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USB
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Jul 13, 2006
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There are two main types of USB: 1.1 and 2.0. Version 2.0 is about 40 times faster than version 1.1. It looks the same and uses the same basic external hardware. It's compatible with the older version, and the older version is compatible with the newer version. When you're using things like a USB mouse and/or keyboard, the difference is unnoticeable. But when you're using things like a PDA, memory stick, or other storage device, the difference is painful. USB 1.1 is extremely slow when transferring large amounts of data. It's almost unusable. But USB 2.0 is great for this kind of thing.
My one complaint about USB is that the plugs are completely unintuitive. Who thought of a symmetric plug that can only be plugged in one way? Instead, they should've made the top wider than the bottom so the user wouldn't have to try to force it in upside down.
Ok, one more complaint about USB. The connections are often in hard-to-reach places: The back of the computer; behind some hidden door on the front. It's ridiculous, especially if you have your CPU on the ground and you can't see where you're plugging things into. The smartest place for a USB connector was on the side of a Dell LCD monitor I had a few months ago. It was easy to find and easy to use. Its only problem was that it didn't work all the time. I'm not sure why. But it was a great idea. #technology
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Foreign aid myth
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Jul 13, 2006
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This ABC News article suggests that it's a myth that foreign aid helps end poverty. Instead, it makes things worse by giving more money and food to corrupt governments. Interesting. (via Digg) #entertainment
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Boxes
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Jul 13, 2006
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When I was in college, I moved an average of 5 times a year. There was moving into school in the fall; semi-moving out in the winter (guitars, computer, clothes, etc.); semi-moving back in after winter break; moving out in the spring; sometimes moving into an apartment for a summer job; moving out of the apartment at the end of the summer; repeat. Through this process I learned how to move and how to pack things extremely efficiently. It also forced me to live out of boxes. I had a box for all my electronics, a box for my school/desk/work supplies, a box for my cooking equipment, etc. At any given time, I could move into or out of a room in 30 minutes or less.
But now, after I've been out of school for over 2 years, I still have some of these habits. The amount of "stuff" I own has grown exponentially, so I wouldn't be able to move anywhere anytime soon. But I still store certain things in boxes. I still have a box full of electronics that's impossible to sift through. I still store some things in the boxes they came in, thinking it'll be easier to move them if they're already packed. Maybe one day I'll settle down and finally unpack everything. Then I'll probably move again. #psychology
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