Let's see... Now I can get arrested for both shouting "Fire!" in a crowded theater and for not shouting "Fire!" in a crowded theater. Man, this country's going to hell in an express hand basket.
It's an even better deal if you get the $99 Roku box. Plug it in and it jumps right on your WiFi network. Also hooks up to your router or modem with an RJ45 cable. Connects directly to your TV via composite or HDMI. I've had mine with my $15/mo Netflix subscription for over a year now. Roku also carries MLB (Major League Baseball) and Amazon's Video on Demand (rip off prices, but they do carry more recent DVDs and TV programs than does Netflix's Watch Instantly offering).
The stuff from Netflix is free (no extra charge) with your standard, snail-mail subscription (as low as $9/mo). NO COMMERCIALS. You can even watch current-season TV programs (they are automatically added to your Netflix instant queue every week on the day after they air via cable TV). I watched CSI, Numb3rs and Dexter like that last year. And, what you put in your queue (by selecting them on-line at the Netflix site) STAYS in your queue until YOU delete it. Even the TV episodes. You select the Amazon and MLB stuff directly via the Roku box (you rent the Amazon stuff for a limited time, another reason to avoid them -- don't know about MLB since I've never used it). You can watch the Netflix content over and over again. Did I mention NO COMMERCIALS.
The Roku box is rock solid and its software is maintained and upgraded automatically over the 'net. Excellent customer service (although you probably won't ever need to use it 'cause the unit is so reliable and easy to set up). Simple remote control and a coverflow-like queue viewer (with descriptions of each DVD or TV episode). Top notch engineering and UI design all the way around. You will completely forget you are watching streaming video. It's really that good.
I changed my $100/mo cable TV/Internet subscription to just Internet over two years ago (RoadRunner was the only ISP offering 15Mbps down around here). I'm Pandora (also no commercials) and Netflix/Roku equipped now. Life is good.
I've been officially dead before, twice actually. So that's no guarantee it's not around.
Hey, me too! I'm working on my third heart attack as I type. I'm still running OK, but I don't boot as fast as I used to and, sometimes, I have "storage" problems. Oh, and like most versions of Windows, I regularly have trouble shutting down. Other than that, it's all good.
9EUR a month is reasonable? That's $13USD per month! I pay just $37USD per year (about $3USD per month) for Pandora Premium (which provides a 192Kbps stream via the nifty new Adobe AIR-based player).
Pandora listeners can ask for a particular song to be included in a playlist (station) but what I really like about it is that we don't have to. I set up a new station by seeding it with song titles or artist names as exemplars. Pandora runs with that and puts together a song list for me. I can "reshape" any of my stations at any time by adding other song or artist exemplars (or by removing exemplars). I did this just recently by adding Ruby and the Romantics as an exemplar to my "oldies" station. Now, I'm being (re-)exposed to a wide variety of records from the 1950's and 1960's made by black vocal groups (so-called "race records"). Forgot how good that stuff was!
With Pandora, I don't have to build a playlist song-by-song and I like it that way. Pandora will suggest music from genre Y that their algorithms tell them might be enjoyable to someone who listens to genre X by playing songs of genre Y from time to time. If the algorithm screws up, all I have to do is click the "thumbs down" icon and the premium player smoothly fades out and goes to the next song. I will never hear that song again on that station. This approach gently exposes one to new artists and related musical genres. I would never have heard of the Mexican acoustic guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela or a rock group from Nashville called The Addiction had I not been introduced to them by Pandora's algorithms. And I would have been the poorer for it.
Even better is that, for your $3USD per month, you get a company that clearly values (because it listens to) its listeners. Almost exactly one year ago, when it looked like they might have to shut down because the RIAA wanted to charge them twice what they were charging broadcast radio stations to play songs, I wrote them and offered my support. I'd been using the free version until then and didn't have any particular reason to "go premium" (they didn't have the new Adobe AIR premium player at that time). So, even though I wasn't sure they'd be around for another year, I bought an annual premium subscription as a show of support. Apparently, the CEO saw my email because they sent me a very nice email in return offering me some free Pandora swag -- whether or not I actually subscribed. I did, of course, and the swag arrived promptly with a very nice personal note of thanks from the company's CEO.
Just recently (about a month ago), I wrote them again, this time asking for a feature to be added to the new premium player. In the first version of the player, the user had no control over where on the screen the player would pop up when launched form the desktop (or OS start up) -- a small thing, to be sure, but important to one whose desktop is as organized (i.e., cluttered) as is mine. They acknowledged my request promptly with an email that strongly indicated they'd not only actually read my entire missive but that they had understood my request (that's unusual in and of itself). They promised my request was in the feature queue but couldn't tell me when it would appear in the product. A month later the first update to the premium player was released and guess what? When launched from the desktop (or during OS start up) the premium player now appears on the screen in the position the user had last placed it during the previous session. I'm sure I wasn't the only one who requested that feature, but you gotta admit that type of response is pretty hard to find these days.
I don't work for Pandora or any company affiliated with Pandora. I'm just a very satisfied customer.
