For those of us that don't have the money to spend on a new Mercedes S-Class, U.S. News and World Report has an article on "affordable cars that make you look rich."
Now, I would love to have an expensive car. However, the reason for that is not because I want to look rich to people that don't know anything about cars. I want a nice car because it offers something that a cheaper car does not, whether it be speed, comfort, space, or other features. Or perhaps because it looks good, not necessarily because it looks expensive. There are plenty of cheap cars that look good and conversely, plenty of expensive cars that look terrible.
First off is the Kia Soul. Can I just make it quite clear that no one that drives a Kia will be perceived as having an expensive car? There is a driving school in the business park where I work, and one of the cars they use for student drivers is a Kia Soul. Even the people that can't tell a Honda Accord from an Audi A8 will not be fooled. Absolutely no one will think, "wow, that man drives a Kia Soul, he must be very rich."
We've established that the car does not look expensive. Does it at least look good, then?
Well, the article says "it looks different." That is a nice way of saying, "never in my life have I seen something quite as hideous." I used to think the Dodge Nitro was the ugliest car on the market. And then the Kia Soul came around, shattering all preconceived notions of what is socially acceptable. I'm actually offended by its looks. Who was the genius that thought bags under the eyes would be a good idea? A donkey, for instance, is more elegant. I cringe every time I see this car on the road. Then I try to drive as far away from it as possible, because clearly it is being driven by a blind person.
Next, the article mentions the Suzuki Kizashi, a car that no one has ever seen or heard before. That's because while Suzuki makes some of the best motorcycles in the world (supposedly; I have no experience or interest in this field), the same cannot be said about their cars. It's one of the seven wonders of the modern world: how can a company that produces such insanely quick motorcyles as the GSX-1300R Hayabusa create such dreary cars on a consistent basis?
But who knows, maybe this new one is exciting. That's not to say anything about whether it makes you look rich or not. Which, it doesn't. Even if it didn't have a Suzuki badge on it, the design is rather dull and I'm fairly confident I could pick it out as the cheap one.
The Mazda MX-5 has always been a fun little car. I guess it could possibly make you look rich to the people that can't tell the difference between it and a Porsche Boxster.
The Chrysler 300 is a difficult one. It mimics the styling of a Bentley (albeit rather badly) and at $40,000, it's not exactly at the bottom end of the scale. It's a large car with shiny chrome bits, so I guess a clueless person could be fooled into thinking it's something more expensive. Take a step inside, however, to dispel any such ideas. The materials and design look cheaper than that of a Toyota Corolla. It's also fairly dated and it looks that way too; the car has been around since 2005 and it's based on the Mercedes-Benz W210 E-Class, which was first introduced in 1996.
And finally, the Ford Flex. Not a bad looking car, I admit. According to the article, it's cheaper than something like a Cadillac Escalade but doesn't look so, which is a fair point. It's also smaller, but nonetheless, I think the same argument that applies to the Mazda MX-5 can be applied here.
I guess the problem is, I don't look at a car and think "that must be expensive" because in general, I know if a car is expensive or not. So really, I have no business critiquing this article in the first place.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
Reality
Today we have an article that lists the worst built cars in America.
Now, this kind of goes against what was outlined in a previous article (from a different source).
In fact it doesn't even tell the whole story, because if you go to the full article on Forbes, you find that there are two more vehicles (GMC Canyon, Jeep Wrangler) that weren't mentioned in the summarized version.
So the other article about how American cars are high in quality these days, where did that rumor originate?
Now, this kind of goes against what was outlined in a previous article (from a different source).
In fact it doesn't even tell the whole story, because if you go to the full article on Forbes, you find that there are two more vehicles (GMC Canyon, Jeep Wrangler) that weren't mentioned in the summarized version.
So the other article about how American cars are high in quality these days, where did that rumor originate?
Friday, April 9, 2010
The Northern Half
North Korea's official website reports that the "Kim Jong-Il style" is becoming a worldwide fashion trend.
