iPhone 5 Fall Release? The Evidence is Adding Up and Wall Street is Listening

The rumors have been growing over the last few days that the iPhone 5 will not be released this summer, in the regular Apple update cycle, but instead will not be available until this the fourth quarter of this year (or September at the earliest). The initial reports came from those familiar with Apple's World Wide Developer's Conference (WWDC). While the 3GS and iPhone 4 made their public debuts at the last two WWDC events, Apple has made it clear that there will be no hardware announcements at this year's show, and the focus would be on software - IOS and the next version of the Mac OS, "Lion", which is set to ship this summer. With this disappointing news, the conference proceeded to sell out the same day that registration opened.

The Antikythera Mechanism - A Working Lego Model!

The Antikythera Mechanism is an ancient calculating machine discovered in a sunken wreck off the island of Antikythera in 1900. It appears to be of Greek origin, constucted between 150 and 100 BC. It is possibly from Corinth, and could be related to the work of Archimedes. It took years after its discovery for reseachers to piece together its function and recognize its complexity. An assembly of meshing gears, it is a complex scientific calculator known as an astrolabe. The user could input a date and the Antikythera Mechanism would calculate the position of the Sun, Moon, and even the planets. It was based on a 365 day calendar, and even dropped a day every four years, one hundred years before the Julian calendar added the concept of leap year.

BookBook Case for iPad and iPad 2 - Hands On Review

The BookBook Case for the iPad and iPad 2 has the exterior look of a vintage hardcover book, but safely conceals your iPad within.

I was lucky to receive the BookBook case as a gift from my brother (Thanks, John!).  I have been using it for a few weeks now and have been very happy with it.  With an exterior of distressed leather, it is light and does not add much weight to the iPad, and has a soft, but sturdy design that nestles the iPad in, well, iPadding.  It's night and day from the ClamCase, another iPad case I recently reviewed.

Three Great Comic Books Coming To Television

In the wake of the Walking Dead, it's great to see that three great comic series are being adapted for television, in very promising ways (warning, some general spoilers):

Powers - A creator-owned series written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Michael Avon Oeming, Powers follows the investigations of two police officers, Christian Walker and Deena Pilgrim,  who investigate crimes involving super-powered beings.  Powers has a gritty feel, and remains somewhat grounded even with its ultra-human subject matter, with an almost "Law & Order"-like procedural view of  familiar superhero cliches.  It can be very violent, and takes some wild twists along the way (like flashing back to the beginnings of human evolution) - hopefully these traits will survive the translation to the small screen on FX.  The network that was home to The Shield may be the perfect place for Powers, and the pilot is being written by Charles Eglee, a veteran of The Shield, Dexter, The Walking Dead and NYPD Blue - a great choice for the subject matter. 

The History of Jimmy Kimmel Vs. Matt Damon

It all started with Jimmy Kimmel's running joke at the end of his show, "And I'm sorry to Matt Damon, but we are out of time". 

Clamcase - iPad Case and Keyboard Hands-on Review

After a ridiculously long two month wait, I finally received my ClamCase Bluetooth iPad keyboard and case.

After living with it for a couple of days, I have decided I like it, but there were some negatives to get used to.

Internet Explorer 9 - So Far, So Good

Although I have spent some time using Firefox, have been very impressed with Chrome, and use Safari every day on my iPad and MacBook, Internet Explorer has been my browser of choice since Netscape was bought by AOL. One of the major factors is that Microsoft Dynamics CRM, an IE-only web-based customer relationship management database, is my major line-of-business application. The fact that IE is pre-installed on most machines that I come in contact with also contributes to my use of it as a primary browser - chalk it up to the path of least resistance. I have endured the huge security holes and constant patching of IE6, and been somewhat content with the performance-lacking IE8. As soon as I had the chance to test the IE9 Technology Preview, I jumped right in.

Tabhair 'om póg, is Éireannach mé

Happy St. Patrick's Day to everyone!

First a traditional Irish ballad to set the mood:



And now off to find the elusive Green Guinness in its native habitat - Manhattan!

