Well, I'm happy to report that I got my laptop back today, and this time they definitely fixed the problem. I knew this for at least three reasons, before I even tried out the optical drive:
First, the box did not contain the dreaded "Unable to Duplicate" page. Second, there was a fresh version of the OS installed, and my hard drive was empty. Thrid, and most glaringly, there was, um, no battery in my laptop. So I knew they must have done some work.
Needless to say, I am both happy I paid for the AppleCare extended warranty and unimpressed with their level of service.
On the bright side, they've always been very kind and understanding on the phone, and they are quick to fix whatever problems arise. In this case, I am getting a brand new battery, which is perfectly fine by me.
So I spent the day today trying to get everything back in order: calling Apple to get the battery problem taken care of, tracking down some install CDs for version 10.3 of the OS because they installed 10.2, setting up my mail and chat accounts, preparing to restore my data, etc. Not my idea of a good time, but I am very happy to have my Mac back. This time, I do not intend to let it go again anytime soon.
Monday, January 31, 2005
Apple announces new PowerBooks
Well, the new PowerBooks are not G5s, but there are some significant improvements.
Upon first glance, I especially like their scrolling trackpad feature, which works when you use two fingers instead of one (as opposed to locating it along the edge of the trackpad). That seems like it would work really well.
Also notable is the Sudden Motion Sensor, which locks the hard drive heads when it senses you may have dropped your laptop.
The processors are faster, and the prices are good. It now makes sense to buy a PowerBook again, or at least there are some discernable differences between the PowerBook and the iBook.
Upon first glance, I especially like their scrolling trackpad feature, which works when you use two fingers instead of one (as opposed to locating it along the edge of the trackpad). That seems like it would work really well.
Also notable is the Sudden Motion Sensor, which locks the hard drive heads when it senses you may have dropped your laptop.
The processors are faster, and the prices are good. It now makes sense to buy a PowerBook again, or at least there are some discernable differences between the PowerBook and the iBook.
Sunday, January 30, 2005
Photos from election day (via PowerLine)
The guys over at Power Line have some photos from Iraq posted. Worth a look!
A happy day for Iraq and the world
From Yahoo! News (via AP), the story of the historic Iraqi elections, where citizens defied the threats of anti-democratic forces to go out and vote:
Bonus: Click through to the story and check out the photo slideshow of the election. It's by Reuters, and they can barely contain their disdain for the whole thing. The captions are all some variation on this: "An elderly blind woman is helped into the polls by her great-granddaughter, as three generations of her family voted for the first time. Insurgents unleashed a string of deadly attacks, killing at least 22 people [it was actually 31 at last count] and threatening to undermine the security of the election process." There are 262 photos in the slideshow, many of them moving images of democracy in action, and almost all of them inexplicably containing the Reuterian disclaimer that it really wasn't that great, see we told you there would be suicide bombers, even though this picture has nothing to do with the attacks, just remember there were attacks and the attacks were on election day. Attacks.
"'This is democracy,' said Karfia Abbasi, holding up a thumb stained with purple ink to prove she had voted."Although there are still problems with the prosecution of the war in Iraq, this goes a long way toward making it worth it. Assuming the results of this election take hold, and I believe they will, this is a truly remarkable day in world history.
Bonus: Click through to the story and check out the photo slideshow of the election. It's by Reuters, and they can barely contain their disdain for the whole thing. The captions are all some variation on this: "An elderly blind woman is helped into the polls by her great-granddaughter, as three generations of her family voted for the first time. Insurgents unleashed a string of deadly attacks, killing at least 22 people [it was actually 31 at last count] and threatening to undermine the security of the election process." There are 262 photos in the slideshow, many of them moving images of democracy in action, and almost all of them inexplicably containing the Reuterian disclaimer that it really wasn't that great, see we told you there would be suicide bombers, even though this picture has nothing to do with the attacks, just remember there were attacks and the attacks were on election day. Attacks.
Saturday, January 29, 2005
The cost of war almost brought home, almost
Tracey and I have an acquaintance who is serving in Iraq. He's not too close to us, just someone we went to college with and see a couple times a year maybe. But he signed up for the National Guard in order to help pay for his doctoral studies, and the recruiter was kinda sly, and maybe our friend was careless, and well he's in a war now.
What is so sad is that he has a wife and 5-year old son.
I was driving home the other day and heard about a local soldier who was being reunited with his family after a year's duty in Iraq. It brought me to tears. This is so impossibly real to me now that I have a son of my own. I simply cannot fathom being away from him, never mind being shot at, for a year. I hate going to work in the morning, and these guys are a world away in the middle of hell for an unimaginable length of time.
So when Tracey told me that our friend in Iraq had been killed, I was stunned.
She could see that I had misheard her, and she quickly corrected me. (Tragically, someone has been killed, but it is a different person with a similar sounding name. He was not at war, and he does not have children.)
But for a few minutes, I was in shock. I was trying to wrap my mind around what that would mean for his wife and son, and I could not. I didn't get to the point of trying to wrap my mind around what that would mean for my own wife and son if it had been me. I'd rather not.
Sometimes I think the war supporters don't take this into account. Sadly, sometimes I think the President fails to think about this war in these terms. If he does, he is rather poor at communicating his empathy. (I suppose this should be unsurprising.)
Regardless of what you think of the war, take a moment and reflect on this. The cost of the war (beyond an additional $80B Bush wants) is real lives. Daddies who will never come home. This doesn't necessarily mean it's the "Wrong War, Wrong Place, Wrong Time," as John Kerry opportunistically dubbed it, but it does mean that Republicans should think long and hard about their cavalier support of the war, which often seems to be in place just because its architect is on their political team.
What is so sad is that he has a wife and 5-year old son.
I was driving home the other day and heard about a local soldier who was being reunited with his family after a year's duty in Iraq. It brought me to tears. This is so impossibly real to me now that I have a son of my own. I simply cannot fathom being away from him, never mind being shot at, for a year. I hate going to work in the morning, and these guys are a world away in the middle of hell for an unimaginable length of time.
So when Tracey told me that our friend in Iraq had been killed, I was stunned.
She could see that I had misheard her, and she quickly corrected me. (Tragically, someone has been killed, but it is a different person with a similar sounding name. He was not at war, and he does not have children.)
But for a few minutes, I was in shock. I was trying to wrap my mind around what that would mean for his wife and son, and I could not. I didn't get to the point of trying to wrap my mind around what that would mean for my own wife and son if it had been me. I'd rather not.
Sometimes I think the war supporters don't take this into account. Sadly, sometimes I think the President fails to think about this war in these terms. If he does, he is rather poor at communicating his empathy. (I suppose this should be unsurprising.)
Regardless of what you think of the war, take a moment and reflect on this. The cost of the war (beyond an additional $80B Bush wants) is real lives. Daddies who will never come home. This doesn't necessarily mean it's the "Wrong War, Wrong Place, Wrong Time," as John Kerry opportunistically dubbed it, but it does mean that Republicans should think long and hard about their cavalier support of the war, which often seems to be in place just because its architect is on their political team.
