Links 02/14/2009 (Post-Hugs Edition)
2008 was pretty chilly, so that means climate change is over, right? Ars Technica takes a good look at the data and concludes that one year does not a trend make.
The facts are that 2008 was cooler than the last few years, but warmer than most in recent history, which lends itself to spin based on the predilections of the person talking about it. But some of that spin specifically plays upon the widespread innumeracy of the public, which isn't well prepared to separate trends from short-term variability, or recognize when certain figures are selectively chosen. We'll try to separate out some of these in a way that will hopefully help readers make a bit of sense out of the conflicting noise.
Ars Technica: Court sides with science, says no vaccine-autism link
Another good piece from Ars looks at a recent court case regarding the purported link between MMR and autism. THe article also takes a look at other vaccine-ASD correlations and finds such connections lacking. Unfortunately, autism (like global climate change) is an issue that involves punditry, politics, and emotion to such an extent as to obscure objectivity in analyzing the facts.
In other words, I doubt this is the last we’ll hear of vaccines causing autism, even if the correlation is weak and the study upon which the claims are based is fundamentally flawed.
Daring Fireball: ‘Word Count’ Script for ThisService
This is an article on Daring Fireball from two years ago, but I think it’s insanely useful if you happen to be a Mac user. I don’t think I’ve shared it before, so I’m correcting that now.
Links 12/11/08 (Cramming Edition)
The author of Open Mind writes a great piece regarding regional cold spells and how they do not contradict climate change (read: global warming).
…If we want to study global warming we should pay more attention to the globe than to less than 2% of it; second, that global warming is about climate, and that even if climate changes we’re still gonna have weather.
The real sign of global warming is in the trends, not the momentary hot or cold spells. The real danger of global warming is that it brings with it fundamental changes in a great many environmental variables, including one that is fundamental to human survival: water.
Greenfyre’s: Global Warming is over! once every decade or so …
On a related note, this post drew my attention to the Open Mind piece, and the author shows some temperature trends – Surprise! Earth’s temperature does cycle every decade or so, but the downward cycles have not been compensating for the upward trends during the past forty years.
The author also takes a hard look at the consequences to poverty-stricken peoples of the effect cliate change has on fresh water availability.
Ars Technica: Broadband, green tech get love from Obama recovery plan
"As we renew our schools and highways, we'll also renew our information superhighway," said Obama. "It is unacceptable that the United States ranks 15th in the world in broadband adoption.”
and
What Obama called "the most sweeping effort to modernize and upgrade school buildings that this country has ever seen" would be part of a broader effort to deploy energy efficient technology in public facilities. "Our government now pays the highest energy bills in the world," said Obama. "We need to change that."
May I Ask a Silly Question?
The admittedly slanted Huffington Post• discusses a public letter from Rep. Edward J. Markay in which he pleads for the president to encourage our oil companies to focus their oil production marketing on the home front rather than on exportation. Lest you think Rep. Markay is just vying for attention, note that he is the chairman of the House's Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming. This is an area in which he should be making recommendations to our president.
In the letter (which you can read here as a PDF) specifically calls out this administration's eagerness to open more drilling locations for the oil companies and compares the potential production of these new areas to what is being currently exported. He states:
However, your own Department of Energy projects that at the height of production, in 2030, increased offshore drilling would produce only 200,000 barrels per day – one ninth the amount of oil we currently send to foreign countries every day. Moreover, at the current export rate, by the time the first barrel of oil could be produced from offshore drilling, we would have already exported the equivalent of nearly 40 percent of the oil that is projected to lie beneath protected areas offshore.
This strikes me as yet another contradiction in the desires of the oil companies and some politicians to open protected lands for drilling.
Unlike Rep. Markay, I doubt it's realistic to call for a halt of all oil exportation, but the sheer amount of exportation raises a question. Who are the oil companies truly looking out for? These are companies based in the United States. They continually try to convince citizens that they are working in the best interests of our country, but facts like this contradict the message. A small but significant chunk of our energy woes would reverse if our oil companies were run with more of a social conscience.
