My thoughts on the Apple iPad

iPad is here, not a tablet computer, not a netbook. It starts at $499, the price is a lot better than what I thought it would be, and we know what the Apple iPad does do. such as: iBooks, Games,10-hr battery life, Wi-Fi, 3G, green tech etc. Apple says "It's the best way to experience the web, email, photos, and videos." But I have an iPhone and I have a Macbook Pro. I’m not feeling a huge need to have an iPad. I have to say I'm kinda disappointed and confused in the iPad.

Here's what I don't like about it:

• Huge Ugly. It seems like a bigger iPhone or iPod Touch. Grrrr
• The A4 chip seems like a bad idea. No way Apple is going to consistently be better than Intel or AMD at making low power chips.
• No camera. which means no video conferencing and no quick shots for posting. Please! even the new iPod Nano has one!
• 16, 32, or 64GB is all you get, because there’s lack of an SD card reader built directly into the iPad.
• You won’t be able to plug in an external USB keyboard or/and a digital camera you already own without buying a separate USB adapter.
• Only runs apps from the App Store. Want to run a different browser on your iPad? Too bad.
• No Flash for now, bad enough on the iPhone. maybe Apple is hoping that HTML5 will take off quickly and start to disintermediate Flash as the primary technology powering video playback on the web?
• Perhaps the biggest disappointment is, No multitasking! saying I can't listening to Last.fm radio while reading my email? I can't have Twitter client open at the same time as my browser? No, thanks!
• It uses microSIMs that literally no one else uses, then it doesn't support China Unicom 3G.
• Basically it works the same as the iPhone. I want a 10-inch iPhone running Mac OS X, not this big iPod Touch.
• The Name iPad. Apple should have watched this MadTV spoof "Apple iPad" from 2007 first. LOL

Here’s the problem with all this. That’s not to say the iPad won’t sell, or that I don’t want one. I don't think Apple will have any trouble selling these things. Some people say Apple is Evil that Apple plans for the iPhone OS to be the future of its product line. Because the iPhone OS is designed for Apple’s total control, not only does the hardware have to be flawless, the software must be too. and the only way to ensure that is to have Apple approve every inch of it. You can say it's a closed platform, you can say that App store may not be open, but third-party development will extend the iPad to do things we can’t even dream up, just give it 6 months and we'll see.

My 2010 New Year's Resolutions

• Be mindful
• Read a book per month
• Start coding again
• Raise a new pet (dog)
• Less drinking & smoking
• Camping w/ friends
• Start building a new studio
• Make time to date someone seriously
• Budget
• Drink more water
• Continue to change my eating and exercise habits
• Fish w/ my dad
• Build an iPhone app
• Take more pictures (aka, delve further into photography)
• Snowboarding trip
• “Oasis of the Seas” cruise vacation
• See more live music this year
• Create my own techno music
• Learn how to cook better (chinese food)
• Start an Arsenal blog or podcast
• Watch Arsenal game in London again
• Destroy the GFW w/ the Force… =)

How Should We Define “Design”?

How Should We Define “Design”? by Gardi Amit

1. Is there truly a “new design” phenomenon?
2. Is any idea, whether it’s an initiative for social progress or a clever way to market movies, enough to be declared a work of design?
3. Can a construct such as a “process,” “business plan” or a “system” be work of design?
4. Lastly, are these metaphysical constructs always design or is there a threshold of beauty, a rigorous process, or another quality standard that must be met for something to be considered a design? In other words, is a ‘business plan’ always a form of “new design” or does it have to involve some level of good, “old fashioned” design to be considered more than an ordinary business plan? And, if the latter, what are the requisite elements that would distinguish one from the other?

Design makes something more functional precisely because of its beautification. That also distinguishes design from say, engineering, where something is made better in ways that have nothing to do with its beauty.

To me, design is best defined with actions as opposed to words. I hope I never find the answer, and doubt I ever will.

What is a Good Friend?

