I received a not unexpected email from Amazon today informing me that they intend to shut down all Amazon Associates who reside in the state of California, if a new law forcing online retailers who have a presence in California to begin collecting sales tax was passed. Amazon (and others) hope to dodge the sales tax issue by cutting all ties to California, including their online affiliate programs.
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The current round of Blackberry and Android tablet commercials almost universally and prominently call attention to the fact they are able to render Flash based content. Using terms like “Flash Enabled” or “Flash Compatible”. Obviously this is a less than subtle swipe at iOS based devices (iPhone, IPads etc) which do not deal with Flash content.

If the best product differentiator these companies can muster is the fact that their device/OS can run bloated Flash based advertising banners across the top of web pages that I am viewing on a slow mobile connection, then I think Apple will hardly be rushing in to “support” Flash.

Even Adobe, the creator of Flash, has begun to quietly waive the proverbial white flag in defeat when it comes to the Apple Vs Flash battle. Just in the last few days, on their Labs website, Adobe announced the first availability of Project Wallaby (great name IMHO), which is a tool to convert Flash applications to the HTML 5 standard that many browsers already have support for, and surprise, surprise so do iOS based devices.

Bottom line: if the main reason you pick one smart phone over another is that one runs Flash and one doesn’t, then it is possible you are not qualified to own a smart phone just yet.

Wow, and I thought I couldn’t hate AT&T any more. Just got charged $3.49 a minute to call Australia – so the 11 minute call to my Mum to tell her she had a new grandson cost nearly $40.

It really is outrageous and unjustifiable when you think services like Skype and Google Voice only charge me $0.02 a minute to Australia. There is just no possible way that it costs AT&T 175 times as much to provide international calling as it does those other services, even with their lower overhead etc etc.

Add that to the insult that I get either no coverage or fluctuating coverage at my own home. Forget you AT&T, this is one customer you can kiss goodbye as soon as my contract is up.

Saw this at the local Barnes & Noble tonight.

Notice the interesting juxtaposition of the “Apple & Everyday Computing” signage, with the books about Flash and Flex development immediately under them.

If you were the kind of person who loves a good conspiracy, you might think that Barnes & Noble is attempting to suggest that Flash is part of the everyday computing experience and Apple needs to support it, possibly because the Nook (B&N’s e-book reader) will support Flash going forward.

If you are not one of those kinds of people, you might just think it is a benign coincidence.

I recently changed ISPs to use Road Runner (not really by choice, it is just happens to be who Time Warner Cable works with for their bundled deals). And boy has it been a real eye opener as to how bad the ISP industry really is.
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Just posted a review over at Amazon.com detailing my dealings with Sony this morning.

http://www.amazon.com/review/R2IMJT4IX8YQ96/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm