Gitcherowndarnednumber!!!

Go here and get your very own integer ... mine is

31 BF 4E FA 92 52 FC 29 92 27 34 19 E9 3E 8E 30

BullyBillyGates and the Temple of Fear

Reaffirmed once again; I B Clueless!

While I cannot say that I liked the Microsoft product I did have a grudging admiration of the Microsoft Empire as a business entity. Until now...

At some point in your presentation billg will say “that’s the dumbest fucking idea I’ve heard since I’ve been at Microsoft.” He looks like he means it. However, since you knew he was going to say this, you can’t really let it faze you. Moreover, you can’t afford to look fazed; remember: he’s a bully.

“What do you disagree with, Bill?” you ask as assertively as you can. He tells you.

Microsoft Memories

Sadly I realize that in a dawg-eat-dawg world you gots to be the biggest DAWG to keeps from being eaten. Well, I guess it couldn't happen to a better bully.

Dell & Linux... today's version

Yesterday I wrote

DELLinux Redux

and today I see that the major players are getting on the bandwagon...

The empire strikes back

Dell's Linux Problem

and to be fair, here is one with a 'pro' spin on it...

Microsoft-Novell partnership hooks Dell

Open Source, Closed Market?

From the play that I just finished directing, Picasso at the Lapin Agile, a high powered salesman, Charles Dabenow Schmendiman, claims to have had another great idea. "A tall pointy cap for dunces!"

So I tried one on an I had another great idea; I will take the freely offered Open Source code for say... something by Mozilla, how about Firefox. I will fully honor the spirit of the Open Source agreement and leave in all the tributes and adulations to the original authors. I will just slightly touch the source ... just enough so that instead of Fire it would be... PapaFox. Then I will release my version into the wild and wait for my share of the estimated $55 Million that Mozilla in enjoying.

So how come Mozilla isn't shaking in its boots over the prospect of PapaFox cutting so deeply into their revenue stream? Huh? Oh yeah, and where is my cut of that revenue stream - why aren't folks beating a path to my door? It is after all their product just slightly repackaged - "No difference."

• Who in their right mind would download from me what they can get from the original authors? They can get a package that they know will have integrity. The package will be up-to-date. In short the package offered by Mozilla is the real deal.
  
  
• So let's say that I could overcome the image issue of PapaFox. Then, in order to really make it mine I would have to substantially alter the original. Now I am not a programmer nor do I play a Doctor on TV but I know a thing or two about programs. They are huge! They are complex!
  
  Who would have the resources to invest in 'bootlegging' an Open Source application? Where is the profit incentive? Oh I know, I could sell PapaFox for substantially less than Mozilla is getting for it....Uh yeah, what is less than zero?

Now, just for the sake of discussion... lets say that I was able to overcome the previous two stumbling blocks... and I was moderately successful in offering a FireFox decendent that I actually made better (than the original) all the while adhering to the spirit of Open Source software. Now, jftsod, lets say that people started to download and use PapaFox.

Mozilla could take any of three paths; 'lawyer-up', 'pump-up' or 'wither-and-die'. When faced with the Cease&Desist order and being the uber-underdog I would laugh in their faces and try my case in the court of public opinion. Should they decide to Pump-Up then the race is on, as it should be. First they can simply re-incorporate my improvements right back into FireFox (all the while upholding the spirit of the Open Source agreement). Or they could 'black-box' engineer the improvements and just leave me out of it. In either case the product has improved and the consumer has received the real value of the exercise. Lastly, of course Mozilla could simple walk away from their product and I would be the heir apparent as the next browser king. Until the next uber-underdog came along.

This last option, Wither-and-Die, is not all that uncommon in Open Source projects. Authors for a myriad of reasons have to let programs go. Some cannot afford to maintain them. Some just lose interest. The real grace of the Open Source system shines through when an interested individual resurrects an program that has lain fallow. They breath new life into it and once again give it to the community.

The Iraq Scenario

Wirearchy offers a 7 stage plane for the US' involvement in Iraq...

Plan A - Attack

Plan B - Beat 'Em Up

Plan C - Clusterf*ck

Plan D - Denial

Plan E - Escalate

Plan F - Failure

Plan G - Get The Troops Out

Ya only left out a couple of points... The 'official offal plan' never went beyond "b"... And the Iraqi people saw right through the charade from the git go... Bush&Cheney never intended to leave so why bother to work up an exit strategy.

DELLinux Redux

Dell and Novell sitting in a tree ChannelWeb Network (CRN Magazine) is reporting this morning...

Microsoft and Novell said Monday that Dell has become the first major system vendor to join their controversial technology and marketing alliance, agreeing to work with Microsoft to distribute SUSE Linux Enterprise Server certificates.

