Buscando y rebuscando en mi memoria (lo peor es recordar los títulos, considerando que las vi dobladas en Venezuela, en su mayoría) he tratado de mencionar solo aquellas que me parece que hubieran tenido una oportunidad de ser grandes series de no haberse cancelado prematuramente.

Después de pensar en muchas he tenido que pensar en algún criterio para reducir la lista y, después de eliminar todas las series que tuvieron un éxito duradero aunque hayan terminado antes de tiempo y quitar las series hechas en los últimos 10 años (algún límite tenía que poner) he reducido mi lista a las siguientes. Las series de TV de ciencia ficción decir que me gustaría que hubieran tenido una vida mucho más larga de la que tuvieron:

Quark: Demasiado para su momento. Una creación de Buck Henry que compartía elementos de la serie por la que más se le conoce: Get Smart (el SuperAgente 86). El mismo estilo de humor rápido e inesperado no tuvo el mismo éxito cuando la temática a parodiar fue la ciencia ficción (un género que con Star Wars, Star Trek, 2001 y Buck Rogers tenía suficientes arquetipos como para hacerlo reconocible).

Quark es un programa dificil de explicar. Aunque la parodia es excelente (e incluso, si perdonamos las modas y la calidad, la serie sigue sosteniéndose hoy en día) probó ser demasiado para el público de la época. Cuando la veía yo en 1980 poco sabía que sólo habían 8 episodios y que esas risas que con nueve añitos soltaba no se extenderían por mucho tiempo.

Hoy en día es difícil de encontrar de forma mas o menos visible e imposible absolutamente en alta calidad. Aún así existe un sitio web "oficial" (cómo no) que, por el momento, tiene todos los episodios en formato WMV.

• Página Oficial (contiene todos los episodios)
• Entrada en la Wikipedia
• Entrada en IMDB

Vídeo de la cuña de entrada de Quark:
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pqLjOg0hwo[/video]

Manimal: "Con Simon McCorkindale!". Nunca un nombre se me ha quedado tan grabado habiéndolo oído tan pocas veces. Esta serie, de escasos 8 episodios, nos presentaba al Dr. Jonathan Chase que, habiendo "dominado los secretos de la naturaleza en las junglas de África" era capaz de convertirse en cualquier animal. En la práctica y por cuestiones de presupuesto siempre se convertía en pantera o en águila (muchos tuvimos pesadillas durante mucho tiempo, con esta última transformación). Otro de esos casos en los que los ojos de un niño de 12 años le pueden hacer pensar que ha visto docenas y docenas de episodios de algo que le gusta. Gente que sabe más que yo de esto dice que la perdición de este programa fue la continua y dura crítica de David Letterman, que lo usaba como material de burla en sus monólogos todos los días.

• Entrada en la Wikipedia
• Entrada en IMDB

Vídeo de la cuña de entrada de Manimal:
[video]http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZlzntQvdwpo[/video]

Automan: Tras conversaciones con Itzel sobre estas series he aprendido a reconocer y comprender una mirada que podría bautizar como "¿pero tú qué televisión veías?". Automan sin embargo es otra cosa. Mencionar automan es elicitar una sere de reacciones que dejan claro que aunque la serie no haya tenido éxito la elección del protagonista (Chuck Wagner) fue la correcta.

Claramente basada en Tron, Automan nos cuenta (en 12 episodios, Ja!) la historia del "Hombre Automático", creación holográfica del policía Walter Nebicher que le ayuda a resolver crímenes. Para esto Automan tiene varios poderes (todos basados en su independencia de las leyes físicas tradicionales) y a Cursor, quien "dibuja" los vehículos (y, notablemente, a Automan mismo) que se utilizan (el Lamborghini Countach usado en la serie fue la primera imagen que muchos tuvimos de un vehículo que se volvería casi un fetiche).

Como un punto de trivia, una escena de Automan fue filmada simultáneamente con una de Manimal, y en ambas series puede verse la misma escena, desde un ángulo diferente. Ambas series se consideraban a si mismas como "ultra-revolucionarias" y parte de esta auto-confianza fue causa de su perdición.

• Entrada en la Wikipedia
• Entrada en IMDB
• Coleccionables de Automan

Vídeo de la cuña de entrada de Automan:
[video]http://youtube.com/watch?v=OQb1ZD9W8_c[/video]

Misfits of Science: Esta es bastante menos conocida que las otras. Misfits of Science fue una serie anunciada con bombo y platillo en 1985 con un tema que en el momento era bastante original: Un grupo de jóvenes incomprendidos obtienen poderes por accidente y se dedican a resolver problemas mientras lidian con sus angustias adolescentes. Aún con guiones originales y personajes muy trabajados la serie se canceló por cuestiones de presupuesto (algo común a todas las que he puesto aquí y común a cualquier serie de ciencia ficción) antes de completar una temporada completa. La serie perdió toda posibilidad de continuar cuando uno de sus protagonistas, Dean Paul Martin (hijo del cantante Dean Martin y que tuvo un grupo de música con Desi Arnaz Jr., el protagonista de Automan), murió en un tráfico accidente en 1986.

A partir de esta serie Courteney Cox (Monica, de Friends, con apellido "pre-Arquette") empezó su carrera en televisión y otro de sus protagonistas, Kevin Peter Hall, dejaría de mostrar su cara para pasar a ser el "tipo grande disfrazado" que hizo de Predator en ambas entregas y de Harry en Harry and the Hendersons.

• Entrada en la Wikipedia
• Entrada en IMDB
• Página "Oficial"

Vídeo de la cuña de entrada de Misfits of Science:
[video]http://youtube.com/watch?v=gkpN9Z96oIw[/video]

Max Headroom: Tal vez el más conocido y durante un tiempo un icono representativo de los años ochenta en Estados Unidos es irónico que Max Headroom fuera realmente un personaje de una serie de televisión inglesa creada para "documentar" el origen de un nuevo locutor virtual (falsamente) hecho en ordenador.

La película para TV "20 minutos en el futuro", una de las mejores historias de ciencia ficción de televisión (y con un sentido autocrítico que lamentablemente no se ha visto desde entonces) se creó en 1985 para explicar el origen de Max Headroom, un personaje que representaba el "alter ego" informático del reportero Edison Carter en el futuro y que en el presente presentaba vídeos musicales.

La idea se tomó en EE.UU. y se reimaginó la película como una serie dramática "Cyberpunk" (para la cual incluso William Gibson iba a escribir guiones) y en sólo 14 episodios logró predecir la creación de cadenas de 500 canales, la caída del cine ante la televisión de pago por evento, los "reality shows" y en un supremo momento de ironía el seguimiento de los ratings minuto a minuto, cuya interpretación aún inexacta provocó su cancelación. Su estilo también marcó el nacimiento del estilo de edición "MTV", en el cual se utilizan muchos cortes rápidos y no consecutivos para representar frenetismo o acción.

La referencia que más gente conoce (pero no reconoce) de Max Headroom hoy en día es en la escena de la cafetería en Back to the Future II, donde como forma de nostalgia los camareros virtuales tienen las caras del Ayatollah, Ronald Reagan y Michael Jackson hablando y comportándose en el estilo de Max Headroom (la asociación es intencionalmente negativa, siendo el patrocinador Pepsi, competencia de Coca-Cola, que utilizaba a Max Headroom en sus campañas).

• Entrada en la Wikipedia
• Entrada en IMDB
• Página Oficial del Club de Fans de Max Headroom

Vídeos de Max Headroom:

Programa de Música anterior a la serie de TV:
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPJINtSIe4M[/video]

Anuncio de Coca-Cola:
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzxHDqUz8Sk[/video]

Cuña de entrada:
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKbE6SWV1sE[/video]

Publicidad ("Max Headroom... Después de Luz de Luna!")
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BD0xb5A8WY4[/video]

Me he dejado en el tintero varias series por considerar que, aunque terminadas prematuramente, lograron trascender sus pocos episodios y existen aún en la memoria colectiva como algo más de lo que fueron (Galactica con una sola temporada, El Hombre de la Atlántida que vi en televisión durante tres años aunque solo tuvo 17 episodios) o porque puedo ser el único que las recuerda con cariño (Blue Thunder que con sus 11 episodios no pudo competir con Airwolf y Street Hawk con 13 episodios exprimiendo lo último de la moda de series de vehículos de los ochenta). Asimismo he evitado incluir series recientes, por considerar que tienen suficiente presencia en la red como para no necesitar mi ayuda (Firefly, Farscape. The Tick).

La idea de este post se venía cociendo desde hace algún tiempo y el detonador lo comento arriba (principalmente una mezcla de de pjorge, Lady Madonna y Extracine) pero se me ocurrió originalmente al ver un post en alt1040 en el que Eduardo comentaba sobre sus series de robots ochenteras que extrañaba y me di cuenta de que compartía esa nostalgia. Por supuesto, al único que le podría interesar es a mí pero como he logrado encontrarlas todas y recuperarlas me han dado ganas de hablar de ello.

Parafraseando a Mick Jagger:
People have this obsession. They want you to be like you were in 1969. They want you to, because otherwise their youth goes with you. It's very selfish, but it's understandable.

Hay una obsesión que tiene la gente... Quieren que las cosas sigan siendo como en 1969. Quieren que sean así porque, si no, su juventud se iría junto a todo lo que ha ido. Es egoísta, pero comprensible.

2008-01-03: Puedo decir que, después de casi un año buscando y rebuscando por todos los recovecos de Internet, he logrado obtener todas estas series y, de paso, que todas las he bajado de Internet. Ea. Ahí está. Puesto por escrito. Viva el Torrent (y muera la mula, sí, so mediocres). Si no fuera por ser purista cambiaría el título a "Las series que YA puedo volver a ver".

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Han sido ya tres meses en España. Las cosas no pintan como que cambien pronto así que va siendo hora de empezar a decidir que hacer con mi futuro.

Obviamente muchas cosas están todavía pendientes. Los papeles están en cierta especie de limbo burocrático que parece no tener fin. Las opciones de trabajo iniciales con las que llegué están en "Pausa" por problemas internacionales (decirlo así me hace sentir más importante) y las opciones de nuevos negocios titulan en el termómetro de la factibilidad entre "Poco Probable" e "Imposible".
Conociéndome después pondré aquí las opciones de lo que se existe como viable, para usarlo en vez de enviar mail a quien me lo pida.

No related posts.

It's been a hectic month. My last month in Mexico after 16 years. My last month at my company after 5 years¹.

It's hard to say goodbye. It's especially hard when it's impossible to explain why I'm leaving. People come to me and say "You have a great job, you have a good life, you have a lovely girlfriend that loves you and you love back, tons of friends that would do anything for you... What's the reason?".

And it's oh, so hard to explain that all the above (save the last one, bless her) are part of my reasons for leaving. I've reached a point in my life where I start pondering what is going to be of me in the future. I've reached that weird place where suddenly you find yourself wondering about having a family, settling, and surprised see yourself OK with it. After thirty years of being satisfied with your life, your decisions and having a thousand and one reasons for why you were the way you were, thinking them to be so obvious... After all that suddenly you realize you don't believe in them any more and maybe you never really did.

It's weird, it's hard and it's humbling.

People ask me if I'm happy because I'm going to Spain, or if I'm sad I'm leaving the closest I've had to a "home" in my life and I usually reply "no" to both. I'm currently in that relaxed state that usually precedes things crashing down, the "calm before the storm". I'm exactly in the middle of the emotional rope. Divided and quietly thinking of my life as if I was part of a public. A mere spectator commenting on someone else's fate.

And I'm afraid.

You see, I have several reasons for leaving México (and I could as easily have as many reasons for staying), as they are actually really simple: I want to live close to my family, at least for a while. I want to know what it feels like speaking of a sister or a cousin or an aunt and knowing they live, at the most, at a 2-hour trip from home. I want to be close in family's tragedies (which, the circle of life being what it is, predicts I'll have a few of in the near future) instead of being contacted in a rushed, sniffled phone call to be told I've lost yet another loved one and I wasn't again able to be there for them and the rest of the family.

I leave, officially, to be with my family. To be in the country I was born and learn firsthand what it is to actually LIVE there. To know what it means to have the concepts of "family" and "closeness" together. I want to stop being "The relative in America". I don't want to be a damn tourist in my own country.

And it's so scary. I swear, I can't even say out loud how scared I am.

I'm scared to realize, once I'm there, that I am not the person I think I am. That all I achieved, the great opportunities and wonderful moments I had in Mexico were just borne out of lucky coincidences and of being blessed with both the timing and the friends to pull things off. I'm afraid of knowing I'm a fraud and I've just been riding the mixed wave of having great people behind me and having a quirky enough personality that people confuse it with geniality. I'm not afraid of letting anyone else down. I'm afraid of letting MYSELF down.

To this I should add things were simpler a year ago, when I decided to leave. I was single and alone. I had friends that, all of them, happily said they'd leave to be with me in a heartbeat if I could find them a job. I had all the support of my family and all the people I loved.

Only one thing has changed now: I'm not alone any more. I have found the perfect woman (oh, Murphy, how I hate thee, let me count the ways!). A woman who's not only beautiful and enjoyable to be with but also incredibly smart and who, unbelievably, loves me in a way I've never felt before. She loves me so much she's willing to support me in this decision she doesn't understand to the degree of leaving her own country to be with me later on. She also believes fully in me and thinks me this genius able to success anywhere².

And the problem is I could live with letting myself down, but I couldn't live with letting her down. So the problem increases.

She's sad, now. She knows it's less than a week we'll be with each other. She's upset and the little angel tries her best to hide it, to be happy for me and to try and turn it for the best.

Is there a point to this rant? Probably not. I just had to write this down somewhere. As I know my blog is hardly read by anyone not close to me (and those that aren't I don't know) it seemed like a good idea. I also chose it to be in my in-english blog instead of the one in spanish, as that would limit who would read it as well. All that is left for me is to pick up my stuff, strut to Spain and demonstrate Itzel, Myself, my family and my friends I am who we all think I am, or collapse trying.

