Category: Technology

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Life Technology

Whatever works …

Marco Arment has written a blog post entitled Whatever works for you and I recommend that you read it. This blog post really piggybacks on a lot of overall ideas he posted about there.

I’ll admit that I’m still a raging Apple fanboy, and I primarily use the stuff coming out of Cupertino, but my approach to what others use for technology is increasingly coming around to what Marco is talking about. I just don’t have the time nor the energy to argue about technology choices anymore. I have a family to occupy my energy and much better things to focus on.

The other aspect of things is that there is just a ton of “good enough” technology out there to get work done with. If you buy almost any Windows PC available today with the intent of looking at stuff on the web, you are going to be fine. Yes, there are things I would do to just clean things up and make it a better experience, but they are minor. Heck, even the newest Celeron chips are not as terrible as they used to be.

I choose to pay more for what I consider to be a superior computing experience which Apple provides for me. I have a MacBook Pro, iPhone, iPad, and Airport Extreme … and they all work together flawlessly. My wife has a MacBook, iPhone, and uses the same Airport Extreme while at home. For us, it “just works”, but if you don’t want to go that route then more power to you.

However, I also take it a step further and still support people using whatever technology they decide to use. Sometimes this means taking a crash course in a new technology I’m not familiar with, but that can be part of the fun. I’ll try and make almost anything work as best I can, but when the chips come down, I will let them know my opinion if they ask for it.

In closing, I agree with pretty much everything Marco says. Honestly, use what you want and enjoy it. It is pretty amazing what we can do with even the cheapest of smartphones today, or the least expensive laptop available, so DO something with it.

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Technology

Technology and FERPA in Higher Education

I stumbled upon this article about the end of the use of public wikis at Georgia Tech for educational purposes due to worries about FERPA violations. To say that this article scares and saddens me is an understatement, and not just because I work in IT in higher education.

The limiting of what an educational professional can and cannot use in a classroom is troubling in itself, even when there can be very good reasons to do so. The limiting of technology use that can increase collaboration and technical skills over the threat of a violation because of a piece of legislation is terrifying.

Does Georgia Tech’s legal counsel have a point? Sure, and it is something that FERPA has enabled as everyone in higher ed continues to walk on eggshells over the new regulations. It is an example of the unintended consequences of legislation, especially ones as far reaching as FERPA.

Much of what FERPA was enacted to accomplish is good, but when it stifles the use of good technology and teaching methodologies, then you need to think is it worth it.

Needless to say, care has to be taken with how students are being seen in the public when using school sponsored technology mediums. Here is a good article about some thoughts on Social Media and FERPA.

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Technology

Google’s Ridiculous Opt-out Data Gathering

Source: Greater choice for wireless access point owners

Alright, Google, this is just ridiculous. I’m going to pick on Google here because that’s where the announcement is from. Here’s the gist:

If you want Google to NOT gather your location data attached to your wireless access point (via their Google Street Cars), then you need to append “_nomap” onto your SSID. That’s right, you need to opt out of Google driving down the street and gathering information about the location of your access point.

Why in the world is this not the other way around!? You should have to OPT-IN to allowing Google to gather this information. Have a person append “_map” to the end of their SSID so that Google has permission to gather information about you.

I just don’t get it. I just don’t.

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Technology

I’m now a contributor at System Volume!

One of my friends has started up a blog called System Volume and I’m now a contributor there! It is REALLY early, but I’m hoping to post some stuff over there in the future.

Here is my first post: Development Environment: My Mac Edition

Categories
Technology

If Apple is BMW … where is Mercedes Benz?

This isn’t about Apple, as much, but more about the entire technology industry as a whole. Here areisthe tweet from @gilesgoatboy on Twitter that got my mind churning:

I get and love that Apple is the BMW of computer manufacturers, phones, etc., but I wish there were a Lamborghini thereof as well

Setting aside if you agree that Apple is the BMW of technology, I think the latter part is interesting. What other company is really competing with Apple, or on a different level than Apple in the same categories? We have plenty of “Chevys” and “Nissans”, but where are the unique, high-end brands of computer manufacturers?

I’d go a step further and ask why no one has attempted to try Apple’s model of owning the whole widget. Instead of licensing the OS, they own the OS and the hardware and marry the two together. Yes, software would be an issue (and I’m not trying to downplay that), but if they would base their OS on a flavor of Linux, if could maybe be overcome.

It just seems like everyone besides Apple is attempting to get the table scraps (as far as money) left over and no one is trying to do an end-around Apple and provide some good, high-quality experiences that aren’t a cobbled-together middle-to-low-end piece of hardware.

I can hope.