Open2Discussion

So I don't normally follow the news but this latest "topic" popped it's way onto the forum I frequent and in my personal life as well. If you don't know what all the hub-bub is, bub, let me tell you. The TSA , that wonderful organization created in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, recently introduced two new security procedures: the back scatter x-ray which takes radiation based photos of your skin, and intensive pat downs. Some people cannot--or choose not to-- go through the machines for various reasons. Maybe they don't like the ideas of invasive scans; maybe they don't know how bad the radiation dose is (here's a thought: no one but the TSA does), or they're a cancer survivor; there could be any number of reasons. For me, other than not knowing how much radiation goes into the skin, the scans don't bother me much. What does bother me is the new policy for "pat-downs." If you're randomly selected for, or fail the AIT scan, or opt

So there have been a bunch of changes to the things I use most these days, and most of the changes have been positive. I ended up ditching my iphone because the pin connector housing broke and it wouldn't charge anymore. By that time, the iPhone 4 had already been release but I just wasn't feeling Apple anymore. I don't use itunes-- Zunepass is my music provider of choice now--and I just wanted to try something new. Enter Android. I ended up going with a Samsung Captivate , which I've been using for about 3 months. I like the platform, but I'm not brave enough to root my phone. I'll just deal with substandard bloatware for now. The SUPER AMOLED screen is pretty neato, anyways. Still waiting for the update to 2.2, though. It seems like everything's getting smarter these days. Our TV can stream Netflix and things itself, which makes my new xbox slim a little sad. I can't say I've used half of the features either of them offer, but the Wife seems t

OK, so everyone has gushed and gushed about the iPad. It's gorgeous and fun, and all that wonderful stuff, but let me make some serious points about why Apple seems to be the most brilliant and idiotic company on the face of the planet Earth. Google Adobe Verizon I'll start with the first two because it's basically the same story told twice.  A long time ago, Apple and (Google/Adobe) had a great relationship. Their goals were basically the same - to beat Microsoft.  The ties that bound them together really made the relationship beneficial to both parties. They worked well together to make some great advancements in software, computing, and the internet.  We wouldn't be here today with all the wonderful gadgets glistening under the spotlights without these companies working so well together...  then something bad happened.  Someone (Steve Jobs) felt cheated, and took a minor disagreement personally, and the relationship went sideways.  Instead of (Google/Adobe) b