Netizen

Friday, July 19, 2013

41 Megapixels Are Really About Zoom

Vintage cameras, not for sale (Photo credit: Soumyadeep Paul)

A smartphone is a wonderful thing, except it has a lousy battery. A smartphone camera is a wonderful thing - I don't use a real camera anymore - but the zoom on it is ridiculously poor. The photo quality is fine with eight megapixels. Enter 41 megapixels. Are photos now going to be five times sharper? Maybe, maybe not. But I think what is more likely is photos of objects five times as far are going to be just as good. And I like that idea.

A Welcome New Feature In Gmail

I began this day by seeing a welcome new feature in my Gmail account. Having multiple Gmail inboxes is going to make life easier. Otherwise my first instinct when I log into Gmail at the beginning of a work day is to pick messages to delete. It should not be that way. My first thing to do should be to read and reply to important emails.

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Superphone

Image representing Larry Page as depicted in C...

Image via CrunchBase

A smartphone is a smartphone, but what is a superphone? I guess you take the smartness for granted, and build immense capabilities. I'd like my superphone to have a super battery. That would be the first thing. A battery that lasts for 24 hours even when put through non stop super use. And recharges itself in five minutes.

Time for More Superphone Talk From Larry Page — And Google Earnings, Too

its battery life, and its ability to withstand drops from great heights. .... Think about your device. Battery life is a huge issue. You shouldn’t have to worry about constantly recharging your phone. When you drop your phone, it shouldn’t go splat. Everything should be a ton faster and easier. There’s real potential to invent new and better experiences. ..... you shouldn’t need to carry a charger around with you to make it through the day. If your kid spills their drink on your tablet, the screen shouldn’t die. And when you drop your phone, it shouldn’t shatter

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Gates, The Most Famous Self Made Billionaire Of His Time, And Global Poverty

Bill and Melinda Gates during their visit to the Oslo Opera House in June 2009. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Gates has shamelessly cashed on his status as the most famous self made billionaire of his time to shove his hat in the laps of other billionaires and ask for money, not just some money, but most of their money. The ROI of the Gates Foundation is astounding, to put it mildly.

Gates Live

Watch the full Bill Gates keynote from Microsoft Research Faculty Summit 2013

100 billionaires have signed the foundation’s “giving pledge,” promising to give away most of their wealth. ...... As for how governments help, the bulk of the money flowing to the world’s poorest countries comes from foreign aid budget ..... A researcher from London asked Gates if he thought about unintended consequences. Killing billions of mosquitos might prevent the spread of disease, for example, but there could be unintended consequences on the food chain. ... “I’m always glad there are people around to dampen my enthusiasm,” quipped Gates, who said he tends to focus on the good. He then said there are serious issues raised by the work of scientists and researchers. Bioterrorism is a real threat. Privacy is always a concern in an online, digital world...... “If you go out to the developed world and see kids dying of malaria, or see a woman who can send her kids to school because she has better crops, it’s hard to feel too bad about the general arc. Because I see how innovations can help, I mostly see the positive. But we should be aware of the negatives and how to mitigate them.”