On October 16, Coloradans (including me)witnessed what appeared to be a little boy floating above the ground in a saucer shaped balloon. Some people have suggested this is a hoax. There are no solid indications of this, so the TV stations both local and national followed this story as though there actually was a little boy in this saucer balloon.
What is disturbing is the lack of a reality check by these stations. Some simple engineering calculations show that the likelihood of a little boy being taken aloft by a ballon of this size is remotely small.
And yet, the TV stations seemed to be more interested in the sensationalism of the story, rather than the reality. They were buoyed by reports that the sheriff had talked to someone at CSU who claimed that the balloon could lift 80 pounds. Either the Sheriff's department asked the wrong questions or someone at CSU needs to take some classes.
Do you think there could have been a boy in the saucer balloon? As an Aerospace engineer, I did some calculations to see what the real possibilities are.
The saucer shaped ballon is about 6 meters in diameter and 2 meters high at the thickest point. If the balloon were a cylinder, it could hold about 56 cubic meters of helium. But, it is highly tapered especially on the bottom, so I will conservatively knock off a 1/3 of this volume.
balloon volume --> about 37.7 cubic meters
At ground level, 37.7 cubic meters can support about 37.7 kgs of mass. But, that means support, not fly or climb with.
But, let's investigate that idea of ground level. Without allowing for Colorado's ground level, the mere fact that this device climbed to 3,500 feet above the ground (maybe more) means that the lower density at altitude will allow less weight or mass to be carried by the balloon. About 15% less.
balloon total weight at altitude --> 32 kg
In fact, the weight the ballon could carry would be less due to the mile high ground level as the starting point. But, we are being ultra-conservative in these calculations.
A couple of other factors to consider: the saucer was not completely filled with helium taking advantage of the full volume, although we have assumed this to be the case. Also, filling a balloon with helium without allowing heavy air to leak in is very, very difficult. It is not unusual for the real lifting power of a balloon to be half of simple assumptions. But here, we will only knock off another 10%.
total possible balloon weight --> 28.9 kgs
or 62 lbs
Now, this must include the weight of the balloon and all equipment, plus the weight of the boy.
How much does a large mylar balloon weigh? How about with those 2 or 3 longrope lines that were trailing the balloon? 10 lbs, 15 lbs?
A balloon this light could only be built with materials so flimsy that a boy in the tiny capsule under the balloon could not be structurally supported. To support any significant weight would increase the total ballon structure weight to 25 lbs or so. We are now in pounds rather than kilograms:
63 lbs - 25 structural lbs --> 38 lbs payload
So this leaves 38 lbs for a 6 year old boy, including his clothes or the balloon will not readily leave the ground. Highly unlikely, given this is the maximum weight due to the very conservative nature of these calculations.
And the father was very concerned about the boy being electrocuted, apparently due to high-voltage equipment in the capsule. We didn't account for this. So, if there is *any* equipment on board, there is no weight allowance left for the boy.
And, the helicopter video of the saucer floating at 3,500 feet showed a third of the helium envelope collapsed. This would have reduced the total weight of balloon and boy from 63 pounds to 42 pounds. Obviously, there could have been no boy on board at that time.
So, if the authorities had asked an engineer or experienced balloon pilot, they could have been told there was only a very remote chance there was any little boy on board this saucer balloon.
But, the authorities didn't want to know this, and neither did the TV stations carrying this sensational news live.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Snow Leopard
My tip is to buy Snow Leopard, if you have an Intel powered Mac. That's the tip.
Why? For many reasons: it's cheap, it's cool, it's fast. Let's start with the cheap. If you already have Leopard, Snow Leopard will cost you just $29 retail. A family pack for 5 Macs is just $49. If you still are using Tiger, you can get the Mac Box Set with Snow Leopard, iLife '09 and iWork '09 for $169, and a family pack for $229. Check the online retailers for deals.
It's cool; there's a Snow Leopard on the packaging. What more do you need?
It's fast. In a way, this is the biggest reason to get Snow Leopard. If you won't purchase software just because it is more stable, and is faster, then there *are* new features, just not major ones.
Apple is touting a number of things making Snow Leopard a better operating system. The Finder has been completely rewritten on Cocoa. This means the Finder will be faster and will work better. Also, Time Machine back ups are up to 80% faster. Your Mac will now wake up and shut down twice as fast. Installations are faster and more reliable. The System folder is half as big as the old folder.
