Fri - October 22, 2004
Sun - August 15, 2004
Scoble reports rumors of Mac Tablet
Abstract: Industry guru Bob Scoble reports new rumors of a MacTablet.
I think this is sorely needed for education and I hope he is
right.
(From a Starbucks in Ashland Oregon) I believe
Tablets are way more than super PDA's or a laptop with pen input. Their
vertical format is a big plus. This opens up a possibility that tablets could
be a tool that could replace textbooks and enable textbooks to include time
based media. IMHO the big problem with e-books as they were first implemented
was that the traditional implementation of them on computers that included such
non-book things as keyboards made them much less convenient than
books.
Also, tablets could replace paper notepads. Paper notepads are still the standard note taking tool during class lectures. For a lot of folks paper note pads are a better way to take notes during lectures than laptop computers based upon keyboard input. Some people don’t keyboard as well as they type, plus keyboarding limits people to just text input. I think notepads can do for input what graphical displays did for output.
Lastly, I think that tablets could replace laptops. They include the ability to do what laptops do and so much more.
I think tablets are real "disruptive technology" that just needs evangelism to take off. I think this is going to happen with or without Apple. I hope Apple does a tablet because I love Apples and I’d hate to have to switch from them for my portable computing needs.
Also, tablets could replace paper notepads. Paper notepads are still the standard note taking tool during class lectures. For a lot of folks paper note pads are a better way to take notes during lectures than laptop computers based upon keyboard input. Some people don’t keyboard as well as they type, plus keyboarding limits people to just text input. I think notepads can do for input what graphical displays did for output.
Lastly, I think that tablets could replace laptops. They include the ability to do what laptops do and so much more.
I think tablets are real "disruptive technology" that just needs evangelism to take off. I think this is going to happen with or without Apple. I hope Apple does a tablet because I love Apples and I’d hate to have to switch from them for my portable computing needs.
Posted at 03:06 PM Read More
Fri - August 13, 2004
I went to Microsoft
Abstract: I went to Microsoft and
met Bob Scoble and several other talented individuals.
I went to Microsoft! There I met Bob
Scoble. Bob used to work for me as a student assistant back, as they
say, "in the day." I cannot say enough good things about Bob. He is a creative
genius the way Mozart or Lance Armstrong is. He has that gift to see and focus
on that thing we miss. In his talent he can see and to focus on what his talent
is, indeed I would guess, he is driven by it. His talent is technology and the
creative use of it. He is a Microsoft Longhorn
evangelist
Robert showed me around Microsoft, introduced me to several people there and we totally geeked out. We had some great talks with Microsoft folks about Windows, Linux, Macintosh and the state of tech in higher education. Then, we went to the Company Store. All I can say is, "wow!" After that we went to his house and I spent a very enjoyable evening with him, his wife Maryam and their son Patrick. She had prepared a wonderful and well presented meal. That was a real treat! After the meal we talked, drank some good Idaho wine and Robert and I played a cool game and I got fragged many times. (This game is still in Beta. It is a great game, but I suck at video games in general.)
Robert showed me around Microsoft, introduced me to several people there and we totally geeked out. We had some great talks with Microsoft folks about Windows, Linux, Macintosh and the state of tech in higher education. Then, we went to the Company Store. All I can say is, "wow!" After that we went to his house and I spent a very enjoyable evening with him, his wife Maryam and their son Patrick. She had prepared a wonderful and well presented meal. That was a real treat! After the meal we talked, drank some good Idaho wine and Robert and I played a cool game and I got fragged many times. (This game is still in Beta. It is a great game, but I suck at video games in general.)
Posted at 07:12 AM Read More
Tue - June 8, 2004
Professors Weblogging
Abstract: SJSU Professor Dennis Dunleavy
is weblogging! I think use of weblogs by faculty is a wonderful
innovation. His weblog is a great example. Dennis Dunleavy's weblog extends
the reach of the classroom beyond the classroom and it invites the world into
the classroom.
A lot of what we have seen in the way of
instructional media in the past has served to extend the classroom in its most
boring aspect. Before the web we had (and still do have) Instructional
Television (ITV.)