I wouldn't worry about Microsoft. Microsoft can take care of itself. They are the FUD Masters. They've been slinging FUD at the free software/open source "movements" for years. Sometimes directly. Sometimes via their paid stooges (e.g., the latter-day, patent-troll SCO). Microsoft and Steve Balmer know how to play hardball.
Indeed, I can just imagine Balmer's "official" response: "Unfortunately, the FSF seems to be suffering from an advanced case of Microsoft Haters Disease."
FUD Tactic #1: Demonize or otherwise marginalize your opponent(s).
Right out of the George W. Bush "How to Invade a Small Country for No Legitimate Reason Whatsoever and Not Get Impeached" handbook. Either you're "with us" (Microsoft) or you're with the "Axis of Evil" (Microsoft Haters).
What's really sad here is that the FSF has sunk to Microsoft's level when it comes to slinging FUD. A campaign making both the business and technical case that free/open software is better than Microsoft's proprietary goo would be a more effective approach. Or, use the Apple "I'm a Mac, he's a PC" ad campaign approach. That type of message would have a better chance of reaching frustrated Microsoft users (the opinions of the Microsoft shills that frequent this list notwithstanding). Remind them that they're rebooting their Windows-based machines several times per week. Remind them how snappy XP and Vista were right out of the box but were, only a few months later, barely able to keep up. Point to what's going on in Europe where FOSS is starting to displace Windows in the public-sector. You'll get nods all around.
How many users and private-sector businesses will have the "stomach" to actually switch teams is hard to say. You'll be working against that old saw "better the devil you know." That's always a tough one.
Well, apparently, the reason for the ridiculous hike in the price of the Microsoft Optical Trackball is that they are no longer being made. Screwed by Microsoft once again! They've also apparently stopped making the Trackball Explorer. I located a couple of those going for $270 per. Sheesh. Used and "refurbished" original Microsoft optical trackballs are going for around $100 on Amazon and eBay. Hmmmm... I may become a Logitech-only trackball shop sooner than I'd planned.
I've been using optical trackballs ever since they came on the market. All of my computers are currently outfitted with the Microsoft optical trackball (I know it's hard to believe given the brand, but it is really quite well-designed and built). A trackball is especially useful with my laptop. The total amount of space taken up by the device is fixed (the device's size). No extra room is needed since it doesn't need to be moved like a mouse. They work on any surface they can be placed on, rough or smooth. No mouse pad required. They can be used in any orientation (upside down, on a 90-degree angle to the surface on which the computer is sitting -- you name it). No lasers, just LEDs (two). My trackballs range in age from six years to ten years. They work as well now as when they were brand new.
Fortunately, Microsoft isn't the only company selling an outboard optical trackball these days. Logitech makes a very nice optical trackball (Trackman Wheel Optical) with the same ergonomic properties as the Microsoft product. The Logitech product has the added benefits of being slightly smaller and way less expensive than the Micrsoft unit. Amazon is currently selling them for $24 ($45 for the cordless version at TigerDirect). It gets excellent customer ratings everywhere it's sold.
Unfortunately, the price of the Microsoft optical trackball has gone through the roof since I bought my last one. Amazon's price for new units is $199.99!! I paid $39.99 each for mine many years ago, brand new, at CompUSA (not on sale)! And, back then, there wasn't any quality competition. If that were still the case, I'd reluctantly spend $200 if one of mine broke down. They really are worth it. But, since there is now a quality alternative, and since I need a new trackball for my new desktop, I just ordered a Logitech Trackman Wheel Optical from Amazon.
Damn! The headline didn't say anything about the aircraft having to actually fly. Otherwise, I have a killer prototype. No, really. It's already killed several passengers. Hmmm... Maybe that could be deducted from the "passenger miles per gallon" requirement? Yeah, that's the ticket. I might yet be in the running!
In the meantime, let me tell you about my other world-beating invention: pastry with NO calories. Until you eat it.
"Don't worry about people stealing an idea. If it's original, you will have to ram it down their throats."
- Howard Aiken (Computer Pioneer - built MK 1 at Harvard)
Sorry to say, but ibuprofen is not without its issues. It is very hard on the kidneys. So, if you have kidney disease or another disease that can affect your kidneys in a negative way (such as Type I or II diabetes, hypertension, et al.), you should NOT take ibuprofen (I don't know about the other N-SAID OTC pain medications).
Many people at risk for (or who already have) cardiovascular disease are prescribed low-dose (81mg/day) aspirin. Since both ibuprofen and aspirin are also blood-thinners, you should consult your doctor before taking the two together (especially if you will be taking over 1200 mg of ibuprofen per day or have chronic low blood pressure)..
DISCLAIMER: I'm not a doctor, but I have had two heart attacks and I have tried to accurately pass along information I've been given by my doctors in the course of my treatment.
A few years back, I looked into emigrating to Trinidad and Tobago. The official language is English with a parliamentary form of democratic government. There are two types of English spoken: standard (British accent) English and "Trini" English. The latter is quite melodic but can be quite a challenge for an English-speaking person to understand at first.
