Category Archives: Technology

Points for the last Monday in November, 2010

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The Thanksgiving holiday and weekend is over. Apparently this year’s Black Friday was a success. I contributed to that success but Mrs. Crucis couldn’t find her bargain.

I think because of the Holiday, the “crisis du jour” was absent. The TSA appears to have ducked and many of the body scanner/molestation lines at airports were shutdown late Wednesday. According to the Triple-A, highway traffic was up 16%. Whether this increase was because of the new TSA procedures or if people were traveling in relief from the more recent political season. Likewise, here at the Court, I don’t have a specific topic but a couple of subjects to ponder. Case in point: Kansas City is in mourning today with the news that conservative radio host, Chris Stigall is leaving for a new job in Philadelphia as morning show host at WPHT.

philadelphia.cbslocal.com

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – CBS RADIO’s The Big Talker 1210 AM announced today an enhanced lineup of personality based programs which will begin to rollout on Monday, January 3, 2011. Leading off the day on-air and online at www.CBSPhilly.com will be one of America’s up and coming talk show hosts, Chris Stigall who joins the station from KCMO Talk Radio 710 in Kansas City where he has hosted morning drive since 2006. From 5:30-9:00AM Stigall will discuss local and national policy, the economy, the biggest news stories and issues that affect all Philadelphians, coupled with interviews of the day’s news and decision makers.

Stigall’s last broadcast day in KC is tomorrow, the last day of November, 2010. Mrs. Crucis listened to Stigall every morning. She would get up early and do her daily walk while listening to him. She wasn’t quite in shock because she’s been expecting Stigall to go national at any time. Frankly, I think he’s as good as Michael Savage and some of the other nation-wide radio hosts.

***

I believe the next generation of personal computing is upon us. In this last year there has been a shift—in reading habits. 2010 is the first year that sales of ebooks and digital magazines exceeded that of their dead-tree counter-parts.

I am a reader. I have not willingly tossed any book that I’ve bought in my life. I have lost some. I have had some damaged beyond repair due to water seepage. I have sold some paperbacks to a used book reseller just before our last move.

I mourned each loss.

A decade or so ago, Baen Books created their Free Library.They made books available for downloading in various formats and all free! I downloaded every one. I even kept copies at work and they kept me company many long nights when I was working a call center turn-up or when a network failure occurred and I worked with tech on a conference call to restore service. Like many situations, there would be minutes of intense activity followed by longer period waiting to see if results were successful. Those books help me stay awake and alert.

A few years ago, Amazon released their Kindle e-reader. Amazon was not the first. There have been a number of electronic readers for years. But the appearance of the Kindle started the flood of ebooks. I finally broke down and bought an Aluratek Libre Pro ereader last summer. It was cheap—under $100, and I could afford the investment if it failed to meet my expectations.

It did. I haven’t bought a paper book since. I’ve also saved money. Ebooks are cheaper than paper books. Since I’m now retired (officially,) that is important.

One reason the Aluratek ereader is so cheap is that it uses a LCD screen instead of the more popular eInk or ePaper technology used int he Kindle, KOBO, Nook and SONY ereaders. That technology has a very irritating affect. The page flashes black every time you change a page.

The Alurateks LCD screen also had a very irritating feature. It was dark. I like to read in bed. There’s a single lamp on the night-stand. Reading the Aluratek LCD screen in dim light is a strain. After 10-15 minutes, my eyes would be watering and my vision was strained.

So, I’ve been looking for a replacement—an upgrade. Something with new technology and something that could be used for more that just an electronic book.

As a parting perk on my retirement, I was able to buy an Android-based phone using my employee discount. I fell in love with that phone and the Android operating system. I seldom use my phone for talking. My wife is a texting addict. We text (When did a poor noun become a verb?) each other constantly during the day. Texting has replaced shouting up and down the basement stairs. It is ideal fro short communications that don’t need an immediate response—or any response at all.

The point of all that is that I’ve been looking for an Android based ereader. There are a number of Android based devices just coming on the market. Many are not phones although some, like the Samsung Galaxy Tab will be sold by some major communications carriers like Sprint and have wireless and wifi communication built-into the devices.

