The first generation Moto X belongs in the the rare group of Android phones I've cared about. It just seemed as if Motorola had something from the beginning with the Moto X and the newest iteration looks awesome. It's lovely from the metal frame that surrounds it, to the plethora of materials of varying designs consumers can choose have adorn the rear of the phone. It's classy of Motorola to have mostly left Android alone and the specs aren't-too-shabby either.
Curiosity killed the Schrödinger Cat
This is the month in which Nobel Prize winning physicist, Erwin Schrödinger was born (August 12, 1887). On his birthday, I found myself wondering about the english idiom, "curiosity killed the cat" along with Schrödinger's famous thought experiment - explained well in the above video.
I wondered with whom it originated, around what time, and how it is typically used today as compared to Schrödinger's remix of the idea that 'curiosity kills.'
Navdy: May be the best Aftermarket Heads-Up Display (HUD)
The aftermarket Heads-Up Display (HUD) space has been horrendous - a wasteland. It's almost as if companies who are in a position to make good iOS or Android phone-integrated-HUD systems, decided that they need not break a sweat while vehicle manufacturers continue to sell terrible $2000 dollar navigation systems. That is, expensive OEM solutions are so egregious and offensive to the public-at-large, that the big players in aftermarket car electronics can sell their lesser-of-two-evils $1000 head-units into perpetuity. I'm primarily referring to Alpine, Pioneer, and Sony here. Perhaps a bit less so for Pioneer, who at least made this in between watching "the fast and the furious," or whatever it is their mobile-audio department does nowadays. Garmin, with a "half-heartier" attempt, (and I use 'heartier' loosely) also threw their hat-in-the-ring with this thing.
Needless to say, Navdy looks as if it will easily be the best of its kind available when it launches. Jump into the post for some really cool tech not only from Navdy, but also from a company called MVS-California.
Macbook Pro clutch cover (plastic hinge cover) replacement
The hinge clutch cover is the long black plastic part that covers the mechanical parts by the hinge of your MacBook, or the only plastic part visible to you at the fulcrum of your machine. It's visible from the back when your MacBook is closed and also when it is open at the base of your screen. Over time, the clutch cover can become cracked and eventually even break, exposing some part of the internals of your machine. This typically doesn't affect the operation or functionality of your computer. However, in addition to aesthetics it serves the purpose of keeping dust and other undesirables out of your MacBook.
The clutch cover on my 2011 15 Inch MacBook Pro eventually cracked. I purchased a new clutch cover from amazon for under $17.00 USD, and replaced it in less than an hour.
Am I a fanboy?
Before you answer that question, let me tell you a few things about myself that may help inform your judgment. First, I have a computer science degree and usually make reasoned purchasing decisions when it comes to technology, not all of which is based on pure specifications. I have never waited in a crazy line or camped out to buy an iPhone. Second, I have a law degree; this may be relevant as an indicator that I have a modicum of logical reasoning ability. Third, I like engineers and companies that make some attempt or strive toward caring about more than the products they sell, if for no other reason than that it is good business practice. For example, I prefer Westinghouse and Tesla to Edison. Lastly, I like and truly appreciate, companies such as Intel, Microsoft and Google. I use their products daily and have done so for many years. For example, I’ve built my Windows desktops since the early days of the Intel Retail Edge program, and my personal Gmail address is simply ‘my very common name’ (at) gmail (dot) com.
Click the link below for 10 reasons why I easily choose iPhone and iOS over Android and the plethora of available Nexonaxy devices.
OWC Data Doubler: Replace that rarely used MacBook optical drive
You can stop living like an animal, and forget about backing up your MacBook by installing an OWC Data Doubler Optical Drive to HDD/SSD converter. For the longest time I had forgotten that my MacBook Pro came with an optical drive. Now, I know what some of you kids with brand-spanking-new MacBooks are wondering, "what in the world is an optical drive”? First, this post isn’t for you. Second, an optical drive is something Apple ‘puters used to come with wherein the user would insert a shiny plastic disk, that held all off, at most, about 8 GBs of data.
