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First off, let me say, "Sorry for being so long...." Life has a way of getting complicated, and mine has been crazy for a while. School keeps me awfully busy, and well, this is not my primary Google account, so I have to log out, and log back in...and well, I just keep putting stuff off.
Anyway, I could not pass up the chance to honor one of geekdom's greats. Today is the 61st birthday of the man who gave us The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, as well as some of the best episodes of Doctor Who, including "City of Death," a great Fourth Doctor Story.
Adam's Hitchhiker's Guide Trilogy stands as one of the classics of science fiction. I loved the stories, and his death came far too early. It is especially a shame that he did not live to see the realization of what seemed an impossible dream when he wrote his books.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy has come to actually exist in the form of the Internet, Wikipedia, Google, and various smartphones. It occurred to me one day, as I was looking up something during a discussion with friends, that we have what Adam's inspired...an information source of astounding depth and breath that we can carry with us...
Now, if only we could get Wikipedia to change the article on Earth to simply read...
I got the news on my iPhone. I was on my way home from classes in Computer Science, and I had pulled it out of my purse to look up something I saw on a sign, and the push notification from AP News popped up on the screen.
Steve Jobs, co-founder, and former CEO, of Apple had passed away. The news hit me hard. Over the past few years I have become a major Apple fan girl. And I came to admire Steve Jobs for all he has done for the world.
About three years ago, I bought an iPod Touch. I read an article that pointed out how you could do almost anything on it that you can do on a laptop. While that might be viewed as a bit of an exaggeration, there is truth in that statement. I didn't realize it, but I had taken the first step towards addiction.
When the iPhone 3GS came out, and they dropped the price on the iPhone 3G, I bought my first iPhone. I loved my iPod Touch, but I wanted to have access when WiFi was not available.
Then, I began to think about developing apps for the iPhone. That would require the purchase of a Mac. I was eyeing the Macbook, but wound up going for a bit more and buying the Macbook Pro I am typing this on. Joining the Developer's program, and a large number of books, quickly followed.
By now, I am sure many can see where this is leading...the iPhone 4 arrived, and I upgraded. A full 32 GB version, of course. Now I could have all the apps and music I wanted.
And of course, I had been wanting an iPad, but that was just a bit beyond my reach for while, but I bought one of those as well, the top of the line 64 GB with 3G. I use it everyday.
And, every Tuesday night, I attend a class in iPhone programming as part of my major in Computer Science. Apple, and more specifically the genius of Steve Jobs, helped draw me back in to programming. I had wandered away a few years ago, mainly because of my lack of a degree. I was self-taught, but that doesn't work these days. Now I am working on my degree, and my ultimate dream would be to work for Apple. That, or to teach Computer Science to the next generation of geeks.
But I owe a lot to Steve Jobs. He will be missed. It may be a bit trite, but he really did change the world in insanely great ways.
PC World has an interesting weekly email called "Talk Nerdy to Me." This week's features the "Top Ten Songs About Computers." I actually have a pretty good collection of such songs myself, including a few I added from their list:
Code Monkey by Jonathan Coulton
Behind the Scenes at Microsoft by Three Dead Trolls In a Baggie
Binary Code (Makes Sense Wherever I Go) by Nonso Ugbode
Computer Chanty by Dr. SETI
The Gates by DaVinci's Notebook
I Love My Computer by Nonso Ugbode
I Love My Mac by Daphne Kalfon
I Love My iPod by Daphne Kalfon
If This Geek Ruled the World by Geoff Smith
Internet Love Song by Bob Ricci
MySpace by Joshua Grosvent
Log In to You by the Arrogant Worms
On the PC by Tom Smith
PC99 by Tom Smith
The Nerds Who Rule the World by Hot Waffles
Reign of Error by Sudden Death
Reinstalling Windows by Les Barker
The Rise and Fall of the SupaSucka 9000000™ by Flying Like Wilma
Spam by Sudden Death
The System Administrator Song by Three Dead Trolls In a Baggie
Tech Support by Geoff Smith
Tech Support by Tony Goldmark
Welcome to the Internet Help Desk by Three Dead Trolls In a Baggie
What Joe Saw on the Internet by Three Dead Trolls In a Baggie
The System Administrator Song by Three Dead Trolls In a Baggie
2600 by Positive Attitude
And of course one could also include:
Having Trouble Sneezing by Scott Olson (Mac vs. PC ads)
New Soul by Yael Naïm (Macbook Air ads)
Okay, I admit it...I'm a major geek, and an Apple fangirl. These are just some of the almost 200 songs I have in my "Geek Songs" playlist in iTunes.
It has taken me way too long to get back here to post another article. I have been kind of busy working on learning iPhone programming and working on my first program, which is coming along slowly.
Anyway, it is time to catch up on things...
On Saturday I went to the Apple Store here in San Francisco and after a short wait I got a new iPhone 4. I bought my first iPhone just over a year ago, and I was a little surprised to discover that I qualified for an upgrade at the same price as new users. So, I decided to go all the way and buy a 32 GB model.
It is certainly worth the cost. As much as I loved my old iPhone, this one is so much better. The graphics are greatly improved, I have the compass app that was introduced on the 3GS, I have all the new new features available in iOS 4.0 which were not available on my 3G, and most importantly it is much faster.
Apps that were painfully slow on the 3G are greatly improved. On the 3G many apps took too long to load. On the 4 they open almost instantly.
The camera is now up to the point where it can actually take decent photos, and it now has a flash. The 4 also can take 720p HD video with the LED for the flash serving as a light source if needed.
Overall, Apple has created another hit.
