News Ninjas covered for me

Today I was home sick and unable to attend the live stream of Apple’s iPad2 event.

So I Followed @antderosa @bxchen @parislemon @gartenberg @scobleizer @shawnking @daringfireball live coverage of the event and & @glennf‘s #FakeAppleEvent via my EventShortList using Twitter.

Here are a few highlights, but you can review their full tweet stream about the event at the link above, starting about 11:45 on March 2, 2011.

RT @Gartenberg 1.3lbs, Black and White. ATT and VZW all on day one. Good lineup

RT @Scobleizer “[HDMI] works with all apps,” Jobs says. iPad 2. No setup or config and you can charge while you are using HDMI.

Understatement! RT @ShawnKing Dan Costa, Exec Editor of PCMag on CNBC: “What we’re seeing here is a polishing of the product line…”

GoodToHear RT @Scobleizer I’ve been watching Jobs for the entire keynote. … He’s been standing the entire time, looks healthier than me.

RT @Scobleizer “Everybody can play,” with “smart instruments” in GarageBand. This so blows away anything on Android or HP or RIM. BOOOOM!

RT @AntDeRosa iPad 2 specs are now up on http://apple.com/ipad

Amazing! RT @Scobleizer iPad 2 video is up on http://apple.com/ipad so you can see it for yourself. See the Smart Cover one. Cute.

RT @ShawnKing After today’s announcements, I can’t imagine a scenario where there will be an “iPad 3″ released later this year. Makes no sense.

RT @ShawnKing There’s no competition for the iPad *1* … let alone for this iPad … why release another?

RT @Scobleizer “They (competitors) are talking about speeds and feeds. Just like they did with PCs.” That is not the right approach to this, Jobs says.

RT @AntDeRosa My latest for Reuters.com – iPad 2 : Apple’s Thin Video Powerhouse

RT @bxchen Our hands-on impressions of the iPad 2 with pics by @jonsnyder

RT @ShawnKing New YML Poll: “Will you buy a new iPad 2 before the end of 2011?”

RT @Lessien The changes may appear subtle (on the surface) but the bar’s getting raised today, folks.

RT @Gartenberg Apple’s iPad 2 Event by the Numbers

Bill Gates will not revolutionize our schools, even if given permission

my response to “How teacher development could revolutionize our schools“: A brilliant title, but a dangerous message.

First let me say that I have great respect and admiration for Bill Gates. What he has accomplished in the last 30 years is amazing and inspiring. However his success in technology does not translate to him being an oracle on education.

Second I am well aware that I do not offer answers here. My point is simple: Do not listen to Bill Gates when he writes or speaks about education. At the least he will distract a very important dialogue or at worst he will highjack it.

Bill Gates is crazy rich because he knows how to sell a message. DO NOT confuse brilliant sales with mastery of education. The last message he sold school systems was that students should learn PowerPoint, Word & Excel. Genius for Microsoft, not for students.

The last time this man told us how to save money he was wrong. He told schools, government(s) & corporations that converting from diverse technology to an all Microsoft Solution would save money. It did NOT save money and it did produce a near mono-culture national infrastructure that today is riddled with security weaknesses and insanely expensive. Diverse and secure is less expensive and far more robust.

High school students graduating over the last 10 years know that ‘standardized testing’ is a farce. That silver bullet was easy to sell, but the results are a failure. Now Bill Gates wants to do the same thing to colleges. He wrote, “It will develop metrics to show which colleges graduate more students for less money”. Do I need to explain how broken that is?

Some of his points are valid. This man is a genius at delivering a concoction that is easy to swallow, but dangerous to digest.

Please Please Please do not let Bill Gates tell you how to improve education in the USA.

Sincerely,

dws.

Disclosure: I am a father of three, two in college and one in high school and this is my blog. I work for Apple, Inc; but the opinions expressed here are mine.

Seacrch Dictionary, AppStore & iTunes, not just Web & Wiki

Dear Apple,

iOS feature request: Seacrch Dictionary, AppStore & iTunes, not just Web & Wiki

When I use search on the iOS and it offers Web & Wiki after displaying results local to the device (iPad or iPhone) please include Dictionary, AppStore & iTunes, not just Web & Wiki.