Apparently, people of the world are impressed that the great leader would wear such a "modest and unextravagant" outfit. And a person in the French fashion industry is quoted as saying Kim Jong-Il's outfit is becoming rapidly popular around the world.
Now, I was unable to find this report in the "English" section of the website, so I went over to the Korean page, with the help of Google Translate.
I was still unable to find the article on fashion. However, here are some excerpts from other news articles:
"Sexual coal industries of coal production plan of the Working Class to 107% were performed."
"Since last year, under the leadership of his erection and Samilpo comprehensive food specialties such as factories and machines have been built anywhere in the developed vigorously doeyeo seongunsidae 'Samilpo' Expression food processing industry revolution, a new light the fire of the revolution took place castration cold."
On a somewhat unrelated issue, North Korea has accused the U.S. of being the world's worst human rights abuser.
Also available for download on the website: North Korean music including "classic masterpieces" and "revolutionary songs" which, at 31 cents each is about the same as the average North Korean's monthly income. You can even get them as ringtones for your mobile phone, but this costs a whopping 52 cents. A luxury item, then. It can be said with certainty that no one in North Korea will be buying them, as no one in North Korea has a mobile.
Apparently, people of the world are impressed that the great leader would wear such a "modest and unextravagant" outfit. And a person in the French fashion industry is quoted as saying Kim Jong-Il's outfit is becoming rapidly popular around the world.
Now, I was unable to find this report in the "English" section of the website, so I went over to the Korean page, with the help of Google Translate.
I was still unable to find the article on fashion. However, here are some excerpts from other news articles:
"Sexual coal industries of coal production plan of the Working Class to 107% were performed."
"Since last year, under the leadership of his erection and Samilpo comprehensive food specialties such as factories and machines have been built anywhere in the developed vigorously doeyeo seongunsidae 'Samilpo' Expression food processing industry revolution, a new light the fire of the revolution took place castration cold."
On a somewhat unrelated issue, North Korea has accused the U.S. of being the world's worst human rights abuser.
Also available for download on the website: North Korean music including "classic masterpieces" and "revolutionary songs" which, at 31 cents each is about the same as the average North Korean's monthly income. You can even get them as ringtones for your mobile phone, but this costs a whopping 52 cents. A luxury item, then. It can be said with certainty that no one in North Korea will be buying them, as no one in North Korea has a mobile.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Fraud
One of the campaign promises the Democratic Party of Japan made during last year's elections was that they would remove all tolls from the highways in Japan. Never mind that revenue will decrease; stupid people will vote for you if you flash some money in front of them.
Six months later. Are the highways free of toll? Nope, not a chance. In fact, today, it was announced that the toll would essentially be RAISED starting in June.
Now, I didn't agree with getting rid of tolls in the first place but is this even allowed? In principle this is worse than when George H.W. Bush said, "Read my lips: no new taxes" during the 1988 campaign, prior to raising taxes. If he had said, "Read my lips: no taxes," then I guess that would be worse but how is it permissible to do something completely opposite to your campaign platform? If not legally, at least ethically?
Parliament needs to be dissolved. The DPJ is just too inept and I seriously worry the country is going to fall apart.
Six months later. Are the highways free of toll? Nope, not a chance. In fact, today, it was announced that the toll would essentially be RAISED starting in June.
Now, I didn't agree with getting rid of tolls in the first place but is this even allowed? In principle this is worse than when George H.W. Bush said, "Read my lips: no new taxes" during the 1988 campaign, prior to raising taxes. If he had said, "Read my lips: no taxes," then I guess that would be worse but how is it permissible to do something completely opposite to your campaign platform? If not legally, at least ethically?
Parliament needs to be dissolved. The DPJ is just too inept and I seriously worry the country is going to fall apart.
Lost In Translation
Product Description:
This product is an energy-saving, Environmentally friendly solar energy emergency charger, through the solar panels will convert light energy into electrical energy and stored in the built-in lithium battery inside, and then through the control circuit will be built-in lithium battery power output to phone/MP3/MP4 products such as emergency charge.