A great story...and a hilarious name
This is a great story from the NFL:
But really, the best part about this story is that Thomason's construction boss's name is Mike Assofsky. Yes, that's right, Ass-of-sky. I won't even bother to tell you all the different ways that is funny, because it would ruin your fun coming up with your own. Assofsky.
"Monday morning, Jeff Thomason was an assistant project manager with Toll Brothers, who just happened to be a former NFL player. But a few hours later, he was a member of the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles, taking a totally unexpected vacation from his construction job at Chesterfield Greene."Thomason is getting a shot at sports' biggest stage because Eagles tight end Chad Lewis injured his foot in the NFC championship game last week. That must have been a fun phone call to take!
But really, the best part about this story is that Thomason's construction boss's name is Mike Assofsky. Yes, that's right, Ass-of-sky. I won't even bother to tell you all the different ways that is funny, because it would ruin your fun coming up with your own. Assofsky.
Friday, January 28, 2005
While I'm up...
I just wanted to say that if I were a betting man, I would probably make a lot of money on the Super Bowl. (You can't escape this stuff if you've lived in Las Vegas as I have.)
Please, you're telling me that a team that just held the NFL's most prolific offense to 3 points and then hung 40+ on the NFL's best defense in back-to-back weeks can't beat a team hailing from the much weaker conference and missing its best offensive weapon by more than SEVEN POINTS?!
No respect...
Please, you're telling me that a team that just held the NFL's most prolific offense to 3 points and then hung 40+ on the NFL's best defense in back-to-back weeks can't beat a team hailing from the much weaker conference and missing its best offensive weapon by more than SEVEN POINTS?!
No respect...
A few thoughts from my iPod
Thoughts from my On-The-Go playlist.
"Pass the Peas" by Maceo Parker: It takes a special talent to comp the same chord for eleven minutes without making it sound boring. Nice job, Rodney Jones.
"Cure For Pain" by Morphine: I don't think anyone ever made the baritone sax sound as good as Dana Colley does on this recording.
"Baby Be Mine" by Michael Jackson: He may be a total freak now, but Michael Jackson was in the freakin' zone in the Thriller era.
"Lord Have Mercy" by Michael W. Smith (yeah, I said Michael W. Smith): Even a pop-soaked CCM star can't ruin the Kyrie: "Lord have mercy; Christ have mercy; Lord have mercy on us." Indeed.
"Pass the Peas" by Maceo Parker: It takes a special talent to comp the same chord for eleven minutes without making it sound boring. Nice job, Rodney Jones.
"Cure For Pain" by Morphine: I don't think anyone ever made the baritone sax sound as good as Dana Colley does on this recording.
"Baby Be Mine" by Michael Jackson: He may be a total freak now, but Michael Jackson was in the freakin' zone in the Thriller era.
"Lord Have Mercy" by Michael W. Smith (yeah, I said Michael W. Smith): Even a pop-soaked CCM star can't ruin the Kyrie: "Lord have mercy; Christ have mercy; Lord have mercy on us." Indeed.
My days back on Windows
I see from the date on my last post that it's been a whole work-week since I posted last. That's because I sent my PowerBook back to Apple on Tuesday for repair, and ever since I've been using Tracey's work laptop (a Compaq) to do my seminary writing, web browsing, and instant messaging.
Let's just say I haven't really been enjoying it. Here is a short list of the things about Windows that I hate. (Keep in mind that I lived blissfully in the Windows world until about 18 months ago, when I bought my first Mac.)
(And yes, I realize most of you have already rolled your eyes and directed your browser back to something less cynical.)
1. Those incessant condescending "help" bubbles from the system tray.
Here's just one example. (Believe me, I've seen about 200 of these messages this week, so there's plenty more where it came from.) I insert a USB storage device in the back of the laptop. Windows tells me, "This device could perform better if you connected it to a USB 2.0 port." Only problem is, this laptop doesn't have one. You'd think Windows would notice something like that and keep its mouth shut.
2. Very badly designed hardware.
I know, this is not Microsoft's fault. But it is something that Apple does better than any PC hardware company I've encountered. I'm not sure why, in order to plug in a USB mouse, I should have to reach around to the back of this clunky laptop, flip down a long drawer that fastens at both ends (making it a two-handed operation every time), and turn the cable sideways to connect it. All I know is that I can plug it into the side of my PowerBook with my eyes closed. And that's just one example.
3. Ugly and difficult user interface.
Stacked up windows in the taskbar, a start menu that isn't clear about whether it wants me to click on something or just mouse over it (and pops up at inopportune times because of that stupid Windows button), bloated and ugly instant message clients (AOL, I'm looking in your direction. And Trillian, your default skin sucks too, so don't look so smug...), inferior application switching, on and on. By the way, is it Edit: Preferences, or Tools: Options? Your guess is as good as mine.
4. Applications selfishly assuming I want them to take up the entire screen, every time.
If your initials are JC, SC, or MM, you already know this. But everyone else, listen up. You don't need your browser or word processing app to take up the entire screen. Try resizing it and putting a chat buddy list next to it, or leaving space on one side to click through to items on your desktop. It's really magical.
5. No spellcheck built into browser, chat, etc.
There are probably plugins, but why can't programmers just assume people might want something that helpful? I'm sure there are a few typos in this little rant; I'm leaving them in as a testament to my displeasure.
And with that, I'll stop. I'm even annoying mys[AARRRGH, WHY DID THAT CHAT WINDOW INTERRUPT MY SENTENCE?]elf now.
Let's just say I haven't really been enjoying it. Here is a short list of the things about Windows that I hate. (Keep in mind that I lived blissfully in the Windows world until about 18 months ago, when I bought my first Mac.)
(And yes, I realize most of you have already rolled your eyes and directed your browser back to something less cynical.)
1. Those incessant condescending "help" bubbles from the system tray.
Here's just one example. (Believe me, I've seen about 200 of these messages this week, so there's plenty more where it came from.) I insert a USB storage device in the back of the laptop. Windows tells me, "This device could perform better if you connected it to a USB 2.0 port." Only problem is, this laptop doesn't have one. You'd think Windows would notice something like that and keep its mouth shut.
2. Very badly designed hardware.
I know, this is not Microsoft's fault. But it is something that Apple does better than any PC hardware company I've encountered. I'm not sure why, in order to plug in a USB mouse, I should have to reach around to the back of this clunky laptop, flip down a long drawer that fastens at both ends (making it a two-handed operation every time), and turn the cable sideways to connect it. All I know is that I can plug it into the side of my PowerBook with my eyes closed. And that's just one example.
3. Ugly and difficult user interface.
Stacked up windows in the taskbar, a start menu that isn't clear about whether it wants me to click on something or just mouse over it (and pops up at inopportune times because of that stupid Windows button), bloated and ugly instant message clients (AOL, I'm looking in your direction. And Trillian, your default skin sucks too, so don't look so smug...), inferior application switching, on and on. By the way, is it Edit: Preferences, or Tools: Options? Your guess is as good as mine.
