Apple and Power Sources

I have twice already quoted passages from the recent Steve Jobs biography in this blog.  Here is a third instance. Isaacson writes that when he was researching the book, he took a tour through Apple's product-design studio, guided by 'Jony' Ive, Jobs' right-hand man on design issues.

On the day of Isaacson's visit, "Ive was overseeing the creation of a new European power plug and connector for the Macintosh. Dozens of foam models, each with the tiniest variation, have been cast and painted for inspection. Some would find it odd that the head of design would fret over something like this, but Jobs got involved as well. Ever since he had a special power supply made for the Apple II, Jobs has cared about not only the engineering but also the design of such parts."

So this passage echoes back to the previous passage I quoted on that Apple II innovation. Still, it is quite different. The switching power supply innovation was functional. It was about controlling heat and the risk a build-up in heat poses to the inner workings of a machine. In the above passage, we are privy to aesthetic evaluations of foam models for electrical plugs.

Sounds odd to me, but then ... I'm not a genius and a multi-billionaire entrepreneur. I'm just a humble scribe.

This point in the book was where I decided it really ought to be reviewed by someone treating it as a novel. I'm still refining that idea.

Resolutions

Last year my New Year's Resolutions were straightforward. I have achieved four out of five of them.

1. I promised to take good care of my car. Well, I did, although the "car" involved in that resolution changed through no fault of my own!  An idiot ran a red light in February and ruined my old Toyota.  But it was in great shape right up to that moment, and I've done a fine job thus far with its replacement.

2. Keep up with the insurance on car.  Done. 

3. Venture outside of the borders of the U.S. Oops. Never got that done in 2011.  I did get as far as Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, though. 

4. Make progress toward the publication of another book.  This, I've accomplished. I've accepted the fact that the publication of this book will have to be self-financed, but that is more of an observation on the state of the commercial publishing world today than on the merits of my book. At any rate, I've come to a point where the wording of the corresponding resolution for next year will be unconditional.

5. Keep track of Nassar Saber.  Done.  He is still writing about how he is working on his next book.  Maybe 2012 will be the year it actually comes out.  But I've decided not to include such tracking on my next list.

This year....

1. Get my car ("Doug") through December 2012 in good working order

2. Make an entrepreneurial investment. Shouldn't just talk a good game on the anarcho-cap stuff.

3. Regarding technology: enter the 21st century.  For example, get audio back for my computer. Get Skype capacity for it. Learn how to use -- heck, become comfortable using -- my scanner.

4.  Publish GWBCs and sell at least 1,000 copies.

5. Venture outside the borders of the U.S.