- Accepts you as who you are.
- Believes in 'You'.
- Calls you just to say 'Hi'.
- Doesn't give up on you.
- Envisions the whole of you.
- Forgives your mistakes.
- Gives unconditionally.
- Helps you.
- Invites you over.
- Just 'Be' with you.
- Keeps you close at heart.
- Loves you for who you are.
- Makes a difference in your life.
- Never judges.
- Offers support.
- Picks you up.
- Quiets your fears.
- Raises your spirits.
- Says nice things about you.
- Tells you the truth when you need to hear it.
- Understands.
- Values you.
- Walks beside you.
- Xplain things you don't understand.
- Yells when you won't listen.
- Zaps you back to reality.

That's what a good friend is... :)

Should I Quit Blogging?

"Should I quit my blog and start Lifestreaming, Videocasting, Social Messaging/Networking etc?"

Darren: There’s been another round of ‘blogging is dead’ posts doing the rounds of late and as a result I’ve had a number of emails hitting my inbox over the last week from bloggers asking if they should stop blogging.

Here’s some of the advice I’ve been sharing:

• Blogging is not dead - it’s evolving.
• You should be evolving too (read Blogs are Out of Beta, But Bloggers Should always be in Beta)
• Keep being useful, keep solving problems and keep meeting needs - whatever the medium this is key.
• Keep producing content - people continue to search the web for content in huge numbers. It’s not all about networking and bookmarking - whether it be text, video or audio - keep producing content.
• Experiment with different mediums - to the best of your ability keep abreast of the ‘new’ mediums that are emerging.
• Build a ‘Home Base’ - many people flit from one medium to another and end up with nothing of their own (read more on the Home Bases and Outposts that I use).
• Build a Brand - the mediums are tools. They’ll come and go in time - the key is to build something that lasts beyond them.
• Don’t be Precious about your ‘Blog’ and be open to change - there’s no one ‘right’ way to blog. Blogs can have comments or not have comments, have full RSS feeds or partial ones, look like a traditional blog or act and look more like a lifestream or portal. The key is to know what you want to achieve and let that shape what you do with your blog.
• Don’t abandon your blog too quickly - your primary efforts may move into a different medium but blogs can be an important part of the mix of what you do online. Don’t abandon your blog - build upon it, let it evolve, leverage what you’ve already built and use it where appropriate in the mix of what you do.

My last piece of advice is particularly for those with limited time or capacity to fully engage with all of the mediums and tools that are currently at our fingertips. I get the sense from a lot of bloggers that they feel that they’re being left behind - that all this new stuff that is emerging is beyond them - that it’s hopeless to keep on blogging. My message to you if you’re feeling this way is to keep at it. Even as a full time blogger/web entrepreneur I don’t have time to fully engage with all of the new technologies that are currently emerging. I too feel some of those ‘overwhelming’ feelings. I think the key is to engage with the new technologies to the point that you’re able but to know when to stop and focus upon what you already have in front of you. The problem as I see it is that whether it be a blog, a Twitter presence, a podcast or some other kind of website or presence - it takes time to build these things up to successful levels. If you only give a medium a short time before moving to the next one you’ll just end up with a trail of abandoned accounts and sites behind you.

I see a lot of people running from one thing to the next and not really achieving anything. They live in a constant state of distraction and experimentation. There’s nothing wrong with new things and testing them out - but unless you’re fortunate enough to have a lot of spare time or an amazing capacity not to sleep there comes a time where you need to choose a handful of things to do (or even just one) and to do it to the best of your ability. For me - this means focusing mainly upon building blogs. My blogs are evolving and looking less and less like blogs as I experiment with different ways of presenting the information on them and play with different technologies on them - but I try to keep my focus steady upon the long term goals that I have. As a result I’ve managed to build them into profitable properties. Yes I’ll continue to experiment with other technologies but for me they are only about adding value to my primary web properties.

What do you think? How are you approaching what you do in this ever changing web?

via Darren Rowse

Lyang Hsueh: I don’t think blogging is dying at all. A blog is merely a means of publishing content. So too is Twitter, or Facebook. It’s no different to publishing in any other form, it’s just publishing. Just a new form of publishing comes along does not necessarily mean an older method goes out of the window. Indeed, I understand that many people still write things with pen and paper... So, my point is, If you are a blogger, carry on blogging. As long as one is passionate about blogging, you should not think about quitting blogging. But consider how you can also use newer technologies to publish your content in alternative forms so that you access the widest possible audience. We are growing and experimenting with new ideas all the time. Right?