An all new version of QuickTime will be faster and better in many ways, including a cleaner look, smoother video playback, and direct uploading to YouTube and more. The Services Menu has been redesigned to actually be useful; you don't know what the Services Menu is? You will now. Software Updates will now include printer drivers, so you will always have the latest software installed for your printer.
There are many more refinements, but the real changes in Snow Leopard are "under the hood." One of these changes is 64-bit support throughout the operating system. Until now, the 64-bit support has not been complete, and it's one of the pieces helping Snow Leopard operate faster.
Another piece of the faster puzzle is OpenCL. Apple designed this open standard to allow the graphics card to support the main CPU in heavy computing loads, including movie encoding. This requires graphics cards such as the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M or ATI Radeon 4850 or better.
Another piece of the puzzle is Grand Central Dispatch. Until now, OS X didn't do a great job of using CPU chips with multiple cores, such as the Core 2 Duo. Multiple cores, means multiple CPUs in one chip. So, if you don't use both cores, you are wasting power. And, Apple is now shipping Macs with 4 cores and 8 cores. So, taking advantage of multiple cores is becoming very important.
With Grand Central Dispatch, the system itself will use multiple cores better than in Leopard, and applications will be spread over the multiple cores. Programmers can take better advantage of the multiple cores within their programs. All of this means speed, speed, speed.
And I think there is more they are not telling us. I believe they have started integrating ZFS into the volume manager. ZFS is a new file system/volume manager allowing better use of hard drives, solid state drives, and other storage devices. There also appears to be some anti-virus or anti-malware features built into Snow Leopard Apple has yet to officially mention.
So, Snow Leopard is a solid foundation for future advances in OS X. And there are tons of new and improved features too numerous to mention.
You may be wondering if you can run Snow Leopard without problems. Well if you have an Intel powered Mac, you should be fine. If you want to check on the compatibility of your applications, a new list will help. To see this list, go to. Apple's incompatible software software list is at . Here is an extensive list of printers & scanners supported out of the box: If you use expensive software, such as Adobe's Creative Suite, check these lists!
As a final note, it has been suggested the $29 version of Snow Leopard is just an upgrade, and you must reinstall Leopard first. Not true. Run the installer from the DVD and it installs over your current copy of Leopard. Boot from the Snow Leopard DVD and you can get a fresh install of the entire system.
A few more Snow Leopad links:
BootCamp http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3777
Gamma settings http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3712
Battery menu bar http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3782
Snow Leopard enhancements http://www.apple.com/macosx/refinements/enhancements-refinements.html
Why? For many reasons: it's cheap, it's cool, it's fast. Let's start with the cheap. If you already have Leopard, Snow Leopard will cost you just $29 retail. A family pack for 5 Macs is just $49. If you still are using Tiger, you can get the Mac Box Set with Snow Leopard, iLife '09 and iWork '09 for $169, and a family pack for $229. Check the online retailers for deals.
It's cool; there's a Snow Leopard on the packaging. What more do you need?
It's fast. In a way, this is the biggest reason to get Snow Leopard. If you won't purchase software just because it is more stable, and is faster, then there *are* new features, just not major ones.
Apple is touting a number of things making Snow Leopard a better operating system. The Finder has been completely rewritten on Cocoa. This means the Finder will be faster and will work better. Also, Time Machine back ups are up to 80% faster. Your Mac will now wake up and shut down twice as fast. Installations are faster and more reliable. The System folder is half as big as the old folder.
An all new version of QuickTime will be faster and better in many ways, including a cleaner look, smoother video playback, and direct uploading to YouTube and more. The Services Menu has been redesigned to actually be useful; you don't know what the Services Menu is? You will now. Software Updates will now include printer drivers, so you will always have the latest software installed for your printer.
There are many more refinements, but the real changes in Snow Leopard are "under the hood." One of these changes is 64-bit support throughout the operating system. Until now, the 64-bit support has not been complete, and it's one of the pieces helping Snow Leopard operate faster.
Another piece of the faster puzzle is OpenCL. Apple designed this open standard to allow the graphics card to support the main CPU in heavy computing loads, including movie encoding. This requires graphics cards such as the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M or ATI Radeon 4850 or better.
Another piece of the puzzle is Grand Central Dispatch. Until now, OS X didn't do a great job of using CPU chips with multiple cores, such as the Core 2 Duo. Multiple cores, means multiple CPUs in one chip. So, if you don't use both cores, you are wasting power. And, Apple is now shipping Macs with 4 cores and 8 cores. So, taking advantage of multiple cores is becoming very important.
