Yasser Arafat is an old man just like you and me

Old Arafat

28 Oct 04 | +Permalink+ | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Old iPods Still Rock

A guy I know just sold the iPod he got from freeiPods (referral points to me) on eBay. That got me thinking- since this freeiPod phenomenon became so popular, there have probably been a lot of people selling these things on eBay for really cheap. Upon checking, 4Gs (the 20GB model available through freeiPods) are going for nearly full price: ~$285 (lists at $299)
But the older models?
15GB 3G, which came out less than six months ago: ~$100 (factory sealed)

And used 3G, 2G, and 1G models can be found for even less.

For a great history of iPod models through 3G, check out iPodlounge's 'Instant Expert: A Brief History of iPod'. And then for 3G vs 4G, check out iPodlounge's Apple 4G iPod: Power Users' Review

27 Oct 04 | +Permalink+ | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

iTunes 4.7

Well it looks like the iTunes 4.7 release just slipped by. In recent updates we saw the addition of such features as the Party Shuffle and Apple Lossless Encoding. Surely this will bring us some nifty new features. Unfortunately Apple doesn't post an extensive "changelog", noting the things that are new since the last version. So I'll attempt to post one here:

- Copy photos and view them on an iPod Photo
- Find duplicate songs - very cool, especially if you have a huge library. Now if only there was a way to create a sym-link of a song that exists on multiple albums. Right now that would save me 2.88 GB.
- Minimize iTunes into your Windows task bar, and keep the Mini Player on top (these features previously available in a plugin). Before this, you didn't even have the option to have iTunes' icon in the system tray without a plugin.
- Preferences now has a dedicated tab for iPod related options, further rubbing it in your face if you didn't get a free iPod.
- Get notified when material from your favorite artist is added to iTMS through Artist Alerts
- Search for iMixes by title in iTMS

26 Oct 04 | +Permalink+ | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

WiFi for all San Franciscans

In a Reuters article Friday, the mayor of San Francisco was quoted as saying "We will not stop until every San Franciscan has access to free wireless Internet service..." in his annual state of the city address, proposing city wide WiFi.

This is a growing trend and it is FREAKING ME OUT! Imagine being able to drive to San Francisco with your laptop to commit a crime through a government funded internet connection. Doing it through conventional wardriving from a residential private wireless connection in some random neighborhood is one thing, but at least it is fairly easy to spot that. If there is city wide WiFi, it would be perfectly normal for a person to be on their laptop on the side of the road. And when this sort of system is implemented, there is little doubt in my mind that they are going to put ease of use ahead of security. Do you make all residents download authentication software? Any security guy will tell you you're not going to find any solace in built-in security technologies. So how do you implement such a system easily and securely? I'm curious to find out, but I'm guessing: you don't.

25 Oct 04 | +Permalink+ | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)

The Hip Webster's Arsenal

1. Gmail. The latest addition to the hip webster's arsenal, Gmail is email with an elegant spin. And damn is it hip.

2. Audioscrobbler. The definitive community for hip websters to find new music and people that share their tastes. Growing MusicBrainz integration and faster servers will secure it's future.

3. Blog. Whether powered by Blogger, Movable Type, LiveJournal, or a home grown system, any hip webster worth his/her salt has a blog.

4. Flickr. Photo management and sharing integrated into everything the hip webster can throw at it.

5. Google. The tried and true way hip websters finds it all. If it's not on Google, it doesn't exist.


Got an addition to this list? Throw it in comments.

18 Oct 04 | +Permalink+ | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Professional Debate Coverage

Summary of yesterday's debate (number 3) for those who missed it.

Bush: This
Kerry: Nope.
Kerry: That.
Bush: Nope.
Bush: THISTHISTHISTH-
Kerry: NOPETHATNOPE!
Bush: THATNOPEwhat?
Kerry: THATTHISNOPE!
Bush: Nope-
Kerry: Nope.
Bush: Jinx-
Kerry: Jinx!
Bush: Double Jinx-
Kerry: Double Jinx!

*********************
*** 1.5 Hours Later ***
*********************

Bush: Well I know my wife can speak English better than me.

*Audience laughter*

Kerry: Well... I'm an unattractive man.

*Crickets, followed by silence*

THE END

14 Oct 04 | +Permalink+ | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)