Wednesday, August 31, 2011

YAY! The Obama justice department to block ATT-TMo merger!

According to Bloomberg, the US Justice department is filing papers to block the merger between AT&T and T-Mobile. WOOT!


UPDATE: The official Justice Department lawsuit filing is here.  In it, the Justice Department notes that AT&T's internal documents specified:
"The more immediate threat to AT&T is T-Mobile...On January 5th, 2010, it announced that it had upgraded its entire network with HSPA 7.2 covering 200M POPS. It also reiterated prior statements that it would add HSPA+, capable of 3x the throughput ofHSPA 7.2, across a substantial portion of its network by 2H 2010...The one-two punch of an advanced network and the backhaul required to support the additional data demands should be taken seriously." 
"TMO was first to have HSPA+ devices in their portfolio...we added them in reaction to potential loss of speed claims."
This points to AT&T's attempted merger as a foremost means to eliminate its most important competitor, not to improve its service.  The Justice Department goes on to state:
"Post-merger, AT&T will no longer offer T-Mobile's lower-priced data and voice plans to new customers or current customers who upgrade their service. Consequently, T-Mobile as a lower-priced option will be eliminated from the market, resulting in higher prices for a significant number of consumers."
Amen.  I had already been looking at other smaller providers (Cricket, US Cellular) to see what sort of price-competitive plans and phones they had, but the bottom line ended up being that T-Mobile was a leader in HSPA+ speed and delivery of that 21Mbps nationwide network.  One could pay less, but you'd be stuck at 3G speeds equivalent to 1Mbps.  The only possible route, would be to wait for LightSquared to build out its LTE network who would then sell access and capacity to the smaller carriers.  But that would take a couple of years, making it rough for many people on T-Mobile's HSPA+ network whose contracts expired under an AT&T regime.

So yeah, this is a GREAT day for those of us T-Mobile customers.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Ohio State - Miami, Sept 17, 2011.

Shall be called the COI Bowl.

If either team is ranked in the top-10 after the first week of games (this weekend), a Letter of Inquiry will be sent to both schools as to whether outside agents paid for their teams to be ranked.  If either team remains ranked in the top 10 after the second week, a Notice of Allegation shall be sent out to each school, documenting how they do not belong in the top 10 ranks.

In the game, if the two teams are tied at the end of regulation, the match will be declared a Major Infraction, and will incur the Death Penalty.  If during post-regulation play they remain tied after the first series, they will be considered Repeat Violators and a Secondary Violation will be declared.

If the game continues to be tied after three series in post-regulation period, a Summary Disposition will be made, declaring Paul Dee to be a fink, and both schools will be officially offered get-out-of-jail cards for free, just so that both teams and fans can go home.


UPDATE: This morning SB Nation's Jason Kirk writes:
"The NCAA's finding out about more players that are involved, even in small ways, with the Shapiro scandal. There's no reason to think it won't find more, especially with something like a dozen players earning immunity for adding their stories to the report, and it's also not hard to imagine it finding more coaches and suits."
Will Miami have enough players to suit up?

Oh, and the irony is NOT lost on any USC Trojan, that Seantrel Henderson asked to be released from his USC commitment once USC's punishment was announced last Summer, and ended up at Miami. Then earlier this month after the Yahoo investigation exposed Miami's mass violations,  Seantrel's father offered this precious quote:
"Our thought right now is, Seantrel is a Hurricane and will remain a Hurricane until further notice."
They key is, "until further notice."

Then there was Ohio State which admitted to secondary violations in the recruitment of Seantrel Henderson, one of which was Terrelle Pryor sending a text message in violation of NCAA rules.

WebOS tablets....oh the irony!

Today, HP's Mark Budgell updated the company's blog addressing the WebOS tablet clearance madness:

"Despite announcing an end to manufacturing webOS hardware, we have decided to produce one last run of TouchPads to meet unfulfilled demand. We don’t know exactly when these units will be available or how many we’ll get, and we can’t promise we’ll have enough for everyone. We do know that it will be at least a few weeks before you can purchase. 
HP will be manufacturing a limited quantity of TouchPads with webOS during our fourth fiscal quarter 2011, which ends October 31."
So there you go...upon seeing the huge demand for its tablets at $99 / $149, HP has decided that, aside from clearance of existing stock, it will continue to manufacture WebOS tablets through the end of their financial fourth quarter.