With Grand Central Dispatch, the system itself will use multiple cores better than in Leopard, and applications will be spread over the multiple cores. Programmers can take better advantage of the multiple cores within their programs. All of this means speed, speed, speed.
And I think there is more they are not telling us. I believe they have started integrating ZFS into the volume manager. ZFS is a new file system/volume manager allowing better use of hard drives, solid state drives, and other storage devices. There also appears to be some anti-virus or anti-malware features built into Snow Leopard Apple has yet to officially mention.
So, Snow Leopard is a solid foundation for future advances in OS X. And there are tons of new and improved features too numerous to mention.
You may be wondering if you can run Snow Leopard without problems. Well if you have an Intel powered Mac, you should be fine. If you want to check on the compatibility of your applications, a new list will help. To see this list, go to
As a final note, it has been suggested the $29 version of Snow Leopard is just an upgrade, and you must reinstall Leopard first. Not true. Run the installer from the DVD and it installs over your current copy of Leopard. Boot from the Snow Leopard DVD and you can get a fresh install of the entire system.
A few more Snow Leopad links:
BootCamp http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3777
Gamma settings http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3712
Battery menu bar http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3782
Snow Leopard enhancements http://www.apple.com/macosx/refinements/enhancements-refinements.html
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Google Voice
Google Voice is a new service from Google now being beta tested. It is an outgrowth of the Google acquisition Grand Central. I will save the suspense; everyone will want to get Google Voice. To sign up, go to . Toward the bottom of the screen is the link "Google Voice is currently available by invite only. Get an Invite." Click the link, and sign up to receive an email when room is available in the beta program. You will see Google Voice has wonderful features for small businesses and families.
So, what is Google Voice (GV)? GV is to all of your phones as your ISP is to your DSL line. If you have Qwest DSL, you probably want some other ISP than the Microsoft thing Qwest offers. And, when it comes to phones services, you do not have to rely on Qwest or your cell phone provider. All current GV features are free! So many features, I cannot list all.
Here's how it works. When you get a GV account, you will pick a new phone number. This phone number does not replace your Qwest phone number or your office number or your cell phone number. You can set the preferences so when someone calls your GV number, *all* your other numbers ring. You will get the call, no matter where you are.
Or, set preferences so calls from your family only ring at home or all calls before 6 PM go to the office phone or Joe Smith's calls always go to your cell phone.
Google Voice does much more. How about free long distance calls anywhere in the US? Yup, free. And, cheap calls to other countries, including 2 to 3 cents per minute to most European countries, Japan, Australia. Only 1 cent per minute to Canada. You get these rates by using your GV phone number either from the GV web page from your phone using a special PIN.
That's just the beginning. You don't have to pick a GV phone number in the Denver area. This is very useful if you do a lot of business in a second city.
And, people can call you for free. Put the GV widget on your web site; people click on the widget and enter their name and phone number. GV then calls them and when they pick up the phone, it calls you. Check out the working example on my home page at (The GV widget uses Flash, so give it time to load, and it won't work from the iPhone)
The features go on. There is call screening, voice messaging, and recording of conversations. Preferences allow you to hear the persons name before connecting or listen to a message while it is recorded. Conference calling is available, although I do not yet know the limitations.
Here's a great feature: your GV phone messages are transcribed into text (assuming they are speaking English). The text is sent to your Google account in-box. It can also be forwarded to you in an email, and sent to your smart phone via an SMS text message. And, you can decide which messages are sent via these messages, maybe only those from co-workers/clients. If the transcription isn't perfect, press the play button to hear the original message.
Another great feature: switching phones. You might be on your house phone with an important call, but you *have* to leave for a meeting. Assuming they called or you called using your GV number, just press the star key. All your GV registered phones will ring, and you pick up your cell phone. Then, hang up the house phone and walk out the door.
A couple of warnings. You may need caller ID and call waiting on your regular phone line to make use of all GV features. Remember phone messages are transcribed and sitting in your Google account, so you cannot assume total privacy.
The future may be very interesting. My thought is Google could add features desired by small businesses, and charge a small fee for premium packages and multiple numbers. Recently Apple removed all applications from the App Store that help you use GV, probably forced by AT&T. So, it will just be nice when those apps return.
