tracydanger

The New iMac Will Be...

2012-01-05T08:43:00.000-08:00

The iMac has long been based off of laptop internals, so I recently asked myself what the iMacs future will be based off of Apple's stated direction of the laptop. They already use uni-body construction, they already offer the magic trackpad. When they introduced the more recent air, they said that all laptops were headed that way. So how will this impact the iMac?

Flash storage

This should seem obvious since you can already get an SSD as an option on the iMac. Benefit: faster access, instant on.

No optical drive

Yes, it may not cost much for them to keep it in, but they already sell an external optical drive and most people rarely if ever use it, so it doesn't need to be there all the time. They weren't shy about getting rid of the floppy drive on the original iMac, why would they start being timid now? Benefit: Thinner iMac, cost reduction.

Retina display

Yes, this is not a current laptop feature, but we've all heard the rumors, so it would only make sense that it would come to their entire line of computers.

Conclusion

So, thinner, lighter & impact resistant might not be the main selling points of a desktop machine, but there are notable positives if and when these changes come to the iMac line. The question is how soon we will see this happen.

Future of the iMac

2011-12-05T20:15:00.001-08:00

The iMac will, at some point, take internal design cues from the MacBook Air. The guts have always been based on laptop components. It's not far fetched to expect an iMac with no optical drive and you can already purchase one with a solid state hard drive. With the frequency most people use optical drives, the external one they sell would suffice.

Imagine how thin and fast that iMac will be. The only question is, "How soon will they introduce it?"

Three great uses for Color E-ink

2010-05-26T06:54:00.000-07:00

I enjoy connecting the dots of current technology to imagine what lies ahead in our near future. I have a prediction for color e-ink that I don't think is that far off in our future. Color e-ink continues to develop into a more vibrant set of colors even though, in it's current state, is too dull. The other obstacle being worked on is a manufacturing process that will make it inexpensive to the end user.

The first application that I thought of was the Electronic Photo Frame. This would be the perfect marriage. Currently, the photo frames look like little computer monitors and not like normal printed pictures. Secondly, they have to be plugged into a wall, which can create some ugly wires showing or limit the placement of the frame. If they used color e-ink, the pictures would look like actual printed photos and the energy efficiency would be such that they could be run by battery (because it only uses battery when the image changes). The E-photo frames will likely become plenty thin, have wifi to fetch new photos from flickr & the like, and run on battery so that they can be hung on any wall. Of course, wifi would drain the battery more, but it would be optional and could be set up to only fetch new photos once a week or less.

The next application dawned on me when I looked at an electronic billboard. The third application hit me when I was in a fast food restaurant and saw a menu that was actually an LCD monitor. Besides fast food menus, there are screens for arrival & departure at the airport, advertisements in the mall & retail stores, etc. To spare the reader repetition, I'll just say that they same advantages I mentioned for the photo frame would apply just as well to these uses. These applications would likely all be plugged into a wall, but still be much more energy efficient.

In all of these situations, the product will look more pleasing to the eye and be much more efficient.

Bonus: Aside from the current slow refresh rate for e-ink, most everything you might do on an iPad-type device could be done with color e-ink. You would be missing Video and Games, but you could have a device that does e-mail, read blogs & news, check stocks, calendar, notes/documents, e-books, etc.

Maple & Raw Sugar

2010-03-11T12:25:00.000-08:00

We should learn to do things differently. We get so used to the way it always has been. Like complete blog posts...why should we

The way of the dodo

2009-02-10T11:48:00.000-08:00

It just dawned on me that I never hear the phrase "...gone the way of the dodo" anymore.

Apparently, the phrase "It's gone the way of the dodo," has gone the way of the dodo.

I am free

2008-12-13T00:24:00.000-08:00

As I sat there in the jail cell, I reviewed the sequence of events in my mind. How did I get here?

When the tour guide stopped at the Crown Jewels display, I specifically remember her saying "Priceless". She said, "This collection is PRICELESS." Any normal, innocent person would come to the same logical conclusion: priceless = no price = free.

So, naturally, I was surprised to be taken to the floor so quickly just for trying to grab some of this 'free' merchandise. I mean, they may say it has no price, but it sure looked to me as though I could fetch a decent price on e-bay or craig's list.

It was an honest mistake - no need for that billy club to the gut. A simple, "Hey, put that back" would have sufficed.

Snore

2008-11-12T05:28:00.001-08:00

I haven't written this yet (as I type this sentence), but here's a poem inspired by the church men's retreats and family retreats that we have each a year:

Without fail, every year
the snorers strategically place themselves
at lest one per room.
Some years I remember my ear plugs
and even a fan to drowned it all out.
some years, I forget
some years, I regret
this year, I was on the bunk directly above my obligatory snorer
The year of the Drew had to be the worst
-worse than a freight train as if I were laying between the tracks as it passed overhead
I would try to trick myself into imagining that I was off in a cabin and
some old man was sawing logs in the distance, but invariably,
that old man would saw louder & louder until he started to choke to death
and then it turned out he wasn't actually sawing or choking,
but rather trying to start up his Harley.
Unfortunately, he was successful throughout the night at starting
and restarting that motorbike.
It wasn't off in the distance either.
The Harley was in my ear canal.
It's ironic that going to a church men's retreat would inspire me to want to kill another human.
Why would I fantasize about smothering a guy in his sleep?
After all, I'd just be putting a choking old man out of his misery.

Hell

2008-11-05T07:30:00.000-08:00

Just a quick thought...

So many people have used the phrase, "The world is going to Hell in a hand basket."

