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The dutch apple news site MacFreak has a small news article about a new european Apple clone maker named PearC. They offer Leopard pre-installed clones in a case that looks quite similar to the MacPro cases, but not really. Their argument for creating and distributing the clones is that the Apple EULA isn't valid in europe because it cannot be read in advance (before opening the package). That's an interesting take on a legal tidbit, and I leave it up to Apple, PearC and the EU to judge if this is indeed true.

But that's not the point of my post. I discussed this with a good friend and co-geek before, and what is noticable is that there is a huge gap in the Apple line-up. Yes, what Apple needs is a mid-range computer between the iMac and MacPro. It should have more possibilities than the iMac, but should not be as extensive and expensive as the MacPro. There is the Quadcore MacPro (default config €2299,-), but that is still too expensive: personally I'd like to have a quadcore computer, with 2.93GHz cpu, 8 gigs of RAM, a 1TB harddisk and an ATI GPU. But when I configure the basic macpro like that it'll cost me €2800,-- ! The high end iMac makes it even more expensive since 8 Gig RAM in 2x4G slices is extremely expensive. So, a computer with 3 or 4 memory slots would be a great option.

For the next iteration of apple hardware updates, I hope they will leave the quadcore macpro intact, except using Intel i7 CPUs, and drop the price of the standard configuration well below €2000 (€1899 is a nice price). Still more expensive than a clone, but I'm happy to pay a little more for the design and component quality (also case). But not a lot more like currently is the case.

Until that is done, the clone makers actually have a business case that may work for them, selling quality products for better money than the Apple offerings. Maybe Apple will create new iMacs that will have 3 or 4 memory slots, that would actually convince me to get an iMac, but currently the offering is not tempting enough (I value RAM higher than raw CPU speed).

English name is Gomer Goof but there are very few english translations available. Author is André Franquin.

When I saw the name of @Astro_Jose, I immediately thought of Bill Dana's running gag about "Jose Jiménez" during the Mercury era.. but now with "Jose Hernandez" as text.

Jose Hernandez - Astronaut

Interviewer - Don Hinkley

Part I 

DH) The gentleman you`re about to meet is the most important man in any of our lives. He`s the United States officer who has been sent into outer space. I`m referring to the cheif astronaut with the United States Interplanetary Expeditionary Force and here he is now. How do you do sir, may we have your name? 

JJ) My name, Jose Hernandez 

DH) And you`re the cheif astronaut with the United States Interplanetary Expeditionary Force? 

JJ) I am the cheif astronaut, with the United States, Interplanetary, (long pause).... My name Jose Hernandez 

DH) Mr. Hernandez could you tell us a little about your space suit? 

JJ) Yes, it`s very uncomfortable 

DH) How much, how much did the space suit cost? 

JJ) That eh space suit cost 12,000,000 dollars 

DH) 12,000,000 dollars? 

JJ) Yes 

DH) That seems rather expensive. 

JJ) Well it has two pair of pants 

...So that`s only 6,000,000 dollars a piece... 

DH) I`ve been noticing this, Mr. Hernandez. What is this called, a crash helmet? 

JJ) Oh I hope not 

DH) What are the physical qualities that they look for in an astronaut? 

JJ) The physical qualities they look for in the astronaut, you got to have the perfect hearing, you got to have the perfect vision, you got to have the normal blood pressure, you got to have four legs 

DH) You have to have four legs? 

JJ) Yes, they were going to send a dog but they thought that would be too cruel 

DH) Mr. Hernandez you must have some opinions on the race for space. 

JJ) All right I will (long pause) I got one 

DH) What do you think of Vanguard I and Jupiter II 

JJ) That was a pretty close game 

...I thought for sure that Vanguard was going to take it... 

DH) The west coast yes... 

JJ) ...What you were reading the papers about... 

DH) ...Yeh I know, Tell me Jose, 

JJ) I`ll tell you Jose 

DH) Tell me 

JJ) Yes I`ll tell you, you just ask me and I tell you... 

DH) Alright 

DH) Were you a participant at any of the rocket launchings at Cape Canaveral? 

JJ) I was a participant, at any of the rocket launchings at Cape Canaveral, I was there,when they opened the door into the nose-cone, and they took that mouse, and they put that mouse inside the nose-cone, then, they closed the door, on that little mouse, (long pause) I don`t want to talk about it 

DH) Please Mr. Hernandez please, please let`s ah, try to continue here, ah 

DH) I want to ask you: What is the most important thing in rocket travel? 

JJ) To me the most important thing in the a rocket travel is the blast-off 

DH) The blast-off. 

JJ) I always take a blast before I take off, (pause) otherwise I wouldn`t get in that thing 

DH) Well after that: What is the proceedure in taking off? 

