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As predicted, Apple crapped out a new, somewhat improved iPhone 3G, adding a shiny new “S” to the title for the grant combination of “iPhone 3GS.” As tempting as it is, especially since my contract expires, I’m probably not gonna go for it.I got a thing aginast phones that aren’t flip phones.

Ergo, instead of spending this entry bitching about the iPhone, like I did last year, I’m gonna spend time talking about the i-not-Phone, the iPod Touch. The iTouch seems to be the black sheep of Apple. Users often get shafted when new software comes out for the device, which was the main argument I had with an open letter to Steve Jobs, and it doesn’t have anywhere near the abilities of its Phone-brother. This is a shame.

I’m sure in the next few months Apple will unload the iTouch 3 on us, and it’s sure to be more powerful than my touch, as well as the 2G one. Looking back at my last iTouch post, they did indeed add some goodies, such as a speaker and microphone, but GPS and a Camera remain missing.

Last year, I made it clear that I’d only buy another iTouch if it had GPS and a Speaker/Microphone. This year, it looks like I’ll be buying another iTouch anyway because the new software and new apps that will come out will more than likely be too powerful for my old iPod Touch to take. So I really really hope that GPS is on the next edition of iTouch.

By the way, in case anyone’s wondering, I never got a response from that open letter. But apparently, Apple cites some old law that says they need to charge iPod users because they have a finished product, but iPhones aren’t finished, or something. Someone brief me in on it? I feel like it’s a BS answer anyway…

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@christinelu You could be the Geek Queen…. #

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Up is #7. Get it? 7. Up? 7-Up? …Uggh.

Well, any WWDC predictions, anyone?

Yesterday, Microsoft crapped out its Google-Killer! All Hail the Almighty Bing! Bing, according to Microsoft, is this:

Bing brings order to the chaos of online search, making it easy for you to find what you’re looking for and to get things done. The Product Guide outlines the design goals for Bing and provides interactive, step-by-step instructions for how to use the new features in everyday tasks such as checking the weather forecast, tracking a package or planning your next vacation.

Hmm, interesting, I thought. But, in order to make sure we didn’t have another Zune on our hands, I had to give Bing a test.

The Ultimate Test: Who will win?

Obviously, I’m sure a million bloggers have already written about the power of Bing, but I find their lack of challenge concerning. Therefore, the burden falls to me. I shall ask of both Google and Bing the questions that have plagued men for centuries! LET US BEGIN!!!!

Question 1: Why is a raven like a writing desk?

This question has plagued the minds of Lewis Carroll fans for years! Let us compare responses! In this challenge, amazingly enough, both Bing and Google responded with the exact same webpage, which sufficiently answered the question.

Winner: TIE. Really, we needed to move on to something more challenging.

Question 2: What is the sound of one hand clapping?

Our next question has had answers from all over, from Buddha to Bart Simpson. Now the burden falls to our search engine boxers. Bing responded with a web page dedicated to the answer. Google responded to it as a definition, offering up two options within: A Wikipedia entry on the question, and info on a novel with the same name. Being that the Wikipedia entry was on the broader theme that the above question was one, Bing actually got right to the point with the answer to the question. In the Wikipedia entry, I had to exhaustively look.

Winner: Bing. Now for a REAL tough one…..

Question 3: Which came first, the chicken or the egg

Thousands of years ago, debates started involving this question that are continued today by ranks of undead scholars. Today, we might just answer this question. TO ARMS!

Google: One again, Google delivered a Wikipedia page for the answer that summarized the debate. Bing, on the other hand, went right to an answer posted by CNN. To be fair, the same page was only a few pages away from the top on Google’s side.

Winner: Bing.

Question 4: The best website on the internet

This is a trick question! I’m actually looking for The Best Page in the Universe, and not what is really The best website out there. Bing, of course, didn’t get it. Google, on the other hand, demonstrated to me that it knew full well the epic awesomeness that is Maddox.

Winner: Google.

Question 5: What is the answer to life, the universe and everything?

