well, I accidentally rotated my logo doodles. c’est la vie.
Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ category
logo doodlings
May 4th, 2010
A quick tribute to my dad, original Hax0r.
January 18th, 2010There was a period of time from Thanksgiving to Christmas when I wasn’t contributing the same amount of literary/journalistic content that I usually do, and it wasn’t because of the holidays or anything. It was because my dad passed away.
My mom died when I was only seven, and my dad and I never had the best relationship, partially due to the fact that our communication skills are shit, partially due to the fact that he was doing clandestine government work throughout the cold war and was sort of limited in what he could even talk to me about.
I never knew much about my dad because he had top secret clearance and couldn’t tell us much about his day-to-day work in the bunkers of Aberdeen Proving Ground or his four-day stints at the Pentagon once a month. One time when I was a kid, I asked him what his job was like, and he said, “You know everything you read in science fiction stories? It’s all real, and that’s what I do.”
I believe my next question was something to the order of, “You work on jetpacks!?”
I had never even seen the above picture of him until yesterday, and it made me wish we could have made it to the level where we could speak to one another as gearheads, because this is goddamn cool. I’m dating the picture around ’76 by my dad’s appearance and by our family’s location at the time.
He was totally going for the “Meathead” look.
Rob Reiner...Not my father.
I believe machine in the picture above is a Commodore because I zoomed in on the placard on the left, and it looks like it says “CBM Termicare.” I’ll continue looking that one up.
But the real sci-fi shit my dad was working on was ARPANET. Long before the term “Internet” even existed, that was a major part of his job…check this out:
This article is from 1980…so this is in the period of time when it was still ARPANET, before it got turned into MILNET, when the packet-switched network was still a new concept, and there were only 100 something nodes in the entire Internet.
What he was researching is anybody’s guess, though. The only thing I know about this is that he once gave us a full-sized injection molded replica of an AK-47, and two smaller calibre replica handguns from his lab. Once he came back from one of his weekends at the Pentagon with a gasoline-soaked russian tank driver’s helmet. My stepmom says those monthly trips actually took him places like Cuba and Russia during the Cold War, and I know he went to Panama and Germany in the 80′s. I may never know exactly who he was watching.
He was a spy, after all…and an Internet espionage pioneer. Pretty cool. I just wish we could have talked more about his work when I had the chance.
Nexus One, CES, and what I’m up to
January 5th, 2010To be totally honest, I’m not all that thrilled about the Nexus One. Yes, it’s powerful and sleek, but like I said on Betanews today, it’s not about the device…the big deal is that it’s available across multiple carriers and directly from Google.
So yeah, that’s something, but I have CES to think about.
I’m heading over to CES Unveiled or Unleashed or Unchained or whatever the fuck it’s called, where there are going to be a number of Android devices, including the Sygus V1* and perhaps the Android Tablet.
I’ll update later.
*Android device names +1 are starting to really rub me the wrong way. G1, A1, Nexus One, V1… I mean, it’s like car names. If I tell you I’ve got a Pinto, you have a clear picture what i’m talking about…but if I say ZX20, or TR-7, or I30, or whatever, you may know what I’m talking about, but the name lacks a hell of a lot of punch. It’s like naming your child “Blitzwing Traurig Smith” versus naming him “John Smith VII.” One’s just much more evocative.
Be Right Back!
November 16th, 2009Hey everybody. No updates for nearly 2 weeks! It’s hard to write to pay your bills and then do 20 other writing projects on the side, but I’m trying! Plus, a bunch of great new video games have come out and my G1 has been extremely underperforming….so you know, motivation.
Look at Mr. Excuses up here!
I will post a nice long update this week and you’ll be like “oh…that’s where he’s been!”
Check your feeds for it!
Thanks
Tim
Android 2.0 features unveiled!
October 27th, 2009Today, Android SDK Tech lead Xavier Ducrohet announced Android 2.0 support in the SDK, which unveils some of the big capabilities in the latest version of Android, expected to hit the market soon on at least one of Verizon’s upcoming “Droid” devices. In the developer video posted today, for instance, all the new features were shown off on a device connected to the Verizon network, and the release notes say it will be deployable in November.
