Notes for 6-11-2005

I’ve only done a couple of these so far, but I find that making a “notes”-like post now and then helps organize my scatterbrained mind…

  • My Dad comes into town tomorrow, for much longer this time, so that should be fun!
  • I have a ton of pictures from the various convocations over the last week. If you want a copy of the pictures on CD, please let me know so I can bring you one, or drop by the office to get one.
  • Work continues on the robot, we’re making progress. Looks like we’ll have to push back the testing day slightly, but I’m still confident we can make our target date.
  • I really enjoyed my business law class last semester, and it turns out that I am using knowledge from it already. Perhaps there is a connection between classes you like and the amount you use them!
  • Dickson is right, there is definitely some strange stuff downtown late at night.

I can’t believe we’re already almost two weeks into the month. There just isn’t enough time I tell you!

Everyone loves a good rumor!

Post ImageIn case you missed it earlier this week, Apple announced it was switching to Intel chips for it’s computers starting in 2006. That’s pretty big news for the computer industry, and as a result, it has been debated, questioned, and otherwise picked apart over the last few days. People have all sorts of questions and thus theories about what is going to happen, but one of the most extreme comes to us from Robert X. Cringely (I picked out the best quotes):

And this time, what’s behind the announcement is so baffling and staggering that it isn’t surprising that nobody has yet figured it out until now. Apple and Intel are merging.

Then what is the driving force? Microsoft.

His article is a pretty interesting read, and he does ask some great questions. Why did Apple choose Intel and not AMD? Why did they not say anything about their previous marking campaigns that said PowerPC was so much faster than Intel? I expect these questions, and many others, have good answers.

As for Apple and Intel merging to dethrone Microsoft? Not likely:

  • Microsoft has so much money, they could be a bank. Heck, they could be anything they wanted almost overnight. And keeping a lot of money has always been part of the plan – lots of cash on hand means you can weather most storms. It would take a lot, an act of epic proportions, to harm Microsoft. Apple and Intel merging is not that act.
  • Dell and HP are the companies that have the real say here. If Intel were to buy Apple, I think you’d see Dell and HP knocking on AMD’s door extremely fast. Intel would lose it’s largest customers almost immediately.
  • Even if they didn’t, what’s stopping Microsoft from buying AMD? They’ve been pretty cozy lately anyway. At the very least, Microsoft could help AMD meet production demands if current Intel customers jumped ship.
  • Intel and Apple are hardware companies. Good luck creating and supporting a mainstream operating system! Microsoft is a software company at heart, it’s what they do. They might be slow at getting things fixed, but I am willing to bet they know a lot more about it than Intel-Apple would.

Basically, I don’t see the incentive for Intel to buy Apple. Maybe I’m wrong, but I think there is a much better chance that Apple would split into two companies: one focused on computers, and one focused on media (think iPod).

Read: I, Cringely

Krispy Kreme's Canadian assets for sale

Post ImageIt seems as though Krispy Kreme is not doing so well north of the border. KremeKo Inc., which runs the franchises in Canada, announced this week that it was planning to sell off assets, just weeks after it was forced to file for bankruptcy protection:

It decided this week that the greatest value could be achieved by an asset sale. The plan has the backing of Krispy Kreme and the company’s secured creditors, including the Bank of Nova Scotia and GE Capital Canada Equipment Financing Inc., which is owed more than $3 million.

KremeKo could end up selling the business as a going concern or it could entertain offers for the rights to operate Krispy Kreme franchises in Canada.

The agreement KremeKo reached back in 2000 would have it open 32 stores in Canada by 2007, paying Krispy Kreme $40,000 USD for each one along with 4.5 percent of sales. Well, that was an optimistic agreement to say the least! By April of this year, KremeKo had closed 10 of it’s 18 stores. It was also charged in Ontario with three violations of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

So yeah, I hope you like your Tim Horton’s! And if you’re really addicted to Krispy Kreme or something, the phrase “get them before they’re gone” has never been more appropriate. I wouldn’t be surprised if the store in Calgary was closed by the next time I go.

Read: CBC News

Technorati Beta

Post ImageAs Steve Rubel noted, Technorati has rolled out a new public beta of their site “that’s aimed at attracting those who are not quite as familiar with blogging as some of the rest of us.” The site maintains all of the features currently available, like tags and watchlists, and adds a bunch more like improved personalization, the ability to view watchlists on the web, and more third-party tag content.

I have to admit, I rather like the new design. It definitely looks more user friendly, and does indeed do a better job of explaining just what the heck Technorati is. I don’t recall seeing the Technorati blog before, which is a really nice addition to the site. Of course green being my favorite color probably means that I am somewhat partial to the new site already 🙂

So far, searching appears to be faster too. One of my biggest complaints with Technorati right now is that a search seems to take forever to load. In the new beta though, not only does searching seem faster, but more content appears to be loaded too, like images from Flickr.

For those of you new to Technorati, it’s a great way to check out what bloggers are posting. Take a look at the new beta, and see what you think!

Read: Technorati Beta

MSN Toolbar has tabs, not IE

Post ImageOkay, let’s get something straight. Internet Explorer 6 and earlier versions do not have tabbed browsing. The recently updated MSN Toolbar does have tabs, and works inside of IE. So, Internet Explorer did not gain tabs, it gained the MSN Toolbar which has tabs. Is that clear? If I read one more article about how Internet Explorer now has tabs and they suck I am going to go crazy.