- I can respect HuffPo's bias because they wear said bias on their sleeves. They are honest about it. What I can't respect are news sources that flaunt a major bias while trying to hide it behind a guise of being "fair and balanced."
An Audacious Goal
…But to make this exciting potential a reality, and truly solve our nation's problems, we need a new start.
That's why I'm proposing today a strategic initiative designed to free us from the crises that are holding us down and to regain control of our own destiny. It's not the only thing we need to do. But this strategic challenge is the lynchpin of a bold new strategy needed to re-power America.
Today I challenge our nation to commit to producing 100 percent of our electricity from renewable energy and truly clean carbon-free sources within 10 years.
Whether or not you believe the climate crisis is real, Mr. Gore's challenge is one worthy of the great minds and innovative scientists in this country.
Consider the number of heart and lung diseases that are caused or aggravated by air pollution and how much more healthy we, as a nation, would be if we could eliminate this form of pollution entirely. Additionally, our current economy is completely reliant on fossil fuels. Rising fuel prices effect everything – from filling your car to airline tickets to grocery prices to school field trips. The oil companies in particular form a sort of hydraulic despotism upon which our entire societal balance hinges.
Pursuing an energy policy that temporarily reduces the price of fossil fuels changes none of this. It is putting an Band-Aid on a tumor. The problem only appears to go away while, underneath, it continues to grow and deepen. It is a policy that only further entrenches our addiction to fossil fuels. Furthermore, the myth that expanding drilling will somehow lower fuel prices is just that: a myth.
Instead, our policies should be aiming toward obsolescing fossil fuels in energy production.
Mr. Gore cites increased efficiency and economy of sustainable energy sources as well as entrepreneurs, investors, and inventors pushing these innovations to their limits. He reminds us that our world is more than capable of meeting our energy needs without us ripping it to pieces.
What if we could use fuels that are not expensive, don't cause pollution and are abundantly available right here at home?
We have such fuels. Scientists have confirmed that enough solar energy falls on the surface of the earth every 40 minutes to meet 100 percent of the entire world's energy needs for a full year. Tapping just a small portion of this solar energy could provide all of the electricity America uses.
And enough wind power blows through the Midwest corridor every day to also meet 100 percent of US electricity demand. Geothermal energy, similarly, is capable of providing enormous supplies of electricity for America.
As the stone age, the bronze age, and the iron age have all passed, it's time for the carbon age to close. Mass market energy production technology can move beyond the principles of last century, but timid steps will never reach the goal. We need an audacious vision.
President Kennedy did not say that we put put a man in space with a long-term goal of the moon should it be proven feasible. FDR did not say the only thing we have to fear is the possibility of hard work. Abraham Lincoln did not call out for a phased release of a percentage of slaves over a fifty-year period. DIfferences are not made when the leadership is apprehensive. Mr. Gore is providing us with a bold challenge. Now we just need bold leadership to help guide us there.
Update: Ars Technica provides some great commentary on how this plan can ultimately benefit our culture – whether or not the goal is actually met in ten years. Read the article here.
Links 06/28/08 (Feeling Green)
The case model here is a community in Alberta, Canada that obtains ~90% of their annual energy for heating and hot water from solar panels. Think about that. Canada. Alberta. Winter temperatures there regularly drop below zero, and they have many more hours of winter darkness than we do here in the Midwest.
Seriously, what's holding the U.S. back from replicating this achievement?
Scienceray: Moving Forward with America’s Fastest Eco-friendly Train
This train's route would go from Disneyland in Anaheim, CA to Las Vegas, NV. It will be electromagnetically propelled and travel at speeds approaching 300 mph. I hope this project is a big enough success to see wider adoption.
While the need for coal-produced electricity is not entirely eco-friendly, it is friendlier than the amount of carbon emissions put into the atmosphere by cars for a comparable number of people. Additionally, as researchers continue to discover more efficient ways to harvest and store renewable and ecologically responsible energy sources, transit systems like this could be transitioned to cleaner processes.