ITV, which evolved into web based evolution into streaming media, has too often meant the broadcast of a person sitting in front of a camera talking. This talking head was typically delivering a typically boring lecture. Just what are we supposed to do with that? What use of bandwidth is this making? If it is the intention of the instructor to deliver content this way, why not just use audio-only web based delivery and not waste the valuable bandwidth (and staff time) producing static video?
Some professors and other content producers have extended the delivery of educational content by incorporating screen shots or time based computer screen media into their content. This is great for teaching computer science. If the action is happening on a computer screen showing students a computer based video has real value. Beyond that I do not think this is a great improvement. Some computer based and delivered instruction consists mostly of title slides (with a few graphics) on a screen. The ubiquitous Power Point presentation, delivered with a lecture, now can put people to sleep at home as well as the classroom.
Other professors and content providers have been more creative and, with careful observance of copyright laws, have enriched their content with visual and audio content collected outside of the classroom. This can be stills, video and field interviews. This is a vast improvement, in my opinion, over lecture based media, but it is still one way delivery of content. In essence it is a dynamic lecture that does not allow real time feedback.
This is where the revolution of folks like Dennis Dunleavy comes in. In a school that teaches Mass Communications, Dunleavy is making it happen! His content is visually dynamic, it is thought provoking, it is both asynchronous and interactive and it extends the concept of learning into the realm of the global community. I hope he starts a revolution at my alma mater.
ITV, which evolved into web based evolution into streaming media, has too often meant the broadcast of a person sitting in front of a camera talking. This talking head was typically delivering a typically boring lecture. Just what are we supposed to do with that? What use of bandwidth is this making? If it is the intention of the instructor to deliver content this way, why not just use audio-only web based delivery and not waste the valuable bandwidth (and staff time) producing static video?
Some professors and other content producers have extended the delivery of educational content by incorporating screen shots or time based computer screen media into their content. This is great for teaching computer science. If the action is happening on a computer screen showing students a computer based video has real value. Beyond that I do not think this is a great improvement. Some computer based and delivered instruction consists mostly of title slides (with a few graphics) on a screen. The ubiquitous Power Point presentation, delivered with a lecture, now can put people to sleep at home as well as the classroom.
Other professors and content providers have been more creative and, with careful observance of copyright laws, have enriched their content with visual and audio content collected outside of the classroom. This can be stills, video and field interviews. This is a vast improvement, in my opinion, over lecture based media, but it is still one way delivery of content. In essence it is a dynamic lecture that does not allow real time feedback.
This is where the revolution of folks like Dennis Dunleavy comes in. In a school that teaches Mass Communications, Dunleavy is making it happen! His content is visually dynamic, it is thought provoking, it is both asynchronous and interactive and it extends the concept of learning into the realm of the global community. I hope he starts a revolution at my alma mater.
Posted at 09:57 AM Read More
Thu - April 29, 2004
My next Mac may not be a Mac
Abstract: Apple has a history of defining
the personal computer industry, but I think they are missing the boat by not
producing a tablet Mac.
Steve, cast off your Newton nightmares and rescue this devoted Macophile before the dark side tempts me and I am gone, forever.
Steve, cast off your Newton nightmares and rescue this devoted Macophile before the dark side tempts me and I am gone, forever.
A couple of weeks ago I went to the bookstore at
SJSU. The Apple student rep was out front with a maxed out G5 with a huge
display playing a rock concert. As awesome as this computer is it is not the
computer with the most potential to totally change the educational computing
environment and to take over and dominate
education.
In my opinion that computer is the tablet personal computer. Not only does Apple not have one neither did the bookstore. I believe that all the tablet personal computer needs to take off is a manufacturer with talent that has a driven and energetic sales and marketing engine that is in-tune with higher education.
I believe that could be Apple. If not Apple, who. Microsoft has Bob Scoble , but despite Bob's energy this is a big market. Well, Bob has sold me. When I get a tablet I am going to show it to a lot of people. It might be a slow revolution, but it also took a long time for the Internet to catch on! My next computer may be a tablet and if not a Mac, well; Bob has a lot of great things to say about Longhorn!
In my opinion that computer is the tablet personal computer. Not only does Apple not have one neither did the bookstore. I believe that all the tablet personal computer needs to take off is a manufacturer with talent that has a driven and energetic sales and marketing engine that is in-tune with higher education.
