Post 01A

Exam season has started, and it couldn't have come at a better time.  Perhaps the last four months were filled with some sort of joy and happiness, but it can't be said that it was all fun and games.  For starters, the web course had seen a drastic change, and it went from a fun and helpful course, to a ridiculous and time consuming course that wasn't helpful at all.

That aside, academics is not the topic of this blog, so I'll digress.  as anyone seen the new YouTube layout?  It's been there for about two weeks, and the more I see it, the more annoyed I get.  YouTube has changed its layout more frequently lately, because Google believes they can make it better in the hopes that they can trump Facebook.  It started off as an innocent tweak, really.  I never looked at YouTube as if it's a social networking site at first.  I always looked at it like a video sharing site.  That's all changed now.

Because the norm of society is to always be in the know of what Johnny from down the street is doing at any given time, everything is taking the form of Twitter and Facebook.  People don't need to talk anymore, or share photos of their vacation to Cabot.  All they have to do is put it online so that everyone can see.  What I find most ridiculous is that people don't think they're loud enough in real life, so they need to broadcast what they're thinking to everyone and anyone in the form of Twitter.  It just seems like everyone has to know about you right now, in spite of where you are and what you're doing.  With the dawn of the smartphone, I think people have managed to take that concept and brought it literally everywhere and anywhere. 

Of course, it didn't end with just pictures and simple 140 character blurbs, so that's when Facebook makes an even greater assault.  Many people have Facebook accounts, and they're practically replacements to homepages and blogs.  Every now and then, people do something (i.e..upload a photo/video, visited some place, liked something, wrote something on someone else' wall) and that is now documented as an event.  It automatically is loaded up onto Mark Zuckerberg's networks and the whole world can see.  That's the last straw really.  People have wasted so much time to go on about how they're unique and individual, but here they are, putting their personal lives into the hands of Facebook and trying to grab attention.  If you're so unique and individual, why do you need to join in with other people who believe they're unique and individual by showcasing it on Facebook?

That's perhaps what's gotten into Windows Phone 7 and YouTube.  "Events" or anything, that is new, is now posted like a news feed.  That's why the new YouTube is so annoying.  It now lists everything, like a news feed in the similar fashion that Facebook is doing.  Windows Phone 7 has been even FOCUSING onto the fact that it was all about having your friends' events appear as a huge news feed.  While I understand that catching up with the times is necessary, can someone explain to me why following in the footsteps of Facebook is necessary?  It's precisely the same reason why a lot of the population does not like the new Windows Live Messenger.  This Facebook obsession has to stop.  If it can't even give people the freedom to enjoy their favourite webpages, then I think it's intruding into people's lives.  That alone, is crime worthy of punishment.

Post 019

Apple computer may be the most valuable IT company to date, but most of what it is today, actually narrows down to one man, Steve Jobs.

Steve Jobs was more than just a CEO.  He was an innovative man, who never really stopped moving forward.  Yes, ideas for a touchscreen phone wasn't new, an mp3 player whose real specialty was its large hard drive and the clickwheel can hardly be passed as amazing, but there was a thin layer of icing on these products that make the average consumer so amazed.

There always is this unspoken exclusivity whenever it came to an Apple product.  It's like an invisible ward whenever passing the Apple store in the mall, or walking by those black tables at your local big box electronic store.  Much like Steve Jobs, these were the vessels that carried these minimalistic, yet very mysterious devices.  The one thing that made Apple so outstanding was not because their products were usually more expensive than their competitors or because it was so much prettier, but because how well they worked.

In the last few years, Apple has been rolling out with updates, refreshes and even newer generations of each product within a 12-16 month product cycle.  It was a move to declare war against the conformists.  Conformists have now done everything they can, to stand still in time, as they continue to purchase machines that never got any better ever since 2002.  Apple aimed to win these conforming consumers over, by wowing them and showing them, that machines cannot stand still.  This moved in accordance to Moore's Law, and actually explains very well, how society defied it, and tried to stay still after the advent of Windows XP.  Everyone was finally able to get their hands on a computer without freaking out at the cryptic bits and pieces of Bill Gates' software because Windows XP worked.  Windows XP sat around for at least 4 years before Vista came about and was widely rejected.  People still clung on to Windows XP.  It was madness.  It was wrong.

