Like it or not, we're careening towards a future that is based on cloud computing. I believe Steve Jobs knows this and is doing everything he can to gear Apple up for these upcoming "cloudy" days. I also believe that other companies know this, but are having a difficult time adapting to the paradigm shift due to rigid business plans. And why not? Desktop computing has been the de facto standard for the better part of three decades. Why would it be in danger of collapse?

That's the problem. Smart companies anticipate changes and adapt their business model to compensate. For example, fuel companies have begun to invest capital in alternate fuel technologies (hydrogen, ethanol, solar, wind, etc.). Think about all of those BP commercials you see on television: "Beyond Petroleum." They know that fossil fuels are not endless, times will change, and they want to be ready for it. Companies such as Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard have not adapted yet. Microsoft is the biggest purveyor of desktop operating systems in the world, while HP is one of the largest producers of desktop computers. They have become fat and happy on the gigantic revenues of the desktop era. Now they see that the desktop market has become saturated and there is a global push to go mobile. I'm guessing that this is probably why HP bought Palm for $1.2 billion. They need to play catch-up.

Do I think the desktop/notebook industry is going to collapse and we're all going to be walking around with iPads and iPhones in five years? No. Cloud computing is not for everybody and it will not be adopted immediately. Heck, even I prefer to keep my personal files on a local backup hard drive. But the promise of perpetual mobile computing certainly sounds fantastic and the allure of convenience has a funny way of reshaping our lives.

Anyway, I'm just paraphrasing much of the information that exists in the above linked article. Give it a read next time you have five or ten minutes of spare time. I think it's a great snapshot of the future of computing.

"Royal Milk Tea" is the flavor I purchased. It arrived as part of a ten-count case. Each candy bar comes in it's own little box. The end is perforated, with a little thumb indent. You shove your thumb into the perforation, pull up, and...

... the package reveals two pairs of individually wrapped KitKat bars. This is kind of nice, because I don't feel pressured to polish off an entire four-wafer candy bar in one sitting. I can grab one little packet and I only feel obligated to finish two wafers.

This type of packaging reminds me of the "unboxing" trend that so many people get a kick out of these days. Consumers like to feel that they're opening a present every time they buy something. Apple, Flip, and Aliph are all companies that abide by this concept, as they deliver their product in creative ways. Shiny boxes with concealed flaps and transparent plastic parts are fast becoming the norm, while the days of cutting open blister packaging is (hopefully) on the wane. Interestingly enough, something as simple as a candy bar seems to fall into this category in Japan. Who wants to tear open a piece of foil-coated plastic, when they could instead have their own unboxing ceremony each time they eat a snack?

All that aside, I know the burning question in your mind is, "How was the candy bar?" Well, I thought it was pretty good. It certainly tastes like milk tea, but has an underlying chocolate flavor too. In my mind, it seems like the wafer holds the tea portion of the flavor, while the outer chocolate-like substance provides the milk. I can't get too attached to these though. From what I hear, they're a limited edition release and will soon be removed from production.

Other currently available flavors include: Milk Coffee, Caramel, Raspberry & Passion Fruit, Strawberry, and Chili Powder (seriously).

The power of the human mind always impresses me. Our ability to retain information for long periods of time without actively tapping into it is amazing. For example, back in January 2008, I took the time to learn both the Japanese Hiragana and Katakana alphabets. I wouldn't say I knew them cold, but I knew them well enough where I could stumble through Japanese text and be able to sound out the words (visualize a toddler learning how to read). I worked on this for about a month, but ultimately got distracted and stopped studying.

A few days ago, I decided to pick up where I left off and give it another go. I initially spent my time re-learning basic Japanese words to refresh my memory - stuff like counting to ten, colors, animals, etc. Last night I decided to dive back into the Hiragana alphabet. I was expecting to remember almost nothing and have to start from scratch, but as it turns out, I didn't do half bad. I was able to remember 27 of the 46 basic Hiragana characters...

That's a picture of a basic drag-and-drop matching game. The purpose is to match the Hiragana characters up with their respective English-represented sounds. Now, after two years of not touching Hiragana, I managed to get 59% of them right on the first try. After I took this screenshot, I managed to match up another half-dozen through trial and error. The rest, I simply couldn't remember.

Now, the purpose of this blog post is not to brag. Most people have this ability to recall things. Riding a bike, hitting a baseball with a bat, and basic algebra are all good examples of things that are easy to pick back up if you've neglected them for a while. The brain is an amazing tool. We often deride ourselves if we fail to remember a word or fact during an everyday conversation. "I must be losing my mind," we say, but with the sheer amount of organic data floating around in our skulls, it's certainly excusable. Especially considering the complex tasks we execute and recall on a daily basis.

Much to my chagrin, Tina Fey is not on my contact list. She's my current wallpaper image. Thus, whenever a strange number calls me, I see a picture of Ms. Fey pop up on my screen and, for a split second, I actually think that she's calling me. The next moment, the bottom drops out, I realize that it's just my wallpaper image, and I begrudgingly pick up the phone. This is one little feature that drives me nuts about the iPhone. I want a background image that I can enjoy, but I also don't want to be tricked into thinking a celebrity is calling me every time an unknown number calls me. Such a quandary!

I've been using rechargeable batteries intermittently for years. For a while, I used Energizer NiMH batteries, but grew increasingly frustrated with their performance. I would charge these things up, put them in a drawer, and find them completely dead when I pulled them out six months later. What's the point of using rechargeables if they aren't convenient? As a result, I would buy huge packs of alkaline batteries and just keep throwing them out as they died. I felt like I was single-handedly supplying the local landfill with all of its garbage needs, which left me feeling like a heel, but what was I supposed to do? Spend four hours charging up my Energizers only to have them die again in no time? I don't think so.

That all changed about a year ago when I purchased a 4-pack of Sanyo Eneloop batteries, along with an included AC charger. I took to these things faster than you can say 'paradigm shift.' They charge up in the standard amount of time, but they hold their charge for years. Yes, you read that correctly, I said YEARS. Using LSD NiMH technology, they can be recharged over 1,500 times and hold 75% of their original charge for three years (according to Sanyo). Is that not enough for you? As an added bonus, they come fully charged and ready to use when you buy a set... just like a typical pack of alkalines.

So, yeah. There's my shiny endorsement for Sanyo battery products. If they felt like tossing a few advertising dollars my way, I wouldn't be entirely unappreciative.