3rd post from iPhone

Our dog Shala.

$1.49 Gas Prices

I think that prices were around this price when Bush came into power. Kind of a book-end paradox for the American public.

My first post from my new iPhone

EDIT: The posting from the iphone for this entry did not work. Got to find another way...

The 50 Plus Acquisitions of Google

Wikipedia entry listing of all of Google's acquisitions. Wow!

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10 Gadgety Reasons To Love America

God bless our consumption

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BIM Proto-Buldings

John Tobin has written a wonderful article discussing the old and new uses of BIM building creation. His whole article boils down to using the software to not mimic or describe a building, but to actually build a digital building. It's a very compelling argument as many of our document discrepancies can be realized by creating building documents not just in 2D space but in real-time 3D space.

Buildings are intensely complicated, and so immense, that the most reliable way to convey design intent has been to rely on drafted views which try to describe their configuration. As a result, the architect’s work has traditionally become an exercise on paper trying to represent something that has a different, more physical reality.

Though many designers continue to use BIM to produce drawings—and a recent industry survey (Top Criteria for BIM Solutions: AECbytes Survey Results, Oct. 2007) favored that issue over several others—this is probably a transitional phase for BIM. We would be better served to look beyond using BIM merely as a more powerful representation tool, and instead to treat the models we create as proto-buildings.

iPhone release date missed

So I predicted with such absolute certainty the iPhone would come out June 20th

Wow was I wrong! But I have to wonder.... why July 11th is the real release date? My ideas are:

• Apple signed some crazy contract with one of the nation providers that they would be able to release the phone the same time as everyone else. And... it took the extra time to get the phones to that nation.
• Apple messed up, and was not ready for the launch and took the extra time to CYA.
• Apple could not stand to sell the phones and make money, and decided to not sell any phones for over 2 solid months (remember the phone was out of stock for over a month, and wont be released for an additional 31 days after the announcement).
• Steve Jobs lost a bet with someone at RIM and was forced to sell the phones later than he wanted.
  

I have no idea why Apple is waiting so long. It makes no business sense at all. If I was a major stockholder I'd be trying to get Steve on the phone. But as I'm not... I'll just keep those calls to myself.

iPhone Review. Good, Bad & Ugly

So..... Last Monday the iPhone was released. I happily watched the release from the liveblogs. but..... Steve seems to have taken a shortcut with the new phone. Here is my thoughts:

The Good

• 3G. Yep the fast fast fast, is good, good, good. I'm hopeful that AT&T will keep up the aggressive roll out of 3G in many more areas.
  
• Price. I like that the phone is subsidised. ATT will get their money back over the 2 years, and this will bring more customers into the iPhone world.
• Applications. So many people have said that apps are nice but web based apps are the way to go. I disagree 100%. I encounter so many areas that don't have wifi, and also many areas where cell phone coverage (and Edge & 3G) is very weak. On-phone apps run no matter what the coverage is like.
  
• Business support. For consumers this means little. For the long term forecast and life of the phone it is a MUST DO. I'm glad Apple started down the business road.
  
• Flush headset jack. Apple sometimes does listen to it's customers. Nuf' said.
• GPS. Wow! I really didn't think this would be on the phone. This is great. Having exact location information is very useful. Some say it's not necesary, but I think a whole big industry will spring up with this one addition. A few examples would be
  
• Geotaging photos.
• Keeping track of where you kids, friends, or spouse is located.
• real time traffic info based on users speeds.
• location based advertising
• calling AAA when your car breaks down, and telling them exactly where your at.
• theft recovery of 100% of the phones
• secure money transfers because PIN usage can be double checked against device location.
• guided city/museum tours displaying info based on real location.
• parking lot space location info.
• theam park maps inside the phone, with google style maps showing you which rides are currently under a 30 minute wait.... and where the nearest restrooms are located.
• coupons beamed to the phone only when entering or passing by a store.
  

The Bad

• Lack of Business Apps. So.... Steve..... this was to be a big rollout for business users, yet ya didn't add any intigrated business apps? Business people need a good note taking app, a robust ToDo app, a calender that is very flexible, a 5 star contact manager program & the ability to read and edit MS Office documents. I know, the app store might fill in the gaps... I have my doubts. Native apps from Apple will always run smoother than add-ons.
  
• Price. Apple dropped the price (via AT&T subsidy) but failed to keep high end products. There are users who need to basic level phone at a basement level price. There are also those people who would spend $500 on a phone (just look at the initial release of the phone). A more feature intensive phone coupled with cheaper phones would address this issue better.
  
• Memory. Music, photos, applications, data, and games. All this on 8 or 16Gigs is a tight fit. A larger 24Gig or 32Gig device is in order to solve storage problems. Again (back to my last point) there are users who would pay for the extra storage... and I'm one of them.
• Camera. I could rant that 2Mpixel cameras were all the rage 10 years ago, but why bother. I really don't think Apple feels this is a big issue for consumers. I personally carry a nice digital camera, but having a decent camera on the phone would be great for those times I don't have (or forgot) my real camera.
  