These are in the same class as the non-Android iPad but a $100 or so cheaper and will have the advantage of an open source operating system. Just look at the plethora of Android apps available in the marketplace.

B&N has their color Nook that uses an abbreviated version of the Android system, Borders has two versions of Velocity Micro Cruz, a reader and a tablet. Even Amazon is reported to be working on some form of color Kindle although the details are sparse.

When I saw the “Black Friday” ads from Borders and saw the $50 off on the Velocity Micro Cruz Tablet, I bought one. I have an internet friend who bought one a couple of weeks ago when they were first available and she had problems. I’ve investigated the device, compared the features with its counterparts from B&N and other providers and the PRICE!

I succumbed to temptation. I bought one on-line. When it arrives, I’ll write up a review.

The upcoming year will produce more tablets or slates as some call them. There is one from HP that will use a version of Windows 7. Dell is due to release a tablet-like device but I’ve not heard what operating system it will use. There are rumors that Apple will do something to reduce the price of its iPad. ASUS, the Taiwan PC hardware manufacturer is releasing a table-like device. You can also cruise through Amazon and see all the tablets available there. Most of them are Android based and all that I’ve investigated have built-in WiFi—as does my phone. (BTW, have you noticed the spread of WiFi hotspots? They’re popping up like toadstools after a storm.)

Google has been pursuing Microsoft and their Android operating system is planned to compete with Windows. Microsoft has become complacent. They haven’t really produced anything that is innovative. Each new release of Windows is just a refinement of the previous version. Google has been smart. Like Linux, they’ve made their operating system open-source. The multitudes of Android apps is testament to Google’s success.

This coming year will be interesting for the personal computer user and the those who just surf the internet. True portable computing has arrived.

Points for the last Monday in November, 2010

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The Thanksgiving holiday and weekend is over. Apparently this year’s Black Friday was a success. I contributed to that success but Mrs. Crucis couldn’t find her bargain.

I think because of the Holiday, the “crisis du jour” was absent. The TSA appears to have ducked and many of the body scanner/molestation lines at airports were shutdown late Wednesday. According to the Triple-A, highway traffic was up 16%. Whether this increase was because of the new TSA procedures or if people were traveling in relief from the more recent political season. Likewise, here at the Court, I don’t have a specific topic but a couple of subjects to ponder. Case in point: Kansas City is in mourning today with the news that conservative radio host, Chris Stigall is leaving for a new job in Philadelphia as morning show host at WPHT.

philadelphia.cbslocal.com

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – CBS RADIO’s The Big Talker 1210 AM announced today an enhanced lineup of personality based programs which will begin to rollout on Monday, January 3, 2011. Leading off the day on-air and online at www.CBSPhilly.com will be one of America’s up and coming talk show hosts, Chris Stigall who joins the station from KCMO Talk Radio 710 in Kansas City where he has hosted morning drive since 2006. From 5:30-9:00AM Stigall will discuss local and national policy, the economy, the biggest news stories and issues that affect all Philadelphians, coupled with interviews of the day’s news and decision makers.

Stigall’s last broadcast day in KC is tomorrow, the last day of November, 2010. Mrs. Crucis listened to Stigall every morning. She would get up early and do her daily walk while listening to him. She wasn’t quite in shock because she’s been expecting Stigall to go national at any time. Frankly, I think he’s as good as Michael Savage and some of the other nation-wide radio hosts.

***

I believe the next generation of personal computing is upon us. In this last year there has been a shift—in reading habits. 2010 is the first year that sales of ebooks and digital magazines exceeded that of their dead-tree counter-parts.

I am a reader. I have not willingly tossed any book that I’ve bought in my life. I have lost some. I have had some damaged beyond repair due to water seepage. I have sold some paperbacks to a used book reseller just before our last move.

I mourned each loss.

A decade or so ago, Baen Books created their Free Library.They made books available for downloading in various formats and all free! I downloaded every one. I even kept copies at work and they kept me company many long nights when I was working a call center turn-up or when a network failure occurred and I worked with tech on a conference call to restore service. Like many situations, there would be minutes of intense activity followed by longer period waiting to see if results were successful. Those books help me stay awake and alert.

