symesc's comments

I believe the original statement is correct. Blackouts are not climate driven. Blackouts can be weather driven.

Agreed. I'm running an iPhone 4. The speech recognition almost keeps up to my speech in real time. The results are typical Google.

This application gave me one of those "sufficiently advanced technology" moments. Magic.

Regardless of whether you like what he writes, you can't knock the hustle here. Gruber found his audience and a way to monetize.

I don't disagree, but who's "They?" who should have got him pushed through faster?

The airline doesn't control anything but the departure of the aircraft.

The issues with this guest getting TO the aircraft are in the hands of security and the airport itself.

Well put.

And all great companies have great people, which is yet another chicken/egg question.

I read it . . . loved parts of it . . . and simultaneously thought it was most random book ever.

He does give a disclaimer at the beginning, where he says the book is not meant to be read from beginning to end. When looked at that way, the work is somewhat more coherent.

I bought the Kindle version, and when reading on the iPad, this work really comes into its own: it's more of a collection of linked content than a book proper. The chapter notes are important, and the links to YouTube and content on his website are useful. One the iPad, I can access that content quickly and then return to where I was reading.

I will say that whatever the flaws in this work, Tim Ferris has changed two important aspects of my life forever with his two books: how I work, and now how I eat.

Ah, updated Chrome to latest Dev version. Much better.

Yup. Terrible rendering. I will not use that version again any time soon.

I use Witopia from Canada.

In addition to helping secure my connection to the Internet at all times, it enables access to online services that are otherwise unavailable.

These services include BBC iPlayer out of the UK, and Hulu and other streaming services from the US, like sporting events.

I have found Witopia to be extremely reliable and fast.

I recommend their service.

Gruber had some interesting speculation on last week's episode of The Talk Show podcast.

I'm paraphrasing but he was essentially wondering aloud if, due to AirPlay capabilities, iPads and iPhones would be able to deliver content to the Apple TV . . . and then become a remote control for the content on the TV.

This could be video like the MLB app delivers, or other apps that would lend themselves to being shown on one (big) screen, and controlled on another (small) screen. Think: games.

All of this sounds very "Apple" to me, in that it's completely consistent with how they think about integrated solutions.

And if true, I'll buy an Apple TV for the first time.

Score! Conversation over.

I'm already jumping to conclusions about girls with iPhones here at work.

Sorry. Believe me, I know how good I've got it, and I was reminded again this past week while on holidays at my father's cabin. It is in a valley, so below the line of sight required for mobile phone access. It was like a return to the early 90s, when one had to go to the University for Internet access and didn't have it at home. How did we live?

Thankfully, the iPad was loaded up with Kindle books beforehand, so the week wasn't a total disaster.

Couldn't agree more.

I have TV and Internet services on Telus' network here in Canada (I think they use the same platform that AT&T uses, which is a Microsoft IPTV solution).

TV and Internet come through the same connection at my house as a shared pool of bandwidth. They are sold separately, and TV actually hinders Internet performance.

I have 25Mbps down, total (which is freeeaking awesome for the price, about $50/month). Each HDTV channel used consumes 5Mbps. So if we are watching two TVs, we'll see only 15Mbps remaining for other data services.

I have no issue with this, either in practice or in principle.

In practice, Telus backs up the bandwidth truck and unloads it at my house every month, and I can't consume it all.

In principle, the market will decide whether to support the model longer term.

I for one won't hesitate to turf the dedicated TV services if Internet services can equal it in terms of quality/availability/price. But until then, I'm happy.

I dunno. Do people really have trouble finding the cheapest flights with the likes of Kayak and Farecast around already?

My question is how this acquisition really helps travelers. I can see how it might help Google possibly become an online travel agent, but how does that help me when the carriers set the prices anyway? Are we hoping for Google discounts or better visibility of seat sales? Or is there something that Google can do to really change things beyond how ITA already has?

Same: I bought a Nexus One because I was upset with Apple's approach with the iPhone.

My primary concern with Apple and the iOS platform is how they block applications that they view as strategically damaging. The best examples are Google Voice and any ad platform other than iAds for use within apps.

Do I miss the iPhone? I miss the "Apple experience" in some ways, but not enough to move back.

I think Apple is underestimating the power of small but influential communities like this one (followers of Hacker News). The more technologically fluent one is, the more likely you are to move away from the iPhone . . . even though you may have used and loved Apple products for years.

Losing this community will not affect sales numbers directly, but it will affect investment of ideas into the iOS platform over time.

I anticipate more innovation on Android than on iOS until Apple changes their protectionist ways.

And I wonder how long it will be before AT&T gets their ass handed to them by Steve Jobs.

Next week is the new iPhone. I think this unilateral pricing change indicates a new USmcarrier is coming on board.

I am in Canada on Fido. The competition between carriers is a good thing up here. I pay $30 for 6GB data plan.

I have no doubt twitter censors content.

When George Bush was up here in Canada on a speaking tour last year I was in the first car stopped at the light while the police blocked traffic for the motorcade.

I was sitting there, so I took pictures and tweeted about the experience while waiting and while the ex-president's cars went by.

By the time I got home 20 minutes later, those tweets were no longer in my account.

I know they hit the twitterverse because a couple of my friends were able to re-tweet what I'd posted because they were using desktop clients that stored the messages.

My reaction was surprising at the time: I wasn't mad. I was scared.

I can understand why officials would be worried about tweets giving away details that could be used maliciously, but this was happening in real time. The president was THERE, at that moment. There was less intelligence value to my tweets than there was in the advertising for his attendance at the speaking engagement.

But still, it was scary and I understand much more clearly what people living in oppressive regimes must feel daily.

I have those tweets, reposted by others on my behalf, so the Internet healed itself. Can't stop the signal. . . .

His footnote is interesting: "Although there’s still no decent Android-based equivalent to the iPod Touch."

He's right. Based on price, there is no equivalent.

On features, the equivalent is a Google Nexus One without a SIM card.

Trouble is, that's about to not be available from Google directly. I'm wondering whether we'll be able to buy an N1 without a contract ever again.

Disclosure: I bought an N1 directly from Google and loved the experience of not having to talk to a carrier or any staff member at a generic retail outlet.

Sorry, but I disagree.

It is interesting.

It is interesting because it is a new product category and it is selling like crazy. Truly new categories of personal computing devices don't happen very often at all. Desktop, laptop, mobile phone, netbook, touch screen mobile phone . . . now this. There's the history of product categories for 30 years. Chrome OS may change that again.

It is also interesting because when a consumer has only so much budget for new computing devices. Their choices matter, not only to Apple but to competitors.