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GeekNights 090914 - Virtual Private Networking
Tonight on GeekNights we discuss the fascinating topic of virtual private networking. In the news, we talk about the new iPod nano, Twitter's new terms of service, people failing at hiding pron, and saving America from un-science.
Comments
EDIT: "Poel" is pronounced like "pool".
Portable media players, like the iPod, are far more infuriating. There is no technological limitation preventing anyone from making a device as I described it. All those things exist, and can be put in a small package with decent battery life. It's simply that nobody does it. Think of how far we would be if normal people could make hardware as well as software.
What I really don't get is this. Sure we know why Apple makes the decisions they make, and adds the features they add. But there are other players out there. Creative, Sony, Samsung, SANDisk, and Microsoft: what the fuck are you doing?
There has to be something the fuck wrong in the world. Thousands, perhaps millions, of geeks out there reading Engadget know exactly how to beat Apple and take over the world. Yet, all of Apple's competitors just keep making poor imitations with only a fraction of the quality and features. What the fuck is wrong with them?
My theory is that working in an electronics factory with all those chemicals makes you stupid.
I guess what I could do is create the software for the theoretical device for some other device, maybe even just for a computer. The thing is, embedded software like that is so platform specific.
Also, GVoice lets you download voicemails as MP3s, so you don't have to pipe it in through the mixer, unless that's how you guys roll.
> Tethering as in wire.
> Tethering as in I enable wireless sync by connecting Zune via wire to enable wireless sync via computer software and then no wire ever again.
> Tethering as in can only sync with one computer.
If you're having trouble understanding, think about this. Why do you need iTunes to run on your PC? iTunes, the full thing, should be on the iPod. You turn on the iPod, it IS iTunes. Your library is on the iPod. That's it. No syncing required. Just transfer files to it, and it adds them to library. Delete files from library using the controls on the iPod.
There is no technological reason for this not to exist. It's absolutely possible to make such a device. In fact, the iPod Touch and Zune have all the hardware necessary to do this. They simply do not have the software necessary.
Think about Dwarf Fortress. The game does so many things right, but the bad user interface ruins the whole thing. Archos just came out with the Archos 5 Internet Tablet. It is basically a portable media device that runs Android. It's not a phone. It does so many things right, like it has a ton of storage space, and it can play audio and video of just about any codec. But the horrific industrial design just ruins it.
When we're listing off features that should be in such a device, you have to have ALL of them. If you mess up just one part, it ruins the whole deal. You have to make something that is just obviously superior to the iPod nano. You have to have everything it has, and more, and better. Steve Jobs is making it easy by leaving out so many obvious and simple features. It's just that the competition is too incompetent.