4. Applications selfishly assuming I want them to take up the entire screen, every time.
If your initials are JC, SC, or MM, you already know this. But everyone else, listen up. You don't need your browser or word processing app to take up the entire screen. Try resizing it and putting a chat buddy list next to it, or leaving space on one side to click through to items on your desktop. It's really magical.
5. No spellcheck built into browser, chat, etc.
There are probably plugins, but why can't programmers just assume people might want something that helpful? I'm sure there are a few typos in this little rant; I'm leaving them in as a testament to my displeasure.
And with that, I'll stop. I'm even annoying mys[AARRRGH, WHY DID THAT CHAT WINDOW INTERRUPT MY SENTENCE?]elf now.
Monday, January 24, 2005
Gibson Digital Guitar
Gibson USA has announced its latest innovation, the Gibson Digital Guitar:
(Note to Gibson: you could minimize the backlash if you chose a barely-known guitarist for your first endorsement. Contact me for more thoughts.)
Apparently, the ethernet output is balanced and can carry the signal the length of a football field without latency. And the guitar is capable of playing in "Classic Mode," using only the humbucking pickups.
Too bad it's not a Chet Atkins SST.
"The Gibson Digital Guitar is a genuine Gibson Les Paul, with all of the features and capabilities of a traditional Les Paul, with revolutionary digital technology. Here's how it works:I'll be very interested to see how this shakes out. It surely opens up new possibilities in digital music. Get ready for a backlash in the tradition of booing Bob Dylan for playing an electric guitar as soon as someone signs an endorsement deal, though.
The Hex Pickup captures a separate signal for each individual string and sends it to the Onboard digital converter which uses Gibson's patented MaGIC digital transport technology to send the signal out of the guitar via the Cat-5 Ethernet Cable."
(Note to Gibson: you could minimize the backlash if you chose a barely-known guitarist for your first endorsement. Contact me for more thoughts.)
Apparently, the ethernet output is balanced and can carry the signal the length of a football field without latency. And the guitar is capable of playing in "Classic Mode," using only the humbucking pickups.
Too bad it's not a Chet Atkins SST.
Friday, January 21, 2005
U2 "Vertigo" tour
The full slate of venues won't be announced until Monday, but Yahoo! (via Reuters) has a story with some of the details.
It won't be cheap, but I really want to see this show. I imagine they'll at least play Toronto, and perhaps Buffalo too. Who's in?
It won't be cheap, but I really want to see this show. I imagine they'll at least play Toronto, and perhaps Buffalo too. Who's in?
Hugh Hewitt's open memo to Les Moonves
In his most recent Weekly Standard coumn, Hugh Hewitt writes an open memo (a fitting medium, I should think) to Les Moonves, president of CBS. The column is interesting for Hewitt's fascinating suggestions about how CBS should go forward in the wake of "Rathergate" and the absence of Rather himself. But it's most interesting (to me) for this little nugget of futurism, which concludes the memo:
The CBS TexANG memo scandal was most interesting not for its immediate political implications, though there were many. No, it was fascinating because it was illustrative of the cultural shift going on in the way we perceive information, which of course is illustrative (and indeed, part) of the significant cultural shift that is occurring in the world at large.
Continuing to complain about bloggers as a nuisance--or to ignore them--is about as savvy as Lewis and Clark screaming at the Rockies--or trying to go around them. There is a new geography in the media. The old maps are of no use.I love this stuff, as my faithful readers know.
The CBS TexANG memo scandal was most interesting not for its immediate political implications, though there were many. No, it was fascinating because it was illustrative of the cultural shift going on in the way we perceive information, which of course is illustrative (and indeed, part) of the significant cultural shift that is occurring in the world at large.
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
My recent and future lower output
I haven't been doing much "writing" on my blog lately, instead just giving links with limited or no analysis. That's because I've been much busier with other concerns, mainly my seminary work. I'm sorry to say that this is unlikely to change in the near future. I'll still post, but I won't be able to do much of what I would call "writing." You'll have to muddle through somehow.
Trust me, you'll miss it more than I will.
Trust me, you'll miss it more than I will.
More Bonnaroo news
From
Yahoo! News (via Reuters): Dave Matthews Band and Alison Krauss + Union Station will be on the bill this summer in Manchester, TN.
Sounds like a great lineup...
Yahoo! News (via Reuters): Dave Matthews Band and Alison Krauss + Union Station will be on the bill this summer in Manchester, TN.
Sounds like a great lineup...
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
I guess I get to make a fool of myself in grocery stores again
iPodlounge: Pepsi Promotion
More free songs under caps! If anyone wants to learn my patented technique of determining winners without opening the bottle, let me know.
More free songs under caps! If anyone wants to learn my patented technique of determining winners without opening the bottle, let me know.
Monday, January 17, 2005
Apple's Tipping Point: Macs for the Masses
Apple's Tipping Point: Macs for the Masses is an interesting analysis of Apple's strategy with regard to product development and pricing. Worth a look if you're into this sort of thing.
Dell calls iPod a 'fad'
Just a quick one, because I'm writing a paper.
Dell calls iPod a 'fad', dismisses Mac mini | MacMinute News:
Dell calls iPod a 'fad', dismisses Mac mini | MacMinute News:
"Dell CEO Kevin Rollins says that Apple isn't 'in the same league' as Dell, and that he isn't worried about the iPod."Yeah, well, call me crazy, but I'm pretty sure Steve Jobs isn't worried about the Dell DJ, judging from the iPod's market share.
Links for free stuff
I wanted to remind people about my campaign to get a free Mac mini. This is a legitimate program from Gratis Network. To participate, you sign up under my referral link (provided below), participate in an offer from their sponsors, and then refer a certain number of friends to do the same.
I want to reiterate that this is legitimate. I have a 20 GB iPod sitting right next to my laptop that I received free through this company's program.
To get a free Mac mini (retails at $599), you'd need 10 referrals. To sign up, click here.
And now, I'm announcing a new program: for the iPod shuffle, the 1 GB flash-based iPod that Apple announced last week (retails at $149). To get the iPod shuffle, you only need three referrals. To sign up, click here.
These programs really work. If you are interested, I'd recommend disabling pop-up blockers and allowing all types of cookies for as long as it takes to go through the sign-up and offer completion phases. Thanks! and enjoy your free stuff.
I want to reiterate that this is legitimate. I have a 20 GB iPod sitting right next to my laptop that I received free through this company's program.
To get a free Mac mini (retails at $599), you'd need 10 referrals. To sign up, click here.
And now, I'm announcing a new program: for the iPod shuffle, the 1 GB flash-based iPod that Apple announced last week (retails at $149). To get the iPod shuffle, you only need three referrals. To sign up, click here.
These programs really work. If you are interested, I'd recommend disabling pop-up blockers and allowing all types of cookies for as long as it takes to go through the sign-up and offer completion phases. Thanks! and enjoy your free stuff.
