I despair when I read stories such as the recent one about an Imam in East London who was forced to make a grovelling retraction, because he received death threats after he suggested that there might be something in the theory of evolution. The attitude of the misguided individuals who make these threats is often compared to that of the medieval world.  

Well, I have to say that this is an insult to the Islamic medieval world at least. For example Abū Rayḥān al-Bīrūnī who lived in 11th century Afghanistan (of all places) was recognisably a modern scientist.  He carried out experiments, understood experimental error and how to overcome it. He argued against Aristotle based on his observations and speculated that the observed facts could be as well explained by the Earth going round the Sun as the other way round.  While William the Conqueror was invading England was working out the radius of the Earth to within about one tenth of one percent (he was 36 kilometres out). 

He interestingly said:  ”[the Qur’an] does not interfere in the business of science nor does it infringe on the realm of science.”  an attitude which would result in death threats in modern day London.

So if you want to condemn attitudes as ‘medieval’ be sure to qualify that with ‘European’ because the Islamic scholars of the time were at about the level of the Enlightenment.  

Anyone will tell you that you should shoot photographs in raw format.  That means the data straight off the sensor is stored together with the settings in the camera at the time you took the shot.  Then software on your computer re-assembles it on request.  Other formats (Like JPEG) do the assembling in the camera and once the omelet is made you can’t unscramble the eggs and fix any mistakes.

Nikon cameras raw format is called NEF and provided you get the latest codec from the Nikon website and install it in windows, you can view and print pictures just like you can with JPEGs. Nikon has quite a good NEF processing program to fix things like exposure and white balance and save the fixed file. You can even change things like titles and comments in Windows Explorer.

The problem comes when you bump up against the restrictions in the Nikon program and decide to use the market leading (by many miles) image processing program Adobe Photoshop Elements.

First off Photoshop Elements has about as much relationship to the Photoshop that professional designers use as a box brownie has to a modern SLR. It is a completely different program. So as I didn’t want to fork out six hundred quid for the pro product I have to learn something completely new.  To be fair my grasp of the user interface in Photoshop CS was pretty feeble at best so maybe not such a bad thing.

It is truly a steaming heap. It won’t save NEF files - oh no. It has its own ‘standard’ raw file format. So you end up with two files, the original plus the adobe version which you have saved with changes.  Sorry make that three because if you change the data stored with the image (like the title) it creates another XML file with the extra information in rather than update the original NEF file.

The so called standard raw format from Adobe has only one codec written.  That is a release candidate and is for 32 bit Vista only.  Only having a release candidate for a superseded operating system doesn’t exactly suggest a wild enthusiasm for the standard. I suspect serves you right for not having a mac. So unless you are a 32 bit Vista user you are pretty much stuck with Elements for any sort of organising task.  At which it is indifferent at best.

The UI is dreadful. The Organiser program is a completely different program from the editing program. There is yet another program which only does raw processing. 

The whole thing is a mess.

The interviewee sat opposite me looking nervous.  He was an IT graduate with a 2.2 or as I believe it is known a ‘Desmond’. Taking a tip from a friend of mine who had interviewed a lot of IT graduates I asked him “Tell me, what part of the  course did you do best at?”  he answered “Discrete Mathematics.”  

In a feeble attempt to get him to relax I tried a joke “Well that is better than indiscreet maths.”  It didn’t help. So I said “Tell me something about  Discrete Mathematics.”  His answer went along the lines of “Er Um I think it has something to do with set theory”. I finished the interview as quickly as I could and wondered what on earth this guy could possibly have done to justify an honours degree.

Over the years, as the MD of a small software company I have had to interview a lot of Computer Science graduates.   I always set them a very simple test that would cover the rudiments of programming and SQL, the standard language for accessing databases of information. These are pretty fundamental. With a few exceptions I am surprised to find how little most of them know. Their level of basic knowledge often contrasts with impressive projects which they have allegedly undertaken at University.  

I think this is such a shame, because university is a fantastic opportunity.   You get three years to study a subject that  interests you, all the books, equipment and advice that you could want.  I know a lot of people that have thrown themselves at the subject and really benefited, but to come out of that with only a very vague understanding of the subject and an honours degree indicates to me two things:

1. Many of the Computer Science undergraduates should not be there because they are not really that interested in the subject. I started working with computers because I looked on them as ‘the best train set ever’.  I think many people go into computer science because some careers officer tells them that they will get a good job at the end of it. Wrong. You will end up stacking shelves unless you are really interested in the subject. 
2. The Universities give degrees out like candy.  If more people failed the subject then people would think twice about taking or continuing the course unless they really thought they would pass.

