Debug & Iterate team-up podcast: The future of human interface

Marc Edwards of Bjango, Guy English of Kicking Bear, Loren Brichter of Atebits, Sebastiaan de With of DoubleTwist, and Rene Ritchie of Mobile Nations talk human interfaces of the future, including Siri, Google Now, Kinect, Leap, MYO, Project Glass, iWatch, Oculus Rift, and more!

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• Subscribe via RSS: Iterate | Debug
• Download Directly

Show notes

• Siri
• Google Now
• Xbox Kinect
• Leap Motion
• MYO
• Project Glass
• Occulus Rift
• iWatch (theoretical)

Panelists

• Marc Edwards (@marcedwards) of Bjango
• Guy English (@gte) of Kicking Bear
• Loren Brichter (@lorenb) of Atebits
• Sebastiaan de With (@sdw) of Icon Designer
• Rene Ritchie (@reneritchie) of iMore.com

Feedback

Yell at us on Twitter via the above accounts. Loudly.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/sWOShkqZDtQ/story01.htm

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Microsoft's Surface Pro: The reviews are in - Apple 2.0 -Fortune Tech

FORTUNE -- Apple's (AAPL) iPad is currently the most popular tablet computer in the enterprise, according to a?Forrester Research survey?released earlier this week. But?what these workers -- Microsoft's (MSFT) target audience -- really wanted was a tablet that runs Windows.

Enter the Microsoft's?Surface Pro. It's?scheduled to be released Saturday. The first reviews came in overnight.

Walt Mossberg, Wall Street Journal:?Surface Pro: Hefty Tablet Is a Laptop Lightweight.?"I like the original Surface and see it as a tablet with the extra benefit of some Microsoft Office programs. However, I am less enamored with the Surface Pro. It's too hefty and costly and power-hungry to best the leading tablet, Apple's full-size iPad. It is also too difficult to use in your lap. It's something of a tweener ? a compromised tablet and a compromised laptop...?In my tough battery tests, where I set the screen to 75 percent brightness, turn off power-saving features, leave the Wi-Fi on and play locally stored videos until the machine dies, the Surface Pro did pathetically. It lasted just under four hours between charges ? less than half the stamina of the iPad on the same test and three hours less than the Surface RT."

Joe Wilcox, BetaNews:?First impressions review.?"Surface Pro is magnificent. A classic. It's the Windows experience you longed for but were denied. The tablet is a reference design for?what -- and?what not -- Microsoft OEM partners should achieve. The device is the past and future, pure personal computer and post-PC. Simply put: Surface Pro is jack of all trades, both master of many, and (gulp) none. Capabilities astound, yet quirks abound. But even they are?endearing, giving Windows 8 Pro personality and dimension.?For the past five days, I've had the privilege of using Surface Pro, which goes on sale February 9, as my primary PC... Unquestionably, Surface Pro isn't for everyone. But it could be for you."

David Pogue, New York Times: It's a Tablet. No, It's a PC. Surface Pro Is Both.?"In the end, the Surface Pro isn't for everyone, it isn't all it seemed at first, and it isn't all it could be.?Even so, there's a lot to admire in Microsoft's accomplishment. The Surface Pro is an important idea, almost a new category, and it will be the right machine for a lot of people. It strikes a spot on the size/weight/speed/software spectrum that no machine has ever struck. You can use this thing on a restaurant table without looking obnoxious (much). You can hold it in one hand to read a Kindle book while you're standing in line.?And wow, is it happy on an airplane tray table. Lean back all you want, pal. I'm getting work done."

David Pierce, The Verge:?The first real computer to come out of Redmond.?"Who is this for??Even a well-executed Surface still doesn't work for me, and I'd bet it doesn't work for most other people either. It's really tough to use on anything but a desk, and the wide, 16:9 aspect ratio pretty severely limits its usefulness as a tablet anyway. It's too big, too fat, and too reliant on its power cable to be a competitive tablet, and it's too immutable to do everything a laptop needs to do. In its quest to be both, the Surface is really neither. It's supposed to be freeing, but it just feels limiting."

