Speak Without Interruption » Computers

And with a touch. . .

Minnette Coleman — Fri, 21 May 2010 18:53:40 +0000

I do not have an iPhone. I do not have apps or the latest gadgets. I thought I was hot stuff when I learned how to take pictures with my phone and store music in it. Each year, no make that each month they had something new. An upgrade today may be obsolete tomorrow. But consider the fact that the more we deal with technology the faster we can get to things we want to know.

Consider the doctor’s office this morning and the two men who walked in singing. They were extremely happy for someone coming to see the doctor and they were extremely friendly. Father and son the old man was the most out spoken of the two. Somehow or other he mentioned that he was a song writer and he named one of the songs he had written that was quite famous. The man sitting next to me was at least 15 years my junior had never heard of it. He was playing a game on his phone. The son named one of the many artists who had recorded his dad’s song and I named my favorite recording of it. While we were talking the man next to me found the song on his phone and played it. The old man smiled and I thought had this been four years ago the man next to me would have gone home and looked up the song on Google. Now information is a click away.

Consider my brother traveling in Virginia and talking with a man with a phone that does everything but walk. He was looking up a copy of a book on Amazon that one of his clients had written. My brother pitched my name and my book “The Blacksmith’s Daughter” and low and behold they were able to look it up.

Consider the woman on the bus who was trying to remember the address of a well known night spot for a new comer sitting across from her. While they chatted the new comer flipped through her phone and found the address as well as a few places around it. The woman next to her asked: “Can you look up something for me?” and before you know it the young woman with the cell phone was assisting another older woman with something she had not been able to do for days- find the address of this really good foot doctor.

We are only a few clicks away from history if we want it, shopping if we need it and airline tickets if we have to inkling to travel. Sometimes the modern era is fun until a hidden camera catches you speeding and you get a ticket in the mail. Then you long for the old days when things were slower and technology was in its infancy. But most of the time it is fun when everything you need is at your fingertips.

DJ: An App For The Typical User

Jorge — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 01:13:47 +0000

DJ: An App For The Typical User

So a few weeks ago I got to review a mac app called DJ by Rhythm software. Basically, its iTunes enhanced.

It pictures a very similar look, with a table of your songs on one side, and a DJ table in the middle. First you import all your iTunes songs, then load them onto the bases, backspin, forwards spin, pitch up, pith down, fade to middle or simply switch songs via a mixer. It does a nice job at keeping the songs more or less in sync. I have sometimes heard it speed up an Acon song to mix into a dance beat, or vice versa. Plus, it can “automix” songs which means it can do all the work while you dance, and if you like your mixes you can even record them as you go.

Very nice system and for under $100 its quite a deal. Plus, its user-friendly too. I give this app 5 out of 5 stars for its good interphase and 100% accessibility rate to both sighted and non-sighted people.

Google’s China play? Search me

Muhammad Cohen — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 17:30:51 +0000

I’m mad as hell that Google put Hong Kong’s autonomy at risk to escalate its fight with mainland China. The search giant’s recklessness is amplified because Google has no reasonable objective to achieve by baiting Beijing and inviting Chinese authorities to crack down on Hong Kong’s freedoms. I’m thankful the bonehead idea of rerouting search results via Hong Kong to evade censorship failed, not because it preserves suppression in the mainland but because it preserves freedom in Hong Kong. As I wrote in Asia Times, Google’s supposed desire to deliver uncensored results for mainland searches doesn’t make sense, given its agreement to abide by China’s rules as a condition of doing business there. Google’s longstanding corporate hypocrisy also raises questions about its claims of mainland cyberattacks and hacking. I guess Serge and Larry won’t be sending this fellow Stanford alum a Christmas card this year either, though I’ll keep an eye out for spybots.

Totally globalized native New Yorker and former broadcast news producer Muhammad Cohen is author of Hong Kong On Air, a novel set in his adopted hometown during the 1997 handover about television news, love, betrayal, financial crisis, and cheap lingerie.

THE DIGITAL PANDEMIC (Book Review)

timbryce — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:04:19 +0000

As someone who has written on the “Adverse Effects of Technology,” my interests were recently piqued by a new book entitled, “The Digital Pandemic” by Mack R. Hicks, Ph.D. (New Horizon Press), a fascinating thesis on the effect of technology on our youth. So much so, I believe it should be considered mandatory reading for everyone involved with PTA and school SAC programs. The premise behind Dr. Hicks’ book is that technology has an addictive quality to it which will have long-term adverse effects on our culture.

The book includes statistics demonstrating the pervasiveness of technology. For example, he points out 97% of twelve to 17 year-olds play video games, a third of which play adult games. This may not be startling to those of us who already guessed it but, as a noted psychologist and educator, he goes on to describe how it physically affects human thinking patterns. There have been plenty of such studies to indicate the adverse affect of technology, such as the King’s College London University study by Dr. Glenn Wilson which found that workers distracted by technology suffer a greater loss of IQ than if they’d smoked marijuana, but Hicks’ work goes further to demonstrate how technology alters the minds of impressionable youth. Further, they begin to exhibit the same robotic mannerisms of the technology they use which is not conducive for grooming socialization skills. Hicks basically argues that technology is a genuine threat to the human spirit. Such a claim should sound warning bells to parents as well as business people who will have to deal with these youngsters in the years ahead. He writes:

“This whole electronic revolution, with its emphasis on generational differences, is reminiscent of the 1960s and 70s, but this time the goal isn’t peace and love as much as unfettered, self-directed pleasure (and learning?). Well, if you’re a kid and you don’t trust adults, it’s likely you’re headed for trouble, big time.”

Hicks stresses the need for effective mentoring and parenting, something which may sound reminiscent of a bygone era. Aside from simply describing the problem, he goes on to offer pragmatic suggestions for parents, kids, and schools to help curb technology addiction. He devotes a whole chapter (17) to “Suggestions for Inoculating the Family,” as well as “Suggestions for Schools” in the Appendix.

The adverse effects of technology is a bona fide problem, and I, for one, applaud Dr. Hicks’ initiative for bringing this to the attention for all of us. As he writes, “If the growing epidemic of machines infests us all, I believe we’ll lose our humanity.”

Hicks’ work basically confirms one of our Bryce’s Laws, whereas: “As the use of technology increases, social skills decrease.”

“Digital Pandemic” by Mack R. Hicks, Ph.D.
List: $14.95
Printed 2010
http://digitalpandemic.info/
ISBN-13: 978-0-88282-315-7
ISBN-10: 0-88282-315-9
New Horizon Press Books
Available at:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
BordersKeep the Faith!

Note: All trademarks both marked and unmarked belong to their respective companies.

Tim Bryce is the Managing Director of M. Bryce & Associates (MBA) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 30 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb001@phmainstreet.com

For Tim’s columns, see: http://www.phmainstreet.com/timbryce.htm

NEW UK DIGITAL BILL TO FOLLOW US’S DMCA RIGHTS AND SPELL DISASTER FOR YOUTUBE?

Jorge — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:51:46 +0000

NEW UK DIGITAL BILL TO FOLLOW US’S DMCA RIGHTS AND SPELL DISASTER FOR YOUTUBE?

by Jorge Paez

THere is a report out from Guardian news, that the very unpopular Digital Bill in the UK has just been updated to include several copyright additions, some of which may lead to the closure of user generated content sites like Youtube.

