Cuz We Said So

Wise Words, Indeed

(Photo by sukisuki)

links for 2009-01-28

• Official Gmail Blog: Offline Gmail
  SWEET! They've been working on this for a while--how awesome that it's finally here!

Here’s One Way to Slow Down Touch Adoption

Apple popularized multi-touch gestures with the iPhone, and others quickly adopted the approach, including Microsoft with the upcoming Windows 7 and the Microsoft Surface technology, and Palm with the recently announced Palm Pre.  Unfortunately for them, Apple was just awarded a patent for it.  Apple could license the technology of course, but this quote from Apple COO Tim Cook: makes it sound like they might not be in a hurry to share: “We like competition, as long as they don't rip off our IP. And if they do, were going to go after anybody that does.”

There are, on the other hand, already prior art arguments floating around out there (see this from Bill Buxton of Microsoft Research, for example), which I expect we will now see floating into a courtroom somewhere.  Regardless of who wins, multi-touch technology should be a significant step forward for intellectual property lawyers.

10 Online Learning Tools for Students

A nice list at makeuseof.com (via Guy Kawasaki on Twitter).

links for 2009-01-26

• Roundup: 16 Tweaks to Windows Vista Look & Feel
  In case you too are stuck with it for now.

Happy Birthday, Mac… Demo

Twenty five years ago today, on January 24, 1984, some guy named Steve Jobs demonstrated a computer that would change the face of the computer world—by giving Microsoft the ideas it would use to take over 90% of the desktop OS market.  Video follows:

Listen to the reaction of the crowd at seeing that first round of Mac apps.  It’s easy today to forget how big a deal a graphical OS was back then.  The state of the art in PC computing at the time was PC DOS 2.1; the release of Windows 1.0 was still 22 months in the future, and Windows 3.0 (the first version of Windows I personally found to be more than a novelty) wouldn’t ship for another six years.

The ObamaBerry

Finally, modern science has invented a gadget I won’t be buying for myself.  CNN’s Situation Room piece on the president’s new secure PDA:

A wired device seems inherently insecure to me, but it’s not as if he’s going to leave it behind in a rental car or on a plane—at least, not a plane that isn’t his.

Gun Control Explained

This short Australian film explores gun control, and argues against it.  If I had to summarize its major point: gun control doesn’t reduce crime, law breakers as a group are unaffected by gun control;, and to the extent it does anything at all, gun control disarms the law abiding citizens the law breakers intend to harm, putting them in greater danger.

It’s a nice presentation, but I fear it’s preaching to the choir, since I suspect few people in favor of gun control will ever watch it, and fewer still will be swayed by the argument.

(Via Right Wing News)

links for 2009-01-21

• Long Exposure Photography: 15 Stunning Examples
  There are some really amazing photos here. I think the forest scene is my favorite.
• Star Wars: Retold (by someone who hasn't seen it)

Adobe Captivate 4 Released

The new version of Adobe’s flagship rapid e-learning tool hits the streets just in time for ASTD’s TechKnowledge conference next week.  Looks pretty nice—though at $799, it certainly doesn’t come cheap. 

Lots of into on the new version here.