I am guessing here but I bet that this is the 'deal' that Dell had to agree to in order to get out from under the MS thumb for offering PCs preloaded with... er, uh, ... Linux.

Prediction: Ubuntu and Dell

PLEASE prove me wrong!!!

Dell will half-heartedly role out a few PCs preloaded with Ubuntu. Any possible market share will be diminished by the lack of enthusiasm displayed by Dell. As a marketing ploy they appealed to the voice of public opinion. When sales tank due to lack of their belief in their product the Dell PR guys will stay away in droves.

When, not if, folks start to have questions about 'how to do this' or 'how to fix that' Dell will throw up its collective hands and say, "Well, you know that Linux is Open Source. Go ask the community how to 'do that' or 'fix this'." Without a clear profit incentive Dell will hardly be willing to invest in the necessary support to get their products over the initial bump. When the first report comes back that Dell isn't standing behind their Linux systems customers will join the PR guys, staying away in droves.

People, the few that actually buy the Ubuntu PC, will then raise such a verbal stink AND POINT THE WAGGING FINGER at Linux and say, "This Linux stuff sux!" Gimme back my warm&fuzzy&bloated&addictive Weendoze.

The whole thing should take no longer than 4 months from the date Dell first ships...

I Feel so all alone...

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 0 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Hmmmmmmmm, I am pretty sure that my son, William Meloney is still alive and living at home and tearing up the bandwidth uploading great stop-motion animation videos to YouTube.

Bad blog, bad blog!

Sit, stay, roll-over... don't put links in your articles.

Bad blog!

Don'tcha just hate it when somebody writes an article about an interesting program and then doesn't include a link to the program's site?

BTW: the link that I was after in the article I was reading is
... Pidgin is the new GAIM

Invisible IT

Joshua Porter cites

Five Principles to Design By

which puts the IT business in very clear perspective.

Technology Serves Humans.

Technology serves humans. Humans do not serve technology.

Design is not Art.

Good Design is something that works well.

The Experience Belongs to the User.

The ultimate experience is something that happens in the user, and it is theirs. They own it.

Great Design is Invisible.

An interesting property of great design is that it is taken for granted.

Bad design is obvious because it hurts to use.

Simplicity is the Ultimate Sophistication.

[It] is the highest achievement for a designer.

---

I have long contended that our stated goal in IT is to be[come] invisible. Recent studies published by important folks in the know have stated that IT is not a competitive business practice. (e.g. We won't gain greater market share because we have a bigger IT department than our competition.) In this day and age everybody has an IT department, in house or out-sourced or BILB (Brother-in-Law Bob). So when it comes to customer service, providing the commodity of IT to the end users, our objective is to make it as simple as possible and as invisible as possible.

Let the users, our customers, be about the work of our business not the busy-ness of IT.

Thanks Joshua

Picasso; Before and After...

This is my original rough sketch set design for the Theater Workshop of Owensboro (TWO) production of Picasso at the Lapin Agile, a comedy by Steve Martin. (Rendered with Microsoft Paint)



SketchUp ROCKZ!

This "rough" rendering was generated using SketchUp from Google. I cannot say enough about it as a design tool. In addition to perspective rendering it is possible to alter the POV (point of view). This allows the viewer to 'sit' anywhere in the audience and see what the set will look like. I used the existing textures and color pallette. I am sure that with more time and effort I could have offered an more exact rendering.




While not fully 'dressed' this is the set. --->

Set Construction (including tables) is the very fine work of Mr. Aaron Brown and his son Austin.

Play your gitar on your MTV...

indexed

News: Indexed is a Webby Award Honoree!

You mean they actually give me money to do this? Cool!!!

The biggest cyber-drug pusher on the block

I read Bruce Schneier for two reasons. His sense of humor tickles me just the right way. His sense of cyber-reality offers a clear technology compass for the terminally confused such as myself. So I was piqued by his Commentary on Vista Security and the Microsoft Monopoly.

While Bruce was talking, referentially, about the possible death of Microsoft...

Monopolies eventually overreach themselves and die. Maybe it's finally Microsoft's time to die. That would decrease the risk to the rest of us.

I was struck by a low-level, gut feeling response to some of the phrases offered in the cited articles and analysis.

Demerjian's interpretation of these two developments?

These two actions by Microsoft are proof of

what I suggested three years ago.
Microsoft has lost its ability to twist arms, and now it is going to die. It can't compete on level ground, so is left with backpedalling and discounts of almost 100 times.

The emphasis is mine. Losing the ability to twist arms then reducing the price of the 'product' to ~$3.00 USD is tantamount to the neighborhood pusher giving away the first 'hits' of crack cocaine - to get the users hooked (into buying the expensive drug over and over again.)

(From John Quarterman's article...)

As Dan Geer has been saying for years, Microsoft has a bit of a problem.

