Al Hoang

I love reading Freedom to Tinker. It covers lots of different high level happenings that could affect the large scale of one’s right to tinker with the stuff they own. This
time Professor Felton covers radios. He gives a very niec sum up here:

Smart radios are a sleeper technology. They’re being developed right now; they’ll have a huge impact; but they’re not getting anywhere near the attention they deserve.

Smart radios rely on computer processing power, rather than simple analog circuits, to extract information from the electromagnetic spectrum. This simple idea has profound implications for wireless communication, implications that we are only just beginning to understand.

The implications of using software (since general purpose hardware is so powerful these days) to handle radio signal processing is really huge. I remember working on the analog stuff back in college and going, ‘Can’t I play with this on the computer and not pay a huge sum out of my pocket?’ (Back then the answer was no)

Freedom to Tinker’s Post

I saw th eMacworld 2004 Keynote and it wasn’t that bad. Some nice improvements to iLife but the most disappointing thing is the iPod. JonBert sums it up quite nicely for me:

The iPod mini is more of a question-mark. $249 for 4GB? Sure it’s smaller, and comes in different colors, but as it is it would need to be under $200 to stop registering on the Lame-o-meter

You tell em JonBert. The price sucks, I don’t care how small and cute it is. I understand the prices on the componetns isn’t cheap but I’d rather buy one of these things with the understanding it can die at anytime in a couple of years and I can just buy a new one and toss the old one. When you have to put $250 each time that sucks.

JonBert laying the smack

Macworld on Macworld

PCs integrating more with the TV? “You will be assimilated”, anyone?

I’ve seen photos of Windows Media Center but never actually tried it. Is
anyone actually using it? The ability to integrate with a remote control sounds
quite useful. The ability to get all the viruses Windows does, doesn’t. The
ability to use many of the media Codecs for Windows sounds VERY nice. The
fact it might blow up like Windows does at weird times and probably has crappy
bootup times like a PC doesn’t.

Of course the Open Source community is pushing forward Linux. Me?
When I sit in front of the TV, I really want a remote to control the TV since
it’s been many yaers since I’ve HAD to walk to the TV/VCR to make it
change channels/play/stop/etc

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Gee, that’s a way to put yourself through college. Teach the computer NON-savvy Professors how to use a computer.

Except for one thing… does this cause strife when the student gets graded by that teacher later on?

Paul Dame possessed the knowledge and Willard Morgan the willingness to learn it. It was a classic teacher-student relationship — except for one thing: Dame is an undergraduate at the University of Vermont, and Morgan a lecturer.

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