We're mad as Dell and not gonna take Vista anymore...

My daddy didn't raise any fools and I am an only child. He said, "Boy, watch which way the money flows. Where it comes from and where it goes." Truer words were never spoken.

That is the very reason I read the Wall Street Journal if I can find one that isn't three days old or been used for wrapping fish. Say for example Joe Average invents a wonderous new technology for storing petabytes of data on the head of a pin. Long before you or I have a chance to see it the WSJ will report on whether Joe's idea will be funded for production. If it isn't then no matter how important the invention the technology will not flourish. (Disclaimer: I am sure that there have been exceptions to this premise. Please leave comments detailing them.)

If the WSJ is a good bellwether for new technology then CRN is the compass of existing technology. CRN are the folks who make a point of watching which way the money is going among the people who are in the existing technology business. Value-Added-Resellers, Technology Integrators, IT Consultants, and Solution Providers are all in the 'channel'. This channel is where the money flows.

All of that leads me to...

VARs Ripping And Replacing Vista For XP At Breakneck Pace

By Edward F. Moltzen, Steven Burke, CRN
6:01 PM EDT Fri. Jul. 06, 2007

Dell Computer isn't the only one warning clients of the pitfalls of moving to Microsoft's Vista operating system.

System builders and VARs, however, aren't just talking about it. They are are ripping the much ballyhooed operating system off desktops and notebooks at a breakneck pace because of the problems that come with moving clients to Vista.

...

"We are ripping it off systems 99 percent of the time," said Jay Tipton, vice president of Technology Specialists, a Fort Wayne, Ind., Microsoft Gold partner.

...

Technology Specialists won't even run the operating system internally on any of its production systems because Tipton does not want his technicians taking time out of their day to "debug Vista." The earliest Tipton sees that ripping and replacing ending is when Microsoft releases Service Pack 1 for Vista. "Hopefully at that time Microsoft will fix all the little gotchas that make the older software not work," said Tipton.

Glen Coffield, president of Smart Guys Computers, an Orlando, Fla.-based retail chain with six stores in central Florida, said his No. 1 service job right now is wiping Vista off sysetms and replacing it with Windows XP.

...

Coffield said that the biggest hurdles facing Vista are hardware and software compatibility issues. Clients don't want to replace all their hardware and software to move to Vista, he said.

...

The big question looming over the marketplace is what happens when Microsoft no longer allows big brand system makers and system builders from offering Windows XP?

"Customers won't buy PCs or they'll bootleg XP unless Microsoft does something to vendors and partners behind Vista," said Coffield. "It's not going to happen. People don't have to buy a new computer. They can get the one they have now fixed."

Sorry, this just has to be said...

Lucy?

Yes, Ricky?

Lucy, you 'splain somet'ing to me, ok?

What is it Ricky?

Lucy, why is it that this Paris Heeltone is guilty of being a deetz an' Lucy she has to serve her full sentence. Yes, Lucy?

That's right Ricky.

An' the guy who was found guilty of lying to the Federal Gov'mint, Meester Scooter Leebbee, he don' have to serve a day of his sentence? Lucy, you 'splain that to me, yes?

*Gulp* Welllllllll Ricky you see here in these United States anyone can come from an under-privileged hotel holding multi-millionaire family and get into trouble. But it takes crooked politicians to get you out of it.

No mo' ToDoCue ... sorry

Tried the Google/FireFox applet 'ToDoCue' hoping that it would serve as a 'ToDo' list that I could integrate into my G/FF Web 2.0 world. No bono ... looked good on the surface but a bit too quirky under the hood.

1. Repeatedly had to login even though 'Remember Password' was checked.
   
2. This is the deal breaker... repeatedly had to check the "Done" check box to make my ToDo items stay done. More over, had to check the done box for the same items on different platforms (with different OSs) - This may be the same problem with a different spin.

Ah well, back to the search for a suitable Web 2.0 ToDo list.

You have the right to remain...

