He is the host of "Earth: The Biography" and I find his enthusiasm infectious. He is one of my favorites.
On a side note, I read some of the criticism towards Michio Kaku, and deserved or not, is that not good science in its own right? To make people question things and then to set off to prove or disprove their theory? Even if his opinions can be controversial they serve a purpose.
How many people would call the original Star Trek good science? But then, look at how many scientist were inspired anyhow.
Then Comcast has made the experience a little better, or you got in touch with the right tech. When I attempted to connect my service about 2 years ago they told me they could not activate my modem without Windows. I politely tried to get them (several techs - because I called back hoping to get one that could help) to see how ridiculous it was to require Windows and I was told that they did not support "fringe operating systems" and they suggested that I borrow a friend's or a neighbor's laptop or computer to complete the hook-up. After an hour and a half of this nonsense I finally raised the white flag, pulled out my business laptop (XP) and connected within 5 minutes. Making a stand for the principle of it turned out to be pointless.
I originally sent this to Cringely about a month ago but I guess he didn't feel it was a strong enough issue.
We were in the process of moving. I decided to return back to Comcast broadband after a year with Verizon, for no other reason than the extra bandwidth when playing first person-shooters. We have several computers, most of them running Ubuntu or Kubuntu Linux. Comcast told me I would need a computer at the site when the technician came for the install. I grabbed two of our computers and took them to our new house.
When the technician came to the house I told him that the computer was Kubuntu. He had "no idea what that [was]." I explained to him that it was Linux and he told me he could not do the install and tried to tell me of all the glorious things I would miss if I did not have XP, such as the Comcast Toolbar - oh boy!
I explained to him that I knew that Comcast would run off of any system as it gives out the IP address via DHCP. He agreed and said that I was free to complete the installation myself and he would just look over my shoulder to answer any Comcast specific questions that might arise. We started the router - everything go. I started Kubuntu and opened a terminal. Ifconfig showed an IP address and DNS servers - everything was still fine. I opened Firefox and - *BAM* - hit a wall. All my traffic was directed to a Comcast webpage that told me that I was running an unsupported operating system and recommended that I use Windows or call Comcast. The technician laughed a smug, told-you-so laugh and told me that I could call them but not to expect any real help.
At this I begrudgingly admitted that I still had another computer in my car that could dual-boot into XP. I got the computer and began the install with Firefox. After being forced to install 23MB of Comcast crap on my computer, the "real" installation process began, forcing me to use IE7 for the installation. After everything was completed I booted into Kubuntu and all was working as expected. I asked the tech if anyone else had installed with a non-Microsoft OS and he told me "no." I was surprised. Surely someone must have had a Mac? Yes, some did and they, like me, pulled out their Windows computer to complete their Comcast installs.
As far as I could tell the only necessary step to gain access to the full Internet was to tell Comcast my account number. For this I had to use XP, IE, and install 23MB of programs? Somehow I just feel dirty.
Since I am stuck in the world of Windows at work I still use MusicMatch - or did - now it is Yahoo! Music Jukebox. I have over 550 albums (yes, I actually own them all, back off RIAA) and I have had no problem listening to any of them. I went to copy my latest purchase and was pleasantly surprised to see Ogg as an option. Unfortunately the Ogg file is about 5 times bigger than my mp3pro files so that is not a great option for work.
My gut reaction was a little bit of revulsion, some concern that maybe I just made the wrong choice, and some general confusion.
After digging through the controls and options for 10 to 15 minutes I discovered that most everything I loved about MMJB was in YMJ. To make me feel better about the decision I quickly learned that the selections on Yahoo! Unlimited were greater and that I could find more obscure albums or acts than I ever could on MMJB.
The tagging has been enhanced too allowing me to tag my existing tracks as well as the ones I stream from Unlimited.
I honestly have not tried all the features yet, but the ones I most frequently used, once I got used to the new interface, have made the transition successfully and at least for now I'm even happier with the results.
In any event, should we really care about not being [able] to shop online at Wal-Mart? Check out a report like Fishman's The Wal-Mart Effect (New York: Penguin, 2006) and you'll be convinced to take your business anywhere but there.
I have not shopped Wal-Mart for years. I started getting a bad taste for them with the whole music censorship that was really brought to light when they banned Sheryl Crow for daring to have a lyric about Wal-Mart and refusing to change it. There is a whole litany of reasons to see Wal-Mart as an "Evil Empire": the censorship, the employee practices, the bullying and bankrupting of suppliers, the complete annihilation of small-businesses in small-towns, the indirect forcing of jobs out of the U.S. while still draping themselves in the American flag. Even the store's logo and themes are red, white, and blue while their practices are quite un-American.
In a way it makes perfect sense that Wal-Mart would be in bed with Microsoft. Both companies have a storied history of questionable business practices and ethics. Both companies devour the competition, offer you some watered-down compromise, and tell you how great it is. Both companies seek total domination and are getting more desperate as they see their dominance starting to erode. Really, this shouldn't be much of a surprise.
