Year: 2008

Categories
Internet Media

AppleTV Rumors

Recovered from the Wayback Machine.

Rumors abound this weekend that something is up with AppleTV. TUAW first wrote about the AppleTV signs coming down, and erroneously mentioned about machines being pulled. The site later made an update that the machines haven’t been pulled, and conjecture in comments is that the signage change is because of one year licensing and old publication material. Still, another rumor mentioned a webcast related to the AppleTV on Tuesday. Comments in Gizmodo mention AppleTVs on clearance at Target, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that Target is making way for new products.

There has been speculation for some time now on a new AppleTV that combines the old AppleTV streaming and direct purchasing capability, and features of the Mac Mini. Speculation runs the gamut from a new box with Blu-Ray, to a merge between the Mac Mini and the AppleTV with Blu-Ray thrown in. I think one thing we can safely say is that whatever happens to the future of AppleTV et al, it won’t stream Netflix’s WatchNow.

The rumor that most interested me, from MacBlogz, was that a software upgrade for AppleTV is in the works enabling direct purchase of HD TV shows through the machine. Now, you have to purchase the shows in iTunes on the computer and then transfer them to the machine.

I tried posting a note on these at the official AppleTV discussion forum. It was pulled in ten minutes and I received an email from Apple, slapping my hands and telling me not to post “rumors” and “speculation” in the forum. Considering that rumor and speculation form the heart and soul of Apple marketing, I would think the company would welcome increased exposure for both, but it would seem it likes to play coy within its own environments. Mustn’t smudge the shellac.

I do find this latest round of Apple buzz to be less than endearing—necessary updates to hardware should not be handled within the same PR stream as new products or innovations.

Categories
Browsers

Congratulations to Safari/Webkit

Congratulations to Safari/Webkit for being the first browser in the wild that provides a completely passing Acid3 test.

My own results:

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I’m really getting excited by how much The Big Three (Safari, Firefox, and Opera) are improving, not only in standards support, but also innovation and application speed. It’s as if the web has suddenly shed its cocoon, unfurled glorious wings, and is ready to fly.

Categories
Stuff

Three dangerous words: I speak English

As I wrote in comments to the last post, I think we’ve discovered the Rosetta stone for English, and it’s {}.

These are curly brackets, squiggly brackets, worms, curlies, curly parenthesis, and braces. Conversely, braces are suspenders, or pairs of pheasants. I wrote, seeking a map, and discovered a journey, instead.

How serendipitous, then, to receive an email, last night, from Joe Clark about the publication of his new e-book on Canadian English, Organizing Our Marvellous Neighbours: How to Feel Good About Canadian English. According to his email, the book should hit the streets today.

Knowing Joe, the writing should be colorful. Or is that colourful? He spent time organizing the efforts, but to those across the sea, he’s really spent time organising the effort.

Even when there are no differences in spelling or meaning, cultural differences can have a significant impact on our use of English. I recently ordered a book through Amazon UK, and marveled at the emails telling me it’s progress, up to and including when it was “dispatched” (not sent), and through the Royal Mail, no less. I must do it again, it was like a verbal carnival ride.

Or would that be fun fair dobby?

Categories
Writing

Curly brackets or braces

This one came up during the tech edit and now during the copy edit on my last book: the use of “curly bracket” as compared to “curly braces” or “brace”.

I have used the term “curly bracket” for decades, and have seen the term used in other programming contexts. Wikipedia, though not the definitive source of information on a topic, also seems to promote curly bracket over curly brace. In addition, Wikipedia and other sources also point out that the curly part of “curly braces” is redundant, because there are no other braces but curly ones.

So which is the proper term? When you see “curly bracket” do you itch to take editing pencil to “bracket”, to replace with “brace”? Are you confused when you see the word “brace” used in a programming context? Or paired with the “curly”?

Categories
Burningbird Photography Political

End of politico beginning of computer fund

Today I went to the gas station to fill up my tank before this week’s rapid rise in gas prices. The station has two islands, with three filling areas on each side. I drove through the center, between the two islands, which has room to pass even if cars are at both sides. However, I was forced to stop before getting to the pump because an elderly man was using the window squeegee thing to clean the inside of his windows and had his door wide open so I couldn’t pass.

I stopped, thinking that he would see I was trying to get past and close his door, but he just continued his painfully slow process of trying to use the squeegee thingie to clean his inside windows.

I was already cranky entering the station, and snarled at him to please close his door, as I was trying to get past— startling him a little, which left me feeling like a jerk because my parents did not raise me to be rude to somebody in their 80s. I had let my cranky feelings overcome both my manners, and my sense of perspective, because I was in no hurry and could have waited a couple of minutes for him to finish.

I’m cranky from the news, not only of the election but the abysmal bail out, which, no, I don’t approve of in any shape or form. However, the stress of both is actually adding to a sense of physical degradation, as well as impacting on both my humor and my interactions with those around me. I snarled at an elderly man, and I’ve never snarled at an elderly person before. I wasn’t raised this way. Snarl at webloggers, yes; but never the elderly, the very young, or critters. That’s just plain mean.

You’ll be glad to know that this is my last post on the election, because I am going to be restricting my intake of news and politics, and especially economics. I can’t do a thing to make a difference, and keeping up with the stories is, frankly, ruining what is potentially going to be a beautiful fall.

I had planned on writing a long, seemingly learned paper on the election, listing out various topics and how Obama and McCain differ, but there’s a lot of people who do a much better job at this than me. I’m voting for Obama/Biden, plain and simple. To do otherwise will turn the White House over to two people who are incompetent to lead, at a time when this country is in a world of hurt, and needs the best, not the worst.

There. I did my thing, and I’m sure have convinced hundreds, thousands of you to vote for Obama.

Now, writing about the internet, browsers, standards—including and RDF and SVG, and the like—is useful because I may actually make a difference talking about these topics. Same with my tales of Missouri at MissouriGreen, video at Secret of Signals, and whatever at Just Shelley. Even if all I do is post pictures of our zoo’s new Amur leopard cub, Sophie, who stole my heart this weekend, forever, when she “stalked” my roommate as he walked around her habitat trying to see her.

Amur leopard cub

Yes, I have given my heart to a leopard cub. Sorry to my male readers who might be disappointed. Come to that, sorry to my female readers who might be disappointed.

Hopefully pictures of this sweet thing will make up for the fact that I’ve been a dead bore, lately.

Sophie, stalking roommate
Sophie, still stalking

update: Decided against trying to run a computer fund.