When a good GUI goes bad.

(Rant)A Graphical User Interface is supposed to provide the user with an intelligent means of navigating a given program or Operating System.

Developers have an obligation to be consistent when building a user interface. Navigation "buttons" should be layered so that they provide both full access and full egress. Just like an elevator, there should be buttons to go UP and DOWN at every floor. The only exceptions would be at the very bottom or the very top.(/Rant)

It is easy to stay up all night and be tired all day.

It is better to get up early and be tired by the end of the day.

Coming Blog Attractions

We are so rich we can drink our own water.

Should users be held responsible for the function of the program?

When a good GUI goes bad.

The sanctity of Food.

Freedom isn't free, but dumb is really dumb.

Frank Paynter may not be the originator of the idea but he has stated the case most eloquently.

Please save us from our current leaders who would use any method available to further their own agenda. Do not let the sitting government prevent the free people of this great country from exercising our right to democratically elect our leaders.

...and people look at me like I am crazy when I tell them I feel disenfranchised when it comes to politics.

Honest officer...I was just walking his dog...

You are out walking the family hound, a happy puppy. Suddenly a stranger appears and snaps his leash on to the collar of your precious pup. Your are astonished when the stranger claims that "Rover" is his dog and you should relinquish your claim immediately. Steadfast, you hold your leash. Equally staunch in his position the stranger holds his leash. The dog cannot follow two masters.

Being civilized and knowing that violence is no answer all three interested parties patiently await the arrival of the civil authorities. After taking confidential statements from the two humans the authorities are at an impasse. Each human appears to have a valid, albeit verbal, claim on the pooch. What is to be done? Impartiality rules, the family dog is remanded to the custody of the Animal Control office. The humans are encouraged to seek legal counsel and resolve the matter in court.

Ok, so this is a far-fetched story about a hypothetical circumstance and a made up family pet. What if this scenario is played out with an young child instead of a theoretical canine? Oh, I/we/she/he could tell who is the parent and who is the stranger. In this day and age of blended families it might even be possible that the stranger was in fact one of the parents.

How many days would I be willing to wait while authorities straightened out a mess like this. How many days should my child remain in the custody of the civil authorities before a determination can be made?

Joi's Slippery Slope is a persuasive argument. I however disagree with the concerns about privacy and freedom. I submit that we have completely surrendered our privacy. Any concern voiced regarding freedom or control is make-me-feel-better rhetoric. Enter into a protracted custody battle that is predicated on identity theft and possession-equals-9/10ths-of-the-law and see how much real freedom and control we actually have.

You gots to be putting us on...

Here Mister John Q. Public, stand right here between these steel guides and wait for the bright light. It will only appear to get closer. Pay no attention to the increasing rumbling noise. Now just wait for it... the sound of your govenment being here to help.

DON'T HACK!


Call me callus, unfeeling, lowlife scum. I say that hacking is wrong! All hacking is wrong! No amount of do-good rationalization will change the fact that a hacker enters (illegally) a given system. Beyond that initial infraction, any changes that a hacker makes is then an act of defacement. (Excuse me Mr. Da Vinci but I think she needs just a bit more of a smile. There, that's better.)

Hacking is wrong.

My contention is that the offending site should be boycotted, avoided, shunned. 'If thy right site offends thee, pluck it out!' to paraphrase good advice. Hacking a bad site is giving credence and support to an otherwise offensive content provider. Let the offender die of starvation. Let their business suffer from a serious case of bad judgment. Let the laws of natural selection take their inevitable toll.