Japan Before and After the Tsunami Images - Devastation

While the images coming from Japan have been overwhelming, these before and after interactive aerial shots from ABC News Autralia really illustrate the destructive power of the tsunami:


An example, the Fukushima Nuclear Plant before:

and after:

It seems surreal as we watch from a world away, hoping that the worst of the troubles are over. If you want to help, The Japan Society of New York is a reputable organization coordinating relief efforts:

Hacking Times Square Video Screens? What do you think?

The Momentum blog has posted a video showing the use of a device which supposedly allows the user to transmit video any video screen. I have several doubts about the validity of this - check it out:



First off, the device appears to be plugged into the iPhone's headphone port. This port does not have the capability to transmit video, so unless he completely rebuilt his iPhone, that part seems doubtful.

Second, the "repeater" is very small and does not appear to have an antenna or battery large than that of a watch. Without significant power and a way to direct the transmission, it seems highly suspect that this device can take over the video signal of "any screen", especially one of the largest and most likely best shielded screens in the world.

Third, in the first two demonstrations, the syncing is off - the first, the screen on the bus stand, has the video on the screen slightly ahead of the video on the iPhone - the second, the video on the screen lags slightly behind the phone. Lagging slightly behind is believeable, but how could the transmitted video be AHEAD of the the player transmitting it?

It's a really cool video either way, but I am just not buying it. Any thoughts?

Update 3/17/2011 - Sure enough, it was a "viral marketing campaign" for the movie "Limitless": http://www.businessinsider.com/iphone-times-square-video-screens-movie-ad-2011-3

SoundNote - iPad App of the Week

SoundNote is an outstanding note-taking app for the iPad. It has a similar, intuitive interface to Apple's Journal App, but adds many capabilities.

As the name implies, one of SoundNote's greatest features is to capture audio as you are taking notes. It also syncs your written notes to the audio, so that when you review your notes, you can select the audio portion that goes along with each written note. This is extremely powerful, and useful for meeting notes and minutes, recording lectures, and capturing presentations. It is ideal for interviews, as well.

SoundNote also adds the ability to make simple sketches within notes, and the complete note, audio and sketches can be e-mailed or sync to your desktop.

Like Journal, each note page has a title, and you can scroll through these. There is also a search function which is very useful.

SoundHound is available from the Apple App Store for a very reasonable $4.99 - you'll have your money's worth after just a couple of uses. Give it a try!

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/soundnote/id364789577

No Agenda - Podcast of the Week

It's time to focus on my favorite podcast - No Agenda, with Adam Curry and John C. Dvorak, also known as Crackpot and the Buzzkill. 

Dvorak is famous for his PC Magazine columns and appearances on This Week In Tech, known for a cynical take on the latest tech news.  In No Agenda, he is able to display the large scope of his knowledge, and plays Scully to Curry's alien-embracing Mulder.

Adam Curry is one of the original MTV VJ's,  but he has been very busy since then, pioneering Podcasting (he is known as the Podfather), and working with several internet media startups.  He is the show's conspiracy theorist, bringing topics like chemtrails and alien visitations to the conversation.  He also has an extensive knowledge of politics and is a relentless researcher, and continues to develop additional multimedia resources to complement the show, including extensive show notes.

At it's heart, No Agenda specializes in "Media Assassination", reviewing and critiquing media and government reports and looking for the hidden meanings and bringing to light the stories that the mainstream media misses (or supresses).  Topics range from current events to climate change to innoculations, analyzing pop culture and finding the memes represented in it.  Curry and Dvorak have a fantastic chemistry that makes both the most mundane and bizarre topics captivating.

The show also relies on listener (or as they call them, producer) donations for funding, in an effort to remain free of corporate influence, and takes a novel approach to merchandising - listeners are encouraged to develop web sites and products based on No Agenda, with the hope that they will voluntarily share their profits in support of the show.

