Deep Thought · think

In Light of the Lyrics App Debacle

2009-05-20T02:04:44Z

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/05/appstoreeasteregg/

Apple initially rejected Jelle Prins’ iPhone app Lyrics, which displays lyrics for the songs in your music library, including the profanity contained in some song lyrics. Apple cited that fact as the reason for turning Prins down.

Oh Apple, look what I found:

Perhaps maybe you should make them censor it?

Ooh, and there’s this other app that allows unfiltered access to the internet, including objectionable content which you seem not to like allowing. I think it’s called… um.... Safari, that’s it! Wait a minute....

Yeah, make the developers of that conduit of smut pay for their sins against our children.

Speaking of children, won’t somebody think of them?

4chan.org’s Popular Board /b/ Taken down

2009-01-10T23:26:45Z

In wake of the DDOS attack on /b/ that I reported on a few minuets ago. It has taken only twenty seven minuets for the moderators at 4chan to take down /b/. At 7:27PM EST /b/ was reported as 404’d.

4Chan.org Threatend By Internet War Against Boxxy

2009-01-10T22:12:01Z

While browsing one of my favorite sites I found that the internet war between 4chan.org‘s Anonymous and a young, quite annoying girl from youtube named Boxxy has began to reach what a sociologist would call ”Critical Mass.” There is a large movement amoung 4chan.org users to perform a DDOS attack on the site at 7:00PM EST tonight. If you also brows the website be sure to expect delays or even a total server crash from 7PM onwards tonight.

The group of users are calling the attack under two codename: Operation Valkyrie and Operation Clampdown. The goal of the attack is to, according to the boards at 4chan, “stop the spread of the boxxy cancer.”

I will keep you updated on this situation as it develops throughout the night.

UPDATE 6:45PM EST: Just fifteen minuets before the attack an image is found of DDOS program aimed at 4chan.org. It appears to be a program commonly used called Low Orbit Ion Cannon. The interesting thing from the screen shot is that the programs are set to broadcast a message to the 4chan.org mods to destroy boxxy or else it seems the attack will be endless. More information to come.
ion.jpg

Images regarding the DDOS attack: (these have been edited to make them more family friendly and as to not promote illegal actives as is against dtgeeks.com policies.)
valkyrie.jpg

DISCLAIMER:
In no way is the author of this post, or http://www.dtgeeks.com supporting the hacking, attack, or other illegal actions against any other website. We are in no way responsible for the actions of any of our readers and have done all we can to prevent our readers from being able to join in said attacks. By reading this post you agree that you exanerate all blame for any actions related to the above event from http://www.dtgeeks.com, its authors, its owners, or other readers.

Note to Apple: Vista is fixed.

2008-10-22T04:32:38Z

Apple’s relentless anti-Vista smear campaign continues, with its latest round of “Mac vs. PC” commercials accusing Microsoft of spending money on marketing that it could be spending to “fix Vista.”

Here’s a note to Apple: Vista is fixed. It’s called Service Pack 1, a release that, by all accounts, addresses the vast majority of issues Vista had at launch. Windows Vista with SP1 is fast, stable and highly capable, and despite Apple’s relentless smear campaign, people are gradually beginning to realize that Vista isn’t as bad as they’d been led to believe.

It’s time for Apple to stop the smearing and go back to focusing on the positive aspects of Mac OS X.

Back-to-school tech shopping: a buyer’s guide

2008-07-26T07:58:54Z

It’s back to school time again here in the United States, and you know what that means: kids going off to college! And these kids may need a computer! Are you a parent without a clue of what to buy, and what your kid might need for school? Read on.

Mac or PC?

Who would have imagined that a such a simple question would resort to fanatical responses? At any rate, the decision isn’t as clear-cut as it used to be. Despite big gains by Apple, Windows still controls a good 90% of the market. There is still much more software and accessories available for Windows than the Mac, but that doesn’t mean the Mac isn’t a good option. There may not be as many products available for the Mac, but there are still more than enough choices out there for most users, and that number is always growing. Windows PCs start at lower prices, but Macs are not out of reach for most people (Mac laptops are available from $1099 US). Another thing to note is that Macs can run Windows too.