I have some personal insight with the kids using Linux. We have four daughters ranging from 3 to 10. All of them want to be on the computer, and particularly the Internet. Well it certainly cuts into Dad's time grinding to a new level on WoW when they want to play dress up their Stardolls or feed their Neopets. (Okay, kidding there, sort of.) To solve the never ending fight for computer time I took some old, non-XP friendly computers and installed Kubuntu. All of our computers, Kubuntu or XP, have Firefox for browsing and OpenOffice for documents. Guess what? The kids could care less which computer they use and barely even noticed a difference until I pointed it out. Our eldest looked at me when I explained she was using Linux, got a puzzled look and said "So?" Enough said. My wife has had more trouble adapting and for the most part avoids the Linux boxes only because "its different" even though she admits she can still do all the things she normally does. Exposing the kids to a variety of systems only gets them more attuned to the underlying similarities so that they are less inclined to be intimidated by something new as much of the older generations are.
I love this thread. I'm sure I will be repeating some of what has been said but here it goes anyhow.
I live in Maryland which is ranked as one of the worst traffic areas in the nation. I regularly drive I-95 which is four lanes wide in my area. After 20 years of driving these roads I have thought long and hard about bad driving and the causes - tailgating included. I personally believe that one of the biggest causes of traffic issues - jams, road rage, tailgating, accidents - on the highways (this does not apply to local roads) is improper use and respect of the lanes.
The Maryland Driving Manual clearly states that the left lane is the passing lane. Can someone please explain to me why the right lane is typically completely empty and all the cars are crammed together and even tailgating in the three leftmost lanes? My only conclusion is ego and ignorance. What a wonderful combination.
Tailgating is a serious problem. It is dangerous and can lead to accidents. But I strongly believe that tailgating is largely a symptom of the frustration of drivers that find the passing lanes jammed with left-lane hogs that are to lazy to change lanes or to full of ego to yield to faster moving traffic. What reason would there be to tailgate if the person desiring to go faster could easily go around slower moving traffic by using the passing lane as it was intended?
Now for you egomaniacs that think you have a God-given right to hog the passing lane because you are doing the speed limit or even over it, you WILL NOT stop speeders and you are only creating a more dangerous situation as you are pissing people off. So what if you are right about the speed limit. First, you are wrong to stay in the passing lane, especially if you are not passing anyone. Second, is being right worth being a contributing factor to a situation that might get someone killed?
I personally believe that people should be given tickets for impeding traffic if they are causing people to pass them in the right lane. I am willing to bet that if people started taking a more active role in keeping traffic moving by staying to the right unless they are passing slower traffic that many of the other problems would start to go away.
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He is the host of "Earth: The Biography" and I find his enthusiasm infectious. He is one of my favorites. On a side note, I read some of the criticism towards Michio Kaku, and deserved or not, is that not good science in its own right? To make people question things and then to set off to prove or disprove their theory? Even if his opinions can be controversial they serve a purpose. How many people would call the original Star Trek good science? But then, look at how many scientist were inspired anyhow.
Then Comcast has made the experience a little better, or you got in touch with the right tech. When I attempted to connect my service about 2 years ago they told me they could not activate my modem without Windows. I politely tried to get them (several techs - because I called back hoping to get one that could help) to see how ridiculous it was to require Windows and I was told that they did not support "fringe operating systems" and they suggested that I borrow a friend's or a neighbor's laptop or computer to complete the hook-up. After an hour and a half of this nonsense I finally raised the white flag, pulled out my business laptop (XP) and connected within 5 minutes. Making a stand for the principle of it turned out to be pointless.
Oh come on, not even a funny rating? He made me laugh.
I originally sent this to Cringely about a month ago but I guess he didn't feel it was a strong enough issue. We were in the process of moving. I decided to return back to Comcast broadband after a year with Verizon, for no other reason than the extra bandwidth when playing first person-shooters. We have several computers, most of them running Ubuntu or Kubuntu Linux. Comcast told me I would need a computer at the site when the technician came for the install. I grabbed two of our computers and took them to our new house. When the technician came to the house I told him that the computer was Kubuntu. He had "no idea what that [was]." I explained to him that it was Linux and he told me he could not do the install and tried to tell me of all the glorious things I would miss if I did not have XP, such as the Comcast Toolbar - oh boy! I explained to him that I knew that Comcast would run off of any system as it gives out the IP address via DHCP. He agreed and said that I was free to complete the installation myself and he would just look over my shoulder to answer any Comcast specific questions that might arise. We started the router - everything go. I started Kubuntu and opened a terminal. Ifconfig showed an IP address and DNS servers - everything was still fine. I opened Firefox and - *BAM* - hit a wall. All my traffic was directed to a Comcast webpage that told me that I was running an unsupported operating system and recommended that I use Windows or call Comcast. The technician laughed a smug, told-you-so laugh and told me that I could call them but not to expect any real help. At this I begrudgingly admitted that I still had another computer in my car that could dual-boot into XP. I got the computer and began the install with Firefox. After being forced to install 23MB of Comcast crap on my computer, the "real" installation process began, forcing me to use IE7 for the installation. After everything was completed I booted into Kubuntu and all was working as expected. I asked the tech if anyone else had installed with a non-Microsoft OS and he told me "no." I was surprised. Surely someone must have had a Mac? Yes, some did and they, like me, pulled out their Windows computer to complete their Comcast installs. As far as I could tell the only necessary step to gain access to the full Internet was to tell Comcast my account number. For this I had to use XP, IE, and install 23MB of programs? Somehow I just feel dirty.