Stop reading now and go to the GV web site listed above to learn more about the features, and apply for your invitation!
So, what is Google Voice (GV)? GV is to all of your phones as your ISP is to your DSL line. If you have Qwest DSL, you probably want some other ISP than the Microsoft thing Qwest offers. And, when it comes to phones services, you do not have to rely on Qwest or your cell phone provider. All current GV features are free! So many features, I cannot list all.
Here's how it works. When you get a GV account, you will pick a new phone number. This phone number does not replace your Qwest phone number or your office number or your cell phone number. You can set the preferences so when someone calls your GV number, *all* your other numbers ring. You will get the call, no matter where you are.
Or, set preferences so calls from your family only ring at home or all calls before 6 PM go to the office phone or Joe Smith's calls always go to your cell phone.
Google Voice does much more. How about free long distance calls anywhere in the US? Yup, free. And, cheap calls to other countries, including 2 to 3 cents per minute to most European countries, Japan, Australia. Only 1 cent per minute to Canada. You get these rates by using your GV phone number either from the GV web page from your phone using a special PIN.
That's just the beginning. You don't have to pick a GV phone number in the Denver area. This is very useful if you do a lot of business in a second city.
And, people can call you for free. Put the GV widget on your web site; people click on the widget and enter their name and phone number. GV then calls them and when they pick up the phone, it calls you. Check out the working example on my home page at
The features go on. There is call screening, voice messaging, and recording of conversations. Preferences allow you to hear the persons name before connecting or listen to a message while it is recorded. Conference calling is available, although I do not yet know the limitations.
Here's a great feature: your GV phone messages are transcribed into text (assuming they are speaking English). The text is sent to your Google account in-box. It can also be forwarded to you in an email, and sent to your smart phone via an SMS text message. And, you can decide which messages are sent via these messages, maybe only those from co-workers/clients. If the transcription isn't perfect, press the play button to hear the original message.
Another great feature: switching phones. You might be on your house phone with an important call, but you *have* to leave for a meeting. Assuming they called or you called using your GV number, just press the star key. All your GV registered phones will ring, and you pick up your cell phone. Then, hang up the house phone and walk out the door.
A couple of warnings. You may need caller ID and call waiting on your regular phone line to make use of all GV features. Remember phone messages are transcribed and sitting in your Google account, so you cannot assume total privacy.
The future may be very interesting. My thought is Google could add features desired by small businesses, and charge a small fee for premium packages and multiple numbers. Recently Apple removed all applications from the App Store that help you use GV, probably forced by AT&T. So, it will just be nice when those apps return.
Stop reading now and go to the GV web site listed above to learn more about the features, and apply for your invitation!
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Life's Question
I have been pondering a question for some weeks now. It goes to the core of my being. It is difficult to go on with my life without knowing the answer. Am I a nerd or a geek?
Yes, I am probably both, but knowing which is dominate is very important. This issue has many social implications, especially in social situations involving people who are neither geek nor nerd. Knowing which I am may allow me to better battle those nerd/geek tendencies, when in the company of people who still look upon nerds and geeks with disdain.
You know *those* people. They were the ones in high school at the top of the social strata. I had the no hope of cracking that strata. Even though I was in sports (OK, sport), I wasn't considered a jock; I was a nerd or a geek or whatever. Even when I set one of the freaks hair on fire (and they didn't know it was an accident), I was in the spotlight for only a nanosecond (Note 1, below). And in college, those same high strata loving people who no longer paid attention to sports didn't care that I was in multiple sports. They would just say "Oh, I didn't know we have a tiddlywinks team."
So, I looked into the etymology of these words. I found little agreement of the source of nerd. Many web pages seem sure of their own ideas, while this page http://eldacur.com/~brons/NerdCorner/nerd.html gives a good view into this major controversy. It is pointed out that many believe "nerd" came from "knurd", which spelled backwards is drunk. It seems knurd was used at MIT (the school, not MacinTech) to mock those students who preferred studying to drinking. But, its origins seem to go back to the 1960s, while other sources appear to be older. This same web page provides another explanation. The Dr. Seuss book "If I Ran The Zoo", published in 1950 mentions nerds as one of the creatures Gerald McGrew would bring back from the land of Ka-Troo, if he ran the zoo. Well, I would too, if I were Gerald McGrew, but how does the name of this fanciful animal apply to me or you?
