January 31, 2008
Why am I so suspicious of network data storage?
I'm listening to MacBreak Weekly, they're talking about using Apple's dot Mac online storage (and other stuff) system. After letting my sample dotMac account lapse years ago, I've never signed up again.
The concept of storing my data in "the cloud" is very appealing to me from a tech viewpoint. The security of professional backups. The fact that it's accessible from anywhere. The potential for multiple-host backup. All these things are appealing.
But I worry about how assertively these hosting services, even (especially?) Apple, will protect my data from interlopers. Pirates and governments.
If I keep my data on my own local drives, I can do what I think is reasonable to keep bad hackers from breaking into it and abusing it. I can firewall the drive from the net, encrypt it, or just hide it in the closet.
And if the government decides it wants to see my stuff, I can decide how aggressively I oppose that attempt. I fear that a hosting company would routinely accede to any subpoena for access to my data, even a frivolous one.
So I'm not yet comfortable with the idea of letting someone else keep my data.
But it is very tempting.
Helmet to Reverse Alzheimer's.
Really. I looked twice to make sure this wasn't a story from The Onion.
An experimental helmet which scientists say could reverse the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease within weeks of being used is to be tried out on patients.The strange-looking headgear - which has to be worn for ten minutes every day - bathes the brain with infra-red light and stimulates the growth of brain cells.
Its creators believe it could reverse the symptoms of dementia - such as memory loss and anxiety - after only four weeks.
Alzheimer's disease charities last night described the treatment as "potentially life- changing" - but stressed that the research was still at the very early stages.
Wear it daily, right after the 15 mins in your tin-foil hat.
January 28, 2008
Gene Therapy for Chronic Pain
A new kind of gene therapy could bring relief to patients suffering from chronic pain while bypassing many of the debilitating side effects associated with traditional painkillers....
Side effects are a major hurdle in treating chronic pain, which costs the United States around $100 billion annually in treatment and lost wages. While opiate drugs can be very effective, the doses required to successfully control pain are often too high for the patient to tolerate.
"The side effects can be as bad as the pain."
January 25, 2008
Bionic Contact Lenses
"Looking through a completed lens, you would see what the display is generating superimposed on the world outside."
January 22, 2008
Happy Birthday!
Today (Jan 22) is the 24th anniversary of the airing of the legendary "1984" Macintosh commercial during the Superbowl in 1984.
Oh so much has happened since that day.
January 21, 2008
Livescribe Paper-Based Computing Platform
Livescribe is a magic ballpoint pen which also records what you're hearing while taking notes, and later let's you point to parts of your notes and hear what was being said when you wrote them.
I'm not convinced that this particular product will take off. But it's an example of how simple everyday things are going to get smarter and smarter.
One gotcha about Livescribe is that it's dependent on taking your notes on special paper which has really, really tiny microdots on it, which is how the pen connects your scribbling with the recorded audio.
I also wonder about the recording capacity, and sound sound quality of this device.
From the sneak peak video, it does have some fascinating ways of moving the notes & sound into your computer for archivingm and sharing on the web.
It appears that they don't digitize your written notes. Rather the pen itself is using the microgrid on the paper to constantly record the movement of the pen, so what you've written can be recreated on a computer file. One of the sneak videos also hints at some character recognition abilities so you can later search you notes. The pen connects to your computer via USB through its charging cable.
They also are offering support for third-party developers. I think other productivity apps, and almost certainly games, will appear for this. Wouldn't it be cool if it had wireless in it? So all the pens in the room could talk to each other.
Promising. If nothing else this could energize other smart-object development.
Rumor Wrap-up
MacRumors reviews the success and failure of the pre-Macworld Expo rumors.
Dedicated Apple rumors sites such as MacRumors and Appleinsider continue to provide the most accurate look at what's to come from Apple, though an expanding number of sites are able to fill in many additional details. Wired's Gadget Lab deservers particular credit for leaking an actual description of the Air the evening prior. Patent applications can certainly point the way to what Apple might be working on (multitouch) but should not be taken for granted (iMac docking station). Anonymously leaked transcripts and photos remain almost always fake.
Read the whole thing.
Looking ahead, MacRumors points to one unfulfilled rumor that is still promising.
Given Appleinsider's accuracy with their ultra-portable report, it is increasingly likely that we will see a mini-tablet device coming from Apple. Apple is said to be working on a multi-touch OS X device about 1.5x the size of the iPhone with a 720x480 screen. Initial reports had suggested the possibility of a Macworld launch, but was delayed and may instead be seen later this year.
