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Apple iPod nano - WOW! September 8, 2005

Posted by atharkhan in : Review, Tech , add a comment

“1000 Songs. Impossibly small. iPod nano”

The iPod nano is tiny - thinner than a standard #2 pencil, and 1/3 the size of the discontinued iPod mini. It weighs just 1.5 ounces, and has a 14-hour battery life. This one is going to sell a ton, with a 2 GB model selling for $199 USD, and a 4 GB model retailing at $249 USD.

Learn More at: http://www.apple.com/ipodnano

See the ipod nano Gallery at: http://images.apple.com/ipodnano/gallery

See the ipod nano in Virtual Reality at: http://images.apple.com/ipodnano/gallery/qtvr.html

Watch Steve Jobs Unveil the ipod nano at: http://stream.apple.akadns.net/

Juror Incompetence September 6, 2005

Posted by atharkhan in : Humor , add a comment

In his 1994 book “The Jury” (ISBN: 0385479697), Stephen J. Adler tells of an antitrust case involving the computer industry that stalled after three weeks of jury deliberations. Although purely anecdotal, the following transpired between the judge and the jury which involved, what was at the time, complex technology after the jury returned its verdict:

The Court: Do you know what demand substitutability is, [Juror A]?
Juror A: Well, I would like to kind of look into that.
The Court: Okay. And how about the barriers to entry, [Juror B]?
Juror B: I would have to read about it. . . .
The Court: All right. And how about reverse engineering, [Juror C]?
Juror C: That’s when you would take a product and you would alter it in a, or modify it for your own purpose; that is, you would reverse its function and use it in your own method.
The Court: And [Juror D], what is software?
Juror D: It’s software.
The Court: Well, what is software?
Juror D: That’s the paper software.
The Court: What’s the hardware?
Juror D: That’s the wires and hardware.
The Court: And what is — do you know what an interface is? [1]
Juror D: Yes.
The Court: Can you given me an example of that?
Juror D: Well, if you take a blivet, turn it off one thing and drop it down, its an interface change, right? [1]

[1]. An interface is the connection between a computer and an auxiliary piece of equipment. This concept was discussed at length during this trial.

Note: You can read the full article at Professor Kimberly A. Moore’s website. The blog post above also contains an excerpt from Laura Mansnerus’ article in the NY Times.

Donate to the Hurricane Katrina relief effort. Every Penny Counts! September 5, 2005

Posted by atharkhan in : Personal , add a comment

Please Click Here to Donate via Amazon.com’s Honor Payment System. If you would like to donate funds directly to the American Red Cross, you can do so Online, by Phone, or by Mail. You can also donate Stock, In-Kind Products, Spare Change (at a CoinStar Machine) and Airline Miles.

If you are wondering how $1 can make a difference, consider this:

Now, please take the time to donate what you can spare. Even if it is a few pennies.