Lately I have been really craving various comfort foods. Perhaps it is because of stress at home, perhaps it's because Winter is nearing an end, but for what ever reason, I can't seem to get past the need for a good carbohydrate-rich meal. One of my favorites is Oatmeal. Why? Partly because I wrote an entire tragic (in that the main characters always die pointlessly) children's series based on an Elephant named Fibre (yes, spelling is correct), and a porcupine named Oatmill (again, spelling is intentional). Also, oatmeal is a staple of many Scottish homes. I think I like it more for that reason than anything. ^_^
My friend Joseph, recently posted some recipes for instant oatmeal on his blog, and challenged me personally to come up with a recipe with Blueberries and nuts. Always up for a challenge (though not always successful at same), I thought I would give it a go. So, this weekend I talked my wife into letting my purchase 20 ounces of dried blueberries from Costco, some pecans, and some powdered non-dairy creamer. Of course, I didn't get a chance to try the recipe I had planned over the weekend, but this morning I managed to mix up a batch. Here is the recipe that I posted in the comments to Joseph's blog posting:
Blueberry and Pecan Oatmeal:
Oats (probably about 1/2 cup)
chopped pecans (about 1 tbsp)
powdered non-dairy creamer (abt. 1 1/2 tbsp)
dried blueberries (abt. 1 1/2 tbsp)
Sweetener of choice (mine is honey)
I mixed the dry ingredients together, and then covered with hot water. Let it sit for about 5 minutes, mixing occasionally. It ends up being pretty creamy, and once you add the honey (I have a great little bit of wild honey I picked up), it's all the better.
It was good, it was filling, and it was (after the purchase of the blueberries) relatively inexpensive. Of course, it doesn't beat real Porridge oats with fresh fruit and cream, but it does the job. Also, I recommend using honey instead of sugar (unless you have an allergy to it), because the taste melds well with the pecans and oats. But if you do, be sure to add the honey right before you eat. Honey breaks down quicker than sugar, and as such can suffer from over-cooking.
Maybe the next time I go shopping, I'll get some Maple extract and soak the oats/nuts in it. Maple and pecans are a great combination. ^_^
Monday, February 25, 2008
Friday, February 22, 2008
Deja Vu: DOSBox, Boxer, and Windows 3.11
I have a soft spot in my heart for all things old. It's in my nature, and perhaps explains why my first degree was in History. So, while I like to check out new software, new hardware, and new computing concepts, I get nostalgic for the old days, and running my DOS apps in a nice, slow environment.
One of the drawbacks I had from going to Mac from Windows was the loss of my windows games. It's not a huge loss, as I don't have a lot of time to play them, but I do miss it from time to time. But what I miss even more are the old DOS games that I grew up with. I miss my Ultima series, Space Quest, and particularly Martian Dreams. With UNIX being a big part of the Mac OS, I lost all the old DOS apps that I loved. What to do?
Well, I started browsing around for applications in general, and came across DOSBox. It's a great program that emulates DOS well enough to run most if not all DOS apps out there. I played with it, but it required a lot of steps to mount the drive that took some getting used to. Also, the key bindings were a little foreign for a Mac user, so some things didn't quite make sense to me.
Well, I kept using it, and in fact managed to install quite a few applications. Then, I started to wonder, what would happen if I installed a DOS-based windowing system, like Windows 3.11? I have at least one program (Sit Meier's Colonization) that has a Windows install, and works best that way. Well, I started checking it out, and found out that someone installed it on Ubuntu, and so I figured it should be just as easy to do so on the Mac.
So why not use VMWare, or Parallels? Because I'm on a PowerPC, and don't have the option of using either of those applications. So this actually is an interesting alternative for me, should I want to use a Windows application. Of course, that's if I can get it to work. ^_^
Well, I started by grabbing an old image of Windows 3.11. I had an old 486 that had 3.11 on it, and as such was able to get a legal copy. ^_^ Once the image was gathered, I moved it into the dosdrive folder I created (this is used as the root directory for DOSBox). Once in there, I was able to boot into DOSBox, mount the drive, and then install Windows 3.11 without a hitch.
Once it was installed, I was able to install my windows 3.11 application without any trouble. It works great, and even identifies a basic sound card. What it doesn't do (at least that I can see), is recognize a network device. As such, I'm not able to access the network from Windows 3.11. This would be handy to have, should I ever be forced to use Internet Explorer to access a website.
Now, once I got through all this, I started to get a little annoyed at the need to mount the drive all the time. Someone mentioned that all you have to do is find the dosbox.conf file and edit it to automount the drive, but I haven't been able to find it. Luckily, while reading the forum postings, I found a wonderful project: Boxer. It's just an Applescript wrapped around DOSBox, but it's great for what I want. It let me set an automatic folder as my root DOS directory, and as such saves me a little bit of time.
So, the long and the short of this program is: I like DOSBox! It's a great environment that works for all the old DOS games, and even a DOS version of Word (Word 6.0). The only thing I would want more out of it is a networking component that WIndows can see/install without any trouble, and allow for internet/email usage. Why? Because then the only reasons I would need VMWare or Parallels would be taken care of by DOSBox, and some pretty slick WIndows 3.11/95 applications. ^_^
One of the drawbacks I had from going to Mac from Windows was the loss of my windows games. It's not a huge loss, as I don't have a lot of time to play them, but I do miss it from time to time. But what I miss even more are the old DOS games that I grew up with. I miss my Ultima series, Space Quest, and particularly Martian Dreams. With UNIX being a big part of the Mac OS, I lost all the old DOS apps that I loved. What to do?
Well, I started browsing around for applications in general, and came across DOSBox. It's a great program that emulates DOS well enough to run most if not all DOS apps out there. I played with it, but it required a lot of steps to mount the drive that took some getting used to. Also, the key bindings were a little foreign for a Mac user, so some things didn't quite make sense to me.
Well, I kept using it, and in fact managed to install quite a few applications. Then, I started to wonder, what would happen if I installed a DOS-based windowing system, like Windows 3.11? I have at least one program (Sit Meier's Colonization) that has a Windows install, and works best that way. Well, I started checking it out, and found out that someone installed it on Ubuntu, and so I figured it should be just as easy to do so on the Mac.
So why not use VMWare, or Parallels? Because I'm on a PowerPC, and don't have the option of using either of those applications. So this actually is an interesting alternative for me, should I want to use a Windows application. Of course, that's if I can get it to work. ^_^
Well, I started by grabbing an old image of Windows 3.11. I had an old 486 that had 3.11 on it, and as such was able to get a legal copy. ^_^ Once the image was gathered, I moved it into the dosdrive folder I created (this is used as the root directory for DOSBox). Once in there, I was able to boot into DOSBox, mount the drive, and then install Windows 3.11 without a hitch.
Once it was installed, I was able to install my windows 3.11 application without any trouble. It works great, and even identifies a basic sound card. What it doesn't do (at least that I can see), is recognize a network device. As such, I'm not able to access the network from Windows 3.11. This would be handy to have, should I ever be forced to use Internet Explorer to access a website.
Now, once I got through all this, I started to get a little annoyed at the need to mount the drive all the time. Someone mentioned that all you have to do is find the dosbox.conf file and edit it to automount the drive, but I haven't been able to find it. Luckily, while reading the forum postings, I found a wonderful project: Boxer. It's just an Applescript wrapped around DOSBox, but it's great for what I want. It let me set an automatic folder as my root DOS directory, and as such saves me a little bit of time.
So, the long and the short of this program is: I like DOSBox! It's a great environment that works for all the old DOS games, and even a DOS version of Word (Word 6.0). The only thing I would want more out of it is a networking component that WIndows can see/install without any trouble, and allow for internet/email usage. Why? Because then the only reasons I would need VMWare or Parallels would be taken care of by DOSBox, and some pretty slick WIndows 3.11/95 applications. ^_^
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Open Letter to the BBC: Bring Programming to US iTunes
On Tuesday, the BBC announced that it would start providing their TV content on iTunes: In the UK. This is a landmark decision, because quite frankly the BBC has some great shows, some of which don't translate well to the general US market. Unfortunately, for those few of us that follow the cult classics (Jonathan Creek, Rosemary and Thyme, etc.), we are left out in the cold. Sure, we can wait for years until the episodes come to DVD, but wouldn't it be smarter to provide downloads that are compatible with various formats (or at least iTunes for me)?
So, in my quest to get quality television (and no, I don't think American Idol is quality television), I have written an open letter to both the BBC and BBC America. The letter is limited by characters (due to the limitations for their email contact us form):
Recently, BBC Worldwide made (in my opinion) a landmark decision to provide BBC TV shows on iTunes in the UK for download. This is monumental in that quality BBC programming can be delivered directly to those that are more likely to purchase, and the delivery and distribution model is quite simple.
Has the BBC, or BBC America, considered doing the same here in the US? Now that the Apple TV has been designed more appropriately, it would most likely be in the BBC's best interest to consider providing content on iTunes. Popular cult classics like Rosemary and Thyme, or Jonathan Creek can reach a more targeted audience, shipping time will be almost immediate, and your loyal fans (guilty as charged!) will be forever in your debt.
I hope that the BBC will make the decision to provide their material on iTunes, as BBC Worldwide made in the UK. It would be a benefit to those of us who wish to be truly entertained with real, quality television that has not been "americanized".
I hope that the BBC understands that iTunes and similar distribution methods are ideal for targeting those that love the cult classics, lesser known shows, and those shows that have a limited target audience.
So, in my quest to get quality television (and no, I don't think American Idol is quality television), I have written an open letter to both the BBC and BBC America. The letter is limited by characters (due to the limitations for their email contact us form):
Recently, BBC Worldwide made (in my opinion) a landmark decision to provide BBC TV shows on iTunes in the UK for download. This is monumental in that quality BBC programming can be delivered directly to those that are more likely to purchase, and the delivery and distribution model is quite simple.
Has the BBC, or BBC America, considered doing the same here in the US? Now that the Apple TV has been designed more appropriately, it would most likely be in the BBC's best interest to consider providing content on iTunes. Popular cult classics like Rosemary and Thyme, or Jonathan Creek can reach a more targeted audience, shipping time will be almost immediate, and your loyal fans (guilty as charged!) will be forever in your debt.
I hope that the BBC will make the decision to provide their material on iTunes, as BBC Worldwide made in the UK. It would be a benefit to those of us who wish to be truly entertained with real, quality television that has not been "americanized".
I hope that the BBC understands that iTunes and similar distribution methods are ideal for targeting those that love the cult classics, lesser known shows, and those shows that have a limited target audience.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Apple TV Take 2: A Review
The Apple TV update has been released within the last week, and I have finally had plenty of time to play with it, so here is my review.
Declaration of Bias
First off, I want to let you know my bias with regard to all things Apple. Yes, I love Apple products, but not because they are from Apple. It's because I like the functionality that they give, the simplicity in their setup, and the power of UNIX at the core. So, now that you know my bias, on with the review!
The Interface
I've heard a lot of complaints about the interface, some from a "design" aspect, some in regard to the blatant iTunes marketing. But to tell you the truth, it's just plain easy to use. It's not fluid, but because of the new features they offer in the upgrade it doesn't seem possible to make it fluid.
The only real difference from the UI in Take 2 from the original is the box that shows up. I actually prefer the two column box because menu options come up while your music plays, and doesn't stop it like before. So in that aspect, it's a better interface.
Is there anything that I don't like about the interface? Just entering text. It's awkward using the Apple remote to enter text, and as such takes too long to do any real searching. Would I want a bigger and more cumbersome remote with a built in keyboard? Absolutely not! It would then be too difficult to use, and too confusing for new users. And I know what you are thinking: if they don't want to learn how to do it, why should you cater to them? Because those people have money to buy the product. Simplicity is what makes the Apple TV a joy to use.
