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Creationists and Science

Here is a recent exchange with another ID fan in response to my blog yesterday. This type of thinking really scares the hell out of me for the future of this country as a global technology leader:

“So do the math and by multiplying by millions of years, and use a calculator if you must, to see how the earth is constantly changing over time.”(From my blog-EJB)

"but you are assuming that the area the mountain is in now was once flat. If God created the mountain at a certain height 6,000 years ago then it growing today does not tell us how old the earth is."  - McCoville, Intelligent Design advocate.

My last comment said it all.  Where do these Creationists learn science? Did they just fall asleep during the geology lectures in school or were they never taught any critical thinking because they were home schooled? How do they selectively turn on and off  what they consider true science or do they care?  Do they just listen to Rush Limbaugh on the radio?  I don't get it but almost half of Americans reject evolution. That means half of all Americans are not capable of critical scientific thinking.

Now their comment to me is that I am the one who has been spoon fed and accepted the humanist belief system including Darwinism without my own critical review or personal introspection.  Not true, I spent some time in Catholic School and immediately began discounting everything they taught me the minute I escaped their clutches, including the concepts of heaven and hell.  I did so as I slowly began to find my way in the real world. First, the natural world just did not make sense to me as taught by the priests and nuns.  Furthermore, their shocking abuse of parochial school students as personally observed did not jive with me either.  And while I did not experience the sexual abuse that was inherent in the Catholic School system, I can tell you that nobody, including myself, was exempt from the numerous forms of physical punishment that was perpetuated upon the student body by the clergy.  I can also tell you that celibacy gives you a lot of pent up energy and a certain zeal that needs to be vented upon unwary sinners. In my case, being left-handed I was subjected to regular physical beatings because I had the temerity to use my left-hand to write and draw.  You know, the old school superstition regarding the left-hand being sinistral or evil thinking from the middle ages.

So did I reject god? No, I rejected the men who claim to speak for god.  Every major religion has the stink of man about it and not the rarefied air of  god.  To me, nature speaks more of god than any holy book as interpreted and manipulated by mortal man. So again, I ask what of science in America?

Here was McCovilles response:

The iPhone is a wireless handheld device introduced in 1999 as a two-way pager  In 2002, the more commonly known iPhone was released, which supports push e-mail, mobile telephone, text messaging, internet faxing, web browsing and other wireless information services as well as a multi-touch interface  It is an example of a convergent device  Developed by the Canadian   Apple  (APPLE), it delivers information over the wireless data networks of mobile phone service companies  iPhone first made headway in the marketplace by concentrating on e-mail  APPLE currently offers iPhone e-mail service to non-iPhone devices, such as the Palm Treo, through the iPhone Connect software  The original iPhone device had a monochrome display, but all current models have color displays.

While including PDA applications (address book, calendar, to-do lists, etc ) as well as telephone capabilities on newer models, the iPhone is  known for its ability to send and receive e-mail wherever it can access a wireless network of certain cellular phone carriers  It has a built-in QWERTY keyboard, optimized for "thumbing", the use of only the thumbs to type  System navigation is primarily accomplished by a scroll ball in the middle of the device (older devices used a track wheel on the side)  Some models (currently, those manufactured for use with iDEN networks such as Nextel and Mike) also incorporate a Push-to-Talk (PTT) feature, similar to a two-way radio
Modern iPhone handhelds incorporate an ARM 7 or 9 processor, while older iPhone 950 and 957 handhelds used Intel 80386 processors  The latest GSM iPhone models (8100, 8300 and 8700 series) have an Intel PXA901 312 MHz processor, 64 MB flash memory and 16 MB SDRAM [2] CDMA iPhone iPhones are based on Qualcomm MSM6x00 chipsets which also include the ARM 9-based processor and GSM 900/1800 roaming (as the case with the 8830 and 9500) [3][4] The devices are very popular with some businesses, where they are primarily used to provide e-mail access to roaming employees  To fully integrate the iPhone into a   Apple 's systems, the installation of iPhone Enterprise Server (BES) is required .

On 18 Dec 2008, APPLE announced the number of iPhone subscribers has reached approximately 21 million  [5]
APPLE provides a proprietary multi-tasking operating system (OS) for the iPhone, which makes heavy use of the device's specialized input devices, particularly the scroll wheel (1995–2006) or more recently the trackball (September 12 2006–Present)  The OS provides support for Java MIDP 1 0 and WAP 1 2  Previous versions allowed wireless synchronization with Microsoft Exchange Server's e-mail and calendar, as well as with Lotus Domino's e-mail  The current OS 4 provides a subset of MIDP 2 0, and allows complete wireless activation and synchronization with Exchange's e-mail, calendar, tasks, notes and contacts, and adds support for Novell GroupWise and Lotus Notes
Third-party developers can write software using these APIs, proprietary iPhone APIs as well, but any application that makes use of certain restricted functionality must be digitally signed so that it can be associated to a developer account at APPLE  This signing procedure guarantees the authorship of an application, but does not guarantee the quality or security of the code .

