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!
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
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!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
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
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
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