Also, some schools or academic departments may have certain requirements; some may require Macs, others may require Windows. Be sure to check with your kid’s school for any specific requirements.

Desktop or laptop?

In my two years working at an on-campus computer store, I can tell you this much: students love laptops. They take them to the library, to class, and to study groups. So for most students, a laptop is the way to go. Desktops tend to be more expandable and more powerful (especially on the higher end), but for the vast majority, a laptop can do just about anything a desktop can, even drive a second display.

Software

The most obvious piece of software is Microsoft Office (Windows and Mac version). There are other options for office software too, such as iWork for Mac users and OpenOffice.org¹, which is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux users. The best part about OpenOffice.org is that it’s free! All three offer a similar batch of features and can all read and create Microsoft Office files. A free trial is available for Office for Windows and iWork for the Mac, so you can take those for a test drive and see which one you like best. A demo of the Mac version of Office isn’t available for some reason, though.

Security

The number one security concern in computer users’ minds is malware (viruses, etc...). To help prevent a massive infection, you kid’s school may require antivirus software. However, antivirus software may be available from the school either free of charge or for a small fee; check with the school to see what the requirements are, and what they provide for students.

The number two security concern is, well, making sure the damn thing doesn’t get stolen! Fortunately, there is an easy theft deterrent: a cable lock. These attach to a cable lock port that is included on almost all laptops on the market.². A cable lock is inexpensive and easy to use, and will prevent most crimes of opportunity.

More Accessories

There’s a crapload of stuff you can get along with the computer. Quickly going down the list in no particular order:

Storage: You’ll want to get both an external hard drive and a USB flash drive. External hard drives are invaluable, because, trust me, your son or daughter will want to back up his/her stuff. I don’t know how many times I’ve helped panicked grad students who just lost their dissertation because their hard drives died. Backups are your friend. Flash drives are useful for shuffling files between computers, or for taking to the computer lab to print a paper when your son or daughter ran out of printer ink and needs to have the paper on the professor’s desk in twenty minutes. Waiting to the last minute is bad.

So to recap: storage good. Panicking bad.

A bag: If your kid just got a shiny new laptop, what better way to keep it shiny than a nice sleeve case or bag to go with it? Personally I lean toward backpacks and messenger bags; basically, you’ll want something that doesn’t look like you have an expensive piece of computer equipment in it to, again, prevent crimes of opportunity from would-be thieves. I own a backpack by a company called STM, and I swear by it. You can read my review of it here. STM, of course, isn’t the only game in town; other vendors that make great laptop bags include Timbuk2, Waterfield, Sumo, Targus, and a good number of other companies.

Keyboards and mice: If your kid got a laptop and will be spending a lot of time at a desk, they may want to consider a keyboard and/or mice. Keyboards and mice come in more shapes and sizes than you could ever imagine. Keyboards and mice come wired or wireless, in standard designs or ergonomic ones. Some mice are designed to be easy to toss in your bag with your laptop. Some places to look for more information include Microsoft, Logitech, Targus, and Kensington. If you’re looking for ergonimic keyboards and mice, Key Ovation has a full line of ergonomic products.

Surge protectors: You don’t want to end up with a fried computer after a power surge, do you? Get one. They’re cheap, and they sure beat the alternative.

USB hubs: Some computers—especially laptops—have a limited number of USB ports. If your kid has an iPod, a keyboard and mouse, a printer, an external hard drive, and a digital camera, they’re going to need more than the two measly ports on a MacBook. USB hubs are generally inexpensive as well. A word of caution: some USB hubs are “powered” while some are not. A powered USB hub includes a power adapter and as the name suggests, gives the USB port additional power. (Captain Obvious strikes again!) The reason for this is because some devices require the additional power; every USB port on a computer is capable of carrying an electrical current, which some devices (e.g. an iPod) require. However, each USB port on a USB hub does not carry enough of a current to power these devices, hence the power adapter. In general, you will want to buy a powered USB hub.

Printers: Once upon a time, about the only choice most users had were inkjet printers. And inkjet printers are good: they give you decent quality on the cheap. Or at least the initial cost looks good. And then you get taken to the cleaners for ink cartridges. However, in recent years, laser printers have come down in price to the point where a standard black and white laser printer is now well within reach for most buyers. And even though toner cartridges are usually a good bit more expensive than ink cartridges, they last longer. Way longer. If your kid needs or wants to print in color (photos, etc...), an inkjet is still the way to go. But if all he or she needs is something to print English papers, a laser printer may be work a look.

