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Notice of Name Change [Update]

Hey folks.  I know we all love the very creative name of my blog, Digitas Gravitas, with its deep meaning and wonderful rhyming scheme.  However, unbeknown to me, the name Digitas is apparently trademarked by a company out of Boston, and due to my soaring popularity, I come up first in Google searches now which does not gel with their legal team.  So the hammer has been dropped and they took action against my name and until this is resolved I will have to stall on the posts.  Be looking for the new blog, Digital Gravitas (which is almost as good) hopefully in a few days.  Everything should be the same as it was before, just at a new URL and with a new name to reflect the changes.  Thanks to everyone who has followed me before, and make sure to indicate the URL change once active.  I’ll post that once the change is final.

UPDATE:

So…. WordPress is being a little glitchy with moving the blog over to the new URL, so we’re gonna just try and stick with this and see if it placates the Lawyers.  For the time being (and unless I can figure out the problem with transferring the blog) the URL will remain Digitasgravitas.wordpress.com, but the blog itself will be called Digital Gravitas.  Oh, and if any of you can help a brother out and know how to transfer this to a new URL, give me a holler in the comments.

2010
02/04
POSTED BY
GRevolution
CATEGORY
General
3 comments

A Call for Internet Civility

The internet is a strange entity.  For something that was supposed to bring together all of humanity in the equal access of information and free exchange of ideas, it really has become a place for utterly terrible people.  And I’m not even talking about sites devoted to racism or sites run by extremists where you can play flash games to blow up American embassies.  I’m talking about generally awful people who make the internet their playground for causing mayhem.  Sure, we all do it occasionally.  Anyone who has participated in a forum knows of the legendary creature known as the “Troll” and their strange dialect.  These people are obnoxious, egotistical and generally thrive off making people angry.  But even they can be witty beings, possibly with ulterior motives to prove the fallacy of an argument or to shut down the actions of controversial groups.  The “Anonymous” attacks of 4Chan on the Church of Scientology comes to mind – while I don’t approve of their methods exactly, I understand that they are enacting a form of non-violent (though hopelessly obnoxious) protest.  Then there is this other creature of destruction on the internet, one that can’t be given a solid name like “troll” (though Wired Magazine came up with “ass-clown” which I thought was rather good) that is not a smart person, but just hateful and hopelessly callous.  They have no motive, they just say stupid things because they lack moral conscience or they are hopelessly ignorant.  And I’m not usually one to make these accusations, I usually have a generally positive faith in humanity as a whole and disapprove of deriding others’ social patterns.  But I would like to offer Exhibit A: Youtube. Read more

2010
02/01
POSTED BY
GRevolution
CATEGORY
General
Internet
3 comments

Something to Remember about the iPad

In all the excitement (or lack there of) for the iPad, it seems many have already jumped to conclusions over the device.  Calling it a failure, a mistake, a waste of money, etc.  Well while the iPad is not the revolutionary device we all thought it would be (I blasted the thing in my post-show review), we can’t call it a failure.  Everyone needs to take a step back and realize that while this iPad is not the Knight in Shining Armor to kill netbooks, Apple has established a platform that can, and most likely will, become something viable in the future….. I hope.

In general, Apple generates far more critical response, skepticism and hatred than other companies.  And many of you will read this and say “Damn right!  They deserve it!”  It all goes back to the days when Apple was actively fighting Microsoft for domination – before Windows 95 solidified Microsoft’s lead.  Apple and Microsoft both fueled active and voracious fanbases to let the battle not only take place in sales and PR, but amongst the populace.  So as we know, Mac fans became vehement believers that they were running the superior, under appreciated hardware and software; while PC users believed they were running the standard, complete with all the options that come with that, while Mac users were being different for the sake of being different.  I’m not going to go into who’s right, because you’re both wrong. Read more

2010
01/30
POSTED BY
GRevolution
CATEGORY
Apple
Culture
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Thoughts After the Keynote

Apple just released the Quicktime video of their event today and I’ve taken a few minutes to see what every journalist saw and see if it changes my mind a bit.  And it does… sort of.