When I was researching the place a few years back, tne US dollar was good for six T&T dollars. This would be great for retirees at 6 times your SSA check -- if they would allow any in.
T&T is one of the richest Caribbean nations (due to offshore oil discovered recently). Tobago is about six miles off the coast of Argentina and both islands are below the "hurricane belt" (indeed, they are a port of refuge during the hurricane season for yachts and larger craft whose owners do not take them north and who still want to keep them insured).
The capital is Port of Spain (the Spanish ran the place for quite some time before the British kicked them out). There are many beautiful Spanish ruins.
Trinidad is the butterfly capitol of the world. They are very big into cricket and football (soccer, for us Americans).
Internet connectivity is good, but expensive (compared to the UK or US). It's actually cheaper (in the long run) to buy your own Hughes satellite ground station and use them as your ISP (of course, when it rains...). A very nice setup with dish and all is only about US$2500.00. Otherwise, you're at the mercy of the (one and only) local telephone company. I believe it was $350 (T&T) a month for "high speed" (DSL 1.5Mbs). But, I'm working from memory, so make sure to check the current speeds and rates.
T&T ranks in the "high" UN HDI (along with US, Canada, et al.) group. Their immigration rules at the time I was looking were pretty exclusionary, though. Basically, you had to be a direct blood relative of a T&T citizen or married to one. Even in the married case, you might have to wait years to get your permanent residency papers. During that time, you have to leave and return to your "from" country every six months. Forget it if you're over 50 and not in either of those categories. Forget it if you have health issues (e.g., cardiovascular/hypertension, diabetes -- basically, any chronic, incurable illness). But, given the number of Indians and Middle Easterners living there, my suspicion is there must be another way (wink, wink) to get in. Also, the Caribbean nations were planning to adopt a uniform immigration policy. They may have done that by now and that may have changed some of the requirements.
Anyhow, nice place to take a vacation and check it out. Rainy season is our (northern hemisphere's) summer.
"Microsoft's 'compatibility list' of sites that don't render correctly in Internet Exploder 8 RC1 — requiring some non-standards mojo from the browser to look right — numbers some 2,400. They're off-the-beaten-path sites like Amazon, Google, Microsoft and YouTube." Gizmodo Blog
The link to this article was in the first five Bing results given the keywords "internet exploder." I sure am glad Microsoft has decided to attack that "search overload" problem we've all been complaining about.
You must have one helluva an IT department. Google's availability and reliability are above 99% for the last ten years. Not many IT departments can claim that level of availability and reliability. In fact no Microsoft OS can claim that level of availability and reliability.
As I stated in my initial reply, Google Docs is _beta_ software. Therefore, one can expect to encounter the occasional problem (as I did the other night). But, that's the _only_ reliability/availability problem I've had with Google Docs and I've been using it regularly for almost six months now. In fact, I'm using it to write this reply.
Apparently, proprietary OS software vendors are having some success with their FUD campaigns designed to slow down or stop the adoption of cloud computing services. One common bit of nonsense these folks like to distribute is that you need a "high speed" Internet connection in order to use cloud services. That's simply not true. At least not for all cloud apps.
For example, Google Docs doesn't require _any_ real-time connection to the Internet. You can use Google Docs offline just as easily as online. In both cases, the OS is Firefox (or any other standards-compliant browser). Google Gears is used to wrap the client OS's file system so Google Docs can use it for data storage even though it's running in a Web browser. Finally, Google Docs handles online/offline data synchronization for you automatically. Indeed, this is one of the better parts of the current Google Docs implementation.
Nowhere in my reply did I say or imply that the client OS needs anything from the cloud in order to boot. Indeed, if you run into a cloud vendor with that type of requirement, it will probably be Microsoft or a company owned by them. Be smart. Take your business elsewhere. You still have a choice because Microsoft doesn't own the cloud. What really gets Ballmer up at 2AM with the sweats is that there is no way even the cash-rich, powerful Microsoft can make that happen. Cloud apps _do not_ require a Microsoft OS. Neither does the Internet. Microsoft might be able to buy Yahoo! (they've tried) or Amazon's cloud business. But, while its busy digesting its acquisitions, Google will continue to thrive. Eventually, Microsoft will actually have to compete in the cloud on features and service. Since it has very little experience doing either, there's a good chance Google could not only compete successfully with it in the cloud but, eventually, even put it out of business.
Another lie proprietary OS software vendors want you to believe is that your data is less secure when it's parked in the cloud. Do you honestly think any cloud vendor in its right mind would not take _extraordinary_ measures to protect subscriber data? You can bet it will take at least as much effort as is taken by you or your in-house IT department. Why? Well, if it didn't and data belonging one or more of its subscribers leaked out, it would probably never recover as a business. At the very least, it would lose many current and prospective customers.