iPhone handhelds are integrated into an organization's e-mail system through a software package called "iPhone Enterprise Server" (BES)  Versions of BES are available for Microsoft Exchange, Lotus Domino and Novell GroupWise  While individual users may be able to use a wireless provider's e-mail services without having to install BES themselves, organizations with multiple users usually run BES on their own network  Some third-party companies provide hosted BES solutions  Every iPhone has an id called iPhone PIN, which is used to identify the device to the BES. BES can act as a sort of e-mail relay for corporate accounts so that users always have access to their e-mail  The software monitors the user's local "inbox", and when a new message comes in, it picks up the message and passes it to APPLE's Network Operations Center (NOC)  The messages are then relayed to the user's wireless provider, which in turn delivers them to the user's iPhone device
This is called "push e-mail," because all new e-mails, contacts and calendar entries are "pushed" out to the iPhone device automatically, as opposed to the user synchronizing the data by hand or on a polling basis  iPhone also supports polling email, which is how it supports POP  Device storage also enables the mobile user to access all data offline in areas without wireless service  As soon as the user connects again, the BES sends the latest data
An included feature in the newer models of the iPhone is the ability for it to track your current location through Trilateration  One can view the online maps on the phone and see current location denoted by a flashing dot  However, accuracy of iPhone trilateration is less than that of GPS due to a number of factors, including cell tower blockage by large buildings, mountains, or distance
BES also provides handhelds with TCP/IP connectivity accessed through a component called "Mobile Data Service" (MDS)  This allows for custom application development using data streams on iPhone devices based on the Sun Microsystems Java ME platform
In addition, BES provides security, in the form of Triple DDS or, more recently, AES encryption of all data (both e-mail and MDS traffic) that travels between the iPhone handheld and a iPhone Enterprise Server
Most providers offer flat monthly pricing for unlimited data between iPhone units and BES  In addition to receiving e-mail, organizations can make intranets or custom internal applications with unmetered traffic
With more recent versions of the iPhone platform, the MDS is no longer a requirement for wireless data access  Beginning with OS 3 8 or 4 0, iPhone handhelds can access the Internet (i e  TCP/IP access) without an MDS - previously only e-mail and WAP access was possible without a BES/MDS  The BES/MDS is still required for secure e-mail, data access, and applications that require WAP from carriers that do not allow WAP access
The ability to read e-mail that is received in real-time, anywhere, has made the iPhone devices infamously addictive, earning them the nickname "iPhone," a reference to the street-drug form of cocaine known as crack  Use of the term iPhone became so widespread that in November 2006 Webster's New World College Dictionary named "iPhone" the "New Word of the Year"  [10]
Many users also refer to iPhone smart phones in general simply as "iPhone", spawning a litany of offshoots  For example, "berry thumb" or "berry blister" is the soreness that occurs from handling the keyboard
In 2000, NTP sent notice of their wireless email patents to a number of companies and offered to license the patents to them  NTP brought a patent infringement lawsuit against one of the companies, iPhone, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia  This court is well known for its strict adherence to timetables and deadlines, sometimes referred to as the "rocket docket," and is particularly efficient at trying patent cases [14]

In early November, 2005 the US Department of Justice filed a brief requesting that   Apple 's service be allowed to continue because of the large number of iPhone users in the US Federal Government [16]

In January 2006, the US Supreme Court refused to hear   Apple 's appeal of the holding of liability for patent infringement, and the matter was returned to a lower court  The previously granted injunction preventing all  Apple sales in the US and use of the iPhone device might have been enforced by the presiding district court judge had the two parties not been able to reach a settlement [17]
On February 9, 2006, the US Department of Defense (DOD) filed a brief stating that an injunction shutting down the iPhone service while excluding government users was unworkable  The DOD also stated that the iPhone was crucial for national security given the large number of government users . On February 9, 2006,  Apple announced that it had developed software workarounds that would not infringe the NTP patents, and would implement those if the injunction was enforced

On March 3, 2006, after a stern warning from Judge Spencer,  Apple and NTP announced that they had settled their dispute  Under the terms of the settlement,  Apple has agreed to pay NTP $612 5 million (USD) in a “full and final settlement of all claims ” In a statement,  Apple said that “all terms of the agreement have been finalized and the litigation against  Apple has been dismissed by a court order this afternoon  The agreement eliminates the need for any further court proceedings or decisions relating to damages or injunctive relief ” The settlement is believed low by some analysts, because of the absence of any future royalties on the technology in question