John Biggs, TechCrunch.?The Microsoft Surface Pro Proves That The PC Is Back.?"I come bearing glad tidings. After decades of OEM malaise, a constant parroting of the speeds and feeds mantra, and an aesthetic that was formulated in the back room of a dingy Staples office supply store, the PC is really back.?In short, the Surface Pro is so good that it could drive Windows 8 adoption with enough force to make people reconsider Microsoft's odd new OS. Microsoft bet the farm on a new paradigm and it needs a champion. Surface Pro is the right hardware for the job.?I haven't been a Surface apologist and, although I've seen Windows 8 as more of a success than a failure, no hardware has truly made me see the value of the platform until this model Surface."

Scott Stein,?CNET:?Smart almost-laptop nearly gets it right.?"The good:?The?Microsoft Surface Pro?fits a full ultrabook experience in a compact 10-inch tablet. Thanks to the ingenious Type and Touch covers, it offers a comfortable interface and typing experience. The clean, crisp design and sharp 1080p screen rise above the competition.?The bad:?The battery life is disappointing, and more ports would be nice. The 64GB model barely has any free storage. It costs as much as a regular laptop, especially because the cool keyboard cover isn't included by default.?The bottom line:?The Surface Pro's gutsy design successfully reinvents the Windows 8 laptop by cramming an ultrabook experience into the body of a 10-inch tablet. Those wanting to go all-in on the tablet experience won't regret buying the Surface Pro, but we're holding out for a future, more polished generation of the device."

Tim Stevens, Engadget:?Microsoft Surface Pro Review:?"We're still completely enraptured by the idea of a full-featured device that can properly straddle the disparate domains of lean-forward productivity and lean-back idleness. Sadly, we're still searching for the perfect device and OS combo that not only manages both tasks, but excels at them. The Surface Pro comes about as close as we've yet experienced, but it's still compromised at both angles of attack. When trying to be productive, we wished we had a proper laptop and, when relaxing on the couch, we wished we had a more finger-friendly desktop interface -- though more native Windows 8 apps might solve the problem by keeping us from having to even go there.?That it offers compatibility with the massive back-catalog of Windows apps gives this a strong leg up over the earlier Surface RT, but the thickness, heft and battery life are big marks against. We're confident Microsoft will keep refining Windows 8 to make the OS as a whole more seamlessly tablet-friendly, and we look forward to testing the dozens of touch-friendly hybrid and convertible devices due this year, but sadly Microsoft's second tablet doesn't have us reaching for our credit cards. Not quite yet."

Anand Lal Shimpi, AnandTech:?Microsoft Surface Pro Review. "This is the first tablet that can truly replace your tablet, notebook and desktop if you want. No compromises, no new apps, and no waiting for Flash to die and HTML5 to take over. Surface RT was Microsoft's first attempt at a convergence device, but Surface Pro really is the first tablet that truly attempts to replace a PC and not just augment it.?All of this of course comes at a price... The 64GB model retails for $899, while the 128GB model is $999. Compared to similar capacity iPads, you're looking at a $200 premium. Although to really get full use out of Surface Pro you need either the $119 Touch Cover or $129 Type Cover, so adjust those prices accordingly."

Joanna Stern, ABC News: A Tablet/Laptop Hybrid With Compromises. "As a tablet, the Surface Pro is not as strong as its competitors. It's larger, the battery life can't compete and still lacks critical apps. As a laptop it's hampered by its smaller screen size, lack of a good mouse option and the fact that it doesn't really sit on your lap. Putting the two together results in a breed that's simply not as compelling as separate tablets and laptops.?The Surface Pro is a good choice for a niche mobile user, one who is willing to pay $1,000 for the power and robustness of a full Windows computer in a small and very compelling form factor. Many people, however, will likely prefer to get a tablet and buy a separate Windows laptop, so they don't have to make another compromise."