Note that printers sold today do not come with USB cables in the box! Be sure to pick one up when buying the printer. If the salesperson doesn’t mention this, then, well, they’re not doing their job.

A second monitor: While not a must-have, a second display is worth considering for one fact: it boosts productivity. Also, laptop users will appreciate the space.

These are just some of the things to consider; there are a many more items to think of. But the ones I mention above should provide for a pretty complete setup for most people. And even though this list is geared toward buying for college, most of these tips are equally valid for general computer purchases too. That’s right, two blog posts in one! A model of efficiency!

Where to shop

You could order through a mail-order catalog or online. Or you could go to Best Buy or The Apple Store. But, hands-down, the best way to buy a computer for your kid is the on-campus computer store. Many schools have one, either as part of the bookstore or as a separate shop. But regardless of the location, these places can offer your son or daughter computers, software, and accessories at ridiculously low prices, thanks to academic discounts. Now for the caveat emptor: these stores often require the student to be present when making the purchase, and require a student ID, so you might not be able to surprise your kid with the computer of their dreams. But then again, you save a crapload of money, so I’d say that it’s a pretty good tradeoff. Wouldn’t you agree?

And one final note...

This is my last post here at Deep Thought. I have recently accepted a job with a major computer industry publication (*cough*PC World*cough*), and, since Deep Thought covers a lot of the same ground as my new employer, I won’t be able to write for DT any longer since, well, I’d be competing against myself in a sense. I was one of the original staff members here, and DT has been my baby so to speak, even if it hasn’t been as successful as we all hoped. I’ve had a blast writing for Deep Thought over the past three and a half years, and I am sad to leave it behind. Thanks to everyone who took the time to read what I’ve posted, no matter how stupid some of it may have been. I appreciate every comment you’ve written, whether you love my work or hate it. I credit my work with Deep Thought for helping me land this job in the first place, and I will always remember the time I spent here.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

-- Nick Mediati
July 26, 2008

¹Can somebody tell me why they added the .org to the software’s name?↩
²The MacBook Air is a notable exception; it doesn’t have a lock port.↩

Spam turns 30; Internet not happy

2008-05-03T18:50:00Z

THE INTERNET- Spam today announced that it has been 30 years since its first use, when it was first sent on the ARPANET on May 3rd, 1978. Since then, it has maintained a standard of excellence in annoyance of anyone who dares to set foot on the World Wide Web. Though not called spam until 15 years after that historic event, Spam was an insult and a nuisance even on its first day of life.

“LOSE 10 POUNDS IN 2 WEEKS!!! VIAGRA IN STOCK 40% OFF NOW!!! I’M 30 YEARS OLD TODAY!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!! FREE ANTIVIRUS SCAN U ARE INFECTED!!!” Spam announced today, to thunderous dissent. Though the first use of spam was email, it has since spread to many other communication methods, such as instant messaging, blog comments, and even the telephone.

One humble spammer, who gave his name as Geoff Kennedy, was available for comment. “V|aggra 50mg x 60 pi1ls = $ 89.95,” he told Deep Thought. He then added, “Have liver problems; have kidney problems; have ever had blood cell problems such as sickle cell anemia, multiple myeloma, or leukemia,” a statement which had us somewhat puzzled. The man concluded by stating that, “Via-gra 1.41 per p!ll best 0n-line dr.ugstore in the internet,” and resumed his work. I then threw an empty soda cup at him.

Yes, of the many uses of the internet to have been realized so far, spam has remained one that can stand the test of time, much to the chagrin of everyone on the internet. Happy damn birthday, Spam; we don’t look forward to 30 more.

San Francisco Chronicle: A very unhappy birthday to spam, age 30
Deep Thought: Spam poetry

Who’d’a thunk it? Most facebook apps are pointless

2008-05-02T22:58:00Z

According to a recent study, most Facebook apps are pointless silly time-wasters, according to a CNET blog post. The blog post cites a new study from Flowing Data, which tabulated the nature of the 23,000+ Facebook applications. Roughly 9600 are categorized as “Just for Fun,” while many more are labeled as “Gaming,” “Sports,” “Chat,” and other productivity-killing categories.

