Here's a really nice, comprehensive, and extremely informative article on current and near-term trends in HDTV technology. The biggest surprise for me is the imminent availability of 2160p sets, which is double the resolution of the 1080p spec. I'm not sure what the benefit will be, given that the source material is going to be limited to 1080p ( ( Read more... )

I miss Google Chrome, which is currently only available for Windows. The good news is that a Mac version should be out sometime this summer. It's the fastest browser out there right now, especially with JavaScript parsing and rendering. And its unified, auto-completing address and search bar is significantly more awesome than the Awesome Bar ( Read more... )

Zader's post reminded me of how frustrated I've been with my MacBook lately.

1) The keyboard is simply missing far too many keys. I've been cursing the lack of a true Delete key every since I bought it. What Apple calls Delete is Backspace key in the Windows world. I need a forward Delete key, like any civilized person.

To wit, I just discovered this ( Read more... )

I wish the internet operated on a different architecture -- something where we all had our own servers and full control over our content ( Read more... )

Some of you were there when I asked Bob Barr about immigration at the TAS Summer Seminar. The context was his talk on privacy, wherein he spoke on the Real ID bill -- a virtual national ID card. The War on Immigration has been a major force -- perhaps the primary force -- behind the push for national ID (and national databases that employers have ( Read more... )

From MSNBC.com/AP:
The chief executive officers of a dozen U.S. airlines, beset by record fuel costs that have caused several to cut jobs, reduce capacity and impose higher fees on customers, are now asking for their customers' help to curb the rise of oil prices.
They have co-signed a letter being sent to frequent fliers of their respective carriers ( Read more... )

You've all seen the television ads for Chemistry.com that feature singles that eHarmony has rejected.

I've long thought that Chemistry.com is shooting itself in the foot with its ads, by conveying that eHarmony is selective (and probably for normal or cool people), whereas Chemistry.com is taking all the rejects. This is straight social psychology ( Read more... )

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I recommend this Wired article on Ray Kurzweil, the Singularity, and his attempts to extend his life long enough to see it.
Kurzweil transformed the singularity from an interesting speculation into a social movement. His best-selling books The Age of Spiritual Machines and The Singularity Is Near cover everything from unsolved problems in ( Read more... )

From MSNBC:
At least 3,990 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the war in 2003. It has cost taxpayers about $500 billion and estimates of the final tab run far higher. Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph E. Stiglitz and Harvard University public finance expert Linda Bilmes have estimated the eventual cost at $3 trillion ( Read more... )