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Christine Negroni: Finding the balance between too much technology and too little is crucial, according to William B. Rouse, an engineering and computing professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology. “Complacency is an issue, but designing the interaction between human and technical so the human has the right level of judgment when you need them…
Christine Negroni:
Finding the balance between too much technology and too little is crucial, according to William B. Rouse, an engineering and computing professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology. “Complacency is an issue, but designing the interaction between human and technical so the human has the right level of judgment when you need them is a design task in itself,” Mr. Rouse said. “When the person has no role in the task, there’s a much greater risk of complacency.”
Looks like a much needed update. Though one thing that popped out to me is that Yahoo is the largest email provider, yet I can only name one person I know with a Yahoo account and another with a Hotmail account. Everybody else is on Gmail. See my disclosure on Microsoft.
Looks like a much needed update. Though one thing that popped out to me is that Yahoo is the largest email provider, yet I can only name one person I know with a Yahoo account and another with a Hotmail account. Everybody else is on Gmail.
Pretty sweet that it gets a built in Kindle store, unlike the iPhone version. [Updated: 5/20/10 at 2:58 PM]Apparently there is no built in store, works just like on the iPhone. See this video walkthrough for more info.
Pretty sweet that it gets a built in Kindle store, unlike the iPhone version.
[Updated: 5/20/10 at 2:58 PM]Apparently there is no built in store, works just like on the iPhone. See this video walkthrough for more info.
This article saddens me because a) they don’t give a clear date when Star Trek food replicators will be availible and b) it doesn’t sound like I will see them in my lifetime. [via Justin Blanton]
This article saddens me because a) they don’t give a clear date when Star Trek food replicators will be availible and b) it doesn’t sound like I will see them in my lifetime.
Charlie Sorrel: The idea of schemes like In2Pay is to free you from carrying a wallet, allowing you to do everything with your cellphone. But this implementation, which requires carrying a cellphone case, is not much different from just taping your credit card to the back of your phone. (Or slipping it into a credit…
Charlie Sorrel:
The idea of schemes like In2Pay is to free you from carrying a wallet, allowing you to do everything with your cellphone. But this implementation, which requires carrying a cellphone case, is not much different from just taping your credit card to the back of your phone. (Or slipping it into a credit card-holding iPhone cover.)
I was thinking the same thing. Also:
It also requires a compatible card reader. What, the neighborhood restaurant doesn’t accept contactless payments? Sorry, there are only 100,000 merchants in the U.S. that have NFC payment readers, compared to millions that accept old-style credit cards.
I used to frequent Jack In The Box all the time, in this area they have the card reader things installed in the drive-thrus, and I happen to have an American Express card with one of these chips. I tried it once, just to see, it didn’t work. Subsequently Jack In The Box doesn’t even bother to use these card readers anymore. This is going to need more merchants before anybody cares to use it.
Jessica Mintz: Other phones have higher-resolution cameras and can shoot high-definition video. The processor seems faster in new phones such as the Droid Incredible. A more energy-efficient touch-screen technology is eclipsing the one used in the iPhone screen. And competitors are matching features that once set the iPhone apart, including its slim shape and its…
Jessica Mintz:
Other phones have higher-resolution cameras and can shoot high-definition video. The processor seems faster in new phones such as the Droid Incredible. A more energy-efficient touch-screen technology is eclipsing the one used in the iPhone screen. And competitors are matching features that once set the iPhone apart, including its slim shape and its store with thousands of applications and games.
“This thing is not state of the art,” says ABI Research analyst Michael Morgan.
How long will it take journalists to recognize that processor speed doesn’t matter. And matching the look of an iPhone, and it’s App store is hardly the same as matching the iPhone’s features. I could make my own App store, but nobody would buy anything from it – cause nobody wants to develop for it. Still would that mean I have matched the iPhone’s features. The App store is not a feature, the hundreds of thousands of apps in the store, that is the feature.
And I can’t let this bit go either:
Carolina Milanesi, who lives in Britain and analyzes the mobile market for Gartner, has tried to switch away from the iPhone but gets hung up on something every time. She spent 20 minutes trying to set up e-mail on an Android phone, only to fail. The iPhone is so simple her 2 1/2-year-old daughter can operate her spelling and animal-noises apps herself.
The iPhone isn’t as flexible as some others, and Milanesi bristled at things Apple wouldn’t let her do, such as set custom tones for incoming text messages, a common tweak in Europe.
“But then you kind of get used to it, and you don’t miss it,” she says. “You kind of think that that’s for your own good.”
Wow, so Android is better, but it is hard to setup email? And she wants custom text message tones, but then she doesn’t really care all that much in the end. This all sounds like grasping at straws.
Could have called that. Though I still feel that $10/mo (depending on features) is not an unreasonable price. Way better than how much money Comcast beats me up for.
Could have called that. Though I still feel that $10/mo (depending on features) is not an unreasonable price. Way better than how much money Comcast beats me up for.