If you want to hear something different from the same old news that comes from all of the media outlets, and are interested in some deeper analysis of the headlines and the stories that don't make the front page, I urge you to give No Agenda a try - you might learn something and you'll definitely have fun along the way.

http://www.noagendashow.com/

iTunes Link

RSS Feed

Charlie Sheen Cooks and Sings - and Says It's All an Act!

He says it's all an act, Radar Online has the video. TMZ says that police are raiding his house.

This is some brilliant acting. First off, Charlie has expanded his webcasting empire by expanding into cooking shows. Here he comes, Food Network - he's a Rockstar Vatican Assassin:

Charlie Sheen's Winning Recipes from Charlie Sheen

All green things must die.

Next, we have the truly catchy "Bi-Winning - The Remix", autotuned hilarity at its best (Thanks, MOB)!



Here's a tomato from my garden - I grew this. My fingertips radiate sunshine and I grew them with the tears of a jaguar.

Android Remote-Destructs Malware - A Good Thing, as Long as Google Isn't Evil

Over the weekend, Google announced through a blog post that they had used a remote "kill switch" to not only deactivate, but remove, about twenty applications which exploited a security flaw to transmit the phone's carrier and user ID, and also allow downloading of further malicious code. Google followed up with a security update to close this issue, and made it clear that it was never a problem on Android versions 2.22 and higher.

Good for Google, right? Yes, good for Google, and good for its Android users - THIS time. Google is using a remote-removal feature which gives them an extreme amount of power over users, and it is again depending on our acceptance of its "Don't be evil" credo.

While Apple is roundly (and correctly) criticized for its draconian App Store approval process, one benefit is, it doesn't allow apps like this onto its phones. Google's Android App Store is much more open, and obviously these apps took advantage. That Google was able to reach out and pull back these apps was a benefit to users. It was also a clear sign of the power that Google has, and if that power were to be used less scrupulously, it could have far-reaching consequences, from non-competitive to down-right anti-privacy practices.

In the short term, Google has aided customers by helping them avoid malware. In the long term, we are left with deeper questions. As Google conglomerates the worlds' information, and information is clearly convertible to power, and power so famously corrupts, how much power is it going to take to corrupt Google? Is it just a matter of time? What will be the implications when it happens?

Charlie Sheen vs. Marvel Comics

Bleeding Cool was inspired by Charlie's mercury surfboard reference to imagine his encounter with The Devourer of Worlds:

They also have a look at a showdown between the Sheenster and the equally insane Merc with a Mouth, Deadpool (click for a larger version):

A reference to Kenny Roger's "Six Pack" - Winning.

It's now scientic fact - Guinness tastes better in Ireland.

Science has reported in on what Guinness drinkers have been saying for years - Guinness tastes better in Ireland.

Science Daily has a report on a study from the Journal of Food Sciences which says that "Over a period of one year, four researchers of different nationalities traveled to 14 countries and visited 71 Guinness serving establishments in 33 cities to collect data for 103 tastings. Tasting scores for pints of Guinness were generally high all around the world, yet tastings in pubs in Ireland scored significantly higher."

I had heard that Guinness in Ireland is not pasteurized as it is served fresh and this contributes to the difference, as well as the possibility that alcohol levels differ between the Irish Guiness and that made for export. There's a legend that there are a couple of pubs in NYC that fly in fresh kegs from the Old Sod on a daily basis for truly Irish pints - I have yet to find them, but the search continues!

Why Are Some Non-Humans Treated Like "People" While Others Are Not?

I have always wondered why, in fiction, some obviously intelligent entities are treated as "animals" or "pets", while others are acknowledged as equal to their human compatriots. It seems like a very arbitratry thing. Below, I cite three examples of this, and challenge you, dear reader, to explain why these chracters do not get the respect as intelligent beings that they deserve.

1. Chewbacca - Chewbacca flies and repairs the Millenium Falcon, and wields his bowcaster - advanced uses of tools and obvious inteligence. Chewie also displays recognition of human laguage and an ability to communicate directly. He is a key member of the team that helps the Rebellion to triumph over the Empire. Yet for some reason, after destroying the Death Star, while Chewbacca is invited to participate in the Rebel award ceremony, and provides the final celebratory roar, but Princess Leia does not annoint him with a medal like she does Luke and Han. Why not? Don't even get me started on the droids - R2-D2 was property, while IG-88 roamed free as a bounty hunter?