Movies
One thing that I don't think people understand about the potential of iTunes is the potential to cater to the cult classics that you can't get anywhere else. Want to watch "Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine"? It's there. It's all about the rare, and getting that rare to those that would buy it.
With that in mind, let's look at rental. It's a great idea, and I really like it. There are a lot of movies that we purchase and only watch once or twice... That's $30 down the drain, when instead we can rent it from iTunes and watch it to our hearts content (once or twice within a 24 hour period), and only pay $2.99 to $3.99. Do I care about HD? Not really, because I only have an Standard Definition TV. I've heard reviews and seen screen shots that compare the quality of the Apple TV to HD Cable shows, and it's been favorable with the Apple TV. But again, it's dependent on services and the TV you are using.
Browsing shared movies is similar to the original Apple TV, if only vaguely. It's actually easier, because you can browse to them from the Movies menu instead of having to go to Sources to find the source. In fact the navigation let's you get to other sources easier than before.
Renting is simple, though there isn't a lot out there to rent. But what is there is a fairly diverse genre spread that would make most people interested at least. If you download a movie, it will sync automatically with your main source machine. If you don't have a main source machine, it stays on your Apple TV. ^_^ That I really like. Once you are done renting (i.e., 1 month of not watching, or within 24 hours of when you started to watch the movie), it automatically deletes itself from your Apple TV/iTunes.
TV Shows
This was the only annoyance I had with the update. By default, it displays your TV shows by show, time stamp, and then alphabetically. There looked to be a way to organize the display, but no simple way to be seen to organize it. I was doomed to deal with my TV shows out of order, until I tried to just hit the right skip button on the remote. It then organized the TV shows by show, which was what I had before the upgrade.
One welcome addition to this view was the division by season, and then give the numbers of each episode. It makes it easier to see if you have all the episodes, and make sure they are in order. Needless to say, the one major complaint I had against the Take 2 upgrade was resolved.
Music
I don't listen to a lot of music, but my wife does. One thing that is a great improvement is the Air Tunes option, where someone can play their music from their mac on the Apple TV. I like it, because I can leave the TV off to get to the music, and it gives more space on the Apple TV for movies and TV shows (soon to no longer be an issue, if I can talk my wife into the hard drive upgrade for the Apple TV).
Other than that, it's pretty much like movies or TV shows, with sharing very easy to navigate, and a huge emphasis on iTunes.
Podcasts
I love podcasts. I listen to several, mostly from NPR. The search isn't the best (see complaint about entering text), but sharing is great and easy to navigate. One great thing is the video podcasts for movie trailers. Because our wireless broadband network is, well, rather unreliable at times (anytime UTOPIA becomes ready, I'm dumping it), downloading to the Apple TV to watch a preview can take quite a bit of time. So, I would rather download the podcasts for the movies at work, and then bring them home to watch.
Photos
Photos are not often used on our machine, other than as a screensaver, but the Apple TV does allow for connecting to Flickr and the .Mac repository that my wife would have had access to (but never used, thank goodness for trial accounts!). They are easy to set up, the settings are in the same menu (no more hunting), and you can also view shared photos from machines. WIll it be a good move? Well, only if I find a use for browsing through Flickr files on a regular basis. Until then, it's really a non-issue for me.
YouTube
I just recently got my wife interested in YouTube, and created an account for us to use on YouTube. Now I connect at work, find interesting movies, and I can bring them home and have my wife watch them on the main TV. The only drawback is the broadband network we are on, and the problems we seem to have with bandwidth. Ah, well, perhaps one day it will be a good tool to use. In any case, other than search, the Apple TV is a really good tool to watch YouTube on a big screen.
Settings
The settings were pretty much the same, though they had an added option to add your iTunes account to the Apple TV directly. It's time consuming, but keeps it on file and not in RAM. Good thing, because occasionally my son likes to play with the power strip into witch it is plugged. Other than that, it's pretty much the same.
Final Thoughts
The main drawback to the Apple TV is the hard drive size. The good news is that it's fairly easy to upgrade the hard drive (out of warranty, of course), and will cost just a little more to upgrade an Apple TV 40 GB to 250 GB than buying an Apple TV 160 GB.
Also, there are a number of hacks that can be loaded to the Apple TV, one of which is the Safari HD plugin, allowing someone to use Safari on the Apple TV without having to install a full version of OS X. They have a version for the new Take 2 update, so once I can talk my wife into letting me upgrade the hard drive, I'm going to look into it. You can also enable SSH, which makes upgrading the Apple TV that much easier.
So, is the Apple TV worth it? With the hacks, most definitely. Without the hacks, it is very usable, simple in it's navigation, and therefore a definite keeper. Can you build and configure a more expandable device? Sure, if you want to go through all the work, time, effort, etc. Frankly, I like the fact that the Apple TV is just so simple to use. I can rip my DVD's with Handbrake, add them to iTunes, and as such they are viewable on the Apple TV.
And finally, of course, it saves my DVD's from my son's fingers, and the fingers of his cousins.
Declaration of Bias
First off, I want to let you know my bias with regard to all things Apple. Yes, I love Apple products, but not because they are from Apple. It's because I like the functionality that they give, the simplicity in their setup, and the power of UNIX at the core. So, now that you know my bias, on with the review!
The Interface
I've heard a lot of complaints about the interface, some from a "design" aspect, some in regard to the blatant iTunes marketing. But to tell you the truth, it's just plain easy to use. It's not fluid, but because of the new features they offer in the upgrade it doesn't seem possible to make it fluid.
The only real difference from the UI in Take 2 from the original is the box that shows up. I actually prefer the two column box because menu options come up while your music plays, and doesn't stop it like before. So in that aspect, it's a better interface.
Is there anything that I don't like about the interface? Just entering text. It's awkward using the Apple remote to enter text, and as such takes too long to do any real searching. Would I want a bigger and more cumbersome remote with a built in keyboard? Absolutely not! It would then be too difficult to use, and too confusing for new users. And I know what you are thinking: if they don't want to learn how to do it, why should you cater to them? Because those people have money to buy the product. Simplicity is what makes the Apple TV a joy to use.
Movies
One thing that I don't think people understand about the potential of iTunes is the potential to cater to the cult classics that you can't get anywhere else. Want to watch "Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine"? It's there. It's all about the rare, and getting that rare to those that would buy it.
With that in mind, let's look at rental. It's a great idea, and I really like it. There are a lot of movies that we purchase and only watch once or twice... That's $30 down the drain, when instead we can rent it from iTunes and watch it to our hearts content (once or twice within a 24 hour period), and only pay $2.99 to $3.99. Do I care about HD? Not really, because I only have an Standard Definition TV. I've heard reviews and seen screen shots that compare the quality of the Apple TV to HD Cable shows, and it's been favorable with the Apple TV. But again, it's dependent on services and the TV you are using.
Browsing shared movies is similar to the original Apple TV, if only vaguely. It's actually easier, because you can browse to them from the Movies menu instead of having to go to Sources to find the source. In fact the navigation let's you get to other sources easier than before.
Renting is simple, though there isn't a lot out there to rent. But what is there is a fairly diverse genre spread that would make most people interested at least. If you download a movie, it will sync automatically with your main source machine. If you don't have a main source machine, it stays on your Apple TV. ^_^ That I really like. Once you are done renting (i.e., 1 month of not watching, or within 24 hours of when you started to watch the movie), it automatically deletes itself from your Apple TV/iTunes.
TV Shows
This was the only annoyance I had with the update. By default, it displays your TV shows by show, time stamp, and then alphabetically. There looked to be a way to organize the display, but no simple way to be seen to organize it. I was doomed to deal with my TV shows out of order, until I tried to just hit the right skip button on the remote. It then organized the TV shows by show, which was what I had before the upgrade.
One welcome addition to this view was the division by season, and then give the numbers of each episode. It makes it easier to see if you have all the episodes, and make sure they are in order. Needless to say, the one major complaint I had against the Take 2 upgrade was resolved.
Music
I don't listen to a lot of music, but my wife does. One thing that is a great improvement is the Air Tunes option, where someone can play their music from their mac on the Apple TV. I like it, because I can leave the TV off to get to the music, and it gives more space on the Apple TV for movies and TV shows (soon to no longer be an issue, if I can talk my wife into the hard drive upgrade for the Apple TV).
Other than that, it's pretty much like movies or TV shows, with sharing very easy to navigate, and a huge emphasis on iTunes.
Podcasts
I love podcasts. I listen to several, mostly from NPR. The search isn't the best (see complaint about entering text), but sharing is great and easy to navigate. One great thing is the video podcasts for movie trailers. Because our wireless broadband network is, well, rather unreliable at times (anytime UTOPIA becomes ready, I'm dumping it), downloading to the Apple TV to watch a preview can take quite a bit of time. So, I would rather download the podcasts for the movies at work, and then bring them home to watch.
Photos
Photos are not often used on our machine, other than as a screensaver, but the Apple TV does allow for connecting to Flickr and the .Mac repository that my wife would have had access to (but never used, thank goodness for trial accounts!). They are easy to set up, the settings are in the same menu (no more hunting), and you can also view shared photos from machines. WIll it be a good move? Well, only if I find a use for browsing through Flickr files on a regular basis. Until then, it's really a non-issue for me.
YouTube
I just recently got my wife interested in YouTube, and created an account for us to use on YouTube. Now I connect at work, find interesting movies, and I can bring them home and have my wife watch them on the main TV. The only drawback is the broadband network we are on, and the problems we seem to have with bandwidth. Ah, well, perhaps one day it will be a good tool to use. In any case, other than search, the Apple TV is a really good tool to watch YouTube on a big screen.
Settings
The settings were pretty much the same, though they had an added option to add your iTunes account to the Apple TV directly. It's time consuming, but keeps it on file and not in RAM. Good thing, because occasionally my son likes to play with the power strip into witch it is plugged. Other than that, it's pretty much the same.
Final Thoughts
The main drawback to the Apple TV is the hard drive size. The good news is that it's fairly easy to upgrade the hard drive (out of warranty, of course), and will cost just a little more to upgrade an Apple TV 40 GB to 250 GB than buying an Apple TV 160 GB.
Also, there are a number of hacks that can be loaded to the Apple TV, one of which is the Safari HD plugin, allowing someone to use Safari on the Apple TV without having to install a full version of OS X. They have a version for the new Take 2 update, so once I can talk my wife into letting me upgrade the hard drive, I'm going to look into it. You can also enable SSH, which makes upgrading the Apple TV that much easier.
So, is the Apple TV worth it? With the hacks, most definitely. Without the hacks, it is very usable, simple in it's navigation, and therefore a definite keeper. Can you build and configure a more expandable device? Sure, if you want to go through all the work, time, effort, etc. Frankly, I like the fact that the Apple TV is just so simple to use. I can rip my DVD's with Handbrake, add them to iTunes, and as such they are viewable on the Apple TV.
And finally, of course, it saves my DVD's from my son's fingers, and the fingers of his cousins.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Wanted: Flexible Linux Instructor
Summer semester is a very difficult time for a lot of CS students. Many of the programs that are run through the other semesters are put on hold as their professors go on nice long sabbaticals, and as such they can't progress through their degrees as quickly as they might want. As such, they have lots of good opportunities to take additional electives, such as Linux classes.
Unfortunately, the instructor we had in line for the Linux 103 and 104 (Guru Labs 275 and 314 classes) also decided to take the summer off for a nice long vacation. This means that while we have an instructor for the first half of the semester (120 and 250 courses), there isn't anyone to teach the second half of the semester.
So, I thought I would make a quick post to see if there is an instructor willing to contract with the University of Utah to teach these classes. They would be teaching from June 19th to July 30th from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Ideally they would need to have knowledge of the material, and know how to teach.
Of there os anyone that interested, please contact Inita Lyon at 801-581-6061 for more information and to schedule an interview.