Links 06/17/08 ("It's Not the Years…" Edition)
DId you ever wonder what fonts are used on the maps in Indiana Jones movies? I know I didn't, and yet this this post is very cool.
via Daring Fireball
NYT: A Remarkable Photo From Tornado Country
Wow. Just wow.
also via Daring Fireball
Ars Technica: Energy storage to smooth green power sources
This is an interesting piece about different options for storing energy generated by renewable methods, hopefully answering the concern that most renewable sources of energy are variable in nature (like wind, tides, and the sun).
Links 06/06/08 (Politics-Free Edition)
Inhabitat: BMW’s Hydrogen Car Cleans The Air as You Drive
Get this, this car's emissions are so insignificant that they are undetectable by standard emission tests. My only question is this: how quickly can this move from concept to production?
GamesRadar: Game Names Corrected By Spellcheck.
Brett Elston at GamesRadar decides to actually use the suggestions provided by Firefox's spellchecker of some rather unusual game titles. Hilarity ensues.
My favorite? Castelvania being converted to Televangelist. Oh the horror!
MacRumors: OS X iPhone and OS X Leopard Banners at WWDC
MacRumors links to a couple of galleries giving us a sneak peek of Monday's WWDC. I think the outdoor banners look especially nice. However, Apple, if rumors are true about 10.6 coming out soon, you and I are no longer on speaking terms.
Who am I kidding?
Links 05/29/08 (With Some More Commentary Than Usual)
I don't know how to feel about this. Rupert Murdoch – you know, the man who owns News Corp, corporate entity over of Fox News? That Rupert Murdoch said this about Obama:
"He is a rock star. It's fantastic … I love what he is saying about education … I don't think he will win Florida … but he will win in Ohio and the election … I am anxious to meet him."
He also didn't have too many kind words to spare regarding McCain, calling him "unpredictable" and asking, "What's he really stand for?" The man overseeing the news outlet that has been responsible for more lies and misinformation about Obama than about anyone is now all but endorsing him? What's that squealing in the air?
CleanTechnica: 3 Hidden Costs of High Oil Prices
In my opinion, opening up further drilling sites is like putting a Band-Aid on a tumor. Yes, it will put some people's minds at ease in the short-term, but the problem still exists. Only by branching out into alternative energy sources that don't rely on fossil fuels in any way can we break out of this economic and environmental pit.
RapidWeaver 4.0
Realmac software just released an update to their website-creation tool RapidWeaver. Unfortunately, it's Leopard-only, so I won't be upgrading soon. I highly recommend RapidWeaver to anyone wanting to publish their own blog or website.
Update: Here are the release notes.
GameTrailers: Prince of Persia: Next Gen
So the team working on this (if I'm not mistaken) also worked on TMNT and Assassin's Creed. Both of these games featured gameplay elements similar to that of the previous Prince of Persia trilogy with some co-op and environmental enhancements. From the looks of this trailer, it appears TMNT's over-the-top co-op attacks as well as the expansive environments from Assassin's Creed are coming home to the Prince.
From what I've read, this game also seems to be influenced by Okami both in visual style and themes. Good stuff.
I'm so excited by this, I might just have to play the Sands of Time trilogy over again!
Links 05/27/08
I can't believe I forgot to post this earlier! Kindergarten teacher Wendy Portillo actually led her class in telling an autistic five-year-old what they don't like about him, and she guided the kids in voting him out of her class! I don't care how much trouble he might have been in, this behavior from a teacher is completely unacceptable (disclaimer: I'm a teacher, and I'm autistic).
The school website seems to be down, but you can visit the district site right here.
Engadget: Hydraulic transmission gives engines, wallets a break
Hopefully, this is another step in the direction of reducing our total dependance on fossil fuels.
Senator Obama Addresses Wesleyan University Graduates
In discussing the need for individuals willing to dedicate time and resources to public service:
Not because you have an obligation to those who are less fortunate, though you do have that obligation. Not because you have a debt to all those who helped you get here, though you do have that debt.
It’s because you have an obligation to yourself. Because our individual salvation depends on collective salvation. Because thinking only about yourself, fulfilling your immediate wants and needs, betrays a poverty of ambition. Because it’s only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you realize your true potential and discover the role you’ll play in writing the next great chapter in America’s story.
The full text of the speech can be read right here.
YouTube: Is It True About Obama?
