The Apple Tablet Event?

[Steve E]

If we're going for fluffy cover stories, I preferred the Time Magazine story, written by Stephen Fry. For those unfamiliar, Stephen Fry is a rather famous British actor, who is also a writer and self-proclaimed "Apple Fanboy" who sheepishly admits being more nervous meeting Steve Jobs than Nelson Mandela. He also apparently owned the second Mac in Britain (after Douglas Adams).

http://www.time.com/time/business/article/...76935-1,00.html

Oh my, he is a fanboy. You'd think a Brit would be more nervous about meeting his Queen than an American techno-biz superstar. (Personally, I would have preferred to have meet The Woz.)

 

BTW, as soon as the hacker/tech blogs get their hands on the iPad, I fully expect them to decry the iPad as a useless device because:

1) You can't install a programming environment

2) It won't run Linux

3) It won't run Flash

4) It is a closed system

5) It's shape isn't native widescreen, but 4:3

6) No USB ports

7) Apple sucks anyway

8) I hate Macs

But I too have a problem with #5 & #6. If the iPad is a consumption (rather than a true production) machine, why stick to the old 4:3 TV format and not upgrade to the new 16:9 format? Odd that. Also, I have a lot of USB devices. I wouldn't mind having another machine to plug them into.

 

Two days and I may just have one in my hot little hands. HA!

- Thoth

[marguerite]

Oh my, he is a fanboy. You'd think a Brit would be more nervous about meeting his Queen than an American techno-biz superstar. (Personally, I would have preferred to have meet The Woz.)

 

 

But I too have a problem with #5 & #6. If the iPad is a consumption (rather than a true production) machine, why stick to the old 4:3 TV format and not upgrade to the new 16:9 format? Odd that. Also, I have a lot of USB devices. I wouldn't mind having another machine to plug them into.

 

Two days and I may just have one in my hot little hands. HA!

- Thoth

No multitasking is a beef with me, although from the tutorials it appears that it can play music while you do other things, and if the iPad is anything like the iPhone, it will zip you back to where you were in a given app, so it will feel like multitasking whatever you call it. I can live with that.

 

I also think Apple should let its users buy and replace their own batteries instead of expecting them to cough up $99. And a memory card slot for the inevitable day when Apple decides it can't support a measly would also be good. But these days you can't even replace a Macbook's battery, so I suppose this is to be expected (if deplored).

 

Off to work on my script!

M

[orrenm]

You'd think a Brit would be more nervous about meeting his Queen than an American techno-biz superstar.

 

Stephen Fry is far from a monarchist. I think he's one of those who'd be happy if they abolished it altogether.

 

 

But I too have a problem with #5 & #6. If the iPad is a consumption (rather than a true production) machine, why stick to the old 4:3 TV format and not upgrade to the new 16:9 format?

 

There are two good reasons:

1) 4:3 is optimal for websites. And ultimately, this is a web browser on steroids.

2) One of the reasons it's so beautiful is 132 pixels per inch. They would have had to compromise the dimensions of the unit to keep the ppi but raise the aspect ratio. It either would have ended up the same height but thinner, or the same width and taller. Now, it wouldn't surprise me if at some point we get a widescreen version that is more expensive and 4-inches taller (maybe the "iPad HD?"), and perhaps that one will even have a camera. But for now, at this pixel ratio and size, they did the best they could.

 

 

Also, I have a lot of USB devices. I wouldn't mind having another machine to plug them into.

 

As a comp sci PhD, you know it would take a lot to add USB ports. They'd have to not just add the physical ports on the motherboard, but add USB support to the iPhone OS, add drivers for the various USB peripherals that people might want to attach, add SDK support so that developers could program for the various devices...it would take away some of the very strengths of the platform, the simplicity and elegance.

 

Just repeat this to yourself until it is second nature: "the iPad is not a laptop...the iPad is not a laptop..."

 

No multitasking is a beef with me, although from the tutorials it appears that it can play music while you do other things, and if the iPad is anything like the iPhone, it will zip you back to where you were in a given app, so it will feel like multitasking whatever you call it. I can live with that.