The Ugly

• Video. The iPhone can't call itself a great multi media device when basic video is not supported through the camera.
  
• Flash support. Again, Apple can't say this is a true internet device when Flash is not supported. This must be added into the phone!
  
• AT&T. Dang... I know we are stuck with em for some time. I still hate them for trashing the US constitution with the Bush administration. Full time wiretapping?!?!? I'm amazed more people don't care about this issue.
  
• No Data Storage. I really wish the iPhone could store data on it just as the iPods do. It would be nice to treat the phone like a USB drive and transfer files with it. Sigh. I don't think Steve will do this for many years.

So all in all the iPhone is a nice device in a very small form package. Apple did add some nice features that will help push the phone along, but I don't think they addressed them fully. But as the fan-boys will say.... that will all be in iPhone 3.0

Dang! 97 degrees...

Live Blogging the iPhone release

Well the new phone was announced Monday, and I watched the live blogging on Engadget, and Gizmodo. Both places did a wonderful job posting quick comments, and images. I really enjoyed those posts which came every 40 seconds or so.

I have to say that while sitting in Panera Bread, I was so worried that their 'iffy' internet service would come to a halt and leave me sitting in frustration. It has done this in the past... grrrr. Well, this time, it held up quite well.... even if most people were franticly hitting the refresh button every half second.

Kudos to both sites for their great coverage... and Thank You.
Kudos to Panera for their free internet service... and Thank You.

Cute Cute Cute

Ahhhhh... ain't he cute?

50 Excellent Blog Designs

Smashing Magazine puts together yet another great list of well-designed blogs. Very inspirational and some really unique designs made the cut.

70 Really Stunning Typographic Designs

Over 70 examples of sexy, bold and experimental typography. Some examples are typographic posters, some are typographic illustrations and some are just sketches with type. In any case, you will hopefully find some inspiration for your future works.

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Celebrate National Preservation Month with a movie!

My Friend Amanda Loughlin reminded her Architectural friends that May is National Preservation Month, and in honor of this occasion she outlined several good movies with a preservation bend to them. In her own words, "Watching one or all of these will do nothing to save the world, but it will enlighten you on issues pertaining to the preservation of buildings, neighborhoods, and land."

Here is Amanda's movie pics:

Blandings Builds His Dream House (Myrna Loy, Cary Grant) 1948 Comedy about a couple who buy a great old house in New England but end up having to build a new home because the old one is unlivable. This was made into a movie after the book of the same title. It’s the one book in a million that I don’t prefer to the movie. Preservation Issue: How much are you willing to invest in an old structure to save it?

The Haunting (Julie Harris) 1963 A great scary story about an evil old house that seems to be alive and manipulating the mind of a visitor. This is also a book (Shirley Jackson). It was “remade” in 1999, but don’t bother with that one because it’s horrible. Preservation Issue: Is it justifiable to tear down a stable historic building because of its association with evil?

Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte (Bette Davis, Olivia de Haviland) 1964 Very macabre, but rather a great thriller about an old woman with a terrible family secret. Preservation Issue: She lives in an antebellum house that is going to be torn down for a highway (this is pre-National Historic Preservation Act of 1966).

The Goonies (Sean Astin, Corey Feldman) 1985 Group of friends embark on a treasure hunt to find money to pay off a developer who wants to buy their neighborhood. Pirates, preservation, and the truffle-shuffle. It can’t get much better than that. Preservation Issue: Neighborhood and Community Preservation…did I mention there is a pirate ship in this?

Two Weeks Notice (Sandra Bullock, Hugh Grant) 2002 She is an activist who chains herself to buildings. She “falls in love” with her developer-loving boss. Warning, it’s a chick flick…but it’s not too sappy. Preservation Issue: The differing opinions of preservationists and developers.

Miss Potter (Renee Zellweger, Ewan McGregor) 2007 Really wonderful story about Beatrix Potter; she was instrumental in land conservation in England at the beginning of the 20th century. Preservation Issue: Land conservation vs. development in early 20th century England.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (John Cusak, Kevin Spacey) 1997 About the preservation of historic Savannah. I’ve only read the book, and if you can get through all the filth that makes you want to take a shower after reading each chapter, the preservation issues are intriguing. Preservation Issues: Gentrification, Historic District Preservation

Cars (Owen Wilson, Paul Newman) 2006 Animated comedy about a forgotten highway out West. Preservation Issue: The decline of the small town when the big new highway takes travelers away – think Route 66.

Amanda Loughlin is wonderfuly creative person with a great sence of humor. She also seems to have a good talent for picking movies. Way to go Amanda! This is a fantastic list of movies.

Cash not accepted at Apple?

No Credit... No Service... No Apple

Alex Palen’s visit to the Apple Store in the Walden Galleria last week began as a pleasant one. Walking the electronics retailer’s sleek aisles, Palen found the sales staff helpful in selecting the 16 gigabyte iPhone he wanted to buy.

But when he took the cash from his wallet to pay for the latest must-have gadget, things took a turn for the worse.

“She looked at my money and said, ‘We don’t accept cash as a form of payment for the iPhone.’ When I asked why, she would only say it was the store’s policy that I use a credit card,” Palen said.

