In Search of Zora

Ran across this Wired article, "5 Things Google Still Needs to Fix in Android" via Twitter.  Skimming through, I quickly lost count of the number of comment/critiques along the lines of: "make everything the same", "don't let users...", "prevent apps from..."

This is timely reminder for me as to why certain colleagues favor Apple software.

It's also stark reminder for me as to why I do not.

iRevolution

I was foolishly thinking of polluting the web with yet another short post about the idiocy of the iPad craze until Steve Winkler pointed me to this little gem:

http://is.gd/bk2AG

For the impatient:

...I see the iPad as a Bizarro Trojan Horse. Instead of importing soldiers into the kingdom to break down its walls, in this horse, we, the people, are stuffed inside and wheeled into the old walls; the gate is shut and we’re welcomed back into the kingdom of controlling media that we left almost a generation ago.

But then, I need to remember that people actually went nuts for the iPod -- the single worst thing to happen to audio in the last 100 years.  

Once again Grandpa Grumpy Greg shakes his fist in the air, and shouts, "Damn fool lemmings!"

The Children are Speaking

This really happened.  And I have two brave witnesses who are prepared (both mentally and physically) to provide sworn testimony to that end.

The story is simple.  I initiated the transfer of a large batch of files over the local network.  Seeing that it was going to require several minutes to complete the process, I took the opportunity to work through a classic 'mate-in-two' chess puzzle with fellow IndyHaller (and semi-professional chess guru) Bula.  

When I returned, I found the machine had shut itself down.  Dead screen.  Dead keyboard.  The black(?) screen of death.

I pressed the power button -- no response.  After several unsuccessful resuscitation attempts, I turned to walk away when the MBP mysteriously sprang to life with that all-to-familiar C-major chime.

And that's when it hit me.

I was receiving a cryptic message from all the young children Apple has been illegally using to build its products!  They were reaching out through space and time -- attempting to communicate by assuming control of my 13" unibody MacBookPro.

At least, that's the most plausible explanation we could come up with.