Download Squad has a nice article today dispelling common myths about Linux. I'm as guilty as anyone of believing the anti-Linux naysayers in the past, but I think Ubuntu , a version of Linux, is looking better and better.
File Under:
Linux,
software,
technology
I stumbled upon a cool little music site, today, called rateyourmusic.com. The site lets you review singles and albums by just about everybody and his cousin. It's not the prettiest site or chock full of features, but for music geeks it's a good place to look for other, uh, music geek opinions.
File Under:
music,
technology
After such illustrious Nascar sponsors as Skoal, Copenhagen and Viagra, the illuminati-loving Scottish Rite of the Freemasons are now sponsoring a race car (of the type that only turns left). It turns out that the Masons were able to forego the usual multi-million dollar sponsorship fee in exchange for some mysterious promise of access to the secret society's members. Slate's reporter asked the race team's owner why he went with the Masons:
I called Joe Hill, head of public relations for Brian Conz's racing team, and asked him to explain how he expected to make up this missing money. What is the team getting from the Scottish Rite in lieu of all that cash? "We're aligning ourselves with a dynamic, worldwide organization. We expect access and introduction to their members, who will assist us in meeting executive-level corporate leaders interested in getting involved with racing." Presumably, these rich and important men (because there are no female Masons, after all) will prove useful in sponsoring race teams down the line.In my opinion this proves the conspiracy!
Second Life, a sort of on-line version of The Sims, is getting more and more like the "real" world it ostensibly imitates. You know the game (is it really even a "game" at this point) is venturing further and further into virtual reality territory when you can conduct semi-official business in it. The Swedish government is even building its own virtual embassy inside the game. I wouldn't be surprised if other government agencies and a lot more big corporations move into the game. Here's Ars Technica on Sverige's Second Life experiment:
The Swedish Institute hopes that the virtual embassy will be modeled after the the newly-opened House of Sweden in Washington DC, and has it begun formal negotiations with its architect, Gert Wingårdh, for rights to create a digital version of the building, according to Swedish newspaper DN. In addition to getting tourist information, users in the virtual world will be able to browse displays, click links to informational sites about Sweden (most notably the Swedish Embassy's digital portal), and get visa information.
File Under:
globalization,
Second Life,
technology,
video games
A survey of world attitudes about climate change revealed this week that 13 percent of Americans have never heard of global warming. Of course, maybe even more troubling is how many of compatriots actively refuse to believe in global warming. Here's Reuters:
It amazes me how flippant we Americans continue to be about this issue. I can't even imagine how tortured this must make climatologists and other scientists who've been ringing alarm bells for years trying to make us take global warming seriously. I really do wonder if this might eventually tarnish Bush's reputation among historians of the future when they look back at how little was done on this issue while he was in office.The United States emits about a quarter of all greenhouse gases, the biggest emitter ahead of China, Russia and India.
Thirteen percent of U.S. citizens said they had never heard or read anything about global warming, the survey said.
File Under:
developing world,
globalization,
science
Every once in a while a news article comes along that so thoroughly recasts the world around us that we're essentially not the same people once we've read it. It's certainly not an everyday occurrence, but most every serious reader has experienced this feeling at some point or another (for me, it's usually a New Yorker article).
Anyway, this week's New York Times magazine has a mind-blowing essay by Michael Pollan, the author of "The Omnivore's Dilemma." The essay, "Unhappy Meals," argues that the Western diet has followed a disastrous philosophy of "nutritionism," that food science has been so thoroughly co-opted by industrial food producers that we can no longer make the distinction between actual food and food-like substances.
The essay's scope is wide and expansive, but he does offer a quick nine-point plan for reclaiming the traditional (and non-processed) diet that allowed human civilizations to thrive. My favorite bullet point is his first piece of advice:
1. Eat food. Though in our current state of confusion, this is much easier said than done. So try this: Don’t eat anything your great-great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food. (Sorry, but at this point Moms are as confused as the rest of us, which is why we have to go back a couple of generations, to a time before the advent of modern food products.) There are a great many foodlike items in the supermarket your ancestors wouldn’t recognize as food (Go-Gurt? Breakfast-cereal bars? Nondairy creamer?); stay away from these.
