Apple in Education

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Image via Wikipedia"]The iPod family with, from the left to the rig...[/caption]

Brilliant, just brilliant.

Propaganda for sure, but still pretty great. Make sure to watch the videos.

I can speak, from experience, that GarageBand and iMovie has helped my father in school announcements, etc.  Yes, this technology was very possible before, but I think it is fair to say that Apple's implementation of iLife has brought the art of recording and editing audio and video to life for...children. How powerful.

It occurs to me that the integration, ease of use, consistency of not only the products alone, but the User Interface of them makes this an enjoyable experience for all.

My only question: What's the cost? Who pays for this? Seems to me that private schools might be the first to be able to implement this because of financial constraints.  They could most easily work it into the price of tuition.  I know of many schools (including Duke University) that have given an iPod or MacBook to each of their students when they enter college in hopes that they will use them for school activities (like iTunes U).

Here comes the future my friends.

 

-B

Merry Thanksgiving

Here's to the holiday that exists for thanks giving and is followed by the most self centered day of the year. By the way, who came up with the idea that Merry had to be associated with Christmas and Happy with every other holiday?

Hope your thanksgiving, however you celebrate it, is filled with thanks for the blessings in your life. Don't eat too much. You'll end up fat like me.

-B

Google Non-TV

How long until the networks stop online ad-based streaming because people can hook their computers up to their TV's? I'd like to see what the numbers are for people who still watch live TV as opposed to who watches via TiVo or online?

Are the networks going to destroy television? Or have they already?

Read here

-B

YouTube Sensations Meet One Another

Many people advocate that the advent of technology has hurt our society in many ways. It is fair to say that society has changed because of it, and that in the wrong hands technology can be hurtful and destructive. However, there are so many upsides to our progression as a society, I kind of feel like it is worth the fight. In example, see below. We have two groups (one PS22 and the other Greyson Michael Chance) who had talents that were discovered on YouTube. They have both been able to do things that they might not otherwise have been able to do (perform for the President or Ellen Degeneres), had they not have posted the videos of them singing.

The connection is astounding.

Watch the reactions of the choir when they realize who it is that is in their presence.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEJFOs1maNM&]

It's as if they don't realize that many of their own videos are viral (given, it may be a different set of kids, but it is still the same group with the same attention to the same name).

I keep having this feeling that this type of connection and interaction (and sharing among the world via the Internet) can do a lot for the betterment of society. It can seem scary at times, because it makes it easier to disconnect from each other rather than to connect, but in the long run it can do things for us that we couldn't have otherwise done.

Better yet, think about how much technology's presence has progressed from the days in which it began. Tech and computers no longer have the "geek" label in the ways that it did before. More and more people are being referred to as "gamers" not because they own an XBox and play Halo, but because they own an iPhone or iPod. Sure, it has changed quite a bit, but it has helped to reach far more people.

I tend to think that the use of technology has helped us become more aware of problems in the world and society and has raised new voices that might have been marginalized otherwise.

And it has helped us discover new talent.

Technology, and the analogies that stem from it, reacher a wider audience than ever before and it is growing faster and faster. How do we embrace it and not let it destroy us?

-B

It Goes On and On and On...

Cancer survivor is asked to show her prosthetic breast during a TSA screening. To be fair, flight attendants do have access to more of the plane than typical citizens, but very rarely have any access whatsoever to the cockpit throughout the flight. I do suppose that some sort of weapon could be stored in place of her breasts and thus requires screening.

This, though, appears to be a greater violation of privacy than others encounters with the TSA.

She must:

1) admit that her breast is a prosthetic

2) recount a time that is very possibly difficult for her to talk about and

3) actually present said fake breast so that it can be known that it is not a bomb or weapon.

All of this to do...her job...not to travel...but to do her job.

Has this gotten out of hand?

 

-B

They're At It Again...

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKG4B7wFJUo] I gotta admit, these are good ads. And funny too.

-B

 

You know, it occurs to me though that they are REALLY pushing this video chat over non-wifi connections thing. The iPhone has FaceTime and it works REALLY well. They don't even mention a specific app (that I could see) to video chat with someone else. The problem with those too (I know, I use most of them) is that none of them are good. Yes, FaceTime has to be over wifi, but the video is always clear, the audio loud, and the experience good.  Everything I've tried with Android capable apps...sucks.  Plain and simple.  The video cuts in and out, the audio is too quiet, it doesn't handle slow connections well at all. I think it is time for FaceTime for Android. Suck it up Apple, it's better for all of us.

