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technology reviews and opinion
Thoughts About The iPad 2 Announcement
I watched the TWiT Live coverage of the Apple event last night (local time) and I think that the iPad 2 is a step in the right direction.
The original iPad was an interesting device, and was great for consuming media. Tech pundits pointed this out numerous times and pondered whether Apple was intentionally trying to stifle ‘creation’ by popularising such a device. I can see now the rationale behind the functionality of the first generation iPad. They wanted to create, for starters, a media consumption device, which they nailed. Once that was done, they could focus on adding other functionality, instead of doing both of those at the same time and failing.
It’s an incremental update, much like the updates to the iPod touch and iPhone line. What started as a phone with web browsing and music ended up being the mainstream platform for mobile computing. I’m writing this on my iPod touch and publishing it without the need of a computer, which is pretty awesome for what was 2 years ago an mp3 player. In a way posting from my iPod touch is better than posting from my computer; Safari managed to crash on me while I was writing in WordPress more than once. PlainText has an auto-save feature that automatically syncs what I’m writing to my Dropbox folder.
Once again Apple has successfully pushed computing in the right direction, towards innovation. For all it’s failures in App Store revenue policy, I still think Apple is doing technology and us a big favour.
Banshee for Mac: Not Ready To Replace iTunes Yet
Banshee for Mac is not ready for primetime, and unfortunately can’t replace iTunes as your primary media player because, as it stands, the beta does not have support for iPod syncing, does not import playlists correctly, doesn’t read audio CDs and crashes frequently.
Banshee for Mac Beta 1.8.0
However, there are good things to say about Banshee. It will import your iTunes library, even correct and add metadata such as BPM and cover art automatically in the background. It supports plugins such as Last.fm, eMusic and Amazon which are killer features from my point of view. Using the Last.fm plugin you can view related artists and tracks as well as listen to your personalised radio stations.
The interface is clearly something they need to overhaul. It wouldn’t hurt to use default OSX UI elements instead of the default Gnome resources. Its simplicity however is commendable. If you’re so inclined, download it and help the developers kill some bugs. If you want to have a good alternative to iTunes, one that’s free and open-source, this is what has to be done.
Religion and Science
A while ago I had a conversation with my cousin about science and religion. She postulated that there are aspects about science that aren’t unlike religion. For example, it is widely accepted within the scientific community that the universe came to exist as we know it after the Big Bang. But we do not have definite proof of this, we don know what caused the Big Bang, what was there before it, or what exactly happened. We believe in the Big Bang Theory. On the spot, I wasn’t able to provide a reasonable counter-argument.
Science is unlike religion through its constant pursuit of knowledge and information about the phenomena. We are ready to accept new findings, reconsider scientific canon as we gather new information. The Big Bang theory might be wrong, but we are ready and willing to find a better explanation. We are looking into it, and trying to explain what happened and what is happening now in the universe. Our belief is not unconditional. Like Gregory House said, nothing is unconditional, there is just unconditional need. For religious people, there is a need for certainty, a sort of mental ‘security’, something that science cannot offer. Instead, we have probabilities. And I’m okay with that.
Notes on Mac OS X 10.7 Developer Preview
It’s good to know that Apple hasn’t abandoned development of its desktop operating system, however I’m personally underwhelmed with it so far.
Mission Control
- The user interface elements are not consistent throughout the OS. Some elements, such as the login window still have remnants of the old UI, which look out of place. While a fresh coat of paint is always something neat and to be expected of a new release, I wouldn’t exactly decide in favor of the new desaturated approach to visual design, or the buttons that look transplanted from GNOME. Don’t get me wrong, GNOME is an awesome window manager, but I’d prefer Aqua any day.
- The new ‘About this Mac’ application is a commendable effort and stays true to the ‘it just works’ mantra.
- Launchpad is buggy, slow and superfluos to desktop computing. I understand that they want to get rid of the Dock, maybe even Finder, but instead of making things easier to access, they implanted a mobile UI paradigm into a full-blown OS. You can fully replace the Dock with Spaces, Mission Control and Launchpad, but why do I need three things to do what one small application does?
- I’ve wanted for so many years to get back to the MS-DOS days of single tasking, and full screen applications do just that. Aside from photo and video editing, which already had full screen views, why would I want to fill my entire screen with just one application? To make use of the Spaces feature and distract myself with beautifully rendered smooth transitions… .
- They’ve implemented Sessions, which means that when you restart, the n-th applications that you had opened, will be restored, which does an amazing job at simulating how time would pass if you were in the accretion disk of a black hole.
