The iPad

Apple recently released the iPad.

The iPad is basically a bigger version of an iTouch or an iPhone.

There was a lot of hype about it, but it has recently died down... here are some pro's and con's--

Pro

• Third-party support: the iPad will be able to run third-party apps without modifications. Kind of like the iPhone! Yes, Apple will profit off of an even more hyped-up app store, but users will benefit from the flexibility and creativity brought in by (mostly profit-seeking) developers. Also key: the iBooks e-reader app. It may not instantly rescue all of journalism, but it’s a start, and this may make the iPad an attractive choice for consumers who don’t want to buy black-and-white, restricted Internet e-readers. More broadly, in the words of David Carr, “the iPad is creating and killing categories at the same time;” the free market says that third-party devs will best be able to figure out what to do with all of that potential.

Con

• It’s running on the iPhone operating system (currently, version 3.2); no OS X. Among other things, this means no multitasking: as in, you can’t run two applications at the same time. Also: no Flash (see below). Engadget: “There’s no multitasking at all. It’s a real disappointment. All this power and very little you can do with it at once. No multitasking means no streaming Pandora when you’re working in Pages… you can figure it out. It’s a real setback for this device.”

Pro

• HTML5, the still-developing next generation of HTML, has been thoroughly embraced by the iPhone’s OS, and, by extension, the iPad’s. HTML5 isn’t yet fully there, but it’s promising: Ask a bunch of web geeks about HTML5 and you’ll hear a lot of answers to the effect that it’s the future of the Internet, both because it patches up much of HTML4’s clutter and because it’s seen as a freer, more open development platform. (Counterpoint: see H.264 codec)

Con

• The flipside of that: no Flash. This isn’t totally a minus — see above — but the Web is a long way to go from being all HTML5, with the result that big chunks of it will be shut off to early iPad users. The top comment on a critical thread on Reddit: ”[N]o Flash support. It literally is just a big iPod Touch with some free apps included.”

Pro

• The cheapest iPad, which has the minimum 16 gigabytes of storage, costs $500; this is well below the $1000 pricetag predicted by some.

Con

• The cheapest iPad doesn’t come with 3G coverage; for that, you’ll need to bump it up to $629, which doesn’t factor in the $30/month you’ll be paying for unlimited data. (because you will be paying for unlimited data and not 250 MB a month, right?)

Pro

• 10 hours of battery life while watching video, with up to a month of standby! At least according to Steve Jobs. Given that it’s so thin and weighs only 1.5 pounds, this is pretty remarkable.

Con

• The battery is built in, which means you’re screwed if it conks out. This was one of the things that people most disliked about the MacBook Air.

Pro

• The iPad has a digital compass, 3G-assisted GPS, accelerometer, ambient light sensor, Apple’s custom 1 GHz Apple A4 chip, and is multitouch-compatible.

Con

• For all of that, no camera, at all. No Skype, no augmented reality, no photos on the go. Seriously: the accelerometer over that?

Again: the iPad is a mixed bag, and it is not the mythical unicorn-like creature that the hype cycle inevitably built it up to be. But there’s a lot to like about it, and, like it or not, when it hits shelves two months down the road, there are going to be some long, long lines outside the Apple Store.

WiKiPeDia pRos AnD CoNs...

Pros:

- It's huge. HUGE. You can find pretty much anything you want on Wikipedia, and even if the information isn't completely comprehensive it's still a good starting block.

- It's free. There are few databases that offer similar amounts of information which simultaneously don't charge their users a penny.

- It can be edited. If you see something wrong, feel free to hop on and change the information to suit the truth. Feel free to fill in article stubs, as well, and provide the in-depth explanation desired by Wikipedia users.

- It's an excellent springboard for research. I always start researching a topic with Wikipedia, since it provides a nice overview on all the main points and gives me an idea of where to go next. This is especially true of articles that provide lots of citations, as you can then move on to thecitations and access information that may not have appeared on Wikipedia itself.

- It's easy to use. As long as you know how to type in your subject of choice you'll be able to find it on Wikipedia. More, Wikipedia entries almost always come out on top on search engine queries, so you'll get results really quickly.

- It's always accessible. As long as you have an Internet connection you can use Wikipedia. The site seldom goes down, and if it does it's not for long.

Cons:

- It can be edited. Yes, this was a pro, but it's also a con since it can be edited by anybody. This means that the uninformed and generally mischievous can hop on and type in whatever they want. And while misinformation is usually disposed of quickly by Wikipedia's editing community, the material probably won't disappear too quickly - and in that time, somebody somewhere is going to read it.

