Politics, lying, and breathing

Posted on July 11, 2007 by Ted

Adapted from Alice in Wonderland: The politician said: ‘I say what I mean’ is not the same thing as ‘I mean what I say.’ That would be like saying ‘I breathe when I lie’ is the same thing as ‘I lie when I breathe.’ The voter replied: For you, it is the same thing.

What triggered this thought was an article on the latest shake-up in the McCain campaign. Following declining poll numbers, disappointing fund raising and a cutback in staff, McCain’s campaign manager Terry Nelson and chief strategist John Weaver have now resigned. Not to worry. McCain, in speaking to reporters, stated: “I think we’re doing fine. I’m very happy with the campaign the way it is.”

Now you know that this is simply not true. McCain knows it. The reporters he is speaking to know it. And the voters know it. But McCain says it anyway. Why? Because he has to. What if he had actually spoken the truth and said something like: “My campaign is crumbling around me. While there may still be a chance that I can win this nomination, it’s a slim one. And if we don’t start turning things around soon, slim will be leaving the building.” Just making that statement would become a snowballing self-fulfilling prophecy. That is, perceiving that even the candidate sees his chances as close to zero, financial support will completely dry up and voters will abandon him faster than you can say “It’s been nice knowing you.” The result is that his truthful statement would actually precipitate his demise. His only hope of winning the nomination is to lie. The crazy thing about this is that it actually works—it actually does prevent defections—even though we all know he is lying.

Of course, it rarely affects the final outcome. As the article goes on to state: “Republicans are all but counting him out.” And my guess is that McCain will soon be exiting stage left. Still, it’s the best the candidate can do. We live in a system that requires lying to get elected. It’s no wonder that the behavior continues should the candidate be fortunate enough to actually win the election.

True, this phenomenon is not just limited to politics. We see it in the business world, when the CEO of a company on the verge of bankruptcy says how satisfied he is with the progress the company is making. We even see it in personal interactions. After a person gets fired from a job, they may say: “It’s all for the best; I needed to get out of that place anyway.” There’s a fine line between making the best of a bad situation and telling a lie. It’s a line that too often gets crossed.

But the lying still seems especially onerous in politics. What is particularly sad is how the public has become tolerant not only of these “white lies” but much larger lies as well. When the Bush administration is caught in any one of its numerous falsehoods, the response from the public at large is often a shrug of the shoulders, as if to say “Yup. That’s about what we expected.” The sense of outrage, the demand that something be done about it—it’s just not there any more. And so we get pretty much what we deserve.

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My love-dislike relationship with iPhone

Posted on July 9, 2007 by Ted

As with the million or so others that have had the chance to play with their iPhones over the last week or two, I now have formed my first overall impression of the device. I call it the beginning of my “love-dislike” relationship with iPhone.

“Love” — because where the iPhone excels (and it does so in many places), it excels so spectacularly well that it is hard to imagine ever again using any other phone. “Dislike” — because “hate” would be too strong a word to describe anything as good as iPhone. Still, there are definitely things not to like about it. Fortunately, they are almost all eminently fixable and I suspect Apple is already working on doing so. Many of them will likely be addressed via software updates arriving in the next few months.

This mildly conflicting reaction is reminiscent of how I felt after I purchased an original Macintosh back in 1984. And that’s a good thing overall. From the moment I took the Mac out of its box, I knew I was in the presence of a machine that would initiate a paradigm shift in computers; that’s how different it was from the typical PC of the time. Yet, there were also times when I just wanted to kick it because of what it couldn’t do (as one example, I couldn’t even get an external floppy drive until several months after I got the Mac). But the problems were eventually fixed and the good things kept getting better. If Apple can pull the same trick with iPhone, and I believe they will, Apple will have succeeded in capturing lightning in a bottle yet again.

As to the specifics, the “dislikes” are pretty much what I expected from what I knew about iPhone before purchasing it (I even noted several of these annoyances on a previous blog entry). The most annoying are the ones where iPhone is unable to do things that even my old clunky basic mobile phone could easily do. This includes a laundry list of items such as voice dialing and custom ringtones. Next, are things that are just more hassle to do than they should be, especially given Apple’s otherwise great design of iPhone. As one example, I already find myself getting irritated at how many extra clicks I have to make to pause a song I am listening to on iPhone’s speakers, if I leave the iPod application while the song is playing. I have to click to return home, then click to reaccess the iPod application, then click to pause. It’s much simpler—just one click—on any standard iPod (or on iPhone with the headphones plugged in; you just press the remote button on the headphone cord). Plus, if I pause a song, and shift out of the iPod application, the odds go way up that the song will be “forgotten” when I return. It happens to me about 50% of the time. On the plus side, the fact that I even have the ability to listen to songs over iPhone’s built-in speakers, something no other iPod can do, is quite convenient (even given the inferior quality of the sound).