Thanks for reading.

Wish me luck.

EDITED to adapt for new blog code, 20080103

1. Or 10, depending how you count.
2. The gorgeous fool.

No related posts.

Originally posted by KBurton

One feature I've often wanted on a PDA is an alarm that goes off whenever the PDA and I get more than about 2 meters apart. But I guess I'd have to have a transmitter surgically implanted...hmmm, might still be worth it. It's about time I became Bluetooth-enabled anyway. In my peer group, that would be one heck of a status symbol; especially if I could get one with the blue blinking light :-)

Something I'm waiting to see are bluetooth keychains (or better yet, a combination keychain/bluetooth/USB Drive w/256MB..:) which are charged through the USB port.

I am a mac user and have been using Salling Clicker since it was named differently, and depend on its functionality 100% (I'm sure something similar exists for windows -Phonefront, I think- and Linux -No idea- but I'll focus on the one I've used and know).

This resident program actually monitors, as often as you'd like, your bluetooth devices. You can program it to "sense" the device when in range and do things to either of the devices when connected. For example:

When you "enter" range:

-Your phone gets a "menu" wherein you can control your computers applications. I have it set to control PowerPoint/Keynote, the iTunes MP3 player, the DVD player and some basic mousing around and screenshot taking, as well as taking some info from the computer like uptime, info about songs or sending/receiving messages in my IM application.

-Your computer "knows" the phone is in range, so whenever the phone gets a phone call the computer looks up the number in the local addressbook and shows you the information about that contact BEFORE you pick up, letting you see the picture of the person and the basic information you require about them.

-The DVD or MP3 players go to "pause" and the computer goes to "mute" modes when an incoming call is detected.

When you "exit" range:

-Your IM (ICQ, AOL, MSN, Yahoo) is put in "away" mode
-Your screensaver is started, password protected (when you "enter" range it can be deactivated automatically, making your phone, effectively, your password)
-Your MP3 or DVD player are put in "pause" mode and the computer in "mute" mode.

As it is, the Salling clicker currently supports this for both BT Phones (SonyEricsson support the most features, I think) and Palm devices (the UX included!) and is FULLY scriptable, meaning that you can make your own action scripts to be acted if what you need is not available (which, coupled with the Mac's impressive scripting capabilities, opens a TON of possibilities. For example, a company that makes home automation software has published scripts that let you control your house's Air Conditioning, Lighting, Exterior Lighting and conceivably bathtub filling from your phone or palm).

Now, if someone where to make a portable, keychain-like, bluetooth device, you could set-up similar relations between your BT devices, and if you keychain ever separated more than the BT range allows for you could have your phone start beeping and vibrating to let you know.

This can be done right now, although I'm not sure if anyone ever has.

No related posts.

Hence, I'm used to living with certain "quirks", which mean I have to know specific steps, procedures and compatibilities when I try to run or use equipment not expressly decided with the mac in mind (it's amazing how well devices designed directly for the Mac or Apple work, like no other platform has seen, things like the iPod, iSight, iTrip, iMic, etc.).

As such I have a Sony Clie UX50 and two Macs, one (home) with Mail.app, Addressbook and iCal and another one with Entourage (office). One would think they should be simple enough to Sync, what with MS having an open kit for sync'ing with Entourage and iSync supposedly using Open standards for all its files. I wish it was so easy. This is a call for help. Read on if you think you can help out.
(Originally sent to a maliing list as a call for help, and reproduced here in its undedited entirety)

(Ok, this will look like a rant, but it isn't, it's a call for help or options, I just don't know how to voice it without expressing the feelings I have for this)

Now. Am I the only person in the world to think that an iSync conduit for Entourage would be a good idea?

I have to use entourage in the office and use mail.app and addressbook and ical at home. I have found there is no easy way for me to synchronize all these things together and I have to, as my office appointments are in entourage but my personal apopintments are in iCal (to start with, lots of similar problems with the other apps).

I was told I could use a Palm as intermediary, which sounded reasonable enough.

I have a Palm Clie UX50 which I use with both macs, and I'm doing the palm-shuffle, sync'ing at home and then at the office. This seemed like a good option, but very basic yet important differences sprung some major problems.

First: The Palm, being its sole reason of existence to be a substitute for a written calendar and addressbook (everything else are extras, the core function of a PDA is to keep addresses, notes and appointments, this is not debatable, although can be downplayed), now in it's sixth major iteration of its operating system and fifth major version of the addressbook still can't, or won't handle more than one address per contact. I won't even try to expand on the irony and absurdity of this. Both addressbook and Entourage recognize more than one (Entourage can recognize a work and home addresses, which is the needs of 90% of the people out there who need more than one) and Addressbook can have unlimited addresses. Both use and recognize the VCF format, pioneered by Palm. Addressbook is the most standard of the three (in regards to the format for interchange). But if you use Palm as an intermediary you're left with a single addrtess and you have to "predefine" what the addresses on the Palm are going to be (Work or Home), if you make a mistake hgere you could end up, after two or three syncs, with repeated addresses or deleted entries in Addressbook (as something that was work address in entourage is stored as home by the palm who later overwrites the home address in iaddressbook)

Second, Entourage and Addressbook handle differently the meetings, especially all-day meetings and recurring events. If you're lucky you end up with duplicates for everything (an all-day event like an anversary gets
written both as an event from 12:00 am to 12:00 am AND as an event from 12:00am to 11:59pm), if you're NOT lucky you end up with the whole calendar being deleted and rewritten every time you do a sync. ("iSync detected changes in your to do and calendar entries, 512 entries will be deleted, 513 entries will be added, procceed or delete all?). This has the added benefit that after every sync Entourage tries to remember of every past meeting for the last month, as entries with old dates are input again in the system.

Third. Periodically .mac gets sick of all these changes and borks out, asking you to reset it all and replace it with .macs data: "Downloading 1254K, 4324 changes, reset all devices? Yes, Delete All data?".

With a conduit for entourage (or an updated Addressbook application for Palm, or at least the address database handler, as even third party addressbook substitutes like agendus can't expand on it) in iSync I could sync entourage as if it was a PDA or something directly, not worrying about losing information to tintermediaries.

Any idea if this has been done or if it is possible? What are my options here?

No related posts.

PROLOGO
Este artículo está hecho para probar una cosa solamente. De acuerdo a la Constitucion Española se lee:
EL ESTADO VELARÁ ESPECIALMENTE POR LA SALVAGUARDIA DE LOS DERECHOS ECONóMICOS Y SOCIALES DE LOS TRABAJADORES ESPAÑOLES EN EL EXTRANJERO Y ORIENTARÁ SU POLÍTICA HACIA SU RETORNO
(Art 42 de la Constitución Española de 1978)

Estas ayudas pueden ser:

- Ayudas de carácter Asistencial.
- Para facilitar la integración socio-laboral, orientación profesional y promoción de empleo
- Ayudas de promoción educativa, cultural y social
Nombres, requisitos, dinero, papeles, envíos trasatlánticos, consejos y ganas de gritar contenidas que probablemente hayan resultado en mas de una migraña.

Este escrito pretende demostrar que si bien las leyes Españolas preveen la repatriacion de emigrados y si bien no dudo que hagan algo la cruda realidad es que ni con mucho hacen lo que podrian hacer ni hacen lo minimo incluso para ayudar a los que quieren regresar al pais, no facilitando tampoco los tramites, las relaciones y no proveyendo un mecanismo adecuado de quejas y reclamos, por lo cual estas acciones no son conocidas o reconocidas jamas por quienes podrian hacer algo al respecto.

Estos son algunos de los factores a los que una persona promedio tiene que enfrentarse cuando intenta resolver la maraña de procedimientos, requisitos y direcciones que es la obtención de un pasaporte español.

Gente como Nora Ortega, en el Consulado Español en México. Los funcionarios de los registros civiles en España, la costumbre ya común de dar citas para trámites urgentes para dentro de 9 meses, el hacer que la gente se desplace físicamente hasta el Consulado Español en la Colonia Polanco, en la Ciudad de Mexico (Mexico, D.F.) sin importar que uno lo único que quiera saber sea el horario de atención a clientes.

La absoluta e irresponsable actitud general e ineptitud de todo el cuerpo gubernamental que está involucrado en el trámite y expedición de pasaportes españoles y aseveración de nacionalidad española en México y España.

Es triste y a veces casi suficiente como para desistir de obtener la nacionalidad de España.

En mi caso soy Español. Nací en España en un año en el cual la nacionalidad se obtenía por "suelo" (por haber nacido allí), hijo de Español por herencia (mi padre es mexicano, hijo de españoles). Ahora resulta que las leyes posteriores a mi nacimiento son retroactivas y perdí mi nacionalidad en algún momento en el que asumo que debo haber estado distraído. Ahora resulta que mi padre, que vive en España y ha sido español acreditado legalmente toda su vida, debe de tramitar una "nota" en su acta de nacimiento en la que específicamente se estipule que durante toda su vida y específicamente en la fecha de mi nacimiento el ERA (y ha seguido siendo) español.

El hecho de que yo tenga un pasaporte español (vencido, debo admitir) no es prueba suficiente de que yo nací en España (invalidando la misma credibilidad del gobierno español, por parte del mismo gobierno español)

El hecho de que en el año que yo nací la nacionalidad española se obtuviera automáticamente sin importar la ascendencia no es prueba suficiente de que soy español (las leyes ahora son retroactivas, rompiendo uno de los fundamentos básicos de las mismas)

El hecho de que mi padre no haya perdido su nacionalidad nunca (comprobable) no es prueba suficiente de que no ha perdido su nacionalidad nunca (esto suena extremadamente extraño y sin embargo esto son palabras exactas del consulado). Necesita ahora hacer una nota en su acta de nacimiento que especifique que no la ha perdido. Esto es solo para que su hijo, yo, pueda hacer un trámite de afirmación de nacionalidad, ya que el ha sido capaz de obtener pasaportes, carnets de conducir y visas como español durante toda su vida sin problemas (de nuevo, el gobierno español se desacredita a sí mismo al implicar que no puede confiar en sus propias acciones pasadas).

El hecho de que haya visitado, llamado por teléfono y consultado al consulado mas de catorce veces, teniendo que sobrevivir cada una con un NUEVO requerimiento, con una NUEVA razón por la cual no puedo obtener MI nacionalidad original.

El hecho de que haya tenido que soportar la actitud del personal del Consulado Español, que siempre se comporta como si tuviera que soportarnos, a nosotros que somos los que con nuestros impuestos pagamos su sueldo (o, en mi caso, estamos dispuestos a pagarlo, si nos lo permitieran) para que nos atiendan y nos ayuden con los trámites que nos obligan a hacer.

El hecho de que haya tenido que contratar los servicios de un abogado de extranjería, al que le pagué y que después de ayudarme todo lo posible literalmente me dijo: "No puedo ayudarle, ya no le falta ningún trámite por hacer ni documento por entregar. Nunca había escuchado de las cosas que le dicen en el Consulado. Le aconsejaría que demandara pero no puede al no ser ciudadano español". (Esto es, recapitulemos, después de que solicité asesoría de como podía obtener mi nacionalidad española teniendo como puntos a mi favor el hecho de haber nacido físicamente en España, de ser hijo de padre Español y nieto de abuelos españoles, lo cual sonaría como suficientes argumentos pero por lo visto no lo es)

Mucha gente me ha intentado ayudar, pero el círculo Moëbius sin fin que el Gobierno Español ha creado permite no sólo que una cantidad grandísima de gente tenga un empleo en sus consulados en el mundo y que abogados en extranjería estén teniendo grandes ganancias ayudando a la gente en algo que debería ser un procedimiento obvio, sino que además pueden permitirse el lujo de tratar a los posibles ciudadanos como si fueran TODOS posibles criminales (al menos ese es el trato que he recibido yo en el Consulado) y de hacerles bailar divertidamente en el baile de la burocracia.

Dejemos algo muy claro. Yo tengo un empleo excelente, con un sueldo magnífico en un lugar precioso en México. Mis ganas y deseos de regresar a España eran solo de dos tipos:

1.-Regresar a la tierra que me vio nacer. Vivir allí y conocerla bien.
2.-Vivir cerca de mi familia y hacerles saber lo mucho que los quiero

Después de todas estas ridículas situaciones para obtener mi nacionalidad (que nunca debí perder) española estoy reconsiderando que ya solo la segunda razón está´siendo válida, y la primera razón se aproxima peligrosamente a estar en el otro extremo, donde vivir y convivir en el Gobierno Español se vuelva un castigo y un martirio que tendré que sufrir para poder cumplir el segundo que, afortunadamente, es lo suficientemente grande e importante como para no ser destruido por el primero.

Ojalá pudiera obtener ayudar. Ojalá Nora Ortega, el Consulado Español en Mexico o en España o alguien que pudiera hacer una diferencia leyera esto. Si este escrito puede ayudar a que quien tenga algún tipo de influencia para arreglar las cosas, para mejorarlas entonces me daré por satisfecho, me dará gusto haber podido ayudar. Personalmente me gustaría poder saber que no es peligroso que mi nombre este aquí. Me gustaría creer en los procesos, procedimiento y trámites del Gobierno. Me gustaría no estar escribiendo esto ahora. Me gustaría seguir teniendo ilusión por regresar a mi patria, en vez de este sabor amargo y esta sensación de que esto es una señal de como funcionan las cosas en España. mi país.

Si tienes algún comentario que hacer no dudes en usar la sección apropiada.

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Sony Clié: Hits, Misses and Wishlist

Ok. I just got my Sony Clie PEG-UX50. First Palm and Clie in a LONG time and the first I have actually decided I HAD to have.

Clie has had a very busy story over the last two years. New Clies have come out with new features so often it's become a common joke among reviewers. From time to time it's even seemed like a joke. Sony releases a Clie with audio playback but no recording, then another one with audio recording but no backlight, then another one with a camera but no video recording to Memory Stick, later on one with a high-quality camera but no video.

