I am not as dumb as you advertise I am!

Moral of this story: Be careful who you get in bed with. If you lay down with dogs you will get up with fleas.

I have taken to turning the radio or the television OFF when advertisers insult my intelligence (as small as my intelligence is).

It is suggested that advertising pays for radio and television content, the shows. Content providers, the show producers, should be _very wary_ of who they allow to pay for their work. Because, if I turn off the radio or television I am really diminishing the value of the content at the price of the advertising. Advertising products that I will purposefully go out of my way to avoid at all costs. So now two providers are impacted, the content and the product.

1.) Products that allow or accept insulting advertising get what they deserve. It might be a great product but if you insult the consumer - oh well. In your case you will get what I will not pay for.

2.) Content providers that allow or accept insulting advertising are getting the fleas! And if you have ever been around a pet with fleas you know the feeling. By turning the radio or television off I am, in my small way, impacting the content provider's market share. Less market share means that they will have more and more difficulty coming up with the money to produce their quality content. It is a shame that content providers suffer because of the very advertisers that supposedly are paying the bills.

"Up to my ankles in aligators..."

"...head first!"

I just assumed that it went without saying, "...head first!" But I found myself standing there and explaining it to him...

Some Tuesdays it doesn't pay to get out of bed on Monday morning...

Winextra Makes Top 5 List!

Since I expressed my surprise and (muffled tongue-n-cheek) disappointment that CodeNut (Steven Hudson) didn't make the Top 10 "Bad Things" for blogging at Winextra.com it seems only fitting and proper that I acknowledge Winextra's achievement in making Spiderbait's Top 5 Underrated Blogs : Check Them Out!

Keep up the good work Steven!

Rent-a-Bum: tobyMac

tobyMac rocked HIS house!!! No, I don't mean he rocked his own house. I mean he rocked His house. He, Him, Jesus, that's who.

As the culmination of Elevation tobyMac 'preached' a 90 minute sermon that spoke directly to his congregation. Over 1300 middle and high school age youth came out to be Elevated, to be lifted up in the Spirit. And it was spirit filled. It was electrifying. It was as us old folks say, "cool!"

[Aside: Over the course of the past few days I have heard a number of detractors 'dissing' the very thought of a Christian Rapper. I was pleased and excited to watch those same detractors watch every second of the show with rapt attention - and receive the Word. I take great heart in the knowledge that you cannot unhear the message.]

Scantily Clad Barristas?

It is OK that people, like myself, are coffee snobs.

It is OK that people favor one coffee shop over others.

It is OK that there is extreme competition between coffee shops.

It is even OK that one particular coffee shop in the greater Seattle area has chosen to "outfit" their Barristas in the skimpiest of 'uniforms'. (I believe that said 'uniforms' were worn voluntarily by said Barristas. )

It is NOT OK, in my opinion, for a venerable news organization like CBS Sunday Morning to showcase such a blatant 'grab' at the pulchritude of market share. It was a cheap shot and not even espresso.

Rent-a-Bum: George "The Possum" Jones

George Jones did not, I repeat, did not live up to his nickname "No Show" ... George was in da house last night at the Owensboro Executive Inn's Expo Center ... along with 1200+ of his closest and dearest friends.

Top 10 "Bad Things"

Mobile phones are the second worst items ever invented, according to a recent BBC poll.

The communication devices were beaten only by 'weapons' as the worst inventions in a survey of 4,164 people for the BBC's Focus magazine.

The top 10 in full:

Weapons (35%)
Mobile phones (17%)
Nuclear power (9%)
Sinclair C5 (9%)
Television (9%)
The car (6%)
Cigarettes (6%)
Fast food (3%)
Speed cameras (3%)
Religion (2%)

...I guess I can be thankful I didn't make this list...

As evil as he claims to be I am equally surprised that Hugh didn't make the list either... or for that matter that CodeNut guy from Winextra.com ... (Smirk)

Ten Rules for Being Human

by Cherie Carter-Scott

1.	You will receive a body. You may like it or hate it, but it's yours to keep for the entire period.
2.	You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called, "life."
3.	There are no mistakes, only lessons. Growth is a process of trial, error, and experimentation. The "failed" experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiments that ultimately "work."
4.	Lessons are repeated until they are learned. A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it. When you have learned it, you can go on to the next lesson.
5.	Learning lessons does not end. There's no part of life that doesn't contain its lessons. If you're alive, that means there are still lessons to be learned.
6.	"There" is no better a place than "here." When your "there" has become a "here", you will simply obtain another "there" that will again look better than "here."
7.	Other people are merely mirrors of you. You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects to you something you love or hate about yourself.
8.	What you make of your life is up to you. You have all the tools and resources you need. What you do with them is up to you. The choice is yours.
9.	Your answers lie within you. The answers to life's questions lie within you. All you need to do is look, listen, and trust.
10.	You will forget all this.

Borrowed from Bottom Line Underwriters, Inc.

"Seven Blunders of the World"

1. Wealth without work

2. Pleasure without conscience

3. Knowledge without character

4. Commerce without morality

5. Science without humanity

6. Worship without sacrifice

7. Politics without principle

—Mahatma Gandhi

* Attributed to Gandhi in a December 15, 1998, article in 'Edupage', an online newsletter published by 'Educause', an international nonprofit association dedicated to transforming higher education through information technologies.

Borrowed from Doctor Hugo

Thank you.

Kitchen Church: Long Cooked Country Ribs

Got in late last night after Rent-a-Bum: Heartland ... folded three 18" pieces of aluminum foil together and laid out the country ribs, pork of course (Pork Fat Rulz!) ... rubbed 'em down with McCormick Grill Mates Pork Rub, folded up the foil tent all but one end, poured in half a can of Swanson's Chicken Broth (saved the rest for "Secret Dippin' Sauce" coming up later) Sealed it up and set the package in the middle of an industrial half-sized sheet pan, popped the whole thing in a 225F oven and ... went to bed.

Woke up sore and stiff as I always do after a Bums night to the smell of 'ribs'...

After my first couple of cups of coffee I carefully opened the package and poured off the 'liquor' - them cookin' juices that come from po'k ribs and chicken broth ... into a small sauce pan.

Ribs be falling off the bone so they are carefully transfered to a glass baking dish ... dusted with a touch more 'Rub' and drizzled with a few tablespoons of the 'liquor'... covered with foil and back into that slooooooow oven (225F)

The sauce pan with the secret dippin' sauce is set over a very low burner and gets the rest of the Chicken Broth... reduce by half to 2/3's

So all told it is 12 hours and 30 minutes later ... Ribs and a tossed green salad.

This is a pork-fest so there are no other 'sides' served... strictly spicey sweet ribs with the Secret Dippin' Sauce and contrasted by the crisp clean crunch of tossed salad with a sharp vinaigrette.

Rent-a-Bum: Heartland

Heartland - Comfortable southern rock shakers and crooners...


...last week it was Jason Aldean
of Hicktown fame... Good show, bad sound mix... muddy and muffled.

Current Read: Pattern Recognition

Pattern Recognition by William Gibson

Cayce Pollard is an expensive, spookily intuitive market-research consultant. In London on a job, she is offered a secret assignment: to investigate some intriguing snippets of video that have been appearing on the Internet. An entire subculture of people is obsessed with these bits of footage, and anybody who can create that kind of brand loyalty would be a gold mine for Cayce's client. But when her borrowed apartment is burgled and her computer hacked, she realizes there's more to this project than she had expected.

Still, Cayce is her father's daughter, and the danger makes her stubborn. Win Pollard, ex-security expert, probably ex-CIA, took a taxi in the direction of the World Trade Center on September 11 one year ago...

Engaging with tantalizing streetlife details unavailable to cube dwellers like myself.

Shame on HP...again!!!

As reported by

in the Steve Hamm article Rivals Say HP Is Using Hardball Tactics

Printer industry and retailing executives contend the company has
offered chain stores incentives to stop selling store-brand cartridges

"Now why would that be?" He asked rhetorically.



"Could it be...satan?" Or just a lame attempt by HP to continue to gouge the consumer?



