512 Pixels

From his commencement speech at the Booker T. Washington here in Memphis:

Yes, you’re from South Memphis. Yes, you’ve always been underdogs. No one has handed you a thing. But that also means that whatever you accomplish in your lives, you’ll have earned it. Whatever rewards and joys you reap, you’ll appreciate them that much more because they will have come through your sweat and tears; the product of your efforts and talents. You’ve shown more grit and determination in your childhoods than a lot of adults ever will.

That’s who you are.

So, Class of 2011, the hard road doesn’t end here; your journeys have just begun. And your diploma isn’t a free pass – it can’t protect you against every setback or challenge or mistake. You’ve got to keep working hard. You’ve got to keep pushing yourselves. But if you do, I am confident about your futures. I am hopeful and excited about all that you can achieve. And I know that, armed with the skills and experiences you’ve gained at Booker T. Washington High School, you are ready to make your mark on the world.

I’m serious about this: don’t click this link unless you have several hours of time to read through all of the reviews.

Thomas Brand:

The eMate is not a netbook. Wikipedia defines a netbook as a category of small, lightweight, legacy-free, and inexpensive laptop computers. Although the eMate has a small 6.81 inch display, weights just 4 lbs., lacks an optical drive, and cost $800 in 1997 it is not a netbook. The word netbook implies a clamshell computer with a network connection, and out of the box the eMate 300 has none.

The origins of the netbook can be traced to the Network Computer (NC) concept of the mid-1990s, but the eMate has no ethernet jack for dependable wired access, and no wifi for convenient wireless internet. Its IrDA infrared port is best used for beaming small snippets of information, and the Newton 2400 bps fax modem was an optional accessory. Even Apple’s Internet Enabler software, vital for deciphering a TCP/IP connection, was never preinstalled. It takes a complicated bootstrap process with a “old world” Mac to get the eMate online, and once you have struggled through that mess you have all of the eMate’s 25MHz ARM processor, 1MB of RAM, and no browser to surf the internet with. The eMate is a hobby of a network computer at best but still Wikipedia lists it as an example of one of the very first netbooks.

I have an eMate, and use it from time to time just for typing. I can export .RTF files to my iMac via a cable. It’s a great little machine, and it’s a damn shame that it’s been mostly forgotten.

This baby wore me out.

Thomas Husson:

The mobile Web and apps offer different benefits and serve different audiences. For now, mobile apps make the most of smartphone features because they integrate more deeply and more widely with the unique features of smart mobile devices that use an operating system. However, mobile websites cost less to reach a wider audience. The majority of consumers don’t own a smartphone and don’t access app stores; they are more likely to use a mobile browser and to access the Internet from their mobile phones. The barriers to accessing a site via a browser are lower than those to downloading an app—even for smartphone owners. Also, the fragmented nature of the mobile industry means that porting apps to different platform environments costs money—particularly when including maintenance and promotion costs.

The first point is vastly more important to most than the second. Until mobile browsers have the power that SDK-built mobile apps do, mobile-formatted websites will always be second class citizens.

LZ Granderson on ESPN.com:

But if you live here, you know the Grizzlies’ rallying cry of “Grit and Grind” is not just some cool marketing catchphrase to sum up its magical season. It is the autobiography of Memphis, Tenn. If you live here, you know that resilience is the sound of the blues on Beale Street, and you know that long-suffering is the flavor of the barbecue that’s a Memphis specialty.

“That’s why it’s been so good to see so many people wearing ‘Believe Memphis’ T-shirts. It’s not just about believing in the team. It’s also about believing in each other and this city and all that it can become. It’s about believing we can turn this thing around,” said said Jason Potter, the Grizzlies’ director of promotion and event presentation.

I love basketball, and I love this city. I’m so excited I can love them both at the same time this season.

The Macalope, on new Windows 7 tablets:

The Macalope is constantly amazed by how many of these analysts whose opinions we’re supposed to take seriously have Websites that betray their ’90s thinking. Of course people will pick the Microsoft tablet! Compatibility! A proven market leader! That Chumbawamba song will never go out of style!

Will some IT shops buy these things? Sure. Probably. A lot of them still really hate their users. But a slightly faster crappy solution is still a crappy solution.

Bruce Bower:

Depression may have an analytical upside. People hospitalized for this mood disorder display a flair for making good choices when many options must be considered one at a time, a new study finds.

Depression may prompt an analytical thinking style suited to solving sequential problems, such as deciding when to stop a house hunt and purchase a property or when to stop playing the field and marry a suitor, say psychologist Bettina von Helversen of the University of Basel in Switzerland and her colleagues.

Fascinating.

Myke Hurley:

What I am enjoying about Grandview is the way that it’s getting me to concentrate on what I am currently writing. I know there is a web browser and a Twitter client behind these HUGE words, but I can’t see them. I mainly get distracted because I see a new tweet pop up or notice a tab I have yet to fully investigate and not having that visual distraction is quite useful to me.

Honestly, now I’m bummed I gave up my promo code for Myke to review this app.

Ben Brooks:

Microsoft should be searching for a new CEO right now. The Skype acquisition damage can still be mitigated if the proper people are put in place to immediately leverage the Skype brand.

[…]

If Microsoft wants a chance and long term survivorship they need to make themselves appealing to young stars. You can’t appeal to this young crop of talent unless you offer compelling products. More and more job selection for the elite talent is less about money and more about job satisfaction. Microsoft’s best bet here is to start acquiring fresh young companies and keeping the talent that comes with it.

I can’t wait for this film to come out this summer.