CDs are still being produced in mass numbers - If only just to copy the songs right? Seems like a real waste.

I just people feel more justified if they actually buy something tangible.

JackieRabbit: Keyboards will become obsolete, too.

i'd like a virtual keyboard projected in front of me. but no real keys, just an image. and then the kinect sensors on my tablet can detect the key strokes from the motion of my fingers... no more thin keyboard needed.

same for mouse movements. no more mouse. more like tony starks virtual interface.

Haoie: CDs are still being produced in mass numbers - If only just to copy the songs right? Seems like a real waste.

I just people feel more justified if they actually buy something tangible.

Actually, with MP3 players and flash becoming a standard way to move music around, I think CDs and DVDs are mostly for back up purposes. You always want to back up all your data on a couple of sources. Hard drives and flash drives can crash, but if you save it on a CD and store it away, it's gonna be nice and safe.

I have about 400gb of music and 100 gigs of comic books/e books...all the old stuff is backed up on discs.

My company still uses dial-up modems in daily business.

I'll repeat that again, in bold, in case it didn't sink-in.

My company still uses dial-up modems in daily business.

Without modems, we would actually lose money in some cases.

/healthcare business
//deal with the government
///many business-related websites still "not tested with Internet Explorer 8 or 9"
////kill me now

JackieRabbit: Actually, the future of computers is that smartphones and most desktop computers will become obsolete. Ever more powerful tablets with phone applications and with will interface with docking stations for full screen use is going to become the norm. There is already large format GPS on network enabled tablets.

So when I want to go to Disneyland, I'm going to carry a tablet?

For me, the tablet is squeezed out. When I want to look up the movie guide when sat next to the TV, I use my Nexus. When I want to write code or play on Portal, I have my PC.

/all the functional limitations of a smartphone
//combined with the portability of a laptop

FinFangFark: Our big canon copier does faxes and emails in pdf formats. We installed a proprietary software the enables a format that most courts accept. A couple of my attorneys only send things via fax, unless it's to a small courthouse in the boonies that only accepts walk ins and faxes. even then, you just put the doc in the machine and it does the work.

And from what I understand, if you agree to it at the beginning of a case with opposing counsel, you can do all docs, both discoveries and pleadings, via email, of course if all pleadings are accept via the court, which varies county by county.


The Texas Rules of Civil Procedure contain provisions that specifically deal with faxes. For instance faxing something to opposing counsel is akin to mailing it, thus they generally get three additional days to answer (why it's that way when it's an instantaneous transaction, I don't know). That rule has not yet been extended to email. There are also implications for the mailbox rule etc that apply to faxes but not email.

Indeed as you say it can be waived by mutual consent, but that generally requires a Rule 11 agreement unless you trust that opposing counsel won't screw you.

Until the rule address electronic communication (what constitutes a "digital signature", when is an item considered "delivered", what is required for verification of transmission, etc) I believe most prudent attorneys will stick with fax or regular mail.

planes: When my son went with us on vacation last summer, he bragged about how his smart phone GPS was so superior to the 7" Magellan GPS on the dash of my motorhome. That is, until we crossed over into Canada, and his smart phone stopped working. And, his little screen didn't have the easy view that my GPS did, especially when he was taking and making phone calls.

[www.magellangps.com image 355x240]

You described the only reason I have regrets about not getting a GPS: They don't lose signal. (Do they?)

My Droid lost signal one afternoon (in the sticks) and I almost had a panic attack because I couldn't find my way out.

farkeruk: JackieRabbit: Actually, the future of computers is that smartphones and most desktop computers will become obsolete. Ever more powerful tablets with phone applications and with will interface with docking stations for full screen use is going to become the norm. There is already large format GPS on network enabled tablets.

So when I want to go to Disneyland, I'm going to carry a tablet?

For me, the tablet is squeezed out. When I want to look up the movie guide when sat next to the TV, I use my Nexus. When I want to write code or play on Portal, I have my PC.

