You cannot have missed the latest Apple hype, the reception loss on iPhone 4. They held a press conference yesterday and I must admit I am not impressed. Usually you can count on Apple to have good responses to a flawed product, but this time they take the well traveled Microsoft way of denying there is a problem to be solved.
It’s not just iPhone
This struck me by surprise, Apple taking the defense by stating that the problem with the iPhone is a flaw found in other phones as well. Since when did Apple start to set their own bar to the standards of their competitors? If this is any indication of the future we should forget the “It just works” catchphrase and substitute it with “It just works just as good as the rest”. Not as appealing, eh?
Our calculation is wrong
This is something they stated before, the algorithm used to calculate how many bars are shown to represent your reception was wrong. Apparently it gives false hope by showing more bars than it should. Effectively Apple says by this that it’s reception loss is not just a phone problem, but reception worldwide seems to be at an all time low. Everywhere.
It’s only a small batch
Apple stated that they received only a small number of complaints, and this led them to believe that it concerned only a small batch. This contradicts their other statements which apply to the iPhone 4 in general and then there is this refund thing; people with problems can get a full refund. Why, if it only concerns a small batch, do they not get a new iPhone which shouldn’t have the same problems?
Free bumper cases
Yay, free bumper cases for all! Bumper cases solve the problem! Wait, what? I thought there wasn’t a problem, and it was just a small batch that is affected? Juxtaposition all around.
Who want’s a bumper case, just to be able to make a call? Who want’s a bumper case when it destroys the design. This may be a good solution for some, but in the end people want the iPhone, not a bumper case.
Apple should just admit they have made a mistake, take their losses and go back to the drawing board. This negative publicity focussing on the core functionality of a product is something they can do without.
Don’t be mistaken, I’m still an Apple fanboy, but I won’t be one of those early adopters the next time an Apple product is released. Not after this whole iPhone debacle.
I recently read this article by Harold L Doherty and I almost could not believe he has the arrogance to have such a biased view on autism.
In the article he is attacking people with HFA (High Functioning Autism*) and AS (Asperger’s Syndrome), specifically Alex Plank. As you may or may not know, Alex is the creator of the Wrongplanet.net internet community for everyone with or affected by autism.
He insinuates that being successful in their lives contradicts the impairing nature of autism and therefore they cannot be autistic. What he conveniently forgets to take in account is the difficulties people with HFA and AS face everyday despite being able to function in our society. Being successful in any way does not take these daily struggles away.
Who speaks for whom?
What truly bothers me is that he holds this narrow view of autism while being a father to an autistic child. I agree that his sons abilities are much more restricted than is the case for most people with HFA and AS as his son has LFA (Low Functioning Autism*), but instead of venting his obvious disappointment with his sons unfortunate situation, he should educate himself to the full range of autism spectrum disorders and more specifically how to help his son to cope with life. Both he and his son will benefit.
He rants on about how autistic people with the ability to openly speak for themselves have no right to do so on behalf of all autistic individuals. They cannot possibly know how his son is feeling about something for example. He has a valid point, as no individual can voice his or her opinion and claim to speak for their peers, but isn’t he according to his own logic even more disqualified to speak for his son because he, as a NT (neurotypical, ie. non-autistic), fundamentally thinks in a different way?
His whole animosity against outspoken and active autistic persons is based in the heated debate around a cure and treatments for autism. A lot of (high functioning) autistic people are against a cure for autism in their own case. This does not mean they do not agree with the possible benefits a (partial) cure or treatment may bring to the lives of low functioning autistic people.
It should be stated that the biggest fears in the autism community are not so much about a cure, but more about the effects prenatal tests for autism can have. Prenatal testing is more likely to be available in the future than a cure. The fear is that this testing could lead to abortions based on the presence of autism, which is a scary thought. It reeks of prenatal neurodiversity genocide.
At this time a lot of parents are trying every treatment that is said to “treat autism”. This ranges from special diets to chelation. While some of these treatments are harmless, others are not so safe. The reality at this time is that a cure or effective treatment is a fairy tale. It will remain so while a cause for autism is still unknown.
What we can and should do is find coping strategies and through therapy help those that are having trouble functioning in our society. And if a cure becomes a reality, the choice to take this should ultimately be the choice of the autistic individual and not anyone else, family included.
*Note that I’m not fond of the labels describing an autistic individual as low or high functioning. I used the terms in this article as they comply to the current method of “grading” a persons abilities, this may change by 2013 with the publication of DSM-V.
This how-to describes how you can change the color of the clock in your 95-99 Toyota Celica.
This is a cheap and quick modification to accomplish.
What do you need?
For this modification you need:
- a clock
- a source of colored plastic (I used TicTac boxes)
- double sided sticky tape (preferably the type you can remove later
- scissors
- phillips-head screwdrivers
Step 1: remove shifter surround
Remove the shifter surround by first lifting the lower end, and pulling the surround back. It is held in place by clips.
Step 2: remove radio surround
Remove the radio surround by first unscrewing the 2 screws at the bottom.
Then pull the surround toward you starting from the bottom. Like the shifter surround it is held in place by clips.
Step 3: remove clock from radio surround
The clock is held in place by a clip on both sides of the clock. Gently easy it out by pulling the clips out, be careful not to break them!
Disconnect the cable from the back of the clock.
Step 4: disassemble the clock
Disassemble the clock by removing the three screws on the back of the clock.
Step 5: prepare the color
Cut the colored plastic to size.
You can stack two if you find the color is to light.
Step 6: attach to clock
Stick the colored plastic to the clock as shown, be careful not to block part of the display with tape.
Now go through steps 1 to 5 in reverse order and your modification is complete!
First off, Firefly is epic. If you’re a sci-fi geek and you haven’t seen it; shame on you, go out and get it A.S.A.P!
The opening sequence, although I like it, was a bit special. The whole country meets space mashup didn’t fly with the folks at io9 so they mixed up a new one in 1980′s action series style, just because opening sequence deserves to be as epic as the rest of the show. Spectacle ensues.
Here are a few spectacular 1980′s opening sequences, like Airwolf:
Street Hawk, didn’t know this one but it doesn’t get more 80′s than this:
