Tech News Today 746: Pricey and Laggy Don’t mix

Hosts: Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Iyaz Akhtar and Alex Gumpel

Barnes and Noble’s last Nook gasp, the US Army shakes up mobile market, Square wants to take out Foursquare.

Guest: Darren Kitchen

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Running time:: 0:44:48

Tech History Today – May 3, 2013

In 1978 – Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) sent the first unsolicited mass commercial email to 600 west coast ARPANET users. The message informed users of DEC’s new computer and operating system with ARPANET support, the DECSYSTEM-2020 and TOPS-20.

In 1997 – In New York City, Gary Kasparov began his re-match match against IBM’s Deep Blue computer. He had won the previous match in February 1996 4-2.

In 2000 – A “geocache” was hidden outside Beaver Creek, Oregon, kicking off the first “Great American GPS Stash Hunt” and the hobby now called geocaching.

Like Tech History? Purchase Tom Merritt’s Chronology of Tech History at Merritt’s Books site.

Tech News Today 745: Mechanized Soda Jerks

Hosts: Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Iyaz Akhtar and Alex Gumpel

Is Facebook, growing or slowing? Did Intel just screw up their future? EA sticks a knife in Nintendo’s back.

Guest: Myke Hurley

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Running time:: 0:47:55

Tech History Today – May 2, 2013

In 1887 – 65-year-old Rev. Hannibal Goodwin applied for a patent on his nitrocellulose flexible film. He beat the Eastman Kodak company by two years, but his vaguely-worded patent led to a 27-year legal battle.

In 1983 – Microsoft announced the two-button Microsoft Mouse built for IBM computers and meant to be used with the new Microsoft Word processor. Only 5,000 sold of the 10,000 made.

In 2000 – The United States government shut off Selective Access of the GPS system. That meant accurate positioning was no longer restricted to the US military. Positioning accuracy on the first day without Selective Access went from a 45-meter radius to a 6-meter radius.

Like Tech History? Purchase Tom Merritt’s Chronology of Tech History at Merritt’s Books site.

Tech News Today 744: Tweet Responsibly

Hosts: Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Iyaz Akhtar and Alex Gumpel

Why iOS7 could be delayed, Path in spam trouble again, and will Google merge Chrome and Android?

Guest: Veronica Belmont

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Running time:: 0:48:53

Tech History Today – May 1, 2013

In 1884 – Construction began in Chicago on the Home Insurance Building, generally acknowledged as the first steel-frame high-rise skyscraper.

In 1959 – Shortly after construction had begun, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland was officially named in honor of the pioneering rocket scientist.

In 1964 – Thomas Kurtz and John Kemeny of Dartmouth College, launched a time-sharing system using a language meant to be learned quickly, called BASIC.

Like Tech History? Purchase Tom Merritt’s Chronology of Tech History at Merritt’s Books site.

5by5: The Frequency

I had the pleasure of appearing as a guest at the end of the latest episode of The Frequency with Dan Benjamin and Haddie Cooke. It’s their reboot of the show as a weekly, as I understand it. We talked a bit about how I do things at Tech News Today and it was quite fun.

A word about the title of the episode. Earlier in the show they had mentioned that Robert Scoble said he never took his Google Glasses off except to sleep. That led to Haddie wondering if that meant he never took a shower. Later in the show I mentioned during my morning routine, I shower, and cracked “unlike Scoble.” Of course they titled the show “Unlike Scoble, I take a shower.” How could they resist.

Let me go on record as saying that, despite my little wise crack, I believe Robert Scoble to be a paragon of hygiene. And there are pics to prove it.

You can catch the show here.

Tech News Today 743: Decoupled From Reality

Hosts: Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Iyaz Akhtar and Alex Gumpel

Apple ripping off Microsoft’s design sense, tablets dead in 5 years, Fab gets physical, and more.

Guest: Stephen Shankland

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Submit and vote on story coverage at technewstoday.reddit.com.

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Running time:: 0:52:57

S&L Podcast – #126 – More like Dragon-FIGHT!

Controversy swirls around the Sword and Laser book picks both old and new. It makes being George R. R. Martin look downright easy. And then he goes and buys a movie theater. For real. You must listen.

QUICK BURNS
George R.R. Martin buys a movie theatre
China Mieville’s turn-it-to-11 high weirdness reboot of “Dial H”
Petition to get Isaac Asimov a commemorative plaque
Too much violence in fantasy?
In a future with one last bookstore, a boy falls in love with reading

CALENDAR

BOOK WRAP-UP
Wrap-up Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey
Female characters in Pern
On the use of Dragons
A Whiteboard Reflection on Pern

EMAIL
If you remember the main trip to get back 400 years to bring the other weyr’s forward, show used the tapestry from Ruatha Hold.

The dragons of Pern need an image in the riders mind to travel between to that place. They also use an image to travel between times.

This is why the riders don’t go back in time to battle thread when necessary, they need that image to get there. It also drain’s both dragon and rider.

I don’t know how far you are into all the other books, but Lessa wasn’t the first to time travel (chronologically speaking), In “”Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern””, Moreta did some if my memory serves me.

If you haven’t read the series before, you must read Dragonsdawn! It’s the “”laser”” Dragonriders book. Basically, the first book (chronologically) of the series. I really love that book. If I had to rank the books, I would go Harper Hall trilogy, Dragonsdawn, Dragonflight, Dragonquest then The White Dragon. The others are really good, but those 7 are my absolute favorite books.

Looking forward to Sword & Laser having video shows again (really missing them!),

Dave

BOOK KICK-OFF
Wool by Hugh Howey
Controversy around Howey statements
Wikipedia entry about Wool

ADDENDUMS

Giveaway!

Limited edition Empire State and Limited Edition Age Atomic Hardcover, signed, numbered only 100 copies each. Empire State has a variant cover. Enter at this Goodreads thread.

Writer’s With Drinks

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