Comment Re:Oh No (Score 1) 193
Where exactly do I send the invoice for a new Apple keyboard? My one, as a result of the cherry cola I've just had to wipe from it, no longer appears to recognise the letter that comes after y in the alphabet.
Where exactly do I send the invoice for a new Apple keyboard? My one, as a result of the cherry cola I've just had to wipe from it, no longer appears to recognise the letter that comes after y in the alphabet.
AhhhI guess it's at this point I should shamefully declare that whilst I did *skim* the summary, I didn't in fact, RTFA.
Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.
And you're right, iOS programming is the very fluffiest layer of tech, usually (there are some worthwhile examples of pushing the art, and in a lot of cases, it's just conventional software dev., no different to windows or mac dev, but yeah, there is a lot of "iFart" apps).
So what you're saying about getting into hardware dev. is true, especially at the component level; you can't just do a start-up there, unless you're good pals with some serious VC folks.
But I still say it's wrong to say a guy in his experience cannot do worthwhile work via the startup mechanism. The hobbyist market is really just starting to get going now; it's a "makers" world now. Look at Adafruit for a good example. They don't make their own silicon - hell, their chips are very low-level ataMega's and the like that power the Arduino. But they are making serious coin, selling hardware kits to hobbyists who want to build their own DeathBot or Twitter-connected sandwich-maker or a twitter-connected deathbot that makes sandwiches etc.
Takes some serious EE know-how todo what they're developing; the kits are simple, but the design is certainly not, because they've taken a once-complex thing and made it accessible.
I'm not suggesting the OP starts the new intel, or for that matter, the new Adafruit. But his experience and skills are not solely limited to chip design; his wealth of knowledge is likely centred around Getting Shit Done. Once you know how to do that, you can skill-up what you need on the practical side a great deal (esp. if you hire suitably qualified neckbeards of a similar age)
Heh, if you need any graphics doing for your consulting, I'm very reasonable! (web, print etc. so websites, business cards, company stationary, logos, brochures etc.)
True what you say though. I've only been doing graphics professionally for 3-4 years now, yet even after that little time, I know myself I have experience that would have been invaluable when I started up. Running your own company is damned hard work, far harder than I perhaps anticipated when I started it, but the experience that brings is very very valuable. The things I would have done differently are palpable.
My point being, in only 4 short years I've amassed a wealth of experience in what I'd have done differently, and I'm by no means saying "I know it all now" - nothing could be further from the truth. I perhaps am beginning to understand the sheer breadth of that which I do not know. Ergo, what would I be like in 40 years time, with all that knowledge and experience. And consequently, how much more worth is all that experience. I can only imagine that anyone who has been in a business that long is truly worth every penny they get, and more besides.
I'm a cocky, stupid 28 year old who's only outta college for 3-4 years, and have started my own graphics company doing icons, graphics etc. for iOS, Android & generic software devs - here's my 2cents for you:
If you know a load of GOOD programmers, all like you, and all seemingly unable to get jobs because you've hit middle age (and people had better get used to 40 & 50y/os in the workplace; time I hit 50 retirement will likely be 70-75), do a start-up. There is still shittons of cash in iOS for instance; you get a good app out, not a hit game that's the proverbial one-in-a-million, but a good, solid app, with a real use, and a target audience more specific than "own's an iPhone", you can get some serious coin in. If nothing else, you'll be doing something which looks good on your CV the next time you DO find a company willing to hire more experienced workers - you get to say "I don't like doing nothing, and it was a chance to add to my skills". Show's initiative.
Just my whipper-snapper tuppence...
Well, societal norms and expectations do have *some* input into how the law should run in these situations. By and large (at least, here in Scotland), polygamy & polyandry are quite rare - and we don't ban people from living together/having multi-person sexual relationships. A civil union is a recognition by the state that 90% or so of the nation will at some point form a mostly-monogomous relationship with a single other person, often for the purpose (although not explicitly or exclusively) of raising children, and that the State should help out with recognition of this with a legal union.
That said, I'm not opposed to legalised polygamy/polyandry, provided there are sufficient safeguards to avoid abuse, both of partners (as often seen in religious groups where it's *always* a man and many wives, no the reverse etc.), and of the institution itself (it's supposed to be for forming social unions - some would abuse the right to envelop large numbers of people into one union, for tax/money laundering etc. purposes). Provided those safeguards are in place, I cannot argue against it, if the people so desire it.
As for forcing religious groups to live by their creed, no, not touching that with a 10 foot pole! If you want to believe in a Magic Sky Wizard, or a whole collection of them for that matter (I do - I'm a pagan), great, happy for you, if it brings you peace, helps you live your life, gets you towards nirvana, whatever. None of my business though, and none of the state's, unless you make it our business by doing something unpleasant (obnoxious proselytising, abuse of children or family members, restricting the rights of others etc.). Otherwise, believe what you like, and we'll not bother you, if you don't bother us. Seems fairly simple, really.
No, it's about equal-status.
In the UK, we have "gay marriage" in all but name; civil partnerships. It confers all the (very limited) financial benefits of marriage, but is only for "teh gayz".
Our tax-code is pretty non-involved when it comes to marriage. If you'e living with someone as a partner, that's the limit - doesn't matter if you're married, civil-unioned, or anything.
Yet, oddly (if you follow the "financial" argument), the gay community is still pushing for equal-marriage. Here in Scotland we're having a big fight over it, with the Catholic Church (amongst others) arguing it's wrong, and the equal-rights groups saying it's about damned time, and the normal, rational people being somewhere in the middle, but broadly in favour of it (since it's not about money, and just about equality, most people come down on the side of equality, not sky-wizrd voodoo).
