The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro
Fellow Citizens, I am not wanting in respect for the fathers of this republic. The signers of the Declaration of Independence were brave men. They were great men, too — great enough to give frame to a great age. It does not often happen to a nation to raise, at one time, such a number of truly great men. The point from which I am compelled to view them is not, certainly, the most favorable; and yet I cannot contemplate their great deeds with less than admiration. They were statesmen, patriots and heroes, and for the good they did, and the principles they contended for, I will unite with you to honor their memory....
As Errol Rose made preparations on Monday to bury his 15-year-old son, Christopher, who was killed last week in Brooklyn during a fight over an iPod, he received a telephone call from a stranger. The man spoke in tones that the grieving father said had momentarily quieted his anguish.
The stranger, Mr. Rose soon learned, was Steve Jobs, chief executive of Apple Computer, the company that makes the iPod.
"I didn't know who he was," Mr. Rose said yesterday. "He called me on my cellphone, at 4 maybe. Or maybe it was 5." Mr. Rose said he had stopped noticing the passage of time since his son was killed.
The men spoke for a few minutes.
Calling him by his first name, Mr. Jobs asked how Mr. Rose was doing, he said, and conveyed his sympathies. "He told me that he understood my pain," Mr. Rose said. "He told me if there is anything - anything - anything he could do, to not be afraid to call him. It really lightened me a bit."
[ ... ]
"Some people talk to you like they're something remote," Rose said. "He was so familiar. After every word, he paused, as if each word he said came from his heart."
The Studio Museum of Harlem will present a photo exhibit with our very own Donald Andrew Agarrat participating! Congrats Papi!!
hrlm: pictures
The exhibition hrlm presents a photographic look at one of New York City's most intriguing and complex communities and historic neighborhoods. Internationally known as the Mecca of black modernity, Harlem is a city within a city. Since the 19th century, photography has been — and still is — a complex agent for understanding the many critical moments in Harlem's history. hrlm features over 45 works by 28 photographers.
After lots of hard work and careful planning, Farid announces the opening of Bogota Bistro, his beloved restaurant (Yay!!):
Hi everyone. We are excited to announce that we have opened our restaurant.
We are located at 141 5th Avenue in Park Slope Brooklyn (between St. John's Place and Lincoln Place). Our phone number is 718 230-3805 and you can find information on how to reach us via our website.
We are featured in the current issue of Time Out New York and you can also see us in tomorrow's TEMPO section of the New York Post.
Thanks for all your support along the way and we look forward to serving you at Bogota!
I'm a bit disappointed with myself. I promised I would continue to read the reataurant's blog so a bunch of us bloggers could go have dinner/brunch there just as soon as it opened. *sigh* Well, it looks like I'll be taking my baby there some time this weekend. Who knows when I'll get another three-day weekend?! Contact me if you'd like to join us.
via George Kelly
I, Cringely | 14 July 05 - More Shoes
The whole Apple/Intel deal gets curiouser and curiouser. I wonder if Apple even intends to go forward with the changeover? My guess is they will, but only if Intel complies fully with more unannounced terms of the deal.
Another shoe fell recently with the announcement of Intel's investment in actor Morgan Freeman's online movie distribution startup, ClickStar. Here is the most important part of that announcement: "The company's strategy is to provide the marketing and distribution expertise required to enable the release of first-run films before they're released on DVD and delivered directly to Intel's digital home entertainment devices."
What digital home entertainment devices would these be?
I think Apple will have a device that will play videos, but I seriously believe it will be something new. And QuickTime will be a part of it; probably something similar to iTunes = software and the global leader of commerce related to it.
That's why today's other big Mac rumor is interesting:
Music Videos May Be Coming to iPods
An iPod with video? Apple Computer Inc. has been talking to several major recording companies, looking to license the sale of music videos through the popular iTunes music site, The Wall Street Journal reported in Monday's editions.
Negotiations are an indication that Apple is moving to release a device that plays video files, possibly by September, The Journal said. Analysts see the development as likely because of Apple's strength in video software, including the Quicktime movie format and video-editing software, such as Final Cut Pro and iMovie.
This second story gives more credence, IMMHO, to Cringley's hypothesis. "Video iPods" will most likely be souped-up iPods: much larger hard drives, higher resolution color screens (now that all iPods have color displays) and integration with Quicktime. Several companies make small, large hard drives that could fit in a device slightly larger than current iPods. A true multimedia home digital device looks like a perfect fit for the Apple-Intel partnership.