Ludium 2, June 22-23, 2007

A DECLARATION OF VIRTUAL WORLD POLICY made by representatives of law, industry and academia, assembled in full and free convention as the first Synthetic Worlds Congress.

Whereas virtual worlds are places with untapped potential, providing new and positive experiences and effects, we resolve that:

1. A self-governance group of virtual world stakeholders should be formed.
2. A players’ bill of rights should be drafted and should include the right of free speech and the rights to assemble and organize.
   
3. A universal age verification system should be created to support the individual rights of all users.
   
4. Virtual world designers should have freedom of expression">Virtual world designers should have freedom of expression.
   
5. Virtual worlds should include plain-language End-User License Agreements (EULA) to enable all individuals to understand their rights.
   
6. There are different types of virtual worlds with different policy implications.
   
7. Access is critical to virtual worlds, so net neutrality must be maintained.
   
8. Game developers shall not be liable for the actions taken by players.
   
9. Fair use may apply in virtual worlds that enable amateur creation of original works.
   
10. The government should provide a comprehensive package of funding for educational games research, development, and literacy.

Meeting us on the other side

Peter Callesen

Caligraphy in the 21st Century

Tip of the cap to Virtual China

Slackware 12

Slackware ... this is just a taste...

- PCMCIA, CardBus, USB, IEE1394 (FireWire) and ACPI support. This
makes Slackware a great operating system for your laptop.

- The udev dynamic device management system for Linux 2.6.x.
This locates and configures most hardware automatically as it
is added (or removed) from the system, and creates the access
nodes in /dev. It also loads the kernel modules required by
sound cards and other hardware at boot time.

Google Kool-Aid....Ah, refreshing.

Before you go all "JimJonesSlamming" on me there are a couple of mitigating circumstances that should be acknowledged.

1. I have recently taken on a new set of responsibilities (e.g. Intranet Web Master (MS-IIS), MS-Access Developer, Postgresql Database Administrator)
2. I work on several different computing platforms - Servers, Desktops, Laptops, PDAs (e.g. RedHat, Slackware, Ubuntu, MS-Windows XP, MS-Server2003, Palm)

In everyday operational terms I need to have a seamless Information Environment that is not platform dependent. Currently I am composing this entry on an IBM R51 laptop running Ubuntu 7. My main desktop is a well resourced MS-Windows XP-Pro system. With the ubiquity of Internet access I can get to my 'stuff' from nearly any computer that I can log into.

So here is the Google (+FireFox) line-up...

• gMail - the Foundation.
  
• Google Sync - Essential for keeping it seamless.
• gCalendar - the name says it all.
  
• gReader - RSS and news feeds all in one place
• Google Gears - Because I cannot be connected to the Internet every minute of every day.
  
• gNotebook - Handy place to put things worth saving.
  
• gDocs & Sreadsheets - Mature "Office" suite compliment.
  
• Recently I identified the need for a 'To Do' list so I have begun to work with ToDoCue - a FoxFire/Google Add-On. I have to wonder when Google will integrate a ToDO feature of their own.
  
• Google Desktop - Finding it fast when I really need it.

Bonus Add-On: CustomizeGoogle - I have certain reservations about using this applet but not enough to stop me. :) CustomizeGoogle allows me to fine tune my Google experience. True enough, sometimes too much of a Google thing is not a good thing.

I am hungry. - The World

Ethanol demand outgrows corn

Beef and dairy farmers in Midwestern states that produce most of the nation's ethanol are able to feed their cattle with less expensive grains leftover from distilling that fuel. But ranchers in Texas and Oklahoma, which do not have large corn crops or produce as much ethanol, will be harder hit by high corn prices, Moseman said. In addition, hogs and poultry cannot digest the leftover grains from ethanol production, so those farmers will feel the pinch of higher corn prices, Moseman explained.