Ed Bott, ZD Net.?Is the brilliant, quirky, flawed Surface Pro right for you? "The ideal buyer of this device, I suspect, is someone who works in a large office and is continually bouncing between meeting rooms, with ready access to Wi-Fi and power outlets. The Surface Pro absolutely shines in that scenario, and it works for occasional trips outside the office as well: an hour or two in a coffee shop, a short flight to a customer meeting, a few hours on the couch in the evening with one eye on the big screen and the other on Twitter.?It helps, too, if the person using this device is well connected to Microsoft products and cloud services and is already familiar with Windows 8 and?eager to switch to?a touchscreen device.?In short, this is a great product for anyone who's already committed to a Microsoft-centric work environment. It isn't likely to?inspire many iPad owners to switch, unless?those Apple tablets are in the hands of someone who has been eagerly awaiting an excuse to execute the iTunes ecosystem."

Kyle Wagner, Gizmodo: Too Much Future??"Should you buy this??If it fits your professional needs, you'll at least want to consider it. Same goes if you have enough scratch to take a flyer on a secondary computer (that also happens to represent the future of computing). For anyone else, the Surface Pro probably isn't worth it.?The Surface Pro is ultimately the best answer to questions a lot of people haven't bothered asking yet. That's different from being extraneous?it's more like being the girl who shows up 30 minutes early to every party?but it still means the Pro isn't for everyone. For a lot of you, a thick, superpowered tablet isn't necessary, and a laptop-like (and laptop-priced) machine that makes it?harder?to bang out emails, IMs, and tweets while on the couch or in bed is nothing you're interested in."

Harry McCracken, TIME:?Review:?Microsoft Surface Pro, the Surface That's More PC Than Tablet.?"I'm not arguing that Surface with Windows 8 Pro is a machine without a market. If you equip it with an external display, keyboard and mouse, it becomes a serviceable desktop PC, and if you stick to Windows 8 apps, it may be the best Windows 8 tablet so far. If I were shopping for an Ultrabook and my budget allowed, I'd consider it.?But used with the applications I tried, Surface Pro doesn't prove that one computing device can do everything well. Instead, it makes clear that there's no such thing as no-compromise computing.?That's not the lesson Microsoft intended, but it's a useful one nonetheless ? for consumers, for the industry and maybe even for Microsoft."

Source: http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2013/02/06/microsoft-surface-pro-review-roundup/

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Yes, I?m a Homemaker

Is it OK for a married guy without kids to be a stay-at-home dude?

Photo by Andrew Olney/Thinkstock

?What's your line of work?? It's a common conversation opener, especially toward someone like me who just six months ago moved from the other side of the country. The person asking has usually already heard about my wife and her great new job that brought us to town, so naturally it?s time to find out what I?m doing here. ... ?I used to do architectural design,? I say, ?but now, since the move, I'm the homemaker of the household.?

What a sweet picture this conjures: the stay-at-home dad nurturing his children, looking after the house and helping support his wife in her budding career and shelving his own big ambitions for later. Now it gets a little awkward. There is no adorable kid, nor plans to have one. No starter home that needs knocking into shape. I'm not just doing this temporarily until I find something meaningful to do. I?m actually a full-time homemaker ... not stay-at-home dad but stay-at-home dude. A conversational pause. Where do you mentally file this guy? Usually I just change the subject.

What can I say? I drop my wife off at her office (we're trying to remain a one-car couple), then clean, mend, cook, run errands, and deal with the various logistics of life. Kids are a get-out-of-jail-free card when it comes to breaking stereotypical gender roles, but without them homemaking is not really seen as an ambitious life-calling or even particularly time-consuming. I have to say, I don't see it that way.

A year ago, I was working the job I had dreamed of years earlier in architecture school: at a small firm doing excellent work, with respected colleagues and mentors and opportunities for growth. Within two years I could have passed the registration exam and become a licensed architect. My then-girlfriend of three years was in the process of finalizing her Ph.D. and tackling the job market. A Ph.D. is more than a full-time job, and no one becomes an architect for the short hours. We managed to balance everything, but both of us were working long days and had little energy for anything else except takeout dinners and necessities such as laundry. We were surviving with grace?a sign for me that we could spend our lives together. But we were still only surviving. We knew that eventually she would have to move for a job and that I would follow her. There are architects all over, and I wasn't all that concerned about being able to find work.