2008 - 09 UEFA Champions League Final 点评

对于昨晚的欧冠之夜相信各位现在还在回味之中,偶也是.首先,对于这两支球队而言,偶个人是保持中立的.因为偶是个Arsenal fan.所以也能够客观的来评判下昨晚的比赛.

F1 in China

It is disappointing that it is not supported by local companies. I think they are missing an awful lot. In China nobody cares about brand names, and it is a good opportunity to get your brand out there. -- Bernie Ecclestone

Pirate Bay 被判有罪

近日互联网上最令人关注的一场官司有了最新的消息.瑞典斯德哥尔摩地区法庭裁定著名BT文件共享网站Pirate Bay(海盗湾)的四名创办人违反版权法罪名成立.各被判处有期徒刑一年,罚款240万英镑.

海盗湾是世界最知名的文件共享网站.可能国内的朋友不太了解它,因为该站被GFW长期屏蔽.2003年由反版权机构Piratbyran成立,但在过去的5年中由个人经营.网站每天都有数以百万计的文件进行着交换.这次的判决无疑将重创海盗湾,甚至是整个互联网文件免费共享服务.但海盗湾的四名被告从开始就否认被起诉的罪名.他们认为事实上海盗湾并没有储存任何侵权档案,网站本身也没有存储过任何违法侵权内容.该站只是一个搜索引擎,只提供内容索引,他们是无法控制其他人的所作所为的.被告律师说,他们对有罪裁定和处罚的严重程度感到震惊,并表示将会上诉.

那么,民众是如何认为的呢?此次判决引发了瑞典斯德哥尔摩当地一个名为海盗党的组织的抗议活动,抗议人群头戴头巾,高举海盗旗,走上街头来支持海盗湾.海盗党主席及创始人Rickard Falkvinge周六在斯德哥尔摩市中心的Medborgarplatsen广场发表演说,要求法庭改判海盗湾无罪.他表示,这一判决表明当局正在向一代人“宣战”,而瑞典的政客都是“数字文盲”.这不是一场刑事审讯而是政治审讯.把四个只是提供基本架构的人判刑是难以形容的呕心.他的演说获得围观民众的支持.除斯德哥尔摩以外,瑞典Goteborg,Karlstad和Lund等城市也发生抗议事件.

虽然目前还看不出这个判决对全球性的BT下载有何影响.由于BT协议与生俱来的开放性.所以哪怕最终“海盗湾”关门歇业,BT下载服务在网上依然将随处可得.

也许正如宣判前,Peter Sunde在 twitter上所说的:

Stay calm - Nothing will happen to TPB, us personally or file sharing what so ever. This is just a theater for the media.

偶并不支持盗版行为.但是偶支持知识分享.相信网络上有不少人也会这么认为的.现在的版权制度并不完善.妨碍了知识的传播.成为垄断者的利益来源.
这不禁让偶想起了很久以前,音乐P2P的发起者Napster.呵,多么相似.只要是触动了垄断者的利益领域,高调且令人追捧的话,那麻烦也就如影相随了.但即使这样,偶们始终坚持着,生存着.哈佛大学某位教授就曾指出目前版权问题形式就好比猫和老鼠的游戏."有时候老鼠会被猫抓住吃掉,但大部分老鼠都很幸运活着.”

Hi, Welcome to my new blog

一直以来都对tumblelog这类微型博客情有独钟.很可惜原来那个被"和谐"了.直接就导致偶一年没怎么写过博客.在网上瞎逛让偶走进了这里.posterous,典型的web2.0界面和新颖的post功能彻底征服了偶.听说posterous早在去年5月就有了吧.真是相见恨晚啊.ToT.随便测试玩弄了下,整体来说,pretty cool!偶的黑莓终于可以掌管自己的博客了.和facebook也结合的很好.新出的share on posterous书签让偶想起来了tumble.so,以后就在这安家了.偶会在有空的时候发布些新鲜好玩的文摘,照片,视频等等.哦对了,当然,还有属于偶的故事,分享给大家.谢谢.

btw,最近的日子不太好过啊,很不顺.希望新博客的开张代表着全新的开始,新生活的开始.