Solar charger can also be the first to use electricity (AC100V-240V), through the power adapter with a built-in lithium battery to charge rechargeable batteries before use, suitable for travel, tourism, environment, field work and other standby power.
Specification:
I. Solar panels size : 5.5V/80mA (polysilicon)
2. Municipal Power Input: AC100V - 240V
3. Output Voltage: 5.5V
4. Maximum output current: 500mA
5. Built-in lithium battery: l350mAH
6.0verall dimensions : 93 * 43 * 11mm
Solar charger Charge:
Charging the need to purchase the product the first time, electric discharge end, use AC110V-240V power adapter to the built-in rechargeable lithium battery 13 hours straight. (The beginning of the use of the need for more than two full charge/discharge, to improve
the built-in battery efficiency).
Solar Charger Charge has the following two ways:
1. Using electricity (AC100V - 240V), through the adapter to a solar charger built-in lithium battery, the adapter's green light long-liang, 10 hours or so can be filled, the adapter, said the green light off in buy lithium battery is fully charged
Electricity to the solar charger charge for more than 8 hours, you can provide 1-1.5 hours of phone standby power
2. Solar charger will automatically be placed under direct sunlight to the built-in rechargeable lithium battery, solar charge indicator green light indicates a long charge in 15-18 hours of direct sunlight can be filled due to the strength of the sun varies, green light off that built-in lithium battery is fully charged.
Abundant in sunlight 16 hours for about 10-20 minutes of an emergency call power (depending on the various brands of mobile phone specifications vary)
Solar chargers for charging other products:
Built-in lithium battery is full after charging the output cable coupled with the corresponding conversion head, solar charger with digital products such as mobile phone or MP3. MP4 connected can recharge.
Product accessories and packaging:
Solar charger 1, a power adapter, USB charging cable 1, the charge output line 1, convert the first 5 ( Motorola*1, Samsung/BlackBerry (Storm) * 1, Nokia/BlackBerry (Curve) * 2, Sony Ericsson *1, depending on the sales of slightly different area), a manual, color box packaging.
Remarks:
Products built-in automatic power-off function, in built-in battery power automatically after the exhaustion of power, simply remove the power cord can be restored automatically charging.
[End Manual]
I'd just like to point out that when I plugged in the AC adapter to charge up the built-in lithium battery, a plastic piece inside the plug snapped and the prong wouldn't actually go into the outlet. I had to mend it by taking it apart, drilling some holes in it, and tying down the prong piece so it's not loose. I still don't know if this damn thing even works.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Double Standards
The media is a terrifying thing. On one hand, you have them bashing the hell out of Toyota. On the other hand, when GM comes under investigation by the NHTSA for faulty brake lines, almost no one reports it. This, despite the fact that the issue affects over six million vehicles sold between 1999 and 2003.
But one can't hide something like this for very long. So when it is reported, it is severely downplayed.
To the unsuspecting reader, the above article shows that GM is mindful of its consumers and taking preventive action by fitting improved brake systems to its cars. The bit about the investigation on 6.2 million cars built in the past is treated like an addendum of little importance.
Media influence has the power to set an enormous company reeling, to get a president elected, and to replace the ruling party. The Chinese Communist Party is well aware of this, and that is why Google is leaving China.
Think twice before taking something for its face value.
But one can't hide something like this for very long. So when it is reported, it is severely downplayed.
To the unsuspecting reader, the above article shows that GM is mindful of its consumers and taking preventive action by fitting improved brake systems to its cars. The bit about the investigation on 6.2 million cars built in the past is treated like an addendum of little importance.
Media influence has the power to set an enormous company reeling, to get a president elected, and to replace the ruling party. The Chinese Communist Party is well aware of this, and that is why Google is leaving China.
Think twice before taking something for its face value.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Farce
In the news today: Toyota is being fined $16.375 million.
