CyberFonic and the Muses

Apple and Christmas 2012

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 22:28:00 -0800

I'm a big Apple fan. Had an Apple ][e all those years ago. Lusted after the Mac when it came out. More recently have bought MBP, iPod Nano, iPod Touch, iPad and wife has an iPhone 3GS. But something has shifted. When OS X Lion came out, I read the reviews, etc and decided to stick with Snow Leopard. Upgraded the iPad to iOS 5.0 and was underwhelmed. Have been contemplating getting an iPhone 4s for Xmas, but the battery problems, etc fill me with concern. As far as Siri goes, I see it is a gimmick I would never use once the novelty has worn off. Does anybody realise how much bandwidth that program chews up going out to the Apple's servers constantly?

Then what tipped me over the edge was a flashy email from Apple, encouraging me to buy a MacBook Air for Xmas. Now I do lust over that too, but not too keen on Lion. But WTF, the price is exactly as before ... the "special" is some custom wrapping ! That's it - maybe $5 worth of Made-in-China wrapping paper and ribbon and free shipping which I wouldn't want anyway since I can walk to the campus Apple shop in less than 3 minutes.

I have a premonition that Apple has jumped the shark. I know that Steve Jobs had investments in Pixar and Disney. To me it looks like Apple is turning into a multimedia + apps version of the Hollywood studios. The freelance directors / producers / technicians are seen as no more than a fungible resource to monetise in every which way possible.

Instead of buying a lovely MacBook Air, I think I'm going off to research Google ChromeBook, Android. Or maybe I'll just stick to running Linux once I work out how to get rid off Unity in Oneiric.

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Information as an Asset Class

Tue, 08 Feb 2011 15:10:00 -0800

I was reading Chuck Hollis's blog entry "Should Information Be On The Balance Sheet?"

And it struck me, that we have a view that differentiates data from information. Most of the Information Technologists talk about is still more data than information. We talk about data mining, data extraction. But it is the information that has value. But until we act on that information, it is like gold that is still locked in some ore body.

Taking the mining analogy further, perhaps test drilling and exploration is performed on data. The process will discover nuggets of information which may be of interest and value. Until we develop the mine and extract that information, it is only of potential value. Like the undeveloped reserves in mining. Even once the gold is extracted from the ore it is further transformed into bullion, jewelery, electrical contact plating, etc.

Maybe it is time for companies with large bodies of data/information to look at the exploration, valuation processes used by mining companies to bring their discoveries to the balance sheet.

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iPad Lockdown

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 16:05:29 -0700

So many gazillion electrons have been inconvenienced by the outpouring of grief about Apple iPad's "Closed Garden" approach to computing.

What's the problem? The iPad is a device designed and manufactured to fufill a specific vision and target market. If it doesn't suit your needs, then DON'T BUY ONE !!!

Problem solved! As far as I know, there is no compulsion for anyone to buy an iPad. Sure you might relinquish your membership to the Cool Club if you don't have one.

If you really believe in the hacker ethic of total openness, then simply build a PC using standard components and install your favorite version of Linux or BSD or even Haiku on it. My experiences with Ubuntu's Karmic Koala suggest that most notebooks are perfectly well supported as well. If you choose to go down the notebook (or netbook) path, you might want to take a three step approach:

Check out the prices and specs of notebooks at your local supa-cheap-PC store, note brands and model numbers.
Google for problems with those models and your preferred OSS OS, eliminate those that look like too much trouble.
Return to store and buy "The Chosen One"

Of course, you will strike problems. But you are a hacker and proud of it. So just fix it! Research and download fixes, patches. Write a new device driver or whatever to scratch your itch. That is why you didn't buy that iPad in the first place.

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Value Creation

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:50:15 -0700

Just finished reading "Reconsidering Manual Labor". It go me thinking about people I have known and circumstances I have observed. Over the years many people deplored the hard work that they had to perform and encouraged their children to "better themselves". Over the past century education has become more accessible and before the rise of computers much of what has become cubicle work was a necessary component of lubricating the wheels of commerce. In other words, paper shuffling was value-add. With the widespread of adoption of communications and information technologies, much of that work is automated. The cubicle farms are nurtured not for the benefit of the organization but to maintain the sense of importance for the managers. No manager will reduce the head count because doing so would diminish his stature.

