September 7th, 2010
| The Colbert Report | Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
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I liked the demonstration and the innovation of this.
This is part of a series of web released episodes of Buck Rogers.
See if you recognize the actors playing the parents.
I received an email earlier today, that questioned the expertise and validity of one popular fact-checking / research website.
How accurate is the information that we find on the internet, anyway?
If you are researching a technical problem, with a PC, a server or an operating system…
Chances are pretty good that you will come across someone with a similar model in hardware, or a similar software error.
The internet is rich in researching technical issues and solutions.
But…
What if you are looking up an event, what someone said or some event?
I am not sure, myself.
But whether I am looking up an article on Wikipedia… or just plain Googling a person or event…
I have several rules of thumb.
Regardless of who or what the rumor, email or report is about, I resolve myself to research and check it out, before I form an opinion.
Just because you get an email about it, might not mean it’s true or false.
Check several websites, if you Google.
Don’t settle for the first answer you get, or just one answer.
Get multiple views, takes or opinion… even if some of the people writing them seem to be at the opposite end of the political spectrum from you.
Remember, just because it’s posted on a website, or several, does not confirm truth or falsehood.
Sometimes, research will simply yield more food for thought.
With all of us… truth, falsehood, right and wrong are defined by our values and our culture.
You may not get to the bottom of the item you are researching… but you can find more information on it, as well as more opinions.
And… continue to get your information and news from more than just one source, or one website.
After you have thoroughly researched a topic, on all sides, at that point is an acceptable time to form an opinion.
You’ll find that your opinions will be stronger, and that your ability to defend and explain your opinion will be stronger.
I still love the words of Max Erhmann in his poem Desiderata.
I still find myself pulling it up, from time to time…
I find myself locating parts of the poem, and saying, “…That’s what he meant!”
I was not sure anyone had even mastered this!
I love free stuff.
And… I like reading books that are written on the subject of learning more about the environment around me.
I stumbled across a book on Body Language.
I cannot vouch for the accuracy, but it is a good read.
For the most part, much of the content should be valid.
Keep in mind, some people have certain mannerisms and idiosyncrasies that might not necessarily apply.
Take into account, some cultural differences may apply.
Remember, in some circles, a kiss may mean anything from love, a greeting or a salute.
Looking away from someone might imply a lack or confidence, or a lack of respect.
I would suggest reading the book in entirety, before attempting to apply any of its content or concepts.
The book is free, and online.
The following are predictions I made for 2009, at the end of 2008.
You can read the original post here.
1. Security – With the economy in a decline and people losing their jobs, the hard truth is… we can expect more malware, more viruses, more phishing and more exploits; even some new ones. As economies suffer, the crime rate goes up. The difference is, now the crimes can be perpetrated from a remote location. This will be one area in IT (in the business sector) that will grow in 2009. Companies will be more security conscious than ever before, and will make room in their budget for IT security professionals. Wide Area, anti-virus, anti-malware, Routing and Encryption will all be areas to watch.
Accuracy: A+
I think I hit this one, dead on. The more complex technology gets, there is a time delay… and soon everyone is figuring out how to use old techniques in deception to harvest valuable data. The under-handed practices may change, as in the technology steps used… but it still boils down to the same thing.
People are always going to figure out how to steal. The description of the act may change. The technology may sound overwhelming. But when the smoke clears… it’s still stealing.
The business sector took these threats seriously in 2009. Security was strengthened in both physical and data. Policies were revised, even to mention acceptable and unacceptable practices.
2. Windows Re-acceptance – Don’t expect the business world to begin upgrades in 2009, but if Windows 7 pans out, you can expect the business world to make plans to upgrade in 2010. How will Windows 7 sell in the private sector? That will depend on the pricing structure that Microsoft sets up. I don’t expect many people beyond Hardcore Windows Geeks and new machine buyers to be running W7, unless Microsoft makes it a real bargain.
Accuracy: A-
Microsoft surprised us with the family pack this year. It allowed families to install Windows 7 on up to three machines in the household, for $150. They also offered pre-ordering for OS upgrades.
There was our bargain.
Windows 7 was a breath of fresh air.
I do not believe that people rushed out to buy the OS at the regular retail list prices, beyond the bargains mentioned above.
Microsoft always reports record sales with their OS releases.
If you take into consideration the package deals that they influence the manufacturers to bundle with new hardware, I am not sure the records they report are quite as impressive as they would have you believe.
