John Haro’s Blahg

posts from a technologist and ne'er-do-well
 

Google F*@# Yeah!

These attacks and the surveillance they have uncovered--combined with the attempts over the past year to further limit free speech on the web--have led us to conclude that we should review the feasibility of our business operations in China. We have decided we are no longer willing to continue censoring our results on Google.cn, and so over the next few weeks we will be discussing with the Chinese government the basis on which we could operate an unfiltered search engine within the law, if at all. We recognize that this may well mean having to shut down Google.cn, and potentially our offices in China.
via googleblog.blogspot.com

On the way home I heard the BBC World news report about the coordinated attacks coming from China, and Google's response and i said, out loud, "Fuck Yeah Goog bout time!".
Then right after that i think i started pumping my fist in the air and I beat up the beat

Filed under  //   technology  
Posted January 12, 2010
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Lenovo IdeaPad U1 Hybrid Notebook

via uncrate.com

The first (non-fiction) device that looks well designed.

Posted January 12, 2010
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Andy Ihnatko's on Apple's Tablet User Interface

You want to try to figure out the UI of the RAT [Rumored Apple Tablet]? Go get yourself a comic book, or any other rectangle that measures roughly 10” on the diagonal. Hold it as though you’re reading what’s on the surface.

You see the problem? Your fingers get in the way. Think about how big that surface is, too. That’s a lot of acreage to scan, looking for the right buttons to push.

While you’ve got it in your hands, imagine that it’s a sheet of thin steel. That’s heavy, isn’t it? Hard to hold up for long periods of time.

Think about how a user interface would have to incorporate those observations. Now imagine that you’ve been doing this experiment for four years and not four minutes.

That’s a very long list of observations. If you didn’t come up with a workable solution, don’t worry: I think Apple has.

This is why I have to circle back to my assertion that here and now, nobody outside of Apple can predict more than half of what the RAT will be about.

via suntimes.com

Its fun to speculate, and it seems that since John Gruber's speculative post many other smart people have contributed their own wild guesses.

"If you didn’t come up with a workable solution, don’t worry: I think Apple has.".

Well said.

Posted January 9, 2010
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The Wilhelm Scream Compilation

via youtube.com

This is exactly the way I scream

Filed under  //   humor   video  
Posted January 4, 2010
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Siracusa: Three Obvious Factors for Apple Tablet Success

So how will an Apple tablet distinguish itself without any headline technological marvels? It'll do so by leveraging all of Apple's strategic strengths. Now you're expecting me to say something about tight hardware/software integration, user experience, or "design," but I'm talking about even more obvious factors.

  • Customers - Apple has over 100 million credit-card-bearing customer accounts thanks to the success of iTunes.

  • Developers - Over 125,000 developers have put over 100,000 iPhone OS applications up for sale on the App Store. Then there are the Mac OS X developers (though of course there's some overlap). Apple's got developers ready and able to come at the tablet from both directions.

  • Relationships - Apple has lucrative and successful relationships with the most important content owners in the music and movie businesses.

via arstechnica.com

Siracusa posits that there will be no super-awesome new feature to the anticipated Apple tablet, but instead that these three things alone will position Apple to find success in this category where others have tried and failed.
I wonder if without seizing on some new but available concept or technology, the table would not risk becoming a largely unrealized device like the Apple TV (which i own). The Apple TV only seems to take advantage of Customers and Relationships, the developers are completely out of the loop.
As interested as i am in a tablet like device, it has to be more than a big ipod touch or else It will not replace my existing powerful mobile computing device (my iPhone).

Posted January 3, 2010
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Words to Live By

From the back cover of the final edition of the Whole Earth Catalog, 1974

Posted December 30, 2009
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Mag+ Concept for the Future of Periodicals

via vimeo.com

...or will THIS save publishing.  

This is a well executed 'concept' though it just makes me more interested in what Apple is actually physically (in the real world) has up it's sleeve.

Filed under  //   technology  
Posted December 28, 2009
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Will This Save Publishing? Time Inc. Tablet Mockup

via macrumors.com

Clearly produced in flash with what looks nearly like a cardboard cutout of a hand, this mockup of a tablet and interaction version of of Sports Illustrated is "Coming in 2010".
My normal distrust of "design prototypes" is tempered by the many rumors of Apple's tablet, it's release next year, and the fact that nothing you see in this mockup is beyond the technical capability of an iPod Touch with a 10" screen. Add to that that Time Inc. boldly claims it is coming next year.
I'm particularly interested in the form factor. I read a surprising amount of junk on my iPhone and it does that quite well, but a full color reader at this size would satisfy all but one of 'e-reading' needs (tech books, full color, etc). That last thing is to let me keep my reader powered ON during takeoff and landing.

Filed under  //   Apple   technology  
Posted December 9, 2009
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Need a B-roll For My Blahg Infomercial

via boingboing.net

I called 1-800-BBB-ROLL as asked for a B-roll of a man weeping at his keyboard for an Infomercial I want to create to generate traffic to my Blahg. I hope they can come through.

Filed under  //   humor   video  
Posted December 8, 2009
// 0 Comments
 

The Case of the Disappearing Meeting (Exchange and the iPhone)

This may come as a surprise to none of you, but I'm a Mac and an iPhone user.  Unfortunately I have to use Entourage on Mac for scheduling meetings, inviting people, and rejecting meetings that i can't attend.  Thanks to iPhones exchange support, the iPhone has become a very workable 'bidnez' phone.  There has been one mystery that has nagged me, that is: The Case of the Disappearing Meeting.  
Every so often I would miss or be very late for a meeting (conveniently set by my boss or some peer I want to impress with my punctuality) and I would say "UGH, its not in my calendar!".  And then i would promptly blame Microsoft Entourage.  Entourage has become the digital "dog ate my homework" when I don't show up to meetings.  
So just now with the help of a friend I tested a suspicion and.  Here is what has been happening.  If someone invites you to a recurring meeting (like a status meeting with the CTO) and you cant make a particular occurrence, when you delete it or reject it Entourage will kindly ask you "Do you want to delete ALL occurrences or just this one".  


But say you are on the iPhone and you can't make that 11:00 am meeting with your boss because you are drunk.  You see the meeting request and you reject it. Your intention is to just reject this one meeting.  When you do that, the iPhone (without letting you know) rejects ALL occurrences and POOF they disappear from the Exchange server, Entourage, and your phone.
Now that I've tested and confirmed this, until (and if) the iPhone's interaction changes.  I'll just ignore the meeting i can't attend and send a friendly email and/or set it to tentative.  
So, all of you people out there that are mad at me for not showing up:  It's not because I'm forgetful, it's because I'm drunk.
Case Closed.

Posted December 3, 2009
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