- It's not considered a reliable source of information. I don't know of many teachers who accept Wikipedia as a source on their papers. Same goes for employers all over the place. Nobody will take you seriously if all your info comes from a place that anybody, be they scholars or not, may contribute.

- Editing is inconsistent. Some topics have developed huge communities of dedicated editors who will keep topics on the ball. Others, though, aren't so lucky, and may sit with incorrect information for months on end.

- It's too easy. Sounds strange, yes, but for researchers the ease of Wikipedia stunts researching skills something fierce. If you've relied on Wikipedia exclusively for years, what will you do when somebody asks you to write something - but forbids the use of Wikipedia? Will you know how to do the necessary research? Probably not.

mAN pAnTs...

MeGaN IS mAkInG Me dO aNoThER bLoGG, sO i Am...

ThIs fOnT rEmIndS Me Of pOSt sECrEt... i LoVe ThaT wEbIsItE, iT iS pReTtY aWEsOme... iT Is SuCh a A fUn wEbSite To lOoK aT aNd SoMe oF thE ThInGs That pEoPlE SaY ArE ReAlLy Sad. I gO On thErE A lOt WheN I GeT bOrEd.

ToDaY Is AnOThER SwEaTPaNtS dAY. I aM wEaRiNg My ChS sWeAtPanTs.

It mIgHT SnoW tOMorRoW... Im eXcItEd!

jOhN Is KInD oF FrEaKInGG mE oUt RigHt NoW AnD sOphIa Is mAkIng fUN Of MeGhAN abOuT hER sNAkE iN tHe gRaSs.

anywayy......

I tHiNk i DiD wElL oN mY GeOmEtRy test ToDay. i SuRe hOpE tHat I dID oR ElsE i wiLl Be pUNiSheD fOr A rEaLlY LOOOONG tImE. . .

Science Fair...

I think a while back Mr. John asked us to post a blog about the science fair project we liked the best. As far as board design I liked my best friend Alex's board the best. When it came down to the actual project I liked this specific project. I cannot remember the name of the girl who did the project, but the project was about growing bones from stem cells. I thought that was the coolest thing ever.

I've always liked Science fair. Back in 5th grade my project was on floating concrete. I got 3rd place that year. In 7th grade my best friend Jackie and I did our project on Electroplating. We placed 1st and school and went on to place 3rd at state. My younger brother just had his 5th grade science fair. He did his project on how air pressure plays a role in the bounce of a basketball. He did so well and ended up placing 3rd.

Last Night...

I received a call from my boyfriend... YES, the "snake in the grass"

He informed me that he could not get his Geometry video for class to submit on edline.

His teacher then told him to burn it to a CD, which again did not work for him. He then asked if I could do it for him! Me, being the generous girlfriend that I am, happily obliged to assist him in this endeavor! I then taught him how to convert the file into one readable by the CD.

I felt accomplished!!

^^^^^^ THE VIDEO :)

Yes, This Is Me In Singapore!!

While surfing the web (like I always do) on a dark Monday evening I was listening to the quiet sounds of my air conditioner and dreaming about my dog and I running through fields of Dandelions. Suddenly, I felt the need to find pictures of my homeland (Singapore) on the great google search engine and make them into a collage for my desktop background. Upon looking for pictures I find one of a person with a striking resemblance to me on the commuter train before work. I quickly clicked on the image so that it would be enlarged, and oh em geee... did I see something crazy.... The picture DID have me in it... I feel so much like a celebrity now!!! I felt the need to share this picture with everyone in the Blogger community (Yes, Hamid that means you too!) so I have posted it here on my blog. You may wonder which one of the incredibly beautiful people I am so I will tell you. I am the one in the blue shirt with the turban on. I often wear a turban for protection (in case something were to fall on my head) or for warmth... Megan is the one in the red shirt sitting next to me. She is annoyed with this "Zoom" book that she was trying to read. ZacK (Megans own little snake in the grass) is the woman in the red. Yes, ZacK is a woman. Sophia is the person on the other side of me. She (as usual) is being very studious by studying her computer architecture.

I just thought I should share this with every one now!! I feel like I'm such a celebrity noww!! Its amazing... alright, thats all for this Blog.

Remember, Stay classy Singapore.

NO H... NO H... NO H!!!

MEGAN GOODRUM... IM SORRY... YOUR NAME HAS NO H IN IT!!!!