Maxi iPod

Sounds intriguing, but for the unfortunate name:

For Apple, iPad Said More Than Intended

By BRAD STONE
Published: January 28, 2010

SAN FRANCISCO — Apple has generated a lot of chatter with its new iPad tablet. But it may not be quite the conversation it wanted.

Many women are saying the name evokes awkward associations with feminine hygiene products. People from Boston to Ireland are complaining that “iPad,” in their regional brogue, sounds almost indistinguishable from “iPod,” Apple’s music player. The problem may be worse outside the United States; Japanese does not even have a sound for the “a” in iPad.

Then there are more serious conflicts. Two other high-tech companies already market products called iPad and are laying claim to the trademark.

Read the rest here.

This Makes Me Tear Up

Alison Krauss could have a hit with this song, just gorgeous, from the one and only Jonathan Coulton:

Jonathan Coulton - Always The Moon

Lyris here.

People Of Walmart

People of Walmart

Great Moments In Brutal Honesty

Here.

New Gmail Security Settings

From Gmail:

Changing the HTTPS setting

We've recently made the 'Always use https' setting the default behavior in Gmail (the default used to be http). Here's some background: If you sign in to Gmail via a non-secure Internet connection, like a public wireless or non-encrypted network, your Google account may be more vulnerable to hijacking. Non-secure networks make it easier for someone to impersonate you and gain full access to your Google account, including any sensitive data it may contain like bank statements or online log-in credentials. Accordingly, we enable the 'Always use https' option in Gmail by default. HTTPS, or Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure, is a secure protocol that provides authenticated and encrypted communication.

To disable or re-enable this feature in Gmail:

1. Sign in to Gmail.
2. Click Settings at the top of any Gmail page.
3. Set 'Browser Connection' to 'Don't use https' or 'Always use https.'
4. Click Save Changes.
5. Manually change the URL to http://mail.google.com to start accessing Gmail via http.

Please note that selecting 'Always use https' will prevent you from accessing Gmail via HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol). If you trust the security of your network, you can turn this feature off at any time.

If you use a public computer to check your email, it's also important to end each of your Gmail sessions by clicking Sign out at the top of any Gmail page and to close all Gmail browser windows.

From The American Red Cross

I Have No Words

Okay, that's not entirely true, I guess I should have said that I have few words, cause even though I tend to be a bit hyper-sensitive at times regarding personal matters, when it comes to events on the news, things rarely get to me, but the story of the devastation in Haiti did, especially the part about the kids, I mean, look, I've got two daughters, one of them just about the age my sister was when she died (seven), and I guess I'm just a softie about these things, then, and I've been feeling pretty shaken up, all day.

+++++

From Yahoo/AP:

Panic, looting and triage after major Haiti quake

By JONATHAN M. KATZ, Associated Press Writer Jonathan M. Katz
Associated Press Writer
Wed Jan 13, 6:42 pm ET

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – The tiny bodies of children lay in piles next to the ruins of their collapsed school. People with faces covered by white dust and the blood of open wounds roamed the streets. Frantic doctors wrapped heads and stitched up sliced limbs in a hotel parking lot.

The poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, still struggling to recover from the relentless strikes of four catastrophic storms in 2008, was a picture of heartbreaking devastation Wednesday after a magnitude-7 earthquake.

Tuesday's quake left a landscape of collapsed buildings — hospitals, schools, churches, ramshackle homes, even the gleaming national palace — the rubble sending up a white cloud that shrouded the entire capital.

Read the rest here.

Take Off Your Pants

Vital Pop

Slant Magazine offers up:

50 Essential Pop Albums.

Word To The Wise

Okay, don't have to be wise, just learn from my mistakes: remember, that ice on the sidewalks and driveways and streets outside is really, really slippery and if you don't take it seriously, you will go to ground, and you *will* mess up your back - I'm just sayin'.

Yes, I did. Meh.

2010

From Blogizdat LJ:

I was recently asked if I had made any resolutions for the new year, and in all candor, I had not. I mean, I'm constantly making resolutions, I guess, constantly resolving to do better or different, and I'm constantly falling short.

Read the rest here.