John Foley: Fulgham also gave a status report on Sentinel, a $425 million project to replace the agency’s outdated case-management system with a new digital system that incorporates technologies from Adobe, EMC, IBM, Microsoft, and Oracle. In March, the Inspector General for the Department of Justice released a report warning that Sentinel, originally due for…
John Foley:
Fulgham also gave a status report on Sentinel, a $425 million project to replace the agency’s outdated case-management system with a new digital system that incorporates technologies from Adobe, EMC, IBM, Microsoft, and Oracle. In March, the Inspector General for the Department of Justice released a report warning that Sentinel, originally due for completion in 2009 and already behind schedule, was at risk of further delays and cost overruns.
If you it takes you more than a year to implement something, chances are it will be obsolete by the time you implement it. I know it takes time to create a system such as Sentinel, but guess what, it should not take an extra 2 years. This is design by committee, which means no design, and lots of delays.
Acqualia makes a little program called Soulver that is available for the Mac, iPad and iPhone. It is part spreadsheet, part calculator. It is a program that takes the boring old calculator to new heights, and also one of my favorite little programs out there. They just released their iPad app and 2.0 update for…
Acqualia makes a little program called Soulver that is available for the Mac, iPad and iPhone. It is part spreadsheet, part calculator. It is a program that takes the boring old calculator to new heights, and also one of my favorite little programs out there.
They just released their iPad app and 2.0 update for the Mac. Check it out, it is worth your time and money.
30 years ago today, Mount St. Helens erupted. This is a great photo gallery depicting the eruption. I was born after this occurred, but when you drive south on I5 here in Washington you come to a part where huge man-made hills are on either side of the freeway. These hills are ash material that…
30 years ago today, Mount St. Helens erupted. This is a great photo gallery depicting the eruption. I was born after this occurred, but when you drive south on I5 here in Washington you come to a part where huge man-made hills are on either side of the freeway. These hills are ash material that was dredged from the rivers and streams, these hills are huge.
Dan Moren, Macworld: The white polycarbonate MacBook, first introduced in October of last year, now gains a 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, up from the 2.26GHz chip it debuted with. In addition, it now sports an Nvidia GeForce 320M graphics chip—the same available in the latest 13-inch MacBook Pro—instead of the previous Nvidia GeForce…
Dan Moren, Macworld:
The white polycarbonate MacBook, first introduced in October of last year, now gains a 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, up from the 2.26GHz chip it debuted with. In addition, it now sports an Nvidia GeForce 320M graphics chip—the same available in the latest 13-inch MacBook Pro—instead of the previous Nvidia GeForce 9400M, and Apple is boasting that the MacBook’s battery life now stretches to ten hours, up from seven.
ReclaimPrivacy.org: This website provides an independent and open tool for scanning your Facebook privacy settings. The source code and its development will always remain open and transparent. Dead simple and awesome. Works like a charm. [via Forkbombr]
ReclaimPrivacy.org:
This website provides an independent and open tool for scanning your Facebook privacy settings. The source code and its development will always remain open and transparent.
Dead simple and awesome. Works like a charm.
I have lived my life obsessed with finding the right bag. Before I purchased Booq’s Tiapan Shadow I had four different messenger style bags that I used off and on, depending on my mood. I decided that if I was to buy a new bag, then I must sell all of the old bags, leaving…
I have lived my life obsessed with finding the right bag. Before I purchased Booq’s Tiapan Shadow I had four different messenger style bags that I used off and on, depending on my mood. I decided that if I was to buy a new bag, then I must sell all of the old bags, leaving me with just one bag. This meant careful research into what I want and need in a bag, one bag.
The search inevitably lead me back to my favorite bag manufacturer (Booq) where I purchased the Tiapan Shadow M. Before I get to the actual review of the bag, I want to share what my criteria were for a new bag.
I used these four criterion to judge each bag that I looked at, and I looked at a lot.
When the Tiapan arrived at my place I had already sold two of my bags, and the last two were waiting to be shipped out. I dove right in and looked through all the areas figuring out where stuff would fit. In the end I found a spot for everything that I really need and got rid of all the excess. From this stand point the bag is a success.
I head to work and quickly realize that my water bottle does not fit in this bag, I had never considered this. Luckily I drive, and it is not that hard to carry the water bottle in my hands. By the time I get home I am amazed by just how much smaller this bag is than the ones I was using.
Since getting the iPad I have found that my laptop rarely leaves my office during the day (whereas before if I knew I would be gone for more than an hour it came with). Because I was leaving my laptop I found that I rarely took the old bags with me, they simply seemed like over kill. Now with the small size of the Tiapan, I find that I prefer tossing the iPad into it instead of hand carrying it.
I love the design of this bag, the smoothness of not having a handle on top, combined with the fact that there is a hidden hand hold sewn in really makes me smile. The oversized shoulder pad is excellent as is the seatbelt nylon strap. But the real gem of this bag is the blush interior of the laptop compartment, complimented by some of the best padding I have seen in a bag to date. The iPad fits in the bag perfectly, as does everything else I need.
Overall this bag is excellent, especially considering the price tag of $129 (at this writing). I have always been a huge fan of of the bags that Booq makes and the Tiapan is no exception. The Macbook Pro compartment fits my Macbook Pro better than any bag I have seen, it is very snug, yet very easy to take the computer in an out. The bag is small, so if you feel the need to carry a lot with you, then this bag is not for you.