My salary was above average for a not-yet-licensed architect, and though sufficient to live on, it was nothing to write home about. When the-job-offer-she-couldn't-refuse landed, we realized she was going to be the big earner. In fact, she would make enough to support us both, and this put my vocation in an entirely new context. I had no insecurities about being outearned by my partner, but I had never really considered the idea that my job could be optional.

The expected move was now a real one, engaging my full attention. I already had experience with out-of-state moves, including one to follow a previous partner, which had taught me a lot about myself, about relationships, and about how difficult it could be to adjust. Now I was determined to do things right. With my girlfriend preparing for the final defense of her dissertation, I took on the task of finding us a place to live and packing. We arrived in our new apartment a few days before she needed to start her new job. This was just enough time to run down to the courthouse for a civil ceremony, which formalized what was already a common-law marriage.

For most couples, and for me in the past, what would normally follow is a period of managed chaos: Each person tries to navigate a new job in a new city while attempting to remain healthy and sane. Instead, because I wasn't forced to immediately hunt down a second source of income, we settled into a peaceful routine of breadwinner and homemaker. She was free to put all her energy into her career while I kept house. At first I was mainly dealing with getting us settled?unpacking the boxes, getting utilities hooked up, updating the license plates for the car, and so on. As this list of to-do?s dwindled, I found myself taking on the things we used to do in a rush in the evenings, such as laundry and cleaning, and eventually the things that we had never had time for at all, such as cooking and mending clothes we might have just thrown away. Years of old paperwork got purged or organized, unwanted books sold on Amazon or donated.

As a result, when she is done with work?if I've managed my time well?the evenings and weekends are now totally open for us to relax together. And if there is cooking and cleaning for me to do while she is home relaxing, I do it without feeling frayed and resentful, because I can relax here and there during my ?work? day in a way she can?t. Her work schedule can vary considerably from week to week and month to month. I can easily vary mine to match, allowing for small things like a shared lunch during the week if she's worked all weekend, and large things like a vacation built around a summertime conference.

I have a good friend who at one time had the primary homemaking role in his relationship. His wife?s income was not enough to sustain both of them long-term, however, and he had to simultaneously job-hunt, causing him to identify more strongly as ?unemployed? than as ?homemaker.? We've talked a bit about the differences in our situations, and it drove home to me the fact that I don't know any other guys who have made (or have been able to make) the same choice that I have. Indeed, he said that even if he were in a situation of full financial support, he would use that freedom to pursue personal projects first and do the homemaking on the side.

By contrast, I have self-identified as a homemaker first. Certainly, I see a need to channel my creative side into something at some point. But that feeling is pretty abstract. For the time being, I have my hands full getting better at meal-planning and mending: It actually feels the same to me as improving in my ?profession.? But more than that, I find satisfaction twice over in making a good home?once for supporting my partner, and again for myself.

All choices have a cost. My architectural skills have a shelf life, and it's likely that I am damaging my prospects for future employment. In general, architecture isn't something I can do halfway, and given the choice, I choose the quality of life we are afforded by me being a full-time homemaker. Our circumstances may change and I may be forced to re-evaluate, but for now, feeling that the benefits far outweigh the professional cost, I want to be a great homemaker supporting a fantastic spouse.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 33 percent of wives outearned their husbands (who may or may not have been employed) in 2006, one-third higher than the figure of 24 percent in 1987. As this number rises, more men will be faced with the decision of what to do when their work is no longer ?necessary.? In the case of couples with children, I expect the decision is more sharply defined; for other couples with no plans for children (like us) how will things play out?

Me? The stay-at-home dude abides.

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=2624da9026c61a17515511fcfe538d72

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Ex-Syrian parliament member killed in Aleppo

BEIRUT (AP) ? A former Syrian parliament member and three members of his family were killed Sunday in a rebel-held area near the northern city of Aleppo, the state news agency SANA reported.