If you fit Microsoft's somewhat convoluted definition of poor, it still wants to lock you in, you might get rich enough to afford the full-priced stuff someday.

Microsoft wants the poor guy-on-the-street-user to try the "free" ($3.00 USD) sample in the long range hope of addicting him. Then when the addict returns Microsoft will wring out the 'full-price' for the next fix.

Sadly the real poverty in this case is not strictly economic. Microsoft has built a culture of ignorance in the users of its products. Microsoft turns right around and plays off of this ignorance poverty to continue to enslave innocent every day folks.

$0 is less than $3.

Sin-Yaw Wang of Sun Microsystems reminds us that $3 US is too much for good software.

Note to self: Don't do that again...

I had a craving, a need, for three of the four main food groups; salt, fat, sugar and chocolate. So I bought one of those "King Size SNICKERS" from the vending machine in the breakroom. (There are no real healthy snacks anywhere on site so us hunter-gatherers must resort to extreme measures.)

I knew when the BAR slipped from the spiral delivery system and BANGED in the bottom of the 'customer retrieval chute' that perhaps I was getting more than I bargained for. Lugging the thing back to my office I set it on the table behind me and I tried to ignore it. Alas, the allure was too great.

Peeling back the wrapper I took the first glorious bite. Chocolate, caramel, peanuts and nougat...ahhhhh. And then the torrid addiction kicked in... I just couldn't stop myself. Bite after BIG BITE until in a frenzy I had consumed the entire candy bar.

Hi, my name is Papa and I am a chocoholic...

And this bar would have fed a nomadic tribe of south american cocao growers for a week! It was HUGE! And now...it is gone. The sugar buzz remains but the chocolate elation is just flowing away. I feel so dirty, so ... jones'd. So I just sit here and stare at the wrapper, wondering if perhaps there is just one more little chocolate crumble stuck in the folds.

Change. Spare change...can you spare a fellow the price of 'KingSizeSnickers'?

I must be ... BRILLIANT!

I stumbled across these words of wisdom from Doc Searls ...

Searls First Law — The more you know, the worse you look

... according to the law I must be well on my way to... looking really good?

Powered by ScribeFire.

A reverse survey meme sorta thing...

I asked Platicus over at Sandwich Flats to interview me with this 'reverse survey meme sorta thing...' So here are my answers to his 5 questions...

1. What is your favorite movie ?

The Samurai Trilogy is a film trilogy directed by Hiroshi Inagaki and starring Toshiro Mifune as Miyamoto Musashi and Koji Tsuruta as Sasaki Kojirō. The films are based on the novel by Eiji Yoshikawa, about the famous duellist and author of The Book of Five Rings.

2. What fictional character would you most like to
meet, and why ?

Lord Toranaga: Blackthorne is taken to Lord Toranaga, the daimyo in control of the territory in which Blackthorne and the Erasmus first landed. Toranaga quickly realizes that Blackthorne and his ship present a great opportunity; not only in his dealings with the Portuguese, but also in his struggle with his main rival, Lord Ishido, over future control of all of Japan.

Lord Toranaga is the ultimate Bad/Good guy. While maintaining absolute command he relinquishes control. He is self-effacing, offering to dance the 'barbarian' dance. He is as well versed in the arts of humanity as he is in the art of war. He is both sentimental and callused. He knows how to move the human pieces around the cosmic chess board without letting his opponent know his true intent.

3. Who is the funniest person you know ?

Robin Williams - Not for Mork or for most of his film work but rather for those few spontaneous sessions where he is able to draw upon his wealth of historical and literary knowledge. His ability to combine Shakespear-esque verbiage with gang-banging street yo's leaves me laughing to the edge of tears. (Special Note: Robin Williams must be acknowledged for his fearless comedic film work in The Birdcage.)

4. Do you believe in extra-terrestrial life ?

Yes, we puny humans cannot be the only sentient beings in the universe.

5. What is your ultimate meal ?

My wife's fresh-from-the-oven hand-made bread with a little butter, cool pure water and a sun warmed apricot picked fresh from my grandmother's orchard.

In considering this question I might have reflected on the many great meals that I have enjoyed at my grandmother's table, at my father's table and the many excellent restaurants that I have had the privilege of attending. While all were great meals in the context of this question they spoke to my appetite and not to my hunger. Were I truly hungry I would eat almost anything. Were I truly hungry and had a choice then I would want bread, water and fruit.

Here are the rules if you want to keep it going:

Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."
I will respond by asking you five questions. I get to
pick the questions.

You will update your weblog with the answers to the
questions.(And let me know that you answered) If you
don't have a blog, but would still like to play, I can
send you the questions, and you can answer 'em in the
comments.

You will include this explanation and an offer to
interview someone else in the same post.
When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will
ask them five questions.