File Under:
food,
globalization,
technology
It's still in beta testing, but I'm hearing more and more about Joost, which theoretically will be some type of broadband (Internet) TV service that streams real TV channels onto your computer (and probably your TV box eventually). So far it looks promising. I like how they plan to use iTunes-style "playlists" to help users organize content. Probably the best thing for consumers, though, will be its a la carte format-- you'll get what you want without paying for 99 channels worth of Spanish telenovelas, professional bull riding and cop shows.
File Under:
technology,
TV
Juan Cole, a professor at the University of Michigan (and genius blogger) has his own response to some of the statements by Bush's State of the Union speech this week. Cole, an expert on Middle East politics, pretty much rips apart every contention the president made. It's not a pretty picture if you pick the speech apart and look at the strategy (or lack thereof) in Washington for dealing with the greater Arab world.
File Under:
globalization,
politics
Whatever the opposite of eye candy is, that's my blog. Luckily, my boy James (a co-worker, natch) helped me out with a CSS issue I was having. Look for some visual improvements in the coming weeks as I get acquianted to my new home and start spiffening this place up. Spiffening is a word, right?
There's a good story today about the renewed challenge against the NFL's broadcast antitrust exemption, spurred on by baseball's move to negotiate an exclusive contract with DirecTV. It could eventually lead to NFL teams negotiating their own TV rights, which would have huge effects on the league. From Football Outsiders:
There’s a larger issue in play which has politicians jumping into the fray. In early December of last year, Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) said he would introduce legislation in the next session aimed at eliminating the NFL’s freedom from antitrust laws over how NFL Sunday Ticket is only available via DirecTV. If you’re scratching your head saying, “I thought only MLB had an antitrust exemption,” you’re not alone. Specter’s bill would repeal the NFL’s antitrust exemption under the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961. Currently, the NFL negotiates the broadcast rights for all of its 32 teams. Specter’s bill would repeal that ability and set up a scenario in which teams would negotiate television deals separately. If it were to become law, wave bye-bye to one of the strongest methods for creating parity in the NFL: centralized television revenues.
Wired has an interesting collection of 40 big questions not yet answered by science. It's a good read. My personal favorites are: "Is Time an Illusion?" (I don't think they're referring to the magazine, but maybe) and "What Happened to the Neanderthals?"
File Under:
science,
technology
CNet has a great little story today on why we're likely to see more and more "unlocked" cell phones coming into the U.S. market. Unlocked phones are devices that can be used on any carrier's network, instead of the current model where cellular carriers subsidize the cost of new phones to attract adn retain customers. Notice this juicy little nugget about the iPhone:
But experts say tiny cracks are forming in the current model that could challenge mobile operators' dominance whether they like it or not. Apple, with its iPhone, has the brand recognition and established retail channel to easily sell millions of devices on its own. Initially, that device, whose price starts at $499, will be sold exclusively through Cingular. But experts say it's possible that Apple may eventually sell it directly to consumers.
"I think the first time there will be a threat will be if Apple unlocks the iPhone and sells it in its stores," said Lin. "It's already priced near the high end, so subsidies won't make much difference, and Apple already has such good brand recognition."
Yes, if you believe Paul Boutin's review of Vista in Slate. He describes a visually exciting update of the PC's operating system. Just how far Redmond has to go is obvious to anyone who uses OS X on a Mac and then gets thrown back into the freezing cold swimming pool of XP ugliness. Boutin makes a great point about all the bells and whistles, though:
Operating systems shouldn't be exciting. Like a good government, a good OS should mostly get out of the way. It needs to stay up and running, prevent invasions from intruders, and avoid ugly surprises. When judged by those criteria, Vista is up to the task.He goes on to say that Microsoft got religion on security and is now taking its various flaws more seriously. A lot of people remain skeptical, though, and you can be guaranteed there will be hundreds of indignant journalists writing anti-Gates screeds as soon as Vista's problems bubble to the surface. They'll be right, of course. Nonetheless, if you don't want to buy into the Apple worldview (err, price structure) and aren't ready to spend weekends learning Linux, you're stuck in Gates' world, and well... we're just living in it.