And therein lies a major irony, because many people aren't buying them up for WebOS, but for the promise of CyanogenMod's Android Honeycomb root for WebOS tablets...see below.  The demand for Android tablets is definitely there, but pricing-wise, current manufacturers are far off the mark, which continues to effectively keep a lid on Android tablet sales.

ComScore: Android STILL growing in US, July 2011

Uhm, yeah those lawsuits haven't made a dent.  ComScore's numbers show continued explosive growth of Android in the US.  But just you wait...Mango will change everything nothing.


Top Smartphone Platforms
3 Month Avg. Ending Jul. 2011 vs. 3 Month Avg. Ending Apr. 2011
Total U.S. Smartphone Subscribers Ages 13+
Source: comScore MobiLens
 Share (%) of Smartphone Subscribers
Apr-11Jul-11Point Change
Total Smartphone Subscribers100.0%100.0%N/A
Google36.4%41.8%5.4
Apple26.0%27.0%1.0
RIM25.7%21.7%-4.0
Microsoft6.7%5.7%-1.0
Symbian2.3%1.9%-0.4

Drew Carney from KGW, at the Duck Store.

The Duck Store snagged KGW's Drew Carney a few weeks ago, specifically for the grand opening.

I got there with just enough time in the A.M. to say hi to Drew while he and the cameraman were standing outside before they started.  Then, I got to watch the various segments they did live at The Duck Store at Clackamas Town Center.

The electrician was apparently there at the store until 12 midnight, installing the custom pendants that was assembled and picked up late yesterday afternoon.  This morning was the first time I got to see the whole interior completed.  Still MIA: the glass exterior canopy.

This is sports retail, baby!  People in retail will notice some Grand & Benedicts Pearl District retail furnishings, but mostly 100% custom designed and built furniture everywhere.  I'll do some design posts on my other blog to specifically address conceptual design to realized products later; for now, enjoy the images.

The cash wrap and the lit 'O' that got everyone excited.

The 'O' in stained concrete.

Drew Carney, the Duck, and Ariel the store manager / Architect.

The sign people did an incredible job.

I couldn't resist taking a photo of the broadcast, while they were outside filming.

PIMCO: We were wrong about US Debt.

Caught this on Reuters.  Bill Gross - finally - admits that they (PIMCO) made the wrong bet on US debt, but specifically that the growth of US debt would lead to high, rampant inflation -- it hasn't.  All I have to say, is that it's courageous for Gross to admit his mistakes.

And you know what?  You won't find a single Republican admit to getting this wrong.  To do so would be to put into jeopardy their mid-term wins that were based on a fallacy: that the growing US debt was a serious issue that needed addressing immediately.  (10-year UST yesterday was 2.22%...well below what would be expected, if US debt was a serious concern of investors.)

And unfortunately because of the intransigence of Republicans, we're likely headed into a double-dip, if we're not already there.  The obvious sign: profits growing (and meeting market forecasts) despite flat sales, via mass layoffs.

English lit. Literal and figurative.

Literal or figurative?  When you're in high school, do you really give a shit?

via Piquant Salty Humour blog

Monday, August 29, 2011

Blogging less, designing more.

I've been spending copious amounts of my free time, pursuing design ideas lately, as well as following up with The Duck Store at Clackamas Town Center grand opening (which was officially today, even though there are two outstanding items not yet completed). The amount of time I've spent on designing (and thinking about design) is inversely measured by the amount of blogging I do on this main blog...so I point you to my design blog, which at least captures some of my work, here.

It takes time to render 3D images, then post-process them.  It takes even more time coming up with ideas from a blank sheet of paper.  Which is why I've been busy.  Once I have some ideas in my head, I have to find a way to release them into a 3D form, as a means of a catalog of thoughts, or lose them from my memory.


The best FBS helmet schedule.

The best FBS (and only FBS) helmet schedule, comes from Strangestbrew.  There's some heavy work involved to make it offline accessible on an excel sheet, so it's not worth it for most people.  But what is cool about Strangestbrew's site, is that there are many options to grabbing schedules.

There are some differences between this and the image below.

The helmets...one of the options available at Strangestbrew's site.


Sunday, August 28, 2011

The annual migration: Hood 2 Coast

They are a crazy bunch if you ask me...many will puke along the way, attempt to sleep in vans but usually fail to get any sleep, have difficulty holding down food, get rained on or run in 90 degree heat, and typically end up with several blisters on their feet, all bloodied.

And most of them will do it again next year, and the year after that, and the year after that...with a "thank you sir, may I have another?"

