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All joking aside: this was my favorite movie of the year. It is a mockumentary based in Norway about a man that hunts Trolls for a living. It is a very well done movie and I enjoyed the crap out of it. The movie is in Norwegian, which I don’t speak, so do be prepared…
All joking aside: this was my favorite movie of the year. It is a mockumentary based in Norway about a man that hunts Trolls for a living. It is a very well done movie and I enjoyed the crap out of it. The movie is in Norwegian, which I don’t speak, so do be prepared to flip on subtitles — still worth it.
This would also make a great last minute gift for someone awesome.
**Update:** Movie also on [Amazon](http://d.pr/9fvn) streaming and Netflix streaming I am told.
Michael Schechter wanted to help me out when I wished upon a star for a `.com` button on my Mac like we get in iOS. He created the button (of sorts) two ways, one with Keyboard Maestro and another with TextExpander. I’d further modify the Keybaord Maestro version by putting it in a group that…
Michael Schechter wanted to help me out when I wished upon a star for a `.com` button on my Mac like we get in iOS. He created the button (of sorts) two ways, one with Keyboard Maestro and another with TextExpander. I’d further modify the Keybaord Maestro version by putting it in a group that makes it only work in Safari — that’s one of the best abilities of Keyboard Maestro.
Looks great ((I really mean that. The coloring is the only reason I am linking to this — I like it that much.)) and $50 go towards charity: water.
Looks great ((I really mean that. The coloring is the only reason I am linking to this — I like it that much.)) and $50 go towards charity: water.
AT&T: >To reflect the break-up considerations due Deutsche Telekom, AT&T will recognize a pretax accounting charge of $4 billion in the 4th quarter of 2011. Additionally, AT&T will enter a mutually beneficial roaming agreement with Deutsche Telekom. I think I heard all of Bellevue, WA cheering just a moment ago. ((What a huge win for…
AT&T:
>To reflect the break-up considerations due Deutsche Telekom, AT&T will recognize a pretax accounting charge of $4 billion in the 4th quarter of 2011. Additionally, AT&T will enter a mutually beneficial roaming agreement with Deutsche Telekom.
I think I heard all of Bellevue, WA cheering just a moment ago. ((What a huge win for T-Mobile and Deutsche Telekom. I still contend that this is actually *not* a good thing for consumers in the end. Typically I would argue that not consolidating is better for consumers, but in this case I really think AT&T could have susbstantially improved its network if it had acquired T-Mobile.))
When Engadget was purchased by `Aol.` I was concerned ((Updated at the bottom.)) — then all the best writers at Engadget jumped ship (which may or may not be related to inner workings at Engadget — either way it doesn’t matter for these purposes) and started doing their own thing over at *This is my…
When Engadget was purchased by `Aol.` I was concerned ((Updated at the bottom.)) — then all the best writers at Engadget jumped ship (which may or may not be related to inner workings at Engadget — either way it doesn’t matter for these purposes) and started doing their own thing over at *This is my Next*. It was a noble effort and a ballsy move — it’s everything that so many of us nerds love to see — fight the man.
Then Topolsky and crew launched their next big thing: *The Verge*. It’s what they envisioned tech reporting to be when they left Engadget, but unfortunately for them it sucks.
The design — though I am not a fan — is a notch above just about every other large tech site on the web. The writers for the site are good and seem smart. ((More on this in a bit.))
The ads are present and at times over-run the site, but I have yet to be offended or sufficiently annoyed by them.
The photography and videography puts to shame even larger sites like *The New York Times* and *The Wall Street Journal*.
The amount of posts is astonishing. The scoops, breaking news, features, interviews, product reviews are there.
What’s missing is compelling content.
There’s a lack of opinion and a lack of wow. I have yet to read something on *The Verge* that left me thinking:
– Oh wow, great point.
– I hadn’t thought of that.
– Woah.
– I must quote this.
– That’s so far off base, but person X made a great argument.
There is just a lot of vanilla tech reporting going on — the kind that I expect to see on CNET. Which is a shame because by all accounts the writers for the site *are* smart — the type that should get it, but refuse to spell it out for readers.
In fact the most compelling and interesting writing in *The Verge* are [the posts that its senior editors](http://www.theverge.com/2011/12/15/2638611/horseshit) post in the “forum” in response to criticism. That shouldn’t be the case, yet they are the only posts I look forward to reading on the site.