I look forward to traveling with this bag, it won’t take up a lot of room under the seat in front of me. Which is of crucial importance when you are 6’3”.
One British bank is making the switch away from the Blackberries, interesting that a Bank is doing it. What will be more interesting is whether companies start to follow suit – my guess would be that there is mounting pressure form employees. Not to mention the usefulness of having a corporate iPhone app to pull…
One British bank is making the switch away from the Blackberries, interesting that a Bank is doing it. What will be more interesting is whether companies start to follow suit – my guess would be that there is mounting pressure form employees. Not to mention the usefulness of having a corporate iPhone app to pull all the data a remote worker would need.
Ernest for Torrent Freak: The Pirate Bay is suffering some temporary downtime as their bandwidth provider has stopped passing through traffic. A week ago, Hollywood got an injunction to effectively shut down the Pirate Bay by threatening its provider with huge fines. The Pirate Bay team is currently working on a solution. As of this…
Ernest for Torrent Freak:
The Pirate Bay is suffering some temporary downtime as their bandwidth provider has stopped passing through traffic. A week ago, Hollywood got an injunction to effectively shut down the Pirate Bay by threatening its provider with huge fines. The Pirate Bay team is currently working on a solution.
As of this writing the site was still down for me.
Ingenious idea from the Citrix CIO as reported by Charles Babcock: After 18 months, 1,400 employees have taken him up on the offer. In many cases, he says, they buy a computer that costs $3,000 or more, using the company’s reimbursement to upgrade themselves to a higher level multimedia and game-playing machine than they would…
Ingenious idea from the Citrix CIO as reported by Charles Babcock:
After 18 months, 1,400 employees have taken him up on the offer. In many cases, he says, they buy a computer that costs $3,000 or more, using the company’s reimbursement to upgrade themselves to a higher level multimedia and game-playing machine than they would normally purchase. Each subsidized purchase must include a three-year warranty on the computer.
and
Why implement a bring-your-own-computer to work policy at a company? Martine says employees are already bringing their favorite devices to work, their Blackberries and iPhones or other smart phones, their tablets and their netbooks. IT can assign one type of computer to everyone, but he found end users really want to pick out their own. When they do, they also tend to develop the ability to self-maintain them.
So now they are reducing their IT costs, increasing employee satisfaction and ensuring these computers last longer than normal. All that and this:
In addition, if he loses the laptop at the airport, all the data he’s created with virtualized applications, whether connected or disconnected, has been stored in an encrypted “safe zone” folder. Without the encryption key, the folder is useless to the possessor of the laptop — no corporate data has been lost, Martine said.
Citrix engineering now has “1,500 people testing its products, 1,500 people they’d never find in a lab. It will put out a higher quality product that will last for years because of that,” he added.
Why every company is not doing this is beyond me, makes great financial, HR, and R&D sense.
Almost didn’t post this as there really is nothing new but then Rob Pegoraro said something I thought I had to post: Meanwhile, from what I can tell the leadership at Facebook sincerely believes that the company can and should become the Web’s dominant source of identity and authentication, providing a feature left out of…
Almost didn’t post this as there really is nothing new but then Rob Pegoraro said something I thought I had to post:
Meanwhile, from what I can tell the leadership at Facebook sincerely believes that the company can and should become the Web’s dominant source of identity and authentication, providing a feature left out of the Internet’s original design. But they don’t seem to accept the thought that becoming such a social utility might require changes in their behavior.
As many would say +1 to that.
Larry Ellison is a great Silicon Valley character, and this line from Ashlee Vance is probably very accurate: As I understand it, Mr. Ellison was displeased with just about everything. [Talking about the Sun acquisition] Be sure to read my disclosures here.
Larry Ellison is a great Silicon Valley character, and this line from Ashlee Vance is probably very accurate:
As I understand it, Mr. Ellison was displeased with just about everything.
[Talking about the Sun acquisition]
Raphael Minder shows what is wrong with the entertainment industry: “The triumph of downloading in Spain is partly because people can watch the latest episode of their favorite American series with Spanish subtitles weeks before it gets dubbed and released on television here,” said Javier de la Rosa, a former radio presenter who is now…
Raphael Minder shows what is wrong with the entertainment industry:
“The triumph of downloading in Spain is partly because people can watch the latest episode of their favorite American series with Spanish subtitles weeks before it gets dubbed and released on television here,” said Javier de la Rosa, a former radio presenter who is now a journalism professor at Francisco de Vitoria University here. “The quality and speed is also excellent nowadays, and some Web sites like Series Yonkis even help people by ranking downloads according to quality, so that’s very user friendly.”
The people who are trying to sell the movies and music are a lot less enthusiastic. Sony Pictures Entertainment warned in March that it was considering halting altogether the sale of its DVDs in Spain.
This about sums up the real problem:
Mr. Domingo sees the fight against downloading as “just an excuse for companies to try to stick to a business model that no longer makes sense and is way behind the technology.”