By the time they hit downtown Portland, many will be barely functional.  That's why they have these crazy support fans vans that stop along the way and cheer all the people besides their own runners.  You see otherwise, I think most of them would stop, have a beer in town and eat a burger before getting back on their tired feet.

Oh those crazy runners.

Overlapped image of runners passing by while playing with the dog.

Friday, August 26, 2011

August 26 lightning storms in PDX.

I was walking the dog early in the morning, when I saw flashes in the sky.  I checked the radar on my Android phone, and it was lit up with bright red spots, south and east of downtown Portland, and moving upward fast.

I rushed to get back home, pump air in the bike's tires, and pack my bag, then peddled out as fast as I could to the waterfront...I thought it would be an awesome image to catch the lightning over downtown.  Turns out it didn't work out for me, as I was a bit late and missed the best of it.

Still, I got at least one good image.



3D printing: ceramics and more.

Ponoko announced the other day, that it can now print ceramics.  The resolution needs improvement, but overall, this seems like a really killer medium with a bright future.

Only one finish available.
Resolution needs some work.

And over at Shapeways, they have an ultra-fine detail "White, Strong, Flexible Polished" material for 3D printing, which produces absolutely stunning quality.  Talk about amazing where 3D printing has gone in just a handful of years.


But I'm not going to be satisfied until we're able to purchase a high-resolution 3D printer (regardless of production type) below $1,000 -- at that point, we'll have hundreds of thousands of 3D DIY all around the world, and it'll be quite an exciting time, where you sell your ideas, and others can print it up at home, or open a tiny shop with a 3D print-on-demand (3D POD)...as in a 200 sf office solely dedicated towards 3D printing.  Order a custom design in the morning, pick it up in the afternoon or the next day -- what a revolution!

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Dude, don't use my bat.

This is really neat.  Warstic all-wood (ash/maple) bats dipped in Pantone-specific colors.  Prevents others from using your bats...can you imagine if the opposing team tries to use your bats in your colors?  How embarrassing, to be using someone else's colors!  And by the way, wood bats all the way -- none of this aluminum stuff.

Shown: half-dip bats, via Core77

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Tracking a hurricane in the US.

Weather.com has a great new hurricane tracker...you know, something East Coast folks are probably focused keenly on, this week, with Irene beating a path up towards them.

It's an interactive experience that allows you to zoom in and out, information about its current location and all the data you could possibly want...in a clean diagram.  Only downside...it's powered by Bing.  Eww.


Obama's grades, mid-2011.

Done:
↑ Take care of Bin Laden.
↑ Take out a couple of autocrats without using troops.
↑ Help cut back health care risks of the ordinary American.
↑ Stop the economic free-fall.
↑ Repeal Don't Ask Don't Tell.
↑ Put the cost of wars back on the official budget.
↑ Sign new agreement with Russia to reduce nuclear arms.
↑ Raise fuel economy standards.
↑ Reverse stem cell research ban.



Incomplete:
↔ Get the economy moving fast.
↔ Close Guantanamo.










Failing:
↓ Cap and Trade.
↓ Rhetorical battle with Republicans.
↓ Debt ceiling problems (we get to revisit this again shortly).

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Gtalklet: Use Google Talk in any Chrome browser tab

It has been such a bother, using Google Talk only in iGoogle or Gmail tabs.  Lifehacker points us to Gtalklet in the Chrome Web Store, that uses a minimalist set of buttons that allows you to access Gtalk from any Chrome browser tab.  You barely notice it's there.

Hit that link to get to the Chrome Store, then hit the install button.

1. Go to Tools/Extensions.

2. Click on the options button on Gtalklet.

3. Enter your account sign in information.  No need to touch anything else.

4. Hit the refresh button on an existing tab.  Then click the expand button.

5. Click on the green button signs you in.

6. Click on the "+" to open the contacts tool.

7. Start typing in contact name, and auto-suggest comes up.  Select the person and a pop-up window appears, allow ing you to start chatting.

8.  To log out, hit the expand button, then click on the little icon that looks like a tray with an arrow pointing outward.

Monday, August 22, 2011

Terrelle Pryor? Who else but Al Davis!

This falls under the category of DUH! Did you really expect anyone else to pick Terrelle Pryor?

After all, this is the person who picked JaMarcus Russell against his own head coach's desire; then complained about his head coach (Lane Kiffin) not playing Russell; then fired Kiffin for Tom Cable; and defend Tom Cable after choking an assistant coach in front of the staff; who would end up releasing Russell.