Steve Jobs' greatest achievement was to really show these people that there was a better alternative.  The dawn of the Information Age has caused the speed at which things should be done to take a rapid increase.  So, with that, Apple started to get an upper hand on the war. 

Steve Jobs, being just as charismatic and just as innovative as the products he oversees, have finally won the people over.  Apple is no longer just an exclusive club waiting to die.  It was a growing party.  To drive the point home, Steve Jobs even presented himself, in a minimalistic form with the turtleneck and jeans, just to embody the spirit in which Apple will work.  Every machine ever since the iPod nano has been absolutely nothing short of phenomenal.  Did they have faults?  Of course.  The release of the iPhone in 2007 was often ignored because no one was ready for it.  The MacBook Air was too impractical.  That list can grow.

However, Apple did not stop.  They only made better and better machines, with improved battery life, better form factor, yearly OS tweaks.  It was amazing.  Apple is no longer that beige box in the corner of every late 90's elementary school classroom.  Apple is now, in everyone's pockets, purses, jackets, backpacks, labs...you name it.  For this, we salute you, Steve Jobs. 

Post 018

October 4th is a day that was perhaps slightly over-hyped in my world.  Part of me had wished for a change starting in the early morning.  I had gone to bed, thinking that I could make a difference.  I would step up and really let loose a volley of well-constructed phrases that not only explained to the prof of my web components course that despite my respecting him for that PhD title that he holds, I do not agree with his teaching methods.

I wanted to tell him that he was difficult to follow.  The fact that he runs to his laptop, to the whiteboard, scribbles some random note, and decides to pass it off as teaching irks me.  I want to point all these flaws out to him, but I find myself sitting back and just giving up.  While leaning back in my seat, I raise my feet so that my legs are parallel to the ground.  Using my arms I push onto the underside of the table behind me, and start stretching my shoulder muscles.  I started to stare blankly at the screen and realize, why this was a useless idea.  He hadn't listened two minutes ago when my fellow peers tried to explain that there are nonexistent classmates on their team list.

This is what perhaps causes the biggest pain for me, as I find that I do not seem to get the motivation to make something of my education when the educator doesn't seem to give me the support I'm looking for.  Strike 1.  I'm feeling that this is becoming a write-off day.

The high point of the day must be Chevy's demonstration at Yonge Dundas Square.  Having the chance to parallel park the Chevy Orlando, and test drive the much hyped Chevy Volt, I feel that I can only shake my head at the thought of new cars.  Most new cars have New Car Syndrome.  The steering racks are all now electric-assisted power steering.  There is no feel to the front wheels.  It's like turning a very loose circle, with no feel of how much force is fighting back from the road.  That's before I get to the windows.  New cars have large windows up front and ever shrinking windows till you reach the back, where you're lucky if the designer didn't decide to put a spoiler in the middle of your rear window, cutting down the already small window to something even smaller.  I should get used to looking out of a porthole, because that's what rear windows will look like in the future.

Then came the news from Cupertino.  For months, I had been preaching of the arrival of the iPhone 5.  I spoke of a larger screen, an 8MP camera, the A5 processor, faster speeds, a replacement touch button instead of the home button, and a slimmer design.  The A5 processor, 8MP camera and higher speed came into fruition by means of Moore's Law, but the rest was all gone.  Not only was there no iPhone 5, but there was an iPhone 4S.  It was lackluster.  It was boring, it was stupid, and it seemed recycled.  Apple had spent extra time to push this out, totally trumped our expectations of a summer launch just so they can have a presentation for a machine that clearly was sub-par by Apple's standards.

Perhaps graphics will be a change.  Maybe I can ask a question that can solve my problems.  I could finally solve my headache from last night.  Perhaps I was wrong.  Not only was it difficult to present my problem when there was nothing to explain my situation, I also couldn't get any pointers to solving the problem.  This was too much to handle.

I'm dubbing this disappointment day.  It's not so bad that it'd be considered a bad day.  However, it's so difficult to comprehend how so many things can just fall short of expectation on the same day.  October 4th : Disappointment Day.....*sigh*

Post 017

The first week of September is often dedicated to new beginnings.  New school year, new friends, new courses, new classes, new profs/teachers, new schoolbag, new notebooks, new pencils.....I'll let that list run on.  As it is the first week of school for most universities, ours doesn't fail at being a regular university. 

