Is it too far fetched to think Microsoft released Vista the way it did so the next version — which we now know as Windows 7 — would sell better? Because no company could have released an OS so flawed on purpose, or could they have?
For the record Vista came installed on my laptop, and since the announcment of supporting XP for longer was made last year I’ve been thinking of upgrading to XP. Yes, it would be an upgrade.
The above shot of Alice Glass from Crystal Castles when they played ‘Cuba’ in Galway is one of my favourite photos I’ve shot in 2008. A friend was meant to have a ticket, but didn’t. It was only due to the soundness of one of the door staff I managed to get in at all after arriving late from Dublin.
I wasn’t really even thinking about taking gig shots before hand, I just bring a camera nearly everywhere. I wasn’t even in Galway for Crystal Castles. I had hardly heard of them before hand, but they turned out to be good.
Although I’m still debating the subject (with my self, really), this shot has lead me to think the infra-red / night mode on my Sony H9 isn’t just a gimmick. There’s some other interisting, but mainly just fun shots in my Crystal Castles set on flickr. The above was taken zoomed in while standing towards the back of the room, a bit before columns get in the way.
Other shots taken in IR include: Upstairs on a Dublin Bus double decker bus, my local take away’s sign, the Ambience Affair (a friend’s band), ‘Cape Wrath’ on Four on Demand on my laptop, spying on George Orwell, my bed on a sleeper train which brought me from Warsaw to Bucharest, a few photos in a near pitch dark art instluation a Berlin, one just outside the same, a hallway in pitch darkness, O’Connell Bridge out of focus at night, and ‘happy Holloween’ written on a window (a shot I would have never got otherwise and the IR adds a nice effect).
I’ve went to see a lot more single gigs this year compared to 2006/7 (as apposed to EP etc, which I did not go to this year). I though I’d go to a lot more but when moving up to Dublin, but that didn’t happen at first.
“No new mail! There’s always Google News if you’re looking for something to read.”
…that’s not a message I’m used to seeing. I used to leave email linked to something I needed to do in my inbox, but that’s really a bad way to go about dealing with emails.
I get a huge amount of email sent to my Gmail account daily (secondly accounts are also redirected there), I’ve been trying to work out a “system” for dealing with it for some. But even if you don’t get a massive amount of email, you should try to deal with it better.
One thing which has worked (I cant over state how well it has worked!…) is to set it so that all emails from mailing lists and boards.ie etc are auto-tagged as ‘bulk’ (I’ve just changed this to ‘Can delete?’, as pictured below). So, when such emails arrive in my inbox I know they are likely have a low level of importance and I’m unlikely to want to archive them. Then, with a very quick scan, I can delete them in bulk.
That helped. But still I had high levels. A problem which has got considerably worse since returning to college (again) and becoming a DCU student. With the DCU emailing lists [snip... I guess this subject needs another blog post].
Along with the ‘bluk’ / ‘can delete?’ tag, I also created tags for different subjects — relating to games, tech, emails from contacts etc. But this didn’t really work. Unlike the ‘can delete’ tag, it wasn’t active.
Now thanks to the ideas behind 43 Folders Series: Inbox Zero I think things are going to be a lot better. (And a very lager thanks to Damien Mulley for the link to 43 Folders — in case the people who have told me about the site before are reading, yes you may have told me about it, but links are, I guess, more active).
Go and read the Inbox Zero series. Or watch the video — it says its nearly 60mins but a good deal of that is the Q&A, and anyway it’s really worth watching.
Simply put the idea is to keep your inbox clear.
Delete. Archive. Respond straight away. Or, if you really need to, send mail to a respond later folder. And don’t (as I used to) use your inbox as a to-do list or a diary/calendar — use a calendar like Google’s calendar which you can sent up reminders.
Anyway, I feel this is actauly going to work. Here’s hoping it does… now all I need is to sort out my RSS reader…
- Old tech can be better than new
Journalist George Lee apparently loves Segway. He talked about the “green” “commuting” vehicles when on the Cafe on RTE2, the Evening Heard quoted him as saying he’s its “number one fan”, and at the it@Cork conference he went around the crowd on one and started again to speak of the merits of the devices (video above, via Damien Mulley).