Really what the video did was solidify what I felt the iPad should have been and what it can be.  Seeing Jobs (who by the way is looking much healthier) use the device which such ease and efficiency really does expand the possibilities of how useful the device could be in my day-to-day life.  Browsing, viewing movies, and enjoying content seems so much better on the iPad than on my lowly netbook or an iPhone, it’s just a shame I can’t do it all at the same time.

But what’s the most assuring thing is that Apple gets it, at least in theory, about why this is the solution to their device in between a Macbook and iPhone, and not a netbook.  As Apple said, you have a smartphone, and you have a laptop, and both can do similar features, but neither is solely built for those features.  A phone is primarily for voice calls, with internet and media playback being secondary.  It can be done well, but that is not the primary design.  Laptops also do those things, but at least from Apple, laptops are built with hardware and capabilities that far exceed those tasks.  So your in-between device needs to be something that does those common tasks as elegantly and easily as possible. Read more

2010
01/27
POSTED BY
GRevolution
CATEGORY
Apple
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After All That Hype…

Yeah.  If you’re reading that title and you know what that means, you get a feel for my response to Apple’s Event.  Today, Apple announced the iPad, a multimedia tablet designed to slot between iPhone and Macbook.  Overall, I was not incredibly impressed by the presentation or the product.  However, it is not black and white, because there are many very awesome things about the machine that we should take note of.  But at the same time, this just wasn’t the game changing device we expected.  Let’s take stock.

The Good

In terms of hardware, this thing is absolutely beautiful.  It is .5 inches thick and sports a beautiful 9.7 inch IPS LED backlit LCD.  It’s a fantastic display with excellent color contrast and a nice 1024×768 resolution (the first iMac has the same resolution).  It has capacitive multi-touch just like the iPhone along with the standard iPod connector, speaker, microphone, ambient light sensor, 802.11n Wi-Fi.  What is the most interesting is that this device does not use any standard microchip but rather a completely new, Apple-designed chip called A4.  Not much is known about the chip but it runs at 1Ghz and has extremely low power consumption – good for 10 hours of use or a reported month on standby.  I can’t wait to get more info on A4 and see if it’s an ARM derivative or something wholly different.  And you can bet that A4 will be used in other devices in the future.  The processor blazed through every task given to it during the presentation, with perfectly smooth scrolling and app launch, leading me to believe that there’s some fancy design under the hood.  No news on the graphics processor in the thing, but I’m expecting it’s another PowerVR SGX.  Storage comes from either a 16GB, 32GB or 64GB model.  There is also a version that comes with AT&T 3G service, but more on that later. Read more

2010
01/27
POSTED BY
GRevolution
CATEGORY
Apple
Hardware
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And Here We Go…

Well, here we are.  Less than 24 hours from Apple’s big event and the rumors keep pouring in.  We know that the Tablet will debut tomorrow, it is certain, but along with CEO confirmation, there is the obligatory pre-release analysis.  Many are excited about the new tablet and all the wonderful possibilities that it will off.  Others are skeptical of the new device’s promise and hype, since it may just be a gigantic iPod Touch and not enticing enough to warrant real attention.  And others are…. less constructive in their anticipation.  But though the tech world is relatively divided on whether this will be the device to change everything or just a big iPhone, they don’t have to be.  I can say with a fair amount of certainty that it will be the former.

Think about it, Apple has danced around the idea of a tablet computer since 1983, even before the first Macintosh.  They’ve released the Newton PDA in the 90s as their first foray into mobile devices.  Though it failed, it prompted Apple to try harder and continue to focus on products beyond just computers.  They’ve released the iPod as a more specialized mobile device and finally, the iPhone and iPod Touch as the total amalgamation of all their efforts for over 20 years.  So why wait almost three years after the original iPhone to release just a bigger version?  Oh sure, you can argue that they were just waiting for the right time, but as a recent Engadget article details, an Apple Tablet has had vigorous rumors surrounding a tablet since 2002.  Yes, much of their R&D probably became the iPhone, but that would only further drive them to differentiate this new device from an established one.  My point is, that even though there will be obvious and unavoidable comparisons and similarities between the tablet and iPhone – even down to the OS – it will be a vastly different device.  Apple has spent 2.5 years doing that.

