sechan19 | Odds and ends.

The big deal in the technology world right now is the iPhone cellphone that is slated to hit the marketplace later this year. Of course, I see Apple as one of the great evils of the modern era and so I don't intend to touch the iPhone with a ten-foot pole. Like, ew, dude.

I was, however, amused by a couple of stories that I came across this morning, both in the Los Angeles Times. It seems that Cisco Systems, Inc. is the actual copyright holder of the term iPhone and has been using it for some time. They're taking Apple to court over the use of the phrase, and Apple maintains that they can use it if they want since it's never been applied to a cellphone before (which is a boneheaded argument any way you slice it). I sincerely hope that the courts put the smackdown on Apple, because someone really ought to. Apple is fucking evil.

At the same time, the great nation of Japan has a huge yawn over the whole thing because apparently their cellphones can do everything the iPhone can and more - and have been thus equipped for quite some time now.

Read all about it for yourself:
Cisco Files Suit Over Use of iPhone Name (LA Times)
In Japan, Barely a Ripple (LA Times)

On another front, there's an intriguing exhibition on at the Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena right now. Banquet: A Feast for the Senses brings together a number of contemporary Asian artists to explore the themes of food and its relationship to life. There are works from Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Pakistani, Asian-American, and other artists in a myriad of expressive mediums. The show's on until February 4th, and I think I might just try to make a quick jaunt down south to take a gander at it. I wonder what else is on in LA...

Here's an article about the show:
Asian Style and Taste (LA Times)