HP could stand up straight and look the buying public in the eye and say, "We enjoyed a competition-free market for many years and realized a significant profit from the sale of our ink cartridges. Now that competition has arrived we will respond to free market forces and price our ink cartridges competitively."



No.



In a lame attempt to further gouge the consumer HP is trying to quash the free market. This will only lead to greater resentment on the part of the buying public and an eventual demise of the HP market share. To think anything less is both foolish and arrogant.

The great sucking sound

Ed Sutherland, in his Internetnews.com article Kodak Printers Breed Cheap Ink offered this little tid-bit...

HP was a "little perplexed" by Kodak's "unproven" technology, Tuan Tran, vice president of marketing for the printer maker's Imaging and Supplies division, told internetnews.com.

"...little preplexed..."???

Can you say, "Falling market share? I knew you could."

P.S. It is about time. Thank you Kodak!

powered by performancing firefox

Good for a laugh

Microsoft Leading the world...?

powered by performancing firefox

Papa, don't preach

From the "He speaks so eloquently file"...



AKMA’s Random Thoughts

Last time, I said, “Don’t write checks you can’t cash.” This morning’s admonition is less metaphorical: Don’t assert when you can evoke.

Having attempted to speak to congregations (I am neither qualified nor credentialed to "Preach") I have long held to the belief that people will draw their own conclusions if they are presented with compelling scenarios. Further, being the idealist that I am, I believe that people will draw healthy and beneficial conclusions - as long as their personal integrity is not beaten or battered with 'righteous preachy speaking'.



Thanks again AKMA for so clearly speaking from the heart. It is appreciated more than you might ever know.





Technorati Tags: AKMA

Second Life is a GAME

Second Life is the most insidious game of all.

We quickly push away from the 'game' label because there are no clear protagonists or antagonists. There is no universally defined objective. Without these essential elements Second Life just doesn't fit the 'I-win-you-lose' model of contemporary gaming.

The truth is that when you enter into Second Life for the first time you do so as a loser. You are born with the absolute minimum amount of resources. Just enough clothing to be 'decent'. Just enough Linden Dollars to get you hooked on the economic drug of this most insidious game.

In order to "prosper" you have to game Second Life. Materialism and economic wealth in Second Life mirror the values of the capitalist societies in Real Life. In a true ironic twist there are no 'natural resources' (to my knowledge) in Second Life. It is not possible to 'farm' or grow 'food'. I seriously doubt that there are Gold or Diamond mines. I do not see any 'pulling-oneself-up-by-one's-bootstraps' opportunities in Second Life that parallel Real Life.

Second Life is all about stuff. "He who has the most toys wins."

Hats, Buckles and Boots

Rent-a-Bums worked the Locash Cowboys show last night at the Big "E" Rivermont Lounge. Was pleasantly surprised by the energy and showmanship of Chris and Preston.

I don't do magic!

...and here is the simple reason why. Seth Godin shared the following line with us in his post Notable...

I believe she is good at the standard but limited in considering the notable.
(Attributed to one of Seth Godin's co-workers.)

I don't do magic because I am unable to manifest anything as wondrous or mystical as that which swirls and eddies around me all the time. This line, "I believe..." is a prime example. In the course of one sentence the speaker was able to convey a concept so involved that it broaches on the magical.

Something borrowed.

Seth Godin posted the following Painting fakes. I enjoyed it so much I just wanted a copy for myself.

Ed shares this story with us, via a friend of Pablo Picasso.

I was staying with Picasso in his studio. Every day, dealers would come by to authenticate paintings they were trying to sell... they would ask the painter if the painting was real or a fake.

A dealer came by one day, Picasso glanced at it and without hesitating said, "fake." Later that day, two more were identified as fakes.

The second day, a different dealer came by. Picasso hardly looked up. "Fake!" he bellowed.

After the dealer left, I couldn't help myself. "Picasso, why did you say that painting was a fake? I was here, in this studio, last year when I saw you paint it."

Picasso didn't hesitate. He turned to me and said, "I often paint fakes."

Up to my A..a..a..ankles in alligators!

Frustrated!!!

I have been fighting fires for the last two and a half weeks... Not literal fires, thankfully, but those pesky jobs that land high enough up the priority scale that they demand immediate attention. I have been coming home drained, mentally exhausted. If I get to come home at all. Seems some of my fires are 'extracurricular' (Now there is a wonderfully strange turn-of-phrase. One of my fires was the Parents Open House at the High School my daughters attend.)

So I unwind, have dinner, and then I put my feet up, open GoogleReader and read all the wonderful items that really diligent knowledgeable dedicated bloggers write. That is when I get really really frustrated.

Not that my writing is all that good. But I should be practicing. I should be putting fingers to keyboard. Instead I look down at the swirling dark waters that are rising now up to my waist and I remain ever vigilant for the beady eyes of the next lurking alligator.

Feelin' good?

In one of those moments of lucid awareness, apart from the daily 'work' process, I came to realize that people need to feel good.

Well d'uh, Papa?!?! You just beginning to figure that out?

Certainly that are the creature comfort feel-goods. Food, shelter, and clothing are essential. Then come the higher order feel-goods; spouse, family, friends and community. Personal self-worth and respect go a long way as comparison values to promoting feel-goods.

Maslow writes the following of self-actualizing people:

• They embrace the facts and realities of the world (including themselves) rather than denying or avoiding them.
• They are spontaneous in their ideas and actions.
• They are creative.
• They are interested in solving problems; this often includes the problems of others. Solving these problems is often a key focus in their lives.
• They feel a closeness to other people, and generally appreciate life.
• They have a system of morality that is fully internalized and independent of external authority.
• They judge others without prejudice, in a way that can be termed objective.

In short, self-actualization is reaching one's fullest potential.

Papa, that sounds pretty complete for an individual. So what is missing?

Maslow speaks of "...[embracing] the facts and realities of the world (including themselves) rather than denying or avoiding them." This offers a clear clinical, intellectual view of the world but it leaves out one important element that I believe people 'need' in order to feel good.

Where is Hope in the value schedule cited above?

In one of those moments of lucid awareness, apart from the daily 'work' process, I came to realize that people need hope to feel good. People need to have a sense of value that extends beyond the "...facts and realities of the world..." A sense that something greater than ourselves will continue beyond the limits of our lives.

Were hope not present then I believe the suicide rate would be dramatically higher. This might well be the reason that according to the World Health Organization, "in the last 45 years suicide rates have increased by 60% worldwide."

I suggest that as we, the world society, move into clinical and intellectual realms that have do not have facilities for accommodating hope we doom ourselves to greater and greater levels of dissatisfaction. When I am dissatisfied then most certainly I am not ... Feelin' good.

My idea of a company party

Wowsers! Whiteboard infinity - Only in China...



SUN's Sin-Yaw Wang makes me envious...

• 500+ People party
• two hours of talent show by employees
• 4 MCs that rival professional show hosts
• stage with professional grade video, sound, and lighting systems
• And the foods! All 14 courses that include shrimp, chicken, beef,
  mutton, pork, fish, soup, vegetable, fried rice, noodle, dessert, and a
  cup of tea at the end. I found myself trying to have extra bites even
  way after I was full.

powered by performancing firefox

Rent-A-Bum Redux

The old saying goes... Rent-a-Bum, it is cheaper than marrying one.

---

When last we met little Timmy had fallen down the well at the abandoned farm and Lassie was trying to convince the Department of Social Services to not arrest Timmy's parents for neglect and child endangerment... No, wait that is an entirely different story.

---

Da Bums, a rag-tag crew of itinerant struggling, starving musicians, strong women, out of work riggers and one Manager of Information Systems were being disbanded, sorta. The Bums management was going to be assimilated by the local Corporate Big Business Consortium. Bums were told that in order to keep working they would need to apply for membership in the CBBC. Some of them did, others didn't. I didn't!

And then I got a call...

...and then another call...

The show must go on.

The contract stipulates that for load-in and load-out there will be a crew of a specified number of people. Some venues fulfill the terms of the contract by hiring day laborers. Others try to get by reassigning busboys and dishwashers. The real merit in hiring the Rent-a-Bums is that we are a highly trained, disciplined, cohesive team. As the saying goes, 'This ain't our first rodeo.'

