Google as TIA

Who needs Total Information Awareness when we have Google?

Of coarse, Google being a private enterprise can be 'fired' and needs to (at least over the long run) respond to market forces. Sadly (of particular note right now), you can't fire the government.

At least if we had more of a semblance of the accomodating nature of the parliments of Europe (w/o the corruption/instability of Italy thank you), opionions dissenting from either party's platform would have more relative political weight.

Information Appliance versus PC

You know there's something seriously wrong with your thought process when you want to buy a calculator that can catch viruses (actually it's just poor IA on HP's website).

I understand that HP doesn't make much money from the calculator business and I also further understand this model largely serves as a competative counter-point to Texas Instruments's high end models. I myself have also succumbed to geek lust in the past (it even plays joust).

Still, do you really need/want this kind of power/complexity in this form factor?! (yeah, I'm older now)

Heck, there's even a GCC port targeted for the HP49g+.

I still think the best example out there of a true Normaneque information appliance is the Gameboy.

My first programming platform...BIGTRAK!

Even before I got my hands on my first HP calculator (pause for moment of reverence), I was tripping up my parents and scaring my dog awake from his afternooon naps with this ausome piece of machinery.

I still think the sound/light effects of the "plasma gun" firing has yet to be equaled. Not to mention the uber-cool 'dumping cart' acessory.

I first looked at the Mars rover sojourner;, I was proud to see that BigTrak had grown up.

Metaphors galore

Best metaphor heard recently

""Mozilla is the new EMACS"

Worse metaphor heard recently

"Phil Ivey is the Tiger Woods of poker"