This amendment follows a looser version which was struck down by the Lords earlier this week. Instead of directly prohibiting sites such as youtube from existing as the first attempt did, this would give the court total and absolute power in regards to copyright material. In this version, sites that have or are known for containing any type of material which has not been authorized by the copyright holder, (such as Lime Wire, and Youtube) would be shut down with legal action. This could potentially lead to a strike order banning Youtube from any and all ISPs. (internet service providers)This bill is supported by many of the democratic lords, saying that its better then the 3-strike system imposed by other countries, in which someone’s internet got cut off by their ISP for visiting such sites.

Even though Youtube has no control over the content and can’t monitor all the videos that are put up on the site, the volume of videos can be its downfall for British courts. What’s interesting though is that this follows the US’s DMCA (Digital MillenniumMillennium Copyright Act) filed in1997, so could this mean that the US will get stricter? There are already bands on certain sites, such as any that has unlawful copyright pictures, music, or any other matter, but it also created the Creative Commons License which is a subdivision of the copyright law. But then again, the “user generated” part is the problem. Governments cannot go and take 100 citizens to court 1 by 1, and I agree with YOutube in both the case of youtube.com and Lime Wire. My question is, how can we create an atmosphere in which people can upload what they want but it is tracked and if needed, taken down within an appropriate time?

Seeing it from an artist’s point of view I agree with the British government. THe problem here is that Youtube is the one who’s responsible and it leaves this to the user. Therefore, if they put my music up on Youtube without permission, I would take YOutube Inc. to court. Fine, the only problem is the license. Being on the other side and reading the license, I know that I’m responsible for what I post. And I can’t, as the artist in question, go chasing after one individual who posted it, because then I’d have to chase down who saw it…

You get my point. I believe that the British government is right in doing this, and that the US should start doing something similar, however, Youtube and any other site of this type must be forced to take responsibility, or else we could go on in a blaming game for years! Yes the government has to do its part, but it has to force private companies to go along with it.

MAC BOOK PRo, The Latest, The Greatest And What May Be Coming Our Way (The 21st century Revolution part 1)

Jorge — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 02:11:47 +0000

MAC BOOK PRo, The Latest, The Greatest And What May Be Coming Our Way (The 21st century Revolution part 1)by Jorge Paez

A couple of days ago, I upgraded my workstation set up from a 12-25-2007 Macbook to a brand new 3-1-2010 Macbook Pro. Below, I’ll take a look at the two computers and their differences in speed and performance.

Tech Specs

Here the tech specs were a drastic change. It jumped from a 160 GB hard drive to a 250 GB model. This meant 90 GB of additional space, or 9000 MEGABYTE jump. It also jumped from a 1.0 GHZ in speed, to a 2.53 GHZ (or 5.3 tenths) improvement. This improved over all performance and memory consumption.

In my old Macbook, my computer used to be able to run only one application at a time, even when it was upgraded to 4 GB of memory. This is taking into consideration the pro apps which I used; such as Logic Express for my music and iWork for most of my presentations and text editing. Here are the times, (macbook first, then MBP)

start up:

about 30 seconds, now about 5-10

shut down time: 5 seconds, now 0.5 seconds.

application start time (such as iTunes or any other low end)
10 seconds, now 1.5 seconds

when running high-end application (aka pro) such as Logic express

30 seconds

So you see that there has definitely been an improvement in the chips used for these computers. The interesting thing is, this is the “low-end” of the Macbook Pro line. The fastest there is is 3.8 GHZ (keep in mind this was only 2.53.)

Seeing as Intell, (Apple’s chip maker) is one of the most advanced companies in this area of development, we can be sure to see an improvement in speed by next year. The interesting thing is to take a look at where computers are going. If 3.28 has been the established limit, how far can we go? If it’s all about breaking previous records, how can we break it this time? How fast are computers going to be let’s say in 5 years?

I don’t know the exact answer, but I know this much. In 3-5 years, the desktop computers will be obsolete and everyone shall be connecting smart phones and laptops into docks for their information and we’ll truly be going where no people has gone before. You’ll see what I call “the democratization of technology” in the sense that iPhones Blackberrys are going to be the common thing, and instead of schools providing computers, it looks like we’re going towards an age of schools just providing docs from which student devices can be plugged. Keep reading, because next week I’ll take a look at several fiction stories that may become reality in our lifetimes.

THE TOWER OF BABEL EFFECT

timbryce — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 12:08:41 +0000

According to the Book of Genesis, the Tower of Babel was erected in Babylon as an attempt by the people to build a structure so immense that its top would reach into heaven. To do so, the people worked in a concerted manner by speaking a single language, thereby expediting the project. Displeased with the builders’ intent, God came down and confused their languages and scattered the people throughout the earth, thereby creating the many different tongues we know of today. This, of course, brought an abrupt halt to the project.

We see a similar Tower of Babel effect in just about every company who has an Information Technology (I.T.) department. Because the I.T. people work in a technical world, their jargon is laced with a lot of well meaning, yet very confusing gobbledygook. Their language abounds in seemingly strange acronyms, abbreviations and buzzwords. So much so, it has alienated non-I.T. people for many years. Sometimes this is done to deliberately lay down a smoke screen to confuse end-users, other times it is done as an attempt to baffle people with seeming brilliance, but most of the time it is done innocently as I.T. developers must cope with fast changing industry developments and vendor nuances.

What might come as a surprise to outsiders is to learn the I.T. staff has trouble communicating amongst themselves. It is not unusual for sharp disagreements to arise among the staff in terms of what something means and the best approach for implementing something. Ask ten I.T. developers what something means, and you may very well get ten different answers. Why? There are painfully few standards in the industry which means I.T. developers are forced to learn the peculiarities of each vendor’s hardware and software, and the incompatibilities between products, hence a Tower of Babel effect.

A Systems Analyst (or Business Analyst) is typically the intermediary between the business and I.T. people and, as such, acts as translator between the two groups. This means the analyst must be knowledgeable not only in the vernacular of the business world, but I.T. as well. A good analyst understands the business, the end-user’s wants and needs, develops an approach for solving the user’s problems, translates it into specifications the I.T. staff can understand and implement, and reviews their finished product to assure it satisfactorily solves the user’s requirements. Some people would argue an analyst is not necessary, that the I.T. staff can competently represent the users’ interests. I’m sorry, but the communication aspect alone prohibits this and requires the talents of a true analyst.

One of the best ways to hold any job hostage is to cloud what you’re doing and keep it so seemingly cryptic that your superiors are afraid to terminate your employment in fear your technology will go awry and nobody will be able to correct it. This typically happens when no standards are in place thereby encouraging the Tower of Babel effect. However, imagine the progress that could be made if I.T. developers operated according to a set of standards, that they spoke a common language and worked in a concerted manner. As long as they don’t try to build another tower to heaven, I doubt the Almighty would be displeased (or the executives of the company for that matter).

Keep the Faith!

Note: All trademarks both marked and unmarked belong to their respective companies.

For Tim’s columns, see:
http://www.phmainstreet.com/timbryce.htm

TELL THEM WHAT YOU NEED, NOT WHAT YOU WANT

timbryce — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 11:50:26 +0000

When a person visits a doctor to complain about an ailment, it is not uncommon for the patient to try and diagnose the problem himself and prescribe a cure. The doctor listens politely but then asks a series of questions aimed at analyzing the patient’s symptoms, for example, “When and where did you first notice this?” “How often does this happen?” “What medication are you currently taking?,” etc. By analyzing the symptoms, the physician is trying to diagnose the problem. If he cannot ascertain the problem through questioning or a basic examination, he may order additional tests, such as an MRI, X-rays, a CAT scan, blood tests, urine samples, etc. The point is, the doctor is more interested in attacking the root cause, not just the symptoms.