The best part is all the free stuff being offered, along with all the clubs and student groups opening up spots along Gould Street promoting their own group.  That is what really gets a year going, along with, a whole slew of other things, including losing your way to class.

I suppose a new term is always great as it usually starts on a Tuesday for Ryerson.  Last year, it started at 10 o'clock with a peculiar professor, who's three hours of lectures are barely bearable, despite being sometimes informative.  This year, most of the people have opted to take part in a course that starts at 8 am every Tuesday morning.  Past experience has gotten most of the class to expect a particular professor, known for relative ease in course material, and even greater ease with multiple choice tests and exams, followed by simple labs and even a fun final project.  Perhaps, that dream has made this particular course too much to look forward to, because this class did not happen in the end.  Our class went by with no prof at all, and thus began the new school year.

Perhaps when people say that a new school year should always be marked with something to look forward to, I am pretty certain that they did not mean this at all.  Although, to be honest, it's not worth looking forward to, considering there really is no gain to it.  After all, having waken up at such an early hour just to know that we were down there for no reason is not entirely ideal.

What DID confuse me quite a bit though...was how accessibility has become so important, that while there were people performing on stage, singing/rapping songs...there was a person..signing the songs out.  That is a job that I won't want.  Doing sign language to rap songs....such a difficult thing to do.  What if there was explicit content?

However your first week went, let's hope it was a good week all in all.  Cause when the prof who missed our class finally DID show up to teach us, he completely messed up the course outline.  New profs....always fun to have...always confusing to go through as well.

Post 016

It's been a little less than two weeks since the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) have brought in the newest subway car, also known as the Toronto Rocket. Amazingly, today is also the first time I got to give the new train a try. Obviously, this is a momentous occasion, as this was a very high profile car, having been talked about for a long time as to it's launch. There have been speculations as to when the launch will take place, and what new features it may or may not have. So far, all these new expected features have been met. It is by far, one of the best machines the TTC owns, and frankly, it has lived up to its hype.

I'm not exactly a perfectionist in many standards. I actually cock about and give leeway to a lot of things mainly due to the fact that I'm particularly lazy. However, there are a few things that I cannot overlook, and that just might be related to why this train has also managed to be characteristically "TTC".

This train is eerily quiet. The previous T1 is forgivable in terms of noise. Aside from the slight whine the motor produces during acceleration, and a similar whine from the regenerative braking during deceleration, the T1 can be considered quiet. The Toronto Rocket has managed to trump this.

The outgoing H6 (which the Toronto Rocket replaces) is perhaps anything but quiet. There was an annoying buzz from the motor during acceleration and deceleration. It was high pitched, nasally, and furthermore, very long winded. To add to the misery of being cramped in the yellow-ish box of the H6, was the occasional generator noise, which, produces noise...but never really seems to generate anything useful to the cabin. The new Toronto Rocket has none of these problems. Gone, is the obnoxious motor whine, the ridiculous generator noises, the announcer voice that sounds like an overbearing government worker, and gone too is the ridiculous doors between subway cars that never really served any purpose.

The knocking down of the door between cars has opened up the cabin, making it seemingly more crowded, but much more open. The Toronto Rocket is by far the best lit of all the subway trains, due partially to the lighting scheme and colour choices, but also because of the brushed steel doors. It makes the outgoing H6 seem even more like a prison cell. The H6 had yellow doors, beige (possibly due to discolouration because of its ridiculous age) walls, and...to add salt to the wound....orange lighting. Couple that ridiculous appearance with an air conditioning system that doesn't work, and causes the entire cabin to smell like a dirty rag, is precisely the reason why the Toronto Rocket couldn't have gotten here any later.

That is only the inside. The outside, is an amazingly futuristic look, the brushed steel, the amazing presence, all free of the ridiculous rivets from the body panels, and free of the inexplicable smearing of red paint that exists on some H6 cars. It is a new car like this, that reminds us Torontonians that we have been traveling in cars that even by 1960s standards, would be considered as jail.

Unfortunately, this is where the bad comes in. The good, we all know about very well : the inter-car passage, the interactive display, the TV monitors, the hypo-germ seats, the security cameras, the wider doors, the quietness, and the futuristic look of it..etc.etc. However, the bad is also just as prominent, and that is precisely why I'm slightly bewildered.