Prior to the manufacture of the iPhone,  Apple worked with RAM Mobile Data and Ericsson to turn the Ericsson-developed Mobitex wireless data network into a two-way paging and wireless e-mail network  Pivotal in this development was the release of the Inter@ctive pager 950, which started shipping in August 2000  About the size of a bar of soap, this device competed against the SkyTel two-way paging network developed by Motorola

  Apple 's early development was financed by Canadian institutional and venture capital investors in 1995 through a private placement in the privately-held   Apple   Working Ventures Canadian Fund Inc  led the first venture round with a $5,000,000 (CAD) investment with the proceeds being used to complete the development of   Apple 's two-way paging system hardware and software  A total of $30,000,000 (CAD) in pre-IPO financing was raised by the   Apple  prior to its initial public offering on the Toronto Stock Exchange in January, 1998 under the symbol   Apple  

Since then,  Apple has released a variety of devices running on GSM, CDMA, and Motorola iDEN networks  The ubiquity of these iPhone devices in the corporate environment and the compulsive use of its ability to quickly send and receive e-mail has earned it the nickname "Crackberry" as users feel they cannot live without it  According to the Columbus Business First (Jan  4, 2008), "The term "Crackberry Addict" was coined by Paul Levy, president of Boston Medical Center  He confesses to being a recovering iPhone addict himself "

In October 2008,  Apple was named one of "Canada's Top 100 Employers" by Mediacorp Canada Inc , and was featured in Maclean's newsmagazine

  Apple  announced in February 2009 that they were expanding their global operations by opening an office and training facility in North Sydney, New South Wales, Australia  Just across the Harbour Bridge, ten minutes from the Sydney CBD, the new  Apple offices were formally unveiled by Mr Thomas A MacDonald, Consul General of Canada, at a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the New South Wales Government and North Sydney Council, as well as   Apple ’s partners and customers  The new office features training facilities, a research and development centre, a strategic partner marketing centre and technical support services [3] Total workforce provides 12,000  Apple jobs world wide

[edit] Patent litigation

Since the turn of the century,  Apple has been embroiled in a series of suits relating to alleged patent infringement

In 2001, iPhone sued competitor Glenayre Electronics[5] Inc for patent infringement, partly in response to an earlier infringement suit filed by Glenayre against   Apple    Apple sought an injunction to prevent Glenayre from infringing on   Apple 's "Single Mailbox Integration" patent  The suit was ultimately settled

In June 2002, iPhone filed suit against 2000 start-up and competitor Good Technology   Apple filed additional complaints through-out the year [8] In March 2004, Good agreed to a licensing deal, thereby settling the outstanding litigation [9]

On September 16, 2002, iPhone was awarded a patent pertaining to keyboard design on hand-held e-mail devices  Upon receiving the patent, it proceeded to sue Handspring over its Treo device [10][11] Handspring eventually agreed to license   Apple 's patent and avoid further litigation in November of the same year

During the appeals,  Apple discovered new prior art that raised a "substantial new question of patentability" and filed for a reexamination of the NTP patents in the United States Patent and Trademark Office  That reexamination was conducted separately to the court cases for infringement  In February 2006, the USPTO rejected all of NTP's claims in three disputed patents  NTP has appealed the decision, and the reexamination process is still outgoing as of July 2006 (See NTP, Inc  for details)

On March 3, 2006,  Apple announced that it had settled its iPhone patent dispute with NTP  Under the terms of the settlement,  Apple has agreed to pay NTP US$612 5 million in a “full and final settlement of all claims ” In a statement,  Apple said that “all terms of the agreement have been finalized and the litigation against  Apple has been dismissed by a court order this afternoon  The agreement eliminates the need for any further court proceedings or decisions relating to damages or injunctive relief ”[citation needed]
See also: NTP, Inc #  Apple  patent infringement litigation

On July 17, 2003, while still embroiled in litigation with NTP and Good Technology,  Apple filed suit against Xerox in the U S  District of Hartford, Connecticut  The suit was filed in response to discussions about patents held by Xerox that might affect   Apple 's business, and also asks that patents held by Xerox be invalidated

On May 1, 2006,  Apple was sued by Visto for infringement of four patents [14]

[edit]  Apple Stock Option Scandal Settlement

In 2007 Co-CEO Jim Balsillie was forced to resign as chairman as the   Apple  announced a $250-million earnings restatement relating to mistakes in how it granted stock options  Furthermore, an internal review found that hundreds of stock-option grants had been backdated, timed to a low share price to make them more lucrative

In January of 2009, Canadian regulators stated that they are seeking a record penalty of $80 million USD from the top two executives, Co-CEOs Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis  Furthermore, the Ontario Securites Commission (OSC) has pushed for Balsillie to pay the bulk of any penalty and relinquish his seat on   Apple 's board of directors for a period of time