In fact, your data is safer parked in the cloud than it is parked in your, or your company's, local storage system. Indeed, if you're using a Microsoft OS and Internet Explorer, you're at considerable risk of your personal data being hijacked by malware from your computer's local disk drive(s). (And, no, I'm not saying that this is Microsoft's fault entirely. Its software is ubiquitous and, therefore, is the logical target of choice for malware purveyors.) Also, if you're using a laptop or netbook (even a desktop), a thief could steal your or your company's sensitive data along with your machine. There have been several high-profile instances of just this type of thing in recent years. That simply cannot happen to data parked in the cloud.
How often do you backup your data and programs? How often do you encrypt _all_ of your data with AES-level encryption? A cloud vendor will do that for you _daily_ (in some cases, _incrementally_). Neither you nor your IT d
And cloud computing could make that happen because it should make the client OS irrelevant. We don't have to do anything "to" Microsoft. Just build world-class productivity apps that use open standards and run in the cloud. This forces Microsoft to compete on a more level playing field as it can no longer leverage its OS hegemony because Firefox on Linux works exactly like Firefox on Windows XP/Vista/7.
Google Docs is one potential Microsoft killer. Unfortunately, Google Docs is _still_ in beta (after how many years? -- if we count Writely, and I think we should) and you'd better believe it's "beta" because its still feature poor (which is more an "alpha" characteristic) and buggy (I just lost a document I was working on last night). OK, Windows users will be used to that behvior, but that's not the point. Google, perhaps the most of all the major cloud computing vendors (e.g., Amazon, Yahoo!), has the best chance to finally put Microsoft in its place by making the OS irrelevant.
And, that's how you kill Microsoft.
So, what's the problem, Google? Why aren't you throwing everything you have at making Google Docs a world-class, cloud-based productivity application suite? Or, at least, making it a priority project (which, at present, it obviously is not)? As it currently stands, the Google Docs mini-suite is a good start, but its apps are not yet good enough to get hardcore users of Microsoft productivity apps to switch. Until that happens, Microsoft is going to continue to attempt to control the "cloud threat" using its Windows OS. When netbooks can access powerful applications in the non-Microsoft cloud, it won't matter (for a large portion of the netbook owners/buyers) what OS is running on their cloud client. And, that is Microsoft's worst nightmare.
In closing, I would be remiss to not point out that the cloud already is helping make Microsoft's OS-enforced "app limit" irrelevant. Firefox only counts as one OS application. But, Google Docs is actually three applications (writer, spreadsheet, presentation tool). So the "three app" limit is relatively easy to get around when you're working in the cloud.
When cloud-based apps get good enough and the other cost-reducing advantages (especially to business owners) of cloud computing are considered, there will be no rational reason why Microsoft doesn't become "just another cloud computing vendor."
This bill strives to make "severe, repeated, and hostile" speech used in cyberbullying a criminal offense. Since MY blog doesn't have any of that stuff, this bill would not be able to declare my blog a weapon.
Right. I'm a homosexual gypsy. Why should I worry about what the Nazi's are doing to the Jews? Not that I agree with it, but I don't see how it will affect me...
Come to think of it, the Nazis also believed government was an appropriate substitute for good parenting.
Technically, this is not a virus. It's the algorithm we've long suspected underlies the Microsoft Marketing Strategy for World Domination (MMSWD). It leaked out as an attachment to a leaked e-mail from Redmond.
You didn't hear this from me. Just a minute... Someone's at the door. Thud! Ugh!
In my junior year at college, I took an elective course in FORTRAN programming. The bug bit hard. I changed my major from pre-law to electrical engineering. I, then, went on to graduate studies and a 25+ year career in commercial software development (mostly in Silicon Valley). The money was great and I never "worked" a day in my life.
Until, that is, I turned 50.
All of a sudden, I couldn't buy a job. Worse, I had to endure being interviewed by 20-something project leads who thought hexadecimal was "some sort of weird religion" (hey, maybe they were right at that). Adding insult to injury, I later heard in one case that they decided not to offer me the position because they didn't think I was "technical enough."
But, with douche bag outfits like the RIAA, SCO and Microsoft around, it looks like the lawyers are (as usual) going to do just fine. No layoffs in that "profession" (except maybe for a lowly paralegal here and there).
Does anybody else here now wish they'd become a lawyer? Naw!
Not only that, but anything that anyone else has posted about you.
I once found a document that noted my (real) name and that I had been a member of an amateur rock group that had won a 1964 "battle of the bands" contest at my high school. The name of the city and state I lived in at the time was also in this document. Not hard for some prospective employer to determine my age (roughly) from that posting. When that information was "fresh," not even ARPANET existed (if memory serves) except, maybe, somwhere at RAND Corporation as a proposed design.
It's not only that this type of information persists but that it is so widely and readily available and that it may have uses never anticipated by the poster. So, please, also be careful what "personal" information you publish about others.
Slashdot Mirror
Let's see... Now I can get arrested for both shouting "Fire!" in a crowded theater and for not shouting "Fire!" in a crowded theater. Man, this country's going to hell in an express hand basket.
