Technology

October 21, 2013

Google’s iron grip on Android: Controlling open source by any means necessary

While Android is open, it’s more of a “look but don’t touch” kind of open. You’re allowed to contribute to Android and allowed to use it for little hobbies, but in nearly every area, the deck is stacked against anyone trying to use Android without Google’s blessing. The second you try to take Android and do something that Google doesn’t approve of, it will bring the world crashing down upon you.

This the modern technological definition of a flip-flop.

Windows 8 support will end in two years

Windows 8.1 falls under the Windows 8 lifecycle policy, which ends on January 10, 2023. However, the company also states thatWindows 8 customers will have two years to move to Windows 8.1 starting this Friday.

Well, 8 isn’t going to last that long. Hopefully in version 9, Microsoft clearly goes down the road of the desktop or tile world.

Why does Windows have terrible battery life? 

I have a Surface RT – the first generation – and as such, I know why. Windows 8 might have Metro running on top of it hiding a lot of it, but Windows 8.x carries just as much baggage, cruft, and outdated shit with it as previous versions of Windows have. Windows 8/8.1 – and Metro in particular – simply suck. Slow, clunky, jarring, cumbersome, battery-sucking, restricted, and limited, with a crappy selection of rush-job, rarely updated applications. You know how resizing windows on Windows 7 or OS X is all nice and fluid? Why, then, is it a slow and jittery operation that brings Windows 8 Metro to its knees?

It’s simple: just like battery life, it’s a symptom of Microsoft’s Windows team not having the balls to truly go for a clean break, as the Windows Phone team have done. And lo and behold, Windows Phone – even WP8, which runs on the same NT kernel – has none of the slowness and crappiness issues that continue to plague Windows 8 Metro (although WP has its own set of issues unrelated to these).

Again, I have no idea why Microsoft is confusing customers with two completely different UIs in the same device. They must know that it also drains the crap out of battery life. Pick one!

IBM’s Watson is better at diagnosing cancer than human doctors

According to Sloan-Kettering, only around 20 percent of the knowledge that human doctors use when diagnosing patients and deciding on treatments relies on trial-based evidence. It would take at least 160 hours of reading a week just to keep up with new medical knowledge as it’s published, let alone consider its relevance or apply it practically. Watson’s ability to absorb this information faster than any human should, in theory, fix a flaw in the current healthcare model. Wellpoint’s Samuel Nessbaum has claimed that, in tests, Watson’s successful diagnosis rate for lung cancer is 90 percent, compared to 50 percent for human doctors

Working in the health care and medical field, I can say that there is nothing like the human-factor of caring for a patient. Yes, machines will be able to compute and call up data and information way faster than humans, but it will miss out on emotional and psychological symptoms. On the other hand, human-error is to blame for a lot of misdiagnosis in the world. Only time will tell.

BBM for Android and iOS now available, but there’s a wait list

But unfortunately it appears that BlackBerry is still very much concerned about an initial surge of users. It’s implementing a registration wait list; upon opening the app, you’ll have to enter an email address to reserve your spot. Anyone that signed up for information about the mobile apps at BBM.com won’t have to wait, but new signups will have to deal with the virtual queue.

I still care a little. But does the vast public?

Science & Medicine

The Quest To Live Forever

Google’s Ray Kurzweil on the quest to live forever

About 150 (supplements) a day. I test myself on a regular basis, and it’s working. All my measurements are in ideal ranges. I scan my arteries to see if I have plaque buildup, and I have no atherosclerosis. I come out younger on biological aging tests. So far, so good. But this program is not designed to last a very long time. This program is what we call bridge one. The goal is to get to bridge two: the biotechnology revolution, where we can reprogram biology away from disease. And that is not the end-all either.

There isn’t so far fetched as you might think. I myself take Vitamin D, Curcumin, Phosphatidylcholine, Omega-3 and Vitamin E everyday in multiples. But I just find his quest to make it to the Singularity in 2045 fascinating. Hopefully I make it there as well.