Of course things still remain unclear and no one can say how dramatically revolutionary the tablet will be.  Jobs himself has said that ” [it] will be the most important thing I’ve ever done.”  Now, Jobs is not exactly a stranger to hyperbole (or sarcasm for that matter) but the man is smart enough to know when he’s got something truly ground breaking on his hands.  The way this device will be so incredible is not known, and we’ll only find out tomorrow, but that is part of the excitement.  I have derided Apple’s attempts at creating a tablet in my inaugural post because its role just seems unclear amidst smartphones, smartbooks, and netbooks.  And even though in a later post I declared that netbooks are on death watch under the advent of smartbooks and tablets, Apple will not create a conventional tablet like the generic devices coming out of Asus or HP.  Apple’s device has too much hype and too much importance to be just a “me too!” device.  It won’t be an e-reader, internet browser, or giant media player – though it will have those features.  Somehow, it has to be something wholly greater than the sum of its parts.  Oh sure, I may be placing too much faith in Apple, but I honestly think that this will be the case.

Only tomorrow will tell what happens and the excitement is palpable.  We’re left with two options – either it surpasses our expectations, or have underwhelmed them; I don’t see much of a gray area existing.  So my post-event article will either be titled “The Game Has Changed” or “After So Much Hype….”  If you check back tomorrow, all you’ll need to see is the title to know how it turned out.

2010
01/26
POSTED BY
GRevolution
CATEGORY
Apple
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Wha? What Happened?

Do not adjust your monitor, there’s nothing wrong.  You may have stumbled upon the site to find some serious reworking to the visual look.  While the previous theme to Digitas Gravitas was very sleek and well designed, I’ve struggled with expanding beyond the simple blog format and try to provide more extensive search options.  However, since I lack any knowledge in HTML or CSS, I had no idea how to modify my old theme without probably ruining it.  This new theme provides a layout for quick searches by category pages.  And as such I am working on reassigning all my old articles to new categories.  Some areas may be smaller than others for now and some articles may overlap, but I feel that this new layout will provide better navigation for everyone as traffic increases.

But hey, you guys read the site.  So you tell me if this is better than the previous build.

2010
01/25
POSTED BY
GRevolution
CATEGORY
General
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Facebook is Under Attack

This is an update to my earlier post on the demise of Facebook.  In that article I spoke of how there has been an inundation of malicious applications and spam that is dragging the site.  Well it looks like Facebook didn’t like me calling it out, and things have gotten largely worse in the past few weeks.  As of today I cannot stand it any longer.  I had thought that such an article might reach the ears of Facebook and urge them to finally stop this malicious software.  However, as of January 23rd, 2010 Facebook is under attack.

It has begun slowly, but it is taking over dramatically quickly.  Three applications “News Feed”, “Photo Comments”, and “Feed” have gained access to profiles and are using them to launch subsequent attacks on other users.  They pose as postings and photo comments from many friends, assigned at random.  Once the link is clicked, it launches you to an application screen.  However, I don’t believe that you have to sign over rights to the application for it to take control of your profile.  The effects of the apps are varied.  I believe that besides from gaining public information from your page, they access your password and are attempting to attack security vulnerabilities in web browsers to attack home computers.  This is rumored but not confirmed however.  Other apps simply use your account for self replication, others send disturbing images and spam into your accounts.  As of now, without analysis from professionals and acknowledgment from Facebook that this has taken place, we will not know the full extent of the damages.