File Under:
Microsoft,
technology
Hundreds of thousands of home computers have been hit by the "Storm Worm," a piece of malicious little code that's been spreading like restless legs syndrome (yes it's contagious) because apparently computer users will open e-mail attachments if they feel it will give them some good information about a recent bout of severe storms in Europe. Here's CNet giving us the big picture on what's going on:
Once a user downloads the executable file, the code opens a backdoor in the machine which that it to be remotely controlled, while installing a rootkit that hides the malicious program. The compromised machine becomes a zombie in a network called a botnet. Most botnets are currently controlled through a central server, which--if found--can be taken down to destroy the botnet. However, this particular Trojan horse seeds a botnet that acts in a similar way to a peer-to-peer network, with no centralized control.Even if the sender is someone you know, their e-mail client could be compromised. Simply never ever open an attachment that you aren't 100% expecting to receive. If an email seems out of ordinary, delete the message completely or ask the sender what it is. I know this sounds obvious, but when hundreds of thousands of computers are being turned into spam-spewing zombies, you have to wonder what people are thinking when they fire up the ole' e-mail box.
Each compromised machine connects to a list of a subset of the entire botnet--around 30 to 35 other compromised machines, which act as hosts. While each of the infected hosts share lists of other infected hosts, no one machine has a full list of the entire botnet--each has only a subset, making it difficult to gauge the true extent of the zombie network. As complicated as all that sounds (botnets and rootkits do sound like some type of killer robot), the truth is that this whole situation is easily preventable. Short of entirely shutting off e-mail (you might as well kill us!), all it takes is a little vigilance. Stop opening e-mail attachments.
Even if China sometimes seems like a giant den of intellectual property theft, the somewhat large (so we hear) nation is taking its own steps toward a homegrown tech industry by introducing computers with more locally-made parts than ever. The boxes, manufactured by Lemote Technology, will have Chinese-built processors, 40-gig hard drives and run Linux. The best part? They will retail for around $200 US. According to Tech.Blorge, the Chinese chip-building program didn't even start until 2001 and that an all-Chinese computer is a big step:
Does this mean we will see a rash of computers from China coming on sale? In fact, this has been the case for a long time. It is just they had different labels: IBM (now Lenovo), Dell, Hewlett-Packard and the rest. The only differences were that these were badged machines that ran an Intel chip and Microsoft Windows.Now the Chinese computers can run a chip made in China and operate with Linux. And that is a wondrous revolution.
File Under:
globalization,
technology
I love playing shuffle mode on my iPod, but the huge volume fluctuations from track to track are really bad sometimes. Here's a nice little article on how to fix your mp3 library.
File Under:
music
A new online group is encouraging parents to scale back childrens' birthday parties. The level of frivolity has apparently led to $38,000 shindigs for some lucky wee tots (as Super Nanny would probably put it). I'm all for dialing down the excess, but let's not pretend that it's just children who are benefitting from America's obsession with budget-busting bacchanalias (aliteration! woo). After all, pretty much every other life event is now celebrated with a small army of caterers. I doubt our grandparents were refinancing homes and maxing out credit cards (OK, they didn't have those back then, ahem) to pay for lavish bar mitzvahs, destination weddings and official Nascar-licensed caskets.
A little story has popped up recently about the recent arrest of DJ Drama, a hip-hop DJ who recently released a mixtape. Anyone who knows the music will tell you that mixtapes are extremely common because the record labels themselves give their tacit permission to use their tracks. Think of it as a sort of low-budget marketing strategy that benefits everybody: fans can get the latest music in a low-cost format and artists get buzz before their next albums come out. Here's Ars Technica's brief summary:
The RIAA isn't pleased with "Gangsta Grillz," which are rap compilations that usually contain unlicensed music. The albums are widely seen as promotional tools by the rappers who willingly participate, but formal permission to use the tracks is not obtained from the record labels who own the rights to them. The mixtape scene has thrived for years without arrests, so the sudden bust of a high-profile figure came as something of a shock.
File Under:
music
The NYT has a story about the release of The Burning Crusade, a new expansion pack for World of War Warcraft (an absurdly-popular online version of dungeons and dragons). The writer, though, attempts (unsuccessfully) to explain the popularity of the new game expansion:
The Burning Crusade, as the set is titled, went on sale at midnight Tuesday. For people who don’t play online games, it can be a little difficult to describe the freakout many gamers experience as they try to explore and conquer the new content. Imagine the convergence of rabid fans if, say, Luciano Pavarotti were to star in a long-hyped live remake of “Star Trek” at Carnegie Hall, with special appearances by Tom Cruise and Kiefer Sutherland.
