Dust? The bunnies you can’t live with!

Now that laptops have taken a nice foothold in the market against
desktops, one major thing people seem to forget is MAINTENANCE!

Here are some pictures of a few laptops infested with those darn bunnies
we love to hate.

Proper fan maintenance and heatsink cleansing is almost required if
you have any type of drop ceiling, pets, drywall and carpets. Most dust
is composed of of human skin and hair intertwined and is relatively
easy to clean.

*(I suggest you bring your laptop/computer to a professional for cleaning,
this post is simply a guide / recommendation)

A downside of these little suckers is HEAT! the killer of computers. Heat
slows your computer down, puts more stress on the components forcing
them to a higher operating temperature then they should normally be used
under. (this is not an extreme view, its a REAL WORLD example)

Jane uses her laptop on her bed and decides to go to dinner and leaves
it on the bed to suck up and breath in ikea brand blanket fibers. These
fibers at first might not seem like much but overtime it adds up. One way
you can clean the fans yourself is  to get a bottle of canned air and blow out
the heat-sink while the laptop is powered off. Blowing the dust in breaks
up most of the large particles. Once you turn your laptop on you usually
see an overspray of dust/hair come out. I recommend doing this in a
well ventilated area because the last thing you want to do is breath in
and sneeze all over your laptop.

* Those Darn Ikea Dust Blanket Bunnies.

Moral of this post. Clean out those fans and watch this video

Babies…. everything old is new again

So, my friend is having a baby.. well.. HAD ONE today actually.

September 11th. What a day to bring a child into this world. It really strikes a chord with me and i can’t explain why.
I think that it’s the fact that there are so many uncertainties in this world and it shows how crazy the world is for our generation.

Social media, The global war on terror, The enviorment and The internet destroying traditional media/retail/wholesale business’s.
(travel, mail order, at home shopping, computers, amazon, blockbuster – the list goes on)

We were brought up differently then our parents, and our children are going to be brought up differently then
us. Business and Life go hand in hand. The blockbuster customer of yesterday is the parent of a netflix customer today.

Speaking of Netflix. It is a business that should have been deployed in 1995 give or a take a year. The technology was there and the distribution
model was there but it took YouTube.Com to push video on the internet. Streaming media as a whole is an excellent tool for research, education and entertainment. It makes me wonder what my daughter will be using when she is my age.

Another sticky point of this discussion is that, We have an entire generation of veterans under age 30. It’s like vietnam but with a much more mature generation of people. Kids are having kids earlier, the recession and war. I hope we are in for a long time of peace. I’m sick of seeing destruction allover the planet.

With that said Congradulations buddy, i am so happy for both of you guys. You’ll both be great parents and i look forward
to bringing our children up together.

I’m a Mac or… no im a PC.. wait.. WHAT?

I think apples really in for it, I hope they read this.

Your commercials state: I’m a Mac and I’m a PC.

This statement is portraying a fallacy.  Apple is
trying to have it’s cake and eat it too. I believe in the long run this will hurt apple in three ways.

1. People want to run windows
(Microsoft should code into windows 7 and force it to crash on all apple hardware)
2. Most people keep using Windows for “that application or just pure preference”
3. Perception is not always reality.

They both have their advantages and disadvantages. I have adobe audition on my PC and other apps
i simply do not want to purchase the mac version since i already own a copy. That is sort
of like buying an extra tire for a car that you already own when you have a spare in the trunk.
I use both but i think apple isn’t playing fair when it comes down to it.

(saying Macs don’t crash or freeze is just plain dumb. The simple fact is that computers freeze, reboot and get infected)

They need to just take the lid off of leopard and set it free to roam among anyone’s hard drive
who i willing to purchase it. This type of innovation (even tho it runs on 90% of intel pc’s) would
really do good for the industry. Apple still get’s paid.
So, with those commercials i’m sort of confused. What is a MAC?

I want this explanation from apple, directly. A technically competent answer.

So apple? Dare to respond or just hide and pray for people to learn of Steve Jobs health problems
and hope that your stock price doesnt sink to the depths of the sea. Whoops… I’m psychic
(poor guy, he rocks and has done  so much for the market, bless him. I hope he gets better and comes back kicking butt)

Define what a Mac is and what makes it different. The fact that you can load windows on it proves to me that it’s a PC.

The license agreement for Microsoft Windows Says:

“For distribution with a new PC Only.”
So in that respect If apple sells any computer with bootcamp its in fact saying
that it’s ok to install windows on your “PC” or “MAC” wait.. what.

(sounds sorta psystarish doesn’t it?)

Apple is trying to blur the lines (legally in their favor) and I think it’s time that the Leopard
Os being taken mainstream by PSYSTAR and Other OS-X Scene members
is A OK in my book. If apple wants to tread with its head above water in the
pc market using “WINDOWS” as a last ditch selling feature then they should
pay the price for it. Microsoft should be allowed to release an “Re-Boot Camp” for
any os they decide to. It’s not anything new, VMware has been doing this for years
but the fact that apple switched to intel drew the line in the sand. It’s an interesting
theory about the two companies, is it legal? is it fair? Is it holding up major computing
developments? Is it stopping “The Convergence?” I believe so.

