Harvesting Asteroids

This post has nothing to do with programming, but it covers another thing I am fascinated with, Space. (Definitely deserves the capital "s").

This week James Cameron and the two Google founders announced a new company they were forming, with others, to start mining asteroids for resources. (Link) This is really cool, because it could be the first real step we make to go into space. Neil deGrasse Tyson thinks it's a good idea, so I'm in.

The cool part of this is all of the things we can do once we've successfully captured an asteroid. The amount of effort saved by already having the raw materials in space, means you can build in space, rather than on Earth and then spending enormous resources getting the object in to space. Like Neil deGrasse Tyson said, water already in space is cheaper than water from Earth moved into space.

If we can capture an asteroid and get enough resources out of it, we can build more spaceships. Then it becomes a self-sustaining system, and we can travel further and further. We can take the resources and build space stations or bases on other planets. We can even move the asteroids into orbits and use the asteroids themselves as bases.

Obviously I'm excited, because I would love to go to space. It would be more fun to go to the moon or an asteroid as well.

I love how "open" Android is!

The great argument I've heard for Android is how it is "open". It is an open system, unlike the iPhone or Windows Mobile which are closed. That openness has led to some interesting revelations, the latest of which is this number: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/30/carrier-iq-trevor-eckhart_n_1120727.html

To summarize, security researcher, Trevor Eckhart, found some hidden software in Android made by Carrier IQ. It logs phone numbers, text messages, searches, and every url you visit, even SSL. Now, I think this should be looked at as a feature rather than a privacy risk. Android is all about being "open", so why isn't your personal information open as well. There is no such thing as a free lunch, so there is no such thing as a free operating system. You are paying for it with your personal information.

Anyone who is surprised by this must not understand Google's business model. Everything they do is based around selling ads and customer's personal information. They don't have a single product that doesn't do that. With that in mind, can you really be surprised?

 

As an addendum. My first recommendation is of course to buy an iPhone, because it's a fantastic device, but if you refuse for whatever reason, the new Windows 7 Phones are fantastic as well. They don't have all the apps that the iPhone does, but given that Microsoft has the cash to pay people to make apps for them, I don't think that will be the case for long.

Visionary

The world has lost a visionary. Sadly, we will not get to see any more of his great ideas.

Rest in peace Steve Jobs.

If you are disappointed by the iPhone 4S, you aren't paying attention

The common story around the internet (prior to Steve Jobs, RIP) is that the iPhone 4S is disappointing. People are disappointed that it isn't the iPhone 5. Here's the problem, it is the iPhone 5!

The iPhone 4S is better than the iPhone 4 in every way, except for the form factor. This is in much the same way that the iPhone 3GS is better than the iPhone 3G. The internals of the phone are what everyone expected with some extras. The dual antennas sending and receiving at the same time? Awesome. CDMA and GSM in one device instead of two distinct devices? Awesome. 8MP camera with 1080P video? Awesome. All of this without even mentioning the amazing software. iCloud, Siri, iOS5, and let's not forget Cards.

So the "let down" is that the form factor didn't change. Did anyone ever stop to think that the form factor is good? I certainly think it is. Perhaps Apple feels they have refined it to near perfection, and there is nothing more to do. The phone is an excellent weight, feels good in your hand, and looks fantastic. Why change something that isn't broken? Not to mention the costs associated with changing the form factor just for the sake of changing it.

I guess the basis of this post is, if you're disappointed in the iPhone, do yourself a favor and be quiet. The phone is solid in every way, and Apple is going to sell millions of them.

Recovery

For a while now, I've been trying to think of new things to write about, and I obviously haven't had much success. Beyond just writing, I was having trouble motivating myself to do much of anything, be it work, freelance, or fun. For the life of me, I couldn't figure out why I was having so much trouble with motivation. Nothing I did seemed to work. It's obvious to me now, and it was probably obvious to others what the problem was.

Burnout.

I was burned out on work, burned out on the common activities I did, burned out on just about everything. What's somewhat amusing is that I read about burnout fairly frequently, and I always think I'll recognize it when it happens. That may be the one problem most people fall in to. It is hard to know when you're getting burned out. By the time you do realize, you have to make a major course correction to fix it. For me, that course correction has been a 5-day weekend. Thursday through today.

I originally planned to fly to New York City as a vacation to visit a friend. However, plans fell through, and I ended up not going. At first I was somewhat depressed that my vacation wasn't going to happen, but sometimes changes are better. Instead I've stayed at home and done only what I want to do.

I've gone out to dinner and had great conversations. I went ice skating for the second time in my life. I went to Music Midtown on a whim with a friend. I spent an entire day getting to know someone new. I trained for my triathlon. I watched an entire season of Married With Children.

I did not think about work. I did not think about freelance. I did not work on any personal projects. I did not worry.

I was and am happy.