<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<feed xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom">
  <title>David Pogue</title>
  <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://rarepattern.com/tags/david-pogue"/>
  <link rel="self" type="application/atom+xml" href="http://rarepattern.com/taxonomy/term/240/atom/feed"/>
  <id>http://rarepattern.com/taxonomy/term/240/atom/feed</id>
  <updated>2007-10-22T13:20:21-05:00</updated>
  <entry>
    <title>Pogue&#039;s Imponderables -- Answered!</title>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://rarepattern.com/nodes/2007/10/pogues-imponderables-answered" />
    <id>http://rarepattern.com/nodes/2007/10/pogues-imponderables-answered</id>
    <published>2007-10-18T20:19:12-05:00</published>
    <updated>2007-10-22T13:20:21-05:00</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Laura Scott</name>
    </author>
    <category term="David Pogue" />
    <category term="technology" />
    <category term="The New York Times" />
    <summary type="html"><![CDATA[<p>Some answers to <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/18/technology/circuits/18pogue-email.html?_r=1&amp;oref=slogin">David Pogue's questions about the technological universe</a>:</p>
<blockquote><p>* Why is Wi-Fi free at cheap hotels, but $14 a night at expensive ones?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Because you can afford it.</p>
<blockquote><p>* What happens to software programs when their publishers go out of business?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>They persevere on individual computers, in denial of extinction. Sometimes they're just so right you cannot improve upon them.</p>
<blockquote><p>* Would the record companies sell more music online if it weren't copy-protected?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Of course. I'd start buying and downloading if they stopped treating me like a criminal.</p>
<blockquote><p>* Do cellphones cause brain cancer?</p>
</blockquote>
<p><s>No</s> I don't know, but they do cause traffic accidents.</p>
<blockquote><p>* What's the real reason you have to turn off your laptop for takeoff?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>To annoy you.</p>
<blockquote><p>* Why can't a digital S.L.R. camera record video?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Mine can. Yours can't?</p>
<blockquote><p>* Wi-Fi on airplanes. What's taking so long?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>You assume that it is actually going to happen.</p>
<blockquote><p>* Who are the morons who respond to junk-mail offers, thereby keeping spammers in business?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Your grandparents.</p>
<blockquote><p>* I'm told that they could make a shirt-pocket digital camera that takes pictures like an S.L.R., but it would cost a lot. So why don't they make one for people who can afford it?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>They do. But you have to work for the government to see it.</p>
<blockquote><p>* How come there are still no viruses for Mac OS X? If it has 6 percent of the market, shouldn't it have 6 percent of the viruses?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>As Apple closes up open standards, watch and see.</p>
<blockquote><p>* Do shareware programmers pay taxes on all those $20 contributions?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Some do, probably.</p>
<blockquote><p>* How are we going to preserve all of our digital photos and videos for future generations?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>I don't know, but it won't be by using Flickr.</p>
<blockquote><p>* Why are there no federal rebates or tax credits for solar power?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Because President Ronald Reagan killed them.</p>
<blockquote><p>* Why do you have to take tape camcorders out of your carry-on at airport security, but not the tapeless kind? Couldn't you hide a bomb equally well in either one? (Actually, I have about 500 more logic questions about the rules at airport security, but I have a feeling they'll remain answerless for a very long time.)</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Probably something to do with the x-ray image they have.</p>
<blockquote><p>* Laptops, cameras and cellphones have improved by a thousand percent in the last ten years. Why not their batteries?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Maybe the laptops, cameras and cellphones have improved in the wrong ways. Remember, transistors were considered worthless because they couldn't handle the power for home  "hi-fi" consoles. Then along came Sony to make small transistor radios. The transistors were the same, the radios changed.</p>
<blockquote><p>* SmartDisplay, Spot Watch, U.M.P.C., Zune… when will Microsoft realize that it's not a hardware company?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Sometime after Apple does.</p>
<blockquote><p>* Why don't public sinks have foot pedals?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>It costs more.</p>
<blockquote><p>* Why don't all hotels have check-in kiosks like airlines do?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>You want to make hotels more like airlines? What? Are you f---ing crazy?!!!!</p>
<blockquote><p>* Five billion dollars a year spent on ringtones? What the?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The summoning to sacrifice is sacred.</p>
<blockquote><p>* How come cellphone signal-strength bars are so often wrong?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>They're on cell phones.</p>
<blockquote><p>* Do P.R. people really expect anyone to believe that the standard, stilted, second-paragraph C.E.O. quote was really uttered by a human being?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Of course. It was. By the PR people.</p>