Further proof: here are two of the latest reviews on the site that illustrate a general lack of opinion:
### David Pierce’s Sphero Review
David Pierce’s [Sphero review](http://www.theverge.com/2011/12/19/2645681/sphero-review) might be the epitome of what I am talking about. He makes statements about how it’s “simple” to recalibrate the device every time you go to use it — to only later half-criticize the fact that you must recalibrate the device every time.
>You have to calibrate the Sphero every time you turn it on. It’s a simple process […]
Then later:
>[…]but it means you spend a lot of time picking the ball up and shaking it back on and re-calibrating.
So it’s a simple process, just one that you spend a lot of time doing and the you have to do often. I would guess this is a much bigger annoyance that Pierce is making it out to be — but I will never know because he barely covered it in his review.
He gives the gadget a 5/10 rating — could you be any less opinionated than that?
Maybe so, because here are his closing two sentences:
>However, it needs a much broader swath of uses before I can recommend spending $129.99 on it.
*Sounds like he doesn’t recommend it.*
>Though honestly, can you really put a price on messing with your cat without even getting off the couch?
*Wait so it is worth it?*
So which is it: not worth it, or totally worth it? I’m confused.
### Joshua Topolsky’s Verizon Galaxy Nexus Review
Joshua Topolsky’s [Verizon Galaxy Nexus review](http://www.theverge.com/2011/12/16/2638466/galaxy-nexus-review-verizon-lte) — a follow-up review on the device to talk about a 4G LTE version — is right with the rest of the site.
The first mistake that Topolsky makes is with battery life. He states:
>Even though the battery life takes a clear hit, I don’t think it’s necessarily a dealbreaker on this phone. Obviously it can’t hold a candle to non-4G devices, but a swappable battery (or extended options) and an option to switch off 4G can help ease the pain.
That’s just stupid, I’m sorry, but it really is a stupid statement. It’s like saying: “This car is really fast, but it only gets 2MPG when in fast mode. That’s not a problem at all, but best to just turn off fast mode.” Or break it down like this, Topolsky first states: Battery life suffers. One would think that would be a black mark, but Topolsky quickly states that it is not. Then he talks about how it isn’t nearly as good in the battery life department as other non-4G device. Then offers two ways (both at a detriment to usability of the device) that a user can take to avoid this battery ‘issue’.
Topolsky states that he is specifically reviewing the 4G LTE version of the phone and he glosses over the fact that you take a “clear hit” to battery life when using this feature — the very feature he is reviewing.
I can’t be the only one that sees the stupidity here.
He then goes on to tout the speed of the device over 4G — yeah the same 4G he just said you may want to turn off to mitigate battery drain.
I fully understand what he is saying: the 4G is fast, but it drains your battery fast. So best to turn it off if/when you don’t need it, but I can’t be the only one that thinks that makes for a device that is a bit more of a pain in the ass to use than this review would lead one to believe. Yet that is never stated when it should be stated explicitly.
Ok, let’s just get down to Topolsky’s verdict:
>Ultimately, you have to make the decision of what you want out of a phone, and there are excellent choices on the market right now. Personally? Verizon just got themselves a new customer.
I take that and the 8.7/10 rating as a recommendation of this device — so I have to ask why not come flat out and say that you recommend people buy this device? Why make it a gray area of interpretation: “I like it, but who knows if you will.”
I hate that.
Further, what are the other “excellent choices” that I should consider instead of this phone? How is this phone better than those in your opinion? Topolsky answers the who, what, when, where — just not the how and why and those are the only two I can’t read on the manufactures website.
One last thing: there are three bullet points listed as “good” and three “bad” for this review, which is fine, but there is no weight given to them.
Is having a “Fantastic 720p display” really of equal weight to “Camera quality can be spotty”? I would guess that most people are going to be happier with a great camera than with a “fantastic” display — a display mind you that most say is not as nice as the iPhone 4/4S. ((See update about this at the bottom of the post.)) Is battery life (also list as “bad”) really the same weight as well? I can’t believe that most consumers would think these things are equal — so why are they listed as equal?
### Lackluster
As I said above I was pretty excited about *The Verge* and what the crew behind it was trying to do. I think they created a great independent site that gets excellent access to companies they cover. I think that they created a great brand and image.
But I think the site’s content is pretty lackluster.
Push aside the press release re-writes that contain little to no commentary — this is par for the course (unfortunately) — and you are left with tech specs.
When the most interesting thing you write on your site — from a reader’s perspective that reads 300+ tech sites in his RSS reader — is a rebuttal to another site, well I think you have big problems.
