Twelve days later he’s made over a million dollars and he’s giving a quarter of that to charities and another quarter to his employees as a bonus.  Amazing.

I bought a copy for $5 and, after watching it, I can say it’s excellent and worth much more than that.

This is just the first half of the story so we get more Gollum but have to wait another year (until December 2013) for a dragon.

I was fortunate enough to see him in person a few times though.  The first was at  the keynote of Macworld San Francisco in 2001 when he introduced the word to iTunes with “One More Thing” of the Titanium PowerBook G4.  I waited in line with my dad for several hours in the dark and cold of a January morning just to get a good seat, but I was still way in the back. In the end, it didn’t matter, because I still could feel his charisma fill the auditorium. It was probably the coolest thing I had experienced at that point in my life; it probably still is one of the top.

I was working for Apple at Macworld in 2005 when I saw him next.  Earlier that morning he had introduced the iPod shuffle and I was manning a wall with about a hundred of them hanging from lanyards (picture, yes, I had a bright green shirt on too).  All of a sudden, as if someone started moshing behind me at a concert, I was getting pushed and shoved by a mob of people.  I turn around, and amidst a throng of photographers flashing photos and reporters yelling questions, Steve, beaming from ear to ear, walks up to one guy who was trying the shuffle out to ask him what he thinks. The guy mumbles something about it being small & light, Steve thanks him, and with that strides off, throng of reporters chasing at his heels.

I wish I could have followed him too that day; just for a little while. I think we’ve all been following at Steve’s heel in one way or another since the beginning of Apple. I hope we still get the chance to trace his footsteps now that he’s gone.

http://www.apple.com/stevejobs/

Obviously this isn’t true if you bought an iPhone recently, but if had your iPhone 4 for a while then it definitely holds true. According to this AT&T Early Termination Fee (ETF) calculator, personally I would pay $165 for my ETF (I got the iPhone 4 the day it came out). However paying penalty would allow me to get $250 more in phone subsidies, netting me $85 in savings. How does this make any sense for AT&T?

The Brooks Review suggests several strategies to get around this including threatening to switch and doing a family plan shuffle (which I will be pulling). It should be possible to cancel your current account with AT&T and simply sign up for another with the same number, but this might be a bit tricky to pull off. Certainly the least hassle would be to simply switch from AT&T to Verizon or Sprint.

And that’s why AT&T sucks (today).

A couple of months ago, I retired [after a nearly 30-year career as a professional staff member on Capitol Hill]; but I could see as early as last November that the Republican Party would use the debt limit vote, an otherwise routine legislative procedure that has been used 87 times since the end of World War II, in order to concoct an entirely artificial fiscal crisis. Then, they would use that fiscal crisis to get what they wanted, by literally holding the US and global economies as hostages.

He continues to spell out the morally and ethically corrupt legislative tactics the Republican Party has used over the past 30 or more years and how they’ve diverged from the values of former leaders such as Eisenhower.

These are things that those of us watching closely have suspected and observed for years, but it’s eye-opening to see it outlined so directly by an insider.

(Via Walnut & Carrara)

We researched the 100 U.S. corporations that shelled out the most last year in CEO compensation. At 25 of these corporate giants, we found, the bill for chief executive compensation actually ran higher than the company’s entire federal corporate income tax bill.

(Consumerist summarizes the list of 25 CEOs on their site.)

The argument I’ve seen some people make is that what these companies and CEOs are doing is legal so it shouldn’t be a problem. It may not be against the law, but it’s unfair of the companies who reap massive rewards for the roads, security, stable currency, and hundreds of other services provided by the Federal Government not to pay their part. Instead, these corporations use this capital to lobby for the loopholes that allow them to pay less as well as showering executives in money while not significantly raising base employee compensation.

This doesn’t help reduce the deficit that many Tea-Party members are ostensibly up in arms about. Nor does it create jobs for anyone but leaches: the accountants, lawyers, and lobbyists who specialize in creating and exploiting tax loopholes. These corporations should be paying their fair share of taxes instead of expecting everyone else to carry the slack.

That tax money could and should be used help millions of hard working Americans get jobs instead of lining the pockets of the rich and their leaches.

I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come.

Sad, but it looks like he’ll stick around as Chairman of the Board.

Here’s another great quote from many that I think is even more true today than when Steve said it in 1996:

I’m an optimist in the sense that I believe humans are noble and honorable, and some of them are really smart. I have a very optimistic view of individuals. As individuals, people are inherently good. I have a somewhat more pessimistic view of people in groups. And I remain extremely concerned when I see what’s happening in our country, which is in many ways the luckiest place in the world. We don’t seem to be excited about making our country a better place for our kids.

Via WSJ via Wired via Dad.