 

It is definitely like the iPad. But the thing is, Multitasking is a software feature, so it can be added at any time Apple chooses. Unlike Thoth's beefs, which are hardware, or yours below.

 

I also think Apple should let its users buy and replace their own batteries instead of expecting them to cough up $99...But these days you can't even replace a Macbook's battery, so I suppose this is to be expected (if deplored).

 

There are two things you're not thinking of:

1) Apple is a company that sells industrial design/aesthetics as much as anything else. And battery compartments are not pretty.

2) Don't just look at the concept of "user replaceable parts" but think of it in terms of "Total Cost of Ownership." Apple's batteries last way longer than any other in the industry, but they achieve this by not only using custom materials, but utilizing custom sizes to fit around their circuit boards, etc. For example, with the MacBook, they say the average battery can last about 600 charges; the new MBP is about 1200 or so? In other words, you'll end up buying 2-3 user installable Dell batteries (at $75/pop) before paying $99-$150 to Apple for a battery. So the inconvenience of having to go to the Apple Store for replacement is annoying, but ultimately it's not a bad deal.

 

To compare this to the burgeoning tablet market, if Apple charges me $99 to replace the battery in my tablet every 4 years, but every 2-3 years I'm buying a new battery for my HP Slate PC, I think I'd be more frustrated with the HP.

 

And a memory card slot for the inevitable day when Apple decides it can't support a measly <insert number of GB here> would also be good.

 

I think the industry is actually going the other way. Everything is going into the Cloud, being streamed. Apple bought a company that does music streaming recently. You've got Pandora, Hulu, Rhapsody, streaming TV from the networks, etc. MobileMe gives you space (and there's an iDisk app), JungleDisk, Dropbox, Google, etc. Point being, I think it's far from inevitable that you'll run out of your 16-64GB. I'd go so far as to say that as the decade progresses, we'll see built in memory decreases as everyone moves to network storage and network streaming. The cool part about that is nobody will need to worry about backups, about storage space, etc.

 

Only freaks like me who need realtime music and video production systems will bother with physical hard drives and massive amounts of RAM!

 

Orren

[thealtruismsociety]

http://www.apple.com/ipad/ready-for-ipad/

 

Flash is so in trouble.

[orrenm]

Flash is so in trouble.

 

Sadly, this may keep it going: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/03/goo...chrome-browser/

 

Orren

[thealtruismsociety]

Sadly, this may keep it going: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/03/goo...chrome-browser/

 

Orren

 

Doubt it. Do you think netbooks or a Google tablet are gonna have the sell through rate of the ipad, iphone and ipod?

[Joolissa]

If it isn't insanely crowded there I'll go and return with a report, and perhaps an iPad.

Has there ever been an Apple event that hasn't been insanely crowded?

 

Stephen Fry

Squeeee!!!!!! Stephen Fry is awesome, especially when in the company of Hugh Laurie! Have you seen any of Fry & Laurie? The songs they sang (Hugh is an amazing muscian. I wish he would put out albums, but he's so busy with acting...) were absolutely hysterical. I will link them if anyone is interesting.

 

1) You can't install a programming environment

2) It won't run Linux

3) It won't run Flash

4) It is a closed system

5) It's shape isn't native widescreen, but 4:3

6) No USB ports

7) Apple sucks anyway

8) I hate Macs

I have problems with 4 and 6. My opinion of Apple has gone down dramatically recently and I think they should be a lot more open to 3rd party stuff than they are. I want them to earn my exclusivity, not try to force it. By forcing it, they make me and probably a lot of other people want to do everything possible to get away from it, except of course give up our awesome gadgets. Seriously though, I'll put off buying things for longer when things are so closed up. Not to mention that app developers get a pretty short end of the stick and since there's no competition for that... or for linking things with other programs than itunes... Apple can do what ever it wants with almost no repercussions. Imagine the kind of innovations we might see if iTunes had competition for it's stores and it's syncing capabilities. Yea of course it'd have it's problems and Apple wants to make money, but I want to see them "Be the best" because they are and not because they lock everyone out and have no competition. Also, hey were a little guy once too, they should be more supportive. At least that's my understanding of things. It's a precarious balance.

