Nick Naylor: "Gentlemen, practice these words in front of the mirror: Although we are constantly exploring the subject, currently there is no direct evidence that links cellphone usage to brain cancer."
I am based in the UK but ordered an XO in the initial G1G1 programme and had it delivered to a friend in the US who then sent it on to me here in London. All I can say is that the experience was an absolute debacle. If you check the forums of OLPC News you can see just how bad it was - repeated broken promises as to delivery dates, support staff who couldn't provide any answers and an end product less than what was initially promised (e.g. no separate power generating devices).
I was and still am a supporter of the OLPC; whilst the product itself is not aimed at me, even still I think it is a great computer and a lot of fun to use. I give them full credit as well for creating the "netbook" market from nothing. However, the G1G1 experience turned a lot of people off the OLPC organisation. It is hard to have confidence that they can execute their mission when they couldn't even get the logistics right for a first world country. I just hope we don't have a repeat of that this time around.
Admittedly I haven't been following this as closely as I should have, and it will definitely affect my vote* so perhaps you can help me out: Which candidate has the best (or even any) policy in relation to WAR (Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning)? Thanks in advance for the help!
Ok, I might not actually be a US citizen, but if I was, I am sure it would impact my vote...
Incredibly enough, there are some music fans that actually live outside the US. Obviously MTV doesn't think we are a large demographic given this message: "Copyright restricts us from playing this video outside the U.S."
Just another reason they are irrelevant - sad really, given I used to love MTV growing up (then again, that was way back when the M stood for music).
I think the most interesting thing to come out of this is what wasn't explicitly said. Jobs does not look like he is in good shape at the moment. He also made a point of having others within the company help him present. I think he is going to be giving up full-time work at Apple (whether voluntarily or not) sooner rather than later and he is now trying to present the company as being more than a one-man band. Whether or not investors believe that however is another matter.
I recently read about a concept called Results-Only Work Environment (or ROWE for short) in a book called Why Work Sucks by Cali Ressler and Jodi Thompson. The book is about a programme they implemented at Best Buy's corporate headquarters which lets people only be judged on results, not time.
They did away with schedules, compulsory meetings etc. and it let them weed out people who accomplished nothing, whilst allowing everyone else take control of their own time. In other words, to bring it back to the article, they suggest that ALL time is personal - it doesn't matter how you do it, provided you get what you need to done on time. Staff retention, motivation and productivity went through the roof because of it. Unfortunately most workplaces aren't willing to treat their employees like adults so the idea is not exactly widespread (yet).
Before today I would have said Jones Day were a good law firm, but making such a weak claim just makes them look incompetent. This is almost certainly an allowed use of their trade mark and suggesting it is in any way infringement is a stretch (to put it politely).
I wonder how many current and potential clients of the firm have seen the details on this lawsuit and are thinking about not using Jones Day for any future work. I know I would be.
Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal wrote a quick review where he mentions that issue. Money quote:
"A second big feature, or limitation, of the G1 depending on your point of view is that it is tightly tied to Googles web-based email, contacts and calendar programs. In fact, you must have a Google (GOOG) account to use the phone, and can only synchronize the phones calendar and address book with Google online services. Unlike the iPhone, it doesnt work with Microsoft Exchange, and it cant physically be synced with a PC-based calendar or contacts program, like Microsoft Outlook."
I am pretty sure Gizmodo picked up on it as well when they did their live blog of the announcement.
I am in the market for a new phone now and have been eagerly awaiting this first Android phone for some time. Whilst the G1 looked pretty clunky to me from leaked shots I wanted to give it the benefit of the doubt. However, based on today's presentation, I think I am going to wait and see.
My main issues:
1. Unless I misheard, this phone will require a gmail account to actually use it - even if you don't use their mail, calendar and chat apps. Call me paranoid, but I have no intention of giving Google even more info about me. If you need to register/log in using gmail before the phone becomes usable then that is a dealbreaker for me.
2. It also really bugs me that they haven't used a standard headphone jack. I know this is not a problem unique to this handset, but it annoys the hell out of me that manufacturers can't just use the standard jack size. I don't want multiple different headphones, one for each device, I want one set which I can use with all of them.
3. No Exchange support, tethering, desktop sync, video or Skype. Some or all of these would be nice at launch but I assume they will be added fairly quickly by others though given it is an open-source platform.
I think, on balance, I am going to wait until Android is available on other handsets or can be downloaded onto a handset of my choosing. The potential is still very much there with Android itself, but this version ain't it (at least for me). It is a shame really since I had such high hopes for the G1.