Speaking of Senator Obama, this short video covers some of the misinformation and misconceptions floating around regarding him.
Links 04/10/08
When you have for the first time in front of you this 3.1 billion-letter instruction book that conveys all kinds of information and all kinds of mystery about humankind, you can’t survey that going through page after page without a sense of awe. I can’t help but look at those pages and have a vague sense that this is giving me a glimpse of God’s mind.
Francis Collins describes more in his book The Language of God.
TED: Al Gore: New thinking on the climate crisis
Al Gore delivers another fine presentation about climate change and what can be done about it.
Ars Technica - Blogging meets literary analysis: why people read blogs
Many studies have been conducted about why people blog, but I think this topic is far more interesting. What is it about blogs that keep people engaged? I hope more studies like this are conducted in the future.
Londonist - “Rape is Like Being Force-Fed Chocolate Cake” Blogs BNP Official
This is beyond outrageous. Conservative British National Party member Nick Eriksen has this to say about the concept of marital/date rape:
Women enjoy sex, so rape cannot be such a terrible physical ordeal…To suggest that rape, when conducted without violence, is a serious crime is like suggesting force-feeding a woman chocolate cake is a heinous offence.
Then again, this is the same commendable person who has also said this:
Some women are like gongs — they need to be struck regularly.
I can't seem to find out if this guy is married. I'm guessing not.
YouTube - Cheney in 1994 on Iraq
If only he had listened to his own advice later.
Links 04/03/08 (Oh No! Edition)
John Nack on Adobe: Photoshop, Lightroom, and Adobe's 64-bit roadmap
Short story: Adobe Photoshop CS4 for the Mac will not be 64-bit. It will be 64-bit for Windows (but you will have to own a 64-bit edition of Windows to take advantage of it).
For more technical commentary on the events leading up to this discrepancy and the potential impact, see posts by John Siracusa at Ars Technica and John Gruber of Daring Fireball.
Ars Technica: Apple passes Wal-Mart, now #1 music retailer in US
I think the title says it all.
BBC News: 'No Sun link' to climate change
I'm not sure that headline is even close to being grammatically correct, but that's beside the point. The lesson here is that, yes, we should still be working on cutting those carbon emissions. We can't blame the sun for everything.
Links 12/14/07
Discussing the possibility for an open Arctic ocean in summer months, [Dr Mark Serreze] told the meeting: "A few years ago, even I was thinking 2050, 2070, out beyond the year 2100, because that's what our models were telling us. But as we've seen, the models aren't fast enough right now; we are losing ice at a much more rapid rate.
While the ocean-supported glaciers will not affect ocean levels, land-bound glaciers and ice sheets (like those on Greenland) will. This on the same day I read about failing penguin populations in the Antarctic...
Jim Hill: A special "Where's WALL-E" edition of Why For?
On a much more trivial note, in this blog post, Jim Hill tries to create a definitive list of the in-references and self references found throughout Pixar's films. Needless to say, this makes for a long read.
via Daring Fireball
Ars Technica: RIAA: Those CD rips of yours are still "unauthorized"
< soapbox > In other words, the RIAA would rather you not make mix-CDs for use in your car or put music you already own on your iPods. Why? Because you are no more than potential revenue to them rather than a human being. < soapbox / >
Links 11/15/07
Interesting talk about rethinking our views of fossil fuels and what defines renewable energy.
Surfin' Safari: Ten New Things in WebKit 3
Maciej Stachowiak outlines many of the improvements in the most recent versions of WebKit. You can take advantage of these features by upgrading to Leopard, updating Tiger to version 10.4.11, or by downloading the latest versions of WebKit or Safari for Windows.
Ars Technica: Ice is the new Tanooki: a review of Super Mario Galaxy
In case you needed more convincing that I'm completely enthused about Super Mario Galaxy, here's a link to the overwhelmingly positive Ars review by Ben Kuchera.
From the review:
This is a game for people who love games. Nintendo has fired a shot at everyone who claims the Wii is just a gimmick and will soon wear out its welcome. This is a game that's a must-play for anyone who enjoys platforming titles or who just likes a good challenge that won't run out any time soon...The level of polish and care put into Mario Galaxy is evident in every moment of play, and I have a feeling everyone else will be taking notes for the next few years.