A few years ago, Amazon released their Kindle e-reader. Amazon was not the first. There have been a number of electronic readers for years. But the appearance of the Kindle started the flood of ebooks. I finally broke down and bought an Aluratek Libre Pro ereader last summer. It was cheap—under $100, and I could afford the investment if it failed to meet my expectations.

It did. I haven’t bought a paper book since. I’ve also saved money. Ebooks are cheaper than paper books. Since I’m now retired (officially,) that is important.

One reason the Aluratek ereader is so cheap is that it uses a LCD screen instead of the more popular eInk or ePaper technology used int he Kindle, KOBO, Nook and SONY ereaders. That technology has a very irritating affect. The page flashes black every time you change a page.

The Alurateks LCD screen also had a very irritating feature. It was dark. I like to read in bed. There’s a single lamp on the night-stand. Reading the Aluratek LCD screen in dim light is a strain. After 10-15 minutes, my eyes would be watering and my vision was strained.

So, I’ve been looking for a replacement—an upgrade. Something with new technology and something that could be used for more that just an electronic book.

As a parting perk on my retirement, I was able to buy an Android-based phone using my employee discount. I fell in love with that phone and the Android operating system. I seldom use my phone for talking. My wife is a texting addict. We text (When did a poor noun become a verb?) each other constantly during the day. Texting has replaced shouting up and down the basement stairs. It is ideal fro short communications that don’t need an immediate response—or any response at all.

The point of all that is that I’ve been looking for an Android based ereader. There are a number of Android based devices just coming on the market. Many are not phones although some, like the Samsung Galaxy Tab will be sold by some major communications carriers like Sprint and have wireless and wifi communication built-into the devices.

These are in the same class as the non-Android iPad but a $100 or so cheaper and will have the advantage of an open source operating system. Just look at the plethora of Android apps available in the marketplace.

B&N has their color Nook that uses an abbreviated version of the Android system, Borders has two versions of Velocity Micro Cruz, a reader and a tablet. Even Amazon is reported to be working on some form of color Kindle although the details are sparse.

When I saw the “Black Friday” ads from Borders and saw the $50 off on the Velocity Micro Cruz Tablet, I bought one. I have an internet friend who bought one a couple of weeks ago when they were first available and she had problems. I’ve investigated the device, compared the features with its counterparts from B&N and other providers and the PRICE!

I succumbed to temptation. I bought one on-line. When it arrives, I’ll write up a review.

The upcoming year will produce more tablets or slates as some call them. There is one from HP that will use a version of Windows 7. Dell is due to release a tablet-like device but I’ve not heard what operating system it will use. There are rumors that Apple will do something to reduce the price of its iPad. ASUS, the Taiwan PC hardware manufacturer is releasing a table-like device. You can also cruise through Amazon and see all the tablets available there. Most of them are Android based and all that I’ve investigated have built-in WiFi—as does my phone. (BTW, have you noticed the spread of WiFi hotspots? They’re popping up like toadstools after a storm.)

Google has been pursuing Microsoft and their Android operating system is planned to compete with Windows. Microsoft has become complacent. They haven’t really produced anything that is innovative. Each new release of Windows is just a refinement of the previous version. Google has been smart. Like Linux, they’ve made their operating system open-source. The multitudes of Android apps is testament to Google’s success.

This coming year will be interesting for the personal computer user and the those who just surf the internet. True portable computing has arrived.

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Nuke ’em!

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The enviro-wackos are determined to stop our use of carbon fuels—coal, oil and gas. Forty years ago, they had a different target. Then, they were protesting nuclear power plants.  And, for the most part, they won.  There hasn’t been a new nuke plant built in decades.

That may be changing.

By Melanie S. Welte
Monday, August 30, 2010

DES MOINES – It’s been 33 years since Raye Fleming’s arrest outside Southern California’s Diablo Canyon nuclear plant, near the height of the furor against nuclear power. 