Unfortunately, the instructor we had in line for the Linux 103 and 104 (Guru Labs 275 and 314 classes) also decided to take the summer off for a nice long vacation. This means that while we have an instructor for the first half of the semester (120 and 250 courses), there isn't anyone to teach the second half of the semester.
So, I thought I would make a quick post to see if there is an instructor willing to contract with the University of Utah to teach these classes. They would be teaching from June 19th to July 30th from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Ideally they would need to have knowledge of the material, and know how to teach.
Of there os anyone that interested, please contact Inita Lyon at 801-581-6061 for more information and to schedule an interview.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Internet Safety Blog
Yesterday I had the opportunity to present an internet safety course to the PTA of a local school system. There were perhaps 15 parents that were present, but all had some great things to ask and add to the presentation. All in all it was a good experience.
Something that I couldn't give them right away that I wanted to was a link to my Internet Safety blog, which I set up for the course. So, here is the link: http://edtec10.blogspot.com/
I'm going to open the blog to pretty much anyone that would like to add questions or comments on internet safety. The idea is to go beyond the computer and come up with real solutions that will protect children from questionable material. And what constitutes questionable material? Whatever the parents feel is questionable. After all, it's their family, and therefore their responsibility, and ultimately their call. That's one thing about teaching this course: it's not up to anyone to dictate what is and is not appropriate for families, but simply to give them the tools and techniques to accomplish what they want to do.
Something that I couldn't give them right away that I wanted to was a link to my Internet Safety blog, which I set up for the course. So, here is the link: http://edtec10.blogspot.com/
I'm going to open the blog to pretty much anyone that would like to add questions or comments on internet safety. The idea is to go beyond the computer and come up with real solutions that will protect children from questionable material. And what constitutes questionable material? Whatever the parents feel is questionable. After all, it's their family, and therefore their responsibility, and ultimately their call. That's one thing about teaching this course: it's not up to anyone to dictate what is and is not appropriate for families, but simply to give them the tools and techniques to accomplish what they want to do.
Friday, February 08, 2008
Cock-a-Leeky with a Twist
For those few that have been regular followers of my blog, you know that I love my ancestry, and the peasant foods that come with it. As such, I like to make the foods when I know that my wife cannot object. Such was the case yesterday when I was home with my sick son.
Cock-a-leeky is a great soup for sickness, because it's almost entirely a broth with very little other solids in it. Therefore, for someone with a rather queasy stomach, it goes down light and nourishes. It's also very sweet, brought on by the rehydrating prunes added at the end. All in all, it's my favorite chicken soup.
Now, normally you would add ox tail soup bones to the pan, along with a whole chicken, let it roast, and then start the soup. The reason being is that you want a full, hearty soup that tastes great and has as much nourishment in it as possible. Of course, I didn't have the time or inclination to make a full batch (and the store didn't have soup bones), so I had to compromise. I purchased three small lamb chops, and use them instead (which is my twist). ^_^
Here are the ingredients for my soup:
3 small lamb chops
6 pieces of chicken breast (equaling perhaps two full chicken breasts)
2 cans chicken broth
6 leeks - chopped
parsley flakes to taste
4 prunes cut in half
I started by pulling out a non-coated pan, because the initial part of this soup requires some brazing. I then coated the bottom of the pan with olive oil, and set in my chops. After browning each side, I added the chicken broth and the chicken. Normally at this point I would add whole chicken pieces with bones and water, but this was a short-cut. Then I added half the leeks.
I let this cook for about an hour, simmering and reducing down for a nice strong flavor. Then, I removed the lamb (and ate it on the side). I then removed the chicken, and cut it into smaller pieces, then placed it back in. I seasoned with the parsley, added the rest of the leeks. I added more water, then added the prunes.
Not once did I need to add salt (plenty in the broth). Once it simmered down again (after about a half an hour), it was done. The flavor was perfect, with a slight bold, strong flavor from the lamb. This is perhaps the best version of cock-a-leeky I have ever made, even if I do say so myself. ^_^
Cock-a-leeky is a great soup for sickness, because it's almost entirely a broth with very little other solids in it. Therefore, for someone with a rather queasy stomach, it goes down light and nourishes. It's also very sweet, brought on by the rehydrating prunes added at the end. All in all, it's my favorite chicken soup.
Now, normally you would add ox tail soup bones to the pan, along with a whole chicken, let it roast, and then start the soup. The reason being is that you want a full, hearty soup that tastes great and has as much nourishment in it as possible. Of course, I didn't have the time or inclination to make a full batch (and the store didn't have soup bones), so I had to compromise. I purchased three small lamb chops, and use them instead (which is my twist). ^_^
Here are the ingredients for my soup:
3 small lamb chops
6 pieces of chicken breast (equaling perhaps two full chicken breasts)
2 cans chicken broth
6 leeks - chopped
parsley flakes to taste
4 prunes cut in half
I started by pulling out a non-coated pan, because the initial part of this soup requires some brazing. I then coated the bottom of the pan with olive oil, and set in my chops. After browning each side, I added the chicken broth and the chicken. Normally at this point I would add whole chicken pieces with bones and water, but this was a short-cut. Then I added half the leeks.
I let this cook for about an hour, simmering and reducing down for a nice strong flavor. Then, I removed the lamb (and ate it on the side). I then removed the chicken, and cut it into smaller pieces, then placed it back in. I seasoned with the parsley, added the rest of the leeks. I added more water, then added the prunes.
Not once did I need to add salt (plenty in the broth). Once it simmered down again (after about a half an hour), it was done. The flavor was perfect, with a slight bold, strong flavor from the lamb. This is perhaps the best version of cock-a-leeky I have ever made, even if I do say so myself. ^_^
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
The Media: The Real Winners of Super Tuesday
Yesterday morning I was listing to NPR, and they had a little clip on the impact on such a volatile race has had on the major news outlets. More people tuned into the political debates than watch football. It's unprecedented, it's unbelievable, it's.... exactly what the major networks have needed since the Writer's Guild strikes started this winter.
This is reality TV that people just can't buy, make-up, or create no matter how hard they try. The big worry was that with the completion of Super Tuesday a final delegate would be selected on either side, and the news would go back to partisan bickering over "Us vs. Them". How were they going to keep the momentum going until November?
Luckily for the media and the networks, that didn't happen. Even if a Republican nominee comes out after the final count in California, the Democrats are still up for grabs. And quite frankly, the media has been more interested in that race than any other (you can call it bias, you can call it "firsts", either way, it's been their big focus).
What does this mean for us? Well, for those of us that have already had our primary, we will be clear of the TV ads until November (unless you are in Utah, where national Democrats don't seem to bother). For you poor souls in states that haven't had their caucuses or primaries yet, you are now the new battleground states. And the media and networks will be there with you, reporting every poll, every projection, every little sneeze you may have that indicates a position on the primary.
It's good to know that the political process has so many people interested, because we need people engaged in the debate, focused on the issues, and making educated decisions. But please, if you are going to get involved, become familiar with your positions and take the time to get to know all the candidates. Don't leave your research to the media, who may have their own biases. Your biases are just as important. ^_^
This is reality TV that people just can't buy, make-up, or create no matter how hard they try. The big worry was that with the completion of Super Tuesday a final delegate would be selected on either side, and the news would go back to partisan bickering over "Us vs. Them". How were they going to keep the momentum going until November?
Luckily for the media and the networks, that didn't happen. Even if a Republican nominee comes out after the final count in California, the Democrats are still up for grabs. And quite frankly, the media has been more interested in that race than any other (you can call it bias, you can call it "firsts", either way, it's been their big focus).
What does this mean for us? Well, for those of us that have already had our primary, we will be clear of the TV ads until November (unless you are in Utah, where national Democrats don't seem to bother). For you poor souls in states that haven't had their caucuses or primaries yet, you are now the new battleground states. And the media and networks will be there with you, reporting every poll, every projection, every little sneeze you may have that indicates a position on the primary.
It's good to know that the political process has so many people interested, because we need people engaged in the debate, focused on the issues, and making educated decisions. But please, if you are going to get involved, become familiar with your positions and take the time to get to know all the candidates. Don't leave your research to the media, who may have their own biases. Your biases are just as important. ^_^
Saturday, February 02, 2008
Turtle Airships: Great Ideas, All Possible
I received a comment to my last entry on Airships (wow! Someone read my blog! ^_^), pointing out an airship currently in development: The Turtle airship.
The designer has some excellent ideas, particularly making a solid hulled craft (and hence increasing it's strength), changing the design for better aerodynamics (increasing lift without ballast), and making the whole thing solar powered. Is it possible? Certainly!
The first problem would be solar panels on the hull. Big problem, because the current weight of solar panels is such that the airship would quickly become top-heavy. Is there a way around this? Yes. Ascent Solar has been developing a photovoltaics that are thin and as such quite useful in making a solid hulled airship. Because it can envelope the entire hull (at least the top half), no matter where you are the sunlight can be used to generate power.
Next, the lift. Helium is the number one lifting gas, since the Hindenburg disaster and the death off Hydrogen airships. But is hydrogen really dead? I don't think so. Perhaps, if an airship were to have a series of chambers, with helium closest to the cabin, with a central hydrogen bag, you would be back in business. Remember, hydrogen will not burst into flames without being in the presence of oxygen and a catalyst. Surround it with Helium, and Hydrogen remains quite inert.
Suppose, for instance, your buoyancy is still heavier than air with the outer chambers filled with helium. This allows for the loading and unloading of the ship without worrying about ballast. Then, when you are ready to take off, you fill the center chamber with compressed hydrogen. Your lift is increased (because uncompressed hydrogen is lighter than compressed hydrogen), and as such you are now lighter than air. This dynamic buoyancy would make it possible to fly everywhere, and not require water as your ballast (though I do think it's a great idea! ^_^).
Finally, the solid hull. This is the one thing that I have little experience in, as I'm not an engineer (wasted my time with History, I'm afraid). But I had guessed that carbon fiber and graphite would make a strong, rigid hull that would withstand the elements quite well. Add on the Ascent Solar panels, and you have an airship that would have enough strength to withstand some pretty decent storms, I would imagine. Anyone correct me if I'm wrong.
So, needless to say, I'm quite impressed with the ideas behind the Turtle airship. I'm looking forward to the first flight, to see whether or not the golden age of airships can truly come to fruition.
The designer has some excellent ideas, particularly making a solid hulled craft (and hence increasing it's strength), changing the design for better aerodynamics (increasing lift without ballast), and making the whole thing solar powered. Is it possible? Certainly!
The first problem would be solar panels on the hull. Big problem, because the current weight of solar panels is such that the airship would quickly become top-heavy. Is there a way around this? Yes. Ascent Solar has been developing a photovoltaics that are thin and as such quite useful in making a solid hulled airship. Because it can envelope the entire hull (at least the top half), no matter where you are the sunlight can be used to generate power.
Next, the lift. Helium is the number one lifting gas, since the Hindenburg disaster and the death off Hydrogen airships. But is hydrogen really dead? I don't think so. Perhaps, if an airship were to have a series of chambers, with helium closest to the cabin, with a central hydrogen bag, you would be back in business. Remember, hydrogen will not burst into flames without being in the presence of oxygen and a catalyst. Surround it with Helium, and Hydrogen remains quite inert.
Suppose, for instance, your buoyancy is still heavier than air with the outer chambers filled with helium. This allows for the loading and unloading of the ship without worrying about ballast. Then, when you are ready to take off, you fill the center chamber with compressed hydrogen. Your lift is increased (because uncompressed hydrogen is lighter than compressed hydrogen), and as such you are now lighter than air. This dynamic buoyancy would make it possible to fly everywhere, and not require water as your ballast (though I do think it's a great idea! ^_^).
