Exitless.com

A city made of people that want to be here, and that makes all the difference in the world.

New Orleanians are acutely aware of how their city is perceived. They’ve had to explain to friends after their post-Katrina sojourns in Dallas or Atlanta or Houston — those well-groomed, go-get-’em cities that have flourished in the past few decades — why they wanted to return to a city long associated with crime and corruption. If you have to ask, you’ll never know, according to Louis Armstrong, and most outsiders don’t, and it gets frustrating.

Eh, people would still find something to complain about.

We did not enter the search business. They entered the phone business. Make no mistake; they want to kill the iPhone. We won't let them.

And the gloves are off.

Do I think The Tablet is an e-reader? A video player? A web browser? A document viewer? It’s not a matter of or but rather and. I say it is all of these things. It’s a computer.

And so in answer to my central question, regarding why buy The Tablet if you already have an iPhone and a MacBook, my best guess is that ultimately, The Tablet is something you’ll buy instead of a MacBook.

I say they’re swinging big — redefining the experience of personal computing.

In my mind that’s the most intriguing question regarding Apple’s new Tablet computer.

My Macbook Pro is my only computer. I do quite a bit of writing. When I’m not, my iPhone becomes my primary computer. I don’t see a Tablet replacing either one. I might want a Tablet, but in my setup, I don’t think it fits a need.

My brother has an older 15 inch Macbook Pro. He also has a desktop computer. He recently contemplated switching to a 13 inch Macbook Pro since he has no need for a desktop replacement.

My girlfriend has a 13 Macbook. She’ll need to replace it soon. Her iPhone can handle almost everything she does on her Macbook, but the small screen doesn’t lend itself to being her only computer.

In both cases a Tablet may be a better choice than a laptop, especially if it’s lighter, has a better battery life, and is priced cheaper than a Macbook Pro.

Their certainly seems to be a space for a device somewhere between a desktop computer and a smart phone. A device that does mobile computing better, different than a laptop computer (which simply takes the desktop and turns it into a book).

I hope Gruber's right. I hope they're swinging for the fences.

And no, a netbook doesn’t fill this space. If netbooks weren’t so cheap the only people using them would be a small number of users with very specific needs and Dave Winer.

What's more, the company ended its 10% discount for "Black Gold Card" rewards members on the day after Christmas, leading many loyal customers to complain that demand for Starbucks coffee "is not inelastic."

I've been a Starbucks apologist for a long time, but price increases along with decimation of their rewards program has me questioning my loyalty.

Especially when other options are popping up.