect air samples from the region.
The intelligence community and the military will also continue to collect air samples in the region and use satellite information to try to collect radiological data that would confirm a nuclear test, officials said. But as time goes on, it will be increasingly difficult to achieve confirmation.
Officials emphasized earlier Friday that the data collected are preliminary and provide no conclusive evidence about the North Korean event.
It is possible there was no radiological data. That could be the case if: the North Koreans successfully sealed the site; it was such a small detonation and so deep underground there was no escape of nuclear debris; or the test was actually conventional explosives.
The U.N. Security Council has agreed to vote Saturday on whether to impose sanctions on North Korea over the purported nuclear test, according to John Bolton, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
CNN's Suzanne Malveaux, Jamie McIntyre and Barbara Starr contributed to this report.
(I posted this in another thread a while back)
Why did they use the "all or nothing" approach of requiring the admin password to install some things? Why not introduce a new model where everything in the filesystem is an object of one of the following types:
- operating system
- hardware
- hardware configuration
- program
- program configuration
- interface configuration
- data
Have the option of using different passwords for access to operating system, hardware, and program objects. When you run a program installer, it wouldn't be able to mess with your hardware or OS that way. The admin password would basically never be needed unless you were doing OS updates.