So it seems that the Bums are officially/unofficially back in business.

Sort of a typical Bum day... (4+ hours the night before assembling the stage.)

08:00 Load in the Lighting Company
Set up trusses, rig chain-fall motors, hang lights, pull cabling
Set up Front-of-House (FOH) control console
Hang black back drop
Set up two follow spots

10:00 Load in the Sound Company
Set and wire bass bins (speakers) 4 per side
Stack and wire Mids 4 per side + 2 side-fills
Set and wire power distribution system
Set drum riser, backup vocal riser
Set monitor speakers
Set and wire microphones (~20+)
Set and wire Monitor World control console
Set and wire FOH control console + Effects racks
Pull FOH snake (64 line wire bundle from Monitor World to FOH)

13:00 Load in Video Company
Set up video display screens

Pipe & Drape (Black for backstage, Red+White+Blue for VIP sections)

14:00 Load in Band Gear
Assist Road Crew in setting up Drums, Keyboards, Peddle Steel, etc.
Assist Road Crew in wiring/mic-ing instruments.
Focus lights

15:00 Headliner Sound Check
Band members tune, check all instruments, play portions of songs
Set sound levels on all microphones, levels on all monitors
Band practices songs, portions of songs.

15:45 Set stage for opening act

16:00 Finish setting the House
Complete Pipe & Drape
Carpet runners taped down over FOH snakes

18:30 DOORS! - the House is open.
Monitor backstage area, insure only authorized personal access
Monitor Bus Parking, insure only authorized personal access

Escort Talent hotel room/bus to Green Room

Fan management during Meet-n-Greet

Escort Talent from Green Room to [back]stage

20:00 Showtime!
Provide stage security (in case fans want to get on stage without permission.)
Provide backstage security

20:45
Clear stage of opening act equipment
Set stage for Headline Act

22:30 Shows over...
Escort Talent to Green Room/Bus
Monitor Bus Parking, Fan Management

Pack band gear, load into bus bays (or truck)

23:00 Tear-down
Disassemble all sound equipment, pack into road cases
Disassemble all lighting equipment, pack into road cases

00:00 Load-out
Load Lighting road cases and trusses, spotlights, Geni lifts, etc. into truck
00:30
Load Sound road cases into truck

01:00 End of a very long day...
Go home! Well, you don't have to go home but you can't stay here.

(4+ hours later that day disassembling the stage.)

Plate o' Nachos

I woke up this morning... HUNGRY.

Probably had something to do with the fact that I worked hard yesterday for Rent-a-Bum (more on that later) loading in, setting up, crewing/security, tearing down and loading out...

wait for it... Miss Loretta Lynn


So this morning I scanned the pantry and the refrigerator. A little voice whispered, "Nachos".

I asked rhetorically, "For breakfast?"

As I often do in these matters I made a note of it and went back to scanning. I even spent a considerable amount of time straightening out the Pa^2 Linux (old) and the Pa^2 GNU (new) situation ( more on that later as well, or just go and explore.)

Hunger reared its head again.

Re-scanned the pantry. This time the whisper was more like a FREIGHT TRAIN....Wooowooo ... NACHOS!!!

So I began to start to commence to initiate a plate... o' nachos. This, if you don't mind my saying so are the fruits of my labors...

I am not a Pro Blogger, I am a Professional Blog Reader.

Three very good reasons I'm not a Pro Blogger...

1. If I had to write I would starve!
2. My current job, my livelihood, doesn't depend on blogging.
3. I am not engaged in a business that I need to promote or represent via a blog.

I am a Professional Blog reader ( a professional who reads blogs )

Yes, I know that was just a matter of a little linguistic slight of hand (mouth?) but after the smoke clears and the mirrors are removed the import remains: I, as a professional, read blogs. As a Systems Administrator it is essential that I maintain an up-to-the-minutes perspective on the world of technology.

I was the guy at my office that subscribed to every trade journal (slick) that I could find a blow-in card for. They were killing millions of trees just for me. It was normal for me to receive 1 or 2 slicks per business work day. That works out to ~28 trade slicks per month. There was paper-based information overload, not to mention waste basket/recycle box overload.

Then it was e-mailed technical briefing/product/service newsletters. Zettabytes and yattabytes of electrons gave up their little negative charges, figuratively speaking, to over-stuff my e-mail in-box. Now I was receiving weekly newsletters from roughly the same number of sources (e.g. 28 sources times 4 weeks equals 112 newsletters.) I spent more time deleting than I did reading.

Blogs are the answer to information overload. First is the timeliness of the available information. Professional and business blogs, as well as personal blogs, appear to be updated in near-real time. Second it the usual brevity of the information offered. The medium has shaped the message. Blog postings are short, sweet and to the point.

Google Reader Trends indicates...From your 101 subscriptions, over the last 30 days you read 3,397 items. More correctly I have scanned nearly 34 hundred items. Subscribing to blog feeds has allowed me to manage and process information in a much more efficient manner. I am able to spend less time and have evergreen information on the technology world around me.

...that is why I am a professional blog reader.

Bloated Numbers, BAH!

BigNameSoftware (BNS) claims that its browser is regaining market share... Sheeeeesh! That is a nice way to SPIN the story... here is an example:

IE 7 Tops 100M Download Mark

An article which I will only read the title of...

IE 7 is not a choice!!! IE 7 is a security patch.

People have to download it to maintain a 'secure' system.

Microsoft softens the blow, sorta...

Mary Jo Foley in her post

Microsoft to offer Vista ‘Family Pack’ discount for Ultimate users

sites the possibility that if a home user buys a full license of Windows Vista Ultimate (~$399.00 MSLP) that Microsoft will sell two additional licenses at a price somewhere between ~$49.00 and ~$99.00.

399 BLOWS!!!

49-99 seems just about right.

The Rhino Virus, NOT an endangered species

Living now for the past 11 days in my sinuses, just behind one eye or the other, creating that 'spot' at the back of the roof of my mouth... it hurts to breath, hurts to blow, hurts to swallow... conclusion: I have a cold.

B, the Saint, asked if I was going to go to the doctor. Now, lemme think. Even though my employer has one of the best health plans going... If I did visit a physician I would...

1. Take time off from work.
   
2. Drive across town.
3. Wait
4. Fill out a form, again.
5. Wait
6. Ushered into an exam room.
7. Upon cursory inspection be told that my blood pressure is high.
8. Explain, again, that it is always elevated when I am stressed by the prospect of seeing a doctor.
9. Be retested for blood pressure, follow-up note in chart, again.
10. Told that Doctor will see you shortly.
11. Wait
12. Read the cute anatomy chart.
13. Wait
    
14. Read the new and improved nutrition chart.
15. Wait.
16. Greet the doctor. Remove my shirt.
17. Endure the cold stethoscope, front and back.
18. Say 'Ahhhhh' for the tongue depressor.
19. Hear Doctor confirm my self-diagnosis: rhino virus. "You have a cold."
20. Hear Doctor confirm my self-treatment plan: Plenty of fluids, rest and a commercial antihistamine to dry up the runny nose.
21. Hear Doctor confirm, "There's alot of this going around."
22. Hear Doctor confirm, "There really isn't any effective treatment for the rhino virus. You just have to let it run its course."
23. Hear myself thanking doctor.
24. Stop by the receptionists desk.
25. Sign forms.
26. Wait.
27. Hear myself thanking the receptionist.
28. Driving back across town.
29. Figuring out what I can eat for lunch at my desk since my lunch hour is over.
30. AND... hearing my Health Plan being billed $350.00 USD for the visit.

AND... My health care plan would pay it.

And this, good children, is why the overall cost of health care is soooooo high!

P.S. If I were even more typical I would have gone to the Emergency Room and they would have billed my Health Plan $750.00 USD.


Technorati Tags: Health Costs

powered by performancing firefox

Identity Theft is not only for Credit Cards or Green Cards

Until Mordaxus mentioned it in his post 'That's Funny' at Emergent Chaos I would never have given the possibility of "Medical" identity theft even the slightest credence. Who in their right mind would want my sordid medical history? But wait... what I lack in health my employer more than makes up for in Health Insurance.