Although this is off-topic, I had to respond as actually whilst Hitler may have expired the copyright in his works hasn't. In Germany, as with the rest of the EU, copyrights are for life of the author plus seventy years. If he had beneficiaries (which, as far as I am aware, he didn't) they would would hold the copyright for his works until 2015 given he died in 1945.
Things that you think are out of copyright probably aren't, thanks to the current global IP regime.
There is a more detailed account - including a useful chronology - over at Deadline Hollywood Daily if you are so inclined.
Assuming that version of events is correct, then it looks like Fox may still have a legitimate claim on distribution rights for Watchmen. If so, then this lawsuit is probably more likely a way for them to get a cut of the action rather than to stop the whole thing outright.
If they are already self-aware, maybe we need to focus our resistance efforts on the magpies rather than a future computer system. Dark tidings indeed...
Is that by chance the same Dave Grossman that's convinced that regularly testifies on television that FPS games are "murder simulators" turning children into killing machines?
It is indeed the same person. I have never seen him testify, so I can only speak to what I read in the book. I am inclined to agree with the basic point he makes about violent computer games and films in his book - that exposure to them desensitises you to violence. He argued, if I remember correctly, that they provided a similar psychological effect to some of the military training methods he describes (e.g. the use of man-shaped targets I mentioned in the post above).
At least in my case, I think my love of violent games and films has desensitised me to violence. I suspect that many of us here may have been similarly affected by them. That is a far cry, however, from turning us into unprovoked killing machines.
I don't think this situation is anything new for the military.
If you are interested in the psychological aspects, I recommend reading a book called On Killing, by Lieutenant Colonel Dave Grossman. One of the key insights in the book was how the military changed their training (e.g. by making man shaped targets instead of circles) to make people more effective at firing weapons and killing. It has been a few years since I last read it, but I found it fascinating.
He suggested that distance from target increases your ability to cope with killing someone as it depersonalises the situation - so the closer in you are, the harder it becomes to do the deed and/or to cope with it afterwards (at least without training). That seems to back up this situation as the drone pilots see the results of their handiwork - unlike other pilots or those manning artillery.
This looks interesting and it is good that they are thinking about the future of browsing. I liked the ease with which you could manipulate and share data, though I imagine that something that is designed to be that open would introduce some interesting security issues.
I am definitely not a fan of the pop-up frames as you move the mouse to the edge of the window - it is one of the things I don't like about Sugar OS on my XO/OLPC laptop. I don't know if others have had similar problems, but I found them way too easy to trigger and very distracting when you were in the middle of doing something else.
Also, I am not sure how practical the bookmarks/history view is for large amounts of data. It looks like they are taking a leaf out of iTunes' album view. I still use bookmarks instead of tags (not sure if that makes me a dinosaur or not) and I have a helluva lot of them. A visual representation of them versus the existing menu structure would make it much harder to find what I am looking for. It is down to my personal preferences admittedly, but if the end goal is to make information easier to find, I don't think it works.
Oh, and did anyone else get reminded of the D&D computer games with the radial menus when watching the demo?
I don't think you would have a particularly long career as a trader if you did that!
If you buy stock in point 1 at $X, disclose bad outlook in point 2 (presumably driving the price of said stock down to $Y), THEN sell in point 3 you would be selling at a loss of $X-$Y.
I am going to go out on a limb here and say that most of us were/are good at exams (hey, we're nerds aren't we?). But can anyone here say that exams are worthwhile?
I would go one step further than what you propose and get rid of testing completely, thereby making assessment involve class participation, assignments, pracs etc. It would mean no teaching to exams, no more short-term learning by students and hopefully increases engagement in the underlying subject. I think if you have students who are engaged in the subject then you don't need to fix anything - they will want to learn.
Aside from it being a pretty bad name in and of itself, if you make a fairly obvious typo when trying to get to "Cuil" - typing culi * instead of cuil - it will take you to some sort of porn site. Methinks they should have spent a little more time on their branding.
I am in the market for a new phone and have been awaiting the release of the next iPhone and also the first Android phones. I think, based on this presentation and the earlier demo of Android, I am going to wait for the Android's release later this year. At the very least it won't be anywhere near as shackled as the iPhone. (Just my $0.02 - YMMV)
Slashdot Mirror
Nick Naylor: "Gentlemen, practice these words in front of the mirror: Although we are constantly exploring the subject, currently there is no direct evidence that links cellphone usage to brain cancer."