The solution

My solution would be to

1. Set up an independent organisation to award first degrees, with very high standards. 
2. Universities to refund a portion, say half, of tuition fees to failed students. This would incentivise universities to encourage students to leave or change course if they were not making the grade.

Tesco are selling the Samsung Android tab for £529.  What a rip-off.  They think they can charge the same prices as Apple?  No way.  Unlike Apple there are going to be dozens of competing product in the new year, once Gingerbread (Android 2.3 or 3.0) is released.  I expect the price point to be around the same or less than a netbook, which is about the same level of technology - say £300 for early adopters dropping to £200.  

A year and a half ago my prediction for this year was that netbooks would be the big growth technology.  Small, light laptops with extended battery life but relatively low power.  So you would need a small efficient operating system and systems like Ubuntu and Chrome OS from Google (both Unix based) or even Windows 7 would fit the bill.

How wrong could I be.  The smart guys at Apple figured out that most people don’t want or need a computer.  What they need is a gadget to access their email, log into facebook and twitter and a few other things.  The iPad is the result.  A completely crippled computer that didn’t (until v4) even support multi-tasking.   The iPad is useless for spreadsheets or word processing and the other things I would use a computer for.  No problem because it didn’t pretend to be a computer and actually most people are not interested in those applications.

Sound of Netbook projects being scrapped and tablet projects being started.  

Apple will not have the field to itself after this Christmas.  All the big manufacturers are producing tablets like there is no tomorrow and they are waiting for Android 3.0  (also from Google) to drive them.  Delivery to manufacturers is now expected in December with products in the new year.

And Chrome OS?  What’s that?

Microsoft?  Missed the boat?  we shall see.  They have a system now in Windows Phone (aka Windows Mobile 7).  This is a complete rewrite and obsoletes the late unlamented Windows Mobile.  It sounds very promising indeed, but you can tell that Microsoft has missed the plot because they renamed Windows Mobile to Windows Phone at the point when the operating system is likely to be moving from phones to other mobile devices like tablets.

I have my eye on my next mobile phone.  The Motorola Terminator due out next year.  This will have a dual-core ARM chip.  Yes, two processors, count them, just like a leading edge PC from a few years ago.  

It will be running Android 3.0 allegedly, which runs on Unix to it can take full advantage of the multi-tasking possibilities of a dual-core system.  Unlike some other phone operating systems I could mention.

But what do you do with such a beast? Of course it might turn out to be a tablet not a phone,  it is just a rumour.

I have just received my new Kindle despite the fact that it uses a proprietary format for the books; and you can only buy them in one place (Amazon).  Normally that would be an anathema but there are good reasons.  

The main reason is the cost of the books.  If I bought the Sony ereader from Waterstones they would have charged me as much for the books as the paper copies.  This is despite the fact that production and distribution are a fraction of the cost.  Amazon have taken the longer view and heavily discount the electronic versions. Examples:

Terry Pratchet’s latest: £13.49 in Waterstones £5.35 in Amazon
The girl with the dragon tatoo: £5.49 in Waterstones vs £2.68 in Amazon

Etc.  We are talking a big difference.  Basically Waterstones don’t get it.

This is not to mention the large number of free books on Amazon and project Gutenberg. 

The device has a couple of design flaws.  The page forware/backwards buttons are big and on the side on both left and right.  So when you pick it up you inevitable change the page, which I guess I will get used to.  Also the lack of numeric keys is a bit of a drag.  Overall though it is very cute.

For those who think the ipad is the answer I can’t do better that this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUjF8qPZrUg

Having said all that I have found an even cheaper source of reading material.  The library!  You go on line, select the book you want on the website, and they deliver it to my local branch.  Cool.

I am getting increasingly annoyed by people using ‘less’ rather than ‘fewer’, ‘systemic’ rather than ‘systematic’ and now ‘certificated’ rather than ‘certified’.  Repeat after me - the language is evolving, the language is evolving… I knew an American who talked of projects coming to fruitation.