Tedy Bruschi on the Pats' win
From Michael Smith at ESPN.com:
"'I'm trying to think of what excuses they're saying in their locker room right now,' Tedy Bruschi (two fumble recoveries) said afterward. 'What rules do they want to change now? Maybe it'll be, 'We can't play a game if it snows.' I don't know. I was just tired of it. I was tired of hearing this and that, talking about the last game and how we didn't win the game, they lost the game by giving the ball away. Last time I checked, turnovers are when defenses take it away. And we just took it away again today. To hold that offense to three points, I mean, their players are great. I respect what Peyton Manning did this year. I respect those players. Sometimes you've just got to be quiet and play football.'"Aside from having maybe the best football name ever, the Patriots' linebacker hit this one on the head. It made me laugh.
Sunday, January 16, 2005
Pit bull "enthusiast" convicted under federal animal cruelty law
Not for the faint of heart.
I just read this story about a guy who has been convicted in a federal anti-cruelty case:
I guess I could comment on whether or not we need to federalize animal cruelty laws, but that would be boring.
I only refer to this story to tell you that I have the perfect punishment for this guy and his ilk, one I think fits the crime nicely: he should be chained to a wall wearing nothing but an athletic supporter stuffed with raw meat. Then they should let a hungry pit bull out of its pen. Simple, yet effective!
I just read this story about a guy who has been convicted in a federal anti-cruelty case:
"A pit bull enthusiast who sold videos of dogfights and dogs attacking a pig became the first person on Thursday to be convicted under a federal law banning depictions of cruelty to animals, prosecutors said."You don't want to read the rest of the details, trust me.
I guess I could comment on whether or not we need to federalize animal cruelty laws, but that would be boring.
I only refer to this story to tell you that I have the perfect punishment for this guy and his ilk, one I think fits the crime nicely: he should be chained to a wall wearing nothing but an athletic supporter stuffed with raw meat. Then they should let a hungry pit bull out of its pen. Simple, yet effective!
Actual NFL players vindicate me
Well, there's less than 4 minutes remaining in the game, and the Patriots have absolutely put the wood to the Baby Horses in this game.
Double the time of possession, a 17-point lead, and most telling, holding the best offense in the NFL to three (3) points.
No one's denying that Peyton Manning is a fantastic quarterback. He is. But Tom Brady is a winner. And so far, Manning is not. Especially when he visits New England in the bleak midwinter.
If you want to win your fantasy league, take Manning over Brady every time. If you want to win the Super Bowl, well, the opposite is true.
Double the time of possession, a 17-point lead, and most telling, holding the best offense in the NFL to three (3) points.
No one's denying that Peyton Manning is a fantastic quarterback. He is. But Tom Brady is a winner. And so far, Manning is not. Especially when he visits New England in the bleak midwinter.
If you want to win your fantasy league, take Manning over Brady every time. If you want to win the Super Bowl, well, the opposite is true.
ESPN.com poll betrays fans' stupidity
The results are in, and ESPN.com has proven once again that its readers are stupid.
At the time of this posting 48% of participants favor the Colts over the Patriots (30%) or Steelers (22%) to come out of the AFC.
Complete the following well-known sports adage: ________ wins championships.
Defense. Defense wins championships. Not high-powered offenses that benefit from rule changes. And even with a depleted secondary, the Patriots' defense is likely to hurt Peyton Manning, thus far the Patrick Ewing of the NFL. (Granted, he's got a lot of time left to prove himself.)
And even if the Colts do overcome their demons and defeat the Patriots, I have serious doubts they can run up the score on the road against Pittsburgh. Then again, I'm not so sure the Steelers' rookie QB Ben Roethlisberger can do much against even the Colts' defense after the egg he laid against the Jets last night. (A less-known sports axiom is that rookie quarterbacks with 14-letter last names don't fare well in the late rounds of the playoffs.)
All this put together points to the Patriots returning to the Super Bowl, where they will face...well, an NFC team. Which means they will likely win, which means my friend Jerry will have to stop denying they're a dynasty. I can't wait!
At the time of this posting 48% of participants favor the Colts over the Patriots (30%) or Steelers (22%) to come out of the AFC.
Complete the following well-known sports adage: ________ wins championships.
Defense. Defense wins championships. Not high-powered offenses that benefit from rule changes. And even with a depleted secondary, the Patriots' defense is likely to hurt Peyton Manning, thus far the Patrick Ewing of the NFL. (Granted, he's got a lot of time left to prove himself.)
And even if the Colts do overcome their demons and defeat the Patriots, I have serious doubts they can run up the score on the road against Pittsburgh. Then again, I'm not so sure the Steelers' rookie QB Ben Roethlisberger can do much against even the Colts' defense after the egg he laid against the Jets last night. (A less-known sports axiom is that rookie quarterbacks with 14-letter last names don't fare well in the late rounds of the playoffs.)
All this put together points to the Patriots returning to the Super Bowl, where they will face...well, an NFC team. Which means they will likely win, which means my friend Jerry will have to stop denying they're a dynasty. I can't wait!
Greenland planning tourist polar bear hunts
The Danish government is pursuing a plan that would allow rich tourists to visit Greenland, kill polar bears, and return to their homelands triumphantly wielding large white pelts.
Here's the rationale, according to the story:
Aside from the fact that hunting semi-exotic animals for trophies seems stupid in general (sorry, George Eastman), it just seems icky for some reason. I can't quite put my finger on it. Something about trying to get through customs with an enormous piece of white bear-fuzz. It would feel, I don't know...unnatural. I'm not sure I could feel at all secure in my own dignity trying to pull that one off.
"What do you have in the bag, sir?"
"It's, um, a bearskin."
"Let's see it."
"Um...no. Just trust me, it's a bearskin."
"Sir, this is white. Aren't bears brown or black?"
"Well, mostly. But this was, uh...it was, um...a polar bear."
Maybe it's just me, but I can't imagine an ending to that conversation that wouldn't leave me completely humiliated. And I won't even try to imagine how a polar bear pelt would work as a conversation piece in my house. So with apologies to the Danes, I will not be applying for a polar bear permit any time soon.
Here's the rationale, according to the story:
"The local government in the icy Danish territory hopes polar bear hunts will help bolster the faltering economy in the northwestern part of the island by creating jobs for hunting guides, Danish news agency Ritzau reported Saturday."Anyway, before you call WWF, you should know that polar bear hunting has already been legal for permanent residents of Greenland for some time. Maybe they eat them or something. Where I grew up, and not far from where I live, many people still hunt as a way to supply their families with food. But this strikes me as being in rather poor taste.
Aside from the fact that hunting semi-exotic animals for trophies seems stupid in general (sorry, George Eastman), it just seems icky for some reason. I can't quite put my finger on it. Something about trying to get through customs with an enormous piece of white bear-fuzz. It would feel, I don't know...unnatural. I'm not sure I could feel at all secure in my own dignity trying to pull that one off.
"What do you have in the bag, sir?"
"It's, um, a bearskin."
"Let's see it."
"Um...no. Just trust me, it's a bearskin."
"Sir, this is white. Aren't bears brown or black?"
"Well, mostly. But this was, uh...it was, um...a polar bear."
