Apple Tablet Musings [ A T ]

Here is what I think the new Apple Tablet will have, and I have to admit the idea is not mine but a concept a late friend came up with about 20 years ago in design school. This is why I think the tablet will be "revolutionary".

The tablet will have a slot for the iPhone to pop in; like a PCMCIA card or ExpressCard slot. The tablet will run OSX (albeit not as powerfully as MacBooks) but be able to also run iPhone Apps on-screen. The game Apps will be upscaled so they will still look quite good on the larger screen.

The Tablet will also use the iPhone's 3G/Edge data connection, as well as the WiFi connection, which will keep the Tablet's pricepoint lower.

For those without iPhones, there will be an accessory "cage" (maybe 3rd party) with a slot for your phone's SIM card and WiFi support.

Earth to the Moon

"Houston, Tranquility Base here; the Eagle has landed"

Had a more stirring phrase been uttered before? If you are near my age you remember this like it was yesterday.

And if you were me you would know this excruciating bit of trivia: the command module Columbia was named in an homage to the Columbiad cannon used to shoot men to the moon in Jules Verne's classic From the Earth to the Moon.

We won the space race, but to what end? One could have conjectured that - based on plotting a graph of progress over the years - that we'd have colonies on Mars by now. There are those who say we have enough "issues" to spend money on here on earth; why should we go to space. Probably the best answer is resources. Asteroids provide an enormous amount of metals for potentially a lower cost than mining on earth. And an ice asteroid can provide almost limitless amounts of water.

My only hope is that we return to the moon and establish bases there and on Mars. One thing to remember is that someday a large asteroid will be on a collision course with earth. Only a group like NASA could try to develop something like the atom-bomb-powered Orion spacecraft.

-- Post From My iPhone

iPhone 3.0

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Well, I guess images do not paste with the new OS 3.0 "cut and paste" feature...

-- Post From My iPhone

Palin Please

After the great David Letterman joke about "white trash" methinks it would be best if Governor Palin just plain STFU. Don't you get it; Dave was making a joke about your bimbo daughter getting knocked up AGAIN!

She already had an illegitimate kid, so what is one more "among friends". Obviously you did not get the subtle irony.


-- Post From My iPhone

EPA Gaseous Emissions [ G P T ]

The US EPA has now officially concluded "carbon dioxide..." is a "major hazard to American's health. I certainly hope they are right, and that they manage this program with all the alacrity of the SuperFund program. I mean that had certainly done well...


-- Post From My iPhone

Watching Watchmen [ F G ]

First off I have to note that seeing any movie – even if it sucked – on an IMAX theatre spoils you for anything else. Fortunately, Watchmen didn't suck. Not by a longshot. The only thing that sucked was the start time, 3/6/09 at midnight.

From the opening montage showing the (fictional) evolution of costumed crimefighters spanning pre-WWI through the Kennedy assassination up to Nixon's 5th term (yes you read that right), Watchmen grabs you and immerses you in it's lush tapestry of detail, action, violence and story.

Things like the re-enactment of motorcade being shot at in Dallas (and we finally see who the shooter on the grassy knoll was) all the way to the denouement (which was devoid of the book's manmade-telepathic-squid-monster-that-seemingly-teleports-to-New-York-from-another-dimension-uniting-all-world-governments-in-fear) look so good, so real and full of detail and life that you forget you are watching a movie. It feels like you are looking out a big picture window.

Without any spoilers, the plot is that in the US, superheroes (aka masked vigilantes) have been outlawed due to public outcry ("who watches the Watchmen"), so they either give up fighting crime or work for the government. Someone is picking them off one-by-one, and it is up to some that remain in contact to try and figure out what is happening.

Very good mystery/sci fi combo, with also very good characterization. One of the best was the anti-hero Rorschach (named for the Rorschach inkblot test that he wears on his mask. A sociopath/psychopath, the good news (for most of us) is he turns his rage and anger towards criminals. When arrested after being set up, he reminds the other prisoners (some of whom he put there) "I'm not locked up here with you, you're locked up here with me".

There were a lot (40% +/-) of women there, many with other friends and not as couples. Part of this was the love story between the girl known as Silk Spectre and Dr. Manhattan, the glowing blue guy who is the result of a nuclear accident and who is so powerful that he is almost godlike. In fact the US winning the Vietnam war is the direct result of the Viet Cong's deification of him.

This is not a movie for any pre-teens, violence is on the level of the film 300 (also directed by Zack Snyder), sex is sporadic but detailed, and there's a lot of adult topics. All in all a great way to spend an evening sleep deprived.

USeless Air redeux [ A ]

It may seem like I pick on them, but they invite it so; actual email
from USAir. {Note my comments in brackets}

We're bringing back free drinks On March 1, we're bringing back free
drinks in our Coach cabin. {because no one was paying $2 for a can of
warm soda} This includes sodas, juices, tea, coffee and water on all
US Airways and US Airways Express flights.

We believe in our pay-for-what-you-choose-to-use – or "a la carte"
– business model {if we didn't some idiot executive would lose the
ginormous bonus they got for this hare-brained scheme}, but it's a
work-in-progress.

We are committed to remaining competitive {also note US Airways
President William Douglas Parker gets 1.47 million a year} and that's
the main reason we have decided to bring back free drinks. {most of us
still hate you, drinks notwithstanding}

You still have the choice to only pay for the things you want – like
checked bags, Choice Seats or First Class upgrades. {how about
arriving on-time, or enough legroom to let the "boys" breathe?} And,
those services will continue to be free for our Preferred members.
Always get the latest news and our best offers at usairways.com.

sent from my iPhone