Thursday, March 30, 2006

It’s a terrible time to start a business

Or is it? Read on....

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Sprint Nextel Shares Technology Rollout Schedule

Dual mode CDMA/Wi-Fi phones in the second half of the year? The landline kisss-of-death.

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Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Vista delays have Microsoft employees calling for changes

Opportunistic bitching and moaning or symptoms of dysfunction and poor leadership? I don't hear anyone predicting Microsoft's imminent demise, but maybe the behemoth is trying to monopolize too many markets.

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'Apple iPhone launch is imminent'

Now this rumor really fleshes out an interesting possibility that might shake things up a bit. Sounds just like something Apple would do.

Or not.

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Apple OS Gallery

If you started using Macs relatively recently, you might enjoy seeing the origins and evolution of Apple's GUI via Wired's feature celebrating Apple's 30th anniversary.

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Sunday, March 26, 2006

The iPod Juggernaut

Intelligent (and humorous) analysis of Apple's current situation with the emerging iPod/iTunes monopoly.

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Vista Raw

"Showing the world we're incompetent."

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Friday, March 17, 2006

Announcing the Apple iProduct

Can't wait until this comes out!!!! (Thanks, Jason.)

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Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Google in 20 years

Hmm. The Windows GUI doesn't seem to have advanced much over the next 20 years.

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Firm: Apple to ship $4.2B in wireless iPods by 2010

WiPod mobile phone iPods in Q4 2006?

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Cosmic wanderer Doctor Who is back

Season 1 of the much-acclaimed, revived series lands on SciFi. For limitless background on the franchise, consult Wikipedia.

Just in time! Get your own R/C Dalek at ThinkGeek.

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Monday, March 13, 2006

Isolatr

Now in beta! Best IM system for office tech support situations.

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Sunday, March 12, 2006

Mass. bottle message ends up in Africa

Students taught polluting is fun, international discourse.

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Plans for nuke-less missiles stir worries

Nuclear armageddon in t-minus 24 months. (And, no, I don't regularly peruse AZ newspapers, but this was the only online source I could find for this article that I read originally in the Tennessean.)

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Saturday, March 11, 2006

Church of the SubGenius

Join now. "Bob" awaits your money: subgenius.com

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Ketchup Effect

Bad analogy. Really, bad analogy. (Thanks, Uncle Wayne.)

The actual movie website: ketchupeffect.com

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Sexual Harassment Training Video

"What employees need to know" -- no doubt. If they showed this during the annual mandatory seminar, people might actually pay attention. (Thanks, Colin, you perve.)

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The 800-Pound Gorilla: Can anything threaten the Microsoft desktop empire?

Microsoft vs. the World. This current assessment of alternatives to Microsoft and what it would take to disrupt the Redmond hegemony is worth the read, if you're interested in that kind of thing.

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Boom goes the dynamite

Okay, we're way late to this train, but if you haven't seen experienced the video or read the story behind it, you just gotta. Jump has the story and the original video. (Thanks, Colin.)

Be sure to read the comments here: Letterman Features "Boom Goes The Dynamite!" Kid

And the Letterman clip is here: Boom on Letterman

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Samsung YP-Z5 "nano killer" reviewed

Yeah, but does it play Galaga? Looks pretty hip, actually.

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Friday, March 10, 2006

Ipodmame brings Pac-Man to the iPod

Forget the PSP and your tired GameBoy. Classic arcade games rock.

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Switched On: The contractor and the architect

Quite the elegant analogy. Does this contractor come with any references and a security bond?

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Western Digital displays its soft side with MyBook line of drives

A hard drive that looks like a book? It oozes postmodern appropriateness -- the contemporary repository of knowledge formed to resemble it's predecessor. What's next, flash drives that look like those mini-books?

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Samsung digital picture frame stores pics, movies, music

Now here's a little gadget I'd like to have. Why they left out wireless is beyond me, cause everyone's got a spare Ethernet port in their living room, ya know.

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Dada unleashes "Code M" MP3 shoes on an unsuspecting populace

Hold on a sec, I gotta plug my shoes in to charge.

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It's the site of the living dead, as cult films hit Web

Great concept -- collect quality videos out of copyright protection. Shouldn't be too hard to monetize once they reach critical mass. Wish I'd thought of it....

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New from Google Labs: Microsoft Office Live

Add word processing and calendaring to mail, chat and file storage. Starting to sound like Google Office to me.

Serves you right for inviting Terry Semel to a closed beta

Google buys Web word-processing technology

Google calendar details leaked

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Macs running Windows? Could be a good thing...

While Microsoft aims to release a re-built version of VPC that will allow you to run Windows and thus Windows applications in OS X, a more satisfying solution may be to run Windows applications directly using a compatibility layer such as the open source Wine. Indeed, a Mac version, Darwine, is already underway.

We're all for innovation, but there's no need to rush into it

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Welcome, OsamaThaBomba! You are connected to 14,020,971 terrorist sympathizers through 2000 friends. Grow your network now!

