Feb 13
This animation illustrates the concepts presented in chapter one of the book “Imagining the Tenth Dimension” by Rob Bryanton who writes for Wired. I have not read the entire book, only excerpts available at Amazon.com, but the website www.tenthdimension.com has a fascinating Flash animation which does a pretty good job of explaining one of the more esoteric concepts in quantum physics–the multi-dimensional nature of the universe.
Computerworld technology writer and former editor of Windows Magazine Mike Elgin, writes about the mess that is the Windows Vista upgrade, in Windows Vista: The ‘Huh?’ starts now. There are no fewer than 10 versions of Windows Vista. Need I say more?
Here are the versions:
Faced with this list, consumers are scratching their heads and asking: Which one should I buy? What’s the difference? Why should I bother?
Microsoft is losing consumer operating system market share to Apple for many reasons, but most of those reasons can be oversimplified thus: Mac OS is simple, and Windows is complicated.
That’s why it may be such a costly error for Microsoft to make the Vista upgrade such a confusing mess.
Don’t feel bad if you still don’t know which of the Upgrade proof policies above is the real one — few outside Microsoft do. (In fact, none of them is correct.)
Microsoft created this confusion by failing to tell anyone what the proof requirement would be for using an Upgrade version of Vista.
Meanwhile, the Upgrade versions are poison:
- Windows power users know that if you want Windows to work well over the long haul, it helps to reformat and perform a clean install once in a while. The Upgrade version requires you to install both XP/2000 and Vista every time, doubling the already massive amount of time it takes to do a reformat/reinstall.
- The Upgrade versions require you to keep track of your original Windows XP/2000 disks. Most people have these in the form of “recovery CDs” from the PC vendor, which can include multiple disks full of junk applications.
As a parent, GelliBaff is product is one I hope my kids never, ever hear about. Don’t miss the section on “Do’s and Don’ts”.
Turns bath water into goo…and back again!
Step 1. Turn bath time into play time! Simply run your bath 5 or 6cm deep, turn off the tap, add Gelli Baff and watch in amazement as your boring bath water magically turns into a fun, thick goo.
Step 2. The goo is a completely harmless powder that soaks up 400 times it’s own weight in water. When the fun’s all done, add the disolver sachet and the goo dissapears.
Step 3. Remove gooey mixture from hair, eyes, ears, mouths, nostrils, tonsils, walls, floor, ceiling, drain.
Step 4. Do the previous step ONCE!
Step 5. Throw away mixture and lie to children about how many baths one box contains.
Click image for a larger version
This is just plain funny, I don’t care who you are. What else can i say?
Image source: http://www.mac-essentials.de/
Jan 29
Speaking to business leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Bill Gates looked deep into his crystal ball and prognosticated that in 5 years, TV will be a lame duck and watching video on the internet will be all the rage. Way to go out on a limb Bill.
“Certain things like elections or the Olympics really point out how TV is terrible. You have to wait for the guy to talk about the thing you care about or you miss the event and want to go back and see it,” he said. Tivo has been doing this for years, and most cable and satellite providers offer PVR options. Maybe Bill just doesn’t watch a lot of TV.
From Grant Robertson @ Download Squad, “What wider adoption of internet distributed video will bring and what the heads of major networks and news organizations should be up nights worrying about is democratization of content creation. More and more we’re finding great entertainment in low-buck, short format indie video and, in five years, the upper echelon of 15-24 year olds who are currently rocking the funny on sites like YouTube will be a force to reckon with, possibly even taking notches out of networks like Fox and NBC.
What’s stopping this all from happening immediately? Two things, monetization of content and a simple and ubiquitous TV/internet convergence device. For certain, any company who manages to solve either of those problems and catch the wave of public acceptance is headed for a big payday.”
Jan 29
Ars Technica article. According to a statement from the AACS LA, AACS has not been seriously compromised. Yea, right.
Group that represents AACS downplays attack, however reality presents a stark future.
Tom Giles from BusinessWeek explores the top tech trends for 2007. The article briefly discusses IPTV and the need to “keep it simple”. This is certainly easier said than done. With IPTV service providers anxious to differentiate their offerings from cable or satellite, the last thing they want is to keep it simple. In fact, our customer push us to deliver more and more functionality on more and more devices (STBs). Until a service provider has breakout success, and can define a winning service offering, the pressure to push the boundaries of hardware and software in IPTV will not subside.
Jobs and his nifty cell phone didn’t steal all the thunder building in Las Vegas, where eyes fixed on Microsoft (MSFT) Chairman Bill Gates and other executives who promulgated visions of delivering entertainment over the Internet through a technology known as Internet protocol TV, or IPTV. The technology’s boosters haven’t made much headway in the past in part because they’ve failed to make IPTV easy to use. That’s poised to change this year, writesBusinessWeek correspondent Cliff Edwards, so long as software, hardware, and consumer electronics bear in mind a simple lesson concerning IPTV: Keep it simple.
Businessweek columnist says that despite the new Windows Vista operating system, if you can afford it, buy a Mac. I whole heartedly agree!
The coming of Vista does not change my basic recommendation. Unless you have a compelling reason to run Windows or are very constrained by budget (since you can buy a usable PC for less than the cost of the least expensive Mac), the Mac is best choice for consumers.
Having a new dog, I found a product that I think qualifies for some product of the year award, but will certainly make the lives of our children so much easier. Now my oldest daughter won’t have to stand in the rain, crying during her turn to cleanup the dog “mess”.
POOP-FREEZE™ is a specially formulated aerosol freeze spray that, upon contact, forms a frosty film on dog poop (or cat poop) to harden the surface for easy pick-up. POOP-FREEZE is a great companion to a pooper scooper for clean fast dog poop or cat poop disposal.
POOP-FREEZE contains no CFC’s and is perfect for both outside and indoor use. Totally safe for both humans and pets when used as directed. Great product testimonials have been given to POOP-FREEZE for dog poop and cat poop removal. POOP-FREEZE, a pooper scooper and dog poop waste bags are the perfect solutions to fast and easy dog poop and cat poop removal.
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