It's seemed to me this last two years that Sony either were being too candid ("we just managed to put this into the Clie! Let's release a new model!") or they've been too clever, pacing their new features onto as many not-so-well-paced Clie models.

The Sony Clie PEG-UX50 seemed to me like the pinnacle. Nothing else can be added to this thing without it being downright silly. I might have been wrong, but not for much.

I like the Sony Clie UX50 a lot, and feel it was a good choice. I can't help but thinking, tho', that Sony still has one or two models up its sleeve before it runs out of ideas.

HITS:

Let's see what Sony did well first. I'll try to get here what the machine gets right. I won't include things taken for granted in all Palmtops ("It has a stylus and touch-sensitive screen! Wow!") but will comment on what I find good or above design choices.

• Screen Quality: The 65K Color screen is top-notch. It's crisp and clear and the fact that it's smaller than the recent trend in Palm and Clie is actually a benefit, as it looks better (same number of pixels more densely packed: Crisper image). It doesn't wave or flicker, even when looked through polarized/tinted glasses (which frequently expose imperfections in LCDs). Backlight is great too.
  
• Keyboard: A lot of people are complaining about the keyboard. I don't see the point. It's a keyboard in a Palm, so it'll never be great. Most of the complaints have focused on the keys being too level or flushed against the wavy surface of the lower part of the clamshell. This makes it harder to locate the keys by touch alone or to know if you've pressed it correctly. I find this is not so much of an issue as it's made up to be, as the keyboard lights up and the lack of relief in the keys is made up with the actual relief felt when they are pushed down. I think this is more a thing of both taste and what people are used to vs. the more aesthetic approach of the Clie.=20
  
• Placement of "peripherals". The placement of the ports and slots is very smart in the Clie, and space is not wasted at all. Connection-related ports are on the left side (IR and USB) as well as the on/off, where as media ports are on the right (Memory Stick and Headphone Jack). Camera and Capture button are on top/hinge and stylus. Microphone, shortcut keys and lanyard hoop are on the bottom/front of the unit. The bottom has the cradle contacts.
  
• I may probably be the only person in the world that clearly likes the lanyard hoop. Not that I use it or even intend to. It's just that it finishes the overall look of 80's sci-fi tech the little unit has. I love it, people are mystified by it..:) I have even thought it might have to do with wireless reception as well, but I could be mistaken
  
• Speaker volume is excellent and audiojack volume is also very well balanced. One of the best speakers I have heard in a Palm in the last years.
  
• Microphone Sound capture is crisp and clear, and almost instantaneous. A wait of one or one-and-a-half seconds is clearly enough to start yammering at the unit..:)
  
• The web browser, NetFront, is gorgeous to look at, supporting a lot of high-end features and rendering crisp, near-desktop-quality pages. It misses here and there with CSS and/or JS but overall an excellent web browser, if a little slow.
  

MISSES:
Sony did some decisions that have not been very welcome to different degrees, from obvious design blunders to minor opportunity areas:

• The Sony Clie does not recognize the Sony Ericsson T610 phone right out of the box. It can't communicate with it via bluetooth nor can it use it for Internet Connectivity. Ironically the support from it has to be found from PalmOne's own phonelink app, which comes with drivers for it. This is so ironic (whomever buys a UX50 right now like to stay cutting-edge, and the T610 is hardly new, yet it's the flagship product of SonyEricsson).
  
• Screen Rotation (lack of): Enough has been said about this. The landscape layout is not bad and is actually very practical for Web browsing, e-mail handling and "Documents To Go" manipulation (BTW, Sony! What's with not including a license of Docs To Go any more!?) but it's pretty obvious that at some point portrait orientation was not only planned, but designed around. Other Clies have screen rotation and this is obviously something that exists currently for PalmOS, so the decision was actually conscious to not include it here, but the whole bottom/front row just screams of portrait orientation. The scrollwheel is located in a place that makes it comfortable to roll with a thumb or the middle finger on average-sized hands (depending on your hand orientation). The shortcuts buttons likewise imply finger control and are too cumbersome to use when in clamshell mode. Luckily landscape supports the graffitti area to be on either side of the screen.=20
  
• Design not really intended for one hand operation: This is obvious from the clamshell mode, which implies two-handed operation, but it seems it should've been easy to design the case to work reasonably well when in tablet mode with one hand. This means the scroll wheel should be more useful, arrows (or a sonyericsson-type joystick) could be on the outside and, again, portrait should be supported (easier on the hand, as it's narrower and not as tiring). As it is I'm willing to buy one of those "finger-stylus" that are put in the index finger, thimble-style, to make it easier to use the machine.=20

• The stylus could use some redesign, the hand hurts after a while of using it.
  
• The USB port is hard to open and flimsy, the port cover could be easily broken.
  
• The on/off/hold switch is not easily movable and frequently moving from the "hold" position will result in the unit being turned off.
  
• As with the USB cable mentioned elsewhere (used for power) the cradle should have a USB port itself and a hotsync button. I'd actually like for the connection to the cradle to be USB itself but this seems to be out of the question, for some reason I can't readily see.
  
• File management is a mess, interapplication communication for data files (graphics files, mostly) is a joke. I wish this was improved. I copied image files with the "send to handheld" application and the files are there sitting with other files, yet the album and viewer can't see them.
  

WISHLIST:
There are a few things I'd like to see in future versions of either the Clie Software, Palm OS or, in extreme cases, the Clie hardware itself (although this last one would mean I wouldn't have access to it in this unit)

• Standard Connectors in the unit. There is ZERO backward compatibility between this clie model and past models. No peripherals work with it if they relied in the older unit connectors. I can't believe this wasn't raised as a concern when the units were being tested. There is a great GPS-and-car peripheral for Clies that can't be used with the UX50 and can be argument enough for people not to upgrade (it would be for me).=20
  
• Higher-resolution camera: This would be a good addition in the future. A flash would help as well. Battery usage will have the kick it needs to finally be almost useless but would be a good addition.

• Quick toggle for bluetooth and wireless settings. As it is right now you can forget about them and the battery will drain incontrollably. I'd make the current status LEDs actually be mode buttons. Press with the stylus and you turn it on, press again and you turn it off. Easy.
  
• Charge through the USB port: Come on, Sony, you don't expect us to keep on buying cradles and bring them over with our laptops, do you? It's enough hardware as it is. They're not cheap either. The current in the USB port is enough to keep the battery at its current level, if not charging it (heck, I have a coffe mug warmer here that uses USB electricity for it's operation and I know there are electric brushes, fans and lights that use it as well).
  
• Support for PalmOne's Phonelink app. It's the only way I have seen Palmtops connect though bluetooth to Mexico's Telcel service and I can't figure out the settings on my own (this is kind of a wish maybe only I would be benefited from, but still)
  
• Battery Life is normal as long as none of the special features are enabled, but what's the point. Heavy use of bluetooth will bring the  battery life to less than a day. Wireless usage could shorten it to just a few hours. Bluetooth Sync'ing and wireless web browsing being too slow don't help much here.
  
• Support for multiple modes in the record/capture button. As it is it can be configured for either Photo, Movie or Sound Recording trigger. As the Clie already knows when it's in tablet, clamshell or close modes (it's only three modes, although Sony insists in their website it's five) this means the button could be contextual: Record sound when in closed mode, pictures in tablet mode, movies in clamshell mode. This sounds like a no-brainer to me.
  
• Support for MacOSX platforms. As it is the Missing Sync provides good-enough support for the Mac, but some features are missing and the product costs extra. Sony should include functionality in their products to enable MacOSX usage. Some of this functionality means just behaving like a standard product (there are very clear standards for USB based storage devices, which the Memory Stick surely classifies as and for USB cameras, which the UX50 also qualifies as, not to mention the MP3 player).
  
• Support for "live" phone bluetooth connection. Live call warning and ability to use the Clie as a speakerphone (and even record a conversation) would make the Clie much more attractive to all those people convinced they should have a Palm as a Cellphone (an aberration to me, but to each his own). You could have your phone stashed in the backpack, in the inner pocket or in its sleeve and use the Clie as the communication center, sending and receiving messages, answering calls and connecting to the internet without sacrificing the phone, which is still smaller and has better battery life, for those times you're not bringing the Clie with you (camping, jogging, etc.)=20
  
• Screen should rotate in both directions. A lot of people when first grabbing the machine will try to rotate wrongly and the owner will hear ominous cracks and creaks while the person understands that if he's exerting force then he's doing it wrong.
  
• There is no quick button for HotSync, Push-and-hold on one of the main buttons should at least open HotSync, let alone starting it up. No luck there.
  
• The SMS application should maintain a live connection to the phone or at least check its contents periodically, so you can be warned of new messages.
  
• An IM application should be included by default, with which the three most-used services of the Internet would be covered (Web browsing, e-mail and IM). Open Source clients exist aplenty supporting all protocols in a single client (ICQ, AOL, Yahoo, MSN, with MSN hanging in uncertainly these days) and the program should run on the background or from the web browser, as to not kill the current connection.
  
• I'm still undecided in a proper telnet/terminal program for the Palm. Haven't found a good alternative yet. Will keep looking.
  

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]]> http://eduo.info/2003/09/19/sony-clie-ux50-hits-misses-and-wishlist/feed 0 http://eduo.info/2003/08/07/futurisms-waste-of-time http://eduo.info/2003/08/07/futurisms-waste-of-time#comments Thu, 07 Aug 2003 10:44:52 +0000 eduo http://www.eduo.info/2003/08/07/futurisms-waste-of-time/ Some of the better pieces I write are not usually initially thought as rants or rambles and more as a normal reply to a message. In my current work I have been blessed with several peers (and one in particular) that are constantly feeding my too-easy-to-trigger rant-buttons. Sometimes I realize I have started yet another kilometric message after I hit the "Send" button and appreciate the recipients being patient with them. This is one such exchange. It was spawned by an article in marshasllbrain.com that talked about how, in 50 years, the world will be ruled by robots (humanoid robots, no less).

-----Original Messages-----
From: Eduo [mailto:email suppressed]

Sent: Wednesday, July 30, 2003 2:56 PM
To: Bob [mailto:email suppressed]
Subject: Food for thought

http://marshallbrain.com/robotic-nation.htm

(admittedly, some of the thoughts you'd be feeding would be cool, sci-fi ones, but I wouldn't say that out loud, in fear of sounding pro-mech or anti-hum, to coin two phrases)

Eduo

----------
From: Bob [mailto:email suppressed]
Sent: Wednesday, July 30, 2003 3:25 PM
To: Eduo [mailto:email suppressed]
Subject: RE: Food for thought

I will probably be dead or at least retired by the dates he mentions, so I'm not quite as worried as I would be if I were younger. What I worry most about is that the upcoming generations will be able to provide me what I need when I'm old and feeble. :)

History has been full of people being overly pessimistic (as well as overly optimistic) about the effect of technological changes on society. I'm sure people were predicting gloom and doom as the Industrial Revolution got really going. What can happen is that as some types of jobs are eliminated other new ones are created.
(In italics above are the two messages preceding my rant below)

-----Original Message-----
From: Eduo [mailto:email suppressed]
Sent: Wednesday, July 30, 2003 4:05 PM
To: Bob [mailto:email suppressed]

Subject: Food for thought

Gloom and Doom may mean different things to different people. Back when the industrial revolution hit, those not willing to do anything else than what had done for twenty years were probably affected.

I see is as evolution, tho'. Nature's selection of the fittest has adapted to new times, I guess, and "fittest" means other than having good birthing hips, being able to munch on stale meat instead of dying of food poisoning or having the longest hair to be pulled by horny cavemen (if we believe in cartoons).

I was thinking of sending an e-mail on my thoughts to this person, thinking of making both a "pro" and a "against" cases for his theories, the intent being that it's easy to rationalize any future development. You don't have anything to lose, if you're not correct nobody will remember but if you are you'll be recognized as a visionary.

I do believe that more and more things will be automated, because that is nothing new, it's been an ongoing trend for years now and doesn't look like it's going to stop. I don't believe humanoid robots would be used for anything else other than making people comfortable with non-humans being around. I don't believe we would ever see robotic waiters in a fast-food joint for anything other than hipness or shock value, but I do believe you'd be able to go to the drive-in, punch what you want and have it waiting in a (n unmanned) window further down the lane. This to me makes sense. Having a robotic person doing the sale doesn't. I don't believe the two ends of the spectrum for food places (the mon'n pop coffee shop or the ultraexpensive french restaurants, for example) will ever disappear any more than I believe printed, non-computer-dependant books will be popular in the next twenty years (I do believe alternatives could crop up, like intelligent paper/ink or sintehtic replacements for wood pulp).

Also, there's the fact that he fails to acknowledge 4/5ths of the world, where having someone to do the cleaning for you costs 10 bucks a day (that's Mexico, and it's expensive compared to India or South Africa or China), which means that a 10K robot would take 3 years to pay itself for the same work (more if, like me, you have someone come over twice a week instead of daily).

I believe that we're going to see more proliferation of small, specific appliances, like we currently have. We like tools but we like to feel we control them. Like in Physically control them. An Aibo pet-dog is cute but most importantly is small and manageable, a roomba vacuum cleaner is a robot that vacuums the house, but I bet it wouldn't be nearly as popular if it was the size of Robbie, the Robot. We like our washing machines, dishwashers, dryers, automatic cruise control in the car and autopilots in planes, home alarm systems and tie racks for the closets and they are exactly that, specialized robots. I feel appliances like Roomba would crop up more and more and instead of having a humanoid robot (which while being admittedly able to fit in a humanoid environment is far from being a perfect or even somewhat optimal shape). By the time we're completely at ease among technology and robotics we won't mind much them not being humanoid, in the same way we don't expect a dishwasher machine to look like it's rubbing plates and forks.