It’s a bit like that, except for people who mostly don’t read People, care about Jack Bauer or subscribe to the Met.
File Under:
journalism,
video games
Popular science has a little slide show of their favorite new tech gadgets from CES, the mega-trade show for consumer electronics. Most of the stuff doesn't blow me away, but I really do like the iPod video projector. As a friend of mine mentioned recently, home video projectors seem like they could really explode (figuratively) in the next few years if the price of the lenses keeps coming down.
File Under:
iPod,
technology,
TV
Blogger went down for a few hours today (I was actually getting this funny-looking Google error page). Sorry for the lack of posts, but I'll get back to it asap.
Yes, we really will all be 107 years old before downloaded films become commonplace. At least it seems like that when the major players (the studios, Apple, etc.) seem so uninterested in making it happen now. Ironically, Netflix, the one business whose model seems so antiquated (the Post Office? Really?), is taking some of the first tentative steps toward it. Netflix subscribers will now be able to download a limited number of hours of streaming movies each month for free. The part is nice. The streaming part, not so much. Here's Ars Technica on Netflix's plan:
The initial selection is fairly thin, with only 1,000 titles available (out of more than 70,000 available on DVD), but this was the same number of DVDs that Netflix launched with back in 1999. It's probably just as well; Netflix has made clear that they want to roll out the new technology slowly to make sure that everything works correctly. As CEO Reed Hastings notes, this isn't a market that is going to pay big dividends for a few years yet.
"While mainstream consumer adoption of online movie watching will take a number of years due to content and technology hurdles, the time is right for Netflix to take the first step," he said. "Over the coming years we'll expand our selection of films, and we'll work to get to every Internet-connected screen, from cell phones to PCs to plasma screens."
Apparently Virgin America, a fledgling airline founded by Richard Branson has been blocked from operating U.S. routes because of too high a percentage of foreign ownership. Somehow foreign airlines are what, more likely to allow their planes to be hijacked? Anyway, the airline's CEO (not Branson himself, unfortunately) actually released a viral video asking perk-susceptible travelers to help them fight the good fight.
File Under:
transportation,
Virgin
There is a burgeoning movement among some U.S. states to drop the Electoral College like a bad habit. It's nice to see polticians taking a rational look at an outdated system. After all, if you're going to justify the EC on the basis of the founding fathers, at least come up with something better than their aversion to mob rule. Here's a political scientist on why the system is so screwed up:
Koza said the current system encourages parties to focus on a few contested ''battleground'' states -- Ohio and Florida, in recent years -- and exaggerates the significance of issues important to those states.
''Why is the rest of the country interested in Cuba? It's a couple of million people, we don't trade with them, and it's certainly been no military threat for 40 years,'' Koza said. The reason, he said, is that Florida is a battleground state.
Hewlett-Packard announced today that researchers there have made advancements in nanocomputing -- which means that future microprocessors could use tiny molecular-sized switches to make them more versatile than anything we've ever seen. Instead of buying a whole new computer to upgrade to Windows Vista, for instance, your computer processor could upgrade itself into a new configuration. Thank goodness that geeky kid was paying attention back in science class.
File Under:
nanocomputing
An Israeli tech company now has a PC that fits completely inside the wall. All that's visible is a plastic terminal with various input/outputs. You wire the Jack PC up and then simply plug in your monitor, keyboard, mouse, etc. It's obviously not very customizable and would probably be a hassle to open up and perform maintenance, but it's yet another step in the direction of making technology more integrated with architecture. Instead of treating them like toaster ovens and blenders, we'll treat computers more like central air conditioning.
File Under:
PC
Lost amid all the excitement over the Apple iPhone and Apple TV, Microsoft previewed its own piece of technology awesomeness, Windows Home Server. The idea is to make operating a server user-friendly enough to appeal to casual computer users. Paul Thurrott's SuperSite for Windows explains why this is such a big step forward:
When you think about the market for a home server-type product, you obviously need to consider how many people there are out there who would want and could take advantage of such a product. According to Microsoft, the market for WHS is quite big: There are over 40 million people worldwide that have broadband access and 2 or more PCs at home. They've got important data stored on those PCs, including digital memories (photos and videos), work and personal documents, financial data, and more.