/all the functional limitations of a smartphone
//combined with the portability of a laptop

I'm seeing tablets everywhere now. I'm sure they are all over Disneyland. And you quite obviously haven't ever used an iPad. My wife carries hers in her purse. She uses her iMac only for work anymore. Everything else, she does on her iPad. It has a lot more functionality than a smartphone. As soon as Apple adds a phone app, sales of them ware going to skyrocket again.

Don't see USB drives going bye bye anytime soon. Far too convenient, especially as a key chain.

I would get a tablet over a net book. Then again I'd rather just whip out my thunderbolt and go that route else use my laptop. I don't really like net books.

8DragonFark: way south: Hmm...

1. Replaced by Smart phones.
2. Replaced by Smart phones.
3. Replaced by Smart phones, or can be, if someone makes an adapter.
4. Replaced by Smart phones... almost, if some cell GPS rigs weren't network dependent.
5. Replaced by Smart phones.
6. Replaced by smart phones, or will be someday. Feds like to mishandle online data, they are being hoisted on their own petard.
7. Replaced by Smart ph... Tablets! I meant tablets! (tried to sneak that by me, eh?!).
8. Replaced by Smart phones.
9. Replaced by Smart phones.
10. Replaced by Smart phones.

The future is now... and its kinda beige tasting.

0/10. iFail/iTroll?

How so?
None of it is essentially untrue or provocative.

1, 5, and 9 coalesced into smart phone turf because the cameras give a decent resolution with greater convenience. Not many people walk with a dedicated recording device anymore.

2 and 8 became a smart phone area because they can directly download movies and music. With a cable you can also plug it in to the TV and use it as a video player (I know you can with the iPhone. I can also stream movies across the house from my laptop with that and air video).
A 2TB external drive beats a shelf full of unsorted DVD's.

3. Smartphones have memory accessible by USB port. More people are using the cloud now, but if they wanted the business its a matter of making adapters.

4. GPS for driving around the city is nice, but if your going on a serious haul then it has to work off the grid. Some cell phones have a hard time with this.

6. They've been calling for the death of the fax machine since the 90's and it soldiers on. Partly because some people feel they are more secure. Mostly because of legal reasons.
I think this can become a smart phone area. They can take photos and do OCR. Its a matter of software to make them "fax" the signal, but they can already email the documents they create.

...Which leaves #7.
Most people on the go are in the habit of using their phones to look things up, rather than another device. So this may be a moot point, but: Tablets tend to have bigger screens than netbooks and allow instant access.
The netbook is only around because its cheap.

That edge wont last forever, if it already hasn't evaporated.

Cloud computing sounds great on the surface. As long as it works, you have unfettered access to it , and there are no data caps.

/Curious to see if cloud computing lives up to those qualifications 5 years from now.

Dr Dreidel: And that's why games on smartphone/tablet will never beat motion or controller-based games. You didn't need to keep looking down at your hands, because you knew where the buttons were by feel.

This is how I know you never played a racing game on an iPad, for instance.

"Photo: Sony's first CD player came out in 1988"

Fail. Sony's first (the CDP-101) CD player came out in 1982.

FinFangFark: Actually, with MP3 players and flash becoming a standard way to move music around, I think CDs and DVDs are mostly for back up purposes. You always want to back up all your data on a couple of sources. Hard drives and flash drives can crash, but if you save it on a CD and store it away, it's gonna be nice and safe.

I have about 400gb of music and 100 gigs of comic books/e books...all the old stuff is backed up on discs.


If by disk you mean CD-R or DVD-R, here's another warning that you are going to be quite surprised on how temperamental they are.

Most of the ones I have, even if stored properly, have gone bad... I had to use a high-end disk restoring machine to get the data off of some, but once the die goes, it's gone forever. This varies from 2-5 years... some went bad after only 6 months.

They are terrible for backup purposes.

I always advise people to simply get hard drives... the more important the data is, the more backups you should have.

The usual setup I recommend is 1 internal drive as the main backup, and 1 external for the secondary. If it's really important, then a portable external that you update once a month or so, that you unplug and put away in another room/house/etc. so that if something happens to your equipment, you increase the chances that this copy won't be affected.

