Columns
A brave new world of apps
ALL the little app called “Mirror” did was turn the green screen of the PalmV black, giving it enough reflectiveness to function as a mirror. It was 1999. here were many other clever “third-party apps”, as the computer industry called them at the time, but this very simple one demonstrated the innovative ware appearing on those small personal digital assistants. There were ...[Read More]
Mars is the next target for the Vietnam veteran who now runs Nasa
He flew combat missions in the Vietnam War, was the pilot of the first shuttle flight after the 1986 Challenger accident and deployed the Hubble telescope into space. Now Charles Bolden, 65, is trying to send a human to Mars.
OBITUARY: The day I met Steve Jobs
“No, but I did touch his iPod,” I answered when someone asked if I shook Steve Jobs hand. It happened quite by chance. Jobs was addressing a small group of journalists at the Apple Expo in Paris in September 2005 a few weeks after he had launched the latest, thinnest iPod nano. The British journalist behind me was asking about it and Jobs nonchalantly threw it into the crowd. I was sit...[Read More]
Haiku on the magic of Muji
One of my favourite gadgets is an all-in-one CD player from Muji – that brandless brand from Japan. Beautifully designed with striking simplicity, it is not much bigger than the CD itself and has the speakers built into the casing. A thin wire, which hangs down from its centre, is both the power cable and on-off switch. It hangs on the side of my fridge, and I play mostly jazz when I’m...[Read More]