It seems to me that Toyota is being punished for false accusations and user incompetence, as if the bad publicity was not enough. Besides, according to the hysteric lady's testifimonial in Congress, it's not like the NHTSA did anything when it learned about the problem. Anyone think they should pay a fine?
It's also the case that Toyota's rates of sudden acceleration incidents are not any higher than the competition. In fact, there are many companies that are far worse, according to NHTSA data.
Furthermore, forgive me if I'm wrong, but I can find no mention anywhere of Ford or Firestone paying a significant fine when the Explorer was found to roll over. Prior to that, when it was found that Ford cars would spontaneously catch fire, they paid a fine and recalled millions of vehicles. In fact, Ford was expanding the recall as recent as last year. The hefty amount Ford paid as a penalty in 1999? $425,000.
Now, Toyota is being fined for allegedly not taking action for four months after learning of the problem. In the Ford fire incident, it took Ford three years to issue a recall AND they "failed to provide complete and accurate information in four investigations."
Do I even need to continue?
It seems to me that Toyota is being punished for false accusations and user incompetence, as if the bad publicity was not enough. Besides, according to the hysteric lady's testifimonial in Congress, it's not like the NHTSA did anything when it learned about the problem. Anyone think they should pay a fine?
It's also the case that Toyota's rates of sudden acceleration incidents are not any higher than the competition. In fact, there are many companies that are far worse, according to NHTSA data.
Furthermore, forgive me if I'm wrong, but I can find no mention anywhere of Ford or Firestone paying a significant fine when the Explorer was found to roll over. Prior to that, when it was found that Ford cars would spontaneously catch fire, they paid a fine and recalled millions of vehicles. In fact, Ford was expanding the recall as recent as last year. The hefty amount Ford paid as a penalty in 1999? $425,000.
Now, Toyota is being fined for allegedly not taking action for four months after learning of the problem. In the Ford fire incident, it took Ford three years to issue a recall AND they "failed to provide complete and accurate information in four investigations."
Do I even need to continue?
The Almighty Saab
The amount of load on those rear wheels looks hilariously unsafe. It's also quite amusing that the 9-3 is towing another Saab, which appears to be a 900.
On Frugality
Every now and then, someone will come around and tell us how Warren Buffet is very rich but also very frugal. The article tells us how being rich doesn't necessarily mean one has to live a flashy and extravagant lifestyle, indulging in luxuries such as yachts and enormous mansions. They say these people are in touch with the average people of the world, and because of this, they are modest and wonderful.
I disagree.
Now, many wealthy people are generous philanthropists. The underlying reason for this could be because they feel it is their social obligation to give back to the less fortunate, or because they are simply aware that the government will take a large amount away each year and at death. This is all jolly and lovely. If I had billions, I'd probably give some of it away too.
However, priding oneself on driving the same beat-up car for the last twenty years and taking economy-class flights to business meetings across the globe? I'm not so sure that does any good to society.
As much as these people have a social obligation to distribute their wealth by donating to charity, they also have an obligation to distribute their wealth by spending it.
Ingvar Kamprad could, for instance, buy a new car instead of driving a 240GL. He could have bought a new Saab and it still would have been unextravagant, and it would have helped his fellow Swedes. Better yet, he could have bought the entire Saab company. Sure, perhaps it wouldn't be a sensible investment, but if he treated it as an act of charity, there would be no problem at all.
So anyway, start spending. It's good for the economy.
I disagree.
Now, many wealthy people are generous philanthropists. The underlying reason for this could be because they feel it is their social obligation to give back to the less fortunate, or because they are simply aware that the government will take a large amount away each year and at death. This is all jolly and lovely. If I had billions, I'd probably give some of it away too.
However, priding oneself on driving the same beat-up car for the last twenty years and taking economy-class flights to business meetings across the globe? I'm not so sure that does any good to society.
As much as these people have a social obligation to distribute their wealth by donating to charity, they also have an obligation to distribute their wealth by spending it.