First of all, the eerily quiet cabin has been ruined by the genius who forgot to grease the handlebars. The handlebars came with grip handles, which squeaked throughout the entire journey. The unfortunate part was that the problem was not localized to one grip handle, but to ALL of the grip handles. A ride from downtown Toronto up to Finch is bound to drive someone insane.

Then there's the issue with the air conditioning. Of course, it's miles ahead of the H6's air conditioning, which is comparable to being fanned by a motorized chopstick, as it made noise, and that's it. The Rocket's air conditioning was weak, and it was the sudden moment when the doors were opened did the sudden change in pressure cause the air con to suddenly spit with an extra morsel of coolness. Which brings me to question the usefulness of the overhanging boxes which house the air conditioning units and the information display screen. These boxes sit dead in the centre of the cabin, and they stretch for about 4-5 meters in the cabins, and run in various areas within the long car. It is a virtually impossible spot for tall people to stand, which is unfortunate.

Which relates to this next point : the information screens that are housed in those boxes. They do a great job of informing people of the next station, and which door will open. Unfortunately, this was never designed with blind people in mind, so a blind person will never be able to figure out which door to walk in and out of. The TTC must believe that you are not allowed to be blind to use their subway trains.

The last major complaint is the validity of the tiny 13" monitors. They are so tiny, that they are barely noticeable. They sit on only one side of the cabin, and convey very little information. Sparsely spaced, and filled with the same rubbish information as the subway safety announcements. I'm being unfair with that statement, because there is something even worse than the subway safety announcements, and it comes in the form of : "The Toronto Rocket is jointly funded by the government of Canada, the province of Ontario and the city of Toronto". Hold on a second. They are jointly funded according to the books, yes, but that is still tax payer money that has been kept in the government's reserves for too long. Torontonians have been stuck using ancient technology for 20+ years, and the TTC wants its riders to believe that this overhaul was a blessing and not an owing? I find that hard to accept.

However, I do digress from all of these negative comments, just enough to say this : the new cars really are amazing. Not only are they absolutely fantastic, but they are also worth every penny spent. Let's hope the other cars arrive soon, and no matter what happens, no idiot decides to sully these brand spanking new cars.

Post 015

The 21st post is dedicated to the newest and hottest in the electronics industry : E3 and WWDC. Sad I don't have anything to update in ages...

Let's start with Apple. Every single year, at approximately this time, we wait intently for the new iPhone. No....they can't do that this year, they just released the white iPhone 4. Gotta say...black iPhone 4 is still prettier.

Apple has made a big fuss of making your experience with your iOS device unbelievable. They have been amazing in terms of the little things. It's with time, that you realize how much an Apple product had made a perfect choice in design (unless you own an Apple product and love it already, then any subsequent release will have you saying : wow...nice move). Apple's latest updates are actually nothing short of spectacular. The details, are not worth going over...why have me talk about it when the entire world has coverage on it already. So....start here, then search it up on google if you're still interested.
It's very strange though..Apple has this obsession with saying "10 key features" throughout the entire keynote. Maybe it's a time thing...but I guess it makes sense to talk about 5% of all your new features to keep people on the hook.

E3, has some nice new releases, with Microsoft announcing new Kinect games, especially Forza 4, the new Tom Clancy game and their new Kinect Fun Lab...but what I must say is, Kinect was never really Project Natale. Project Natale debuted at E3 about 2 years ago, and without a doubt, it was amazing back then. Today, it is amazing for what it is, but unfortunately, it never really lived up to it's hype. Perhaps, it was a financial decision that changed the way Kinect is, but without a doubt, fans were slightly disappointed. Let's hope this changes things.

Sony debuted their latest PSP successor, called the Vita. *shrugs*

Now, here's the really amazing part about this time of year, is because we're all really anxious because we're dying for some excitement throughout these summer months. However, that's the sad part. We are so hyped and anxious right now, that by the time these products do come out, we'll be on edge and itching to buy one. We've been talking about it all summer, that by the time these products come out, we'll be so high strung. The worse part is, we're not alone, so by the time you are in the store trying to get your hands on one, you'll end up having to have to fight about 30 other hardcore fans, only to realize, it was sold out about 2 hrs ago, because the first batch sold out that quickly. Of course, unless you're one of those people who line up at midnight, in which case, well....I don't even know what to say considering I've never done that, so I'll have no words of comfort to offer.

Happy waiting!