Since I am stuck in the world of Windows at work I still use MusicMatch - or did - now it is Yahoo! Music Jukebox. I have over 550 albums (yes, I actually own them all, back off RIAA) and I have had no problem listening to any of them. I went to copy my latest purchase and was pleasantly surprised to see Ogg as an option. Unfortunately the Ogg file is about 5 times bigger than my mp3pro files so that is not a great option for work. My gut reaction was a little bit of revulsion, some concern that maybe I just made the wrong choice, and some general confusion. After digging through the controls and options for 10 to 15 minutes I discovered that most everything I loved about MMJB was in YMJ. To make me feel better about the decision I quickly learned that the selections on Yahoo! Unlimited were greater and that I could find more obscure albums or acts than I ever could on MMJB. The tagging has been enhanced too allowing me to tag my existing tracks as well as the ones I stream from Unlimited. I honestly have not tried all the features yet, but the ones I most frequently used, once I got used to the new interface, have made the transition successfully and at least for now I'm even happier with the results.
In a way it makes perfect sense that Wal-Mart would be in bed with Microsoft. Both companies have a storied history of questionable business practices and ethics. Both companies devour the competition, offer you some watered-down compromise, and tell you how great it is. Both companies seek total domination and are getting more desperate as they see their dominance starting to erode. Really, this shouldn't be much of a surprise.
I have some personal insight with the kids using Linux. We have four daughters ranging from 3 to 10. All of them want to be on the computer, and particularly the Internet. Well it certainly cuts into Dad's time grinding to a new level on WoW when they want to play dress up their Stardolls or feed their Neopets. (Okay, kidding there, sort of.) To solve the never ending fight for computer time I took some old, non-XP friendly computers and installed Kubuntu. All of our computers, Kubuntu or XP, have Firefox for browsing and OpenOffice for documents. Guess what? The kids could care less which computer they use and barely even noticed a difference until I pointed it out. Our eldest looked at me when I explained she was using Linux, got a puzzled look and said "So?" Enough said. My wife has had more trouble adapting and for the most part avoids the Linux boxes only because "its different" even though she admits she can still do all the things she normally does. Exposing the kids to a variety of systems only gets them more attuned to the underlying similarities so that they are less inclined to be intimidated by something new as much of the older generations are.
I love this thread. I'm sure I will be repeating some of what has been said but here it goes anyhow. I live in Maryland which is ranked as one of the worst traffic areas in the nation. I regularly drive I-95 which is four lanes wide in my area. After 20 years of driving these roads I have thought long and hard about bad driving and the causes - tailgating included. I personally believe that one of the biggest causes of traffic issues - jams, road rage, tailgating, accidents - on the highways (this does not apply to local roads) is improper use and respect of the lanes. The Maryland Driving Manual clearly states that the left lane is the passing lane. Can someone please explain to me why the right lane is typically completely empty and all the cars are crammed together and even tailgating in the three leftmost lanes? My only conclusion is ego and ignorance. What a wonderful combination. Tailgating is a serious problem. It is dangerous and can lead to accidents. But I strongly believe that tailgating is largely a symptom of the frustration of drivers that find the passing lanes jammed with left-lane hogs that are to lazy to change lanes or to full of ego to yield to faster moving traffic. What reason would there be to tailgate if the person desiring to go faster could easily go around slower moving traffic by using the passing lane as it was intended? Now for you egomaniacs that think you have a God-given right to hog the passing lane because you are doing the speed limit or even over it, you WILL NOT stop speeders and you are only creating a more dangerous situation as you are pissing people off. So what if you are right about the speed limit. First, you are wrong to stay in the passing lane, especially if you are not passing anyone. Second, is being right worth being a contributing factor to a situation that might get someone killed? I personally believe that people should be given tickets for impeding traffic if they are causing people to pass them in the right lane. I am willing to bet that if people started taking a more active role in keeping traffic moving by staying to the right unless they are passing slower traffic that many of the other problems would start to go away.