Ingvar Kamprad could, for instance, buy a new car instead of driving a 240GL. He could have bought a new Saab and it still would have been unextravagant, and it would have helped his fellow Swedes. Better yet, he could have bought the entire Saab company. Sure, perhaps it wouldn't be a sensible investment, but if he treated it as an act of charity, there would be no problem at all.
So anyway, start spending. It's good for the economy.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Unrestrained Spending
This idiot is a salesman's dream customer.
What he's done here is
-Go for the upgrade model
-Bought all the accessories available (and there are many because the company that makes the iPad is a fruit and necessary features aren't built in)
-Bought the extended warranty
The result is a bill that is twice the cost of the base equipment, and no one had to tell him to buy any of this; he just did it on his own. So much for the economy being poor. When I was a salesman I used to have to work hard to entice people into buying the add-ons. About once a year someone like this would come in and pick up everything, and I would be very suspicious that he would hand me a fraudulent credit card or something.
What he's done here is
-Go for the upgrade model
-Bought all the accessories available (and there are many because the company that makes the iPad is a fruit and necessary features aren't built in)
-Bought the extended warranty
The result is a bill that is twice the cost of the base equipment, and no one had to tell him to buy any of this; he just did it on his own. So much for the economy being poor. When I was a salesman I used to have to work hard to entice people into buying the add-ons. About once a year someone like this would come in and pick up everything, and I would be very suspicious that he would hand me a fraudulent credit card or something.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Chez Moi
You know, adding a venue like "So and So's house" on Foursquare is probably not a good idea. Neither is adding a venue called "My house" and then making your real name visible on your account.
The Sea of Japan is NOT a Garbage Disposal
Between mid-December 2009 and the end of March 2010, there have been at least 22,194 polyethylene tanks washed ashore on Japan's western coast facing the Sea of Japan. This is 5,235 more than recorded a year ago. Some of these tanks have been found to contain harmful substances such as hydrogen peroxide and nitrous acid.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been looking into the matter for years but without much progress. I suspect this won't be resolved unless the source country actually takes serious action to prevent it from happening. It has already been over ten years since tens of thousands of these started arriving on Japan's shores. The total is well over a million
We know who is responsible. Of the 22,194 tanks collected in the past three and a half months, at least 10,915 had Korean writing on them. So before arguing that the Sea of Japan should be called "East Sea" (it shouldn't) and forcefully taking over Takeshima (Korea has refused to appear at the International Court of Justice since 1954 to settle this, because they know they will lose), STOP POLLUTING.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been looking into the matter for years but without much progress. I suspect this won't be resolved unless the source country actually takes serious action to prevent it from happening. It has already been over ten years since tens of thousands of these started arriving on Japan's shores. The total is well over a million
We know who is responsible. Of the 22,194 tanks collected in the past three and a half months, at least 10,915 had Korean writing on them. So before arguing that the Sea of Japan should be called "East Sea" (it shouldn't) and forcefully taking over Takeshima (Korea has refused to appear at the International Court of Justice since 1954 to settle this, because they know they will lose), STOP POLLUTING.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Advocating Ambivalence
This article suggests that you buy an American car.
Or does it?
In fact it's quite a pointless article and it doesn't actually advocate anything or answer any questions. Essentially, it says, "American cars are not so bad these days, but everything else out there is good too."
1. You can get a great deal
The article mentions attractive finance rates, and then pretty much says, "...and you can get that from any other manufacturer too." Not surprising, given the state of the economy.
2. Quality is high
Apparently American cars don't break down every other day anymore. And then the article says "...but neither does anything else." Quality isn't just reliability though. I went to the LA Auto Show late last year and sat in some Chevrolets, just for kicks. Some of the things I encountered were nasty interiors with cheap, shiny, flimsy plastic, uncomfortable seats, and unergonomic item placement. Besides, none of this says anything about performance. American cars still are, on the whole, wafty and unable to go around corners.