I believe that could be Apple. If not Apple, who. Microsoft has Bob Scoble , but despite Bob's energy this is a big market. Well, Bob has sold me. When I get a tablet I am going to show it to a lot of people. It might be a slow revolution, but it also took a long time for the Internet to catch on! My next computer may be a tablet and if not a Mac, well; Bob has a lot of great things to say about Longhorn!
Posted at 06:55 PM Read More
Thu - January 29, 2004
The font fairy cometh finally!
Abstract: Yesterday when I was at work I
checked my Email. There it was, my fonts, all 477K of them.
Despite Steven at Adobe who said my fonts were too
big to Email because they would be over 2MB, despite the "customer service"
person who said my fonts were in the mail to me, despite all the promises last
week that I'd have my fonts in 24 hours, yesterday they just appeared.
The fonts were not over 2MB. They were not delivered by US Mail. They were less than half a meg and were sent as a zip file attached to an Email. It makes me wonder, why couldn't this have been done five days ago? Why was I placed on hold so much and simply told things that were not true? Could it have been the customer support people at Adobe just wanted me to get off the phone and go away? I suspect so.
The fonts were not over 2MB. They were not delivered by US Mail. They were less than half a meg and were sent as a zip file attached to an Email. It makes me wonder, why couldn't this have been done five days ago? Why was I placed on hold so much and simply told things that were not true? Could it have been the customer support people at Adobe just wanted me to get off the phone and go away? I suspect so.
Posted at 05:17 AM Read More
Wed - January 28, 2004
No visit yet from the font fairy
Abstract: Adobe Customer Support
Complaint!!! Today is seven days since I ordered my fonts. Yesterday, after my
twelfth call to Adobe Customer Support, I learned that my fonts have been, or
are being, mailed to me. The customer support rep said she didn't know when or
from where. She said, "I am just a worker bee."
Yes, I was put on hold again. When the customer
support rep opened my case record she said, "oh my." She said, "a
representative called twice and he left a message." I said, "yes, but he didn't
leave his last name or a return phone number." She said, "the font package was
over two megs and it was too big to Email to you." I said, "I can receive an
email up to three megs at home and there is no limit at work." She said, "we
can't send an email that is over 2MB out of Adobe." I said, "this is a family
of six fonts, why not send six emails that are smaller." She said she doesn't
know and she does not have the ability to fix the problem. Finally the core of
the problem!
This is not about Adobe, this is not about fonts, this is about an industry epidemic of so-called customer support organizations that does not empower, enable or require the people doing tech support to resolve issues. These people on these teams are not accountable or even accessible. Nobody takes ownership of problems, you can't even call back the person who is supposedly helping you. Their apparent goal is to get the customer off the phone. The person I talked to last night couldn't even tell me if my fonts had been mailed yet.
This is not about Adobe, this is not about fonts, this is about an industry epidemic of so-called customer support organizations that does not empower, enable or require the people doing tech support to resolve issues. These people on these teams are not accountable or even accessible. Nobody takes ownership of problems, you can't even call back the person who is supposedly helping you. Their apparent goal is to get the customer off the phone. The person I talked to last night couldn't even tell me if my fonts had been mailed yet.
Posted at 06:45 AM Read More
Mon - January 26, 2004
Day five, still no fonts...
Abstract: A definite Adobe customer complaint!
After about ten calls to Adobe customer support I have gotten to speak to more
nice people at Adobe; and I still do not have my fonts!
I called tech support twice and I have been put on
hold way longer than I care to admit. Sitting on hold made me think of the
"Internet
Help Desk" at Deadtroll . I can imagine them
saying, "welcome to Adobe tech support, please
hold."
I even got a voice mail from a supervisor from Adobe named Steven who wanted to resolve the issue (after about 10 calls.) Steven was helpful and sounded very concerned, but he didn't leave a return number.
I have a dream, in that dream my email box has my fonts sitting there and/or my doorbell would be ringing with the mail person delivering an express package with a CD containing my fonts, and maybe a letter of apology, and maybe even a coupon for more fonts. I am a good Adobe customer, I have purchased the complete print to web suite twice! ( in both PC and Mac), I am a regular up-grader and am planning a complete upgrade to CS. I am trying to do the right thing and buy legitimate fonts for this book project. I think Adobe, as well as Quark (and some other companies I know,) needs to reconsider its customer service priorities.
