[New York Times] Brawn beat brains in the old days of automobiles. To make cars faster, people bolted bigger air intakes, carburetors and exhaust pipes onto giant muscle car engines. Tuning adjustments were simple, requiring only screwdrivers and wrenches.
In the mid-1980’s, control of the engine slipped out of the average mechanic’s hands and into the so-called black boxes housing onboard computers.… Read the rest
[New York Times] In the old days of digital television, a year or two ago, choices were simple. If the screen measured under 37 inches diagonally, it would be a liquid-crystal-display panel. From about 37 to 43 inches, it would probably be a plasma panel.… Read the rest
[New York Times] Shopping for a mobile phone can quickly become bleary-eyed drudgery, as I discovered after my beloved Samsung SPH-i500 (a flip phone with Palm organizer) died from age and neglect.
Phone makers are spawning a confusing array of new models in all colors, shapes and sizes.… Read the rest
[New York Times] A new study by the Consumer Electronics Association shows that American homes spent $1,250, on average, for electronics last year. Though it may sound like a lot, that is barely enough for a medium-size flat-screen TV. So even gadget-crazy Americans have to weigh priorities – deciding what older gear they can still live with and what demands an upgrade.… Read the rest
[New York Times] WHILE Carrie Bradshaw in ”Sex and the City” agonizes over settling down, at least 3,000 couples jumped at the chance to marry during the frenzied first eight days that San Francisco allowed gay marriages.
And I, a straight bachelor, have happily performed about 60 of the ceremonies, in the cavernous rotunda of City Hall.… Read the rest
[New York Times] IN the tech world, the slender liquid crystal display monitor has become synonymous with cool, making steady inroads against its rotund predecessor, the cathode ray tube. By the fall of 2002, sales of flat-panel L.C.D. monitors in the United States had exceeded those of C.R.T.’s… Read the rest