We see this same type of phenomenon in Information Technology (I.T.) related projects where the end-user approaches the I.T. manager with a request for service whereby he sincerely believes he knows the right technical solution to solve his business problems. Two things may result from this request: either the I.T. department will treat the users symptoms, and give him what he wants, thereby not really solving his business problem correctly, or; the I.T. department will study the user’s problem more closely, possibly order some tests, and prescribe a solution that properly addresses his problems. Regrettably, this latter approach is rarely performed in companies anymore.

There is still a huge frustration factor between users and I.T. developers. On the one hand, users claim, “They (the I.T. people) don’t understand me,” and on the other hand, the I.T. people contend the users “don’t know what they want.” This void between the two groups is unhealthy and not conducive for solving the company’s problems. Frustrated, I.T. management tells developers not to ask questions, “Just give them what they want.” This scenario is obviously counterproductive, yet commonplace in the corporate world today.

When I am asked how to deal with this situation, I emphasize the doctor-patient analogy as mentioned above. First, the I.T. people have to learn to ask more questions and differentiate symptoms from problems. In other words, let’s not be in such a hurry to program a solution before we truly understand the problem. I.T. has a horrible track record in this regard. The idea of specifying user information requirements is the Achilles’ Heel of every development project. If it is performed superficially, the wrong solution will inevitably be delivered. Second, the user should play the role of a patient, meaning don’t try to prescribe a solution but concentrate on what you truly need and let the doctor (the I.T. department) prescribe a suitable solution. After all, who has more training in this regard, the doctor or the patient? Let the I.T. people do what they’re trained to do (and are paid for).

As long as we know our roles and do not try to do the other person’s job, we’ll get along just fine. Now turn your head and cough.

Keep the Faith!

Note: All trademarks both marked and unmarked belong to their respective companies.

For Tim’s columns, see: http://www.phmainstreet.com/timbryce.htm

Would you accept this Challenge?

Bob Grant - Editor — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:03:01 +0000

My daughter – of whom I am extremely proud – is teaching gifted students in a middle school. She has offered the following challenge to them (with this confirming e-mail to parents) - would you accept, and adhere, to this challenge:

Currently, we are studying one of the Five Themes of Geography: Movement. In today’s globalized society, I’m focusing on the movement of ideas, and this leads to the topic of technology. As a result, I am asking the students to conduct an exercise relating to our dependence on technology to move/communicate our thoughts. So,….

Beginning the minute they wake up on Tuesday, February 9th until the minute they wake up on Wednesday, February 10th, I’m asking SAGE students to live one day without the technological devices to which they are so very accustomed. In other words, I’m asking them to not use the following:

- MP3/MP4 players/iPods
- cell phones (phone calls and IMs)
- Facebook, MySpace, Twitter
- e-mail
- DVDs
- HDTV
- cable stations
- Wii, Playstation, etc.
- computers
- GPS
- satellite radio stations
- I’m sure there are more items, but this is a solid place to start.

Quite obviously, there will be exceptions. For example, I know that several students are asked to phone you when they get home from school, and they don’t have land lines at home. Of course, these students should be allowed to call you.

The goal of this exercise is to generate discussion not only on our dependence on technology, but also the effect of technology on the movement of ideas now as well as in the future. I, too, will be participating in this activity, so I will not be using my laptop, e-mail, or (gasp) iPhone that day. It’s going to be a struggle for me – I already know.

Have a great, technology-rich weekend,

The attack of the alien multi-media book snatchers

Tim Roux — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 01:49:41 +0000

It is hard to believe sitting here today, but in 2-3 years’ time paper books simply won’t exist.

I love paper books. Specifically, I love paperbacks. As they say about Toblerone, never eat a sweet that hurts you – so I am not so fond of hardbacks as being uncomfortable and often painful to hold. But paperbacks ……

As with many authors, I read my own books about 30 times – 28 times electronically, and a couple of times in paperback. The first twenty-eight times are OK, except that even I get bored of my books eventually. However, the 29th (final correction) and 30th times are heaven. It is a completely different experience reading a book in paperback. As Steve Sangirardi is always keen to point out, it is the difference between the menu and the meal. Reading about the sensation of eating chocolate is one thing; actually eating it for the first time is another.

Nevertheless, in 2-3 years’ time paperbacks will be gone – almost completely – vanished like an old oak table [don’t you mean ‘varnished’ – ed? For the rest of this reference, see the TV series Blackadder III]. New technology takeover is often catastrophic. It is like the Monty Python running man – sprinting away but no closer – sprinting away but no closer – sprinting away but no closer – past you.

Put it this way. You will have paperbacks at up to $US 30 a copy, inclusive of delivery, and you will have e-books on Kindle, iPad etc. for free, 85% of them. What are you going to want to sign up for, given the choice? There is a no-brainer for you.

Does that mean that all our literary dreams of cavorting naked in a sea of dollar bills when our ship comes in has had the plug finally pulled on it? Yes, but it always was only a dream, wasn’t it? Of 500,000 books published in the US each year, only 200 earn enough money to be worth taking to the bank, and only a handful earn so much money as to be worth keeping safely out of the bank.

There will still be ways of working up your own legal tender tsunami. You can already be famous and bring out a book spin-off for $US 5m. You can use your book as what Tsufit calls a 200 page business card. Or you can build relationships with readers one-by-one, which is what Night Reading is all about. But for the rest ……

As it happens, I don’t much care. I love writing books. I love reading the books I have written. I love it even more when someone encouraging like Bob Ellal pours kindness all over them. He is The Great Gonzo, that man – but that’s another story too.

However, just when 500,000 authors have sussed the skill of how to layer out forests of words over hundreds of pages in an entirely competent and often inspirational manner, the literary experience is going to change seismically. It is going to go multi-media.

According to NLP research, only 15% of the Western world can handle paragraph upon paragraph of words on a page. Print is not what electronic media do best. They do multi-media best – sound, images, film, interactivity, even vibration.

I experimented in a very minor way with multi-media writing with a recent book called ‘(Just like) El Cid’s Bloomers’ where I wrote the story around the real music and lyrics of a singer-songwriter called Joe Solo. Joe said it was a weird experience having some fictional guy singing his songs while enmired in a love tangle Joe wouldn’t have wished on anyone. Still, it can be done.

We already have interactive books online for children, The Literacy Zone being one case in point. The other day I saw a site that specialises in making adult books interactive – Dava Sobel’s ‘Longitude’ was the example I followed with portraits of the key players, pictures of the clocks, maps of the world etc..

Take my recent book ‘Missio’ (better still, buy it).

‘Missio’ is set in Hull and is the fictional tale of Stevie whose father drowns when the real Hull trawler The Gaul went down in 1974. As it disappeared in a flash nobody knows exactly when, many conspiracy theories arose as to whether it had been sunk by the Russian navy because it had a British spy on board (it did, but so did many trawlers from all countries), whether it managed to snag its net on a Russian submarine and got dragged under, or whether it was riddled with fatal design faults. Here is a Google search . In 2004, the BBC found the wreck of The Gaul and salvaged it – queue news story and documentary footage. For further background, Alec Gill got an MBE for his study of the Hull fishing industry and community, and he has written not only 6 books on the subject but 6 videos too which could be linked to. There is also a Hull City Play called ‘The Voices of Hull’ where people recount what it was like to live amid the Hull fishing community, to be a trawlerman or a bobber (who carted fish around the dock), and bringing back to life all the fishing superstitions (wives were not allowed to wash the day their husbands went to sea, otherwise they would be ‘washing him away’ etc.). There is also BBC documentary footage of the Hull fishing industry.

