waning interest in a product that failed to meet the demands

Waning interest in a product that failed to meet the demands in quality, availability and expectations. Apple used to be number 1 or 2 on the list.

Is this the sign of the community showing that not meeting the expectations and failing to supply the actual phones is not the way to go?

Traps of traditional logic & dialectics

Formal logic forms the framework by which we divide up the world into entities. It gives us the ability to classify and to use the resultant concepts appropriately for survival. At the same time it contributes to our forgetting that change over time makes our words and thoughts, our concepts and classifications, out of date and hence frequently in error. Dialectics focuses our attention on change but tends to pay attention primarily to the aspects of quantity, conflict, and force in the change process, forgetting that in many situations that it is not differences in quantity that produce differences in quality; and forgetting that the use of force, even in conflict situations, does not always produce the desired result.

Irrespective of how we react to failure, it occurs to most of us, when we meet it, to lament the weakness in our problem-solving armory. Almost inevitably, we find ourselves wondering if anything can be done to strengthen the problem solving methods at our disposal. And, whether we realize it or not, this is tantamount to wondering whether anything can be done to identify and remove errors in our thinking. The message of this article is that if error is at the root of all our problems, then it is high time that theorists started looking at the nature and genesis of error more carefully. They might even discover that, in the final analysis, the problem of error is the only problem there is.

The analysis of traps should lead us to review the question of what to expect from our conceptualization of any situation.

There is perhaps an ultimate underlying trap in the belief that our verbal models are ever precise, accurate, or general at the same time. Perhaps our common belief could be called the Words Describe Reality Trap or the Words Can Do It Trap.

It might be better to say that we move in a verbal world of more or less error. In an important sense, we almost always have at least one foot in one or more of the traps. Perhaps the best we can do is to work together to help each other to experience moments of less error.

http://www.stanford.edu/~rhorn/a/topic/phil/artclTrapsOfFormalLogic.html

Apple back then and Crapple now

Under the rule of Steve Jobs Apple meant quality. Now it means scratched phones out of the box. Philip Schiller, Apple head of Marketing in Sept 2012 comments the iPhone 5 scratches, says they are normal. 

http://blog.gsmarena.com/apple-head-of-marketing-comments-the-iphone-5-scratches/

Philip Schiller on visible silvery aluminium scratch matks on the back of black out of the box iPhone 5

Any aluminum product may scratch or chip with use, exposing its natural silver color. That is normal.

http://articles.businessinsider.com/2012-01-22/tech/30652107_1_foxconn-iphones-apple-executives

Steve Jobs after carrying iPhone and keys in the same pocket

People would carry their phones in their pockets, Steve said. They would also carry other things in their pockets--like keys. And those things would scratch the screen.And then, with Apple just about to ramp up iPhone production, Steve demanded that the iPhone's screen be replaced with unscratchable glass.
“I want a glass screen," Steve is quoted as saying. "And I want it perfect in six weeks.”

Could nokia make a comeback with windows phone by learning from Android's mistakes

Could nokia make a comeback with windows phone by learning from Android's mistakes? One has to wonder.
As much as I love the idea of good quality beautiful developing and all that free operating system that was supposed to be Android OS by Google, I have to say I see the wisdom in the following words (copy paste):

Windows Phone is better than Android. WinPho is monolithic, there are no clear issues with branching or hardware compatibility (today’s news notwithstanding), and WinPho’s UI familiarity will soon be bolstered by millions of Windows 8 installs around the world. Android is great if you’re a small manufacturer and you just want to dump a stack onto what would have once been called a feature phone. Windows Phone is great if you want the largesse, the popularity, and the trustworthiness of Microsoft behind your product.

So ignore Nokia at your peril. Their strategy is just right at just the right time. Remember: nobody ever got fired for installing Microsoft. Not even Stephen Elop.

I must admitt that I tested Windows 7 phone Samsung Omnia 7 about a year ago. The general idea was "lets see how this shit sucks so I can say I tested it and I am qualified to mock it". My plan failed miserably. The phone was good. The UI was fast. The battery lasted longer than on iPhone or Android. The user interface was easy to get used to. The integration with GOOGLE (contacts, calendar and e-mail) was flawless (and the calendar and upcoming events better than on Android. The facebook integration was good enough for me and it managed to connect the profiles that where not connected already. It did no mess to my entries (suggested some merges but that was OK) and it did not upload phone numbers to facebook like some other did. It has excel and word on it... and it worked better than google office on android or google office on iPhone. I loved the phone. It made me stick to Blackberry and wait before making a switch, to see how things go on.

