Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Things are heavy on Digg.com

Wow... Things have gone crazy in the last few days on Digg.com. Let me give you the basic idea:

Yesterday, a Digg user called raisedinhell made an article called "How the average Digg user gets ****ed". It was about the user's article that was made yesterday that made a few diggs, then was copied by another Digger (pavelmah) who got thousands of diggs on his version. How did he do that? He is a power user who found a loophole in the system and abuses it to be in control of the site's front page articles. Non-power users such as myself have virtually no power in submitting stories because we aren't power users. People like pavelmah, however, unfairly became power users. It's completely contrary to the original point of Digg: a democratic-style social news site where the users choose the news.

Soon, a near anarchic Digg article was posted that was essentially a petition to bring this long-known problem into the Digg company's view. It gained over an amazing 20,000 Diggs.

Eventually, Kevin Rose, founder and Site Architect of Digg, made a comment in the comments section:

Over the last four years I've developed a thick skin when reading comments re: Digg - but I'm saddened by what I read in this thread. Not personally upset, but disappointed in the tone taken towards the staff here at Digg. We have 70 or so engineers, designers, project managers, and business development/marketing folks that work 50-60hr weeks trying to create a better site for everyone. Does Digg have issues with promotion/diversity? Of course, we always have, and it's something that we have a team constantly tweaking/evolving to stay ahead of gaming. While we don't respond to every comment thread, do know that we read them - and your _constructive_ suggestions do make it into our project roadmap.

While you're waiting for us to release fixes and new features, do what I do, digg the stuff you like, and bury the stuff you don't like. And, don't take life so seriously, it's just the internet.


In addition, he made a controversial move by taking the article off the front page and off the "Top 10 Articles", even though it was #1 by a mile.

What most Digg users told Kevin was that they really didn't have anything against the Digg staff; they had a problem with the power users who abused the system. Here's are some interesting comments criticizing Kevin for this statement and action:

So when you dont like what you read, you remove it from the front page? Smells like censorship to me. If rude comments were the justification for censorship, every thread on Digg would be removed.

The video has nothing to do with Digg's staff or how "hard they work." The video exposes the fact, that the fundamental idea behind Digg (ie a democratic Slashdot) is broken because thousands of people are using Digg's social networking features to game the system.

Don't shoot the messenger.


Kevin, I know it *stings* a little to hear some of the comments in this article, but as your homepage says, practice some zazen and try to take away the greater message here. If digg users didn't care they wouldn't have been pushing this issue so hard. It's incredibly important that digg stay democratic, and part of that philosophy is hearing things you don't want to hear and letting everyone express themselves equally. I've been with digg since the beginning. I remember logging on after you mentioned it back in the TechTV days, and you had personally paid someone to code the initial site for you. I thought it was a fantastic idea... still is. But something evil is afoot, and I suggest you take a serious look at it.


Show us the future roadmap and let us digg what we want or dont want then ?

Apart from that digg.com is the best site on the web by a mile. The users just want to make it the best thing on the internet.


I agree that it wasn't smart of Kevin to blame the Digg users for pointing out these problems. However, when you see dozens of comments in those threads saying "**** YOU KEVIN", you have to draw the line somewhere. I also think taking the article off the front page wasn't a good move. Kevin, you're the one who had the idea of a democratic news site. But what you don't seem to understand is that democracy involves listening to things you don't want to hear to get everybody's opinion. You can't just take control whenever you get upset by something a few people are saying. Whether or not you bury the article, the problem still stands, and we've been waiting for the team to do something about it for a long time.

-Derek

Thursday, December 25, 2008

A PC comparable to a Mac

I'm at a Christmas party in Indiana, and I'm using a really nice notebook called the HP Pavilion dv2000. It has a built-in webcam, a silky smooth trackpad, a glossy finish around the cover, and an Intel Core Duo processor (Mac's processor- Intel Core 2 Duo; more powerful). It's an 'entertainment PC', and it got me really interested. However, I soon found out the problem: the price. The hardware's about 3/4 as good as a Mac, and yet it's over twice as expensive: $2800. So next time somebody tells you Macs are overpriced, let them know that PC's that are less expensive than Macs have sub-par processors, inferior OS's, less features, and so on.

In other words, no matter which computer you buy, you get what you pay for. When you're buying a Mac, you're paying for the industry standard processor (Intel Core 2 Duo at least), built-in webcam, long battery life, glossy glass screen, multi-touch glass trackpad, unibody enclosure (lighter, thinner, safer), better environmental responsibility, and so much more. And that's not even including the beautiful OS that comes with it. Compare that to PC's. When you see a $600 notebook PC, does it have a fast processor? Of course not. You'd have to move up to $700-$800 for that. But even then, does it have the webcam? Nope. Add another $100, so it's $800-$900. If you add a multi-touch trackpad and glossy screen, that's probably $100 together. So now we've moved up to $900-$1000, about the price of a comparable Mac notebook, and yet it's still missing so many features that the Mac has. There's nothing overpriced about them. They are all high-class machines; Apple has no room in its warehouses for crappy $500 computers.

-Derek

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Macworld 2009 Rumor Round-up

It's that time of year again, but for the last time ever. Of course, rumors are flying everywhere about what's coming up. Here are the biggest rumors I've heard:

-Updated iMacs and Mac Minis. An update for the Mini is long overdue, like two years. They will supposedly have the NVIDIA graphics that the MacBooks now have, and the Mac Mini could get an aluminum casing just like the rest of the Mac family. Supposedly an official release of the MacBooks have made references to "MacMini 3,1" and "iMac 4,0", which have the same graphics specs as the MacBook family. I'm wondering why nobody's saying anything about an LED display for the iMacs to put them in sync with the MacBooks' displays. If there's no update for the Mac Mini this January, I'd say that it's life is coming to an end.

-New Mighty Mouse. It will supposedly have a touch-screen button instead of a regular button, so you can use multi-touch commands just like on the MacBooks. I've also heard that it will be cased in aluminum.

-iPhone and iPod Touch software update, including copy and paste, MMS messaging, and other features. Probably wishful thinking.

I'm very certain that they'll showcase Mac OS X Snow Leopard more than anything. Whatever the case, let's hope it's enjoyable, because the ride is over.

-Derek

Friday, December 19, 2008

More Thoughts on the last Macworld keynote

Okay, I've had a few days to process this startling event. Instead of make this complicated, let me just put this into lists.


WHAT THIS MIGHT MEAN:

-Steve Jobs is sick and dying, and because of this, he can't make it to Macworld any more. This seems unlikely to me unless he's seriously sick, as in going to die in a week. Otherwise, couldn't he just skip this Macworld and go to the other ones?

-Apple is tired of releasing new products only yearly and depending on a third-party expo's schedule to announce products. They might prefer doing routine events (i.e. the recent Music event and Notebooks event), because unlike Macworld, these are Apple-controlled, convenient, and spaced out however Apple wants. This way they can release whatever they want when it's ready. Apple is more than able to hire a venue for a special event and bring a band along to perform as well.

-Apple is abandoning trade shows completely, preferring to announce products online.

-There is a shift in leadership at Apple. Steve Jobs may be in the process of appointing another Apple executive such as Phil Schiller to be the new CEO, while Jobs steps down. Jobs may even be in the process of leaving the company.

-Apple doesn't want their shareholders to be dependent on what will be announced on one exact date that stays fixed as a once-a-year keynote. In other words, Apple may want to make it more convenient for their shareholders and not let them lose money over one day of the year.

-Apple doesn't have any exciting products at Macworld this year, so they're trying to take the focus off of it by putting somebody other than Jobs as the presenter and by cutting off the keynote afterwards.

-Apple is dumping Macworld in favor for CES, another event that showcases technology.

-Apple has finally realized the problem with having a keynote every January: it sucks to get an Apple product for Christmas and then have it outdated literally next month.

WHAT THIS MIGHT NOT MEAN:

-Anything or everything in the list above.

-Anything or everything you've heard from other blogs.

As much as I hate to admit it, it sounds very likely that Steve is ill. Apple has refused to comment on whether his health has to do with the event. They said that they didn't want to make an investment like that in a trade show that they didn't plan on supporting later on. But wouldn't it be a better idea if they brought Steve along? Everybody could watch his very last Macworld keynote, and it would get even more publicity. Let's pray for Dear Leader's health.

-Derek

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

MacWorld 2009's keynote will be Apple's last

I'm really depressed now. Apple has announced that January's MacWorld keynote will be the last one Apple ever does. What's worse, Phil Schiller is the one in the keynote, not Steve jobs.

I'm going to miss the keynotes in MacWorld. They've been going on since 1985, and now it's over. We will miss you.

Oh, and just watch all the blogs go crazy, saying "OMG STEVE JOBS IS DYING!!!".

MobileMe is officially fixed!

Remember when PC users and Apple skeptics were all complaining about how MobileMe sucks? Well it doesn't suck anymore. First of all, it now pushes your information with in 1 minute instead of 15 minutes. Second, it's not nearly as glitchy. They made many other improvements, too.

Did you see what Apple just did, Microsoft? They made a mistake, but then they apologized for it, gave their customers months of free service, and fixed their mistake. That's obviously something Microsoft can't do for some reason. They just pretend the problem's not there. That's what I like about Apple.