Along with making livestock feed more expensive, acres that have been dedicated to other crops or set aside for conservation now are being planted with corn, creating the biggest shift in planting patterns in the past century, said Ludwig of the Hale Group.

An annual federal report detailing farmers’ planting plans estimates that corn acres will increase 15 percent over last year. Crops that likely will be supplanted by corn include rice and cotton with which U.S. farmers are not competitive with growers in other countries, said Ludwig.

Farmers also could be induced to set aside less land for conservation or quit rotating crops on their land, sapping nutrients from the soil or causing more erosion, the U.S. Department of Agriculture warns.

Emphasis mine... Cars and cattle... Burgers and Buicks... I am sooooo rich I can feed my car better than ...








Bonus Link: Pew Research: Ethanol Demand Outgrows Corn

Says it all

Thank you Meg.

Coals to Newcastle

Jeremy, responding to Steve Talbott, mentioned caution when advocating 'vocational' education over a 'Liberal Arts' education...

As a long standing advocate of 'Liberal Arts' education I wanted to add the following winnowed from Wikipedia... Liberal Arts

The term liberal arts has come to mean studies that are intended to provide general knowledge and general intellectual skills rather than more specialized occupational, scientific, or artistic skills.

The term liberal in liberal arts is from the Latin word liberalis, meaning "appropriate for free men", and they were contrasted with the servile arts.

Providing 'general knowledge' AND 'general intellectual skills' are the very substance of a free society. When people can think for themselves and act accordingly then true freedom can be achieved. Perhaps more important, as Jeremy points out, is the need in a free society for in depth personal resources that can only be purveyed by and acquired through a 'Liberal Arts' education.

Delivering coal is a skilled trade. Carrying coals to Newcastle requires some small insight.

P.S. Let Marshal McLuhan's medium be the message.

Is 'Good' good?

Bank Shots

When playing pool a well executed bank shot is a thing of beauty.

HOWEVER...

This week we have heard of two 'bank shots' that give me pause to review the legendary record of 'Slick' Willie Sutton. Well chronicled by the very agency that he thumbed his well attired nose at - the FBI retells that story of Willie's famous answer to the all time stupid question, "Why do you rob banks?"

...Sutton simply replied, "Because that's where the money is."

My heart goes out to Cat'sPaw - who might be said to have experienced a 'reverse bank shot' - being held up by the bank.

Then just a few articles down the RSS page I read of David Cushman as reported by The Social Customer ... evidently in the Mega-Cathedrals of Cash I am a lowly poor sinner who should just crawl away and repent.

While I do understand a banking institution's need for responsibility and integrity I do not understand why it is the patron who must bear the burden of grace and humility under fire. If a Bank wants my business then they should take a lesson from my dentist - Dr. Wright knows that if he wants my return business he will make a painful situation as comfortable as he possible can. And I can tell you I would much rather 'enjoy' another root canal than be subjected to the attitudinal scrutiny of another bank teller.

This has been my $0.02, deposited here in the First Bank of Blogaria.

One tear drop rolling down a cheek...

Linspiration...

... drinking the Microsoft Kool-Aide

Microsoft Will Help Deliver a "Better" Linux

by Kevin Carmony

June 14th, 2007

...

But isn't Microsoft the enemy of Linux?

They certainly compete, just like Ubuntu, Red Hat, and Novell compete with each other, but we all have to live in the same desktop computing ecosystem. I'd prefer to use diplomacy and cooperation, than go to war. Linspire plans on working with Microsoft, just like we have with dozens of other partners, to build a better Linux. We will never force anyone to use what we produce. The choice to use, or not to use, the "better" Linux we strive to produce will always be up to you, but I like the idea of finding a mutually advantageous way for Microsoft and Linspire to work together.

...

Emphasis is mine... I have real difficulty (and a very uneasy feeling) when I consider 'diplomacy' coerced by the threat of a promised law suite.

"Money can't buy me love... but evidently it will buy cooperation. Oh well...

Linux FUD ... Make It Stop!