- The new Mail app is wonderful from both a design and functionality standpoint. I’m sorry for the developer of Sparrow.app which will have its user-base significantly diminished.
- FileVault had its security significantly boosted, with whole disk encryption now implemented.
- Scrolling is bass-ackwards. They’ve removed the open application Dock indicators by default. The WiFi status icon is always animated, even when connected (AirPort Express) and options like show time connected don’t do anything. You can now reset your account password using an AppleID and use iChat with your Yahoo! Messenger ID. FaceTime is installed by default. Accounts for services like Gmail, Yahoo and MobileMe are available to all applications that make use of the API. For example, if you set up your email account, those settings will be available to chat applications.
An open letter to SyFy
During the last 7 years or so, I always looked forward to a new Stargate episode every single week of the season. I started watching Stargate when I was twelve years old. My admiration for Amanda Tapping’s character, portrayed in the show, is probably one of the reasons I choose to study Physics. If this is not a testament to the quality of the writing and acting this show has to offer, I don’t know what is.
It saddens me greatly to hear that for the first time in more than a decade, Stargate will not be on air anymore. Although every series had its strong points and faults, it always managed to capture my attention unlike any other show on television. In my opinion, the Stargate franchise is up there with Star Trek, Firefly, Star Wars. It’s in a very exclusive club in the mind of most fans of science fiction. Although all good things must come to an end, I don’t believe it’s time to give up on Stargate.
With Stargate Universe, the writers and producers made a leap of faith, and brought something new and fresh to the storytelling. I believe this is no small feat to accomplish. The fact is that Stargate Universe put the characters in the foreground, bringing up morality, values into the mix, not just great space adventure. It certainly makes for a more interesting journey.
There will always be a push back from people used to the old approach. Insert Galileo Galilei’s struggle here. This is not to condemn the criticism as pointless, as there were a few instances where the focus shifted to heavily to the human drama. Every side has reasonable reasons to support their stance.
If anything, the shift in the way we consume media is at fault for the seemingly low ratings. Its audience tends to be at the cutting edge of technology trends, and advertisers are lagging in realising the potential of online distribution methods. Sticking with this series might be a leap of faith from an economic standpoint, but one that will surely pay off in the long-run. Giving up on a great show like SGU might make sense in the short-term, but how can you afford to give up on an audience that’s been there, more or less growing with Stargate, for more than 10 years?
An audience that’s still there, a community.
PlainText for iOS: A Must Have App
I have discovered probably the best iOS application out there: PlainText. Its versatility spawns from its Spartan simplicity and elegant design.
A free download from the App Store, PlainText uses your Dropbox account to store and sync plain text files between your computer and mobile devices, anything that works with Dropbox. Because it allows text input from mobile devices, you can use it for everything from to-do lists/reminders, short notes, expenses list, and even writing blog posts on the go (which I’m doing right now). Since it has a local cache and no bells and whistles to drain the battery, it is the perfect companion for the mobile blogger.
Create a stack from your PlainText folder and have every file only a click away.
If you’re proficient enough with the onscreen iPhone keyboard you could easily use this application to take class notes, keep track of homework and anything you can think of. Why carry your MacBook on campus when you could just pack your iPhone or iPod touch? Add a stand, an Apple Bluetooth keyboard and a charger for those long sessions and you’ve got yourself nothing less than a workhorse for modular mobile computing.
Revise your notes on the bus, or write your next novel, PlainText is a stroke of genius that’s there whenever you need it. Get it from the AppStore.
Why Do We Waste Time?
Sometimes it feels like your brain is intentionally trying to sabotage your efforts. It’s not like you don’t realise the importance of things that you have to do. I would like to be able to study all the time. Gaining knowledge is very satisfying yet sometimes I just don’t want to work anymore. Why would that be?
Sometimes I don’t even feel tired and while I should probably study, I end up watching Stargate, surfing Reddit for hours (AskScience, Physics, Technology, Apple), reading random Wired articles or reading wikipedia articles about biology and astrophysics. Ostensibly doing things that won’t help me get better grades, or help me in a way I am aware of.
I envy those people I hear about from my teachers that solve entire exercise books or grasp advanced math and physics with the ease of reading a news article. Is there a switch in the brain that tells us things of consequence are boring?
Why does one rebel against its own judgement? Could this be what separates human beings from machines?
HideIP VPN: Secure Web Surfing, Spotify and More
A VPN (virtual private network) service is nothing less of a necessity for anyone who is serious about privacy on the internet, more so in the era of mobile devices and our hectic, on-the-go lifestyles. HideIP VPN manages to bring all the benefits of a VPN, has an affordable price and a range of servers spread across the world.
