Archive for the ‘Technology’ tag
Outgrowing Arduino
For about a year now, I’ve been playing with the Arduino prototyping platform to learn about embedded programming. After a year, however, I think the time has come to say goodbye to the Arduino and program my microcontrollers directly.
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The Future of Computing
Today, Apple released its punchline-inducing “iPad” tablet device. Designed to be something between a smartphone and a laptop, the iPad is perhaps the most hyped device of the last couple years. Whether it will be a game changer is yet to be seen, but it is certainly a shift away from traditional computing for sure.
I will not mention the iPod anymore; if you want to do that, read one of the many Apple fan sites for ad nauseum iPad coverage. Instead, I want to describe what I believe is the future of computing.
Just one word: integration.
Windows to Add Mandated Browser “Choice Screen” in March 2010
The European Commission details the new, compulsory “Choice Screen” browser selection update to Microsoft Windows. From the Press Release:
What is the Choice Screen and how can people get it?
Microsoft has agreed with the European Commission to offer Microsoft Windows users a Choice Screen giving them an easy choice about which web browser they want to use.
The Choice Screen will be provided to those European Windows users (currently more than 100 million) who have Microsoft’s web browser Internet Explorer set as their default web browser.
Until now, Microsoft has provided its web browser together with its Windows software, whilst the main competing web browsers generally have to be downloaded from the internet. This means that often other browsers do not get installed on consumers’ computers.
The Choice Screen will take the form of a Windows update. The update will be installed automatically for users who have opted for automatic installation of updates via Windows Update so they will not have to do anything to get access.
The Choice Screen will be available from mid-March 2010.
This would have been more effective if mandated before Microsoft launched Windows 7, but I guess it’s better late than never.
Green My Tank
The Economist is reporting on the US Military’s tactical need for “green power” war machinery. Not to save the environment, but to “unleash us from the tether of fuel.”
In Defense of $5,000/MB
“AT&T is dead.”
Well, it’s not dead, but the Wall Street Journal claims that we should be making plans for the funeral. According to the WSJ, AT&T is holding onto an obsolete, monolithic business model that is neither supportive of their customer nor fostering of technological advances. The chief complaint: the extremely high cost of wireless data transmissions.
As an iPhone user, I know how much AT&T is charging. And while my service uptime is pretty good, the cost is the same as my home internet plan, which is faster and not capped.
What if, however, those costs are not too high after all. Wireless data does not fall under public utilities per se, but it does represent the fastest growing segment of both internet access and mobile communications traffic. Both the lack of competition and consolidation of the market have attracted the attention of the Congress and antitrust regulators. For regulators and consumers alike, the question becomes, “are we getting what we pay for?”
Microsoft Complies with European Comission for 2 Months
Longer than anyone thought, but still a poor showing nevertheless.
[From Microsoft kills Windows 7E, puts IE back in upcoming OS - Network World]
What Kills Old Technology?
When I was much, much younger, I was online. Every summer, I would spend a couple weeks with my grandparents. My uncle, a professor of computer science at a nearby college, secured for me a spare computer, a modem, and user account. A handshake later and I was connected to the network. A further authentication and I was online.
Looking back, the early internet didn’t really do much. I had access to a wealth of information, and I would spend hours crawling through Gopherspace, soaking up information like a sponge. Years later, and Gopher is a figment of the past, lost forever to the ever-evolving digital landscape.
What kills old technology?
Creating a New Site
For some time now, I’ve been contemplating starting a new website. Unlike this site, which is my all-purpose soapbox, this new site would be more focused in its scope. That would not only allow me to create a more focused forum, but it would give me the opportunity to practice other skills, such as marketing and promotion.
My first instinct is to write about law and technology issues. After all, this is where I have the most training and experience. I also enjoy researching and writing about both. Of course, I also need to figure out who my audience will or should be. Do I want to appeal to technology geeks, law geeks, the general public, or some mix thereof?
One of the aims for the new site would be a more “professional” style and appearance, whatever that may mean. What sort of standards would I need to follow? Should I try to create something on par with a traditional media outlet, or should aim for a more “blog” like approach, preferring breadth to depth? Should I try to engage in original journalism, such as attending court or regulatory hearings? Do I simply take the Huffington Post route and copy/paste content from other sources?
What about issues of cross posting? Do I share content on both sites, or do I link between the two? How do I address issues of intellectual property? Do I want to try and have multiple contributors? Do I really think this site could become a serious media outlet, or would I be better served creating a site for my own amusement, like my current website.
These are early issues I am trying to work through. If any of my readers has any useful suggestions, I am open to your wisdom.
