Just Say No - Technology You Don't Need

   Technology is a double-edged sword.  Most is good, but a lot is bad or
   just plain unnecessary.  Tech companies are always hyping the latest
   gizmos for consumers to waste their money on.  I have a long list of
   examples of Microsoft Snake Oil that I will write about on my rants
   blog when I get time.  In the meantime, here are some examples of
   cases to "Just Say No", plus an antidote.

   1. "Top 5ive Gadgets You Shouldn't Buy"
     <http://www.smartmoney.com/top5/index.cfm?story=20070213>

   2. "ABC to get Second Life"
     <http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200701/s1836755.htm>
   "The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), Telstra and Tourism
    Australia are building islands in the virtual online world of Second
    Life. Companies are recognising the huge marketing potential of the
    three-dimensional world, where people escape their own existences to
    live a different virtual life, and are racing to set up shop there and
    in other virtual worlds."

   Last week Four Corners took a look at Second Life in a program called
   "You Only Live Twice":
     <http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/content/2007/s1873399.htm>
   You can read the transcripts and watch the "vodcast".  But be warned -
   it doesn't take long to find out where the real money will be made with
   this "virtual reality".
   My favourite quote: Clay Shirky, on the suggestion that Second Life
   "citizens" are excited about buying a book through Amazon when they
   are "in-world":
   "No. No-one is excited about that. People are excited about other
    people being excited about it."

   3. "Pizzaky: The Open-Air Electric Pizza Oven"
     <http://www.tokyomango.com/tokyo_mango/2007/03/pizzaky_the_ope.html>
   "This open-air, ovenless pizza cooker will cook up to a 12-inch pizza
    using its upper and lower electric heaters. The flavor might not be
    as good as the conventional brick oven, but who has the money--never
    mind the space--to install one these days? This one's just a little
    under $70."

   4. "Introducing the Hipster PDA"
     <http://www.43folders.com/2004/09/03/introducing-the-hipster-pda/>
   "Recently, I got sick of lugging my Palm V around, so I developed a
    vastly superior, greatly simplified device for capturing and sharing
    information. I call it 'The Hipster PDA.'"

   Like the author, I too bought a Palm V a few years ago.  It was an
   interesting toy, but I didn't find it at useful as I had hoped.  I've
   had a look at newer PDAs since stashing away my Palm, but nothing
   excites me.  It can be a hassle carrying a pen and scraps of paper
   in my shirt pocket, but the old tech is much more flexible.

   An add-on - the Hipster Shuffle
     <http://www.restlessdreaming.com/hipster-shuffle/>

Imperium, Under the Jaguar Sun and Software Creativity 2.0

   I've been doing a fair bit of reading lately - even more than usual.
   Here are some highlights ...

   1. "Imperium: A Novel" by Robert Harris
     <http://www.amazon.com/Imperium-Robert-Harris/dp/074326603X/>

   This is a finctionalized biography of the ancient Roman orator/lawyer/
   politician Marcus Tullius Cicero.  It is narrated by Cicero's slave and
   personal scribe, Tiro.  Two particular periods in Cicero's life are the
   focus of the novel.  Firstly, Cicero's campaign for praetor (elected
   magistrate), and in particular his risky and audacious prosecution of a
   corrupt governor of Sicily, the wealthy and well-connected Gaius Verres.
   Cicero uses his considerable intellect, wit and skill in the face of a
   bought judge and a jury sympathetic to Verres.

   For those who know their ancient history, the novel provides an insight
   into the final days of the Roman Republic.  Cicero was a firm believer
   in the Republican ideal, and the novel sets the scene for the power
   struggles which would lead to end of the Republic.  Julius Caesar,
   Pompey the Great and Marcus Crassus feature in the second period in
   Cicero's life that the novel examines: the campaign for consul (the
   highest elected office of the Roman Republic).