Finally, the solid hull. This is the one thing that I have little experience in, as I'm not an engineer (wasted my time with History, I'm afraid). But I had guessed that carbon fiber and graphite would make a strong, rigid hull that would withstand the elements quite well. Add on the Ascent Solar panels, and you have an airship that would have enough strength to withstand some pretty decent storms, I would imagine. Anyone correct me if I'm wrong.
So, needless to say, I'm quite impressed with the ideas behind the Turtle airship. I'm looking forward to the first flight, to see whether or not the golden age of airships can truly come to fruition.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
The Golden Age of the Airship: Is It Really Behind Us?
Airships inspire a certain level of awe by their sheer size, and by the way they can move. They also inspire fear for those that like to point out the Hindenburg, perhaps the most infamous airship of them all. Because they are so slow and potentially flimsy, many people have written off the airship as a method of transportation.
But is it perhaps too soon to make such an assumption? With soaring energy prices and the need to support remote regions for humanitarian aide, the airship becomes a more credible method of transportation, and here are the reasons why:
Cabin Space
An airship with roughly the same dimensions as a regular aircraft can carry a larger payload, both in cargo space and weight. Properly applied, and assuming you are not in a hurry to move your cargo or passengers (more on that in a bit), the airship becomes a very space-friendly solution. Imagine having a flight from one end of the country to the other. Instead of spending hours in cramped quarters, you could actually spend more time stretched out in comfort, even sleep in a real, full-sized bed in your own cabin! And you can still carry just as many people as on a plane. They will just be more comfortable.
Fuel Efficiency
Sure, the airship is slow, but it's fuel efficient. Most blimps currently use less fuel in an hours flight than most jets use to taxi to the runway. Of course, in a world where ecological considerations and green house gasses are a concern, imagine coating the envelope of an airship with solar panels, and using electric motors? Propulsion becomes even more environmentally sound. And, with solar power and efficient batteries, it's possible to never have to land to refuel, so long distance travel would be very possible.
Point to Point Shipping
Most airships have one thing in common: vertical take off and landing. That means that the airship can load up at, say, a factory, and then fly directly to the distribution center with a huge load. And, the shipping costs become roughly the same as maritime shipping. Shipping by boat is much cheaper per mile than shipping by road. Airships apply this same concept to the air, making inland shipping much more cost effective.
Remote Access
Canada is currently looking to airships to supply their remote locations in the Northwest Territories. Currently they are using ice roads over frozen lakes, but with the ice melting faster each year, they need another way to ship. Airships will allow them to ship the same materials at all times of the year, regardless of the state of the ice below them.
Airships can also reach remote areas in underdeveloped nations during disasters, or in areas where huge disasters completely destroy all other infrastructure (including traditional airports). Cheaper to fly than Helicopters, and able to carry larger payloads, airships can bring waves of humanitarian aide in less time than it would take to rebuild an airport, or try to rebuild roads, bridges, etc. to allow ground shipping in an area. They can land in any open field (or convention center roof top), drop their payload, and continue back to get more materials.
Why am I preaching the benefits of airships? Partly because I think they are just cool, partly because I love the idea of silently flying through the air in comfort. But also because several companies are currently working on airship solutions for the Military to deploy men, supplies, and equipment, and need the flexibility and lift power of the airship. This means that commercial and even private airship transportation could soon be within reach.
The one company that I am really interested in is Worldwide Aeros Corp, and their concept Aeroscraft ML866. It's really a hybrid craft, and not a true airship, because it's not fully lighter than air. Instead it has VTOL capabilities to a point, but requires aerodynamic lift to achieve higher altitudes. For general information, check out this PDF of their entry in the 2008 pocket guide to Business Aircraft.
Two other companies out there developing solutions are Lockheed-Martin and their P-791 hybrid airship, and the SkyCat of Hybrid Air Vehicles. Both have similar designs (which actually prompted a legal battle), and both are looking to jump into the Airship market.
There are many other airship companies out there, and each are trying to take advantage of the need for economically and environmentally friendly shipping, even if it is slower than jets over long distances.
But is it perhaps too soon to make such an assumption? With soaring energy prices and the need to support remote regions for humanitarian aide, the airship becomes a more credible method of transportation, and here are the reasons why:
Cabin Space
An airship with roughly the same dimensions as a regular aircraft can carry a larger payload, both in cargo space and weight. Properly applied, and assuming you are not in a hurry to move your cargo or passengers (more on that in a bit), the airship becomes a very space-friendly solution. Imagine having a flight from one end of the country to the other. Instead of spending hours in cramped quarters, you could actually spend more time stretched out in comfort, even sleep in a real, full-sized bed in your own cabin! And you can still carry just as many people as on a plane. They will just be more comfortable.
Fuel Efficiency
Sure, the airship is slow, but it's fuel efficient. Most blimps currently use less fuel in an hours flight than most jets use to taxi to the runway. Of course, in a world where ecological considerations and green house gasses are a concern, imagine coating the envelope of an airship with solar panels, and using electric motors? Propulsion becomes even more environmentally sound. And, with solar power and efficient batteries, it's possible to never have to land to refuel, so long distance travel would be very possible.
Point to Point Shipping
Most airships have one thing in common: vertical take off and landing. That means that the airship can load up at, say, a factory, and then fly directly to the distribution center with a huge load. And, the shipping costs become roughly the same as maritime shipping. Shipping by boat is much cheaper per mile than shipping by road. Airships apply this same concept to the air, making inland shipping much more cost effective.
Remote Access
Canada is currently looking to airships to supply their remote locations in the Northwest Territories. Currently they are using ice roads over frozen lakes, but with the ice melting faster each year, they need another way to ship. Airships will allow them to ship the same materials at all times of the year, regardless of the state of the ice below them.
Airships can also reach remote areas in underdeveloped nations during disasters, or in areas where huge disasters completely destroy all other infrastructure (including traditional airports). Cheaper to fly than Helicopters, and able to carry larger payloads, airships can bring waves of humanitarian aide in less time than it would take to rebuild an airport, or try to rebuild roads, bridges, etc. to allow ground shipping in an area. They can land in any open field (or convention center roof top), drop their payload, and continue back to get more materials.
Why am I preaching the benefits of airships? Partly because I think they are just cool, partly because I love the idea of silently flying through the air in comfort. But also because several companies are currently working on airship solutions for the Military to deploy men, supplies, and equipment, and need the flexibility and lift power of the airship. This means that commercial and even private airship transportation could soon be within reach.
The one company that I am really interested in is Worldwide Aeros Corp, and their concept Aeroscraft ML866. It's really a hybrid craft, and not a true airship, because it's not fully lighter than air. Instead it has VTOL capabilities to a point, but requires aerodynamic lift to achieve higher altitudes. For general information, check out this PDF of their entry in the 2008 pocket guide to Business Aircraft.
Two other companies out there developing solutions are Lockheed-Martin and their P-791 hybrid airship, and the SkyCat of Hybrid Air Vehicles. Both have similar designs (which actually prompted a legal battle), and both are looking to jump into the Airship market.
There are many other airship companies out there, and each are trying to take advantage of the need for economically and environmentally friendly shipping, even if it is slower than jets over long distances.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
iPod Slate Wish List: What I Would Like in an Apple UMPC
The much rumored iPod Slate turned out to be just that, a rumor. Some say that it was never to be, while others say that it just wasn't ready to be released to the public quite yet. Either way, we don't have it, which means I can still put up a wish list for the features I would like to see in such a device.
Why am I talking about this now? Well, here is hopes that it will be ready and inexpensive enough for the Christmas season (starting in October), and that somehow my ideas/wishes/suggestions will have time to be adopted. Of course, that assumes that someone in Cupertino actually reads my blog.
Hardware
First and foremost, it needs to be very mobile. This means the form factor for the iPod would be perfect, if just enlarged slightly. This will allow for maximum portability, while still being large enough to be able to see/read/use. Also, in addition to the size, the multi-touch display would be invaluable, allowing for operation without a mouse. An iSight camera facing the user would be a must, allowing for iChat AV usage.
Next, ports. Your standard iPod doesn't have anything other than the proprietary iPod docking port, and that needs to change with the iPod Slate. Add a USB port and a micro-DVI port, just like what's present on the MacBook Air. Why? Because occasionally you may want to hook up a USB device of some sort (usually extra storage). The micro-DVI port would be necessary for presentations (i.e., Keynote). That would make this device a phenomenal seller in the business market (and education).
Now input devices. Allow the tethering of bluetooth devices, like the Apple Bluetooth Keyboard. It's thin enough to be useful for something like this, as both would be easily stored in a portfolio. A bluetooth headset would be a given, I would think, and perhaps even a bluetooth microphone alone. Why? An excellent option for people out making a quick and dirty Podcast interview. You can leave your iPod Slate in your pocket, and still record the conversation like a professional.
What about the guts? The processor doesn't have to be really powerful. Let's face it, this isn't going to be a gaming machine. The hard drive could also be small, like the 16 GB solid state drives that are already part of the iPod Touch. That keeps the price down, and gives the user plenty of storage for office work and basic recording. Want more storage? Perhaps have an upgrade to 32 GB. Anything more would be nice, but would price the device beyond overall acceptance.
Also, along with the expected Bluetooth and WiFi, have 3G/4G built into it. Not necessary, but would be really nice for those businessmen traveling, and need something compact. This way you also don't have to worry about including a slot for a 3G card. Of course, people could use the USB dongles available... but wouldn't it be nicer to have it built in? And while we are talking about it, why not have a small stand built into it, so it can stand up on it's side. Perfect for using the bluetooth headset (though this could be a third party add-on that I would pay a small amount of money for ^_^).
And finally, drives. As proven with the MacBook Air, you don't need a drive if you already have a system that can share their drive over the network. If that's the case, why worry about anything more than just the hard drive on the iPod Slate? The innovation that came with the Air can be easily adopted on the iPod Slate.
Software
Make the iPod Slate versatile: allow standard Apple software to be installed. Granted, gaming will not be a huge priority (except for your distraction games like Chess or Cards), but iLife would be nice. I don't think people will be working particularly with iDVD, but iPhoto, iMovie (to a small extent), and Garageband would be almost an absolute must. iTunes is pretty much a given. And, if some games are optimized for the platform... Well that is just the game-maker's win, isn't it? (Hint: WoW and Second Life would be great!).
I would also like to see Pages, Numbers, and Keynote on the device. Why? Because I'm looking for a production machine that will let me write documents easily (with a bluetooth keyboard), show presentations, and let me keep track of information in a spreadsheet all in my pocket. The PocketPC has had this capability in a very limited form for a long time, and it would be a mistake to have the opportunity to improve on this opportunity go to waste.
Next, have a full version of iCal, with all the calendars, subscriptions, etc. This is what is missing from the iPhone and iPods. People that need to live in a calendar to keep their life going in the right direction need it. On top of iCal, have a full version of iChat, Mail, and Address Book installed. It's only logical, and would make it a killer device.
Pricing
Here is the real bottom line: don't price it as high as the MacBook Air. This isn't meant to be a high-end sub-notebook. But it is the most advanced iPod out there. Make it between $600.00 and $900.00, and you will have it sold easily. Students will choose it over any other laptop for their school work, and then choose another machine for gaming. It's a quick and easy way to get people into the Mac platform while still letting them hold on to a PC. When that PC then dies, they will buy a Mac next, because they have had time to compare.
So, that is my wish list. Do I expect everything to be adopted? Not at all. But I do hope that the next iPod Slate will have, at minimum, everything the iPod Touch has, but with Bluetooth for a keyboard, iWork for office work, and a micro-DVI port for presentations. That alone would be a huge leap forward for the iPod.
Why am I talking about this now? Well, here is hopes that it will be ready and inexpensive enough for the Christmas season (starting in October), and that somehow my ideas/wishes/suggestions will have time to be adopted. Of course, that assumes that someone in Cupertino actually reads my blog.