Links 10/17/07
It's like Man of the Year without the lousy techno-thriller subplot. If this goes anywhere, I wonder if he'll shed his Colbert Report persona in any interviews or (gasp) debates. On the other hand, he communicates well through his satire. Hey, if Arnold can be governor...
By the way, if you like Colbert, you'll love his ice cream.
Freeverse: Periscope 1.5
Freeverse updates their $40 webcam utility with some refined features and a completely redesigned UI (thank you). The demo period lasts for 50 hours and does not limit functionality.
via TUAW
Macworld: Apple says iPhone complies with eco standards
Apple tells Greepeace to go stick their heads in some hazardous materials themselves.
“Like all Apple products worldwide, iPhone complies with RoHS [Restriction of Hazardous Substances], the world’s toughest restrictions on toxic substances in electronics,” an Apple spokesperson, told Macworld. “As we have said, Apple will voluntarily eliminate the use of PVC and BFRs by the end of 2008.”
Macworld: Jobs: iPhone SDK coming in February
I don't think I quite believe Jobs' spin on why the SDK is coming so long after the phone, but at least it is coming. Oh, and it will also work with the iPod touch.
Links 10/15/07
From the article:
It was a bit of a surprise to see a topic with largely scientific and technological underpinnings receive the Peace Prize. But following the reasoning of the Nobel Committee suggests it may not be the last. As humanity's technological advances increase its ability to alter the world around it, the potential for scientific findings to have implications for the future peace will only increase as well.
This is really interesting stuff. I guess some were expecting this result, but it still came as a surprise for me... not that I really had any other people in mind.
Macworld: Apple faces potential environmental lawsuit
I understand the position that some are taking that Greenpeace specifically targets Apple for notoriety, but I still think Apple needs to step up on this whole environmental thing. Especially since a certain Nobel Peace Prize winner is on their board of directors.
On a related note, TUAW asks: How green is Apple?
Links 09/25/07
There’s very high “it just works” factor here. Music is easy to find, easy to buy, and easy to download once you have the Amazon MP3 Downloader installed. When you download music with Amazon MP3 Downloader, it simply shows up in iTunes, as you’d expect, with no manual importing or additional action required on the user’s part. Sync your iPods, and the new music shows up there, too.
This could be huge.
Look Me In the Eye
This is the blog of John Elder Robinson, author of Look Me In the Eye (due out today) about growing up with and continuing to live with Asperger's Syndrome. I'm going to be hitting our nearby B&N after school to check this book out!
Inhabitat: PREFAB FRIDAY: Zero-Energy MkLotus debuts!
Here's an incredible new eco-prefab home showcased on the lawn of San Francisco's city hall. Check out the Flickr photoset for some other great pictures.
EcoSpeak: An interview with ex-IPCC co-chairman Sir John Houghton
Mr. Houghton puts global warming in some historical perspective and still comes to the conclusion that our current level of carbon emissions are cause for concern. He also discredits our politicians' recent obsession with ethanol:
Ethanol from corn is not a good deal. Why it is being pushed by President Bush, I don’t know. It’s been disastrous for the price of corn and it’s not helping the CO2 budget significantly at all.
Rogue Amoeba: Radioshift
John Gruber has the best analogy: "Like TiVo for radio."
Finishing the fight: Ars reviews Halo 3
Ars Technica reviews Halo 3's single player campaign. I won't give away the whole review, but here's a snippet:
Suffice it to say that there are a couple of twists and turns that some may not have been expecting, and some familiar faces will come and go, to the surprise and shock of long-time fans. When the game is done, though, one thing is certain: fans will have the closure they were looking for.
Links 08/22/07
Treehugger: Why We Love Downloads
My last few software purchases have been digitally distributed. It's probably been over a year since I've purchased any boxed software.
The Macalope: The Ents will be happy
I love this blog.
Infinite Loop: Apple wins silver for eco-friendliness at EPEAT
Not bad ... but not great either.