-Derek

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Revised Zune Mobile Rumors

So apparently, according to the rumors, there will be no Zune Phone. Aww, man. However: there will be a software update for Windows Mobile that will have a "Zune Mobile" feature. Wait... are you serious? It's really called "Zune Mobile"? Isn't the Zune already mobile? Why would they call something that's already mobile "Zune Mobile"? Imagine if Apple called the next iPod the "iPod Portable". Anyway...

It will apparently have song buying, listening, maybe sharing, and stuff like that. Great idea, Microsoft. Put a worse version of the Zune on the horrible Windows Mobile interface. Not to mention, I'm sure the phone's card will have room for a whopping 30 songs, as opposed to the 4,000 songs you can fit onto the smallest hard drive sized iPhone. Good luck with this great idea.

-Derek

YouTube gets HD and widescreen

YouTube got HD and widescreen a while ago, and I was like, okay whatever. But actually, it isn't bad. It means you can now watch this...



...in HD! I know you're excited about that.

Actually, the video above isn't HD. Here's the HD video. Remember to click "watch in high quality". Yeah, that's right. I can't embed HD videos. YET.

-Derek

Steve Ballmer on Steve Jobs



This is Steve Ballmer in Budapest, right after being attacked with eggs. He's apparently claiming that Microsoft must have better taste than Apple because they have sold over a billion computers, way more than Apple. There he goes with that stupid deceptive illusion again. It's getting really old. How many times is he going to say the same thing over and over? Come up with a different excuse at least. So the fact that you've sold more computers automatically makes you have better taste? Or could it be that everybody has been lied to by Microsoft? Could it be that they don't trust Mac because they don't know any better and they're afraid of switching? I think so. Ballmer's going to have to come up with something new if he wants any kind of respect from the tech community.

EDIT: I just noticed something else he said. He said Apple's focus is more on design, and Microsoft's is on functionality. What's that supposed to mean? Are you trying to tell me that Macs are not as functional as Windows computers? Any Mac user knows that's totally untrue. Are you saying that an OS that is full of glitches, freezes up, isn't compatible with old computers, is badly designed, very confusing, and extremely frustrating is 'functional'? There he goes again, making up stuff he doesn't even know about. He probably hasn't used a Mac in like 10 years, like all the Mac skeptics I know. Oh wait, he had to, otherwise he couldn't copy off it. Never mind.

On a side note, notice how I made the screen size for the YouTube video much bigger. I'm doing that from now on because I like it, it's pretty nice.

Paul McCartney: I introduced the Beatles to politics

Paul McCartney said very recently in an interview that he introduced the Beatles to politics, not John.

My response: Yeah right. John had nothing to do with politics. Of course. That's why half of his solo songs are political, like "Give Peace A Chance", "Gimme Some Truth", etc. Right. And you JUST pointed this out? You waited HOW LONG to say this? It's friggin 2008, Paul! The Beatles broke up 1969! It's almost been 40 years! I'll bet it's easier for him to say this with John being too dead to argue with him. But to be fair, John died about 20 years ago.

I think this is Paul just trying to cast some positive light on himself and away from John. I don't know why he wants this attention. Attention's useless when you're already the most known band in the world.

-Derek

Friday, December 12, 2008

Zune Phone


I really can't believe that Microsoft is supposedly going to release a new Zune device that works as a mobile phone, which is similar to the iPhone. It has an accelerometer, possibly a touch screen, and a Zune built in.

Okay, let me predict this entire iPhone-ZunePhone war right now.

First, the ZunePhone will be announced. Microsoft's going to brag about a few gimmicky features the phone has, probably including copy-and-paste, video recording, and so on. However, the phone's going to be a piece of crap. A few people will decide to 'stick it' to the iPhone and get the ZunePhone to try something different. This represents about 2% of the market share. It will, however, be a huge failure. iPhone will keep coming out with new and better features and designs while ZunePhone is hardly ever updated. Then, the ZunePhone will get an update that will make it not quite as piece-of-crap-ish. Then, those 2% people who will be sad that they don't have an iPhone will start bragging about the ZunePhone's gimmicks so they can try to feel special about having one. However, iPhone will totally dominate the market.

You know what I just did? I completely described the iPod-Zune war that already happened, except I changed a few words. That's what's going to happen in the long run. Microsoft has so much money that they don't even care if they release the same kind of piece of crap they just released a year or two ago. Most companies would come up with a better business strategy than this, but not Microsoft. They have so much money that they can just do whatever they feel like doing. Just more reiteration on how bad of a company they've become.

My suggestion to Microsoft is this: How about switching things up? How about... Oh, I don't know... maybe coming up with something original? Quit following behind the other company. Try making a new kind of product that will be a hit, just like the iPod. See what you can add to the market.

But alas, that's never going to happen. Why? I've said it many times before and I'll say it again: Microsoft is the McDonald's of technology. They use a really bad business strategy because it makes them billions of dollars, and nobody wants to stop doing that. They've been mainly using advertising and copying off of other companies instead of making good products and listening to their customers. And that's what they're going to keep doing for as long as CEO Steve Ballmer is still in charge, and as long as this attitude stays within the company.

-Derek

Rumors

With MacWorld 2009 coming up within the first week of January, Apple fans are getting excited. Lots of rumors are going around, so let's have a quick round-up of some rumors going around in the Apple blogging community, and my opinions on them.

Mac Tablet- Yes, many people are convinced that Apple is going to come out with a tablet-style Mac. This would logically make sense, seeing as they just revolutionized mobile phones with the iPhone's multi-touch controls. They could use the same patented controls in the Tablet. Problem is, I thought I remembered seeing Jobs saying that a Tablet wouldn't "make sense" right now. Also, it would probably cost about $3000.

$100 iPhone- This is an interesting one. A lot of people are saying that iPhones are still too expensive, so rumor has it that Apple's responding to this by introducing a $100 iPhone with 4 GB of storage at MacWorld. That would be awesome. It would be a dealmaker for a lot of people I know, since the monthly rates are pretty expensive. Many more people are saying that this deal will be made with Wal-Mart. That's where I put my foot down. I hate Wal-Mart. They underpay their workers, and they have no regard for anything other than money. I don't want Apple to support the richest company on Earth.

Beatles on iTunes- The only thing missing from the iTunes Music Store is the Beatles, in my opinion. According to Paul McCartney, talks to put the Fab Four's music on iTunes have been "stalled", but I think they may finally make it to iTunes in 2009. They made it onto a music game recently, and everybody got excited about that. We'll see.

Zune Phone- No, I'm not kidding. This is really recent news. It seems that Microsoft may be near the release of a Zune Phone made entirely by them, contrary to their typical strategy of creating the OS and handing it to 3rd-party companies. I don't believe it. It's not going to happen. And if it does happen... Jeez. I think Apple should be flattered that they're inspiring so many people. First all these smartphone makers, and now Microsoft themselves? All from a touch-screen phone that can play music better than any other phone? I don't think this one is true. Don't expect a Zune Phone any time soon.

Netbook- Yes, everybody, and I mean everybody has been talking about this supposed $599 Netbook that Apple's going to release. It's not going to happen. Steve Jobs was asked why Apple didn't make $600 Macs to get more market share, and Steve replied that their goal was to just make great products, and for a Mac to be worth $600, it would be too stripped-down to be at Apple's standards. I agree. Apple isn't for every single consumer. It is a high-class computer which is only for those who demand the best. $599 doesn't sound like the best at all. Please don't expect this to happen. If it does happen, however, I'll probably pass out in excitement for a few weeks.

-Derek

iTunes for PC Needs Improvement

Like any marriage, my marriage with Apple has its ups and downs. I've stuck with Apple because there are way more ups, but here's one of the downs: iTunes for PC.

I absolutely love Apple for putting iTunes on PC. But it really needs improvement. Mostly it is extremely slow, and it is sometimes unresponsive. Today I was clicking an artist (Evanescence) and it wouldn't open at all for a long time. I kept clicking over and over, and eventually, I did manage to open it. Also, I watch the Daily Show and many podcasts, and I notice that the video is very faulty. Sometimes it stops, except it must be going still, because it then skips ahead to 'catch up' with what's going on. Sometimes the screen's picture just freezes forever while the audio keeps going perfectly. I need to click on it or on the pause and play button to get it to continue properly.

These are noticeable problems, but they don't interrupt my listening to my precious music, which at least counts for something. However, this can't keep going on under Apple's nose. I've heard from some people that Apple slows it down on purpose to try to say that Vista is slow. Only problem with that is, Vista IS slow. I think they need to completely revise the code and optimize it for PC instead of Mac. It's great, but it needs a lot of work.

-Derek

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Another CrackBerry Defender

So I was watching a BlackBerry Storm commercial recently. The voice talking about it is eager to say clearly that it's a 'touch-screen BlackBerry'.

