Posts Tagged ‘Rants’

Couldn’t remember where the hell I put my receiver product manual and I needed to get the remote code for my TV, so of course go direct to Google for the PDF. I have my home page set to Bing but my default search is still Google. I still know what I’m going to get with Google, I really “know” Google. Here’s a perfect example:

The second link is PDF, clicking show more results gives me the 100% of the PDF’s I need. A simple right click Save Target As and I’ve probably just saved at least 5 additional clicks and a good 30 seconds. Not only that, notice the 3rd link.  That one is arguably more valuable as far as getting additional help and resources regarding the Denon receiver.

Compared to Bing, same exact search… I know the first link is best, but if I were to look around the page I really see nothing that’d point me to a quick and immediate download of the PDF. Obviously there’s going to be a few more clicks involved here.

Anyway, I’m sure this will change soon .

Yes, I said it. Look at all the Windows 7 launch day hardware. What do all those all-in-one PC’s with multitouch have in common? Well, looking at the photos quickly it would seem they all have glossy screens. Really!? As if having touch features on your primary screen wasn’t bad enough they had to make it glossy.

Example Dell’s Studio One 19.

While Apple and the Microsoft Surface along with other research has clearly sparked the entire multitouch movement. Right now is not the time for people to be going crazy and buying these PC’s. Apple is at least being smart about it and only adding it where it makes sense, handheld devices, touch pads, the Magic Mouse. You probably won’t ever see Apple add it to an iMac screen.

On the PC at this point I’d probably tell anyone who asked to fore go the expensive multitouch desktop PC’s and simply buy Wacom’s multitouch tablet.

It’s not even really that the features for multitouch aren’t there in software. Windows 7 and Snow Leopard both have awesome support. Right now at least the hardware just doesn’t match reality when it comes to usability.

Multitouch for desktop PC’s really isn’t going to get anywhere till we have real haptic input via a secondary display surface that can replace both the keyboard and mouse. A good start might be Senseg’s stuff. There was another thing I remember seeing but can’t find the URL at the moment.

Imagine just having a surface below your primary screen that’s a secondary display that replaces your keyboard and mimics the feel close enough. The feedback areas could easily change with what’s being displayed on the secondary display. To the right or left of the on screen keyboard could be an area for your entire hand to control and touch multiple pointers, see 10/GUI.

This is the sort of control surface that’ll replace the mouse and keyboard in time. It’s certainly not going to happen over night, but until the technology really gets to this point, multitouch displays in the primary vertical orientation just don’t make sense.

I honestly don’t know what’s with PC manufacturers, they just don’t seem to get what Apple clearly does. Here’s another example from Dell, their new Adamo XPS laptop. From the looks of it, a pretty amazingly cool piece of hardware. I’d love to know just much time and energy was spent on adding the ridiculous heat sensing strip. What real purpose does this serve? Speaking of strips that serve no purpose Dell yet again with their EdgeTouch on the Z600. Engadget has it right, “makes overcompensated CEOs out of us all”. Why the hell does anyone really need a touch sensitive strip on the right side of the laptop screen that’s going to require some crapware that undoubtedly causes more issues than anything else.

Dell isn’t the only guilty party. It’s not like Toshiba, Sony, HP, you name it have decently designed crap that isn’t just a bunch of plastic. Microsoft Hardware has done their fair share of stupidity as well. Compare the new Apple keyboards which are simple and refined to some Microsoft keyboards and you’ll notice a bunch of extra multimedia buttons those F-Lock functions, you name it. Then each new generation they change what’s included as well as the behavior. My original Natural Pro has a complete different set of buttons than my Entertainment 7000. I prefer the Natural keyboards over Logitech and Apple and just about anything else. Microsoft has an *amazingly* awesome sense for ergonomics far above Apple, that’s for sure (I’m looking at you Mighty Mouse nipple). But they’re far from perfect. I don’t really get why it’s so hard for everyone that isn’t Apple to figure out how to make decent hardware.

There’s probably 2 or 3 well designed and well made machines from both HP, Dell, Sony, hell some even like Lenovo laptops. But the bulk of the crap that’s put out by the industry is rehashed plastic crap that has bloat inside and out.

Jonathan Ive’s was right, it’s not about what you add but what you remove. This doesn’t just apply to the design of the products but the entire product line.

Grr. Now I remember my last USB MIDI experience… Last time was with XP in beta, even then it was the same deal. No bloody drivers because XP wasn’t released. Now 7, though its RTM’d isn’t out on the street yet; so no bloody drivers for the just unboxed Axiom Pro 49.