Linux leaders plot counterattack on Microsoft

This 'headline' reported by Reuters is just plain bad press for Linux. Further establishing the "Us vs. Them" mentality that does neither any good.

I wish that Linux folks would just focus on what is right about Linux and Open Source and let the behemoth that is Microsoft die its quiet ignominious death.

Getting up at 10, going to work at 12, UTC

Daylight Saving Time kicked my a$$. More specifically I felt the 1-hour shift this year more than in years past. That and my work with computers, specifically computer networks, has brought the issue of Time to the forefront of my thinking.

While I believe I understand the various arguments for 'adjusting' the clock to accommodate afternoon/evening commerce I still find the practice unnecessarily disruptive. If that extra hour of daylight is so valuable then let us just set the clocks to include it and leave them that way. This back-and-forth is senseless. And it screws up a great deal of computer related technology.

Instead I am personally campaigning for one time, UTC. Coordinated Universal Time. This is a scientific abstraction of physical time. Roughly equivalent to the old standard, GMT, UTC is not strictly speaking celestial (sun in relation to earth) time.

Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is a high-precision atomic time standard.

In fairness, while I have been giving this idea lot of mind-time, it wasn't until I read Joi Ito's post "Going UTC" detailing his scheduling problems that I decided to enter into the social-time experiment.

Where to begin?

Community clocks need to display community time. So I couldn't just change all the house clocks to UTC - I would face a time revolt from my wife and children. System clocks on network computers that communicated 'time' with other computers were out for much the same reasons. That left me with my personal clocks. So I started with this laptop... KDE desktop clock reads 5:51 UTC as I type this.

That reminds me, 5:00 UTC is lunch time here. Which brings me to my first important observation about time. Years and years of behavior modification has sensitized me to 'feeling' hungry about the same time every day. This, in turn, brought to light additional time awarenesses. My sense of time is predicated on deeply ingrained behaviors. Behaviors that will not change just because I change my time grid perspective. The bottom line is that I have 50+ years of training to overcome to be able to sense UTC instead of Central Daylight Time.

I still catch myself 'translating' time. If it is 5:57 UTC then it is what time here in my familial community. I liken this experience to learning a second language. I had the opportunity to study Spanish many years ago. Then I was immersed in a Spanish speaking community for two summers. By the end of my second summer I was able to 'think' in Spanish. I was not longer 'trans-literating' everything back to English for processing. I was able to process the Spanish that I was hearing and speaking in-situ.

I look forward to a time when I don't have to translate UTC.

Weekday UTC Schedule

10:00 Morning alarm
12:00 Arrive work
16:30 Lunch
22:00 Arrive home
23:30 Dinner
03:00 Bedtime

(Folks here in Kentucky see that and figure I am some sort of slacker:) )

Takin' a day off... sorta

In addition to showing up for work I have spent every free moment of the last three days doing 'tech' work for the Mystery Theater Festival.

And it was good!

After taking a 25 year vacation from Technical Theater it is good great to get back in. While I did contribute significantly to the Set Design and construction of Picasso at the Lapin Agile it was adjunct to my directing the show. The work I have been doing for MTF is just plain tech. Painting flats, setting scenery, spiking furniture, affixing light switches, hanging paintings, mounting door hardware, and the list goes on. In fact the phrase made popular by POTUS in West Wing comes to mind, "What's next?"

But the real joy, above and beyond paint under my fingernails and sawdust in my... the real joy has been getting to work with people who know how to do Theater. Not people who are learning but people who have 'been there, done that.' My joy comes from a.) being among my peers and b.) being among people from whom I can learn(1). To me this is the greatest reward.

...but today I am takin' a day off...sorta.

Free Knowledge

With the advent of the printing press, radio, television, and now the Internet knowledge has become progressively more available.

But understanding is still at a premium. Hence the need for education systems...

Free knowledge is becoming more readily available through free education in the form of ... Open Courseware

B-b-bout says it all

Thanks xkcd