Okay, so I’m only about 2 years late, but I just heard about this amazing little device.. Optimus Maximus. The problem statement is simple enough.. make a keyboard where each key is a an independent display showing exactly what it’s bound to at that moment. The ‘a’ key would turn to ‘A’ when you press Shift or CapsLock, for example. More details and some nice illustrations here.
I’ve been thinking about switching to Dvorak for a little while (why? why not?!) but (one of) the biggest hinderance is that I’ll have to rearrange the keys on my keyboard or come up with some other creative solution because obviously I won’t be able to type without staring at the keys. Just imagine if I had this keyboard!
Pre-orders start in about 21 days but as much as I love this concept, I don’t think I’ll be rushing to get one any time soon.. reason? My current keyboard cost me about 80 bucks, this thing is well over 20 times more than that! Maybe they’ll start liking Ptolemy more than they like Shakespeare.
Update every single piece of my system with a single action. This is one of the main reasons I hate my Toyota. Sure, there are several authorised Toyota dealers around but they will only check the core Toyota components, and a few other things. Also, there are no automatic updates.
Update nearly everything without a restart. In my Toyota, most updates, even to non-critical components, require me to shut off my engine and step out of the car.
Keep my system secure without components that consume resources, require my time and frequently nag me. Basic requirements for a secure car include:
Install an alarm system. It consumes my car’s battery (that LED is not powered by magic!) and requires me to routinely turn it on and off whenever I leave or enter my car.
A handle lock may also be required in some areas. More time on my part.
Never trusting any weird looking hitchhiker. I have to go through my life assuming every shady looking guy on the side of the highway is going to screw me over. What a sorry state of affairs this is!
Run an entire system for free, and without breaking the law. It’s a fact of life; You either break the law, or spend countless thousands of dollars on gas, oil changes and regular maintenance.
Take my settings with me where ever I go. Whenever I drive my friend’s car, I have to readjust the seat and the mirror, and get used to the brake and accelerator since every car is slightly different. None of my settings are portable.
Run summer tires and winter tires at the same time. During skiing season, this is huge. (Okay.. I’m beginning to get a little bored of this right about now)
Understand everything that is going on in my machine. My Toyota is almost like a black box. I can see the outside, but I have no idea what is going on inside the engine, for example. If my transmission gives up, the only option is to shell out thousands of dollars to get a new one.
Customize every aspect of my system. I am pretty much stuck with what I was given. Sure, I can install spoilers and neon lights and stickers, but they are mostly just a new coat of paint on the same thing (quite literally!).
Benefit from competition between projects for each component. Can you imagine having competing engines or gear boxes?
Thousands of great components that don’t work on my system. What wouldn’t I give to have Cambiocorsa installed in my car!!
Learn about, support and appreciate the value of a free world. Not being able to contribute to Toyota’s development process makes me feel so despondent.
I feel this match gave me some information. I think I’m absolutely in the mix with him on clay, which is how I wanted to feel.
You know, it’s always disappointing to lose, but I feel like I didn’t play well and still it was close. That’s a good thing.
He’s an excellent player, let’s not forget. You’re talking like he’s playing around with me. That’s not the case. It came very close the last few times, but clay is his number one surface; it’s not mine, and still I come so close.
Federer now has an incredible 3-7 record against Nadal, 0-5 on Clay. He must surely be beginning to appreciate how Roddick feels.
I feel like I’m in good shape for the rest of clay court season, and it’s going to come down to the French Open to see who wins.
Rome starts in a couple of weeks. And Roland Garros is only a little more than a month away. Let’s see.. Let’s hope!
Well.. okay.. not quite. But after losing 24 straight games, our Indoor Soccer team finally registered their first win!! With such a perfect start to the season, glory days can’t be too far!
Brazil 2005 to Sepang 2007. It took a little over a year and a half but McLaren are back in the front with yet another 1-2. A clean and quick start by Alonso, taking his first victory with the new team, but the real star of the race was his teammate..
This may only be the second F1 race for Lewis Hamilton but he is already showing us glimpses of his immense talent!! He’s now become the first driver in over 40 years to be on the podium in both of his first 2 races. And it’s not just because of the car. In fact, in the first few laps he was definitely not as quick as the Ferraris, but still he managed another great start, getting ahead of both the Ferraris within the first 2 corners, and then kept his cool and defended his position brilliantly while Massa furiously tried to get ahead. Hamilton may be much younger and much less experienced than the Brazilian, but that definitely didn’t show on the track today!
If there were any doubts left after Melbourne, they are all cleared up now.. this man is destined for greatness! After being disappointed by DC and Button, perhaps we can once again hope of seeing a British Champion..
Talking about Massa for a moment.. he’ll no doubt be disappointed! A lot more was expected from him.. Surely he must have expected a lot more from himself!! Of course, things may have been different if he had managed to stay ahead of Hamilton after the 2nd corner, but he clearly had a faster car and he really should have done a better job at overtaking the McLaren.. He had two chances and he completely blew them up!
The only thing in his defense is that there may have been some problem with the car.. Ferrari had been struggling all weekend, especially with Raikkonen’s car, to get a good setup. And even during the race, Massa was constantly trying to adjust the brake bias and managed to lock up his brakes a few times, suggesting perhaps all was not well.. In any case, after those two atrocious overtaking attempts, he must be thanking his stars that Jean Todt is not as open with his comments as Briatore!
As for others.. Raikkonen looked quite glum after the race. He had a few anxious moments behind Massa in the first few laps.. they were even wheel to wheel at one stage before Raikkonen decided to pull back. Who knows if he had managed to get ahead, he may have made a slightly better attempt at passing Hamilton! Nevertheless, 6 points is not terrible, and there are plenty more races to go. Rosberg had a nice and clean race, tough luck for him that his engine blew up otherwise he looked to be finishing in points yet again.. He’s another driver quickly becoming my favourite! Now all we need is for Nelsinho Piquet to join F1!
I had totally missed this until one of my friends mentioned it today.. Anand is now ranked 1 in the latest FIDE rankings!!
I remember the hysteria in the mid 90s when he rapidly rose through the Chess world. He has been among the top 3 for almost 10 years, but couldn’t quite make it to No. 1 until now. According to Wikipedia he’s only the 6th player to be ranked 1!
I know chess doesn’t get much coverage in India (which sport does, apart from Cricket and may be Tennis?) but this is really awesome news!!
I had totally missed this until one of my friends mentioned it today.. Anand is now ranked 1 in the 