To that, I point out that that's the whole selling point of the Storm. It's for people who are afraid to get the iPhone due to fear-mongering from Apple's enemies because they think it's not good for business. If they hear about a 'touch-screen BlackBerry', they're immediately going to buy that because the brand name "BlackBerry" is synonymous with business. That means that the Storm must be good for business, just because it has the BlackBerry name slapped on it. The Storm doesn't deserve this label, because it suffers from the same problems iPhone does, so there's no way you can call it 'better' for business. But most consumers aren't willing to do enough research to figure that out, they just immediately buy them because they think it will fix all of iPhone's 'problems'.

So when I point this out, BlackBerry defenders immediately try to tell me that it's the same thing with iPhone; "People only buy iPhone because it has an Apple logo on it and it begins with an 'i'." "Really? I don't see any of that." I respond.

"Oh come on, what about all those freaks sitting in line for the iPhone before it even comes out, never having touched one before?"

Uh, yeah, there are those people. We have established that. There are people who are insanely obsessed with anything Apple-related. But what Microsoft, Linux, and now BlackBerry junkies like to do is pretend that EVERYBODY who uses Mac and iPhone are these freaks. They try to label an entire customer base. Look at it this way: do you really think those people who stand in line for weeks, peeing in bottles, eating junk food, and not showering until their product comes out... Do you really think they make up 90% of the iPhone customer base? Or even 50%? Or even 10%? I don't think it would even make up 1%. But Storm defenders like to pretend that 90% of Apple users are absolute junkies who can't get over their obsession with Steve Jobs. They do this because it gives them a false sense of self-righteousness.

If that's not feasible, then look at it this way: I have a friend whose family uses mostly Macs, and one member of the family has an iPhone. Did they wait in line to get the new iPhone for weeks like maniacs? Of course not. They're just regular consumers who chose what they thought were more powerful products.

If I wanted to, I could point to this emerging group of BlackBerry users who are literally addicted to it and can't stand being away from it, and I could say that's what all BlackBerry users are like. But that wouldn't be true at all.

So to make a long story short, which I'm not doing right now, iPhone's main customer base bought the phone because they thought it was an interesting change in the way mobile phones are made that they wanted to try out. They didn't buy it just because of its Apple logo.

However, the BlackBerry Storm has been getting very bad reviews (hopefully we've established that). The only reason I can imagine people would want to get the Storm is because it's a BlackBerry, which is supposedly better with business. They're falling into a trap, because ironically, the iPhone is better with business than the Storm is. I say if you want a BlackBerry, the Bold is the best way to go. If you want a BlackBerry, stick with what they're good at: plastic keyboards.

-Derek

No iPhone SDK for PC

I just became a registered iPhone developer, but I can't develop for the iPhone. Oh well.

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Steve Ballmer is priceless

Steve Ballmer is a diarrhea mess of a CEO, and it's very dangerous for a company the size of Microsoft to maintain itself with him in charge. You hardly even have to get past this picture to understand what's wrong with him. I mean, come on. The stupid grin... the tongue sticking out... the taped-on Microsoft thing... and seriously, what's with the backwards headset?

And if you think that's the only picture where he looks stupid, you're wrong. Just do a quick Google image search or a YouTube search for simply "ballmer" and you're in for a world of either laughter or worry-- worry for Microsoft's future. Steve Ballmer is, as I've said, the most obnoxious man I can think of. Yes, more obnoxious than any Apple fan, and that's saying something. When Apple or any other rival company releases a major product, Ballmer starts blibbering about how Microsoft's products are way more powerful and popular and professional and blah blah blah. It's all just BS.

Take, for example, the iPhone. Windows Mobile has been around since the year 2000, and now that Apple has this new phone, of course Ballmer has to shoot it down. Or at least try. In one interview he brags about Windows Mobile having sold "millions and millions of units" and the iPhone selling "zero units". Um, isn't that what happens with ALL products that haven't come out yet? Including Microsoft products like the 360? In that same interview he said, "We'll see," but today I learned he said another silly thing about the iPhone: "There's no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share. No chance." Almost 2 years later, us Apple users are laughing and listening to the iPod feature on our iPhone at the same time.

Now there's nothing wrong with making a prediction in my opinion. Even if the prediction is so far off that it's ridiculous, at least you gave your analysis. The problem with this prediction is that it's not an analysis. It's just Ballmer advertising for his own products and trying to put fear into Apple's products for no reason. Ballmer isn't a professional analyst. He's a self-advertiser.

Now you say, Big deal, the only thing that matters is that Microsoft's products are good. Well the problem is, they're not good, partly because Ballmer is so wrapped up in his company's self-advertising that he isn't focusing on making his products good. For example, with Vista, it's really bad and everybody knows it. Microsoft doesn't try and fix its problems, however; all they do is advertise it and try to convince people that everybody loves Vista. It's interesting that Microsoft themselves are trying to spin it this way, because before this $300 million advertising campaign began, Microsoft executives such as Bill Gates stated very clearly that they weren't happy with Vista and that it wasn't what they were aiming for. But now that Ballmer's in charge, we're not saying that anymore! No way, everybody loves Vista! Everybody can't stop talking about it! They're uploading themselves to the Internet to talk about Vista (or to be on TV)! Pay no attention to all those unhappy tech-savvy experts! Just keep buying Vista! We're hip!

I really don't feel like this is an exaggeration. I want you to tune in to MTV for a few hours. What you will inevitably notice is that PC commercials show up ALL THE TIME. Like, at least twice every commercial break. If you think Apple's an 'advertising company', take a look at Microsoft's dorky attempt to look cool. Their commercials are on a million times more than Apple commercials are on, not to mention their products are far worse.

If you want a bright future for Apple, I think you don't have to worry; as long as Ballmer's around, you and Apple have nothing to sweat over.

-Derek

Derek's Tablet 2.0 (with pictures!)

I'm trying to make this blog better and better all the time, and I hope one way to do that would be to add pictures to help make the blog prettier. I'm going to try to put pictures in every major post via Flickr, which I highly recommend.

Also, I'd like to show you a nice article that cleanly summarizes how Apple has done this year. It enlightened me on a few subjects, such as Apple and the enterprise. Mitch Wagner, the author, stated that Apple isn't an enterprise company at all, and they never have been. "Enterprises need things to be predictable. Apple hates predictability- they love to surprise and delight customers with unexpected products." As a response to questioning Apple's enterprise strategy, Wagner literally writes, "What enterprise strategy?" Very good read, highly recommended.

I bookmarked the above article on Delicious. Delicious is an online Internet bookmarks list that you share with others. I have an account there, and soon there will be links to Delicious and many other Internet tools I use on the right-hand side of this blog. If you use them, please add me; if you don't use them, try them out.

That is all.

-Derek

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Ideas: DropBox

This is a new idea of mine, and I call it "DropBox". DropBox is a website that basically acts as an online database, private or not private, where anybody can sign up for free. Basically, when you sign up, you get your very own 'box' where you can drop anything you want into there. Have a Microsoft Word document you need for work? Put it in DropBox. Have a picture you want to put on a different computer? Put it in DropBox. Have a folder full of information, pictures, spreadsheets, movies, etc that you need for a different computer? Put it all on DropBox. So the idea is you put whatever you want into your very own box, and when you go to any other computer in the world that's connected to the internet, you can go to your DropBox and pick that file up. You no longer need a flash drive for school or work because you can just pick whatever you need up from DropBox.

So imagine this: imagine you have only a desktop at home and no laptop, and you have to get a folder full of spreadsheets for your company on your desktop. Just upload it to DropBox and it will be stored on there. Go to work, go to your computer at work, go to www.dropbox.com or whatever the URL should be, download it to your computer (downloading time will vary depending on file size), and there you go. You have whatever you need everywhere you go. Maybe you could also have a QuickLook-esque feature on DropBox where you can preview your files in an instant, in case you're not sure which file is which. Your DropBox will have to be extremely secure so that all of your precious files are protected from hackers, etc.

Just a handy little tool I thought up. It would absolutely solve my problems with school and trying to remember where my flash drive is. In fact, I don't have one right now since it's lost. If DropBox could be accepted in all schools and businesses, it could possibly become a great tool.

-Derek

Coffee Table Touch Screen Computer Thingy

Sorry I keep commenting on really old news, but a while ago, Microsoft made a coffee table that has a computer built in with a touch-screen interface. Dad was really bragging about this one, like 'Oh, Microsoft is really ingenious for coming up with this one.'

I think the concept is a little dumb. Who wants a computer on a coffee table? Who would pay for that? What's next? Should Apple make a new kind of toaster that also runs OS X? Should Google make a microwave that also includes Google search? Probably not.

And where do you think they got that idea for multi-touch? Um, maybe iPhone. Ever since iPhone came out, touch-interfaces have exploded. There are so many phones trying to copy off the iPhone and get some of the money from the sub-industry it's created. Sure, there were tablets before, but those have risen sharply in sales since the iPhone's release. Gee, I wonder why! Look at what they're doing with the pictures, maps, etc. They're pinching in, pinching out, flicking back and forth to scroll, all these things that iPhone patented. I think Apple's afraid to protect their patented multi-touch technology from Microsoft because that would make them look bad from the public's point of view. Microsoft has them stuck.