Soap opera and Al Davis go hand in hand, and what better actor to play the newest antagonist than Pryor?

Riddle: what do 2-29-2008 and 8-22-2011 have in common?

Okay, so they're not exactly in common...but what a difference a few years make. US Treasuries compared.


1 mo 3 mo 6 mo 1 yr 2 yr 3 yr 5 yr 7 yr 10 yr 20 yr 30 yr
02/29/08 2.07 1.85 1.83 1.77 1.65 1.87 2.5 2.96 3.53 4.37 4.41
08/19/11 0 0.02 0.04 0.1 0.2 0.34 0.9 1.43 2.07 2.97 3.39

Tired of potholes? Fill them in, yourself.

Green style, that is.  Actually, this was not a pothole, so much as a poorly patched bore hole from a soils test, in the middle of the road.  Take back the holes!


We don't need no stinking walk signs.

This was amusing the other week.  At the corner of the central library in downtown Portland, no one pays attention to the street lights.  I guess they got tired of cars and bicyclists that don't pay attention to the lights either.  Portland embraces anarchy.


Ducks don't need no stinking stop signs.

Two groups of ducks wading in the river, about to crash into each other, and no right of way signs to be found...what to do?!?








Sunday, August 21, 2011

Comparing antivirus software.

AV-Comparatives is a great place to review which antivirus software is up to par and which one is lagging behind its peers. AV-Comparatives has this great new tool which allows you to review whole-product dynamic detection rates of the different AV suites.  The exception that is missing is Microsoft's free MSE, which is actually a very good AV, and is included in AV-Comparatives' other tests for detection rates -- not sure why they're not included, but it could be because MSE is not a suite that includes multiple tools other than basic antivirus.



Notice that McAfee doesn't do very well...I guess that 30-day free McAfee software included in my laptop is not worth keeping.

HP TouchPad, $99.99 while supplies last.

Everyone likes a good deal.  Once HP decided to completely shut down WebOS, they also slashed prices, and are refunding customers who call HP's customer service.  They're going like hotcakes.

Sunday morning at Best Buy brick and mortar stores in the US (they're sold out in Canada) they will be selling off their stock at $99.99 (16GB version / $149.99 for the 32GB version), too, first come first served.  Earlier the story was that they were shipping existing stock back to HP...but that all changed Saturday...probably cost HP more to have it restocked only to be resold via HP at the same $99.99 price tag.

By the way, if you go to BestBuy's website and select any one of the tablets, you can enter your zip code to see if it's in stock.  It appears if it's available at a store, then you can select it for local pick up and buy it online while there's still inventory.  (Cross your fingers.)

The same effect occurred when Staples had their $100 coupon for Android tablets...it required good luck finding any Android tablets at brick and mortar stores in stock.

Well, if you're not crazy about rushing off to find a $99.99 WebOS TouchPad that is instantly obsolete, you might consider using this coupon for 10% off tablets (excluding the Toshiba Thrive) at OfficeMax, good for Sunday and Monday only (8/21 - 8/22).

Seriously, instantly obsolete with ZERO product support...are you really going to buy that?  I can understand if there was a good root to add Android, but there doesn't seem to be any.


UPDATE: Sunday afternoon: they're all gone everywhere. Gee, if Android tablet prices were dropped to $300, I bet they'd sell out, too...

Nothing like a good stick to play with.

Woof.


Saturday, August 20, 2011

Clackamas Town Center Duck Store -- cat's out of the bag.

Have you visited the Clackamas Town Center lately? The Duck Store grand opening starts on August 29th, and there will be prizes all week long.

It is nearly complete with a mad rush to get everything in place and built.  There has NEVER been a Duck Store like this one.  Nearly everything was custom design and built, and was meant to create a clear brand identity for The Duck Store.


ALMOST done on the exterior -- just the glass canopy to add.



The "O" that everyone will want.

Friday, August 19, 2011

Does that have a stick shift?

Another classic from damnyouautocorrect.

WP7 - 15 reboots in a day? Results of Brandon Watson's WP7 challenges.