It said "terrorists," the term the Syrian government uses for rebels, fired at Ibrahim Azzouz's car in Sheik Said neighborhood near the city's airport, killing him along with his wife and their two daughters.

Rebels captured the strategic Sheik Said neighborhood southeast of Aleppo on Saturday. It was a significant blow to regime forces because the area includes the road the army has used to supply troops.

Troops loyal to Assad and rebels have been locked in a deadly stalemate in Aleppo, Syria's largest urban center and main commercial hub, since an opposition assault last summer. Seven months later, the rebels hold large parts of the city and its outskirts, including several army bases, but they have been unable to overcome the regime's far superior firepower.

More than 60,000 people have been killed since the uprising against Assad rule erupted in March 2011.

The Britain-based activist group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which opposes the regime, said government troops bombarded a building in in Aleppo's rebel-held neighborhood of Eastern Ansari and killed at least 11 people, including five children.

The Aleppo Media Center, a network of anti-regime activists in the city, said 15 people were killed in the shelling of Eastern Ansari. An amateur video released by the group showed a building reduced to a pile of debris with dozens of people digging through the rubble in search for survivors.

"The family of the man over there is still under the rubble," a man could be heard saying, referring to a man standing in the area.

The video appeared genuine and corresponded to other AP reporting on the events depicted.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ex-syrian-parliament-member-killed-aleppo-144728558.html

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Hasan Khan: RAP: Rhythm and Poetry Lyrical Content

This is the second part of a series analyzing rap music.

Told her if she got an image and a gimmick
That she could make money, and she did like a dummy
Now I see her in commercials, she's universal
She used to only swing it with the inner-city circle
Now she be in the burbs licking rock and dressing hip
And on some dumb s**t, when she comes to the city
Talking about popping glocks serving rocks and hitting switches
Now she's a gangsta rolling with gangsta b****es
Always smoking blunts and getting drunk
Telling me sad stories, now she only f***s with the funk
Stressing how hardcore and real she is
She was really the realest, before she got into showbiz
I did her, not just to say that I did it
But I'm committed, but so many n****s hit it
That she's just not the same letting all these groupies do her
I see n****s slamming her, and taking her to the sewer
But I'mma take her back hoping that the s**t stop
Cause who I'm talking bout y'all is hip-hop
-Common, "I Used To Love H.E.R."

I began my rap music series in October by giving an overview of my thoughts on the genre through the years, highlighting particularly impactful rappers, and analyzing the pros and cons of the genre. Now, I will be examining the lyrical content: the metaphors, imagery, controversy, story-telling, etc. tells its own story about rap.

There's no better way to start than the stanza above, the final verse of Common's "I Used To Love H.E.R." When first listening to this song, most people think it's about a girl, but it's not. Common is telling the story of how hip-hop has changed through the years, and how it "sold out." Rappers use metaphors and symbolism to tell their stories because it makes the image more clear to us. How can Common tell a story about hip-hop changing from a loyal companion to a money-grabber? By using an example we can imagine more easily: a girl.

This verse is a prime example of the lyrical content of rap music because it is telling a story, using a controversial metaphor to spread a possibly controversial opinion. Common's words form in our minds as if we were reading a book -- rappers' lyrics tell us stories with their powerful imagery!

The question is whether these metaphors are morally correct. It's no secret that rappers commonly bash and disrespect women; the thing is, they are speaking from their experience. Common describes his views on hip-hop by using his experience with girls -- hopefully not all girls, but at least one girl with whom he's had issues. It may not be right to use girls as a metaphor for negative occurrences, but if that is the experience from which a rapper can pull descriptive and powerful emotions, then it has to be understood. He's not rapping about anyone else's experience. It's the rapper's metaphor, and therefore it is his opinion on both subjects he's comparing. However, the problem still remains: Why is it a woman who is spoken of this way, not a man? For all the dozens of lyrics aimed at women, there is less than a handful aimed at men in the wide, divisive culture of rap music. What about a young boy hearing all these lyrics, thinking these exaggerated portrayals of women to be the real deal, or a teen girl who believes this is the way she is expected to act? Some young people might see rap's often stereotypical and condescending view on women as reality. Despite the creativity and complexity of a rapper's metaphor, the listener must first engage critically with this kind of metaphor.