The problem, of course, is that as more and more people use PCs to store their important data, the user base, overall, gets less and less technical, and the needs of the market migrate down to the mainstream. For this reason, WHS needs to serve the needs of average users as well as more advanced users (you guys). What Microsoft expects is that most of the people who acquire the first version of WHS will be enthusiasts. But they'll be so excited about the product that they'll evangelize it to others. And the product needs to work for these people.
File Under:
home servers,
Microsoft
A couple of china-based musicians have invented a handheld music player that only plays back loops of Buddhist chanting and music. It even has a headphone jack for meditating on the subway... I think.
Stephen Colbert manages to reference both punchcards and Segway Polo leagues in his takedown of the Apple iPhone. Apparently he's "flaccid with rage."
File Under:
Apple,
iPhone,
Stephen Colbert
After a very good run (almost four years) at Joel's Pub, I'm starting a new blog. It's called Tomorrow-Land and is going to devoted exclusively to online news. Di and I were talking about my career and I've told her many times about my desire to possibly move into the online news industry. Then we came up with the idea of me putting together a blog as a more professional pursuit -- something that, if it won't necessarily get me a job -- I can show off as a professional accomplishment.
So I hope you'll go over there and bookmark Tomorrow-Land. I will be posting stuff a few times a day, so check back often and post lots of comments. And if you have a blog of your own, please link to it and feel free to quote me as often as you'd like.
British troops in Iraq are reporting that insurgents are using Google Earth to learn details about U.K. military bases in that country. It was only a matter of time before stories like this started coming out. Apparently Google already blurs out some areas -- supposedly including Israeli nuclear faciliities -- but according to the troops interviewed, the aerial maps show "where we eat, sleep and go to the toilet."
The Telegraph article, by the way, continuously refers to the fighters as "terrorists." Isn't a terrorist considered someone who attacks civilians, not military bases? I thought only American journalists continued using this silly terminology, but no.
Some people aren't happy with some major changes to Microsoft Outlook 2007. Check out the screen shots to see just how important graphic rendering is to making our e-mails look good. I know a lot of people are forced to use Outlook at work. And it is packed with features, but there really is no reason to use it at home, where Mozilla Thunderbird performs the same function and is free.
The European Union is investing all sorts of money and effort into developing driver-less cars, taxis and trams. Hopefully this will pick up steam in the U.S., too. We're already using pilot-less drones for military and intelligence purposes, so why shouldn't we turn this technology toward civilian uses? The fact remains that humans just don't make very good drivers. We're too dependent on our reflexes and motor skills. Computer logic would actually be far more efficient at piloting small vehicles from point A to point B. Computers don't get drunk. They don't talk on cell phones. They don't feel the need to slow down and look at the fender bender on the other side of the highway. I think these driver-less systems will start popping up within the next 20 years in urban areas. The real leap forward will be when we're able to move from automated public-transit type systems to private automobiles that are integrated into larger transportation networks.
File Under:
automobiles,
highways,
robots,
transportation
The Kenyan government has been trying to come up with a national dress code. The challenge has been to incorporate styles from all 42 of the nation's ethnic groups. Apparently it isn't catching on. I wonder what the United States' national dress code would look like? I'm thinking Larry the Cable Guy.
It's been a wild week for home entertainment buffs (Which is basically everyone at this point. Even my mom has Netflix.). Apple introduced its set-top multimedia box, the Apple TV. Also, YouTube is considering starting its own conventional television channel.
Everyone knows the days of analog TV and shipping DVDs through the mail is waning. And it looks like some kind of universal home entertainment server is the direction we're headed. Wirelous routers and satellite dishes are great, but faster network access and better monitor technology means your TV in five years will be a lot more like your computer than the TV you have sitting in your living room right now. And the obvious technical challenges posed by this will be completely destroyed by an online experience that's faster and more visceral than old TV.
The internet is pretty much already at the point where it's better at TV than TV -- a fact apparent to anyone who realizes they just killed two and half hours surfing YouTube and Wikipedia.