3. You can still go green
They say something about hybrids, which are not actually green at all. And then they say the American hybrids are not particularly good in terms of efficiency, but that a hybrid is a hybrid, and that everyone else makes "green" cars too. This morning I saw a new-ish Dodge Ram (no more than five years old) spewing black smoke and leaving a three-mile trail in its wake. I see this all the time from the Big Three, but never from Japanese pickup trucks.
4. They're class leaders
Well, yes, but only if you buy the particular models that happen to be "class leaders." They say, "The top five affordable midsize SUVs are American, and when it comes to compact and large SUVs, two of the top three models in both classes are from domestic manufacturers." I mean, what exactly constitutes an "affordable mid-size SUV"? None of this means anything if they don't mention which models are good, what they're up against, and why they're good. The article then says Americans make good trucks too. All of this is fairly reasonable, as big trucks and SUVs are traditionally American, so to speak. This is why all of their passenger cars also handle like them, and many even sound like them.
5. You'll help American workers
By that argument, as an American taxpayer, I ought to buy a GM product because I am part owner. Anyway, you could buy a Toyota and still help American workers, as most of the models sold here are made here. Which makes it all the more puzzling that Congress wants to bash them so much. Senator Mike Johnanns of Nebraska, for instance, believes the U.S. should ban the import of cars made in Japan. What he doesn't understand is that the cars that supposedly have issues were made in the U.S. At any rate, the article then mentions that you can help American workers by buying just about any car, and that American cars may very well be made elsewhere, such as Canada.
In conclusion, the article says to buy what you like. WHAT IS YOUR POINT THEN.
Or does it?
In fact it's quite a pointless article and it doesn't actually advocate anything or answer any questions. Essentially, it says, "American cars are not so bad these days, but everything else out there is good too."
1. You can get a great deal
The article mentions attractive finance rates, and then pretty much says, "...and you can get that from any other manufacturer too." Not surprising, given the state of the economy.
2. Quality is high
Apparently American cars don't break down every other day anymore. And then the article says "...but neither does anything else." Quality isn't just reliability though. I went to the LA Auto Show late last year and sat in some Chevrolets, just for kicks. Some of the things I encountered were nasty interiors with cheap, shiny, flimsy plastic, uncomfortable seats, and unergonomic item placement. Besides, none of this says anything about performance. American cars still are, on the whole, wafty and unable to go around corners.
3. You can still go green
They say something about hybrids, which are not actually green at all. And then they say the American hybrids are not particularly good in terms of efficiency, but that a hybrid is a hybrid, and that everyone else makes "green" cars too. This morning I saw a new-ish Dodge Ram (no more than five years old) spewing black smoke and leaving a three-mile trail in its wake. I see this all the time from the Big Three, but never from Japanese pickup trucks.
4. They're class leaders
Well, yes, but only if you buy the particular models that happen to be "class leaders." They say, "The top five affordable midsize SUVs are American, and when it comes to compact and large SUVs, two of the top three models in both classes are from domestic manufacturers." I mean, what exactly constitutes an "affordable mid-size SUV"? None of this means anything if they don't mention which models are good, what they're up against, and why they're good. The article then says Americans make good trucks too. All of this is fairly reasonable, as big trucks and SUVs are traditionally American, so to speak. This is why all of their passenger cars also handle like them, and many even sound like them.
5. You'll help American workers
By that argument, as an American taxpayer, I ought to buy a GM product because I am part owner. Anyway, you could buy a Toyota and still help American workers, as most of the models sold here are made here. Which makes it all the more puzzling that Congress wants to bash them so much. Senator Mike Johnanns of Nebraska, for instance, believes the U.S. should ban the import of cars made in Japan. What he doesn't understand is that the cars that supposedly have issues were made in the U.S. At any rate, the article then mentions that you can help American workers by buying just about any car, and that American cars may very well be made elsewhere, such as Canada.
In conclusion, the article says to buy what you like. WHAT IS YOUR POINT THEN.
