Brain Hack
I've been at a bit of a loss in describing the nature of my brain surgery (http://sumocat.blogspot.com/2014/06/like-i-need-hole-in-my-head.html). It is corrective in that it improves my blood flow, but it is also pre-emptive because it is meant to prevent a full stroke. But today, I was reminded of an often overused term that totally fits: brain hack (http://www.cracked.com/article_20166_5-brain-hacks-that-give-you-mind-blowing-powers.html).
Unlike those mind tricks and pharmaceutical boosts often referred to as brain hacks, my hack is legit. I'm running a bypass from a temporal artery to cerebral through a hole/exploit in my skull. It's not a cure; it's a workaround. It's an outside-the-box (the box being my skull) solution to an intractable problem. That's a hack. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
Amazon Half-credit
Having seen Amazon's Fire Phone and their pitch for it, I have decided Amazon does not deserve that full credit for innovation, but rather a half-credit. Yes, they did show off something new, but most of the benefit is for Amazon, not their customers.
First, there's the Firefly feature which allows you to scan anything to find a match on Amazon. It's helpful if I'm trying to save a buck by buying from Amazon instead of from the place that has it for me to look at, but what about the million other online retailers? If I'm that price-conscious to be showrooming, then why would I choose to not comparison shop online where it's so easy to do.
Second is the free year of Amazon Prime, a $100 value. Great if you already use Prime, in which case you get one free year. For everyone else, it's a free hit of a product they hope you enjoy enough that you'll keep paying for it, like those "50 free hours" of Aol or that first hit of crystal meth.
Admittedly, I'm sure there is an audience of Amazon hardcores who will get a thrill from Firefly and the free (actually, prepaid) Amazon Prime, but these aren't features for everyone. I'd go so far as to say, Amazon is acting like a freemium service company - free for all to use but funded primarily by its paid customers, Amazon Prime being its paid service and Fire Phone being a premium feature. Not that there's anything wrong with the freemium business model. It's just that most companies are obvious about it. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
Jacked up arms
When you go the hospital for brain surgery (http://sumocat.blogspot.com/2014/06/like-i-need-hole-in-my-head.html), people warn you about headaches and that big scar on my cranium, but no one warned me how messed up my arms would look. I went under with one IV and woke up with three more inserts and a bunch of extra bandages. In fairness, I am a tough stick, but damn, I got stuck a lot. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
Like I need a hole in my head
I keep talking about needing unnecessary things like I need a hole in my head. Well, I guess I'm getting those things because I'm getting a hole in my head. Right now, if you're reading this when it posts. The procedure is an extracranial-intracranial bypass (http://neurosurgery.ufl.edu/residency/about-us/clinical-specialties/extra-intra-cranial-bypass/) to connect a blood vessel from my scalp to my brain. If all goes well, I'll post a follow-up in a couple of days. Maybe. I might be jacked up for a bit, so maybe check my Twitter (https://twitter.com/SumocatS). [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
Amazon credit
Amazon supposedly is announcing its thoroughly leaked smartphone (https://bgr.com/2014/05/01/amazon-smartphone-photos-kindle-phone-images-exclusive/) in a few weeks. Its marquee feature, allegedly, will be 3D screen effects that correspond to your head movements. Of course, pundits are taking their shots (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2459095,00.asp) (and so are comedians (http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/aaca956d6d/amazon-s-new-product-revealed)), but if true, I give credit to Amazon for shaking things up with a new interface. I have no idea how the gimmick will be received, nor do I expect it to change the world iPhone-style, but good for them for, reportedly, jumping into the smartphone pool with something new. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
Swift: A Post-PC Programming Language
The WWDC 2014 keynote had a lot of news for developers, as it should, but none was as big as the introduction of Swift (https://developer.apple.com/swift/), a new programming language that was described as "Objective-C without the C." In other words, it's a Post-PC language.