Click the link below to find out why you should get an OWC Data Doubler.
The Best Lawyer Briefcase: Bosca's Old Leather Partner's Brief
Some products are good because they are well designed. That is, they are functional, good looking, and give no cause to question the taste or decision-making-ability of the user. Better products also come with a great warranty. The best products, have the aforementioned, but come with a lifetime warranty, or a continuing guarantee of performance, and excellent customer service.
Bosca's "Partner's Brief" is among the best of products, and if you need a lawyer bag, it should more than do the job.
4.7” iPhone 6 front Panel: confirmed super durable, super clear - likely sapphire
At this rate its safe to bet eating your hat, that at least the 4.7 inch iPhone, will have a vastly superior display cover to anything that has come before it. Sonny Dickson and Marques Brownlee has confirmed the iPhone 6 display cover as being super durable and high quality, and likely made of sapphire crystal.
OnePlus One Invite
By now you've likely seen or heard of ONEPLUS, and their "flagship killer" the ONE. If specs were the only thing that mattered, there would be no good argument not to get this phone. The larger capacity ONE brandishes:
5.5inch 1080p 401ppi display, 2.5Ghz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor, 3Gb of LP-DDR3 RAM, 64Gb of storage, and CyanogenMod 11S OS over Android 4.4.
And none of those is its best spec. Click the link below to learn what the best spec is for OnePlus' self proclaimed "flagship killer."
I think I want an iPhone 6, but my 'Nexonaxy' envy is stronger than ever
I genuinely enjoy using iPhone hardware and iOS, and Apple's phones have been my phone of choice since iPhone 3G. However, I have never been more open to purchasing an Android phone. This is due in large part to: how I use my phone today, the availability of very good Android hardware that may better fit my usage style, and how good Android OS has become. With this in mind, I've been thinking about a few non-negotiables, that if absent from the next iPhone(s), would push me toward an Android phone.
Really Microsoft? "Facebook [!?] to acquire Oculus Rift"
Are you as surprised as I am that we didn't see a headline earlier this week stating that Microsoft was to acquire Oculus Rift VR company? Sony's Project Morpheus announced earlier this month, looks great. Microsoft will need to compete and have been working on an unannounced VR headset all their own. However, It would've seemed that Microsoft could have hit back doubly hard by acquiring the tried and true Oculus and their IP.
I could have even seen licensing deal since VR headsets seem to be a cross between your display screen and controller. Both those things are often sold by third parties and licensed all the time. Additionally, Oculous being already built for PCs seemingly would need to go to no great lengths to work with Xbox One.
Cola and Net Neutrality
Nilay Patel recently wrote an article for theverge.com about Net Neutrality. Its a great rant, even if the title may alienate some. I will not repeat points about the impending and systematic killing of the Internet as we know it, for profit. It is enough that you understand that Comcast, Verizon and the like are Cola X and that Netflix and everything you love is Cola Y in the video above.
iOS 7: A Brief Visual Gripe
Below are a few reasons why I can't love iOS 7. It's a good operating system and I want to love the OS, as discussed in 'Why I Prefer Mavericks as an upgrade to iOS 7'. However, there is this looming feeling during use that Apple went too far or didn't go far enough. After several months of using iOS 7 I finally understand what irks me the most about the OS: iOS 7 is a bit of a digital oxymoron. It manages to be polished yet unpolished, a little too gaudy yet a little too simplistic, very systematic in instances and not not at all systematic in other instances.
What do I mean? Below is a brief visual guide of a few of my gripes.
3 Amazing Things About Submarines
- Submarines or submersible watercrafts have been a long time in the making. Just how long?
- As weight is distributed throughout a submarine its position in the water is affected. How do submarines retain their position?
- The first nuclear powered submarine, USS Nautilus (SSN 571) made its debut some 85 years after Verne's fictional Nautilus. Verne wrote about his vessel: “le pouvoir dynamique de mes machines est à peu près infini" or "“the dynamic power of my engines is nearly infinite." Was Verne's prediction correct?
