tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-143443862011-10-28T10:33:36.957-04:00Apple, Macintosh, and an occasional dash of Doug.Doug Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03585324787204297785noreply@blogger.comBlogger81125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14344386.post-52365502196557368842007-10-30T14:24:00.000-04:002007-10-30T14:39:52.028-04:00

This NYT article talks about the decline of the evangelicals (Thank the Lord!) and mentions the old-school evangelical theology:Ever since they broke with the mainline Protestant churches nearly 100 years ago, the hallmark of evangelicals theology has been a vision of modern society as a sinking ship, sliding toward depravity and sin.It got me to thinking about this "direction" metaphor as

Doug Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03585324787204297785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14344386.post-40085994434148644312007-02-25T22:16:00.000-05:002007-02-25T22:16:10.446-05:00

RPG Vault: Jeff Vogel's View From the Bottom #7Lots more to say about this - I've been going back and forth as to whether or not I agree with him. On the one hand, it is a total pain in the ass to grind from Level 1 to 60 or 70, and I'm only halfway there (lvl 30 on my first ever MMORPG character). I can't say I'm totally bored, but it does get to be a drag after a while.On the other hand, what

Doug Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03585324787204297785noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14344386.post-11617752797236939132007-01-25T09:47:00.000-05:002007-01-25T09:54:10.051-05:00

Inside Mac Games News: WoW Interview Mentions Next MMOEven though I play WoW and really like the concept (and the complexity), the whole fantasy LoTR-ish theme has always struck me as childish and, to be honest, dumb. It's all bright colors and orc chicks with boobs and really fierce-looking trolls with big bad clubs. I mean c'mon - I've outgrown my Piers Anthony/Terry Brooks phase (and oh lord,

Doug Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03585324787204297785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14344386.post-62218408577446760992007-01-16T14:31:00.000-05:002007-01-16T14:31:59.373-05:00

Infinite Loop: Macwelt gets more iPhone details out of AppleAgh, what's the use of a smartphone if you can't install software you want or download software/songs via the wireless connection? I'm really sick of mobile provider politics and their fiefdoms crippling the potential of these devices. And if Apple, who has a good history of aggressively breaking down barriers like these (see iTunes

Doug Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03585324787204297785noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14344386.post-22310756665573998312007-01-16T13:02:00.000-05:002007-01-16T13:02:26.992-05:00

Netflix to Deliver Movies to the PC - New York TimesBut Netflix, my PC is a Mac, and it's in my office, where only one person can watch at a time. If I can't save or burn the movies, what good is this to me? Get thyselves over to Comcast, Cox, DirecTV or some such thing and get this added to their On-Demand offerings. Then you'll have me, big-time. Until then, its appleTV (maybe) for me, or the

Doug Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03585324787204297785noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14344386.post-4040480170494007912007-01-12T15:56:00.000-05:002007-01-12T15:57:04.827-05:00

Roughly one-third of adult gamers spend 10 hours or more per week playing console or PC games compared to just 11 percent of teens, according to results from a new study released by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA®).It's nearly year-old data, but I love this! Totally validates my Masters' Thesis, too, about how games are taking over popular culture. I wrote it because I was tired of

Doug Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03585324787204297785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14344386.post-39844029949950373632007-01-12T13:34:00.000-05:002007-01-12T13:50:39.416-05:00

Lots of people have mentioned that the name "iPhone" is a bit...constricting when it comes to describing all the things this device does, er, will do, er, is supposed to be able to do. I was thinking this morning that the move away from the "iPod " convention is an interesting and not entirely obvious decision. It was probably driven by the fact that Apple can't sell this thing itself, but

Doug Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03585324787204297785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14344386.post-2311198257637888742007-01-11T10:57:00.001-05:002007-01-11T15:59:34.579-05:00

This is a very good list of perceived shortcomings and criticisms, and responding to it pretty much covers all my thoughts, so here goes, point by point:Cost: Yes, the price point is high, and of course it will come down in a year. But remember that this is more than a phone - it's a phone/ipod/PDA rolled into one. Not that this doesn't exist elsewhere, but as with the iPod, it doesn't exist in