   Along with an interesting look at the political system of Rome before
   it became an Empire, the book reminds us how history has a tendency of
   repeating itself.  Corrupt senators, greedy businessman and ruthless,
   power-hungry leaders willing to use propaganda and lies to justify
   wars.  The election of Antonus Hybrida (from an aristocratic family
   but lacking intellect or any other virtue) to the position of consul
   should've warned us of how someone like George W. Bush could become
   US President.  Will we ever learn?

   If you don't have time to read the book, a snapshot of Cicero's life is
   available at:
     <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicero>


   2. "Under the Jaguar Sun" by Italo Calvino
     <http://www.amazon.com/Under-Jaguar-Sun-Italo-Calvino/dp/0156927942/>

   I read this book in the original Italian (under the title "Sotto il sole
   giaguaro").  It's a collection of three short stories on the senses:
   smell, taste and hearing.  Originally the author had intended to write
   two additional stories on the other senses (sight and touch), but
   unfortunately he died before he could complete them.

   The story about hearing, where a king is extremely sensitive to the
   sounds in his enormous palace, was my favourite of the three.  The story
   about smell involved customers to a perfumery in Paris, while the one on
   taste was about a couple's archaeological (and gastronomical) visit to
   Mexico.


   3. "Software Creativity 2.0" by Robert L Glass
     <http://www.amazon.com/Software-Creativity-2-0/dp/0977213315/>

   I've recently finished reading four software development related books.
   Most are too dry and technical for the B-List readership, but one may be
   of more general interest.  Software Creativity is about the role of
   creativity in software development.  It examines the conflicts between
   creativity and discipline, process and product, theory and practice.  In
   addition to personal anecdotes, the author provides interesting results
   from experiments and research conducted in the past 50 years.

   The author argues that management and many academics prefers discipline
   and formality over creativity and agility.  The process must be control-
   lable.  Programmers generally prefer less structure (and the ability to
   be creative).  The product is more important than the process.  The
   author is mostly of the opinion that creativity is critical to software
   development, and should not be eradicated by rigid processes.
   Interestingly however, the author shows there are certain types of
   projects where process may be necessary.  Is he contradicting himself?
   No, because such projects do not actually require much creativity to
   solve the particular problems present.  Or they are of such a scale that
   a greater degree of structure and formality is required.  Each project
   needs to be considered in its own right, given the size and criticality
   of the task, the problems to be solved, and the resources available.

   A book that both sides of the debate should read to find some common
   ground.  It's also a great collection of essays for anyone interested
   in creativity in the workplace and problem solving.

The Cult of Mac + The Search (book reviews)

   A couple of recent reads ...

   1. "The Cult of Mac" by Leander Kahney
     < http://www.amazon.com/Cult-Mac/dp/1593271220/ >

   An interesting look at the so-called "cult" of Mac users.  There's a
   broad spectrum of user types, from die-hard fanatics to ordinary
   pragmatists.  There are chapters on body art, collectors, Macspotting,
   Macquariums and the Mac-rumours phenomenon.  There's even a tongue-in-
   cheek chapter looking into the quasi-religious nature of Mac users.
   Lots of photos help make this an easy read.

   Personally, I'm more of a pragmatist than a rabid fanatic.  I bought my
   first Mac in 1992.  Before then, I respected Apple but I thought their
   products were overpriced.  I opted for cheaper computers (e.g. Atari
   ST), but by 1992 there seemed to be just two contenders left standing
   in the market: Apple Macintosh and the myriad of (bland) DOS PCs.
   Fortunately I was a uni student at the time so I could take advantage
   of educational discounts to buy my first Mac.  I was astonished at how
   good it was, even in those days.

   IMHO the Mac OS has remained far ahead of the alternatives.  And Macs
   are no longer as overpriced as they were in the 1980s and 1990s.  I've
   used Linux, Windows and Mac OS over the years at work.  I would only
   ever consider using Macs at home.  I want my computer to work reliably
   (and dare I say elegantly?).  Macs let me focus on the actual tasks I
   want to do rather than the boring administrivia that seems to be
   associated with keeping Windows PCs (barely) stable and Linux
   environments (barely) usable.


