Das Blog

One of my dearly beloathed Senators (Charles Schumer)  has apparently taken up the plight of the iPhone 4 victims as a righteous cause.  While I agree that Apple screwed the pooch on their RF design here, I find it somewhat disconcerting that Sen. Schumer has chosen this to focus on.  Please allow me to engage in a brief bit of snark:

Sen. Schumer's letter to Apple:

July 15, 2010

Dear Mr. Jobs, 

I write to express concern regarding the reception problem with the Apple iPhone 4. While I commend Apple's innovative approach to mobile technology and appreciate its service to millions of iPhone users nationwide, I believe it is incumbent upon Apple to address this flaw in a transparent manner. According to Consumer Reports' review, released Monday on its website, the iPhone 4's signal-strength problem is a hardwire glitch triggered by gripping the device in a particular manner. This finding, according to Consumer Reports, "call[s] into question” Apple’s recent claim that the problem is “largely an optical illusion caused by faulty software." Consumer Reports declined to recommend the iPhone 4 because of this hardware design flaw.

Given the discrepancy between Consumer Reports' explanation of the reception problem and the explanation provided by Apple in its July 2 letter to customers, I am concerned that the nearly two million purchasers of the iPhone 4 may not have complete information about the quality of the product they have purchased. The burden for consumers caused by this glitch, combined with the confusion over its cause and how it will be fixed, has the potential to undermine the many benefits of this innovative device. To address this concern, I ask that Apple provide iPhone 4 customers with a clearly written explanation of the cause of the reception problem and make a public commitment to remedy it free-of-charge. The solutions offered to date by Apple for dealing with the so-called “death grip” malfunction—such as holding the device differently, or buying a cover for it—seem to be insufficient. These proposed solutions would unfairly place the burden on consumers for resolving a problem they were not aware of when they purchased their phones.

I also encourage Apple to keep its promise to provide free software updates so that bars displayed accurately reflect signal strength; I further urge Apple to issue a written explanation of the formula it uses to calculate bar strength, so that consumers can once again trust the product that they have invested in.

I look forward to Apple's swift action on this matter, and once again laud Apple for its innovative efforts and service to millions of Americans.

Sincerely,

Charles E. Schumer

This is a fair warning: Everything below the break is unedited and incoherent, possibly repetitive, and really I don't know why I'm posting it.

This is a ride through my mind, stream of consciousness style - I could probably sell tickets, and very few have seen the whole show (most aren't around anymore).  We're not going all the way on this tour - I think there was still some safety rope somewhere, but enjoy it for what it is - You may even see the boundaries of my mind, though I'm not even sure where they are myself.

For the sake of your sanity, anything written in (parentheses) can (and SHOULD) be skipped in evaluating a sentence.  Come back to them later for insight, inanity, and [Insert: Something else beginning with "i"].

Feel free to comment on it, and don't let it upset you -- Remember, it's only my brain: You don't have to live with it.

Wow, a blog post? Yeah, this one didn't fit in 140 characters...

So much hay has been made recently about Adrian Lamo (@6) "outing" SPC Manning for leaking the Collateral Murder tape & other somewhat embarrassing (you could even say downright shameful) activities that the US Government has been engaging in. Both sides are throwing their fits and I'm saddened to see that mud slinging has already begun, so here I stand in defense of... well... everyone.
For those who want my $0.02, here is is: Don't crucify The Leaker for following his conscience.
Don't crucify Lamo for making a judgment call & doing the same. For those interested in more, here's my $19.95 plus postage, handling and applicable taxes: