Don't Save the Planet!

I am getting very tired of the "save the planet" mantra people trot out when trying to convince other people to drive smaller cars than themselves.

Let me tell you - you don't need to save the planet. Earth is doing fine thank you very much.

It's people that are at risk.

Regardless of the sources, climate change will not cause the earth to explode, or wobble on its axis (any more than it does now), or burn up and become a cinder falling into the sun.

It's much more likely that an increase in CO2 will make it hard for many people to breathe, or that sea levels rise and wipe out the billions of people who live along seashore, or allow the next ice age which would clear out most of the countries in the northern hemispehere.

So let's cut the chatter about saving the planet. I saw a bumper sticker once: it said "Save the Humans"

Now that's what it's about.

iPod Touch/iPhone Remote

How to use ipod touch or iphone as a remote control, not quite air tunes but getting there

read more | digg story

I've Got the Touch...

My iPod Touch arrived just the other day (with that engraving, so no one can say it's not mine (and a hats-off to Peter Gabriel)). I don't really need another iPod, but I really want to use a couple things that I think will become widespread.

1. multitouch displays
2. hand-held browsers

Since we have pervasive 802.11 in the house I like being able to find a wikipedia entry at my fingertips. The pinch model for ui interaction is a bit awkward, but workable, and the gesture of "flick" as they call it, which I first saw on google earth is pretty sweet.

Two things missing: Bluetooth stereo headphones. Airtunes to beam to my music to my Airport-express-equipped speakers...

This Just In...

After googling "ipod touch airtunes" I came across this site for an app called "Signal". Signal runs on the your computer with iTunes (Mac or Win), uses the iTunes API, and shares a nicely-copied web browser interface that you can connect to from the iPod Touch/iPhone that makes it feel like your music is local.

While there are a couple user interface glitches, Matt Stevens was kind enough to reply to my feedback, and it looks like Signal should be on its way to being a killer app for iPod Touch, since many its users will have their master library on their mac anyway.