So
Microsoft has 'innovated' again by introducing the Apple Newton 13 years after Apple originally did. From my previous post you might derive that I was a big fan of the Newton and was a bit surprised by the complaints about the form factor.
Yet here we are in 2006 and MS has produced an even larger, heavier unit that even the largest Apple Newton. Have a look at this MS article that describes how the Newton was the wrong form factor, it should have been smaller like a Palm Pilot or larger, like a tablet:
The Newton hardware could have been developed along a number of lines, making it either larger or smaller. Instead, it was left in that dead zone of being too big and heavy for a pocket and too small to have a large, visible screen.
So which part of the 'dead zone' does that leave their new product in?
So Collision Detection has an interesting post on how KFC is attempting to thwart people who fast forward through commercials by making a commercial that is tailored to skippers. The idea is that if they put a single frame in the commercial with, say a code to get something for free, then people will actually not only watch the advert but watch it frame by frame to find the embedded code.
Of course, this sort of overlooks the fact that only one person needs to do this, then post the code to their blog or discussion forum to save everyone else the trouble. Sounds a bit dubious to me. Time will tell.
So With a little ipodLinux magic, you can make that old iPod (aka last year's model) useful again by converting it into a portable version of the wikipedia.
So Instructables is an interesting web site where you can show people things that you made and share how others can make them for themselves. Definately some creative and handy people posting on this site.
We like to think about the physical world as something that is programmable. We like to think of objects or stuff you make as 'code'. In other words, we are approaching the physical world as something that is describable and replicable.
So
An interesting article at the Guardian on The Death of Handwriting. I have definitely seen a trend in this direction at work, especially now that wireless access is available throughout the entire campus. People bring their laptops to meetings presumably to take notes, but more often to check email, IM and do other things rather than focus on the meeting. I am a bit of an oddball in that I show up with my (paper) notebook and pen to take notes and jot down diagrams. I find good old paper and ink to be much more expressive and versatile in this situation.
I have noticed that with all of the time I have spent on the computer over the years that my penmanship has deteriorated and I am making a concerted effort to do more writing (versus typing). When I was in college I was proud of how well I wrote and even had several profs comment on the legibility and layout of written work.
I guess it is in the same vein as my using an analog watch; I find myself drawn to good ole paper and ink to capture my thoughts during the day. Or maybe I'm just getting old.