I even got a voice mail from a supervisor from Adobe named Steven who wanted to resolve the issue (after about 10 calls.) Steven was helpful and sounded very concerned, but he didn't leave a return number.
I have a dream, in that dream my email box has my fonts sitting there and/or my doorbell would be ringing with the mail person delivering an express package with a CD containing my fonts, and maybe a letter of apology, and maybe even a coupon for more fonts. I am a good Adobe customer, I have purchased the complete print to web suite twice! ( in both PC and Mac), I am a regular up-grader and am planning a complete upgrade to CS. I am trying to do the right thing and buy legitimate fonts for this book project. I think Adobe, as well as Quark (and some other companies I know,) needs to reconsider its customer service priorities.
Posted at 09:16 PM Read More
Sun - January 25, 2004
Quark vs. Adobe, a race to the bottom?
Abstract: In this blog I have ragged on
Quark more than once. My frustration in dealing with them has been mostly due
to what in my opinion is poor customer service. I had decided to deal with
Adobe and use Adobe InDesign where possible. Now I have had to deal with
Adobe's customer service organization and in my opinion I have found the
experience, unfortunately, about the same!
Quark
My most recent Quark fiasco follows my purchase of Quark a couple of months ago. I am an educational user and Quark would only ship the copy of Quark I purchased to the university. I had to get a letter from the associate dean to activate Quark. Even though I bought Quark and a mobile license it took many calls, apparently to India, to get my software activated. It was very frustrating. Now, just a few weeks ago, a department at SJSU bought 10 copies of Quark. Quark shipped the software to my house by mistake, along with the activation codes. I guess since I had my problems somebody at Quark has entered in my home address as the address of San Jose State University! I am going to watch my Visa bill very closely to be sure they did not enter that too.
Adobe
All this is because I am working with my wife to produce a book on a computer software application. For this book we need to use Quark and we need to use the font "New Caledonia." That's all well and good except I do not own this font! We are in production on the book. No problem, I thought, I would just buy and download the font and get back to work. That was four days and about eight calls to Adobe tech support ago. I still do not have the font.
This what I got Thursday (and still get.) I called and was told by Adobe tech support that their server was down. So, I called the next day. I was told the server would return to life in a couple of hours and to try again then. I did, as far as I have ever gotten is this:
They have reinitialized the download. Finally they said they would Email me the fonts. It is Sunday night and I still have not received my fonts. I have called and called Adobe tech support. I have been nice, they have been nice. But, so far, I have spoken to Adobe's tech support and it seems the only thing I have gotten is my credit card charged.
My most recent Quark fiasco follows my purchase of Quark a couple of months ago. I am an educational user and Quark would only ship the copy of Quark I purchased to the university. I had to get a letter from the associate dean to activate Quark. Even though I bought Quark and a mobile license it took many calls, apparently to India, to get my software activated. It was very frustrating. Now, just a few weeks ago, a department at SJSU bought 10 copies of Quark. Quark shipped the software to my house by mistake, along with the activation codes. I guess since I had my problems somebody at Quark has entered in my home address as the address of San Jose State University! I am going to watch my Visa bill very closely to be sure they did not enter that too.
Adobe
All this is because I am working with my wife to produce a book on a computer software application. For this book we need to use Quark and we need to use the font "New Caledonia." That's all well and good except I do not own this font! We are in production on the book. No problem, I thought, I would just buy and download the font and get back to work. That was four days and about eight calls to Adobe tech support ago. I still do not have the font.
This what I got Thursday (and still get.) I called and was told by Adobe tech support that their server was down. So, I called the next day. I was told the server would return to life in a couple of hours and to try again then. I did, as far as I have ever gotten is this:
They have reinitialized the download. Finally they said they would Email me the fonts. It is Sunday night and I still have not received my fonts. I have called and called Adobe tech support. I have been nice, they have been nice. But, so far, I have spoken to Adobe's tech support and it seems the only thing I have gotten is my credit card charged.
Posted at 07:27 PM Read More
Sun - January 11, 2004
MacWorld 2004, Epilogue
Abstract: MacWorld 2004 was one of the
best in years. Most of what I saw was evolutionary, not revolutionary, and that
is okay. Mac OS X is built on a solid core and this is a good time for products
to mature, evolve and the platform to entrench itself.