Post 014

The term is nearing an end, and for most computer science students, this means crunch time.  The trend for this crunch is strangely...videos.  One particular one that caught my eye was done for CPS 621 - Intro to Multimedia.  The class was asked to make videos that promoted Computer science.  The topic isn't entirely broad, and there really isn't much room to make something entertaining, but this group have managed to take the cake.

 

What is most amazing though, is that despite all this uprising in amounts of videos computer science students are making, is the fact that they really are on par with some of the RTA (Radio Television Arts) productions.  Not all videos are perfect, but in many situations, it is safe to say, software really has made a huge leap forward, considering anyone and everyone can really make good videos.

As a little bit of a helping hand, I'll outline a few simple things to making a good video.

1.) Random actors - It's great to follow a guy with a camera and do everything with him being in the story, but throwing in a random person every now and then can really make it interesting.

2.) Don't overuse the preset video transitions - Go watch your favourite sports show.  Aside from the default screen wipe that displays the name of the station, you've never seen anyone use blinds, or star wipes, or any other corny-looking video transition.  In fact, cut shots are your best friend.  A fast paced video uses very few transitions.

3.) Simple shots - Modern cameras also have a video recording function, and in many cases, they also have a lot of very fun memory features, like the use of SD cards, flash memory, etc..etc.  They are easy to import into video editors, and easy to play with.  With short and simple shots, there isn't much of a need to make any changes.

4.) Always save - very self explanatory.

5.) Keep all your recorded video - unless necessary, don't delete any raw footage.  You never know when you need it.

Anyway, 5 simple tips...good luck, have fun, and remember...don't take vids of people who don't want to be in it..because they can beat up you.....I think

Post 013

Interviews, interviews interviews.

One of the biggest fears in a man's life aside from running out of time, is running out of chances.  Man is never afraid of being penniless.  So long as one is capable of working, one will have money, thus rendering the issue of being penniless moot.

However, to BE capable of making money, one must have a job, and for this, one must have the opportunity to interview for said job, and, by a transitive relation, if one screws up an interview, they essentially make themselves penniless.  Which, brings me to the main topic of this post : the Interview.

Many people within the class of 2012 have actually taken the extreme route in which to apply for long internships that will take up the majority of a year, and push their 4th yr in school into a 5th year.  In return, they are granted with loads of experience, contacts, and perhaps some extra cash to pay off their tuition fees (and make a purchase of that new processor they've had their eye on).  So, let's start with the basics : the questions.

Many people who applied to IBM (along with myself) have had different things to say about the interview.  For the same software tester position, some have been asked to write code, some have been asked behavioural questions, and some have even been asked a mix of both.

Luckily for me, my interview questions revolved mainly about behaviour, and a few questions regarding what I've done before.

Due to my old age, I've began to forget bits and pieces of the interview, so a few questions asked involved the following :
1.) Have you worked with/created a database before?  What environment?
2.) Describe a complex project you've worked on, and what happens with teammates who fail to produce. (Yeah....by now, we should have a lot of stories to tell)
3.) Upon creating a business website, what are the components that require testing?
4.) What sort of Linux platforms have you worked on? (To test one's experience really)
5.) Have you worked with web before?
(There are a few more, but...I really have no idea what they are anymore at this point.)
8?) Have you heard about the manhole question?
9?) What sort of role do you play in a team?

Naturally, there are no right or wrong answers as it always varies between jobs.  However, qualifying for a job is a very difficult thing to have happen.  In many cases, looking for a job is difficult in the sense that questions asked during the interview is very very specific to a job you have no understanding of.  So for those who have found a job they'll like, congratulations.  In fact, to make this seem like a major point, Shauniechulo had compiled a list in room 206.

That IBMer List over to the left is essentially what I'm most afraid of.  As you can tell, one name has question marks next to it, and that essentially belongs to Yours Truly.  Wouldn't it suck if I'm stuck not being able to work with Jesus, Santa, Thor and Odin at IBM?  I'd think so.

On a side note : IBM has a nice office.  I mean, I watched them build that place cause I lived around the area, but wow, from the inside, it's a lot more impressive than I thought.  For all you people interested in a job in the future...might I suggest IBM?

Post 012

So, after Mac OSX Lion, what better to talk about than the recent release of the iPad 2?  iPad 2 is basically Apple's latest answer to threats from it's competitors including the Samsung Galaxy Tab, the Blackberry Playbook, the HP Xoom and the LG....um....I remember the name of that thing.....I'll remember eventually.