But I'm not too worried. I don't think this coffee table that's also a computer is going to sell crazy. But anyway, kudos to Microsoft. You made this cool-looking gadget that isn't as useful as it is expensive. Nice job at least trying something new (kind of), but it doesn't change the fact that your company is handled really poorly, and it doesn't change the fact that Vista still sucks really bad.

Steve Jobs Movie Idea

I'm really a nerd for thinking this up. I was thinking about Ed Wood, a movie I reviewed on this blog a while ago, and I realized that you could do something similar for Steve Jobs. Think about it; he's a famous personality and leader when it comes to technology, and there are tons of people who think he's awesome. The movie could be called "Steve Jobs", or "Jobs", or maybe "iJobs". I like "iJobs" the best. It sounds kind of like iPod, so people would kind of get an idea of who he is right off the bat. It would be a partly fictional biography/comedy/drama.

The movie could start with him being born, being given to his step parents, becoming a teenager, meeting Woz (who was in college at the time), becoming spiritually involved, going to India, etc. Then he would see a computer Woz made and have a spark of realization that he wanted to make technology. So he convinces Woz to manufacture it as the Apple I, then they make the successful Apple II, and then it fast forwards to the day Steve Jobs announces the upcoming Macintosh. Around this point, it would really show that Jobs has an emotional hatred of IBM. Then it would show the 1984 ad being played at the Super Bowl, followed by the Macintosh demo. This is really the part where it became an insane cult phenomena, as shown by the crowd.

Then it could show Steve and Sculley arguing a lot about where the company should go, Steve gets fired, he's in a terrible depression, but then gets a spark of creativity, creates Pixar, creates NeXT, and is taken back to Apple. He creates the iPod, etc. Then he has trouble with the whole options scandal. But it ends on a triumphant note with the introduction to the iPhone in January 2007. Or maybe it would go further to his death. But one thing is, he needs to be dead before this is made, so this can be a tribute to the great man he was (is) and the great legacy he will have left behind.

-Derek

Friday, November 28, 2008

Another debate

I got into another iPod / Zune debate with my dad. To be fair, he started it. He was telling my sister, obviously directing it towards me while I was right next to him, that the Zune is a much better music player and her Zune (Dad got it for free and gave it to her. Microsoft's giving out Zunes because nobody's buying them) looks better than any iPod. As if.

I won the debate. I won it because I said, "What makes a Zune better? Tell me right now." and dad said, "Well what makes an iPod better?" Big mistake. First of all, redirecting it towards me is a lame attempt to hide the fact that he doesn't actually know what's better about the Zune, he's just siding with Microsoft because he hates Apple for whatever reason. He's exposed his ignorance about iPods and Zunes. Second, he asked the wrong person the wrong question. "Well for starters, they can play feature-length films and TV shows, which Zune doesn't support and Microsoft doesn't sell. It doesn't have any gimmicks, like the Zune's stupid 'sharing' feature (you can trade songs from Zune to Zune, but good luck finding another Zune to share it with since nobody uses it!). They look much more beautiful, and they keep looking more beautiful every time they come out with a new one. They have new features all the time, like accelerometers, games, better and better screens, being thinner and thinner, etc. They start at a great price for music players, $69 (to which he said, 'Are you saying iPods are the cheapest music players? Because they're not', and I said, 'No, I'm saying that they're the cheapest music players that are in any way good.'). They are an original idea and have been from the start. They aren't some stupid marketing attempt to grab some cash from an already successful product that somebody else made." I also mentioned that iPods were an original idea at the time. There were other music players, yes. But there were virtually none like the iPod.

Also, a while ago I told him, "The real question is, can the Zune play movies?" "No, because it's not a movie playing product." BS! That's the lamest excuse I've ever heard of for a product. So are you really telling me that you'd rather buy a 80 GB product that can't play movies and TV shows than buy a 120 GB product that does play those, and for the same price? In what insane asylum would the answer be yes? He is OBVIOUSLY in denial, just trying to make a point against Apple. The problem is, there is no point you can make against the iPod. Except a few. But I mean, it's better than the Zune. And any other MP3 player. So there.

-Derek

Apple Making Fun of Microsoft

Apple fans are usually labeled as arrogant, elitist a******s, and I think at least a quarter of them are. But what I say to that is, I'm sorry, but I just like better computers! I like making fun of Vista. Vista is a really hilariously bad OS, so it's fun for me to steal people away from PC and show them Macs. Steve Ballmer is such a hilariously stupid guy. Just watch any YouTube video of him. He's an obnoxious guy, more obnoxious than any Apple fan I've ever seen. He acts like a monkey when he gets excited. It's so easy to make fun of him.

Right now the cool thing to do is ridicule Apple and its fans for only being a 'cool trend'. But that's not the case any more. The new 'cool trend' is to ridicule Apple. These people have become the very thing they're accusing Apple of doing. So people, if you're an Apple fan, please make fun of Microsoft. It feels good. People hate it when I do, but the thing is, I like better computers, better phones, and better music players, and for that I make no apology.

Even Steve Jobs himself loves making fun of Microsoft and Vista, even since the days it was codenamed 'Longhorn'. Here are some "All About Steve" videos which are a nice compilation of his extreme, but correct opinions.





My favorite line from these videos was when he said that somebody using iTunes on a PC is like "giving a glass of ice water to someone in Hell".

-Derek

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Google Picasa

I'm trying out Picasa 3 for the PC, which is made by Google. There are a couple new interface ideas unlike anything I've seen before in this photo-viewing and editing application. For instance, there's a scroll bar on the right... or so you think. Turns out it's actually a control that lets you scroll. It stays in the middle, and when you pull it up, everything scrolls up. If you scroll it down, everything scrolls down. Pull it further up or down to make it scroll faster. Let go, and it'll go back to the center. You can see a kind of 'shadow' on the same bar that tells you where you are on the page.

Now I like interface changes like these. They show lots of creativity in Google. But if you're going to have a way to make an interface, how about you keep it the same in all of your applications? Google Chrome (Google's web browser), for example, doesn't use this scrolling technique; it uses a regular old scroll bar. It also has many unique interface changes that it has and Picasa doesn't, such as lack of the "File Edit View" bar on top. In my opinion, this is a bad thing to do with your applications. If Google ever makes an OS, it may be confusing to use all the different applications Google makes since they all have different ways of using them. Compare this to Apple; they have a universal interface for finding files that started in iTunes, spread to iPhoto, to Finder, and is now a base for navigating OS X. See, keeping it simple is the best way to do it.

I like this a lot though. It displays all the pictures really well. It even has some unexpected features, such as showing only the pictures with face(s) in them. It doesn't work that well, as it showed a MacBook prototype leak as a face. But it does work okay. Overall, I like this much better than "Windows Photo Gallery" (what a stupid name) and is far more original. I say if you have a PC, check it out. I also hear there will be a Mac version soon.

-Derek

Quit whining about nothing

Okay, I've been surfing the web all over the place, like YouTube, Digg, etc... and everybody is whining about the same thing. It's the same thing I was talking about in the other post where I showed the comparison video of the ad's 3G network and the real life 3G network. Everybody's still whining about this ad:



They're all whining, "Look how fast the iPhone is loading the page and finding the location and downloading the attachment! It's not that fast! Apple must be lying to us! Apple sucks! Kill Apple!"

This isn't a new thing. Even with Apple, people love to get out their pitchforks and torches and hate companies like this. One thing I have to say is that if people are so desperate to complain about Apple that they have to complain not about their computers, iPods, or iPhone, but about their ADVERTISEMENTS, then that means Apple must be in a really good place right now.

Here's what I think: When you go to McDonalds, you know how good and perfect and juicy and symmetrical those burgers look on the menu and on TV and stuff? Does your burger ever end up looking anything like that? No. I think McDonald's is more guilty of false advertising right now than Apple ever was.

You have to realize, how else could Apple make a 30-second commercial than make the time it takes to load shorter? They made no false claims. They did in fact say that it's "twice as fast", which is proven to be true. And there's a disclaimer in the commercial which basically says that the 3G network may vary by location.

Also, let's be honest. Who really believed that that speed in the ad was its actual speed? Who even really paid attention? I know I didn't. I use my dad's iPhone 3G (I'm stuck with the original) all the time, and I can definitely tell you, it doesn't load instantaneously. But Apple's not saying that it will, okay? Anybody who says Apple is "flat-out lying" is simply wrong. They're not lying. There wasn't a single lie in the commercial.

Why do we always have to look at the few little negatives there are in companies like Apple when there are so many great things about them? Too many people do that today. Today, everybody is saying, "Everybody thinks it's 'hip' to like Apple". Uh, no, not anymore. Maybe it was about six months ago, but now everybody thinks it's 'hip' to hate Apple. And that's just wrong. There's hardly anything to hate them about.

-Derek

T. Boone Pickens is awesome

T. Boone Pickens, author of "The First Billion Is The Hardest", is the chairman of BP Capital Management, the company that thrives on oil's success. He is awesome because he doesn't just stay seated in his luxurious throne of wealth; he is now making sure that America starts using natural gas instead of the oil we get from the Middle East and other countries. He says it would be cheaper, cleaner, easier to obtain (because it's not foreign, it's from America), and it would be fantastic for the environment.

