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Category: Tech

  • Why the Obesity Epidemic? My 3-Part EXPRESS Explanation

    Many have been puzzled over this.  Well, it is becoming clear.  Here is my express explanation, in three easy steps. These three things came together: A guy at the University of Minnesota (the inventor of the K-Ration) made a persuasive–but incorrect!–argument: the cholesterol clogging our arteries is caused by eating cholesterol.  Seems reasonable.  Instead of […]

  • Amazon, Apple, Google, Facebook

    I saw the cover of the magazine Fast Company, and it said to lookout, Facebook will beat Amazon, Apple, and Google. (Clever folks: There were three other covers, each touting how one of the four companies will prevail. They sort of managed to get more shelf space at Whole Foods.) But far more interesting is […]

  • Which Gadgets Do I Need?

    So Many Gadgets This week Amazon announced new Kindles, both low-power e-book readers that work forever on a charge in ambient light, and the color tablet Kindle Fire. Fun.  I want.  But what do I want?  What gadgets do I want?  (What do I need?) Smartphone, notebook computer, tablet, e-book reader, Ipod, Camera, Hiking GPS? […]

  • Google Motorola Mobility Purchase Explained

    It does make sense, people understand parts of it, but no one seems to get it right.  Let me explain. Personal Tidbit: Kent’s Market Manipulation Looking at a down-market, thinking this was a buying opportunity, I bought a few shares of Google. A few days later it fell on the Motorola news.  No, I wasn’t […]

  • Android Phones Won't Keep Time Precisely

    Google should use the GPS receiver. They should use NTP. But they trust the cell carrier. Recently I have been in awe of what an amazing thing my Nexus One is. For example, with few instances of a little 2×1 widget called myUTC Clock, one of my home screens turns into an 8-timezone pocket watch.  […]

  • Sony Passwords: Now do you believe you should not reuse passwords on different sites?

    Sony has been cracked.  Multiple times.  It seems Sony employs nerds who know nothing about security.  Now, sonypictures.com has had a million username and passwords (and other information: DoB, e-mail) scooped up and made public. Are you on that list? The Playstation breaks would have been even more users.  It hasn’t been posted public, are […]

  • Python Command Line Arguments

    For quite some time I have thought I shouldn’t parse my own command line arguments in Python, but each time I looked for the “right” way to do it, I turned back. Today, I decided to persist. Now I know why I turned back, the libraries were terrible. I want to have: mycleverprog.py mycommand –nifty-option […]

  • Android Pattern Unlock Insecure

    When I first saw the pattern unlock feature in Android phones I thought: Cool! And I used it on my Nexus One.  Until I realized that it is a really stupid idea if I want my phone to be secure.  Don’t do it. The problem is that the phone screen gets smudged.  And when you […]

  • Falling Cats

    I get behind on my podcast listening, but last night I listened to the recent Radio Lab short (http://www.radiolab.org/blogs/radiolab-blog/2010/nov/29/vertigo/) that brought up that old claim that cats which fall from New York apartments have minor injuries if they fall from low floors, do not fair well from higher floors, and did well again if they […]

  • Nexus One and LM961 Bluetooth Bracelet

    I recently got an LM961 Bluetooth bracelet to use with my Nexus One phone. Pretty cool, here are some observations: The diameter of the metal bracelet is big.  I couldn’t figure out how to take out extra links, so I brought it to a local watch repair shop just before closing and asked them to […]