If Google Made A Car

By now, most people have heard Google is testing cars that drive themselves. Which, is kinda cool. But, consistent with my earlier post on “If Apple Made a Car” I’d like to explore the allegory of a Google Car. So, here goes:

• You don’t buy a gAuto. It is strictly by referer only.
• Right off the bat, the gAuto is a stark white box. No visible seams, tires, nothing and only one very plain point of entry. Also worth noting, there are no Windows. Just lots of Chrome.
• Don’t be fooled. The gAuto is deceptively complex. Only PhD’s can tinker under the hood.
• The only known mechanic is one “Matt Cutts”. Identifiable by the “I’m not Matt Cutts” t-shirts he wears.
• On the inside is wraparound seating with one BigTable in the middle.
• The ignition starts with one of two buttons “Drive” or “Feeling Lucky” (I strongly suggest the “Drive” button for most occasions)
• The gAuto goes from stock still to your final destination (no matter how far) in 0.24 seconds. They’re constantly working on acceleration. (It’s the breaking they have a problem with.)
• The navigation is simply Voice activated. Arriving at your intended destination is dependent upon how specific you can be with your input.
• Insurance for your gAuto is provided on a daily basis by whoever has bid the most for the privilege.
• Traveling outside the magic triangle is discouraged.
• Don’t forget to plug your gAuto in at night… it’s an all-electric jalopy after all.
• Mileage is all relative.
• The Owner’s Manual is quite specific, “Objects in the mirror are nowhere as big as we are.”
• And, every gAuto has the same license plate: “B.E.T.A.”

REVIEW: StarTech DS128

I receive a LOT of product review requests and I turn down the majority of them. I just don’t have time to evaluate stuff I either won’t use or couldn’t possibly recommend based on my own lack of interest. But, once in a very long while, a PR rep will be uber persistent and slip one by. That’s what happened with the StarTech DS128.

So, let this be a warning to other PR folks out there… When I tell you I’m more interested in something specific (iPhone related kit or such) please just move on to better bloggers out there who can and will give you a fair review – the kind you’re looking for.

REVIEW

The DisplayPort to DVI Dual Link (USB powered) converter connects Displayport to DVI, HDMI and VGA at some rather impressive upper end resolution (2560 x 1600). I’d never know though: with my older MacBookPro I couldn’t muster the components necessary to put the unit through the paces. Despite asking the PR rep if I should simply send the unit back… I kept getting a persistent “Do you plan to review?” line of questioning. As if I hadn’t asked if I could send it back. So… here’s the nut of the review. It’s neither good nor bad because I couldn’t adequately test it.

On the PLUS side… the StarTech.com catalog is friggin AWESOME. You thought RadioShack had all the goodies? Oh no, my friend, StarTech carries some pretty exotic stuff that I’d wholeheartedly suggest you geek out to when you have a chance. (At least I found something positive to offer, right?)

Enable Airprint for ALL your shared printers

Apple ROYALLY pissed me off with this AirPrint feature in iOS 4.2.1 release. To only support a dozen wifi printers out the gate is just plain asinine. Oy vey!! C’mon guys! You’re better than this. I have no clue WHY you chose screw up your precious USER EXPERIENCE (oh, make no mistake, you screwed up the user experience royally!). But, here’s the work around your users came her for. It’s blissfully easy:

1) Remove your existing printers via System Preferences.

2) Launch Applescript Editor

3) Cut and paste these two lines and then run the script (you’ll need your admin password):

do shell script "echo '# enable AirPrint

image/urf urf (0,UNIRAST<00>)' > /usr/share/cups/mime/airprint.types" with administrator privileges

4) You can either REBOOT your mac -or- you can kill the CUPSD process via Activity Monitor. It’ll revive itself after a few minutes. Your call.

5) Once CUPSD is running again you can re-add your printer(s) and then SHARE the one(s) you want via System Preferences.

And guess what!? You can now print from your iPad or your iPhone. Oh, hell YES!… you just did what Apple should have enabled from the get go. Congrats.

WTF!? OK HB 3393 Should STAND!

What the HELL are these “educators” thinking in Oklahoma!? Seriously! “Educators” seems misplaced in this context. They’re ADMINISTRATORS. And, what they’re thinking is, “Oops! People are taking their kids (and consequently OUR money/funding) out of our reach.” THAT is exactly what they’re thinking. Glad you finally chose to wake the hell up. When presented with an option… we chose a better one. Surprise!

I’m taking a break from my normally technical blogging to begin the VOCAL OPPOSITION to any and all school districts who oppose The Nicole Henry Scholarship law (OK HB 3393). The Oklahoma Legislature passed a fantastic bill for special needs children (one of my children qualifies) and now the Jenks, Bixby, Broken Arrow and (perhaps my Tulsa) school systems are opposing it. WTF people!!! This further proves your interest isn’t aligned with the best interest of the children. Your interest is in alignment with the use of funds that are no longer in your control. And, you’re hiding behind constitutionality. I call BS!

