Robert Tiltons application is almost everything Musk seems to have done, except the lack of interfacing with CAD software (for example gesture based modification).
The other 2 links are, whilst only tangentially related, really cool, so I thought I'd post them as well.
So really, the question isn't "Why didn't it exist yet?" it's "Why was Elon's system featured on thenextweb, and Roberts wasn't?"
I'd like to point out, for the record, that this "logo design team" consisted of:
- CEO
- SVP of "Brand Creative"
- VP, Creative Director
- Someone who doesn't seem to exist online, outside of articles about this new logo
- An intern
You'll notice a distinct lack of professional designers in that list. Apparently this 10 billion dollar brand wasn't important enough to put in the hands of, you know, experts. Instead, they spent a weekend (ONE WEEKEND) "geeking out" over it. Which is definitely the best way to design a global brand.
This is micromanagement at its very worst, and is an insult to the craft of design.
Hmmm, while I agree with the sentiment, I don't think it's as simple as putting it in the hands of a "professional".
Simply picking the right designer is something that requires an inordinate amount of taste to start with. People with no taste or feel for design stand a strong chance of picking a poor designer (or agency).
I'll cite Wolf Olins here as my example. Not only is it clear that no one in Wolf Olins seems to have taste or a feel for design, their clients don't seem to have it either. So there's a feedback loop of affirmation as people with no taste reward other people with no taste, which in turns makes other people with no taste think those other people with no taste have taste because all the people they know that they think have taste think those other people have taste.
Meanwhile, the actual people with taste are watching from the sidelines, because they've marginalised themselves by being honest about what is good design and what is bad design, but with a passion that comes across as pedantry and rudeness. So they watch in despair as the whole debacle unfolds in front of them, growing ever more frustrated which serves only to marginalise them even more.
While I'm here... I think almost everything Wolf Olins churns out is sub-stadard slop barely worthy of a fist year national diploma students portfolio. Their work has neither grace, finesse, or charm. It's all cack-handed indulgent arse-gravy of the highest order dipped in a seemingly bottomless ocean of post-rationalisation and I can not believe that people keep lapping it up. It's rank amateur. Their work stinks like shit and I hate them for it.
And there I go, proving my point about why no-one listens to designers.
Just because you don't like something doesn't mean it's bad.
"this is the worst new keyboard possible."
Is it? Really? The worst?
"first, it's PC standard from. Not ergonomic. And from there on, everything is wrong about it."
...which is fine if you need a PC keyboard and don't care for split keyboards. Also, the Alt and Windows/Command key can be swapped via dip switch, and WASD sells any custom keys you can possibly imagine.
"Non-ergonomic, wrist problems in a day."
I've been using standard keyboards for over a decade, with no wrist problems to speak of. I'm even usually using my MacBook Pro keyboard with chiclet keys - gasp - and I'm doing fine. Again, it's personal preference.
"Slanted arrangement of keys."
I don't know what this means.
"The left Alt key is between x and z, way too left. This means, you can't press it with a thumb curl."
The Alt key on my MBP is entirely under the Z key, and I have no problem hitting it with my thumb.
"Space-hogging space bar. 〔☛ Tiny Space Bar on Japanese Keyboards〕"
I hate tiny space bars. Once again, personal preference.
"No multimedia keys. No other app launch keys."
I don't want either of those on my keyboard. I can use Alfred to launch anything instantly, why bother with needless extra hardware?
This really feels like trolling to me. Poorly written, absurd claims backed up by half-assed points, at best. How did this make it to the HN homepage?
I think his issue with the alt key is valid. If you're using this keyboard with a Mac you will use that key as the Mac command key. Since it's the most frequent shortcut key used, it should be convenient to press. There's really no need for the space bar to be so large (it does not have to be as small as the japanese keyboards). The command and spacebar key placement on the MacBook seems to be perfectly fine.
Yes, guy's either a troll or the worst reviewer ever.
And for people who care about RSI -- funny ergonomic keyboards are the wrong answer. Make some exercises. Buy a Powerball; do some push-ups; practice any of the infinite number of Yoga asanas that put weight on your wrists. A few minutes of daily hand/wrist exercise will completely protect you from RSI, no matter how much typing or mousing you do.
Some people just have really bad typing habits. I've blown out my arm on occasion by not paying attention to how I'm situated. Leaning over to use your mouse, having to reach a bit too much for it, can add up slowly over the course of weeks and wreck you.
If an ergonomic keyboard forces you to keep the proper posture and position, so be it.
Each time someone attempts to make email more secure, the HN response is "no use! need to start from scratch, do it right!"
So, I guess what I'm saying is:
1) Are you working on an inherently-secure messaging protocol? Awesome! Link to the project?