I call this "Andy Ihnatko's portable" 'cause he speculated about something like this in a recent MacBreak Weekly. At my keynote brown-bag lunch the Andy-device was one of the things that many people agreed would be really cool. I agree. I want one.
January 19, 2008
Blaise Aguera y Arcas: Seadragon & Photosynth
Photographer and hi-tech imaging friend, Phil Weston, pointed me to this episode from the Ted Talks series. Some cool ideas on exploring information here.
January 17, 2008
We're here to help you. Really.
Time Warner announced that they're experimenting with a new pricing scheme where you pay for how much you download on your broadband internet connection.
They say that this will more fairly distribute the cost of connectivity and slowdowns, because, they say, 5% of the users account for 50% of the traffic.
Let's think this through, if these heavy users are going to be paying their fair share (ie: more) then the rest of us ought to end up paying less.
Do we think this is the way it will shake out? Or is this just a way for TW to start charging everyone more?
Here's the Wired.com story.
My Unlimited Skype Out Quietly Expired
Did I miss a memo?
Some time ago, a year ago I guess, I paid Skype to be able to make unlimited calls to real phones here in the USA.
I haven't thought about that since then, except that I've come to rely on my outgoing calls being all paid for.
Today I noticed that my meager SkypeOut balance, which I had when I got the unlimited service a year ago, was going down for the first time in a year. That's when I tumbled to the fact that I'm paying for my calls again.
If Skype reminded me of this expiration, then I missed that email. And now I can't quite figure out how to sign up for a similar package.
The closest I can find is what they call SkypePro, which is good in that it also includes my SkypeIn phone number, which I've been paying for all along, and free voicemail.
But here's the "gotcha". Calls to cell phones are NOT INCLUDED. Even though SkypePro includes free calls to landlines in the USA, I'll still have to pay for each call to a cell phone. And I've gotta figure that, in this day and age, many (most?) of my calls are to cellphones. Plus I'm not sure how to even know in advance if a number is a cell phone.
If I'm understanding this right, then it sucks.
This could be the thing that makes it cost-effective to switch to Gizmo and the open-standards VOIP system.
Decentralized Twitter?
There's a fascinating conversation going on over on Dave Winer's blog about the possibility for a Twitter that is not dependent on a centralized server.
Great stuff.
Macworld 2008 Latest
Continuing to follow the buzz from SF and the Macworld Expo.
Although the MacBook Air is not all that impressive on paper. From the twitter/blog buzz it seems that if you actually get it in your hands you have a different, much more positive, reaction. Time for a trip to the Apple Store I guess.
I continue to say that the surprise hit of the Keynote will be Apple TV. It's a real "Phoenix, rise from the ashes" thing. A combination of a software upgrade which adds many of the capabilities people have been wishing for, and the reduced price of new units, has many people (including me) saying they are gonna get one.
January 16, 2008
Steve Jobs Macworld 2008 Keynote in 60 Seconds
Sometimes I think the only good thing about Mahalo is Veronica Belmont
January 15, 2008
Macworld News
Listening to some same day podcasts from Day One of Macworld Expo.
* TUAW Podcast (live via talkshoe)
* MacBreak Weekly
Macworld Broke The Internet
...the entire Twitter.com network was virtually unusable for several hours, with one message trickling through every 20 minutes or so. I had several friends send messages saying the entire Internet was slow.As my friend Paul Kedrosky notes, you could almost see the sparks and smell the burning gears as the Interweb tried to handle the load.
MacWorld Expo 2008 Keynote Notes
Throughout the day I'll be adding links and note here about what I'm hearing from my listening post in Cambridge, MA. (I'll be updating existing posts, so Refresh your page when you check back.)
- Twitter has been pretty much MIA/KIA since the start of the Keynote
- Macrumorslive.com is the stream of choice here at the listening post
- Len Edgerly is in line for the Keynote, twittering and posting seesmics.
- Shawn King's Flickr Set
January 07, 2008
Where's Jack?
It's flattering that even a few people who know me personally have noticed, and asked about, the absence of new posts here for a long time.
Yup.
I'd like to resume doing tech posting here sometime. Maybe soon. But no promises.
But if you don't already, you should know that I've still been pretty active on the net.
I've been blogging all along at Etcetera, my personal blog. Over there I talk more about pop culture, lifetstyle, and politics.
For almost a year and a half, I've done a weekly podcast about General Aviation called Uncontrolled Airspace. If you're at all interested in flying and airplanes I'd love for you to check it out.
I'm also one of those people who is hooked on the social network called Twitter. You either love it, or you don't get it.
So until I get back to the tech beat here, please check in on some of my other web presences.
-- Jack