Moving on, the book is based in the real Coltman Street, so you have Google maps and Google Earth no doubt to show you number 37 Coltman Street from a satellite shot. One of the scenes takes place in The Alexandra Hotel pub, so there is Tony Dunbar, the owner. If the Alexandra Hotel were a trendier place than it is, you could perhaps have live webcams of Saturday night raves and Wednesday lunchtime lap dancing there but, as it happens, it’s not. It does have four ghosts though, one of whom slaps and pinches you given half a chance. It also used to be a Jewish synagogue before it was a pub. I don’t know if anything in there is a sequitur, but I am certain it is another series of links.

When Stevie meets the magician, The Great Macaroni, he is asked to envision the Humber Bridge when it is built (the story takes place a few years beforehand). It just so happens that the Humber Bridge was for a time the longest single-span bridge in the world, so there is oodles on that. Then a character called ‘The Hanging Judge’ appears, so we can go into all the ramifications of 19th century British justice, how many sheep you had to steal before they hanged you, that Hull was one of the Northern hanging prisons (thus the saying ‘Hell, Hull & Halifax’), transportation to Australia – check your ancestors – and on and on. Also, it so happens that The Hanging Judge is a ghost, so how about some background images of the paranormal?

I could go on for hours (I really would like to, as you have already guessed) but the overall point here is that my 150 page novella suddenly becomes an interactive book epic dwarfing in length both the BBC TV and Russian film versions of ‘War and Peace’ combined.

Which is fabulous. You will really get a feel for the city the book is located in, for the actual streets in the story, for the drama of the loss of The Gaul, for the sound and feel of the Hull Hessle Road fishing community, and you will be inundated with a million additional tangential facts besides.

And all this will happen, even in my case for ‘Missio’. It is going to take a hell of a long time, though, to get through each sentence. Should I have put a link in that last sentence to ‘hell’? It is probably where some of you think we are all headed.

Human Mind and Internet Mind

rgeldard — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 18:04:29 +0000

Human Mind and Internet Mind

by Richard G. Geldard

It appears we human beings are having a crisis of identity. The culprit is the Internet. In the current issue of Harper’s Jaron Lanier, author of You are Not a Gadget has this to say about the web: “…it is the idea that the Internet as a whole is coming alive and turning into a superhuman creature.” Lanier’s book comes out at a time when the Internet is becoming the focus of serious philosophical investigation. On Edge.org, John Brockman’s informal collection of some of the world’s interesting minds, the current question is “Has the Internet changed the way you think?”

Brockman begins the inquiry by quoting the avant garde musician John Cage as proposing “There’s only one mind, the one we all share.” One thinks of Jung’s collective unconscious becoming conscious.

The one mind idea, however, is a very ancient one, emerging from the Hindu Vedas and the Pre-Socratic Greek thinkers. Historically, it comes under the heading of Panpsychism, which according to – you guessed it – the Internet, is “the doctrine that mind is a fundamental feature of the world which exists throughout the universe.” Another example is the first sentence of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay “History:” “There is one mind common to all individual men.” And Emerson meant a universal mind.

In general, the notion of panpsychism died when Charles Darwin introduced us to evolution and the assumption that mind evolved through natural selection in complex living organisms, culminating in human beings. But when quantum physics appeared on the scene in the early 20th century and the behavior of subatomic particles became connected to consciousness (a whole complex subject you can discover on the Internet), the notion of a universal mind began to reappear. John Cage’s observation is but one expression of that appearance.

The crisis of identity I spoke of seems to arise from the fear that we shall soon cease to be independently thinking creatures and become instead unthinking mouse-clicking functionaries, moving information around from person to person (or in the case of Facebook, friend to friend) without any discernable awareness of what we are sending or why. Meanwhile the Internet will have taken over the world and will use robotic us merely to move the information it wants to spread for its own insidious ends.

As Lanier argues, the Internet “results in cynical mob behavior, the shouting-down of reasoned argument, and the devaluation of individual accomplishment.” He fears that Web 2.0 has made us superficial, nothing but trivia collectors filling our minds with whatever Wikipedia tells us is so. Like that miracle television, the Internet has evolved to a banal dissemination of mindless chatter and advertising.

The truth is, as always, more complicated. Much that we see on the Internet is equivilent to roof-brain chatter, the sort of stuff that floats through our consciousness in response to what the senses deliver all day and night. At a deeper level, however, where great ideas and insights emerge from the well-springs of true understanding, the Internet, too, possesses this deeper nature because it is connected to our minds as much as our minds are connected to it.

The proper response to any banality, and, given its pervasive influence, the banality of the Internet, is to see it for what it is and pass it by, not letting it take up residence. If, as Socrates warned us, an unexamined life is not worth living, we owe it to ourselves to examine what pops up as information on the Web and seek the deeper sources of what this great mind is offering. I, for one, am grateful for this extraordinary evolution of mind and what it tells us about the universe.

–

From the Desk of Richard Geldard

Visit www.rgbooks.com

Why Microsoft’s Bid For The Evil Empire Is Out Of The Question, And Apple’s Still Going Strong

Jorge — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 18:47:23 +0000

Why Microsoft’s Bid For The Evil Empire Is Out Of The Question, And Apple’s Still Going Strong

by Jorge Paez

Amongst the obvious reasons that I have stayed with Macintosh over the years, (stability, performance, etc.), there is actually one that is not that easy to see, at least, unless you have a need for it. That’s the awesome way Apple has, as a business, dedicated its time and effort to making its products accessible. Not only to the blind, but to those with hearing impairments as well. Think of the 3GS, for example. The duel to mono audio stream capacity, the Voice Over access… or the iPod Nano/touch, with the new Voice Over feature and gesture technology… or, 2 years back, in the last quarter of 07, when Apple spent so much money on their accessibility campaign for 10.5. Do you think all that was a marketing move or a “nicety?”” Yes, I’ll admit it, it was nice of them but at the core of all things Apple appears to be 2 things. One, will we get money? Two, will that maintain our product’s quality? So while I’m greatful for Apple doing this, I understand their point. See, unlike Microsoft, they wish to control every inch of their products, including accessibility. So instead of paying $700+ for a software that might not always work, or need an update with every version of Windows, Apple built their screen reading software into the package. That way, when 10.5.1 came out, and Voice Over needed an update, they could just push it along with the OS. This was a brilliant move on their part, because it opened the path for the blind community to start using Apple products. From there it was simple math, more users more money. Keep them with us by providing what they need and they’ll stay with us. So you see, the eventual downfall of Microsoft will not be its quality of OS, but its open-to-all approach. One of the reasons Apple has maintained such high quality is because of its “evil empire” stance on everything. So, in the long run, the openness will end up hurting Microsoft, because products, specially regarding accessibility are going to keep rising and many people aren’t gonna take it sitting down. See, when a company charges 1000 on Windows, who can stop them? On Mac, Apple can do all sorts of things. Yes, including buying the company (which is what they mostly do if its good anyway.) that’s Apple’s strong point and that’s what’s going to keep Apple floating above the rest.