Till I collapse I'm spilling these raps long as you feel 'em
Till the day that I drop you'll never say that I'm not killing 'em
Cause when I am not, then I'mma stop penning 'em
And I am not hip hop and I'm just not Eminem
Subliminal thoughts, when I'mma stop sending 'em?
Women are caught in webs, spin 'em and hawk venom
Adrenalin shots, the penicillin could not get the illing to stop
Amoxicillin's just not real enough
The criminal cop-killing hip hop villain
A minimal swap to cop millions of Pac listeners
You're coming with me, feel it or not you're gonna fear it
Like I showed you the spirit of God lives in us
You hear it a lot, lyrics to shock
Is it a miracle or am I just product of pop fizzing up?
For shizzle my wizzle, this is the plot, listen up
You bizzles forgot, Slizzle does not give a f**k!
-Eminem, "Till I Collapse"

Rap music is filled to the brim with rhymes, alliteration and slang. For proof, look above: Every line is filled with a ridiculous amount of rhymes ("Day that I drop, say that I'm not;" Eminem even rhymes whole phrases together!). All of this rhyme, alliteration, and slang (shizzle, wizzle, bizzle, and slizzle, to name a few) separate rappers from the rest of the musical pack when it comes to lyrics.

Sometimes, rappers even insert themselves into their lyrics. Eminem describes his own style ("you hear it a lot, lyrics to shock"), accepts his fame ("till the day that I drop you'll never say that I'm not killing 'em"), and even mentions his questionable behavior ("women are caught in webs, spin 'em and hawk venom") all in one short verse! Another unique thing about rap lyrics is that they cover a variety of subjects in one song. Unlike other genres, rappers don't limit themselves to one topic in a single song, verse, or even line. Although this may seem distracting, this is just many rappers' eccentric and entertaining style.

I'm living in that 21st century, doing something mean to it
Do it better than anybody you ever seen do it
Screams from the haters, got a nice ring to it
I guess every superhero need his theme music
No one man should have all that power
The clock's ticking, I just count the hours
Stop tripping, I'm tripping off the power (21st-Century schizoid man)
The system broken, the school is closed, the prisons open
We ain't got nothing to lose, motherf***er we rolling
Huh? Motherf***er we rolling
With some light-skinned girls and some Kelly Rowlands
In this white man world, we the ones chosen
So goodnight, cruel world, I'll see you in the morning
Huh? I'll see you in the morning
This is way too much, I need a moment
- Kanye West, "Power"

What in the world is Kanye even talking about? The many messages in this song (corrupted government, white man's world, people with too much power, Caucasians and Kelly Rowland, etc.) are a bit confusing and don't make too much sense when put together, but that may be the point. Lyrics that seem random or ridiculous may just be open to interpretation -- it's up to you to decide what Kanye truly means by 'power.' Is it he who has too much power? The white man's world? Someone else entirely? As the song progresses beyond the short verse, the creativity, scope, and epic scale increases until the powerful outro:

Now this will be a beautiful death,
I'm jumping out the window,
I'm letting everything go,
You got the power to let power go?

"Power" is also an example of the final component of rap's lyrical content that I'll analyze: exaggeration. Further increasing the epic feel of rap songs, exaggeration makes the story more exciting. "Do it better than anybody you ever seen do it"? Doubtful, Kanye. However, he embraces his attention-grabbing and arrogant persona; basically, he's a jerk to the world at large and he accepts it. All of this comes together to inform the song's lyrics -- there is creative symbolism, unbelievable rhyming skills, self-analysis, the dynamic stream of thought and epic exaggeration.

With its controversial metaphors, rhyming and alliteration, and vibrant thought, rap has captured another generation. While many think of it as a relatively new genre, it is actually rooted in a centuries-old history. But that is a story for another day...

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hasan-khan/rap-rhythm-and-poetry-lyr_b_2601234.html

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