What gets annoying is when you have a phone call earlier in the day where a customer complains about crap not working that used to work or relatively new stuff not working. No drivers, bad drivers, whatever.

I mean come on, it’s not Microsoft’s fault. It’s not like Vista wasn’t in beta for 6 years and 7 for 2+. Hell Microsoft even helps people write their drivers. Still, we get crap drivers way too late which just pisses people off.

I’m not blaming M-Audio here. I’m just frustrated at the statu quo. I’ve not completed my search for updates bits yet so for all I know it’ll be working in 5 minutes. I’m a bit miffed it’s not just a simple plug and play. Or updated drivers off Microsoft Update. My philosophy would be to release early at every point of the process. It’s understandable if the stuff doesn’t work perfectly during the beta. But at least you won’t have customers out in the cold come RTM.

And I do have to say, Vista’s only failure was in its public perception. Yes UAC was overblown, yes they failed to deliver half what they promised at PDC03, but at the same time it was a huge improvement over XP. People will forget that XP was considered crap until SP2 made it what it is. Vista is the same deal. SP2 is amazing most of the time.

Now with Windows 7 people are finally saying it’s what Vista should’ve been, this is rather funny really because even with 7 being as awesome as it is, there’s still a lot left that was still promised and shown at PDC03.

Perhaps Microsoft’s priorities have shifted, for example multitouch wasn’t as huge as it is now. Perhaps Microsoft’s resources haven’t quite been allocated as well as they could be. Or maybe what’s actually being engineered is just a little more complicated than we expected.

I’m still thinking of that amazingly good demo from PDC03 with the millions of photos and albums shown in 3D that was completely fluid, all driven by meta data in a WinFS powered back end. The reality unfortunately is that despite what Microsoft is delivering in 7 and Apple has been delivering in Snow Leopard really doesn’t match up to demos.

Still, 7 is pretty awesome, it’s definitely the best OS Microsoft has yet to release.

You know, it could just be a consequence of trying to move technology so quickly. On both the hardware and software side.

Example, 1080p 56″ LED DLP about 3 years ago was about $3400. Now you could probably find one for $900. LED LCD purchased about two months ago, $3200, at a steep discount no less. Now, $2500, via Amazon.

That’s a pretty fast progression in both price and obsolescence. Maybe everyone just expects too much too quickly .

Maybe Michael Moore has hit on something with Capitalism, I’ve not even seen it yet but I get the feeling we in general have expected exponential growth but have the lack of widespread focus to actually get anything accomplished. And this is due to the current state of Capitalism in the US. It doesn’t seem like everyone is as focused on a singular task as they were when getting to the moon or fighting the Axis powers.

It’s not just technology either, where’s the focus on health, energy, and sustainability? I think Dawkins and Maher might agree that to some extent the lack of focus is exacerbated in part by the lack of reason and the divisiveness of US politics and religion.

But anyway, I just want to make some music damn it .

Oh Starbucks.

“Think you can you taste the difference between our fresh brewed and new, breakthrough instant coffee?”

If I can’t taste the difference why would I ever go visit you again? I sure hope you guys make more money on the instant stuff since the opportunities to supersize me on a Venti Mocha Frap aren’t going to work out if I start drinking your breakthrough instant stuff at home.

The world doesn’t need another instant coffee it needs… wait, err, that’s the wrong ad.

Way to play right into where McDonalds and Nescafe want you… they’ve started taking your core on the go coffee drinker away. Pretty soon all that will be left are the deliciously evil foo foo drinks that have as many calories as a damned quarter pounder with cheese:

• 24 fl. oz. Mocha Frap with cream = 500 calories / 17 grams of fat
• Quarter Pounder® with cheese (apparently McDonalds owns the rights to calling a 1/4 lb. burger that, yay for gratuitous copyright law) = 510 calories / 26 grams of fat
• Kill the cheese and the Mocha Frap has 90 more calories and only 2 grams of fat less than the burger.

I guess I’ve never been the target audience. I’ll drink Starbucks because it’s there. I refuse McDonalds and the like even if free. I’d rather make the time to prepare coffee in a French press than develop road rage just trying to get through a crowded drive-thru.

At work, fine, email works (for the most part). Except for the people who can’t figure out DL’s, and expand groups, etc, it works well enough.

At home though, what the hell is the point? The only email I get are bill reminders, for bills I’ve already paid; and receipts for crap that are stored anyway. Then every day I get a handful of emails from family. Nearly all of which is some random thing that spread around the web months ago, is likely false, inaccurate, makes no sense, full of bold faced type with tons of spelling and grammatical errors, etc etc etc.