The Buckeye Stops Here: Tesla Motors' Battle With Ohio Auto Dealers Association
One more win for Tesla Motors against yet another Auto Dealer Association:
"Yesterday, a House committee declined to take up a one-paragraph amendment pushed by the Ohio Auto Dealers Association that would have blocked Tesla’s business model by prohibiting an automaker from owning an auto dealership. Dealers wanted to stick the amendment into a noncontroversial bill that would require drivers to move over when approaching a road-maintenance vehicle. But with Tesla representatives pushing hard, the committee passed the bill yesterday without amendments."
The Columbus Dispatch
It is understandable for automotive dealerships to be extremely fearful that their industry may one day be rendered obsolete by Tesla’s sales model. It is also understandable that auto-dealerships would like to get their hands on some of the money passing from consumers to Tesla. The question is whether auto-dealerships are entitled to remain in business or share in Tesla’s profits.
Not So Instant Karma: Fisker Files For Bankruptcy
Fisker Automotive has officially filed for bankruptcy. It’s difficult to think of Fisker's demise without also thinking of Tesla Motors' success. Aside from issues with the vision and execution of Karma’s powertrain, and the impossible to recover from Consumer Reports debacle, Katie Fehrenbacher’s February 2012 “3 key differences between Tesla and Fisker” write up was spot on. Fisker likely went bankrupt because of the major differences she outlined in her piece almost 2 years ago:
A Coin In My Murse
What man doesn’t live in fear of the dreaded Costanza wallet and the inevitable fallout from such monstrosity? I’m guessing not many, since entire companies have been created based on this fear and embarrassment. Dramatics aside, Coin seems amazing even if you do not care about a large unsightly wallet. It is brilliant in its innovation and execution alone. Excited about the brilliance that is Coin, I rushed to share the news with one of my closest female friends. Yes… the very young lady who jumped atop my Tom Bihn BrainBag with Macbook Pro inside. Needless to say, I was met with some pushback.
"The Most Challenging Job in Tech": John Chen's Blackberry Handset Plan Must Include Android
I tease my uncle every time he brandishes his Z-10. Blackberry’s hardware is great (save the Storm click screen), but their ecosystem has been dying a slow painful death for quite a while. It goes without saying that all of Blackberry has more than a-foot-in-the-grave. It’s doubtful that Apple or someone else won’t run them out of town in enterprise eventually. They need the consumer market.
So, I wonder if new CEO John Chen has a primary plan for saving Blackberry’s hobbled handset business other than selling consumer handsets running Android. If he does, I wonder what that plan is. If he does, I wonder how much this 'other plan' is worth. If he doesn’t, I wonder how much the insight and fortitude to sell consumer handsets running Android is worth. I shouldn't think it too expensive considering the abundance of logic in favor of such a maneuver... oh wait.
ONE is greater than 4: Getting an XBOX One instead of a Playstation 4
Let's set out some ground rules right up front. First, if you plan on purchasing a Xbox One or a PS4 because of a game title exclusive to either system, you may not be able to relate or you may feel differently. Having only purchased Nintendo game consoles for Zelda, this is understandable.
Second, if you are purchasing either system purely for some core spec, this will not apply to you. Gotta have the fastest ram despite the ability to discern real world performance gain? Having used a HP 48G graphing calculator as opposed to a TI-86 (until my statistical-design-undoing), this is also understandable...
Those things aside, the Xbox One is the the system to buy; it seems like the next-gen system between the two.
Why I Prefer Mavericks to iOS 7 As An Upgrade
Undoubtedly, both of Apple's latest and greatest operating systems have their positives and negatives. Mavericks seems like more of the same; iOS 7 is new and shiny. As most reviewers have pointed out, you would be hard pressed to find differences between Mavericks and Mountain Lion at-a-glance. In fact, after installation Mavericks left me asking what the hell my Mac had been doing for the past couple hours. There was simply no shock and awe visually speaking, or any real feeling of anything new or substantially new.