Again, all of this is speculation and while it'd be fun to see how it turns out being optimistic or pessimistic about it is as pointless as deciding which of them is worth investing in the future. Most of the technology leaps and changes in lifestyle were unexpected and unplanned, usually being a side effect of other intents (astronauts don't like plain water, so we have Tang; two guys want to get as far from Dayton as possible, so we have supersonic planes now; somebody messes up a project for a new kind of glue and we can paste little yellow notes in a monitor; etc.) that trying to predict is like trying to hit a bullseye with a shotgun in a dark room while being blindfolded, upside down, hanging from a ceiling fan and being tickled... with boxing gloves: A fun exercise but of little actual value other than see how it turns out.

I'd keep on typing, seems kind of effortless today for some reason, but I better stop, as by now your eyes must be kind of glazed and fixed in some point between the glass and your nose, thumbing the page down button just to get to that blissful part where the window is blank..:)

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]]> http://eduo.info/2003/08/07/futurisms-waste-of-time/feed 0 http://eduo.info/2003/08/07/gps-future-on-osx-options http://eduo.info/2003/08/07/gps-future-on-osx-options#comments Wed, 31 Dec 1969 21:59:59 +0000 eduo http://www.eduo.info/2003/08/07/gps-future-on-osx-options/ Today, for the Nth time the topic in MacSlash has switched to GPS programs in OSX (or the lack thereof). For some weird reason I decided to reply to a post there and my comment ended up covering several things of the GPS status and future on the Mac. Not interesting, not groundbreak but hell, it's not as if someone reads this anyway. You can find the actual post in MacSlash here and the original post is here and the MacSlash article sits here. The comment here is annotated and included URLs I was too lazy to include in the MacSlash post.

NOTE: This is one of the most exceptionally badly-written pieces I have made in a LONG time. It wanders between subjects, implies too much, leaves even more to the reader and has some run-on sentences in there that even Henry Miller would envy.

Text from Original post: GPSdrive works perfectly. you can fink it today.
"Perfect" is a little strong. "Acceptably" might be more accurate.

(Regarding GPSDrive)
In OSX there are conflicts with access to the GPS devices if you use Serial adapters, you have to know a little more than just the basics to set it up, runs under GTK under X11, so it doesn't look or behave like a mac application (nor can it properly interact with other applications), has some problems with scaling of the maps downloaded, is a huge PITA to calibrate maps and they never are correct and buttons don't work properly out-of-the-compile-box. It also doesn't handle waypoints and routes adequately and doesn't give any control to the user on zoom levels nor is it's "moving map" feature worth a damn.

I use it and love it, by the way, but to each his own, and GPSDrive is no Street Atlas and while you will enjoy it if you download and use it without prejudice, you might not like it if you're expecting a free Street Atlas.

Also, GPSDrive supports speech in Linux and Linux alone, in case that was a selling point. It's Airport (WiFi, 802.11b, etc.) support (for wardriving) is pretty complicated and requires Kismet, which doesn't work properly in OSX and doesn't work with Airport Extreme at all.

Also, GPSDrive (and any other independent GPS program for that matter) only does basic GPS mapping, no street navigation of any sort. This is not a matter of, as some poster put it there, "just making it"; for as many OSX might there be that would use it you need to pay some HEFTY licenses to have a country's navigation maps (street level with street numbers and street directions and UPDATED). So you get the possible public for such a program to the mac user in a specific country (that is, a fraction of the current 3% or so of computer users that currently run Macintosh OSes, of which 50% or less use OSX and of which less than 5% use or would pay to use GPS).

A GPS program is a great thing, but Apple needs to do something (and I say Apple because they are the ones with less to risk when releasing new functionality or programs for OSX) to revolutionize GPS usage in OSX. I have in the past considered (especially now that even the Woz is into GPS) that Apple should make an iMap or i'Mhere or iPlace or whatnot that gives OSX the support it requires for GPS programs to be easily developed. What would this be?

1.-GPSd-like daemon that supports NMEA and Garmin, that supports transfer of routes, waypoints, tracks, maps and anything else a modern GPS receiver might understand. Programs would be able to call this through the OS (something gpsd has, to some extent -although it hasn't been updated in ages- done for Unix systems)

2.-A simple map program that connects and downloads maps (heck, use Sherlock and give it a much-needed boost with that, tie it up with the current search for movie theaters or addresses) by striking a deal with Mappoint or Mapblast or Mapquest (selecting a service that supports several countries would be a bonus, although Expedia's support of satellite photos is COOL).

2.1.-Even better would be for Apple to purchase street-level maps of countries it has presence in (for example, those for which Web Apple Stores exist), but it's even more unlikely than the rest of my already-too-long post.

3.-Number 2 could also include the ability for OSX to be able to pull driving information from said services and to pull maps freely without limitation (see my NOTE below). Such an agreement would allow a program in OSX to download maps freely (or up to a specific "X" amount based on the .mac account)

4.-If the connections were easy other developers would find it easier to make native programs for Map location and GPS support (instead of half-baked OSX programs, VPC solutions or Classic applications) in the same way that now lots of programs can take advantage of the addressbook or iCal or iTunes.

5.-This would bring Apple into a realm not yet touched by Windows (GPS support natively implemented into the OS) and would also make OSX inherently compatible with WOZ's new venture (GPS tracking devices for people and things) where a Powerbook could work as a soft-client behaving in the same way their current chips are supposed to behave in the future (Airport/WiFi and GPS together) or as a sort of central-node for such a network.

As you can see I would REALLY want something like this to happen and have even thought on doing so myself, but the learning curve to Cocoa from scratch is a hard and unforgiving path, and my knees are already scrapped. The kind of application I would make and have envisioned would look like one of the iApps and would NOT be like MacGPSPro or GPSy, which with all the greatness they have and hard work put into them, are uncanningly difficult to use and understand and have a learning curve that is almost surreal. It would look like a simple program, yet provide a lot of behind-the-scenes functionality (like currently AddressBook does), and it would also meld naturally with .mac technologies and with the Digital Hub direction of Apple.

I will stop now. Thank you. Mod me down accordingly, so others don't have to see all this drivel..:)

Eduo

NOTE: A problem with most independant GPS programs is that they rely in Map Web Pages which are always trying to limit the access to them, as direct download of the maps means a possible loss of revenue when ads are skipped. This also means batch-downloading of maps (the only reasonable function of internet downloading of maps for on-the-road GPS machines, as you can't easily connect when hiking to download a new map) has made several servers in the past change their formats and protocols (for them is a no-win situation, as they serve maps, waste tons of bandwidth and processor-cycles yet receive no input at all by use of ads or the connections for hotels and other amenities)

NOTE2: Obviously the main problem with GPS is that it doesn't work indoors easily, which limits it's usefulness when considering its integration with a desktop OS like OSX, although alternatives could exist (Create a hardware wireless antenna that connects through Airport or Bluetooth, create a PDA with GPS support, officially support a third-party PDA like Palm, etc.)

No related posts.

]]> http://eduo.info/2003/08/07/gps-future-on-osx-options/feed 1 http://eduo.info/2003/06/25/public-response-to-haxials-spl-g5-benchmark-challenge-posting http://eduo.info/2003/06/25/public-response-to-haxials-spl-g5-benchmark-challenge-posting#comments Wed, 25 Jun 2003 13:56:39 +0000 eduo http://www.eduo.info/2003/06/25/public-response-to-haxials-spl-g5-benchmark-challenge-posting/ SPL has posted a Soapbox entry in his website in Haxial about the benchmarks Apple is using to tout the G5 as the "fastest desktop computer in the world" and this simple article has generated a flurry of messages and flames completely out of proportion. I post here the personal reply I sent to him on the article.

NOTE: Text has not been changed from original, so it's addressed to him directly.

Hello.

I guess all the mail about this entry in the soapbox is actually being taken from the MacNN forums but, since I have no desire to participate in them I thought I could post a reply here. Probably one of hundreds and probably one that won't be paid much attention.

Still, I thought I had to pitch in to try and balance the barrage of message from fanatic zealots out there.

First of all I'd like to know if you've received any "challenge mail" and if you were thinking of putting that up as well (as bigoted hate mail is an easy target to which you aren't obliged to answer rationally). A serious and rational exchange may ensue with the "other" mails.

Second: Although I agree with your comments and think that you are correct in all that you wrote about the benchmarks I also have to mention that anyone that purchases solely based on benchmarks deserves to find unpleasant surprises. Benchmarks should only be an important factor when all other things in a comparison are equal (which clearly is not the case when pitting PC's with either Windows or a flavor of Unix-type OSes like Linux against Macintosh computers with MacOS X, hence referred as "Macs"). I have seen benchmarks (specially those generated by private companies, even using third-party entities) to be always biased, and this applies to AMD, Intel, Motorola, IBM, Apple, Microsoft, Linux and even Google.

Third: I agree that Apple should either prove there is a stronger foundation behind their claims of benchmarks or their claim to the "title" of "the fastest computer in the world" (paraphrased, exact wording not important as we all know what was actually stated) or at least extend their explanation to "according to a private benchmark conducted under Apple Instructions by Veritest under special controlled circumstances" or something, which is common in the industry as a disclaimer against any complaints and would make the whole thing at least a little more true.

Fourth: Apple doesn't have misleading prices. Misleading prices would mean that there were hidden costs or that the price is not accurate. It IS accurate, to all of our knowledge. If they say it'll cost $2999 then it'll cost as much. This is also not apple's fault. Most sites when selling bundled equipment (doesn't apply in BTO places, as it's not controllable, depending on the options chosen) or single parts do this. It's a common practice widely thought to give the impression of the price being cheaper. This is still not misleading pricing in the same way two identical machines in which one of them has a cool design and the other is a plain beige box is not a proof that the former has a misleading design. Also: I have yet to hear somebody mention a $2999 price as either "Two thousand dollars" or "two-thousand, nine-hundred and ninety-nine dollars". EVERYONE I know would say "three thousand dollars", as the rounding has become commonplace everywhere in the world nowadays (and we tend to shorten prices to the closest number naturally).

Fifth: I personally find it in very poor taste (even as you mention in your soapbox index, you're exercising your "freedom of speech") that you attacked a Mac user for being happy or excited about a new machine. This user is not a company or testing entity that can be questioned on what he or she believes is a cool product. What makes a product excellent and what makes it crappy is, for the most part, a subjective concept and it may very well be that for him this G5 machine was "WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY" beyond expectations. That's a subjective statement that, although can be questioned, substracts professionalism from your whole article (which, for the most part, was indeed rational and professional). The fact that this very same user would probably become afterwards a flamer and send hate mail written hastily and with poor grammar doesn't deter that he shouldn't be attacked for what he subjectively believes (answering to hate mail is OK, tho', as it's a directed attack to the "hated" and, thus, makes it deserving of an answer, hopefully with better arguments thant "you wrote 'their' incorrectly", but I digress).

Sixth: I do recognize that you are indeed a Mac user (if not exclusively) and although I personally hate your interfaces for your programs (a direct result of the graphics kit you use) I do admit that your products are cool and useful, I just wish you'd use the native widgets and graphic elements of each platform, as the things currently stand out horribly against my other programs, in Windows and MacOS (I do acknowledge the standard widgets in both platforms may be lacking certain elements you do use frequently, like window-specific contextual menus). I just wanted to make it clear I don't think you're a PC bigot slandering Macs or antyhing. Anyone that browsed around your website (even if they had never even read the "haxial" name anywhere, which is difficult if you do move within the Mac world) could've found that, so the posts about you not even using a mac are kind of moot.

Seventh: The actual point of my post, which has been probably stated before either to you directly or through the posts in MacNN's forum: Mac users have never used benchmarks as their reason for picking up macs. Macs have never been the fastest machines in the world and they probably won't. Trying to make it, all of a sudden, a relevant factor is stupid and, to me, is actually detrimental to the true reasons any current Mac user has chosen a mac in the past. Truth is most mac users have different reasons for choosing a mac, not the least is "having something different to set myself apart from the rest" (which is probably a lame reason and the same most "out-of-the-norm" groups exist. The worst too) but a lot of them chose macs because they were either easier to use, prettier to look at or prone to be bragged about, friendlier, better integrated, more reliable hardware from a brand-name computer (opposed to a self-built computer), greater lifespan and less need to get "in the guts" of the computer, both in hardware and in the OS, as well as less prone to attacks of different kinds (virus, malicious users, etc.). All of these are valid reasons and, to me, way more important than Benchmarks. Apple may be at fault for bringin benchmarks, which have never been their forté, to the spotlight, but mac users (and all other users who should know better) wouldn't be being smart if they also took it as the most important factor to consider (or not) macs. They have never been a reason, making them a reason now is completely pointless. Apple may be at fault here, but I do blame the users for letting themselves be carried by this (which is probably a byproduct of we mac users never having been able to brag about speed in the past and having "arguments" to do so now, forgetting we always said "speed isn't everything").

This is more a rant than a specific opinion on a specific point in your article. I think it could be summed up in:

1.-Don't only show hate mail. You must SURELY be getting rational mail you can also answer with something other than a witty retort.

2.-Don't attack personal subjective opiniones, attack objective/stated facts that could be practically challenged. (challenging Apple is OK, challenging a user who just happens to be too effussive or too sentimental is a cheap shot that indirectly is aimed at all the other users who may not share his/her opinion.

4.-Don't manipulate concepts. "Misleading" is not the same as "Making something look more attractive". The former is a step away from an (illegal, BTW) outright lie, while the latter is just simple (and legal) marketing.

3.-You attack Apple's benchmarks (with facts, I also should mention) yet you're a mac user. It would be interesting to see your perspective in this as a mac user. Why do you use Macs? Would you use something else if you could? What would you advocate in the platform you use? This is not directly related to your Benchmark article, but more related to the reason you still choose a Mac to work on (if not exclusively).

Eduo

Note: I use PC as a synonym for Intel-based or Intel-Compatible, IBM-Compatible Personal Computer based in the x86 chipset. As PC is shorter and widely used. A Mac is of course a PC, and is actually a PC from a company widely regarded as the creator of the PC concept with the Apple I (although this is debatable as well, still I'm using common concepts)

Eduo

PD: Please excuse my poor english. It's not my native language and I sometimes make awful mistakes. Try and look past them if you do answer. I do appreciate corrections and welcome them, but not as the only possible reply to a message.