[Update: Additional Link - Hospitals Becoming Popular ID Theft Target ]

Bill Gates and Vista Vision

Thanks to some enterprising soul I was able to watch the majority of the CES 2007 Keynote address hosted by none other than that perennial CES Keynote Dignitary: William "Windows" Gates...

I am impressed with the direction that Microsoft has chosen in presenting its flagship product before the Consumer Electronic Show. Hype and multimedia glitz - sound and fury signifying little, to paraphrase the Bard. Appealing to the home user, the gamer and the family-picture-scrapper Windows Vista will be your link to your friends and your life. With a click the mouse or X-Box controller you can determine what your friends are doing and with whom. Even driving in your Ford you can enjoy the ubiquitous Microsoft connectivity.

In the course of the 66 minute presentation I think I heard the Office suite mentioned...er, uh, once... in passing.

[Amendment: Bill mentioned Office ... twice... in passing.]

This makes me very happy. Microsoft has declared its intended area of focus; Middle America. That leave business waving like a limp flag and serious computer users looking for a serious computing environment. I am excited because it appears that in going after the emotionally driven, vain 'Meriken middle market Microsoft is finally declaring itself to be the second seat OS that it really is.

ID Cards and REALITY

Bruce Schneier in his article ID Cards to Stop Bullying decries the use of ID cards.

It's important that schools teach the right lessons, and "we're all living in a surveillance society, and we should just get used to it" is not the right lesson.

Mr. Schneier should spend a prolong period of time in a public school! Bruce should be exposed to the egregious behaviors and attitudes of today's young people. The 'surveillance society' that Bruce refers to has less to do with privacy and more to do with safety. Having two daughters in a urban/rural American High School gives me certain insight into this matter.

At first I thought it outrageous that a full-time law enforcement officer (with his 'drug' dog) would be posted in a high school. Then it became obvious to me that this isn't My High School - of nearly 35 years ago. Today students carry photo IDs for the same security reasons that any company or institution requires them. This is not an invasion of their privacy but an attempt to insure the integrity of their personal experience in a public institution of higher learning.

Mr. Schneier:
Do you drive? Do you have a picture license to operate a motor vehicle?
Do you travel? Do you have a picture license to leave and return to you home country?

While I agree that the indiscriminate use of personal information, including a personal image (picture) is not appropriate I cannot say that offering a negative criticism, "...is not the right lesson." is productive either. What is the 'right lesson'?

New Year's Resolution: 1400x1050, of course...

I learned long ago not to bother with New Year's Resolutions.

Seems that we insist once a year on holding ourselves to a standard. Why? Because we believe we can change. We believe that we can control our lives as though we were sitting behind the wheel of a car; turn the wheel right, go right; turn the wheel left, go left. The only real hitch-in-the-git-along of the car analogy is the "Do you know where you are driving to?" question. Usually if you are after a gallon of milk the directions are pretty clear.

Seems New Year's Resolutions are a bit more vague than a gallon of milk. Or, they are a bit more complex in their implementation than just a drive to the convenience store. Either way they more accurately reflect the true nature of the human condition. We are frail, compromised, and indecisive. [Oh boy, should I receive ugly comments about this...] If on the other hand were were truly strong, whole and complete, as well as clearly decisive we would have addressed "Resolutions" on a daily on-going basis.

Therein lies the key to this entire matter: it should not be a matter of a "New Year's Resolution" but rather a simple matter of today's resolution. Our endeavors should not be lofty grandiose goals. Rather we should focus on the moment of our lives. We can affect significant change in our lives not by scheduling it for a week from next Tuesday but by making small, minor adjustment right now.

Right now...I am going post the first Pa^ Patois post of 2007...right now.

[Note: 1400x1050 is the most excellent resolution of this 15' R52 IBM ThinkPad.]

Season's Greetin's

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

The very best of the season to you and yours this holiday season.

If Chris Locke says... (The Notoriety of Fame)

< andy_rooney > Didja ever notice that cool things aren't cool until cool people make a point of saying they are ... well... cool? Didja ever notice that Chris Locke is the purveyor of things with high cooliocity factors. In fact Chris Locke is the very picture of cool. Didja ever notice that? < / andy_rooney >


H/T to another Master Cooler - Frank Paynter


Technorati Tags: Chris Locke, Frank Paynter, Cool

This is why America (USA) is great!

The constitution of the United States of America guarantees Newt Gingrich the right to speak his mind freely about the things he strongly believes. Quoted in the The New York Sun publication, Gingrich: Free Speech Should Be Curtailed To Fight Terrorism Mr. Gingrich makes what he believes is a strong case for the curtailment of that same right.

"This is a serious, long-term war," the former speaker said, according an audio excerpt of his remarks made available yesterday by his office. "Either before we lose a city or, if we are truly stupid, after we lose a city, we will adopt rules of engagement that use every technology we can find to break up their capacity to use the Internet, to break up their capacity to use free speech, and to go after people who want to kill us to stop them from recruiting people."

Newt, you are absolutely right! We, as a nation, should "break up their [your] capacity to use free speech" for the overthrow of this great nation and all that it stands for.

UP with Newt Gingrich!!! DOWN with Free Speech! Oh, wait, I just abdicated my right to say that...sorry. I retract everything.


Technorati Tags: Constitution, Freedom of Speech, 1st Admendment, Freedom, Newt Gingrich

powered by performancing firefox

...and I told them you didn't like the 'bread component'!

Remember the old joke that starts out... "I saved your life. Jim and Joe were going to make you eat a ... sandwich..."

You do? Then you won't be at all surprised when you read this report on McDonalds Intellectual Property and the protection thereof.

McDonald's puts patent on sandwiches

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

McDonald's wants to own the rights to how a sandwich is made.

The fast-food chain has applied for a patent relating to the 'method and apparatus' used to prepare the snack.

The burger company says owning the 'intellectual property rights' would help its hot deli sandwiches look and taste the same at all of its restaurants.

It also wants to cut down on the time needed to put together a sandwich, thought to have been dreamt up by the Earl of Sandwich in 1762.

The 55-page patent, which has been filed in the US and Europe, covers the 'simultaneous toasting of a bread component'.

Garnishes of lettuce, onions and tomatoes, as well as salt, pepper and ketchup, are inserted into a cavity in a 'sandwich delivery tool'.

The 'bread component' is placed over the cavity and the assembly tool is inverted to tip out the contents. Finally, the filling is placed in the 'bread component'.

It explains: 'Often the sandwich filling is the source of the name of the sandwich; for example, ham sandwich.'

Lawrence Smith-Higgins, of the UK Patent Office, said: 'McDonald's or anyone else cannot get retrospective exclusive rights to making a sandwich.

'They might have a novel device, but it could be quite easy for someone to make a sandwich in a similar way without infringing their claims.'

McDonald's said: 'These applications are not intended to prevent anyone from using previous methods for making sandwiches.'

©2006 Associated Metro Limited

Minimal Manifesto

Value silence.

Be humble.

Do not engage in idle speculation.

Do not ask questions that are their own answers.

Do not think out loud.

Not liking something does not make the thing wrong or bad.

The Arrogance of Affluence

In an earlier post American Wealth I made the following points...

• I have never really been hungry.
  
• I have never really been thirsty.
• I have never really been cold.
• I have never really been homeless.
• I have never really had to work hard.
• I have never really been poor.

Yesterday, the Thanksgiving holiday here in the USA, was a time of abundance, excess and celebration. We made a point of just laying around, being entertained by all-day television and then eating until we were as stuffed as the the turkey. And then there was pie.

Underlying my excesses crawled a thread of reflection. Yesterday it was the "We're so rich..." thread. Here are some of the points...

• We are so rich that we can stand for long periods of time in the shower letting clean, pure, heated (and then temperature regulated) water just splash against us and then run down the drain.

• We are so rich that we can heat our homes so that we can wear t-shirts and shorts indoors in the winter time.

• We are so rich that while cooking our abundant and excessive Thanksgiving dinner we actually complained that it was too hot.

• We are so rich that we can afford to let in the winter air to cool our too hot kitchen.

...and the number one way I can tell that we are so rich...