The sad reality behind all of these "competitors" to the iPad is that they are all copies.  Cute copies, but nevertheless, futile.  It was very similar to the iPhone.  After the iPhone was released, there were competitors, and there were competitors.  There were competitors that were merely copies, like the various HTC devices that came out prior to the release of the Dream/Magic and they actually did pretty well.  It is without a doubt that the only TRUE competitor for the iPhone is none other than the Android-powered devices of the Samsung Galaxy S phones.  These phones are available for every known carrier on the planet, and backed by a pretty good Android OS which gets better and better with every software update.  These were fine and good phones.  They started off as copies, but nevertheless, they have grown in their own respective manner and have really gave Apple a run for their money while trying hard to stave off this growing threat.

However, there were the other competitors.  The ones that never really stacked up.  The various touchscreen LGs, the Nokia N5800 and its variants...the list goes on.  I was once presented with the Nokia N5800 with a very ambitious commentary, saying it was "an iPhone fighter".  The only thing that phone can ever take in a real fight, is probably itself, because of how slow the Symbian OS was, often besting itself in how slow and how unintuitive the controls on a phone can actually be.  On a side note : Nokia's CEO was angry that Nokia is losing the smartphone battle a while back.  Hint hint : run your devices with Android, and you'll be fine.

So, the reality of the situation is : Apple comes out with a great product, people love it, some people try hard to create a "competitor", and they make utterly ridiculous copies.  Let's start off with the Galaxy Tab.  Yes, it's fast.  Yes, it's running on Android, but the truth is, it really never was as amazing as the iPad.  The iPad is supposedly a major leap forward in that it really turned mobile computing from the dinky netbooks into something amazing to use.  The iPad is like, a clipboard, it's like a book, it's like a video player, it's basically, the bare bits and pieces of today's computing habits, all rolled into one thin, beautiful slate, that really attracts people to buy one.

So that brings me on to the release of the new iPad 2.  I've said before that the first iPad was mind blowing.  It made sense after you've played with it.  It seems to work out just right.  So, what is it then that Apple could do to make improvement on such great success?  Simple, a thinner device, lighter, greater video performance, and the cameras that its competitors have, and most of all, a better processor.  That's not all.  The folks at Apple have also revealed something very very revolutionary in the form of a magnetic cover.  The cover is a magnet stuck to a cover, which basically covers the machine and protects the precious touch screen.  However, that's not all.  There is more.  Upon lifting the cover, the screen turns on, while placing the cover turns off the screen.  It then serves as a stand for the iPad 2, working in all orientations.  It also sits in the right spot all the time because it is magnetic.

Now, the best part out of all this is the iPad's price.  Apple still manages to make the cheapest tablet computer on the market.  The largest screen, the best hardware, and a very friendly interface.  It just about makes the world perfect.  Now, if only I had the money to actually buy one.

Post 011

Apple has recently released news regarding the new OSX Lion.  Now, the only thing really missing is next week's iPad release, and until June, we won't be hearing from them anymore.  So, let's talk first about the OSX Lion.  Apple has always been really amazing with the way they designed user interfaces.  Aside from a mac, my first interaction with an Apple product is none other than an iPod.  In fact, it was an iPod Nano Gen 2.  At the time, I was amazed at how easy it was to navigate.  It's very hard to get a good feel of it at first, with the whole scrollwheel and all.  However, with time, it made sense.  It was intuitive, and in fact, very good.

Apple had announced the iPhone in early 2007, and it wasn't too long before yours truly had a chance to see what it was like.  It was absolutely hard to make sense of it at first.  Other than being a touchscreen phone that supported multi-touch gestures (something very useful and innovative of course), it was hard to understand why one would buy into this. You needed a data plan, which cost another $30-$40 on top of what you pay already, making the average phone bill for an iPhone to be in the ball park of about $60-70.  This was also before the App Store supported third party apps.

It wasn't until shortly afterward, when the iPhone was given upgrades, the camera is now better, with touch to zoom, third party apps through the App Store, cheaper data plans, and for one, the onscreen keyboard that is now easier to use.  It made the entire iPhone experience much much better.  In fact, the more you play with an iPhone, the more amazed you are by it.  It started to make sense; all the tiny details, the location of buttons, the gestures, and the interface...everything about it seemed right, and strangely..everything seemed very intuitive.

