Tsikbal: from my perspective

Is technology the silver bullet that will change the world? The answer is not as simple isn't a yes or no, it's actually a lot more complicated than that. In itself, technology is not the answer, is just the tool we have to make our world a better place. The truth, is people have to change the world. Technology is just a tool we have at our disposal to make change happen, for better or for worse its impact will depend on the use we give to it. As many things in life, technology will change our lives and we will have an impact on how technology evolves by the way we use it. What we believe, our habits, and social structure that exist when a certain technology arrives have a role on how it's received and used. It has a huge impact on how widespread it's adoption it will be, and it's not always easy to measure on the early days of it's release to the public. In a way, technology will not bring paradise to us. Instead, it's the tool that can help us...

This analysis of Aereo's defeat in court makes a good point, and really raises some good questions about cloud computing. It makes me wonder not if people can be targeted for copyright infringement, but when and why people are going to be charged with it. Unless you use a single device to access the contents you have on your cloud storage service, you might get the attention of people who own that particular copyright in a bad way. It seems that using services that stream content, even if the user got them legally, might not last long. It seems that if a service losses the good graces of the content copyright holders, it's going to be shout down not matter what. The worse part, is that the entity who gives the service might prove an easier target to close. Instead of going after the users that might be at fault, go after the service provider and you take the whole thing down. Doesn't matter if the majority of the users of the service got their content legally, and...

After reading this , it really got me thinking and somewhat worried. Mozilla's Firefox and Google's Chrome are the strongest, and in my view, best open-source options to Microsoft's Internet Explorer. Firefox, which is my personal favorite, and Chrome have the best chance of taking the crown away from IE to become the dominant force on which people browse the Internet. Either one by itself hasn't enough user base to really do anything against IE. Besides, FLOSS is about having choice, and losing either one would really give a virtual monopoly to the one who is left standing. On whichever camp you are, Firefox or Chrome, we need to stand together to bring more people to the FLOSS camp. While in some ways you can prefer the implementation of one over the other, that is small compared with the bigger issue of having browsers that bring an open Internet to the people. In many ways, both Firefox and Chrome are about standing for a truly open Internet that respec...

It really annoys me when any anything gets applied the as the "killer for x" moniker. I mean, it seems like if all new products will be revolutionary, and will come to supplant all that came before them. Most often than not, most often than not those products fail to do so and end up finding a place along some of those products they were supposed to replace. Just look to tablets, they were suppose to completely replace PCs, and laptops, and ended up finding a niche. People seem to get over excited about some products, and don't seem to think thing through before coming with those grandiose claims about how this or that new product will just replace what came before it. While there some examples that prove to be correct, those are the exception rather than the rule. Mainly, those examples can be found where moving to that new product is not a choice to the end user. The move is dictated by an imposition, where there is no real option not to make the change or the ...

Once again, it's time to start thinking about replacing my mobile phone. Now that I've seen, and tried, a couple of devices running Firefox OS it's a contender along with an Android powered device. The Firefox devices have the plus that they aren't expensive, and the fact that they are on the small side of the smart phone spectrum. I rather have a small device, since I don't feel comfortable using anything with a screen bigger than 4". On the Android side, Android is has more applications for the OS. Mainly, all the apps that I use are already on it. This means, that I wont have to without them for any period of time. In more than one way, personally I prefer Firefox OS and the devices it runs in. I really felt comfortable using them, and I can see myself using them for an extended period time. And since I already use Firefox as my web browser of choice, it comes naturally that I use Mozilla's mobile OS as to power my next smart phone. Most imp...

More often than not, it seems to me that people think about design as a matter of beauty or of functionality. I say that it's about both, good design should be as much about to achieve beauty as much as functionality. It's quite possible to create software, from operating systems to applications, that is as functional as it's beautiful. You need to take into account that both are quite elusive, since what both mean is up to the user to define beauty and functionality. With some users you might hit one, but miss the other. That's why is really hard to design software that it's universally acclaimed to have high marks on both areas. There will be some people that won't like one thing or another. Because of this is important to keep in mind the intended use for the software you're making. What the software will be used for, will define  how it will look depending on what it's asked from it. Some will argue that the way the software is presented...

One of I often see, is that some of the barriers that impede people get the love of reading are cost and not having some easy access to books.  That's why this article about Elk Ridge City's first little free library got my eye, since it makes both of those barriers mute. The Little Free Library is quite interesting, and could do a lot for people who live in people who don't have public libraries nearby, or just want to share books with people around you. I really like the idea, is that you don't have to bring back the book you took. You just have to bring a book in, whichever book you want to share with people. What's important about the project, is that it's about more just about bringing the love of reading to a community. It gives the people a way to interact with others in their community, and share ideas and books with others. It could be a powerful tool to bring communities together while making them stronger, all while empower its members wit...