It's an even better deal if you get the $99 Roku box. Plug it in and it jumps right on your WiFi network. Also hooks up to your router or modem with an RJ45 cable. Connects directly to your TV via composite or HDMI. I've had mine with my $15/mo Netflix subscription for over a year now. Roku also carries MLB (Major League Baseball) and Amazon's Video on Demand (rip off prices, but they do carry more recent DVDs and TV programs than does Netflix's Watch Instantly offering).
The stuff from Netflix is free (no extra charge) with your standard, snail-mail subscription (as low as $9/mo). NO COMMERCIALS. You can even watch current-season TV programs (they are automatically added to your Netflix instant queue every week on the day after they air via cable TV). I watched CSI, Numb3rs and Dexter like that last year. And, what you put in your queue (by selecting them on-line at the Netflix site) STAYS in your queue until YOU delete it. Even the TV episodes. You select the Amazon and MLB stuff directly via the Roku box (you rent the Amazon stuff for a limited time, another reason to avoid them -- don't know about MLB since I've never used it). You can watch the Netflix content over and over again. Did I mention NO COMMERCIALS.
The Roku box is rock solid and its software is maintained and upgraded automatically over the 'net. Excellent customer service (although you probably won't ever need to use it 'cause the unit is so reliable and easy to set up). Simple remote control and a coverflow-like queue viewer (with descriptions of each DVD or TV episode). Top notch engineering and UI design all the way around. You will completely forget you are watching streaming video. It's really that good.
I changed my $100/mo cable TV/Internet subscription to just Internet over two years ago (RoadRunner was the only ISP offering 15Mbps down around here). I'm Pandora (also no commercials) and Netflix/Roku equipped now. Life is good.
Hmmm, let's see: "electricity through the air." Where have I heard that before? Oh, that's right. Lightning.
Cool. Now my stool can glow in the dark!
I've been officially dead before, twice actually. So that's no guarantee it's not around.
Hey, me too! I'm working on my third heart attack as I type. I'm still running OK, but I don't boot as fast as I used to and, sometimes, I have "storage" problems. Oh, and like most versions of Windows, I regularly have trouble shutting down. Other than that, it's all good.
I don't care how much you pay for Pandora; We can't get it in the EU.
Just trying to help. My bad.
Cheers!
9EUR a month is reasonable? That's $13USD per month! I pay just $37USD per year (about $3USD per month) for Pandora Premium (which provides a 192Kbps stream via the nifty new Adobe AIR-based player).
Pandora listeners can ask for a particular song to be included in a playlist (station) but what I really like about it is that we don't have to. I set up a new station by seeding it with song titles or artist names as exemplars. Pandora runs with that and puts together a song list for me. I can "reshape" any of my stations at any time by adding other song or artist exemplars (or by removing exemplars). I did this just recently by adding Ruby and the Romantics as an exemplar to my "oldies" station. Now, I'm being (re-)exposed to a wide variety of records from the 1950's and 1960's made by black vocal groups (so-called "race records"). Forgot how good that stuff was!
With Pandora, I don't have to build a playlist song-by-song and I like it that way. Pandora will suggest music from genre Y that their algorithms tell them might be enjoyable to someone who listens to genre X by playing songs of genre Y from time to time. If the algorithm screws up, all I have to do is click the "thumbs down" icon and the premium player smoothly fades out and goes to the next song. I will never hear that song again on that station. This approach gently exposes one to new artists and related musical genres. I would never have heard of the Mexican acoustic guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela or a rock group from Nashville called The Addiction had I not been introduced to them by Pandora's algorithms. And I would have been the poorer for it.
Even better is that, for your $3USD per month, you get a company that clearly values (because it listens to) its listeners. Almost exactly one year ago, when it looked like they might have to shut down because the RIAA wanted to charge them twice what they were charging broadcast radio stations to play songs, I wrote them and offered my support. I'd been using the free version until then and didn't have any particular reason to "go premium" (they didn't have the new Adobe AIR premium player at that time). So, even though I wasn't sure they'd be around for another year, I bought an annual premium subscription as a show of support. Apparently, the CEO saw my email because they sent me a very nice email in return offering me some free Pandora swag -- whether or not I actually subscribed. I did, of course, and the swag arrived promptly with a very nice personal note of thanks from the company's CEO.
Just recently (about a month ago), I wrote them again, this time asking for a feature to be added to the new premium player. In the first version of the player, the user had no control over where on the screen the player would pop up when launched form the desktop (or OS start up) -- a small thing, to be sure, but important to one whose desktop is as organized (i.e., cluttered) as is mine. They acknowledged my request promptly with an email that strongly indicated they'd not only actually read my entire missive but that they had understood my request (that's unusual in and of itself). They promised my request was in the feature queue but couldn't tell me when it would appear in the product. A month later the first update to the premium player was released and guess what? When launched from the desktop (or during OS start up) the premium player now appears on the screen in the position the user had last placed it during the previous session. I'm sure I wasn't the only one who requested that feature, but you gotta admit that type of response is pretty hard to find these days.
I don't work for Pandora or any company affiliated with Pandora. I'm just a very satisfied customer.
