Arranged Delirium

I’m constantly repulsing efforts from others to collect or save data.This usually surprises most people who assume that as a technologist, I want to get my hands on as much information as I can. Actually, the opposite is true: I’m always looking for ways to more effectively filter information so that I can keep as little as possible and try not to become inundated with large quantities of spurious data that I didn’t really need anyway. I’m typically in the minority on this issue - although I think I have the right of it - but more people are starting to think about this. There’s a recent OpEd piece in the NYTimes that discusses the tangible implications and realities of all this ‘ethereal’ information we like to work with. The author further suggests that we conscientiously look for data-reduction strategies. What a great idea!

Shawn Blanc has a blog post up on the potential value of MobileMe. Its a bit long unless you are interested in the topic, but insightful. (MobileMe of course, is Apple’s ill-titled mobile sync service.) MobileMe is something I’ve been using for years - which is why I have a .mac address - but I still struggle to define in terms of value. It is something I haven’t found to be particularly useful aside from syncing email and calendars. Truthfully, Dropbox does a much better job of syncing files between machines - so there’s no way I’m going back to the MobileMe iDisk service at this point.

Really - if you don’t have a Dropbox account, you need to get one. Do it now. This means you.

So, I am in essence maintaining the service due to the number of devices I have, email sync, and a handy calendar publishing feature. All things that I could do in other ways if I had time to set it up. I guess I’m paying for convenience, but its a steep price at this point. And without some additional value coming from somewhere - its only a matter of time until I abandon it…

I’ve been watching with interest the introduction of the new Apple Macbook Air. Primarily because I’m interested in the iPad and what it means for the future of computing, but also because I’m struggling to figure out how (or why) to use my laptop now. I like the idea of an integrated keyboard, but I think I’d prefer the mobility of the iPad itself. But I could see how the Air would be a nice option for some. Regardless - we can see how the iPad and its corresponding Android contemporaries are going to shape the future of what our computers will be like.

Here’s a link to Walt Mossberg’s review which I think is pretty good. For myself, I’m still planning on migrating away from my laptop and working with the iPad to day-to-day stuff and my desktop (with a huge screen) for imagery, film, web development, and programming work. But, I could do a lot with a little laptop like this. If I had the money and inclination to replace my laptop, I’d do it with this one and would recommend it to others as long as they aren’t doing development work.

Given the prominence of Facebook and the number of folks who use it - I ask you - how much do you know about the history of Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg? I’m not talking about the drama surrounding the movie, although that has created an opportunity to learn even more as folks look into the reliability and validity of the lore behind Facebook. Robert Wright has written a piece published in the NYTimes that does a good job of analyzing the contributions (or not?) that Zuckerberg has made. In many ways, Zuckerberg is very reminiscent of Bill Gates. Smart? Sure! Lucky? Undoubtedly! Brilliant? Not so much…

I’ve had to do a fair bit of network installation at home and on campus over the years - primarily wireless. It’s invariably frustrating and a lot of trial and error, which is why I have a lot of respect for folks that do networking as a career. But if you are struggling with any wi-fi issues at home (our neighbors are all impinging on our radio waves) Lifehacker has a very accessible article to help you find your way through potential problems. I personally have an old house made of chicken-wire as well as neighbors on various channels so it took a bit of work to get things working well!