On App Updates
Phone applications will receive low ratings because if is a problem with the functionality. This is perfectly normal. If the developer doesn't issue updates in a timely manner to fix this, the app will continue to receive poor reviews.
However, I'm beginning to notice a trend of increased complaints for apps that are updated too much.
I mean, I sort of get the rationale behind this. It's annoying to download an update every other day, and the developer could perhaps lump a few fixes together in one update. However, I don't feel criticism is really warranted here. Too many microscopic updates is better than an abandoned app with no updates ever.
There is, however, one issue that needs to be raised with some of the developers. Namely, I want to know what exactly has changed. I don't mind updating every day if it means improved functionality. However, I don't want to update if the only thing that was added to the latest version is ads.
Seriously, I don't mind ads on free apps as long as they aren't obtrusive. Developers have to have some sort of incentive for creating apps, and I don't expect them to work for free. People who complain about ads being present in a free app should have their salaries taken away.
However, if you're releasing an update for the sole purpose of throwing in ads, then we need to talk. Either way, it's a good software development practice to detail the changes from version to version.
However, I'm beginning to notice a trend of increased complaints for apps that are updated too much.
I mean, I sort of get the rationale behind this. It's annoying to download an update every other day, and the developer could perhaps lump a few fixes together in one update. However, I don't feel criticism is really warranted here. Too many microscopic updates is better than an abandoned app with no updates ever.
There is, however, one issue that needs to be raised with some of the developers. Namely, I want to know what exactly has changed. I don't mind updating every day if it means improved functionality. However, I don't want to update if the only thing that was added to the latest version is ads.
Seriously, I don't mind ads on free apps as long as they aren't obtrusive. Developers have to have some sort of incentive for creating apps, and I don't expect them to work for free. People who complain about ads being present in a free app should have their salaries taken away.
However, if you're releasing an update for the sole purpose of throwing in ads, then we need to talk. Either way, it's a good software development practice to detail the changes from version to version.
On Android and Facebook
After three months of false starts, teasing, last-minute cancellations that appear to have malice and forethought behind them, my Motorola Droid has finally been upgraded to Android 2.1.
The sad thing is, it still wasn't an "official" OTA update. Essentially, what I had to do was download the zip file containing the upgrade from Google's server, load it on a MicroSD card, and then boot from the card.
Verizon has never actually disclosed why it took them so long to make this available, but I suspect it is mostly their fault and not Google or Motorola's, as OTA updates were reported some time back in other parts of the world such as Hong Kong.
I couldn't find a way to increase the number of home screens in the new update. However, there's an app for that. It's called HelixLauncher. Now, my Droid does have more than three home screens. What's more, double-tapping the screen shows thumbnails of all of them, so I can skip across. This is just another beautiful aspect of the future, of the free world. That other fruity company would never allow things like this to happen unless you jailbreak.
Of course, there are some issues with Android that could be improved. As far as I am aware, there is still no way of taking a screenshot without rooting the system. And the Facebook app is embarrassingly terrible. It is lacking most of the features present on the iPhone version, such as inbox and chat, notifications never update (and I'm not exaggerating here, they never do unless you refresh manually. The only things that it fetches are friend requests, pokes, and messages), and things often simply don't work.
For instance, if someone posts on a group wall and it shows up in your feed, there is an option to comment/like it. However, this doesn't actually work. It just returns an error. Also, if there are more than two comments and you hit "view all," this also does not work.
Let's say someone posts some pictures, and you want to take a look. You tap on it, and it opens the Browser externally to redirect you to the Facebook Mobile website. We're talking m.facebook.com, not even touch.facebook.com. It's pathetic. However, if you go to the profile of the person that posted the photo, and click the "Photos" tab, the pictures can be viewed within the Facebook app. Whoever coded this should be shot.
In fact the Facebook app tries to redirect you to the Mobile website for just about anything. Want to see the comment someone posted on your wall post? Redirect. Want to see the comment someone posted on your photo? Redirect. Want to see the comment someone posted on a group wall post? Redirect. The last one is especially problematic because m.facebook.com doesn't even support groups. So it just comes back as "content not found."