I wouldn't worry about Microsoft. Microsoft can take care of itself. They are the FUD Masters. They've been slinging FUD at the free software/open source "movements" for years. Sometimes directly. Sometimes via their paid stooges (e.g., the latter-day, patent-troll SCO). Microsoft and Steve Balmer know how to play hardball.
Indeed, I can just imagine Balmer's "official" response: "Unfortunately, the FSF seems to be suffering from an advanced case of Microsoft Haters Disease."
FUD Tactic #1: Demonize or otherwise marginalize your opponent(s).
Right out of the George W. Bush "How to Invade a Small Country for No Legitimate Reason Whatsoever and Not Get Impeached" handbook. Either you're "with us" (Microsoft) or you're with the "Axis of Evil" (Microsoft Haters).
What's really sad here is that the FSF has sunk to Microsoft's level when it comes to slinging FUD. A campaign making both the business and technical case that free/open software is better than Microsoft's proprietary goo would be a more effective approach. Or, use the Apple "I'm a Mac, he's a PC" ad campaign approach. That type of message would have a better chance of reaching frustrated Microsoft users (the opinions of the Microsoft shills that frequent this list notwithstanding). Remind them that they're rebooting their Windows-based machines several times per week. Remind them how snappy XP and Vista were right out of the box but were, only a few months later, barely able to keep up. Point to what's going on in Europe where FOSS is starting to displace Windows in the public-sector. You'll get nods all around.
How many users and private-sector businesses will have the "stomach" to actually switch teams is hard to say. You'll be working against that old saw "better the devil you know." That's always a tough one.
Well, apparently, the reason for the ridiculous hike in the price of the Microsoft Optical Trackball is that they are no longer being made. Screwed by Microsoft once again! They've also apparently stopped making the Trackball Explorer. I located a couple of those going for $270 per. Sheesh. Used and "refurbished" original Microsoft optical trackballs are going for around $100 on Amazon and eBay. Hmmmm... I may become a Logitech-only trackball shop sooner than I'd planned.
I've been using optical trackballs ever since they came on the market. All of my computers are currently outfitted with the Microsoft optical trackball (I know it's hard to believe given the brand, but it is really quite well-designed and built). A trackball is especially useful with my laptop. The total amount of space taken up by the device is fixed (the device's size). No extra room is needed since it doesn't need to be moved like a mouse. They work on any surface they can be placed on, rough or smooth. No mouse pad required. They can be used in any orientation (upside down, on a 90-degree angle to the surface on which the computer is sitting -- you name it). No lasers, just LEDs (two). My trackballs range in age from six years to ten years. They work as well now as when they were brand new.
Fortunately, Microsoft isn't the only company selling an outboard optical trackball these days. Logitech makes a very nice optical trackball (Trackman Wheel Optical) with the same ergonomic properties as the Microsoft product. The Logitech product has the added benefits of being slightly smaller and way less expensive than the Micrsoft unit. Amazon is currently selling them for $24 ($45 for the cordless version at TigerDirect). It gets excellent customer ratings everywhere it's sold.
Unfortunately, the price of the Microsoft optical trackball has gone through the roof since I bought my last one. Amazon's price for new units is $199.99!! I paid $39.99 each for mine many years ago, brand new, at CompUSA (not on sale)! And, back then, there wasn't any quality competition. If that were still the case, I'd reluctantly spend $200 if one of mine broke down. They really are worth it. But, since there is now a quality alternative, and since I need a new trackball for my new desktop, I just ordered a Logitech Trackman Wheel Optical from Amazon.
I could never go back to using a mouse. Never.
Damn! The headline didn't say anything about the aircraft having to actually fly. Otherwise, I have a killer prototype. No, really. It's already killed several passengers. Hmmm... Maybe that could be deducted from the "passenger miles per gallon" requirement? Yeah, that's the ticket. I might yet be in the running!
In the meantime, let me tell you about my other world-beating invention: pastry with NO calories. Until you eat it.
Oh, man, am I glad it's Friday.
Meet the Mechanical Turk.
"Don't worry about people stealing an idea. If it's original, you will have to ram it down their throats." - Howard Aiken (Computer Pioneer - built MK 1 at Harvard)
what I can only describe as a shocker...
So, your point is?
Sorry to say, but ibuprofen is not without its issues. It is very hard on the kidneys. So, if you have kidney disease or another disease that can affect your kidneys in a negative way (such as Type I or II diabetes, hypertension, et al.), you should NOT take ibuprofen (I don't know about the other N-SAID OTC pain medications).
Many people at risk for (or who already have) cardiovascular disease are prescribed low-dose (81mg/day) aspirin. Since both ibuprofen and aspirin are also blood-thinners, you should consult your doctor before taking the two together (especially if you will be taking over 1200 mg of ibuprofen per day or have chronic low blood pressure)..
DISCLAIMER: I'm not a doctor, but I have had two heart attacks and I have tried to accurately pass along information I've been given by my doctors in the course of my treatment.