<blockquote><p>* Why aren't there recycling bins for bottles and cans where they're most obviously needed, like food courts and cafeterias?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Because that would cost more.</p>
<blockquote><p>* Why doesn't someone start a cellphone company that bills you only for what you use? That model works O.K. for the electricity, gas and water companies —and people would beat a path to its door.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Because they don't have to ... yet.</p>
<blockquote><p>* Why doesn't everyone have lights that turn off automatically when the room is empty?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Creepy!!!</p>
<blockquote><p>* What's the deal with Palm?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Well, <em>someone</em> has to come in at the bottom.</p>
<blockquote><p>* Why are so many people rude on the Internet?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>...because they are rude people?</p>
    ]]></summary>
    <content type="html"><![CDATA[<p>Some answers to <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/18/technology/circuits/18pogue-email.html?_r=1&amp;oref=slogin">David Pogue's questions about the technological universe</a>:</p>
<blockquote><p>* Why is Wi-Fi free at cheap hotels, but $14 a night at expensive ones?</p></blockquote>
<p>Because you can afford it.</p>
<blockquote><p>* What happens to software programs when their publishers go out of business?</p></blockquote>
<p>They persevere on individual computers, in denial of extinction. Sometimes they're just so right you cannot improve upon them.</p>
<blockquote><p>* Would the record companies sell more music online if it weren't copy-protected?</p></blockquote>
<p>Of course. I'd start buying and downloading if they stopped treating me like a criminal.</p>
<blockquote><p>* Do cellphones cause brain cancer?</p></blockquote>
<p><s>No</s> I don't know, but they do cause traffic accidents.</p>
<blockquote><p>* What's the real reason you have to turn off your laptop for takeoff?</p></blockquote>
<p>To annoy you.</p>
<blockquote><p>* Why can't a digital S.L.R. camera record video?</p></blockquote>
<p>Mine can. Yours can't?</p>
<blockquote><p>* Wi-Fi on airplanes. What's taking so long?</p></blockquote>
<p>You assume that it is actually going to happen.</p>
<blockquote><p>* Who are the morons who respond to junk-mail offers, thereby keeping spammers in business?</p></blockquote>
<p>Your grandparents.</p>
<blockquote><p>* I'm told that they could make a shirt-pocket digital camera that takes pictures like an S.L.R., but it would cost a lot. So why don't they make one for people who can afford it?</p></blockquote>
<p>They do. But you have to work for the government to see it.</p>
<blockquote><p>* How come there are still no viruses for Mac OS X? If it has 6 percent of the market, shouldn't it have 6 percent of the viruses?</p></blockquote>
<p>As Apple closes up open standards, watch and see.</p>
<blockquote><p>* Do shareware programmers pay taxes on all those $20 contributions?</p></blockquote>
<p>Some do, probably.</p>
<blockquote><p>* How are we going to preserve all of our digital photos and videos for future generations?</p></blockquote>
<p>I don't know, but it won't be by using Flickr.</p>
<blockquote><p>* Why are there no federal rebates or tax credits for solar power?</p></blockquote>
<p>Because President Ronald Reagan killed them.</p>
<blockquote><p>* Why do you have to take tape camcorders out of your carry-on at airport security, but not the tapeless kind? Couldn't you hide a bomb equally well in either one? (Actually, I have about 500 more logic questions about the rules at airport security, but I have a feeling they'll remain answerless for a very long time.)</p></blockquote>
<p>Probably something to do with the x-ray image they have.</p>
<blockquote><p>* Laptops, cameras and cellphones have improved by a thousand percent in the last ten years. Why not their batteries?</p></blockquote>
<p>Maybe the laptops, cameras and cellphones have improved in the wrong ways. Remember, transistors were considered worthless because they couldn't handle the power for home  "hi-fi" consoles. Then along came Sony to make small transistor radios. The transistors were the same, the radios changed.</p>
<blockquote><p>* SmartDisplay, Spot Watch, U.M.P.C., Zune… when will Microsoft realize that it's not a hardware company?</p></blockquote>
<p>Sometime after Apple does.</p>
<blockquote><p>* Why don't public sinks have foot pedals?</p></blockquote>
<p>It costs more.</p>
<blockquote><p>* Why don't all hotels have check-in kiosks like airlines do?</p></blockquote>
<p>You want to make hotels more like airlines? What? Are you f---ing crazy?!!!!</p>
<blockquote><p>* Five billion dollars a year spent on ringtones? What the?</p></blockquote>
<p>The summoning to sacrifice is sacred.</p>
<blockquote><p>* How come cellphone signal-strength bars are so often wrong?</p></blockquote>
<p>They're on cell phones.</p>
<blockquote><p>* Do P.R. people really expect anyone to believe that the standard, stilted, second-paragraph C.E.O. quote was really uttered by a human being?</p></blockquote>
<p>Of course. It was. By the PR people.</p>
<blockquote><p>* Why aren't there recycling bins for bottles and cans where they're most obviously needed, like food courts and cafeterias?</p></blockquote>
<p>Because that would cost more.</p>
<blockquote><p>* Why doesn't someone start a cellphone company that bills you only for what you use? That model works O.K. for the electricity, gas and water companies —and people would beat a path to its door.</p></blockquote>
<p>Because they don't have to ... yet.</p>
<blockquote><p>* Why doesn't everyone have lights that turn off automatically when the room is empty?</p></blockquote>
<p>Creepy!!!</p>
<blockquote><p>* What's the deal with Palm?</p></blockquote>
<p>Well, <em>someone</em> has to come in at the bottom.</p>
<blockquote><p>* Why are so many people rude on the Internet?</p></blockquote>
<p>...because they are rude people?</p>
    ]]></content>
  </entry>
</feed>
