The Blog that Noone Reads

Actually, its difficult to say exactly what Apple has planned for this event. There are several new things expected from Apple in the next few months and several events in which they’re probably going to launch them.

First off, Apple is due to show it’s new iTunes cell phone -powered by Motorola- on the 7th of this month. Following is some sort of press event at the Moscone center in San Francisco, CA on the 9th (invite pictured). These dates seem aweful close together for them to be about separate products, but it has been a while since they updated their iPod line. There is actually a whole slew of info about possible updates.

First, it’s expected that they will soon release the iPod mini with a color screen. Second, Apple recently purchased a whole bunch of flash media in 4GB and 6GB sizes, presumably to replace the really small hard drives in the mini. As for the full size iPods, many, including myself, expect a video version of the iPod soon. Apple’s already extended their patent to include video and they’ve been recently preparing to launch video services through iTunes. Plus, they’ve recently released their new version of Quicktime that supports a new MPEG codec, H.264, that is supposed to scale very well down to the smaller devices. And what about the Newton. Back in the early days of the handheld, Apple had a product called the Newton. It was basically what would become called a PDA. Their product was unsuccessful, but the format was later popularized by Palm with the Palm Pilot. Palm as been floundering lately, but they released an interesting product recently. The LifeDrive is a really cool device that’s basically an iPod mixed with a PDA. I don’t think the device is doing very well, but Apple could SO be preparing to bring back the Newton brand with a similar device. It could be an iPod/video player/PDA. I would buy one.

One more thing on the horizon. Jobs is going to be giving the keynote speach at the upcoming Mac conference at the end of this month. I expect them to release an updated PowerBook, which is due for an upgrade. My hope is that we’ll see touch screens on the next PowerBook model. The gap between the iBook and the PowerBook has become too small. If they want people to keep shelling out for the premium hardware, there better be something more to differentiate them than a spiffy metal case. Right now the iBook sports twice the onboard memory of the PowerBooks. I’m ready to buy one, but I’m waiting for an upgrade. Please, Apple, make it a tablet. The time is right. People are ready. You’ve got Inkwell. Touch screens are the next step in usability. They make a whole lot more sense than your new “Mighty Mouse.”

So what will Apple actually be announcing this month? Definately the new phone. Aside from that? Only Steve knows.

Update: I think I have my dates wrong. It seems that the press event is on the 7th. So there are actually only two upcoming platforms for announcements. Still hoping for that tablet mac. Cross your fingers.

Image pillaged from AppleInsider.com

Ben and I wandered around the San Mateo area for lunch today. We discovered this area where there are like 5 japanese food places within a block. Ben got some sushi that looked pretty good. He said it was good. I got this stuff:

Onigiri. Commonly referred to in my house as Boom Diggity. Its basically a ball of jasmine flavored rice wrapped in seaweed. The really cool part is the plastic wrap around it actually magically separates the seaweed paper from the rice until you’re ready to eat it. This keeps the paper from getting soggy and gross.

Katsu Don. The picture looks pretty gross, but this is actually really good. Its a breaded, fried pork cutlet, a fried egg, and oninon served over rice. It was actually really good.

I saw this article online while taking a break from my latest software project. It’s mostly a silly thing, but I found a few interesting points in there. For the non-geek (you know who you are), this should should explain a little bit about your geeky friends.

A manager went to his programmers and told them: “As regards to your work hours: you are going to have to come in at nine in the morning and leave at five in the afternoon.” At this, all of them became angry and several resigned on the spot.

So the manager said: “All right, in that case you may set your own working hours, as long as you finish your projects on schedule.” The programmers, now satisfied, began to come in at noon and work to the wee hours of the morning.

Programmers are not morning people. This one is so true. My take on this is that software development takes the same concentration as playing the piano, which is to say, a lot. When you can reach that optimum level of concentration, your fingers can fly across the keys. Nobody is at their finest mental state at 9am. I’ll bet you Mozart never played the piano before noon.

In the east there is a shark which is larger than all other fish. It changes into a bird whose wings are like clouds filling the sky. When this bird moves across the land, it brings a message from Corporate Headquarters. This message it drops into the midst of the programmers, like a seagull making its mark upon the beach. Then the bird mounts on the wind and, with the blue sky at its back, returns home.

The novice programmer stares in wonder at the bird, for he understands it not. The average programmer dreads the coming of the bird, for he fears its message. The master programmer continues to work at his terminal, for he does not know that the bird has come and gone.

This is so true. This goes back to my first point. Concentration. The zone.

A manager asked a programmer how long it would take him to finish the program on which he was working. “It will be finished tomorrow,” the programmer promptly replied.

“I think you are being unrealistic,” said the manager, “Truthfully, how long will it take?”

The programmer thought for a moment. “I have some features that I wish to add. This will take at least two weeks,” he finally said.

“Even that is too much to expect,” insisted the manager, “I will be satisfied if you simply tell me when the program is complete.”

The programmer agreed to this.

Several years later, the manager retired. On the way to his retirement luncheon, he discovered the programmer asleep at his terminal. He had been programming all night.

This last one might need a little clarification. It’s pretty common for programmers to get carried away with all the stuff they want to add to a piece of software. I know I’m guilty of this. This is one of the most important tasks the management has. Software is never complete. There are only revisions.

Would you like to read the rest of The Tao of Programming?

Her name is Bella. We decided to keep it. She’s 13 weeks old. They said she’s Jack Russel Terrier and Chihuahua mix, but Kristen thinks she’s got some Cocker Spaniel in her.

Guest book? NO. Guest Map? YES.

A while back, I discovered a neat little trick to update a web page without going for a complete page reload. This kind of discovery is akin to stumbling over a solid gold yacht. Naturally, I wasn’t the only person to ever discover what would later dubbed AJAX, but it was new to me. Anyway, I’ve had a great number of successes with the technique and I feel I’ve finally mastered the intricacies of the technique. It feels good.

For a good example of ajax, checkout Google Maps.