This foursquare business has just gone too far...
06/24/2010
05/17/2010
05/02/2010
UBUNTU 10.04 LTS: My Linux Training Wheels Come Off
After having used Ubuntu's netbook remix for the better part of two months, I was starting to feel pretty comfortable with linux, or at least with the stripped down version of it that netbook remix exposed to me. When Ubuntu 10.04 was released the other day, I decided to put the new version on my Aspire One and as I was investigating how to make a bootable flash drive, the software update service notified me that the 10.04 upgrade was available for download. I went ahead with the software update route as that seemed a lot easier than a boot-and-install process, and I'm still not that comfortable when it comes to messing around with linux.
The upgrade took almost 2 hours from start to finish, and at the end of the process I noticed that in the lower right corner of the new login screen there was the ability to switch the UI from the standard UNE overlay to the seemingly unadulterated GNOME desktop environment. I don't know if that option existed in the previous version, but if it did then i never noticed it. Anyway, once I tried the GNOME, going back to the UNE just seemed too restrictive. It turns out that I really like having the full OS exposed, even on my netbook.
I've only been using the full Ubuntu for a couple of days, but so far I really like it, and the fact that I had UNR as my Sherpa guide is probably what made me want to get the full experience. UNR gave me a taste of linux while making it easy to learn, and it ended up making me hungry for more.
The bottom line is this: Once again, Ubuntu has made my Aspire One more interesting, and the fact that all this is free just boggles my mind.
03/01/2010
Ubuntu Netbook Remix 9.10 Is Pretty Slick
The RC of Windows 7 expired yesterday, and rather than spend any money on a final upgrade version of Windows 7 or go back to my Aspire One's bundled XP Home OS, I decided to give Ubuntu Netbook Remix a try. It's my first foray into a Linux OS of any kind save for Mac OSX, and I've only been using it for about a day, but so far I really like it.
I wanted to post the above screenshot because all of the screens of UNR that I saw on the web were of the older interface, and it got a nice refresh with the latest version of Ubuntu. Also, now that UNR has joined forces with Intel's Moblin, I think the future of linux of cheap mobile devices looks bright.
I wanted to post the above screenshot because all of the screens of UNR that I saw on the web were of the older interface, and it got a nice refresh with the latest version of Ubuntu. Also, now that UNR has joined forces with Intel's Moblin, I think the future of linux of cheap mobile devices looks bright.
Windows Phone 7 Kicks Ass
I recently said that Windows Mobile 6.5.3 was lame because it was basically just more of the same old Windows Mobile with a bit of fresh paint. Now that MS has unveiled Windows Phone 7 Series, I am happy to say that I am very excited about what Microsoft has shown so far, and I really look forward to the release of actual devices running the OS so I can try it for myself. Not because I'm a fan of Microsoft or a basher of Apple, but because I'm really just of fan of technology, and I believe competition is good for the average Joe. What Microsoft has done with the CE 6 kernel is really impressive, and it's sure to put Apple into overdrive to come up with something better, and that's why I am excited. Not so much for the OS itself, but what it means for the industry. Just like the iPhone was a real leap forward in mobile computing, so I think WinPho 7 will be another leap forward in what we expect from a UI that fits in your pocket.
Instead of just putting out a copy of the iPhone's icon and list style, instead of playing catch-up, Microsoft took what they've been working on with Zune and really came in with a different metaphor for what a mobile device is. WinPho 7 says that the device's screen is really a zoomed in perspective on a much bigger display. The result is visually striking, stylish and a radical departure from current mobile OS thinking. Because of the zoomed-in style, you also titles that don't fit entirely on the screen and a generally modern and futuristic look not present in any other current generation mobile OS. Also, instead of individual apps that work in isolation from each other and from the OS itself, what you get here are are 'Hubs' to access content, so for example the 'People' hub has Twitter and Facebook tied right in to the contact info. In short, WinPho 7 looks and feels like the future, and the fact that it's made by Microsoft is nothing short of amazing.
02/03/2010
WINDOWS MOBILE 6.5.3: More of the Same
So I've been using the new 'Windows Phone' roms floating around here and all I have to say is that Windows Phone Mobile 7 Smart Premium Whatever Edition better blow the doors completely off, because if this is the best they can do, they're in trouble.