Molly Wood at Cnet was challeged by Windows Phone Apps evangelist / manager Brandon Watson to try out a WP7 phone (HTC Trophy running Mango / Verizon) to compare to her Android phone (Motorola Droid X running Android 2.2 / Verizon), and apparently she reached her verdict by the end of week 2.  While she says that there were things to like, there were also some frustrating moments, including this little zinger:

"Two weeks doesn't sound a lot of time to live with an entirely new platform, and I might have lasted longer but for serious problems with the HTC Trophy I've been using (one-day record for spontaneous reboots: 15, including three in 15 minutes)."

Ouch!  Could be a hardware issue...I don't know, but one would assume that if your goal is to try to convince a tech blogger to come over to your side, then you would test the hardware to verify it is working.  If that's the case, then the WP7 software is to blame?

Separately, Scott Adams (Dilbert) also took up Brandon Watson's challenge, and decided that he liked his WP7 phone (Samsung Focus running Mango / AT&T) and called it the winner (in comparison to an EVO 3D running Android 2.3 / Sprint and iPhone 3GS / AT&T).  Curious, I'd like to know if he'd take up the same challenge in a few months when Android Ice Cream and WP7 Mango are released to the public.

But this is worth noting from Adams' post:
"The intangible coolness factor is impossible to ignore. Even the names Microsoft and Windows feel dated. And the home screen of the Windows phone is great from a usability standpoint, but lacks sizzle. I'd be lying if I said that didn't matter to me."
I played around with the WP7 phone at a T-Mobile store, and it wasn't that compelling for me.  Contrasting to the idea that fragmentation is bad, I like fragmentation -- I get to decide between one company's UI layer over another, or if I want just a stock Android UI.

If I want a uniform UI, I'd definitely get an iPhone, not a WP7 phone, because the iPhone's UI is smooth, slick and doesn't fail...and all those apps and appliances built for the iPhone doesn't hurt either.  WP7's got neither.

And doggone it, I still don't like them live tiles.  Yes, they are slick, but geez they're boring as hell.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

HP shuts down WebOS.

Some people think it was unexpected, but here's the deal: a new CEO (Leo Apotheker) is always given the leeway to make his own statement and get rid of the old guard.

Still, you gotta wonder:

  • Why did they bother to release a Pre 3 phone, right?
  • Why completely cut it off, when it means having to revamp much of your printers?
  • Why did they introduce a 4G TouchPad just last week?
  • Why did they introduce a 64GB TouchPad the same morning he axed WebOS products?
He literally sliced the value of all their products effective immediately.  

How universities are handling the Miami scandal.

You gotta love the way universities touched by the Nevin Shapiro - Miami scandal are reacting:

We talked to our kids that were named, and they denied the allegations.  That's good enough for us to declare they're eligible to play.

So says Florida, Kansas State, Purdue...

Sounds a lot like what Ohio State did last year before the Sugar Bowl, doesn't it?  And now they're involved with a full-blown scandal on their own.

Would Google actually consider buying T-Mobile?

eWeek writer Wayne Rash suggests that this would make for a perfect vertically integrated information company.  My first reaction was: impossible.  But my second reaction is: I wish it could be true.

These seem to me to be the problems of mobile: SPEED and AVAILABILITY.  They are anathema to Google's desire to push people away from the desktop and native apps, to the internet as a service, everywhere.  This may be the 10-year future plan, and you can already see the transition: tablets and the Chromebook.  But this might be too disruptive for the government to absorb.

Oh well...I never thought Google would actually buy Motorola, either.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

It's coming...DUCKS!


Next week, but the official opening is the 29th.  A sneak peek.

New survey says 94.5% are interested in the iPad...or does it?

It's as they say...when the numbers don't add up, something is wrong.  Articles all over are repeating the same story: a survey by wealth manager Robert W. Baird of 1114 people, show that 94.5% of people are interested in the iPad.  But look closely at the chart...it shows the actual number of respondents at 531.

Half the number of people polled, actually responded.  So you know what that means -- a huge nonresponse bias.

If sales were an indication of actual feedback, then this poll should be reflecting the similar trend, but it isn't.

And thanks to the media's echo chamber, a poll with a massive nonresponse bias is being spread throughout the internet and the news.

Paul Dee -- A picture of a man with foot in mouth.

Paul Dee.

First off, I have NO TEARS OR SYMPATHY for him.  His committee at the NCAA came down hard on USC for what amounted to relatively minor infractions to what happened at Miami under his watch as AD.

So let me be clear:  He should have known.

Right about now, every USC fan is cracking up and laughing at the prospect of being able to say that to his face.

