Archive for the 'Snippets' Category
Einstein’s 1905 chronology 10 Feb 2010
Talk about a busy man, I have trouble achieving anything let alone breaking new ground in a scientific field that often.
Alan Turing and the Ace computer 8 Feb 2010
Yet more interesting reading on Britain’s contribution to early computing. [Ace] ran for the first time on 10 May 1950. By modern standards it was sluggish but in its day was the fastest in the world. And, whilst investigating how it could be used, the team uncovered another problem that looked set to dog greater [...]
A fight over freedom at Apple’s core 4 Feb 2010
I argued in comments in a post on another site recently that by allowing websites that use Flash to only work as Apps via their store we’re removing one proprietary format and replacing it with not only a proprietary format, but an unscrupulous gatekeeper as well.
Why do people often vote against their own interests? 31 Jan 2010
[Drew Westen] uses the following exchange from the first presidential debate between Al Gore and George Bush in 2000 to illustrate the perils of trying to explain to voters what will make them better off: Gore: “Under the governor’s plan, if you kept the same fee for service that you have now under Medicare, your [...]
Blio bets against e-reader devices 26 Jan 2010
What with tablets making a resurgence, is this another nail in the coffin for e-readers? One small point to note is that they can release it on as many platforms as they like but if it isn’t compatible with the formats stores sell in (and I’m betting it won’t display Kindle formatted books) it won’t [...]
Seven-year-old raises thousands for Haiti quake victims 24 Jan 2010
A seven-year-old boy from west London has raised more than £45,000 for the Haiti earthquake relief effort by organising a charity cycle ride. … The fundraising total outstripped his initial £500 goal, after he put an appeal on the JustGiving website. Not bad going!
The politics of sharing a bed 23 Jan 2010
The Guardian has an interesting article which looks at the way couples sleep, the positions and methods with some celebrities chiming it.
Speed Writing Test: Pen v keyboard v Newton v Graffiti v Treo v iPhone 23 Jan 2010
An interesting comparison on writing/inputting text, a full size keyboard came out way ahead, even without Phil being a touch typist. In fact, keyboards of any sort (smartphone, virtual) beat writing of any kind, even good old pen and paper.
If Your Kids Are Awake, They’re Probably Online 20 Jan 2010
The average young American now spends practically every waking minute — except for the time in school — using a smart phone, computer, television or other electronic device, according to a new study from the Kaiser Family Foundation. Those ages 8 to 18 spend more than seven and a half hours a day with such [...]