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omg
(via eunicornnn)
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This is probably true, but let’s think about this for a second. First of all, if a marshmallow were traveling at the speed of light (referred to as c from here on out), it would slow down a lot as it entered into the Earth’s atmosphere, as it is not very aerodynamic, and it would slow down to its terminal velocity very quickly. Or if it were to hit the Earth at c, that means it must have been traveling faster than the c before it entered the atmosphere for it to slow down to c by the time it hit Earth. But we know that nothing can travel faster than c (except for possibly that single neutrino that supposedly travel 0.0025% faster than c). Or the third possibility is that it is traveling at c and continues to travel at c as it goes through Earth’s atmosphere because some other force is pulling it at that speed in which case it should cleanly go straight through Earth and not cause such a cataclysmic explosion (you can think of a bullet going straight through flesh) versus a bullet hitting a major organ.
But, perhaps the more perplexing and paradoxical question to ask is: if it’s going the speed of light, then will it ever reach Earth because hasn’t time technically stopped from the marshmallow’s perspective?
(via eunicornnn)
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Back to TUMBLR: iPhone 4s
I am officially back on tumblr and I’ll start with a post about the iPhone 4s.
What a disappointment!
Granted I’m only half an apple fanboy (I own a used macbook, an imac, and used to have a first gen ipad), but I do own a Samsung Galaxy S2.
So let me start off with a few things about the iPhone. It is an amazing device and reinvented the smartphone category, taking it away from the likes of Treo and Windows CE; and they did this through two ingenious things. To begin with, Apple created the first usable mobile web browser, which they were able to do with the advent of multitouch gestures (pinch to zoom and finger scrolling, the latter just being a single-touch feature). Second, and more importantly, they opened up the OS to 3rd party developers. This even lead David Pogue, the perhaps undeservedly famed NY Times tech writer (I can go into a whole other post about why I think Pogue is famous, and it’s definitely not for his tech expertise…), to rename the “smartphone” category to the “app phone” category.
The iPhone for a long time was the only device that was able to get everything to fit together nicely. But that changed with the creation of Android, Google’s mobile operating system and answer to the iPhone. The first few iterations of Android left the user experience a bit wanting, but beginning with Froyo, then Gingerbread and the forthcoming Ice Cream Sandwich, things changed very quickly. Android also enjoyed two major advantages. First, it was and is (mostly) free to license because it is a (mostly) open operating system (a la Linux). This means that it’s cheap to use and it’s customizable to whoever wants to license it. Second, and more importantly, it’s not Apple. Apple ties down its software to its own hardware so no other company can use iOS, the iPhone’s operating system (Pystar’s final appeal got denied), so no other company can use iOS for any cost. Android however opens up the doors for other companies to share in the profits of the exponentially expanding and soon to be universal smartphone market.
Now let’s jump to today. Android has an advantage over iOS in terms of growth and in terms of market share (the iPhone would still be the best selling singular [not Cingular] handset in the world, obviously) This is where things get tricky. The iPhone’s market share grew from 14.1% to 18.2% last quarter while Android’s market share absolutely exploded from 17.2% to an amazing 43.4%. Now in analyzing these numbers for Android you have to be very careful. A huge reason why Android grew is probably because of the late release and announcement of the iPhone 4s. Apple has been releasing iPhones, like clockwork, every year around either June or July. But the iPhone 4s is a solid 4 to 5 months late. Apple waiting this long to release a new phone, helped Android A LOT. People do not want to be stuck with old technology. They want the newest thing on the market and they do not want to be stuck with a regular iPhone 4 for a 2 year contract, when it would be old and obsolete for the majority of its product lifetime when the iPhone 5 comes out. O wait, the iPhone 5 didn’t come out…
Now, here comes the disappointment with the iPhone 4s. People have said that it only makes sense to stay with the iPhone 4’s award-winning design and pointed to the example of the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3Gs. But there are some major differences here. First, the time period between the release of the iPhone 3G and 3Gs was only 11 months, while it is 16 months here. That is nearly a 50% longer wait. Second, and more importantly, the competition is MUCH stronger this time around. When the 3Gs was released, the 3Gs had the best specs of any smartphone on the market at that time. That is simply not the case anymore.