[MG Siegler summed up *The Verge*](http://parislemon.com/post/14286785030/horseshit) (and most tech sites for that matter) pretty well — whether he intended to or not I don’t know — when he said:
>I don’t know about you, but when I read my favorite technology writers, I want an opinion. Is the iPhone 4S the best smartphone, or is it the Galaxy Nexus? I need to buy one, I can’t buy both. Topolsky never gives us that. Instead, he pussyfoots around it. One is great at some things, the other is great at others. Barf.
The problem is endemic of the industry as a whole. You can say all you want about my opinions — whether I am right or wrong — what you can’t say is that I don’t have one. I will take you disagreeing with me all day long over being a bland yes man.
This is a rather long winded way of saying exactly what MG Siegler said above: take a stance.
##### Bonus
For the record, here are some hard and fast recommendations.
– Buy the iPhone 4S and nothing else.
– Unless you are a nerd buy a 13” MacBook Air.
– The only tablet to get is an iPad, but you probably don’t need one.
– Apple makes the best displays and anything else you buy will look like crap in comparison.
– Pepsi is better than Coke.
– Glenlivet 18yr is the best Scotch.
– Tom Bihn makes exceptional bags.
– Don’t bother reading *The Verge*.
**UPDATED** (on Dec 20, 2011): I incorrectly stated that it was the Aol. buyout that spurred this, when in fact I believe it was the Huffington merger and her subsequent elevation to be in charge of Engadget that did so. I regret this error.. It appears I was still wrong, as [Joseph Caiati on Twitter](https://twitter.com/joecaiati/status/149186816103297024) pointed out it was likely the [AOL Way memo](http://www.businessinsider.com/the-aol-way) that did it. I really regret being wrong twice. Hey guess what? I am still wrong about the reason according to Nilay Patel:
@BenjaminBrooks You still have the wrong reason we left AOL. But at least you have a strong stance now: you’ll run with unverified hearsay.
— nilay patel (@reckless) December 20, 2011
I’ve asked him to share the real reason, no response yet. I, yet again, regret this error. At this point it really doesn’t matter why they left Engadget, or even if they did. Doesn’t change my main complaints about *The Verge* itself.
Secondly I stated that most think the iPhone 4/4S screen is better than the Galaxy Nexus. [Here is the article I should have linked that too](http://www.flatpanelshd.com/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1319022037).
Additionally people have told me that The Glenlivet 21yr is much better, however I cannot speak to this as I have yet to try it.
A great take on where RIM really went wrong by Horace Dediu: >But RIM did nothing. Almost nothing. They were the healthiest competitor. They felt no pain from iPhone’s entry. This is really worth the read.
A great take on where RIM really went wrong by Horace Dediu:
>But RIM did nothing. Almost nothing. They were the healthiest competitor. They felt no pain from iPhone’s entry.
This is really worth the read.
You have to wonder what — if anything — will change with the passing of Kim Jong-il.
You have to wonder what — if anything — will change with the passing of Kim Jong-il.
Mourad Haroutunian and Jonathan Browning report: >[…]Halawani said in a telephone interview, adding that Alwaleed and Kingdom Holding bought the shares from founding shareholders. “I expect Twitter does not need further funding before going public.” and >In a separate interview with Al Arabiya, Halawani said Twitter will probably hold an IPO in two years. So…
Mourad Haroutunian and Jonathan Browning report:
>[…]Halawani said in a telephone interview, adding that Alwaleed and Kingdom Holding bought the shares from founding shareholders. “I expect Twitter does not need further funding before going public.”
and
>In a separate interview with Al Arabiya, Halawani said Twitter will probably hold an IPO in two years.
So we can then safely assume that Twitter loses about $150 million a year… right?
Over 1200 words from *The Wall Street Journal* that doesn’t further expound upon anything you could read at any Apple related blog about Apple’s plans for TV. What you do get is plenty of “people familiar with the matter” statements that then go on to say: “Apple’s plans are vague.” *No shit.* Jessica E. Vascellaro…
Over 1200 words from *The Wall Street Journal* that doesn’t further expound upon anything you could read at any Apple related blog about Apple’s plans for TV. What you do get is plenty of “people familiar with the matter” statements that then go on to say: “Apple’s plans are vague.”
*No shit.*
Jessica E. Vascellaro and Sam Schechner:
>When the company plans to start selling such a device and whether it would receive traditional broadcast or cable signals remains unclear, said these people, who say Apple may change its plans.
What a wealth of information.
Marco Arment commenting about the Nest thermostat: >The problem arises when the Nest needs to charge itself and neither the heat nor air conditioning has turned on in a while, like on a mild day. Without a C circuit to take power from, it can only charge itself from running the system. >So it pulses…
Marco Arment commenting about the Nest thermostat:
>The problem arises when the Nest needs to charge itself and neither the heat nor air conditioning has turned on in a while, like on a mild day. Without a C circuit to take power from, it can only charge itself from running the system.