Now wait just a second. Why on Earth did Flowing Data research the number of pointless Facebook apps? Anyone who has spend any time on Facebook and has been bombarded with endless application invitations could tell you that most Facebook apps are pointless. A pointless survey on the pointlessness of Facebook apps. Hard to believe someone actually got paid for that.

And besides, who visits Facebook to get anything done in the first place?

Blogging may be hazardous to your health?

2008-04-07T16:48:00Z

The New York Times posted an article discussing stress-related health issues that can go along with professional blogging.

At least one blogger, Marc Andreessen, ridiculed the New York Times article. Marc, buddy, I think you missed the point. As someone who has blogged prolifically for the past few years, I can tell you that the New York Times article isn’t necessarily that far off the mark.

First of all, the Times article isn’t saying that “Blogging causes death.” No, what they’re saying is that highly-competitive blogging can cause heavy stress. Heavy stress can lead to health problems, some of which—such as heart attacks—can lead to death.

Let’s think about the real idea behind the article before shooting off about it on a blog next time.

Many bloggers today put themselves under a shitload of stress. As a blogger for DT, I’m not as hard core as some are, but I can tell you that I’ve suffered under the stress of blogging too. I’ve deprived myself of sleep. I’ve suffered burnout. I put DT before studying as a college student; it showed in my grades, and now I regret it. At times DT became an obsession, and I just coudn’t handle it anymore. That is why I don’t post here as much as I used to.

In linking to Andreessen’s post, John Gruber remarks, “There’s nothing to say about such a goofy, insipid article other than to mock it. My grandfather was a coal miner. That was a hard, stressful, dangerous job.” Coal mining is a dangerous and stressful job, but for completely different reasons. Blogging is stressful because people make it stressful. People bring it upon themselves. Coal mining is stressful because if you’re not careful you could end up seriously injured or killed. But I wouldn’t be so quick to dismiss the possible consequences of professional blogging.

Any job can be stressful, really. The one major difference, though, is that blogging for some can become a nearly 24-hour job. Working almost nonstop can’t possibly be a good thing.

If you’re a prolific blogger, or anyone whose job causes a heavy stress load, I have one word for you: chill. Pay the bills, yes, but also make sure you get as much rest as you can, eat right, and get some exercise. Find a balance. And if that doesn’t work, maybe it’s time to find something else to do for a living.

And with that, it’s off to another kind of hell: going to the dentist to fill a couple cavities. Boo.

On ‘A More Perfect Union’

2008-03-20T04:57:00Z

I typically don’t like posting articles that are political in nature here, but since I have nothing better to write about (and don’t have a personal blog), here goes…

In light of Senator Barack Obama’s speech ”A More Perfect Union” and the whole brouhaha over Rev. Wright, I have three questions:

Would the response be the same if any of the other Presidential candidates were embroiled in a similar controversy? Would there be such a large uproar (or maybe a bigger uproar)? And how would the other candidates handle such a situation?

How much should the expressed beliefs and views of a close friend or family member impact a candidate running for office?

Should someone leave a congregation because they strongly disagree with the pastor?

Leave a comment. I may or may not post my opinion, depending on how much I want to get into the debate.

And with that, we return to our regularly scheduled programming!

Blu-ray wins, consumers lose

2008-03-07T04:33:00Z

It’s been two weeks since Toshiba, creators and primary backers of the nascent next-generation movie disc format called HD DVD, ceased production and marketing of the technology, ceding defeat in a bitter format war raged between it and Blu-ray Disc, championed by a Sony-led consortium.

This move was widely expected following January’s announcement by Warner Home Video that it will be supporting Blu-ray Disc exclusively going forward. As the number one movie studio in the world, Warner Bros. commanded immense weight in deciding the outcome of this war, and once their announcement was made, it took less than two months for companies at every level of the home video distribution ecosystem to fall in line behind it, abandoning HD DVD in the process and leaving Toshiba holding the bag.