Next thing you know, they'll be selling AmWay or starting their own dotcoms.

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Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)

Bea Arthur?! In a Star Wars musical? About Life Day? Sure glad I missed this as a kid -- the emotional scars would have been irreparable.

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Microsoft launches cool new Origami; immediately cripples it

A round-up of Origami opinions. I'm particularly intrigued by the new on-screen thumb keyboard in the corners. That's damn innovative for Microsoft, but fairly characteristic of their incremental improvement approach to development. By contrast, Apple would try to oblivate the keyboard altogether rather than mess up the aesthetics by trying to force a keyboard into the picture.

Hands on with Samsung's Origami ultramobile PC

Origami UI on CeBIT web site

Finally, the bathroom computer I've always dreamed of!

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New Video iPod on Apple's 30th Anniversary (April 1)?

New iBooks and a real video iPod? With movie downloads? On the same day? Sounds like a cruel April Fools joke to me, but it be will Apple's 30th and a great time to show off new innovations.

Touch Screen iPod, Tablet Mac, or Origami Killer? Apple Refining the Touch Screen Interface? Evidence for a Tablet Mac?

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IDF: Hurdles remain on road to faster Wi-Fi

The latest on 802.11n, where n stands for not in our lifetime.

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Monday, March 6, 2006

MonsterPod camera mount sticks to anything, ensures crooked photos

"GUARANTEED TO DOUBLE THE PICTURES WITH YOU IN THE PICTURE!"
Seems kinda shady to me. The run-on website page looks more like a class assignment than a viable business.

"COMING SOON- SHIPPING IN 2 WEEKS!"
Two weeks from when?

"Now I'm a believer." -Joyce
Thanks for believing, Mom.

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LAMP lights the way in open-source security

Heh. Wonder how many millions of government grant dollars it would take to calculate the bug density of Microsoft applications? I'm surprised Microsoft hasn't dispatched lobbyists to the Hill demanding equal treatment against this obviously unfair, anti-business, government-funded, favorable treatment for their competitors.

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AOL opens AIM service to external developers

AOL takes on Jabber before it gets too big a toe-hold, likely heading off Windows Dead Messenger in the process.

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New dual core MiniPC pricier than Mac mini

So, tell me again why I should pay more for a computer that runs Windows? Because there's a much greater selection of viruses available for it?

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A PEBKAC error? That's covered under the warranty, right?

"Hello, Customer Service? The screen says I have a PICNIC error and that I need to request an RMA immediately."

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Inside Wire: Welcome to Channel Zero

TiVo or not TiVo, that is the question that completely misses the strategy. Why include a TV tuner to record cable/satellite/over-the-air signals when you're developing your own competing distribution system?

Front Row will deliver live TV when IPTV hits the mainstream. See Neo’s “Next Wave” series. This would seem to be a no-brainer for Apple—promote adoption of Apple’s technology for IPTV delivery and avoid the added expense of including a hardware TV tuner (leaving that option as a third-party add-on).

If you want to see the precursor/prototype in action, launch Front Row and watch some movie trailers. Pretty much streaming video-on-demand. Not hard to imagine "cable" channels with a paid subscription to the phone company or some other provider.

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The category breaker: Apple's MacTel

50% less TCO MacTel over WinTel? Now there's a stat to make your CFO stand up and salute.

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Saturday, March 4, 2006

Playground Battles, Playground Wars

Why the switch to Intel might lead to more switchers.

The comic strip in question is worth a look, too.

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Thursday, March 2, 2006

Olive Opus: 400GB, lossless audio, $3,000

This is for Butters (and other obsessed audiophiles).

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Switched On: When you wish upon a star

A few misses, but mostly hilarious:

To: All Disney staff
From: Executive Committee
Re: Organizational Changes

As many of you are aware, Disney recently acquired Pixar, which has resulted in changes to our corporate governance. After extensive consultations with our revised Board of Directors, we would like to share the following announcements, starting with changes to our trademark animated characters:

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Functional redesign of the wall electrical outlet

Well, isn't that clever. Wonder how much they're overcharging for these? The website just says, "COMING SOON to a hardware store or home center near you." I'd rather they come soon to a house or office near me.

Aside: Gizmag? Is that a soft "g" or a hard "g"?

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Next-gen computing injuries: sprained knee, laryngitis

This one is for Revvy.

Meh, the actual photo takes a lot of the fun out of it.

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What if Microsoft designed the iPod packaging?

HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Laughed all the way through this and for about half an hour after. Truly inspired (if not recent).

Altnernate link

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Student finds Null not so dull

Hope he's got unlimited messaging. E-scammers, all together now: "Doh! Why didn't I think of that?!"

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Apple grabs best spot on couch

Yes, yes, we were all underwhelmed by Apple's "fun new things" announcements. But let's not lose sight of where this indicates Apple is heading. Straight to my couch. And everyone else's too.

And just how good is that new speaker system anyway? Devil in the details and all that: First Look: iPod Hi-Fi

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