That way every search has potential to help me find content or ‘an App for that’. Could be more people would eventually enter the App Store via search than via the front door (page).

Thanks

Are you new to twitter?

Finding a twitter app for your phone:

Don’t spend much energy on this yet. Your requirements will shift as you use Twitter.

Pick something free to start.

Finding people to follow:

Look at who your friends follow.

Ask people if they are on Twitter when gathering contact info.

Follow interesting lists like http://Ez.com/shrt

Finding poeple to follow you:

Don’t sweat it yet. They will find you.

Invite interesting friends & family to try it with you.

Miscellaneous:

Set twitter prefs to notify you via email or SMS when someone follows or @mentions you.

When a tweet includes @username that is a mention. Most Twitter apps will help the user see all tweets that mention them.

When a tweet starts with a @mention that is a reply; which will only be seen by the sender and the person mentioned AND tweeps who follow them both. Read more here: RT @adamsconsulting: Twitter 101 | A Refresher In @ Replies – http://Ez.com/replies

When you see RT what follows is a Quoted ReTweet. I included a ReTweet in the tip above.

Tweeps or tweeple or twpl or ppl are Twitter users.

Hashtags are words that start with # to tag a tweet so it will be found via searches for that tag. #ThisIsATag #thistoo #twitterTips

Sarah Palin, Wall Street Bailout Hypocrite

She claims the press doesn’t pay attention to her record—yet she’s gotten away with a major flip-flop on TARP.

People I often RT

I wonder if anyone follows me & does not the people I often RT; http://Ez.com/shrt

Reasons I read Twitter rather than Print or TV News:

Tweet @strick and help me complete the list.

TV News is maybe 15 seconds of information presented in 30-60 minutes.

News Print & TV News tell me what is important rather than ask.

Twitter is dynamic, real time and current.

Twitter lets me adjust who I listen to and who I ignore.

Twitter lets me choose when, where & how often I check the news.

Twitter is interactive.

Twitter is 24-48 hours ahead of News Print & TV News.

Twitter does not waste trees.

Twitter does not get wet when it rains.

Twitter helps me discover new friends & enemies.

dws.

Experienced?

Too funny to let wash away down the Twitter stream

RT @wilw I’m going to be 38 in three days. I know it’s irrational, but it feels much, much older than 37. I blame Monty Python. original

RT @wilw RT @joethomann Quit your whining, old woman. Or I’ll show you the violence inherent in the system. // Iced tea through the nose. Thanks. original

RT @wilw RT @BiGLetteR Actually 38 isn’t irrational. It’s not even prime. // It is times like this that I am so very happy to be a geek. original

RT @wilw RT @monkeysailor but it is natural, and the sum of the 1st 3 primes. // Okay, turning 38 just got a whole lot cooler. original

RT @wilw RT @pastxmas Breaking News: Wil Wheaton goes on a tangent after seeing sines of aging. // Laughed so loud I scared my dog. original

RT @wilw Wait. The sum of the first three primes is 10. How did I miss that? I MUST HAVE HAD A SENIOR MOMENT OH SHIT. original

RT @wilw It’s the sum OF THE SQUARES of the first three primes. LOOK AT ME I CAN DO MATHS. Okay, now I’m going to see Dr. Whisky. original

RT @wilw RT @monkeysailor I meant the sum of the squares. Nobody notices when I do things right. Get 1 thing wrong, and @wilw retweets it. // Whoops! original

Happy Birthday @wilw and I hope it is both Prime and Irrational!

Go forth and fail

Ben, Conner & Abbi,

You have my permission and my blessing to fail. If you do not fail you will not have tried and you MUST try.

Go forth and fail. I hope you fail early and often. It is the work, the run, the climb, the distance, the endurance that will build you up. Victory is sweet, but quickly forgotten.

Dream large & small, with honor, conviction, humility and confidence.

Ask what you can do for others, but don’t ask them how. If they knew how they would not need your dream.

Henry Ford said, “If I’d asked my customers what they wanted, they’d have said a faster horse.”

Love you,

Dad

Inspired by: You Will Fail!” and “if you are never wrong, you are never interesting“