JJ) The proceedure after that in taking off, you got to put on the tetro-hydrollic double dynamo rebostable booster, you got to activate the de-compression activator, and you got to put on the anti-magnetic escowsinga system 

DH) And then you`re really up there! 

JJ) No that opens the door,(long pause) and lets out that little mouse 

 

Part II 

 

DH) Let`s talk about the rockets themselves 

JJ) Well, I, I had trouble once with one of the rockets 

DH) At Cape Canaveral? 

JJ) No at the Radio City Music Hall, 

It was something about seperate mantainence... 

DH)(Yes) 

JJ) (I don`t know) 

DH) Let`s ah change the subject 

JJ) Okay if you know how 

DH) Let`s talk about the actual rocket trip 

JJ) Okay 

DH) By the way do you know that it`s costing the government seven billion dollars, to send you on this trip into outer space? 

JJ) That`s not my fault, I told them I was willing to go Tourist, and they said it was such a long trip, go first class and that`s what I done... 

DH)...Okay do you think the... 

JJ)...(no overweight baggage)... 

DH) Do you think there will be life on Mars? 

JJ) Maybe, if I land on a Saturday night, something might be happening, otherwise I`m going to bring a book 

DH) That`s something I ah, wanted to ask you about Mr. Hernandez, of coarse it`s a very long trip into outer space... 

JJ) Yes it`s a long trip alright 

DH) ...And I just wonder what you`ll do to ah do to entertain yourself during those long, lonely, solitary, hours when you`re all by yourself? 

JJ) Well, I plan to cry a lot 

DH) I ah, I would imagine that food is a major problem on a trip into outer space 

JJ) I would imagine that food is a major problem, on a trip into outer space, and it is you know, they only allow you to have the ten ounces of food 

DH) Only ten ounces of food? 

JJ) That`s right 

DH) Well how will you manage? 

JJ) I`ll eat out 

DH) After you`ve ah been into outer space Mr. Hernandez, and you return to earth, where will you be landing? 

JJ) I am going to be landing in Nevada 

DH) In the state of Nevada 

JJ) In the state of Nevada 

DH) Then you`re convinced that they will get you back to earth? 

JJ) I am convinced that they will get me back to earth, 

DH) Good 

JJ) Just how far into it, (long pause) that`s what I`m not convinced about 

DH) Well surely they`ve made some provisions to break your fall? 

JJ) To break my fall? 

DH) Yes 

JJ) Sure Nevada 

DH) Well Mr. Hernandez I think you`re certainly to be congratulated for this very very dangerous, undertaking 

JJ) Oh don`t say undertaking 

DH) Ah, mission, this very dangerous mission, 

JJ) That`s a better choice of words 

DH) And before you go... 

JJ) Don`t even say go 

DH) Before that I just wonder if there are a few words that you`d like to say to the people of the United States? 

JJ) Yes there are a few words that I`d like to say... 

DH) Please go ahead 

JJ) ... to the people of the United States 

JJ) People of the United States of America, Please don`t let them do this to me.

Looks like @Astro_Jose did a pretty good job here :-) And he probably is soooo tired of hearing this joke.. I wish him good luck on the STS-128 mission, where he'll be the mission specialist. But I wish him even more success with the foundation he has started: "Reaching for the Stars!" inspire children and have them reach for the stars, and beyond!

(but I still think the scene is hilarious - text above adapted for inflation of space suit prices)

 

The 3rd party Push notifications have been announced two years ago, and are finally available for general use in iPhone OS 3. Apple has put up push notifications as an alternative to multitasking, mainly because multi-tasking apps running in the background would drain your battery quicker and multi-tasking would use more memory. 

Well, it is a fact that the more apps you are running simultanious, the more memory is used. And yes, especially if an application is polling the network for new messages, that can consume battery life quite quickly.
 
So, push notifications is the solution and holy grail for iPhone users.
 
Now, back into real life. I installed Worldvoice, a "radio" application that uses push for notifications of new "broadcasts" and such. So I switched on the push notifications and played around with the application a bit. I then switched the app off and pretty soon, a push message was shown. Cool. I got bored with it, and switched off the individual notification settings for Worldvoice. The general Push setting remained "on" (because I forgot about it) - see screenshot.

After half a day, I noticed that my iphone battery indicator dropped significantly more than I am used to.
 
Did some more tests during a few days and yes, even though you're not actually receiving any push notifications, just having the push notification enabled makes that your battery drains quite a bit quicker than usual. Because the connection to the push server and phone is open constantly.
 
I am now wondering if this push is actually such a good idea. It drains battery, even without using it. This is with only one app, with very few updates. If you have three or four apps, with a lot of updates (say a twitter client with notifications for DMs and Mentions, and an MSN client with notifications for messages, etc), I think your battery will be gone after a few hours. That sucks, and I think is not much different than just run the apps in the background, really.

Do more people have the above experience (or not?) and willing to share their opinion?