Now specifically, he wants trucks to primarily use natural gas. He says that people plan to make electric cars later on, but points out that trucks won't be able to run on electricity. Trucks, therefore, can run on natural gas, and our regular cars can run on a mix of electricity and natural gas.

I am absolutely thrilled with what Pickens is trying to do. He obviously isn't the rich snob you'd expect an oil company to be lead by. He feels he has a responsibility to make a better future for America. He truly believes that America needs to "break [its] addiction to foreign oil". If I could help him, I absolutely would. On the Daily Show with Jon Stewart (a great show that I very much enjoy), Stewart basically said that he loved Pickens' ideas.


http://www.pickensplan.com/act/

Yet another Storm rave

I was going to stop commenting on BlackBerry Storm, but I can't, this is just too much fun. David Pogue of the New York Times gave a review of it where he absolutely despised the phone. I don't feel like quoting anything, but it's fun to read, so read it here.

My dad loves making fun of the iPhone and supporting companies like RIM who copy Apple's ideas and try to make a quick buck off of them. I hope I never have to deal with a BlackBerry Storm. It's really bad... And every technology expert who's tried it knows it. I don't even know what else to say. Other than don't get it.

-Derek

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Raves are pouring in for BlackBerry Storm

"Novelty screen feels cheap", "steer clear of this storm" -TIME

"Can't compete with Apple's iPhone" -Chicago Tribune

"Heavy, laggy, sluggish, unstable, clunky, and tiring" -Gizmodo

"Frustrating, inelegant, uncomfortable" "A disappointment" -Engadget

"Awkward, disappointing", "A failed experiment" -PC World

"Unresponsive or inaccurate touch screen" -Wall Street Journal

"If you're locked into a Verizon Wireless contract and you're willing to put up with an OS with the speed of a tranquilized yak, then you may like the BlackBerry Storm" -Wired.com

...I don't even know what to say. So I'm not going to say anything. There's nothing else to add. Just look at the words. They just sum it all up. And the iPhone is getting all kinds of raves, plus it's now the #1 best-selling handset in the world.

Blackberry Storm starts selling tomorrow. RIM's future looks great.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

My Twitter feed is up

I try to use Twitter more than daily. Now you can see the updates on the blog.

-Derek

Friday, November 14, 2008

Why Blackberry Storm Won't Beat iPhone

This is a good article from one of my favorite Mac blogs, MacDailyNews. It describes why the upcoming iPhone rip off-- ahem, sorry-- touchscreen phone with integrated App Store knock off and other features, known as the BlackBerry Storm, will be inferior to the iPhone.

Let's not start off on the wrong foot. When it comes to the passe kind of phones that use plastic keyboards, BlackBerry must be my favorite. I like how well it does email, I like its simplicity, all that stuff. However, there are serious flaws with this new BlackBerry that can't be overlooked. No Wi-Fi? Are you kidding me? That's one of the bare necessities you have to have on any smartphone. Also, it's lacking many things the iPhone can tease it with. No multi-touch? No accelerometer? No iPod? No ecosystem of product cases, docks, headphones, headsets, etc for it? It has a few things like the said App Store knock off, but really, who wants to develop for the BlackBerry? The iPhone is the #1 phone on the market, and Apple has a cult following unlike any other technology company.

Bottom line: BlackBerry Storm isn't the iPhone-killer. Apple's products are often-imitated but never-duplicated, as seen with the Mac (Windows), iPod (Zune), and iPhone (phones such as the Voyager, Storm, etc). If the iPhone will indeed be destroyed, you anti-Apple nerds are going to have to wait a little longer.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

More on the iPhone win

iPhone just took Motorola Razr's spot as the top handset bought by adults. According to the NPD, it's because of "watershed shift in handset design from fashion to fashionable functionality". It just so happens that the iPhone is the most fashionable and most functional handset in the market.

What's pretty funny is this: I remember in 2007 when the iPhone was announced, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer literally laughed at the phone's concept and ridiculed the idea that the phone would ever touch the all-mighty Windows Mobile's precious sales. That's the same thing he did when the Wii was introduced-- before it beat Microsoft's Xbox 360 by far and kept it that way to this day. Next time he predicts that something's going to lose to his products, please ignore him. He's not a professional analyst; he's just some guy who's trying to promote his own company and try to put fear into other people's products at the same time-- and failing at both.

Why Apple is Better

I just had another Mac and PC argument, and I really want to get this out of my system. I believe that Mac is a better computer AND better operating system than PC. I also believe that iPhone is a far better phone than any other phone on the market. I also love iPods, and think they're better than any other music player on the market. Yes, that includes Zune. Basically, I love Apple as a company, and I think it's far better than Microsoft. Microsoft in its current state is the laughingstock of the computer industry.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not just jumping on the Mac bandwagon and hating Microsoft like all the others. Let's just look at this issue logically. Apple's products are more advanced. Mac OS X is the most advanced operating system on the market. iPhone is smarter and easier to use than anything else you can find that makes phone calls. iPods are very easy to use. Apple's product line-up is great, but look at Microsoft's mess. They have XP, an okay operating system that doesn't eclipse OS X; and then they have the awful Vista that just about every tech-savvy consumer knows is garbage.

About Vista: I originally had XP on my PC, and I got a Vista installation disk for free from a Microsoft conference. I knew everybody hated Vista, but I decided to go against the crowd and try Vista out. Huge mistake. When I first installed it, the sound wasn't working whatsoever. I don't remember how I managed to fix it, but I think it had something to do with changing some options on the Control Panel or something. They made it much more complicated than it had to be. That's a good word to describe Windows in general: complicated. Microsoft thinks that if they make a computer that's big and complicated and you don't know where half of your programs are and it's hard to get things done, that makes it a more advanced computer. It's also very unreliable, because it freezes up all the time, and sometimes it just shuts off spontaneously with absolutely no warning. I wouldn't be surprised if the PC just burst into flames out of nowhere. That's how boneheaded I think Microsoft's tactics are with making systems. Their trademark applications like Internet Explorer are a complete joke, and I have to get Safari for PC just to get away from it. They also apparently stole some ideas from Apple's operating system, like the Widgets in Dashboard (they're now called 'gadgets'), having Calendar and Mail applications separate from Outlook, and having a search bar that finds anything in the computer. The fact that Microsoft is looking up to Apple for their inspiration for features is an indication that Apple are the ones leading the industry.

People like to point fingers at Apple and complain about their problems. Now here's the thing: Apple does have problems. You don't think I acknowledge that? They do have many problems. Let's look at one example: Mobile Me. When it came out, everybody complained because it was really glitchy and didn't work half the time. It was a failure for the time. It reminds me of Microsoft's behavior. But what separates this from Microsoft, and what I love about Apple, is this: Steve Jobs actually acknowledged that Mobile Me was bad. He said that it wasn't up to Apple's standards, and they were well on their way to fixing its problems. They even offered a month of free Mobile Me service to customers because of their mistakes. Now let me ask you this: would Microsoft ever do this? Let me answer my own question: no. They wouldn't, and they haven't. If you watch Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer in interviews, he gets up on his high horse and acts all high and mighty, and says that Vista is a better operating system than Mac because more people use it. He doesn't even listen to his customers, since Vista is well-known as a very bad operating system and a huge mistake from Microsoft. He just pretends the problem doesn't exist and instead invests his money on a $300 million ad campaign to fool even more people into buying Vista. Steve Jobs, however, bites the bullet, listens to his customers and fixes Mobile Me's problems. That's what I love about Apple. I don't love them because they are completely without problems, I love them because they listen to their customers and fixes their problems. Microsoft pretends the problems don't exist and just try to make more money. I was watching MTV the other night (actually my sister was; I never watch that crap), and I swear, PC commercials must've come on twice every commercial break. My dad (who is pro-PC and anti-Mac) always blames Apple for just being an advertising company, but he obviously doesn't watch too much TV anymore.

That's pretty much all you have to do to have a very successful and loved company: listen to your customers, fix your problems. Microsoft does none of those; Apple does all of those.

-Derek

Celebration Time!

It's a good time to be a fan of the iPhone: the iPhone 3G is now the best-selling phone on the market. It has surpassed the RAZR. What's funny is the RAZR was my first phone. I wanted it because I viewed it as 'cool'. Now I know that it's really not that cool. It's like any other phone, but it's thin. I got an iPhone because I thought it was cool, and the difference is, I still think it's cool. It's cooler than any other phone on the market. It's also more innovative than any other phone, and it's far, FAR more advanced than any other phone.

In honor of the iPhone's beating all the other phones, let's watch the introduction of the original iPhone. Just listen to their reaction to when Steve says "a mobile phone"! Also, it's not in these videos, but at the beginning of the keynote, he said, "Let's make some history together, shall we?"













A very historic keynote. Possibly the second most important, second to the Macintosh introduction.

Saturday, November 8, 2008

IE, you crack me up!

I tried to compare the latest version of IE to Safari (the fastest and best browser in the world), and to my surprise, IE froze up and crashed before I could even enter a web address. I was expecting Microsoft to actually improve their sucky-$@% web browser, but they obviously haven't made the slightest effort. People complain about Apple's mistakes all the time, but at least Apple fixes their errors. That is something to be proud of.