David Beckham and wife Victoria (aka Posh) have landed. The world's most famous footballer (sorry Eli Manning) and his pinup wife will live out their celebrity-soaked lives in Los Angeles. Becks has signed an agreement to come to the U.S. at the age of 32 to play for the Los Angeles Galaxy.
The usually-cynical English press was surprisingly chipper about the whole thing:
How intelligent of Beckham to leave European football at the age of 32. The timing of his decision means that he will enter Major League Soccer at a time when he is still capable of giving competitive performances at the highest level. Philip Anschutz, the owner of Los Angeles Galaxy (and much else besides), can be confident he has secured the signature not only of a celebrity whose aura alone can sell a million replica shirts but of a player who will persuade a whole new audience to fall in love with the game itself.
It remains to be seen whether this will be just a redux of Pele's signing with the New York Cosmos in 1975 -- a doomed attempt to market soccer in the U.S. I think this should definitely create a buzz for the sport, though. It's not every day that a world class player (which Beckham fortunately still is) comes here to play professionally. In the long run, it will be interesting to see if this is the start of a larger trend toward a more globalized sports marketplace. Yes, the soccer world is pretty well integrated already, but the world's lone superpower (grrr, I'm really starting to hate that phrase) has never been on board.
We have been importing athletes, especially baseball players, from other countries for a few decades, but the overall profile of international sports is low here. Maybe this is a sign of change.
File Under:
celebrity,
globalization,
sports
You may already have heard about the $100 laptop. It's an initiative by Nicholas Negroponte of MIT and a group called One Laptop Per Child. The idea being, shocker!, to supply a laptop to every child in the developing world.
The computer uses a rubberized keyboard, small AMD processor and flash memory instead of a hard drive. The organizers are also developing a customizable version of Linux for each nation that receives the devices. Here's Negroponte on the decision not to use Windows and Office:
In fact, one of the saddest but most common conditions in elementary school computer labs (when they exist in the developing world), is the children are being trained to use Word, Excel and PowerPoint," Mr Negroponte said.
"I consider that criminal, because children should be making things, communicating, exploring, sharing, not running office automation tools."
We all like to believe in the power of technology, but you have to wonder if the poorest people on Earth have more pressing needs than using computers in the classroom. It's not even clear that these computers will improve education on a grand scale when families are so poor they need children to begin working at a young age. I'm not sure how a cheap laptop solves that.
File Under:
developing world,
laptop
Your phone will never be the same. At last, that was the theme of yesterday's announcement that Apple will indeed be launching its iPhone in June. Is all the hype justified? It might be.
The new device is so groundbreaking because of its radical implementation of touchscreen technology. Yes, various PDAs and the iPod itself have been using some forms of touch technology, but that was only in a limited form -- not nearly what the iPhone promises to deliver. I think the main lesson from this is that touchscreen will be the main method users will interact with their devices. Buttons and styluses (styli?) are gone. Machines as versatile and complex as the iPhone will make physical buttons obsolete sooner rather than later.
Check out what Time had to say about Apple's approach:
They began by melting the face off a video iPod. No clickwheel, no keypad. They sheared off the entire front and replaced it with a huge, bright, vivid screen—that touchscreen Jobs got so excited about a few paragraphs ago. When you need to dial, it shows you a keypad; when you need other buttons, the screen serves them up. When you want to watch a video, the buttons disappear. Suddenly, the interface isn't fixed and rigid, it's fluid and molten. Software replaces hardware.
One area of the launch that wasn't so inspiring, though, was Apple's "singular" to offer the iPhone through only a single U.S. cellular provider. The rumors before the phone's launch were that Apple would offer the iPhone as an "unlocked" device -- meaning customers could use it with any cellular provider they wished. To the frustration of a lot of people, it won't happen right away. And that's too bad, because Apple's foray into unlocked phones could have had a massive effect on the industry overall. Customers willing to pay the $500-600 cost of an iPhone probably won't want to also be stuck with a contract for cell phone service. They'll want to shop around.
File Under:
Apple,
phones,
technology
First of all, welcome. This will be the home of my new blog, Tomorrow-land. The idea is to focus on current events, science, politics, technology and sports in a way that reveals signs about our world in the future. I'm not here to prognosticate, but to gather stories and blog postings from all over the place and hopefully give readers a better picture of how we'll live 5, 50 or 500 years from now.
Cheers,
Joel
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