Hardware
First and foremost, it needs to be very mobile. This means the form factor for the iPod would be perfect, if just enlarged slightly. This will allow for maximum portability, while still being large enough to be able to see/read/use. Also, in addition to the size, the multi-touch display would be invaluable, allowing for operation without a mouse. An iSight camera facing the user would be a must, allowing for iChat AV usage.
Next, ports. Your standard iPod doesn't have anything other than the proprietary iPod docking port, and that needs to change with the iPod Slate. Add a USB port and a micro-DVI port, just like what's present on the MacBook Air. Why? Because occasionally you may want to hook up a USB device of some sort (usually extra storage). The micro-DVI port would be necessary for presentations (i.e., Keynote). That would make this device a phenomenal seller in the business market (and education).
Now input devices. Allow the tethering of bluetooth devices, like the Apple Bluetooth Keyboard. It's thin enough to be useful for something like this, as both would be easily stored in a portfolio. A bluetooth headset would be a given, I would think, and perhaps even a bluetooth microphone alone. Why? An excellent option for people out making a quick and dirty Podcast interview. You can leave your iPod Slate in your pocket, and still record the conversation like a professional.
What about the guts? The processor doesn't have to be really powerful. Let's face it, this isn't going to be a gaming machine. The hard drive could also be small, like the 16 GB solid state drives that are already part of the iPod Touch. That keeps the price down, and gives the user plenty of storage for office work and basic recording. Want more storage? Perhaps have an upgrade to 32 GB. Anything more would be nice, but would price the device beyond overall acceptance.
Also, along with the expected Bluetooth and WiFi, have 3G/4G built into it. Not necessary, but would be really nice for those businessmen traveling, and need something compact. This way you also don't have to worry about including a slot for a 3G card. Of course, people could use the USB dongles available... but wouldn't it be nicer to have it built in? And while we are talking about it, why not have a small stand built into it, so it can stand up on it's side. Perfect for using the bluetooth headset (though this could be a third party add-on that I would pay a small amount of money for ^_^).
And finally, drives. As proven with the MacBook Air, you don't need a drive if you already have a system that can share their drive over the network. If that's the case, why worry about anything more than just the hard drive on the iPod Slate? The innovation that came with the Air can be easily adopted on the iPod Slate.
Software
Make the iPod Slate versatile: allow standard Apple software to be installed. Granted, gaming will not be a huge priority (except for your distraction games like Chess or Cards), but iLife would be nice. I don't think people will be working particularly with iDVD, but iPhoto, iMovie (to a small extent), and Garageband would be almost an absolute must. iTunes is pretty much a given. And, if some games are optimized for the platform... Well that is just the game-maker's win, isn't it? (Hint: WoW and Second Life would be great!).
I would also like to see Pages, Numbers, and Keynote on the device. Why? Because I'm looking for a production machine that will let me write documents easily (with a bluetooth keyboard), show presentations, and let me keep track of information in a spreadsheet all in my pocket. The PocketPC has had this capability in a very limited form for a long time, and it would be a mistake to have the opportunity to improve on this opportunity go to waste.
Next, have a full version of iCal, with all the calendars, subscriptions, etc. This is what is missing from the iPhone and iPods. People that need to live in a calendar to keep their life going in the right direction need it. On top of iCal, have a full version of iChat, Mail, and Address Book installed. It's only logical, and would make it a killer device.
Pricing
Here is the real bottom line: don't price it as high as the MacBook Air. This isn't meant to be a high-end sub-notebook. But it is the most advanced iPod out there. Make it between $600.00 and $900.00, and you will have it sold easily. Students will choose it over any other laptop for their school work, and then choose another machine for gaming. It's a quick and easy way to get people into the Mac platform while still letting them hold on to a PC. When that PC then dies, they will buy a Mac next, because they have had time to compare.
So, that is my wish list. Do I expect everything to be adopted? Not at all. But I do hope that the next iPod Slate will have, at minimum, everything the iPod Touch has, but with Bluetooth for a keyboard, iWork for office work, and a micro-DVI port for presentations. That alone would be a huge leap forward for the iPod.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
In Sympathy for Two Great Men of Faith: President Gordon B. Hinkley and Archbishop Christodoulos
As many of you know, this week was marred by the death of two great men, President Gordon B. Hinkley of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and Archbishop Christodoulos of the Greek Orthodox Church. Both men lead their religions with a spirit of love and hope, and will be missed by their congregations.
President Hinkley was a remarkable man, and had a love for all people that was genuine. NPR has this story regarding President Hinkley, his accomplishments, and particularly his popularity with the press. There are some great quotes of his at the bottom of the story that show his love and dedication to the Gospel, as well as humor and candor.
President Hinkley represents the fourth President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints that I can remember. I vaguely remember President Spencer W. Kimbal's death in 1985, and the funeral that was held at the Tabernacle. Then President Ezra Taft Benson passed away shortly before I began my mission for the Church in 1994. President Howard W. Hunter signed my missionary call, and my card, and passed away while I was in the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah. They are all special to me, with each one having an impact on my life.
Only this morning was it reported that Archbishop Christodoulos had passed away just an hour after President Hinkley. Now, I am not Greek, but I do support the Greek Orthodox community every year (the Greek Festival is a fund raiser for the Holy Trinity Church in Salt Lake). From what has been reported of him on KUER (which doesn't have a web headline yet), he was a great man of faith, working to build bridges of understanding with the Roman Catholic Church. He invited Pope John Paul II to Athens for the first meeting between the leaders of the two faiths in over a thousand years. He loved the youth of the church deeply, and will be missed by the over 300 million members of the Greek Orthodox faith. For a great article on the Archbishop, check out this entry at the New York Times.
What strikes me as interesting is that both leaders were known for reaching out across faiths, and they both had a great love for the future generation. I think it's fitting that both should be remembered with respect and reverence for their work. If only all members of faiths could have the same belief of working together instead of trying to tear bonds between faiths apart, I think the majority of problems in the world would be solved.
President Hinkley was a remarkable man, and had a love for all people that was genuine. NPR has this story regarding President Hinkley, his accomplishments, and particularly his popularity with the press. There are some great quotes of his at the bottom of the story that show his love and dedication to the Gospel, as well as humor and candor.
President Hinkley represents the fourth President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints that I can remember. I vaguely remember President Spencer W. Kimbal's death in 1985, and the funeral that was held at the Tabernacle. Then President Ezra Taft Benson passed away shortly before I began my mission for the Church in 1994. President Howard W. Hunter signed my missionary call, and my card, and passed away while I was in the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah. They are all special to me, with each one having an impact on my life.
Only this morning was it reported that Archbishop Christodoulos had passed away just an hour after President Hinkley. Now, I am not Greek, but I do support the Greek Orthodox community every year (the Greek Festival is a fund raiser for the Holy Trinity Church in Salt Lake). From what has been reported of him on KUER (which doesn't have a web headline yet), he was a great man of faith, working to build bridges of understanding with the Roman Catholic Church. He invited Pope John Paul II to Athens for the first meeting between the leaders of the two faiths in over a thousand years. He loved the youth of the church deeply, and will be missed by the over 300 million members of the Greek Orthodox faith. For a great article on the Archbishop, check out this entry at the New York Times.
What strikes me as interesting is that both leaders were known for reaching out across faiths, and they both had a great love for the future generation. I think it's fitting that both should be remembered with respect and reverence for their work. If only all members of faiths could have the same belief of working together instead of trying to tear bonds between faiths apart, I think the majority of problems in the world would be solved.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
UNIX Model vs. Closed Source Model: A Perspective
It seems that I get the same question every time someone finds out my OS preferences: What's so wrong with Windows? Why do you prefer Open Source to finished, polished products? These are questions that I hear a lot, and I often ask myself those same questions. Why? Why am I drawn to something that takes so much effort when I want something to work now, and work well?
Well, here are my answers. Please note that these are my preferences, and not linked to anything else in particular:
Power and Flexibility
When was the last time someone told you they could get a full-blown, running OS on a 1.44 MB floppy drive? How many people do you know have three different versions of the same program, but configured for very different tasks? The idea behind the UNIX and open source community is power and flexibility. To understand this, you need to understand the basic concepts behind the UNIX platform*:
1. Write a program that can do one thing really well.
2. Expect that the output will become an input of another program, even if that program doesn't exist yet.
3. Build for quick and early application: and don't be afraid to rebuild.
4. Build tools to facilitate your work.
*Courtesy GuruLabs, Linux Fundamentals
These concepts provide for magnificent power because every program is built to it's specific task, and built well. Add a string of programs together, and you have one powerful application. Any part of that application can be updated, changed, etc. and it will still work. Also, if you don't need to use a part of the application, you can remove it entirely. You now have a model that allows you to customize your user experience without sacrificing performance. That, my friends, is true power in computing.
Looking again at the closed source model, you have programs that become bloated by trying to become all things to all people. Granted it doesn't take a genius to set it up, but you can't customize it at all without sacrificing other portions of the program, or the entire program.
Rapid Development
Because each program is separate, and the source is open, anyone can tweak it, rework it, or completely rewrite it. If there is a problem that one person misses (and quite frankly, it's going to happen, as we are all only human), then someone else can catch it and fix it on the fly. An added bonus is migration of tools and programs to unintended completely different applications. This makes related, or even unrelated, software development more rapid.
Closed source doesn't have this same rapid development scheme. How many times have closed source applications been months or years in delayed deployment? All because they are unwilling to relinquish any perceived "profits" that might be lost by opening their core code.
Utilitarian
Yes, that's right. the Open Source movement is more about utility than form. Function is the important tool. Sometimes this is incredibly frustrating (bad UI development), but generally the tools are excellent at what they do. Why? Because they keep to the four basic principles of UNIX development. You need a tool? Great, use it. You don't need it? You don't have to install it. How many closed source programs can boast that level of utility?
Education
When I worked as a computer technician, I thought I knew computers. I thought I had the OS all figured out, and could rebuild a computer in my sleep. Boy, how wrong I was. All I needed to do was try to use another OS, and I was lost. Now? I can figure out pretty much any OS because UNIX, Linux, Solaris, and Mac OS have shown me how an OS works on the inside. Compiling source gives me insight on how an OS can work. Granted, it's not Windows, but I have a feeling that Microsoft will one day slap itself silly in the face a couple of times and just develop their Windowing software for a UNIX core. Ultimately, UNIX will teach you more about how a computer works than any other OS.
My crack about Microsoft abandoning their own kernel? Well, as far as I'm concerned, it would be the only responsible thing to do considering the doom that Vista has been. UNIX is not only older and more powerful, but they would in one fell swoop make it possible to regain their market share. After all, why have a virtual machine running Windows, when you can just start another windowing program off the same machine, and get Windows that way? But I digress.
Those are my reasons for liking UNIX. Notice I didn't say anything about security, because security on a computer is easy (just don't turn it on, ^_^). I didn't mention anything about greed, hate, personal curses, or maiming of anyone in the world. No, I like UNIX because it can work anywhere, on just about any computing platform in existence. Yes, UNIX and the Open Source model allows for this flexibility. Closed Source just can't cut it.
Well, here are my answers. Please note that these are my preferences, and not linked to anything else in particular:
Power and Flexibility
When was the last time someone told you they could get a full-blown, running OS on a 1.44 MB floppy drive? How many people do you know have three different versions of the same program, but configured for very different tasks? The idea behind the UNIX and open source community is power and flexibility. To understand this, you need to understand the basic concepts behind the UNIX platform*:
1. Write a program that can do one thing really well.
2. Expect that the output will become an input of another program, even if that program doesn't exist yet.
3. Build for quick and early application: and don't be afraid to rebuild.
4. Build tools to facilitate your work.
*Courtesy GuruLabs, Linux Fundamentals
These concepts provide for magnificent power because every program is built to it's specific task, and built well. Add a string of programs together, and you have one powerful application. Any part of that application can be updated, changed, etc. and it will still work. Also, if you don't need to use a part of the application, you can remove it entirely. You now have a model that allows you to customize your user experience without sacrificing performance. That, my friends, is true power in computing.