So I had to close it (do the 'not responding' thing) and re-open it. I compared their speeds by giving IE a head start of about two seconds. Safari still beat it. I bet I could tell a random Apple fan "Internet Explorer" and they'd start cracking up.

-Derek

Google Chrome

Google Chrome is a brand new internet browser available only for PC. That "only PC" part immediately doesn't sound good to me, since Macs are better, but let's take a look anyway.

It installs after a while (it advertises that it installs in 'seconds'), and then I open it. Immediately it looks different from any web browser you're used to. You know the 'File Edit View History...' thing at the top of your window? That's not there at all. There's also no top part that says what web page you're at. It gets rid of a lot and relies on simplicity of use. I have to say, it looks pretty cool. If Google made an OS, I think it would look cool too.

When you open it, it has one tab. Even when there's only one tab open, you can see the thing on top that shows the different tabs. It's hard to explain, but it appears that tabs are the main idea of the web browser.

You have all the standard buttons: Back, Forward, Refresh, and some preferences and 'control the current page'. There's the address bar, which by itself doubles as a search bar. And that's it. It reminds me of what Safari set out to do: get rid of all that useless crap on the top of the window and as Steve put it, "let the actual web pages speak for themselves". After all, isn't that what web browsers are for? Viewing the web pages?

But now it's time to put it to the challenge, test it at what to me is most important for a browser: speed. I'm going to open another tab on the Safari (the fastest web browser I've used) window I'm using to make this blog post. That should give Chrome a head start.

Apple.com: Uh oh. It's not the speed I'm uh oh-ing about. It seems Chrome is lacking something very important: a loading progress bar. In Safari, the progress bar is right on the address bar, but for chrome, it doesn't look like it's anywhere. It's going to be hard to see if it actually loaded the whole page, but I'll just go by instinct. Let's try again... It's a tie. One point of interest, though: Chrome doesn't load every item on the page until it is finished. It loads the entire page at once. It's an interesting technique for revealing the web pages.

Let's try a page with lots of stuff on it...

NYTimes.com (New York Times): Safari is slightly faster. But it's so small that it hardly even matters. You can really see that Chrome loads the entire page instead of the different items here. It starts as a white screen for a second, then it reveals the entire page.

Derek's Tablet: Safari wins again. But it's not a bad lose for Chrome; it is a difference you don't notice when you actually use it.

Basically, Safari wins with speed, but by a little. As for interface... I don't know if Chrome's is better yet. I have to try to adjust to it. I'm not sure if I'll even try to do that at all. Overall, kudos to Google for trying something new, not just copying other browsers and slapping the Google brand on it. Nice job. I'm probably going to keep using Safari though. Sorry. It's nothing personal. It's just that I love Safari, and I don't think I want to change to something slightly more unfamiliar. Seriously, don't feel bad. I like your Blogger service. I like your search bar. But I just don't feel like using your browser. Okay? Are we cool? Awesome. See you later.

-Derek

iPhone 3G criticisms...

I can't help but make this post. People absolutely love to complain about Apple products, possibly because Apple put themselves in that hole: they made commercials insulting other companies, so naturally people are going to look for things wrong with Apple. The iPhone 3G is a big topic of criticism. I really hate the criticism because it's really a great device, probably the best device in the world. So here, I'll discuss some of the biggest arguments against the current iPhone.

It's too expensive: Obviously, when you look at the iPhone 3G, you are excited because it only costs half the price. However, pessimists are quick to point out that it adds an extra $10 or so to the monthly bill. If you add the extra $10 with the actual iPhone's price, you get about $440; more than the predecessor's price.

Now let's think about why this is. iPhone 3G obviously uses the 3G network- hence its name- and it costs more for AT&T to provide us that. That means they would lose money unless they charge us more of our money for the 3G service. Think of it as an HD TV service. Obviously the TV is going to cost money, and obviously the HD machine we buy, such as DirecTV, is also going to cost money. However, they also have to charge us for the HD service, right? It's no different. I would actually EXPECT that AT&T would raise the price for a premium service that we should be thanking them for giving us. In fact, I'm going to go a few steps ahead and say that Apple is NOBLE for doing this. They are NOBLE for foreseeing the huge price the new iPhone would've had (try $640 for an 8 gig hard drive) and lowering the entry price just for us. They could've kept it at $400 and raked in the cash, but instead, they decided that they were going to take in less money in order to accommodate consumers' needs.

And by the way, why are these people even adding the monthly $10 extra to the entry price? That makes no sense. It clearly doesn't count as part of the entry price, and yet these people are looking for something in the iPhone 3G to complain about, so they search until they get this accusation they can make. That's like if I bought a car costing $17,000, but I also added the amount of gas the car was going to ultimately cost me within the next two years, making it a bigger price. It's an unfair accusation to make. Bottom line: Apple is not guilty on this one.

Bad 3G service: I'm not going to explain the peoples' case as much as show you this video that sums it up:



I understand this person's frustration, but I think this video is exactly what it's trying to combat: deceptive advertising. Instead of showing a fair comparison, they exaggerate their point to make it misleading people into thinking many things. They mislead people into thinking that this video shows how the iPhone acts everywhere. They also try to say that Apple made a fake video of the 'twice as fast' thing, as if the iPhone can't possibly use internet twice as fast. They say things like "We tried this 1/2 a dozen times" to make people think of the number 12 instead of the number 6. "You'll be waiting and waiting and waiting"? That's ridiculous. I have the first-gen iPhone, and I don't remember waiting that much for it let alone the new one. Overall, they just exaggerate their point, which is what they're accusing Apple of doing.

The truth is, the iPhone 3G CAN use Internet twice as fast. It doesn't necessarily, depending on where you live, how many bars you have, how the 3G network is in the area, and so on. But it can. Apple showed this when they introduced the device by showing a recording of the iPhone's speeds. No, they weren't lying. No, they weren't making it up. It really happened. Just because it doesn't go exactly twice as fast for you doesn't mean you have to complain about it. And by the way, how many phones can you find that go as fast as the iPhone? I want you to find me three phones that have a faster network. Until then, I rest my case. It's not deceptive advertising. It's showing what the machine can do.

No plastic keyboard: I can't believe people still think this is a problem. There is an auto-correction software built in to the iPhone that definitely makes up for this. And pretty soon, you'll be able to turn it off! I have no problem typing on it. Plus, lack of plastic keyboard is better. It gives you more display, it's only there when you need it, and it can be changed for different languages.

-Derek

Friday, November 7, 2008

Listening to: Kid A

by Radiohead. I get most of my super-cool music from one of my teachers. I just borrow the CDs from him and put them on my iTunes, then return them to his collection. When I asked him if Kid A was any good, he just said, in a very quiet, disturbing voice, "Oh, no. You're not ready for that yet. That one's going to drive you insane. It's going to make you kill yourself or something. Please, just put it back... put it back..."

So naturally, I put it back and then took it when he wasn't looking a few minutes later. So now I'm listening to it on my ultra-high-quality iPhone through brand new Apple-made headphones, and my verdict is: it's a powerful album. It is very powerful. I can see what my teacher was thinking when he warned me about it.

My favorite song is absolutely "National Anthem", followed in order by "Kid A" and "How to Disappear Completely".

"National Anthem" is a seriously depressing song. It starts with some cool bass, cool drums, crazy-sounding horns, etc, and then out of nowhere, the lead singer begins to sing, "Everyone/ Everyone around here/ Everyone is so near/ So alone/ So alone". Now the thing is, just typing those words here does the actual experience of hearing it absolutely no justice. His voice is very echoey (in music-speak, it's called reverb), and it's quiet, almost as if he's suffering, etc. And the lyrics themselves? I don't know why, but I fell in love with them as soon as I heard them. For some reason I feel as if I can relate to them. I can see why it's called the National Anthem. It's almost like he's saying, "We don't need that BS national anthem most countries have where they're saying everybody loves to get along with each other. We need a national anthem that speaks the real truth, comes out and says, 'You know what? Society isn't like that. We may be standing right next to each other, but we're so far apart that it tears us up into little pieces.'"

Then there's "Kid A", the second track on the album ("National Anthem" is the third). It features a robotic voice, presumably the lead singers' put through a talk box of some kind. This voice sounds really sad. For me, it kind of conjures up images of a person trapped inside a metal robot body, desperate to get out. I can't hear what the robot is saying yet, but I'll find out soon.

"How to Disappear Completely" features very few loud instruments, the core opposite of "National Anthem". The main lines include "I'm not here, this isn't happening". Almost disturbing when you think about it. It might not just be denial, but schizophrenia. With how messed-up the lead singer of Radiohead seems to be in the brain, I wouldn't doubt it.

Overall, it's a thought-provoking, brilliant piece of art. But don't listen to it if you are battling depression.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Today is a great day for America

History was made last night. President Bush is no longer president of the USA; now that title goes to Barack Obama, the first black president to ever run in office. People have been hungry for a democrat president rather than a republican president, and now that wish has been fulfilled. I hope Obama leads us out of this economically depressing time and back to greatness.

In other news, Proposition 8 has won. Which makes me sick. Well, in the words of Jack Dorsey, "Proposition 8 may have won the day, but in the end it will lose." Something along those lines.