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]]> http://eduo.info/2003/06/25/public-response-to-haxials-spl-g5-benchmark-challenge-posting/feed 0 http://eduo.info/2003/06/25/short-rant http://eduo.info/2003/06/25/short-rant#comments Wed, 25 Jun 2003 13:07:11 +0000 eduo http://www.eduo.info/2003/06/25/short-rant/ I have no idea if I read this somewhere or I made it myself. I do like it, tho:

"If I were a U.S. citizen I'd rather have a president that gets a hard-on from women -tastes aside- than from nuclear missiles thrown to third-world countries".

I may be missing a point or two there. I don't care much either. If the worst you can complain about a president is that he smoked pot in high-school or college and that he likes to frolic in the oval office with interns I'd be happy. If this are such big deals I also wonder, as a non-US citizen, why then is all the love there for JFK? The man was known for being a wild partyman and even wilder ladies' man. Double standards or moron-standards? You choose. Nobody reads this so I couldn't care less about opinions..:)

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]]> http://eduo.info/2003/06/25/short-rant/feed 0 http://eduo.info/2003/06/04/sacando-el-pasaporte-espanol http://eduo.info/2003/06/04/sacando-el-pasaporte-espanol#comments Wed, 04 Jun 2003 16:46:43 +0000 eduo http://www.eduo.info/2003/06/04/sacando-el-pasaporte-espanol/ De acuerdo a todos los consejos de mis amigos, lo mejor que puedo hacer antes de viajar a España es sacar mi nacionalidad Española desde México, para aprovechar las ventajas y facilidades que la madre patria puede darme para re-emigrar. Esto suena muy simple y fácil, pero... Aquí un rápido recuento de lo que se necesita para sacar dicho pasaporte, incluyendo perros en las azoteas, mariscos a la mantequilla y 100 kilómetros de carretera... (Ah, y MUCHA lluvia!)


En teoría sacar un pasaporte español debería ser fácil, considerando que nací en España y que tengo un pasaporte español (que si, está vencido desde hace 26 años, pero aun así).

28-Noviembre-2002 - Primer Intento - Embajada española de vacaciones. Regresan en Enero. Hmm.
14-Febrero-2003 - Embajada española en día festivo (!?). Regresan el lunes. Hmm Hmm
20-Febrero-2003 - Respuesta literal: "Señor Gutiérrez, como se lo puedo explicar, Ud. no puede ser español solo por el hecho de haber nacido en España. El nacer en España no tiene nada que ver con ser Español"... Perdón?. Por supuesto que mi insistencia de que "a lo mejor yo no entiendo el concepto de español, que no significa 'proveniente de España´?" ni ayudó mucho el hecho de que cuando me dijeran que tenía que hacer algo relacionado con un tal libro de familia le preguntara si eso era como un álbum de fotos.
3-Marzo-2003 - Paula Goycoa, excelente amiga y coetánea me pasa el dato secreto: En San Miguel de Allende hay una embajada de España honoraria donde aunque los trámites toman más tiempo suelen ser mas flexibles. Considerando que yo estoy en Querétaro, la distancia y el tiempo empleado no parecían ser tan inmanejables como ir a la embajada de España en Polanco, Ciudad de México (100Km, de acuerdo a Expedia, contra mas de 300Km de la ruta inicial). Tomo datos, presto a llamar al día siguiente a primera hora.

14-Marzo - Después de una semana de buscar encuentro el teléfono que había tenido perdido durante la semana anterior. Presto y raudo hago la llamada. Hora: 1:05PM (13:05 para los militares leyendo). Quince o dieciséis tonos después se oye una voz: "Siiiiiii?". Expongo mi caso ante un silencio más bien ominoso y al terminar, mientras tomo aire, escucho la frase maldita de los organismos de gobierno: "Lo siento, joven, pero el servicio de atención es solamente de 11:00AM a 1:00PM". Ante mi insistencia recibo el extraño apéndice: "Estoy comiendo joven, puede llamar mañana?". Mi teléfono por error se cuelga y se cae al suelo y se rompe.
15-Marzo - El teléfono lisiado es robado en un restaurante o en la calle. Espero que tenga una mejor vida dondequiera que esté.
17-Marzo - 12:59PM - Nuevo teléfono y un día completo para recuperar el número para llamar. Nota mental: Escribir el número en algún lugar no volátil.
17-Marzo - 1:01PM - Después de rogar y suplicar logró exponer mi caso entre cucharadas de sopa de la cónsul. Excelentes noticias dicen que no tengo que llevar mi álbum de fotos y que si nací en España puedo decir que sea español sin importar si mis padres fueran de la Iguana Francesa. Trivia: Me confía la cónsul que el requisito cambió unos días antes. La incompetencia conjunta de las embajadas y mía ha tenido, de hecho, un resultado favorable. En otras noticias en el infierno se declara estado de alerta por las nevadas y fríos inesperados.
18-Marzo - Mañana - Llamada a la honorabilísima embajada honoraria tiene como resultado los requisitos, que a partir de ese momento se conocerían como "El Kit de Español"=

Pasaporte Español vencido: 1
Pasaporte Mexicano vigente: 1
Acta de Nacimiento española: 1
Fotos tamaño pasaporte: 5
Copias: 1 de cada
Pesos: 180
Paciencia: 2 cantidades
25-Marzo - Llamada a la embajada de España para recordar los ingredientes del kit de español. Sugerencia de la embajada de escribir los requerimientos resulta ser inesperadamente útil.

18-Abril - Llamada a la vieja Europa, besos y abrazos de todos. Incidentalmente cae el comentario de que necesito que me envíen actas de nacimiento. Para combatir a Murphy pido mis actas de nacimiento a ambos progenitores.
21-Abril - Mensaje del 50% de los progenitores. El acta está en camino. Método de envío: Correo Express, entrega esperada en 5 días. Experiencia (Mexicana de nacimiento) grita tras bambalinas: "6 meses! Apuesto por 6 meses!" mientras que a su lado Escepticismo dice "No se... Viene de España, podría tardar tan poco como cuatro meses". Intentos de explicar situacion a progenitor resultan en completa incomprensión.
26-Abril - Tras un milagro de probabilidades y bajo sospecha de efectos de mariposas en Tailandia el paquete llega a tiempo. Incredulidad gana la apuesta pero no puede creerlo.

1-Mayo - Pequeño momento de pánico al temporalmente parecer que uno de los pasaportes ha sido perdido.
6-Mayo - Pequeño momento de pánico al temporalmente parecer que uno de los pasaportes ha sido perdido.
10-Mayo - Pequeño momento de pánico al temporalmente parecer que ambos pasaportes han sido perdidos.
12-Mayo -AM- Al por un día no tener granos ni espinillas decido que es un buen momento para tomar la foto del pasaporte (Cantidad: 5)
12-Mayo -PM- Pequeña discusión con sistema fotográfico dado que las fotografías solo pueden tomarse en múltiplos de 4. Decido tomar 8 fotografías solo para hacerlos rabiar.

13-Mayo - Adorable Ninfa decide reservar las tres fotos sobrantes si es que sobran.
28-Mayo -AM: Intento fallido de salir temprano hacia San Miguel de Allende para entregar papeles. Firme y solemne promesa de ir al día siguiente.
29-Mayo -AM: Intento fallido de salir temprano hacia San Miguel de Allende para entregar papeles. Firme y solemne promesa de ir al día siguiente.
30-Mayo -AM: Salida ("no temprano") hacia San Miguel de Allende para entregar papeles. A medio camino un pensamiento acaece: ¿Cómo se llega a este lugar? Llamada preventiva para solicitar información de ruta resulta en la críptica respuesta: "Ay, joven, hoy no va a poder ser porque tengo que ir a León a visitar a un prisionero español en la cárcel y el chófer me está esperando en la entrada, ya viene llegando=?". Firme y solemne promesa de completar el proceso el siguiente lunes por ambos participantes.
01-Junio -AM: Intento afortunadamente fallido de salir temprano hacia San Miguel de Allende para entregar papeles. Vistazo casual al calendario demuestra que no es día hábil. Felicidad para todos y oportunidad de dormir dos minutos más hasta la hora de ir a hacer quehaceres del día.
(Paréntesis 1: Acaba de empezar a llover. Que tipo de lluvia queretana será esta vez? Algún día escribiré sobre la lluvia de Querétaro, porque es difícil de explicar en corto)

03-Junio -AM: Visita a San Miguel de Allende.

Salida a las 10:00 AM. Despues de un rápido y nutritivo desayuno en McDonald's salimos a SMA (eso que se refleja es mi GPS, por cierto, Garmin eTrex Vista)
(Paréntesis 2: Por lo visto la lluvia de hoy es tipo #12: Lluvia salvaje semi-horizontal con repentinos cambios de direccion, acompañada de la especialidad del día, salvajes truenos y brillantes rayos)

10:29 AM: Mundialmente Famosos Mariscos Chilo. En medio del desierto un lugar que vende camarones y se llena de forma espectacular. Nota Mental: Posible probabilidad de opción para comer el día de hoy.
11:02 AM: Llegada a SMA. Después de llamar para pedir direcciones empieza la búsqueda por lugar de estacionamiento.
(Paréntesis 3: Diablos! Hay una grieta inmensa en el techo de mi casa! Esta lloviendo dentro de mi salón de estar! Arg! ¿Porqué?)
11:15 AM: Estacionamiento disponible. A seis metros: El tradicional perro en la azotea tan típico en México.
11:17 AM: Llegada a la embajada de España, finalmente
12:43 AM: Delicioso almuerzo en Chilo. El día ha sido exitoso.

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]]> http://eduo.info/2003/06/04/sacando-el-pasaporte-espanol/feed 0 http://eduo.info/2003/05/08/%c2%bfque-importa-realmente-en-la-vida http://eduo.info/2003/05/08/%c2%bfque-importa-realmente-en-la-vida#comments Wed, 07 May 2003 23:57:40 +0000 eduo http://www.eduo.info/2003/05/08/%c2%bfque-importa-realmente-en-la-vida/ La gente busca e intenta tomar las decisiones correctas en los momentos que considera importantes en su vida, considera la universidad a la que va, la edad correcta de casarse, el vecindario en el que va a vivir, el lugar donde quiere trabajar. Todo esto es importante, si, pero lamentablemente la gente olvida que docenas de decisiones se toman, todos los días, durante todo el día y que, como la mariposa de las teorías del caos, estas pequeñas decisiones son las que, a la larga, realmente dan forma al camino que se sigue años despues...

Es gracioso, uno piensa que la vida es algo que se puede planear. Que se puede decidir como va a salir y que va a ser. Uno coloca sus cartas y va jugando, esperando estar haciendo lo correcto.
Lo interesante, y es algo que poca gente se pone a pensar en su vida, algo que sólo sucede si se tiene una vida un poco más movida que el promedio (mas de una ciudad o país en los que se ha vivido, por ejemplo), es que por más que la vida se intente planear, y se tomen decisiones grandes e importantes son las decisiones pequeñas, las que en el momento parecen inocentes y sin consecuencias, las que realmente hacen los cambios más grandes:

-Un día decides acompañar a un amigo a su ciudad y visitar a sus amigos porque no querías quedarte sin hacer nada el fin de semana, 5 años después estás casado con la chica que conociste ese día.
-Tu novia es muy celosa, así que en vez de salir con amigos y amigas te pasas 12 horas al día en un salón de informática. Lo siquiente que sabes es que 7 años después te dedicas a computadores en vez de bioquímica.
-Un día tomas el teléfono de una amiga, para ayudarla a distraer a otra mientras la primera trabaja, bromeas y te ríes y lo siguiente que sabes es que has encontrado a la mujer de tu vida y todo tu mundo cambia y te cuestionas todo lo que antes pensabas eran tus ideas básicas sobre tu vida y tu futuro.

Mucha gente se mortifica sobre las decisiones grandes de su vida, pensando que puede dirigir voluntariamente hacia donde se mueve moviendo solo ciertos nodos, ciertos puntos. "Si elijo la universidad adecuada", "si espero a la persona adecuada", "si me caso antes de los 25". La gran ironía es que nada de esto importa. Las decisiones importantes de la vida si lo son, pero no más que las que pasan desapercibidas.

Lo unico que queda: Hacer lo mejor posible en cada situacion sin que el que sea una gran decision o no tenga que ver. Todas son grandes al final del dia.

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]]> http://eduo.info/2003/05/08/%c2%bfque-importa-realmente-en-la-vida/feed 0 http://eduo.info/2003/05/08/el-dilema http://eduo.info/2003/05/08/el-dilema#comments Wed, 07 May 2003 23:56:16 +0000 eduo http://www.eduo.info/2003/05/08/el-dilema/ Hace unos 10 meses decidí que había llegado el tiempo de regresar a mi país, despues de pasar 15 años en México. Esta decisión llegó un poco de la nada, sin tener que ver con ningún tipo de problema. Uno de esos momentos en la vida en los que te das cuenta de que el momento ha llegado de seguir adelante con lo que sigue. Todo se veia muy fácil y claro.
...

Entonces llegó Itzel...

Verás. Hace poco menos de un año algo, no puedo decir qué, sucedió en mi vida -probablemente la suma de muchos factores diferentes- que hicieron que finalmente decidiera regresar al país donde nací, del que salí hace 25 años y en el que vive toda mi familia.
Mi vida tenía de nuevo una dirección, una decisión que llevaba masticando en la cabeza por 10 años por fin tenía una fecha límite y empecé a intentar ir hacia ese camino. Hablé con mi jefe en el trabajo, hablé con mi familia y amigos, todo parecía estar decidido. Todo parecía estar, increíblemente, bajo control.