 

No multitasking is a beef with me, although from the tutorials it appears that it can play music while you do other things, and if the iPad is anything like the iPhone, it will zip you back to where you were in a given app, so it will feel like multitasking whatever you call it. I can live with that.

 

I also think Apple should let its users buy and replace their own batteries instead of expecting them to cough up $99. And a memory card slot for the inevitable day when Apple decides it can't support a measly <insert number of GB here> would also be good. But these days you can't even replace a Macbook's battery, so I suppose this is to be expected (if deplored).

 

Off to work on my script!

M

 

Multitasking is a software feature, so it can be added at any time Apple chooses. Unlike Thoth's beefs, which are hardware, or yours below.

 

There are two things you're not thinking of:

1) Apple is a company that sells industrial design/aesthetics as much as anything else. And battery compartments are not pretty.

2) Don't just look at the concept of "user replaceable parts" but think of it in terms of "Total Cost of Ownership." Apple's batteries last way longer than any other in the industry, but they achieve this by not only using custom materials, but utilizing custom sizes to fit around their circuit boards, etc. For example, with the MacBook, they say the average battery can last about 600 charges; the new MBP is about 1200 or so? In other words, you'll end up buying 2-3 user installable Dell batteries (at $75/pop) before paying $99-$150 to Apple for a battery. So the inconvenience of having to go to the Apple Store for replacement is annoying, but ultimately it's not a bad deal.

 

To compare this to the burgeoning tablet market, if Apple charges me $99 to replace the battery in my tablet every 4 years, but every 2-3 years I'm buying a new battery for my HP Slate PC, I think I'd be more frustrated with the HP.

 

I think the industry is actually going the other way. Everything is going into the Cloud, being streamed. Apple bought a company that does music streaming recently. You've got Pandora, Hulu, Rhapsody, streaming TV from the networks, etc. MobileMe gives you space (and there's an iDisk app), JungleDisk, Dropbox, Google, etc. Point being, I think it's far from inevitable that you'll run out of your 16-64GB. I'd go so far as to say that as the decade progresses, we'll see built in memory decreases as everyone moves to network storage and network streaming. The cool part about that is nobody will need to worry about backups, about storage space, etc.

 

Only freaks like me who need realtime music and video production systems will bother with physical hard drives and massive amounts of RAM!

 

I agree with M. I desperately want Multi tasking. It doesn't have to be a lot, maybe 2-3 things at a time and M is right, since it'll remember where you were, it's not a huge deal... BUT streaming music is almost moot without it, which makes having less space harder to sell. More on that later.

 

I just had to buy a new macbook pro and I am not happy that I have no way to replace the battery myself, or for that matter anything else. Even with the whole "total cost of ownership" bit, the battery thing really annoys me. I don't thing you aren't taking into account being able to buy batteries on Ebay and the potential income lost (or delayed) from having to do without your computer (which could be the sole computer you do your work on) for how ever long it takes for them to replace the battery (maybe not long though, I'm unsure, other parts take would take longer I'm sure). Also the cost of replacing other parts that die. If your HP's hard drive or Optical Drive dies, it probably costs a lot less (and is a lot quicker) to have that replaced than it is for the Mac. They should let users replace their own batteries (and other parts in the case of a computer), wether or not the compartment is ugly. The iPad, isn't as big a deal I suppose.

 

Also, I am skeptical of their batteries lasting so long. I've heard they've been improved, my last MacBook Pro (which I'm now trying to sell) the hard drive crashed, the battery failed, and the optical drive died after 2 years. (Now, 2 years later the optical drive is dead again.) If it had just been the battery last time, I could have walked into the store and got a new one, now I have to leave my computer there for them to deal with it. Maybe they are improved and it will last 4 years, but I'll believe it when it happens.