3. Hardware Procurement Decline – In the business and private sector, people will be looking for ways to stretch their hardware over 2009. With that said, I believe that better deals on hardware will be offered late third quarter and last quarter 2009, to stimulate consumer spending.
Accuracy: B+
Many hardware purchases scheduled for late 2009 were delayed and pushed into the 2010 budget.
Businesses were pushed to identify mission critical components in their infrastructure, distinguishing those from ancillary systems.
Budgets were re-vamped throughout the year, and cuts were made as necessary.
Sales and distributions were competitive in the last two quarters of 2009. The sales forces were hungry.
4. Free Software Acceptance – More people in the private sector will be looking for corners to cut during 2009. I expect the use of free Windows software to rise in 2009. What will be interesting is the profit model for free software, and how it evolves. Will it be ad-supported?
Accuracy: B
Everyone became more aware of free software in 2009.
From free virus scanners to free optical burning applications, just to name a couple.
Google announced Chrome OS in 2009. We also got to see glimpses of it.
Microsoft even flirted with Free Software. Windows 7 Beta was released to the general public, to give us all a taste.
The changes in this area are still taking place. It’s not over yet.
5. Failure for Linux Support – I expect some strides to be made in Linux support in 2009, but not to the point that Linux will be gaining a major market share. As in previous years, it will be more profitable for OEMs to produce Windows drivers and software, which help them to realize a profit faster. Companies will not be taking fewer risks in 2009, so don’t expect daring or bold moves for Linux on the business desktop any time soon.
Accuracy: B+
Businesses seem to have a tendency to want to buy Open Source and Linux offerings.
I do think that businesses began to consider open source alternatives more in 2009.
I also think that we will see evidence of more development on the Linux platform, coming in 2010.
I do expect the private sector to have a few more Linux-curious, and a few more that will try it in 2009. Will it replace their Windows desktop? Probably not. The people that try it, will try it dual boot; but use Windows as their primary desktop.
I have no statistics to base an opinion on this one.
I can tell you… last year… most semi-geeks had no clue what Ubuntu was, or had any cares to try it.
This year?
Most geeky and semi-geeky types have heard of Mac OS X and Ubuntu.
Those brave enough to try installing Windows by themselves… and brave enough to try installing Ubuntu… found that the experience was pretty painless.
Now, more than ever… you can find support for issues in Linux easier, in some cases, than for issues with Windows.
That’s easier, as in comparison to a year ago.
And…
2009 was both conservative for the Business sector and characterized by frugality by the private sector.
Overall Grade: A-
With all of the holidays pretty much out of the way, and the efforts that go into those… I can finally concentrate on 2010.
Here are my thoughts and predictions for 2010. They are in no particular order.
1. The maturation of UIs (User Interfaces) within the media distribution and delivery of content will finally become more widely accepted. With Boxee, XBMC and Hulu users on the rise, the UI for these apps will continue to improve in 2010. A great GUI for content delivery via a simple remote control, connected to a screen will be the aspiration for ownership for consumers in 2010. This will be the year that consumers realize that there is an easier way to view content from the internet, as opposed to just connecting a PC to your TV. The UI will be important in simplifying this delivery.
What I personally would like to see is something that will allow me to throw away the cable box and the cable remote… and pull everything through my media center. TV and HDTV should just be a menu option within my media center UI.
2. For years, everyone has predicted the fall of Microsoft, the fall of Linux or the domination of Mac OS. 2010 will be no different in the amount or range of these predictions. I personally think that 2010 will be the year that consumers and businesses realize the value of each OS as applicable in particular spaces. Due to tight budgets, businesses will begin to compare prices and costs of deployments, rather than blindly choosing Microsoft. That’s not to say that a non-MS OS will always win, but they will receive more consideration than in previous years.
Microsoft will still be around. And… we will still hear the stories of exploits and vulnerabilities on a regular basis.
3. As for the economy, we may see some recovery in 2010, but not to the point of living in abundance. Consumers will continue to flock to solid value in the market place. The days of consumers paying high dollar for euphemistically named technologies that add no value for the consumer, like DRM, are coming to a decline. Netbooks and smartphones will continue to thrive… in synchronization with social media.
As consumers, we will continue to be aware of exactly what we are spending our money on. Unlike 2007, and before, we will no longer just buy items blindly.
4. Security will continue to be a focus for the business world in 2010. Security was one of the only areas to grow in jobs in 2009.
We will continue to hear stories of social engineering, and new ways of deception. With security awareness on the rise, those that make their living in deceptive practices will meet swift and harsh punishment.