Entonces un día, sin ningún tipo de capacidad para predecir el futuro, tomé el teléfono de Esther, una amiga, y me puse a conversar con una amiga suya, sin mayor intención de pasar el rato mientras Esther terminaba unos reportes del trabajo.
Debería, en este punto, dejar claro que aunque quienquiera que lea esto puede ver a kilómetros lo que podría suceder, la realidad es que ni yo ni Itzel -que éste es el nombre del ángel en cuestión- veíamos venir lo que finalmente sería la razón de que yo esté escribiendo esto ahora.
Por supuesto, empezamos a salir como amigos. Todos los días. Saliamos a cenar, al cine, nos enviábamos mensajes de celular.
Poco a poco, a lo largo de tres mes, fuimos contándonos toda nuestra vida. Eramos amigos, así que podíamos contarnos todo, lo bueno y lo malo, sin preocuparnos mucho por guardar las apariencias (porque esta es una de las únicas ventajas que las amistades tienen sobre la mayoría de las parejas, se es más real y se aceptan más las diferencias entre los involucrados).

El resto de la historia es parte de otro episodio...

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]]> http://eduo.info/2003/05/08/el-dilema/feed 0 http://eduo.info/2003/05/07/%c2%bfburocracia-%c2%bfcual http://eduo.info/2003/05/07/%c2%bfburocracia-%c2%bfcual#comments Wed, 07 May 2003 17:38:46 +0000 eduo http://www.eduo.info/2003/05/07/%c2%bfburocracia-%c2%bfcual/ Fabuloso. Acaban de robarme mi móvil celular. No se dónde, no se quién, no se cuando, pero acabo de darme cuenta. Llame a mi número y contestaron, pero al explicar quien era me colgaron. Así que por supuesto fui a cancelar el número. En la compañía celular me dijeron, cortésmente que claro, pero que tendría que pagar la reposición del teléfono de 2 mil pesos porque no pagué el seguro que costaba 30. Obviamente no sabía ni siquiera que tenia que pagar el seguro (que la forma para pagarlo me la explicaron y es obscura y desconocida, y después de una rápida encuesta entre amigos por aquí totalmente desconocida para todos, tampoco encontré información en el sitio de información de la compañía al respecto), pensando que estaba incluído en el ya bastante oneroso plan por minutos que tenía. Irónicamente si contratara una línea nueva el teléfono no tendría costo, sería gratis... E incluiría una cámara digital. Gracias, TELCEL, por ser una compañía que considera los intereses de sus clientes, incluso de aquellos que solamente llevamos 7 años utilizando sus servicios!... Diablos.

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]]> http://eduo.info/2003/05/07/%c2%bfburocracia-%c2%bfcual/feed 0 http://eduo.info/2003/05/07/honesty-where-can-you-get-that http://eduo.info/2003/05/07/honesty-where-can-you-get-that#comments Wed, 07 May 2003 17:26:38 +0000 eduo http://www.eduo.info/2003/05/07/honesty-where-can-you-get-that/ I just lost my celphone. I'm guessing I left it somewhere. When I realized I called the number and I had it answered and when I identified myself whoever had the phone hung up on me. Now the phone is off. I just called the celphone company and they said that since I hadn't paid the 3 bucks insurance costs (which I didn't even know I had to pay) I'd be charged 160 dollares for a replacement. I vocalized the comment that new celphone plans include this very same phone (Ericsson T68i) for free but they said that if I wanted to keep the number I'd have to pay for the replacement. Don't you love this all?

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]]> http://eduo.info/2003/05/07/honesty-where-can-you-get-that/feed 0 http://eduo.info/2003/05/06/the-long-and-the-short-of-blog-posts-or-more-the-short-of-the-short-posts http://eduo.info/2003/05/06/the-long-and-the-short-of-blog-posts-or-more-the-short-of-the-short-posts#comments Mon, 05 May 2003 23:11:17 +0000 eduo http://www.eduo.info/2003/05/06/the-long-and-the-short-of-blog-posts-or-more-the-short-of-the-short-posts/ I have wondered in the past. Bloggers seem to have a dilemma when posting to their blogs. They don't know if to make short, concise, quotable posts or long-winded diatribes. When people make both they usually make the former sound like forced witticisms and the latter like attempts at tuppence literature.

Usually most blog-ers master one of the two styles and dabble in the other from time to time. Me? I'm bad at both.

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]]> http://eduo.info/2003/05/06/the-long-and-the-short-of-blog-posts-or-more-the-short-of-the-short-posts/feed 0 http://eduo.info/2003/05/05/86 http://eduo.info/2003/05/05/86#comments Mon, 05 May 2003 16:50:44 +0000 eduo http://www.eduo.info/2003/05/05/86/ A lot of noise has been made on Apple's New Music Store. A faction of people cry as soon as they see the DRM acronym in its blurb, while for others -the majority- the whole idea seems to be a godsend. What is it?

For years now the music industry has tried to find a way to use the Internet as a distribution medium without either eating away hard-copy sales or giving the users too much control over what they can do with the music.
Napster officially started (as it existed before in more rudimentary, non-P2P form) what later became the proof that music could live and thrive in the Internet. As bandwidth costs plummetted, encoding processes got faster and everyone had access to big drives where to store the music it soon became obvious the time was prime for some moves by the music corporations.
Several attempts have been made in the past, all of them fruitless, and everyone in the assorted boards of directors fail to see the cause:

The reason d'etre for having the music in your computer is versatility.
Limiting of the user's choices is an instant deterrant on buying music.

Apple seems to have struck a happy medium between the desires of music companies and the needs of users. Microsoft had pitched DRM schemes in the past which not only implied that users didn't actually *own* their music, but that the players had the power to delete other music not covered by the DRM guidelines and even other software that didn't support them. People, on the other hand, wanted to have music bought easily and cheaply, they wanted to be able to have that music installed in their music players, be able to make CDs off it and to be able to share the music among their machines.
Here is where most of the noise has been made by detractors of Apple's system. Most of the arguments seem to be of the following:
1.-"I have more than three computers and I want to share the music among all of them"
2.-"Why only ten copies of the same playlist. I don't want to be limited in this way"
3.-"Why can't I share the music streaming it to unlimited clients?"
4.-"192bps AAC is too low a bitrate for my high-end sound studio and it's unbearably to listen to it"

These arguments are all debatable but the actual fact that mustn't escape people trying to impartially comment on Apple's guidelines is this: Majority rules. The majority are not the Music companies, and that's why their guidelines open things more than the former would've wanted. The majority aren't the power users, either, who may have 12 computers in their houses (and may have achieved the miracle of having all the people in the house in all the computers like the same music) and may have -however unlikely as it sounds- a reason for needing unlimited streaming of music over the network or the Internet. The majority definitively isn't the high-end audiophiles who may have $100K of sound equipment connected, of all things, to a computer or an iPod playing MP3 files.

The majority of intended audience are music aficionados, who may like both good-enough music and the versatility digital files provide. It's people who may have two or three computers at the most in their houses, most of the time not networked together but may have two or more iPods for playing music. It's the people who would hardly find a reason for making five legitimate copies of the same CD, let alone ten.

Sadly, "inalienable personal rights of fair use" (which are not so, as they're not an actual legal option, but a common and allowed practice) has become the official excuse for people lobbying against DRM systems. People who confuse that it was easy to make copies before and corporations didn't want to spend the resources needed to fight this with these practice being their right. Sadly the reality is also that for every person that legitimately believes that their asking for reasonable right (as deluded as it may be) there are two hundred who are covering behind these same arguments to be able to keep on trading music (and files, as this may become an antecedent for other media in the future) freely (and, arguably, illegally).

What, you, inexistent reader[1], maye be asking, then, is "So you're implying that Apple is some sort of Panacea when it comes to digital music? That they're infallible in their decisions? (you mac bigot!)" and the answer would be a simple "No". The Music Store has several limitations which need to be addressed before it's the best option there can be (as it stands right now it's the best option there is, but far from perfect). I can think of a few and you can probably think of more, but it's important that the complaints you may have on the system are based on a reasonable ground and that you may, perhaps, not be the intended audience of the Music Store (this is much more important if you think 256Kbps MP3 is the minimum allowable for music or if you need to share your music, without paying royalties, to several computers in your network or with the world).

What I would like Apple fixed:

-One of the features hyped when iTunes came out was it's interaction with third-party MP3 players like the Rio. These players can't play the AACs provided by the Apple Music Store. Apple should provide APIs for third-parties to implement in their players, so they can take advantage of the AAC files (and users are not left out by something hyped to them when they adopted iTunes not working anymore)

-Apple should also provide APIs (or hardware) for wireless sound receivers (more and more popular nowadays as a way to hear music in decent stereo systems) through AirPort, if need be. Either this or helping third-parties create easy hook-ups for the iPod for the home stereo (not cable adapters, but docking stations like the current one that understand the iPod's filesystem and read it accordingly, with their own wireless remote)[2]

-I'd like to be able to download music in MP3 (although I understand the conundrum here, if DRM has to be kept) since I listen to my music in other computers not using MacOSX (Darwin, Linux, Sun, HP-UX). I doubt Apple will release iTunes with AAC support for Linux, although that'd be nice.

-The Music store should really embrace international customers quickly, as the feeling that Apple only looks to the US for new technologies is becoming more a frustration of users (like the fiasco with past hype like iPhoto printing of photographs and albums[4] or the support in Sherlock. I understand it's not easy, as copyright and royalties laws are different in most countries, as the handling of credit cards and fees, but still it should be addressed (or shouldn't have been promised to start with)

-Apple should make an statement making it clear that if the venture proves to not be viable (two weeks is hardly enough to make a call on the long-term viability of it) measures will be taken for users to be able to enjoy their music for years to come (with a special version of itunes that allows for music to be converted to MP3 without the currently-necessary step of burning to CD beforehand). As succintly stated by someone with better summarizing skills than myself: "People don't want to be buying the digital equivalent of 8-track tapes".

-Rendezvous (and Internet) sharing should be able to share AAC files (as far as I know right now it doesn't), although limits could be set (no more than three "clients" allowed, for example)

And remember, it's not intended to be a service-for-everyone but a service-for-the-majority. If the bitrate is too low, or the DRM too limiting, or it's cheaper for you to buy old CDs at discount bins or you prefer to have the original artwork and case for the CD then, by all means, don't use the Music Store and don't bitch about it not being for you as it, clearly, isn't.

I was planning on putting a bunch of links in here. But I was lazy. I may add them later on..:)

[1]For noone reads this blog..:)
[2] Are you reading, Griffin?[3]
[3] Of course not. Dumb me for asking
[4] Should that be "Alba"? The plural of "Album"?

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]]> http://eduo.info/2003/05/05/86/feed 0 http://eduo.info/2003/05/05/otro-blog-no http://eduo.info/2003/05/05/otro-blog-no#comments Mon, 05 May 2003 15:53:29 +0000 eduo http://www.eduo.info/2003/05/05/%c2%bfotro-blog-%c2%bfpara-que/ Mucha gente (ninguna de la cual entra a este lugar, ya que nadie lo conoce) debe haber oído hablar de los "blogs" que existen en Internet y se preguntará ¿qué es un blog? y por lo tanto se preocupará poco por si surge uno nuevo o no. Otro grupo de personas conoce los "blogs" y lo que se preguntan es ¿realmente necesitamos otro blog en este mundo?, y uno en español además. ¿Cuál es la idea?

INTRODUCCION
(o "¿de qué está hablando éste?")

Los BLOGs empezaron a surgir hace ya algún tiempo, empezando como una forma de que los programadores de software pudieran mantener a su público actualizado de las novedades del mismo (proyectos como Netscape y Quake en especial hacían uso extensivo de lo que en ese momento se llamaban los .plan en los cuales mostraban avances y comentarios. Estos .plan se convirtieron después en weblogs, una vez que se empezaron a hacer completamente en Web y, como todo lo que se populariza en Internet, obtuvo finalmente su propio nombre: blog o BLOG.

ELABORACION
(o "¿puedes explicar un poco más? ¿es normal que no se entienda lo que escribes?")
Existen blogs de todo tipo pero en general comparten una característica principal: Sus escritores escriben (al menos al principio) lo que les viene en gana - desde cosas altamente personales hasta comentarios totalmente genéricos - y gente poco a poco empieza a leerlos e incluso a poner sus comentarios. La mayoría de los blogs mas grandes y leídos en Internet siguen siendo los relacionados con informática de una forma u otra y, mayoría entre estos, los que están directamente relacionados con tecnologías de Internet (navegadores, estándares de Web). Esto, por supuesto, no limita el medio, al poderse encontrar blogs de escritores aficionados, escritores profesionales y de estrellas porno. Cada vez se vuelve mas común que lo que empieza como un blog genérico sobre nada en especial se convierte, al poco tiempo, en un sitio dedicado a un tema específico (en este ejemplo, a todos los productos y comerciales de los años 80).

CONSECUENCIA
(o "Al punto, por favor!")
En el pasado consideré la idea de poner un blog o no varias veces, he incluso empecé uno que sigue activo (al grado que algo actualizándose dos veces por año se puede considerar "activo") pero todo el tiempo era una idea sin concretar. Un deseo sin aterrizar. Siempre me ha gustado hablar y opinar y con frecuencia la gente se acerca para preguntar sobre mi opinión en algunos temas, y pensé que lo más fácil sería ponerlos por escrito.

Gran Error

El problema, pienso yo, por el cual no mucha gente decide escribir en cualquier medio (Internet incluido) es el hecho de que siempre existe esa idea de que las cosas que se dicen en una reunión o a un grupo, una vez puestas en un medio "semi-indeleble" como un blog pierdan totalmente su impacto y suenen vacías, sosas y sin originalidad. Es fácil decir una cosa inteligente entre diez tonterías en una conversación que, por definición, es efímera y que todos recuerden solamente el comentario original. Al escribir uno tiene la dolorosa presencia de todo lo que se escribe. Se repasa y sobre-escribe, se borra la mitad y a medida que se escribe la terrible idea de que no se está expresando nada que valga la pena va reptando por la nuca hasta que, en un momento de frustración, se selecciona todo el texto y se borra, enviando todas esas ideas al limbo, esperando que se reacomoden con el tiempo en algo que tenga más sentido.
Todos somos extremadamente críticos de nosotros mismos. En el fondo pocos pensamos que lo que hacemos, decimos o escribimos tenga la trascendencia que fútilmente le atribuimos en público. La mayoría de nosotros si repasa algo que haya escrito encontrará errores y más errores, cada cual más trivial que el anterior (una recomendación común de escritores es escribir lo más posible de una sola sentada y dejar el proceso de desgranado a una tercera persona que, aunque sea crítica, lo será mucho menos que nosotros mismos).

