- Remember the old line about plastic Monopoly money? Prepare to can any quip about ‘plastic money’ forever, bury it in the backyard and slide a huge rock on top because if the new Canadian C$100 bill is any indication, we could all soon be stuffing our wallets with polymer and not paper notes.
Explained: Canada recently introduced a new C$100 bill made of plastic polymer. It is twice as durable as paper money, can be recycled, and best of all, is almost impossible to counterfeit. Combine that with the inherent coolness of see-through, glossy plastic money, and we can all wave goodbye to paper money for good. About time, I say!
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- ArsTechnica reviews the Amazon Kindle Fire, and they are not impressed:
But in our time with the Kindle Fire, it fell far short of what tablets should be able to accomplish. As a vector for Amazon’s video and music stores and huge e-book selection, it’s great. As an e-reader, it’s merely OK. As an Internet and app portal, it falls short of Amazon’s promises.
Similar verdicts are pouring in from blogs and review sites across the internet: the Kindle Fire is slow, unresponsive, badly designed, and just not up to par with consumers spoilt by the iPad. ArsTechnica does really good reviews though, so if you are planning to get a Fire for Christmas, you might want to spend half an hour to trudge through the lengthy review.
- Cubicle Warriors: Do you dream of one day working in an office with breathtaking views of beachfront properties, a ginormous desk overlooking a glorious sunrise, a plush leather chair and a day bed? If yes, head over to Trent Walton’s excellent blog and take some inspiration (and encouragement) from his seriously swag-loaded workspace.
- Marco Arment is the kind of tech writer I would follow brazenly through the thickest of battles. He’s not only the creator of one of the internet’s most beloved apps, Instapaper, but is also perhaps one of the finest tech writers around. His blog, Marco.org, is worth the top spot in your RSS reader, so I’m not linking to any particular post, but the blog itself.
- Startups often talk in codes few outside of the startup community understand. ‘Early adoption’, for instance, can often mean that you’ve been able to convince your friends to become regular (if reluctant) users. Niklas Agevik decodes the startup tongue and translates it into normal people-speak. The results are worth a few epic lulz.
- Finally, Google Music, if you’re unaware, is now open to public. No comments about the service until I’ve used it, but apparently, it comes with some pretty darn good free songs. Gizmodo has been kind enough to make a playlist of some of the better ones. Two thumbs and two toes up for Kansas’ “Carry on Wayward Son” and Outkast’s “B.O.B.” Also listen to: “Cult of Personality” by Living Color for awesome guitar work.
Image Credit: Kevin Dooley