Fun maybe, but beyond this I’m a bit concerned with Lee’s views on the Segway. I couldn’t hear too much of what he said on the video, but caught the bit about journeys within 9km in Cork. Walking and cycling are two solutions which can already accommodate such journeys.
The benfits of cycling over using Segway include:
The law
“We have been lobbying at Government level for two years to try to get progress on this,” Segway Ireland’s spokesman told the Evening Herald. “Until then, we cannot aggressively pursue the commuter market. That market is what distributors around the world are working towards.”
And Segway.ie says: “we must continue to advise customers that the Segway should be used on private property only”. Yet, on the same site “Green Commuting” is one of the product sections, and Lee says he uses one for commuting and advocates such.
The site also says: “We are still working to obtain clarification and are pursuing legsilation in line with that of other EU states,” but fail to mentions where it is – effectively or otherwise – banned.
Cost
A pricing PDF linked to from Segway.ie puts the most basic model at just under €6,000, and the “Commuter” Segway at nearly €300 extra. You could pick up a decent bicycle for a fraction of that at around €300 to €400, folding bikes can be picked up between €400 to €600 (or a little more or less). And if you look at second hand bikes, its less again. Electric bikes are even cheaper than these “green commuters.”
As the link to the Hearld says, fully charging the Segway costs 15c, but the cost of running a bike are virtually nil. Cycling is the most efficient form of transport, and that’s even above walking which burns three times more energy [Source: Link / Marcia Lowe, The Bicycle: Vehicle for a Small Planet (Worldwatch Institute, 1989)].
Age and size restrictions
The company’s Irish website says: “Users should also be 16 years of age and have a minimum weight of 45kgs.”
Health
Segway use takes less effort than commuting by cycling. Getting exercise has physical and mental health benefits for the user and, for the State, there’s a healthier population which lowers health care investment costs. A bicycle can also be used for extra excise.
The environment
The Segway may be ‘greener’ than car use, but it’s not as green as cycling. As above: Cycling is the most efficient form of transport. Segway says it uses little electricity, but we’re still getting most of our power from coal and gas.
Parking
Lee says: “There is an electronic key which growls and beeps if anybody touches it, so it’s not easy to rob. It’s so versatile and moveable.” … I hope the Herald joined these to sentences together, as saying “it’s not easy to rob” and “so versatile and moveable” so close together is quite funny.
I feel somewhat twitchy locking my bike which was just shy of €500 anywhere outside. I’d crack up leaving something worth six grand around the city centre.
Transport
Dublin Bus, Bus Eireann commuter services, the Dart, Commuter trains and the Luas won’t carry bicycles unless they are folding bikes*. So, it’s unlikely drivers or other staff would allow Segways on. On intercity rail there’s limited bike space which does not suit Segways. And would one be safe in a Bus Eireann coach’s storage?
Nor can they be taken on airliners: “You can ship your lithium-ion battery-equipped machine anywhere by ground transportation. However, our lithium-ion batteries are not appropriate to be shipped by air at this time (including airline travel)”.
* = SIDE NOTE: For rail, this is different in many EU states at least off peek and others have bicycle carriages where people sitting down have to get up for bikes. And for buses, some US city bus services carry bikes.
Proprietary technology
Government should not be using or promoting a proprietary technology when there is a cheaper and healthier option available. This also brings up maintenance and accessories issues as below.
Maintenance
While parts from some bikes are hard to find, most things are standardised across makes. On the other hand, Segway.ie says: “Replacement parts are available for an estimated three-year time frame from the last wholesale delivery of the product”. Bike parts haven’t changed much in 100 years, bikes can be self repaired, and there are bike repair shops in most towns and cities in Ireland.
Accessories
Bicycle accessories are largly standardised across makes and models. With a Segway however it more undefined, Segway.ie says: “Segway and its distribution partners will continue to offer accessories for first-generation Segway PTs as long as market demand exists for those accessories.”
Use by police forces
The Segway would have an advantage indoors where turning spaces is small. But bicycles can mount mount kerbs quickly. A lot if the above problems should also be taken into account — mainly cost.
There has been a number of problems transferring the archives of this blog from Typepad to WordPress.
Due mainly to a lack of time, I’ve just taken all posts offline.