In high school the choice of careers was more dictated by the perceived status and income than any core interest. One school friend had no aptitude for biology, nor much of an interest in people, but he became a doctor because of the status and high income. He has gone on to become the CEO of a health insurance company. Whilst and academically less talented class-mate who had all the attributes that one would desire in a doctor wasn't admitted to med-school on account lesser academic credentials. He was so determined that he trained to become a nurse.

The debate should not be about whether the labor is manual or otherwise. It should be about rendering value. Value as perceived by the paying customer. The very basics of economics is about value and exchange of representations of that value. The foundations of trade and commerce through the centuries has always been about creating value. Our labors should be directed to that end to the best of our abilities and talents. There is no other lasting way.

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Which is Best ?

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:20:00 -0700

I'm often asked to recommend notebooks by intending purchasers. Intelligent well informed people find the multitude of choices and conflicting claims confusing. If I make a bad recommendation then I'm risking eternal punishment in the form of desperate calls for support at all hours of day and night.

I'm sure that many of my cyber breathen have been in such a predicament. So here's how I go about it.

The most important thing to remember is that manufacturers optimise their hardware to suit the OS, so making changes opens a big can of worms. This is expecially true of the cheaper notebooks which are often engineered to a price point and thus require drivers for less common devices. Making big changes is like buying an Audi and deciding that you like the BMW engine better so your swap them over. Neither car is going to get any better unless you are very experienced automotive engineer. For backyard mechanics, it could be a very expensive experiment. So too it is with notebooks. You can install a non-manufacturer supplied OS, but you may need to tinker to make it work properly, all of the time.

First question is whether they use a computer at work and how much. With rare exceptions people who don't relish fiddling with their computer are loathed to learn something new. In that case, I gently suggest that they go with the devil they already now. In most cases this means Windows and I typically recommend they stay close to what they are already familiar with. Of course, this is not much help if they are using Windows ME on a 8 year old PC at work. Don't wince! There are more of these out there than I'd like to believe. Many small businesses place greater priority on the owner upgrading their wheels or yacht than the PCs the staff have to put up with.

Some people want to edit videos, organise their photo and/or music collection. I suggest that they may want to check out the local Apple store and see if they like what they see. If these folks are experienced with Microsoft Office I do recommend that they consider a Mac version of it. The idea is that they will only go ahead if they are comfortable with the store's expertise. Not surprisingly many people suffer sticker shock after having looked at cheap notebooks at the local discount store.

Do I recommend Linux based systems? Yes, but very cautiously. I do suggest that they check out some of the notebooks that come with Linux pre-installed. But typically, they don't compare well with the flashier Windows or Mac systems on display.

Although, it seems that everyone ended up buying a cheaper Windows based notebook at least I've managed to avoid the majority of support calls. For simple problems I suggest workarounds. For serious problems I recommend that they get the shop they bought it from sort it out for them. They made the profit, so they can fix it. Surprisingly, nobody has disagreed with me to date.

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Apple Tablet is Here! You can buy it today !!!

Wed, 13 May 2009 17:28:00 -0700

There are many rumours about Apple releasing a tablet computer Gizmondo has a good article.

Well the Apple Tablet EXISTS ! You can BUY IT TODAY !!!

It's called ModBook !

The plot thickens ever more ...

Steve Wozniak, the "other Steve" in Apple's startup days, has joined the Axiotron board.

When you consider that Apple is cashed up and has the patents all stitched up, they could buy Axiotron with Steve Job's petty cash and have the Apple Tablet production lines ramping up.

We do indeed live in interesting times!

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What you were taught in Econ101 is TRUE!

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 02:56:16 -0700

Even a recently arrived Martian would know that the western world's economy is deep in poo! You can google all you like for more stories of financial gore. But what I have to write is gold, solid gold.

What your Econ101 prof taught you has been proven to be still valid, just like gravity. What goes up, must come down (unless you are a successful rocket scientist). In those lectures of yore, you were probably taught that the only way to make money was out of renting out land or to own or rent land and produce something of value. Value as in something that others will seek you out and give you money for what you have produced. As an extention, manufacturing is about investing capital adding WORK to create VALUE. That's it! The rest is detail. No value created, no money earned for fulfilling a need.