Looking again at the closed source model, you have programs that become bloated by trying to become all things to all people. Granted it doesn't take a genius to set it up, but you can't customize it at all without sacrificing other portions of the program, or the entire program.
Rapid Development
Because each program is separate, and the source is open, anyone can tweak it, rework it, or completely rewrite it. If there is a problem that one person misses (and quite frankly, it's going to happen, as we are all only human), then someone else can catch it and fix it on the fly. An added bonus is migration of tools and programs to unintended completely different applications. This makes related, or even unrelated, software development more rapid.
Closed source doesn't have this same rapid development scheme. How many times have closed source applications been months or years in delayed deployment? All because they are unwilling to relinquish any perceived "profits" that might be lost by opening their core code.
Utilitarian
Yes, that's right. the Open Source movement is more about utility than form. Function is the important tool. Sometimes this is incredibly frustrating (bad UI development), but generally the tools are excellent at what they do. Why? Because they keep to the four basic principles of UNIX development. You need a tool? Great, use it. You don't need it? You don't have to install it. How many closed source programs can boast that level of utility?
Education
When I worked as a computer technician, I thought I knew computers. I thought I had the OS all figured out, and could rebuild a computer in my sleep. Boy, how wrong I was. All I needed to do was try to use another OS, and I was lost. Now? I can figure out pretty much any OS because UNIX, Linux, Solaris, and Mac OS have shown me how an OS works on the inside. Compiling source gives me insight on how an OS can work. Granted, it's not Windows, but I have a feeling that Microsoft will one day slap itself silly in the face a couple of times and just develop their Windowing software for a UNIX core. Ultimately, UNIX will teach you more about how a computer works than any other OS.
My crack about Microsoft abandoning their own kernel? Well, as far as I'm concerned, it would be the only responsible thing to do considering the doom that Vista has been. UNIX is not only older and more powerful, but they would in one fell swoop make it possible to regain their market share. After all, why have a virtual machine running Windows, when you can just start another windowing program off the same machine, and get Windows that way? But I digress.
Those are my reasons for liking UNIX. Notice I didn't say anything about security, because security on a computer is easy (just don't turn it on, ^_^). I didn't mention anything about greed, hate, personal curses, or maiming of anyone in the world. No, I like UNIX because it can work anywhere, on just about any computing platform in existence. Yes, UNIX and the Open Source model allows for this flexibility. Closed Source just can't cut it.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Corporate Discounts and the iPhone
Yesterday, quietly, AT&T announced a plan for corporate users to get an iPhone with their corporate account discounts. This is something that has been asked for, sought after, and finally won by the business users that wanted to utilize the iPhone (and one more step for Apple in the business market). Since the University has a corporate account with AT&T, I thought I would check it out and see what the discount looks like.
Well, it looks like the discount for the plan saves you around $9.00 per month for any plan with any phone (sans one). So you are probably thinking, "Great! I'm all over it!" Well, before you get too excited, you have to look at the iPhone Enterprise Data plan. For the basic plan (everything, with only 200 SMS messages), it's $45.00 a month. Compare that with the iPhone individual upgrade of only $20.00 a month for the same plan. So, you are being charged an extra $25.00, just because you have a corporate account.
I suppose they assume that corporate users are going to integrate more applications and utilize the data bandwidth more, so that's why the price is higher. Unfortunately, since there is no discount for the iPhone itself, this means that it would be cheaper for a business user to get a private account for the iPhone, instead of the corporate account.
Needless to say, I am disappointed. Perhaps, should the iPod Slate be announced sometime soon, or a 3G iPhone even sooner, I will rethink it.
Well, it looks like the discount for the plan saves you around $9.00 per month for any plan with any phone (sans one). So you are probably thinking, "Great! I'm all over it!" Well, before you get too excited, you have to look at the iPhone Enterprise Data plan. For the basic plan (everything, with only 200 SMS messages), it's $45.00 a month. Compare that with the iPhone individual upgrade of only $20.00 a month for the same plan. So, you are being charged an extra $25.00, just because you have a corporate account.
I suppose they assume that corporate users are going to integrate more applications and utilize the data bandwidth more, so that's why the price is higher. Unfortunately, since there is no discount for the iPhone itself, this means that it would be cheaper for a business user to get a private account for the iPhone, instead of the corporate account.
Needless to say, I am disappointed. Perhaps, should the iPod Slate be announced sometime soon, or a 3G iPhone even sooner, I will rethink it.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Linux Saves the Day: Real Life Story
Many people fell that I am biased against specific operating systems, in favor of a few. Most say that because the most outspoken of both the Linux and Mac community tend to defend their position by negatively attacking the competition. As such, the "community" is thereafter labeled as zealots, and from then on out no one takes you seriously. The truth is, I feel that operating systems are like suits, you wear the one that best fulfills your goals. Case in point:
My father is using an older machine that I had built about four years ago. The processor isn't even a 1 gig processor, the memory not quite one GB. It's old, it's worn, it started to show it's age. XP has been installed on it because it was the handy OS, and it ran fairly decently... Until recently. Updates from Microsoft have made the OS unusable.
I brought home another XP install disc to use with my XP key I had at home, and my dad tried to reinstall. It didn't work, and the original XP disc was nowhere to be found. What was he going to do? I also brought home Fedora 8 and Ubuntu 7.04. Fedora wouldn't work, because the machine didn't have a DVD-ROM drive. So, he installed Ubuntu.
The installation was flawless I assume, since I received no requests for assistance. The machine just works, and works well. Where XP had failed on this older machine, Ubuntu is flourishing. Granted all the games that were previously installed on the machine now no longer work, but as my mother was rather frustrated with the wasted time in those games, it's a better all around situation without them.
So there you have it. No zealous attacks on XP, no burning effigy of Bill Gates, just the reality that the machine was getting too old for XP and needed another operating system that would work on it. Do I think one OS is better than another? Only when the other OS will not work at all in the platform that you want, or when you want some flexibility. As my father so aptly told me this morning as I groaned at his decision to install Opera, "For what I use it for, it works better than anything else."
My father is using an older machine that I had built about four years ago. The processor isn't even a 1 gig processor, the memory not quite one GB. It's old, it's worn, it started to show it's age. XP has been installed on it because it was the handy OS, and it ran fairly decently... Until recently. Updates from Microsoft have made the OS unusable.
I brought home another XP install disc to use with my XP key I had at home, and my dad tried to reinstall. It didn't work, and the original XP disc was nowhere to be found. What was he going to do? I also brought home Fedora 8 and Ubuntu 7.04. Fedora wouldn't work, because the machine didn't have a DVD-ROM drive. So, he installed Ubuntu.
The installation was flawless I assume, since I received no requests for assistance. The machine just works, and works well. Where XP had failed on this older machine, Ubuntu is flourishing. Granted all the games that were previously installed on the machine now no longer work, but as my mother was rather frustrated with the wasted time in those games, it's a better all around situation without them.
So there you have it. No zealous attacks on XP, no burning effigy of Bill Gates, just the reality that the machine was getting too old for XP and needed another operating system that would work on it. Do I think one OS is better than another? Only when the other OS will not work at all in the platform that you want, or when you want some flexibility. As my father so aptly told me this morning as I groaned at his decision to install Opera, "For what I use it for, it works better than anything else."
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Short Review: The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello
I'm not generally one for video shorts, though I have seen thousands (particularly computer animated shorts). I also have a fairly limited field of likes when it comes to film, with most of the movies I enjoy coming from before the 60's. That being said, I read about this animated short on various websites, and decided to give it a try.
The Animation
The first thing that actually drew my attention was the animation. I'm pretty sure it is computer animation because of the precision, but it looks like shadow puppetry. That in and of it self is really cool! Shadow puppetry hasn't been seen in mainstream US markets (as far as I know) for years. It's neat to see someone take such an artistic turn in their animation. I'm really impressed.
The Setting
The setting is in a very steampunk world. Airships, coat tails, mad scientists that would rather kill others than think logically on how to get a monster back to a city. Yes, it just screams steampunk, and as such captured my attention. The machines used for locomotion are heavily geared, and there appears to be no natural ground. All land is floating in the air (rather cool, I'd say), and makes one wonder what kind of physics governs the world.
The Story
Something I have learned from watching years of animated shorts is that the animation can be excellent, but if the story is lacking the experience suffers. Apparently the creators of this little gem understood that, and wrote a complex story that is grounded in a history as to yet explained, giving the experience a richness that is usually lacking in other animated shorts. The story could have fallen directly from Jules Verne. It's rich, has just enough reference to technology to make geeks drool, and has such an intense ending that you are left wanting more.
A quick synopsis: A young navigator, haunted by a fatal mistake in his past, has been reassigned to his old ship. The crew are on a routine mission to a new trade route when they came across a derelict vessel, with all the crew dead, and yet still in complete working order. They follow their old heading at the behest of their one passenger, a biologist, and discover an uncharted island. The adventures start there, with excitement, horror, and a discovery of just what man can do when determination overrides reason.
If you have not seen this short, which has won many awards and was nominated for an Oscar in 2006, I would highly recommend that you do. If you can't find the DVD to purchase, you can find it on iTunes for $1.99 (plus tax). It's 26:05 minutes long, and every minute is gripping. I highly recommend it.
The Animation
The first thing that actually drew my attention was the animation. I'm pretty sure it is computer animation because of the precision, but it looks like shadow puppetry. That in and of it self is really cool! Shadow puppetry hasn't been seen in mainstream US markets (as far as I know) for years. It's neat to see someone take such an artistic turn in their animation. I'm really impressed.
The Setting
The setting is in a very steampunk world. Airships, coat tails, mad scientists that would rather kill others than think logically on how to get a monster back to a city. Yes, it just screams steampunk, and as such captured my attention. The machines used for locomotion are heavily geared, and there appears to be no natural ground. All land is floating in the air (rather cool, I'd say), and makes one wonder what kind of physics governs the world.
The Story
Something I have learned from watching years of animated shorts is that the animation can be excellent, but if the story is lacking the experience suffers. Apparently the creators of this little gem understood that, and wrote a complex story that is grounded in a history as to yet explained, giving the experience a richness that is usually lacking in other animated shorts. The story could have fallen directly from Jules Verne. It's rich, has just enough reference to technology to make geeks drool, and has such an intense ending that you are left wanting more.
A quick synopsis: A young navigator, haunted by a fatal mistake in his past, has been reassigned to his old ship. The crew are on a routine mission to a new trade route when they came across a derelict vessel, with all the crew dead, and yet still in complete working order. They follow their old heading at the behest of their one passenger, a biologist, and discover an uncharted island. The adventures start there, with excitement, horror, and a discovery of just what man can do when determination overrides reason.
If you have not seen this short, which has won many awards and was nominated for an Oscar in 2006, I would highly recommend that you do. If you can't find the DVD to purchase, you can find it on iTunes for $1.99 (plus tax). It's 26:05 minutes long, and every minute is gripping. I highly recommend it.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
MacWorld Keynote Reaction
Well, the speculation is over, the rumor and anticipation is done, Steve's Keynote has been delivered. There were a number of updates, and two new products, that were announced. Let me go over them one by one, and give you my reaction to each of them.
Time Capsule
Time Capsule is a new device that Apple has that combines the Airport Extreme with a backup drive already on board. So, instead of getting another drive and adding it to your Airport Extreme, you have just the one device. Very handy, very popular, very much in need when using Time Machine to back up your data. If you don't already have a server running at home that will let you back up your machine, this is a great idea.
