Month: July 2006

Of Conspiracy Theories and Artificial Chip Pricing

Back March 23, 2006, 3 Samsung executivers pleaded guilty for DRAM price-fixing, reported on Inq7.net here, and I blogged about it here.

And now, there are new allegations of artificial pricing involving chipmakers, here. Excerpt:

The complaint, to be filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, charges the companies with fixing DRAM chip prices, artificially restraining supply and rigging bids for contracts.

Those actions caused computer makers such as Apple Computer , Compaq Computer, Dell, Gateway, Hewlett-Packard Co. and International Business Machines Corp. to pay more for chips and then pass those costs on to consumers, said Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist, another lead plaintiff in the case.

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Finally. Geek Girls Getting It.

In other IT news, “IT women shed clothes and geeky image for calendar“.

SYDNEY–A group of female computer professionals in Australia has struck sexy poses for a calendar to try to shake off their geeky image and encourage women to take up technology studies.

“The IT Screen Goddesses Calendar features beautiful photos of real women working in the IT industry, in poses inspired by movie goddesses old and recent,” the group says on its website.

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Slow News Day?

There’s an article today re “UK firm says RP-based web design outfit ripped them off”:

In an e-mail correspondence, Paul Bowers, a representative of the UK-based firm behind arcadegamescript.com, said a company called “wickedinnovations” was hired to do contract job to code and design the company’s website. A deadline to complete the job was set for eight weeks, Bowers said. The company decided to pay 900 dollars as initial fee for the 1,800-dollar contract work.

Bowers said his company eventually found that the Philippine-based firm, which is located in Ortigas in Pasig, allegedly copied code from another website.

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The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift

Coming out of the theatre, you will realize the most important thing about this film as I have, which is: Not To Take It Seriously.

In fact, I propose we put that right beside the PG13 rating. For example: The Fast And The Furious: TOKYO DRIFT. PG 13. Do Not Take It Seriously.

Yes that would work. Either that or, ‘If you’re looking for a good story, or an in depth look at the human soul, then look elsewhere’, but I guess the first one would do just as well, and besides it’s shorter.

The premise speaks for itself. Miscreant white boy (with a Texan drawl to boot) who drives too fast gets kicked out to his Dad in Tokyo, the worst actor they can find this side of the Pacific. You know the rest. He meets up with some bad elements, challenges chief bad guy to a race (even if he doesn’t have a car. Beat that.), and gets his butt kicked at first. He is then taught by a master, and triumphantly returns said butt-kicking to initial butt kicker.

He also gets the bad guy’s very hot girlfriend, who like most eye-candy, actually has a heart of gold, and always hooks up with the fastest guy. I mean, what if white boy didn’t show up? She’d still be with bad guy, right? Where have I seen this before? Mr. Miyagi, is that you?

Having said that, why would I still recommend it?

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Nokia N91 Writeup Out

Tuned for Tunes is out, where I write about the Nokia N91.

Trying out any N-Series phone is a really special experience. I take a great deal of time trying to figure out what exactly they were trying to do with it before writing it up, and N-Series phones always have a lot to say. Their designers and engineers spend a lot of time dreaming it up, and sometimes I think they’re given a clean slate when it comes to N-Series. What I want to do is to figure out the goal they were trying to achieve, and after using it, determine if they’ve achieved it.

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