David Emery OnlineAnswers
23 October 2007
Last week David Pogue, writer with the New York Times, posted a list of questions that he – even in the position of a tech writer for a huge institution like NYT – simply doesn’t know the answers to. The list can be seen here: Pogue’s Imponderables
Here are some answers:
Why is Wi-Fi free at cheap hotels, but $14 a night at expensive ones?
Because people staying at cheap hotels are much more price sensitive then ones staying at expensive hotels. People staying at the pricer establishments are probably not paying themselves anyway.
What happens to software programs when their publishers go out of business?
They stop being sold. Obviously.
Would the record companies sell more music online if it weren’t copy-protected?
Yes.
Do cellphones cause brain cancer?
No.
What’s the real reason you have to turn off your laptop for takeoff?
Because airlines a really scared of lawsuits. And: they can.
Why can’t a digital S.L.R. camera record video?
A Digital SLR uses a mirror that normally deflects the viewpoint up into the viewfinder so you can frame the shot using the same view the sensor is going to get. When you take a shot the mirror flips up, revealing the sensor. Hence, while you’re composing a shot the sensor isn’t getting any light, so can’t film video. This could well change soon, though, as many DSLRs are offering “Live View” functions that lock the mirror up and use the LCD to frame the shot with, like a normal digital point and shoot.
Wi-Fi on airplanes. What’s taking so long?
The airline business is incredibly cut throat, with very low margins. The benefit for the airline of WiFi is still un-proven – i.e. can they make money on it and or lure customers away from competitors with it. Also, anything that goes in a plane is subject to lots of testing, which will jack up the cost significantly.
Who are the morons who respond to junk-mail offers, thereby keeping spammers in business?
People are stupid.
I’m told that they could make a shirt-pocket digital camera that takes pictures like an S.L.R., but it would cost a lot. So why don’t they make one for people who can afford it?
Sigma are having a go (with the DP1) at using a DSLR sensor in a compact size, but the real challenge is getting the high quality optics small enough, which would be hugely difficult (and so expensive it would be prohibitive to develop).
How come there are still no viruses for Mac OS X? If it has 6 percent of the market, shouldn’t it have 6 percent of the viruses?
It is – strangely enough – a lot harder to write viruses for the Mac (and indeed, any UNIX based system). I’m sure one will turn up eventually, though.
Do shareware programmers pay taxes on all those $20 contributions?
Yes. Mostly.
How are we going to preserve all of our digital photos and videos for future generations?
YouTube. Flickr. Time Machine.
Why are there no federal rebates or tax credits for solar power? [UPDATE: Evidently there is a small federal rebate, but it expires in December.]
How does a tax rebate on solar power help the government?
Why do you have to take tape camcorders out of your carry-on at airport security, but not the tapeless kind? Couldn’t you hide a bomb equally well in either one? (Actually, I have about 500 more logic questions about the rules at airport security, but I have a feeling they’ll remain answerless for a very long time.)
Because the rules are completely arbitrary.
Laptops, cameras and cellphones have improved by a thousand percent in the last ten years. Why not their batteries?
Batteries have got a lot better, but playing around with chemicals is harder then playing around with silicon.
SmartDisplay, Spot Watch, U.M.P.C., Zune… when will Microsoft realize that it’s not a hardware company?
When it stops selling lots of hardware.
Why don’t public sinks have foot pedals?
No one would know how to use them.
Why don’t all hotels have check-in kiosks like airlines do?
Because the user experience of a hotel is a million times better then the experience at a check-in kiosk.
Five billion dollars a year spent on ringtones? What the?
People like simple, easy experiences that pander to whims easily. And they’re willing to pay.
How come cellphone signal-strength bars are so often wrong?
They read higher then they actually are so you think that the reception on x brand phone is better then on y brand phone. Sadly, everyone does it.
Do P.R. people really expect anyone to believe that the standard, stilted, second-paragraph C.E.O. quote was really uttered by a human being?
No, they’re just doing what they think they should do. That’s what everyone else does.
Why aren’t there recycling bins for bottles and cans where they’re most obviously needed, like food courts and cafeterias?
There are in places that have actually thought about these things.
Why doesn’t someone start a cellphone company that bills you only for what you use? That model works O.K. for the electricity, gas and water companies —and people would beat a path to its door. [And I don’t mean prepaid phones, where once again you’re paying for calls you haven’t even made yet.]
I’ve seen people try this model before – billed as like a contract that’s £0/month – but no-one seemed interested. The whole subsidised phone model seems to be very attractive to people.
Why doesn’t everyone have lights that turn off automatically when the room is empty?
They would be more expensive then normal lights, and people don’t care as much about the environment as they claim they do.
What’s the deal with Palm?
They’re just a bit rubbish, really. I’m sure they won’t be around in 5 years time.
Why are so many people rude on the Internet?
People are an inherently rude bunch, they only try to hide it in real life because of the potential social consequences. These don’t exist on the internet, hence we get MySpace, YouTube comment threads, Digg and a whole new world of jackassery.