2) If you're not, shut the fuck up. Any improvement is better than no improvement, and dismissing any attempts to fix some of these problems while you wait for The Perfect Solution™ is why we're in this mess in the first place.
"OK, so it does exactly what the chinese players are doing since 2011?"
Those two links don't offer a lot of detail, so I'll have to make some assumptions. But, for starters:
- Chromecast is tightly integrated with existing devices, so you don't need a second workflow - you can "cast" content right from whatever you're doing, instead of needing to grab a remote, launch an app, and re-find whatver content you want to play.
- The Chromecast SDK means sites will be able to more easily create TV-friendly interfaces.
- As The Verge's review leads with: it’s surprisingly difficult to put a web browser on TV. Even if it's buggy (for now), if I'm going to browse on my TV, I'd rather use my laptop trackpad + keyboard than a TV remote.
"beefy hardware and way more capabilities"
Looks like Chromecast is on par, actually: 512MB RAM, 4GB storage. No dumbed-down processor details that I can understand, but based on all the reviews, it's capable of playing 1080p video no sweat. Not sure what "capabilities" you're referring to, but again, the SDK is open to pretty much anyone.
"They can login into pandora, netflix without extra hardware..."
Chromecast can also do this. And Rdio, Spotify, Flash video and pretty much any website.
"Plus, you can play your own files..."
Chromecast does this. Drag the file in to a new Chrome tab.
"...access your network resources..."
Can those dongles do that? I don't see software details. Regardless, I'd be shocked if there's not a Plex app for Chromecast in a matter of weeks.
The "HYPE" argument only makes sense if the product being offered is in some way worse. Chromecast is the same price, offers nearly all of the same features out of the box - and many additional features - with a workflow that's significantly more convenient for most users. That's not hype. At worst, it's better execution.
1) got my first android tv around 2012 and that was the second version of mk802, early models were available before.
2) grab a remote is better than grab a laptop and fire an application, plus you need to power it on, etc. but if you prefer that it's ok.
Netflix and pandora apps are available in Android, no need to use a web browser.
3) " but based on all the reviews, it's capable of playing 1080p video no sweat" well, is not what the review says:
"If you’re using the Chromecast extension for Chrome on your laptop to project an otherwise incompatible video site (like Hulu or HBOGO), however, video quality can dump quite a bit depending on your setup. It’s using your laptop as a middle man to encode the video signal and broadcast it to the Chromecast, whereas the aforementioned compatible sites just send video straight to the dongle, mostly removing your laptop from the mix. When casting video tabs on a 2012 MacBook Air running on an 802.11n network, the framerate was noticeably lower and there were occasional audio syncing issues."
You even need an additional transcoder! the mini pcs can decode MKVs by themselves (and lots of formats more)
Look, I got an apple TV and one of those "dongles" connected to my TV, and trust me, when I need to play an MKV is way more easier to use a remote to access the File NAS than firing up Beamer app (http://beamer-app.com/) from my mac to watch a movie.
Chromecast requires extra hardware to complete almost anything, so yes, I think it's less capable than the mini pcs at 36 usd that ship free.
1) Cool! That doesn't have any real bearing on Chromecast, though, and those devices don't have the extensibility that Chromecast does.
2) Anything that reduces the amount of hardware I interact with is a net positive, IMO. Also, I'm not sure what you mean by "in Android". Netflix and Pandora are on the web and iOS devices, there is no shortage of ways to find their content. In my experience, browsing YouTube has been a giant PITA on every single device I've tried. I'd much rather browse videos on my computer and send ones I find to my TV as desired.
3) Tab mirroring is in beta, as Google has said, which is not the same as an app streaming directly from the web. (No middleman device required.) It's already pretty good, but does need improvement. In the meantime, Netflix - which has "native" support - is great, with none of those issues. The rest are simply good, and will become great once Google improves their mirroring feature.
4) That's a feature that 95% of users won't ever need. If the other dongles you mention do that, fantastic. I'll concede that Chromecast isn't doing that now, but I think we can agree it's definitely not a major selling point. (Not to mention, there's no reason someone couldn't write a Chromecast app to do something exactly like that. Just because it doesn't exist yet doesn't mean it can't or won't.)
I play my MKVs from a local Plex server to my Roku ($80). Chromecast ($35) will likely replace that soon, either via the Plex Web Client (which organizes all my media in a nice, friendly format, no ugly directory tree browsing required) or a "native" app. Plus, a remote control is extra hardware. I'm never more than 5 feet from my phone, and I regularly lose my TV remotes.
Those dongles you linked to seem to be running Google TV. Chromecast runs a stripped down version of Chrome OS. Two sides of the same coin, but Chromecast is far more integrated and extensible. Seems worthy of some praise to me.
