Ruffin It
Of horror classics and LOLcats
While this is a little out of the norm, I would like to start off today by paying a compliment to my fellow writer, Josh Ruffin, on his column last week. In case you missed it, Josh took a break from his typical leftist drivel to share some of his favorite B-grade horror movies. I sincerely enjoyed the piece, and I’m looking forward to watching some of his choices. Specifically, “The Horde.”
Speaking of zombies… with the final debate coming within the deadline window of the Spirit, I suspect that Josh will be back to his socialist rants. I can already see it in print… pithy comments about bayonets, aircraft carriers and the one percent. Blah-blah-blah. Personally, I think the Democrats better get hustling — there’s only two weeks left to blame Bush! Hey, I just thought of something… Josh, whether you are writing about the Democratic Party or a B-grade horror movie, it’s kind of the same subject, isn’t it? Who’da thought?
iPad (smaller) — First, and not unexpectedly, the iPad Mini was introduced this week. It’s pretty much what you would expect when you hear the words “iPad” and “Mini” mashed together. Its height and width make it slightly larger than the Kindle Fire, sporting a one-inch larger screen. It is also about one-third thinner and one-third the weight of the Fire. Three memory configurations will be available, and the pricing starts at $329. Tack on another $130 for 4G. The screen is an upgrade from the iPad 2, but it’s not a retina display. Facetime, yes, but I haven’t heard anything about Siri. I’ve got to believe she’s on board as well.
Unexpectedly, Apple also announced the fourth-generation iPad, seemingly to replace the “new” iPad released earlier this year. (So does this make it the “new, new” iPad?) This iPad features about double the processing power, Facetime HD, the new Lighting connector and some additional LTE support. Preorders for both devices start on Friday, and wifi only versions should start showing up on November 2.
Windows 8 — Amongst all the Apple hoopla, we don’t want to forget about Windows 8. General release is on October 26. I’ve heard a large number of good reviews, but honestly, I think the jury is still out. We won’t know the impact until we see the hardware specifically designed for W8. If it looks like a current desktop, that’s all it will be. But if something like the HP Envy, X2 lives up to its promise, The W8/tablet/laptop combo could be a very marketable product. Of course, the big advantage is that it runs desktop software. It’s the same app store whether you are on a tablet or a desktop. For that matter, the tablet is the desktop! Time will tell…
Beer and Bytes — I need to apologize to Eric Parker for missing the Beer and Bytes event last Tuesday at Metro Coffeehouse. Yes, I promised that I was going to attend. I really wanted to hear the talk on Tor and Online Privacy. Unfortunately, Amy (our editor) started saying crazy stuff about replacing my picture with a gorilla butt if I didn’t get my column in on time. I understand there was a pretty good crowd, and that several folks got a start on their next Hackathon project. An aside, I had the pleasure of meeting Chris Williamson this week, one of the CSRA leading robot hobbyists and a founding member of CSRA Makers. Chris promised to build me a ballbot. I’ll let you know when he is done so you can stop by the store and see it.
BTW — In case you’re missing it, a significant group of innovators in the Augusta area have started to form around Hack Augusta. The next big event is the Innovation Festival and Hackathon for Education on November 2-3 at ASU. For more information, visit csrainnovationfestival.com. Also, see meetup.com/hackaugusta for more information on HackAugusta.
And finally, Amy, here’s my column. Now you can go back to the surfing the internet for LOLcats.
Until next time, I’m off the grid at @gregory_a_baker.You Might Also Like:
Posted in Augusta Tek