• We are so rich that we eat the pie filling and throw away large pieces of the crust.

Technorati Tags: Wealth, America, Excess

powered by performancing firefox

Tomorrow and tomorrow....

...is my favorite holiday. A time when the human spirit soars. When fellowship and the sacred rite of sharing food brings us to the temple of the kitchen. Warm and comforting. Appealing to all the senses. May you and yours celebrate.

Where when you know what about who is telling.

You can tell a lot about a person when you listen to who they are talking about...

I will let you draw your own conclusions...

You worry about what Jason Calacanis says?

You know who is the current points leader in NASCAR?

You worry about what Mark Cuban will not buy next?

You can recite the guest list from Tom and Kat's wedding?

You know that Zhang Yin the richest person in China?

You really are excited about Ponzi and Chris?

You laugh or cry at hugh macleod's cartoons.

Technorati Tags: cults of personality

powered by performancing firefox

Breaking Habits

Bad or otherwise...

J. Wentworth was quoted in this posting Breaking Bad Habits at Cultivating Greatness

Making Changes Once you start, do everything you can to help yourself succeed: * Break your goal into several manageable steps so you can enjoy small victories along the way. * Develop new routines and activities to avoid falling into old traps. * Keep track of your progress. * Seek professional help and support groups if you feel the need. * Reward yourself for your hard work!It took time to develop your bad habit, it will take time to stop it. If you look for overnight success, you will likely be discouraged. Some days will be easier than others. If you slip up, don’t let that keep you from trying again.

All very sound advise but the post seems to have overlooked one very important part of the actual process...

As an individual who has worked through a number of 'bad habits' as well as a number of 'Ok habits' I can speak from personal experience. As an individual who has lead recovery programs and worked closely with many others who are dealing with habits I feel that I can speak from applied experience.

Breaking habits, good or bad, is a matter of stopping a behavior, plain and simple. Your feelings, fears, tensions, angst, frustration may contribute to the difficulty but they must be dealt with separately. If you want to quit smoking; just stop. And continue to stopping until you have actually quit. Here is the BIG RUDE SURPRISE - after you have stopped the smoking behavior you will still have all of your feelings, fears, tensions, angst, frustration to deal with.

So, why let all of those 'things' interfere with the cessation of a behavior. Don't allow those things to be the road block in the path to achieving your desired results. Don't choose to honor those 'things' over the clearly defined objective you have set for yourself. Just stop smoking - then address the next issue on the list.

Got a call...

Got a call from the Head Bum... seems there is a one show revival of Rent-a-Bums for Gary Allan tomorrow night. So 11:AM tomorrow we will load in the show.

It seems he is a popular Hat, Buckle and Boots entertainers with a hot number: 'A Feelin' Like That' ... from his album 'Tough All Over'.

He must be really really famous because I don't know anything he has done.

Preview: Slack 11 and the 2.6 Kernel

I mentioned that I enjoy pulp fiction, I likened it to television without the commercials. Well, I just finished Louis L'Amour's 'Tucker'. It is a coming of age novel story - Shell Tucker starts out a know-it-all boy and turns into a mature savvy young man. Classic L'Amour.

When he was interviewed L'Amour said he could write anywhere, anytime. Give him a portable typewriter and he could write in the middle of Hollywood boulevard. Part of it was his simple straight forward style. Part of it was his love of telling a good story. Part of it was writing about something he believed in deeply.

I don't think L'Amour believed in the stories that he made up. I believe he was a man who clearly knew fact from fiction. He did however believe in the values represented in his stories. Clearly he loved the hero, rough around the edges, who stood for Honor, Truth, Compassion and Commitment. He wrote simple action-adventure storys that show us what we can expect from ourselves if we hold to our core values.

Did I mention that the man just loved to write.

So where is this preview?

Slack 11 and the 2.6 Kernel - sounds like the title of an action-adventure thriller, sort of like Ocean's 11 and the Temple of Doom. Now that is a scary movie prospect.

The preview? It is coming to a blog near you. Watch your local papers for times and dates.

The [Short] J Train

John Dodds offers this 'minifesto' which I distilled yet again in red. While not as pioneering as the original M'festos John does brings to the fore a number of important points... My favorite is #9 - less because it about selling but more because it acknowledges what the customer is really all about; buying.

I think number 8 brings the matter into very clear focus - keep coming back to your customers. Get to know them, return to their values, come back to their successes with your product. Keep coming back.

The J Train (A Marketing 2.0 Minifesto).

1. All Markets Are Up For Grabs. Focus: Re-frame the discussion.
   
   
2. Difference Not Differentiation. Minimize the behavioral change you demand.
   
   
3. Don't Disappoint. An informed customer is your best promotion.
   
4. 
   
5. Make Your Marketing Sociable. Build genuine relationships with potential customers.
   
   
6. Interaction Requires Iteration. Community, co-operation and co-creation.
   
   
7. See The Wood For The Trees. Find out what [your customers] are like.
   
   
8. Relate, Renew and Reinvent. You must keep coming back to your customers.
   
   
9. Don't Forget To Sell. Sell - your customers are interested in buying.
   
   
10. Le ROI Est Mort. ROI will rise as your engagement [discussion] intensifies.
    
    
11. Marketing Is Not A Department. It is everybody's job.

The J train that I used to ride from lower Manhattan out to JFK is synonomous for me with expanding horizons and (with its echoes of those trains called clue and hugh) it seemed an aptly contrived title for my rough draft minifesto on this evolving thing we call marketing 2.0.

posted by john dodds @ 2:10 AM

I'm tired... And the good news!

This has been one of those days... I am tired.

And the good news is....(* Drum roll please *)

Performancing Firefox posted correctly to beta.blogspot.com on the very first try!

Oh yeah! Well done Performancing.

powered by performancing firefox

My neighbor's obnoxious sodium vapor street light

Singapore teen charged with stealing wireless internet access

Let me state for the record that stealing is wrong.

Now, lets examine the real nature of the circumstance...

My neighbor put up one of those obnoxious sodium vapor street lights on a pole that is close to my property. I will readily acknowledge that he is completely within his right to do so. Even if the light is an obnoxious eyesore. But here is the point of my rant...

Can my neighbor stop me from using the light emitted from his obnoxious street light? Hardly. He cannot control where the light goes. So I can sit out in my yard in the middle of the night and read the paper using his light if I want to...and he cannot stop me. Can my neighbor stop me from using the deterrent effect of a street light, his street ligtht, to reduce the possibility of crime in my neighborhood?

If my neighbor didn't want me to use his street light then he better direct it specifically on to his property. Or he should set the light to shine at a frequency that only he can see. Or he should turn the light off when he is not using it. Or...

My wifi network? Protected with a shared WEP key? Well, yeah... so what is your point?

I need to get a life...

I was curious so I signed up at Second Life. Learned to walk, talk and fly. Managed to stumble and tumble around for a while and then it hit me...like a ton of virtual bricks... allow me to elucidate...

05:00 Pager goes off - sent by my primary network management system - "Wake up call." Serves as my programmable alarm clock _and_ tests the paging system.

05:30ish...
First thing in the morning I usually check my PDA for my daily schedule and then wifi for my gMail. A quick read of the gNews followed by a check of my gReader feeds... kiss my lovely wife (the Saint) and then dropping teenagers off at highschool. Yes, I did remember my laptop, my cell phone, my PDA and my pager, thank you very much... "Make sure you e-mail me if your mother is going to pick you up after school."

07:00ish
Visual check of the Simplex Fire Alarm system on my way across the lobby, green is good. Check the snail mail. Checking for 'red-light' messages on printers, fax machines and copiers as I wind through the office. Through two locked doors to access my office and the network operations center.

Check the status of the network. Hobbit reporting which systems are on-line, which have system messages, which PCs have recently been rebooted. Hobbit also displays Server status - CPU loads, disk utilization, tcp connections and more. MRTG generates traffic graphs for key network connections. This big peak means the back-ups ran on schedule last night. This long sustained peak means that Sally is trying to send Halloween pictures to her sister again.