There's a terrific article Why Management is not a Profession which points out that unlike all the other professions, soon to be minted managers don't pledge to render service, to create value, to abide by a code of ethics. And look at where they got us into. But they made out like bandits.

As I see it, the way forward is to abandon all the B$, seek out a need, one that is sufficiently painful that people will fork out money to alleviate it, and fill it. Create value, lots of it. The Best News ..... you'll be so close to unique, with bugger all competition, whilst the rest of what passes for the business world tries to prop up a system that has failed before and will fail into the future.

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Petronius was Right !

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 20:29:00 -0800

"We trained hard . . . but it seemed that every time we were beginning to form
up into teams we would be reorganized. I was to learn later in life that we
tend to meet any new situation by reorganizing; and a wonderful method it can
be for creating the illusion of progress while producing confusion,
inefficiency, and demoralization."

disputedly attributed to: Gaius Petronius Arbiter, AD 27-66

There may be much dispute whether Gaius did indeed chisel the above immortal words. Perhaps the patron pagan gods for management had beaten him with the first commandment :

"When in doubt ... reorganize"

I did a bit of research and it would appear that dear ol' Gaius was the Roman equivalent of Carson Kressley in the court of Emperor Nero and unsurprisingly came to a grisly end by his own hand.

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Life Isn't Meant to be a Struggle

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 21:36:00 -0800

I just finished reading The Journey Woman. It is a blog by a very special teacher. Many years ago she conducted a workshop "Writing to Heal" and over the course of several weeks I came to connect a repressed case of post traumatic stress disorder. Was very glad to read that she had a lovely experience of manifesting something that she desired. Her delight was reduced by feeling let down by the easy victory. It's as if you had to struggle to achieve anything worthwhile. This in turn brought back memories of reading Stuart Wilde's "Life Was Never Meant to be a Struggle".

We are programmed to believe that to struggle is noble. That struggle builds character. Our fascination with sports and people overcoming adversity further reinforces that all good things come to those who struggle long and hard. I have come to realise that this is only part of the method. To struggle without learning is madness. The mere idea of evolution is to try random things, observe what works and then iterate towards ever more optimal solutions through intelligent trail and error.

Returning to my former teacher's experience (and I too have many just like it) the challenge actually lies in whether we have been paying sufficient attention to discern what our thought processes were leading up to the moment of manifestation. In Buddhism, there is a concept of mindfulness, the ability to be the silent witness to everything we say, do and ... THINK. Our thoughts directly impact upon our circumstances. That is not to ignore the fact that many other factors are also make their mark. We are in effect existing in a state of cybernetic chaos. Our will and those six billion others plus the weather and cosmic influences - all in an inconceivably complex dance. Like fractal images, the complexity is ever more fascinating and endlessly complex at whatever level we may wish to view it.

If you have every blurted out something, only to regret it the very instant you said it, then you know what it's like to be "The Witness". Maybe the answer is not wince at such memories but to learn to be more mindful and appreciative of beauty and everything that hums around us. I'm certainly going to try. I'd like to fly first class too.

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Winds of Change

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 20:46:00 -0800

With the inauguration of Barack Obama we can feel the "Winds of Change" sweeping across not only the USA but the whole world.

His inauguration speech may not have buoyed Wall St and there is much work to be done. President Obama has chosen not to seek out scapegoats but to build upon what is strong. Without repeating JFK's "Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you
can do for your country" he has signalled a "roll-up your sleeves and get stuff done" approach.

Take a look at http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/01/20/whitehousegov-has-a-new-face/ where it is reported that democracy has taken a giant step forward with the promise of transparency and exposure to public scrutiny. Let us hope that governments around the world adopt this first artefact of the new millenium democracy.

Yes, we are in this all together on the "Third Rock from the Sun", so let's make it WORK !!!

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Happy New Year !!!

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 20:28:38 -0800

It's time of the year again !! 2009 is here and I'm back at my workstation.

The Year of the Ox is almost upon us (23rd Jan) with it's attendant week long celebration.

To all my friends and loyal readers, I wish you a most prosperous and successful 2009.

Yeah! I know, but don't say it. I'm the eternal optimist and who am I to argue with the guy who said :

"Funny thing .... the harder I work ... the luckier I get !"

So may your endeavours bring you much LUCK !!!

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