That was the first arrest of many, and Fleming thought such actions paid off as a generation of Americans turned against nuclear power. 
“It was just the correct, moral thing to do,” said Fleming, 66.
But after years of believing they had won the fight against nuclear energy, activists feel the battle is starting all over again. And they’re trying to figure out how to win in an era of Facebook and Twitter and get the younger generation involved in the movement. 
Lately, the option for nuclear energy has gotten more popular.
President Obama has backed billions of dollars in federal loan guarantees to build two nuclear reactors in Georgia. If approved, they would be the first nuclear power plants in the United States to begin construction in almost three decades. Political support for nuclear power has grown, especially after the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico highlighted risks of fossil fuel production. And people are more open to nuclear energy.

The environmentalists have blocked the construction of new refineries.  Their NIMBY fellow travelers has triumphed in closing many of the existing refineries. 

At my last count there are only four major refineries in the country. One on the west coast, one on the east coast and two in the gulf.  When the gulf refineries were damaged five years ago from Hurricane Katrina, gas prices sky-rocketed and gas-lines formed in many areas of the country.

In another instance a major pipeline burst and cut-off the Northeast with similar results.  We were fortunate it wasn’t in the middle of winter when dependencies on fuel oil for heating is at a peak demand. We walk a tightrope with our supplies of fuel and can and do have shortages at a growing pace

The enviro-wackos want us to move to electric vehicles.  The truth of that is that our electrical power infrastructure cannot support the dramatic drain on electrical power needed to re-charge those vehicles. Not in the amount needed to relieve our dependence on carbon fuels.

More nuke plants could relieve some of that congestion.  When the anti-nuke movement was in full swing in the US, France was building more nuke power plants.  Today, France receives 77% of their power requirements from nuclear power plants. The US, on the other hand, receives only 20% of our power from nuke plants.  Size aside, Sweden, Korea and Switzerland produces a larger percentage of their power from nuclear plants than does the US.

Some in the environmental movement are coming to understand that.

Some, like Patrick Moore, have simply changed their minds. He was once a leader in the anti-nuclear movement, and now he’s co-chair of the Clean and Safe Energy Coalition, which supports the expansion of nuclear power. 

“I personally believe that because we were so focused at that time on the threat of all-out nuclear war and the emotional aspect of that, we were a bit blinded and included nuclear energy in with nuclear weapons as if everything nuclear was evil,” he said. 
“The bottom line is, I believe we made a mistake,” he added, noting that although construction costs for nuclear plants are high, operating costs are low. He also contends that nuclear energy is a safe and valuable resource. 
Nuclear-power protesters who were on the picket lines years ago know that to be effective now, they have to update their tactics. No more protests, sit-ins and horror stories rooted in the nuclear disasters at Chernobyl and Three Mile Island decades ago.
“It’s 2010. It’s not 1979. It’s a different generation. There are different styles,” said Michael Mariotte, a longtime opponent of nuclear power who heads the Maryland-based Nuclear Information and Resource Service. “The whole idea of mass marches and that kind of thing doesn’t have the same kind of resonance as back then.” Mariotte’s group alerts members to big issues via Facebook, links to anti-nuclear stories through Twitter and posts videos on YouTube. — Washington Post, August 30, 2010.

Perhaps it is time, once again, to use the nuclear option. 

More Science Fiction tech becomes a reality

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I’ve been reading and watching science fiction since I was able to read. Since that time, some (mumble…mumble) years ago, I’ve seen SF tech come to life.

I was in the Air Force when I watched Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin make those first historic human steps on the surface of the moon.  Years later I watched a telecast from a robot showing the surface of Mars. Over the decades, I’ve seen photos of the moons of Jupiter and the rings of Saturn.  In addition, some well respected scientists now believe that Star Trek’s warp drive may be possible.

But there is one bit of technology that has evaded us.  A recurring tech over the decades has been 3D-TV or as it has occasionally been known—Holo-TV.  It even appears on the TV show Bones to recreate faces from a skull.  

Thee-D movies have been around since the 1950s and have had a resurgence in the last decade.  So called three-D TVs have been marketed for a year or so. But all of these implementations have a fatal flaw. They all required special glasses to fool the eye into seeing the appearance of three dimensional scenes.

No more.

Toshiba is about to launch a true 3D-TV that does not require special glasses. You can see true 3D from any angle without any other assistance than human eyes.  The Holo-TV has arrived.   