Fire up gReader on my main Slackware system (v.11 running KDE 3.5, tight) start in on the professional blogs...Trade Slicks (magazines) for the 21st century. Dock the laptop and fire it up... corporate e-mail - good the spam filter is working. Load the CCTV application - double check that all the cameras are on-line, good. Generate the Internet proxy report for last week and send a copy to the boss.

07:25 Pager goes off - sent by secondary network management system, "Morning staff meeting." Snag my first cup of office coffee then off to the morning briefing...

I need to get a life...yeah right, just what I need, a Second Life.

New Business Computers

Business computing is not evolving as fast as the technology of PCs.

Take Joe Clerical for instance. An evaluation of his PC usage shows that he spends 10-15 minutes per day on company related e-mail. He works with an Access based program (front end for an SQL database) for 4.75 hours and he is allowed to surf the Internet on his breaks (2 x 15 min.) and lunch half-hour.

Were it not for the advances Microsoft has made with Active Directory and Domain management Joe might still be using Windows NT on a Pentium I. It is very difficult from a business perspective to reconcile buying Joe a new PC complete with OS and a new Office suite when his job requirements have not changed in the past four plus years.

Perhaps Microsoft should take a long hard look at their B-to-B model. By forcing upgrades they are pushing business folks to the very edge of their patience. This could be particularly dangerous when the competition, albeit immature and scattered, cost so very little by comparison.

Slackware 11

Not much of a post...

...just, welcome old friend.

Installed just the way it ever was... dependable, uniform, comfortable.

More to follow...




Technorati Tags: Slackware, linux,

powered by performancing firefox

Security Alert: Privacy is dead!

Two (count 'em, 2) years ago I posted this (adult content) which was a repost of a "Privacy " rant that I had originally posted at Winextra.

Today I followed a link pointed to by noted security specialist Bruce Schneier which took me to an interesting article on Data Mining.

Hot Mama!

BEFORE you go all ballistic on me... I am NOT referring to a woman or a stereotypical group of women in this title.

A 'Hot Mama' is a wondrous culinary delight that grew out of a special ministry that was shepherded by Tom when he lived at a student cooperative during his undergraduate years.

In the early 1970's at a small liberal arts college in southern lower Michigan there existed a 'radical-hippie-commune' student cooperative called the Goodrich Club. (The Club still exists today and carries on many of the traditions of earlier years.)
At the time the Club was all-male - a legacy of the strict views of the college. Tom decided that his personal contribution to the Club, above and beyond his regular duties, was to bake bread. At the time he was working for a Pizza shop and worked out a deal to use the mixer and the ovens after hours. So there was an abundance of fresh baked bread.

I am sure in my own mind that Tom's Gift to the club was a sort of a cross between meditation and service (ministry in action). Perhaps there was no distinction for Tom. Perhaps baking bread was just his calling.

So there was bread, many many loaves of fresh baked bread. And there was a house full of hungry young men. Young radical hippie young men and associated radical hippie young women who frequently stimulated their appetites with the serious pursuit of academic excellence, intellectual stimulation, long days and long nights of applied study and of course just a little, just a wee bit of... the munchies.

Did I mention the ministerial efforts of Tom and the presence of fresh baked bread? Oh yeah! Night or day, morning or evening there was bread. Two slices cut to an individual's particular taste and popped into the toaster. Liberally spread (it is a liberal arts college, after all) with butter on one piece and peanut butter on the other then joined in culinary matrimony to become the 'Hot Mama'. Oh yeah!

In our hours of need Tom's ministry fed us. Thanks Tom.

This was brought to the surface of my fuzzy memory by the grace of my wife's contribution, Gift, to our family - fresh baked bread. That I dutifully toast, butter, peanut butter and then enjoy as a 'Hot Mama'.

[UPDATE] Tom offered the following ...

Out of respect to the memory of my late Gramma who taught me to love
hot mammas, it must be said that the 'original' is (simply) open-faced, toast with peanut butter and jelly. And to this day, in our clan--or tribe--that is what a hot
mamma is.

SLED, Ubuntu and Slack, oh my....

Here I am back in SLED10.

This is after an excursion into Ubuntu6.1 this morning.

U6.1 isn't too bad, as canned distos go.

Had to fight with a couple of 'features'...

• Video still defaults to 1024x768, 800x600 or 640x480 (what is that for? PDAs?) I was able to locate an online HOW-TO that walked me through the sudo based commands to reconfigure the X Server (If this sounds scary it is not...to a seasoned Linux Admin.)
  
• Went into the 'system' controls menu and tried to reset 'Time and Date' - FUNKY! Finally realized that after setting the time I had to hit the 'Synchronize' button to get it to set the time. Sheeeeeesh.
• I thought instead of me setting/correcting the time I would just invoke the NTP service and let it go to the network for accurate time. When I checked the box it prompted me to provide it with root credentials and then asked if I wanted to install the NTP service. When I clicked 'Install' it just thought for a second (whirling thinking symbol) and then it stopped... no dialog box, no install window, no NTP services. Harrrrumph!
  
• Something down-deep that I didn't care for was a kind of latency when it comes to mouse clicks and button choices. On a couple of occasions the system seemed to offer a button, give it focus, but not let the user click on it. Seems I had to click somewhere else and then return to the button in question.

So I have returned to SLED...

Prepared by Novell, SLED is a commercial package. It is prepped to a commercial standard. It works exactly the way it is supposed to, with rare and as yet unfound exception.

This is very important in the distro perspective of things. If putting together a distro is fun and interesting that is one thing. If prepping a distro is a matter of commercial livelihood - for which a company will be held accountable - that is anther thing entirely.

As a canned distro goes, SLED10 is one of the very best I have seen. But... it is still canned.

So I will be patient ... let vamp download the 6 CD ISO images that constitute Slackware 11.

More to follow...

How do I compute?

This will be an 'all-day' post... chronicaling my use of this computer and others in my work and home environments.

Laptop off the changer at home, didn't fire it up - had to vote.
Laptop on the docking station at work, changed from WiFi to wired
* Logged into Laptop WinXP, started Lotus Notes, noticed there was no new spam,
* Woke up sledix (SUSE SLED10), started FireFox
Loaded Google Home Page, GMail, GReade, Meebo,
Opened three linked sites from GReader, marked 7 articles "Not Read' to save for later
Loaded Pa-2.blogspot.com to begin this post.
* Woke up polyx (Slackware 10), checked overnight download (vamp) for latest Ubuntu disto
Checked Hobbit/MRTG display for status of network
* Connected sledix to polyx via vmware-server-console
Installed latest version of Ubuntu - Disappointed that it did not automatically upgrade!
* Installed new HD in sledix, loaded Ubuntu 6.06.1
Disappointed with video resolution, poor documentation, uncomfortable GNOME UI.
(Cabled SUSE HD back and rebooted to SLED10)
* Updated Red Hat SQL server
* Checked GMail, GReader.

Lunch was spent with Jim in his Poetry Garage - So good I feel uncomfortable thinking I can write.

Just finished reading a Rob Reilly review of Ubuntu 6.1 "Edgy" and then visiting the "U" site... Now I am really torn... The prospect of loading Ubuntu6.1 vs. Slack11.0 - very difficult choice....

Configured vamp to download Ubuntu 6.1 ISO and Slack11 ISOs tonight

Problem: ActiveX applette doesn't recognize IE 7 as a supported browser
* RDP from polyx (Slack10) to Win2K3 IIS server... locate *.ini files
decoded/transliterated and edit *.ini files
* Mapped laptop to Win2K3/C$ to write edited *.ini files back to IIS server

* RDP Win2K3 IIS to stop and start web server
Tested intranet pages - activeX applette works in IE 7 ... Yea!!!

* Checked GMail, GReader.

* Changed the backup tapes...

* Go home

[Update]
Ahhhhhh, got home. Pleasant family dinner, ahhhhhh.... then the election results started coming in....
* Laptop connects to home wifi (connected to DSL)
~3 hours trying to find feeds for local races in KY and MI
checked gmail
went to sleep

(awake at 05:00, repeat...)

Moving FUDward?

