"Lily in the Rain" by nakeene
“Lily in the Rain”
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Sunday Morning, Strawberry Pancakes
In our house, Sunday means pancakes! Short, simple and sweet. What makes strawberry pancakes better? The sound of rain of course! Yep, a lovely start to the day and a reminder to relax!
Robots invented their own language!
I stumbled across this article discovermagazine.com about the work of a few Australian scientist. They’ve created a group of robot and given the the ability to create their own language. The full article can be found here.
I find this interesting for a few reasons, one is because I love robots, so long as they follow Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics and two, because I find language to be fascinating! Languages are very complex and we rarely think about how complex they. For instance, how did English become so broken when it comes to rules but flexible with use?
The video from the article is below, but take a look at the full article and enjoy!
Funny IT Quotes
Because we all need a good laugh sometimes…
“For a list of all the ways technology has failed to improve the quality of life, please press three.” - Alice Kahn
“In all large corporations, there is a pervasive fear that someone, somewhere is having fun with a computer on company time. Networks help alleviate that fear.” – John C. Dvorak
“Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the Universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning.” – Rick Cook
iOS is to Ridged as Android is to Anarchy
I’ve been working with iOS and Android devices daily for a while now. What has all of my working with them taught me? It is that iOS is ridged, while Android is anarchy. In the end, both are horribly frustrating. Neither really provide the functionality that a tablet device, or any computing device, should have. Both have their pros and cons, but the whole idea of a tablet device seems to be lost in both cases. In this post, I’ll attempt to explain what is right and wrong with both of them.
Image via Wikipedia
iOS and Apple
Let’s get it out of the way and say it, Apple makes beautiful, stylish devices, they truly do. It is really one of their core competencies! Understanding the needs of their customer base is not. The iPad had a great starting point, it was the first light easy to use tablet, but there were issues out the gate. Namely, it still limits the *real* internet, without Adobe Flash being installed on it, the iPad prevents access to many sites and content. This forced sites who wanted to play along to make numerous changes to their content and distribution.
In addition to the limited internet comes the issues with purchases. You cannot transfer items like ebooks that you have purchased for other devices or sites to your iPad. This doesn’t make sense for several reasons, one of them being that if an individual has purchased an ebook that is in the ePUB standard, they should be able to read it in iBooks which recognizes that standard. They allow MP3s that have been purchased from other sites on the iPad, a standard file is a standard file, regardless of where it is purchased. Subscriptions to magazines outside of iTunes, has also been a problem. While some magazines have resolved this issue, others have not.
Downloading files also doesn’t work, but I can understand this one better. There is not a place on the iPad for keeping downloaded files outside of the “Photos” app. If you need to read a document on an iPad, you better hope that your email account will open it as a webpage.
Most of the limitations that make iOS so ridged are there to put additional money into Apple’s hands. You see Apple takes roughly 30 percent of each purchase that is made in iTunes/iBooks. This does not encourage other businesses, especially print media, to go “all in” with the iPad. So, why would they allow you to add ebooks that you bought else where, right? The same is true for magazines.
The flip side to all of that is the stability that comes from being ridged. With controlling the iPad as they have, they’ve ensured a stable platform and encouraged development of apps. You know what you’re getting when you get an iPad. This says a lot regular people. Yes, it’s annoying that you can’t do everything with the iPad that you want to do. Making the decision to repurchase items for the iPad is also something you have to consider. Yet, without that structure and stability, the iPad would not have done so well.
Android and Google
And now we move on to Droid. Where iOS and Apple provide a ridged platform, Android and Google provide flexibility to the point of anarchy. It’s open sourced and manufactures can recode it to their needs, be it the skin (look) or which players it uses by default, Android is completely customizable. So why is this a problem? There’s no consistency between devices. What one Android tablet can do, another one cannot do.
Apps and System Updates don’t work across the various hardware platforms, this is insane. It means that new features may or may not be available for you to enjoy, something iOS users don’t have to worry about. Too much flexibility limits the usability of a device.
These limitations prevent more developers from developing more apps for Android. Why would they if they’re not sure they will work on all Android devices. There is of course another, related issue. There’s no real “gatekeeper” for Android apps. There are numerous versions of the same app all with different prices and people willing to knock off your idea for less money. There are few really good Android apps as a result.
So where does that leave us on the “Pro” side? Flexibility is important for consumers and there are customers who love to dive into technology head first. You also have the full internet, since Android supports Adobe Flash. This is a huge win for Google and the consumer.
So what is missing from tablets?
The “in-between” ground which means, in some respects, the story of Microsoft. There is no *real* Microsoft Windows tablet, so this will be short. What Microsoft did right was creating a ridged and flexible middle ground. You are able to customize the computer as you want. Developers can create applications and know that they will be able to make money (if done well) and that they would work on all Windows enabled devices if the hardware is compatible. If someone buy an application, then the developer / company receives the money, no sharing with Microsoft is required. This has allowed for many innovations and still allows the average customer to use and understand their device without much difficulty.
Of course, if you have ever watched “Star Trek”, then you know that tablets were basically introduced there. They were known as PADDs (Personal Access Data Devices), files were synced from the main computer and you could read information, books or watch videos from there. Both iPads and Android tablets do that. How they are done and in what format the “file” is, are dependent on the tablet.
We are missing the truly “great tablet”. The one that allows us to be flexible and creative. One where we can customize the tablet ourselves and access the information we want, but know that we will have support for it. Maybe we’re missing the diversity to get the tablet done right. Various versions of Android does not count as diversity. We deserve a tablet that we can really use in the ways that suit us best and not have to limit ourselves to hardware.
The 2011 NFL Season: Why it’ll be difficult for me
Image via Wikipedia
The lockout is over. Preseason games are being played. The 2011 NFL Season is nearly here. This season will be difficult for me, because my Uncle Mike is no longer with us. His love of the game, especially of his team the Colts, was infectious. Even though I am not a Colts fan, but maybe because I’m not, each season brought me joy. Joy because I knew our teams would meet and that we would be texting each other throughout the game.
The banter was always good natured and always something we looked forward to. Yes, we loved our teams and always wanted them to win. But for me, it was the banter. It didn’t matter the outcome of the game, because I felt close to my Uncle during it. Even though we were thousands of miles apart, during those games we could have been in the same room, especially with the calls at half time! One of the messages I remember from a few years ago was:
“This phone is out of service until the Colts regain the lead.”
Yes, I will have plenty of people giving me a hard time this season. My team is not well liked throughout most of the nation. That’s ok by me, I’m use to it. But there will be something missing for me this season. I will always remember the banter…and the love that came through. So as I prepare for a new season of Football, I wonder how the games will feel.
The heat is killing my yard
As my friends and family know, I like to garden. It helps me relax and clear my mind. But the summer has been an odd one out here and this blast of late August heat, has taken a toll. The heat has now taken a number of my plants. This has been upsetting to me. I’ve been trying to save as many as I can, sometimes using the same thing that saves me every morning, coffee. Yes, coffee is good for plants, not in large amounts, but in controlled doses. With any luck, the tripple digits will break soon and I’ll be able to save more of my plants.
