New Laptop :)

So, I bought a new laptop from System76. About damn time, I say.

The specs:

• 15.6" HD+ LED Display @ 1600x900
• ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570 Graphics with 512MB GDDR2 Memory
• Core i5-520M Processor ( 32nm, 3MB L3 Cache, 2.40GHz )
• 2 GB - DDR3 1066 MHz (DDR3: zoom zoom. ;])
• 250 GB 5400 RPM SATA II (I considered a bigger hard drive, but I have a NAS at the house and honestly plan on taking advantages of synchronized OSes like ChromeOS in the very near future, so I decided against it)

So far, I'm absolutely lovin' it. The hardware is very clean and Apple-like, with no disgusting third-party stickers plastered all over the thing. There's a System76 logo sticker on the back, which I could easily remove with some isopropyl if I so chose. Part of System76's sales pitch is pre-built Ubuntu boxes (which is what sold me, to be honest), so it came with Ubuntu 10.04, my day-to-day operating system of choice (especially since Backtrack makes things oh-so-awesome.)

I do have some minor complaints:

1. I had a dead pixel on my LCD. They won't replace it unless "there are more than 6 dead pixels. :(
2. As a result of the hinge design, the screen won't fold back more than ~35°. A bit of a pain in specific use scenarios.
3. A lack of one-button volume controls. The volume controls are only available through function keys, sadly. Some buttons on the top right for volume up, down, and mute would make this already awesome laptop perfect.

I don't know how much control System76 has over these hardware-design issues, but fixing them would seal the deal on any of my future purchases. ;)

Mobile is Dead or, The Future of Augmented Reality

Mobile is dead. It's just a bridge on the way towards our future, which is building on top of our real world with technologies like augmented reality.

Some key points:

• The world is not flat. 3D is the future.
• Our environment is constantly changing. Let's build on that.
• Mobile is dead. To break through this wall, we've got to innovate.
• Immersion.

Let's build something. :)

OK Go — End Love

OK Go's latest music video. I'm ecstatic how much this band has taken up the banner for the modern data revolution. Oh, and did I mention that they kick ass?

Save The Internet!

Free Press and the Harry Potter Alliance collaborated on this video featuring a series of online celebrities and writers speaking about the importance of Net Neutrality.

Featuring John and Hank Green (the vlogbrothers); actor and blogger Wil Wheaton; bestselling author Maureen Johnson; Shawn Ahmed from the UnculturedProject; vloggers and musicians Kristina Horner and Luke Conard; and Adam Savage from Mythbusters.

Take action to save the Internet now: http://www.savetheinternet.com