Anthony Taylor in his report Microsoft’s perfect timing goes a long way to putting this naive boy in his place... I just finished saying that the agreement between Novell and Microsoft was a beginning... I guess I should take lessons in 'getting a clue'

Microsoft’s perfect timing

By Anthony Taylor

Online on: 06/11/2006

Microsoft has always had excellent timing. They know when to announce a product; they know when to begin grass-roots movements to build hype for a product; they know when to create an alliance; they know when to break an alliance. They have missed some marks, that's true. They almost missed the internet boat, but were able to quickly recover with the licensing of Spyglass, Inc's browser. Microsoft's best timing, though, has always been when and where to spread Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt.

And that brings us to Novell.

[snipped]

Now, less than a month before the release of corporate Vista, Microsoft has created a climate that will chill that negotiation tactic. We saw Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer begin this chilling effect this last week, when he said, "If a customer says, 'Look, do we have liability for the use of your patented work?' Essentially, If you're using non-Suse Linux, then I'd say the answer is yes."

"Oh," the sales rep can say during licensing negotiations, "are you planning on installing Suse Linux?" Then they can go on about how dangerous it is to deploy GNU/Linux, unless it is Suse Linux. "And do you know how expensive that is?" they can ask.

Until now, there has been little fear about installing GNU/Linux, SCO lawsuits notwithstanding. Red Hat Linux is a particular favorite, but there are many installations of GNU/Linux without any commercial support. System administrators simply download the latest version of their favorite distribution and install. Now, businesses will be more likely to require installation of GNU/Linux with "indemnification," such as Red Hat Linux of Suse Linux, increasing substantially the price of initial implementation and adding to recurring costs. This decreases the GNU/Linux value compared to Microsoft products.

Visits from the Business Software Alliance (BSA) never worried those with GNU/Linux. With the threat of Microsoft retaliating with patents, very large corporations -- those most likely to turn to GNU/Linux, or at least use it in license negotiations with Microsoft -- are less likely to consider GNU/Linux at all, at least until this is all sorted out. By that time, they will have upgraded to Vista, allowing Microsoft to continue domination through this upgrade cycle.

In the end, this is all about Vista. This is all about a forced-march upgrade cycle. This is all about pulling the prop from under corporate threats of a mass GNU/Linux migration. This is all about removing choice.

It's all about marketing the idea that GNU/Linux is not safe, and you should probably stick with Vista.

OMvirtualG!!!

I was surprised by Gold Farming in China... Oh yeah, surprised is not the word I will continue to use...

Second Life: Real Money in a Virtual World [Link]

I won't suggest this is ethically wrong. I won't suggest this is morally wrong.

I will only state for the record that in its entirety this is completely WRONG!

at least M+N are trying to move forward

David Sugar in his FreeSoftwareMagazine article, From freedom to slavery; a week of two distros, issues a rallying cry, bemoaning the Novell+Microsoft deal. His rhetoric is strong and his positions are compelling. My first inclination is to uninstall my most recent SUSE instance and wave my GPL/FOSS flag high.

Yet I am left wavering... first, wishing to acknowledge that Novell's SUSE is a great distro. One of the few that, as a tool, has 'met my hand''. ("If the tool does not meet the hand do not pick it up.") SLED10 is well appointed and comfortable. The comfort is an indication that thought and preparation went into the UI. Right from the 'box' SUSE is both accessible and visually appealing. Form without function is the downfall of many distros - the Chameleon's selection of Gnome based applications provides a well integrated suite of software tools. (I once heard a Novell rep refer to the lizard as a gecko - I don't think so!)

More important than my personal tastes in Linux distributions is a base, fundamental question; Where will the reconciliation start? To this end I applaud both Novell and Microsoft in their willingness to face the reality of our current situation and hammer out a working arrangement. Only the hind sight of history will validate or vilify this agreement but... at least M+N are trying to move forward.


Technorati Tags: Linux, Novell, Microsoft

powered by performancing firefox

RIP Rent-a-Bum

Rent-a-Bum has been assimilated into the corporate Borg.

"This ain't our first rodeo, it is our last."

Had I stayed and kowtowed to the great borg I would have had the pleasure to roadie for the "Killer" - Mr. Jerry Lee Lewis... but that is not what it was all about... kowtowing. Being a Rent-a-Bum was about being above all that. It was about hard work, professionalism, and a close association with the bands and performers. Rent-a-Bum was not about kowtowing to the corporate borg.

Rent-a-Bum was about being a shield. Being a barrier between the acts and the corporate world that wanted a piece of them. Venue owners want special privileges, back stage access, glad handing. Audience members, grrrms, want special privileges, back stage access, glad handing. Acts and talent just want to be normal people, treated with respect for their professional contributions. Acts and talent just want to get the job done and relax without being grabbed, picked at or fawned over. Rent-a-Bum was about providing that layer of professional space.

American Wealth

I have never really been hungry.

I don't know what gnawing perpetual hunger is. I don't know what going to bed hungry every night is all about. I have never really wondered where my next meal was coming from.

I have never really been thirsty.

I have never been so dehydrated that I had to drink contaminated water.

I have never really been cold.

Really cold as in continuously unable to generate enough body warmth to be comfortable.

I have never really been homeless.

I have always had an address. I have always had a house to live in.

I have never really had to work hard.

Work hard for days on end, exhausted at the end of the day and bone-tired at the beginning of the day.

I have never really been poor.

I do not know how 80% (at least) of the worlds population feels every minute of every day of their entire lives.

Who am I to say that I understand any part of the world situation?

OMGoldFarmers!!!

I posted the previous (Cyber Agricultural Engineers, Oh my!) rather as an off-hand remark. More like an exclamation. Then I began to internalize exactly what 'Gold Farming' represented in my world view. Then the warning klaxon began to sound in earnest.

Perhaps as much as two years ago I slack-jaw marveled at an NPR story about a fellow who had paid ~$12,500 USD for a virtual island in one of the on-line games. The reporter went on to suggest that this enterprising individual would do what any self respecting property developer would do... sub-divide, build, sell and make a fortune. A real fortune, selling digital dreams to other would be digital Barons.

So if this adheres so closely to the brick and mortal model of value enhancement then why am I so excited about it? Real world value is being assigned to virtual world entities. With this assignment we are leaving the reality of our terra firma for the vast uncharted space of our fantasies. The gap between values and Values is widening with no regard to the cost in human terms. Literally, while people on one side of our planet are starving to death, people on the 'other side' of reality are spending real time, real money and real energy achieving status in a pretend world. In the ether of the net.

It will always be easier/cheaper to offer a person the picture of a bowl of rice than it will to offer the bowl of rice. Pictures will not feed the outer person. Pictures will not sustain the inner person.

Neo, take the blue pill.

Cyber Agriculture Engineers, oh my!

I have in the past lovingly referred to Farmers as Agricultural Engineers. Then I read an GigaOM article that referenced Gold Farmers which lead me here...

Gold farming in China

According to estimates, around 100,000 people in China are employed as gold farmers, as of December 2005. [1] This represents about 0.4% of all online gamers in China. Chinese gold farmers typically work twelve hour shifts, and sometimes up to eighteen hour shifts. Wages depend heavily on location and the size of the gold farming company. One gold farming operation in Chongqing in central China with 23 gold farmers was reported to pay its employees the equivalent of about 75 U.S. dollars per month, while workers at a larger gold farm in Fuzhou earn the equivalent of about 250 U.S. dollars per month. The rising prevalence of gold farming has led to the creation of gold farm brokerages, such as UCdao. [2]

Pulp fiction fun

The great thing about pulp fiction is that it is just like TV ... without the commercials. Ahhhhhhh!

Stone Cold, Robert B. Parker

Tucker, Louis L'Amour
Spring Moon, Bette Bao Lord

And...

Fairy Tales for Computers, The Eakins Press, Copyright @ 1969
The Machine Stops, E. M. Forster
The Nature Theater of Oaklahoma, Franz Kafka
Notes on a Dream, Theodor Herzl
The Book of the Machine, Samuel Butler
On Intelligence, Paul Valéry
The Nightingale, Hans Christian Andersen

But seriously...

(Read "I was taken..." then come back and read this - the only problem with blogging is the reverse time warp-thing that happens, FILO, etc. )

One of the other offers that I receive frequently always strikes a chord with me... "Earn your degree on-line in minutes..." In this day and age of 'padding' one's resume to secure that cherry position with that Web2.0 startup having an extra PhD laying around is handy... sure I could just "claim" my position in life and who would be the wiser? I would! Therein lies the problem...

