Gawker: valleywag, laptops

A Laptop From 1893

Lynn Peril — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 16:20:00 EDT

The next time you're feeling all smug and twenty-first century commuting into the office while using your laptop to catch up on emails or prep for a presentation, consider the following. Back in 1893, a publication called The Manufacturer and Builder hyped a new portable typewriter that could "readily be used on the lap, on the desk, on the train—in short, anywhere"—and showed a forward-thinking commuter doing just that. Click through for a closer look at the world's first laptop.

Measuring 12 inches long by 6-1/2 inches wide by 2 inches deep, and weighing a mere 3 pounds, the World typewriter was roughly the same size as many of today's laptop computers. Instead of a keyboard, however, the World used a dial; users chose a character with the right hand, then used the left to operate a lever that pressed it into the paper. Yet another lever was used to make spaces between words. Even so, the World typewriter was said to be

. . . readily mastered, so that after a month or two of practice any one of ordinary intelligence, by application, can acquire a speed of forty words per minute, or about twice the number that a rapid penman will write with the pen.

Of course, a fast typist on a QWERTY keyboard could reach speeds of 100 words per minute or more—a fact that may have helped contribute to the World typewriter's fade into oblivion.

OLPC Slaps Back at Intel: "You Have No Heart and Don't Care About the Children"

matt buchanan — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 13:25:25 EST

Last night, Intel pulled out of OLPC, citing founder Nicholas Negroponte's serious jealousy issues with other low-cost computers stealing XO's thunder in more ways than one. Today, OLPC slaps back, claws out: "We're totally better off without you since it was all for show and you never really loved us (or the kids) in the first place!"

OLPC prez Walter Bender said that Intel's efforts to build an XO Laptop with one of its chips were "seemingly half-hearted" and that its brass was more interested in OLPC for PR reasons:

"The only thing they were interested in was ... helping them make marketing statements about how Intel's approach to learning was different from OLPC's approach to learning," Bender said. "They weren't interested in how we can learn together and make something better for kids."

That's pretty douche-y if it's true. OLPC has been a mess on the business end and Negroponte seems a bit frazzled, but at least they have actual good intentions.

On the other hand, the market being flooded with ton of cheap laptops (which might be better than XO) for developing countries ultimately goes toward OLPC's goal to bring computers to everyone, so it's a bit off to say it is the One True Way, even if Intel really is a child-hating, PR-feeding douche. That said, we hope OLPC gets its act together soon. The only thing worse than a train wreck is one carrying the hopes and dreams of millions of children. Or something like that. [CW]

Apple Sells "Refreshed" Laptop Filled With Porn To 11 Year Old Girl

Ben Popken — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 16:24:44 EST

UPDATES: • Finder Of Apple Porn On His Daughter's Laptop Interviewed
• Internet Sneers At Apple/ Porn/ Laptop/ Child Post

An Apple customer was shocked, shocked, when he bought a Macbook from the London Apple Store for his 11-year old daughter, and the desktop was full of pornographic JPGs.

His friend, a Consumerist tipster in good standing, told us all about it over IM, inside... — BEN POPKEN

"Mommy, why do the keys stick?" — MEGHANN MARCO

RKH: me mate just bought a "refreshed" Macbook from the Apple Store here in London, turned it on once he got home and found porn on the desktop
fakeout: how refreshing!
RKH: apple sells "refreshed" machines at a 15% discount
fakeout: It's supposed to be clean of everything I assume, including porn
fakeout: What kind of porn was it?
RKH: didn't say
fakeout: how much porn?
RKH: just said there was a "desktop full of JPGs"
fakeout: How does he feel about it?
RKH: he's pretty shocked, he bought it for his 11-year old daughtre
RKH: daughter
fakeout: Is he going to complain?
RKH: he filed a complaint with the OfCom ombudsman
RKH: and he's going to call his MP tomorrow
fakeout: MP?
RKH: member of Parliament
fakeout: Not going to talk to Apple?
RKH: OFCOM will handle that part
RKH: a government agency tends to have more power than individual consumers
fakeout: That's cool they will go to bat for him
RKH: they go to bat for anyone who complains about a company
fakeout: We should get one of those over here
RKH: Carphone Warehouse got a L5mil fine for overcharging VAT on purchases a few years ago.
fakeout: it would be great to get a photo of the desktop with the jpgs on it
RKH: he reformatted the drive and reinstalled OS X from his Tiger CD

Things to learn from the laptop stabbing

ndouglas — Mon, 10 Apr 2006 18:48:43 EDT

The SF Chron's laptop stabbing piece is today's most educational article, full of life lessons:

¬ New York is now safer than San Fran, according to friends of investment bankers.
¬ Suspects are teens, which is probably why PCs get stolen more than those lousy-for-games Macs.
¬ You can buy the stolen notebooks in U.N. Plaza.
¬ If cops stake out a cafe, they must buy lattes. (Seriously, that seems to be the logic used around the last paragraph.)
¬ San Jose is, as usual, less exciting than San Fran, with laptop thefts but no robberies.
¬ Ice-T ain't the only bad boy who always cruises with a piece in his lap.
¬ Chron writer Jaxon Van Derbeken can't turn down a good "hot spots" pun.

Laptop thieves descend upon wireless cafes [SF Chronicle]
Earlier: "Thank God, I was afraid he was pitching me a startup [Valleywag]

Thank God, I was afraid he was pitching me a startup

ndouglas — Mon, 10 Apr 2006 15:03:18 EDT

Okay, if you don't know the ending, this scene is the best-climaxed story ever. The setting: a cafe in San Fran's Mission District. The speaker: a finance manager who doing the sip-and-type thing on his laptop.

I looked up, and I saw this guy leaning into me as if he was asking a question. I leaned forward, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone fiddling with the computer cord. I tried to stand up, and as I stepped back, he stabbed me in the chest.

It's part of a new wave of crime — or people getting really pissed off at laptop workers.

Laptop thieves descend upon wireless cafes [SF Chronicle]