WordPress Help – Author Rights

Mark - IT admin — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 19:02:36 +0000

A question has been brought up as to what “rights” or abilities a user with the Author authority has, with specific questions about the ability to edit &/or delete posts & comments.

I have logged in as an Author account and am currently writing this POST as an Author. I believe I will be able to log in again as an Author and edit this post.

See below – If I am truly able to log in again and edit the post after it has been published, I will make a “update” at the bottom of the post.

As far as Comments, the same question arose. Can a Author edit/delete his/her own comments?

I just made a comment on Bob’s post while I was logged in as an Author. I then went back into the Dashboard and Clicked the Comments section where I saw my comment listed. I was unable to do anything to it though. So users with the Author designation (all users on this site) are not able to edit/delete any comment – even their own. I you have made a comment and would like it editted/deleted, simply follow standard internet protocol and ask the site administrator to edit/delete it. Since Bob is very easy to reach, this should not pose too big of hurdle to most.

UPDATE:

I am indeed able to edit/delete any post that was created by me. All other posts by other authors I can only view.

I logged out after first publishing this post, then logged back in and added the Read More as well as all the text below the UPDATE: heading. I was also given the option of deleting the post altogether.

Comment Results:

If I am logged in and make a comment on my own post, I am able to edit/delete that comment.

If I make a comment on another author’s post, I am UNABLE to edit/delete that comment regardless of whether or not I was logged in when I made it.

SideNote: When I view the Comments within the dashboard I am getting options to edit / delete other people’s comments made on my post as well as my own.

Review: Voice of Conscience

socalnovelist — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 22:53:40 +0000

The Voice of Conscience

Author: Behcet Kaya (September 3, 2009)

ISBN: 978-1-4490-1453-7 (sc),

Category: Fiction

Author House (Bloomington, In)

428 pgs, Paperback, $20.10

Ramzi is a young 14 year old boy, whose right of passage from boyhood into manhood, is defined through a traumatically nightmarish experience that promises to alter his persona forever. Given time to escape the horrendous event, he learns the art of prolonging the inevitable response, but not without delayed consequences. It is in the realization of his need to deal with it, that the consequences must be taken as well, and must forever alter the state of everyone else near and around him, especially those most closest to him.

Ramzi Ozkomert was a child of Turkish descent and the product of Turkish culture, complete with tradition, ritual, family pride, vengeance and ultimate religious duty. But even more to the point, he comes to terms with universal principles that transcend all cultural mores. He must come to realize that his traditional Turkish culture is not the last word, but only a snippet of the universal principle of life and death, and the way human beings deal with their own discoveries, traumas, pains, and delayed reactions. This story is multi-faceted and one that will make you realize that it could be, and should be read more than once, as there are a variety of cultural themes, character analyses, plot twists, and more, that can yet be widely discussed and understood.

While Ramzi does not stand out immediately as the protagonist of the story—in fact, his father does—the reader will feel the impact of the change as Ramzi comes to the forefront when his father is faded out. But there is just enough about the father, that explains the sins of the son. Ramzi will not escape his father’s hold on his life directions, for his Turkish parents come to him through dreams and permeate his conscience.

Culture clash is definitely embedded as one of the themes in this fiction, which is found throughout the plot as Ramzi must cross a number of changes from Turkey, to England, to America, and back again. The protagonist’s inner turmoil between his traditional culture and that of his new American citizenry is agonizing. Anyone who has left their cultural roots by force, and has had to learn and embrace a different culture and its people, must deal with emotional trauma, perhaps even on a daily level. Ramzi finds a place in spite of his displacement from his homeland, culture, and the cultural absolutes that haunt him. He becomes an American citizen and for a while, leads a typical life of American capitalism: success in entrepreneurial pursuits, romance, marriage, wealth, prestige and power. We almost think it is the end of the past, and a bright and different future, until…this new life ultimately does not satisfy. He must deal with the past.

Furthermore, his newfound life with his American wife and children, have ultimately no hold upon his perceived duty to his family and the embedded traditional heritage; there is a deeper and more profound voice that he hears within the universal moment of choices and actions. He has well ingrained in him his Turkish belief in vengeance, and will carry out what he believes at the time, is the right thing. The twist is how he comes to grapple with his actions, and his ultimate choices in spite of those he loves, and those that love him.

This book is a true tragedy, and is well worth reading, as it provokes thoughts upon those objects of affection that can be a distortion to one’s own natural sense of being, and can even dictate such actions that can plague the conscience and bring ultimate crises and climactic consequences that one never expects. Bravo for author, Kaya’s work.

Reviewed by: Lydia Nolan-Ruiz, Editor/Web Creator

International Books Cafe

www.InternationalBooksCafe.com

The Hacker’s Hex

Bob Grant - Editor — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 17:20:32 +0000

For all of you Hackers – who give us such trouble,

We send you a Hex in form of a Bubble.

It travels through planes – it travels through trains,

It travels through brains – it travels through drains,

Puts gas in your guts – a rash on your butts,

Puts snot in your nose – and grease on your toes,

Puts dots on your nipples – a face full of pimples,

Puts wax in your ears – and soap in your tears,

Puts poop on your hand – and shorts filled with sand,

Puts glue on your chair – with nothing to wear,

For all of you Hackers – who give us such trouble,

Why take a chance on our Hex in a Bubble?

COMPUTER PRINTERS

timbryce — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:26:32 +0000

In my 30+ years in the systems industry, I have seen a lot of computer printers; everything from high speed line printers that print 132 characters per line to the early laser printers and plotters, to today’s consumer dot-matrix printers. I even have some of the original print wheels from the first high speed printer for the UNIVAC I. They’re over 50 years old and I’m sure they’re worth something, but I digress.

What bugs me though are today’s consumer printers which can be unusually inexpensive, so much so, the ink cartridges for them are almost as expensive as the whole printer, which turns the printers into disposable commodities. It’s no small wonder that our garbage dumps are filling up with printers as people change printers more frequently than years ago. This implies the real money is not in the printers themselves, but in the ink cartridges which bears a hefty price tag for replacements, be it new or recycled, which, to me, seems odd as ink should be relatively cheap. Then again, I suspect the manufacturers of such products probably have a better grasp of marketing than I do. As a consumer though, I object to paying $25 – $35 for a lousy little black ink cartridge which lasts no more than a month, and much more for color.

I generally don’t have much of a problem installing printers, then again, I have a bit more experience than most people. To the novice consumer though, installing a printer can be a very traumatic experience, primarily because the software is designed by programmer geeks who haven’t got a clue what “user friendly” means. Some of the common mistakes I’ve seen include:

Installing a cartridge without first removing the tiny plastic strip under it.
Trying to insert the cartridge backwards or upside-down.
Inserting the black cartridge into the color cartridge position, and vice versa.
Plugging the printer cables into the wrong sockets.
For Wi-Fi printers, trying to get them to communicate with your network. Better yet, if something crashes, reestablishing the connection can be a painful experience, even for me.
My personal favorite though is fighting with the printer to get the cartridges to reveal themselves in order to change them. You know, watching the cartridges as they zip from side-to-side in the printer thereby keeping them out of the person’s reach, kind of like a game of Tag.