The keyword with Eclair is interoperability.
Motorola recently launched its custom Android build with a UI called MotoBLUR, the central function of which is the ability to integrate with a user’s many social web services from a single interface. The new APIs included in Eclair give this communicative function to all developers. So with the new Account Manager API, developers can centrally store account credentials on the device, the Contacts application can now sync and aggregate contact data from multiple accounts, and the Sync Adaptors API provides full two-way contact sync with ANY backend.
To provide a single, unified face for this data, the Quick Contact function has been added. By clicking on a contact’s picture, a user can pull up a menu of all the different ways to reach that contact…Gmail, Email, IM, Phone, and the various Social networks. It’s like the existent “live folder” concept for contacts, but brought together under the standard contact list, or in any app the developer chooses.
Android 2.0 also updates the Bluetooth API so apps can now access Bluetooth controls to discover, connect and share information with nearby devices, which unlocks the ability to make peer-to-peer and proximity-based applications.
The built-in Android browser has been updated with a refreshed UI with an actionable address bar, bookmarks sorted by thumbnail, double-tap zoom command, and HTML5 support, which opens up Application cache, client-side SQL databases, geolocation API support, and fullscreen video tag support.
The camera app has again been tweaked, but this time it includes digital zoom (with macro mode), built-in color effects (posterize, solarize, etc) and built-in flash support.
It even adds Exchange Support and includes Multi-touch support for the soft keyboard.
Throw this out there with the upcoming availability of Verizon Droids, the Sony Racheal, and whatever else is coming out, and we’ve got a really huge quarter for Android. I’m gonna start doing video blogs soon, it just takes a bit longer to write and record them.
Android’s first real e-reader was born today
October 20th, 2009Never mind that bullshit about the Spring Design “Alex” yesterday. Total patent troll “prior art” move. The Barnes and Noble Nook is real and it’s making me drool.
I’m a Kindle 2 owner and fan. I love how easy it is to read, I love how thin and light it is, I love the free connection to Sprint’s “Now Network” (I wish you could add more quotes around a phrase to increase the sarcasm/attitude/cynicism) . Obviously, I’m also extremely focused on the Android operating system, ecosystem, and lifestyle. So nook really excites me.
I was tempted to rush out my first Android Bakery video podcast to talk about the nook. But I held off.
nook eReader - Android power
There’s no shortage of news about nook right now. I wrote about it on Betanews earlier today, saying that it somehow managed to combine the spirit of two most “walled garden” tech devices (iphone and kindle) to make a new, uber desirable device.
But the thing is, we don’t know where it fits in the Android family. I contacted B&N this afternoon to see if they could get me in touch with a developer who could explain, just how much of an Android device the nook really is, but I haven’t heard back from them yet. That’s how excited I am. I’m posting a story before I even have any useful info. Just check back, I’ll have something good.
Android Knockoffs welcome
October 20th, 2009Behold. The Android knockoff party is well under way.
With China’s biggest mobile carrier supporting Android under its OMS platform, China Mobile is inviting a grey market Android takeover. Since it’s an open source OS, though, this sort of thing can really only contribute to Android’s impending world domination.
I, for one, welcome our cheaply-made robot overlords. (WARNING, reflexive link which also serves as a segue)
Now, because I’m a logophile for fun and a linguist by trade, I adore Engrish. I simply adore it. On the surface, it’s bloody hilarious, but when you peel back the layer of humor, underneath you see the extremely interesting nature of grammar, syntax, and the consistent fallibility of translation. So frequently, I cruise knockoff sites to laugh, enjoy life, and find weird technology.
A little more than a week ago, a press release for the new “SciPhone” N19 came out, these devices have names that belong in the Nokia N-series, and look to be straight rips of other designs. The N19 promises to be the “World’s Cheapest Google Android Smart Phone, SciPhone N19 support WiFi,Bluetooth 2.0, 2.8 inch LCD with touch screen, 2.0 MP Digital Camera, Android Operating System v1.5.”
Look at that, a BlackBerry Stormdroid.
As you can see, it looks like a Blackberry Storm…and it’ll run you $195.