So, when the iPad came out, I did the inevitable: I jumped on the bandwagon along with all other skeptics and completely made fun of it.  It was a super-sized iPod Touch, a tablet without a proper widescreen, it was a scam from Apple to force you to buy more attachments because it didn't support a lot of stuff, it was the precursor for me to purchase an iPad Nano (reference to iPhone), how it was the precursor to Apple making bigger products, like an iBoard or iMat etc..etc.  It didn't take long before the iPad finally reached Canadian shores, and it was one fateful Friday morning, when I tried it out at my local Best Buy, and realized how much the iPad made sense.  It wasn't cluttered like other attempts to make tablet PCs.  It supported a "mobileness" in its attempt to be a computer that can be carried around, with a big huge touchscreen, while not having any keyboard at all.  It was amazing because being bigger than an iPod Touch, you can actually type properly on it.  It wasn't hard to type on an iPod Touch/iPhone, but it was easier on the iPad.  The viewing area is amazing, the feel of it was just perfect.  So once again, an Apple product had grown on me.

So, with the release of Lion, is it going to be the same?  I personally always found that Apple products are very strange.  It was hard to like at first.  It is difficult to play around with a Mac when you first get to it, but after a bit of work, despite the odd quirk here and there, it's not hard to play with.  In fact, that's why I'm confident with OSX Lion.  I want to say, that once I get to use it, I'll find that it's really wonderful, that integrating it with the Apple's trackpad can make it all worth the while.

OSX Lion is released with a bunch of new tweaks from iOS.  It will have the same sort of scroll gestures, and similar app layout.  As far as I'm concerned, it sounds great.  However, will it be something that makes sense?  Will it be desirable, and grow on me?  Only time will tell.  Hope reading week was good for everyone!

Post 010

Post 010 doesn't mean that "it's my tenth post".  If you didn't catch on till now, then that's pretty sad.

On the note of sad, it actually stands for something.  S. A. D., better known to many as Singles Awareness Day is actually not far around the corner.  In a matter of days, while we watch couples conduct ridiculous amounts of PDA (no, not the long-outdated Portable Digital Assistant, but Public Display of Affection), the exchange of flowers, chocolates, and other red coloured cards, we have to endure it and stand strong.  As computer savvy people, we actually DO have a significant other.  In fact, it's all thanks to an article recently posted by Gizmodo that brought my attention to this particular issue.  You see, while people spend hundreds of dollars getting the perfect evening for their significant other, for us single folk, we could do the same.  Naturally, it won't be something as pedestrian as "the perfect evening", but we will be having "the perfect DAY".

How does one go about that endeavour?  Simple.  If you're a smartphone owner, make sure you get your hands on the ZAGG cleaning kit, found here : http://www.zagg.com/accessories/zaggfoam-pump.php.  Wipe off any smudges, greasy spots, whatever it is that makes your smartphone look ugly.  Better yet, once you're done, keep it clean with an invisible shield : http://www.zagg.com/invisibleshield/index.php.

What do you do next?  Well, after the cell phone, which may not double as an mp3 player for some, clean out your mp3 player.  That ZAGG cleaning kit is universal for a reason.  If need be, use an invisible shield on that mp3 player too.  Of course, then there's also the issue of what to come out of the mp3 player : music.  Be respectful to your music.  You spend hours and hours downloading all that great music, so why listen to them through second-rate headphones?  Get yourself a new pair, preferably something that will reflect the type of music you listen to.  Ah, yes..I finally stopped advertising for ZAGG.

After the mp3 player would be the computer.  There are different types of putty, cleaning spray, cleaning foam, wipes.  Get your hands on some, and just wipe down that screen.  Then, if time is available, spend some time going through old files and old programs.  Give your computer a nice spiffy maintenance, and just clean it out a bit.  Before you stop, don't forget to get a can of compressed air, and just spray out the hair/dirt trapped under the keyboard.  Don't forget to blow out the fan and the heatsink. 

For those who drive, take your car for a nice car wash.  It's the perfect time for one, as the road salt is leaving your chariot looking slightly off.  If there's time, vacuum the carpets as well. 