I saw this in 3D last night before Captain America and got super excited.  The first person shots were excellent eye candy in 3D (and a direct homage to Mirror’s Edge which I enjoyed).

I sure do love me some Spider-Man!

Rapture (the underwater city from BioShock)
Star Dreadnought Executor (from Return of the Jedi)
Barad-dûr (from The Lord of the Rings movies)

Be sure to check out the detail pictures for each model too!

Valve means to fix the low billing of the song in the game with the Portal 2 Music Video Contest.

I don’t know how to fix the problem of not enough people playing amazing games that represent some of the most creative work I’ve seen in years.

In any case, the point of this post was that it’s awesome when things you love come together.

Can we see more of this from the Republican party nationally instead of so much fear-mongering and tea-party nonsense?

(Via DF)

Since almost everyone I know has an iPhone, this seems like a nice solution. I’m not the only one excited: Apple Has Finally Stuck A Dagger Into SMS. I Love It.

And for those time when you actually do need to message non-iOS users, there’s free Google Voice. Dear carriers: suck it.

Update: More iOS 5 details from Engadget including some good bits on iMessage.  Gruber also quips:

I’ll cancel my SMS plan as soon as this ships.

(A well-informed little birdie tells me that Apple’s phone carrier partners around the world found out about iMessages when we did: during [the] keynote.)

David Fincher directing and a soundtrack from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross should intense at least…

Check out the trailer and catch it in theaters if you have a chance.

Hesher – 4 out of 5

From the few shots we get in the trailer it looks like they’re staying pretty close to the source material, which is great news.  I loved these books as a kid and read them all several times.  They’re all worth checking out if you’re still a kid at heart.

It seems the script is mostly based on The Secret of the Unicorn but apparently they’re also throwing in elements of The Crab with the Golden Claws and Red Rackham’s Treasure (which is actually a direct continuation of Unicorn’s story) to fill in the story.  Spielberg is directing the first one, while Peter Jackson is producing and on the hook for directing a sequel. Wikipedia has the details, of course.

PS: Andy Serkis as Captain Haddock is particularly inspired casting but the other cast is great too.

Private Manning is in solitary confinement at the Marine Corps brig in Quantico, Va. For one hour a day, he is allowed to walk around a room in shackles. He is forced to remove all his clothes every night. And every morning he is required to stand outside his cell, naked, until he passes inspection and is given his clothes back.

I don’t understand why we condone this torture of a person who has not even been tried and convicted.

(Via DF)

Update, May 31, 2011: Manning has since been moved to a less restrictive environment, but has still not been tried of any crimes as far as we know.  Wired has the details.

So that doesn’t mean much to everyone, but it means a lot to nerds like me. If you’re unfamiliar with Felicia Day go watch Dr. Horrible or The Guild and get back to me.

Here’s a couple stills of and an interview with Felicia Day on location and rocking a great costume.

Update (Feb 18th): Here’s the first trailer.

Thanks to Kottke for the LOLs.

Will First Class scratch my itch? The trailer certainly does; let’s hope the movie proves just as awesome!

Jack Wall did excelent work on the first two Mass Effect games, but Mass Effect and Mansell is like peanut butter and jelly!

For the details, check out Mansell’s recent interview with The Quietus where he also muses on composing the score for Black Swan and working with Aronofsky.

In Casino Royale, James Bond is the Bond girl. Look at the way they even show him emerging from the ocean like Ursula Andress. Sexual torture, too, if less creepy-glam than being stripped and painted gold. Vesper Lynd is Bond: never not in control, never without a plan, seducing to further her goals. She has to die so Bond can become her.

I think I need to re-watch it now!

Also worth mentioning is this quote from my friend Scott after reading the above: “Too bad there isn’t a take on Quantum of Solace that makes it not suck.”

Too true.

(Via Kottke)

The first, ‘Monsters’ (Trailer, IMDb, Netflix, Amazon), a shows the everyday human side to an alien occupation. It’s a beautiful movie that was made for a shoestring budget (it looks much better than its cost would normally indicate).

Second is ‘Never Let Me Go’ (Trailer, IMDB, Netflix, Amazon), which explores the side effects of an alternate history where human life can be extended to average lifespans well over 100 years.  It has an amazing cast and is based on the award-winning book of the same name by Kazuo Ishiguro.

Do yourself a favor and rent/buy/borrow/beg your way to see these films as soon as you can.

Ratings:
Monsters – 5 out of 5
Never Let Me Go – 5 out of 5

Bradley Manning, the 22-year-old U.S. Army Private accused of leaking classified documents to WikiLeaks, has never been convicted of that crime, nor of any other crime. Despite that, he has been detained [for seven months] under conditions that constitute cruel and inhumane treatment and, by the standards of many nations, even torture.

This is a must-read article, and a disturbing look at how the United States is turning its back on The Constitution, justice, and the experiences and promises of our own leaders.