5. More stringent requirements for employee behavior, both in and outside the workplace, will become defined in 2010. Employers will make know what is acceptable and unacceptable for employee use of social media. Many employers will develop and adopt a ‘no social media’ approach to the workplace.
We can expect more “What-the-?” individual horror stories in the news, as employers continue to crack down. Policy handbooks will become harder to understand, and will read more like contracts with scary loopholes.
6. 2010 will become the year of partnership scrutiny. With the government becoming more involved in the business and consumer relationship, this will foster more caution within marketing and strategy. Businesses will pay more attention to the behavior of their partners. Any business that readily hands over secure information to a third party about a consumer, or a consumer’s account, will be putting their ability to earn a profit at risk.
Businesses will be required to learn more about their partners, and their partners’ practices and behaviors, in order to continue to thrive in 2010.
7. Windows 7 will become more widely accepted, but will be tied to new purchases of computer hardware. Consumers will still flirt with Linux and Mac OS X, as alternatives, but will keep a version of Windows around.
We’ll see households with more than just Windows around, on a growing basis. Microsoft will be the most common, but we will see familiarity with Mac and Linux growing.
8. Businesses will discuss desktop upgrades from Windows XP to Windows 7, but due to budget constraints, the actual upgrades will not begin to take place until later on in the year. Many will move their plans to upgrade into 2011 and 2012.
The approach to upgrading will be, “If XP is working, why would we change?” Many businesses have agreements that will allow them to continue to get updates for XP from Microsoft.
9. As for business models, we can expect banks to respond to new regulations. To sustain operations and jobs, the banks will find loopholes for creating new charges within the new regulations, or will tighten the account restrictions for cards issued. Plastic credit in 2010 will come with a higher price, and applications will be harder to get approved.
Many government types have proclaimed that they want consumers to use cash, as opposed to credit. They have even imposed some regulation to allow discounts for using cash. Where will consumers get cash, especially when they are used to credit and plastics?
10. Bargains have defined much of the shape of purchases in 2009. Consumers began to shop the bargain stores, first, in some scenarios. That’s prior to checking out the retail or department store. That trend will continue on through 2010. Bargain stores and websites will continue to receive a wide range of traffic.
Blogs that offer information about discounts, shortcuts and hacks will continue to thrive. Finding new uses for household items and hints on stretching value in items will drive content that is sought.
Overall, 2010 will not be “The Year That Turns Everything Around” from any perspective… but, overall, it won’t be the year of doom and gloom either.
(Within the next couple of days, I will be reviewing my predictions for 2009, and grading myself on those.)
Combing the web, I came across Flip a bad day.
It’s a good piece on how to turn a not-so-great day into a better one.
I have always had the philosophy that, for the most part, having a good day or a bad day… is a choice we make.
With the new year, approaching fast, this seemed fit for mention.
The article suggests thinking of a place that promotes thoughts of joy and relaxation.
I have never really been a person to believe in metaphysics or imagery, but I think the article does make some important points.
Regardless of what you believe, as far as spirituality goes…
How you approach your day can have a cascading effect.
If you take the glass half-full approach to your day…
You definitely won’t seem to have as many bad occurrences take place.
If I had to add anything…
Find items of interest in the news, first thing, and take time to laugh!
Whether you listen to or watch a morning show… or you read your RSS feeds, feeding your brain, first thing can help keep you well-rounded and maintain balance.
There is something about finding and reacting to humor during the first hour of being awake.
It ignites body processes that block pain receptors.
There are plenty of websites to ignite both your interests and your sense of humor.
Find them using Google… and bookmark them.
Take 10 minutes each morning to read them.
With the new year upon us…
Now is a good time to make a choice to have a good day, and a good year!
Okay…
Just for fun.
I came across this, and could not help but smile.
Tweet in Klingon is a site that lets you post tweets in Klingon.
(A tweet is a post to Twitter.)
The tweet is posted, with a link to an English translation.
I usually roll my eyes when I hear of anyone ’speaking in Klingon.’
For the most part… it sounds a little hokey.
But this site is pretty interesting.
I especially like the prefabbed tweet, “Your mother has a smooth forehead.”
Got to be a little bit of a geek to get that one.
Listening and watching the news over the past few weeks, Google has positioned itself to enter deeper into the user space.
With Chrome OS being released in somewhat of a prototype…
Speculation is on the rise.
Google has also announced that it will release extensions for the Chrome browser, next week.
