Apple Watch - Corporate - Apple Fiscal 2008 by the Numbers: Apple's desktop business is still looking to be pretty healthy, so maybe it will be awhile before Apple exits desktops entirely. It's certianly looking like we'll see some new desktops at January's MacWorld expo - certainly new Mac Pros with an Intel Core i7 CPU (a.k.a. "Nehalem"). Also hoping for something new on the Mac mini front -- I don't think that a total redesign is out of the question (it could explain why there has been such a delay in updates for this little guy).
geeksugar's Guide to Mini Notebooks! | geeksugar - Technology, Gadgets,: A nice roundup of the current netbooks on the market (save for the Lenovo S10), from geeksugar. That HP Mini 1000 is still looking mighty tempting.
John Doerr’s Advice for Barack Obama: Hire Bill Joy - Bits Blog - NYTimes.com: I'm not sure about hiring Bill Joy, but we do need to reform immigration, especially for those that graduate from a US university. Money quote:
“What we do is bring foreign nationals to the world’s greatest universities. We train them, invest in them and make them go home,” he said. “What kind of national strategy is that? So I would staple a green card to the diploma.”
Boston Review — Richard M. Stallman: Not Free at Any Price: While I don't always agree with Richard Stallman, I am pretty happy for the free software movement, and he does make many excellent points with regards to OLPC.
The enormity of what happened yesterday is still sinking in. I was wrong in 2000, and again in 2004, so while I thought Barack would win in a landslide yesterday, I didn't really get my hopes up (I was prepared to be wrong). And even after CNN projected victory, I still wasn't sure what to think.
But during Barack's amazing acceptance speech, it started to sink in. A process that is still occurring today. Here is how the speech opened:
"If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer."
That is what I'm talking about. You live here, day in and day out, and see all of the crappy policy decisions, see people think small, be mean to each other, etc. And you start to think that this "American Dream" business is just something that they tell schoolchildren so that they'll behave, sortof like Santa Claus. But then this election happens, and we elect this amazing candidate, and get this amazing speech. Another passage that I'd like to cite:
"Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House - a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, "We are not enemies, but friends...though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection." And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn - I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too."
What a great way to frame this -- Barack goes back, to the time of Lincoln, in order to look forward into the future. This gives me hope that he really will be a uniter, unlike George W. Bush.
I don't know when I've ever been prouder of America. When the chips are down, we get our shit together, and do the right thing. It's been awhile, a long while, since I really and truly had hope for the future. So in that sense, it is a brand new day, and I for one can't wait to see where this leads.
-Andy.
Class action suit filed over PowerBook G4 memory slots: The lower memory slot on my old PowerBook G4 (which is now in the possession of my sister) failed a few weeks ago, making the machine crazy-slow (apparently with only 256Mb of RAM, Leopard swaps on boot). It is BS that Apple has only recognized this problem for such a small slice of machines - I'm glad to see that this lawsuit has been filed, and I will be monitoring it closely.
Electronista | WD reveals TV media hub with 1080p output: Something like this might be a reasonable AppleTV replacement, if I were to ever ditch iTunes.
HP Mini 1000 hands-on - Engadget: A decent look at HP's latest netbook - I definitely have mad gadget lust for this thing, based upon what I've seen so far. I can't wait to read some in-depth reviews, once this thing starts shipping mid next Month.
So, how about that economy? It's been in the news a lot lately. Bank closures. Government Bailouts. Layoffs. The quote of the night, from the NBC nightly news, is that for every person who loses their job, there are 10 more who are worried about losing theirs.
That sounds about right -- and is why I think this holiday season isn't going to be a very jolly one for businesses, and why things could get even more interesting in the January/February timeframe.
So while for the time being, I am still among the employed, I can't say that I'm super looking forward to 2009. I've been unemployed before in a down economy, and it sucks, big time. It's an experience that I have been hoping to not have to repeat.
But, there is still room to be hopeful. Contrary to last time, I have several years of experience under my belt, no debt, and some money in the bank (eating PB&J for lunch has its benefits). So at this point, it's basically all about holding on for the ride. There's reason to hope that with an Obama win and a not-too-bad holiday season, that the economy will come in for more of a soft landing in 2009.
-Andy.