Bing was close. It came up with a Wikipedia entry on the above question, but Google beat it straight to the point, using its own calculator. What is the answer, you say? It’s obvious! The answer of course, is 42.

Winner: Google.

So, the bases are tied, and it seems that we have a bit of a rivalry going on! Maybe we do have a rival in Bing, maybe we don’t. Time will tell.

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In 2007, Amazon Released the Kindle. This little device was poised to deliver Ebook reading to the masses, armed with 3G internet and Amazon’s millions of books, it was a piece of technological jewelry among the technological elite.

For two years, while the original Kindle was sold out, my mind mulled over whether or not to purchase one. When Kindle 2 came out, I finally decided why the hell not and bought it in January of last year, and got it in February. I’ve loved it ever since, especially since I subsribe to the Times and Ars Technica on it.

But now I’m angry. Less then 3 months after Kindle 2 was released, Amazon announced it was unleashing the Kindle “DX.” This new Kindle, according to Amazon’s Kindle Website, includes these as some of the following features:

Beautiful Large Display: 9.7″ diagonal e-ink screen reads like real paper; boasts 16 shades of gray for clear text and sharp images

Auto-Rotating Screen: Display auto-rotates from portrait to landscape as you turn the device so you can view full-width maps, graphs, tables, and Web pages

Built-In PDF Reader: Native PDF support allows you to carry and read all of your personal and professional documents on the go

So yeah, if you can’t tell, I’m REALLY ANGRY. In other words, I just shelled out $359 for something that became outdated in THREE MONTHS! DO NOT respond to me by saying that I’m an “early adopter” or that I was “risking” something. I waited TWO YEARS to buy the Kindle, and this is the reward I get: Instant Obsolescence.

I could understand waiting a year or so to release a new Kindle, or to make this Kindle initially available to certain parties (Such as for educators and the like,) but this is absolutely unfair. If this was Amazon’s ultimate plan, then why the hell did they release the Kindle 2? THEY SHOULD HAVE WAITED!

So yeah, Amazon. Thanks for pulling an Apple. Actually, no. This is worse than Apple. At least Apple WAITS a year to release better shit. I hope you at least have some class and do a discount like Apple did.

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As I sit here on my laptop waiting for my transcript to say the sacred markings that read something on the lines of “Master’s Degree Awarded,”  I sit back and wonder what in heck allowed me to survive for so long, considering that I am the self-proclaimed “Procrastinator King.” I went over my behaviors and I started noting that I’m actually not as bad of a procrastinator as I thought (Although I’m still pretty bad.) If you’re like me and put off that amazing 20-page paper until the end, this is what I did that essentially got me my M.A:

Plan your topic early in the semester – If you’ve got that massive paper due at the end of class, and you’re not the organized type, you need to at least have a good idea on what you’ll be doing. Elevator pitches count here. If you can’t summarize your idea to your professor or to anyone else in 15 seconds, get another topic ASAP.

Figure out the research you need to do – I was never one to immediately dig into the library and pull out tons of research, but you do need to at least have a few terms to look for. Figure out a few words that relate to your topic, so when you do the actual research, you can use them to get what you need

Plan out the paper in your mind – Outlining sucks, at least for me. Why write down on paper what I could easily draft in my mind? Papers at the graduate level tend to follow a similar order, so once you have it down, it makes it all the easier to plan it in your head.

Know your maximum amoung of pages per day – In times of stress, I would note the amount of pages I could write before I went borderline insane. It was about 7 pages a day. Try to write as much of a paper as you can in order to see what your max pages per day is, and allot yourself an amount of time to do it.

I do not endorse, nor condone procrastination. But, seeing as it’s something I’ve dealt with all my life, and something I will continue to deal with, I’ve learned that the best tactics don’t involve resisting procrastination, but working with it to make it beneficial.

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I just wanted to say that I’m glad I’m finally done. Now I can dedicate myself to my real love: The Blogosphere, and writing non-academic papers. More to come!