The keyboard in portrait mode is too small, at least for my fat fingers. I make too many typing mistakes and I don’t think this will get better with more practice. The one trick I did find to be helpful is to hold down but not release my finger from a key, until I see the letter “pop up.” If it is incorrect, I can slide my finger to the correct key. If I lift my finger before doing this, it is too late. I have to delete and re-enter the letter.

Speaking of my fat fingers, perhaps my biggest frustration with iPhone is how often I select something unintentionally—either because two active buttons are too close together or because I intended to scroll but iPhone interpreted it as a click. The result, in either case, is I have to back track to where I was before. This is especially annoying in Safari, as clicking to go Back does not immediately reload the previous page, even though Apple claims that Safari is maintaining a cache just for this purpose. I instead have to wait for the page I was just viewing to load again.

Speaking of typing, iPhone could really use a decent text editor with a to-do list function, something that allows copy-and-paste and that syncs to your computer when you sync the iPhone. The Notes widget doesn’t make the grade.

But why dwell on the downsides of iPhone when there is so much to love about it?

Google Maps is fantastic, even without built in GPS. My wife and I were driving around the other day when we realized that we were near a restaurant that we had been meaning to try. The only problem was that we couldn’t recall its exact location. I pulled out my iPhone and, in a few seconds, I not only had the address but driving directions. As a bonus, the map even showed me the current traffic levels on the major highways. How cool is that?

On another occasion, I wanted to look up a word in the dictionary. Again, I just pulled out iPhone, went to dictionary.com in Safari and presto, I had my definition. I’ve read many reviews commenting on ways in which iPhone’s version of Safari is less than perfect. I guess it depends on where you started from. In my case, I started from a basic phone that had virtually no Web access at all. Now, I can read the front page of the New York Times from my phone, almost as easily as I can from my desktop Mac. It’s fantastic. The limitations are trivial by comparison.

The iPhone’s 2.0 megapixel camera is more than adequate for me. I have heard others complain that it has no zoom function and no video capability. Heck, I don’t intend to use it as a substitute for my Canon camera. I am just happy that it takes much much better quality pictures than my old phone (which had only a 1.3 megapixel camera). Plus, the photos can be transferred to my Mac with much greater ease than with my old phone (although I wish the Mac could remember what I have downloaded and not ask to re-import the same photos each time I sync). It’s also quite nifty to assign a photo to a contact, so that the photo appears when the person calls you.

As for video, it goes without saying (although I’ll say it anyway) that watching a movie on iPhone is a far more enjoyable experience than watching on an iPod with video.

Last, but certainly not least, there are all the great finishing touches Apple has put into the interface and design of iPhone. Combine that with the large multi-touch screen, which provides a much easier way to navigate than the methods on a traditional mobile phone, and you have a device that is simply a joy to use. Even for something as basic as making a phone call, I often find myself smiling at how much fun it makes an otherwise mundane task. For one example, if a friend of mine has 4 different phone numbers in my contact database (work, home, mobile and fax), selecting the one I want to use is as easy as one finger tap. Editing the contact info is far easier and faster as well.

And of course, the ability to flick or expand/shrink the screen with your fingers simply must be tried to truly appreciate what a marvel of engineering it is.

I have only been using iPhone for 3 days. It took me a week to decide to get one this soon. But I am already glad I did not delay any longer.

Posted in Apple Inc, iPhone, Technology | 1 Comment

Apple should really do something about this

Posted on July 5, 2007 by Ted

Given my reputation as someone who knows a thing or two about computer troubleshooting, I am often asked by friends and colleagues to help out when trouble strikes their Macs or iPods. There is a particular distress call that I now get as often as once a month. Sadly (or happily, if you are reading this before the disaster strikes you), it is completely avoidable. Part of the reason it is not avoided is a failure by the user to take adequate precautions. But the other part is directly attributable to a failure on the part of Apple itself. Here’s the deal:

It starts out when the user is having such a serious problem with their computer that they decide they need to completely erase its hard drive and re-install the operating system. Not surprisingly, most of the people in this dilemma are PC users (Macs, I am happy to say, are much less prone to a problem that would require such a drastic remedy).