It's all about being treated equally, as a fair and equal member of society. I actually think that the State should have no role in marriage at all - you can make a permanent union (and break them with due solemnity) but what you call it is entirely up to you and your own personal Sky Wizard. No state involvement at all in that side of things.
Of course, this would be painted as the deliberate destruction of marriage (even though, actually, we'd be going back to an age-old situation where marriage is a matter for the church, nothing to do with the state at all) to please the evil homosexual liberal satanists or whatever.
TL:DR summary: dont expect reason from irrational people like the religious right. It'll just make your head hurt.
Yeah, I hear that.
One of my fiancé's (she went back to college to retrain as a graphics artist) classmates is a lovely woman, same age range as my other half, mid thirties. Not stupid by any means, intelligent enough, really amazing painter. Doesn't know what a web-browser is. Or why IE is a bad one. Or that there are other ones out there.
Once you tell her it a couple of times, and explain it in a way she can understand, she's fine, but no-one has done that for a lot of things we take for granted as "basic", so when we move on to more advanced topics, she has no frame of reference to base it on, and cannot understand.
The key in these situations is to determine if the person is either stupid, or uneducated. If they are merely uneducated, they can be taught, as long as you do so in a manner they can relate to.
If they're stupid, give up, life's too short.
Posting, even though I will lose my mod priv. for this page (and i'd voted up a couple of good 'uns too!);
I have to say that is one of the most thoughtful, intelligent as well as funny posts I've seen on
What I actually wanted to post though was that I don't think you can blame IE for this; it is merely a victim of MS's installed-first philosophy. In short, only the stupid users use IE, because it's already there for them. If they were more savvy, they'd already have installed FF/Safari/Chrome etc., so really when you see someone that only has IE, you're seeing someone that is incredibly unlikely to be computer-literate.
And that means they'll be paranoid about not breaking it, and so will easily all for all the scams. In addition, if they're guys, they'll probably fall for "teh lezboz" scams, since they'll probably not know about real porn, and where to find it, for free!
/ As an aside, we have moron's over here in the Mac world, but the mac just does a better job of protecting them, and the lower market-share means most malware is aimed at windows. I wonder how many mac-users that arechallengedhave "setup.exe" files in their ~/Downloads directory. Or for that matter, a whole shit ton of "OMG_teh_best_lezboz_EVA.exe" in there as well
Providing the unseen "?" is "Sell drone-aircraft to the US Government", then yes, next step is Profit.
Otherwise, next step is "Feed local bacteria for several weeks.".
My (completely uninformed) guess, is that in these days of GPS and other sat-based navigation, the geode isn't quite as special as once it was. And I don't think they're releasing full-res data....that wee potato pic is cute, but wouldn't be of much help to you for planning a flight trajectory...
+1 for this one; got a genuine giggle from that!
Having been involved on the fringes of a microsoft-backed WP7 project (sub-contractor to the sub-contractor to the sub-contractor kinda deal), I can say the OS, ok it's not iOS, but it's a lot better than what you'd expect from a Microsoft mobile effort. But the hardware-software interlink is awful, shoddy and downright crap, it has NOTHING on the iPhone experience, and where it really, really falls down is the fact that, MS-backed (financed) projects aside, not much is being made because it's almost as easy as iOS to write for, with no actual plus points; no community, no customers, no hype, no nothing.
Doesn't matter.
Most people don't care about Office or Photoshop for a home machine. Sure, they'd like both, if available, but that's not why they buy a laptop or netbook. It's to watch films and check facebook.
As it happens, there is already some Adobe software on the AppStore. iWork is "good enough" for the majority..microsoft may wise up, or not. Doesn't really matter.
So maybe not HDMI (which would be wrong in any case) or it's ilk, but a design standard designed for the brain, with a neural interface to dictate what's in focus etc. instead of the retina.
We've already gotten good enough brainwave-reading to control a mouse cursor, or select menu items (or raise the wee ball thingy on the Star Wars Force toys), so this would be the way to go.
A visual interface on the retina/optic nerve. An "out" port on your head, so you can wear a camera array (a la Geordi) so you get stereoscopic vision, maybe even with infra-red, thermographic and other options, and then you can take the visor thing off and jack straight into a terminal, controlling the focussing bit using a neural-headset.
Fantasy? For the moment. Resolution isn't anywhere near high enough for a computer display, and we've not gotten colour yet, so it's still in the realms of "helping the blind to see". But when it gets good enough, I'd sign up for it. Being able to see perfectly at night with just a tap of a button? Being able to interface on a whole new level in a computer system? Awesome.
If they could somehow develop the interfacing part in a way that allows you to retain natural vision as well (if you're not blind) this could make it's way into a great many places...
This, as my post title suggests, is not a revolution. It's an evolution of the existing tech. We've seen this before, but the achievable resolution is increasing. There's another project in Germany I read about recently where they're working on colour
Don't get me wrong, this is amazing work, and another step on the road to full Geordi's VISOR-like treatment for people that have an optic nerve but non-functioning eyes, but it's not a "new" thing, merely another refinement in the process
When the resolution achieves life-like levels, and we have control of a full gamut, so technically infra-red vision (or ultraviolet etc.) can be switched on or off, put me down for one. I'm tired of glasses and deviating vision...
Yeahhe's "walking on sunshine", apparently...
Always try to do things in chronological order; it's less confusing that way.