So now that Blu-ray Disc is poised to become the dominant next-generation movie format, it’s time to look to the future. A future that, quite frankly, looks somewhat bleak for a number of reasons.

In a Blu-ray dominated future, expect high prices, because everything about Blu-ray is far more expensive than its HD DVD counterparts. The players will be expensive thanks to costly laser pickups, complicated hardware and an even more complicated software stack that will require extensive support from the manufacturers. The discs will be expensive thanks to the relatively high cost of manufacturing discs, and the sky-high costs of authoring them using BD-J.

Expect limited selection, in part because of the high costs of creating a commercial Blu-ray Disc, but also (and far more troubling) because of the requirement for all BD-ROM titles to have AACS encoding before they can play. The costs of acquiring these licenses and the complications of implementing them will shut out many smaller, indie film studios from BD publishing, resulting in a catalog filled with generic, big-budget Hollywood crap.

Expect a poor movie-watching experience. Blu-ray Disc players have already shown themselves to be exceedingly slow at performing all but the most basic of tasks. Starting a movie can take minutes; navigating menus is fraught with problems, and when you get to the actual movie itself, actions such as pausing, rewinding, fast-forwarding and chapter skip can take seconds to register.

Expect to babysit your Blu-ray player like it’s a computer. All of today’s Blu-ray players receive frequent firmware updates to fix bugs in new movies. These updates have to be downloaded from the Internet and burned on to a CD which is then inserted in the player. The updates can take upwards of 40 minutes, and are required in many cases to watch new movies.

Expect planned obsolescence. Think the Blu-ray player you buy in 2008 will continue to play discs released in 2011? Don’t count on it; either the manufacturer will have ceased releasing firmware updates by then, or new movies will be authored for some future Blu-ray specification that your player won’t support (there are already three such specifications, version 1.0, 1.1 and 2.0, each of which support different feature sets that must be implemented in hardware—they can’t be bolted on later with firmware updates.)

And expect to be treated like a criminal. Blu-ray features multiple levels of DRM, ROMmark brands discs with unique serial numbers that can’t be duplicated using consumer disc burners, AACS encrypts the video stream and its Image Constraint Token capability allows the movie studios to artificially cripple the analog output capability of your player, and BD+ locks you out of the movie until it has scanned your player to make sure nothing’s “wrong.” Combined with the internet connectivity features of BD Profile 2.0, BD+ has some scary privacy implications as well, such as reporting your movie selections and viewing habits to a third party. Blu-ray also maintains the region protection seen in DVD (though Blu-ray only has three regions.)

The alternative offered by HD DVD, while not perfect, was decidedly more consumer-friendly and much better implemented. HD DVD simply offered a better moviewatching experience, for less money, and it did so from day one.

Maybe I’m being overly pessimistic. Maybe I’m biased. I won’t deny that this article was prompted in no small part by my dismay at how events played out in the so called “format war.” But I’ve found my pessimism reinforced somewhat in recent weeks.

At CES, Sony announced that it would allow consumers to make portable copies of its Blu-ray movies for viewing on the go… but with a catch; the Blu-ray player would have to be a PlayStation 3, and the portable player would have to be a PSP. Gee, thanks, Sony. HD DVD, by comparison, required all players to support Managed Copy which would work with a wide variety of portable players and media servers (when provided for by the movie publisher.) And on March 5, Sony Electronics President Stan Glasgow is reported to have said Blu-ray players will not come down to $200 until next year—HD DVD players had already shattered that price barrier last Christmas.

Aside from Toshiba’s capitulation, there has been precious little really good news from the Blu-ray camp in recent weeks. And without the competition posed by HD DVD, sales on Blu-ray discs have dried up, and prices on Blu-ray players have risen ever so slightly. There is no reason to expect that situation to change any time soon.

Maybe I’m wrong, and Blu- ray will turn out OK. But I’m not holding my breath, and neither should you.

Do you visit Deep Thought on a regular basis? Subscribe to one of our our news feeds.

Sony CEO: $200 Blu-ray players coming
Blu-ray to PSP Movie Transfers
Toshiba Kills HD DVD

Welcome to the new Deep Thought!

2008-03-03T04:30:00Z

That’s right, we’re back!