Maybe it's just me, but I can't imagine an ending to that conversation that wouldn't leave me completely humiliated. And I won't even try to imagine how a polar bear pelt would work as a conversation piece in my house. So with apologies to the Danes, I will not be applying for a polar bear permit any time soon.
Saturday, January 15, 2005
American Idol on the way!
FOX has been running ads for the new American Idol all through the Falcons-Rams game. It looks like it'll be great. Well, the first few weeks will be, anyway.
American Idol is hilarious at first, because they show you all the clips from the auditions of the really terrible singers. (William Hung famously parlayed this into a mini-career.)
But inevitably there is a huge letdown about three weeks in. That's when they stop showing the awful singers' auditions and start infuriating me with the vote system. Every season it's the same thing: the slightly chubby girl with the dynamite voice gets voted off in favor of the no-talent sleazebag in a tube top. And that's when I get off the American Idol bus for another year.
American Idol is hilarious at first, because they show you all the clips from the auditions of the really terrible singers. (William Hung famously parlayed this into a mini-career.)
But inevitably there is a huge letdown about three weeks in. That's when they stop showing the awful singers' auditions and start infuriating me with the vote system. Every season it's the same thing: the slightly chubby girl with the dynamite voice gets voted off in favor of the no-talent sleazebag in a tube top. And that's when I get off the American Idol bus for another year.
Cool website: Technorati.com
My friend in SoCal, a THO buddy, just told me about Technorati.com, a site he found in Hugh Hewitt's book Blog!
I don't know everything the site does because I haven't looked at it for very long, but the primary function seems to be tracking which sites are being linked, and from where. It's kind of like a "trackback" feature, but for any site you want to check.
I used it to find out who's been linking to my blog, or to The Holy Observer. It's pretty nifty. If you've got a site, give it a try.
I don't know everything the site does because I haven't looked at it for very long, but the primary function seems to be tracking which sites are being linked, and from where. It's kind of like a "trackback" feature, but for any site you want to check.
I used it to find out who's been linking to my blog, or to The Holy Observer. It's pretty nifty. If you've got a site, give it a try.
NFL playoffs, Vick, and bogus stats
Even though I have several other tasks to which I should be attending, I am sitting and enjoying the NFL playoffs on this icy Saturday night. I just watched the Steelers barely outlast the pesky Jets in OT, and now I'm having fun taking in what promises to be an offensive explosion: the Falcons and the Rams.
One of the highlights of this game, of course, is getting to watch Falcons QB Michael Vick. (Last I heard, he wanted to be called Mike, but the announcers are calling him Michael, so I'll go with that.) Anyway, Vick is great entertainment. He is a phenomenal athlete with a strong arm, fantastic mobility and agility, and s p e e d. He is the prototypical mobile quarterback.
In other words, he's the perfect player to entice silly TV producers and in-game announcers to invent bogus statistics.
See, mobile quarterbacks are, like, the future of the NFL or something. They're the ones every team wants to draft. They're the ones that make the cover of EA Sports Madden. They're the ones that give defensive coordinators fits. (They're also the ones who never win Super Bowls, but hey. I suppose it could happen someday.)
(I mean, you're telling me you'd take Vick over Brady right now? You want Randall Cunningham in his prime, or Joe Montana? Look, no one's saying you have to put Rob Johnson under center, but pocket passers always outperform scramblers in postseason play.)
But none of this is the point. I want to address the stupid stat FOX made up for Vick. They call it "Vick yardage." See, what you do is take the yards he "should have" lost on a sack, and you add that to the yardage he gained when he evaded the sack and ran, and that gives you his "Vick yards." So, like, when he almost got sacked 11 yards deep and instead ran for 47 yards, that's 58 Vick yards.
This is the stupidest thing I've ever heard.
Yes, of course, we all like it when quarterbacks make plays like this. It's high quality entertainment, and it's good for the Falcons every time it happens. But see, the thing is, the sack never happened. He didn't lose yards because, well, he didn't lose yards! Michael Vick is awesome. You just don't try quantify this.
(Do we need to add six yards to every rushing attempt because the halfback starts deep in the backfield?)
Hup, there we go. FOX just updated it. He's now avoided 37 yards in sacks, gained 64 rushing yards. That means he has 101 Vick yards. I think I'm going to be sick. Why won't they just let me enjoy watching the best athlete in the NFL?
One of the highlights of this game, of course, is getting to watch Falcons QB Michael Vick. (Last I heard, he wanted to be called Mike, but the announcers are calling him Michael, so I'll go with that.) Anyway, Vick is great entertainment. He is a phenomenal athlete with a strong arm, fantastic mobility and agility, and s p e e d. He is the prototypical mobile quarterback.
In other words, he's the perfect player to entice silly TV producers and in-game announcers to invent bogus statistics.
See, mobile quarterbacks are, like, the future of the NFL or something. They're the ones every team wants to draft. They're the ones that make the cover of EA Sports Madden. They're the ones that give defensive coordinators fits. (They're also the ones who never win Super Bowls, but hey. I suppose it could happen someday.)
(I mean, you're telling me you'd take Vick over Brady right now? You want Randall Cunningham in his prime, or Joe Montana? Look, no one's saying you have to put Rob Johnson under center, but pocket passers always outperform scramblers in postseason play.)
But none of this is the point. I want to address the stupid stat FOX made up for Vick. They call it "Vick yardage." See, what you do is take the yards he "should have" lost on a sack, and you add that to the yardage he gained when he evaded the sack and ran, and that gives you his "Vick yards." So, like, when he almost got sacked 11 yards deep and instead ran for 47 yards, that's 58 Vick yards.
This is the stupidest thing I've ever heard.
Yes, of course, we all like it when quarterbacks make plays like this. It's high quality entertainment, and it's good for the Falcons every time it happens. But see, the thing is, the sack never happened. He didn't lose yards because, well, he didn't lose yards! Michael Vick is awesome. You just don't try quantify this.
(Do we need to add six yards to every rushing attempt because the halfback starts deep in the backfield?)
Hup, there we go. FOX just updated it. He's now avoided 37 yards in sacks, gained 64 rushing yards. That means he has 101 Vick yards. I think I'm going to be sick. Why won't they just let me enjoy watching the best athlete in the NFL?
Windows vs. Mac OS: Stability & Security
From The Register, an article comparing the security/vulnerability of Windows and the Mac OS. This is interesting to me because I have a friend who always argues that Macs are only more secure because they're more obscure. Turns out, it's more of a fundamental difference than that:
The rest of the piece is interesting if you care to know more about the ins and outs of OS security.
"Windows and Mac OS are different not just by vendor and market share, but by the fundamental way that they're designed, developed, tested, and supported. By integrating Internet Explorer, Media Player, and any number of other 'extras' (such as VB Script and ActiveX) into the operating system to lock out competitors, Microsoft knowingly inflicts many of its security vulnerabilities onto itself. As a result, its desire to achieve marketplace dominance over all facets of a user's system has created a situation that's anything but trustworthy or conducive to stable, secure computing."It's fascinating to me to see the connection between Microsoft's incessant efforts to build stuff into their OS (so they can monopolize certain key useful functions) and the Swiss cheese-like vulnerability of said OS.
