Convergence, convergence, convergence - it's everywhere. Cell phones become cameras, PCs become radios and stereos, PCs become VCRs, watches become remote controls...It all adds up to pervasive computing. Nice.
My wife and I attended a wake on Friday night, my first. I have to admit a certain provincialism as to death-related events - my only experience had been the somber, quiet, dressed-in-black, politely sobbing Christian funeral. This was a real eye-opener.
The celebrant, Dana, had made it clear that he wanted a celebration after his passing, not a traditional funeral. He was stricken with pancreatic cancer at age 42, and died just over a year later. I didn't know Dana well (I know him and his circle of friends through my wife), but he was a free spirit. He packed a lot into 42 years. And he was clearly someone who inspired love and loyalty among his many friends.
We arrived to see approximately 100 people in Hawaiian shirts, shorts and sandals. There was a band, a slide show, picture albums on display, catered food, a hosted bar - the works. The people were laughing, dancing, talking, singing, and yes, a few were crying. It was altogether as civilized a way to commemorate a life as I can imagine. I was impressed and moved, and determined to do the same on my way out.
Here's to Dana, proof again that only the good die young. I wish I had known him better.
And proof again that every day's a bonus. Live it well.
Going back and forth between the new Mac and the Win2K PC is painful. I have to relearn everything, even simple things. There's a reason corporations don't want to support two compting environments - it's hard.
Today I've found the documentation that will allow me to move this website's management from the PC to the Mac, and the tools for posting to Radio via email. If I can get those done, I can start to partition my life appropriately.
Some comments and first impressions on the new Mac:
Great UI. Beautiful, consistent, intuitive. I can't say enough about the UI embodied in OSX.
iCal is elegant, but needs lots of work. Not surprising, as it is v1.0.
I had to install Apple's 802.11b card, the Airport card. Should've been easy, but opening the PBG4 requires a #8 Torx driver. It was irritating to have to search around the neighborhood shops at 7pm for one, but Radio Shack came through. Once opened, installing was easy. Once installed, connection to the home WLAN was seamless and automatic. It just worked.
I was really looking forward to Myst, but it isn't working. Something's not right - everything else works as advertises, so it's a Myst problem, not a PB problem.
So far, MS Office on OSX looks like a winner. Time will tell about document compatibilities.
Listening to London FM stations via iTunes and some serious addon speakers is just too cool. It reminds of when I was a kid, and discovered that I could hear the big Chicago FM station at night, so I'd stay up late and imagine what Chicago must be like.
More later, but I think I'm really going to like the new machine.
Gadget Overload Relief in Sight. Technology called software defined radio, or SDR, could herald the development of new wireless devices that combine multiple applications into a single appliance. By Paul Boutin. [Wired News]
This is a very cool idea. It makes sense - why not take advantage of Moore's Law as long as we can? This will also give Microsoft a new platform to conquer, new competitors to crush.
Haven't yet tried to move my Radio installation to the Mac, so I'm switching back and forth between machines. The UI differences are startling - the Mac is so superior in UI. It's not just the look - it's the logic in the UI.
There's a lot to write about: a wake, a fantasyland country club, Vernor Vinge books, birthdays and holidays... Alas, I should be writing for a client, and that's got to take precedence today.