This is unclear, and my own question of apportionment remains unanswered. But, words in common use rarely have a single source, and that source probably doesn't affect the question at hand. We do know that Newsweek defined nerd as a drip or square in 1951. And, geek was the word describing a circus sideshow freak. Neither word is much of a compliment.
So, we must concentrate on the nuances of these words as they are used in the vernacular. So, what are they? Well ... Most people seem to use nerd to refer to people who are out of it, squares, drips, those who are unaware of social conventions. Just as in 1951. And, the word is often used when referring to people of all sorts of backgrounds, not necessarily just to those involved in technological pursuits.
On the other hand, geek seems to be most used when referring to people who understand technology. It is used by those people from high school not in my social group who now need my help, as in "Mr Geek, please come and help me, because I am at the mercy of this technology which I must use to live. And, I will forever in your debt if you can help me, because I know nothing about this stuff, which I disdain. I fully realize and acknowledge that you and your friends could take over the planet any time you wish."
So, I decided that I am a geek. Today I was on Twitter, and John Hodgman mentioned a video of his own speech at the 2009 Radio and TV Correspondents' Dinner with the President in attendance. You know John "I'm a PC" Hodgman from the Apple TV ads. Watch his speech on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yW7OPByRGDY.
John's speech was all about nerds and geeks, and we now know conclusively that the President is a nerd and a geek. But, I am again confused about myself. Thanks John.
So, I decided that I must forget all of these labels and remain true to myself. I'm a nerkle, now and forever.
Rick
Note 1. Phil Hoffman apparently says our village was too conservative to have freaks. Not true, at least in the decade prior to his. They just couldn't seem to keep their hair. So, maybe they just weren't the best freaks, but they tried hard!.
Yes, I am probably both, but knowing which is dominate is very important. This issue has many social implications, especially in social situations involving people who are neither geek nor nerd. Knowing which I am may allow me to better battle those nerd/geek tendencies, when in the company of people who still look upon nerds and geeks with disdain.
You know *those* people. They were the ones in high school at the top of the social strata. I had the no hope of cracking that strata. Even though I was in sports (OK, sport), I wasn't considered a jock; I was a nerd or a geek or whatever. Even when I set one of the freaks hair on fire (and they didn't know it was an accident), I was in the spotlight for only a nanosecond (Note 1, below). And in college, those same high strata loving people who no longer paid attention to sports didn't care that I was in multiple sports. They would just say "Oh, I didn't know we have a tiddlywinks team."
So, I looked into the etymology of these words. I found little agreement of the source of nerd. Many web pages seem sure of their own ideas, while this page http://eldacur.com/~brons/NerdCorner/nerd.html gives a good view into this major controversy. It is pointed out that many believe "nerd" came from "knurd", which spelled backwards is drunk. It seems knurd was used at MIT (the school, not MacinTech) to mock those students who preferred studying to drinking. But, its origins seem to go back to the 1960s, while other sources appear to be older. This same web page provides another explanation. The Dr. Seuss book "If I Ran The Zoo", published in 1950 mentions nerds as one of the creatures Gerald McGrew would bring back from the land of Ka-Troo, if he ran the zoo. Well, I would too, if I were Gerald McGrew, but how does the name of this fanciful animal apply to me or you?
This is unclear, and my own question of apportionment remains unanswered. But, words in common use rarely have a single source, and that source probably doesn't affect the question at hand. We do know that Newsweek defined nerd as a drip or square in 1951. And, geek was the word describing a circus sideshow freak. Neither word is much of a compliment.
So, we must concentrate on the nuances of these words as they are used in the vernacular. So, what are they? Well ... Most people seem to use nerd to refer to people who are out of it, squares, drips, those who are unaware of social conventions. Just as in 1951. And, the word is often used when referring to people of all sorts of backgrounds, not necessarily just to those involved in technological pursuits.
On the other hand, geek seems to be most used when referring to people who understand technology. It is used by those people from high school not in my social group who now need my help, as in "Mr Geek, please come and help me, because I am at the mercy of this technology which I must use to live. And, I will forever in your debt if you can help me, because I know nothing about this stuff, which I disdain. I fully realize and acknowledge that you and your friends could take over the planet any time you wish."
So, I decided that I am a geek. Today I was on Twitter, and John Hodgman mentioned a video of his own speech at the 2009 Radio and TV Correspondents' Dinner with the President in attendance. You know John "I'm a PC" Hodgman from the Apple TV ads. Watch his speech on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yW7OPByRGDY.
