Recent Comments:
Survey Says 8 in 10 Businesses Now Use Macs {Switched.com}
Jun 28th 2008 4:50AM System Restore and Time Machine aren't really the same thing.
System Restore only makes a limited copy of your hard drive, mainly Windows system files and user profiles. Not much else.
System Restore might help if you installed a rogue program that you do not want and must undo any possible changes it could've done to vital system files, such as the registry. But System Restore will not help you if you accidentally deleted a document that was important. It certainly is useless if your machine suffers a hardware failure that results in data loss, such as a hard drive crash.
System Restore is a convenient utility, but it does not take the place of a good backup utility.
Time Machine is equivalent to a backup utility, such as Acronis True Image. Time Machine makes a backup of every single file installed on your computer and records this on a separate drive, such as an external USB HD.
It's easy to restore with a Time Machine backup, and not just to restore your computer to an earlier state. If you had a hard drive crash that requires replacement of the drive, then all you have to do is install Mac OS X Leopard using your install discs and, once installation is completed, you select the option to restore from a Time Machine backup and let it do its thing.
Or, if you need to migrate to a new Mac computer, you can migrate using the Time Machine backup.
You can't do any of those things with System Restore and, again, System Restore is no substitute for a good backup utility for Windows.
Fix It or Toss It? {Switched.com}
Jun 26th 2008 7:00PM Here's a third option; if you have the skills, tools, and a resource for parts, FIX IT YOURSELF!
That's what I've done with a few items of mine that had broken down.
For instance, I have a 9 year old Sony 900 MHz wireless telephone that stopped working.
Instead of spending around $60 to buy either a new phone from a decent brand that would last or $30 from a brand that would only give me about a year's worth of service before crapping out, I broke out a philips head screwdriver, a soldering iron, and $2 worth of replacement electrolytic capacitors.
My reward; the phone works perfectly again, saving me a huge chunk of green over buying a new phone.
Now, yes, not many people have the skills or know-how to do this. But, you are at a huge advantage if you do have them.
Plus, you are minimizing e-waste, which also helps. - Ashram
Will Apple rule your living room in five years? {BloggingStocks}
May 24th 2008 12:49AM Will Apple take over MY living room?
They have as much of a chance to do so as Microsoft does: Not a very good one at all.
MY living room is MINE, with equipment *I* choose with the content *I* want and in a PHYSICAL MEDIUM that *I* control, preferrably without DRM.
Apple, taking over MY living room? If it yields control over media I rightfully paid for to them and the content companies, then, quite frankly, they can pump each other.
Starbucks tries out a new logo {BloggingStocks}
Apr 24th 2008 4:04PM Starbucks' solution to their problems is a new logo?!
Somebody needs to slap their leadership silly, including the ignoramus who thinks this is a good idea.
This is not a solution at all. All they are doing is flailing. The core of the problem is an overabundance of Starbucks stores along with suffering quality with the growing size.
Instead of changing the logo, they need to seriously revise how they operate, including the shuttering of redundant stores. With only a few exceptions, you do not need a Starbucks every couple of street blocks.
They need to streamline their operations and they can start by trimming the fat.
Hype Check: Dyson DC24 Vacuum Cleaner {Switched.com}
Apr 12th 2008 11:08PM The problem with Dyson vacuum cleaners are that they are still prone to clogging and losing suction, despite the claims of the inventor.
In addition, disposing of dust from the collection bin is, by itself, a rather messy affair. Manufacturers of bagless vacuum cleaners have gone so far as to suggest using a bag to put the dust in! If you have to go to the trouble of doing that, you may as well stick with a simple bagged vacuum cleaner.
As for which bagged vacuum cleaners are good: canister models by Miele or Simplicity. These two companies produce truly high quality products with superior performance. Granted, just like Dyson, these products will also cost you a bit more, but, unlike Dyson, they are designed and built to last for decades and have rather generous warranties with excellent customer support to bolster that fact.
If you are going to buy a Dyson, use the money to buy a Miele or a Simplicity instead.
10 Stars Who Look Bad on HDTV-10 {Switched.com}
Mar 18th 2008 2:38PM So, celebrities are upset that they don't look perfect on HDTV.
Two words: WHO CARES?
GM's Lutz calls global warming 'a total crock' {BloggingStocks}
Mar 13th 2008 2:22AM As far as I'm concerned, the evidence is still largely inconclusive regarding the existence of global warming caused by greenhouse gas surpluses by human activity.
I am more inclined to believe that the warming trend may be due to a natural climate oscillation that occurs every several decades, well before detailed record-keeping could be made.
There is historical evidence of warm climates hundreds of years ago around the middle ages followed by colder periods during the later part of the European renaissance and the American Revolution.
Now it appears that we are in a warming trend again and the warming could continue until it hits the peak, if it has not already, and then temperatures may start to fall. Of course, these cycles occur over a span of several decades. In addition, there will be unusual developments in weather such as cold snaps or heat waves that may merely be normal variations that do occur in a system as complex as Earth's climate instead of being indicative of a disruption of the cycle (it's a predictable cycle, overall, but it's not going to progress perfectly smooth because of variations that can and do occur unpredictably due to the complexity of the system, which is why computer models trying to explain long term trends of global warming can't be entirely relied upon as the programming of such simulation cannot take all of these variables into account in the long term; to give you an idea, this is also why there are uncertainties in long term weather forecasting because of the same problem).
