Buffalo News - A chilling threat in freedom's land

Buffalo News - A chilling threat in freedom's land: "Freedom is a messy business. It is also a risky business. But it means nothing if we surrender it at any hint of messiness and risk. That's cowardly and un-American."

Amen... It is scary to think that the majority of people simply don't *get* that.

Boing Boing: Web 2.0 in space? "Borg" PC posse designs NASA antennas

Boing Boing: Web 2.0 in space? "Borg" PC posse designs NASA antennas: "Earlier, 80 personal computers, running artificial intelligence software, quickly 'evolved' the design of the small space antennas at NASA Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley."

I'd love to see the rulebase for that one.

New Scientist Quantum computer works best switched off - News

New Scientist Quantum computer works best switched off - News: "Even for the crazy world of quantum mechanics, this one is twisted. A quantum computer program has produced an answer without actually running."

Everything about this technology just makes you go ... "wow". As a technophile this is just, too cool for words. It is yet another case of the technology chage being so fundamental as to require a complete rethink on how things work.

TeleRead: Bring the E-Books Home » IDPF survey of e-book buyers: PDA platform and eReader lead–and, yes, book prices matter

IDPF survey of e-book buyers: "Biggest complaints were about the costs of e-books, lack of enough titles, and, yes, DRM and format hassles."

Yet a little more commentary on the eBook front.

I suspect the winning reader format has more to do with the 'top-dawg' PDA than anything else. I prefer mine in LIT (MS Reader) format, but mainly because that is the native reader format (and supports the basic features). I certainly see NO advantage to PDF docs on ANY of the PDA platforms I have tried, they qualify as barely readable and generally non-functional for eBook purposes.

Boing Boing: Sequel to Scalzi's Old Man's War: The Ghost Brigades

Boing Boing: Sequel to Scalzi's Old Man's War: The Ghost Brigades

In spite of this being an author who is (apparently) pro-ebooks, you can't find much of his published work in that format. Pity, I find myself more and more turning to electronic books (and more recently--magazine subscriptions!) since it simply fits my lifestyle better. Do I miss the 'feel' of reading a good book? Hell, yes and I indulge myself when I can, but sadly that is far less often than I like.

I was able to pick up Stephen Kings recent novels (Yes, I am finally going to get ot finsh the 'Dark Tower') from FictionWise and nearly all of my Science Fiction/Fantasy magazine subscriptions. Still, current fiction remains unavailable in many cases.

Microsoft changes OEM license, forcing new purchases after motherboard upgrade - Wikinews

Microsoft changes OEM license, forcing new purchases after motherboard upgrade - Wikinews

By all means let's really encourage piracy...

technology and change

Balzac--A start in life
"Railroads, in a future not far distant, must force certain industries
to disappear forever, and modify several others, more especially those
relating to the different modes of transportation in use around Paris.
Therefore the persons and things which are the elements of this Scene
will soon give to it the character of an archaeological work. Our
nephews ought to be enchanted to learn the social material of an epoch
which they will call the "olden time.""

A gentle reminder from nearly 200 years ago that time (and technology) march on and change...people do not. We are still largely the same 'people' we were then. Consider now that the subject here, railroads, are damn near obsolete themselves and likely soon will be.

Technology always brings change, the larger the scope of the technology the broader the impact of the change (hint, hint RIAA/MPAA). No matter how hard you try, the damn genie is NOT going back in the bottle.

Here is another one to ponder: tech breeds tech. Yup, you heard it here :) My favorite smiley is for articles that ask (famous or not) people to predict the future directions of technology for 'tomorrow'. The further away 'tomorrow' is the more laughable the predictions (later) become.

Think about it...technology A drives technology B which enables technology C which leads to technology D. Who the $^%&)_) would have CLUE about D if they haven't even seen A (heck, even they they HAVE).

Given the exponential technology curve we have been on recently anyone trying to predict out more than a couple of years is, well, absurd.

Wait, like me and watch me LMAO.

'nuff said

mark

P.S. Interruptive punctuation is a *bitch* so be kind.

*bonus geek points for tying all THOSE references to this one**.

**Triple geek points to ME for quoting Balzac in a contemporaneous frame of reference.

The Observer | World | 37 million poor hidden in the land of plenty

The Observer | World | 37 million poor hidden in the land of plenty: "Well-paid work only goes to the university-educated. Many others who just complete high school face a bleak future. In Texas more than a third of students entering public high schools now drop out. These people are entering the fragile world of the working poor, where each day is a mere step away from tragedy."

Indeed...surprising? No.

I may be from the last generation who could have managed to succeed on just a high school diploma. Now mind you, I am not saying that is all I have. I am not a fool--at least in this regard. In fact, I have seen the requirements for jobs (over the past 4 years alone) jump from undergraduate to graduate and even post-graduate degrees in many CS related fields. The curve only continues to steepen.

Analyze This | Gamers With Jobs

Analyze This | Gamers With Jobs: "The problem is that we didn’t buy the right games. Go ahead, hang your head in shame. I can wait. We had the temerity to buy handheld games, the brass ones to shell out a few bones less for a used copy of the RPG The Spiky Hair Chronicles of Angst VII, the audacity to not be able to find an Xbox 360, and the unmitigated gall to buy budget games like Geometry Wars when we did find one instead of the quadriplegic Madden offering which fell onto store shelves like a hairball from a sick cat. Don’t you see, gamers? You’re killing gaming!"

Visual Hunting Aid | Needlenose

Visual Hunting Aid | Needlenose

...not to be read while imbibing fluids that you woudl rather NOT have shoot out of your nose.