John's speech was all about nerds and geeks, and we now know conclusively that the President is a nerd and a geek. But, I am again confused about myself. Thanks John.
So, I decided that I must forget all of these labels and remain true to myself. I'm a nerkle, now and forever.
Rick
Note 1. Phil Hoffman apparently says our village was too conservative to have freaks. Not true, at least in the decade prior to his. They just couldn't seem to keep their hair. So, maybe they just weren't the best freaks, but they tried hard!.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Microsoft Ads
I don't typically comment on inane TV advertisements, but I have recently realized something revealing about Microsoft's latest ads.
These are the ads in which a "shopper" goes out and considers purchasing a Mac, but ends up buying a Windows powered machine. They typically complain about the lower priced Mac having 2 GB of RAM or not being cheap enough. They don't tell you that a Vista powered laptop needs 4GB of RAM to operate as efficiently as a Mac with 2 GB. They don't tell you the Mac is clearly more powerful with a faster CPU, graphics and DDR3 memory. They don't tell you the Windows machine has a low resolution screen even though it is 17 inches diagonally, and it weighs 8 pounds and is twice as thick as Mac laptop.
But, I have always been irked by the line these shoppers utter at the end, "I'm a PC." This seems to be in response to Apple's ads in which actors portray a PC and a Mac. This line is spoken by human beings not portraying computers, but seemingly human beings hoping to be identified as a computer?
I could go on about people as computers illustrated by the millions of Windows users who struggle to use their computers rather than get work done, so they identify themselves with the computer they are supposed to be using as a tool.
However, the bottom line is Microsoft is belittling people. Microsoft believes these people identify themselves closely with a Windows powered computer. Mac users do not do this, in spite of Windows apologists' claims that Mac users are part of a cult. No, Mac users identify themselves with other Mac users.
Microsoft has been diminishing people for years by producing poor products, insisting bugs are actually features, providing poor service, and frightening users who do not know what will happen when they push a button in a poorly worded dialog box.
Go ahead Microsoft. People lacking poor self images will continue to switch to the Mac You can keep the masochists who will pay anything to be beaten more and more.
These are the ads in which a "shopper" goes out and considers purchasing a Mac, but ends up buying a Windows powered machine. They typically complain about the lower priced Mac having 2 GB of RAM or not being cheap enough. They don't tell you that a Vista powered laptop needs 4GB of RAM to operate as efficiently as a Mac with 2 GB. They don't tell you the Mac is clearly more powerful with a faster CPU, graphics and DDR3 memory. They don't tell you the Windows machine has a low resolution screen even though it is 17 inches diagonally, and it weighs 8 pounds and is twice as thick as Mac laptop.
But, I have always been irked by the line these shoppers utter at the end, "I'm a PC." This seems to be in response to Apple's ads in which actors portray a PC and a Mac. This line is spoken by human beings not portraying computers, but seemingly human beings hoping to be identified as a computer?
I could go on about people as computers illustrated by the millions of Windows users who struggle to use their computers rather than get work done, so they identify themselves with the computer they are supposed to be using as a tool.
However, the bottom line is Microsoft is belittling people. Microsoft believes these people identify themselves closely with a Windows powered computer. Mac users do not do this, in spite of Windows apologists' claims that Mac users are part of a cult. No, Mac users identify themselves with other Mac users.
Microsoft has been diminishing people for years by producing poor products, insisting bugs are actually features, providing poor service, and frightening users who do not know what will happen when they push a button in a poorly worded dialog box.
Go ahead Microsoft. People lacking poor self images will continue to switch to the Mac You can keep the masochists who will pay anything to be beaten more and more.
Friday, May 8, 2009
iPhone Soapbox
While I have written about this topic before, I will keep writing about it until iPhone users are better served. The topic is syncing between the iPhone (and iPod touch) and a personal computer.
Apple previewed features we will get when the 3.0 version of the iPhone OS is released. This includes better search, cut copy & paste, standard applications that are better, and much more.
But, they have provided no standard way to sync data between the iPhone and the computer. Yes, they are adding syncing for their own Notes application, but we need a standard way that can be used by all applications. Send PDFs to the iPhone for viewing, create documents in various applications and have those docs synced back to the computer. This is all needed now to make the iPhone a real platform.
Even FileMaker's Bento, just released on the iPhone has had to resort to customized syncing using the always unreliable Bluetooth connection.
