Observations
I'm home today, watching some contractors install windows in the soon-to-be nursery. The woman in charge pointed out some problems with the frame, which they only saw -- and they say they could not have anticipated -- after they removed the window. There's a strip of exposed wood that needed either painting or covering to protect it from the elements; rotting frame and walls would result unless they fixed it. Clearly, the window was a mess by this time. Grime, dust, and and rotted insect carcasses were everywhere; under these admittedly slightly dirty conditions, would any of us, if we were contractors and builders, flip open that protective case around the PDA to jot crucial information? The builder, Ezekial, used good ol' pencil and paper.
Granted, a $600 machine like the Toshiba or HP PPCs represents an investment, but if one worries about using it, it weakens the usefulness argument. I may not be able to write while I'm rafting, but heck, I also don't worry about paper getting sloggy; I should worry about a short circuit on the PDA. So I've found myself agreeing with Kent Pribbernow when he said that he'll never pay more than $300 for a PDA again, no matter how great it is. I drive my PDAs hard. I don't really care if it's raining hail the size of grapefruits; nothing's going to keep me from using it. I don't even bother with a case for my PDAs; it goes into my pockets (I do use a screen protector, since without it, I'm sure the digitizer will break that much faster.) My iPod? No case. So that pur-ty white plastic and the metal back are getting scratched. Do I care? Nope. I see the dings and scratches as honorable signs of usage. I hate seeing sparkling clean SUVs and trucks; I hate seeing Porsches and Ferraris with low mileage. So I suppose that's the mentality I have.
***
Tealscript: It's great, if one hankers for a way to modify the scribbles for text entry. The options are quite sophisticated; one can allow for automatic tuning or direct entry of your scribble. Another fine feature is that the Graffiti help screen displays the actual scribbles you use for each of the entries. The Write Anywhere option can be toggled by tapping on the Shift-indicator in all text entry windows. Per application or All-on Write Anywhere is also possible. My complaint? I think it's easier to have a hardware button toggle the Write Anywhere option.
***
Mapping hardware buttons: Clearly, button presses on the Zodiac are registered. It's just that they don't correspond to anything useful. I wonder if developers can ameliorate this situation by coding button mappings to actual hardware presses. That way, it could account for whatever verdammt button configuration hardware manufacturers use.
***
The Zodiac has a function button; it lies between the "Home" and "Power" buttons. Except that it doesn't really have a function, except as a "Pause" in Zodiac tuned games. Further, to access the "Quick launch" (i.e. hardware button mappedd), one uses the "Home" key and one of the four "Action Buttons" (punch, kick, jump, and super weapon buttons for the rest of us). So the function button clearly plays a limited role; shouldn't it be a "pinch" button, like a pinch runner or pinch hitter in baseball?
Granted, a $600 machine like the Toshiba or HP PPCs represents an investment, but if one worries about using it, it weakens the usefulness argument. I may not be able to write while I'm rafting, but heck, I also don't worry about paper getting sloggy; I should worry about a short circuit on the PDA. So I've found myself agreeing with Kent Pribbernow when he said that he'll never pay more than $300 for a PDA again, no matter how great it is. I drive my PDAs hard. I don't really care if it's raining hail the size of grapefruits; nothing's going to keep me from using it. I don't even bother with a case for my PDAs; it goes into my pockets (I do use a screen protector, since without it, I'm sure the digitizer will break that much faster.) My iPod? No case. So that pur-ty white plastic and the metal back are getting scratched. Do I care? Nope. I see the dings and scratches as honorable signs of usage. I hate seeing sparkling clean SUVs and trucks; I hate seeing Porsches and Ferraris with low mileage. So I suppose that's the mentality I have.
***
Tealscript: It's great, if one hankers for a way to modify the scribbles for text entry. The options are quite sophisticated; one can allow for automatic tuning or direct entry of your scribble. Another fine feature is that the Graffiti help screen displays the actual scribbles you use for each of the entries. The Write Anywhere option can be toggled by tapping on the Shift-indicator in all text entry windows. Per application or All-on Write Anywhere is also possible. My complaint? I think it's easier to have a hardware button toggle the Write Anywhere option.
***
Mapping hardware buttons: Clearly, button presses on the Zodiac are registered. It's just that they don't correspond to anything useful. I wonder if developers can ameliorate this situation by coding button mappings to actual hardware presses. That way, it could account for whatever verdammt button configuration hardware manufacturers use.
***
The Zodiac has a function button; it lies between the "Home" and "Power" buttons. Except that it doesn't really have a function, except as a "Pause" in Zodiac tuned games. Further, to access the "Quick launch" (i.e. hardware button mappedd), one uses the "Home" key and one of the four "Action Buttons" (punch, kick, jump, and super weapon buttons for the rest of us). So the function button clearly plays a limited role; shouldn't it be a "pinch" button, like a pinch runner or pinch hitter in baseball?
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home