Apparently I’m not allowed to upload Windows Gadgets from a non-windows computer:

Apple released their iPad recently to a mixture of hype and disappointment. I never really felt like I needed one, and prefer a laptop with a multi touch pad over a touch screen right now. I do understand why people are disappointed, and that its not a tablet PC.

But that said, after seeing what it could do for the price, I don’t think its a bad device at all. It actually be pretty cool to have a device to show/share things easily, read a recipe in the kitchen, relax and read/surf the web for not a bad price.

But the biggest not mentioned use is as a CHEAP digital photo frame with more. It would be cool to have a load of devices around the house that tell you the weather, or have the latest news playing, or show your photos or let you control your lights. Digital photo frames have even started doing this using things like Frame Channel. But many of those are even more expensive than the iPad, and don’t support custom Apps or simply displaying a webpage. Apple do mention using it as a photo frame when talking about the photo features, but it could be even more!

If I hear one more person blame the investment banks for the recent financial crisis I think I’m going to go insane! I saw a brief interview on Bloomberg today talking about how the increased government regulation on Investments Banks has been great news for Hedge Funds, because everyone is now using them for high risk / high return investment, and it just reminded me how the problem is not the investment banks or their managers. Its us! Is yours and mine and the world’s greed in general.

The market
The 3 biggest participants in the market by a long way are pension funds, mutual funds and insurance companies. These all ultimate are owned by retail investors, and you by your choices of who to invest your pension or to take out insurance with control the actions of these institutions. If the institutions are greedy, its because you and I have unrealistic expectations for how we want our retirement money to perform.

Mortgages
Yes the investment banks might have been able to act more responsibly, but we caused this 2 ways, sorry 3 ways.
1) We strive and are greedy for better and better homes, ones our of our reach, and took out mortgages above what we could afford.
2) If we are in the more well off proportion of the world, we (and yes I don’t either) share are wealth enough with those less fortunate.
3) As I said, we by our actions or even our indecision, demanded performance out of our investments, which caused banks and funds to invest in risky mortgages too.

Bonus
And can we please stop complaining about big bonus for IB execs. You pay your football players / basketball players / movie stars that much, and all they do is entertain you. Millions is simply what it costs to get someone to do that job, to take on the responsibility and stress of managing that much money. And please pay if its in the contract! Yes good people might give back bonuses paid to more needy causes if everyone else is not doing good financially, but if a company has a contractual agreement to guarantee a bonus it should pay it! You can’t fix a wrong (that is our greed), by another wrong, breaking of something you promised to do. We’re acting like a respectable business man, who pays the mob to do all his dirty work for them, and then pays someone to kill them!

Things you can do, if you want to stop this:
1) Choose ethical / low risk / or at least be conscious of your pension investment choices.
2) Buy index funds, instead of paying someone to manage your money. They normally outperform manage funds anyway!
3) Stop watching all those home make over programs. About the only good one is Extreme Makeover Home Edition because they actually help people in need, and it makes me cry almost everytime! Although cynically I could say they are only able to help people because they know all of us the rest of will buy stuff we don’t need from their sponsors.
4) Be productive in your retirement. John Eldridge says “This is the heart of the Sage, to make his greatest contribution with the last years of his life.” It will keep you happier, more satisfied, healthy and living longer if you find worth while things to do. Things that are both what makes you come alive, and help other people.
5) Figure out why we can’t say that what we have is enough (I still feel like this too), I’m sure finding satisfaction in God and family and friends and the things that really matter has something to do with that. If you’re a guy, this is a great place to start: http://www.mensfraternity.com

I am probably being too judgmental here, not that what I have said is wrong, but that I am too much a part of the problem to have taken the tone that I have here.

Its 4am and I’m currently suffering the worst case of jetlag I’ve had in years. I thought I would use the time to do something I’ve been meaning to do for a while, and write my semi regular goals for 2010. They’re not quite new years resolutions, but I had intended to do them more like this, but that seemed like too much work, so here they are starting with the last ones I made:

So for this year I’d like to… (drum roll please)

When Apple first released their wireless keyboard without the number pad attached I thought “What are they thinking?”. But having worked on a macbook with a small keyboard and an integrated touchpad, and then consequently getting neck pains from pad posture and switching to an external keyboard and monitor, I now see that having the keyboard right next to your mouse or track pad for both speed and ergonomics, is a really good thing.

I’ve since bought the small Apple keyboard for work, along with a Wacom Bamboo Touch for work, since I prefer it over a mouse (2 finger scrolling FTW!). I’m now selling/trading my Apple keyboard that I have at home with a number pad built in as its not for me, maybe for those doing a lot of a numeric entry (like when I worked in an investment bank doing excel all the time). Let me know if anyone wants it or want to trade for the small Apple keyboard.

With the Bamboo Touch, its not quite as good as an Apple touchpad. I would love an Apple keyboard with one built, just like a laptop. I had to turn off Add left and right taps to click and drag, and stick with the release fingers and retouch to have a click to keep the Bamboo Touch from detected accidental clicks, which the Apple one tends to ignore better. The texture isn’t as good as the nice glass Apple touchpads either, but I still prefer it over a mouse.

I want something like this:

1993 - Yamaha Acoustic (1)
1994 - Aria Pro Electric (2)
1997 - Musicman Silhouette Special (3)
1998 - Fender Tele Nylon String (4)
1998 - Sold Aria Pro Electric (3)
1998 - Fender Bass (Used) (4)
1999 March - Gibson ES-175 (5)
1999 May - Sold Fender Bass (4)
1999 May - Sold Yamaha Acoustic and bought it back straight away (3/4)
2001 - Takamine (5)
2002 - G&L Legacy 2000 (6)
2006 - Sold Takamine (5)
2006 - Another Takamine (6)
2007 - PRS Santana SE (7)
2009 Nov - Michael Kelly Hybrid Special (8)
2009 Nov - Sold PRS Santana SE (7)
2009 Dec - Sold Musicman (6)
2009 Dec - Sold Gibson ES-175 (5)

I’ve always thought this was a good idea:

http://playstation.joystiq.com/2007/10/10/microsd-to-memory-stick-adapter-for-the-giga-thrifty/

If weakness is a wound that no one wants to speak of
Then “cool” is just how far we have to fall
I am not immune, I only want to be loved
But I feel safe behind the firewall

Can I lose my need to impress?
If you want the truth I need to confess

I’m not alright, I’m broken inside
And all I go through, it leads me to You

-Sanctus Real

Going through some old files and I found these. Realised I have a lot to learn still.

“The things that will destroy America are prosperity at any price, peace at any price, safety first instead of duty first and love of soft living and the get-rich-quick theory of life.” - Theodore Roosevelt