Windows 8 and the Microsoft Surface

When Jobs introduced the iPad, he wanted it to be seen as a productivity device. He had Phil Schiller demo Keynote, Numbers, and Pages.

I used the Newton as a productivity device. I used the P800 as a productivity device. But at least for me, the iPad never turned out to be a good productivity device. It turned out to be great for browsing the web, watching movies, and playing games. Great for reading books and comics. Great for consumption. But not great for production.

I’m in complete agreement.

I have a Nexus 10 and I might peck out an email or two but other than that, I don’t do ANYTHING but consume content. Anything more than banging out a few letters leads to sheer, utter and absolute frustration.

When posting to this site with it, I might send a one-liner but never a full-on post. The Nexus 10 has a good size display but when the on-screen keyboard comes up, it fills pretty much half of it. Any special characters— I need to go into a sub-menu and fancy special characters, a sub-sub-menu. Then my train of thought is blown.

Trying to research something in one place and then typing in another, you know that whole multi-tasking bit — forget about it. When I have a browser tab open and type in it, and then switch to another app, even another tab, and then come back to the open-typing tab, it’ll refresh.

And then I loose EVERY THING that I typed. 90% of the time it does this and it reminds me of the old days of typing something into Notepad before pasting it into Internet Explorer because I was worried of losing my hard-won wordage.

Sure, I could type it first in Evernote since it (and most every app) will auto-save when it looses focus but then I have three different apps that I’m working with. All of this to write a simple post. Again — forget it.

I could get a bluetooth keyboard I suppose and dink around with that but then I remember I have a 13” MacBook Air that I use for work and for play. I wrote the code for tcrbang.com on it, do all of my work stuff with it, all our household finances, write long form emails, blah, blah, blah.

Plus the bastard is portable as a goose — I sit at my desk, in the conference room, in the basement, at the kitchen table, in the bedroom, on the couch. The battery lasts for hours and it weighs less than 3 pounds. And it’s (more or less) only 3” bigger than the Nexus 10.

The touch screens are great for watching Netflix, looking at Instagram, listening to Polish Girl, and/or playing The Room but if you wanna pound out that thesis on automatic CS paper generation, don’t waste your finger strokes. Just be a receiver.

Oh, and I read shitloads on the Nexus. I mean shitloads of comiXology and web articles. And doodling is kinda fun.

#microsoft #geekystuff

List of sunken nuclear submarines - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Eight nuclear submarines have sunk as a consequence of either accident or extensive damage: two from the United States Navy, four from the Soviet Navy, and two from the Russian Navy. Only three were lost with all hands: two from the United States Navy and one from the Russian Navy. All sank as a result of accident with the exception of K-27, which was scuttled in the Kara Sea when repair was deemed impossible and decommissioning too expensive. All of the Soviet/Russian submarines belonged to the Northern Fleet. Although the Soviet submarine K-129 (Golf II) carried nuclear ballistic missiles when it sank, it was a diesel-electric submarine and is not in the list below.

Something to help you sleep.

#HeavyMachina

“iconic or psychotic” — your pick.

In other news… I’m eating celery out of a jar with a toothpick.

ICONIC.

#photos #foodies

Oscars 2014: And the Award for Best Picture Goes To…

It didn’t come as a surprise when 12 Years a Slave took home Best Picture at the 86th Academy Awards — it was the favored pick for the biggest award of the night — but it was still a delight to see the cast and crew pile up on stage to accept the award.

I’ve been wanting to see this, jimi recommended it.

In related news… I prob would stay away from any sequels like 12 Years a Slave-owner, though.

#movies #oscars

I can’t believe Trader Joe’s is wrapping tea bags in plastic.

Lipton somehow manages to use paper, a naturally degrading package.

#photos #foodies #fail

Official about page: http://www.terminatortoo.com/terminatortoo/ABOUT_2.html

In other news: http://www.pointbreaklive.com/

#videos #terminator

Looks like Monday is in the running for the slow day.

Good thing I got a new username, better suits my avatar. :-D

I hate panic attacks.

#animatedGIFs #confessional

Our Vision - The Overview Institute

A Critical Time

We live at a critical moment in human history. The challenges of climate change, food, water and energy shortages as well as the increasing disparity between the developed and developing nations are testing our will to unite, while differences in religions, cultures, and politics continue to keep us apart. The creation of a “global village” through satellite TV and the Internet is still struggling to connect the world into one community. At this critical moment, our greatest need is for a global vision of planetary unity and purpose for humanity as a whole.

The Overview Effect

For more than four decades, astronauts from many cultures and backgrounds have been telling us that, from the perspective of Earth orbit and the Moon, they have gained such a vision. There is even a common term for this experience: “The Overview Effect”, a phrase coined in the book of the same name by space philosopher and writer Frank White. It refers to the experience of seeing firsthand the reality of the Earth in space, which is immediately understood to be a tiny, fragile ball of life, hanging in the void, shielded and nourished by a paper-thin atmosphere. From space, the astronauts tell us, national boundaries vanish, the conflicts that divide us become less important and the need to create a planetary society with the united will to protect this “pale blue dot” becomes both obvious and imperative. Even more so, many of them tell us that from the Overview perspective, all of this seems imminently achievable, if only more people could have the experience!

Some day I shall read the book mentioned above.

I hate when people say “violently raped” — all rape is violent.

It’s not like there’s “casual rape” or something.