It certainly appears so:
via AppleInsider
Motorola plans media event, Jobs likely to attend
By Kasper Jade
Motorola on Monday will host a media event as part of its Annual Financial Analyst Meeting to introduce some of the company's latest products, which may include the highly anticipate (sic) ROKR iTunes phone, sources tell AppleInsider.
The July 25th event is where Motorola will unveil "what's wow and what's now," according to the company. The feature presentation will be delivered by Motorola chairman and chief executive officer Ed Zander. Motorola will also provide a live webcast, which is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time.
It was at the same event last July that Apple chief executive Steve Jobs joined Zander via satellite to announce that Motorola and Apple were teaming to bring iTunes capabilities to Motorola's next-generation handsets via a USB or Bluetooth connection.
During a press conference on May 19, Zander said the ROKR iTunes phone -- believed to be the first fruit of the Apple/Motorola endeavor -- would debut in "a couple of more months." That would place the introduction of the phone around the same time as the analyst event.
Too bad I'll have a new cell phone days before then. Not like I'd ever buy a phone just to play my tunes. Afterall, I have nearly 2300 songs on my iPod and expect to get another, larger, color-display iPod later this year.
I was kinda hyped this year about my birthday. Years past, I'd get all gloomy and down and wouldn't even hint at the upcoming event. For a very brief moment, I even considered having a small party with area friends. Instead, I think I'll spend it with the hubby and just enjoy another year.
I would like to get together with so many peeps -- those I haven't seen in a while, those I've never met in person (although we've communicated and known each other for years. And I'd like to meet some of their friends and fam as well. And to celebrate a new hotspot in Brooklyn, I'd suggest Bogota Latin Bistro. Two visits in a short span of time, and it's already one of my fav spots to chill, celebrate, whatever...
I'm hoping it won't conflict with too many people's plans, so I'm proposing Saturday, August 20th. That's plenty of time to make plans, it's before Labor and it won't interfere with events at work. I'll send out a proper invite, but you've been warned.
I was expecting Mac updates just around the middle of August. Thank god these were announced just before I bought a new hard drive. And it's just in time for my birthday.
Apple Enhances Mac mini with Double the Memory Across the Line
Apple today announced enhancements to its Mac mini line, the most affordable and compact Mac ever, with 512MB of memory standard in every model and prices starting at just $499. The Mac mini also features built-in wireless networking with AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth starting at just $599, and the ability to burn DVDs with a SuperDrive for just $699.
"Mac mini has been a popular choice for consumers getting started with Mac OS X and iLife '05," said David Moody, Apple's vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "With double the memory and new features like built-in wireless networking and DVD burning, the new Mac mini delivers an even greater value in an innovative compact design."
The Mac mini lineup includes three models: 1.25 GHz Mac mini, 1.42 GHz Mac mini and the new 1.42 GHz Mac mini with SuperDrive for burning DVDs and CDs. The Mac mini with SuperDrive is the most affordable Mac for quickly and easily creating your own professional quality DVDs using iLife'05, Apple's award-winning suite of digital lifestyle applications. The top two models of the Mac mini now include built-in AirPort Extreme for 54 Mbps 802.11g fast wireless networking along with an internal Bluetooth module. With wireless networking, customers can place Mac mini almost anywhere and still have fast, convenient access to the Internet. Built-in Bluetooth enables cable-free communication with Bluetooth-equipped mobile phones and PDAs as well as popular peripherals such as the Apple Wireless Keyboard and Apple Wireless Mouse.
Now I'll have to wait to see if Mac resellers will have the new hardware in-stock in time for my birthday at the end of the month. More than likely, I'll have to wait till a week or so after — just like I did with my first iPod.
Bernard Tarver returns to blogging. He offers some important information about "random" bag checks on the New York Subway system:
If you are a New York City resident concerned about being searched by the NYPD while they hunt for terrorists here, there and everywhere, you should know your rights.
The Citizen's Guide to Refusing New York Subway Searches has information on what to do if you do not consent to being searched.
He also offers information of his recent engagement with the NYPD. I'm already prepared to be arrested should I be stopped. As Bernie so eloquently states, "We Are Not Safer." If anything, we're more vulnerable due to the wasted resources. If a terrorist with a bomb is stopped and refuses to have his/her bag searched, he/she can simply turn around and pick another nearby station that will more than likely not be set-up for "random" searches. Besides, with sophisticated plastic explosives, terrorists could smuggle bombing devises in small items that they can conceal on their persons.
Again, we're not safer. Anyone willing to give up their 4th Amendment rights for simple... Let me not blow a gasket. *sigh*