The rest of the piece is interesting if you care to know more about the ins and outs of OS security.
Thursday, January 13, 2005
Free Mac mini!
Well, some of you know that I received a free iPod recently from an online promotion. Now I'm doing the same type of program in hopes of obtaining a free Mac mini. But I need twice as much help because of the higher cost of the computer.
If you aren't familiar with it, here's how it works: You sign up (using the referral link I will provide). Then you participate in one of the offers from their sponsors. (Some of the offers are CD or DVD clubs; others are free or discounted trials of popular programs.) Then you get 10 friends to sign up as well. Then they send you a FREE Mac mini.
This isn't a "pyramid scheme." It is completely legal. And the best part is, it really really works. I have several friends who also received free iPods. And they don't spam you, either. (E-mails from 3rd parties are only if you opt-in.)
So if you're willing, I'd be grateful if you signed up under my referral link, which is right here.
If you do this, disable pop-up blocking in your browser.
Thanks!
If you aren't familiar with it, here's how it works: You sign up (using the referral link I will provide). Then you participate in one of the offers from their sponsors. (Some of the offers are CD or DVD clubs; others are free or discounted trials of popular programs.) Then you get 10 friends to sign up as well. Then they send you a FREE Mac mini.
This isn't a "pyramid scheme." It is completely legal. And the best part is, it really really works. I have several friends who also received free iPods. And they don't spam you, either. (E-mails from 3rd parties are only if you opt-in.)
So if you're willing, I'd be grateful if you signed up under my referral link, which is right here.
If you do this, disable pop-up blocking in your browser.
Thanks!
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
It's about time.
Looks like Major League Baseball will have a steroid testing policy that isn't a complete joke.
Too bad we've already have three guys combine for about 40,000 home runs in the last half decade. Better late than never? I dunno...we'll see, I guess.
Too bad we've already have three guys combine for about 40,000 home runs in the last half decade. Better late than never? I dunno...we'll see, I guess.
Highlights from the Macworld Expo keynote
I've just finished watching Steve Jobs's keynote address at the 2005 Macworld Expo. He announced and demonstrated some major new products, some of which I was "Woo-hooing" about earlier.
Apple provides a link where you can watch the whole thing, but it's almost two hours, and I know not everyone wants to give that much time. So I took the liberty of jotting down the timeline marks for some of the highlights.
So get comfy, click the link (and if you don't have the latest version of QuickTime, by all means go get it), start the broadcast, and be sure to check out some of the following:
22:00 - A demo of the cool new Dashboard (widget) feature in the upcoming release of Mac OS X.
37:00 - A demo of the new features in iPhoto. There are some very good ones. Mostly interesting if you already use iPhoto.
1:04:00 - John Mayer helps demonstrate a couple of the great new features in GarageBand. Most notably, multi-track recording. (John Mayer and his bassist record a song where they both play and sing.)
1:14:00 - Information on the demo of the new Apple word processor, Pages. There is some real potential here. I think I will probably be dumping MS Word. (Oh, how long I've waited to say those words. The only sadness in switching to the Mac, ironically, was that I had to migrate to using that trainwreck of a word processor.)
And now on to the really good stuff.
1:23:00 - The new entry-level Mac, called the Mac mini. (The product is way less dumb than the name, I promise.) Wait until you see Steve Jobs pick this thing up. You have to see how small and elegant it is to believe it.
And, of course...
1:34:00 - The new flash-based iPod, called iPod shuffle. (You can skip the iPod market share stuff by going straight to 1:38:00, but I found it quite interesting. Basically, the iPod is killing everything else out there, but you knew that already.) Seeing this product is helpful in understanding the rationale for a screenless mp3 player. The web page is nice and all, but it helps to hear their rationale in designing it. (Hint: don't compare it to a hard drive-based iPod; compare it to the current non-Apple flash-based players.)
Finally, if you are a John Mayer fan and would like to watch a small video of him performing "Daughters" live, go to 1:49:30.
Apple provides a link where you can watch the whole thing, but it's almost two hours, and I know not everyone wants to give that much time. So I took the liberty of jotting down the timeline marks for some of the highlights.
So get comfy, click the link (and if you don't have the latest version of QuickTime, by all means go get it), start the broadcast, and be sure to check out some of the following:
22:00 - A demo of the cool new Dashboard (widget) feature in the upcoming release of Mac OS X.
37:00 - A demo of the new features in iPhoto. There are some very good ones. Mostly interesting if you already use iPhoto.
1:04:00 - John Mayer helps demonstrate a couple of the great new features in GarageBand. Most notably, multi-track recording. (John Mayer and his bassist record a song where they both play and sing.)
1:14:00 - Information on the demo of the new Apple word processor, Pages. There is some real potential here. I think I will probably be dumping MS Word. (Oh, how long I've waited to say those words. The only sadness in switching to the Mac, ironically, was that I had to migrate to using that trainwreck of a word processor.)
And now on to the really good stuff.
1:23:00 - The new entry-level Mac, called the Mac mini. (The product is way less dumb than the name, I promise.) Wait until you see Steve Jobs pick this thing up. You have to see how small and elegant it is to believe it.
And, of course...
1:34:00 - The new flash-based iPod, called iPod shuffle. (You can skip the iPod market share stuff by going straight to 1:38:00, but I found it quite interesting. Basically, the iPod is killing everything else out there, but you knew that already.) Seeing this product is helpful in understanding the rationale for a screenless mp3 player. The web page is nice and all, but it helps to hear their rationale in designing it. (Hint: don't compare it to a hard drive-based iPod; compare it to the current non-Apple flash-based players.)
Finally, if you are a John Mayer fan and would like to watch a small video of him performing "Daughters" live, go to 1:49:30.
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
Big surprise: 'Extremely Critical' flaw in Internet Explorer
From Yahoo! News, another story about a security flaw in a Microsoft product:
Yahoo! News - 'Extremely Critical' Flaw Threatens Internet Explorer Users
In turn, I have a recommendation for Microsoft:
Yahoo! News - 'Extremely Critical' Flaw Threatens Internet Explorer Users
"The basic flaw has been known about for two months, but security experts originally thought it would be difficult to exploit. However, after further study, security firm Secunia now says the bug represents a greater danger than previously believed."When will this end? It seems like every week I see one of these stories. Here's Microsoft's advice:
"Microsoft is recommending that users turn off the "Drag and drop or copy and paste files" option in Internet Explorer and set security levels to high for the Internet zone."Oh, that's very nice of them. Great idea!
In turn, I have a recommendation for Microsoft:
"UPDATE YOUR SOFTWARE! It's been a few years anyway; it's about time you added a feature or two. At least make a patch to fix it! Don't just tell people not to use the offending feature! If a doctor told a patient with gangrene in his right arm to use his left, it would be pretty ridiculous, no? Eesh!"There. That felt good.