What do you guys think?

The Day the world broke 2TB!!

Today is a Milestone, WDC has announced that a 2TB (TWO TERABYTE) hard drive will be available shortly.

WDGREEN! 2TB

After looming weeks of seagate hard drive failure fiasco, WDC comes through for us again. So what does 2TB mean for you? Saving M O R E stuff!!~!!~!

(i’m a WDC fanboy , They make good stuff! )

For Results / Speed and Testing info, Check out the link after the jump.  Hothardware.com has it.

===================================

Ok, Ok. I admit it. I’m a storage whore. Technology moving forward is good for everyone.

One major problem I have is the G word. Yeah , You know it. GOOGLE.

Dare i say places like GOOGLE are holding technology back? Why Dys… tell me. Ok, a little off topic but I will return to the relevance of this rant shortly. Google is hurting technology by  attempting to horde all users into the googleplex’s way of life?  WAIT WHAT??? WHAT?

Think about it. Microsoft might suck, but you always have an alternative. Google on the other hand is like that nasty old man in the van. Sure, He has candy but really? Do you trust him?  Their motto is Don’t Be Evil. Well, By trying to take over the world with every possible technology they are gaining unwarranted amounts of trust. Look at the search engine business…. Flashback to 2000 we had.  Dogpile, Altavista, Lycos, Infoseek, Ask.com, Go, Yahoo, Msn.com, Aol.com.

Today:  Google, Yahoo and Microsoft run a major part of the internet.  This is bad. We need a new startup like
Cuil. Competition fosters innovation. Anyways.

Gmail is a web mail SaaS. Not a new idea, they just paint a google logo on it, remove many everyday features peolpe use and boom. (they inherrited all the anti spam techniques from yahoo and hotmail and AOL.)

Moving along. This I have issues with, My data is just that. Mine. When google stops roping me into it’s hosted services and tying to help me everything i do, I may in return to use them. They sort of remind me of Clippie, that Microsoft Office Paperclip that was annoying to all hell.

===================================

Todays Word “2TB” (two terrabyte) is a milestone. A large one? Maybe not in the scheme of things but it
does allow you to store more data using the same physical space. With Hard drives this large and prices so low, Why is google taking our data out of our hands and hosting it on their servers? Because it’s easy.. no Because they are using everything you do in everything they do. I just want to search, i don’t want to be part of the worlds largest science project. 

I don’t buy it. But the 2TB?  Sure, Send em over!

The boys over @ hothardware.com have the scoop. Check the story out here.

./Rant over.

Tyler says it best:

Fight Club: Registered: 20th Century Fox

1. “It’s only after we’ve lost everything that we’re free to do anything.”

2. “You’re not your job. You’re not how much money you have in the bank. You’re not the car you drive. You’re not the contents of your wallet. You’re not your fucking khakis. You’re the all-singing, all-dancing crap of the world.”

If you have not yet seen fight club, its a GREAT MOVIE and contrary to popular belief, the movie is not about fighting or violence.

Here is the IMDB link

 
Are we continually tested?
Sometimes i feel like i’m being tested. I think i lead a pretty simple life within my means.
I’m not rich (I’m pretty poor actually) but i’m happy.

Nothing seems greater then the power of a loving family and a beautiful woman by my
side. Nothing compares. It truely makes life worth living.

That’s what matters to me, Being happy and Enjoying life.
In my small business I provide a service and the smile i get back for a job well
done, reasonably priced is priceless. (I’m a Technology geek, yeah twisted isn’t it that
making sure Mary can print her pictures makes me happy knowing i helped.)
I still keep on trucking not because of money, because of happiness. 

That’s why I do what I do, I sometimes feel that life is something that no one truly
has any control over. The tests are just ways of reminding you ,hey.
Live, Love, Laugh. Cliche i know.

Well, Thats LIFE!

An Icon, How important is it?

With the upcoming Windows 7 the look of an icon and it’s “TAG” to your
brand recognition has just been increased ten fold. The windows quick
launch bar represents a major change in the foundation of the windows
operating system ui. An icon will define a program and give the brand
recognition that icons have always meant to do. Apples OS X has already
forced this on their users for years now.

Good or Bad? I think it’s a great time to start an icon/branding firm.

What say you?  (Post feedback below – no fanboi’z plz)

Pilot Lands Airbus in Hudson River!

1-10?  10 Imo, everyone survived. 

They are saying it was a flock of birds that took out the engines on the modern
jet. The pilot landed in the water on one of the coldest days, it was about 20 degrees
here in boston so i can only imagine how the people felt in the river. Simply amazing.

 

Everyone got out of the plane safely and without injuries (besides the 2  broken legs)
To the staff and the pilot and everyone at US Airways. BRAVO!!!