Links 07/04/07
Subaru of Indiana has gone three years without sending any waste to a landfill through reusing waste, recycling it, or using it to supply power to Indianapolis' power grid. That's incredible! Now if their cars only got better gas mileage. On a related note, it seems Toyota has some plants that are 95% waste free. Again, the U.S. automakers are being shown up.
Engadget: How Far We've Come
iPhone meets its great-grandpappy.
Instructables: Interactive Multitouch Display
As enamored as I am with multitouch technology, I just don't see myself finishing this particular project...
Links 06/12/07
I'm happy to see this Universal Binary of Sibelius finally come out. I'll post some impressions of the demo once I get done with the RapidWeaver posts.
PS – It's lame that Scorch is still PPC-only. C'mon, how hard is it to update a browser plug-in?
Opposable Thumbs: Microsoft seeks answer to question, "Would global warming make for a good game?"
I picture controlling Al Gore racing his hybrid through angry mobs of staunch republicans in a Grand Theft Auto-inspired gore-fest. (No pun intended!) After escaping, you would have to coordinate your fellow environmentalists in covert stealth missions (Sam Fisher-style) that infiltrate heavily-armed Big Oil corporate offices where you ultimately will battle Mother Brain. (After all, there is no possible way these oil execs are really human.)
Side missions may include freezing ice cubes big enough to cool the oceans, setting up polar bear habitats, and discovering alternatives to using oil in producing plastics. Man I need to learn game design. I think I have a winner. Now if I can only talk Al into some voiceovers...
Apple – Safari 3 Public Beta
This is a smart move by Apple. More users will drive better support by web developers. This benefits Mac users and iPhone users. Not to mention (as DF points out) that this will lead to a bunch more integrated search revenue from Yahoo! and Google.
Windows users, get downloading! Mac users, hold your horses. It doesn't offer much the current version lacks, and updating may hose other WebKit-based apps and widgets. (Trust me on this one.)
Daring Fireball: WWDC 2007 News
He calls it "WWDC 2006 2.0." While I am stoked about Leopard, I have to admit that I felt pretty "meh" about the other announcements.
Apple.com
I like. When you visit, try the search field in the upper-right corner. I was pleasantly surprised.
Links 05/28/07
The new version of their web page creator comes with a new look for their site. It seems very Delicious Monster-inspired. I'll post some thoughts on RapidWeaver 3.6 in a few days after putting it through some paces.
Guardian Unlimited: A drive for global domination has put us in greater danger
Here's another edited excerpt from Gore's most recent book, The Assault on Reason. I need to stop doing this. I'm bordering dangerously close to becoming a political blog!
Raw Story: Cheney criticizes the Geneva Conventions in Military Academy commencement address
I'm not a Cheny fan. (After all, my man-crush is on Al Gore). However, I don't agree that Cheny is necessarily criticizing the Geneva Conventions in this speech as much as he is trying to (clumsily) illustrate a moral distinction between American combatants and some of the opposition they face.
However, this quote from his speech is something I could take issue with:
"They view the world as a battlefield and they yearn to hit us again. And now they have chosen to make Iraq the central front in their war against civilization."
I'm sorry, who chose to make Iraq the "central front" again?
Ars Technica: Ex-military leaders call climate change a national security issue
I never thought of global warming in terms of terrorism, but there you go.
Opposable Thumbs: First look: 1.80 firmware update for PlayStation 3 truly impresses
Every PS3 patch makes the machine that much more compelling. It has no longer become a question of if we get a PS3 as much as when.
Links 05/20/07
The Bills (Gates and Clinton) unite to bring free online tools to communities wishing to decrease their carbon footprints, and a company named Business Objects is looking to provide cities with open source solutions in the efforts to curb detrimental climate changes.
- Ars Technica: Attacking climate change with open data
- Nobel Intent: Microsoft and the Clinton Foundation team up to tackle climate change
Ars Technica: Why writing in games matters: Part II—challenges of interactive storytelling
This entry focuses specifically on the challenges of fitting a plot (linear by nature) into modern games (nonlinear by design). Good stuff.
AVING USA: 120-inch wide touchscreen display 'T-VIEW'
Wow! Any word on pricing?
