Miscellaneous Category Archive
There are 16 entries in this category.
Less is More
Thursday, December 6, 2007 4 comments (latest by rob)
A month or so ago when I switched from using a 40GB iPod brick to a clip-on style iPod Shuffle. I thought I would miss having access to my entire music library, but I really don't.
I never liked carrying such a big iPod. With keys, wallet and a phone my pockets were full enough already I'd have to carry it, or keep it in my bag and use the clip on remote control. I usually listened to it on shuffle anyway, skipping over all the songs I didn't like, so when my headphones started to break I could have spent another $30 pair of Apple earbuds (which fit perfectly, and I can comfortably wear all day) but I knew Apple sold refurbished iPod Shuffles for $50.
For just $20 more, I went for a Shuffle. That also let me get an orange one, which was discontinued when they changed up the colors a few months ago.
The day I started using the Shuffle was the last day I used my old 40GB iPod. With the clip and weighing nothing I take it with me all the time now and even though it can only hold a fraction of what my old iPod could, I haven't filled it's 1GB with the favorites and latest playlists I've set up for it.
Sometimes less is more.
The View From Mars
Thursday, October 25, 2007 3 comments (latest by Jeffrey W. Baker)
Leading up to last weekend's Lights Out San Francisco, an event to push energy conservation by switching to more energy efficient CFL light bulbs, there was a surprising amount of negativity. While he agreed to turn out his light's SFist editor Brock told readers not to switch to CFL bulbs because they don't produce the same light as incandescent bulbs.
And while it's true they don't produce the same light, it isn't even noticeable in uses like porch lights, garages, bathrooms, etc., but even then there was still objection.
This morning, thanks to Scott Mace, I found this quote by author Jim Kunstler that sums up my feelings better than I could.
"The people I know complain endlessly about how stupid President George W. Bush is, and how badly he has lied to the public about this or that. But a casual observer from Mars would have to conclude that President Bush perfectly represents a nation that shows such a thoroughgoing incapacity for thought, and such an aversion to the truth about its own behavior. A people so hopelessly unwilling to get its act together deserves to suffer."
Something one of the United States' founding father's once said came to mind reading that. This Thomas Jefferson quote has been cited quite a bit regarding the response to 9/11, but the climate crisis is no less pressing of a national security issue than terrorism.
"Those who desire to give up Freedom in order to gain Security, will not have, nor do they deserve, either one."
Do American's deserve to survive the climate crisis if they can't even be bothered to switch out a few light bulbs?
Bunnies Like no Other
Monday, October 8, 2007 3 comments (latest by greg Dewar)
Here in the United States, Sony advertises their Bravia line of televisions with the slogan "the first television for men and woman" and lame ads that show men caring only about watching sports, and having had a Bravia for nearly a year we've never watched one sports game on it, while in the rest of the world Sony has been creating scenes of brilliant colors to sell them.
Yesterday, Shawn mentioned the new commercial was running.
In the latest commercial for europe they've gone animated, with colorful play-doh bunnies hopping around the concrete jungle of New York City and coming together as "She's a rainbow" by Rolling Stones is played. It's the same song Apple used when they released the iMac in a variety of colors.
For the first commercial, a quarter million superballs bounced down San Francisco's Russian Hill while José González's "Heartbeats" played. if you live here and haven't seen it you should take a look at it. YouTube doesn't do it justice in low resolution though and there's an HD version on the Sony Flash site if you click around a bit.