With all of this activity…
Many people seem to think that Chrome OS will be a threat to Microsoft’s various versions of Windows.
If you have seen a demo of Chrome OS, you know that it is very much an implementation of an idea based on cloud computing.
Since it’s based on the Linux kernel, it should be secure and offer some advantages for the common user.
Will people dump their XP and Windows 7 install to run Chrome OS?
If what we have seen with the demo of Chrome OS, so far, is any indication, I would say, “No.”
It will be a good tool to use, for each of them.
If you need to access an online account, securely… or your Windows install is hosed..
Chrome will offer a great alternative in which to perform research on the problems with it.
It will offer ways to check your gmail and your online docs.
From that standpoint, it will be a great addtional tool to have.
Since computers and the work force are still evolving…
There is plenty of space left in the market for several more appliances.
Specialized tasks can be handled accurately with different Operating Systems.
The fact is… even though we will use each in different ways… there is plenty of application for both Windows and Linux.
If you look around your household, you may find Linux running on things you never thought possible.
Microsoft aims to have a similar offering with Windows in the appliance space… but for now, their biggest domination is still the desktop market.
The bottom line is… the desktop, appliances, cloud computing… all will work best to complement each other in design.
My opinions and preferences aside… for users and administrators… it would be wise to broaden your knowledge on all of these.
Keep on your toes, and pay attention.
I have been watching the public exchange over Rupert Murdoch and Google, over the past few weeks.
Murdoch essentially wants Google to quick linking to articles on his companies related news sites.
It’s Murdoch’s observation that Google has been earning revenue by indexing articles from his organizations.
It has been reported over the past few days… that Murdoch’s news companies have been in talks with Microsoft… for the potential possibility of being exclusively indexed exclusively by Micrsoft’s Bing search engine.
So… what we could eventually see is Google News that is missing links from Murdoch’s companies.
Or… will we?
Google may not have the resources, now.
But what is to stop them from venturing into an alternative?
What if they built their own news organization from the ground up… or purchased a fledgling news company?
Thinking about what happened with Microsoft… Google may approach Rupert Murdoch’s observations as a challenge.
I might be completely off base.
Google seems to have a knack for drawing an audience… and utilizing their advertising dollar.
If they approach it the right way… It could turn out to be a positive spin of events, instead of a negative.
The interesting thing is… over the past few years that Google has been the dominant force in search…
People and companies have spent millions of hours trying to figure out how to rise to the top of search results for Google.
That’s a result of realizing the benefit of having their links at the top of each.
The major news organizations have wound up at the top… and yet, they feel that Google is not allowing them to earn their full revenue potential.
I set up a machine for someone this week, who is still using dial-up.
I took it on as a challenge, to see if I could still do it.
It was an old P4 1.7 GHz machine. I stuck two old 40 GB drives in it, with 1 GB of RAM.
Not too bad. It’s an old machine, but should suffice for dial-up internet and email.
Since the user was still using Windows 95… they complained of having too many viruses, and their current dial-up would not even connect.
With Microsoft’s Windows 95 support ending years ago… It’s no wonder.
For the replacement machine, I wanted to minimize the events that the user would encounter a virus or some sort of crapware.
For the install I chose Ubuntu 9.10, Karmic Koala.
The install went well, and was done in about 25 minutes.
I pulled out an old 56K modem I had. I plugged in the serial cable… and the power.
After entering “sudo dmesg | grep tty” from the command line, I found the modem active on ttyS0.
I installed wvdial from the command line.
I edited the wvdial.conf, adding the modem on /dev/ttyS0. I also added the username and password.
Next I edited resolv.conf. I looked online to find out the domain and DNS server settings for his ISP.
To finish things up, I created a shortcut to do the dialing, in a quick shortcut on the top bar.
I set the command line shortcut to
gnome-terminal –title=”Dialing the ISP, Click X to close” -e –command=wvdial
This tells the system to open a terminal window, place the title at the top and feed the window the command.
After testing it out, it all seemed to work like clockwork.
In retrospect, I could have easily installed gnome-PPP to simplify the config process.
I could have also used wvdialconf to set up the dial-up connection.
No problems, though. It’s good exercise to do it the long way.
I am reminded of the scene from ‘Karate Kid’, in which Daniel is frustrated with doing so many seemingly pointless chores.
Not only was he building character, but he was developing skills and learning things he never thought possible.
Since it’s Thanksgiving, I have been doing quite a bit of reflecting.