To top it all off most of the time it’s sent out to a bunch of other people which just perpetuates things. I’ve tried informing family about sites like snopes.com and to just do a simple search before sending stuff out, you know, simple fact check. I’ve given links to the Microsoft security pages so they know what’s what, I’ve provided links to all the virus information things and so on. Yet every year I get an email about Bill Gates giving money for every email sent. Crap about Obama’s birth certificate, or the same crazy talk over and over…

I’ve just decided to post up this email through though because it’s a prime example… I’ve gotten into the habit of replying all to most of  my Dad’s stuff, mainly because most of it is bullshit and the first hit off Google reveals the stupidity. Anyway I love this reply from the person who forwarded the original email, he goes on this right wing rant. Why? I’m not sure, since the original email was about some supposed Smart car accident which wasn’t even a Smart car:

——————————————————————————–
From: JACKIE/DAN ROBINSON
Sent: Monday, August 03, 2009 1:40 PM
To: Corey Gouker
Subject: Re: Still want a Smart car?

You may find alot of things unbelievable, but that’s ok, if the left wingers keep getting their way EVEN You will be in deep shit if you can’t think and defend you and yours ! obama folks wants servants not citizens !! Ask yourself why does the black house need over 40 carzs ? That are not accountable to the “PEOPLE” ?? But you spend more time to point out things that DON”T mean Shit kid. We are LOSSING our Nation and those of us that have given body parts to Protect your rights can’t see what is going on today. Hell you are probly at work stealing your employers time and money sending e-mail, but you Don’t see anything WRONG with that do you ! I wish people like your generation would spend as much time looking and thinking about why you have the FREEDOMS you have and are about to lose. Just something for you to think about. Dan

On Mon, Aug 3, 2009 at 1:18 PM, Corey Gouker wrote:

This isn’t even a Smart Car. Not saying that a Smart Car wouldn’t have the same fate, like you said, any compact car would likely have the same outcome from being sandwiched in between two trucks like that, especially with the rear one going at any speed.

But these stupid crappy emails that get sent around are just stupid when they can’t even tell the truth and real story.

First, look at the wheel right beneath that red trucks’ bumper. Notice it has 5 bolt holes. Smart Car’s have smaller wheels and only have 3 bolt holes which you can see in the picture below. In fact, most sub-compacts (like my Mini Cooper S) only have 4 bolt holes. Most likely this was a regular sized/compact car. On top of that, all the body panels on the Smart Car are plastic and pretty much snap and lock into place. These would’ve flown off the car in a bunch of pieces, clearly the car in the photo is a huge hunk of steel aluminum and other junk.

For more info about this stupid email see here:

http://www.smartcarofamerica.com/forums/f3/crash-not-24793/
http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2009/07/photos_two_cars_overturn_in_wr.html

This was linked in the forum. What’s amusing about it is that both the Smart and SUV overturned. The driver of the Smart was able to just get out on his own. The driver of the SUV needed to be rescued after the officer smashed the window open. The SUV was smoking and leaking.

At any rate, I find this to be really amusing considering the number of people that’ll drive a motorocycle but wouldn’t think of driving a Smart.

Take a look at this video though:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ju6t-yyoU8s

Shows a Smart going into a wall at 60mph. Sure you’d still be dead from doing 60-0 in a second (would happen in any car), but they could still open the door without any issues to remove your corpse.

-Corey

——————————————————————————–
From: J. Clinton Gouker
Sent: Monday, August 03, 2009 11:37 AM
To: JACKIE/DAN ROBINSON
Cc: bill d shuster; Breanna Gouker; Corey Gouker; dave; sallyshopr; Stan

Subject: RE: Still want a Smart car?

Hey Dan! LOL, No need to spend $,$$$.$$ on a casket !Same goes for any small “COMPACTABLE” car. Honda ain’t no different in that situation. They didn’t crash test it that way. It’s obvious they don’t want to scare the customers away !!!!

——————————————————————————–
Date: Mon, 3 Aug 2009 08:03:15 -0700
Subject: Fwd: Fw: Still want a Smart car?
From: JACKIE/DAN ROBINSON
To: J. Clinton Gouker

Here’s a “obama motors car” If you go “green” you die !!!!!!!!

Well, I’m not really sure what to say in reply to Dan. I mean it really made no sense in the context of the prior thread, except maybe that little jab at the Smart car being Obama’s “green” car of choice or soemething. The racist and incoherent brainwashed tripe about the down fall of America really doesn’t coagulate for me.