Mi decisión de empezar a escribir (sin idea de si seguiré haciéndolo en el futuro) es simple: Ya es hora.
La mayoría de los blogs empiezan como un simple diario, una forma de gritar a los vientos anónimos de Internet lo que a lo mejor no podemos decir en persona. Otros tienen una idea fija y todo el desarrollo del blog va hacia allá, otros son una combinación de ambas cosas. El mío, asumo, es de este último tipo. Una idea fija que, con suerte, ayudará a desarrollar otras ideas periféricas que rebotan en mi cráneo buscando una forma de expresarse coherentemente.

DETONADORES
(o "Esta bien, ¿cuál es la idea?")
Mi vida, no por primera vez, ha llegado a un punto de cambio. En un futuro próximo cambiará a muchos niveles, empezando por la casa, ciudad, país y continente en el que vivo y extendiéndose a mi vida amorosa (la cual no se ha caracterizado por ser sólida en el pasado) y profesional.
Después de vivir 15 años en este increíble y hermoso país y de conocer a algunas de las personas que más impacto han hecho en mi vida (lazos que las distancias y los movimientos de la suerte no han logrado romper) el momento ha llegado de buscar algo que siento todavía que me falta el nómada (viene de familia, por cierto) en mí necesita moverse. Necesita buscar lo único que le ha faltado en los últimos quince años (bueno, una de las dos cosas que le han faltado, enseguida explico esto). Necesita regresar. Necesita reagruparse con los suyos.

Verás, la decisión de irme de México no tiene que ver con problemas financieros, sentimentales, legales o profesionales. Tiene que ver conque ya ha llegado el momento de estar cerca de mi familia y de mi tierra. Tiene que ver con la idea persistente de que debí haberlo hecho hace tiempo ya. Tiene que ver conque el momento no sólo es ahora, sino que lo ha sido por 10 años ya.
Por supuesto pasó, como suele pasar, que en el momento de tener decididos mis planes ("En tantos meses preparo mis cosas, en tantos meses me voy") la vida decidió darme una vuelta inesperada, de nuevo, y cayó un angel desconsiderado sobre mí y todo se complicó de nuevo. Estando ahora irrevocablemente enamorado en México y en un curso de colisión inevitable con el día en el que me iré a mi nuevo destino. Sabiendo que el momento de la gran decisión se acerca y rezando por las noches que esa decisión permita ambos caminos seguir juntos indefinidamente.
RESUMEN
(o "¿Huh?")
Este BLOG simplemente es mi forma de expresar las ideas que todo esto trae a mi cabeza. Un sitio para poner mis ideas sobre México y Latinoamérica, sobre mis planes de viaje y preparación, sobre mis relaciones sentimentales y, en caso de lograr mantener el ritmo, sobre mi movimiento al Viejo Continente y el cambio de vida y cultura.
Mi público probablemente no sea ninguno y casi espero que sea así, ya que el primer y mayor crítico de mi estilo de escritura soy precisamente yo.

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]]> http://eduo.info/2003/05/05/otro-blog-no/feed 0 http://eduo.info/2002/11/12/relationships-arent-hard-they-just-dont-follow-any-rules http://eduo.info/2002/11/12/relationships-arent-hard-they-just-dont-follow-any-rules#comments Tue, 12 Nov 2002 15:21:14 +0000 eduo http://www.eduo.info/2002/11/12/relationships-arent-hard-they-just-dont-follow-any-rules/ What's the problem with relationships? Why do all of us have problems with them, either trivial or life-crushing? Why is it that we were made so complicated and can't simply decide who to go out with and let nature work it out for us, the way it works for all other animals in the world.

Well... We did this to ourselves. Men and women are not different just because, we made it happen and now we have to swallow (or spit, depending on individual tastes) and try to work with what we not only did, but keep on doing to feed this insanity.

I have always thought that relationships are abnormally hard. Women don't understand men and always expect too much of them, inevitably being disappointed and in the end coping with it. Men expect their women to be like goddesses while they get fat and flip channels in the couch.

I won't even try to get into any specific sex practices or fetishes, things are hard as it is trying to talk about some of these things. I will try to focus in what is universally understood as a "normal" relationship (which, as with "common sense", is neither "common" or "normal").

What is in a relationship? Let's see...

What we have here is two people (a man and a woman, on average) who know each other and start dancing around each other. From this early beginning things can start to go awry. Men tend to be different in courtship than when in an actual relationship, and women fail to see this pattern even after tens of tries (and disappointments). Women on the other hand usually to be like they "would like to be" (instead of being "like the other wants them to be", as happens with men) when being courted. This means that during courtship it's common to see a very shy woman going out with a courteus and chivalrous gentleman and, if the relationship ever gives fruit, you'll see the former flirting around like crazy and the second one growing a belly the size of Iowa while belching in front of the computer while pretending to be a hot, shy model in search of a man.

Men and women are not the same in courtship, on average, as they are in real life. The shock of actually knowing who you're dating when you get to know him/her can be as much of a disappointment ("uh, okay, so you want to use my pantyhose, you say? And my bra?") to a delightful discovery ("Hey, where did you learn to do tha... Oooooh"). Although the average is 50% of each we usually only hear of the former because they make the most interesting (and usually, self-loathing) stories and are also, as all bad things in life, the ones we see most readily (almost nobody will answer "great!" consistently when asked how they are, although a LOT of people will start enumerating the problems in their lives, we humans tend to take the good things for granted, as they should, all the while blowing up the bad things to make them fill our "bad news buffer").

If couples ever get past the courting part (and it sometimes impresses me we manage to get even that far) and something more serious begins (boyfriend/girlfriend or anything else where you're acknowledged as having only one partner) then the "revelations" stage kicks in. Things start to be seen in a different light. What before was a "funny quirk" becomes an "annoying habit". What was a completely innocent tic becomes "that hideous thing you do with your teeth" and so on.

My mother used to tell her friends: "Beware of all the things he's so different to everyone else about, as those are the very things you will hate in the long run". This after she got fed up of friends coming up and telling her that their "wonderfully rebellious, free-spirit, candid" boyfriend had suddenly become a "grumpy no-gooder who can't even consider a serious commitment and blurts out stupiditiy as if he breathed it". Try breaking that phrase into two separate ones and put them apart a few months and tell me you have never seen anyone convert what where the good things about someone into what becomes the disappointing disadvantages they have to suffer.

I am truly convinced people who are happy, in the long term relationships, are so because they live in a wonderful state of blissful ignorance. They don't care about their problems because they don't see them. They just trod along, not blaming anyone for what happens to them (not even themselves, which is the worst kind of blame there could exist) except for, maybe, luck. And they never hold a grudge against luck, they just learn from it.

People who worry about their relationships, if they are happy enough, if the other party is worthy of them (or they are worthy of him/her) are, unadvertendly paving the way for their own failure.

A pool teacher (from whom I never learned any pool, but had good insights in life over a cold beer around 6:00 pm) once was telling me that the mind is so powerful that if you look at the balls in the pool table and for even a moment think you might fail the shot you will surely do. At first this all sounded like metaphysical crap to me, and I told him so.

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]]> http://eduo.info/2002/11/12/relationships-arent-hard-they-just-dont-follow-any-rules/feed 0 http://eduo.info/2002/11/11/the-futile-wait-for-the-right-one http://eduo.info/2002/11/11/the-futile-wait-for-the-right-one#comments Mon, 11 Nov 2002 00:15:34 +0000 eduo http://www.eduo.info/2002/11/11/the-futile-wait-for-the-right-one/ The futile wait for "the right one"
What's it that makes people not realize that waiting for "the right one" just precludes any possibility of finding him/her?

I have realized lots of people out there spend their days and nights waiting for the "right" person to come along. Endlessly complaining about life and bad luck. About not getting a break and after talking about friends and relationships with L'ix it hit us. Wanting something in your life can be the very same thing that keeps that thing away from you.

Let me elaborate:

One of the tenets of relationships is that they are completely unpredictable. This means that there is no way in the world you're going to know you've met your perfect partner until a long time after you've met it. This is because what makes a partner perfect for you can't be divined, it must be come as an epiphany of sorts, a realization, suddenly, that things are the way they should be. For this to happen you have to have a partner and for you to have a partner you must've let one come into your life already.

See, there is only one way to meet the right person, and that is by being open and letting people in your life. Being closed to new relationships, to avoid "failure" precludes, as well, any possible successful relationships. Try to find one person you remember as being successful with relationships and he/she will probably tell you that to find a right partner several failed attempts have been there, bad relationships and possibly pain have come and gone.

Several people in the past have said to me: What can I do to find the one? I have had awful relationships in the past, I have bad luck with men/women, I have been burned in the past and don't want that to happen again.

Well, the big, ugly truth is that there is no one rule for relationships, but the closest I can find is a quote I once read, which supposedly is from Satchel Paige:

Work like you don't need the money. Love like you've never been hurt. Dance like nobody's watching.

That one saying, and the second statement probably sum up the only advice I could give anyone waiting for the right person: You never know who it'll be, so be open to options.

Go out, meet people, meet friends of your friends. Let yourself know other people and be unprepared for anything that happens (that's correct, unprepared). Don't expect anything from anyone you meet. Do not measure people up and dismiss and discard them outright because they don't fill a specific expectation or pattern. Do not let the possible "other half" in your life pass you by just because you didn't want to go out that day. Nothing must me as horribly ironic as having the perfect partner be missed because one was, precisely, waiting for him/her.

Eduo

PS: Darn, this is probably one of the messiest compositions I have done in a while, but it's hard to put in a secondary language something you can barely put in word in your native language, so bear with me.

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]]> http://eduo.info/2002/11/11/the-futile-wait-for-the-right-one/feed 4 http://eduo.info/2002/11/10/new-interest http://eduo.info/2002/11/10/new-interest#comments Sun, 10 Nov 2002 08:56:53 +0000 eduo http://www.eduo.info/2002/11/10/new-interest/ I should only say. I am happy today. Been happy since Tuesday. Life is good. Let's see what transpires. Life has a funny way of turning around when you least expect it. My advice to you all: Always be open. If you are waiting for the right person to come along you might miss them. Be open, be available. Let fate approach you. Blessings to all.

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]]> http://eduo.info/2002/11/10/new-interest/feed 0 http://eduo.info/2002/11/07/apples-position-today http://eduo.info/2002/11/07/apples-position-today#comments Wed, 06 Nov 2002 22:37:00 +0000 eduo http://www.eduo.info/2002/11/07/apples-position-today/ This is the whole text of a comment I made in the MacOSX list from Omni a few days back which some people told me should've been in the Blog. I expect no comments yet will gladly see any opinions..:)
I paste the text here with no modifications (except for HTML editing) just to please those people..:)

WARNING: This started as a simple comment, in reply to some other e-mail and ended up being a kind of diatribe mixed with requests for opinions. It is NOT a flamebait so please extinguish the flamethrowers. I'm asking for honest and direct opinions, not for witty insults -unless in the middle of an actual answer-, it is not trolling either but a genuine exploration of a thought I was having. I tried putting lots of references and tried to be as clear and concise as my fractured english allows. Try to be coherent and take things as I meant them, not as I may have written them.(*)
(Well... This started out as a comment on the Windows TabletPC...)
I was just checking out the XP Tablet thingy and realized most of what it has we already have, but was wondering exactly how far or ahead was OSX when compared to it.
Has anyone tried XP with writing recognition yet (I don't know if it just became available or was available before this, I tend to run away from XP like the plague).
It seems we're all there. We have Ink (although Ink may by now be old technology, again, I wouldn't know, it has never understood my writing but, then again, neither can I sometimes), obviously mouse support is there (duh). What else we'd be missing to make a tablet? A good on-screen keyboard? speech recognition?(1) Speech synthesis?(2)
What other things should a tablet have? what could it have? I can think obviously of the remote control capabilities and digital-hub for your house, as well as wireless, but what else should it have to be competitive?
(And then moved by itself into the Digital Hub concept realm )
I think MacOSX is ahead in several aspects to every other OS out there, but I'm also afraid it is lagging behind in a lot of smaller things people are getting used to see in their daily usage of the computer which we're not seeing in this platform (or the prospect of them). We've talked a few in this place, so let's recap (and not start a war, I'm trying to be objective here) so we can use this as a basis of ideas on what OSX could be missing to compete against other OSes.
We've talked so far about:
-Multiple-concurrent login sessions (available, at least, in W2K and above), where a user can log out his graphical session without closing programs and another user can log in and do other things.
-Peer-to-peer communication programs: IM-type programs that allow media other than text to be shared. Things like Video, sound and computer screens. Windows has NetMeeting, there are other unix solutions out there compatible to some degree with NetMeeting (because it uses standardised protocols, not because it is one)
-Microsoft Windows: (NetMeeting) http://www.microsoft.com/windows/netmeeting/
-Linux: http://www.gnomemeeting.org/ (GNOME Meeting)
-HP-UX: (HP Visualize Conference, clone of NetMeeting) http://www.software.hp.com/cgi-bin/swdepot_parser.cgi/cgi/displayProductInfo.pl?productNumber=B7580AA
-What could be used in MacOS: OpenH323 (as a basis for a tool) http://www.openh323.org/
-Better media support. More media support. True Digital Hub direction: I believe Apple did the right thing by focusing the people on the digital hub idea, but has, since, lost its focus on all this concept entails. Apple was pioneer in putting a name and a face in this. Apple started with this providing a decent MP3 player in the OS, with decent support for MP3 players (and an outstanding MP3 player); it also provided free Movie editing programs and free DVD creation programs, as well as good integration of burning devices and cameras with the OS and a semi-good photo classifying program.
There is more media out there now. PVR's are coming of age and everyone and their mothers want one. TV-in-the-PC is, again, catching on and it seems it now has a foothold to step on (PVR's, on-the-fly-MPG2 compression, programation available on the net, DVD burners in the PC, etc.) yet nothing seems in the horizon for OSX on this side. Microsoft has already realized this is (probably) the "next big thing" and has launched its media center(3) software, which aims to make Windows PC's the actual digital hub as people see it (after all, everyone has a television and that's all that's needed, plus a TV input/output port, whereas for the other digital hub concepts people need to have a digital video camera, a digital still camera, an mp3 player, etc.). Windows has caught up and is trying its best to "prove" it can do things better than Apple (sometimes subtly, sometimes obviously and sometimes blatantly lying, but most of all by copying ideas and trying to extend on them(4).
So, what do you think? What may Apple be considering in the future? What should it consider? What will it regrettably not tap into?