WOO HOO.
The two best rumors were true. The Mac mini is $499, and the iPod shuffle is $99. You have to check out the look on these things, too. Seriously. Click the links.
Fantastic.
Not that I have $500, but when I do...
Fantastic.
Not that I have $500, but when I do...
Jonathan Last on the CBS report
In his Weekly Standard column titled Whitewash, Jonathan Last airs his disappointment with the report on the disputed CBS TexANG memos.
In his mind, the report did not adequately answer three key questions:
1. Where did the documents come from?
2. Were the documents legitimate?
3. Why did CBS News run with the story?
Eh. I was doubtful we would get a full indictment of bias from this report, and I basically agree with John Hinderaker of PowerLine, in that anyone who reads certain key passages of the report should be fully convinced that there was clear bias.
The problem, of course, is that most people won't read the report and will only see the recap, which invariably cites the lack of a decisive judgment on the documents in question, etc. But at the end of the day, four people were fired (well, one was fired and three were asked to resign). To me, that is a clear enough message.
In his mind, the report did not adequately answer three key questions:
1. Where did the documents come from?
2. Were the documents legitimate?
3. Why did CBS News run with the story?
Eh. I was doubtful we would get a full indictment of bias from this report, and I basically agree with John Hinderaker of PowerLine, in that anyone who reads certain key passages of the report should be fully convinced that there was clear bias.
The problem, of course, is that most people won't read the report and will only see the recap, which invariably cites the lack of a decisive judgment on the documents in question, etc. But at the end of the day, four people were fired (well, one was fired and three were asked to resign). To me, that is a clear enough message.
Monday, January 10, 2005
Get ready for late-night Monday posting...
I'm sitting in the first of five sessions of my late class. (It runs 7:35-10:00 p.m.) This is not looking good...
There are about 7,000 people in this little classroom. And plenty of them appear to be the kind of students who are sure to derail the lecture about five or six times per night with silly questions.
Oh, there goes one of them now. Asking a question about the syllabus. Not a good one, either. The kind of question that has an obvious answer. If it needs to be asked, it should be asked of a classmate at the class break. I pay (er, borrow) a lot of money to hear well-educated professors speak. I resent the loss of investment that occurs when these interruptions pop up.
So anyway, I have a feeling I will be blogging a bunch (a pleasing alliteration) during this time slot. I'll try to dial down the cynicism as best I can, though. But don't get your hopes up; I'll probably fail miserably in that regard.
There are about 7,000 people in this little classroom. And plenty of them appear to be the kind of students who are sure to derail the lecture about five or six times per night with silly questions.
Oh, there goes one of them now. Asking a question about the syllabus. Not a good one, either. The kind of question that has an obvious answer. If it needs to be asked, it should be asked of a classmate at the class break. I pay (er, borrow) a lot of money to hear well-educated professors speak. I resent the loss of investment that occurs when these interruptions pop up.
So anyway, I have a feeling I will be blogging a bunch (a pleasing alliteration) during this time slot. I'll try to dial down the cynicism as best I can, though. But don't get your hopes up; I'll probably fail miserably in that regard.
CBS does the right thing
There have been four firings over at CBS over the falsified National Guard memos. (One of the firees is Mary Mapes, the mad dog producer who has been after W. Bush since he was governor of Texas.) This is fascinating stuff. I recommend you keep up to speed on it by reading PowerLine and Hugh Hewitt. They're keeping up on it much better than I possibly could.
Or, you could read Kos and Atrios, who are of course ignoring the bombshell completely.
Or, you could read Kos and Atrios, who are of course ignoring the bombshell completely.
Sunday, January 09, 2005
Alison Krauss + Cracker Barrel
Alison Krauss + Union Station have a funny sponsor for their 2005 tour: Cracker Brarel Old Country Store. This quotation by their bassist (from the official announcement "cracks" me up:
And although they are currently not planning on coming anywhere near Rochester, I would travel several hours to see this tour. Anyone who wants to ride along (should they add a date), let me know.
"'Alison Krauss and Union Station is proud to welcome Cracker Barrel Old Country Store as the sponsor of our 2005 Lonely Runs Both Ways tour, says bassist Barry Bales on behalf of the band. 'We see this as a great fit-we always get excited when we're out on the road and we see the Cracker Barrel signs on the interstate, and then get to eat some great home-sytle cooking.'"Just goes to show that no matter how many thousand diamonds Alison Krauss has encrusted into her shoes for the Grammy Awards, she's still a country girl at heart.
And although they are currently not planning on coming anywhere near Rochester, I would travel several hours to see this tour. Anyone who wants to ride along (should they add a date), let me know.
Jets 20, Chargers 17 (OT)
OK, here's a brief NFL quiz for you.
It's overtime, and your team has the ball in 40-yard field goal range on first down. Over the next four plays, in which of the following players do you place your trust?
A) A young quarterback having a breakout season
B) A ridiculously athletic tight end who caught 16 TDs this year
C) The best all-purpose running back in the league
D) A rookie place kicker who apparently skipped his last two years of high school to enter the NFL draft
If you answered D), there is probably a very good reason the media continues to dog you as a good in-season coach who is lousy in the playoffs. It's because you always make boneheaded decisions like this during crunch time. You will probably never have meaningful postseason success, and you're not getting any younger.
It's overtime, and your team has the ball in 40-yard field goal range on first down. Over the next four plays, in which of the following players do you place your trust?
A) A young quarterback having a breakout season
B) A ridiculously athletic tight end who caught 16 TDs this year
C) The best all-purpose running back in the league
D) A rookie place kicker who apparently skipped his last two years of high school to enter the NFL draft
If you answered D), there is probably a very good reason the media continues to dog you as a good in-season coach who is lousy in the playoffs. It's because you always make boneheaded decisions like this during crunch time. You will probably never have meaningful postseason success, and you're not getting any younger.
Saturday, January 08, 2005
An Abel Milestone
Abel has officially mastered a new trick: he can sit by himself! (Only a parent can understand the excitement we are feeling.)
Pretty soon, he'll be crawling. Then we're really in trouble.
Pretty soon, he'll be crawling. Then we're really in trouble.
Longhorn #3 on Wired's "Vaporware" Top 10
Wired News has named Microsoft's next major OS release (code-named "Longhorn," which I guess means Apple's big cat-themed OSes will hunt it down and kill it for food) as the number three piece of vaporware for year 2004.
(Vaporware is a term used to describe promised technological developments that never pan out.)
Here's the link (to page 3 out of 4). Wired News: Vaporware Phantom Haunts Us All:
(Vaporware is a term used to describe promised technological developments that never pan out.)
Here's the link (to page 3 out of 4). Wired News: Vaporware Phantom Haunts Us All:
"3. Microsoft's Longhorn
Microsoft's successor to Windows XP was originally promised to ship in 2004, though the company subsequently pushed the launch date to 3015 or something. Obviously, Microsoft won't be able to finish the code until it's had a peek at Apple's forthcoming Tiger.
Bill Restemeyer suggested it be renamed 'Longwait.'