Now of course, this all sounds too extreme, considering it sounds like a big huge advertisement for ZAGG and basically urging all single people to be completely facetious about their gadgets.  However, look at it this way : you're merely offering a "thank you" to all the things you take for granted on a regular basis.  How wrong could it be? 

The Gizmodo article in question is located here : http://gizmodo.com/#!5755565/is-it-really-possible-to-love-your-gadgets  Happy Reading!

Post 00F

It's been a long time since I managed to find something to talk about.  When that happens, society usually finds a way to mess something up, which causes a rift, big enough for me to jam an opinion in.  Thus, it's good for society to screw up.  It creates controversy, and everyone gets a good laugh out of it.

The CRTC, or Canadian Radio-Television & Telecommunications Commission, as the name suggests is the body responsible for regulating broadcasting and communications.  In our day and age, it is naturally a very big deal when it comes to messing with the way the everyday consumer utilizes any form of telecommunications.  Therefore, the CRTC decides it is a good idea to try a stab at that.  What is it that the CRTC has decided on doing then?  The CRTC has essentially rendered all third party ISPs defunct.  How did I come to that conclusion?  Simple.  Third party ISPs are generally wholesalers to Bell's Internet Service.  The CRTC now believes that Bell should be able to put a limitation on the usage limits of the wholesalers' services.  That means, that third party ISPs no longer have "unlimited usage" at significantly lower costs than that of Bell's plans and offerings.

Strike One.  CRTC is now trying to force third party ISPs out of business.  It is a ridiculous and far-fetched idea to think that these third party ISPs can still stand a chance when customers no longer feel that their service is any more enticing than that of Bell.  The CRTC, a government body basically is saying, that amidst the economic downturn, amidst the need for the Canadian economy to generate more jobs, and maintain any existing ones, they want to kill off small businesses that do nothing more than try to give consumers a better deal.  It is with competition that our market continues to grow, and that is the sole purpose of a free market.  This, is a concept that the CRTC fails to recognize, and does not offer a chance for the manifestation of a proper free market within Canada.  Slowly and steadily, they will begin to rid Canada of these third party ISPs, and eventually, Bell will have a monopoly in the Internet world.  If I may add, Bell Internet also offers one of the worst customer services known to Canada.

Strike Two.  CRTC not only wants third party ISPs to be out of business, they also want to push all consumers towards Bell's Internet Service.  Aside from the poor customer service, Bell is also famous for plans that are edging towards a pricier edge.  Implicitly, the CRTC wants the average consumer to fish more money out of their pocket for substandard Internet access that even the weakest of developing countries can outpace.  Does this sound like a proper government that actually cares for it's people?

Strike Three.  CRTC not only wants to attack third party ISPs, but they also want to implement a new way of billing for Internet access that will force all people to pay extra for substandard Internet access.  It turns out that they want people to pay for Internet service by the byte.  This is a very unfair and absolutely ridiculous proposition.  The header packets from the average TCP transmission takes at least 20 bytes.  Sequence numbers, CRC, checksums, IP addresses.  If people were being charged by the byte, it will result in ridiculous charges.  For those who opt out of Internet access altogether, it will mean a big leap backwards in the world of telecommunication.  So I believe the CRTC doesn't want an advancement of society.  They want us all to resort back to primitive ways.  If they can't succeed, they want us to be broke from paying overpriced bills.  Movie streaming companies will be out of business, businesses that rely on broadband Internet will be wasting a lot of money into paying for Internet service.

In baseball, three strikes, and you're out.  However, this isn't baseball, so the CRTC isn't out.  So, what is the CRTC after?  For a government that continues to lecture other countries (China, North Korea, recently Egypt, etc) on democracy and human rights, our government seems to fail to understand free market and the human rights related into it.  The government doesn't want our society to advance.  They want us to all descend to primitive levels of communication and be detached from the growing and advancing world.  That is not a future fit for us.  We need to fight back, and we need to do it fast.  Our voice as citizens of Canada must be heard.

The Harper administration is now in the process of reviewing this new proposal, and has until March to make a final decision.  Fight for the future, and sign the following petition, and tell the government, "Enough is enough".  I'd like to take this opportunity to quote Harper's ridiculous ad campaigns to put down Michael Ignatieff, and say : "[Harper], he's not for Canada".  "What is he after?"

The Petition is found at : http://openmedia.ca/meter
Update : More in depth insight found at http://domvoyt.blogspot.com