( And then came the endless references )

(1) Speech recognition in the mac is only available for macros and scripts. Speech-to-text is only available through third-parties, like ViaVoice
-Microsoft Windows: http://www.microsoft.com/speech/
-Unix (Take your pick) http://freshmeat.net/search/?q=speech+recognition&section=projects

(2) MacOS was once leader in this area (the first mac already had some text-to-speech abilities), we were still ahead when it was available in OSX. I think we've seriously lagged behind other platforms here, tho'. As far as I can see no improvements have been made from the TTS engine developed for OS7 that already included the voices we still have (like Zarvox, trinoids, princess, etc.) I can detect any difference from this to what we had and have had no compelling evidence to think otherwise. On the other hand we have Festival on Linux, which is pretty decent and Microsoft has its own TTS engine which is pretty good (as good as it can be, at least), if prone to errors and buffer overruns. -Microsoft Windows: http://www.microsoft.com/speech/ -Linux (and other unices): Festival: http://www.cstr.ed.ac.uk/projects/festival/ http://festvox.org/ (try the demo) http://www-2.cs.cmu.edu/~awb/festival_demos/general.html

(3) http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/mediacenter/

(4) Microsoft's take on... iPhoto: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/digitalphotography/default.asp iTunes: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/windowsmediaplayer/default.asp iMovie: http://www.microsoft.com/WindowsXP/moviemaker/default.asp AirPort: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/focuson/wirelessnetworking.asp iChat: (with access to shared services seizing the peer-to-peer nature of IM programs) http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/windowsmessenger/default.asp

(*)I can't believe one has to put disclaimers like this, but this list is so unbearably preachy and aggressive sometimes that it may be the only way to ellicit civil answers.

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]]> http://eduo.info/2002/11/07/apples-position-today/feed 0 http://eduo.info/2002/10/18/macosx-linux-and-microsoft http://eduo.info/2002/10/18/macosx-linux-and-microsoft#comments Fri, 18 Oct 2002 08:26:25 +0000 eduo http://www.eduo.info/2002/10/18/macosx-linux-and-microsoft/ Microsoft is recognizing Linux's threat. Apple is recognizing Linux's strengths. Linux is, as always, trying to do everything at once and being moved by the tides of other platforms and waiting on the wings until something has been reached to swoop down, take a look and imitate (and usually enhance it in the process, although sacrificing usability and looks..:) it the best it can. What will happen next year?


For the first time, it seems, Microsoft is genuinely worried about Linux.

http://quote.bloomberg.com/fgcgi.cgi?ptitle=Top%20Financial%20News&s1=blk&tp=ad_topright_topfin&T=markets_box.ht&s2=ad_right1_topfin&bt=ad_position1_topfin&box=ad_box_all&tag=financial&middle=ad_frame2_topfin&s=APa7xmhVhTWljcm9z

I myself like Linux a lot, because it has allowed me to save tons of money, but I like it as much for being free as for being a Unix. If the whole Open Source had started in Windows I'd probably wouldn't advocate so much for it, as the platform does not give me any confidence (and since I know the technical differences, no sales pitch, as well structured as it could be, will convince me otherwise).

Everything said and done, I'd also have to admit that Linux is a great copycat and has great minds working on it, building on top of what it copies, but has always remained, in my mind, as a bunch of people with incredible powers of understanding and coding skills but zero innovation and imagination.

Linux is a great platform, and I'd never choose anything else for my servers (except, maybe, MacOSX) if I had the choice, but by and large, the Linux coders are always imitators, never innovators. Samba is a great and flexible WIndows Networking implementation, all graphic interfaces are copies of either Windows, OS/2 or MacOS, all word processors, spreadsheets and presentation programs try to emulate MS Office in one way or another.

Most of the time, linux's implementation of a feature implies enhanced capabilities (Evolution, Linux's premier graphical e-mail program, bears more than a casual resemblance with Outlook, yet it builds on top of that to include tons of better or increased features) compared with the originally imitated product but most is, in the end, an imitation (at least it's not usually one that pales in comparison of the original).

I would never want Linux to exist as the sole OS out there, because innovation would die. Most Linux geeks are great at imitating and enhancing, most are great at troubleshooting, debugging and coding efficiently. Most of them can see a good idea when there is one but for each original idea in Linux there are 50 that are just imitations, spawned by the very same incompatibility that exists between Linux and other platforms ("I want to use this platform, but I don't have this program, so I make a clone of this program and I can have both, while at it I add interoperability between this and that other program over there...", etc).

This "imitation by envy" is something that is becoming obvious now, with MacOSX (I know, I know, bear with me). Flocks of Linux and other free unices are taking a second look at the mac platform because they just realized they've done things "too" well, and that means they are able to use all the tools they are used to in their Unix environment (all terminal-based tools, most Xwindows tools as well) but they don't have to put up with crappy interfaces and clunky, ugly, grey cloned PC boxes.

http://www.seminars.apple.com/seminarsonline/unixbased/apple/

They have realized they can use MacOSX and use Microsoft Office properly (not un-emulated by WINE, or running OpenOffice and trying to convince themselves it's better), they can use MSN Messenger, ICQ, etc. And for all the programs that do not exist for the mac (not few, I should add) they can easily use the open source alternative in the same platform. No reboot. No Boot loader. No special compilations.

I have *NO* idea what the future holds for the three platforms. It *IS* a fact Unix users are looking at MacOSX with greedy eyes. It *IS* a fact Microsoft is incresingly weary of both Linux and MacOSX. Apple has realized that, suddenly, it's intended market is *NOT only the new users who know nothing about computers, but also the power users who have outgrown Windows. Apple is trying to hold both ends ot the user spectrum, Microsoft wants it all and doesn't like to share. Apple has distanced itself from MS more and more (releasing tools of their own that directly compete with MS's tools or publicly despising MS's practices).

It's going to be interesting... Next year, I mean. Things will probably happen that may change the way the big three see things (it may take more for users, on average users do not care much about all this stuff). Anything from Apple helping Linux coders port things over to MacOSX officially (it has happened from time to time in the past) to Microsoft releasing Open Software initiatives (MS already has a SourceForge-like website where it hosts open developing for Windows) to MS developing for Linux and considering focusing a little more in their apps and a little less in their OS.

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]]> http://eduo.info/2002/10/18/macosx-linux-and-microsoft/feed 0 http://eduo.info/2002/10/15/fallout-2 http://eduo.info/2002/10/15/fallout-2#comments Tue, 15 Oct 2002 10:32:34 +0000 eduo http://www.eduo.info/2002/10/15/fallout-2/ Well, I've fallen again. Fallout 2 is here and I've just spent four hours straight in it since installing. What is it about this game?

I don't get it. It's not fast-paced. It's not multiplayer. The graphics and animations leave a little to be desired... And yet...

Fallout was my nemesis a few years ago (four or five, can't remember). I hacked and hacked at it until I finished it. And then I had to practically be pried off the keyboard when I tried to do it all over again choosing different paths (I had left so many conversations where I would've liked to say otherwise, or be a smart-ass instead of a polite citizen).

Now I've got Fallout 2. Three years after the rest of the world has played it completely and finished, and I'm hooked all over again. The animations of the characters are bad (compared to Fallout 1), pretty much 90% of the game is the same thing as the one before: Run around, pick stuff up, kill baddies, return with stuff, complete quests... And still I'm hooked.

I dunno, I like the new games, I like Warcraft III and Star Wars: Battlegrounds like the next guy, I play Quake like there's no tomorrow. But one of my favorite games still is fallout (which, to be true, has almost zero-replay value, unless you count forcing yourself to play it all over again with a different character).

*GACK*

I have to leave. I have to take some wood to some drunkard's still so it keeps running so he can give me $50 and I can keep on looking for Vic, the Trader. That is, unless I learn how to skin those damn desert geckos.

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]]> http://eduo.info/2002/10/15/fallout-2/feed 0 http://eduo.info/2002/10/12/dvd-databases-on-mac http://eduo.info/2002/10/12/dvd-databases-on-mac#comments Fri, 11 Oct 2002 23:01:00 +0000 eduo http://www.eduo.info/2002/10/12/dvd-databases-on-mac/ Where are all the DVD indexing applications for Mac? Where's the equivalent to CDDB for DVDs? Why is it that the only viable alternatives for it are either proprietary, limited to just one region or just plain part of a larger plan to catalog the tastes of all computer users?


OK. I have searched...
I really have.

I have found tons of DVD cataloguing software for the Mac (you'll excuse me if I completely disregard the existence of Windows for a moment), I have found some that may even be considered "great" on the information they contain. Hell, a friend of mine even made one of these. They are all good, but they all lack a very simple factor that would made them all the more useful: A centralized database of information that contains DVD data and that can be cross-referenced.

DVDProfiler got it right in concept. They created an engine that can be updated by the users themselves through their client. Users can input their information and then DVDProfiler can happily charge for the right to use that information through the sale of their little cataloguing program.

This, by the way, is your typical Windows program: Made with Delphi, Windows-only, with an interface that resembles in some undefinable way either Internet Explorer's or Outlook styles (this is the same "feature" that plagues similar programs like those of Collectorz or others like Kazaa and iMesh). The interface is a mess of tabs over tabs (vertical, horizontal, if diagonal tabs were possible it would have some of those as well) with tons of checkboxes and panes all over the place. A paid subscription allows you to download "High-Res" images of the DVDs (I don't know which is worse, if encouraging the copying of the DVD covers, possibly breaking copyright agreements -the high-resolution ones are "high" enough to print out and use for pirated VCDs- or the actual usefulness of having a huge picture of a DVD that you supposedly already own).

Upon startup DVDProfiler downloads a database of DVDs, actor, directors and other data that, depending on your connection can take anywhere between five minutes and forty five. It downloads the whole database of information from DVDProfiler and then periodically updates it. This is a smart idea if you use this in a machine without an Internet Connection but you need one to download the file in the first place.

I don't know. I had started thinking on making a free database of DVD information akin to CDDB for Music. Have a website where users can register for free and input the information for their DVDs (either be the UPC code or the name of the DVD) and, if the DVD is not present they can input the information and have it validated by other users who, later on, search for that same DVD. Such a list should encompass all regions and versions of DVDs. I thought I had found it when I saw MyDVDs in SourceForge, but sadly it works only for Region 1 DVDs, pulls the list from a site that pulls it in turn from dvdlister and has an interface that could scare a monkey (and those guys are used to really scary things, where do you think they get the crap-flinging reflex from?).

So here I am, 1:30 in the morning considering if to do so or not. If to use an existing DVD listing or let the users do all the input and correction by themselves, thinking how DVD's like the special edition of Lord Of The Rings: Fellowship Of The Ring should be catalogued (as it contains 5 discs and one of them is actually a separate disc from National Geographic with its own code and can be purchased separately. What to do?

So here is what I think could be done:

1.-Create a website where users create an account and can input their DVDs, again, using either the UPC code or the name (the UPC ensures a proper selection, selecting by name may be harder with all the versions that can exist out there of a given DVD). If he can't find the DVD he is looking for he is given the option of inputting the information himself. The input sheet should contain all the possible fields the DVD may have (audio tracks, number of CDs, kind of case, UPC mandatory, etc.). Once a user has put this DVD information it becomes available to all the users of the system in the future. Option to include a picture (either uploaded or from a URL is still in consideration)

2.-Users can register their DVDs and track them there. Links can be automatically created to IMDB for information about the movie or to Amazon to check on the title. The user can have his list online, decide if it's public or not and choose to print it or e-mail using any of several templates.

3.-Conceivably create a Cocoa Application for Mac Users that is able to keep this information offline (keeping it synchronized as best as it can with the online version) downloading information when needed and a connection is available. A Cocoa app has the advantage of being able to interface with a barcode reader for the UPC or read the DVD code straight from the drive. This application would probably be a shareware app with a nag screen at startup..:)

I don't think this is so hard. All the infrastructure is there. How hard can it be? Is it that if one wants things done right one has to do them?

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]]> http://eduo.info/2002/10/12/dvd-databases-on-mac/feed 1 http://eduo.info/2002/10/11/first-post http://eduo.info/2002/10/11/first-post#comments Fri, 11 Oct 2002 01:08:16 +0000 eduo http://www.eduo.info/2002/10/11/first-post/ The first post to my first Blog. Somehow I thought this would feel better...

Well. I have finally set-up my Blog. After three hours mucking around with Perl, PHP, MySQL and Apache I have convinced Jaguar (MacOSX 10.2) to run this for me. I have probably opened twenty or so security holes in the process, since I practically hammered all the programs into working as expected (or the closest to it one could expect) and now I am here, at 3:06 am staring at my brand-new Blog and deciding it's just too late to even think of changing the templates for the interface.

So, here it is and it'll stay this way for a while. At least until I get some sleep.

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