Helping people has become a part of my personality, and my approach to life.
It’s one of my many blessings, for which I am thankful.
For many people, the task of working on a machine or software seems mundane… too much like work.
For me… I find value in many of the tasks.
It’s not that I want to fix everyone’s PC, or clean them off.
I have too much on my schedule, as is.
What I have learned:
Synaptically, there is a bigger picture that many people do not see.
Facing minor challenges arm the solution provider with much more than accomplishing a simple mundane task.
When you consider a problem, there is much more going on, in your head.
Most people do not realize that as you make it a practice to solve problems, that ability becomes stronger.
The solutions become added to your personal overall knowledgebase.
Even though you might not remember every single solution, you are strengthing your problem-solving abilities.
Looking at the darker side…
Many times, the people that I help may seem to have an aloof nature about them… as if they are getting something for free… and that I may not realize it.
The hard truth is… many times, they are shorting themselves valuable experience.
Even if it is not part of your skillset, or daily practice… Finding solutions can benefit everyone… even non-IT types.
Everyone has to start somewhere.
I do not believe in allowing people to take advantage of help. Many times, I turn people away, while offering them direction in finding their own solutions.
The other part of the truth is… the lighter side… by helping others, we grow.
Mother Teresa was a living example of that part of the truth.
Recently, I have faced some challenges, in which I feel I had an advantage in facing.
Through my own motivation to learn new challenges… those challenges then evolved into opportunities.
In my reflection, I thank God for the chance and the ability to see those truths.
I want to wish my readers a Happy Thanksgiving and leave you with one thought:
When it comes to helping people and problem solving, the sum of the parts is greater than the whole.
The Etch-a-sketch has been around a long time.
The Etch-a-sketch has gotten an update.
The two knobs have been replaced with a single trackball.
Still mechanical and still works on the same principles.
You can now buy overlays to go over the screen, for games and tracing fun.
Google has released a proposed new addition to the HTTP protocol for the web.
Their goal is to speed up websurfing and web transactions.
The new protocol is called “SPDY”… Pronounced Speedy.
It makes allowances to use SSL within the new specifications.
They have tested it, in the lab… and the results seem promising.
Among the features in the new specifications are the ability to push from a server to the client.
The tests Google has performed have seen roughly a third to a half of the current speed increase.
The proposal seems to offer a great deal of features.
With an implementation of SSL, it seems to promise easy access through routers and firewalls.
Google has a web server and a Chome build with the SPDY implementation.
You can read the specifications here, and even download the code, if you so desire.
Regardless of whether it takes off or not…
It’s good to see things like this in the works.
What it means for you and me… the possibility of faster browsing and sending traffic ‘a different or alternate way’ over the internet.
It possibly could add some advantage for web enabled service provision… and subsequently deliveries like social media.
What if Twitter or Facebook were more interactive, and actively notified you when there were updates?
Ideas and innovation power the economy and society.
My own take is… the more ideas we see and innovation…
The more we flourish and the better chance of economic recovery we have.
Stumbling across the net, lately… I came across a story…
Straight out of what could be a tangent of Fringe.
Okay… to paraphrase some of the story, presented on this website…
The author, anonymous, pen-named James Richards makes several claims.
It seems that after stopping in a canyon, not too far from his residence in a nearby town in California…
The author had a minor mis-hap and was knocked unconscious.
Upon awakening, he met a good Samaritan, in strange quarters.
The Samaritan shared several things with him, about his whereabouts, and made several proclamations.
Even though I read the entire writing with much skepticism, I will not past judgment on the validity of the story.
If you like the Beatles or enjoy a good read… I encourage you to check it out.
I will tell you, there is a tape on the site, available in MP3 format, for you to download and check out.
Reading through the story, I was interested… and hooked enough to complete it.
Of course, I had to download the music and see what I thought.
After you read the story, you will have a better understanding of what I am talking about.
I am interested to see if others have the same conclusions and impressions that I have, from reading the story.
(I will say, I also wonder how long it will be, before a copyright organization demands removal of the MP3 files.)
Okay… I spent some time this evening stumbling across the web.
Finally I decided to go to YouTube and play a little.
Here is the error I got:
Joss Whedon has written an open letter to the owners of the Terminator franchise.
It seems that he wants to buy the franchise, at least according to reports.
To me, this is exciting.
I love everything Joss Whedon puts his hands on.
Dollhouse is a constant head-scratcher. Not in a bad way.