 

Not to mention that there is no way to have a "spare battery", though we'll probably see external packs for the iPad eventually, like there are for the iPhone. Sure, batteries are supposed to last longer now, but I would rather deal with the ugliness. Battery packs probably are alot more expensive as well. Again, maybe not a huge deal, but put everything together and it's really annoying.

 

As for the whole space thing. Maybe that's the way it'll go, but I really don't want to be paying a monthly fee for all that stuff. I have huge image files and all sorts of things like that. It's an interesting concept, but for someone who deals in very large files and has a lot of them and really doesn't want to pay for one more service... I'm hoping it doesn't take over too quickly. I don't think it'll get rid of backups either, cause heaven forbid the cloud has a thunder storm and leaks data all over... I still need to be able to recover my files.

 

And about all those streaming music companies.... Pandora, Slacker, and the like.... unless apple institutes Multi Tasking... these are almost pointless without multi tasking. I would love to listen to Pandora while reading etc, but can't. So, I need space to put my music onto the devices. I'd like it if the iPad could access a shared itunes library from my laptop.

 

Now I'm coming to this with a more technical view than the average user I suppose, and I think apple is now much more concerned with the average user, so I'll just have to deal.

- Jools

[Joolissa]

Oh and as for flash being in trouble. It either needs to hurry up and die or Apple should support it. I am sorely disappointed that my beautiful flash website that I pay for has no way of working on the iPad/iPhone. Not to mention I can't watch most streaming TV. Oh well.... more time for writing eh??

[Joolissa]

Apple and Google are like toddlers on a playground fighting over a toy.

[thealtruismsociety]

Battery will last longer than 10 hours video, it will last a VERY long time just reading or playing music.

 

It's not just batteries are ugly, if they make non removable batteries they allow more room for a bigger battery, there is no locking mechanism, etc. they save a TON of space by making it non removable. There is a reason they are switching to this. There is a reason the iPad will have MUCH MUCH better battery life than any other slate out there.

[Steve E]

Stephen Fry is far from a monarchist. I think he's one of those who'd be happy if they abolished it altogether.

What makes you think that? I've only heard pro-monarchist statements from him.

 

There are two good reasons:

1) 4:3 is optimal for websites. And ultimately, this is a web browser on steroids.

2) One of the reasons it's so beautiful is 132 pixels per inch. They would have had to compromise the dimensions of the unit to keep the ppi but raise the aspect ratio. It either would have ended up the same height but thinner, or the same width and taller. Now, it wouldn't surprise me if at some point we get a widescreen version that is more expensive and 4-inches taller (maybe the "iPad HD?"), and perhaps that one will even have a camera. But for now, at this pixel ratio and size, they did the best they could.

1) Optimal? With everything going HD? With practically ever browser allowing you to reconfigure page dimensions? Pfft.

2) As you say, at some point we will get a widescreen version. And it will be at least as beautiful. I think they went with 4:3 simply because it was both familiar and cheaper.

 

As a comp sci PhD, you know it would take a lot to add USB ports. ...

Your argument seems to suggest that I don't. You're wrong. (See? This is why I generally don't advertise my doctorate. People get so snarky,)

1) If anyone can add a USB port with "simplicity and elegance" it's Apple.

2) A doctorate level argument: The heart wants what the heart wants.

 

Just repeat this to yourself until it is second nature: "the iPad is not a laptop...the iPad is not a laptop..."

What it is now is not as important as what it could be; an argument that can be applied to most things.

 

It is definitely like the iPad. But the thing is, Multitasking is a software feature, so it can be added at any time Apple chooses. Unlike Thoth's beefs, which are hardware, or yours below.

I never said it would be easy, just that Apple could do it.

 

There are two things you're not thinking of:

1) Apple is a company that sells industrial design/aesthetics as much as anything else. And battery compartments are not pretty.

Says you. I've seen some breathtaking battery compartments.

