Letters to the Editor
BJD Cruz
Published Letters: 60 Editor's Choice: 4
-
I am torn
[Read the article: If you care about your rights, don't buy an iPhone]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]On the one hand, I think Apple is correct in {announcing | warning} us that software updates expect an iPhone that is within specifications in order to work, and if the iPhone has been modified then it is no longer in spec. How many times has an OS upgrade (Apple or Microsoft) suddenly rendered software or hardware inoperable.
On the other hand, deliberately breaking modified hardware is just mean and devious. The only example I know of is when DirecTV set up a "sting" to break receivers using pirated decoder cards. It was especially {devious | brilliant} in that their software engineers actually sent out pieces of code over a period of time. Legit cards would be updated properly but hacked cards would not. (It is explained in more detail here [ http://slashdot.org/articles/01/01/25/1343218_F.shtml ] and here [ http://www.theregister.co.uk/2001/01/25/directv_attacks_hacked_smart_cards/ ]
Ultimately, I would want a software modified device that was reset to factory spec (reload the original iPhone software) should update just fine and not break the hardware. In the mean time, I'm not going to apply the update and see how things shake up.... Unless Apple decides to deactivate iPhones that don't get the software update--then Steve is just being a bastard. :-P
-
@catmus: clarification?
[Read the article: Candidates' wives "scootch in" closer ]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]From http://www.californiagovernorsconference.org/:
The California Governor and First Lady's Conference on Women, "The Women's Conference," empowers women to be Architects of Change in their homes, their communities and across the state. The Conference began 20 years ago as a government initiative and in 2004 First Lady Maria Shriver transformed it into the leading women's conference in the nation. The annual, non-partisan Conference has more than quadrupled in size in the last three years, with last year's attendance exceeding 13,000.
The 2007 Women's Conference
The 2007 Women's Conference will bring together individuals of all generations and backgrounds for an extraordinary and transformative day-long experience. The theme for 2007 is Remarkable Lives. Remarkable Legacies. What's Yours? A theme, which encourages individuals worldwide to think about their own legacies.The Conference strives to once again feature world-renowned speakers and panelists who will address relevant issues and topics important to society today. The 2007 Conference will take place on Tuesday, October 23, 2007 at the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, California.
From the schedule:
First Lady Maria Shriver Moderates a Conversation with Presidential Spouses:
* Elizabeth Edwards
* Cindy Hensley McCain
* Michelle Obama
* Ann Romney
* Jeri Thompson
I will draw the conclusion that this "forum"/"conversation" was part of a program within The Womens' Conference, which is a initiative of Gov Schwazzenger and Maria Shriver. Statements about "nation’s premier forum for women" and "largest and most dynamic one-day gathering of women in the nation" appear to be Press Release puffery.
Whether or not this "forum" is a valid expression of the candidates values or electability is left as an exercise for the reader, although I will incline toward "probably not".
-
oh come on :-)
[Read the article: Behold the genetically engineered mighty mouse!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]oh come on, rejoice! the more important question is who would win: mighty mouse or superman?
Mr. Trouble never hangs around
When he hears this mighty sound...
"Here I come to save the day!"
That means that Mighty Mouse is on the way.
Yessir when there is a wrong to right
Mighty Mouse will join the fight
On the sea or on the land
He gets the situation well in hand
So though we are in danger
We never despair
Cause we know that where there's danger
He is there!
He is there!
On the land!
On the sea!
In the air!
We're not worryin' at all
We're just listenin' for his call
"Here I come to save the day!"
That means that Mighty Mouse is on the way!
-
Yes please, an iPod for ebooks!
[Read the article: Can Amazon's Kindle remake e-books?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I have been wishing for a decent ebook reader for years and years... As a (former) academic scientist, what I really wanted was a way to carry lots of papers and journals to be able to read at my convenience. Being to have a bunch of "paperback reading" (or free downloads of classics from the Guttenberg project) would be nice as well.
I've tried Palm (pre-Palm 5.0), I tried WinCE, I tried Win Mob, I tried TablePC but all have been klunky and kludgy to one degree or another. As mentioned above, it is hard to curl up in a chair with a laptop. :-)
Yes, what I want is an iPod for my PDFs and eBooks. (Well, I really really would love a PADD from Star Trek [ http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Padd ] but I'll be realistic for now...) There are interesting software packages like DevonThink that can assist in organizing and displaying electronic files including PDFs. However, they still rely on the desktop computing metaphor.
My latest hope has been the iPhone. I've put free PDF ebooks on my iPhone by mailing them to myself or placing them in my web space. Not too bad if PDF is formatted for a paperback-sized page but pinching can get me around a larger page in a pinch (all puns intended). Of course have the problem of being out of WiFi range or having to pull a 2-3 Mb file over EDGE. And the iPhone gets sluggish paging through such a large file. With the exception of jailbreaking software, the iPhone isn't set-up for the non-iTunes file management and syncrhonization. And it would be nicer to have a slightly larger device (I dream of MacTablet at MacWorld Expo).
-
Ben Bova Cyberbooks
[Read the article: Kindle: Amazon's e-book reader is here]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I keep forgetting to mention: in the novel "Cyberbooks" by Ben Bova (published back in 1989), he postulated that electronic books will never take off because of the Publishing-Industrial Complex. Not until the device becomes a cheap toy for kids do the devices finally flourish [http://tinyurl.com/yp8ukh]
Perhaps it will take Tyco Toys or Leapfrog to figure out the ebook market. :-)