Cuz We Said So

iPod Touch vs. iPod: Is the Touch Good Enough?

Kevin Purdy at Lifehacker says Forget the iPhone--The iPod Touch is Good Enough:

Back in June 2007, I couldn't convince my wife that checking my email in grocery lines was worth $1,320—the cost of an original iPhone and one year of the cheapest plan. These days, the trend-setting phone costs even more money over its life, and it's more than a little restrictive and even a bit buggy. So I'm amazed at how little love the iPod touch gets. It's a slimmer iPhone with almost all its features, it requires no contract, and when you can't get a Wi-Fi signal, your plain, humble cellphone can step up to take its place. Here's why anyone considering the iPhone should opt for its oft-ignored sibling—the iPod touch—instead.

I don’t need an iPhone.  No, really, I don’t.

I’m working hard to convince myself of this, and of Purdy’s iPod Touch rationalization as well, because picking up an iPhone when I’ve already got a company phone would be expensive, and would require I carry two devices—the very problem the iPhone was arguably invented to solve.  Yet still, I consider the option. 

links for 2008-08-31

• RIP Geoffrey Perkins of Hitchhikers' Guide
  Perkins, producer of the original BBC radio series, died yesterday. "I feel confident in saying that he was probably one of the reasons it became such a huge success."
• The Thousand Best Popular-Science Books
  Jennifer at Cocktail Party Physics is compiling a list. (Via Sean at Cosmic Variance, via Digg)
  (tags: science books)

links for 2008-08-30

• Calorie Counter (CalorieLab)
  Search 70,000 foods and 500 restaurant menus
• Stranger Photos Have Happened
  An interesting little social/art project: "I tied a disposable camera to a bench with a sign that read: 'Good afternoon, I attached this camera to the bench so you could take pictures. Seriously. So have fun. I'll be back later this evening to pick it up."
  (tags: social photography project)
• Express Scribe makes transcribing audio a bit less painful
  How extremely useful...

links for 2008-08-29

• Cure for deafness now within reach - Telegraph
  The headline overstates it. But it could be coming within reach.
• Beyond Nano Breakthrough, MIT Team Quietly Builds Virus-Based Batteries - Popular Mechanics
  "In a surprise development that could have implications for powering electronics, cars and even the military, researchers at MIT have created the world's first batteries constructed at the nano scale by microscopic viruses." Unbelievable.
• Album-loving artists blame iTunes for changed music tastes
  I am unsympathetic.
• World record ($100,000) prime number found?
  "If it checks out, the finding of the 45th Mersenne prime might qualify for a $100,000 prize offered by the Electronic Frontier Foundation...""
• Giant Clams Fed Early Humans
  At first glance, I thought this headline read, "Giant Clams Fed ON Early Humans", which I think would have made for a more interesting story.

Pandemic 2

There's Sim City, and The Sims. You can even be the leader of an entire Civilization.

Have you ever wanted to be an infectious disease?

Pandemic 2 (I'm unfamiliar with the original) is a remarkably creepy online game.

links for 2008-08-26

• Human exoskeleton suit helps paralyzed people walk, fight alien queens

links for 2008-08-24

• 42 Photo Groups for Awesome Abandonments | WebUrbanist
• Wikipedia Reference Generator
  A nifty tool for automagically creating valid references for the online encyclopedia.
  (tags: citation builder)

links for 2008-08-23

• The Only Chart True Investors Need to See - Seeking Alpha                                             
• Fish Tale Has DNA Hook - Students Find Bad Labels - NYTimes.com                
  Something is definitely fishy...                            
• Superman Franchise To Be Rebooted                
  These reboots are coming faster and faster.  At this rate, it won't be long before we see franchises resetting several times within a single movie.

Status Quo We Can Believe In

So Biden’s an interesting choice.  Judging from what I’ve read so far, both sides of the race seem pretty happy about Obama’s selection.  The conservative consensus seems to be that Biden helps McCain more than he helps Obama.  The reaction of Jay Nordlinger at NRO is fairly typical in this regard:

I am quite surprised — nearly shocked — at the pick of Biden. I believe Obama has made an error — not just hope so, believe. And he had so many good options for the veep slot (unlike John McCain). He could have gone Kaine, Bayh, Sebelius, Boren, Edwards (Chet) — he had many good options. It was practically impossible to screw up.   

…I don’t see what Biden gains him. Biden is a slightly risible figure, what with his hair plugs (or whatever) and his many, many examples of public obnoxiousness.  All politicians have sizable egos, but this may be the most self-loving ticket ever.

Certainly I’ve always found Biden to be insufferable, but I’m far outside the demographic to which he tries to appeal.  Time will tell. 

UPDATE: Hugh Hewitt says, "McCain counters with Romney, of course."

Meanwhile, here’s Biden going on the attack: 

links for 2008-08-22

• The 6 Most Depressing Happy Endings in Movie History