en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/820445 Comments by Moeskido http://www.kcrw.com/etc/programs/jf/jf101017prayer#IDComment457838595 This episode is a testament (pun intented) to the ability of foolish people to create whatever god they need at the moment. Mon, 8 Oct 2012 01:06:38 +0000 http://www.kcrw.com/etc/programs/jf/jf101017prayer#IDComment457838595 http://www.asymco.com/2011/08/25/polymath/#IDComment188270180 If the study of higher physics (a subject I readily admit I have little capacity for) is now required to properly understand the full, true purpose and definition of science as a whole, then I concede that everything else I've ever learned about the subject might now be in doubt. My mistake for overlooking the possibility that the definition had expanded beyond mere layman comprehension. Or, rather, mere layman capacity for belief. Wed, 31 Aug 2011 01:10:08 +0000 http://www.asymco.com/2011/08/25/polymath/#IDComment188270180 http://www.asymco.com/2011/08/25/polymath/#IDComment188204701 Science is a means to an end: that of discovering how things work by noting observable attributes about those things and attempting to discern relationships between them. Whether individual scientists tend to behave contrary to that principle may itself be an interesting subject for a scientific study, but it doesn't support your argument. Yes, string theory is popular right now. Someday it won't be, because new discoveries will make possible a better theory to explain the phenomena it attempts to describe. Scientists, by definition, seek elegant solutions, not beautiful ones. There's a difference. That's part of what Horace is doing here, too. He's attempting to filter out the emotionalism of marketing trash-talk and instead parse statistics as indicators of a worldwide phenomenon. His rigor exists, in part, in the degree to which he can dismiss his "non-empirical" feelings about one company or another, while focusing upon what numbers and corporate behavior suggest is occurring. Science, not faith. I consider attempts to degrade the scientific method with the irrationality of emotion as politically-motivated sophistry. You're trying to associate the emotional fallibility of individual judgment with the ideal that the process is intended to represent. That's about as rigorous an argument as any I've ever heard coming out of the Discovery Institute. Which is to say: not very. Tue, 30 Aug 2011 21:58:12 +0000 http://www.asymco.com/2011/08/25/polymath/#IDComment188204701 http://www.asymco.com/2011/08/25/polymath/#IDComment187788042 @publiclee: You appear to make a lot of assumptions about the "humanity" of an individual who goes to great efforts to keep his personal affairs private, "christian capitalist" or not. I don't believe many here can knowledgeably quantify Jobs' philanthropy, because he's probably not the kind of person who'd want to make a public spectacle of such a thing. But how fortunate for Jobs that he has you to recommend worthy causes for him to support. Mon, 29 Aug 2011 18:04:37 +0000 http://www.asymco.com/2011/08/25/polymath/#IDComment187788042 http://www.asymco.com/2011/08/25/polymath/#IDComment187786156 Science isn't a belief system. It's a method for learning empirical information about the natural world by observation and experiment. You can't have a belief about empirical facts. Mon, 29 Aug 2011 17:55:05 +0000 http://www.asymco.com/2011/08/25/polymath/#IDComment187786156 http://www.asymco.com/2011/08/19/hps-decade-long-departure/#IDComment186481123 Is "Apple's Kool-Aid" acceptable language for readers of the Harvard Business Review? Or is it merely a convenient expression of "objectivity" when you wish to insult people you don't know? Thu, 25 Aug 2011 14:49:11 +0000 http://www.asymco.com/2011/08/19/hps-decade-long-departure/#IDComment186481123 http://www.asymco.com/2011/08/19/hps-decade-long-departure/#IDComment186478222 I'll be very interested to see next year's churn numbers as early Android-user phone contracts expire in quantity. Thu, 25 Aug 2011 14:37:53 +0000 http://www.asymco.com/2011/08/19/hps-decade-long-departure/#IDComment186478222 http://www.asymco.com/2011/08/19/hps-decade-long-departure/#IDComment186477605 There are any number of use cases in full public view that demonstrate the fallacy of viewing the iPad as a "consumption-only" device. Unless your knowledge of its user base is informed only by those who feel threatened by its popularity. Thu, 25 Aug 2011 14:35:36 +0000 http://www.asymco.com/2011/08/19/hps-decade-long-departure/#IDComment186477605 http://9to5google.com/2011/08/04/google-adds-tablet-like-preview-panes-to-gmail-inbox#IDComment180264632 At least this "innovation" didn't require Eric Schmidt to kneel at keyholes while still serving on Apple's board. All they had to do was copy screenshots. Fri, 5 Aug 2011 03:36:51 +0000 http://9to5google.com/2011/08/04/google-adds-tablet-like-preview-panes-to-gmail-inbox#IDComment180264632 http://9to5mac.com/2011/07/18/family-ties-earn-this-smart-cover-knock-off-a-samsung-certification-and-a-place-on-their-store-shelves/#IDComment174998153 An insecure company that can't come up with its own ideas. Tue, 19 Jul 2011 01:55:14 +0000 http://9to5mac.com/2011/07/18/family-ties-earn-this-smart-cover-knock-off-a-samsung-certification-and-a-place-on-their-store-shelves/#IDComment174998153 http://www.asymco.com/2011/06/21/macdirectory-exclusive-horace-dediu-apple-expert/#IDComment165857126 Asymco is an experiment kind of like the way Apple TV is a hobby. Thu, 23 Jun 2011 17:10:43 +0000 http://www.asymco.com/2011/06/21/macdirectory-exclusive-horace-dediu-apple-expert/#IDComment165857126 