Simon’s Blog

Well, the new version of Mac OS X, Leopard, has shipped… without support for the latest version of Java - Java 6. Also, the developer preview build of Java 6 that has, up until very recently, been available on the Apple Developer web-site has been pulled. From the sounds around the […]

So… I keep hearing how all the top talent in Silicon Valley wants to join Facebook… but why? I can’t think of a single reason why they would; and I can think of a whole bunch of reasons why they wouldn’t. For example…

Coding social networking software is pretty tedious - it’s essentially nothing […]

If you’ve been following the story of Nobel Laureate James Watson on this blog, and haven’t heard the latest news, the saga has taken its final twist.   The Cold Spring Harbor Board of Trustees, who suspended Watson following the crazy public comments he made recently in London, have accepted his resignation with immediate effect.  In […]

Wow! If the rumours are true, not only has Microsoft bought a small stake in Facebook at $15B valuation, but so have at least a couple of non-corporate investors. It’ll be interesting to see what kind of a return this latest group of investors get from Facebook, because the only way to […]

I’ve been using a new mobile phone, the Nokia 6500 Classic, for a few days now. Overall, I can say it’s the best mobile phone I’ve ever used. Here’s why…
Pros:

Supremely pocketable - a mobile phone should be easy to carry around. This phone is only 9.5mm thick and 45mm wide; and […]

The James Watson story has moved on since I wrote about it a few days ago (see Is James Watson Senile, Or Just Stupid?). Watson’s employer, Cold Spring Harbor, in New York has suspended him from his position as Chancellor with immediate effect, pending investigations into his behaviour. This is the right […]

Steve Jobs appears to have made a U-turn with respect to third-party applications on iPhone. He now thinks it’s a good idea. On the Apple web-site, Jobs writes:
Let me just say it: We want native third party applications on the iPhone, and we plan to have an SDK in developers’ hands in February. […]

He’s a Nobel laureate. He claims to have had the idea that led to the discovery of the three-dimensional structure of DNA; one of the most important scientific discoveries of the last century. However, he’s now 79 years old, and the evidence suggests that, whatever level of intelligence he may have once […]

I’ve written before about the issue of Facebook valuation, suggesting that a rational valuation for Facebook today might be around $2B (see Facebook - True Value Less Than $2B?). Now, in response to the values of $100B being touted, Jason Calacanis has valued Facebook at around $1B-$2B; or $2B-$5B, depending on how you […]

So, I was reading Slashdot, and in the top post, someone had written, “I know little to nothing about programming, but would like to (develop) a POS application.” Now, stop for a second. Given this context, what does “POS” mean to you?
I have to confess, when I read it, my very first reaction was, […]