Wired News: New Microchips Shun Transistors

Wired News: New Microchips Shun Transistors

This is certainly an interesting new development. It may well be the wave of electronics say, 10 years from now. Less if the financial incentives are greater, I don't see any really cost-to-manufacture esitmates/comparisons.

The Top Ten Sci-Fi Films That Never Existed

The Top Ten Sci-Fi Films That Never Existed

NY team confirms UCLA tabletop fusion | Science Blog

NY team confirms UCLA tabletop fusion | Science Blog

Xbox-Scene News: Xplorer360 v0.9 (Beta 1): Read/Write access to Xbox 360 HD and Memcard

Xbox-Scene News: Xplorer360 v0.9 (Beta 1): Read/Write access to Xbox 360 HD and Memcard

Just was a matter of time. Someone else already reporte being abl eto flash the 'prom on the dvd reader and force it to report all media as pressed media. This this allows backups to play...

Home

Home

This just makes my techno genes dance with anticipation... Ain't technology just grand?

SPACE.com -- Spirit Mars Rover Reaches 'Home Plate': Formation Has Researchers Puzzled

SPACE.com -- Spirit Mars Rover Reaches 'Home Plate': Formation Has Researchers Puzzled

Interesting photo. Not worth reading too much into it too soon though, this is explainable as a natural formation.

HP hives handheld division off

HP hives handheld division off

I have blogged about this previously, but HP is--sadly--getting everything they deserve. Their product qulaity has gone decidedly down hill in my opinion. This is an opinion grounded in the observation of the products I have purchased from them over the past 8 years. It has degraded to the point that I will not be buying anything else with their logo (any of them) again. Is the Dell handheld a better unit than the HP/iPaq? Not really, but at least Dell backs their with a warranty that goes beyond 30-days. Extended warranty you say? Compare the prices and say no more. Am I am huge fan of Dell? Hardly, but their handheld division at least seems to be doing OK from a support standpoint.

Microsoft promises to solve Xbox shortages

Microsoft promises to solve Xbox shortages

If they don't have them streaming out the door by the time the PS3 releases, they will have some serious egg on their face. Emu sized eggs, a full carton.

Air Cooled Mouse Pad - Overview

Air Cooled Mouse Pad - Overview

I am going to have to build a couple of these. Too cool.

Universal Display Corporation

Universal Display Corporation

Science Fiction no more.

Techies get paid record amounts of cash

Techies get paid record amounts of cash: "As can be expected the more esoteric stuff, which no one can really explain, is earning the most. SAP function consultants are earning on average $75.09. This means that even going to the toilet costs their companies $10. Possibly more if they take a newspaper in with them."

UNIX Security: Don't Believe the Truth - OSNews.com

UNIX Security: Don't Believe the Truth - OSNews.com

Much the same can be said about the larger desktop market in general, that is Unix/Linux is simply not--currently--the best choice.

Used is a Four Letter Word | Gamers With Jobs

Used is a Four Letter Word | Gamers With Jobs: "Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, and hate leads to guys like Mark Rein coming out angrily bashing the retail industry for stealing food from his mouth. Which, all finally begs the million dollar question: are the sales of used games at least partially to blame for a perceived decline in gaming quality?"

Hmmm. Interesting idea. I think that the market tends to drive what happens and who survies. The game developers MOST hurt by this are likely to the in of of two categories (if not both):

A) Gameplay so easy/short as to put the game into the used market quickly.
B) Games so good as to keep on having significant resale value long after release.

A=> no sympathy from me
B=> is a problem actually worth considering.

Perhaps the manufacturers of the games need a better way to tap into this market themselves?

BuzzMachine

BuzzMachine: "I don’t understand Redmond’s attempts to mock Craigslist — and all the people using it — as community. Creating a means and a place where people can meet for social or business purposes does, indeed, build community; that’s what the internet is about: not just content, but connections.

I’m also scratching my head over Redmond’s notion that “local” has to be better, as if all the people using Craiglist — or Flickr or Blogger or Del.icio.us or Myspace or Meetup — aren’t themselves local. It’s the people that make it local, not the server."

Let's take a moment and think about 'local'

One of the definitions Meriam-Webster lists (http://www.webster.com/dictionary/local) is this: "3 a : primarily serving the needs of a particular limited district"

Now in the past this would have been entirely limited to a definition that is associated with their first: "1 : characterized by or relating to position in space : having a definite spatial form or location"

However the internet redefines the concept of 'local' the spatial part of it is 'local' in that your PC is certainly local, the rest is just obvious. A huge social aspect of the internet is the broadening of conceptual limits (i.e. boundaries).

Deal.

VMware's Chief promises to play nice with Microsoft and Xen | The Register

VMware's Chief promises to play nice with Microsoft and Xen | The Register

Why would MS and XenSource struggle? Because VMWare just...plain...rocks. If you haven't used it, words can't describe the coolness factor.

Now undoutedly, this is a phase and virtualization will end up where it rightly belongs, in hardware. In the interim, I will continue to use VMWare.

AT&T calls for end to free internet

AT&T calls for end to free internet

Yes, the telcos are looking at the big pie and wanting a larger slice. If ultimately anyone pays for the bandwidth it will be the consume so why not just be upfront about it and bill for bandwidth? A larger question might be, why would my 3mbs DSL pipe be limited as to what data I load and how fast? You can't say that I am not already paying for the bandwidth, they charge more for the highr bandwidth. Is this just 'access' or am I paying for increased bandwidth? It sures feels that way.

Tax man uses special computer for Bill Gates

Tax man uses special computer for Bill Gates