http://www.asymco.com/2011/06/07/songs-books-and-apps-what-do-the-three-media-types-tell-us-about-the-future-of-consumption/#IDComment161422175 Snobbery is always someone else's flaw, isn't it? Most consumers of previous decades didn't care about the fidelity of their music until they were shown how much better it could sound on better equipment. Fri, 10 Jun 2011 15:01:17 +0000 http://www.asymco.com/2011/06/07/songs-books-and-apps-what-do-the-three-media-types-tell-us-about-the-future-of-consumption/#IDComment161422175 http://www.asymco.com/2011/05/16/how-to-think-about-acquisitions/#IDComment154391021 It seems to me that Microsoft's Windows division deliberately kills anything—whether a new acquisition or a new project developed by another division—that it perceives as any sort of internal threat to Windows. I'll be interested to see if Skype survives them in any recognizable form. Fri, 20 May 2011 16:19:34 +0000 http://www.asymco.com/2011/05/16/how-to-think-about-acquisitions/#IDComment154391021 http://www.asymco.com/2011/03/30/sponsor-technology-coast-consulting-a-new-report-on-smartphones-in-the-us-enterprise-2/#IDComment139684780 You're suggesting there's ambiguity here as to whether this is an acknowledgment of sponsorship or a more personal testimonial. I see no language in the above that implies the latter. This is a blog. The CMS that runs it assigns an "author" to whomever posted the entry. Sun, 3 Apr 2011 16:47:05 +0000 http://www.asymco.com/2011/03/30/sponsor-technology-coast-consulting-a-new-report-on-smartphones-in-the-us-enterprise-2/#IDComment139684780 http://www.asymco.com/2011/03/23/the-american-wireless-galapagos-syndrome-how-the-industry-set-itself-up-for-a-rout/#IDComment137306314 And there we are in complete agreement. Wishing you both better circumstances. Thu, 24 Mar 2011 19:02:46 +0000 http://www.asymco.com/2011/03/23/the-american-wireless-galapagos-syndrome-how-the-industry-set-itself-up-for-a-rout/#IDComment137306314 http://www.asymco.com/2011/03/23/the-american-wireless-galapagos-syndrome-how-the-industry-set-itself-up-for-a-rout/#IDComment137302100 I'm happy to agree to disagree. You're examining this field far more comprehensively/macro than I am. My concerns are based, in part, in the fact that I've been unemployed for over a year and consider my personal options for carrier services more limited than they were in 2009. News of unimpaired mergers often feels like a noose around my neck. I hope your conclusions are correct. Thu, 24 Mar 2011 18:41:10 +0000 http://www.asymco.com/2011/03/23/the-american-wireless-galapagos-syndrome-how-the-industry-set-itself-up-for-a-rout/#IDComment137302100 http://www.asymco.com/2011/03/23/the-american-wireless-galapagos-syndrome-how-the-industry-set-itself-up-for-a-rout/#IDComment137277934 I should have been more clear. I'm less displeased with my region's duopoly than I would be if I had only one provider to choose from. I still find much of the two players' offerings more restrictive and expensive than they need to be. Yes, there are four national providers, but I think it's too easy to discuss this sector in national terms without taking into account its very variable situations from region to region. Thu, 24 Mar 2011 16:43:12 +0000 http://www.asymco.com/2011/03/23/the-american-wireless-galapagos-syndrome-how-the-industry-set-itself-up-for-a-rout/#IDComment137277934 http://www.asymco.com/2011/03/23/the-american-wireless-galapagos-syndrome-how-the-industry-set-itself-up-for-a-rout/#IDComment137272271 You're ascribing monochromatic economic theory to real-world situations that are far more variable. When you examine either provider's ability to influence legislators, their levels of customer service, and willingness to comply with overly intrusive national security queries, saying Comcast is "kept in check" makes me think of abused wives who are happy because they haven't been hurt today. Do you allow for the possibility of cartel-like behavior within a duopoly, or are we pretending that trade associations don't exist? And where is the correlation between wider market participation and poorer connections? Is that a textbook truism for this sector? Thu, 24 Mar 2011 16:12:54 +0000 http://www.asymco.com/2011/03/23/the-american-wireless-galapagos-syndrome-how-the-industry-set-itself-up-for-a-rout/#IDComment137272271 http://www.asymco.com/2011/03/23/the-american-wireless-galapagos-syndrome-how-the-industry-set-itself-up-for-a-rout/#IDComment137100060 Horace, I hope your last paragraph here proves prophetic and not ironic. I see Android complying with carrier practices far more than IOS. Wed, 23 Mar 2011 21:57:54 +0000 http://www.asymco.com/2011/03/23/the-american-wireless-galapagos-syndrome-how-the-industry-set-itself-up-for-a-rout/#IDComment137100060 http://www.asymco.com/2011/03/23/the-american-wireless-galapagos-syndrome-how-the-industry-set-itself-up-for-a-rout/#IDComment137099234 What good is better coverage if the only available service plans from the only available carrier in your locality are egregiously priced? I understand that Comcast's cable lines serve broadband ISP customers in my area, but I'm damned glad Verizon DSL's available here, too. If one of those ceded the territory, where would the pressure to increase efficiency and lower prices come from? Deregulation is great for business in the short term. In the long term, it allows short-term-managed businesses to hang themselves and stagnate entire markets. And it's lousy for customers throughout. Wed, 23 Mar 2011 21:53:23 +0000 http://www.asymco.com/2011/03/23/the-american-wireless-galapagos-syndrome-how-the-industry-set-itself-up-for-a-rout/#IDComment137099234