But do not, I repeat, put any trust in burnable optical media such as CD-R or DVD-R. Sooner or later, you'll see why, I can promise that it will happen.

Angry Drunk Bureaucrat: We're all agreed about CD players though, right?

Personally, I'd feel better about mp3s if the legal copies didn't all come with the "you can listen only as long as *The Company* allows you to" technology.

Until then, since I don't pirate, I'll stick with CDs.

Well, I'm not a consumer whore, so I'll probably save my gadgets until they no longer work. Then, if I feel like I really need to replace the gadget, I will replace it with whatever will last longest. I think the disposable electronics culture we live in is disgusting. Don't bother arguing with me: I can't hear you from up here on my high horse.

/proud of my unbreakable stupidphone

JackieRabbit: I'm seeing tablets everywhere now. I'm sure they are all over Disneyland. And you quite obviously haven't ever used an iPad. My wife carries hers in her purse. She uses her iMac only for work anymore. Everything else, she does on her iPad. It has a lot more functionality than a smartphone. As soon as Apple adds a phone app, sales of them ware going to skyrocket again.

My point exactly. Your wife has to carry a bag to use it. Same as my laptop, where I have to carry a bag to use it. It affords you no more portability than a laptop, yet is less functional. Anywhere you can take an iPad, you can take a laptop, so why not just take a laptop?

(no, I really don't believe that people are taking iPads with them on log flumes and rollercoasters).

The First Four Black Sabbath Albums: Well, I'm not a consumer whore,

So you are just a regular whore?

/had to

farkeruk: JackieRabbit: I'm seeing tablets everywhere now. I'm sure they are all over Disneyland. And you quite obviously haven't ever used an iPad. My wife carries hers in her purse. She uses her iMac only for work anymore. Everything else, she does on her iPad. It has a lot more functionality than a smartphone. As soon as Apple adds a phone app, sales of them ware going to skyrocket again.

My point exactly. Your wife has to carry a bag to use it. Same as my laptop, where I have to carry a bag to use it. It affords you no more portability than a laptop, yet is less functional. Anywhere you can take an iPad, you can take a laptop, so why not just take a laptop?

(no, I really don't believe that people are taking iPads with them on log flumes and rollercoasters).

I find my ipad more convenient on flights. I don't have to take it out at security, the battery lasts longer, and carry on weight limits are less of a concern.

imfallen_angel: FinFangFark: Actually, with MP3 players and flash becoming a standard way to move music around, I think CDs and DVDs are mostly for back up purposes. You always want to back up all your data on a couple of sources. Hard drives and flash drives can crash, but if you save it on a CD and store it away, it's gonna be nice and safe.

I have about 400gb of music and 100 gigs of comic books/e books...all the old stuff is backed up on discs.


If by disk you mean CD-R or DVD-R, here's another warning that you are going to be quite surprised on how temperamental they are.

Most of the ones I have, even if stored properly, have gone bad... I had to use a high-end disk restoring machine to get the data off of some, but once the die goes, it's gone forever. This varies from 2-5 years... some went bad after only 6 months.

They are terrible for backup purposes.

I always advise people to simply get hard drives... the more important the data is, the more backups you should have.

The usual setup I recommend is 1 internal drive as the main backup, and 1 external for the secondary. If it's really important, then a portable external that you update once a month or so, that you unplug and put away in another room/house/etc. so that if something happens to your equipment, you increase the chances that this copy won't be affected.

But do not, I repeat, put any trust in burnable optical media such as CD-R or DVD-R. Sooner or later, you'll see why, I can promise that it will happen.

well I also should have mentioned I'm paranoid about my data. mostly b/c all my MP3s were rips from my massive CD and album collection, and I took the time to add the meta data, including album art. So I burned them on DVDs, as well as back them up on a 2TB hard drive that I pop into an enclosure.

