the frig blig

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The iPad does not support common programming keys on its virtual keyboard. For instance, there is no way to type the backtick character above. This is a problem when you need to use this character.

A simple but annoying way to deal with this is to do a web search for that character, find it on some website and use good old copy/paste. For our convenience I posted this character on a separate line at the top of this post. This cheap trick only works for printable characters, alas.

Note that some iPad apps add additional keys on another bar at the top of the keyboard. I have yet to find an app which provides the entire comprehensive keyboard known and loved by coders and sysadmins… opportunity!

What do I want? An app which performs peer-to-peer file transfers between android devices and iPads. When do I want it? Now!

32 seats full –
Oooh, see the pretty ponies!
Ruh-roh, no wifi.

6. There is no easy, straightforward way to copy files from a Mac [or any other kind of computer] to an iPad. And, even if you stoop to sending yourself an email attachment and opening it on the iPad, there is no way to save the attachment! Apple goes to extraordinary lengths to hide the file system from iPad users.

7. If you want to burn an audio CD from a bunch of music files using your Mac, you have to use iTunes. Not entirely icky since it is, after all, an audio app. Did I mention iTunes does not import ogg or flac files? ?!@#%$*! So in order to burn those files I have to convert them to mp3 first — a time-consuming step which incidentally defeats the purpose of flac by using a lossy compression format.

End rant, attempt to calm down.

Editor, NY Times:

In yesterday (Sunday)’s editorial page, Carol Giacomo asserts:

“The biggest issue for the United States is how to counterbalance an increasingly assertive China — and reassure its increasingly nervous neighbors — while trying to cajole and goad Beijing into being a more responsible world player.”

I agree that while it would be refreshing to see more nations acting less assertively on the world stage, expecting nations to take a lesser role in furthering their own interests is wishful thinking.

However, taking an unbiased look at the history of the United States, I can only marvel at Giacomo’s audacity in thinking this nation possesses any moral authority for cajoling and goading any other nation to act responsibly.

-FB

The annual occurrence of kids’s most popular holiday came last night to our neighborhood. Kids dress up in costumes, and go begging for candy.

When I was a kid we did it too. The routine was to ring the doorbell, and chant ‘Trick or treat!’ when the door opened. After taking the proffered candy, the polite among us would say ‘Thank you.’

Kids these days, more often than not, after taking the candy say ‘Happy Halloween!’. WTF? I suppose it’s happy for the little freeloaders. But something about that phrase is just too like ‘Have a nice day!’. It’s unnecessary expression of facile kindness.

Boo-hoo on you!