Doug Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03585324787204297785noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14344386.post-1154533362716462032006-08-02T11:42:00.000-04:002006-08-16T12:50:39.283-04:00

Desktop Pipeline | Ballmer Analyzes Microsoft's One Big Vista MistakeSo now Ballmer is admitting what has been clear for some time - they bit off more than they could chew. Vista was originally intended to be this supernova of an "update" - a fundamentally new OS, built upon a new file-system and with tons of innovative features. So much for that dream - now they're saddled with a scaled-back,

Doug Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03585324787204297785noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14344386.post-1153677689495765042006-07-23T14:01:00.000-04:002006-07-23T20:38:39.306-04:00

Microsoft won't see Zune zoom up the chartsFrom the article:Microsoft's dominance on the desktop will not be seriously threatened until a technology is introduced that makes the desktop obsolete. Similarly, the iPod and iTunes dominance is not likely be threatened unless a technology happens along that makes its model of buying and listening to music obsolete. I wonder if this is true of all

Doug Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03585324787204297785noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14344386.post-1152897658438629472006-07-14T13:20:00.000-04:002006-07-17T19:05:43.586-04:00

Sometimes the blogosmear just distorts things way too much. The basic truth is that OS X, at the moment, is not under attack from any exploits, whether they're viruses, worms, trojans, or whatever. Period. The level of danger to an internet-connected OS X user is far, far lower than that of a Windows XP user, nearly non-existent, in fact. This should be something that Apple shouts from the

Doug Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03585324787204297785noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14344386.post-1152810965287770472006-07-13T13:16:00.000-04:002006-07-13T13:16:05.416-04:00

StumbleUponThis is my latest obsession - a Firefox add-on that lets me do targeted surfing. You download the add-on, create an account that includes your preferred web topics, then use the handy toolbar to "stumble" around different sites that the service (and possibly another user) recommends. So far I've "discovered" Pandora, a slightly out-of-date but still cool page about URL obfuscation, and

Doug Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03585324787204297785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14344386.post-1152359854453294032006-07-08T07:57:00.000-04:002006-07-08T07:57:34.533-04:00

The most interesting notes out of this panel discussion about OS X vs. Longhorn design were:MS was really sidetracked by the security issues for about two years, putting OS development on the back burner. I wonder how much of a leg up this gave Apple in terms of development years.OS X was developed in such secrecy that there was no user testing. Weird, and probably harmful. I wonder how much

Doug Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03585324787204297785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14344386.post-1150822704240563852006-06-20T12:47:00.000-04:002006-06-20T12:58:24.290-04:00

My wife and I discovered the show about Krakatoa this past weekend, and we watched it over the course of two nights on the DVR. Absolutely mind-blowing. (Click the title to see the Discovery page about it.)You cannot comprehend the sheer scale of the eruption and the catastrophe that follows, though the show did a good job of bringing it to a human level. Almost too good - there's one scene where

Doug Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03585324787204297785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14344386.post-1150479827111698702006-06-16T13:43:00.000-04:002006-06-16T13:43:47.393-04:00

"Apple is about to unveil the next generation of iPod, the best-selling music player in the U.S., using a 'none-touch' concept."As tempted as I am to believe in the Wii-controller motion-sensor iPod, I think this refers to wireless and touch-screen. Perhaps a bluetooth remote? I dunno. Anyhow, the thing's been begging for a larger screen since they added video, and I can't wait to see the clever

Doug Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03585324787204297785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14344386.post-1148670634905835162006-05-26T15:10:00.000-04:002006-05-26T15:10:34.926-04:00

I remain skeptical that this will be big, but it's cool synergy nonetheless. Now if only the iPods had wireless (Bluetooth) built-in...Other possible match-ups? How about iPod social networking, with a plug-in that wirelessly shares your info with other iPod users in your radius? Or iPod GPS integration, which plays special music when you near certain locations? I hope this is only the beginning.

