Category: Geek

Global Nerdy is probably the only serious tech news site that would publish this photo:

How do we do it? Chutzpah. That’s Yiddish for balls.

(And I hope someday, I will be able to pronounce the word in a manner that my wife finds satisfactory.)

Today’s Global Nerdy stories so far:

• 21 Years of Windows Ought to be Enough for Anybody: That’s right — on this day in 1985, Microsoft release Windows 1.0 on an unsuspecting world.
• Whither Now Yahoo!? “First, you get the direct fallout from the Wall Street Journal’s story covering “the Peanut Butter Manifesto.” Then you get the secondary analysis of just what ails the world’s most popular network of web properties. Finally, Yahoo! announces a deal with a clutch of newspaper chains. What’s it all mean, and what’s the relationship between these stories?”
• Comedy is Tragedy + YouTube (With a Dash of Legal Stupidity). “This story starts out with video of a tragically bad corporate reinterpretation of U2’s “One” (commissioned to commemorate the union of Bank of America and MBNA’s credit card businesses). It was so painful, it became something of an internet comedy senation. The New York Times, however, notes that the tale has turned tragically stupid…”

It could be that their textbooks are more motivating:

Photo courtesy of Miss Fipi Lele and hardhat.

I recognize the trig and geometry bits, but if any of you out there can translate the Korean, could be you please enlighten us in the comments? I’m burning with mathematical curiosity.

If you can’t take the word of a Photoshopped picture of respected computer book publisher and conference organizer Tim O’Reilly, whose word can you take?

Today on Global Nerdy:

• The Times Talks About Incompatible DRM Formats
• SiteMaps Explained
• Will the iPhone Be Here in 2007?

Over at Global Nerdy, the tech blog that my buddy George and I write, we’ve got a motto:

Photo courtesy of Amber Mac.

And as people from the internet, we’ve got the latest news on what’s going on. For example:

• More Thoughts on OpenJDK: “Watching these implications unfold is fascinating. I guess the bottom line is that Java really is free in the sense of freedom: the freedom to expand the platform into places Sun alone couldn’t have taken it. With that kind of freedom to move, who knows what the future holds.”
• Rural Broadband: Rural areas are generally underserved by the big access providers, but that doesn’t mean that country folk have been left out of the loop.
• iPod Joins the Mile High Club: Apple and a number of airlines are promising iPod docks in plane seats that let you charge your iPod and view your iPod videos on the seat-back entertainment system.
• Zune Clearance Sale: All Links Must Go! George’s collection of links about the personal media player we love to hate.
• Zune, Meet Vista. Vista, Meet Zune… “Yeah, I know. Vista’s beta, and I’m sure this incompatibility was mentione somewhere in the documentation, but come on! How hard would it have been to foresee someone trying to install Zune software on their beta copy of Vista? Would some public information about an upgrade plan have killed Microsoft?”
• Paul Tyma’s Tips for Startups: A laundry list of tips from Google senior engineer Paul Tyma for the one- or two-person startup hoping to make it.
• More Advice for Entrepreneurs: Get Big Cheap! “Don’t waste expensive development on untested ideas, and don’t let a fat marketing budget mask a weak value proposition. If instead you tinker your way to scalable organic growth, you’ll have a valuable business on your hands.”
• Cuban Was Right! Anyone who invests in a company I work for is likely to be right, don’t you know. But seriously, he was right about Google setting aside some cash to deal with YouTube’s copyright issues.
• Zune’s Disastrous CNN Appearance: There used to be a time when a Microsoft product getting featured on CNN would be the death knell for the comptetition. These days, it’s a hilarious train wreck.
• New Word: “Podenfreude”! It’s the hot new word of the month! Use it in everyday conversation! You’ll be the hit of the party!
• Internet Ads Cross the $4 Billion Mark. This blog makes the equivalent of a Nintendo Wii every month from advertising. With any luck, I’ll be making the equivalent of a PlayStation 3 every month!

There’s always lots of tech news over at Global Nerdy, the tech blog that me and my friend George write, and we’ve got some interesting surprises in store. Plus, it’s easier on the eyes than that butt-ugly Valleywag since its redesign.

• Entries from Friday, November 10th: Startups: The Indie Movie of the “Oughts”, Can Zune Be Cool?, Making ISPs Liable for DDoS Attacks is a Bad Idea, Did Disney Out the Wireless iPod?, WidgetWatch: W3C Widgets 1.0 Working Draft.
• Hey, Microsoft, Welcome to teh Social! I had no idea that Microsoft had EULAs for their product logos.
• Sun Starts Licensing Java Under GPL: Java’s latest salvo in the battle to become the platform for the web is to go open source. We’ll have to see how this plays out for them. I will admit having trouble maintaining any kind of interest in this story.
• RIAA Decries “Digital Freedom” (Suggests “Digital Slavery” Instead?) Here’s what the record companies think of your MP3 player: “”These devices are just repositories for stolen music, and they all know it. So it’s time to get paid for it.”
• Denton, Battelle in Bloggy Slapfight
• Zune Drops Today: Remember: in any field off the desktop where actual competition exists, Microsoft’s track record is poor. This doesn’t bode well in a market where the iPod has nearly three-quarters market share.
• Black Moto Q Smartphone Being Premiered by…Bell Canada? I can’t believe that of all the companies in the world, Bell Canada (good coverage, lame phones) is the first to offer the Black Moto Q.
• Debbie Does Delaram: I keep saying that porn may be the best weapon in the war against terrorism. I now present proof.

I’ve had my hands full here at ISPCON Fall 2006, so I’m very glad that George has got my back over at Global Nerdy, where he’s been posting a storm of insightful articles…

Microsoft’s Zune MP3 Player

Zune “Big, Chunky, Blocky, Rushed, Incomplete, Barren, Derivative”: “Seriously, do you want your stuff being sold as ‘good for you in the long run?’ That’s the way you sell cod liver oil, not a digital music player.”

Microsoft Dances to Universal Music’s Shakedown Tune; Will Pay Uni a Buck a Zune: “I woke up to some sad news today: Microsoft, once the most feared company in the world, is a total wuss.”

Apple

Apple Ditching the Mac, Keeping the PC: “No, Apple’s not licensing Mac OS X to Dell, they’re getting rid of the ‘Mac guy’ in their commercials.”

MacBooks Now Sport Intel Core 2 Duo: “So, faster, more RAM, more storage. Not a bad incremental update.”

Gliffy

Gliffy: “Slick, free, basic drawing tool a la Visio. Online and done in Flash. If you need to bang out a flowchart, or some basic UML, this is a pretty nifty option.”

I’ve been very busy doing both normal work and conference-related work here at ISPCON Fall 2006, but that doesn’t mean that Global Nerdy’s been lying fallow. My co-editor George has been picking up my slack with lots of good articles. Check it out!