 

2) Don't just look at the concept of "user replaceable parts" but think of it in terms of "Total Cost of Ownership." Apple's batteries last way longer than any other in the industry, but they achieve this by not only using custom materials, but utilizing custom sizes to fit around their circuit boards, etc. For example, with the MacBook, they say the average battery can last about 600 charges; the new MBP is about 1200 or so? In other words, you'll end up buying 2-3 user installable Dell batteries (at $75/pop) before paying $99-$150 to Apple for a battery. So the inconvenience of having to go to the Apple Store for replacement is annoying, but ultimately it's not a bad deal.

I think we'll think about it however we want. Aesthetics versus utility is a very personal balance. Without a doubt you will find people in both camps.

 

I think the industry is actually going the other way. Everything is going into the Cloud, being streamed. Apple bought a company that does music streaming recently. You've got Pandora, Hulu, Rhapsody, streaming TV from the networks, etc. MobileMe gives you space (and there's an iDisk app), JungleDisk, Dropbox, Google, etc. Point being, I think it's far from inevitable that you'll run out of your 16-64GB. I'd go so far as to say that as the decade progresses, we'll see built in memory decreases as everyone moves to network storage and network streaming. The cool part about that is nobody will need to worry about backups, about storage space, etc.

Don't get me started on The Cloud. I know a guy whose desktop was destroyed in a fire last year. He backed up with Carbonite and still hasn't gotten his files back. Something about how he can't prove who he is without his computer. I also know a guy whose file was corrupted going back and forth to Google Docs. Personally, I suspect these big server farms will one day be Target One for terrorists. Rather than distribute data and processing they concentrate them, creating vulnerabilities. Yeah. Don't get me started.

 

Only freaks like me who need realtime music and video production systems will bother with physical hard drives and massive amounts of RAM!

Big hard drives and RAM are not just for freaks. Ask anyone who uses their computer to edit a video or model weather patterns.

 

Mark my words, Cloud Computing will prove more trouble than it's worth.

- Thoth

[Joolissa]

Don't get me started on The Cloud. I know a guy whose desktop was destroyed in a fire last year. He backed up with Carbonite and still hasn't gotten his files back. Something about how he can't prove who he is. I also know a guy whose file was corrupted going back and forth to Google Docs. Personally, I suspect these big server farms will one day be Target One for terrorists. Rather than distribute data and processing they concentrate them, creating vulnerabilities. Yeah. Don't get me started.

 

 

Big hard drives and RAM are not just the provence of freaks. Ask anyone who uses their computer to edit a video.

 

Mark my words, Cloud Computing will prove more trouble than it's worth.

 

Agreed!

 

Next they'll be storing our DNA in that cloud. Then it'll develop AI and decide to destroy us all.

[Steve E]

Next they'll be storing our DNA in that cloud. Then it'll develop AI and decide to destroy us all.

Hmm. Maybe it'll go the other way. We'll encode our data as DNA and inject it into ourselves as part of a retrovirus, for example, to become part of our lifetime viral load. Removal would take just a pinprick. Imagine—backup plus authentication all in one. But this is probably iPad 3.0.

- Thoth.

[orrenm]

Apple and Google are like toddlers on a playground fighting over a toy.

 

...A toy worth potentially billions and billions of dollars!

 

Orren

[orrenm]

What makes you think that? I've only heard pro-monarchist statements from him.

 

In his autobiography he writes "No I don't agree with the monarchy. Why would I? How is it theoretically justifiable?" But I believe that on YouTube you can find interviews in which he riffs on that.

 

What it is now is not as important as what it could be; an argument that can be applied to most things.

 

See, and as a pro audio writer, I make a great point of telling everyone that you don't buy a product based on what it might be, but what it is. You don't buy a digital audio sequencer that has no ability to time stretch thinking that it might/could do it one day maybe. You buy the one that can do it now. You don't buy audio software in 2010 based on what you think the development cycle will take it to in 2012. You could be wrong.

 

I've seen some breathtaking battery compartments.