Aug 24 03:49 AM US/Eastern
Japanese electronics giant Toshiba plans to market the world’s first 3D television that does not need special glasses later this year, a report said on Tuesday.
Toshiba will unveil three models of the television, which will cost several thousand dollars, before Christmas, the Yomiuri Shimbun said.
The company has developed a new system that emits a number of rays of light with various angles from the screen so that viewers can see stereoscopic images without glasses, the daily said. 
“People can enjoy images in three dimensions from various positions and suffer less stress,” it said. 

Japan’s major electronics makers launched 3D television this year, but sales have not been as strong as expected while many customers have complained of being irritated by the glasses.

Yes, the SF Jubilee has arrived. I wonder if I can afford it?          

Playing Hookie!

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Aluratek Libre Pro

I finally broke down and bought an eReader—the Aluratek Libre Pro.  Borders has a deal going on, $119 + shipping.  The Libre is no Kindle or SONY.  It is not top-of-the-line.  It uses a LCD display instead of the more popular e-Ink technology, it is not a touch-screen, nor does it include wireless 3G connectivity to a proprietary ebook source.  That’s the primary reason it is so cheap.  It’s just a simple eRead using USB to load books from a PC.  It also has a slot for an additional SD/SDHC memory card up to 32GB.  I added a 16GB card to mine and also bought a 16GB flash drive to backup my digital library.

Because my official retirement is coming up in a few months, I had to find a way to continue my reading “fixes.” I normally spend $50 to $90 a month on books.  The biggest portion is hardback books from Amazon. The remainder are paperbacks from local books stores.  That amount will soon be beyond my budget.  However, I noticed that digital copies of those same books costs 50% or more less than their dead-tree versions.

I’ve been collecting eBooks for years.  I have all the books from Baen’s Free Library as well as those provided free via CDs included in the hardback editions of some of the more popular Baen writers.  For example, I have eBook copies of the entire Honor Harrington series by David Weber. The great part about Baen digital books is that they are available in the more popular digital formats—.epub, .lit, .mobi/.prc, .lrf, and .rtf as well as in html for online reading via a browser. 

So, I’ve been busy.  I’m charging the eReader and setting up my digital library. I downloaded some favorite books from such writers as H. Beam Piper and Randall Garrett and many more from the Golden Age of Science Fiction.  The current count so far is 306 books in the library  and as soon as my reader is charged, I’ll load it up.

While eBooks have been around several years, this year is the real beginning of the digital book age. The sales of eBook readers has taken off like a rocket.  As the prices of eBooks and eReaders drop, the demand for eBooks will accelerate. There is still a battle for dominance of which format will be used for eBooks.  Amazon is staying with their proprietary Kindle format which is a variation of the Mobibook format (.mobi/.prc).  The difference is DRM added by Amazon.

Because the Kindle format is proprietary, it will not win the format war.  My personal opinion is that the Epub format will eventually win.  It is, I believe, open source and requires no license nor fees to be used.  All the other formats are patented or copyrighted but anyone can use Epub.

I detest DRM.  DRM means that I do not own the books. DRM means that I’ve only leased the book from the owner who can reclaim the book whenever they owner wishes.  In fact, Amazon has already done that amid widespread complaints from Kindle owners.  That is the reason why I won’t buy a Kindle even though I buy almost all my hardback books from Amazon.  What is worse is that the Kindle can only install eBooks from Amazon.  When I was investigating the different offerings, I could find no way to install an eBooks from any other source than Amazon. SONY makes a nice eReader but it has many of the faults of the Kindle including the use of a proprietary book format.

For Me, I’ll stick with the Libre.  I expect there will be a lot of improvements in eReaders.  I expect more low end readers using e-Ink instead of the cheaper LCD used by Aluratek.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see the price of eReaders drop below the $100 mark well before Christmas. I also expect a steady progress in the technology—better displays, color and much improvement in battery life. 

BTW, for you FTC folks, I paid for my Aluratek Libre out of my own pocket.   

Google under attack! China?

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On Drudge today, Google made a surprising announcement that it will be partnering with the NSA to improve the security of Google’s network and systems. Google and other commercial enterprises have been under severe attacks from foreign agencies. Google and China have been in opposition over censorship orders from the Chinese government.