   2. "The Search: How Google and Its Rivals Rewrote the Rules of Business
       and Transformed Our Culture" by John Battelle
     < http://www.amazon.com/Search/dp/1591841410/ >

   A mostly non-technical history of Internet search technologies.  It
   describes the evolution of search from the pre-"Web" days of Archie,
   through to the present day.  While most people associate Google with
   search, there have been others along the way that have left their mark,
   including Altavista and Architext/Excite.  Obviously from the title
   there is a focus on Google, but Yahoo is still a player today, and
   Microsoft, Amazon and others are keen to profit from search.  The book
   also looks at some promising future directions for Internet search.

   If you want a more technical view of search engines and the technology
   they use, you should look elsewhere.  The author does describe the
   basics of search engines, but the focus is on the business side and
   the end-user's point of view - for example improving the ease of use
   and the quality of results.

   Also, don't expect a complete history of Google.  Last year I read
   a book which does a better job of that, including more information
   about the founders of Google:
   "The Google Story: Inside the Hottest Business, Media, and Technology
    Success of Our Time" by David Vise
     < http://www.amazon.com/Google-Story/dp/0553383663/ >

   However, Battelle does take a more critical view of Google's stated
   objective of "Don't Be Evil" than Vise does.

SidewaysBike - Why?

   If it was April 1st you could be forgiven for thinking this is an April
   Fool's joke.  An Irish software engineer, Michael Killian, has invented
   a "sideways" bicycle:
   "How does a sideways bike work?"
     < http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6375259.stm >
   "The cyclist sits sideways and operates a wheel with each hand, and
    pedalling makes the whole bike travel sideways"

   The official homepage has YouTube videos of the bike it's younger
   brother the "Terrible Two", and the "sideways scooter":
     < http://www.sidewaysbike.com/ >

   I don't think I'll be queuing up for one any time soon.

   ----

   While on the topic of "What were they thinking?" ...

   1. Microsoft Bob
     < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Bob >
   "Microsoft Bob was a Microsoft software product, released in March 1995,
    which provided a new, nontechnical interface to desktop computing
    operations. Despite its ambitious nature, Bob failed to penetrate the
    market and is considered Microsoft's worst program, and their largest
    failure" (so far :)

   Bob commentary and screenshots available at:
     < http://toastytech.com/guis/bob.html >
     < http://www.dans20thcenturyabandonware.com/ms-bob.html >

   You will probably notice some of the "characters" in Bob have found
   their way into other Microsoft products (for example, Rover).

   2. Microsoft SPOT Watches
     < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_Personal_Objects_Technology >
   "Smart Personal Object Technology (SPOT) is Microsoft's initiative to
    attempt to create 'smart' software and hardware that will personalize
    household electronics and everyday devices to make their uses more
    versatile"

   "Why Microsoft's SPOT is such a dog"
     < http://review.zdnet.com/AnchorDesk/4520-7296_16-5115922.html >

   Nothing says "I'm an idiot" quite like wearing one of these fine
   "timepieces":
     < http://www.amazon.com/Fossil-Wrist-Smart-FX3005/dp/B0006N3IFA >
     < http://www.msndirect.com/SmartWatchAbacus06Pics.html >

   3. Finally, some classic fun with Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft

   * Ballmer, jumping to "Get On Your Feet"
     < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc4MzqBFxZE >
   * Ballmer - Developers, developers, developers ...
     < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8To-6VIJZRE >

   If YouTube is blocked, read about it and try the links at:
     < http://www.appleturns.com/scene/?id=3223 >
     < http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/20840.html >
     < http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Steve_Ballmer >
     < http://www.msboycott.com/media/ >

   Yes, he really is CEO of Microsoft.