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Prediction: Android Gains Strength against iPhone in Late 2009 to 2010August 7 2009

Introduction

Android is not doing as well as I wanted it to. I was hoping that the Linux-based mobile operating system would leave the folks at Apple shaking in their boots.

At the time of this writing, it isn’t like that. There are two major Android phones released in the United States; the HTC Dream (T-Mobile G1) and the HTC Magic (T-Mobile myTouch 3G).

Reviewers have had disappointing things to say about the HTC Dream, citing issues with the dimensions, battery life, speed, the camera, the “Leno chin”, and so forth. But especially, many considered the physical looks of the phone to be depressing.

“The original T-Mobile G1 was an ugly phone, a boxy clunker with a jutting chin…” –InfoSync

Now, I own an HTC Dream, and it doesn’t seem that bad to me. The battery life is fine, the phone is good looking enough, easy to type on, and Android is a pretty awesome operating system. However, the world does not seem to agree with me. If they did, Andro

Four Must-Do's for Giving CDs to Potential New Linux UsersJuly 25 2009

So you’re a Linux enthusiast. You love Linux, and wish to spread the love to other computer users. “How exactly can I ensure that they be happy Linux users?” you ask yourself when thinking about people that are about to convert to Linux.

Well, there are serveral things that one must do to ensure that the newbie Linux user will have a smooth computing experience.

1) Make sure it’s a CD–and a LiveCD

Do not give them a DVD, USB key, or a printed bit of paper containing a large mass of 1’s and 0’s for them to install Linux with. Make sure it’s a CD. Why?

DVDs are bad in case the computer they want to install it on does not have DVD reading capabilities. Remember, Linux has the reputation of running on older computers like a champ. Don’t ruin that ability with a DVD.

USB keys are bad because they often require configuring the BIOS to make the USB key bootable. If you are giving Linux to non-technical users, you definitely want to make sure that they do not need to fiddle around with the BIOS.

Direct installation CDs are bad because it does not let the user test out his or her hardware to see whether or not it is supported by default. It may be the case that the user is not interested in a whole lot of configuration, and does not want to install Linux if it does not have perfect out-of-the-box support for his or her hardware.

Also, don’t just point the new user to an ISO that they have to download and then bu

Five Reasons FriendFeed Has Made Reading Personal Blogs InterestingJuly 17 2009

I don’t like personal blogs.

No offense to people that do have blogs chronicling their lives, but I do not have the time or motivation to read personal blogs, even personal blogs that are written by my friends.

I probably wouldn’t even be able to maintain interest in reading the personal blog of a person that has a life more interesting than a James Bond movie. (Of course, I mean–such an autobiography would probably do better as a book or movie. Especially a movie.)

These above statements are assuming that FriendFeed, Twitter, and Facebook are not personal blogs for the users that use them. But assuming that those three social networks are personal blogging platforms, then my tune has to change–especially because of FriendFeed.

For the rest of this post, I will focus on the advancements that FriendFeed has brought to the personal blog; advancements that enable me to tolerate personal blogs.

1) Posts that are shorter, but not too short

Click on the above image to see it at full-size.

FriendFeed posts, by far, are shorter than long essays about one’s life. FriendFeed comments do have the capacity for quite long posts, but people generally ke

From Frankenstein to the Singularity: The Story of Artificial Intelligence — Part OneJune 2 2009

This is the first in a series describing the past, present, and future of artificial intelligence. Check back to find more posts.

When asked about the meaning of life, digital physics pioneer Edward Fredkin responded, “I think our mission is to create artificial intelligence. It’s the next step in evolution” (Wright 80). Artificial intelligence, defined by Princeton’s Wordnet is, “the branch of computer science that deal with writing computer programs that can solve problems creatively” (”Princeton University,” par. 1). Fredkin apparently thinks that artificial intelligence is in our future, but what about our past and present? The general concept of making sentient machines has been around for thousands of years, and studying it reflects on who we are as sentient beings. The short, yet paradoxically long, history of artificial intelligence, or AI, can be divided into three main parts: artificial intelligence before the electromagnetic computer, the birth of artificial intelligence (officially 1956), and more recent developments in the field.

First, due to relatively undeveloped technology in the field of computing for most of human history, concepts in artificial intelligence were generally first found in literature and folk tales. In the AI Magazine article, “A (Very) Brief History of Artificial Intelligence,” Bruce G. Buchanan writes “Philosophers have floated the possibility of intelligent machines as a literary device to help us def

"Why Is It Special?" And Seven More Questions the Non-Technical Windows User Has about LinuxMay 16 2009

Your common, non-technical Windows user has most likely not heard anything more than a cursory mention about Linux. They have questions about Linux that are not always answered easily. Many experienced Linux users are not able to answer questions that interested Windows users have in a manner that the latter party can easily grasp. This post is written to hopefully instruct Linux enthusiasts on how to explain Linux to nontechnical users.

Question 1: Why is Linux so special compared to Windows or Mac?

How to answer: If you’re being asked this question, you or somebody else has probably been over-exaggerating the awesomeness of Linux when speaking to the inquirer. However, to answer this, simply explain that people all around the world have come together to create a wonderful computing experience that can be legally downloaded for free; they’re giving it away.

Question 2: This whole open-source thing sounds like Wikipedia, and Wikipedia is full of vandalism. Is Linux safe?

How to answer: Explain that in Wikipedia, you can make changes without the permission of anybody; people come look at your change later. To make a change to the official Linux kernel, one has to discuss the change for quite a while in advance. Remember to tell them that one can make unofficial Linux-based kernels, and the most popular unofficial kernels (such as those available in Debian, SuSE, or Red Hat) are also somewhat protective of the changes that can be made.