I like (the list consists of things that come to mind and is not all inclusive):
- that there is only "one" iPhone
- that iOS has nice quality assurance when apps are submitted and that UI is consistent
- that the phone looks nice (even if the glass shit gets cracked as soon as it drops)
- that windows phone is so fast and it integrates with google and sharing is simple for example images and video s are easy to share in compare with android or ios
- the idea behind android
- the fact that apple only has one or two devices you really need to test on to get a good and reliable test

I hate (the list consists of things that come to mind and is not all inclusive):
- the quality of android apps (you never know if the app will drain your battery or be extremely crappy and buggy)
- the lack of apps for windows phone
- the limitations and lack of customizations on iPhone
- the fragmentation of android and the fact that there are cheap android phones that shame the name as they don't have the hardware to support the software and that leads to poor user experience
- the fact that it is harder to write for android and likely soon for windows phone due to fragmentation (screen sizes, hardware capability, hardware functions and quality... just think on gps and focusing on camera...)

http://techcrunch.com/2012/04/19/nokia-may-be-down-but-theyre-not-out/

minus - http://min.us/r3Lfd9z

Stumbled upon minus - a dropbox alternative with 10G of free storage, easier to use than dropbox. It has mobile phone, windows linux and mac clients.

On top of that it has web client as well, so you are not forced to install stuff in order to upload.

If you use this - http://min.us/r3Lfd9z - link you actually get 11G (and I get 1G extra as your referer, so we both win).

Have fun using this great tool.

Getting in shape (and staying there) - Q&A

Hey,

got a question or 2 about my Getting in shape (and staying there) article via e-mail and decided to write the answers here.

Getting in shape (and staying there)

How does one "get in shape" and stay there. How to fight the rebound? On on so many different sites there is oh so much different info on getting in shape that the newcommer is confused and the veteran is amused. All things in moderation and moderation in all things. Get safe slow steady and certain progress. How?

Many different aproaches, views and explanations etc are possible, but they all boil down to the same principles and ideas. In this article I will try to give you the HOW to train WHAT to eat WHAT to avoid without the excessive amounts of WHY. Pure, simple, proven to work, free.

adjusting the macros

I decided to adjust my macros a bit, here is an example of daily intake. This1 is not optimal but it is practical. It makes no sense to have an optimal plan if you know in advance that you cant fulfill it.

progression

Some time passedand its time to look at progressison. This time its "for reps" as I didnt really measure 1RMs.

• squat 70kg / 5x8
• bb row -> 80kg / 5x8
• dead 110kg / 5x5
• incline bench 70 kg / 5x8

I got somewhat leaner while keeping the weight. In the past month I addedd conditioning, 16 minutes of somewhat intense cardio (a bit more than 200W) on a stationary bike.

Conditioning. Not cardio. Conditioning.

Dan Edward's lucharilla.com

I stumbed upon http://www.lucharilla.com/ today while searching for an old advice stored in private message on one of the boards I have membership at ( http://www.clutchfitness.com ). Its a work in progress but with knowledagble team, videblogs and a pile of nice articles it is a win win. A sane advice with no rage we see on chaosNpain ( http://chaosandpain.blogspot.com ). But do not be mistaken - chaosNpain rocks, but so does http://www.lucharilla.com/

Check it out!

quote of our era

Fritz Perls said “I am not in this world to live up to other people's expectations, nor do I feel that the world must live up to mine”, which is both fairly poignant and important in a modern era wherein nearly everyone on Earth constantly seeks approval from others on their dumbass social networking sites.

progress...

Some time passedand its time to look at one rep maxes again. The numbers are:

• squat 88kg -> 88kg (but I changed from smith to regular backsquat)
• bb row -> 101kg
• dead 95kg -> 120kg
• incline bench 71 -> 71kg

It seems like I could set a goal or 2, so let's put them down:

1. have fun
2. deadlift 160kg in 2011

this goal is SMART - Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound so it should do :)

I found a nice blog the other day - ChAoS & PAIN It is not my new religion but it is good (or at least fun).

Progress pix - before and after situation

It has been a while since last post - I was ill. I am better now and I actually went to the gym today. But I will not write about that. I will post some before - after pix instead.

Before shot taken in August 2010

After shot taken in January 2011

 Some progress was made. I was on a diet only last 5 weeks of 2010; the rest is from working out and low intensity cardio (around 1 hour total per week). The weight remained pretty much the same - 93kgs (205lbs).

1st workout in 2011

Since I didnt feel too good I skipped the 1st planned workout on Monday 2011-01-03. That means that I will shift all suqat exercises for one week (if you look at the last december post you will see the chart).

So I hit the gym on 2010-01-05. I was not in optimal condition but the workout was not a bad one:

• pullup -30/8,8,RP(9,5,4,4)
• bent bb row 45/8,8,8,8,8,8 25/20,20,20
• abs - legraises 0/12,9,12
• abs crunches 0/20,20
• lat pulldown 55/8,8,8,8,8,8
• triceps cable extensions 15/12,12,12,RP(5,5,5,5,5,5)

The pullups were assisted, that is why the -30.