Plus I worked in media for a long time, and still do audio production on the side...swapping internals into an enclosure and storing those are great for uncompressed uncut audio and video files and sessions. It's so much less of a headache. The DVD and CD-Rs are mostly for small file storage. But thanks for everyone's advice on the lifespan sucking. I'm gonna make sure all of that data is backed up on to HDDs.

padraig: stuhayes2010: The writer's GPS argument makes little sense to me.

Yeps, ditto.
"The GPS in phones are absolute crap, but they'll replace the ones in your car anymay."


It was even worse than that. It was more like, "The GPS in my iPhone is absolute crap, but it will replace the one in your car anyway."

The GPS in my HTC EVO is actually just fantastic, and I vastly prefer it to any dedicated auto GPS that I've seen. And since it's a free Google app I also have it on my Android tablet, so I can have an awesome GPS with a 10.1" screen (yes, I have a mount for it - I know, I'm a total nerd) that also shows me a Google Streetview image of my destination when I get near. So yeah, the iPhone GPS blows for using it in the car, but that's something you should be taking Apple to task for.

Or at least it did when I used an iPhone. They're still basically just giving you a view of Google maps, but moving the location pin around, right? they might have updated it and I'm not aware, but when I had an iPhone that's how it was and I had to buy an expensive app to get (shiatty) auto GPS functionality.

So he failed, even when he was probably right. Did a senator write this list or something?

RexTalionis: FinFangFark: Plus I worked in media for a long time, and still do audio production on the side...swapping internals into an enclosure and storing those are great for uncompressed uncut audio and video files and sessions. It's so much less of a headache. The DVD and CD-Rs are mostly for small file storage. But thanks for everyone's advice on the lifespan sucking. I'm gonna make sure all of that data is backed up on to HDDs.

If you can afford it, go with solid state storage. No moving parts to break.

My non-work related rigs at home are both SSDs as primary...they are awesome. On the offchance I'm using Premiere or Adobe Audition one of them, I always save to HDD, the only reason I don't go full out to SSD for saving is b/c the are still flaky, and the last thing I need is for a recording season to be non retreivable on an SSD. They are great for primary for OS and gaming for sure. I hope they keep getting lower in price so I can eventually move to storing sessions on them.

Based on his summary of GPS, I take it iPhone users do not know that real time GPS navigation with voice and satellite overlay has been avail on Android based phones for quite some time.

/Waiting for Google Maps for my Oki 9
//slashie

Dr Dreidel: // did they suddenly make tactile controls for the iPad? No? Then WTH are you talking about?

Motion control. iPad haz them.

As a self-professed geek, i hold my head down in shame that i actually needed a Best Buy employee to talk me OUT of getting a Flip about a year ago. He noted that its the same price as a iPhone or a good Android, which do so much more.

I ended up waiting another 10 months after that conversation for the phone i wanted to come out, which shoots 1080p, but pretty glad i did, and thank you, Mr. Best Buy employee for setting me straight.

simply put:

When it comes to GPS, photos, video, etc.. smartphones are great at doing everything decently.

however, if you value doing any one of those things with better accuracy, speed, or quality then you need a separate, dedicated device.

T.rex: As a self-professed geek, i hold my head down in shame that i actually needed a Best Buy employee to talk me OUT of getting a Flip about a year ago. He noted that its the same price as a iPhone or a good Android, which do so much more.

I ended up waiting another 10 months after that conversation for the phone i wanted to come out, which shoots 1080p, but pretty glad i did, and thank you, Mr. Best Buy employee for setting me straight.

But you did buy an extended Best Buy warranty....but for what product?

FinFangFark: T.rex: As a self-professed geek, i hold my head down in shame that i actually needed a Best Buy employee to talk me OUT of getting a Flip about a year ago. He noted that its the same price as a iPhone or a good Android, which do so much more.

I ended up waiting another 10 months after that conversation for the phone i wanted to come out, which shoots 1080p, but pretty glad i did, and thank you, Mr. Best Buy employee for setting me straight.

But you did buy an extended Best Buy warranty....but for what product?

And $200 gold plated HDMI cable...which makes the signal better (snirk)