When I watched the pilot, it seemed at first that every week… there would be the same formula.
Much like the 70’s and 80’s formula for TV.
And to everyone’s unsuspecting surprise…
Every week that comes along, Dollhouse produces something different.
There are no rules or guidelines that are followed during the writing or production.
Even though the description may sound a little negative… it’s anything but negative.
I was also a big fan of Firefly.
Loved it. Characters, plot and dynamics kept it going.
Fans are still begging for more.
If anyone can continue the Terminator franchise… Joss Whedon can.
Check out this writing.
I saw a post on Lifehacker, a year or so ago.
It was a little unbelievable.
In this age of tree-hugging and painting everything ‘green,’ it talked about using your dishwasher to cook salmon.
It was fascinating and intriguing… but had ‘Cosmo Kramer’ written all over it.
I came across a similar recipe at eHow.
I have also seen posts that discuss leaving the salmon in its original packaging.
Now… for an even stranger one…
Here is a recipe for cooking Lasagna Florentine in the dishwasher.
The scary part for me, would be making sure that I have the packaging sealed well enough.
If you don’t have it sealed correctly, or cooked all the way through, might not be fun, afterwards.
I have gone off into rants, before, about what information people share on the Internet.
In several cases, over the past few years, we have learned that information can be harnessed and used in ways we never intended, or imagined.
If my memory serves me correctly…
In a story a couple of years ago, a reporter managed to track down an elderly woman in another city, simply based off of the data she entered into a Google search.
I don’t recall all the details.
I remember coming into contact with a younger boy in high school.
He was slack, and backwoods, and did not strike me as the scholarly, type… but he said something that was probably more profound than I knew, at the time.
“Information all about your life… is stored on a gov’ment c’mputer somewhere.”
The gyst, I walked away with… was… someone, somewhere, one day… will have more information about you, than you know.
It might not necessarily be a “gov’ment c’mputer.”
That was not the only time I ever heard a similar theory… or supposition.
Some students at MIT have developed an algorithm and a matching program, that analyzes data from social networking sites.
“Project Gaydar,” as it has been dubbed… takes several factors into consideration.
By looking at several characteristics on a social network user’s page, they are able to predict whether or not the user was gay.
For the record, the subjects for which they tested the software, had no declaration as to sexual preference.
According to their reported results, their predictions were extremely accurate.
You can read the full article from Boston Globe, here.
The end result, for the rest of us?
What is says, I think, speaks volumes.
We are still learning how data can be utilized.
Up until now, there are several of us that have used social networking sites to post a great deal of information about ourselves.
Think about all of it… and answer this:
The information is elemental to a potential equation.
What variables can be solved, utilizing the information we have posted?
ARM is a British company that has concentrated in handheld devices, up to this point.
Recently, they joined the Linux Foundation.
An article at PCPro talks about ARM and it’s potential new markets.
As for the future, I think we can expect ARM based netbooks and laptops, potentially even desktops and servers.
The Cortex A9 is the processor that ARM is pitting against the Intel Atom processor, which is becoming more widespread as a netbook and laptop component.
The interesting thing to watch is… ARM is providing more competition to Intel and AMD, the two giants in the computer processor market.
What will happen over the next year?
The main challenge that ARM is experiencing… is the fact that their processors are currently supported in Windows.
From what I can tell, that would take a partnership and concerted effort between ARM and Microsoft.
ARM has already confirmed that Linux will be a main software component in its product offering.
ARM has the potential to take charge and drive down prices in the consumer market, especially for netbooks.
Would Microsoft be willing to participate in an effort to provide Windows to any potential ARM plaftorms?
The next question would be… what might go on, behind the scenes? What stipulations would Microsoft put into place for ARM?
Would they have to denounce or oust Linux as an economic and competitive offering?
If you examine what has taken place in the netbook market… somehow, somewhere… Windows seems to be the only offering you can easily find.
It would seem that Linux has been eliminated from easy consideration.
It will be interesting to see how all of the product offerings unfold from ARM and any potential partnerships… as well as demographics and marketshares of their offerings, over the next two years.
There’s a post today on CNN that discusses the DOJ probe into anti-trust practices within the telco industry.
While I do think some of the behavior and contracts that are tied to the iPhone sound a little idiotic, I think the article makes some valid points.
Those points apply not only to the telco industry… but to other industries and the economy as a whole.
I think the more the government intervenes in different facets of the economy, the market response will not necessarily be one we desire.
To maintain a free market, the economy and competition must remain free.