I have made this suggestion before, and still see it as a possible solution. Apple should create a documents folder that all applications can access. The folder would be protected, and absolutely no execution of code could take place from this folder. But, documents intended for syncing back to the computer could be written to this folder by any application, and iPhone apps could read documents synced from the computer to this folder. Syncing would be handled by the iTunes application on the user's computer. The user would identify a synch folder on the computer, and iTunes would sync the contents of this folder with the contents of the corresponding iPhone folder.
This would allow iPhone apps to act as viewers for whatever docs the user places on the iPhone. Data base files could be synched back and forth. Documents could be created on the iPhone and synced back to a computer for further work. Apple could provide specific APIs for handling data to and from this shared doc folder, while maintaining control of how the folder is synced; via Bluetooth, WiFi or the iPod dock connector.
Maybe Apple doesn't like this, because it will provide a poor man's form of communication between iPhone applications. But, doing something along these lines makes sense and we need it now!
Apple previewed features we will get when the 3.0 version of the iPhone OS is released. This includes better search, cut copy & paste, standard applications that are better, and much more.
But, they have provided no standard way to sync data between the iPhone and the computer. Yes, they are adding syncing for their own Notes application, but we need a standard way that can be used by all applications. Send PDFs to the iPhone for viewing, create documents in various applications and have those docs synced back to the computer. This is all needed now to make the iPhone a real platform.
Even FileMaker's Bento, just released on the iPhone has had to resort to customized syncing using the always unreliable Bluetooth connection.
I have made this suggestion before, and still see it as a possible solution. Apple should create a documents folder that all applications can access. The folder would be protected, and absolutely no execution of code could take place from this folder. But, documents intended for syncing back to the computer could be written to this folder by any application, and iPhone apps could read documents synced from the computer to this folder. Syncing would be handled by the iTunes application on the user's computer. The user would identify a synch folder on the computer, and iTunes would sync the contents of this folder with the contents of the corresponding iPhone folder.
This would allow iPhone apps to act as viewers for whatever docs the user places on the iPhone. Data base files could be synched back and forth. Documents could be created on the iPhone and synced back to a computer for further work. Apple could provide specific APIs for handling data to and from this shared doc folder, while maintaining control of how the folder is synced; via Bluetooth, WiFi or the iPod dock connector.
Maybe Apple doesn't like this, because it will provide a poor man's form of communication between iPhone applications. But, doing something along these lines makes sense and we need it now!
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Marketing Power Passwords
I updated my iPhone application a couple of weeks ago. Afterwards, I sent out press releases to 50 or 60 web sites. It's really difficult getting noticed when you consider the number of new iPhone / iPod touch apps that come out every day. Unfortunately, the apps that get written up seem to be the games and the silly apps, and Apple is helping push the idea the iPhone is a game machine. Decent apps that help make it a useful platform are largely ignored. I would like to know about those kinds of apps myself, but they can be hard to sort out!
So, I will continue to try and figure out ways to market Power Passwords. Power Passwords on the iPhone app store. If I could just get one person in one of the big podcasts to recommend it, then ....
Of course, there is much more to marketing than sending out press releases, and that sort of thing. But then, I'm an engineer. I'm used to having computers doing what you program them to do. Relying on long shots isn't easy! I am considering releasing a free, but limited version of PP; but, what features should I include or exclude to garner the right attention for the paid version? Hmmm ....
So, I will continue to try and figure out ways to market Power Passwords. Power Passwords on the iPhone app store. If I could just get one person in one of the big podcasts to recommend it, then ....
Of course, there is much more to marketing than sending out press releases, and that sort of thing. But then, I'm an engineer. I'm used to having computers doing what you program them to do. Relying on long shots isn't easy! I am considering releasing a free, but limited version of PP; but, what features should I include or exclude to garner the right attention for the paid version? Hmmm ....
1st Post on BlogSpot
Well, this is my firstblog on my new BlogSpot blog. I decided it is about time I use a real blog, instead of manually updating my home page at http://www.rhyman.net
I'll use this forum to get caught up on my reflections of all sorts of engineering topics, especially all things concerned with computer interfaces, and the Mac operating system, and all things iPhone/ iPod touch.
I'll use this forum to get caught up on my reflections of all sorts of engineering topics, especially all things concerned with computer interfaces, and the Mac operating system, and all things iPhone/ iPod touch.
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