A few years back, I looked into emigrating to Trinidad and Tobago. The official language is English with a parliamentary form of democratic government. There are two types of English spoken: standard (British accent) English and "Trini" English. The latter is quite melodic but can be quite a challenge for an English-speaking person to understand at first. When I was researching the place a few years back, tne US dollar was good for six T&T dollars. This would be great for retirees at 6 times your SSA check -- if they would allow any in.
T&T is one of the richest Caribbean nations (due to offshore oil discovered recently). Tobago is about six miles off the coast of Argentina and both islands are below the "hurricane belt" (indeed, they are a port of refuge during the hurricane season for yachts and larger craft whose owners do not take them north and who still want to keep them insured).
The capital is Port of Spain (the Spanish ran the place for quite some time before the British kicked them out). There are many beautiful Spanish ruins.
Trinidad is the butterfly capitol of the world. They are very big into cricket and football (soccer, for us Americans).
Internet connectivity is good, but expensive (compared to the UK or US). It's actually cheaper (in the long run) to buy your own Hughes satellite ground station and use them as your ISP (of course, when it rains...). A very nice setup with dish and all is only about US$2500.00. Otherwise, you're at the mercy of the (one and only) local telephone company. I believe it was $350 (T&T) a month for "high speed" (DSL 1.5Mbs). But, I'm working from memory, so make sure to check the current speeds and rates.
T&T ranks in the "high" UN HDI (along with US, Canada, et al.) group. Their immigration rules at the time I was looking were pretty exclusionary, though. Basically, you had to be a direct blood relative of a T&T citizen or married to one. Even in the married case, you might have to wait years to get your permanent residency papers. During that time, you have to leave and return to your "from" country every six months. Forget it if you're over 50 and not in either of those categories. Forget it if you have health issues (e.g., cardiovascular/hypertension, diabetes -- basically, any chronic, incurable illness). But, given the number of Indians and Middle Easterners living there, my suspicion is there must be another way (wink, wink) to get in. Also, the Caribbean nations were planning to adopt a uniform immigration policy. They may have done that by now and that may have changed some of the requirements.
Anyhow, nice place to take a vacation and check it out. Rainy season is our (northern hemisphere's) summer.
"Microsoft's 'compatibility list' of sites that don't render correctly in Internet Exploder 8 RC1 — requiring some non-standards mojo from the browser to look right — numbers some 2,400. They're off-the-beaten-path sites like Amazon, Google, Microsoft and YouTube." Gizmodo Blog
The link to this article was in the first five Bing results given the keywords "internet exploder." I sure am glad Microsoft has decided to attack that "search overload" problem we've all been complaining about.
Just trying to spread a little Friday cheer...
C'mon. Everybody should know how to spell Microsoft by now. It's F U D. Pronounced "Microsoft."
You must have one helluva an IT department. Google's availability and reliability are above 99% for the last ten years. Not many IT departments can claim that level of availability and reliability. In fact no Microsoft OS can claim that level of availability and reliability.
As I stated in my initial reply, Google Docs is _beta_ software. Therefore, one can expect to encounter the occasional problem (as I did the other night). But, that's the _only_ reliability/availability problem I've had with Google Docs and I've been using it regularly for almost six months now. In fact, I'm using it to write this reply.
Apparently, proprietary OS software vendors are having some success with their FUD campaigns designed to slow down or stop the adoption of cloud computing services. One common bit of nonsense these folks like to distribute is that you need a "high speed" Internet connection in order to use cloud services. That's simply not true. At least not for all cloud apps.
For example, Google Docs doesn't require _any_ real-time connection to the Internet. You can use Google Docs offline just as easily as online. In both cases, the OS is Firefox (or any other standards-compliant browser). Google Gears is used to wrap the client OS's file system so Google Docs can use it for data storage even though it's running in a Web browser. Finally, Google Docs handles online/offline data synchronization for you automatically. Indeed, this is one of the better parts of the current Google Docs implementation.
Nowhere in my reply did I say or imply that the client OS needs anything from the cloud in order to boot. Indeed, if you run into a cloud vendor with that type of requirement, it will probably be Microsoft or a company owned by them. Be smart. Take your business elsewhere. You still have a choice because Microsoft doesn't own the cloud. What really gets Ballmer up at 2AM with the sweats is that there is no way even the cash-rich, powerful Microsoft can make that happen. Cloud apps _do not_ require a Microsoft OS. Neither does the Internet. Microsoft might be able to buy Yahoo! (they've tried) or Amazon's cloud business. But, while its busy digesting its acquisitions, Google will continue to thrive. Eventually, Microsoft will actually have to compete in the cloud on features and service. Since it has very little experience doing either, there's a good chance Google could not only compete successfully with it in the cloud but, eventually, even put it out of business.
Another lie proprietary OS software vendors want you to believe is that your data is less secure when it's parked in the cloud. Do you honestly think any cloud vendor in its right mind would not take _extraordinary_ measures to protect subscriber data? You can bet it will take at least as much effort as is taken by you or your in-house IT department. Why? Well, if it didn't and data belonging one or more of its subscribers leaked out, it would probably never recover as a business. At the very least, it would lose many current and prospective customers.
