inquisity

Usually engineers win out in a battle with the design folks.  Apparently this time it’s the other way around for the new version of the iPod Shuffle:

The decision to put the controls on the headphones means that unless Apple opens up the controls to third parties, you can’t even play music on the iPod without using Apple’s own earbuds. What happens if, as is also not unheard of, Apple’s stock earbuds break? Your iPod is completely useless until you get another pair of approved headphones. (full article)

Like many people, the regular Apple headphones don’t stay in my ears if I’m doing anything other than sitting down, so I have a different pair for when I work out.  This makes the new generation of Shuffles worthless to me (and many others).  Needless to say I will be buying the previous generation.

I bet that Apple: a) opens up the design specs so other companies can make compliant headphones, and/or b) has buttons on the actual unit in the next generation of Shuffles.

Listen to this short 3 minute report from NPR.  Apparently the Louisiana State Ethics Board has clarified that state employees cannot accept any gifts whatsoever.  On the outset this makes sense, but this also applies to librarians.  From now on, if a Librarian accepts a Christmas cookie or something of the like, they will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

My favorite part:  “We had a patron who came in to give the staff some cookies, and after he was told that the cookies couldn’t be accepted, he left the plate and literally ran out the door because he wanted the staff to have the cookies.”

You can’t make this stuff up.

I found one of these videos from a blog post by Keith Ferrazzi, and thought I’d put both of them up.  The videos were posted by a Enspire, a company which appears to be selling financial education for the common man.  Seems admirable…I hope people care enough to learn.

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Understanding the Financial Crisis

The Mortgage Banking Meltdown

Definitely not congruent with the powerful brand Best Buy has spent millions building.  It makes sense to me that Best Buy would sell laundry machines and refrigerators, because Sears and the like have gone out of business and no one else has stepped into that market.

But hostestly, I thought that email was spam at first or a joke of some kind.