Inspirational

October 19, 2013

The meaning behind iOS 7’s kaleidoscope of colors

A few of the color world’s most influential experts like the choices because they fit current design trends towards lightness and harmony.

A color trend is the end result of a long process. It usually starts with designers analyzing the emotional outlook of the culture, which includes political and economic movements. When U.S. mood was uneasy leading up to Y2K, colors reflected that. Today, at the tail end of a long war and recession, many of us want to feel happy and secure. That’s why we’ve gravitated towards colors that bring about those emotions, like the purples and orange-tinged reds in iOS 7.

I found this to be a very in-depth analysis about the color pallet used in iOS 7. There are a handful of people that don’t like the new look, but for the most part, all of my friends including myself really love it.

The top 3 supplements for surviving the singularity

1) Coenzyme Q10 is very important, particularly at my age, as an antioxidant.

2) Phosphatidylcholine addresses all by itself a major aging process because that substance depletes from your cell membrane and that’s why the skin in an elderly person loses suppleness and your organs don’t work very well.

3) I’d throw in Vitamin D. It’s very important—maybe the most important vitamin to take. There’s tremendous amount of research and a consensus that that really does help prevent cancer and other diseases.

Personally, I take 3000 IU of Vitamin D every day. I used to take a little map every afternoon, but I take 3 tablets of Vitamin D after lunch and I’m good to go until bedtime. I plan to add cucurmin/tumeric to my regimen tomorrow.

Banksy paid $50,000 on security for his latest art piece

“Are you the sort of person who enjoys going to art galleries, but wished they had more gravel in them? Then this temporary exhibition space is for you,” says Banksy.

This is probably due to the fact that people are vandalizing his vandalism art work.

Inspirational

October 15, 2013

Apple hires Angela Ahrendts as new retail chief

“She cares deeply about people and embraces our view that our most important resource and our soul is our people. She believes in enriching the lives of others and she is wicked smart. Angela has shown herself to be an extraordinary leader throughout her career and has a proven track record. She led Burberry through a period of phenomenal growth with a focus on brand, culture, core values and the power of positive energy.” – Tim Cook

I’m actually really glad that Apple finally found a good person to take over the role of Senior Vice President of Retail & Online Stores. I’ve seen Angela’s TED talk on “human energy” and I believe that she is an excellent pick. She is the current CEO of Burberry and I’ve been noticing that Apple has been hiring from great places like Nike and Yves Saint Laurent. I wish her the best in her new duties.

Apple’s hire of Ahrendts shows its future is in lifestyle , not tech

By hiring Ahrendts, Cook and his team are signaling their desire to keep Apple just as fresh and upmarket as Burberry.

Overall this is a fantastic analysis of what Ahrendts brings to the table. However, the title of the article makes it sound like Apple isn’t interested in the technological aspect of the industry. I must strongly disagree. Ahrendts is known to be very serious about technology. We must remember what Steve Jobs said: “It’s in Apple’s DNA that technology alone is not enough—it’s technology married with liberal arts, married with the humanities, that yields us the result that makes our heart sing.” This is exactly what the Burberry CEO offers. She is a exceptional balance between the humanities and tech. This is what separates Apple from Google, Microsoft and the rest.

GoBaddy buys Media Temple

Part of the reason for this, GoDaddy CEO Blake Irving says, is because of Media Temple’s existing size and position in the market. It has 125,000 customers for its premium website management services, and it hosts over 1.5 million websites, with some 88 percent classified as being for “advanced web and IT services”.

I’m waiting for the riots to start.

BlackBerry breaks silence in open letter

The ad also boasts about apps that will allow Android and iPhone owners to use BlackBerry Messenger instant messaging, noting that the six million people who have signed up for notices about those apps “speaks to the tremendous opportunity we have to expand BBM beyond BlackBerry smartphones to make it the world’s largest mobile social network.” Absent, however, is any reference to how the release of the apps was abruptly stopped last month because of technical problems.

Is this enough? BlackBerry touts 6 million iOS and Android users are eager to install the BBM app. So where in the world is it guys? You need to deliver ASAP.

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