>So it pulses the R-W heat circuit in short bursts to get power.
Marco doesn’t think that is good for his boiler — and he is right because that’s not good. Best way to think of it: starting up your car and turning it back off, then repeating. Battery wear down on your car aside — cycling a heating system or your car’s engine that often is not optimal.
This isn’t likely something that will directly cause a problem, but it is putting unneeded wear and strain on your heating system — no way I would allow this.
Kevin Underhill: >Still, it is something special when a homeland-security grant is used to buy a snow-cone machine. You need to read this entire post because the ridiculousness of the statements to justify this are hard to believe.
Kevin Underhill:
>Still, it is something special when a homeland-security grant is used to buy a snow-cone machine.
You need to read this entire post because the ridiculousness of the statements to justify this are hard to believe.
Dieter Bohn: >So if you want to install Android apps on the Kindle Fire that aren’t included in the Amazon App Store, you have two options: hunting down the apk file and sideloading via your computer or rooting the device entirely. If you want to browse the Android Market on the web from a stock…
Dieter Bohn:
>So if you want to install Android apps on the Kindle Fire that aren’t included in the Amazon App Store, you have two options: hunting down the apk file and sideloading via your computer or rooting the device entirely. If you want to browse the Android Market on the web from a stock Kindle Fire, you’re basically out of luck.
Interesting, I wonder if this will have any anti-competitive repercussions. I see the logic in doing this — the device doesn’t support these apps so Amazon is trying to help you — but I can think of at least three better ways to implement this “feature” that wouldn’t force you to the Amazon store.
Joshua Kopstein: >But the chilling takeaway of this whole debacle was the irrefutable air of anti-intellectualism; that inescapable absurdity that we have members of Congress voting on a technical bill who do not posses any technical knowledge on the subject and do not find it imperative to recognize those who do.
Joshua Kopstein:
>But the chilling takeaway of this whole debacle was the irrefutable air of anti-intellectualism; that inescapable absurdity that we have members of Congress voting on a technical bill who do not posses any technical knowledge on the subject and do not find it imperative to recognize those who do.
Shawn and I talk about the Galaxy Nexus and what flavor ice cream sandwich it really is. Thanks to our awesome sponsor: [Instacast](http://affiliate.vemedio.com/itunes/app/420368235/bbsponsor).
Shawn and I talk about the Galaxy Nexus and what flavor ice cream sandwich it really is.
Thanks to our awesome sponsor: [Instacast](http://affiliate.vemedio.com/itunes/app/420368235/bbsponsor).
A clever system.
A clever system.
MG Siegler in response to Josh Topolsky: >This is the problem I have with most technology reviews these days. Everyone seems so afraid to say how they really feel about the device. And more often than not, that’s exactly what readers want. I’d extend this to more than just tech reviews — it seems endemic…
MG Siegler in response to Josh Topolsky:
>This is the problem I have with most technology reviews these days. Everyone seems so afraid to say how they really feel about the device. And more often than not, that’s exactly what readers want.
I’d extend this to more than just tech reviews — it seems endemic of most of the “analysis” that I read everyday.
“It’s a big freaking deal to us, while other people just don’t see it.” — Daniel Jalkut
Brent Simmons on Facebook: >I wonder sometimes if Facebook is the America Online of today, with roughly the same future where we look back and wonder why we were all on it and we wonder what happened and then remember that it still exists, sort-of. Not a bad thought.
Brent Simmons on Facebook:
>I wonder sometimes if Facebook is the America Online of today, with roughly the same future where we look back and wonder why we were all on it and we wonder what happened and then remember that it still exists, sort-of.
Not a bad thought.
A nice move by Microsoft, actually a great move. Of course there is still a way around it and I would guess that if your company is still running something less than IE 8 they will use this method to block it, noted by Ryan Gavin: >The Internet Explorer 8 and Internet Explorer 9 Automatic…
A nice move by Microsoft, actually a great move. Of course there is still a way around it and I would guess that if your company is still running something less than IE 8 they will use this method to block it, noted by Ryan Gavin:
>The Internet Explorer 8 and Internet Explorer 9 Automatic Update Blocker toolkits prevent automatic upgrades of IE for Windows customers who do not want them. Of course, we firmly believe that IE9 is the most compelling browser for business customers, and we want them to make the decision to upgrade at their convenience.