Yes, I’m mad. I’m mad that you are suggesting the STATE doesn’t have the authority to appropriate funds as they see fit. It’s Law folks. It’s in the books. Get used to it. Can laws be overturned. Sure. Go ahead and challenge it. We’ll sue the school systems for DAMAGES.

You’ll find parents and private school administrators have cast a vote of no confidence in YOUR abilities to serve our childrens’ needs adequately.

You’ll also find these same parents are going to create a MASSIVE noise like none you’ve ever encountered. You’re about to pound sand in the worst possible way. You thought you’d make a grab for the cookie jar. Instead, you’re causing REAL damage to households and businesses across Oklahoma for which we WILL seek damages. Your net loss folks. Best wake up now.

You’ll also find your place is to EDUCATE our special needs children and not look at them as a way to obtain an inordinate amount of money per head to fund your special projects that have little to nothing to do with our special needs children. Go ahead and deny this happens. You’ll find yourself challenged on hundreds of fronts to PROVE every dollar was directed appropriately.

What you should be doing instead is barking at the State Legislature to STOP appropriating your highway and Lottery dollars and putting them toward other projects. That IS your’s. Go fight for it and stop picking on special needs children and the law that helps THEM.

Our children are NOT pawns and you’re about to get a big can of whoop ass poured all over you. You’ve let the hornets out of the nest and you’re not getting them back in.

FaceMeld for iOS

A project I’m working on is called FaceMeld for iOS. The aim is to bridge a gap between FaceTime and the desktop iChat.

Seems in Apple’s rush to market they didn’t live up to one of their own tennets – Openness. Even if it’s only cross-platform between their mobile OS and their desktop OS… that’s open enough for me. As is, FaceTime is too proprietary.

Perhaps Apple comes out with something in a future release of one or the other or both… For now I see a need and intend to fill the need. That will be done with FaceMeld. Stay tuned.

iPhone4 + FaceTime ≠ Open Standard

For crying out loud Apple… You have this wildly popular new shiny thing (iPhone4). Congrats by the way…

You go on this big screed about “open standards”. While…

In your other corner you have this wonderful but 1/2 forgotten platform called OSX (which was notably absent from this years WWDC by the way) which you graced with a pretty nice iChat protocol.

Now, why have TWO proprietary (ie. NOT open or otherwise known as CLOSED) Apple protocols when they could be made to work great together over public internet?

Is it because selling two iPhone4′s is that much better than giving us a little OSX/iOS cross-platform compatibility?

Is it because it’s planned to be an iOS5 feature?

Is it because it’s going to be melded into ONE protocol? Which one wins out? When?

Is it because you really have in mind to FINALLY come out with a Windows version of iChat that will work with Mac iChat and iOS FaceTime? (I’m full on delusional at this point to think this might happen)

Guys, it’s genius you have this FaceTime thing going on. But jeez Louise! Make your shiny new thing work with your other shiny things! Please?!

Stupid Email Trick to ID Those Who SELL Your Address

Sometimes someone shows you something so slick you don’t really appreciate it immediately for what it is. Such is the case here. So, bookmark this post… you’ll come back to it for a double take some day. Or Digg it or Delicious it… keep it close. It’s so stupid simple it’s almost elusive. I happened to be participating in a conversation today at AVC.com (GREAT blog btw, highly recommend Fred) and realized I hadn’t shared this little trick. Let alone blogged in while. So, consider me to have fallen back on the blogging wagon with this post.

I’m sitting in a coffee shop one day grumbling to an acquaintance about my email address getting a ton more spam than usual and suspecting it was due to signing up for one of a dozen or more services recently. He said, “You should have appended your email address.”

Huh?

“Yeah, all you have to do is put a PLUS symbol after your actual email ID (but before the AT symbol) when you register for stuff and you’ll know who’s doing what with your email. If an email comes from someone unexpected with THAT appendage it was obtained… somehow… probably without your knowledge or consent.”

Bullshit! It couldn’t be THAT easy. I need a service or something to do this… I think those were my exact words to him.

“Oh, yes it is that easy and you don’t pay a penny to do it. Helps me figure out who I can trust and who I can’t. Try it.”

Hell if he wasn’t right (mostly). I’ve registered with a TON of third party services since as Gerald+SERVICEID@mydomainname.something… and it’s worked like a champ on my domain, on gmail but not on Dot Mac (or Mobile Me or whatever the hell they’re calling it this year… iMe?) Anyway, point being I’ve been able to isolate some offenders. I’ve been able to prioritize some actions based on the TO: field (AT&T, Apple, special vendors I really don’t want to miss messages from, etc).

Test it yourself. Not all email servers will behave with the + symbol in the ID area. If you send yourself a message with +TEST after your ID but before the @ symbol and it delivers… you’re in tall cotton. If it bounces your email server doesn’t play nice. Not sure why some do and some don’t. That’s just the breaks I guess. But, once you figure it out there are all sorts of things you can do from there. Have fun & spread it around.

If someone’s intent on doing you wrong they’ll be able to GREP that +TRACKING@ element out and THEN sell your information downstream. But, not all sleaze bags are that smart. Trust me, it’ll be eye opening and you won’t have to have a bunch of email addresses to keep up with.