WordFlashReader - NFTFOH*

Now that I am getting this laptop settled I am interested in re-acquiring some of my favorite applications. WordFlashReader (WFR) is high on my list.

WFR uses Rapid Serial Visual Presentation (RSVP <-- Classic geek joke, that.)

WFR represents, in my view, the perfect marriage of computer technology and human capabilities. Beginning in 1986 I complained that PCs were slow and incapable of meeting the demands placed upon them by their human owner/operators. Silly me, I expected multi-tasking from my 8088 based computer. (Anyone remember GeoWorks?)

WFR is actually a very simple program. It takes text files as input and presents them to the user one. word. at. a. time. at a variable speed which can be very FAST! One description of WFR suggests that it 'infuses' the words of the text directly into your brain.

It turns out that when I read using conventional methods I tend to do a lot of extraneous thinking at the same time. I am trying to cognitively 'understand' what the author is saying at the same time I am trying to input their written words. Often I am trying to relate what is happening in the story I am reading to what is or has happened in my life. Or I am projecting or 'second guessing' the story on a sentence by sentence basis. I end up trying to tell the story my way while I am reading the author's words.

As a point of reference I can still do a great deal of what I just said when WFR is presenting at 270 WPM (a little over 4 words per second.) This is a good speed to start with. It allows me to become focused. Once I begin to feel 'in the groove' I will begin to increase the speed to 329 or higher. It is at this speed that I become aware that I cannot 'afford' to divert my attention with extraneous cognitive thought processes. I am sure that this is roughly the same as other 'speedreading' techniques. Remove the noise from the information input process and let the brain run at its speed when acquiring data.

As a personal test I have set about 'reading' Emanual Kant's The Critique of Pure Reason. For the purposes of this test I am allowing WFR to present at 967 WPM. My intent is to simply have the entire work impressed or infused in my psyche. I do not actually expect to quote or even reflect on any given passage. Once this first 'read' is complete then I will run WFR at a slower speed. My hypothesis is that once I have it as a foundation at high speed I will be able to cognitively process it at a lower speed.

Side note: Ulysses by James Joyce is well suited to this 'streaming' in part I believe because of Joyce's stream-of-consciousness style.

* NFTFOH

Not For The Faint Of Heart

Don't get me wrong, I love PERL but... you have to really love PERL in order to get WFR running (under Linux).

Blue Monster

[Added: On further reflection it really does look like me...and my wallet.]

Blog Lineage and YOYOW

Frank Paynter at Listics pointed me toward Elayne Riggs at Pen-Elayne who then pointed me at a Daily KOS article. Elayne thought so highly of the article's content that she quoted a significant portion of it.

Before I go, I'd like to urge folks to read the entire entry from "mapantsula," a professor at Virginia Tech and an atheist, in response to some nonsense from Dinesh D'Souza.

The 'entire entry from "mapantsula,"' is indeed an articulate, thoughtful and heartfelt perspective. It was written by an individual who has, in my opinion, wrestled long and hard with the issues of God and faith.

While mapantusla's expressed views and (non-)beliefs do not coincided perfectly with my own I was impressed by the establishment of his/her personal position. Even more important, in my view, was her/his clear and concise articulation of some very difficult theological and philosophical issues.

Blog Lineage and YOYOW

As you can see, I took the liberty of using a common blogging technique, 'lineage citations', to establish the validity and veracity of this posting. Such a formal lineage helps the reader to better appreciate the message. To better put the message in context. To better understand the message by situational or circumstantial associations. All in all, citing other people makes my message that much more accessible.

As a long standing proponent of Personal Responsibility I am obliged to follow YOYOW. This is, however, a personal choice that I cognitively make. While there may be some moral high ground here, I am not legally obligated to 'sign' every post. This brings me to the subject acknowledged by Elayne at the end of her post...

My only qualm with it is that this person has chosen to remain anonymous; while I certainly understand why, it tends to undercut his or her credibility a bit.

Being such a strong proponent of YOYOW I find myself in the very uncomfortable position of suggesting that I am 'not seeing the forest for the trees' in circumstances like this. I fall victim all too quickly to the praise/blame game and end up unwilling or unable (in other circumstances) to receive the value of the message.

I once advocated setting up an anonymous bulletin board so that co-workers could express anything that they felt called to share. Rather like a graffiti wall. My boss was livid - absolutely nothing written in such an anonymous environment would be of any value what so ever.

I am sure that had such an anonymous board been put up the boss would have been subject to some much deserved and undeserved criticism. As well the company might have received some positive and negative views. My question then and now is; Are people fearless enough to say the difficult things that need to be said? Would a line worker run the risk of losing his job to offer a criticism that is valid but sure to rile the big boss man? I believe that open and anonymous forums are necessary to overcome these types social stonewalls.