2. Snoopy - Charles Schultz gave Snoopy a quiet wisdom and more emotional range than the humans around him, as well as the ability to fly a plane among other talents, yet he was consigned to the dog house in the backyard, as a second-class citizen of the Peanuts world.

3. Pluto - I believe it was the brilliant Wil Wheaton's dialogue from the movie "Stand By Me" that began my confusion about this: "Mickey's a mouse, Donald's a Duck, Pluto's a Dog - what's Goofy?" More to the point, Mickey, Donald and Goofy all interact as equals. Pluto, on the other hand, is Mickey's pet, walking on all fours among the cast of anthropomorphic bipeds that surround him. Why does Mickey, a mouse, who has relationships as an equally free and intelligent entity with everyone from Minnie to Roger Rabbit feel it necessary to subjugate Pluto as a "pet"?

What does it say about us that we accept the sub-human treatment of some of our most beloved characters?

Charlie Sheen Live Webcast, Twitter Battle with Roger Ebert, Tiger Blood Thundercat!

Charlie Sheen has been flexing his media muscles this week, fueled by tiger blood, Adonis DNA and Marlboro Lights - in his latest move, he has broadcast a live video show on UStream called "Sheen's Korner":



Video streaming by Ustream


As the tagline says - "you're either in Sheen's Korner, or with the trolls". Segments include "People Who Wish They Were Me Forever" (such as Dr. Drew Pinsky), and "I Kinda Wish I Were Them For Ten Minutes", which included Colin Farrell, Sean Penn and Giants pitcher Brian Wilson. There was also an installment of "Winning News", and the unveiling of a "Winning" tatoo on Sheen's wrist. The show was very rough around the edges, but it sounds as if it may be back on a regular basis.

150 of the Best Movie Quotes Ever

A brilliantly edited video bringing together 150 of the best movie quotes ever - your favorites are all in here:

Charlie and the Apple Factory

Charlie finds a Golden Ticket and a chance to find out what makes Apple products so special:

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

iPad 2 Details - Nice Upgrade, Nothing Shocking

The iPad 2 was unveiled today, with an updated dual-core A5 processor, front and rear-facing cameras, and a thinner form factor (even thinner than the iPhone 4!). The biggest and most welcome surprise was the presenter - none other than Steve Jobs, looking fit as ever in his turtleneck. The processor and graphics improvements are supposedly twice as fast, processor-wise, and nine times the graphics capabilities. An update to IOS, version 4.3 was announced as well as the availability of Garage Band and iMovie on the iPad at $4.99 each. The iPad will be available on both AT&T and Verizon networks in different versions for each, as well as two colors - white and black. The addition of cameras will make FaceTime a standard across iPhones, iPads and Macs. A new Apple first-party case as also featured - sorry, Steve says it's not a case, its a cover - a Smart Cover (also available in multiple colors). A $40 cable will allow 1080p output to a television - no word on DRM limits yet. 720p video capture from the rear camera will give you something to edit in iMovie, while the front camera records at VGA resolution for video-conferencing. Units should start shipping on March 11th.

Some of the major rumors that didn't come true - no enhancement of the display, no "uber speaker", no SD Card slot, no high-speed Thunderbolt sync port, no wireless syncing, no free MobileMe service, no 4G support, no early iPhone 5 announcement. Overall, the iPad 2 seems like a maintenance release, keeping pace with the Motorola Xoom and HP Touch Pad. Apple will not be falling behind in the tablet race for the next few months, but they didn't exactly jump ahead either.

I guess we can chalk it up to the hype machine creating unrealistic expectations, but this all seems a little blah. Pricing and battery life will remain the same as the iPad's. The original iPad's have been discounted by $100 - without any huge reason to upgrade, these might be the best deal out there.