There will be a Hue and Cry from those around the world who view any cooperation between a corporate entity and government with alarm and suspicion. They will view any such agreements as collusion to invade personal privacy.

Anyone who spends any time on the internet knows that users really have no privacy on their communications and shouldn’t expect any. Advocates of encryption admit that such will only delay any serious inquiries, not block them.

I use Google as a preferred search engine. I have an email account with Google and this blog is hosted by Google. I’m not totally pleased with all of Google’s corporate actions but I’m less pleased with their competitors—Microsoft for instance, than I am with Google.

Here is an excerpt from today’s Washington Post. Follow the link for the entire column. Be aware that the Cyber War has been going on for over a decade. It is now getting more publicity but the attacks against our nation’s network infrastructure will not cease. When I worked for a large communications company, I was aware of foreign attacks against the company’s networks and systems. Few got through. Some did and deposited some virii on occasion. The company was ever vigilant and very alert for any incursions. It was an unending battle. Now Corporate America will have to step up thier efforts to do the same and harden their systems. Too many just give lip service to corporate security. They will pay severely if they don’t take remedial action immediately.

By Ellen Nakashima
Thursday, February 4, 2010; A01

The world’s largest Internet search company and the world’s most powerful electronic surveillance organization are teaming up in the name of cybersecurity.

Under an agreement that is still being finalized, the National Security Agency would help Google analyze a major corporate espionage attack that the firm said originated in China and targeted its computer networks, according to cybersecurity experts familiar with the matter. The objective is to better defend Google — and its users — from future attack.

Google and the NSA declined to comment on the partnership. But sources with knowledge of the arrangement, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the alliance is being designed to allow the two organizations to share critical information without violating Google’s policies or laws that protect the privacy of Americans’ online communications. The sources said the deal does not mean the NSA will be viewing users’ searches or e-mail accounts or that Google will be sharing proprietary data.

The partnership strikes at the core of one of the most sensitive issues for the government and private industry in the evolving world of cybersecurity: how to balance privacy and national security interests. On Tuesday, Director of National Intelligence Dennis C. Blair called the Google attacks, which the company acknowledged in January, a “wake-up call.” Cyberspace cannot be protected, he said, without a “collaborative effort that incorporates both the U.S. private sector and our international partners.”

But achieving collaboration is not easy, in part because private companies do not trust the government to keep their secrets and in part because of concerns that collaboration can lead to continuous government monitoring of private communications. Privacy advocates, concerned about a repeat of the NSA’s warrantless interception of Americans’ phone calls and e-mails after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, say information-sharing must be limited and closely overseen.

“The critical question is: At what level will the American public be comfortable with Google sharing information with NSA?” said Ellen McCarthy, president of the Intelligence and National Security Alliance, an organization of current and former intelligence and national security officials that seeks ways to foster greater sharing of information between government and industry.

On Jan. 12, Google took the rare step of announcing publicly that its systems had been hacked in a series of intrusions beginning in December.

The intrusions, industry experts said, targeted Google source code — the programming language underlying Google applications — and extended to more than 30 other large tech, defense, energy, financial and media companies. The Gmail accounts of human rights activists in Europe, China and the United States were also compromised.

So significant was the attack that Google threatened to shutter its business operation in China if the government did not agree to let the firm operate an uncensored search engine there. That issue is still unresolved.

Now this just might be useful if the cost can be controlled.

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I was doing my morning scan of headlines and came across this bit of scientific news.

Scientists develop mobile phone battery that can be charged in just 10 seconds

The article continues that the new battery, developed by MIT, could overcome an issue with electric cars—the period of time it takes to recharge the battery. With this new battery, an electric car battery could be recharged in the period of time it takes to fill a conventional car’s tank.

If the cost of these batteries, their usable lifetime and the cost of a re-charge could be retained in the same range as that of a conventional gas-burning automobile, we may have a real challenger to the internal combustion engine.

From the article…

The quick-charge battery is the brainchild of engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The MIT team say their invention uses materials already available to battery manufacturers and would be simple to mass produce.

The invention is based on conventional lithium ion rechargeable batteries found in most cameras, phones and portable computers.