Then there are the printers that talk to you, such as “Printing started” and “Printing complete.” Then it begins to get insolent with you when something goes awry, “Please fill paper in the auto sheet feeder” or “Your ink is low, time to replace the cartridge.” These statements are all based on small sound bites that are assembled and broadcast as required. Interestingly, one of my computers suffered a crash which distorted the sequence of the sound bites. Now I get things like, “Problem started” and “Please fill your ink in the auto sheet feeder and replace the cartridge with paper.” Frankly, if I’m going to be insulted in this manner, they could at least do it with a sexy voice.

The geeks may think this is funny. The rest of us do not.

Such is my Pet Peeve of the Week.

Keep the Faith!

Note: All trademarks both marked and unmarked belong to their respective companies.

For Tim’s columns, see:
http://www.phmainstreet.com/timbryce.htm

Tune into Tim’s new podcast, “The Voice of Palm Harbor,” at:

http://www.phmainstreet.com/voiceph.htm

Report: Macs With Daylight Saving Issues

Jorge — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 18:55:43 +0000

Report: Macs With Daylight Saving Issues

By Jorge Paez

Reports are coming in via the Apple forums of a very nasty peak in CPU performance and CPU issues with the clock around 1-2 AM this morning. Apparently, its only if you have the menu bar clock on, but there’s a quick solution to this. Simply go int System Preferences and turn it off. Than back on. (Note: all should have fixed themselves by now anyway, but just in case.)

Six Steps to Budgeting Bliss

cmusico — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 23:38:36 +0000

I’ve taken the lessons my mother has taught me about planning and budgeting and broken it down into six steps. Follow these to establish your personal finance plan, and you will have the foundation in place for success — no matter what small obstacles or larger life events may come your way.

Here are the six (in order):
1. Figure out your net worth.
2. Set goals for yourself.
3. Determine how much money you spend per month.
4. Take your paycheck and start allocating for your expenses.
5. Set aside your savings.
6. Adjust accordingly.

Common cents? Sure, but sometimes we all need to get back to basics. Read on for more information on each step.

Figure out your net worth.
I firmly believe that you need to know how much you’re worth, whether positive or negative, before setting any goals. If you don’t know what your current financial situation is, then how is it possible to set the proper and necessary goals for yourself? People see the term “net worth” and freak out about how to calculate it — it’s not as hard as you think. It’s actually pretty simple.

Basically, your net worth is assets (what you own) minus liabilities (what you owe).

Examples of assets — short term, long-term, and tangible — include:
– checking accounts;
– savings accounts;
– money market accounts;
– stocks;
– bonds;
– 401(k) or a similar retirement account;
– IRA (Roth or Traditional);
– life insurance;
– house;
– car; and
– boat.

Examples of liabilities include:
– student loans;
– mortgage;
– credit card debt; and
– personal loans (for a car, etc.).

For me, that means taking my assets (checking, money market, stocks, bonds, certificate of deposit, 401(k), Roth IRA, and life insurance) and subtracting my federal and private student loans. The last time I calculated my net worth, the first week of September 2009, my assets came to $86,443.20. My only liabilities are my student loans, which is approximately $34,720.38. So, my net worth is $51,722.82.

Set goals for yourself.
Now that you know your net worth, you can set your goals accordingly. If you’re not sure where to start, talk to people you trust. I suggest breaking up your goals into short, medium, and long term.

Here are my goals for now:
Short-Term Goals:
– Stay in the black.
– Remain on top of day-to-day finances.
– Keep disciplined.
– Enjoy myself within reason.

Mid-Term Goals:
– Save money for my gym membership.
– Save money for next summer’s vacation.
– Continue contributing to 401(k).
– Save money for Roth IRA.
– Establish/maintain multiple revenue streams.

Long-Term Goals:
– Purchase or rent a place of my own.
– Pay off all college loans in full.
– Become financially independent.

Determine how much money you spend per month.
Now is the time to take all of your monthly bills and expenses, and add them up.

Let’s say that you pay the following bills every month:

Rent — $850
Utilities — $100
Cell Phone — $100
Cable/Internet — $60
Transportation — $60
Charity — $20
Food — $120
College Loans — $360
Gym Membership — $70
Discretionary Expenses (going out, etc.) — $160

That’s a grand total of $1,900. This is essential to know when you move onto the next steps.

Before we get there, though, a word about some bills that you may only pay every six months or so. It’s best to break them down by month and include them on the list. That way, you can set aside money monthly and not be surprised when you get your car insurance bill in the middle of the year, for example.

It also may be hard to figure out how much to budget for discretionary expenses, since it could vary. The best thing to do is save every single receipt you have from going out, shopping for clothes, etc., and write it down for one month. See how much you spend, and add that to your list of bills and expenses. It’s best to maybe overestimate a bit, so you budget for more and create a cushion for yourself.

Also, oftentimes utility bills can vary depending on usage (unless you pay a flat budget rate per month and then either owe or are due money at the end of the year). If you pay the bill in full each month, take the highest bill you had (probably either in the dead of winter or heat of summer) and imagine that is your bill each month. That way, you create a cushion for yourself during the fall and spring when you generally don’t spend as much on utilities and don’t have to worry when peak usage months — usually in the winter and summer — come along.

Take your paycheck and start allocating for your expenses.
First, take 10 percent of your paycheck and earmark it for savings. Write the figure off to the side, and save it for later. We’ll get to it.

*A quick word about tithing. Depending on your religious beliefs, you may have been taught that you should set aside a certain percentage of your earnings for God, the church, whatever you believe. This decision is personal, and entirely up to you. I was raised in the Catholic Church, but do not set aside 10 percent of my earnings for tithe. I do contribute monthly to one charity, and budget money accordingly. I can tell you it is far less than 10 percent of my earnings. I believe that if you are to set aside money for God, that you should have a purpose for it. If that means contributing to it weekly at church, fine. Charities? Fine. But do it for a reason. If you don’t have a reason, or are not able to, then don’t do it for now. As you get older and your income grows, if you want to reassess for philanthropy, then do so at the proper time.

Now, onto the expenses. We totaled the bills per month — I’m going to operate under the assumption that you receive a paycheck twice per month. Therefore, I’m going to take all of the bills listed above and split them into two.

Now let’s say that after taxes, insurance, disability, 401(k), or anything else that is taken from your paycheck before you receive it, you clear $2,500 per month. You get paid twice per month — so every two weeks, you get a paycheck for $1,250. Now, split all of your monthly bills into two, and allocate enough funds for half of each of the bills (if you get paid weekly, split it into four, monthly, don’t split it at all, etc.). So, for the bills I listed in the last step, this is how the paycheck should be allocated:

SAVINGS: $125
Rent — $425
Utilities — $50
Cell Phone — $50
Cable/Internet — $30
Transportation — $30
Charity — $10
Food — $60
College Loans — $180
Gym Membership — $35
Discretionary Expenses (going out, etc.) — $80

That is a grand total of $1,025. Mind you, we’ve already taken out 10 percent for savings, yet this example case has $225 left. How lucky! Now, how you use this money depends on the financial goals you have already created for yourself. If you are just starting out and have no emergency fund set up, I would suggest that you take the extra money in addition to your preallocated savings and put it toward your emergency fund. We’ll talk more about that in the next step.

If you have an emergency fund set up, you can take the extra money and set it toward your saving goals, or keep it in your checking account and pad your allotment for discretionary expenses, food, or transportation — whatever your specific needs are. It’s up to you, so choose wisely. More importantly, choose according to the goals you have already set for yourself. Do this with every paycheck you receive.