-Derek

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

No new iMacs, Mac Minis, Mac Pros, etc

"Our holiday lineup is set," says VP of marketing at Apple. Oh well. There's always next year.

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Review: "Viva La Vida" by Coldplay

"Viva La Vida" is a big album right now, and Coldplay is pulling out all the stops to get it seen. So I bought it on iTunes, and how is it? It's fantastic. This album is absolute gold, and it will certainly go down in history as one of the great albums of the early 2000's. Let's look at its songs.

I think it's core makeup is the songs "Lost!" and "Lost?". They are essentially the same song, but the first one appears as the third song of the album, and the second appears as the album's finale. "Lost!" is a hard-rocking song, but "Lost?" is a quiet piano song with the same basic musical skeleton as the first. The songs open with the inspirational lyric "Just because I'm losing / doesn't mean I'm lost". Now listen to how this is said in the song. The words themselves are ingenious, but listen to how the haunting melody absolutely interlocks with the mood of the words. As a fellow musician, I can tell you that being able to do that takes pure skill. The way the songs are placed in the album sets the theme for the album, and it reminds me of "In The Flesh?" and "In The Flesh" by Pink Floyd in their rock opera epic, "The Wall".

"42" is a great song, the title probably reflecting Douglas Adams' "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy".

But the shiniest gem of the record is the title track, full of soaring vocals, poetic lyrics, and brilliant dynamics. The song is complete with a beautiful orchestra and chorus that makes the music sound extremely colorful and almost seems to make it sparkle. If you have a brand new iPod with brand new headphones, this is a spectacle to listen to on it.

Overall, it's a five-star album. It's been a pleasure to listen to, and I highly recommend it. This is a must-have for your iPod, and an iPod is a must-have because of this.

-Derek

"Opera Mini"

So in case you haven't heard, a big story in the Mac news lately has been that the Opera company made a version of Opera called "Opera Mini" for the iPhone, but it was rejected by Apple because it was one of the apps that mirrors an Apple-made feature (in this case, Safari) too closely. This really got me mad for a couple reasons. One, if you are allowed to have Opera on a Mac, why can't you have it on your phone? The iPhone, I like to think, is basically just a version of the Mac that you keep in your pocket. How is it any different from an actual Mac which has apps of its own? The other reason this annoyed me is that I've seen a lot of apps that mirror Apple's own apps too closely that actually made it to the App Store. Case in point: "Tea Timer". It's useless. It's terrible. It's just a timer that's exactly like the one you get FOR FREE in the "Clock" app that the iPhone already comes with. And worst of all, you have to PAY FOR IT. Yeah, I know. It's a rip off. So my point is, if an application as useless as that can make it to the App Store, why can't something much better that will put it's own spin on its theme make it to the App Store? It makes no sense.

However, this just in, it seems that none of that was true. The Opera Mini version for the iPhone was not rejected, because in fact, it was never sent to Apple for approval in the first place. It seems that whoever got that impression needed to check his facts. The Opera employees will not reveal their identities since their employers do not approve of them sharing this information. Thanks to Mac Rumors for the very useful heads-up. (original story)

Friday, October 31, 2008

Happy Halloween

I'm at the Rivera residence again. Everybody comes trick-or-treating in broad daylight, and then there are none when it actually gets dark. Kind of ironic.

Time for this week's Top 5. This time it's the Top 5 Psychedelic Songs.

5. Jimi Hendrix- "Third Stone From The Sun"

4. Traffic- "Paper Sun"

3. TIE: Beatles- "A Day In The Life", Beatles- "Strawberry Fields Forever"

2. Pink Floyd- "Bike"

1. Talking Heads- "Once In A Lifetime"

I love all those songs.

Nothing new with Apple. The Beatles just signed a video game deal, so hopefully this means their music will be on iTunes soon.

-Derek

Monday, October 27, 2008

$99 iPhone

Anybody who thinks Apple's going to think about lowering the iPhone's price to $99 is dreaming. Having said that, it would be brilliant because their sales, according to an analyst, would "triple", meaning they'd make about 1.5 times the amount of money they're making now. If this happens, Apple will also be able to rub it in Windows Mobile's face. But it's never gonna happen. Trust me.

-Derek

Job Layoffs

All I hear about on the news and on the internet anymore is people being laid off. Twitter's CEO Jack Dorsey is no longer in the company. Revision3 has had a lot of layoffs today which is really sad. I don't want my dad to be next. We'll see.

-Derek

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Podcast?

Could my friend and I run a podcast? It's a tough question. We'd have to meet literally every week to make it work. We could use iMovie or something, put music in the background and talk over it. But what could it be about? What would be the agenda for each podcast? Maybe Nintendo... but the news on Nintendo is so slow lately. Maybe Apple... I dunno. What would it even be called? We'd totally come up with nicknames to disguise ourselves. I would go with Charlie.

Something I've been thinking about.

Handsome Tom, come on.

So I'm a g1 at ScrewAttack, a fantastic video game site that emphasizes community. And I know it's been like almost maybe a year now, but I still wish Handsome Tom was still on ScrewAttack. I mean seriously, what's the problem? Why can't the two founders of ScrewAttack be in the same room anymore? I don't care who the jerk is, or if it's both; I want Handsome Tom back at ScrewAttack.

So where is he now? He's at this really crappy site called The Game Heroes. That's a really lame name. I mean seriously, is that all they could come up with? You've got to be kidding me. It's pitiful. That's the perfect word to describe it with. It's a really pitiful attempt to stick it to Craig and say, "I don't need ScrewAttack!" Now that's great and all, but there's one problem: You're wrong. You do need ScrewAttack. If you want to ever be popular on the web again, then you need ScrewAttack. Let's face it, that's where you started. That's where you became popular. And now you're leaving it and starting something really dumb that you think is going to beat ScrewAttack.

Okay then, fair enough, I go to The Game Heroes' website. Looks like multiple ex-ScrewAttack people are here. Handsome Tom, Perfect Liz, and 8-Bit Mickey (previously New School Mickey) have all succumbed to the will to "stick it to Craig". Looking around, I see they have a lot of rip-offs of ScrewAttack features. There's Submission Saturday, there's a weekly podcast (actually two podcasts, I don't understand why they need two), there's a forum (but they're sneaky; they call it the 'message boards'), there's even a store. Now, Tom, none of this is going to work, for at least two reasons. Number one: the website is so freaking hard to navigate! I can't even find any videos with Handsome Tom in them. I can hardly find any videos at all. I would listen to the podcast but really, I don't give a crap about it. I don't care about The Game Heroes. It's just a heartless attempt to try to call themselves independent from ScrewAttack. Anyway, reason number two on why this is not going to work. Nobody cares about The Game Heroes. Let's face it. Nobody gives a crap. Just go on the forums at any time. Right now there are 3 people online on the Game Heroes 'message boards', only one of which is actually a registered user. At the same time, there are 24 people online at the ScrewAttack forums. And by the way, it's three in the morning. Nobody has passion for your fake site like people have passion for ScrewAttack.

Tom. Man. Please. Stop embarrassing yourself. It's just getting more and more embarrassing with every day that you choose to stay with your really stupid website. I remember when you were cool, when you actually made videos all the time, and you were friends with Craig. Please. Please. Go back to ScrewAttack. I'm sure they'll accept your apology. Just go. Hurry. Right now. They're waiting. And bring Mickey along. And Liz. Sell your website or something. Just leave the anger behind. Okay? Thanks.

-Derek

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Ed Wood

"Plan 9 From Outer Space" is infamous as a bad movie, and it is often called the worst movie of all time. Now I really disagree. I didn't have a hard time watching it; I love watching it just because of how bad it is! It definitely entertains me. It's so bad it's good. I would much rather watch "Plan 9" than some movies that are out there, which are just plain painful to watch. It's good for a nice laugh. But I didn't just laugh. I was intrigued. I was intrigued at the idea of this. How could a man direct a movie like this and not realize that it's terrible? How could he be so blind that he doesn't know that the continuity problems, terrible acting, ridiculous special effects, and laughable concept don't exist?

Edward D. Wood gained cult status long after his death when "Plan 9" was named the worst movie of all time, and Wood the worst director. People loved him and saw him as an inspiration for some reason, and now I can see why that is.

Tim Burton made a movie in 1994 that was simply titled "Ed Wood". It was the true story of an eccentric director who followed his passion despite all of the problems he faced. Tim Burton himself has said many times that Edward Wood is a huge inspiration to him, and Burton looks at Wood with sympathy and recognition. The first thing I thought of when I heard about the movie "Ed Wood" was, "What's there to make a movie about? He's a bad director and he made a bad movie. What else is there?" But the second thing I thought was that Tim Burton is an amazing director, and therefore he should be good at picking out another great director.

What makes Burton's films grab the attention of people like me is that they all have one common theme: an outcast. Whether it's Batman, Edward Scissorhands, or even Pee Wee Herman, most of them deal with a person who thinks, acts, or feels different from everybody else and can't fit in with society. I think Tim Burton can relate to these characters as he is an eccentric person too, as I can be. So I watched "Ed Wood" hoping that it would be a good addition to this collection of misfits.