However, there is one fact that is true: petroleum is a finite natural resource and, ironically, it takes the sensationalist and opportunist manipulation of the research of man-induced global warming, more or less, to scare people into taking action to change our energy infrastructure and indirectly conserve this resource by reducing its consumption to reduce CO2 emissions instead of merely understanding the fact that we may run out of oil in a few decades and, thus, must now start to make slow but steady progress towards other energy sources to maintain our current standard of living in addition to conserving petroleum for other important uses.
As for the comment by Mr. Lutz himself, he could have phrased it a bit less harshly, but he's rightfully questioning it.
That's what every responsible person should do as that's the only way to validate or invalidate an idea.
People who abhor those who question an idea are shortsighted because, if the idea is good, then it will endure and logically convert those who may have been hostile to it, which is the greatest way to show that the idea is good. If it can't stand up to reasonable skepticism, then it's a sign that, perhaps, the people who believe in it may need to re-evaluate the idea themselves.
Things like global warming shouldn't merely be taken for what it is as you should try to understand it yourself from both sides of the debate and then make the decision about whether or not you believe in it.
In addition, regarding political motivations, people should realize that motivations that could breed corruption are rampant on both sides. There is money and power at hand for both those who conclude that global warming is real (United Nations IPCC) and those who conclude that it is not (big oil).
GM may have to cut brands {BloggingStocks}
Mar 12th 2008 7:20PM A huge irony of people accusing imported products is that it's not at all as simple as suggested.
When you buy a product from an American company, who do you know for certain that it is made in America? Many times, the "Made in USA" badge by itself is actually deceptive as the item may be merely assembled with parts outsourced from imports.
Or, here's a big paradox: is it more American to buy a Honda Accord that was made in East Liberty, Ohio or a Ford Fusion made in Hermosillo, Mexico?
When you buy that Honda Accord, your money went to American engineers (yes, Honda does employ a significant number of American engineers and designers who are responsible for many vehicles, including the Acura TL) and workers. So, even though your money went to the bottomline of a Japanese corporation, it also went into the salaries of Americans who worked for it.
When you buy the Ford Fusion, your money goes to American, European, and Japanese engineers who designed the platform that model was built on (remember, the Fusion is a platform that is also shared by Ford's European and Japanese marques) and it also goes to Mexican workers who built the car.
Here's another thing: electronics. There are many people who may still buy G.E. or RCA electronics without realizing that RCA today is owned by a French company, Thomson, while G.E. licenses its name to this same company for its consumer electronics. G.E. is still an American company, but it's product is only truly G.E. if it's a refrigerator, an x-ray machine, a jet engine, or a nuclear reactor and only one of these items are available to the average consumer. If you have a G.E. TV that was made in the late 1980s and up, it's from the French.
It's never as simple as many "Made in USA" apologists suggest as many American companies have become deeply immersed in global economics and are just as guilty at undermining American workers as everyone else; the only thing that's truly American in an American car is the brand that it bears. Either that, or some American companies that you remember are not, such as RCA, Zenith, and Quasar.
In some cases, even the workers themselves share some of the blame.
About the only American companies that are really doing great are those in aerospace, energy, IT, and computers: Boeing, Lockheed-Martin, Bell, Sikorsky, General Electric, Pratt and Whitney, IBM, Microsoft, Apple, SGI, Seagate, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Motorola, Intel, AMD, Micron, Sun Microsystems, and many others. But, they are all immersed in the mechanics of the global economy and all have done their share of outsourcing to reduce overhead and maximize profits at the expense of American jobs.
And, what do you do? Boycott them? How? By not buying them? And, what would they do? They may outsource even more to further reduce their overhead.
More than likely, though, the immediate need for their products and services outstrips the demand to keep jobs here as that requires a consistent and prolonged campaign along with a clear message on WHY the boycott has occurred.
Think that would happen?
GM may have to cut brands {BloggingStocks}
Mar 12th 2008 6:47PM Yes!
The best thing GM can do to make its operations more efficient is to eliminate brands that are redundant and would cause market cannibalization.
Chevrolet is perfect as entry level for GM, so Saturn should be cut off as it's redundant.
GMC (Grabowski Motor Company, believe it or not) is perfect as GM's truck division, so all non-GMC truck models with possible exception of Cadillac's offerings should be eliminated. It's either that, or Chevrolet should assume the marketing of non-Cadillac GM trucks and the GMC brand should be cut off.
Buick is supposed to be in between Chevrolet and Cadillac in the GM hierarchy, but what's the point? Lexus, Audi, and other true luxury marques have entry level models as well as flagship models so Buick is a redundant brand that should be cut off.
Hummer and Pontiac are specialty brands and could be kept but, because they are specialty and are not the bread-and-butter of GM, they should be marketed as such, particularly Pontiac; Pontiac could be GM's Lamborghini, representing their performance offerings and marketed and managed as such. As for Hummer, perhaps they could be merged with GMC.
Ideally, GM's bread-n-butter would be Chevrolet and Cadillac with cross-platform sharing and model offerings kept to as much of a minimum as possible; you must keep it simple.
Specialty brands not marketed to the same segments as Chevrolet and Cadillac would be GMC, Hummer, and Pontiac.
How would you change Apple's Penryn-based MacBook Pro? {Engadget}
Mar 5th 2008 3:50PM Basically, the basic design is still good.
However, to be consistent with Apple's design philosophy, the keyboard should be redesigned to match the current keyboards used in the MacBook, MacBook Air, and the standard keyboard that comes equipped with the Mac Pro, Mac Mini, and iMac lines.
In addition, the mechanism for keeping the screen closed should be changed. Instead of the hidden latch on the middle top, the screen should be held shut magnetically just as it is done with the MacBook.
Perhaps, the introduction of a MacBook Pro with the option of black anodized aluminum would be good, as well.
