Day: April 2, 2006

Engadget looks back on 30 years of Apple

Covering, in their own words, the good, the bad, and the ugly, Engadget gives a look back at 30 years of Apple history. Pictures included. It’s a lengthy write-up, and it highlights some of the best and worst things Apple has done, plus just a touch on the beginnings of Apple.

Has it really been 30 years since two buddies named Steve sold off their prized possessions (Woz’s HP calculator and Jobs’ VW van) to raise money and launch a company? Has it really been 30 years since the two Steves, tired of selling blue boxes, built the Apple I and began selling it for $666.66? Yes, it has, and if you don’t believe it, just compare Jobs’ hairlines from ’76 and today. And while the company has become known for many things, from its groundbreaking GUI to the iTunes Music Store, we know Apple has always been a hardware company at heart. So here’s to you, Apple: the good, the bad and, yes, the ugly from the past 30 years. Happy Birthday.

apple_displays.jpg Yes, these pretty LCDs fall under the good category. On the other side, you have things in the bad like the Lisa and the Newton. And I wasn’t even aware of a couple of the items to make the ugly list. Good reading, though.

[tags]Apple, computing history[/tags]

Build your own hovercraft

(via MAKEzine blog)

Parts list, instructions, build motivation, blueprints, and loads of pictures to guide you at the builder’s site.  Even some guidance on mistakes to avoid if you decide to build your own/

So I you are planning a project like this here are a few tips so you do not make the same mistakes I make:

  1. Use more powerful motors or motor if you build a single engine craft
  2. Get already made fans do not try to build you own
  3. Use light components, this is the most important it has to be a light as possible
  4. If you do not know what you are doing, get some plans off the internet, try Universal Hovercraft they have got some good stuff

[tags]DIY, hovercraft[/tags]

LiveScience mini-link dump

Here are a few articles from livescience.com that caught my eye over the week-end:

  • Sadly, emergency responders are using larger ambulances in some locations. In Las Vegas, one ambulance is now providing an ambulance with extra width and pulleys capable of lifting 1600 pounds. That number may be more than anyone currently needs, but:

    • Crews have called 75 times in the last six months for additional manpower to handle morbidly obese patients, said Chris Piper, a western regional spokesman for Greenwood, Colo.-based AMR. He said the largest patients weighed more than 500 pounds.

    As I’m tipping the scales at roughly 50 pounds above where I should be, I am painfully aware of how overweight we are in America. But 500+ pounds is just tragic.

  • Nano-tech at work for you:
    • iPod Nano by Apple
    • Nitro Hockey Sticks by Montreal Sports Oy
    • Nanowax by Eagle One

    More, plus details of why these are nano-tech items in the full article

  • When cheating is OK in American’s eyes.

    Nearly one in five Americans think cheating on taxes is morally acceptable or is not a moral issue. Some 10 percent are equally ambivalent about cheating on a spouse. In a survey by the Pew Research Center released today, 88 percent of respondents said it was morally wrong to have an affair. Not reporting all income on taxes was called morally wrong by 79 percent of the people.

  • Smart kids brains just develop differently.

    As children grow up, the outer mantle, or cortex, of their brains thicken and thin as new neural connections are being made and then pruned to become more efficient. Using brain scans, researchers have found that the cortices of kids with high IQ scores thickened faster and for a longer period of time than children of average intelligence.

You know, that last one explains a lot about me… 🙂