Links 05/02/07
Steve Jobs writes another open letter. This time he scribes about the steps Apple is taking toward more environmentally responsible products and manufacturing processes. (Also, he rightly takes Greenpeace to task for praising other companies based on their proposed plans rather than results.)
Ironically, based on this plan, Greenpeace has increased Apple's environmental ranking.
Ars Technica: Study shows complicated interplay between anger, aggression, and gaming
From the article:
The response of those playing violent games was more aggressive, but barely so: roughly nine out of the 60 responses were scored as aggressive, compared to about seven for those playing nonviolent games. These sorts of results are typical of the response caused by exposure to any violent media; the authors even note that a study that put people in a hot room registered a similar rise in aggression.
Has anyone ever thought to blame societal violence on bad temperature control?
Macworld: Digg users show who's the boss in Web 2.0 world
I watched this whole thing play out last night. It was bizarre (sometimes frustrating) but ultimately empowering. While I disagree with the practice of pirating media, this landslide was amazing to watch. It's yet another example of how the internet has empowered the people beyond what politicians and corporations can control through classic bullying.
Links 05/01/07
Presentation Zen: Who says we need our logo on every slide?
Garr Reynolds takes a look at the value (or lack thereof) in overusing brand imagery. For more, check out my post on this same topic.
Daring Fireball: The iPhone’s Funny Price
John Gruber takes a look at Steve Ballmer's negative iPhone remarks and a contradiction in his Windows Mobile claims. What amazes me is that Ballmer projects the iPhone picking up 2-3% cellular market-share like its a bad thing. Steve Jobs said Apple is aiming at 1% with the iPhone launch.
Engadget: Proposals would turn highways into wind farms
Why has no one thought of this before?
Links 03/28/07
The new 1.2ß release officially adds support for Windows Vista for those of you so inclined to use Windows on a Mac.
YubaNet: New Bush Plan to Gut Endangered Species Act
Is it me, or does the Bush administration seem to go out of their way to harm nature as much as it can? Just thinking out loud.
Opposable Thumbs: Xbox 360 Elite launched: official details and specs
It's the update everyone saw coming – 120 GB hard drive, HDMI port, Black, $479. However, there seems to be no easy way to easily transfer the information from one XBox 360 to another at this time. That could frustrate some users.
Links 03/03/07
This is a multi-national concert even spanning all seven continents in an effort to raise global awareness of environmental change. Notably, there will be a broadcast from Antarctica, and Gore is hoping this event will be pulled off in as carbon-neutral a manner as possible.
Links 02/24/07
Here are some tips for dealing with either
a: being an angry gamer, or
b: being around an angry gamer
Personally, I am not an angry gamer. Except for during Jak II. That got personal.
Opposable Thumbs: PS3 is proof positive: bad things happen when gaming isn't the focus
In the passing generation of consoles, the GameCube was hurt by its lack of focus on anything but the games. Now Sony is at the other extreme: currently hurting due to their over-emphasis on everything but the games. For the PS3 to be a good value, you have to be motivated by its qualities as a media center.
I don't care about a next-gen home theater system. What I care about is PS3 Katamari Damacy, Ratchet & Clank, Prince of Persia, or Final Fantasy (or any other exclusive totally must-have property). Let's talk about Sony doing everything it can to hold on to key game developers for those great properties. What about a killer online experience that actually tries to compete with XBox Live? And why do I need a PSP to play downloaded PS1 games? (Didn't Sony learn from Nintendo's past mistakes?)
The worst part of all this is that the PS3 could end up a great system, but several game and technology enthusiasts have already written the system off as DOA. Not only does Sony have to turn the PS3 into a compelling purchase as a gaming rig, but now they also need to find a way to convert those who have written them off (like my wife who is talking about us getting an XBox 360 but views the PS3 as a waste of money).
It's all uphill from here.
edit: Sorry, Prince of Perisa is not an exclusive property.
Nobel Intent: Changing Climate, Changing Oceans
This Nobel Intent article takes a brief look at global warming affecting our oceans with emphasis on the polar regions. It pains me to think that I will probably live to see polar bears classified as endangered or worse as a direct result of changing climates in the arctic.