At least the posted comment is displayed in the notifications page of the app, e.g. "X posted on your wall: 'ABCDEFG.'" However, if you want to respond to this, it will redirect you to the Mobile website. If it was a group post, you'll have to go to the Mobile site, and then direct yourself to the full desktop Facebook website, then navigate to the post.
I have a feeling that what Facebook is doing here is abusing the multi-tasking abilities of the Android system. The app that they have put out is a joke, and with today being April 1, perhaps they can come up with a useful, functional one, even if it's only for a day. At any rate, it's a joke that they didn't pull on the iPhone because they had to work around its limitations. What they've done on Android is say, "oh, well if it can run multiple apps at the same time, why don't we just make the Facebook app a collection of links to the Mobile website, which we already made three years ago? Then we wouldn't have to actually do any work designing an app for Android."
The sad thing is, it still wasn't an "official" OTA update. Essentially, what I had to do was download the zip file containing the upgrade from Google's server, load it on a MicroSD card, and then boot from the card.
Verizon has never actually disclosed why it took them so long to make this available, but I suspect it is mostly their fault and not Google or Motorola's, as OTA updates were reported some time back in other parts of the world such as Hong Kong.
I couldn't find a way to increase the number of home screens in the new update. However, there's an app for that. It's called HelixLauncher. Now, my Droid does have more than three home screens. What's more, double-tapping the screen shows thumbnails of all of them, so I can skip across. This is just another beautiful aspect of the future, of the free world. That other fruity company would never allow things like this to happen unless you jailbreak.
Of course, there are some issues with Android that could be improved. As far as I am aware, there is still no way of taking a screenshot without rooting the system. And the Facebook app is embarrassingly terrible. It is lacking most of the features present on the iPhone version, such as inbox and chat, notifications never update (and I'm not exaggerating here, they never do unless you refresh manually. The only things that it fetches are friend requests, pokes, and messages), and things often simply don't work.
For instance, if someone posts on a group wall and it shows up in your feed, there is an option to comment/like it. However, this doesn't actually work. It just returns an error. Also, if there are more than two comments and you hit "view all," this also does not work.
Let's say someone posts some pictures, and you want to take a look. You tap on it, and it opens the Browser externally to redirect you to the Facebook Mobile website. We're talking m.facebook.com, not even touch.facebook.com. It's pathetic. However, if you go to the profile of the person that posted the photo, and click the "Photos" tab, the pictures can be viewed within the Facebook app. Whoever coded this should be shot.
In fact the Facebook app tries to redirect you to the Mobile website for just about anything. Want to see the comment someone posted on your wall post? Redirect. Want to see the comment someone posted on your photo? Redirect. Want to see the comment someone posted on a group wall post? Redirect. The last one is especially problematic because m.facebook.com doesn't even support groups. So it just comes back as "content not found."
At least the posted comment is displayed in the notifications page of the app, e.g. "X posted on your wall: 'ABCDEFG.'" However, if you want to respond to this, it will redirect you to the Mobile website. If it was a group post, you'll have to go to the Mobile site, and then direct yourself to the full desktop Facebook website, then navigate to the post.
I have a feeling that what Facebook is doing here is abusing the multi-tasking abilities of the Android system. The app that they have put out is a joke, and with today being April 1, perhaps they can come up with a useful, functional one, even if it's only for a day. At any rate, it's a joke that they didn't pull on the iPhone because they had to work around its limitations. What they've done on Android is say, "oh, well if it can run multiple apps at the same time, why don't we just make the Facebook app a collection of links to the Mobile website, which we already made three years ago? Then we wouldn't have to actually do any work designing an app for Android."
History Will Be Made
There was a post on parodies of ads made by the NHL, so I decided to jump in and have a go myself.
The result:
I mean, I bought Adobe Premiere so I might as well put it to use, right?
The result:
I mean, I bought Adobe Premiere so I might as well put it to use, right?
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