Not even 24 hours after President Obama met with senior Republican Congressional leaders and expressed hopes for a “new dialogue,” renewed partisan fury engulfed the Senate on Wednesday, as Republicans threatened to block any legislation until a deal is reached to extend the expiring Bush-era tax cuts, potentially derailing the Democrats’ busy end-of-year agenda.

(In case you’re not aware, the Republicans are fighting to extend the tax cuts to couples with more than $250,000 in annual income or individuals earning more than $200,000, which is the richest 2% of America.  Democrats and Republicans have already agreed to extend the cuts to everyone else.)

There are a lot of things I could say in response, but it really boils down to this: today I feel that there something really wrong with our country and it’s been getting worse.

(Thanks to Mom for the link.)

With or without WikiLeaks, the technology exists to allow whistleblowers to leak data and documents while maintaining anonymity. With or without WikiLeaks, the personnel, technical know-how, and ideological will exists to enable anonymous leaking and to make this information available to the public.

This is exactly what I’ve been telling people a while before the latest big WikiLeak dump. As someone who knows how to make a website, I could set up, say, ZikiLeaks, on servers anywhere in the developed world tomorrow for an inconsequential sum of money. I can also download and/or upload any of these documents via BitTorrent (which has already been done) and avoid having to rely on servers that governments can take down. Shutting down WikiLeaks or arresting people does nothing to change this.

The best thing those with sensitive information can do to combat leaks today is to increase security around these sensitive files (which the Pentagon is already doing). Second, reduce leaks by keeping information open and honest as much as possible. Finally, keep employes with access to sensitive data happy.

(Link via DF.)

The fact is that one of our two great political parties has made it clear that it has no interest in making America governable, unless it’s doing the governing. And that party now controls one house of Congress, which means that the country will not, in fact, be governable without that party’s cooperation — cooperation that won’t be forthcoming.

The whole strategy of ‘no governance but our governance’ (which I’m coining now as NGBOG) is so antithetical to democratic principles it’s unbelievable that it’s become the status quo of the Republican party. However, the GOP has been doing precisely this for a long time, particularly in the last two years since Obama was elected. It’s just that now that they control the House they can really run with NGBOG.

(Link via DF.)

Sold.

Trailer/IMDb

First, Nicholas D. Kristof writes in the NYT Op-Ed questioning if tax cuts for the rich have created our own Banana Republic where “the richest 1% of Americans now take home almost 24 percent of income.” In our Banana Republic, where the recently elected Republican majority in the House has made it a top priority to give this richest Americans more tax cuts, is such extreme income disparity is really good for the economy?

Second is a longer article from a German magazine examining the end (?) of the American dream.  This was written before the recent elections but does a great job examining both the international and national problems that America is facing as a result of the recession and political culture of self-interest and inaction.  How can we still belive in the upward mobility that made America great when, “in 1978, the average income for men in the United States was $45,879 [while] in 2007, it was $45,113, adjusted for inflation?”

Thanks to DF and JDD for the links.

You can download the first single, ‘Down by the Water’, in exchange for your email address on their site right now. It’s kind of country and folksy but with that unique Decemberists quality.

Certainly the remote disc option that Apple cooked up for the original MacBook Air should still work just fine for the new Airs, but this solution is kind of clunky and requires a secondary computer with an optical drive as well as a properly configured network.  USB optical drives are similarly regressive.  Instead, think that Apple could (and should) sell a USB restore drive or downloadable upgrade package for Lion.

The first option would would certainly be the preferable way to upgrade a MacBook Air, but it would probably sell well even to users who still had optical drives on their Mac.  A USB thumb drive seems more reliable and rugged than a disc, it should work fine with any Intel based Mac, and would look cool on a key chain.   Apple would still sell Lion DVDs of course, but they could offer the USB drive for a small premium.

The second option for a download would be very convenient, especially to international users where shipping can be slow and expensive. Obviously, this would only work if Apple allowed purchasers to download the software multiple times and run it without requiring burning a bootable DVD, though that should be an option too.

We could see some interesting new Lion upgrade options Apple next summer!

Hat tip to James Duncan Davidson.

The story for Machine Man, which began as an online serial (read the beginnings for free on Max’s site), will be published in full some time next year.

This is like PB & jelly coming together the first time (replace jelly with chocolate if you prefer).  Sweet.

A new analysis of the carbon and nitrogen cycles suggests that livestock production is on a path to unsustainability, and that it will push us beyond Earth’s safe operating limits by the middle of the century.

PS: Please remember seafood is not vegetarian; see pescetarianism.

I wish the trailer showed Barry Pepper too.

…or maybe it’s just me? Have a listen yourself on Amazon or iTunes.

Also, do yourself a favor and go see them live.