Of course, Dick Cheny thinks we have nothing to do with it.
Links 02/14/07
Someplace really warm just froze over, and it's probably already thawing. Despite admitting that climates are growing generally warmer, the Exxon chairman still basically says that he owns our pocketbooks for the next quarter-century.
Still, any progress is good progress.
YouTube: One – A Space Odyssey
The story of 2001 told in about one minute using Lego. Brilliant!
via Daring Fireball
Links 02/04/07
It's like the plague that won't stop killing. I wonder how much of their $39.5 billion dollar profit Exxon is using to get this cleaned up.
Links 02/03/07
Exxon: "Here's $10,000. Now go sow public confusion about climate change like a good boy."
The Politico: Gore to Testify on Climate Change
Gore will be testifying before two committees he has served on in the past regarding recent climate change. It's interesting that he is the only witness who will be testifying at this time. I wonder why there are not some more.
AppleInsider: Apple working on hot-unpluggable iPods
All I can say is this: It's about time! (Really, this whole mounting and unmounting of physical drives is so 80s!)
Adium
This Mac OS X chat client is great, and now it has (finally) reached 1.0 status!
Globe and Mail: Exxon's 'outlandish' earnings spark furor
Isn't this the second or third year in a row Exxon has posted record profits? They really aren't even trying to hide the exploitive greed anymore. They just attempt to justify it.
iClip 4
This is a very nice update to a small app I really like. It provides multiple clipboards that any application can access. If you are a Mac user, you should try iClip out. (Warning: this link is not Internet Explorer friendly.)
via TUAW
iConcertCal
This is an
interesting hack of the iTunes visualizer. It
retrieves information about upcoming concerts in your
area based on artists in your iTunes collection. I
have to admit that this is pretty neat (and that no
one I like ever comes to Indy). The program is
available for Mac + Windows.
via TUAW
CPUs: Let them do the thing everyone
else tells them not to
This post
fits in so well with my philosophy of education, and
I love the image at the beginning!
Links 01/28/07
Games Radar takes a look at once hot video game properties that have lost their luster over the years and sequels.
Radio Free Europe: Siberia's Once-Frozen Tundra Is Melting
This is yet another development that will result in major science book revisions (as well as massive amounts of carbon being released into the atmosphere). I guess we will have to call it semi-permafrost in the future.
Ron Emmons: The Bizarre Baobab
A photographer writes about one of the more unique creations of nature. You really have to see these to to believe them.
Dan Russell continues his posts on making sense of complicated information. More good stuff!
Links 01/14/07
"Grandpa, what were ski lifts for?"
I'll be linking to some of these in an upcoming post in my Presentation Tips section, but here they are early:
- Presentation Zen: Steve Jobs At Macworld: "We come from different worlds."
- Seth's Blog: When you should stop improving
- Create your Communications Experience: Jobs Versus Gates
- DC-Connect: Who Advised Stan?
Two posts about the iPhone here. In one, Kathy Sierra writes about the intangible qualities of the iPhone interface. In the other, Jason Fried writes about the lack of tangible features in the iPhone interface. Two good reads.
Links 01/11/07
Sigh. I told you iPod cellular was a better name.
Yahoo! News; Dell: PC Industry Needs to Go Green
This Plant a Tree for Me program is actually pretty cool.
Links 01/07/07
The EPA ranks Apple much higher in terms of eco-friendliness than GreenPeace does. Of course, the two groups could have completely different standards. I expect we'll hear a response from GreenPeace about this in a couple of days...
Links 01/04/07
Scott Stevenson gives some very level-headed and compelling reasons why so much Mac software will be Leopard-only next year.
It's Knuttz: Video Games Console Evolutions
This site has pictures of bunches of consoles through the decades along with packaging and controllers! Modem users beware.
Yahoo! News: ExxonMobil Paid to Mislead Public
Imagine that – a big oil company trying to mislead the public. My favorite quote:
"...ExxonMobil based its tactics on those of tobacco companies, spreading uncertainty by misrepresenting peer-reviewed scientific studies or cherry-picking facts."