This was taken near Cameron Toll, on Dalkeith Road. These specialised traffic light systems are deployed when roadworks that cover part of the road are taking place. Heavens knows who had the idea of placing smiley faces on the lights but it was a rather funny start for a Friday!
This photo was taken at the bus stop in Nicolson St. near Surgeons hall.
Edinburgh, Scotland is also known as the Athens of the North. This can be depicted quite clearly on Calton Hill where the National Monument stands. As far as I understand this was part of a project that was never completed because of lack of budget. The monument was to have two sides, but only one (pictured above) was finished.
Calton hill looks quite creepy at night, but it was a fun trip! What was your week like?
A few months ago I put together a new computer. I hadn’t done this in ages so, naturally, I did some mistakes.
My main problem was not using the motherboard spacers. Yeah, I screwed the motherboard right onto the case. This (for those who don’t know much about computers) causes immediate short circuit. Fortunately my motherboard has a short-circuit detector and did not allow me to turn it on.
So I went to a computer repair shop with the PC, asked around for the fault, and immediately a guy pointed out my mistake.
I told him “I knew something was wrong, as I had to press really hard on the PCI/PCIe cards to get them in place, and even so they didn’t fit in well”. To which he replied “When something doesn’t fit in naturally you must be doing something wrong, everything should just fit in.”
So I went back home and put it together in the right way, and it turned on without a problem.
His words, however, stuck with me. They not only worked out for my computer problem, but they apply equally to all aspects of life. If something doesn’t feel right, then you must be doing it wrong.
If you eat something that doesn’t taste good, you spit it out or stop eating it.
If you put your hand too close to the fire you naturally take it away.
If you buy something you didn’t like you don’t (generally) buy it again.
So, then, if we act so naturally about so many of these things, why not apply them to cases such as the following:
If we are in a job we don’t like, why don’t we leave it?
If we are in a position we can’t handle, why don’t we say it?
If we are under a lot of stress, why don’t we deal with it?
It’s ALL about communication and action. It’s not about not being able to handle something, it’s about not communicating it to the right person. It’s not about not being comfortable in a job, it’s about doing something about it. Don’t be afraid to live right.
“Last Wednesday we could see as Apple presented their hyped-up much rumoured and awaited tabled, something that had created such an expectancy. However, it was such great this level of anticipation that the presentation was inevitable an anticlimax, as the tech world so frequently used the analogy of an over-sized iPod Touch that, what Steve Jobs essentially presented to us was a large iPod Touch.” – As stated in the Spanish blog Microsiervos.
But it’s not all about the expectation. Jobs could have made a great speech anyway, no matter the product. The actual product targets a new market segment. The product is actually great, it’s just what Jobs said, and how he said it, which disappoints me.
This part 1 of the original keynote Steve Jobs gave in 2007 where he presented a “revolutionary” device, the iPhone:
In that keynote he addressed 3 separate products combined into 1. A phone, a music player and an internet communication device. It was a great speech. He talked about all the different features incorporated into this product that would prove to be one of worldwide success. He gave live examples of the product. He talked like a pro at all times. He was delivering a new product, and he knew just how to get out there.
A week ago Steve Jobs gave a keynote in which he unveils the iPad. This is the presentation he gave:
So I would like to address parts of his speech independently, to be able to critically analise what he said. After each sentence I will give my own opinion, which by no means represents the media’s view, nor the general public’s view.
It’s very thin - Yes, that seems to be the general concept these days. Isn’t the iPod Touch also thin?
And you can change the background screen, the home screen, to personalise it any way you want. - If it couldn’t do that it would be a disgrace of a tablet.
You can browse the web with it. – And shouldn’t it be able to? I mean, the iPod and iPhone can.
It is the best browsing experience you’ve ever had. – Based on the same system built for the iPhone. If it didn’t incorporate this technology what kind of a tablet would it be?
And you can turn an iPad any way you want, up, down, sideways. It automatically adjusts. – Yeah, motion sensors. There’s no point in making them sound “new”.
Right there holding the internet in your hands. - Uhh?
The problem is that he presented these points as if they were brand new. When he gave the iPhone speech it was impressive, he demonstrated everything real-time, and made it all seem “cool”. Addressing the same issues the same way with just an oversized iPod is not cool.
He should have focused less on the fact that it has these standard features that the iPhone and iPod Touch already have, and more on the fact that with 3rd party add-ons, OS improvements, application and OS extensibility the tablet might make a great gadget. For what? For collaborative meetings, for adding extensibility (drawing pad anyone?) to PCs and Macs.
It is also an interesting Kindle competitor. Great for working in tight spaces which makes it good versus Netbooks. Frankly I think it is a good gadget. It would be better if it had an actual OS as an alternative, or an extensible version of the OS (apart from Apps), however, with a better focus on segmentation this device will be great.
What is your opinion on the speech and the actual device?
We’ve had plenty of grey days lately which can get quite depressing… But it was well worth the wait after all:
This was taken yesterday, the 30th of January, on my way to the beach just east of Edinburgh. The Portobello beach. Portobello is a beautiful place, I love the town centre, and overall the day was incredible. I took this picture from the double decker, just a few minutes before my stop. Curious little garden gnomes.
So I went to the beach. It was a splendid day, however, really cold. For some reason the image of a beach in my mind sounded warmer, so I arrived to find myself utterly freezing… I took a few pictures before leaving though.
So this is back in town, just before night fall. I loved the actual scene even more, it’s just so beautiful seeing a nice sundown after days of just plain grey.
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