 

We most certainly have a different view of breathtaking.

 

I know a guy whose desktop was destroyed in a fire last year. He backed up with Carbonite and still hasn't gotten his files back. Something about how he can't prove who he is without his computer. I also know a guy whose file was corrupted going back and forth to Google Docs.

 

I had a catastrophic drive meltdown less than a year ago, and was able to retrieve all 400GB of data backed up via Mozy without issue. It took a while because I only have a 10Mbps download connection, but no complaints.

 

Cloud Computing will prove more trouble than it's worth.

 

That may be true, but that doesn't change the fact that if you follow the industry and growth of Cloud computing, it is where much of the development is happening.

 

Orren

[Steve E]

In his autobiography he writes "No I don't agree with the monarchy. Why would I? How is it theoretically justifiable?" But I believe that on YouTube you can find interviews in which he riffs on that.

Good to know. Thanks.

 

See, and as a pro audio writer, I make a great point of telling everyone that you don't buy a product based on what it might be, but what it is. You don't buy a digital audio sequencer that has no ability to time stretch thinking that it might/could do it one day maybe. You buy the one that can do it now. You don't buy audio software in 2010 based on what you think the development cycle will take it to in 2012. You could be wrong.

I couldn't tell you much about audio but when I buy a computer I always look to future expansion. If I'm buying into a product line I look at the company's philosophy. Years ago I would steer people towards or away from IBM, Amdahl, DEC or the Teradata Corporation depending on how the corporate philosophies meshed: were they moving in the same direction. I couldn't tell you how to buy an audio component but I do know something about buying for the long haul. You may not be giving the best advice if your client builds his world around a component whose 2.0 is incompatible with where they want to go. Now is one factor, an important one, but so is Tomorrow. But maybe things are different in the audio world.

 

We most certainly have a different view of breathtaking.

I like sunsets too.

 

I had a catastrophic drive meltdown less than a year ago, and was able to retrieve all 400GB of data backed up via Mozy without issue. It took a while because I only have a 10Mbps download connection, but no complaints.

Consider yourself fortunate. It doesn't always go so smoothly. That's why I backup really important stuff to DVD or my tiny 32GB USB 2.0 flash drive. Although I'll give you this about the Cloud—I often worry about media obsolesce. The Cloud is a buffer against that. (I could tell you stories about my late father's vinyl collection that would curl your hair.)

 

That may be absolutely true, but that doesn't deny the fact that if you follow the industry and growth of Cloud computing, it is where much of the development is happening.

Yep. And there was a time you could have said the same thing about (Prepackaged) Modular Programming* and Imbedded Devices and just about any management technique in the book. Things that grow fast can also die fast. But, yes, you're right, I too think the Cloud has a future—at least until the first server farm blows up.

 

Thanks for listening.

- Thoth.

 

*I'm not talking about the Project Library movement. MP was touted by salesmen as saving money and time. They invariably cost more and made things take longer because every module and frame they sold had to be first learned and then modified to fit the specific project. Bummer.

[thealtruismsociety]

Good to know. Thanks.

 

 

I couldn't tell you much about audio but when I buy a computer I always look to future expansion. If I'm buying into a product line I look at the company's philosophy. Years ago I would steer people towards or away from IBM, Amdahl, DEC or the Teradata Corporation depending on how the corporate philosophies meshed: were they moving in the same direction. I couldn't tell you how to buy an audio component but I do know something about buying for the long haul. You may not be giving the best advice if your client builds his world around a component whose 2.0 is incompatible with where they want to go. Now is one factor, an important one, but so is Tomorrow. But maybe things are different in the audio world.

 

 

I like sunsets too.

 

 

Consider yourself fortunate. It doesn't always go so smoothly. That's why I backup really important stuff to DVD or my tiny 32GB USB 2.0 flash drive. Although I'll give you this about the Cloud—I often worry about media obsolesce. The Cloud is a buffer against that. (I could tell you stories about my late father's vinyl collection that would curl your hair.)

