If you’ve been following my columns here on SlashGear, you know that I’m a bit of a tech addict. Whether it’s video games, set-top boxes, new televisions, or anything in-between, I’m typically ready and willing to buy it — assuming of course, that it makes proper financial sense to acquire yet another gadget.
I was going to review Harry Potter this weekend, but I realized that would be a pointless endeavor. I try to review films on the edge of good taste, to either save my readers from a horrible film, or recommend a surprisingly good one. Harry Potter is a no-brainer movie. If you have seen the first six movies, you must see this one. If you haven’t seen them, you have about 15 hours of movie watching to do before Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I will make any sense. So, instead of reviewing the obvious blockbuster hit, I decided to try an experiment.
Or: Will Google’s Open Model Overcome Apple’s Closed Model?
There is an argument I’m hearing a lot lately that Apple is repeating the mistakes it made in the PC era again today with the iPhone. The argument – which I’ve heard from financial analysts, journalists, and my friend Marc on our walk home from synagogue – goes something like this:
In 1984 Apple ran an ad during the Super Bowl promising that 1984 would not be like [the totalitarian world of George Orwell’s novel] “1984.” Apple then launched the Macintosh, which had an enormous lead over the rest of the PC industry thanks to its graphical user interface. But Steve Jobs decided to keep the Mac a completely closed system while Bill Gates over at Microsoft invited all comers to build apps for MS-DOS. Thanks to the open nature of the PC platform, clone makers from Compaq to Gateway to Dell built more powerful hardware than Apple, Microsoft eventually built its own graphical user interface, and the Mac was relegated to 2% market share.
Now, before I start talking about why my Wii has been collecting dust, let me just make this clear: I have been a fan of Nintendo products since the 1980s. And each new Nintendo console typically finds its way into my home on launch day. I also enjoy The Legend of Zelda and the Mario franchise.
But that doesn’t mean that I won’t criticize the Wii.
Digital culture ran smack into politics this week when celebrity gossip site TMZ published what it claimed (uncontested by those involved) were screen shots of a Facebook conversation had by Willow Palin, the daughter of the controversial political figure Sarah Palin. I remember the days when a politician was stabbed in the back by a gruff, anonymous source who used a fake name and passed dossiers in a dark parking garage. Reporters would work for days to verify the claims just to make sure they were true. Now, all you have to do is press shift-cmd-4, and you can make a perfect copy that you can distribute to the entire world in an instant. It’s still easy to fake information, but it’s even easier to pass along the raw data.
It is a sad day when I board a plane and all I see around me are potential terrorists. And I’m not just talking about the obvious terrorists, the disgruntled white Midwestern men. Remembering that most successful terrorists look just like us when they fly, it is impossible to feel safe and secure on an airplane. These potential enemies are all wearing underwear, in which they could smuggle explosive devices (or large sums of cash, if you live in Md). They all have shoes on, with thick soles that could easily hide weapons or bomb-making material. They bring with them luggage, certainly large enough to carry a mass destruction device. Everywhere I look, all I see is danger.
Whenever I talk about HDTVs with other tech lovers, they typically point to Samsung LED-LCDs or Panasonic plasmas as the go-to televisions for the person looking for the best picture. And as an owner of a Panasonic plasma, I never protest. My 50-inch HDTV has been a treat to have in the house.
But when I get my hands on my next HDTV, I won’t be buying a Samsung LED or even a plasma to replace my beloved Panasonic. No, when I finally head to the store to get my hands on a new HDTV, I’m going to buy a Vizio set.
There were a few instances that made me realize my social networking habits had gone too far, for too long. One of them went something like this. I would say to my wife something like: “Hey, my friend Gina is pregnant.”
“Who’s Gina?” My wife would ask.
I’ve heard the movie Skyline compared to Cloverfield, as the same movie but with better camerawork. It’s true that Skyline takes concepts from obvious influences, Cloverfield being one, but in many ways it also comes across as fresh and new. It isn’t a very good movie, though it is mostly an enjoyable ride. But the best part about Skyline is that it’s a fair benchmark for just how far special effects have come in the decade or so.
Recently, my day was over and I wanted to relax, so I took to the couch, picked up the remote, and turned on the television. Based on what time it was, I thought I’d catch the end of one of the shows I watch each week and then get to another program after that. I thought it would be a slow, relaxing night.
And then the fun began.
Thank you Wired. Thank you so much for the boobs cover. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it. I was racking my brain trying to think of a lighthearted topic for a Friday column, and there you come, smacking me in the face. At first I thought it was just silly, but with all the attention the cover has been getting, I couldn’t look away. So I’m going to tackle this topic head on. I’m going to grab it with both hands. Motorboat. Sorry, couldn’t think of a stupid pun so I just stuck that in.
With the first stages of the US launch this past week, and European model reviews in the weeks before, the Samsung Galaxy Tab‘s Flash performance has been well raked over. Flash support has taken center stage as one of the key differentiators between Apple’s iPad and Android-based tablets, with Steve Jobs making no disguise of his dislike of the technology and several reviewers flagging up its spotty performance in their coverage of the new Samsung slate. It’s enough for Silicon Alley Insider (without actually having used the Galaxy Tab) to describe Flash as “an embarrassing disaster” for Google slates. Problem is, it’s a naive stance when an integral part of the Android proposition is flexibility.
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