Random Thoughts January 2011

History is made by rewriting history. Imagine writing an academic paper a 100 years from now about Lost, when several episodes have been lost, and using as resources and references blog posts and twitter streams. In some sense, this is how history books are written. History is rewritten from personal points of views, second hand accounts, supporting national myths, rewritten based on cultural outlooks, and geopolitical propaganda.

If you provide a free no obligation trial version why do you need my credit card information prior to me getting access to the free no obligation trial version? I been a big fan of the online cartoon Geek and Poke and I just saw that he put out a free PDF on Scribd. I wanted to download to it the pdf ebook to my collection of free PDF document and books so that I can load it onto my other devices. Even thought I have an account with Scribd and even though I myself have posted documents on Scribd I was not able to download the Geek and Poke PDF unless a signed up to their Scribd Archive paid service, a $9/monthly service or a $5/day pass. I know that Geek and Poke is worth the $10 but I would rather have the author of the PDF get the money instead of Scribd.

One reason why students and teachers fail is because teaching has been reduced to a trade, no different than a fast food industry.  Do you want fries with that?

What will be the codename of the next release of Android? They’ve had cupcake, donut, froyo, gingerbread, etc. What is next caramel apples, cotton candy, laffy taffy?

I’ve had an iPhone for such a long time that I had forgotten how horrible an experience it is to buy or upgrade a phone from a cell phone company. I recently had to upgrade a family Android G1 to a G2 at the T-Mobile store and found the whole episode painful. First I had to wait what seemed over 30 minutes before anyone even asked if I need help. Once someone was ready to help it took all of 2 minutes to decide on the phone, but about another 30 to process my purchase. After all this I ended with a different plan that I used to have, of course I didn’t notice until I got home. I explicitly asked if my plan would be the same, I was explicitly told yes, and I came to found out that I am, not surprisingly, paying more. Why don’t cell phone companies have a self help kiosk. All I really need from their employee is for them to give me the phone. I could set the phone and the plan myself.