With Software as in Life; It's the Little Things

When upgrading my computer recently, a very fascinating truth hit me: the true test of good technology is how horrible it feels to go back to the old technology.

For example, my new AspireOne netbook seemed only slightly smaller and lighter than my usualy laptop - until last week, when I dragged my old laptop with me on a business trip. I had flashbacks of carrying Steve Junior in my Baby Bjorn.

After using Quicktime Pro for many years, I had the exact same feeling recently when forced to watch youtube videos: how can something so technically inferior remain so popular? One feature in particular made my recent project downright miserable: YouTube has no slider. This seemingly small thing is like a small pebble in your shoe. So I beg my readers - anyone with a contact at YouTube, please add this simple feature. So I can get back to ranting about Facebook :)

One and One is down! 1and1

If you go to the One and One website, and click on WEBMAIL LOGIN, you will notice that the servers are down. Also, all of their phone numbers play a message "All circuits are busy. Try again" Does anyone know what's going on?

A Peek Into The Brain

OK, sometimes I read a story and it just simply BLOWS MY MIND.

I'm nt sure why this isn't on the front cover of The New York Times, but there are some scientists who have managed to analyze the blood flow inside your brain, and using an MRI machine, and some sort of training/detecting algorithm (I am guessing a neural network), they managed to reconstruct the images that are INSIDE THE SUBJECT'S BRAIN. This is amazing and also a bit spooky, no?

I'm reading the article now - it's the cover story in the December 11 issue of the journal Neuron.

That Little Baby Grape

Maybe it's psychological, but that little baby grape always seems to taste extra good. And yet for som reason, I always feel just a little bit bad eating it. Is that weird?

When We Voted for the Best Man

Listening to all this "red state vs. blue state" talk, it's easy to think that we have always been a divided nation. It makes one wonder if people are actually looking at the candidates at all.

Well here's a little reminder of a time when the American public was less tricked by slick, media savvy PR teams and manipulated by rooms full of handlers and scriptwriters. When we looked at the candidates, and saw that one of them was, well, just plain better.

Let's start in 1916, when Woodrow Wilson defeated Charles Hughes. Check out that complete beat-down! I don't know much about Charles Hughes, but I bet he thought he was more popular that that. Reminds me of one of those New York rock bands that thinks they are Radiohead just because all their local shows are sold out. And what's with Oregon? I wouldn't be surprised if someone named 'Jeb Hughes' was the governor at the time...

What a Difference 4 Years Makes

Cut to 1920. A man named Warren Harding proceeds to eats James Cox's lunch. Ouch! How do you face your wife and kids after that one? Again, I don't know much about Cox's campaign, but I imagine t-shirts, bumperstickers, and lawn signs that said "America Loves Cox!" and that wouldn't have helped much. Or maybe it was the fact that Harding really looked like a president. Go ahead, Google him... You see what I mean?

OK, next, we'll see some seriously dramatic red/blue action. The year is 1928, and there doesn't seem to be any party loyalty at all! A guy named Herbert Hoover steps in and makes a blended margarita out of a guy named Alfred E. Smith. (No, I'm not making that name up). Apparently Hoover came into office during a booming economy, and only a year later came the great depression.

Hoover didn't do much as the economy spiraled down the toilet. And he was against the government stepping in. So just 4 years later, Franklin Roosevelt pwned Hoover!

Take a look at that map. Its so blue, it looks like it just fell into the ocean. Must have been strange to live in Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut or Pennsylvania that year!

So what's my point here? Well, I think America is slowly starting to see who is the best team this election. Who is the smarter candidate, tougher, and more diplomatic. Who thinks hard about big decisions, and shows a better understanding of what is happening in main street America. Who can unite us and inspire us to make the change we need.

In 4 years, maybe there will be a great Republican team. And maybe I'll even vote for them. But right now, we must stop putting party first when we vote, and start putting the needs of the country and the people first.

That's why in this election, I'll be voting Obama.

The Best "To Do" List.

You have a list. It calls to you at night, keeping you awake.

I am talking about your "To Do" list.

Since the beginning of time, people have kept track of things they need "to do" with one of these simple lists, but no matter what you do, it only grows and grows with each day - like a cancer - and the resulting stress is just as dangerous to your health.

Many solutions have been proposed, including a long list of modern-age computer solutions such as Bla Bla List, Voo To Do, Ta Da List, and Remember The Milk.

We agree that time is an extremely valuable commodity, but SWR feels compelled to remind the reader that the ultimate goal of most tasks is to maintain your own happiness. This is, in effect, your primary job in life. And since computers are one of the main reasons we are doing so much more in the first place, perhaps we should reconsider using them as the remedy to our growing list of tasks.

Well we discovered a 'life hack' that changed our hate/hate relationship with the dreaded "to do" list. The best part? It's simple: Instead of writing down what you *plan* to do, write down all things *you already did*.

It's not a "to-do" list, it's a "done" list. Give it a try- you'll start feeling a lot better immediately!

Political Advertising - Who Is Accountable?

John McCain just dropped a fresh ad on America's carpet. But while the substance is doo doo, the style is more like a rich, dark chocolate mousse - with imported 80% cacao. Deep, ominous strings crescendo as flashy images dash across our retinas. This is powerful stuff - designed by trained professionals to move the viewer at a subconscious level. The more sucessful it becomes, the more it begs the question:

Who are the writers, producers, and agencies behind political ads, and when, if ever, should anyone hold them responsible for the content, and the impact of their work?

In most cases, these artists and technicians are merely 'guns for hire'. After all, it is the cigarette companies who were ultimately held accountable for their misleading advertising, not the agencies, or actors like Ronald Reagan who made the ads. But could we imagine a scenario where an ad is so offensive or dangerous that some liability spills over onto the people who actually made it? After all, we don't let the hit man go free, just because he was 'just doing it for money'...