Facebook must acknowledge that they are hosting malicious code on their servers!  And it must be stopped.  Now, more than ever, we must purge the site of hackers, spam and bloated code.  These apps are simple the latest in smaller, less organized attacks.  In addition, I have noticed a serious upturn in group requests from completely random friends on facebook to completely random groups.  Why a 13-year-old boy sent me a request to “Nationwide is on you Side” is beyond me but I am suspicious that he is not actually responsible for the request, but rather it is the effect of more hacking or malicious spam.  It has gotten out of hand to such an insidious degree that the site is becoming not only hard to use, but possibly dangerous to our privacy.  Never before have I seen a site with such massive capital, population, or infrastructure come to its knees so easily.

In the mean time, to stop these apps – delete them from your applications page, block notifications from them, mark them as spam, and change your password.  We must contain this now.

2010
01/24
POSTED BY
GRevolution
CATEGORY
General
Internet
TAGS
2 comments

My Phone Dilemma

It’s no secret that I am a fan of the iPhone.  Love it or hate it, you can’t deny that it is a very well-built and designed phone that has dramatically changed how we perceive phones.  Ever since the first model was announced in 2007 I’ve desperately wanted a taste of real power.  Have the iPhone constantly updated every year only compounds the issue as every year it gets significantly better in terms of hardware and software.  I could have had one by now, but unfortunately in 2008 I used my upgrade on a low-end phone because my previous one had broken.  Of course at the time, the iPhone was not subsidized and did not require a contract to buy at a lower price.  After the summer of 2008 when I was back at AT&T to get the iPhone 3G, this changed as the iPhone became subsidized and required a contract upgrade to be eligible for the lower price.  To make a long story short, it was not a happy day when I discovered I would have to wait until February 2010 to get any new phone at a decent price, let alone the iPhone.

However, February 2010 is close at hand!  Vindication will soon be mine!  Well….. maybe.  Of course the logical choice would be to buy the iPhone 3GS come February, but I might regret that.  See, Apple has a trend of updating the iPhone once every year, usually around June.  And while June is 5 months off, buying any phone for a two-year commitment at the tail end of its life can cause buyer’s remorse.  Now, the 2010 update for the iPhone is a point of mystery.  It could be a simple as releasing a CDMA version for Verizon and otherwise being the same as the current 3GS; it could be a modest storage update and improved camera; it could be a larger screen or higher resolution; or it could even be completely new hardware.  No one is sure.  Now, if it’s something simple like a camera update or more storage, I can live with that.  If it’s a better screen, well I might be a little annoyed.  And if it’s completely new hardware, well… I’ll be rather pissed.  Now I don’t think that Apple will update the hardware, they usually do that every two years and the 3GS as of now is by no means an underpowered phone – it’s about middle of the pack now for high-end smart phones.  But as the market is getting more competitive, Apple may feel the need to accelerate their road maps. Read more

2010
01/24
POSTED BY
GRevolution
CATEGORY
Apple
Hardware
TAGS

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Browser Wars: What to Pick?

Today was an interesting day for browsing the internet, and one that has simply added to my dilemma.  Today Firefox 3.6 was released, an update to the venerable browser that brings more speed, better performance, and scraps the inefficient themes system for the more streamline and gorgeous “Personas” customization.  The Personas are actually extremely good, with several thousand ones currently available ranging from standard Firefox skins to Hello Kitty to Transformers.  It’s a far better system than the older themes which created uneven UI that often slowed the program down.  With all these enhancements, I wonder if I should use it.

Huh?  What are you stupid?  Some of you might be thinking this.  Firefox is one of the most popular browsers in the world.  It’s incredibly fast and customizable, why would you use anything else?  Well, sorry to burst everyone’s bubble, but Firefox isn’t exactly the ultimate browser, in fact no one is.  That’s the problem with the browser world today, we have so many options to choose from and many of them are virtually the same.  I for one, have used Safari ever since version 4 – I’ve found it to be incredibly fast and very clean to use while Firefox is a resource hog on my computer.  But Firefox is another completely viable option, as is Chrome (or Chromium if you’re using the Mac beta), Opera, and even Internet Explorer in a pinch.  So what to choose? Read more

2010
01/21
POSTED BY
GRevolution
CATEGORY
Internet
1 comment