Surely they should have called it the Ministry of Space?
...think how much they have had to spend on chairs over the years.
Just testing.
I am based in the UK but ordered an XO in the initial G1G1 programme and had it delivered to a friend in the US who then sent it on to me here in London. All I can say is that the experience was an absolute debacle. If you check the forums of OLPC News you can see just how bad it was - repeated broken promises as to delivery dates, support staff who couldn't provide any answers and an end product less than what was initially promised (e.g. no separate power generating devices).
I was and still am a supporter of the OLPC; whilst the product itself is not aimed at me, even still I think it is a great computer and a lot of fun to use. I give them full credit as well for creating the "netbook" market from nothing. However, the G1G1 experience turned a lot of people off the OLPC organisation. It is hard to have confidence that they can execute their mission when they couldn't even get the logistics right for a first world country. I just hope we don't have a repeat of that this time around.
Admittedly I haven't been following this as closely as I should have, and it will definitely affect my vote* so perhaps you can help me out: Which candidate has the best (or even any) policy in relation to WAR (Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning)? Thanks in advance for the help!
Ok, I might not actually be a US citizen, but if I was, I am sure it would impact my vote...
Incredibly enough, there are some music fans that actually live outside the US. Obviously MTV doesn't think we are a large demographic given this message: "Copyright restricts us from playing this video outside the U.S."
Just another reason they are irrelevant - sad really, given I used to love MTV growing up (then again, that was way back when the M stood for music).
I know he supposedly has a lot of sockpuppets, but calling Twitter a possible terrorist operation tool is a bit much, isn't it?
I think the most interesting thing to come out of this is what wasn't explicitly said. Jobs does not look like he is in good shape at the moment. He also made a point of having others within the company help him present. I think he is going to be giving up full-time work at Apple (whether voluntarily or not) sooner rather than later and he is now trying to present the company as being more than a one-man band. Whether or not investors believe that however is another matter.
I recently read about a concept called Results-Only Work Environment (or ROWE for short) in a book called Why Work Sucks by Cali Ressler and Jodi Thompson. The book is about a programme they implemented at Best Buy's corporate headquarters which lets people only be judged on results, not time.
They did away with schedules, compulsory meetings etc. and it let them weed out people who accomplished nothing, whilst allowing everyone else take control of their own time. In other words, to bring it back to the article, they suggest that ALL time is personal - it doesn't matter how you do it, provided you get what you need to done on time. Staff retention, motivation and productivity went through the roof because of it. Unfortunately most workplaces aren't willing to treat their employees like adults so the idea is not exactly widespread (yet).
Before today I would have said Jones Day were a good law firm, but making such a weak claim just makes them look incompetent. This is almost certainly an allowed use of their trade mark and suggesting it is in any way infringement is a stretch (to put it politely).
I wonder how many current and potential clients of the firm have seen the details on this lawsuit and are thinking about not using Jones Day for any future work. I know I would be.
"A second big feature, or limitation, of the G1 depending on your point of view is that it is tightly tied to Googles web-based email, contacts and calendar programs. In fact, you must have a Google (GOOG) account to use the phone, and can only synchronize the phones calendar and address book with Google online services. Unlike the iPhone, it doesnt work with Microsoft Exchange, and it cant physically be synced with a PC-based calendar or contacts program, like Microsoft Outlook."
I am pretty sure Gizmodo picked up on it as well when they did their live blog of the announcement.
I am in the market for a new phone now and have been eagerly awaiting this first Android phone for some time. Whilst the G1 looked pretty clunky to me from leaked shots I wanted to give it the benefit of the doubt. However, based on today's presentation, I think I am going to wait and see.
My main issues:
1. Unless I misheard, this phone will require a gmail account to actually use it - even if you don't use their mail, calendar and chat apps. Call me paranoid, but I have no intention of giving Google even more info about me. If you need to register/log in using gmail before the phone becomes usable then that is a dealbreaker for me.
2. It also really bugs me that they haven't used a standard headphone jack. I know this is not a problem unique to this handset, but it annoys the hell out of me that manufacturers can't just use the standard jack size. I don't want multiple different headphones, one for each device, I want one set which I can use with all of them.
3. No Exchange support, tethering, desktop sync, video or Skype. Some or all of these would be nice at launch but I assume they will be added fairly quickly by others though given it is an open-source platform.