Now that there's 6 billion(+) people in the world, wouldn't it at least be more like a grocery cart ?

The world going to Hell in a grocery cart...

Boat, Boat, don't fall off the Boat

2008-11-03T19:18:00.000-08:00

This post is totally self-serving. I just felt like typing out my reminiscing.

When we were little kids, we used to play a fun ‘game’ called Boat, Boat, don’t fall off the Boat. Basically, all we would do is get every chair and sofa pillow in the house and stack them all on top of this leather barcalounger. Then we would get up on top of the princess-and-the-pea style stack and try not to fall off. Not once was it played where we didn’t end up ‘falling off the boat,’ so I guess you didn’t really win by staying on the boat. You won by getting to have fun and laugh. It would be pretty boring if you never fell off...

I could still be there today.

I’m going to visit my family next weekend. Maybe I should see if my siblings want to play just one more time.

Why did...

2008-11-03T07:56:00.000-08:00

To truly understand humor, it helps to analyze classic jokes.

Today we'll talk about "Why did the chicken cross the road?" There have been many variations on this joke, but the original answer is, of course, "To get to the other side."

In painstakingly pondering over why this joke is so funny, I came to a simple conclusion.

It's not really that funny.

bitsow

2008-11-01T11:47:00.000-07:00

There is, in the annals of our traditions, a saying that, shall we say, for the most part, drives home the point that the more we, as humans, incline ourselves to keep our delivery of the language to a minimum, the more our perceived intelligence increases in the mind of others. Said sayings are the essence of funniness and cleverness as long as they adhere to the principle that shorter is better. Quips are droll. As long as the proverb, adage, maxim, axiom, motto, aphorism and/or saying is tiny, petite, stunted, brief, diminutive, & undersized, then it will be considered in good standing at the core as being comical, amusing and/or humorous.

i.e. brevity is the soul of wit.

Untitled (simply entitled "Untitled")

2008-11-01T08:59:00.000-07:00

My love is unbridled
The poem's untitled
The wave is un-tidaled

(Rhyme Scheme: A A A)

Thursday Band Names

2008-10-30T19:42:00.000-07:00

It's Thursday, and you know what that means...
Time for another round of band name suggestions.
You're totally welcome to use any of these, or any combination therein - free of charge:

Mobile Lampshade Face
Forthwith Fishwith Fifth'll frith
Knee-knockin' Juggernauts
Noble Rancor Monster
Gutheadfeetfoot
Pippy-short & stocky
Never mind, it's your turn
iPod filler
Love Stain

I'm typing this before I think

2008-10-29T20:31:00.000-07:00

I feel like I should add another post, but I've yet to think of an idea, so...here we go...

quit what every red tom york under influences of patriotic and sad damsels find grand having just knotted lazy zipper xenophobes 'cause virtual bounties never mention

OK. Five bucks to the first person that figures out where that came from.
Leave your guess(es) in the comments section.

IRON NICK

2008-10-28T17:45:00.000-07:00

This is a link to the first submission from a reader.
Since the story is a bit longer than my usual posts, I'm putting a link here to the story.

I give you IRON NICK

Pot-Bellied Sneeches

2008-10-27T07:05:00.000-07:00

I’m going to write a Dr. Seuss-esque story about a race that thought they were better than others because of their beer gut. Then when the others also grew beer guts to fit in, they put a tattoo of a pot leaf on their gut to differentiate themselves again and consider themselves better. At this point, they were Pot-Bellied twice over. When the “lesser Sneeches” leveled the playing field by tattooing as well, then the “betters” shoved large cooking pots onto their bellies. At this point the lesser Sneeches chopped off the bellies of the “betters” and cooked the bellies in the pots. It turns out if you push a Sneech too far, he becomes a cannibal.

Two Toe Charlie

2008-10-26T21:15:00.000-07:00

I had a pretty good idea as to why they called him
"Two Toe Charlie."
What I did not realize, was that those two toes
were coming out of the side of his neck.

Buzz

2008-10-26T12:05:00.000-07:00

I debated about posting this because it's stupid in too many ways...

If you have a friend that takes things too literally, then when you want them to call you on the phone, don't say, "Give me a buzz."
It's gonna take five weeks before my hair grows back out.

Guilt Gene

2008-10-26T12:00:00.000-07:00

As a family therapist, I've become aware of an innate trait in humans.
It's called the Guilt Gene.
It manifests itself in a slightly different way in males and females.
When a wife or girlfriend is upset the man feels guilty.
When a wife or girlfriend is upset the woman feels that the man is guilty.

Lesson in Literature

2008-10-26T11:50:00.000-07:00

One thing the majority of people overlook in prose is the importance of the use of the word "the."
It must be used sparingly. Take, for instance, the following incorrect sentence:
The hammock the fairy the the brothers the the the and the forlorn.

Lessons for Life

2008-10-25T23:37:00.000-07:00

There are three things every man should know:

1. How to tell direction by using the Sun or Stars
2. How to skin a live goat using a toothpick and three blades of grass
3. You'll have to figure this one out for yourself, pal

Child of the 80's

2008-10-25T22:36:00.000-07:00

I've always considered myself a child of the 80's.
Sure, technically, I was born in '76
but, when I was born, my parents were both octogenarians.

So, fine...

2008-10-25T22:25:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm starting a new blog here. This was a stagnant page for a long time, but I was inspired by a friend in Nashville that started a page (link) like I'm gonna shoot for. So, if you enjoy weird, stupid things. You've come to the right place.