Retina Glider
Devin Coldewey (via Buzz Andersen):The glider could arguably be called the mascot of the Game of Life — that is, if the game ever needed one. It represents both the emergent complexity of the game and its extremely simple core nature.
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Etched permanently into the body of one of the most advanced computers ever made, then, is a symbol of experimentation, tradition, and potential — being killed.
The article doesn’t mention that Eric Raymond has proposed the glider as the hacker emblem. It represents the opposite of the direction Apple is taking its hardware and software.
"Actually, I'm just being snarky because I haven't had my coffee."
In any sane system of justice, posting before you've had your coffee should result in said offender being sent off to the gulag. The time before coffee is meant to be quiet time. Reflect, look at the trees, birds, and your RSS feed. After coffee, speech becomes appropriate.
"It represents the opposite of the direction Apple is taking its hardware and software."
Always amusing to remember that Jobs/Woz got their start selling phone phreaking boxes to let folks hack the telephone system. Those boxes could've had a glider etched into them. Now, of course, Apple has morphed into the phone company, which is what creates the irony. (This enjoyable movie, downloadable to your TiVo, can give a good sense of what life in the new spaceship Apple HQ will be like...)