After spending considerable time and effort thinking, rethinking, designing, coding, and tinkering, we are proud to present to you the brand new Deep Thought! Here’s a brief rundown of what’s new.

A brand new look

The most obvious change to Deep Thought is the site’s overall look and feel. We wanted to design something that was clean, bright, and clutter-free, and we think we’ve accomplished just that. We’ve also eliminated clutter and extraneous cruft to a great extent. We like it a lot, and we hope you do too.

Easier to navigate, easier to read

We tried to make our navigation as streamlined and as obvious as possible. We’ve also made improving readability one of our main goals when designing the site. Text is now larger and higher-contrast, so it’ll be much easier on the eyes.

Something completely new: Journals

Have you ever visited Deep Thought looking for just Mac news or just WIndows news, but end up having to dig through article after article you don’t want to read? We hear ya. That’s why we’ve broken our content up into journals, each covering a different area of interest:

mac: Anything Mac- or Apple-related: dtgeeks.com/mac
win: Anything Windows- or Microsoft-related: dtgeeks.com/win
toys: For anyone who can’t get enough of gadgets: dtgeeks.com/toys
fun: If you’re a gamer, this is the place for you: dtgeeks.com/fun
think: Anything tech goes: dtgeeks.com/think

You can, of course, still view all articles, if you prefer.

RSS feeds are available for each journal. If you still want to see everything, we provide a feed for that as well.

IMPORTANT: If you already subscribe to any of our feeds, please visit the Feeds page and make sure the feed URLs you’re subscribing to are up-to-date. Many of our feeds have changed.

Rearrange the home page content. You can
also view a summary of the latest article or
headlines from the most recent article in
each journal.

Customizable home page

Our home page has been redesigned from the ground up, giving you the reader more control over what you see. You can rearrange the journal preview boxes, collapse the ones you don’t want to see, and change toggle between views. Your settings will be stored in a cookie, so every time you visit Deep Thought from your computer, it’ll be just how you like it. Cool, eh?

It’s not just about us

It’s about you. We’ve designed Deep Thought around reader participation, which means you can comment on articles, post in the forum, contribute to our podcast, and submit your own articles. Deep Thought is nothing without the active participation of its readers, so we hope that you stick around a while.

What do you think?

Please let us know what you think of the new Deep Thought by posting a comment below. Like it? Hate it? Tell us; we welcome your feedback. Also, if you run across any bugs or issues, leave a comment and include a description of the problem, the page you found it on, which browser and platform you’re using, and include a link to any screenshots of you took any.

Thank you for reading Deep Thought!

The fun with Facebook gifts

2008-03-02T06:58:00Z

Sometimes, buying intangible items makes sense: software, music off iTunes, even your electric bill (you can’t “touch” electricity in the truest sense, after all).

Sometimes it doesn’t make any sense at all.

Take Facebook gifts. These little icons (which I guess are 64x64 pixels each) can be yours to give to any facebook friend for a dollar! Now don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against the idea behind giving the gifts; it’s a small gesture to let someone know you’re thinking of them, and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s just that...I’m buying an icon. I’m buying something I can view on my computer screen ¹.

Whatever happened to sending cards? Or flowers? I mean, both cost more than a $1 Facebook gift, but you can smell and touch flowers. You can hold a card in your hands. Can’t do that with a Facebook gift. And a real gift is waay more personal. I don’t know.

Anyway, that’s my random thought for the night.

¹You could print the page, cut out the gift icon, and stick it on your fridge if you want, of course. ↩

Are you an avid Deep Thought reader? Take a look at our news feeds.

Something new is coming to Deep Thought

2008-02-16T23:28:02Z

In case you haven’t already heard, Deep Thought will be closing up shop for about two weeks, and will relaunch on March 2, 2008. This is a project we’ve been working on for a year now. It’s had its starts and stops. The plans have changed once or twice. We’ve even gotten to some heated debates and arguments! Our relaunch has been a long time coming. I wanted to take a few moments to explain to you why we’re relaunching, and what you can expect over the next couple weeks.

Why relaunch?

With the exception of tweaks and changes made to our home page, the site you see as of this posting is the same design we’ve been using since July 2005. In Internet years, that’s an eternity. So just on those grounds, Deep Thought is about ready for an update. But there are other reasons to relaunch too.

