Author Archives: Jeff Porten

  • Peter Cohen:
    Took less than five minutes to disassemble this Asus netbook to get to the busted LCD. Hell of a lot easier than a unibody MacBook.

That’s your problem, you just don’t think 4-dimensionally enough.

  • CC:Indecision:
    Let’s hope Quvenzhané Wallis wins the Oscar just so we can see which of the Best Actress nominees gives a 9-year-old the stink-eye.

Even better to see if the orchestra will play a 9-year-old off the stage.

  • Melody Kramer:
    Flying for the first time in several years. Anything to be aware of?

Idiot confiscations less likely. Always good to have your metals separated early. Body scanners in lower use, but at some airports.

  • Glenn Fleishman:
    Sony NEX-6: Enjoying first minutes with it, but, like all cameras, its use of Wi-Fi is horrifically stupid.
  • Jeff Carlson:
    I wouldn’t be surprised if it has Wi-Fi because some exec thought it would look good on a box. They just don’t seem to get it.
  • Glenn Fleishman:
    ~ Error message in iOS software for Sony reads: “Search the shoot device from the network setting of the terminal and set it.”

somewhere, several Sony executives are high-fiving and laughing at you.

Mat Honan and Casanova

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Years ago, I read about an overnight bag that Casanova packed, which he claimed had the bare essentials for every gentleman upon waking up. This included a few rolls for breakfast, silver for spreading marmalade on the rolls, and various other accoutrements of 18th-century living that seem ridiculous now. Unfortunately, my Google-fu is unable to bring up the quote.

Was just reminded of this by Mat Honan’s coffee setup. Scroll down to “CES Hacks”.

Me, I’ll settle for the 24-hour Starbucks.

Update: Michael Weinmayr informs me that this is from a footnote in Good Omens, which is probably a far more reliable reference than most things I’ve read that I half-remember.

My Twitter friends are discussing how their kids don’t finish desserts. Meanwhile, it will take 3 guards to drag me from this cake table.

First Murphy’s Law of CES: when you have three bags, everyone tries to give you one. When you don’t have a bag…

  • Harry McCracken:
    On this taxi’s TV, Steve Wynn just referred to “everyone from the ages of 21 and on up.” Great phrase.
  • Jon Seff:
    I hate every cab with a screen now. He also talks about scanning the QR with you ‘cellular phone’ or some such nonsense.
  • Harry McCracken:
    The only good cab screens are Steve Wynn cab screens.
  • Jon Seff:
    I like to hold my breath and see if the volume buttons appears on the screen before I pass out…

there really are much better ways to get a little lightheaded here.

First Murphy’s Law of CES: when you have three bags, everyone tries to give you one. When you don’t have a bag…