Since he doesn’t have one, Palen asked another customer if he could give him the $499 plus tax to charge it for him. Store staffers said that was against the rules, and then escorted him — and his pocket full of bills — from the store.

http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/343856.html

iPhone Coming June 20th

Well, it appears the clearing of Apple's iphone stock can now be felt, not just in ATT stores, and Apple stores, but one Apples own on-line store. So this does seem to emphasize that Apple will indeed soon have a new phone. This also leads to serious speculation as to when the phone will be release. Here are some thoughts regarding some release dates:

• Steve Jobs will 'for sure' want to be the FIRST person to announce the phone and he is expected to speak at the ADC come early June. Apple has also started a release of the phone is several countries, which leads to logistical difficulty in maintaining silence worldwide. For these two reasons... June 9th thru 13th are out. Again, Steve does not want to be scooped by anyone.
• June 29th? This would seem to be a natural date for release date, as it is the 'birthday' of the first iPhone. Unfortuantaly, This would mean no sales of iphones for almost 2 months (this is written on May 10th). This date does not sync with Job's desire to sell millions of phones before the end of 2008. I also doubt whether the stock holders & board members, and ATT would allow such a major hole in the schedule. For these reasons the 29th is right out. Also, the 29 is on a Sunday this year... a really weird day to release anything to the public.
• The fall or late summer. This idea has been floated by several people who follow the phone closely. I have great respect for them, however Apple needs to sell, and sell as many possible days as they can. Waiting until the end of summer will not help sales, as right now, they are out of stock almost everywhere. Waiting until the fall will also hurt Apples WallStreet stocks also.
• June 15 to July 12 has been designated as days its employees should not take time off from work. AT&T did this last year with the release of the first phone. Now reasoning says, AT&T would not need people manning the store, if no customers can get their hands on a iphone. But, they would need extra manpower early to stock shelves, train staff on procedures, and prime everyone on what to say and how to say it. This clue does narrow down the release date.
• Steve Jobs also has announced the 3rd party software will be release in late June. Apple also has had many of its 'release dates' slip in the past, so it would not surprise anyone if the software is release on the very last day of June, or possibly early July. Now this gives a small indication that Apple will want people who buy the phone to soon be able to install the apps. However, I'm betting Apple will want the phone to our hands prior to the app store launch. This will have the phones for people (read the press and blogging community) to get excited about first, and then the app store second.
  
• Some have predicted June 27th as the day. It's towards the end of the month; it is near the one year anniversary; it fits in with the AT&T schedule; it is also on a Friday, which allows people to rush the stores and have the entire weekend to play with the phone. It also allows Job's to boast about weekend sales, much like the movie industry does. One last thing... Friday also allows for WallStreet to hear about everyone swarming the stores to get the phone... which makes investors swarm all over Apple stock. This is a very good, but why again, wait one additional week with no one being able to buy the phone (which again, is out of stock almost everywhere)?
• So... with all this taken into account, what day will the iPhone be released? June 20th. Why?.... well.....
  
• It is on a Friday.
• It is near the anniversary.
  
• the 20th gives AT&T one working week fully staffed to set up and train it's sales force.
• It give the media 10ish days to go berzerk after Job's announces the phone which will dominate the news, then the press can go nuts for 10 days after the actual phone is released, and then the press/bloggers can dominate the news with the 3rd party apps news. A whole month of Apple news. Dang!!!
• And lastly, it gives apple several weeks after the anouncement to ship phones everyone, without the fear of leaked information getting onto the web... not scooping Steve.

So there you have it. My prediction of June 20th for the iPhone release. I really would like the phone to come out sooner. Really, I would love it out today... but me thinks Steve likes all the suspense... and all the press.

Nuclear Explosive Diarrhea

Prepare for a good laugh....

Diarrhea so powerful it instantly destroys your toilet, and tears a small hole in the space time continuim. It is like (Diarrhea) except it's flow is near unstoppable by any mortal being. It is very powerful, and can occour at anytime. Is usually unexpected, and can leave one with large holes in their pants. When this occours, one should immediatly head to the nearest washroom, or atleast away from any public place. Usually requires 5 or 6 rolls of toilet paper to clean up. Beware that this may be re-occuring, and if it is, make sure you visit a doctor A.S.A.P. for this can leave you dehydrated and may cause you to lose up to 130 pounds.

"After that night of eating 400 pounds of jalapeno peppers, i had an extreme case of Nuclear Explosive Diarrhea. At first i thought it was regular explosive diarrhea, but then i noticed a large portal around me, and i noticed a deadly aroma that ended up killing 600,000 unsuspecting people."

Mac & PC UK

A compilation of TV ads. from UK for Apple's Mac.



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O'Reilly: 'We Didn't Invade Iraq'

What an amazingly amazing Idiot!

Yesterday, Fox News host Bill O’Reilly made the incredible claim that the United States never invaded Iraq: “We didn’t invade Iraq.” He added, “It was a declaration of war, it was a declaration to enforce the first Gulf War Treaty.”

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Obama Truth on Gas Tax