So my resolve is to implement the opposite... I intend to receive my Letters from IU (Internet University) the old fashion way - I will write. Some will read.

Pa^2 - The Way... began as an essay. As I started into it I realized that I will spend a very long time trying to do justice to the "simple" ideas that I have put forth.

I was taken... (winkwink)

Not a day goes by that some individual doesn't make it their business to worry about the length, volume, and functionality of my... "The pen is mightier than the sword." I am touched by their heartfelt expressions of concern. I am up-lifted by their offers of encouragement. I am buoyed by their offers of assistance in this most delicate matter.

Heckfire! I am just pleased beyond words to receive a daily onslaught of personal correspondence offering me just what I need to over-come my deficiencies. I feel better already knowing that the answer is just a click away...

Oh! The title of this post... sorry, I should have put up the entire thing.

In my view one of the greatest lines ever penned in popular culture... "I was taken by a photograph of you." Joni Mitchell's clear and soaring voice comes a ringing through...

RUMMY?!?!?

Rumsfeld in Heated Exchange With Reporters Over Iraq

Donald Rumsfeld

By E&P Staff

Published: October 26, 2006 11:20 PM ET
NEW YORK

A press briefing on Thursday by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld drew wide attention when he deflected heated questions from reporters by asking them to calm down and "just back off" and wait, again, for positive results in Iraq.

EXCUSE ME?!?!?

Rummy, please consider telling the men and women in the field of battle to "calm down and "just back off"" PLEASE, ask the parents of soldiers living and dead to just 'calm down'... and wait.

WAIT FOR WHAT?!?!?!?

What is right about Liberals?

Michael Bérubé responding to criticism leveled by "Maximilian Pakaluk’s recent review of my book in the National Review Online." offered the following position....

As I explain in What’s Liberal?, there’s another reason I don’t share Harris’s faith (or that of any other “ethical realist") in mind-independent concepts: I think that believing in them can have nasty consequences. That is, people who believe that they’ve discovered objective moral principles out there in the ether (as distinct from people who think they’re working out sublunary moral principles with their fellow human beings) are especially likely to think of people who believe otherwise—or who simply believe in other principles—as not merely mistaken about this or that but objectively wrong as measured by some nonhuman, observer-independent criterion. Or, as I write elsewhere in the chapter, “you might conclude that people who disagree with you are not simply working from different moral premises but, rather, are alien—or opposed—to morality itself. It then becomes all the easier to exclude them from the conversation, from all forms of human community.” And one of the purposes of the liberal arts—golly, but I thought this argument was as clear as a mountain stream—is to teach people how to think about fundamental disagreements in human affairs, and how to conceptualize fundamental disagreements without coming to the conclusion that the people who disagree with you must be expelled or exterminated.

Not to sound fawning or patronizing but this is the clearest explanation of a "Liberal" position that I have ever encountered. In the space of one paragraph, albeit a complex one, Bérubé is able to point to the crux of the matter, mind-independent concepts. I see his discussion not just as a personal one but as a world-view as well - clarifying many, if not all, of the world struggles.

How clearly I can hear the Christian Fundamentalists saying, "you are not simply working from different moral premises but, rather, are alien—or opposed—to morality itself." Echoed are the voices of the Extremists of almost every camp. Armed with such righteous indignation it is easy to see how violence is the next available method of cleansing the alien immoral influences.

Life becomes very cheap when we disconnect ethics and values from our day to day existence. Mind-independent concepts are just such a disconnect.

Your wall, my graffiti?

Jeneane iffen you are going to offer comments (spray graffiti) on another's blog site (my wall) then you have to know that I get to do what I like with my wall. If that means repainting it, so be it. If it means charging admission to view my wall, extant with your graffiti then so be it.

Lives up to its name, is as good as its word...

Steven over at WinExtra pointed us toward a product that you just don't see every day. Here is a product that really does exactly what it claims. It comes clearly packaged, it is easy to install, does exactly what it says it will do, doesn't have any back-doors or hidden "features"... NaDa, zip ziltch, zero... just exactly what you would expect from every good software provider.

Go here, get yours => Get your NaDa here

I got mine and it is great!

Vacation is over, back to work.

Spent 8 of the last 9 days on "vacation" ...

Getting to spend time with an old friend, priceless. Getting to attend the Goodrich Club Board Meeting, invaluable. Setting aside 1 day to visit my father's cousin in Holland Michigan, beyond measure.

Working my butt off trying to keep pace with my old friend - a daunting challenge at best, an exercise in futility at worst. Ken Shenstone is building a studio complex to compliment the 20 year old wood fire Anagama kiln. Not one to enter into small projects Ken and Buck, in partnership, are building two major studio spaces and a common room/kitchen/music studio. As soon as I get the old fashioned film pictures developed I will post a few. (And, as soon as I get permission I will post earlier pix from mid summer that contrast the progress being made.)

So here is a partial list of accomplishments*...

Roofing: Installed metal ribbed roof and trim (rake side x2 plus high side) on a 37' x 52' slant roof
Roofing: Bituthene and roof felt for the common room
Electrics: Bore 4" hole through 12+ inches of 4000lb concrete
Carpentry: Sheathing exterior wall of common room
Carpentry: Bituthene and Typar wall of ceramic studio
Landscape: Prepare area between house and studio for grass planting
Landscape: French drain (stone over drainage pipe) back of commom room

Social: Friday night losing 3 out of two games of Cribbage to Rusty (Yup, got skunked.)
Social: Saturday night, won 2 out of 2 games of Cribbage from Rusty (small revenge.)


* Fine Print Disclaimer: I merely assisted in these accomplishments. Ken is duly credited with doing the actual work.


Technorati Tags: Goodrich Club, Anagama

New Google Feature

Log into Google and go to Google Docs

While the entire world is a buzz with the GoogleTube extravaganza Google has continued to quietly build the state of the art online office experience. Google Docs appears to be the central interface of access to the "working" side of the online office.

My son, of whom I am very proud, was excited beyond words with the thought of his stop-motion videos being accessible via Google. His interests are not in the business of websites but rather the enjoyment of his creations. GoogleTube will be just the forum for the display and admiration of his videos. Keep up the great work!


tag: Google, Online Office,

No Reservations

Anthony Bourdain has no reservations. Thank the deity of your choice. To my ears and eyes Tony brings a new standard of excellence to television. Breaking the traditional Travelogue mold, swearing and eating his way across this country and a nation near where you live. Poking fun at all things commercial. Favoring instead local flavors, street foods and strong drink.

In particular watch for his Beirut episode. It is truly disquieting. We get to see a side of television production that isn't often available. Bourdain avoids the the sensationalism of the "News" media. He and his team focus on the reality of being in a place that is rapidly becoming unpredictable.

What I found most telling was Bourdain's precarious position of not being in control. Here is a rugged individual who is relegated to being a refuge. His world is tossed and he just has to go for a ride. We see a man who doesn't quite know what to make of it all - and in showing us this side Tony Bourdain becomes one of the real people. He becomes one of the people he takes such delight in shocking us with in any other setting.

Odds are that Bourdain and the entire 'No Reservations' production team will not get anything more than a passing attaboy - and that is a damned shame 'cause they did really good work. Yeah, they worked their asses off when the going got tough. All the while focusing on people.

Saturday morning...

Saturday morning at our house is often filled with the smell of frying bacon. Then hash brown potatoes. Then eggs and finally toast. Saturday morning breakfast is my weekly reward. It is also a vestigial remnant of my youth. A reward from a time of poverty. A time when as church-mouse poor college students we would splurge and spend a couple of early Saturday morning hours at Kate's Kitchen. Those were the days of Camel non-filters and countless cups of scalding counter coffee. Those were the hours when we would be served and satisfied. Two over easy bacon whole wheat... For an hour or two the poverty and the winter wind and the studies were pushed away in favor of a classic 'greasy spoon' breakfast.

Kate's is gone even if the building remains. A big name pizza franchise lives there now.