And the national sports media is having a field day with Paul Dee's hypocrisy -- Stewart Mandel, Dennis Dodd, Ted Miller, Chris Dufresne -- actually the LA Times has a short collection of some other sports writers' opinions -- David MoultonThayer Evans, and on and on.

So when's the lawsuit coming?

Oh...and sucks for Seantrel Henderson, huh?  Will he transfer out of Miami now?  LOL!

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

University of Miami players paid to injure other teams' players?

I am reminded of a few months ago when Yahoo Sports writer warned of something huge coming down the pipe line...was this it?

Yahoo Sports and many outlets are documenting the scope of this, and it is huge, because it is related to a number of former and current University of Miami players and coaches, in receiving extra benefits including alcohol, hotel rooms and....prostitutes.  While all those are quite bad in themselves, the most difficult thing to understand, is that one of the allegations from the guy at the center of the scandal, is that he dangled a cash reward to players to take out star players from opposing teams.
The booster told Yahoo! Sports he had a number of individual payouts for “hit of the game” and “big plays.” He also put bounties on specific players, including Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow and a three-year standing bounty on Seminoles quarterback Chris Rix from 2002 to 2004, offering $5,000 to any player who knocked him out of a game." 
"We pounded the (expletive) out of that kid,” Shapiro said of Rix. “Watch the tape of those games. You’ll see so many big hits on him. Guys were all going after that $5,000 in cash. [Jon] Vilma tried to kill him – just crushed him – a couple of times trying to get that $5,000. And he almost got it, too.”
Wow, just WOW.  Johnahan Vilma was trying to take out a player for $5,000?  And guess what...that was under Paul Dee.  Everyone following USC's sanctions knows Paul Dee quite well.
Shapiro said he was enabled by the university, allowed to run the entire Miami team out of tunnel and onto the field – twice – and once honored on the field by former athletic director Paul Dee during a game. The same Paul Dee who wagged a finger at USC as the chairman of the NCAA’s committee on infractions in 2010, chiding the Reggie Bush/O.J. Mayo scandal as a systematic failure. 
“High-profile players demand high-profile compliance,” Dee said while announcing USC’s sanctions. 
Now Shapiro says Miami’s athletic compliance – Dee’s own backyard while Shapiro was operating – suffered one catastrophic oversight after another.
Oh man.  Paul Dee's NCAA COI specifically sanctioned USC by banning outsiders from access to practices, locker rooms and the field.  They cited the lax control of access from outsiders, as proof of a lack of control at USC.

So you know what happened to USC: 2 year bowl ban, 4 year probation and 30 football scholarships cut over three years.

We've got photos, phone call records, credit card bills and corroborating witnesses.  If Miami doesn't at least receive penalties more severe than what was handed down to USC, you know things are going to explode across the nation....after all the NCAA's own site specifically says, "The mission of the NCAA enforcement program is to reduce violations of NCAA legislation and impose appropriate penalties if violations occur."


Update: Video below from Dan Wetzel.

If you read Wetzel's back story of what happened at Miami, it seems even more clear now, this IS the big story they were hinting at a few months ago when the Ohio State program was under national scrutiny. It's also crystal clear, there's no way Miami is going to avoid some sort of death penalty. This is at least as bad if not worse, than the SMU scandal, that resulted in the first and only death penalty case in college football.

And again, to reiterate, this happened under Paul Dee's athletic administration.

So I have to ask: Is there ANY hint of conflict of interest here, if the NCAA COI staff and members previously under Paul Dee's rule, are investigating the University of Miami and its athletic administration under Paul Dee, as late as 2008?

Apple shenanigans? (altered images -- a further examination)

Via CNET, Apple's lawsuit against Samsung's Tab in Germany included altered images that were submitted as evidence to the court.


via webwereld.nl

The original Webwereld article (and the media's echo chamber) suggests that it was probably an accidental mistake, but I think otherwise.

Take a look at the differences between the lawsuit-filed image, and the actual product image.  (You can get a high-res image of the Tab here.)  There are FOUR differences:
  1. Aspect ratio is off.
  2. Icon sizes were enlarged.
  3. Background was faked.
  4. The buttons were mirrored on the wrong side.

The altered images in their lawsuit doesn't stop there, either.  Look below at the side-by-side angled view from the lawsuit filing.  If you didn't know any better, you'd think that the Tab was fatter than the iPad!



It's clear to me, there was intentional manipulation of the images to make the Samsung Tab 10.1 resemble more closely to the iPad than it actually is.  Apple has a very serious problem here.