 

in a strage twist of fate i was watching the discovery channel and i heard about
birds of prey that they sometimes release near airports to remove seagulls and
odd bird types. The special aired on  the science channel at about 9:30am the
same day this happened. Now thats STRANGE! don’t believe me? check the show
schedule screenshot.

http://science.discovery.com/tv-schedules/special.html?paid=48.15726.19913.0.0

Zork Is coming back!! YES

Zork I Boxart

If your reading this chances are your a geek. I’m a geek too and we get all these nice little toys.

If your not familiar with zork you should check it out if adventure games such as monkey island, kings quest and the like have taken up your time in the past.

Turn the lights off, Find your blanket and get ready for some quality time with the one game that truly was different. It has spawned copies upon copies, It was what the die was to dnd as the mouse is to FPS. It is an original. Here’s the direct site link: http://www.legendsofzork.com/

Check out the site, it’s pretty sweet. I can’t wait to get my hands on this, you can even play it on your iphone.

I hope it’s good!

iphone developer vs google

As an independent apple software developer, I ask myself this question
every time I launch xcode and sit down for some coding sessions. 

Why is google allowed a compedative advantage over every other developer?
We are paying customers to the developer program and valid Iphone subscribers.

Why isn’t everyone mad and confused as to why we arent equal when it
comes down to the SDK?

What is google giving apple? Leverage against microsoft? I noticed there
is no option for MSN/Live or any of my favorite search engines on safari mobile.
(Does yahoo have access to SDK options simply not offered to anyone else?)

Maybe microsoft should just stop making word for macintosh and code
around safari and firefox disallowing their browsers on microsofts platforms
purposefully. (firefox depends on Microsoft’s operating system for its market
share, what if Microsoft stopped allowing firefox to run on windows, what upheave
would that cause?) 

What fair for one is fair for the other in my opinion.

Well, What do you guys think?

The joy of PC’s and User Serviceable Parts!

Why do all laptops use their own technology when it comes down to replacement? Why do us consumers stand up to the built in obsolescence of the industry? Why?

Heck, apple users are brain washed into it the day they make their first purchase. Everything mac is always 2 steps behind. That’s how apple does things, it’s sad really that apple users wait for the product to be “APPLE STAMPED” then released like the next coming of the X86 computing. I’m not just knocking apple, i use both. I own both, So I’m allowed to spew my opinions based upon factual evidence.

Case in point. Intel CPU’s. The last oh, twenty years or so Intel has pretty much ran the show. They provide “FAST” products with cutting edge features and have an entry level to high end solutions for every niche in the computing market.

Case: Intel P4 CPU’s. They scaled well.
(Hyper-threading / Non hyper-threading counterparts) Varying bus speeds

Case: Core 2 Duo. They scaled well. (EMT64+Virtualization support)

(Now AMD does help push intels technology and is the nesessary compeditor to keep them going) Without AMD intel’s innovation and drive to change/be better is the reason they are who they are. AMD’s reason is to offer similarly performing products at a MUCH MUCH better price.
(they motherboards are usually built for overclocking vs intels rock solid stability)
Intel DE-Clocks almost every cpu released. Ask them.

So, Back to apple yeah i went off the beaten path a bit but to the point. Why is it when apple releases something, its AMAZING. *(note: this is not my personal opinion.) I’ve seen horrid apple products and issues. (the shuffle, horrid cheap device that has many design flaws / Proprietary battery voltages for BIOS retention (pre-intel) etc.)

Apple does alot to test / beat / perfect / refine and DELIVER a quality product. That’s the reason they are far behind in the technology world. Mobile ME? I’ll give them sort of a pass here because this was the successor to the .mac service. Apple, W T F. Offer a quality product that does what it is suppose to. Listen to your DAMN users, they are telling you what they want and you are ignoring them. This is a serious issue and even microsoft has learned to listen to their users. They practically have a monopoly but yet still bend to the ever knawing ear of their customers.
(Windows update was a product designed by the end users. It’s much better then software update on the mac. Administrators have a ton of way to control it and internally deploy / test / deliver this. THIS IS WHAT WE ASKED FOR.

Windows 7, We told Microsoft after vista, we WANT the product and we want it correct, working before delivered and we want it NOW.

Why is apple praised? They finally bit the bullet and moved to “INTEL” CPU’s. Why? Because they are BETTER. No they aren’t inferior to RISC based cpu’s but you know what. You can run windows and that’s 1 edge. you can run both os’s. Thats another edged. Apple has a knife and Microsoft doesn’t care. Apple is trying to differentiate themselves and disrupt the market.

That’s good for the market and good for the products. Who it isn’t good for is apples image.

“I’m a MAC and I’m a PC”

The license agreement with all microsoft os’s state that is must be installed on a PC. Apple should cease and desist since they aren’t PC’s.

Then again, Who is defining what is A MAC and WHAT is a PC? The line’s are blurring, strap on that chinstrap because we are going for a ride.