Stephen Colbert takes a look at the confusing history of everyone’s favorite monopoly.
[via @Cocia]
posts
Zagg Shoots iPad 2 in Slow Motion
On Fixing Tumblr
If Tumblr turned off new user registrations today and added a “notify me when more new users are being accepted” sign-up form, it would provide breathing room to focus on fixing the experience for current customers. Framed correctly, it would also make those customers feel cared for and important, something they probably aren’t feeling so much at the moment. Yes, for prospective customers it would be a slap in the face. Nobody wants to feel shut out. But if given a choice, protect your existing, not future customers. Web services build buzz all the time with limited, invitation-only beta testing intros. It would be a step backwards for Tumblr, but it would also re-establish a sense of exclusivity that would pay dividends after issues are resolved and open enrollment returns.
On Radiation
XKCD’s published a great chart on doses of radiation.
Apple’s Bertrand Serlet: X11 Excluded in Lion?
Reader Joe Cassara sent this email to Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering:
Hi Bertrand,
Will OS X Lion still include the XWindow system? Since LION will no longer support Rosetta, my favorite Commodore 64 emulator (Power64) will no longer work. The only alternative (VICE) requires X11.
Kind regards,
Joe Cassara Miami, FL
Here was Selet’s response:
Maybe it’s time to move on from the Commodore 64 software…
-- Bertrand
‘It Complicates my Life’
Anand Lal Shimpi, in the AnandTech iPad 2 review:
I do most of my work on a desktop (these days a laptop pretending to be a desktop). When I travel I need a notebook of some sort. I’ve got a MacBook Air that I carry with me if I just need something lightweight to do work, and a MacBook Pro if I need to do a lot of work on the road. While you can technically write articles, prepare HTML, edit images and post all of it via the iPad, it’s still no where near as quick to do so as it is on a notebook for me. As revolutionary as touch is as an input form, the mouse is a very tough act to follow. Then there’s the issue of multitasking and the fact that switching between apps is still far too much of a pain compared to a desktop. Data sharing between apps is much better on a desktop/notebook.
‘A Touch of Video’
Ben Brooks, on editing video shot with his iPad 2 at SXSW:
In less time than it has ever taken me to record and edit a video I produced a short clip with a voice over added after the fact in no time at all. The iPad did the encoding and converting quickly and painlessly.
[…]
What I learned is this: editing video on the iPad is the only way to go. I can’t see a need for ever wanting to edit on my Mac again. iMovie for the iPad really hits a sweet spot and that sweet spot is called user experience. It offers a grand user experience. I think the iPad is really starting to find its spot in my life.
Breaking News with iPad 2, iMovie
Matt Tinsley at TUAW, on Robert Stephens, who captured a huge fireball on his iPhone, edited the video on his iPad 2 and submitted it to news organizations:
Stephens says, “It was iPhone to connection kit to iPad to iMovie to CNN,” apparently all within around four minutes.
According to Stephens, had this all occurred prior to the release of the iPad 2 he would simply have uploaded the raw footage from his iPhone, but since he had the iPad 2 he was able to do all the editing using Apple’s new iMovie app for the iPad.
Ten Years of iPod
Apple’s iPod would hold 1,000 songs, could be recharged within an hour and would cost $399. “Do you remember what it was like when you got your first Walkman?” asked the singer Seal, who alongside other musicians appeared behind Jobs on a giant video screen. “‘Wow! I want to carry this wherever I go.’” Others were less convinced. Apple’s MP3 player was neither the first nor the cheapest nor the largest capacity device on the market. At that point it was only compatible with Macs – the majority of people used PCs. What’s more, it had a silly name. Technology bloggers soon decided iPod must stand for “Idiots Price Our Devices”, “I Pretend It’s An Original Device” or “I’d Prefer Owning Disks”. But within five years, via its iTunes Store, Apple would go on to become the number one music provider in the world – all but taking over the music business. After the introduction of iTunes video in 2007, it would quickly become the world’s most popular video store. Now, in 2011, Apple is set to become the world’s most valuable company full stop, overtaking the current leader, oil multinational ExxonMobil.
House Cuts NPR Funding
The House on Thursday voted to strip National Public Radio’s federal funding, a move that followed the release of a “sting” video showing an NPR executive criticizing the Republican Party and saying the station didn’t need millions of dollars in federal money. The measure passed 228-192, mostly along party lines, after a vigorous debate over the merits of public radio and the need for the government to reduce spending in the wake of a $1.3 trillion debt and $14 trillion deficit that threaten the economy.
The AP is Done with E-mail
Language evolves.Today we change AP style from e-mail to email, no hyphen. Our editors will announce it at #ACES2011 today.
Thank goodness.
Japan and iPad 2
Apple Inc may face shortages of key components for its newly-released iPad 2 as a result of the earthquake in Japan, according to a report released on Thursday.
Several key components in the new version of Apple’s popular iPad tablet PC come from Japan, including the battery and the flash memory used to store music and video on the device, according to research firm IHS iSuppli.
In the face of such suffering, does anyone even care?