Archive for category Tech

Internet QoS Sucks: why modern browsers use parallel connections

Earlier tonight (using “tonight” loosely) I attended a meetup that hosted an excellent presentation about scaling AngularJS applications, by a guy who obviously knows what he’s talking about. But this post is, more or less, not about that.

It’s about a comment that I made, in response to a question fielded by a co-attendee of the meeting. The question went something like this: “Why is there a performance gain in delivering multiple code files over the wire to the end user’s browser, versus just one, when you’re going from one server to one client? Shouldn’t a single transfer just max out their connection anyway?” My response: “[incomprehensible mumbling] Basically, Internet QoS sucks.”

That’s an oversimplification, but not as far from the truth as you’d expect. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: , , , , ,

CORS in an API?

I had a question a few days ago, and am going to bring it up at this month’s Austin API meetup: should you use CORS in an API? I suppose that that leads into another question: should your API be built to be used by an application running from someone’s browser that is served on a domain other than your own? Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: , , ,

Amazon Is Excellent

Earlier today Amazon announced that their Prime service, which costs less than a Netflix streaming subscription, is getting even more movie and TV show availability for its on-demand, no-extra-charge streaming system. This streaming will be available on a tablet that they’re selling at-cost ($199), and is available on computers just like Netflix is. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: ,

The Best Cell For Your Money

Speaking of CricKet, sometimes people ask me what the best cell phone company is. To which I answer, “it depends.” If you want the latest high-end smartphones (I do) you’ll need to pony up for a contract with Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint or AT&T (in order of my carrier preference at this point). If you’re okay with a lower-end phone that still works perfectly well, you have more options. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Common CricKet Misconceptions, Debunked

This evening I and a few friends were hanging out in front of the miniature apartment complex next to my school (I have no pretense of privacy). One had his Verizon iPhone 4 out. The discussion for a minute or two turned to how much he was paying for his cellular service ($40 per month plus change for an add-a-line on a family plan), after which he mentioned that, once his Verizon contract was, up, he’d switch his phone to CricKet and pay a little more, but in return get unlimited everything without the need to be on his parents’ family plan. “it’s the same network as Verizon anyway,” he said.

Wrong.

The above misconception is surprisingly common, so I don’t blame anyone for espousing it Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: , , , ,

Magic Trackpad on a non-Apple computer

I’m sitting at an AMD Fusion-powered nettop, writing this post. The computer sips power, yet is still respectable enough to drive light workstation tasks on my 24-inch, 1080p monitor. I’m confident enough about this rig’s performance that I’ll be ordering another LCD soon…but I digress. The topic of this post revolves around the fact that, in addition to a trusty lowish-end Logitech mouse, I’m using Apple’s much-hyped Magic Trackpad as a fully functional pointing device for a computer that’s never seen an Apple logo. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: , , , , ,

T-Mobile Rocket 3.0

So today, after dropping by the Colorado Mills Which Wich, I picked up a T-Mobile webConnect Rocket 3.0 (or ZTE MF683, if you’re going by device manufacturer and model number) , currently the only 42Mbps HSPA+ device available in the US. I’ll be writing a full review of the device, along with a head-to-head comparison versus T-Mobile’s original webConnect Rocket, here. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,