I think, on balance, I am going to wait until Android is available on other handsets or can be downloaded onto a handset of my choosing. The potential is still very much there with Android itself, but this version ain't it (at least for me). It is a shame really since I had such high hopes for the G1.
Although this is off-topic, I had to respond as actually whilst Hitler may have expired the copyright in his works hasn't. In Germany, as with the rest of the EU, copyrights are for life of the author plus seventy years. If he had beneficiaries (which, as far as I am aware, he didn't) they would would hold the copyright for his works until 2015 given he died in 1945.
Things that you think are out of copyright probably aren't, thanks to the current global IP regime.
There is a more detailed account - including a useful chronology - over at Deadline Hollywood Daily if you are so inclined.
Assuming that version of events is correct, then it looks like Fox may still have a legitimate claim on distribution rights for Watchmen. If so, then this lawsuit is probably more likely a way for them to get a cut of the action rather than to stop the whole thing outright.
If they are already self-aware, maybe we need to focus our resistance efforts on the magpies rather than a future computer system. Dark tidings indeed...
It is indeed the same person. I have never seen him testify, so I can only speak to what I read in the book. I am inclined to agree with the basic point he makes about violent computer games and films in his book - that exposure to them desensitises you to violence. He argued, if I remember correctly, that they provided a similar psychological effect to some of the military training methods he describes (e.g. the use of man-shaped targets I mentioned in the post above).
At least in my case, I think my love of violent games and films has desensitised me to violence. I suspect that many of us here may have been similarly affected by them. That is a far cry, however, from turning us into unprovoked killing machines.
I don't think this situation is anything new for the military.
If you are interested in the psychological aspects, I recommend reading a book called On Killing, by Lieutenant Colonel Dave Grossman. One of the key insights in the book was how the military changed their training (e.g. by making man shaped targets instead of circles) to make people more effective at firing weapons and killing. It has been a few years since I last read it, but I found it fascinating.
He suggested that distance from target increases your ability to cope with killing someone as it depersonalises the situation - so the closer in you are, the harder it becomes to do the deed and/or to cope with it afterwards (at least without training). That seems to back up this situation as the drone pilots see the results of their handiwork - unlike other pilots or those manning artillery.
This looks interesting and it is good that they are thinking about the future of browsing. I liked the ease with which you could manipulate and share data, though I imagine that something that is designed to be that open would introduce some interesting security issues.
I am definitely not a fan of the pop-up frames as you move the mouse to the edge of the window - it is one of the things I don't like about Sugar OS on my XO/OLPC laptop. I don't know if others have had similar problems, but I found them way too easy to trigger and very distracting when you were in the middle of doing something else.
Also, I am not sure how practical the bookmarks/history view is for large amounts of data. It looks like they are taking a leaf out of iTunes' album view. I still use bookmarks instead of tags (not sure if that makes me a dinosaur or not) and I have a helluva lot of them. A visual representation of them versus the existing menu structure would make it much harder to find what I am looking for. It is down to my personal preferences admittedly, but if the end goal is to make information easier to find, I don't think it works.
Oh, and did anyone else get reminded of the D&D computer games with the radial menus when watching the demo?
I don't think you would have a particularly long career as a trader if you did that!
If you buy stock in point 1 at $X, disclose bad outlook in point 2 (presumably driving the price of said stock down to $Y), THEN sell in point 3 you would be selling at a loss of $X-$Y.
I knew it! WMD = Weapons of Martian Design. Countdown to US-led invasion of Mars in 10, 9, 8...
I am going to go out on a limb here and say that most of us were/are good at exams (hey, we're nerds aren't we?). But can anyone here say that exams are worthwhile?
I would go one step further than what you propose and get rid of testing completely, thereby making assessment involve class participation, assignments, pracs etc. It would mean no teaching to exams, no more short-term learning by students and hopefully increases engagement in the underlying subject. I think if you have students who are engaged in the subject then you don't need to fix anything - they will want to learn.
Aside from it being a pretty bad name in and of itself, if you make a fairly obvious typo when trying to get to "Cuil" - typing culi * instead of cuil - it will take you to some sort of porn site. Methinks they should have spent a little more time on their branding.
* Site NSFW.
I think that might be getting a little close to Europa. I seem to recall we weren't meant to go there...
I am in the market for a new phone and have been awaiting the release of the next iPhone and also the first Android phones. I think, based on this presentation and the earlier demo of Android, I am going to wait for the Android's release later this year. At the very least it won't be anywhere near as shackled as the iPhone. (Just my $0.02 - YMMV)