One of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to TV shows is fake products and blacked-out logos. To me, one of the most distracting things about a TV show is logos removed from cars (see “The Middle” or “Human Target”). I know it’s a Chevy (or a Ford or a BMW), so why remove the logo and leave a black bowtie or oval or circle? It really annoys the crap out of me. Or why, when a TV character is searching online, can’t they just use Google? Why is it always a fake search engine? Let’s face it: just about everyone uses Google. Making up something fake for a TV show takes me out of the narrative.
So, when it comes to Modern Family, I think the same reasoning holds true. I can easily believe that Phil is a gadget junkie—it completely fits in with his personality. Yet if the producers had made up an obviously fake gadget, I would have absolutely hated it. That it was an iPad—and that the iPad’s release date was so near—made it believable. If you’re concerned about product placement, get over yourself. It’s called real life. And I like my TV better when it reflects that.ds
written by Ben
\\ tags: iPad, Modern Family, TV
I keep hearing over and over that patents stifle innovation. That it is the iteration of innovation that creates new innovation. I’m sorry, but I really don’t think that’s true. The mark of true innovation is something that is truly innovative, not some mere iteration of someone else’s idea. Take, for example, the iPad. I would wager that no one would call the device innovative—after all, it’s just a giant iPod touch. But wait, it’s more than that. It’s an iteration of the technology used to make the iPod touch and iPhone. But it is far from innovative.
Innovation happens when someone breaks the mold. It happens when something new is created where there wasn’t something before. The original iPhone was an innovation in this regard. And, to those who hold up Apple’s past “transgressions” as proof that stealing ideas is ok, I also put forward the claim that the original Macintosh was an innovation. Sure, it used bits and pieces of different technologies that were already there. But, it put them together in a wholly new and innovative way.
Compare the story of the Mac’s creation with, say, the HTC phones that supposedly violate Apple’s patents. These devices aren’t taking what the iPhone started and making something new with them—they’re still just phones. I think Apple has every right to demand that HTC actually come up with something innovative rather than the derivative drivel that they’re pushing today.
written by Ben
\\ tags: Apple, iPhone, Tech
Just got MacJournal with the MacHeist nanoBundle2. I’ve been using ecto to post to my Wordpress blog but I think this seems more intuitive for personal blogging. Plus, I like the idea of keeping separate “journals” of posts that may or may not be fit for publishing. We’ll see how long this arrangement lasts.
written by Ben
\\ tags: MacJournal