Disgusting...3 Year Old Searched by the TSA

I'm not sure how you feel about National Security, but something tells me that this 3 year old didn't pose much of a threat. You can see the video here.

It literally made me sick to my stomach to see it.

I don't know the details, and all we are doing is taking this reporter's word for it, but this just seems disgusting.

The next question is, or perhaps should be, when will all of the media backlash force the TSA to reexamine these new x-ray machines?  How will they decided what constitutes too much?

If you'd like another story, read this account of the man who refused the new x-ray machines and the "groping".

What a world we live in.

-B

Forget You

Glee has a reputation for overproducing recordings of their singers. It usually makes the songs more pleasant to listen to and, honestly, adds to the humor of the show a little bit. Glee is in that area of being believable and not at all at the same time. I you can live in that space happily, you'll really enjoy the show. I guess this week Gwyneth Paltrow is guest appearing.

Many celebrities have guest appeared on the show since its beginning and almost all have sung a solo.

Gwyneth Paltrow sings "Forget You" this week.

The song is great. (I mean I can't publish that I think the text is great, because in its original form, it's highly inappropriate) but the song is catchy and funny.

You may disagree, but I think this recording sucks. Its the worst auto-tune I've heard in a long time. I don't even think this is her voice. Doesn't sound like it. It's so computerized that it is hard to believe that their musical directors let it go. Can she even sing?

Judge for yourself.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XyKVetF2kk&]

-B

TSA: My First Cavity Search

TSA has been relatively unpopular recently with their changes of airport security that seem like huge invasions of privacy. The new book for kids:

Can anyone confirm that this is real?

-B

Samsung Galaxy Tab

Gizmodo and Apple don't get along, something about Gizmodo paying for stolen Apple property. The Galaxy Tab is out. Gizmodo has every reason to speak highly of it because it is the first tablet device to give the iPad a real run for its money.

They trashed every part of it. Notably:

There is no way to not feel like a total dorkface while typing on this thing. In portrait, it’s like tapping on a massive, nerdy phone. In landscape, it’s just dumb. You still have to thumb type, only you’re stretching out further, and text entry swallows up the entire screen. Swype might be dandy on a phone, but on a seven-inch screen it doesn’t work so well—you have to travel a lot further to sketch out words. In other words, you get the worst of a phone’s input problems—amplified.

In the places where Samsung tries to make the Tab feel more like a tablet than a big phone, it’s not afraid to borrow liberally from what Apple’s done on the iPad. The music app (a huge improvement over the standard Android player) bears an uncanny resemblance to the iPad’s iPod app, while the faux-realness of the Calendar, Contacts and Memo apps feel like Chinatown knockoffs of Cupertino software.

And the best:

This thing is just a mess. It’s like a tablet drunkenly hooked up with a phone, and then took the fetus swimming in a Superfund cleanup site. The browser is miserable, at least when Flash is enabled. It goes catatonic, scrolling is laggy, and it can get laughably bad. When better browsing is half the reason to go for a larger screen, that’s insanity. Not only does it use a stupid proprietary charging/syncing cable, It won’t charge when you plug it into a laptop. (Update: It’s not a proprietary cable, but good luck borrowing one from a friend.) Neither of the cameras are anything to write home about (sample photos/video here). Costing $599 off-contract is embarrassing when the iPad starts at $499. (Update: Fair point, the iPad 3G starts at $629. But it’s got a bigger screen, and this thing still sucks.)

Sounds great. I'm in line to buy it already.

-B

Macs Are Too Expensive...

My how the world is changing.

PCs, especially historically, were compared based on technical specs. An awful lot of PCs have been sold to people who never even looked at the enclosure — only the specs. That’s not how the game is played in consumer electronics. Nobody knows what kind of CPU they have in their phones. (Where by “nobody”, I mean “no regular people”.) Apple doesn’t even publish CPU specs for iOS devices, nor publish how much RAM they contain.