Set aside your savings.
Now that you’ve already earmarked a particular amount for your savings, it’s time to allocate it according to your goals. Let’s say that this example case is fresh out of school and has no emergency fund set up, no cushion whatsoever. This person wants to have a six-month emergency fund for his vital expenses before saving for any of his other goals.

Going back to his list of bills above, the only things I would subtract are the gym membership and charity. These are not vital to his keeping the lights on. But honestly, you may feel that you have to go to the gym — you need to determine for yourself what you would need during a time when you’re not getting a regular paycheck. I would cut in half his discretionary expenses, because if he was out of work, he should realize he needs to cut back on going out until he gets back on his feet.

So, let’s say that per month (without charity, gym membership, and half of discretionary expenses), he would need $1,730. Multiply that by six months, and he would require a cushion of $10,380. I would take the $125 per paycheck, and the $225 extra per paycheck and stash it away in a savings account until he reached that amount.

After that is when the fun begins. Since you have an emergency fund in place, you can start taking your savings and allocating according to your goals. Let’s say that he wants to save for a Roth IRA contribution, vacation, and a new car. If he takes $125 and $225, a total of $350 per paycheck, he can split it among the three, and let interest add an additional boost.

How you split it depends on your goals. If the vacation is coming up in three months, but you don’t see yourself buying a car for eight months and won’t contribute to your Roth until the end of the year, then I would put slightly more money away for vacation. That’s me, though. How you split it is up to you, and that’s the beauty of it.

Adjust accordingly.
Now that you’ve put your plan into place — keep track of it all in a budget book. That way, you have it right in front of you and can track your progress as often as you’d like. I recommend reconciling your checkbook and savings accounts every time you receive your monthly statements in the mail (or email).

I also assess my net worth once per month, but do this according to your comfort level. If you’d rather do it every other month, or even quarterly, that works as well. I would just caution against only doing it once a year, and doing it more frequently than once a month. A lot can happen in a year, and quite honestly, checking your net worth every week will drive you crazy more than anything.

When you do reconcile your checkbooks and recalculate your net worth, more often than not if you have a good plan in place using my process, you shouldn’t have to change things much. But, if you have a major life change, it is important to readjust your allocations and your budgeting to meet those needs.

The beauty of having it all in front of you, on paper, is that you have a living history of how you have budgeted thus far. This will help you see where you’re at, where you need to be, and how to fill that gap.

SOFTWARE VERSIONS AND RELEASES

timbryce — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 12:02:33 +0000

One of the little quirks in the computer software field that bothers me is when people start talking about “versions” and “releases” as if they were interchangeable. They’re not, and it just rubs me the wrong way. They most definitely are not synonymous.

When it comes to software, a “version” refers to an adaptation to suit a particular computer environment, for example; a single program that works on MS Windows and another version that works on Linux, another on the MAC OS, etc. (distinctly separate operating systems). Each operating system has its own unique nuances that prohibits a program written for one operating system from operating on another. Perhaps the best way to think of this is from the old videotape wars, whereby a movie was distributed in “VHS” or “Beta,” one did not work in place of the other.

“Versions” have always been a headache for software vendors. Inevitably, when a program is first written it is done so for a specific platform, normally one that dominates the industry. It is then converted to other platforms and incorporates their peculiarities. This of course means there will always be one version released ahead of another. To get an idea of how pervasive this problem is, see the Adobe Reader download web page.

“Versions” would be an obsolete concept had everyone adopted the Java programming language years ago whereby a single program could be executed on any operating platform, but this never happened as the software industry tends to buck any attempt of standardization. Plus it would make the operating system a triviality, something the people in Redmond simply wouldn’t sit still for. Oh well.

In contrast, a “release” is just that; an issuance of software to their customers. Although, it could be numbered sequentially as 1, 2, 3, etc., most software vendors long ago adopted a three positioned numbering convention, such as “9.02.05″. Under this scenario, the first position refers to a major release of the software, usually with some significant changes to the file layouts; the second position represents modifications/improvements added to the major release, and; the third position represents corrections to defects. This numbering convention served the computer field well for a number of years until, unfortunately, it was bastardized by vendors who would increment the initial number as a marketing ploy to indicate they were ahead of their competitors thereby making it meaningless. Believe me, comparing the numbering conventions of different vendors is like mixing apples with oranges. It is simply nonsense.

Then along comes our old friend Bill Gates who decides to break with tradition and release his company’s products based on a given year; e.g., Windows 95, 98, 2000, 2003, 2007. MS Office followed suit, as did many other vendors hanging on Microsoft’s coattails. The only problem with associating a year with software is it has a tendency to put pressure on vendors to produce a new major release every year, as in the automotive industry. Unlike the automotive manufacturers though, software vendors tend to miss delivery dates and, as such, it is not realistic to expect a major new release every year. Bottom-line, the whole concept of naming releases after specific years is retarded and should be dropped. Interestingly, it appears Microsoft has done just that as it prepares to release the next generation of their operating system, “Windows 7.”

A software release should denote nothing more than a distinctly separate issuance of a product, nothing more, nothing less. It should definitely not be labeled for marketing or competitive purposes. More importantly, stop using the words “version” and “release” interchangeably. It simply doesn’t make sense. Then again, common sense is not very common when it comes to computing.

One last note, do yourself a favor and never experiment with “beta” release software (experimental). You can get burned and it is simply not worth it.

Such is my Pet Peeve of the Week.

Keep the Faith!

Note: All trademarks both marked and unmarked belong to their respective companies.

For a listing of Tim’s Pet Peeves, click HERE.

Download Tim’s new eBook (PDF), “Bryce’s Pet Peeve Anthology – Volume I” (free) DOWNLOAD).

Snowleopard: The Truth Revealed

Jorge — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 10:00:41 +0000

Snowleopard: The Truth Revealed

by Jorge Paez

Ok. So let me begin by saying that I got the new OS yesterday, on launch date. Unlike may people I got the CD copy from my retail store.

And the fixes started from the install process.

First of all, they eliminated all the updating options except the “alpha” update, which is the one that goes in and rewrites the code needed to update the software. In other words, it changes only what is new.

The OS installer has a very robotic, but useful voice which works until you turn on Voice Over at the intro video. (Note: I believe this only applies if you run Voice Over during the install, however you can simply press V to activate it when it gives you the option.)

After you install, the change is obvious. The computer shuts down a lot faster, starts up faster and the whole system is snappier.

It is an update that brings great features to the blind and seeing alike.

Voice Over

So first with Voice Over. Apple has changed the Alex voice a little. For example, instead of saying “Volume 93%”, it says “system volume menu.” The only exception is the Airport menu, in which by default it says “4 of 4 bars with Jorge’s network” This is actually quite nice, because I could see when its going to 2 bars and change it.

The other new thing is that it says “9 3 %” instead of “93%.”

Note: If any of you have figured how to make it say whole numbers, drop a comment.

The pronunciation has also changed, specially when it comes to names. I fine this very good.

There is also a new internet ability for Voice Over. It automatically interacts with the HTML content instead of saying “HTML content,” and than letting you interact with it. Another change is that the former “link’s menu” has been done away with. Instead, when you press that combination, you get “opening web item roader.” Press down arrow to get links, right for autoweb spots, right for “visited links”, “Frames” (if any” “Non visited links, etc etc. This breaks it up by element, and makes one menu all the more powerful. However, for those of you who use the “item chooser menu” it is still there.