Related to the iPhone, there is one contract, and one provider. The iPhone is competitor in the free market, but the deal with which you have to agree is offered by AT&T. There is one price, take it or leave it.
If there were more carriers allowed with the iPhone, prices would drop in service.
That’s a pretty simple scenario, as in relatively simple. I am all for simple solutions.
On the other side of the coin, if government tries to step in too many times in all these different parts of the economy, I think there will be a response by the businesses and competitors within that part of the market.
A good example?
(For discussion only… so far… This is one guy, me, not an economist just playing it through, in my head.)
Turning to loans…
Suppose…
The government decides that consumers are getting ripped off by late fees, so legislation goes into place to prevent late fees.
What could happen?
(In scenario only…) Since consumers are not charged late fees, the issuers and mortgage companies go up on their lending rates and application fees. New fees are created and assessed, to maintain the profits of the markets and the competitors. Since they can no longer assess late fees, a replacement fee model must be designed.
What else?
Since late fees are not being assessed, there is not as much concern for payment due dates. More customers miss their payments.
Lending rates begin to rise, in order to stabilize the market, and sustain each business.
The quoted scenario is all supposition. Even if I misused a term here or a concept there, in my lack of economic expertise… hopefully it serves the purpose… getting everyone to think in a little more dimension.
Anti-competition is a little easier to spot, and I would think with which, it’s a little easier to deal.
Antitrust is a much more complex animal. It assumes more behavior and more than just one product.
I think the government should keep an eye on anti-competitive behavior, but maintain the balance of a free economy, at the same time.
Thank God I am not an economist.
My brain hurts, now.
I think he put me in technology for a reason.
Cheap Trick released their latest tape.
And… yes… I said tape.
Cheap Trick has released “The Latest” on 8-track tape.
Obviously, there is some publicity value to the 8-track release.
From what I can tell, the producers and managers had to look for a while to find someone that still produced the 8-track tape cartridges.
They actually had to have a factory in Texas retro-fitted to produce the 8-track cartridges.
The cartridge pricetag?
About $30.
It makes me wonder how many people actually own 8-tracks, now.
I would venture to bet, there are many more out there, than one would imagine.
Amazing enough… You can still buy 8-track players here.
They’re not exactly cheap, either… they actually start at $160, for a portable.
The site is 8-track Shack.
And… this is fascinating… You can actually get your media transferred to another.
Been yearning to get those MP3s and CDs transferred over to 8-track?
8-track shack will do it… as well as just about any other type of transfer, from new to old, or old to new.
And… they do repairs of all types.
The site was a blast to look through.
So?
You can grab the new Cheap Trick 8-track ($30) and a player ($160) for a total of about $200.
Microsoft Bing has been out for a few weeks now.
I have held back from forming an opinion, until I could test at least one or two aspects, thoroughly.
The main search feature seems pretty run-of-the-mill.
Sure, you find a list of matches.
My blog is what I would consider a G-rated, standard technology blog.
I touch on a few things, here and there, beside technology. Most of the core of what I touch on deals with tech, the internet and computers.
I keep my blog up for enjoyment.
Now… for a few kicks… I did a search on Bing for my domain name. Notice the suggestions from Bing for related searches.
Bras?
Is MS trying to tell me something?
Okay… out of fairness… I did the same search on Google.
My website shows up, first listing. (In part, that’s because I don’t mess around with my tags and try to ‘fool’ the Google ranking system.)
That’s in addition to several other pages of listings, some referring to my site, some referring to others.
I have played around with Bing, quite a bit.
It’s not shabby… But it’s not Google.
Another aspect of Bing, with which I played… was Bing Travel.
A great feature to have is the 7-Day Price Predictor.
It’s a little arrow that shows up in the top left corner of the web page.
It gives a probability and a dollar amount of potential change in the price, if you follow the underlying link.
It is designed to give the user an idea of a good time to make travel arrangements.
I like the idea and the aspiration.
I am not sure all of ‘the kinks’ are worked out of it, as of yet.
I entered a search for a pretend trip, and have watched it for a couple of weeks.
I noticed that the price fluctuated about $20 in the round-trip airline tickets over the past couple of weeks.
The interesting thing was… the 7-day Price Predictor displayed various messages during the day. I saw everything from “Wait” to “Buy Now.”
That’s without the price changing, at all.
From what I could also tell, it seems as if the prices seem to have a relevance and dependency on the stock market. The prices seem to change very little if any, after the market closes.