Internet Explorer 7, which is supposed to go into beta this summer, will indeed have tabs built in. And you can bet they will work a lot more like the Firefox or Opera tabs than the MSN Toolbar. Why? Because it’s integrated into the browser, it’s part of the design! Expecting the tabs in the MSN Toolbar to work better than they do is unrealistic. The toolbar is an add-on, and can only make use of what IE already has, and it doesn’t have tabs.

Glad we cleared that up!

Read: IE Blog

Advertising in textbooks – bad idea!

Post ImageOne of my biggest disappointments with University so far is that the textbooks we are forced to buy really are not that useful. Not to mention they are outrageously expensive. I can use a computer textbook in one class for example, but probably not any others. And the chances of me using it outside of school are rather slim, considering the content gets updates so frequently. But I guess things are not as bad as they could be as Larry Borsato notes:

For the past several months, McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd., one of the country’s largest publishers of university textbooks, has been quietly trying to coax companies into buying advertising space in their texts.

“Reach a hard to get target group where they spend all their parents’ money,” says a McGraw-Hill brochure touting its planned ads. “Do you really think 18-24 year olds see those on-campus magazine ads? Do you really think they could miss an ad that is placed in a very well-respected textbook?”

Considering I avoid assigned readings like the plague, I for one wouldn’t be seeing the ads. Seriously though, I don’t think advertisements have any place in a textbook. And as soon as the ads make it into the books, the flood gates are open. Consider a business textbook that features advertising by a company like McDonalds. What are the chances that the publishing company will use an example of McDonalds’ business in their textbook that doesn’t make the fast food chain look good? Especially if the publishing companies come to rely on ad dollars.

Everything about the idea spells bad news to me. Larry says that “if they want to give the textbooks to students for free then that’s fine. But there’s no way that I’m paying $100 for a textbook full of ads, especially one the school forces me to buy.” I agree for the most part, I’d put up with advertising in order to get the books for free, but I don’t think the integrity of a textbook can be protected when money starts exchanging hands for page space.

So on the off chance that I actually choose to read my textbook, I’d rather know that what I am reading is there because the author thought it was important, not because advertising dollars paid for it to be written.

Read: Toronto Star

The Simpsons Movie?

Post ImageIf you’re a fan of The Simpsons, and let’s face it who isn’t, then you might be interested to know that there is a Simpsons movie in the works:

A spokesperson for the popular cartoon series revealed to MTV.com that the actors who provide the voices for the characters read the script, under the close watch of show creator Matt Groening. “They did do the script read, that is correct,” “Simpsons” rep Antonia Kaughman told MTV.com. “It was all of our six principal actors, and then we have a couple secondary actors, and they do all of Springfield — over 100 characters amongst them.”

A Simpsons movie would be so much fun! I hadn’t heard of this before, so I did a quick search on IMDB, and they do indeed list the film as a November 2008 release. With the release date being so far out, I wonder if they are planning to stop making new episodes by then? Matt Groening has long said that a movie would only be made after the TV series went off the air, though the above-quoted article claims that “The “Simpsons” TV show and the film will be produced simultaneously.” I certainly hope so!

Read: JAM! Showbiz

Convocation Congratulations!

Post ImageThere are so many of you convocating this week, I figured it would be much easier to just make a blanket congratulations post. And hey, if you’ve learned anything during your time at the University, it’s that I am lazy! Or that sometimes, you can’t help but cut a few corners.

So to Violet, Annie, Sharon, Megan, and whoever else is convocating in the near future that I missed, congratulations! Some of you have already made your way into the “real world”, but I know all of you will be successful. I just hope you find your time at University was useful, because we all know my thoughts on that matter.

Ever wonder why it’s called “convocation” and not “graduation” or something? Especially since they limit the number of people who can convoke anyway. There’s your thought for the day!

Read: University of Alberta

Cockroach Powered Robot

Post ImageAs some of you may know, we’re in the process of building a robot. We’ve encountered our fair share of problems so far, specifically with regards to getting the damn thing to move. So I was particularly interested to read about graduate student Garnet Hertz and his solution for robotic movement:

He uses the Madagascar hissing cockroach, Gromphadorhina portentosa, which can grow as big as a mouse. In the summer of 2004, he built a three-wheeled cart that rises about knee high. Atop the aluminum structure sits a modified computer trackball pointer, with a Ping-Pong ball in place of the usual trackball, which is heavier.

The roach–he currently maintains a stable of four–rides on top of the trackball. As it scampers, the robot moves in the direction the roach would travel if it were on the ground; a Velcro patch and harness keep it in place.

Quite an interesting approach! I guess the “robo-roach” could be seen as something of a glimpse into the future, where we might have hybrid biological and mechanical robots. I am not sure I would have picked roaches though – I wouldn’t want to have to look after them just for the robot!

Read: CNET News.com

Edmonton Podcasters Meetup

Post ImageIf you’re into podcasting already or if you want to learn more about it, and you live in Edmonton or nearby, you have to come to the first ever Edmonton Podcasters Meetup! This event is the latest in Tod Maffin’s series of Canadian podcaster roadshows.

It will be Saturday, June 18th at 2:00 PM in the Confederation Lounge of the Fairmont Hotel MacDonald. Bring your favourite podcasting gear and questions. I’ll be talking a bit about how you can participate in The Feed. Please spread the word in your blog or podcast! 🙂

You can bet that Paramagnus will be there, and hopefully we’ll have some goodies to bring along too! We’d be happy to hang out with you if you’re coming – we can show you the office, some Edmonton highlights if you’re new to the city, or whatever you want! Leave a comment or drop me an email.

What are you waiting for? Go RSVP for the event now!

Read: Edmonton Podcasters Meetup