Via blog.internetnews.com

Mark Shuttleworth puts it spot-on.

Published from QuoteVault.org

I just read the following erroneous quote:

Two observations in this regard:
(1) There’re ample differences between eating and killing. Logical relations adhering to the one verb not necessarily fit the other.
(2) while spoons certainly make Michael Moore fat, this act is self-inflicted: My eating with a spoon makes me fat. Guns / Killing is a social act, it relates to others: My shooting with a gun kills other people.
I conceive these as important differences; actually so important, that it nullifies the whole comparison that this quote tries to set up.
I wonder how cognitively limited a mind has to be, not to realize that.

Apple is tendentially silent if it comes to numbers. They usually offer broad totals but neglect to give detailed insights into the actual distribution and structure of these numbers. This isn’t much of a problem with most of their products. Sure, it’d be nice to actually know just how the Mac Mini sells, but it’s not important information. The App Store, however, is different. People who develop software for iPhone or iPod touch invest time and money into a specific application. The more these developers know about their target audience, the better. It’s much easier to develop good selling software, if one knows what the potential buyers might like. There’re different ways of gathering this information. One has always been sale statistics. Knowing which product did well helps tremendously in figuring out what people might like. But since Apple doesn’t offer this information with the App Store, people had to rely on estimates, as a substitute.
Now Google released just these numbers for their Android App Store. And although it just got online, they still offer a good insight into the potential interests of buyers. The demographics and segments might differ, but I still think it should be a good starting point.

Link to the corresponding pdf.

Watch the great Video

Dave Winer analyzes a recent Steve Jobs remark, suggesting that the iPhone is in a way Apple’s entry into the Netbook market. Actually, from a more technical perspective, the iPhone comes close. It’s small, runs a modern operating system, allows for the installation of new software, it’s portable. There’s however a rather big difference between a Netbook and the iPhone. Something Dave somehow neglected to mention in his listing of important Netbook features:
(1) It’s difficult or almost impossible to easily create Office Documents (read: Word, Excel, Powerpoint alikes).
(2) Using Web 2.0 Applications is possible, but cumbersome.
I’d guess that most people use Netbooks to (1) create documents and (2) surfing the web. While these things are very well possible with an iPhone, it’s magnitudes more difficult than something featuring a real Keyboard (1) and a touchpad / mouse (2).
In my opinion, the major difference between the iPhone and a Netbook, and actually the main difference between a Windows PDA and a Netbook is and will be the inclusion of real input devices.

However, that’s only part of the story: The first time I remember seeing a Netbook was in 1999 or 2000. It was the Sony VAIO C1XD, a beautiful, small, Pentium machine running Windows 98, even featuring a Webcam. I immediately fell in love. The heavy price tag as well as a lack of real-world usage scenario kept me from buying it though. I’ve been checking ebay again and again in the following years, always tempted to buy one of those. That was difficult however, as their prices (even years old and technologically rather aged) hardly changed. Now, years later, the industry finally realized that there is a big market for small laptops, and finally I could buy the machine I always wanted to buy, at a price I always wanted to buy. I didn’t and don’t though. Because I already have a Macbook Pro and a iPhone.

What I wanted to say is: The iPhone is no Netbook, but the iPhone sufficiently substitutes many of the Netbooks features. And these areas, where the iPhone lacks a Keyboard or a Mouse, get covered by a regular laptop. So instead of having a mediocre Netbook for everything, I have a big laptop for all desktop and most mobile cases, and an iPhone for the rest. And for me, that’s the perfect setup.

(Albeit I’d give a cheap Apple Netbook running OSX a second thought. But not because I need it, rather because I always wanted it)

The news that New Yorks national debt clock ran out of digits some days ago, due to the increasing national debt, has by now hit every major news and newspaper site. However, I dig the following cynic slashdot-comment regarding the ‘enhancement’ of the clock in order to facilitate the displaying of the necessary digits: 

Contrary to their initial course of action, Walmart will not shut down the DRM Servers, due to “feedback from the customers”. Took them by surprise, I’d guess.

Mark Shuttleworth, the smart brain behind Thawte and Ubuntu, on the current economic situation:

Via bygonebureau.com

An American moving to Hamburg.

Great reflections on Hamburg and emigration from a expatriates perspective.

Published from QuoteVault.org

Economist Kevin Nguyen explains the financial crisis via a Pokémon parable to his 14year old sister. I guess there’s never been an easier example.