It's not that it's bad, or even worse than previous iterations, it's just that it's more of the same. 6.5.3 is nothing more than pink frosting slathered on an aging and stale mobile OS that is totally outclassed by the likes of iPhone OS, Web OS and Android: the latter of the three being the most direct and most dangerous competitor to Microsoft since they have essentially the same distribution model, except Android is "Less Than Free".
I criticize Windows Mobile from the perspective of a daily user. I've used Windows Mobile phones as my primary device for the last two years and I used Windows Mobile PDAs before that. As I see it, Microsoft's main problem is that the basic OS has not really changed since WM2003. Sure, there have been incremental advances since then, but nothing that comes close to what they need, which is to release something totally new and made from scratch for modern hardware. Even Windows Mobile 6.5 is basically just like SP2 was for XP, a marginal upgrade that fills a few glaring holes but does not address the underlying reality that it's time for Windows Mobile to start over. I'm sure that hypothetical new OS would break compatibility with old Windows Mobile applications, but it's already 2010. You have to start fresh at some point, and if not now, when?
11/11/2009
Josh Topolsky Needs A Thicker Skin
Yesterday on Engadget, a relatively minor post about typos in an Android 2.0 error message turned into much internet drama when Josh Topolsky (editor in-chief of Engadget) got very offended after people in the comments section began criticizing Engadget for making fun of someone else's spelling errors, when Engadget editors themselves are well known for misspellings and/or missing words in many of their posts.
Some comments were deleted, including a comment of mine which simply agreed with another poster that Engadget makes errors of this sort all the time, and the karma system on both of Topolsky's comments on the subject was removed. I guess Josh thought his comments were ranked low enough and didn't need any more down votes.
The real surprise is that Topolsky's comments indicate that he banned at least two users for their comments on the issue. I don't know if he just had a bad night yesterday, or if he's always this thin-skinned, but if Topolsky is going to be doing Jimmy Fallon's show and giving NPR interviews regularly, he's going to need to develop a thicker skin than he showed yesterday. If he can't take accurate criticism regarding the work that his editors put out, how is he going to handle being a minor tech-celebrity?
Incidentally, you don't have to look too far from this article to find a typo in an Engadget post, just look at this story posted just a few minutes after the one in question, where the word of is missing in the last sentence:
That post doesn't even have 100 words in it, do Engadget editors simply not read their work before it goes up on the site?
P.S. this isn't the first time they've been sensitive about their poor spelling, just read the comments on this article for more of the same.
08/26/2009
Man I Love My Netbook
This little beauty might not be the fastest laptop on the block (or even in this house), but you can't beat 2 lbs. for portability. Taking the Powerscore online LSAT course is at least 100 times better on my Aspire One than my desktop, even though my desktop has dual monitors, and the Aspire Screen is 8.9".
Sitting on the couch with the One in my lap and my textbook on the next cushion is infinitely preferable to my admittedly comfy desk chair. Plus, when I want to go to the fridge and get a drink, or make a sandwich I don't even miss a minute of class, I just take the classroom with me into the kitchen. And, no, I don't take it into the bathroom in-class, that's where I draw the line.
That said, since my class only allows the instructor's mic to be heard, no one could hear you even if you were so inclined as to pee in-class. Which begs the question: Can the world of Idiocracy really be 500 years away? I'm thinking no. Hell, BRAWNDO's already here. Look out for OW! My Balls, it should be coming soon to a TV near you.
Goes to Show What I Know.
I thought for sure that prop 8 would be overturned soon after the November election, but I didn't count on the CA Supreme Court ruling in favor of the measure's legality, whatever the pretext being used as the challenge, but obviously I was wrong:
In ruling that Prop 8 is an amendment and not a revision to the
California Constitution, they are basically saying that marriage isn't
a fundamental right. This quote from the CNN story linked above, pretty much sums up the decision:
"while not otherwise affecting the fundamental constitutional rights of same-sex couples."
-Chief Justice Ronald George
If Prop 8 restricted a fundamental right solely on the basis of social class, it should violate the equal protection clause of that Constitution, right? At the least, it would be a revision to the Constitution, and as such, it should need to be approved by 2/3 of the legislature, if not stricken down right on the spot.
But, we'll see what happens in January, when the case start to make its way through the federal court system. Who knows, we could be hearing about Prop 8. court cases for years to come.
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