Bing has a little ways to go. The Travel portion could also include Car Rentals with the Price Predictor. That would be sweet.
As for the overall search, I think it has potential… but has some development that needs to be done.
What I would love to see, is Google doing the same thing with travel… and I would love to see them throw their ‘Brain Power’ at a Price Predictor. With their experience with ranking and algorithms… I would expect something impressive.
As for the campaign about Bing being a decision engine… I think it borders on euphemism.
Bing and Bing Travel are both good tools, as long as you use them in conjunction with other tools.
I will use Bing, but not exclusively. Google will probably remain my heavy-duty search engine of choice.
(I would love to see an infrastructure breakdown on Bing. Is it running on Windows 2008 Server? And… Are they caching the internet, too?)
Richard Branson has embarked on his latest endeavor.
This past Friday, construction was launched on Spaceport America.
The project is being headquartered and built in the New Mexico desert.
According to a post at The Register, more than 300 people are ready to go.
For about $200,000, passengers can experience weightlessness in a sub-orbit.
The project is slated for completion in December of next year.
Virgin Galactic is the name of Branson’s new ’suborbital spaceline’.
There are vacancies and availabilities for many other spacelines in the project plan.
The runway will be 10,000 feet long.
Branson broke ground on the port on Friday afternoon, during a ceremony.
Whether you like Richard Branson, or not… it seems to me, that he succeeded in providing competition in airline offerings and services.
I don’t know anyone, personally, that would be able to afford a flight such as this… ButI think that new offerings, such as this are great… because they introduce new ideas. They challenge the competitors to come up with more ways to capture business.
(Granted, this will be for pleasure. But it could have impact on the regular airlines.)
This is another project to watch… from two standpoints:
1. How successful will it be?
2. How will the current economy affect the build and launch of the business?
On a strange webpage…
Microsoft has launched a new campaign.
In order to get more people to use Internet Explorer 8, they have a new card up their sleeve.
Utilizing Twitter, Microsoft will begin releasing clues on June 19th, Friday.
According to this webpage, the person who finds the $10,000 gets to keep it.
If you find a certain webpage, it will give you the details and confirm your winnings
And…
You’ll only be able to find it, using Internet Explorer 8.
The campaign is obviously aimed at getting more people to use Internet Explorer 8.
As for my opinions…
Why is the amount of money so low?
You would think that the amount would actually be higher.
If they really wanted people to have an incentive to run it, would not there be a bigger incentive?
The other part of the equation is…
With the number of tech-saavy internet types around, and many of them under the age of 20…
Is there potential for someone to use creative search terms on Bing… or some sort of Java or IE8 browser hack to find the winning webpage?
My guess is…
It ties in, somehow, with Bing, Microsoft’s re-branded former Live Search.
I would think that somehow you would have to use the two of them together, for a good start.
That would make the campaign a double-edge.
Good luck!
I guess those of us running Linux or Mac OS X are out of luck… unless we run some sort of virtualization.
I don’t do a whole lot of philosophically-related writing.
I don’t think I express very many of my own theories.
I came across an article on Information Week, regarding the current hiring practices of companies in search of a CIO.
It’s not very definitive… but what it says to me is… companies are much more discerning these days in candidate consideration.
I felt a strange initiative to review Abraham Maslow’s work.
In looking over an article on Wikipedia about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs…
I realized something. It was something that relationally, I had experienced. I had known.
I never attempted to verbalize it.
It’s not rocket science, either.
If you relate and apply the hierarchy as a categorization for job types, there is a picture that unfolds.
There is a direct relationship between the Maslow Hierarchy, and job security.
Without creating a complex scorecard for the task… the concept is pretty simple.
If you had to classify your own job within the hierarchy, where would it fall?
Without using the terms fall, lower, level or rate…
Jobs that relate to physiological needs and safety needs, I would theorize have more security, right now.
As with anything, different people would classify different skills, differently.
I may consider a teaching job to be in either on the Physiological or Safety layer.
Someone else might argue that teaching actually belongs on the Self-actualization or Esteem layers.
My theory is… a job categorized in the Physiological or Safety layers, which most consider more basic needs, the better job security exists.
Let’s face it. In tough times, are you going to keep the ‘Idea Man,’ or the man who actually executes the idea?
(Another thing… where would you put those two people, categorized in the hierarchy?)
That is a general statement, free and open to exceptions. And I am sure there are plenty.
Anytime you deal with discussions concerning the economy, everyone has their own ideas and theories.