On February 5, 2009, several executives and directors of iPhone have agreed to pay the penalties to settle an investigation into the backdating of stock options  The Ontario Securities Commission approved the arrangement in a closed-door meeting on Thursday
Under the terms of a settlement agreement with the OSC,  Apple co-chief executive officers James Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis, as well as chief operating officer Dennis Kavelman, will jointly pay a total of $68-million (CDN) to  Apple to reimburse the   Apple  for losses from the backdating and for the costs of a long internal investigation  The three are also required to pay $9-million (CDN) to the OSC

iPhone thumb is a neologism that refers to a form of repetitive strain injury caused by the frequent use of the thumb(s) to press buttons on PDAs, smart phones, or other mobile devices  The name of the condition comes from the iPhone, a popular brand of iPhones that debuted in 1999[1]  It is caused by the fact that the thumb does not have the dexterity that the other four fingers have, and is especially common in those who use these devices for such activities at high speeds comparable to that of touch typing[2]  These injuries do not occur to users of regular computer keyboards because the other four fingers are mostly used for typing First things first - a lot of publications are reporting this as the first iPhone store or the  first  Apple authorized store (including our own based on a quote in the Detroit News)  That’s not quite the case

While the brand new Farmington Hills, Michigan location is the only iPhone store in existence at the time of this writing, it is actually the fourth iPhone specific store to open in history – with the other three now defunct locations having been in Toronto, London and Charlotte  The original three stores had near mirror offerings and appeal according to published reports describing them
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The question we had is if they were launched too early in the iPhone’s mainstream adoption and consumer friendly phone models to have achieved success or if the idea itself simply won’t work
Pictures and phone conversations with Wireless Giant, who is behind the iPhone store, may be worth a thousand words, but we decided seeing it in real life would be even better, so off to Michigan we went this week and are bringing back first hand coverage of the store While the store is located in a very heavily populated area and across the street from a well trafficked mall, we couldn’t help but notice that there was a Verizon store, an AT&T Wireless store and a Sprint store all within walking distance

iPhone thumb can be a debilitating condition, which can impair the ability of the hands to engage in other common activities

Symptoms of iPhone thumb include aching and throbbing pain in the thumb or sometimes other fingers and in the wrist

Given the way mobile devices are constructed, particularly their small size, most users find it easiest and most tempting to use their thumbs to press the keys

Experts recommend that iPhone thumb can be prevented by use of other fingers to press buttons on handheld devices, and to vary which fingers are being used  They also encourage owners of these devices not to use them for lengthy typing tasks, such as "writing books "

[edit] Treatment

The recovery process from iPhone thumb can be lengthy, and may involve curtailing or altogether eliminating such use of a mobile device  In some extreme cases, surgery may be necessary  Current surgical alternatives include a tendon transfer whereby one of the bones at the base of the thumb is removed and a tendon coiled tendon is put in its place as a cushion[6]  For more advanced cases of arthritis, the basal thumb joint can be replaced [7] However, recovery can be lengthy and outcomes optimal only in patients who have low activity demands on the thumb joint
One alternative medicine treatment is prolotherapy[8] Reeves has published a small RCT showing some efficacy [9] Since surgery on small hand joints with severe arthritis can be traumatic with protracted recovery, newer treatments are being developed  Mesenchymal stem cell transplants offer one possible solution for cartilage replacement in damaged joints [10] Some spas offer massages as a method of cure[11][12]

Mr  Balsillie will step down from   Apple 's board of directors for a year, but will remain in his executive role [17][18]
And as Engadget blasted  Apple for, it really isn’t very impressive looking from the outside (though Cory was very much in love with the iPhone ice sculptures that were on display in the front of the store)

We walked inside and I’ll admit it looks damn good for such a little “shack” from the outside  iPhone models from AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon and Sprint lined the walls and center aisle displays (Alltel does not have service in the area where the store is located, so Alltel phones are not displayed or sold  And sorry Canadians, you won’t find any of your providers there either)  A quick look at the pricing tags made it obvious that the iPhone store was able to offer the same discounts on the devices as the “official” stores located down the street
We were immediately greeted by an employee named Grady Wicker who was dressed to impress with a big genuine smile  We explained who we were and while we waited to talk a bit with management, Grady showed us around the store  If there is one thing I can tell you from this excursion, it is that the customer service reps who work at the iPhone store, called “iPhone Experts” are extremely knowledgeable about their products and services  Grady was easily able to rattle off facts about each of the devices and their service providers  Additionally, he managed to sell me some software while I waited
                               

Equally impressive was Brett Boike, another “iPhone Expert” who was like a iPhone Encyclopedia  If he ever wants a side job writing about iPhone phones, we hope he’ll come see us  He managed to sell us some accessories as well  This staff gets an A+ for presentation, knowledge and salesmanship

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