 

 

Yep. And there was a time you could have said the same thing about (Prepackaged) Modular Programming* and Imbedded Devices and just about any management technique in the book. Things that grow fast can also die fast. But, yes, you're right, I too think the Cloud has a future—at least until the first server farm blows up.

 

Thanks for listening.

- Thoth.

 

*I'm not talking about the Project Library movement. MP was touted by salesmen as saving money and time. They invariably cost more and made things take longer because every module and frame they sold had to be first learned and then modified to fit the specific project. Bummer.

 

Grr double post. So I'll put something different. You hear WSJ is gonna charge $17.29. a month for their iPad app? Why is this so hard for companies?

[thealtruismsociety]

Good to know. Thanks.

 

 

I couldn't tell you much about audio but when I buy a computer I always look to future expansion. If I'm buying into a product line I look at the company's philosophy. Years ago I would steer people towards or away from IBM, Amdahl, DEC or the Teradata Corporation depending on how the corporate philosophies meshed: were they moving in the same direction. I couldn't tell you how to buy an audio component but I do know something about buying for the long haul. You may not be giving the best advice if your client builds his world around a component whose 2.0 is incompatible with where they want to go. Now is one factor, an important one, but so is Tomorrow. But maybe things are different in the audio world.

 

 

I like sunsets too.

 

 

Consider yourself fortunate. It doesn't always go so smoothly. That's why I backup really important stuff to DVD or my tiny 32GB USB 2.0 flash drive. Although I'll give you this about the Cloud—I often worry about media obsolesce. The Cloud is a buffer against that. (I could tell you stories about my late father's vinyl collection that would curl your hair.)

 

 

Yep. And there was a time you could have said the same thing about (Prepackaged) Modular Programming* and Imbedded Devices and just about any management technique in the book. Things that grow fast can also die fast. But, yes, you're right, I too think the Cloud has a future—at least until the first server farm blows up.

 

Thanks for listening.

- Thoth.

 

*I'm not talking about the Project Library movement. MP was touted by salesmen as saving money and time. They invariably cost more and made things take longer because every module and frame they sold had to be first learned and then modified to fit the specific project. Bummer.

 

Since I've started writing I back up DAILY to Mozy, Mobile me and Dropbox lol, oh and my Time Machine backs up several times a day. I've gotten paranoid about my writing.

[Joolissa]

One more day!

[Steve E]

One more day!

A friend told me not to go in the morning because the true believers will be there in force before the Apple Store even opens. Lunchtime is impossible because thousands of Manhattanites working in the area will want to mosey over there during their breaks. You don't want to catch the school exodus or the evening rush either. So it was suggested to me that 2PM would be the best time to go.

 

Does this sound like a plan?

- Thoth.

[Steve E]

Grr double post. So I'll put something different. You hear WSJ is gonna charge $17.29. a month for their iPad app? Why is this so hard for companies?

I think that they are just trapped in their old business models. I suspect that in their heart of hearts they believe the "digital fad" will die and paper will be king again.

 

We are all delusional in our own special ways.

- Thoth.

[orrenm]

I couldn't tell you much about audio but when I buy a computer I always look to future expansion....Now is one factor, an important one, but so is Tomorrow. But maybe things are different in the audio world.

 

Well, for one thing, the costs are different. You can get a professional digital audio workstation (DAW) for $500. And more to the point, nearly all of them are $500 (well, except for a hardware-based Pro Tools HD system, that can run $30,000 all told, but that's its own beast). So the cost of starting over on something completely different is not excessive (although the time required to learn a new DAW can be prohibitive...but it sells my books, so no complaints! ).

 

However, the main different between the corporate and artist mentality is one of not buying a product to make art tomorrow, but today. Imagine telling a painter to buy a stick of wood with a notched top instead of a brush, by saying "I know that you can't paint with it today, but tomorrow they'll expand into modular brush tips that you can attach to the notch and you'll have lots more options than if you bought a brush today." That's not going to get the picture painted, you know? The artist wants to paint he doesn't want to invest in a brush technology platform. So he buys a brush, and if that means that he has to buy a second brush later to be able to paint a different width of line, he does. He doesn't care that he missed out on the "modular brush" phenomenon, he's been painting all that time.

