Month: January 2011

HP/Palm WebOS Tablet

Engadget has a couple very nice renders of a possible upcoming HP/Palm WebOS tablet. It looks very much like an iPad with a plastic back and running WebOS.

Even after running Android for a while and now iOS I must say there is a soft spot in my heart for WebOS. Of the three WebOS is the only operating system with a combination of actual mutli-tasking and a good interface for swapping between tasks. Android’s interface for swapping between applications is pitiful while iOS lacks what I’d consider real multi-tasking. Likewise WebOS has remained the most open of the three operating systems in that is includes and easily activated developer mode which has helped create a very good homebrew community around the little platform that almost nobody knows about anymore.

HP/Palm have sent out invitations for an event in February where I hope to see a lot of new and interesting WebOS based products announced.

Smith and Wesson Governor

Taurus has been known for making copies of many guns produced by Smith and Wesson but the opposite hasn’t been true… until now. Smith and Wesson has released a new revolver called the Governor which will take .410 shotgun, .45 Colt, and .45 Auto. I think Massad Ayoob’s quote sums this gun up:

But, hey, if you’re gonna play the names, be cool about it. You can always buy a Taurus Judge AND a Smith & Wesson Governor, and wield ‘em both, one in each hand. When you confront your next burglar and he runs away with no blood spilled (the way such things usually end), you can shout after him, “You’ve been put on probation by the Judge, and been granted a reprieve by the Governor!”

It’s all about looking cool anyways.

California AB962 Struck Down

For the first time in a long time some good news as emerged from California. The law passed last year that would have made it illegal to mail order ammunition in the state of California has been struck down in the Fresno Superior Court:

The law, passed last year as AB 962, would have banned mail order ammunition sales and required all purchases of so called “handgun ammunition” to be registered. In an unwritten ruling from the bench, Judge Jeffrey Hamilton found the law unconstitutionally vague on its face and issued an injunction against its enforcement. For now, at least, mail order ammunition sales to California residents can continue, and ammunition sales need not be registered under the law.

The lawsuit—funded by the National Rifle Association and the California Rifle and Pistol (CRPA) Foundation as part of a joint Legal Action Project—was prompted in part by the many objections and questions raised by confused police, ammunition purchasers, and sellers about what ammunition is covered by the new law. Plaintiffs in the case include Tehama County Sheriff Clay Parker, the CRPA Foundation, Herb Bauer Sporting Goods, ammunition shipper Able’s Ammo, collectible ammunition shipper RTG Sporting Collectibles, and individual Steven Stonecipher. Mendocino Sheriff Tom Allman also supported the lawsuit.

Being California is about as tyrannical of a state as you can get you can bet money this will be appealed. Still score yet another one for the good guys.

Twitter Disclaimer

OK I’m not a fan of using redundant things hence I’m making a disclaimer here and now. Although I have setup a Twitter account for use with this site honestly I’m also going to fill it with personal junk. If you simply want a clean feed of this blog then subscribe to the RSS feed like normal people. I really can’t justify maintaining a Twitter account unless I have some use for it that can’t be fulfilled by current services I already use.

Basically I’m going to use Twitter for this site, personal crap, and posting things that I don’t think are blog-worthy but are still interesting in some regard (for instance cool iOS apps I run into or other such nonsense).

Anyways this serves as official notice and warning. I’m going to ignore any complaints I receive on the matter from here on out.

Idiot Drivers

I’ve seen idiot drivers cut people off, spin out due to driving faster than conditions allowed for, text on their phone while driving, and even drive the wrong way down a one way street. Even seeing all of this I’ve never seen an idiot driver cruise across a live firing range. Apparently some buffoon decided that was a good idea and drove across the firing line at the SHOT Show today while people were test firing everything from 9mm handguns to 7.62mm machine guns.

Darwin needs to step up his game I think.

Sprint Increasing 3G Data Plan Cost

One thing I liked about Sprint is their data plan. Not only do you get coverage almost everywhere but it’s also unlimited (for real unlimited, not 5GB and then overage fees) and cheap. At least it was cheap because now Sprint is going to increase the cost of their 3G data plan by $10.00 a month. Basically everybody will be paying the same price for data as current holders of 4G phones (such as myself).

If you’re currently on a 3G phone you won’t have to worry about an increase in your monthly bill until you either upgrade or activate a new smart phone. So as long as you stay with your current phone you’re fine. This is kind of dickish as previously this “premium data” plan applied to 4G devices which you could claim are capable of consuming more data as they can download at higher speeds than 3G devices. Charging everybody for the “premium data” plan whether or not they have a 4G device just seems like a bad idea, especially considering most of Sprints future phones will most likely be 4G capable.

A Truly Useful Gadget

Dvorak Uncensored has a post about a truly useful gadget. It’s a noise canceling device that plugs into your MP3 player and apparently blocks out the sound of dental drills. Frankly dental drills are one of the most annoying sounds in the universe, probably because they are always associated with pain and misery. It would be nice not having to hear them.