In London he told The Guardian that the new interface is not transparently intuitive. It's inherently confusing and has to be learned: "There were really a lot of usability problems in this first-generation of iPad applications. It's often quite difficult for people to discover what they have to do because the options are not very visible. I have to say of both the device … [Read more...] about Usability Guru Jakob Nielsen Critiques the iPad
“Hamas is a reality on the ground.”
Taghreed Al-Khadary is a Gazan-born journalist who lives and works in Washington, D.C. Salon has an interview with her, written by Natasha Lennard. It needs to be read in full, but here are some excerpts: … [Read more...] about “Hamas is a reality on the ground.”
Did Lost lose the Jews?
SPOILER ALERT: if you have not seen the last episode of Lost, do not read further. It’s been just over a week since the two and a half hour series finale of Lost aired, but the blogosphere continues to dissect every nuance of the show’s final big reveal. I’ll readily admit I’ve been a Lost fan from the beginning – although “fan” would be a gross understatement. I’ve been … [Read more...] about Did Lost lose the Jews?
Blunder In Drafting HCR ?
Reports are coming out that they might have made a major blunder when they drafted health care reform. One of the standard things included in any bill passed by Congress is what they call a severability clause. The basic intent of the clause is to say that if one part of the law is found to be invalid that the rest of the law remains in effect. But the final version of … [Read more...] about Blunder In Drafting HCR ?
Whoops … Gary Coleman Divorced
Reports are now surfacing that at the time of his death Gary Coleman and his wife were divorced. Nothing is clear yet but if they were divorced she did not have any authority to make medical decisions (unless there was a power of attorney, which seems unlikely). She and the hospital may have a lot to answer for. … [Read more...] about Whoops … Gary Coleman Divorced
Look In The Mirror
There are plenty of people, corporations and organizations to blame for the oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico but if you want to see one of them go look in the mirror. We are the ones who are addicted to oil. David Strahn: It is easy to understand American hostility to BP, but it is fundamentally misplaced. Never mind that Transocean and Halliburton were also involved … [Read more...] about Look In The Mirror
A Shonda for the Goyim
That would be Jennifer Rubin in Commentary: … [Read more...] about A Shonda for the Goyim
Dutchman In Natalee Halloway Case Sought For Murder, This Time In Peru
As a news reporter, I learned the hard way to be leery of police arrests of high-profile personalities, but the Peruvian case of a young woman's death linked to Joran van der Sloot of Natalee Holloway fame certainly attracted my attention. Van der Sloot is being sought by Lima, Peru, police for questioning in the bloody death of Stephany Flores, 21, found in a Lima hotel … [Read more...] about Dutchman In Natalee Halloway Case Sought For Murder, This Time In Peru
A Shallow Look at The Shallows
An excerpt of Nicholas Carr's new book is featured in the June Wired. In it Carr says the Internet "is turning us into shallower thinkers, literally changing the structure of our brain." A shallow neuroscience explanation: The depth of our intelligence hinges on our ability to transfer information from working memory, the scratch pad of consciousness, to long-term memory, the … [Read more...] about A Shallow Look at The Shallows
A Lively Race for Governor in Maine
There's a lively race for Governor unfolding now in Maine: Three independent candidates (one of them Alex Hammer who has contributed to TMV) are now in the running -- meaning it's likely to be a five way race. There has been some controversy over electronic copies of petitions and the impact on independent candidates. … [Read more...] about A Lively Race for Governor in Maine
BP’s Latest ‘Hail Mary’ Cut’n Cap Pass Stuck in Latest Oil Spill Fiasco
I should not make light of this but to those engineers who by remote control watched their diamond-edge saw get stuck on a ruptured pipe deemed too fragile to withstand the earth's pressure to suck oil, I feel their pain. I can't tell you how many times my chainsaw stuck on a tree trunk during my years as a landscape contractor. Unlike BP's experience of deja vu failure … [Read more...] about BP’s Latest ‘Hail Mary’ Cut’n Cap Pass Stuck in Latest Oil Spill Fiasco
Four Out of Five Clueless About Internet Speed
According to a new survey [pdf]. Still, we're happy with the service. Ars Technica: Clearly, broadband is the business to be in—a trade in which most of your customers have only a vague idea what they're actually getting and don't necessarily think you should always give it to them. But whatever it is, they like it just fine, thanks. These reported plateaus of technological … [Read more...] about Four Out of Five Clueless About Internet Speed
Among the Things I Just Don’t Understand
The list of things I don't understand is already rather lengthy. And now it's one item longer: I don't understand the position of the dissenting minority in yesterday's Supreme Court ruling on Miranda rights. To recap ... The latest case concerned Van Chester Thompkins, a Michigan man accused of shooting another man to death in 2000 outside a mall. Arrested a year … [Read more...] about Among the Things I Just Don’t Understand
The Corporations are Coming (Guest Voice)
The Corporations are Coming by Craig Barnes A talk delivered at the discussion group “Journey” Santa Fe, New Mexico May 16, 2010 Let us see this morning if we can stitch together some pattern out of the patchwork of our troubles. We are sometimes so beset with sound bites and trends, polls and policies, instant failures and unexpected successes that we dare … [Read more...] about The Corporations are Coming (Guest Voice)
They Must Know What They’re Doing
In the 1960s, an editor I knew proposed a snarky picture book to be titled "They Must Know What They're Doing or They Wouldn't Be Where They Are" that would show the captain of the Titanic, the designer of the Edsel, LBJ directing the Vietnam war and other examples of low acumen in high places. Since then, the list has grown with Nixon at Watergate, Jimmy Carter's bumbling … [Read more...] about They Must Know What They’re Doing
Good News for Iran
Party Switching Parker Griffith Loses Alabama Election to Stay in Office as a Republican
Politicians who think an easy way out might be to switch parties BEWARE. First, there was Pennsylvania's experienced party switcher Arlen Specter, who found that switching from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party (years after he had switched from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party) didn't help him keep his seat in Washington. And now we have the case of … [Read more...] about Party Switching Parker Griffith Loses Alabama Election to Stay in Office as a Republican
AT&T Revamps Smartphone Data Pricing
AT&T's $30 "unlimited" smartphone data plans are going away (though if you're on it you're grandfathered in and if you want it you can still get it). Starting June 7 pricing is either a $15 per month "DataPlus" plan for 200MB ($15 for each additional 200MB) or $25 for a "DataPro" 2GB plan ($10 for each additional GB). You can switch on the fly, including retroactively … [Read more...] about AT&T Revamps Smartphone Data Pricing
WH Commission on Remembrance Forgets Civil War on Memorial Day (Guest Voice)
WH Commission on Remembrance Forgets Civil War on Memorial Day by Hart Williams Yeah. I can hardly believe it myself. The White House Commission on Remembrance forgot the Civil War … on Memorial Day. Here’s a screencap: No. This is not a joke. Take a close look at those wars: Yup. Not only are the Civil War AND the Mexican War of 1846 missing, but the BOXER … [Read more...] about WH Commission on Remembrance Forgets Civil War on Memorial Day (Guest Voice)
Israel’s Gaza Raid Helps Iran and Ensnares Obama: Le Figaro, France
While Israel's deadly raid on a flotilla of civilian vessels trying to break the blockade of Gaza and deliver emergency aid has been a public relations disaster for the Jewish State, Le Figaro columnist Pierre Rousselin writes that it also presents monumental problems for the Obama Administration - one being, ironically, persuading the U.N. Security Council to approve of … [Read more...] about Israel’s Gaza Raid Helps Iran and Ensnares Obama: Le Figaro, France