 

 

I like sunsets too.

 

Much more in line with my opinion of breathtaking.

 

 

I backup really important stuff to DVD or my tiny 32GB USB 2.0 flash drive.

 

That's a good idea, but it won't work for me. I have probably 500GB of data. Plus, I'm pretty anal retentive about "offsite" backups. I guess you could give your Flashdrive to a friend or relative, but I want my data not only backed up, but backed up offsite in case I'm robbed or my condo is destroyed by fire or earthquake. In the rush to safety, I'd save my family, pets, and a guitar—in that order. The computers/electronics would all burn/be crushed and subsequently replaced. I don't want to have to try and carry out 500GB of backups!

 

(more on my backup strategy in response to TAS)

 

Although I'll give you this about the Cloud—I often worry about media obsolesce. The Cloud is a buffer against that. (I could tell you stories about my late father's vinyl collection that would curl your hair.)

 

First of all, there is an irony about saying "you'll give me..." as if I'm a cloud evangelist. What's ironic is that an author friend of mine (a Windows user who'd love to buy/beta test a Windows version of Storyist one day) is a true evangelist, with his life in the cloud, and wanting to move everything to the cloud. I'm the one who is skeptical.

 

I have maybe a couple hundred records...and no record player currently. Sigh...I've got some great Zeppelin and Sisters of Mercy bootlegs, too!

 

There have been many articles written about how, as we move from physical to digital, we run the risk that when our civilization ends, there will be nothing left to show for it, unlike the ancient world, in which books and art remained...

 

Orren

[Steve E]

Since I've started writing I back up DAILY to Mozy, Mobile me and Dropbox lol, oh and my Time Machine backs up several times a day. I've gotten paranoid about my writing.

A little paranoid. But better safe than sorry. Redundant backups are required by both regulation and policy for bank data. And I imagine every e-mail we've ever written is sitting in some Carnivore* database somewhere.

 

They're always watching...

- Thoth.

 

*Carnivore is the original name of an Internet e-mail surveillance system developed for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. In 2000, while still controversial for its abuse potential, Carnivore was attached to the networks of Internet Service Providers as “invisible” black box systems. In early 2001, the name of the system was officially changed from Carnivore to DCS1000 for public relations purposes. The letters “DCS” allegedly, but not officially, stand for “Data Collection System.”

[orrenm]

Since I've started writing I back up DAILY to Mozy, Mobile me and Dropbox lol, oh and my Time Machine backs up several times a day. I've gotten paranoid about my writing.

 

A man after my own heart. I've lost enough data in my life to probably fill a server farm! So I am equally crazy about what is backed up:

 

* Time Machine is running on my Mac Pro, backing up all three drives worth of data (about 500GB) to a network drive. Time Machine runs incremental backups every hour (the default Time Machine interval).

* The network drive itself is actually a RAID-1, or MIRRORED RAID. That means that there are actually two hard drives that have the exact identical data, so if one is compromised, the other still works. In other words, I have a backup of my in-house backup.

* I do a daily backup to Mozy. This isn't a complete 500GB backup, only a 300GB backup. But it's the data I wouldn't want to lose.

* I backup my day job files and my fiction files to MobileMe weekly.

 

Needless to say, I feel pretty safe that I'll be able to retrieve nearly anything with this scheme.

 

Orren

[orrenm]

*Carnivore is the original name of an Internet e-mail surveillance system developed for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. In 2000, while still controversial for its abuse potential, Carnivore was attached to the networks of Internet Service Providers as “invisible” black box systems. In early 2001, the name of the system was officially changed from Carnivore to DCS1000 for public relations purposes. The letters “DCS” allegedly, but not officially, stand for “Data Collection System.”

 

And let us not forget Echelon: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echelon_(signals_intelligence)

 

Orren