In my explanation of how other, more knowledgeable people have described "Post-PC" (http://www.gottabemobile.com/2011/03/04/understanding-post-pc/), I summed up by saying "a Post-PC device is a PC without the baggage." They ditch the legacy cruft that has built up over the years and start fresh with a new way of doing things. That's what Swift does.
This move was necessary for Apple. Objective-C is 30 years old, born of the PC era, chosen for iOS because of its roots in OS X. Swift, according to someone who worked on it, is four years old (http://daringfireball.net/linked/2014/06/06/lattner), built specifically for iOS and OS X. Apple realized after releasing the SDK for iOS that they needed something built for iOS, and they built it. We'll see how well they built it, but credit for recognizing the need. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
Integration Innovation
Two years ago, I criticized Apple CEO Tim Cook for talking about an ecosystem "only Apple" could build while showing us the exact same ecosystem. This was at WWDC 2012 at the unveiling of iOS 6. Granted, Apple did and still does have the best ecosystem, but only incrementally so. Hints of greater product interactivity were rumored but not shown. There was a lack of what I call integration innovation. Well, that's no longer the case with iOS 8.
iOS 8 shows us the ability to answer and make iPhone calls from an iPad or Mac, instantly "handoff" documents between devices, and turn on your iPhone's hotspot from your Mac, all under the umbrella of Continuity. These are, absolutely, the types of interactivity I wanted to see two years ago and now they're on the way. This sets Apple's ecosystem miles ahead of Microsoft and ahead of Google if you're not living in the cloud. Frankly, it makes me want to use an iPad and Mac.
I love my iPhone, but there hasn't been enough of of a draw to pull me further into the ecosystem. Now, they have my attention. I'll see how it works with my wife's iPhone and iPad, but I'm pretty sure this place will be Mac'd up soon enough. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
My next iPhone
So I don't know if I mentioned this, but I plan on upgrading to the iPhone 5s this year (http://sumocat.blogspot.com/2014/06/my-current-iphone.html) (or preferably its plastic counterpart). It's part of my "one year behind" annual upgrade cycle, and I'm excited to try out the new features. New features? But isn't this last year's model? It is, but it's getting all sorts of new functionality with iOS 8 (https://www.apple.com/ios/ios8/) that won't be coming to earlier models, including developer access to Touch ID, advanced graphics with Metal, and indoor navigation using the M7 motion processor (http://9to5mac.com/2014/06/05/apple-taps-into-m7-motion-sensors-for-indoor-positioning-in-ios-8-signing-up-venues-to-contribute/). When iOS 8 is released, the iPhone 5s will be a much improved version of itself. It's good to be able to see exactly what to expect at upgrade time rather than play the "I hope it does this" game. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
My current iPhone
After some literal back and forth with AT&T, I got a head start on my iPhone upgrade cycle with an iPhone 5. It's actually the third phone in our family plan, but I took it for myself. I got the blue model, which is vaguely turquoise, so the wife said to call it Turqui. I wanted the 32 GB model but neither AT&T store in Reston had them in stock, so I settled for 16 GB. Streamlined the app load quite a bit, but really, I was holding on to a lot that I never use. Anyway, I'm digging than plastic shell a lot. Very much a throwback to my iPhone 3G. I hope the iPhone 5s gets the plastic treatment this year for my next scheduled upgrade. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
Repeating Myself
So the main reason I stepped away from blogging was time being diverted to other activities, but realistically were I motivated to keep going, I would have made the time. And the reason I lack motivation is I've already said everything that needs saying.
I started this blog about ten years ago as an experiment in ink blogging to help promote Microsoft's Tablet PC. In that time, I laid out several rants about what Microsoft needs to do to popularize the form factor and vigorously defended it against attack. And what's Microsoft done in that time? Lost the tablet market and doubled down on the same failing strategy. I could have continued to point out the flaws in their approach, but why? They keep making the same mistakes, only bigger, so my criticisms and advice would only be reruns.
Meanwhile, Apple is still moving as I predicted and Google is still on the path to Skynet. That said, there are always new predictions to make and paths to navigate, so my return to blogging may not be so repetitive. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