And here’s another Android SciPhone, the N21, looking to have drawn some cues from the HTC Touch Diamond.
jiao 5 megapixel SciPhone, ni ne?
And let’s not forget the N12 with “Real Google Android TV GPS.”
aww..it's got an antenna.
I just thought I’d include these here to coincide with my “140 characters about every Android Phone” post, to show what I’m intentionally skipping. I very nearly didn’t include the rumored ZTE and INQ handsets because they’re not far off from this crap.
But just for fun, I’ll keep track of noteworthy deviants and include them in aiding the growth of Android.
Aren’t you glad you’re an Android early adopter?
October 15th, 2009If there’s one thing that Android Bakery is about, it’s giant foam pastries being dropped on Google’s lawn, and apparently the customary giant eclair has made its grand debut.
I’m going to make two predictions, one a longshot, one more logical.
Here are the factors adding up:
1.) Verizon’s Getting an Android phone (and we now know Eric Schmidt’s boner for Verizon)
2.) At the Google earnings call late in the day today, Eric Schmidt says, “Android adoption is about to explode.”
3.) …on the same day the giant Eclair lands?
Prediction one (longshot) Verizon is getting the first Android 2.0 phone.
I mean, they only released the Donut SDK last month…and we first heard about that in May. BUT if you remember, as I’m sure you do, they showed off all the Donut features at Google I/O not even one month after the big foam Cupcake dropped and all our G1s updated.
It’s too early in Android’s lifespan to be able to predict these kind of trends, but dropping a comically huge representation of the OS’s codename is about as obvious a hint as you could hope to receive. Something with Eclair is going to happen very soon.
What sucks is that we don’t know anything about Eclair, really. So that leads me to my second, and probably more likely prediction:
Verizon and AT&T will be getting their Android phones at the same time as Sprint and T-Mobile gets their new devices, summarily “exploding” the OS onto all United States carriers with four new devices…then after the five minutes of pants-pooping is over, and tons of new Android users are born, we’ll get to see an early build of Eclair to tease the new users with sick new upcoming features.
Also, Michael Arrington commented on the article I linked to above, saying he’s seen a new Android device that’ll “blow everyone away.” (I could have the quote wrong, but that’s the gist of it.) I’m hoping it’s Rachael from Sony Ericsson, because that looks really hot. But hell, it could be something even better.
All of this, combined with the daily media coverage making the “duh!” prediction that Android is on its way to market domination make it a very good time to be an Android early adopter, and everyone who’s going through the 528MHz generation right now has my personal permission to refer to himself as an “O.G.”
…or something less dorky.
My six reasons for considering the Cliq
September 10th, 2009AndroidGuys is a solid site.
Amid the hue and cry of today’s Motorola Android news, they’ve made a post saying “We want to hear what you think of the Motorola Cliq and MOTOBLUR.”
Well, I’ll tell you what attracts me to the Cliq in order of importance:
1.) Glass Screen–the G1′s screen is just too sticky. Glass has just enough friction to feel good, and it totally enhances the touch experience, not to mention adds stability to the entire unit.
2.) Boosted RAM–even though it’s only a minor bump, it’s totally something that will make a noticeable difference in day to day use.
3.) Solid Chassis– This is the only thing I consistently favor about the iPhone, and if this is anywhere in that neighborhood, the Cliq will have improved on all my biggest complaints about the G1.
4.) 3.5mm headphone jack–Self explanatory: I use the MP3 player, DroidLive, Listen, and now Pandora and I DESPISE the usb headset. I will dedicate a rant to this in the near future.
5.) Keyboard–it may not be as powerful as the HTCHero*, but it’s the second ‘droid phone on T-Mobile with a keyboard.
6.) Exclusive UI—Not that I particularly have a need for social networking 24 hours a day, but I am interested in the UI design since it’s been compared to HTC’s Rosie/SenseUI, which I totally dig.
Naturally, I want to handle it before I decide to buy it…but it’s beginning to look like this is what I’ll be picking up in the fall.
It’s not a phone to die for by any stretch, but it certainly would be an improvement over the G1, aside from the move from a trackball to a D-pad, which would only take a matter of time to get used to.