With computers, again, it’s fair to say that the typical Mac costs more than the typical Windows PC. That’s not true for mobile devices, which means Apple gets to compete mostly on factors like design, user experience, and branding. In short, the nascent mobile computing market has much more in common with the traditional consumer electronics market than it does with the PC industry,1 and that works very much in Apple’s favor. ★

I have purchased four iPhones and an iPad.  I have never personally purchased my own Mac.  Both of mine have been paid for by my parents or family and Allison bought hers herself.  I'm holding out on this one in hopes it'll get me through a few more years.

[Thanks to John Gruber for this article]

-B

 

Patriotism

When we start equating patriotism with things like this instead of our old definitions I'll be happy. Just because someone stands for the pledge of allegiance, doesn't make them a patriot. It is, like soldiers, putting your actions where your mouth is.

You fight for this country? You are a patriot.

You help a child learn that hard work and discipline will make you a better person? You're a patriot.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzPQWL1J8wg&sns=em]

I don't know if this is some sort of promotional video that Auburn put together to publicize the social work of Cam Newton (there was lots of material like this for Tim Tebow).

In any event, people who give of themselves for others, no matter their profession or hobby, are patriots.

And it is about time this country came to this realization.

-B

Why does respect have to be used in this way?

We all respect those who have given of themselves to protect us overseas. Both liberals and conservatives.

So why do we have to shove this attitude of respect into people's faces?

A right is a right, and someone fought for it. We get it.

Don't make a child feel bad that his/her religious beliefs calls on them not to pledge their allegiance to the flag by ASSUMING that they aren't being respectful or patriotic.

This is how America ought to be different than the rest of the world.

-B

White iPhone 4

Please excuse the harsh language in this clip and know that it may not be safe for all listeners in all situations. Most of the language is bleeped out. I thought it was hilarious.

Background: Apple announced the iPhone 4 in two colors. When it came to market, only black was available. They have recently announced that the White iPhone 4 will not available until next summer. Many many people are upset.

Behold, the parody:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d09yWG2fSBg&]

-B

TMobile Calls Out the iPhone.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KmfXupi9cg&] ...or AT&T.

Tmobile, in desperation to not become irrelevant, has done a substantial amount of work in the areas of expanding their network and trying to keep up with the Droid phones of Verizon.

If, however, a deal was in the works to bring the iPhone to TMobile (something I think they would definitely go for) they probably would not have released this commercial.

If you have ever used FaceTime, you know how easy it is and how well it works with a good wifi connection. You also know that when you get a weaker wifi connection or a slower one, the video quality and framerate becomes embarrassingly bad. The iPhone, too, has apps approved on the App store that allow a user to video call via 3G services. The quality is nothing in comparison to FaceTime. Not even close. Slow connections=poor experience.

Besides, every single carrier has moved away from the "unlimited" data model. If you think you have unlimited, you were either grandfathered in or there is a cap and you didn't read the fine print. It would not be necessary to remind you of how much data off of a 3G or 4G network the phone would use to video chat.

Waiting until the kinks can be worked out hasn't seemed to hurt Apple.

-B

The Burn a Koran Song

If you make it all the way through this video...something is wrong with you. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKF1ifwB-FA]

"Barack Osama Homo Bin Laden"

This kind of stuff is still happening and unfortunately social media sites are giving credence to this type of talk and "entertainment".  Like it or not, this guy's YouTube channel gets views, not a ton, but it does.

It will get a few views because I posted it.  Does view count mean that it's good or right? You'll be tempted to say no, but think about whether or not you go to a restaurant that has no cars in the parking lot as opposed to a restaurant that is packed.

There is a reason things are popular.

This is a sad sad world.

-B

 

PS - For the record, I thought this was a joke.  As far as I can tell, it is real. Very real.

America as the "Force for Good"

Got this in an email. Thoughts? [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNUc8nuo7HI&]

Is America the force for good in our world?

Should it be the church instead?

Auschwitz was rescued by military forces, not peaceful forces. Is that a good thing? Would peace have ever prevailed?

What does it mean to be American in today's world?

Are we the same country with the same values that we had originally?

-B

It's the Little Things That Matter...

...like being able to send the tweet you just wrote. It would be easy if the button were...accessible.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v21qlAfAiIo&]

Brilliant Google, just brilliant.

You can have your very own one of these for like $400. Well worth every penny, I say.

-B