So how was the movie? In a word: amazing. It was simply amazing. I can't believe how great it was. I would have never guessed that the director of such a goofy movie ("Plan 9") could have such a compelling and inspirational life story. Now I realize that a lot of the character may be fictional in order to add feeling to the movie, but it's mainly based on reality.

The movie stars Johnny Depp in possibly his best role ever, as Ed Wood. Ed is struggling to get his movies made and has to make deals with second-rate companies who don't care about making good films. As Ed makes more and more films, he gains more and more creative control over them. I think Depp absolutely nailed the character, because he is so interesting to watch. He speaks fluently and in a way that's almost comically artificial, like a 50's business man.

Just like the real man, this Ed Wood is overly optimistic about every movie he makes no matter how low the budget is or how terrible the odds are. Every single time he is seen shooting a scene in a movie, he shoots it once and says, "That was perfect!" despite it being an obviously bad take. People working with him keep questioning his filmmaking abilities, as Ed dismisses them all, believing what he is making will "be seen by millions and touch the world".

Ed is a very eccentric person for many reasons, the most obvious of them being that he likes wearing women's clothing, though he's quick to point out that he's heterosexual afterwards. The film follows his making of his three most well-known films: "Glen or Glenda," "Bride of the Monster," and of course, "Plan 9 From Outer Space".

If you don't think anything in this movie can top Depp's acting, you obviously haven't taken a glance at Martin Landau's stunning performance as Bela Lugosi (the actor of Dracula, and an actor in many Ed Wood films). It was captivating the whole way through, and Landau definitely did the great actor he's portraying justice. His Hungarian accent is absolutely spot-on, his character is so interesting to watch, and he performed many emotional scenes based on Lugosi's use of illegal substances. Which one is the most haunting? Is it the one where he is in the hospital, strapped to a chair, screaming? How about the part where he recites the line, "Home? I have no home!... I will build a race of human beings, and I will use them to take over the world!" with amazing feeling and depth, as if he was under the influence when he recited that cryptic Ed Wood line? Or even the scene in which he attempts suicide? No, I have to settle for one that most people probably don't remember: the scene where Lugosi is fresh off of injecting himself with morphine and drinking a bottle of whiskey, and he has to act like he's being strangled by a fake rubber octopus that didn't move at all. I don't know about anybody else, but that part was so haunting. For at least 15 or 20 seconds, he flails around in the arms of the octopus, screaming so intensely and hauntingly, as if the drugs are actually making him insane. That had to be the most memorable part of the movie.

As the movie progresses, Wood and Lugosi build a great relationship together as director and actor, and Depp's and Lugosi's acting just compliments the other's. The movie offers us new, fictional details about how the movies really came about. For example, there is one scene where Wood is telling Lugosi about his role in "Glen or Glenda", which is to be "a kind of god-like character. You know, a puppet master?" to which Lugosi enthusiastically replied, "Ah yes, I pull the strings!" And thus, the "Pull the strings!" dialogue from the beginning of "Glen or Glenda" is conceptualized.

The entire movie is filmed in black and white, which looks great. It is also filled with inside-jokes about the Edward Wood movies. There's all kinds of clever humor as well, including one scene where Wood shows a man two shirts of different colors and asks how they are, and the man replies that he's color-blind and can't tell what color they are. Just like us!

What's important about "Ed Wood" is that you can feel the whole movie. You can feel the pressure Wood is under when he's making these movies. His wife leaves him because of his terrible movies and his cross-dressing, Lugosi dies, Wood becomes broke, a group of religious people try to take control of his movies' direction; everything basically becomes overwhelming for him. But what matters to him most is that he does what he's passionate about: he finishes his films, despite impossible odds (and budgets). By the time he's making "Plan 9," the movie he considers his pride and joy, the audience is already in love with the character and the actual man. If the audience wasn't, I know I was.

What it all comes down to is this: Edward Wood was an artist, like me. He didn't make his movies for money or fame. He made them for the sake of making them. It was his passion. It was his life. And thus, both the man's life and this movie teach what's probably the most important lesson of all: that passion is the key to life. You have to be passionate about what you do in life, and for Ed Wood, his passion was making movies. And for following his one passion, I salute Edward D. Wood.

It is an inspirational story for absolutely anybody. I mean, absolutely anybody age 17 and up; it's rated R. So if you're 17 or up, or you think you can handle the language, go watch. And while you're at it, watch some "Plan 9" too. You'll laugh. Five stars.

-Derek

In the news

This is Derek reporting from the lovely Rivera residence, the home of a friend of mine. I'm doing one of my favorite activities: using a Mac. It's not that great though, because this is an iMac G4, the one with the half-circle computer and the monitor that sticks out of it. It's a good computer, but old by today's standards. The screen was amazing because it can be positioned pretty much anywhere, as shown in this commercial:



So anyway, in Apple news, not much has happened since the release of the new MacBooks. Rumor has it that a new iMac is on the way, and I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if it happened. I'm sure it will look the same but have a better hard drive, better screen, and better graphics (NVIDIA). It won't be a huge update, because really, what is there to update? It's at the top of its class.

In other news, Apple has stood up for gay rights in California. I actually didn't know it was legal for same-sex citizens to be married anywhere in the US, but apparently it's true. Apple put it this way:

"Apple is publicly opposing Proposition 8 and making a donation of $100,000 to the No on 8 campaign. Apple was among the first California companies to offer equal rights and benefits to our employees’ same-sex partners, and we strongly believe that a person’s fundamental rights — including the right to marry — should not be affected by their sexual orientation. Apple views this as a civil rights issue, rather than just a political issue, and is therefore speaking out publicly against Proposition 8."

That's from Apple Hot News. My response is: good for them. No seriously, good for them. I'm not being sarcastic. Apple has always been a symbol of "Thinking Different". I started to doubt that it still was until this Proposition 8 news. They are doing a fantastic thing putting effort towards civil rights, and I applaud them for that since I too am concerned with these kinds of issues. I think it's unacceptable that these kinds of people are treated unfairly and not offered the same basic human rights that the government has worked so hard to promote. If you're born a homosexual, then "too bad," the government says, "you don't get to marry the people you love, even though we are making it appear that marrying is mandatory for everybody." So bottom line: I'm glad that Apple is standing up for its political beliefs. The thing is, would $1 million be too much to ask for? Never mind.

Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal is loving the new MacBook and MacBook Pro. Calling it "a terrific choice for consumer and students," it is "solid, speedy, innovative, and comfortable to use, and with very good battery life." Maybe Steve Ballmer should think about that next time he accuses Macs of having bad battery life. It's good to see that the most respected technology analyst and expert on the planet seems to prefer Macs to PCs. By the way, if you've read Fake Steve, you'll see that he makes fun of Mossberg's constant use of "I," and "me" in his articles. This is still true in this article. I didn't count the number of times he said those words, but he kept saying stuff like “I’ve been testing the base model of the new MacBook for the past five days, and I like it a lot." Pretty funny.

And finally, Apple has released yet another new commercial: "Bake Sale".



Pretty good. Basically the same thing they were saying before. I'm guessing this one will be on TV. One problem though: he said that PC is trying to fix Vista. No! You can't let PC users hear that! The last thing Microsoft wants to do is fix Vista, because it would be expensive, and they already spent too much on the ad campaign. Oh well.

-Derek

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Listening to: Piper At The Gates Of Dawn

which is Pink Floyd's first ever album. It's really, really psychedelic and experimental; just the way I like it. This was when the late, great Syd Barrette was in the band, before he went psychotic off drugs. I especially like Bike, Lucifer Sam, Flaming, and other songs. This album is definitely an acquired taste, but I acquired it very quickly.

At times, the stereo mixing hurts my ears when I'm listening to it on my iPod because it's unbalanced. Sometimes that technique works though. Syd has very eccentric guitar playing and lyrics, but it definitely fits the mood. Overall, great album. But don't expect it to be like Dark Side or Wish You Were Here, because it's completely different.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Oh my god, that's hilarious

Have you seen Apple's new ads? "Bean Counter" and "The V Word"? "The V Word" was pretty good, but "Bean Counter" made me laugh a lot! It's so spot on!

Let me give you an idea: Since Apple's advertising works so well and is making a lot of people switch to Macs, Microsoft is all "We can't have this!" so they spend 300 million dollars to launch some really stupid ads. But these ads are bad because instead of pointing towards their operating system, they distract people from how bad that operating system is. Apple's advertising points TOWARDS the operating system because they know they have nothing to hide, because the OS is amazing.

Here's an example of a Vista ad today:



Okay, that's great, all these people who are unaware of Macs use PC's, but that doesn't change the fact that the operating system sucks really bad. Also, what's with that really dorky music?

So here's "Bean Counter":



HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh my god, Apple has a really good sense of humor! I didn't think they would even go there! I can't believe they actually did that ad!

And here's "The V Word":



Also good. Not as good, but pretty good. It's because Microsoft's new ad doesn't say 'Vista' anywhere in it. I like it!

So as we can see, Microsoft has tried to distract people from their bad OS by making these commercials, but Apple is able to extinguish everything Microsoft does with the truth.

-Derek