I have resisted Panther. I have nothing against the OS, except maybe concerns with the, in my opinion, somewhat sketchy quality control with the first release. It is just that I have not seen anything I need in this release. It's like when they released Windows XP. It's nice and pretty but Windows 2000 still does everything I need done. Jaguar gets done what I need done. Why fix what isn't broken?
Since MacWorld my wish list has been extended. There was some really cool stuff there. But, the growing iPod centricity of the event made me wonder. Is the day far off where we will have an event devoted to Apple's music and perhaps video entertainment business eclipse the Mac side of the house? Will Apple spin off its computer business and become a digital entertainment content provider? Is that too far fetched? Will that happen, "when hell freezes over"?
Posted at 10:06 AM Read More
Fri - January 9, 2004
Live again, day two, the last entry!
Abstract:
A MACWORLD FINALE, LIVE
AGAIN (DAY TWO)... When I saw
the roll out of "Garage Band" on a pretty poor web stream I said, "yea,
whatever." I just saw the demo at the Apple booth. I take what I said back,
this is a killer
app!
It is just for musicians, if you want to publish
slide shows or do movies and want some background music, YOU NEED GARAGE BAND!
I see this as a great way of putting a little spice into in-house productions or
training material without adding "canned music" royalty free music or paying big
bucks to ASCAP. The loops built into this product allow the creation of tons of
light music that won't sound like muzak.
The new iPhoto is a greatly improved product. The old version required work arounds like using programs like "iPhoto Library Manager."
The whole iApp package has some very good upgrades and is clearly worth a lot more than the almost $50 price tag.
The new iPhoto is a greatly improved product. The old version required work arounds like using programs like "iPhoto Library Manager."
The whole iApp package has some very good upgrades and is clearly worth a lot more than the almost $50 price tag.
Posted at 03:17 PM Read More
Live again, day two
Abstract:
A MACWORLD REPRISE, LIVE
AGAIN (DAY TWO)... It was a
good show. I had to come back. I spent more money! I want more than I can
afford. Too much FUN!!!
I am back at the Microsoft booth grabbing air time
off Belkin's wide open access point. I really like Microsoft's exhibit of old
Macs. It reminds me of the Spartan Daily's newsroom just a couple of years ago.
I saw more killer products, The Canon Optura Xi camera wowed me. Digital video
is amazing and the camera is a dream! I also have decided I need a Wacom pad
for working in PhotoShop. As a frustrated former network admin I am really
interested in cross platform functionality. I met the president of Thursby
software. I am impressed with their product "ADmitMac" which looks to me to
provide better Active Directory integration than what is built into Panther. It
supports roaming profiles and DFS, which Panther does not. Plus, it doesn't
touch the Active Directory schema!
I joined the National Association of PhotoShop Professionals. It looks like a great organization.
The show poster is killer, a sure collector's item. The show store has a closeout sale. Everything in the store is $10. I got two shirts and a backpack for $30. I am having a great time!
I joined the National Association of PhotoShop Professionals. It looks like a great organization.
The show poster is killer, a sure collector's item. The show store has a closeout sale. Everything in the store is $10. I got two shirts and a backpack for $30. I am having a great time!
Posted at 11:57 AM Read More
Wed - January 7, 2004
Postscript (After the show)
Abstract:
AFTER MACWORLD...
It was a good show. I didn't
spend too much money. I found some things I wish I could
buy...
I was especially impressed by the talk by Scott
Kelly, who spoke about some of the features in PhotoShop CS. It is a very
impressive product! Kelly is a real PhotoShop magician and a good speaker. He
makes it all look so easy! I wish I could remember all his tips! There is a
National Association of Photoshop Professionals that sounds like a great
organization for PhotoShop users.
The Adobe Creative Suite is very impressive. There is a new add-on for InDesign to address the needs of migrating PageMaker users. The Pagemaker Plug-in pack for InDesign adds some nice functionality, like working with data bases to do a data merge, as well as bulleting and automatic numbering (as Word does.)
