24: Jack Is Back!

Watch this video and it'll explain it all.

Who would have thought, right?  Seriously, this is what Fox should have done.  I think by bring 24 back for a limited series (12 episode-run), this could be a model for future drama, be it crime, science fiction, or a comedy show like Arrested Development.

There is precedent for this.  Again, Arrested Development went off the air before it was resurrected by Netflix.  And who can forget Sherlock from BBC?  The long hiatus between series 2 and 3 did not dampen the exciting and ratings for the show.  It just goes to show that if you have good material, fans will keep coming back.

On top of that, have a series go off the air and letting fans have the chance to revisit it is a good thing.  Furthermore, consider how Arrested Development grew its fan base after Netflix subscribers who previously did not watch the show get a chance to see it online.

Syrvian Civil War: A Group Even Al Qaeda Want Nothing To Do With

Source:  Slate.

We all know that Al Qaeda is bad.  Really bad.  But you have to consider how bad you'd have to be if even Osama Bin Laden's group wants nothing to do with that.  That is the case with Islamist rebel group,Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Al Qaeda issued an "official" statement disavowing links with the Syrian group and wants the world to know that it's not the bad guy here.

Not in Syria anyway.  But still pretty bad everywhere else in the world.

What's interesting is just how much recognition and platform a terror group like Al Qaeda has become even as Western forces continue to pound and hunt them.  Even if they don't appear to be as big as a threat as they were after 9/11, at least their PR branch seems to be chugging along and organized enough to have a leadership that is capable of issuing statements to the media.

No doubt, Al Qaeda is still plotting and attempting to do whatever it can to destroy us and we'll return in kind many times over.  Still, there is some dark humor here about the whole Islamist involvement in Syria here.

Social Media Tip: Using Twitter To Get Temperature Updates

I'm a weather nut.  This is especially true right now in Southern California where we are going through one of the worst droughts, if not the worst, in history.  All along, I'm hearing about the white winter that everyone not on the West Coast is experiencing, albeit more than they want.

What go me thinking about getting weather updates is that I was trying to figure out how to get Windows 7 to give me weather updates without me downloading an app.  Then I realized that I've been getting traffic updates via Twitter for socal's clogged freeways.  So, why not weather too?

So, I searched Twitter and typed in "weather Los Angeles".

You can even get weather updates for Sochi, Russia (Twitter) where the Winter Olympics is about to start.  See whether they even have snow to speak of.

Oh, here is another one for Vancouver, Canada (Twitter).

I've checked a few other cities, major cities.  Most metropolises have a Twitter weather account of one sort or another but when you get to get deeper into smaller cities or towns, you're in the hit-and-miss area.

For instance, Taipei, Taiwan doesn't really have one that I could find but you can get close with news Twitter account like this one below.

Here is a list of other major cities that I can think of that I could also quickly find Twitter accounts on weather.  

• Cupertino, California
• Manhattan, NY (Twitter Search Results)
• Tokyo, Japan
• Beijing, China
• London, England (Twitter Search Results) - doesn't seem to have one dedicated Twitter account.
• Paris, France
• New Delhi, India (Twitter Search Results) - even without a specific account, you can still create a Twitter search that give you a general idea of how things are based on tweets from various sources.
• Cairo, Egypt (Twitter Search Results) - again, no specific account but I do know that it snowed there for the first time in 100 years!
• Mexico City, Mexico (Twitter Search Results) - Tropical Storm Sonia is plowing through!  Stay safe, my friends!
• Hong Kong, China - HK actually has a lot of Twitter accounts dedicated to weather but only this one seems to be keeping the information updated.  You might want to make sure whatever city you're looking to add into your Twitter feed for weather or any other specific information does keep things up-to-date. 
• Stockholm, Sweden - boy, it's cold!

On the next post, I'll see if I can find information for air quality or other environmental information.  I reckon that'll be a bit harder to find.  In fact, I'm considering creating a list of information that we can find useful on Twitter at any given time.  

Note: Keep in mind that the information on Twitter are not always updated and we are at the mercy of those who own and update the accounts.

Politics: Taking Charge Could Be Christie's Hope of Salvaging Political Image and His Job

New Jersey governor Chris Christie declares a state of emergency for the state due to severe weather.  I'm sure he's doing it because he had to but given the recent political troubles his administration has been experiencing and likely dashed his 2016 presidential hopes, showing that he is in charge could mitigate his troubling image.

As for his bully image, seriously, folks, name one politician who isn't one or has on his or her staff or administration an attack dog?

Social: Facebook Flexes Its Bully Muscles by Infringing On Smaller App Company's Trademark

I knew this was coming the instant I read that Facebook was going to name its new copycat reader app "Paper".  So I wasn't not all that surprise to read this from NYT.  Other blogs have begun to propagate this story.

