The Luddite Engineer

HTC Being Sued by Apple

2010-03-03T10:10:00.001-05:00

Let me start off by saying it is your fault HTC is being sued by Apple. I hate Apple. As a pessimist, I see the Apple as half empty and would rather enjoy a full apple. But all you people care about are fads. Because of these fads, HTC is being sued. According to the New York Times, Apple is filing a patent infringement lawsuit against HTC for violating at least 20 of the iPhone's patents with their Nexus One model.

First of all, the iPhone is gay. I personally would rather own the Nexus One. I would not be arrogant enough to choose the iPhone over the Nexus One so I could access 100,000 more apps. How about choosing the 1 GHz processor, or the REMOVABLE 1400 mAH battery, or maybe the 5 megapixel camera with flash and zoom. NO. Everybody wants apps. Ever heard of Google Goggles? Doubt it. Look it up and tell me if your iPhone can do that.

In the end there will be a victor, Apple will win some money as they have in the past from other lawsuits. Just as other cell phone companies have sued and won cases against Apple. It's just a form of advertisement for Apple. You would think that Apple should have set out against Google, but maybe that would hurt their business. Oh well, this move may be a blow below the ribs to Android manufacturers but Apple has it coming to them. Remember, Apple is just a small fish, Google is a big damn shark.

-The Luddite Engineer

2010-03-01T16:34:00.000-05:00

Energy Drink? More Like Energy Stink

2010-02-26T16:40:00.009-05:00

After pulling the "all-nighter" at the library, surrounded by half awake staff and empty energy drink cans, I still managed to struggle on my statics midterm. What is it with these professors? Or is it just Ohio State that tries to weed out thousands of students each quarter to keep a steady flow of traffic in? Luckily for me, I can tango.

I call it the edu-cocktail. It may stunt your growth, but you gain focus (or maybe I'm being controlled by HAARP.) Here is a list of things you will need to make an edu-cocktail:

1) Breakfast (Preferably pancakes!)
2) Four cups of black Sumatran coffee
3) A few singles
4) **And if you are like me, your computer

Eat breakfast! Drink lots of coffee! Go win some Nos energy from the broken vending machines at your university! Finally, surf the web!Get the day started and utilize the sources that are on the internet! For instance, I use YouTube for all of my midterms and finals in my engineering courses! It didn't go so hot today but it's just a friendly suggestion.

-The Luddite Engineer

Chatroulette: Tool for Cultural Experience or Trap Door?

2010-02-25T23:59:00.005-05:00

17-year-old, Andrey Ternovskiy of Moscow, launched a website called www.chatroulette.com in November 2009 that has recently been bombarded with traffic from all over the world. The daily 500,000 unique visitors of Chatroulette consists of men, women and children of all ages and from every walk of life. This site uses the Real Time Media Flow Protocol built into Adobe's Flash Player 10 to establish a peer-to-peer connection between users without the need for server bandwidth. Essentially this allows for users to utilize the website as a "stranger". Because of this, speculation about Chatroulette has risen.

Ternovskiy was interviewed via webcam by CNN's Errol Barnett, where he defended his website and the intentions he created it with. According to Ternovskiy, the website was created to, "get people from around the world to know other cultures." While this may be true, it does not omit the fact that minors are being exposed to live pornography. He followed up by saying that he was talking to investors and as a team would devise a solution to the perverted problems of his website.

So what is my take? I think we should congratulate his success. If minors are being exposed to pornography over the internet, it is solely the parents at fault. Keep an eye on what your children are doing online and they won't be exposed to Old Man Johnson's Johnson. Give him a break. He is 17 years old, and established a life of success. With that being said, Andrey Ternovskiy, are you hiring?

-The Luddite Engineer

Official Google Mobile Blog: Google Earth now available for Android

2010-02-24T14:50:00.000-05:00

Official Google Mobile Blog: Google Earth now available for Android

Relevant Quotes

2010-02-24T13:18:00.004-05:00

Special thanks to Bart Skarzynski of The Ohio State University, professor of Engineering 367, for this post:

"We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology."
- Carl Sagan (astronomer, writer)

"Any science or technology which is sufficiently advanced is indistinguishable from magic."
- Arthur C. Clarke (science-fiction writer)

"Computers are magnificent tools for the realization of our dreams, but no machine can replace the human spark of spirit, compassion, love, and understanding."
- Louis Gerstner, (Chairman of IBM, 1993-2002)

"One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man."
- Elbert Hubbard (writer, artist, philosopher)

"Where is all the knowledge we lost with information?"
- T.S. Elliot (poet)

"Technological progress has merely provided us with more efficient means for going backwards."
- Aldous Huxley (writer)

"Any teacher that can be replaced by a computer, deserves to be."
- David Thornburg (public speaker, author, consultant)

My Goal as the Luddite Engineer

2010-02-24T10:41:00.001-05:00

For those of you who do not know me, take a few seconds to read my 'About Me' section to pick up some background information. OK, now you know me! You may have a few questions about me (yes, my real last name is Pancake) or my blog, so I plan to answer these here the best I can. First of all, what is a Luddite? As defined in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a Luddite is one of a group of early 19th century English workmen destroying laborsaving machinery as protest; broadly: one who is opposed to especially technological change. Take a moment to Google search "Luddite" and gain a better understanding of the term.

Ah, you're back! Now that you are a professional on Luddism you are probably wondering why I call myself the Luddite Engineer. How is that possible? Well, the truth is, I enjoy creating new technologies but I hate the implications of technology in the American society. I am not the only person in a technical field who is concerned with the implications of technology in our society, as there are many others. Bill Joy, co-founder of Sun Microsystems, also shares many of the same beliefs and fears about technology as I do. In fact, he is my inspiration.

My goal as the Luddite Engineer is to educate the American society about the possible dangers of technology from the standpoint of an engineer. I will update The Luddite Engineer blog frequently with new posts, information, topics, etc. Comments are welcome and I encourage debate within my blog, so if you have an opinion share it. I have high hopes for the success of The Luddite Engineer so I will take this blog very seriously. Thank you for visiting The Luddite Engineer blog, and I hope to see you again! Enjoy!

-The Luddite Engineer