Robert Scoble linked to an interview with a "Tablet PC addict" in the San Diego Union-Tribune.
The interviewee (Beth Simon) says she's addicted to Tablet PCs and takes handwritten notes on them. I must admit I've never used a Tablet PC, but I don't get the point of taking handwritten notes on a computer. I'd hazard a guess most people can type quicker than they can actually write (not taking into account the lag that might occur while you write onto the screen and the software interprets it), so what would be the point? (This is coming from the point of view of a student and a programmer. I can see that there are numerous uses for people in graphics, animation, etc.) I'd rather type my notes up than worry about whether the computer is going to recognise my handwriting because I'm frantically trying to record what information is on a lecture slide before the lecturer moves on.
One area in which I think having a Tablet PC would be useful, however, is drawing models or diagrams (which you could possibly include in taking handwritten notes). On a number of occasions I've sat in lectures and wanted to copy down the diagram on the projector or board, and it's just too much of a hassle to open up OmniGraffle. It'd be great to just whip out the pen and while in my note-taking app (currently OmniOutliner) write down an equation or diagram amongst the typed notes.
It would be great for Apple to come out with something like this, but I think the size of the market is so small that it's not worth it. (Microsoft, on the other hand, can afford it.) Of course, I could always just lug around a Wacom tablet, but that's a little cumbersome.
Ars Technica and the Google Blog have posts on Google's new (beta) search tool - Google Scholar.
Wow! I've been waiting for this for a long time… Doing research through the UNSW library system can be very very tedious, as there's no way to search across the different databases at once. Google Scholar appears to do the trick.
I also like the tagline on the Google Scholar page: "Stand on the shoulders of giants". Very fitting.
I came across an app called AppKiDo, which parses the Cocoa header files/HTML docs and gives you a nicer interface to access the docs. Wow!
This app will come in really handy. In particular, I can search for methods, classes, protocols, notifications, etc from this app, without having to wade through the ton of HTML files installed by the Developer Tools.
On Sunday I got the chance to setup and hop onto XBox Live to play Halo 2… and I must say, it seems to have been done very well. Setting it all up is a bit lengthy (mainly because I wasn't using a keyboard), but once you're signed up, it just plain works.
Halo 2 also has a "matchmaking" feature which automatically slots you into games with people that have similar levels or statistics, saving you from wading through thousands of open games. This does tend to make it a bit slower in joining games (as mentioned in this article in Wired Magazine), but I think it's worth it.
One thing I didn't mention before is how big the XBox is. It's much, much bigger than my 12″ Powerbook, and a whole lot thicker! I wasn't expecting that…
Oh well, I'm off to go play some Halo 2… 
Boy on a Stick and Slither: "The Messiah"
Om Malik wants an iPhone. An iPhone with iTunes, iPhoto and iCal would be great! But I don't know if Apple has the resources or market power to be successful with something like this…
Matt Mullenweg has provided a plugin for Wordpress that aims to block the spambots currently harassing lots and lots of Wordpress blogs (mine included). Hopefully it'll work (although I haven't got any spam for the past day or two…).
Today I had the pleasure of FINALLY playing Halo 2. Lucy's friend, Ralph - you're a legend! - brought around the XBox, Halo 2 and an XBox Live Starter Kit today, and I played it a bit this afternoon and later this evening.
Well… what can I say? It's great! Maybe I'm just an unco, but even on the 'Normal' setting, I'm still struggling with it all. The graphics are great, and I find the frame rate to be very consistent (something that was lacking in the Mac port of Halo!).
It's also good to see that the guys at Bungie still have a sense of humour, with all of the banter going on between the marines, and the … interesting names for each of the levels.
I haven't played on XBox Live yet, but I've been told it's very good. Will have to try it tomorrow!
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