The next step occurs when, after getting their drive up and running again, the user realizes that they have now erased their entire iTunes Library and have no backup. This is the part that is entirely the user’s own fault. Of course, they should have made a backup long before the trouble hit. When I get this call, it makes me wonder about what other critical files they may have lost, but I usually don’t go there in my conversation. No point rubbing salt in an open wound.

The third step is when the user realizes that all (or most) of their library of songs are still on the iPod. “Great,” they reason, “I can just copy the stuff from the iPod back to my computer and all will be well again.” That’s when they discover the obstacle that Apple has put in their path. Apple provides no way for users to perform this operation. This is not an oversight on Apple’s part, but a deliberate decision. The reason? To prevent piracy—or at least to inhibit it.

The logic is: If you can copy files from your iPod to any computer, you could easily illegally transfer your music to another person’s computer. While there is a certain sense to this, the logic is ultimately flawed. First, I am confident that Apple could set it up so that copying files from an iPod back to a computer would only work if you are connected to the computer that was the origin of the iPod’s files. Sure, hackers would find a way around this. But hackers have found a way around the current restrictions anyway. So what’s the big deal? Second, even if you did copy files from an iPod to another computer, it would still not play the copy-protected files downloaded from the iTunes Store, unless the computer was one of the machines authorized on your account. In fact, starting with iTunes 7, you can transfer songs purchased from iTunes to another authorized computer (as detailed here). You just can’t copy the rest of your music. My guess is that Apple would be happy to eliminate this restriction altogether, but that the music industry folks insist that it stay in place (despite how ridiculous it is).

Anyway, back to my friends in crisis. When they discover that Apple has put this roadblock in the path to music recovery, one of two things happen.

In the “happy ending” scenario, they immediately call me. I inform them that there are many third-party utilities, for both Mac and PC, that can accomplish the desired task (just go to VersionTracker and search for “copy iPod” to see what I mean). They download one of these utilities, do the transfer, and all is well again.

In the “sad ending” scenario, they connect their iPod to their computer, iTunes launches and presents them with a message that innocently asks if they are sure that they want to sync the iPod with their computer, adding that, if they choose to sync, “All existing content on the iPod will be replaced with the content from your iTunes library.” In the haze of their anxiety over having potentially lost their music, and because the serious implications of the message are not emphasized nearly as much as they should be, they click the OK button.

What happens next, you probably already know. The contents of the iPod, with all its songs, are replaced by the contents of the presently empty iTunes Library on their computer. In other words, rather than repopulating iTunes with their missing songs (what the user hoped and mistakenly expected would happen), they now have erased their iPod as well. The final result is that their songs are now completely gone, from both iPod and computer, and beyond any reasonable hope of recovery by any means.

When friends call me at this point, I have little to offer but condolences (and, when they have calmed down enough to listen, the gentle suggestion that they maintain backups in the future).

Considering how many times I have have been called to deal with this disaster, I have to assume it is not a rare one. The good news is that it has an easy fix, even for people who did not back up their files. But it requires that Apple implement the fix. Ideally, Apple should allow iPod-to-computer transfers, as I described above. If Apple can’t get the music industry to swallow this, Apple should at least provide a much clearer, in ALL CAPS, warning about the consequences of clicking OK to that dangerous iTunes message—perhaps even having a second message pop up before the erasure takes place saying “Are you REALLY sure you want to do this?” and explaining the consequences again. Doing so, would save a lot of people from a lot of heartache. Please Apple, step in and do something to help out here.

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To iPhone or not to iPhone

Posted on July 2, 2007 by Ted

I don’t own an iPhone yet. There I have said it.

It’s been difficult for me to resist the purchase. I am an admitted techno-geek who enjoys being on the cutting edge of the next big thing. And the iPhone certainly qualifies on that count. Although I know that the phone does not live up to its hype (what could?!), it is still undeniably cool. It is also my job to write about technology; so I could easily justify purchasing an iPhone as a business expense. Actually, I almost feel compelled to get one so that I can keep pace with my journalist competitors who already have one in their hands.

So why don’t I own one already?

First, once I get past marveling at the elegance of the phone, I am not sure how practical I will find it for my particular lifestyle. Normally, I carry a mobile phone with me at all times. It’s small, compact, and convenient, and I don’t worry if it gets a little scratched or not. That’s perfect for me. Do I really want a significantly bigger and heavier phone that I need to be more cautious about damaging? I am not sure.