The Samsung Galaxy sII was released about half a year ago. This phone was the first major phone to feature a display over 4” (you can argue the EVO was the first, but I don’t think it really reached the level of popularity…). It was also the first major phone to feature a dual core processor, 1gb of RAM, full HD recording and NFC (google wallet). On top of that, it is sleeker and about 30 to 40% lighter than the iPhone 4. It also featured the latest Android operating system. The iPhone 4s does very little to answer any of these. It also does not use LTE, the fourth generation of mobile networks.
But aside from just internals and screen size, the iPhone 4s is identical in appearance to the iPhone 4. One of the main reasons why people buy an iPhone is because of the “coolness” factor. And this “coolness” factor is put on display when people see the new phone and say, “O, is that the new iPhone? It’s so pretty. Can I see it?” Now, people are just going to say, “Is that the iPhone 4 or 4s?” People don’t want to have the same phone (appearance wise) for 2+ years. The wow factor now goes to phones with bigger screens, and I believe this will be much more apparent with Samsung’s announcement next week.
This gets me to my next point. Steve Jobs and Apple misread one major point about cell phones. Steve Jobs sincerely believed that people would never be interested in a phone with a screen that was bigger than 4”. I am certain that this is no longer true. I am also certain that one of the things Samsung will announce is a new phone with a crazy screen. And by a crazy screen, I mean a 4.5” screen that has true 720p resolution (1280x720). The iPhone’s amazing and award-winning screen manages 960x480, to put things into perspective. This screen has already been revealed to be ready for production in the latter end of 2011. This means that you can watch HD movies in their native resolution. Aside from this, I would also guess a 1.5ghz dual-core processor and full NFC integration with google wallet. Anyways, before I get ahead of myself and end up biting my foot, let me get to my last point.
Siri, the voice activated assistant is pretty cool, but I don’t think it’ll be as useful as people may think. How many of you guys consistently use Facetime? Most of the time when people are using their phones, they aren’t talking. Smartphones have made talking almost obsolete. Text messages quickly outgrew voice communication. We see this more and more with the dawn of social media and free apps like Whatsapp and Kakao Talk. Siri is being hyped up, because without Siri, the next iPhone is a HUGE HUGE HUGE bust.
Apple’s iPhone 4s will sell incredibly well because Apple has done such a great job cultivating a culture of simplicity and beauty. Their hardware is well-designed, sturdy and just pretty to look at while their software is simply smooth, silky and it just seems to work. But I don’t think it will be enough to stop Android’s army. Android is for real now and it is really challenging iOS. This is why Apple has made the smartphone wars into an incredibly ugly patent war. While this may stall them some time, I will most likely not buy the next iPhone.
Next up: Why the Kindle Fire will be the iPad’s first major competitor…
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‘comfortable people are apt to have a stunted sense of compassion, more likely to love humanity in general but less like to love one person in particular. do you show compassion?’
mr. philip yancey speakin truth. we might find ourselves fighting for justice or standing up against inhumane issues. and no, it’s not a bad thing. but sometimes its good to stop and ask ourselves the question that puts our outward actions to the test: do we know how to love one individual? the individual. mmhmm. do we practice compassion, forgiveness, grace? do we know how to apply humility in hopes that another person might shine? how to bring out the best in others? how to lend an ear? how to restore a broken spirit or a lost soul?
something that’s been on my heart lately. something to think about.
(via hanloveyoon)
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this is an amazing idea. yay for innovation!!
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Katherine Mae: Truth.
When I say… “I am a Christian”
I’m not shouting “I’m clean livin’.”
I’m whispering “I was lost,
Now I’m found and forgiven.”
When I say… “I am a Christian”
I don’t speak of this with pride.
I’m confessing that I stumble
and need Christ to be my guide.
When I say… “I am a Christian”
I’m… -
funny stuff.. iphonies youll love this~
wow.. every father-to-be should do this! :)
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Pictures
Quote from the article:
So far in his research, Cheshire has observed that people tend to perceive a loss in their ability to control and contain info about themselves after something bad happens with it.
“What we don’t see, however, is any increase in their online discretionary behaviors,” he said.
Several factors could account for this phenomenon, which seems to run counter to the experiments where an animal learns to avoid electrodes after getting zapped a few times. “Thankfully, we don’t have any data showing people aren’t able to learn,” Cheshire said with a chuckle.
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What I’m singing to the Father is elementary compared to what the Father is singing over me.
– Ptr Benjamin Robinson - Seoul, Collide Conference (via jyu27)
