Space Tourism: Virgin Galactic's Spaceship

Source: ZDNet.

Okay, keep in mind that this ain't the USS Enterprise A-F, the starship, but this is damn well better because it's real. The Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo will soon take flight and go into space with tourists on board.

Like I said, it's quite spartan and doesn't have the luxury that we have come to know about in Starfleet ships or any one from a science fiction show but this thing is ready to go.  For $200K USD, you've got yourself a seat. And this is much cheaper than the $20 million or so that many billionaires have paid the Russians for.

Virgin has a pretty neat page explaining the technology and how it kinda works for us laymen.  While I don't have to money to go on one of these maiden voyages, maybe in a few years, the cost to operate these ships will come down so much that we'll be able to afford it.

SpaceShipTwo will be able to get up to 68 miles into space while carrying a crew of 8, two pilots and six passengers so there won't be in-flight anything like peanuts.  Keep in mind that it isn't going to be up there all on its own.  It'll have a mothership to carry it up there before using own rocket to get up there.

Now, for some video.

Social: Life Is Full of Disappointments But It’s Our Own Faults

You know the term, “life is so full of surprises”?  It’s also smack full of disappointments.  I think most of is of our own making, regardless of whether it’s surprise or disappointment.  I know that for many of us, folks who read this blog, success came because we will it.  We work hard at it.  Failures too.

So, I reckon this is the same for disappointments.  It’s 2012, national election year for United States.  I don’t see a lot of folks getting very excited this year as they were in 2008 when candidate, junior Illinois senatof Barack Obama, overcame the Clinton political machine and waltzed into the White House over an inept McCain presidential campaign.

It was hope.  A new dawn in America.  A new era of bipartisanship.  Obviously, that didn’t quite pan out.  It’s been quite partisan and may be worse than the Bush years.

Disappointed?  You betcha!  And I think it’s of our own making.  We look through our own biased lenses and believed that this time it’s different.  We did it to ourselves.

It’s the same for other aspects of our lives too.  I don’t know if I lived up to other folks’ standards but at times, I also think I should have even higher standards and when I measure myself up against them, I think I’ve fallen short.  My own making:  I’ve set too high a standard or I’ve not worked hard enough to meet them.

Recently, I met a girl.  Awesome girl.  Or so I thought.  Pretty, young, intelligent.  Pretty and young, definitely.  Intelligent or so I thought.  I fell in love with an image that I created not thinking that I should have been more careful.  I found that out that makes certain unhealthy choices in her lifestyle – smoking.

Obviously, we can all go through examples in our lives where things go the way we want and things that doesn’t quite pan out.  Successes, failures, or disappointments.  We have more control over them that we think – for better or worse.

iOS Mapping Has Great Chance Of Coming To the Mac - But As App Or Web or Both?

Source:  Appleinsider.

Looks like Apple is going to hit Google on the desktop too.  At least, on OS X. The weapon of choice could be Maps, Apple's newest app that could only be found on the forthcoming iOS 6.  What interest about this discovery by Technically Personal is that Apple could be sending the market a message.  It means to own more of the mobile and computing experiences.  The evidence is in the coding.  

Seriously, after Maps, what else?

What we don't know is if Maps will be just an app or can it be access online via a browser like other mapping services like Mapquest or Google's own map.  It is also entirely possible that Maps service will only go as far as iMovie and iPhoto where geo-tagging is used prevalently.  If that's the case, there may be no Maps app, either as a standalone app and/or browser-based, for OS X.  

Personally, I love to have Maps come to the Mac.  We've seen many iOS apps making the migration and Apple is looking to hurt Google and Microsoft by denying critical geo data from them.  

And another thing.  Siri.  You can bet that it's going to make the same jump from the iPhone to the Mac just as it has done to the iPad.  So, having Maps at least as a service on OS X makes a lot of sense.  

7" Tablet From Apple Like a 7" iPod touch

7" iPad Is Likely 7" iPod touch

There is talk over the weekend that the speculated 7" display tablet from Apple could have a similar form factor as the iPod touch.  And if you look at the iPad touch, not much has changed since the beginning.  And frankly, I find this form factor to be idea.