Rick Smolan was here today, I am sorry I missed him! The folks at Epson showed new scanners, it's amazing how fast last years kick ass hardware becomes feeble and obsolete in a year. The folks at Nikon said a new camera is coming out in about a month. I saw the new CoolScan V, I liked that! Otherwise, I was very impressed with the Canon Rebel. I bought an enclosure for my iPod. I also bought a copy of Disk Warrior and Master Juggler. I also got a one year subscription to the VersionTracker Pro/MacFixIt Bundle.
I found out some solutions to work flow problems printing to IP printers from Quark. I talked to the Apple folks about Panther upgrade paths. I will learn more when I come back on Friday! I am currently at the SF Bay Area InDesign User Group meeting, so I gotta go!
The Adobe Creative Suite is very impressive. There is a new add-on for InDesign to address the needs of migrating PageMaker users. The Pagemaker Plug-in pack for InDesign adds some nice functionality, like working with data bases to do a data merge, as well as bulleting and automatic numbering (as Word does.)
Rick Smolan was here today, I am sorry I missed him! The folks at Epson showed new scanners, it's amazing how fast last years kick ass hardware becomes feeble and obsolete in a year. The folks at Nikon said a new camera is coming out in about a month. I saw the new CoolScan V, I liked that! Otherwise, I was very impressed with the Canon Rebel. I bought an enclosure for my iPod. I also bought a copy of Disk Warrior and Master Juggler. I also got a one year subscription to the VersionTracker Pro/MacFixIt Bundle.
I found out some solutions to work flow problems printing to IP printers from Quark. I talked to the Apple folks about Panther upgrade paths. I will learn more when I come back on Friday! I am currently at the SF Bay Area InDesign User Group meeting, so I gotta go!
Posted at 07:15 PM Read More
Where's the good wireless access point?
Abstract:
MORE LIVE FROM MACWORLD...
Most of the wireless access
points at MacWorld don't work!
The only access point I could fine that worked is
the Belkin AP, right next to the Microsoft booth. It is within easy range of
the Microsoft "theater". Oh, they are starting a virtual PC demo, cool
SOLITARE!
Posted at 04:47 PM Read More
David Pogue, you didn't really mean that...
Abstract:
MORE LIVE FROM MACWORLD...
Warning, I am blogging this!
(I don't think David Pogue knew that when he described education is a "niche
market" for Apple.)
At the O'Reilly booth I ran into David Pogue, the
author of several books on operating systems and applications for O'Reilly,
including the Missing Manual series for Mac OS X. Jokingly I asked, pointing to
the Apple booth, "where are the MacTablets?" He said, "why would anybody want
one of those?" I said, "they'd be a killer machine for education, with their
vertical footprints they could replace textbooks, replace paper note pads as
well as function as wireless laptops." He said, "for hundreds less you can get
a laptop and not have to hand write." I said, "have you seen the Toshiba
TabletPCs? For education they are killer machines. The screens rotate and in
education the possibilities of using handwriting recognition is a bonus! With
the ability to distribute textbooks as Ebooks, the capabilities of such a
machine, should Apple choose to build one would be great for
education!
Pogue said, "well I guess their are niche markets where they (tablet computers) would have value." Personally I hope neither he, nor Apple, think of education as a niche market! I think education is a core market for Apple. And, I think a MacTablet would be a killer product for education as well as for graphics users who would be able to use what, in effect, would be a portable computer with a built in Wacom tablet. I think Apple is really missing the boat! Niche market indeed.
Pogue said, "well I guess their are niche markets where they (tablet computers) would have value." Personally I hope neither he, nor Apple, think of education as a niche market! I think education is a core market for Apple. And, I think a MacTablet would be a killer product for education as well as for graphics users who would be able to use what, in effect, would be a portable computer with a built in Wacom tablet. I think Apple is really missing the boat! Niche market indeed.
Posted at 03:53 PM Read More
If you build it many won't come anyway...
Bob Scoble, one "think different" kind of guy!
The problem (I think) is the company
Firewire issues resolved in Panther?
Why wither wired?
Software theft has to stop; pay up or go open source!
How do we adapt to a mobile computing environment (#2)
How do we adapt to a mobile computing environment (#1)
Quark lost the order for JMC at SJSU
Panther defrags on the fly?
A Linux eye for the Panther guy...
Panther is cool, but...
The developer's conference for the rest of us...
If you build it they will come
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Published On: Oct 22, 2004 12:13 AM
Published On: Oct 22, 2004 12:13 AM