In fact, your data is safer parked in the cloud than it is parked in your, or your company's, local storage system. Indeed, if you're using a Microsoft OS and Internet Explorer, you're at considerable risk of your personal data being hijacked by malware from your computer's local disk drive(s). (And, no, I'm not saying that this is Microsoft's fault entirely. Its software is ubiquitous and, therefore, is the logical target of choice for malware purveyors.) Also, if you're using a laptop or netbook (even a desktop), a thief could steal your or your company's sensitive data along with your machine. There have been several high-profile instances of just this type of thing in recent years. That simply cannot happen to data parked in the cloud.
How often do you backup your data and programs? How often do you encrypt _all_ of your data with AES-level encryption? A cloud vendor will do that for you _daily_ (in some cases, _incrementally_). Neither you nor your IT d
Microsoft must die. It's that simple.
And cloud computing could make that happen because it should make the client OS irrelevant. We don't have to do anything "to" Microsoft. Just build world-class productivity apps that use open standards and run in the cloud. This forces Microsoft to compete on a more level playing field as it can no longer leverage its OS hegemony because Firefox on Linux works exactly like Firefox on Windows XP/Vista/7.
Google Docs is one potential Microsoft killer. Unfortunately, Google Docs is _still_ in beta (after how many years? -- if we count Writely, and I think we should) and you'd better believe it's "beta" because its still feature poor (which is more an "alpha" characteristic) and buggy (I just lost a document I was working on last night). OK, Windows users will be used to that behvior, but that's not the point. Google, perhaps the most of all the major cloud computing vendors (e.g., Amazon, Yahoo!), has the best chance to finally put Microsoft in its place by making the OS irrelevant.
And, that's how you kill Microsoft.
So, what's the problem, Google? Why aren't you throwing everything you have at making Google Docs a world-class, cloud-based productivity application suite? Or, at least, making it a priority project (which, at present, it obviously is not)? As it currently stands, the Google Docs mini-suite is a good start, but its apps are not yet good enough to get hardcore users of Microsoft productivity apps to switch. Until that happens, Microsoft is going to continue to attempt to control the "cloud threat" using its Windows OS. When netbooks can access powerful applications in the non-Microsoft cloud, it won't matter (for a large portion of the netbook owners/buyers) what OS is running on their cloud client. And, that is Microsoft's worst nightmare.
In closing, I would be remiss to not point out that the cloud already is helping make Microsoft's OS-enforced "app limit" irrelevant. Firefox only counts as one OS application. But, Google Docs is actually three applications (writer, spreadsheet, presentation tool). So the "three app" limit is relatively easy to get around when you're working in the cloud.
When cloud-based apps get good enough and the other cost-reducing advantages (especially to business owners) of cloud computing are considered, there will be no rational reason why Microsoft doesn't become "just another cloud computing vendor."
This bill strives to make "severe, repeated, and hostile" speech used in cyberbullying a criminal offense. Since MY blog doesn't have any of that stuff, this bill would not be able to declare my blog a weapon.
Right. I'm a homosexual gypsy. Why should I worry about what the Nazi's are doing to the Jews? Not that I agree with it, but I don't see how it will affect me...
Come to think of it, the Nazis also believed government was an appropriate substitute for good parenting.
I once had to write code for Windows.
Technically, this is not a virus. It's the algorithm we've long suspected underlies the Microsoft Marketing Strategy for World Domination (MMSWD). It leaked out as an attachment to a leaked e-mail from Redmond.
You didn't hear this from me. Just a minute... Someone's at the door. Thud! Ugh!
In my junior year at college, I took an elective course in FORTRAN programming. The bug bit hard. I changed my major from pre-law to electrical engineering. I, then, went on to graduate studies and a 25+ year career in commercial software development (mostly in Silicon Valley). The money was great and I never "worked" a day in my life.
Until, that is, I turned 50.
All of a sudden, I couldn't buy a job. Worse, I had to endure being interviewed by 20-something project leads who thought hexadecimal was "some sort of weird religion" (hey, maybe they were right at that). Adding insult to injury, I later heard in one case that they decided not to offer me the position because they didn't think I was "technical enough."
But, with douche bag outfits like the RIAA, SCO and Microsoft around, it looks like the lawyers are (as usual) going to do just fine. No layoffs in that "profession" (except maybe for a lowly paralegal here and there).
Does anybody else here now wish they'd become a lawyer? Naw!
Not only that, but anything that anyone else has posted about you.
I once found a document that noted my (real) name and that I had been a member of an amateur rock group that had won a 1964 "battle of the bands" contest at my high school. The name of the city and state I lived in at the time was also in this document. Not hard for some prospective employer to determine my age (roughly) from that posting. When that information was "fresh," not even ARPANET existed (if memory serves) except, maybe, somwhere at RAND Corporation as a proposed design.
It's not only that this type of information persists but that it is so widely and readily available and that it may have uses never anticipated by the poster. So, please, also be careful what "personal" information you publish about others.