At the time of the announcement, I was rather luke-warm about this device, since it is kind of a watered down home SAN, but it didn't really grab me. Now, I think it's something that I would like to have. It integrates with Time Machine well, so there isn't a lot of configuration and thought that needs to go into backing up your system. It just does it for you. Of course, you can save a lot of space if you only back up your Users folder, which backs up all the user folders and configuration files. ^_^
iPhone Updates
Great idea, adding a lot of functionality to the already popular phone. But I don't have a phone, and I'm not sure I will ever get a phone. Why wasn't there an option to tether a Bluetooth keyboard? That, in my mind, would have been a much needed/wanted ability for the iPhone. Perhaps in future, as new software becomes more popular and functional with the SDK.
iPod Touch Updates
This was very much needed. It's about time! The update will be welcome for everyone that want's to have the functionality of the iPhone without wanting an actual phone. For the first time, I am seriously thinking of getting an iPod Touch. Course, if you already have one, the extra $20.00 seems a bit steep. Why charge for the upgrade?
iTunes Movie Rentals
We all knew this was coming, particularly since a lot of studios have been rather loose-lipped about the whole thing. It's a good move, in my mind. There are a lot of movies I have ripped into MP4 format that sit on a DVD somewhere, never to be watched. All the DVD's that we have purchased and have only watched once... It's a good move. And the price is about what I expected. The HD rental idea was pretty cool, though I wonder what the download rate would be.
Do I think it will change the industry? Not really. I think it will be more popular, easier to manage, and more natural for people because of their current use of iTunes, but ultimately the industry is too young to say that it will be changed forever by this announcement. But it does make using the current industry more simple to use. ^_^
Apple TV Take 2
Yes! It stores it's own media! Yes! The upgrade is free! Yes! This was the real announcement for me. The Apple TV had so much potential, but it felt like those of us using it for so long had been pretty much left out of the loop. It was great for sharing media from my wife's Mac, and still will be. But now we can rent movies to it easily, watch them, and have the movie automatically delete once we've watched it. Also, video podcasts can be downloaded and watched without having to use another machine. This was a great idea, and I'm glad Apple went with it. ^_^
The price drop was also nice, though not significant enough to warrant another purchase of the 160 GB model (yet). Yet again, price begins to drag on my wants, reminding me of the needs that are more pressing. Oh well, perhaps soon.
Macbook Air
The rumor was pretty strong on this one, and I thought it would be something similar to the Eee PC by ASUS. The devil was in the details, depending on the type of drive, size, and features it carried. It turned out to be the same, much the same way a Honda Civic is the same thing as a Mercedes Benz. Here are the points:
1. Size: It's perfect for what I want. I need something small, easy to carry around in either a backpack, briefcase, or even a portfolio. That's why I wanted an iPod Slate to begin with. Something like that would have been perfect, and they have given me basically a Slate with the keyboard attached. It's nice and compact, if wider than I would have wanted (in comparison to my 12" Powerbook).
The thing is, I don't really need a 13" screen. I can deal with a 8" screen (I did with my NEC 120LT for a couple years, and it was great!). So the screen size isn't actually a benefit for me. It could be, if I needed to see something that big, and the resolution is right where I would want it to be. But a small screen I can live with.
2. Weight: Great weight. I like small laptops that are lightweight. My 120LT that I had for years was 2.2 pounds. That was perfect for running around. This gives me the ability to write documents, show presentations, carry my movies/TV shows with me, and having a full OS that will work with the classes I teach. And it's all in a small form device that is about the same size and width of a 30 page document (estimate only). That I like. It's perfect particularly for any instructor in Distance Education, who want's to have the power of a full-sized laptop, but save on space while traveling.
But how does it compare to the Eee PC? The Eee PC is lighter by a full pound. So even though the weight is great for the Macbook Air, it's still not the lightest option out there.
3. Drive: This is what concerned me the most. Solid State drives have a limited number of writes before it fails. Granted, pretty much everything could have the same, but a solid state drive is more limited. With a full OS writing to it constantly (log files, caching, deleting, etc.), it can fail rather quickly.
I had mentioned before in a previous post that if such a thing were to be developed, it would be nice to have an iPod Classic drive in the machine. And that's what they did. It's not really fast (4200 RPM), so don't expect to be gaming heavily on it, or producing video with Final Cut Pro. But it will do the job, and potentially last longer than a Solid State Drive.
Course, if you want speed, the 64 GB (compared to the Eee PC's max of 8 GB) will definitely give it to you...at a cost. That cost? $999. yep, the 4200 RPM PATA drive was a good choice. ^_^
One thing it can't do is boot from a USB drive, unlike the Eee PC. Of course, I could be wrong about that, but that is a huge bonus with the Eee PC. Sure the SSD drive may die on it after a few years, but you can still boot from either a USB drive, or an SD card. Therefore, you have a device that can outlast the SSD drive installed, as well as have multiple versions of the OS for the machine.
4. Peripherals: The Macbook Air was built to be wireless, and use wireless devices. Sure, you can have an external, USB powered Superdrive ($99 extra), or another USB device, but that's it. It doesn't even have a Firewire port, as you might expect. The Micro-DVI port looks interesting (almost like a 400 Firewire port??), but if you lose your adapter you are sunk. No one else will have one that will work with it, unless they have the same machine.
The wireless technology is what you would expect from Apple: 802.11n and Bluetooth 2.1. There was a guess that it would include either UTMS or WiMAXX, but neither came about. I wouldn't mind WiMAXX... I like the idea and the technology. Perhaps in future incarnations of the Macbook Air as the technology begins to catch on. We will see.
The Eee PC has three USB ports, and an SD card slot. Great idea, but SD cards are easily lost (particularly if you are as disorganized as I am). But then, the USB ports could easily make up for that. Wireless is the standard 802.11g, which most people support.
5. Design: Quite frankly, the Macbook Air has a killer design. It's sleek, it's fancy, it's impressive. It will turn heads, and be the kind of tech status symbol that many people feel they need in their lives. Personally, it's not as important as a number of other features, but then I still like to have something that looks as good as it performs. The key there is as good as. I don't want something that looks fabulous, but totally bomb in performance. It still needs to do what I want it to do.
The Eee PC doesn't look as nice, but the ability to boot from any Linux distro at any time, while keeping your home folders on the main drive is pretty slick. The geek factor goes up pretty high at that point. Of course you can always tri-boot the Macbook Air, you just don't have the flexibility to move based on new storage.
6. Price: For those (two) of you who have followed my blog, you know that I pride myself on my Scottish heritage. It's in my Blog's name, I show it every April 6th (national Tartan Day!), and I try to show it in my purchasing of devices. I'm very wary of paying a load of money for a new thing just because it is "shiny". I want to have made an informed decision, and gone with the lowest bid.
Now, that doesn't mean that I automatically look at price! I look at quality, life expectancy, and multi-tasking my purchases. if it does one thing really well, but I can't do anything else with it, then I generally leave it be (unless it's under a dollar ^_^). So with high prices comes high expectations. If I can do the same thing with a lesser-priced device, I will go with the lesser priced device. It's simple rules of economics.
The Macbook Air is priced at $1,799.00, with an Education discount of $100. Good price? It hurt my wallet. I want the thing, but that's a bit much for me to muster. I need a new laptop, and I really would like it to be a Mac. It makes a $999.00 Macbook look a lot better. After all, it's just a little thicker, has more features, and weighs just two more pounds. I just can't put it in a Portfolio while on the go.
Course, the Eee PC is priced around $400.00, which makes it a much better purchase. I could purchase two and still have it be less than a Macbook.
Anyway, that's what I thought of today's MacWorld Keynote. All in all, they were all really neat. But I don't think I will be getting a Macbook Air today. Perhaps, if more is known on how it performs with Target Disk Mode, and other support features, I may change my mind and try to talk my wife into letting me get one. Perhaps...
Time Capsule
Time Capsule is a new device that Apple has that combines the Airport Extreme with a backup drive already on board. So, instead of getting another drive and adding it to your Airport Extreme, you have just the one device. Very handy, very popular, very much in need when using Time Machine to back up your data. If you don't already have a server running at home that will let you back up your machine, this is a great idea.
At the time of the announcement, I was rather luke-warm about this device, since it is kind of a watered down home SAN, but it didn't really grab me. Now, I think it's something that I would like to have. It integrates with Time Machine well, so there isn't a lot of configuration and thought that needs to go into backing up your system. It just does it for you. Of course, you can save a lot of space if you only back up your Users folder, which backs up all the user folders and configuration files. ^_^
iPhone Updates
Great idea, adding a lot of functionality to the already popular phone. But I don't have a phone, and I'm not sure I will ever get a phone. Why wasn't there an option to tether a Bluetooth keyboard? That, in my mind, would have been a much needed/wanted ability for the iPhone. Perhaps in future, as new software becomes more popular and functional with the SDK.
iPod Touch Updates
This was very much needed. It's about time! The update will be welcome for everyone that want's to have the functionality of the iPhone without wanting an actual phone. For the first time, I am seriously thinking of getting an iPod Touch. Course, if you already have one, the extra $20.00 seems a bit steep. Why charge for the upgrade?
iTunes Movie Rentals
We all knew this was coming, particularly since a lot of studios have been rather loose-lipped about the whole thing. It's a good move, in my mind. There are a lot of movies I have ripped into MP4 format that sit on a DVD somewhere, never to be watched. All the DVD's that we have purchased and have only watched once... It's a good move. And the price is about what I expected. The HD rental idea was pretty cool, though I wonder what the download rate would be.
Do I think it will change the industry? Not really. I think it will be more popular, easier to manage, and more natural for people because of their current use of iTunes, but ultimately the industry is too young to say that it will be changed forever by this announcement. But it does make using the current industry more simple to use. ^_^
Apple TV Take 2
Yes! It stores it's own media! Yes! The upgrade is free! Yes! This was the real announcement for me. The Apple TV had so much potential, but it felt like those of us using it for so long had been pretty much left out of the loop. It was great for sharing media from my wife's Mac, and still will be. But now we can rent movies to it easily, watch them, and have the movie automatically delete once we've watched it. Also, video podcasts can be downloaded and watched without having to use another machine. This was a great idea, and I'm glad Apple went with it. ^_^
The price drop was also nice, though not significant enough to warrant another purchase of the 160 GB model (yet). Yet again, price begins to drag on my wants, reminding me of the needs that are more pressing. Oh well, perhaps soon.
Macbook Air
The rumor was pretty strong on this one, and I thought it would be something similar to the Eee PC by ASUS. The devil was in the details, depending on the type of drive, size, and features it carried. It turned out to be the same, much the same way a Honda Civic is the same thing as a Mercedes Benz. Here are the points:
1. Size: It's perfect for what I want. I need something small, easy to carry around in either a backpack, briefcase, or even a portfolio. That's why I wanted an iPod Slate to begin with. Something like that would have been perfect, and they have given me basically a Slate with the keyboard attached. It's nice and compact, if wider than I would have wanted (in comparison to my 12" Powerbook).
The thing is, I don't really need a 13" screen. I can deal with a 8" screen (I did with my NEC 120LT for a couple years, and it was great!). So the screen size isn't actually a benefit for me. It could be, if I needed to see something that big, and the resolution is right where I would want it to be. But a small screen I can live with.
2. Weight: Great weight. I like small laptops that are lightweight. My 120LT that I had for years was 2.2 pounds. That was perfect for running around. This gives me the ability to write documents, show presentations, carry my movies/TV shows with me, and having a full OS that will work with the classes I teach. And it's all in a small form device that is about the same size and width of a 30 page document (estimate only). That I like. It's perfect particularly for any instructor in Distance Education, who want's to have the power of a full-sized laptop, but save on space while traveling.
But how does it compare to the Eee PC? The Eee PC is lighter by a full pound. So even though the weight is great for the Macbook Air, it's still not the lightest option out there.
3. Drive: This is what concerned me the most. Solid State drives have a limited number of writes before it fails. Granted, pretty much everything could have the same, but a solid state drive is more limited. With a full OS writing to it constantly (log files, caching, deleting, etc.), it can fail rather quickly.