It'll be interesting to see just how Apple is able to get it work as an iPad because many folks will try to use it in that manner.  It's likely that Apple will market the device purely as a media tablet even if it can do everything the iPad can.

Though it's just a naming in terms of marketing, it could have an effect on some people.  Aside from likely being called an iPod, who will buy this?  I mean a lot of folks will.  It will have a devastating effort on the Kindle Fire and the Nexus 7 sales but I'm talking about the demographics and how it will be used.

Friday Movie: Dinosaurs Versus Aliens

Source:  Blastr.

Sometimes, you wonder if Hollywood (or anyone else) is running out of ideas.  There's a lot of "been there, done that" movies and TV shows.  I think it's why superhero movies are so popular because they're one element of the media (comics) that has not been properly explored and only recently has technology enabled such awesome special effects and 3D.  And if you want original stuff, well, sometimes, you cringe a bit at the idea.

Check out this Dinosaurs versus Aliens project that could result in both a comic and a movie.  I don't know...what do you think?

The idea behind this project is that what if dinosaurs had more brains than we expected and could stand up against an alien invasion.  So, yeah, they somehow fought off aliens but forgot that big rock in the sky that ultimately wiped them out sixty-five million years or so ago.

So, if you're a comic book writer and artist and has come 3D or video kung fu, you could be in high demand should something like this take off.

Jobsian Exceptionalism Slipping at Apple

We talk about American exceptionalism all the time.  I happen to think America is pretty special but not in an arrogant way.  Well, in mobile and computing, I think Apple is also very exceptional.  The iOS devices like the iPhone and Macbooks – not just the design.  Not just the software.  And not just the corporate culture.  You have to take in all of that and look at it as a whole.

And it is very special.

Yes, there is a “however”.  While Apple remains impressive compared to its peers and competitors, I don’t know if Apple done much in the last year to make itself much more distinguished.  Don’t get me wrong.  Apple is still number one when it comes to getting a smartphone that is greatly designed, easy to use, and provides an over all awesome user experience.

However, in the smartphone market, I see a lot of companies do things that I wish the iPhone could do.  While iOS has been ridiculously easy to use, it has gotten a bit boring.  I’ve heard it from other people, both on- and off-line. In the tablet market, well, there is no one that is really pushing Apple forward.  We’ll have to see if Microsoft’s Surface really can light a fire under Apple’s feet.

Obviously, Apple has it’s way of doing things and I think any UI change would have to be in such a way that doesn’t compromise the experience while jazzing up the look and feel.  It’s the same for the hardware and software.

Frankly, I have no suggestion for Apple what it can do.  Right now, I think it looks fine.  Microsoft’s Metro is definitely different and the jury is still out on whether this is what the market wants.  Still, love competition and maybe we’ll see something spectacular from Apple.

We know that Apple has patented some 3D UI.  So we’ll see.

Apple remains exceptional.  No doubt.  But its competitors like Samsung are also looking pretty good too.  Having said that, it’s time for Apple to do something to remind folks just what an innovator the company is by putting more innovative and insanely great tech between its products and wannabes.

Green: Bench That Charges Your Gadgets (Awesome Idea of the Week)

Source: Treehugger,  Green Sun Rising.


I think I'll start a new section called awesome idea of the week.  We already talk about green tech from time to time and what better way to start it off with pairing green tech with an awesome idea.  A bench that charges your devices as you work or play.

there are thousands of parks in the US...probably millions around the world.  Imagine if they could be fitted with these benches and how much energy they could save. And when there are no people around, the electricity generated could be channeled to other uses - lighting quickly comes to mind.

What's cool about this bench is that it has a built-in battery to store power.  So, you're really looking at a very self-sustaining bench.  I can imagine myself using up the battery life in my iPhone during a picnic to the parks or the beach and this would be a fantastic piece-of-mind knowing that I don't have to worry about running out of juice.  

I would just like to add that this would be even better if it has a WiFi hotspot or when White Spaces modules become popular, wow.  

And having these benches at malls, office parks, and food courts could be a huge draw.  This reminds me of those Toyota Prius promos with those solar trees.  

Ah, one can only wish.