On this workout I used three new supplements:

• PEAK Detonator Plutonium (pre workout formula)
• PEAK IntraVeNOus (workout formula)
• PEAK Tri-Anabol (pot workout formula)

I used 50% of what they specify as perscribed dose. The effect was noticable and I would not recomend you the full dose in the beginning as it is quite strong. If you believe that will not give you enough protein (amions, BCAAs) or carbs simply enhance the drink with that. Note that I had the workout at 15:00, last meal (chicken breasts) at 13:00 and hellburner (1 pill) at 10:00. Next time (on Friday) I will nto use the Hellburner that day. The fact that I was not in optimal condition (my health that is) might have had some effect on that as well. I will not use Hellburner next time and we will see how things will turn out.

sick

On 2010-12-30 I wasn't feeling all that well but I decided to hit the gym and get that 90% incline bench press in. I did it and I was not dissapointed (nor was I too happy about ti, but...).

The following night and the next few days were not so cool. I didnt feel so good, I had a cold along with all the nasty thing it brings along.

Luckley today (4 days after) everything seems to be in order and I will hit the gmy if the recovery will continue. Hopefully the consequences will not be the same...

1st macro completed, 2nd starts on 2011-01-03

This are the numbers (in kg) for the 2nd macro that will begin on 2011-01-03. 

The 1RMs used for the calculation are (based on results gathered from 2010-12-24 to 2010-12-30):
smith squat 1RM: 90kg
pullup 1RM: 0 (bodyweight, around 95kg)
dead 1RM: 95kg
incline bb bench press 1RM: 70kg

The numbers used for the first cycle (based on results from 2010-11-29):
smith squat 1RM: 70kg

pullup 1RM: 0 (bodyweight, around 95kg)

dead 1RM: 75kg

incline bb bench press 1RM: 60kg

One might say this is quite an impressive progress... that or the numbers for first cycle were not accurate (too low). Will  see how the 2nd cycle goes.

Finally the numbers for 1st macro

1st macro (2010-11-29 to 2010-12-30)

:)

the ultimate dieting secret

Eternal question: What diet is going to make me loose weight?
A simple answer: as long as a diet gets you to eat less, you will lose some weight.

Ketogenic day - tasty meals

Today was another grand day. The highlight of the day was my delicious lunch (on the picture). On top of that I managed to get more or less optimal ketogenic split (0% carbs, 40% prots, 60% fat) - see the attaced food report. For all you interested in how to eat tasty ketogenic food there is my daily menu. On images are my daily menu and a breakdown of callories. Click on the images for larger (readable pictures). As you can see on the top chart (food variety) I ate a variety of foods (and even there I left out my daily Hi-Tec slow release protein, the vitamin pills, the mineral pills, 1 spoon of flax seed oil, 2 omega3 fishoil pills. The foods of the day were: cattfish, greek cheese (feta), eggs, cottage cheese, tun, olives, jalapeno peppers, mozzarella, onions, walnuts, mayonnaise, peanut butter, whey protein (for the PWO - post workout shake) and edam cheese. Quite a list, don't you think?

The tools used for the menu and ts analysis are curtesty of SparkPeople. If you are wondering how to track your diet this might be the place to go. Also check my lowcarb cookbook a list of ketogenic means (well, more or less, do be careful and check the nutrient breakdown) hosted by SparkRecepies.

Note: I am in now way affiliated with SparkPeople; just a satisfied (and therefore happy) user.

Peak Hellburner is here

True to their word Profitness shop sent me the fatburner they forgot to send 2 days ago and I am ready to give good riddance to my fat with the (more or less) stylish "Burn in hell, fat!"

Here you can see the detiled specs in slovenian language and here is the manfacturers page.

This is a 5-stage fatburner product that is supposed to be even better than the rest of them without the niacin blush we can notice when taking Scivation Dialene 4x and without illegal additives like Ephedrine from the famous ECA stack (Note: the A in ECA is Asphirine and it turned out it did not have the expected effects and did not assst in gettign the results the users were aiming for - so do not eat Asphirine to loose weight!).

I am going to test this and I already made the before photos. If time shows the after photos will be different enough to display them both in comparison I will let you know - by posting them on this blog :)

You can see how it goes by reading this blog or you can join me on my jurney by buying Peak Hellburner (click for link to the shop).

Just received a package of Peak supplements I ordered from www.profitnes.si

Just received a package of Peak supplements I ordered from Profitnes. The taste fits the bill and the packaging is solid. Actually too solid for the rectangle shaped big bos (see the picture). The lid is too attached to the box and when I pulled hard enough the protein sprinkled on the table... not much tho.

The bundle, notice the handles on the big box and the bucket

The package included all ordered products, except one. I called the shop and they apologised and said they will send it now and I should b getting it tomorrow.

The can with bigger oppening is more practical