Doug Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03585324787204297785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14344386.post-1148669252791368042006-05-26T14:43:00.000-04:002006-05-26T19:56:35.296-04:00

So there's been some hand-wringing about the fact that the smallest MacIntel laptop is now 13+ inches, a bit bigger and heavier than the nearly-subnotebook class 12" Powerbook. Does this leave a hole in their product line for another size of Macbook? I think it does. Apple clearly feels strongly about making slim, portable laptops, and the Mac Mini shows that small size can pull in customers. So

Doug Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03585324787204297785noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14344386.post-1146063622036674472006-04-26T11:00:00.000-04:002006-04-26T11:00:22.050-04:00

iPod Vending Machines Land at Airports, HotelsThis brings to mind cool scenarios of people casually buying sophisticated devices from wall-mounted vending machines, but is the business model the right one? When you walk up to a vending machine you expect to pay a buck or two, or perhaps ten bucks for stamps or something, but a sawbuck for a gadget might be too much for the traveling public (

Doug Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03585324787204297785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14344386.post-1143125367994763032006-03-23T09:49:00.000-05:002006-03-23T19:31:43.406-05:00

The PS3 controller in itself isn't that interesting to me, but the larger problem of physical interface design, a.k.a. ergonomics and usability, is. With handheld devices so popular and component sizes shrinking, we probably have the capability right now to make a Zoolander-style cell phone. But have we seen it? No, because the human hand is too big and fingers are too thick. At some point,

Doug Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03585324787204297785noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14344386.post-1142431433647871782006-03-15T09:03:00.000-05:002006-03-16T12:35:16.106-05:00

So new info (to me) in this article - EFI is not new technology, and has existed on the server side of the Windows world since the early 90's. Interesting. Then I found this series of posts by Daniel Eran, which explains it all better than I ever could have, and definitely sides with the Funke camp of Virtual Windows on MacIntel in the end. It's an excellent read, and if I were a teacher I'd make

Doug Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03585324787204297785noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14344386.post-1142356192307884382006-03-14T12:02:00.000-05:002006-03-14T12:09:52.333-05:00

This guy, BadAndy, seems to know a heck of a lot about the switch, and quotes some very interesting articles about it. Essentially, the way he paints the picture, Apple was getting painted into a corner by the IBM Freescale road-map, the evolving partnerships between IBM and Sony and Microsoft, and the fact that because of those partnerships Apple was seriously losing negotiation leverage with

Doug Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03585324787204297785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14344386.post-1142277968540532292006-03-13T14:24:00.000-05:002006-03-13T22:38:34.156-05:00

"Can you post your point of view on:1) OSX on vanilla Intel and2) Windows on Macintel?Specifically, which should/will be possible/embraced by Apple/Dell/Microsoft. Which is useful, which is just an exercise?"Happy to, but first, a bit of background for the uninitiated.In many ways, Apple migrating to Intel hardware is the final step in that company's journey to non-proprietary hardware. They

Doug Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03585324787204297785noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14344386.post-1142264047080319162006-03-13T10:34:00.000-05:002006-03-13T10:42:20.813-05:00

I really can't wait for the full-length book to come out about the invasion of Iraq, because I'm fascinated by this stuff. Hussein was obviously paranoid as hell and trusted very few of his people, and why wouldn't he? He got to power by being ruthless in the first place, and the flip side of that is to trust no one and act as if you're always about to be overthrown. Trouble is, constant

Doug Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03585324787204297785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14344386.post-1142091286408578142006-03-11T10:34:00.000-05:002006-03-12T10:57:53.876-05:00

Agh, this sucks. What the hell is MS thinking? EFI is clearly the BIOS of the future, and Apple is of course out in front in implementing it, but for MS not to support it with Vista is clearly a mistake. Not because it won't boot on the new Macs (at least until Conroe-based desktops come out), but because they are being short-sighted and limiting the hardware makers who build the new boxes. If

Doug Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03585324787204297785noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14344386.post-1141603643845074272006-03-05T19:07:00.000-05:002006-03-05T19:13:40.326-05:00

Crave on CNET.co.uk talks about the talk of over-hype at the last Apple event, where the Amazing Leather Case of Awesomeness made its appearance with a Jobsian flourish. It got me wondering whether or not there was more planned for this announcement that was delayed at the last minute. Probably not, given the downplaying that happened on the invitation itself, and given that Apple is so eager to

Doug Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03585324787204297785noreply@blogger.com0