Second, I don’t often carry an iPod with me. I have both an iPod nano and an iPod with video. Typically, I use the iPod with video for major trips, where I want to have my full library of music with me—including all my videos, photos, and games. I use the iPod nano when I am taking a short trip in my car, or the BART to San Francisco, or a bike ride—and all I need is quick access to my most favored music. The iPhone is not ideal for either use. It can’t substitute for an iPod with video, due to its 8GB storage limit and inability to work with iPod games. It works okay as a nano substitute, although it is still larger than my mobile phone and nano combined!

Another consideration is that, if I want my iPhone to always be available as an iPod, I should ideally always have a set of headphones with me. Yes, I can listen on the phone’s built-in speakers, but they are too soft and tinny-sounding to be satisfactory in most cases. So an iPhone would “force” me to regularly carry around an extra peripheral (headphones) that I now only occasionally take with me. Otherwise, I lose some of the convenience of the phone’s built-in iPod. I could still play iPhone through my car stereo, even without headphones. But that assumes that the device I use to connect the iPod to my car’s speakers is compatible with iPhone (some are; some are not). Otherwise, I have to wait for the updated version of my connector device to get released and then pay yet more money to buy it. Which brings me to a related point: I don’t use the headphones that come with my iPods. I have more expensive, better-quality ones. The problem here is that, due to the recessed headphone jack, many third-party headphones require an adapter to work with the iPhone (which is yet another purchase-in-waiting). Plus, as of now, only the official iPhone headphones include the remote control and built-in microphone that make it convenient to take a phone call while you are listening to music. This means I either have to sacrifice sound quality and go with Apple’s headphones or sacrifice the convenience of being able to easily switch from music to a phone call. The bottom line here is that rushing to get iPhone today means an inevitable waiting game for the peripheral updates yet-to-come plus the added expense of buying them.

Next, there are the admitted limitations of iPhone itself. The most serious, for me, is the slow EDGE network. One of my major intended uses of iPhone is as a Web browsing device. Reviews have said that iPhone can take several minutes to load one Web page via an EDGE connection. That just isn’t gonna cut it for me.

I am also a bit concerned about hassles coordinating my POP account email between iPhone and my home computer. That is, I want to make sure that any email I receive to or send from iPhone will also get copied to my computer at home. I am assuming that this is possible even with a POP (as opposed to an IMAP) account, but I am still unclear as to exactly how to do it.

Then there are the really irritating omissions, those things that I can do with my current mobile phone and iPod, but cannot do with iPhone. Here’s just a partial list of such items: no voice dialing, no custom ringtones, no games, no ability to send photos directly to another phone, no “disk mode” (that allows the iPhone to act as a hard drive when connected to the Mac).

Sure, the iPhone has many wonderful qualities to compensate for these downsides. But you already know that from all the hype heaped upon the device. I’m just calling attention to what you may find disappointing if you get one. This is not meant to be a review or to strive for balance.

It may be better to wait at least a few weeks for this dust to settle before bringing an iPhone home. The good news here is that, as iPhone is running on Mac OS X, many of the currently missing features will be able to be added simply as a software upgrade. You won’t have to buy a new iPhone to get them!

Still, this does raise the larger question: Should you wait for the inevitable version 2.0 of iPhone, which I am speculating may be out as early as January 2008. This major revision should address almost all the user complaints with the current version. I would hope for it to include, in addition to whatever software-only upgrades can provide, support for a faster Internet network, built-in GPS, better support for third-party software, and perhaps even more memory and a removable battery.

Overall, if money is not a primary concern, and you can live with the peripherals hassles and minor irritations described here, there is no need to wait. Get an iPhone today and start enjoying it. You can always sell your 1.0 version and switch to the 2.0 version when it comes out. That way, you get the use of the 1.0 version immediately for a net cost of around $200—$300 (depending upon what you can sell it for later). And you can keep using your older iPod(s) for those situations where the iPhone doesn’t cut it.

Otherwise, unless you have a burning need or desire to get an iPhone immediately, I would recommend waiting for the 2.0 version. You’ll be happier in the end. Of course, I probably won’t be able to wait that long. But that’s what I would recommend that you do.

UPDATE: July 7: I gave in and bought an iPhone yesterday. On balance, I am glad I did. More details later.

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