Tag: technology

Hackers attack Egyptology site

Yes, you read that correctly. Apparently, a group of hackers forced the owners of Egyptological, an online publication dedicated to Egyptology, to take the site down after it came under sustained attack. Although no details have been confirmed, it’s been speculated that the hackers view Egyptology-related sites as “a form of political threat.”

This is one of those times where I feel like I’ve stumbled into Bizarro World. How on earth is an Egyptological journal a political threat? It discussed people and events that have been dead and done for millennia, for crying out loud! It’s hardly a hotbed of sedition.

What makes this doubly sad is that Egyptological was a neat project. It offered both a journal of original academic research and a magazine aimed at the general public. The best part is that both were available to everyone, free of charge. It was a great example of how the web can help spread academic knowledge beyond the confines of the ivory tower.

Fortunately, the people behind Egyptological haven’t thrown in the towel. They’ve rebuilt the site with a new web host, and most of their back issues are available once more. Even better, they’re planning to come out with a new issue in the coming weeks. Let’s hope their troubles are finally at an end.

Kindle awesomeness

I am a reluctant ebook reader.  I knew they were the wave of the future, but I was still determined to resist them for as long as possible.  But when I got my iPhone last summer, I spent some time messing around with the Kindle app and I had to grudgingly admit that ebooks can be pretty spiffy.  While I still prefer paper books, there is something to be said for being able to download an interesting book at 3 am while you’re in your pajamas.

Although reading on the iPhone isn’t horrible, I knew that I wanted to upgrade to something with a bigger screen.  I narrowed my options down to two: the iPad and the Kindle.  At first glance, the iPad seemed like the best choice since it can do so much more than the Kindle.  Plus, everyone I know who owns an iPad is madly in love with it.

Try as I might, I was never able to fall in love with the iPad.  It’s a slick machine, to be sure, but I couldn’t escape the fact that I just didn’t need all the extra bells and whistles that it offers.  I already own two laptops, so my portable computing needs are pretty much taken care of.  Also, I just couldn’t see myself curling up with the iPad, which is kind of an issue since I do most of my reading lying down.

So far, I’m really impressed with the Kindle.  It’s the perfect size for reading in bed and the screen is a lot easier on the eyes than a computer screen.  I also like the fact that it syncs your progress in a book across all platforms, so I can start reading a book on the Kindle and then pick it up on the iPhone without having to hunt around for my place.

At first, I was a bit put off by the the flash you see when you turn the page.  From what I can tell, it’s just a side effect of the eInk technology, so all eInk-based readers are going to be have it to some degree.  I got used to it quite quickly though, and I can’t really say that it bothers me.

The only real complaint I have is that I don’t really like the built-in keyboard, but it’s not a big deal since I don’t see myself typing up a storm on this thing.  For the occasional search, it’s just fine.

Now I just need to decide what to read on it first.  I’m torn between Mechanique and The Man with the Golden Torc.  I think I may have to flip a coin on this one…

The not-so-amazing iPad

The other day I stopped by the campus tech store to check out Apple’s much vaunted iPad.  I’ve heard a lot of glowing reviews, so I thought I’d see what it was like first hand.

To be honest, I was profoundly underwhelmed.  It looks really cool, but, as I played around with it, I got the impression that it’s more of a flashy toy than anything useful.  It’s too big to fit in your pocket, so you’ll have to carry it around in a briefcase or a backpack.  If you’re going to do that, I think you might as well just carry a laptop.  If you’re looking for something really portable to surf the net on, you’d probably be better off with a smart phone.  At least you could also use that to call people.

The sales clerk seemed decidedly underwhelmed with the iPad.  We were chatting about it and he agreed that, for people who have laptops and/or iPhones, it’s a complete waste of money.

If I had $600 that I absolutely didn’t know what to do with, I wouldn’t be buying an iPad.  I’d probably buy this instead:

At least it would appreciate in value instead of becoming obsolete once Apple releases the next model in six months’ time.