Although a good deal of our content is Mac-related, we are not really a Mac site in the same sense that MacRumors or The Mac Observer are. We talk about Windows. We discuss hardware and gadgets. We do some gaming. If it’s tech, it’s on Deep Thought. This, of course, presents a problem. As it stands right now, everything is sort of tossed together. If all you want to read about is Mac stuff or Windows stuff, you’ll have to wade through a mess of articles discussing other matters before you get to what you want to read. We hope to correct this with our redesign. I won’t go into details now, but you’ll see what I’m talking about soon enough.

In a nutshell, we’ve been working on a big re-thinking of Deep Thought. We want to make the site easier to navigate, easier on the eyes, and more enjoyable to visit. We’d like to see more of you stick around for a while. All of us here at Deep Thought are really excited to show you what we’ve been working on, and when you see it, we hope you feel the same way.

What to expect over the next two weeks

Beginning Monday February 18 at 12:01 AM Pacific Standard Time, Deep Thought will close, with he exception of the home page. The article archives, forum, and so on will not be accessible to readers during that time. We may stick an article or two on the front page in the meantime, but we will not be publishing otherwise. We will spend the time focusing out effort on finishing the redesigned site.

The new Deep Thought will be unveiled March 2nd.

Do you have a question, comment, or suggestion? Feel free to post a comment below. Thanks for reading Deep Thought, and we’ll see you on the flip side!

Becoming Obsolete

2008-02-09T07:00:00Z

Obsolete. A word that has one meaning in the technology world: useless. Lately this is how I have been feeling about my life and my computer, video camera, digital camera, iPod, cell phone, and basically everything else I own that has a circuit board in it. My gaming rig that I built last year never actually began to serve its constucted purpose. It bever took me to any Counter-Strike tournaments. It was never used to host a game of CS either, nor was it used to even connect to the internet. No, my aspirations for that computer completely fell apart within hours of building it. My tyrannous parents informed me that it would never see any kind of internet connection, meaning no games. My life carried on, but much more low-spirited. The fact that my dreams for that computer were now dashed meant that the non-returnable parts had cost me about $800 USD--more than enough to buy a Mac mini. As I said, I trudged on, despite having missed my first chance to buy a Mac.

The frustration of becoming obsolete continued when an incident with a hardware review caused an uproar, a personal attack on me. I won’t go into the details, all I will say is that going through that experience greatly hurt me and my trust in others. That incident stole the joy away from reveiwing hardware. I felt as if all the time I had spent reading hardware reviews by other reviews on sites like Toms Hardware and Hard OPC had been wasted. The thing that I had but so much effort and time and joy into had been torn from me. So it left me an empty shell of a geek, my joy receptors stolen by a person who I never even met. As you may have guessed, that incedent has the large amount of the force behind my lessend activity on Deep Thought in recent months. I was really damaged by it and don’t think I will ever trust the system again. My tech life grew became further obsolete with the release of Windows Vista. Before the release of Vista i was at the top of things, with Windows XP Pro. However, I still have not upgraded to Vista and highly doubt I will because of the complete insanity that Microsoft is charging for it.

This feeling was only accelerated by my lack of any modern gaming system since the Nintendo 64. I am two generations behind in console games and dont plan to rejoin that movement ever. Despite making me feel obsolete, the current generation of consoles cost far too much. The PS3 is a large paperweight, the XBox 360 is behind in graphical technology, and the Nintendo Wii is simply just missing something appealing. I simply dont see a need to pay $500USD for a new game system. Many of my frineds do, and then rub their technical status in my face. It does not really help me at all.

When I wrote this article, I was stuck with a PC that lacked internet. I couldn’t play games like Counter Strike and i couldn’t even check my email without big brother (my parents) looking over my shoulder. To a geek like me this was the ultimate form of repression. It depressed me and lead me to forcing myself into solitary. I felt like I was the 6600 NVIDIA graphics card inside of my PC. This is to say that I felt obsolete, I felt dusty and unwanted because I could not offer the skills to be used. The thing is that you shouldn’t let others having a better computer, or a Mac get you down. You will always have the chance to work for it. You will always be able to make yourself feel up to date. It will just take a little work.

