Ars Wars: The Return of the “Journalists”

Hey Ars, this “article” is a joke. According to the subheadline, apparently, “Apple ditched Google for map, and many users are upset.” Lack of correct punctuation aside, when exactly did Apple say they ditched Google Maps?

[crickets]

Exactly. My assumption was always that Apple and Google had some sort of contract; and now, that contract has expired (by the way, let me direct your attention toward my semicolon before the word “and”). Not once does the author even mention such a possibility. Just plain and simple shitty journalism.

Aww, Shucks

From the same author as the last blog post, I just read this incredibly touching story about how the author got into computers and programming:

Before I discovered computers I was, in fact, a typewriter nerd. Yes, that existed. I took typing class on old manual (not IBM Selectric) typewriters and I was the kid in class that repaired the typewriters. I remember spending hours trying to figure out what each typewriter needed to fix a stuck key or repair a carriage that wouldn’t return.

[…] This was massive, in case that’s unclear. She played favorites and made a deal. She singled me out because she knew without focus that I would be trouble. They used to joke that I would be voted “most likely to be convicted of a white-collar crime.” This was a $2000+ computer in the middle of the 80s – the pride of the school – and they let me take it home. I can’t imagine what would have happened had we broken it.

That last part cracked me up.

Icons That “Don’t Make Sense Anymore”

I must bet getting old, because apparently I seem to be getting confused a lot lately:

I suppose the kids use Pee Chees still these days? I use folders because I use the 43 Folders organizational system but I don’t see any reason that we couldn’t be storing our files in abstract squares rather than folders in the sky.

Is this guy genuinely confused why we’re using these icons? Does he want us to use “abstract squares” for every icon now? Guess what? Old words stick. We still call “albums,” “albums,” even though most people got rid of their vinyl records twenty years ago.

If this blog post is just meant for entertainment, then fine, whatever, but it’s unclear to me what the author is trying to actually say.

Trimming the Fat

Having been a faithful follower of The Talk Show, Daring Fireball and 5by5 for some time now, it was certainly surprising to see John Gruber move to Mule Radio. I think John Graham’s opinion reflects many of the sentiments of listeners, although he doesn’t go into the fact that they felt the transition was, well…. weird. Frankly, I’m incredibly curious to know what kind of viewer retention Gruber has managed with his new network.

From a purely branding standpoint, I’m not sure if the change really rings true. It’s kind of like the whole Netflix/Qwikster debacle.

Is This for Real?

I still can’t tell if this name is a joke:

Is your love of Android tablets matched only by your hatred of spending more than $120 on Android tablets? Have a gander at the eGlide Steal – Ematic’s seven-inch slate rocking Ice Cream Sandwich and a rather budget-friendly $119.95 MSRP.

Three Things That Should Trouble Apple

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m perfectly willing to point out the “obviously out-of-touch commentators,” however I think that has more to do with my personal crusade against, well… crap. That said, this article hits a few nails on the head, although I take issue with one thing:

If there’s a problem for Apple it’s that they’ve already invented the future. It’s a done deal. The best and brightest engineers and product managers may move on to other ventures. Less likely to succeed, of course, but that’s less of an issue for them given the rainfall of AAPL gains. We’ll have to see what happens.

Maybe Apple invented the future five years ago, but after having seen the new WIndows Phone, I realize how horribly cluttered the iOS UI looks. And god forbid you’re like me and all of your apps are in folders, so that you end up with this horrible fractalesque home screen of junk. But then again, maybe that’s the fundamental point of the article — that Apple is doing well, but that it can’t rest on its laurels.

[via Kim Roen] [via Scott Williams]

The Hard Drives Most Likely to Expose Your Data Aren’t Your Own

I saw this about a month ago, but forgot to post it:

Hard drives that provide prime material for identity theft are more likely to come from a company for which you are an employee or client than from your own computer, according to a study released by the Information Commissioner’s Office in the UK on Thursday. ICO had a computer forensics company read 200 used hard drives using freely available tools, and found that files containing personal data like bank account info and tax forms were more likely to have come from an organization than an individual.