The company also cut a core feature, a new 'revolutionary' file system called WinFS.
Steve Story said, 'WinFS has been vaporware for over a decade, and recently a delay of many more years was announced. (2008 has been bandied about.) Somewhere, Microsoft programmers are spending their entire careers on a single piece of vaporware.'
Steven 'Harley' Davidson said, 'If Microsoft keeps on pushing back the dates for Longhorn and removing features from it, they might as well just promise to bundle Duke Nukem Forever with the OS.'"
Friday, January 07, 2005
Bill Gates is a pompous ass
In a recent interview, Bill Gates yapped about the iPod, taking what I suppose he thought was a subtle and clever swipe at the iPod's supposed incompatibility:
And just for the record, Steve Jobs is a bit pompous, too. Just in a more lovable way.
"Q: What do you think of Apple's success so far? I mean, they clearly have had a hit with the iPod.You can almost hear the smarminess. But this is a tired old argument, which John Gruber refuted months ago:
A: Absolutely. They had a hit with the Apple II, they had a hit with the Macintosh, and they have a hit with the iPod, so this is a company that's had three hits, and that's very impressive. There are a lot of companies that don't have three hits. And in the same way that Macintosh helped get people exposed to the graphical user interface, the iPod is doing a great job getting people to think about digital music.
In the long run, there will be a lot of people making digital music players, and we think that there will be a very different market share with dozens and dozens of companies. And other than Apple, all those player makers are signing up to work inside the Windows PlaysForSure ecosystem."
"Apple has now sold just over 100 millions songs [SJA: it's now well over 200 million] through the iTMS. But how many billions of songs do iPod users already own, legally and legitimately ripped from CD?Gruber writes at Daring Fireball and often has great insights into all kinds of stuff, especially Mac-related stuff. (He also has an RSS feed.)
This isn’t a hidden feature. There’s no trick to it. Apple exerted itself to make it as easy as possible to transfer your music from CDs to your iPod. You put an audio CD in your computer; you click one button in iTunes; you connect your iPod.
That’s compatibility. If you enjoy music enough to consider buying a $300 iPod, there’s a good chance you have a CD collection numbering in the hundreds. Thousands of songs, which cost thousands of dollars. The iPod and iTunes fully embrace your existing music collection.
Already have music in MP3 format, from sources unknown? The iPod and iTunes will play them, no questions asked. That’s compatibility."
And just for the record, Steve Jobs is a bit pompous, too. Just in a more lovable way.
Back now...laptop issues continue
Well I got my PowerBook back today. I excitedly tore open the box and booted up. There I found a disaster.
The repair explanation said "Unable to duplicate malfunction. No service performed." In other words, exactly what happened last time. I was furious. Since I live behind this laptop when school is in session, I can't give it up for another week, especially since there would be no guarantee it would even come back repaired.
Then I thought that maybe some loose connection had just tightened up in shipment, and that it might work after all. So after gobbling up five days' worth of emails and RSS reading, I decided to pop in an audio CD and test out the repair (or lack thereof).
No dice.
I called AppleCare again, and politely explained to them that I was at the end of my patience. (I find shouting is usually counterproductive, and the phone techs are always extremely helpful and kind. But I made it clear this situation was unacceptable.)
To make a long and boring short and (hopefully) less boring, I will be sending it back next week, with a promise that they will simply replace the optical drive and turn the repair around as fast as possible. So a near guarantee that I won't be stuck with this look on my face again next week.
The repair explanation said "Unable to duplicate malfunction. No service performed." In other words, exactly what happened last time. I was furious. Since I live behind this laptop when school is in session, I can't give it up for another week, especially since there would be no guarantee it would even come back repaired.
Then I thought that maybe some loose connection had just tightened up in shipment, and that it might work after all. So after gobbling up five days' worth of emails and RSS reading, I decided to pop in an audio CD and test out the repair (or lack thereof).
No dice.
I called AppleCare again, and politely explained to them that I was at the end of my patience. (I find shouting is usually counterproductive, and the phone techs are always extremely helpful and kind. But I made it clear this situation was unacceptable.)
To make a long and boring short and (hopefully) less boring, I will be sending it back next week, with a promise that they will simply replace the optical drive and turn the repair around as fast as possible. So a near guarantee that I won't be stuck with this look on my face again next week.
Monday, January 03, 2005
Losing the laptop...temporarily
Well, I've put it off long enough. I'm about to call DHL and order a pick-up. My PowerBook has a faulty optical drive, and I have to send it in for repair. (Glad I paid for the AppleCare protection plan...) I'll still be online with Tracey's work laptop, but not as often for the next few days. So blogging will be a little light. That'll give me a good reason to start in on some seminary work; my last term starts January 10!
I don't know what I'm going to do back on Windows. I've grown to love Mac OS X, and I always complain a lot when I have to use Windows extensively.
(In case you're a Windows user who is interested in some of the differences, a great site is X vs. XP. Unfortunately, the editor of the site is no longer making updates, but if you visit the site, you can download a PDF of the entire thing. It's 10 MB, but if you are seriously considering Mac OS X as an operating system option, it's worth the download.)
Anyway, who am I kidding? I know exactly what I'll do on Tracey's laptop: I'll play tons of Spider Solitaire. It's the one redeeming quality of Windows XP.
OK, WinUsers, flame away...
I don't know what I'm going to do back on Windows. I've grown to love Mac OS X, and I always complain a lot when I have to use Windows extensively.
(In case you're a Windows user who is interested in some of the differences, a great site is X vs. XP. Unfortunately, the editor of the site is no longer making updates, but if you visit the site, you can download a PDF of the entire thing. It's 10 MB, but if you are seriously considering Mac OS X as an operating system option, it's worth the download.)
Anyway, who am I kidding? I know exactly what I'll do on Tracey's laptop: I'll play tons of Spider Solitaire. It's the one redeeming quality of Windows XP.
OK, WinUsers, flame away...
Saturday, January 01, 2005
Courts, Abortion and Common Sense
In today's Washington Post article (free registration required), George Will articulates a reasonable conservative perspective on abortion better than anyone I've read recently. It's very much worth the read.
He delivers his opinion in a semi-gimmick the sad irony of which I can only assume he understands: that President Bush should issue it as a "statement" concerning Supreme Court nominees and Roe v. Wade.
Unfortunately, he goes on to present a carefully worded, completely lucid argument, one which I am sad to say the President doesn't seem capable of making unless he is in front of a TelePrompTer giving a major speech.
I wish it were not so. The nation very dearly needs to hear these words spoken by someone of much greater authority and position than George Will.
He delivers his opinion in a semi-gimmick the sad irony of which I can only assume he understands: that President Bush should issue it as a "statement" concerning Supreme Court nominees and Roe v. Wade.
Unfortunately, he goes on to present a carefully worded, completely lucid argument, one which I am sad to say the President doesn't seem capable of making unless he is in front of a TelePrompTer giving a major speech.
I wish it were not so. The nation very dearly needs to hear these words spoken by someone of much greater authority and position than George Will.
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