I had mentioned before in a previous post that if such a thing were to be developed, it would be nice to have an iPod Classic drive in the machine. And that's what they did. It's not really fast (4200 RPM), so don't expect to be gaming heavily on it, or producing video with Final Cut Pro. But it will do the job, and potentially last longer than a Solid State Drive.
Course, if you want speed, the 64 GB (compared to the Eee PC's max of 8 GB) will definitely give it to you...at a cost. That cost? $999. yep, the 4200 RPM PATA drive was a good choice. ^_^
One thing it can't do is boot from a USB drive, unlike the Eee PC. Of course, I could be wrong about that, but that is a huge bonus with the Eee PC. Sure the SSD drive may die on it after a few years, but you can still boot from either a USB drive, or an SD card. Therefore, you have a device that can outlast the SSD drive installed, as well as have multiple versions of the OS for the machine.
4. Peripherals: The Macbook Air was built to be wireless, and use wireless devices. Sure, you can have an external, USB powered Superdrive ($99 extra), or another USB device, but that's it. It doesn't even have a Firewire port, as you might expect. The Micro-DVI port looks interesting (almost like a 400 Firewire port??), but if you lose your adapter you are sunk. No one else will have one that will work with it, unless they have the same machine.
The wireless technology is what you would expect from Apple: 802.11n and Bluetooth 2.1. There was a guess that it would include either UTMS or WiMAXX, but neither came about. I wouldn't mind WiMAXX... I like the idea and the technology. Perhaps in future incarnations of the Macbook Air as the technology begins to catch on. We will see.
The Eee PC has three USB ports, and an SD card slot. Great idea, but SD cards are easily lost (particularly if you are as disorganized as I am). But then, the USB ports could easily make up for that. Wireless is the standard 802.11g, which most people support.
5. Design: Quite frankly, the Macbook Air has a killer design. It's sleek, it's fancy, it's impressive. It will turn heads, and be the kind of tech status symbol that many people feel they need in their lives. Personally, it's not as important as a number of other features, but then I still like to have something that looks as good as it performs. The key there is as good as. I don't want something that looks fabulous, but totally bomb in performance. It still needs to do what I want it to do.
The Eee PC doesn't look as nice, but the ability to boot from any Linux distro at any time, while keeping your home folders on the main drive is pretty slick. The geek factor goes up pretty high at that point. Of course you can always tri-boot the Macbook Air, you just don't have the flexibility to move based on new storage.
6. Price: For those (two) of you who have followed my blog, you know that I pride myself on my Scottish heritage. It's in my Blog's name, I show it every April 6th (national Tartan Day!), and I try to show it in my purchasing of devices. I'm very wary of paying a load of money for a new thing just because it is "shiny". I want to have made an informed decision, and gone with the lowest bid.
Now, that doesn't mean that I automatically look at price! I look at quality, life expectancy, and multi-tasking my purchases. if it does one thing really well, but I can't do anything else with it, then I generally leave it be (unless it's under a dollar ^_^). So with high prices comes high expectations. If I can do the same thing with a lesser-priced device, I will go with the lesser priced device. It's simple rules of economics.
The Macbook Air is priced at $1,799.00, with an Education discount of $100. Good price? It hurt my wallet. I want the thing, but that's a bit much for me to muster. I need a new laptop, and I really would like it to be a Mac. It makes a $999.00 Macbook look a lot better. After all, it's just a little thicker, has more features, and weighs just two more pounds. I just can't put it in a Portfolio while on the go.
Course, the Eee PC is priced around $400.00, which makes it a much better purchase. I could purchase two and still have it be less than a Macbook.
Anyway, that's what I thought of today's MacWorld Keynote. All in all, they were all really neat. But I don't think I will be getting a Macbook Air today. Perhaps, if more is known on how it performs with Target Disk Mode, and other support features, I may change my mind and try to talk my wife into letting me get one. Perhaps...
MacWorld Keynote Today! Anticipated Ultra-Thin Macbook Expected
Yes, the highly anticipated Keynote is scheduled for today, with high expectations for Apple to announce new and wild releases. The one thing that I really wanted, the iPod Slate, looks to not be one of them, according to Apple Insider. It seems that the PDA/UMPC is still not ready, either from a design or market standpoint. Instead, all weight has been thrown behind the new ultra-mobile Macbook, which is expected to be priced at $1,500. Wired's Gadget Lab has a post regarding the new device, but doesn't mention pricing or availability (but it will soon be made public, if real).
It has all the features I am looking for in a notebook replacement (like the iPod Slate), because it is thin, highly portable, and has a full version of the OS. It's also rumored (or more like wildly guessed) to have 3G built into it, either through UMTS or WiMAXX (or both). It's a great little device, but my total conversion will come at price (assuming everything about it will be true). Make it the least expensive Macbook, and I'll be sold. ^_^
So, until then, I am counting down to the keynote, while working to prepare for various classes I am teaching. It's fun to guess at what Apple is going to release, but even more fun to learn what really does get released. Until then, it's business as usual (with just a little bit of high expectation ^_^).
It has all the features I am looking for in a notebook replacement (like the iPod Slate), because it is thin, highly portable, and has a full version of the OS. It's also rumored (or more like wildly guessed) to have 3G built into it, either through UMTS or WiMAXX (or both). It's a great little device, but my total conversion will come at price (assuming everything about it will be true). Make it the least expensive Macbook, and I'll be sold. ^_^
So, until then, I am counting down to the keynote, while working to prepare for various classes I am teaching. It's fun to guess at what Apple is going to release, but even more fun to learn what really does get released. Until then, it's business as usual (with just a little bit of high expectation ^_^).
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Wanted: Video Game Programming Teacher for Youth Program in Summer
Today I am stepping away from my usual discussion points to post up an ad. Our Youth program (part of Continuing Education at the University of Utah) is looking for someone to teach a class on video game programming. This class, in the past, has been taught in Dark Basic, but we can be flexible if someone would like to try another platform. These are the requirements:
1. Can Teach: This means that you have in the past taught before, and can teach. That means you recognize when someone is having trouble (deer in the headlights look), can help people on an individual basis, and can communicate your points in such a way as to allow students to build upon each of the steps.
2. Get along well with children: The students will range in age between 13 and 18. Most generally tend to be in the jr. high range. There will be a maximum of 16 students, so things can get a little rowdy. This class is also very popular, usually running at a beginning and an advanced level.
3. Have a Take Away: The students in the end of both the beginning and advanced course would need to have something completed, and can take home.
The class usually runs an entire week, just 3 hours a day. Something advanced like Java would probably not be a good choice, because of the time constraint. The class is not meant to be a video game design course, just a programming course. Also, if you choose not to use Dark Basic, the software would need to be fairly inexpensive. Free is always good. ^_^
If you have any questions regarding the class, interest, pay, etc., please give Claire Turner a call at 581-7226.
1. Can Teach: This means that you have in the past taught before, and can teach. That means you recognize when someone is having trouble (deer in the headlights look), can help people on an individual basis, and can communicate your points in such a way as to allow students to build upon each of the steps.
2. Get along well with children: The students will range in age between 13 and 18. Most generally tend to be in the jr. high range. There will be a maximum of 16 students, so things can get a little rowdy. This class is also very popular, usually running at a beginning and an advanced level.
3. Have a Take Away: The students in the end of both the beginning and advanced course would need to have something completed, and can take home.
The class usually runs an entire week, just 3 hours a day. Something advanced like Java would probably not be a good choice, because of the time constraint. The class is not meant to be a video game design course, just a programming course. Also, if you choose not to use Dark Basic, the software would need to be fairly inexpensive. Free is always good. ^_^
If you have any questions regarding the class, interest, pay, etc., please give Claire Turner a call at 581-7226.
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Mac Rumors Abound: What do I Expect?
Well, it's that time of year again. The media is all a buzz with the coming of new and potentially life-changing devices from Apple. What will it be? A cure for global warming? A chip to interface your head directly with the internet? Flying cars? The wild guesses are running rampant. But, beyond all the hype, what is it that I think Apple should release? Here is my wish list (note, not predictions):
UMPC
Lots of people have been talking about this, and the potential for an iPod Slate , which would be a replacement for the Newton, have full OS installed, and the ability to tether bluetooth keyboards and mice. All in all, I think it's a great idea. But doesn't the iPhone have a bluetooth antenna installed? Why not just enable tethering there?
Course, a bigger screen would be nice, but still small enough to be portable. It needs to be a fully functional machine, with all the abilities of a fully fledged Mac, but be small enough to fit in a portfolio, at least. And, most importantly, it needs to be well priced. If not, then the Eee PC sounds like the best bet for me for my next replacement notebook.
Why something so small and no notebook? Well, I don't need a lot of real estate for the classes I teach, nor the classes I hope to teach. I need something mobile, because mobility is a big deal when you are teaching all over the state (and get offers outside of the state). I also need the flexibility of being able to have a full machine that boots quick (or wakes up quickly), has access to all my files (via networking), and can be used anywhere. So, one last thing I would like in a UMPC from Apple is a 3G chip on board, and not an external device.
A Home Server
I am planning on setting up a home server anyway, once I can afford the hardware, but wouldn't it be nice if Apple set up a home server device for me? It would be configured pretty basically, but allow me to also configure it in a more advanced way if necessary. I want the ability to run simple file sharing through the device, with some web services, collaboration services, and even NetBoot if I can get away with it. If necessary (and if the price is right), I would be willing to purchase more than one server device, each configured for a specific duty. As it stands now, I am looking at getting a bare-bones Mac Mini, and running the server off of it.
And, well, that's about it. The number one thing I want is a reasonably priced UMPC that is priced like a PDA, but works like a Mac. As mentioned before, I can work without one by using a Linux-based EeePC or the OLPC machine, but I really am hooked on the Mac. It does the job for me, it's easy to set up, and I teach the platform. The server I can set up myself, if I need to. The UMPC would just be really nice. ^_^
UMPC
Lots of people have been talking about this, and the potential for an iPod Slate , which would be a replacement for the Newton, have full OS installed, and the ability to tether bluetooth keyboards and mice. All in all, I think it's a great idea. But doesn't the iPhone have a bluetooth antenna installed? Why not just enable tethering there?
Course, a bigger screen would be nice, but still small enough to be portable. It needs to be a fully functional machine, with all the abilities of a fully fledged Mac, but be small enough to fit in a portfolio, at least. And, most importantly, it needs to be well priced. If not, then the Eee PC sounds like the best bet for me for my next replacement notebook.
Why something so small and no notebook? Well, I don't need a lot of real estate for the classes I teach, nor the classes I hope to teach. I need something mobile, because mobility is a big deal when you are teaching all over the state (and get offers outside of the state). I also need the flexibility of being able to have a full machine that boots quick (or wakes up quickly), has access to all my files (via networking), and can be used anywhere. So, one last thing I would like in a UMPC from Apple is a 3G chip on board, and not an external device.
A Home Server
I am planning on setting up a home server anyway, once I can afford the hardware, but wouldn't it be nice if Apple set up a home server device for me? It would be configured pretty basically, but allow me to also configure it in a more advanced way if necessary. I want the ability to run simple file sharing through the device, with some web services, collaboration services, and even NetBoot if I can get away with it. If necessary (and if the price is right), I would be willing to purchase more than one server device, each configured for a specific duty. As it stands now, I am looking at getting a bare-bones Mac Mini, and running the server off of it.
And, well, that's about it. The number one thing I want is a reasonably priced UMPC that is priced like a PDA, but works like a Mac. As mentioned before, I can work without one by using a Linux-based EeePC or the OLPC machine, but I really am hooked on the Mac. It does the job for me, it's easy to set up, and I teach the platform. The server I can set up myself, if I need to. The UMPC would just be really nice. ^_^
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