It's so wrong on two fronts.  One, it's basically copying Flipboard.  It figures it can go out and spend billions to acquire app makers or copy them.  With $1 billion for Instagram, it succeeded.  With Snap Chat, the founders turned it down at $3 billion.

I'm sure it decided it probably won't be able to buy out Flipboard and decided to copy it. 

Now, there's the issue of the name of the app, Paper.  There is already a very well regarded app called "Paper" from FiftyThree.

The two apps are not similar but the trademark name belonged to FiftyThree.  FiftyThree's Paper is an elegant app that turns your iPad into a sketchbook that has continued to be updated with new features and services.  Useful features and services. 

Facebook's app as I've said is a Flipboard copycat to drain more ad dollars and further weakend privacy walls.

And Facebook figured with its billions could withstand any challenges and drag this thing out as long as it wanted to. 

What's worse is the double-standard that the Zucker and Company use.  It has gone after companies that used the word "book" in their name or logo. 

This move isn't unlike the recent "candy" trademark employed by the Candy Crush Saga maker. 

Pretty soon, people will be left with no choice but to make up their own words, or worse, their own languages.

On a personal note, I think companies being able to trademark commonly used words is idiotic but it doesn't innovation or creation.  I have a bit different notion on patents.  However, even with patents, some stuff just shouldn't be patented if they are natural and makes sense.  I'll let you decide for yourself where you draw your own line on this.

Letting Mac Run iOS Apps - Not Ever Going To Happen But Widgets Should Be Given Another look

Here is an idea that I had long thought would be a great but Apple would never go for. That is iOS apps running on the Mac. Apple has made it clear that iOS and OS X will never be merged. Microsoft tried it with Windows 8 and we know how that is going.

This idea about iOS apps being a part of Mac was rehashed again on this blog post from The Mac Observer.

But maybe widgets on OS X should be given another look. It has been years since Apple has upgraded Dashboard in any significant manner and I am not sure anyone is aware that it is still around.

TMO did come up with a list of reasons why iOS apps should be allowed to runs in its own environment. The outlined reasons each have their own problems - least of which is that there are other ways native Mac apps or the Web won't take care of. Plus, there are iOS apps that have companion apps on the Mac.

The only advantage I think widgets will have over native apps is the ability to be able to exist within a separate environment that potentially can be sandboxed.

What I like to see is maybe cloud and iCloud integration for future Dashboard upgrade. Even better iOS integration beyond what we see now.

As I understand it, many widgets are based on Web standards which are robust enough that native-like apps can be created. And as much as we are used to the App Store and separate apps, webapps won't go away and will become more full featured and robust over time.

Perhaps, this is why Apple has not done anything with Dashboard. My hope is that they have been working on this in the background and will release an update for it and not see it die of a slow death.

 

Posted with Blogsy

About the Apple TV Not Being A Hobby Anymore, New Features, Costs

There has been a lot of rumors and posts about what the next Apple TV will feature and, over all, what Apple's television and living room strategy is.  I've got an idea about that I would love to share but that's for another post.  Today, it's about Apple TV.

There is talk that we are nearing another Apple TV update after largely being ignored for the last year since the last Apple TV was updated.  Today, Apple added an Apple TV section.  Any time Apple does anything, it's a big deal especially among the tech media.

And adding a specific section for Apple TV counts as that.

The talk around the Apple rumor water cooler is that Apple could add a router to Apple TV as well as give it the much sought after app gaming store and accessories to go along with it.  There is even talk of a TV tuner.  (9to5Mac)

Huge rumor.  And if true, I'll be one of the first to order one.

For the purpose of this post, let's call this new Apple TV the "Apple TV Media Center".  ATMC.  As you can see, I don't have much of an imagination.

So, folks, get ready for this.  It's gonna cost more than $99 that the current generation Apple costs now.  In fact, I think if Apple does release such an update, I reckon Apple will likely keep the $99 unit around for those who just wants to stream video.  In fact, Apple may even cut the price for the Apple TV to around $79.

How much will ATMC cost?

If the rumors are true and Apple does add a router, TV tuner, and better specs like the 64-bit chip in the A7, the build could triple the cost of the current Apple TV.  Given Apple's focus on profit margin, we are talking about a cost that could be three to four times more than the current Apple TV.

ATMC likely will cost anywhere from $300 to $400 - about the price of a console like an Xbox for Playstation 4.  A bit less but not by much.  Maybe even a $500 with something extra like doubling the storage.  After all, this is Apple we're talking about.  It'll cost a pretty penny.

Of course, I have to include a wishful thinking portion of this post and because I'm a fan.  Apple can try to keep the cost down.  Maybe $200 to $300.  Apple can make money back through a different manner:  iTunes content and game sales.  Also include a premium version with more storage as well.

On top of that, ATMC would likely evolve into a home hub for all things Apple.  And to control the hub, you would need an iPhone or iPad.  Which means Apple will be able to even further expand its ecosystem.  And that means more money down the road.