Tag: technology

DIY drone

This makes me think that the security forces of the world must be getting more than a little nervous. The state no longer possesses air supremacy.

As Carroll Quigley noted, the power of the aristocracy over the masses has historically depended upon how great the divide between state and individual military power is. Once someone figures out how to turn these little RC planes with speeds of up to 130 kph and 27-mile range into delivery systems, pretty much all bets are off. And there’s no reason they can’t be effectively turned into cheap drones without too much trouble.

I suppose the obvious countermeasure is adding laser turrets to all the closed-circuit cameras. But it’s not hard to see the recon-related possibilities here either.

Time travel!

My own feeling is that time travel is rather less likely than a secret elite making use of advanced technology. Although apparently less advanced phone-wise than we are now; that mobile phone looks bigger than my Android device. Of course, this raises the question: if they had phones in 1928, what do they have now?

CGW request

If anyone has a collection of old Computer Gaming World magazines from the early 1990s, I am looking for an article written by Mike Weksler about 3D hardware that referenced both Chris Taylor and Ime. It probably mentioned a chip called 3GA as well and would have run sometime between 1992 and 1995. Unfortunately, I’m not sure what issue it was except that it was after the first 100 issues that are archived online at the CGW Museum. If you can tell me the issue, or better yet, scan the article and send it to me, I would appreciate it.

An unexpected query

Okay, try not to die laughing, everyone. Especially you, Nate. As it happens, it would appear I need to consider buying a riding mower. John Deere X304 or MTD Yard Man 42-inch? Normally, I’d go for the former on the basis of JD quality, but I’ve heard that there have been issues of late and I can probably get better service from the MTD dealer.

Mailvox: database question

Paradox looks for advice:

I have a question. What type of database software would you and the Ilk recomend for a small business? The business will be auto repair. The database entities would be customers and invoices. Atributes would be items like invoce number and car make and model etc.

All I have to say is that’s a good business in this economy. But I know nothing about databases, so if anyone has anything intelligent to offer on the subject, please do so.

A tale of two problems

Unsurprisingly, Apple takes the fascistic approach to information about the iPhone’s quality problems:

Consumer Reports, the non-profit magazine, on Monday published a review online that stated it had tested three iPhone 4s in controlled settings and found that touching the lower left corner “can significantly degrade” the signal, causing dropped calls. Apple deleted references in several online discussions to the consumer group’s online posting, leading VentureBeat and investment blogs to pounce on what they described as censorship in the Apple-hosted forums. Apple declined to comment on the forum issue; it has previously intervened to eliminate records of criticism on other topics….

Apple had earlier fanned the flames by denying there was any reception problem. It originally said the real culprit was software that displayed a higher number of “bars” than appropriate, indicating greater signal strength than was warranted. Touching the left corner therefore showed a precipitous drop in connectivity instead of a minor pullback, Apple said, and it promised to fix the display issue with a software patch.

I can sympathize with Apple’s irritation in having to deal with this mess, but not their response. After shipping our new product, our customers discovered three hardware problems, which were primarily the result of the factory not following the design closely enough. Not our fault, but definitely our responsibility. We immediately reported these problems on our site and expect to be able to announce how we plan to resolve everything for our customers to their satisfaction by the end of this week.

Apple, on the other hand, prefers to obfuscate and deny. Perhaps that’s part of what makes them a great and successful company, but I don’t agree with that support strategy any more than I agree with their technofascist approach to design.

Early adopters only

FYI: the online store is now open, but since we’re starting to ship the first preorders on Monday, we’re replacing the promised pre-order discount with a 20% early adopter discount that is valid until July 4th. We have already sold nearly half our initial production run, so don’t hesitate to order if you’re interested getting your hands on “The King of All Computer Mice” and its 3,072 simultaneous commands.

And yet you doubt

More technofascismo from Apple:

Apple Inc. is now collecting the “precise,” “real-time geographic location” of its users’ iPhones, iPads and computers. In an updated version of its privacy policy, the company added a paragraph noting that once users agree, Apple and unspecified “partners and licensees” may collect and store user location data.

When users attempt to download apps or media from the iTunes store, they are prompted to agree to the new terms and conditions. Until they agree, they cannot download anything through the store.

I now await with no little interest hearing the Macintossers explain how all of this is wonderful and to the great benefit of Apple’s cool, creative and totally unique customers. Seriously, what does Apple have to do to convince you that they’re every bit as evil as Microsoft and more, start making batteries from the blood of aborted Chinese girls? Batteries that you can’t replace!

Oh, wait, they already did that.