Microhoo: this could get very messy

2008-02-03T07:01:00Z

What can you do with $44.6 billion?¹

You can fill the California state budget deficit three times over.

You can buy 7.8 Steve Jobses (according to his 2007 net worth).

You can buy nearly 111.8 million iPhones (before tax).

Or you can buy a struggling dot-com pioneer.

If you’ve been following the news lately, you already know which option Microsoft chose. Me? I would have chosen the iPhones.

So what do I think of the Microsoft-Yahoo buyout proposal? This could get very messy very quickly.

Dollars and cents

In buying Yahoo, Microsoft would burn through just about all of their cash on hand. While any large buyout or merger carries the risk of failure, Yahoo’s failing fortunes as of late makes me question the logic behind this move. According to their latest earnings report, Microsoft’s Online Services Business division is still losing money, and the losses have actually deepened over the same period last year.

So Microsoft’s online services are struggling. Yahoo is struggling. I’m confused. How is taking on a company with similar problems is going to help Microsoft?

Platforms

How is Microsoft going to incorporate a company based on open-source solutions into the fold? After all, the rest of the company runs Windows and Windows-based servers. The only way I see Microsoft making this work is if they take a hands-off approach and let Yahoo be. Let it be!

Competition against itself

How will Microsoft deal with the fact that, once again, the company would be competing against itself? Microsoft currently has its MSN brand and WIndows Live brand for online services. If Microsoft absorbs Yahoo, they will have a third brand to incorporate somehow (not counting Flickr, Del.icio.us, etc...). Microsoft currently uses the Live brand for search and maps, and the MSN brand as their general portal (Why they haven’t done more to bring the two brands together is beyond me). Adding Yahoo into the mix will add a third brand into the mix. Knowing how Microsoft has had Microsoft-run music stores and DRM schemes competing with each other in the past, there’s the possibility that Microsoft could do the same with Yahoo, MSN, and Windows Live. A more reasonable approach would be to merge everything under one brand name, preferably Yahoo. That doesn’t sort out any possible platform or other technical integration issues, though. I’ll leave that to Redmond’s best and brightest.

Regulators

Even though Microsoft doesn’t dominate the online services market (not like a long shot), Microsoft’s history won’t bode well as it tries to get regulatory approval for any such merger. They might be able to get it past the more-business-friendly FTC of the Bush Administration, but the EU? Ha! Forget it. My money’s on Microsoft being forced to sell some properties if they want to get the deal through.

Customer backlash

Turning off customers may or may not be a big deal. Most people probably just don’t care as long as they get their email! I know that if Microsoft buys Yahoo, they’ve just lost the whole anti-Microsoft crowd (although many have probably already fled to Google). I think the big test would be to see what happens if there’s a major transition and things don’t go smoothly. Will MSN dows Live hoo ckr .us² experience technical and reliability issues in a transition/merger? And if so, will it turn customers off?

Overcoming Google

This will be the biggest roadblock, without a doubt. I don’t see this deal really hurting Google in any major way, over the long term or short term. Will the same stale ideas employed by Microsoft and Yahoo (Flickr and Del.icio.us aside) really do any good against the Google juggernaut? Maybe, but I’m not convinced. I simply don’t see this proposal giving Microsoft the competitive edge. And maybe Microsoft isn’t destined to dominate search and online services the way they dominate the desktop.

Consider this: Microsoft was very effective at making “Windows” synonymous with computing. The problem for Microsoft is that “Google” has become synonymous with web searching. Once that happens, I think it’s very hard to make big gains in any market. Just look at competitors to the iPod. And just look at the Mac; it’s taken Apple years and years and years to finally reagin any momentum in the desktop market. Microsoft may ultimately be locked into a similar battle with Google.

At best, Microsoft may make some gains, and may end up surprising people. At worst, Microsoft could end up with an AOL Time Warner-type disaster on their hands. In reality, I think the outcome will fall in between, with Microsoft basically taking over where Yahoo was, but not making much of an assault on Google.

I simply don’t see how buying Yahoo would really turn the tide.

Yahoo may help, but as it stands today, this is not a war Microsoft can win.

¹All currency in US dollars. Yes, I know it’s weak, but so it goes.↩
²Isn’t that an awesome name? ↩