America’s Short-Term Memory Reaches Critical Condition

She is taken seriously by some, another indication that our civilization is in rapid decline.

@blogenfreude: Let’s cash out “some”…

A recent CBS poll suggests 30 percent of Americans enjoy teabagging. Well, fine, always a few nuts in the tree.

Except that our nation’s population has rounded 300 million souls.

Which puts the teabagger-friendly number at 90 million.

We’re doomed.

The islands are calling Yøø Høø!

Hey geeques, yo. Should lack of flash on iPad stop me buying one for OH who is a technical moron? Can he still do the google? Is it easier to use than a MacBook for reading the Times?

@Benedick Arnuldsson: I’ll leave that question to nojo – Queen (or King, wevs) of the iPad.

@blogenfreude: Lord of the Pad.

@Benedick Arnuldsson: Who reads the Times?

Me, I use the iPad primarily for reading a lot of blogs, which is a lot more comfy than reading them on the laptop. The lack of Flash means in practice that the ads are a lot less annoying, since they don’t wiggle around, and you still get (most) YouTube videos, since Apple has a special trick to make them work. (You don’t get most other embedded videos, such as Comedy Central.)

Google works just fine — iPad Safari is similar to laptop Safari in the essentials.

Oh, and when I do read the Times — say, when a blog links to it — it’s as pleasant a read as anything else. Don’t know about their multimedia presentations and whatnot, since I skip those anyway.

My main advice is to play with one at the store. You’ll know soon enough whether it works for you.

@nojo: I am Google Chrome – if I put that on the iPad and use it, any problems? I wouldn’t think so ….

@blogenfreude: Well, you can’t put Chrome on your iPad, so stop right there.

Oh, and look! Mac Chrome finally plays nice with my font-management software! That only took them a year.

@nojo: Who reads the Times? Rilly.

I’ve blocked flash on my iMac Safari Fab Five and love the lack of annoying ads. I don’t look at youtube much (there are enough idiots in my life) apart from embedded videos on other sites so it’s not a loss. From time to time he does have fits of watching Frankie Howerd but I guess I should go to a store. There is one within a 90 min drive. Woo hoo.

@nojo: So it’s Safari only?

@blogenfreude: Yes, Safari-only.

@Benedick Arnuldsson: If you’re already blocking Flash, then yes, you have an idea what you won’t see. For many ads, you’ll get a still-image equivalent.

All three YouTube videos on the homepage right now are playable on an iPad. There’s also a separate YouTube app, which I’ve used lately to feed my Sheryll fix. And, as noted the other day, I really like iBooks, although I wouldn’t mind a few more font choices. Haven’t used the Kindle app, but it’s available.

@Benedick Arnuldsson: The islands might be lovely, but I’d prefer someplace where we could grow food. Know what their main food groups are? Mutton and fish. Oh, and pilot whale. Not your ideal vegetarian fare. No growing season = no fresh veggies.

@Mistress Cynica: Think salsify and potatoes. Cardoons, celery and wurzels. Though all the restaurants seem to feature great salads. I’m aware of The Whale Issue which seems to be what’s keeping Iceland out of the EU. Well, that and the collapsing economy and the fact that no one can pronounce their names. But national dish seems to be lamb soup. (gagging) Hoolp!

@nojo: Thanks for the info. The OH don’t do fonts so that’s not an issue.

@nojo: @Benedick Arnuldsson: My iPhad has proven useful for getting started on the current season of MM, lingering at a coffee shop yesterday reviewing my work documents, and reading kindled books. The kindle app is fine, Nojo – I started Sebastian Junger’s “War” last night…try feedbooks.com for a ton of public domain stuff. What better time to catch up on Shakespeare and some of the other dead fellows than now?

Only downside is that it is apparently unfriendly with the local hotel weefee, or any of the airport spots I just transited through. That may be a Flash problem.

@Nabisco: Good to know about books. That might prove useful for him. The Nook tends to throw fits and sulk at inopportune moments. Also link. I will check it out.

PS. Noje, I think that percentage of teabaggery awfully high. I find it hard to believe it’s more than about 15% tops.

Hey, I’ve been reading up on Carl Paladino. Guy is all right. He is big into equine bestiality. This is the heart and soul of the conservative ethos and really exhibits a proclivity for apocalyptic vulgarity. Noj’, Can Stinque.com endorse candidates?

@Nabisco: Network connectivity would have nothing to do with a ass-sideways Web rendering technology like Flash. Could be your new kit conforms to 802.11(x) and the hotspots you were in confirmed to a legacy iteration of 802.11(x). We’re up to 801.11n last I checked.

@Mistress Cynica: This is why you have shore cannon and big Zodiacs fitted with light cannon and machine guns. You can take out cruise ships for vegetables, wines and desserts. Like going to the supermarket. You just have to wait until the PigglyWiggly or IGA floats by.

@FlyingChainSaw: My laptop connects to the hotel wifi without problem, but neither my iphone nor the iphad do. Same with when I tried to log on to the local hotspot at the coffee shop yesterday.

Is there an easy way to find out the specs of the hotel wifi router? The tech guys here are friendly but nearly mute – and I think they double as daal prep cooks during the day. The folks at reception are about as friendly as a feral cat, except when I want an overpriced taxi; simple rule about local transport abroad – always hail cabs from the street, not your hotel. Sure, the brakes may not work so well, but the price is easily half the “special hotel rate”.

@Benedick Arnuldsson: I thought it was about 15 percent until the new poll came out. But 15 percent still amounts to 45 million. Or less, if you count just adults. Whatever percent you settle on, the warm-body volume is overwhelming.

@Nabisco: Is your laptop PC or Mac? And do the suspect hotspots require some form of signup? I’m thinking there’s more than just protocol issues.

@FlyingChainSaw: I almost endorsed Celibabe in the witchcraft post, then took a different direction.

@Nabisco: Easiest way to interrogate network specification and 802 version is through Airport report on your laptop System Profiler (if you are running a Mac and contemporary version of OS X.)

@nojo: L’Onanette is interesting but Carl is fucking bizarre. Until she gets on TV and says that it’s not sex if you’re doing it with something with four legs, we have to go with Carl.

@FlyingChainSaw: Oooh, I’m liking the pirate aspect here.

@Benedick Arnuldsson: Oh, one more important caveat:

The iPad doesn’t do Xtube.

I recall that being a deal-breaker for Pedo, who’s either dead or still on strike because we’re not sufficiently outraged at Obama and pay too much attention to inconsequential Wiccan senatorial candidates.

@nojo: Mac, and yes, they require logins. I’ve been in spots where they only allow one device to connect at a time, but that isn’t the issue here.

ADD: I’m thrilled to report that my jailbroken and unlocked iFon is now rocking a local SIM card. Did I manage to slay two giants with one stone, or what?

@FlyingChainSaw: I took a peek in System Preferences/Network, on the MacBook, but learned nothing about the hotel’s wireless network config.

@Nabisco: System Profiler, Go to the big black apple on top left. Click it. Click “About this Mac”. In the dialog box click More Info. Then when the next dialog box comes up click on Airport under Network. You’ll get a lot of data about local wireless networks.

@FCS: ::hangs head:: I guess I’ll be issued stone tablets during the zombie apocalypse..

On an up note, I’ve got the phone on the network. Now I’ll try the Phad.

@Nabisco: Can you tether these components to share the Internet connection once one has established it?

@FlyingChainSaw: Excellent idea!

@Nabisco: Go for it!