Another change to the internet/mail part is the “reminders.” For example, if I don’t touch this blog post for a few minutes and I stop writing after this sentence Voice Over will say “You are currently in a text area, inside an HTML Content.

The last update that I’ve seen so far is to mail. Its a minor one, but one that may be good for some people. It is this: every time you move around, let’s say, going from the messages table to a message, it tells you that you’re doing so. It can get a little annoying but like I said, it may be handy. There is also an update, in which if you have a multi-touch trackpad you can turn it into a clickable map of the screen (similar to Apple’s iPhone technology” and in the same way, you can assign gestures to everything. There is also a small computability update in DVD player.

I have not tested Quicktime’s Pro features to this date, so I will not cover them. Those of you who use Quick Time Pro already know what they are so you’re not missing much. The rest of you can check out www.techgeekspodcast.com, where I shall post a full review of QuickTime X as soon as I can.

Jorge

Review: Syrinx, Another Way To Tweet

Jorge — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 02:03:36 +0000

Review: Syrinx, Another Way To Tweet

by Jorge Paez

Twitter has a cool ability that allows people to see what app you’re tweeting from. For example, if I tweet “http://www.techgeekspodcast.com” from Twitterific it’ll give you a link to Twitterific. Basically, a place where you can download the app. In one of my explorations to see what app the people I follow were using, I came across Syrinx.

Syrinx is a nice little app which has a ton of features right out of the box. It has the ability to retweet, mark as favorite, update, reply to, refresh screen and direct message all using keyboard commands. Not even Twitterific, one of the best as far as accessibility goes, can boast all those features. And best of all, its freeware that isn’t add supported.

The interface is quite nice. It consists of a table to the left, where all your tweet stream can be found. On the top left besides the toolbar, you can find 3 options. The first is all (which is checked by default.) This means it downloads your entire Twitter stream. Next is mentions and direct messages, both of which do the same function by limiting your stream to just that (direct messages are downloaded as part of your stream.)

To the right of that is a simple edit box where you enter your Twitter message. Note that if its more than 140 characters, than it simply won’t go threw. Keep subtracting, and it’ll leave the edit box as soon as it can fit.

I give this application a 5 out of 5 star rating for its nice interface and 100% accessibility for blind and VI users.

I Hate My Computer

Minnette Coleman — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 22:59:14 +0000

Yesterday I worked quite hard on a post for today and lost it. In my laptop, the very wicked machine that I am working on right now. Perhaps it will eat this one too, I don’t know. But for the moment since I am on vacation and unable to get to the desk top that my husband has taken over I am stuck with this piece of. . I really hate this computer.

Its not that I hate technology or that I am over 50 and don’t know what the hell I am doing with modern equipment. That is not my problem since I have always been at the forefront of new technology from the food processor that people said we didn’t need 30 years ago to the coffee maker that grinds the beans right before it brews. When we lived in suburbia and our now 30 year old daughter was 2 we were the only family with a Beatamax. When the video store opened our membership number was 123 because we were the second members. And don’t get me started about computers, I’ve had quite a few and been trained on several others. Its just this one that burns me. I don’t think it likes me.

It has taken me all day to get this piece of crap to accept my work. I had to sign on and off several times and save each sentence as if back in the dark ages with a Smith Corona. Those typewriters didn’t seem to have a mind of their own. You just needed to know how to spell and shift to the next paragraph. The machine didn’t infiltrate your work with its own grammar and ideas. Ever try to write something in Old English or Southern Dialects and have the computer clean it up for you and you know what I mean. But there seems to be something wrong with the way my computer is communicating with itself- not me. Human error? Of course any tech would say I don’t know what I am doing and take the whole thing apart- or a fee.

Well I think I have a way to make this bad boy work. We’re going to Atlantic City for a few days, my computer and I (and some other members of my family). Maybe its like me and needs a little break. I’ll let it sit in the room in the closet for a while and think about how its been acting lately while I am in the casino or on the beach. Mostly beach because if this thing keeps acting up I will need funds to buy a new one. Demon in the machine I hope you are listening. Your days may be numbered- especially if I hit it big.

Want a link to a throw-away domain?

amabaie — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 01:07:44 +0000

Want a link to a throw-away domain?

by David Leonhardt

A while back, I wrote about why to ignore three-way link requests. Many of the reasons I listed had to do with the quality of the site linking back to you. But what if it’s a PR3 home page. Sounds like a juicy link to score, doesn’t it? Well, maybe not. I don’t want to pick on one domain or another, but I need an example, so the one that came in today will do. In the words of the link-exchanger:

Mate its PR 3 schoolsprepared.org

Check it again..not throwaway…

There are so many domains like this, and while a link from that page might not carry zero value, it’s caveat emptor. Here are seven reasons why this is not a ” Wow! A PR3 home-page link!”

The domain will get dumped.Like so many others, this domain used to be a real website, but no longer. One glance at it with naked eyes shows that it was nicely set up and had a purpose. It accumulated a PageRank of 3, which means it was somewhat active on the Internet. And like so many others, the owners bailed out and sold the domain to someone who thought a PR3 website would be great for three-way link exchanges. So what happens once the site is “used up”? Once it is so stuffed with links that it is no longer useful for attracting link-exchanges, what do you think will happen to that website (and your link on it)? Come on, be honest, do you really trust that they will continue to maintain the website?

The page will fail to keep up. Let’s suppose they do maintain the website, honestly remaining committed to protecting the link they posted to your website, as promised. How long will the page remain PR3. Remember, PageRank is relative; as the total number of web pages and the total number of links on the Internet increase, so too does the link juice required to maintain a given PageRank. But the owners are not building links to this site; they are building links to another site.

The page will not attract new links. The eyeball test tells you this is a link farm. Even if it isn’t technically a link farm, it looks like one on first glance. Nobody will want to link to it. No bloggers. No industry sites. Nobody. The owner could be less careless and format the links nicely. But, as with most such situations, the owners did not.

The page will suffer link attrition. OK, let’s take this one step further. Over time, all websites suffer from link-attrition. That is to say, links die every day (websites close down, links pages are cleaned up, links get pushed deeper and deeper on directory pages, etc.), and links pointing to the page your link is on will die. In the case of a website that looks cheap like this, it stand to suffer accelerated attrition, as some websites linking to it will remove their links when they realize what they are now linking to.

No targeted traffic. As Yura Filimonov pointed out to me, sites like this won’t deliver targeted traffic. Anyone who lands on such a page will quickly see that it is useless and back out the door. Of course many links don’t deliver much traffic, but one of the benefits expected from a home page link is some targeted traffic.

PageRank will be diluted. Eventually there will be dozens, maybe hundreds of links on the page. The PR from PR3 (what’s left of it) will be diluted before the domain gets recycled, is dumped or simply disappears.

You are not fooling the search engines. If I can see with a glance that this is a flipped website turned link farm, do you really believe that Google and Yahoo are being fooled? Please, don’t flatter me; I know they are smarter than I am.

“So, OK, David…would my link on a page like this place my website at risk?” you ask.

I doubt it. If you have 100 inbound links and 80 of them are from home page link farms, that might throw up a pretty big red flag. But if you have a dozen links on silly pages like this amongst 500 links of various quality, I can’t imagine it harming your rankings. Just don’t go jumping for joy thinking you’ve struck gold. You’ve just found a penny.

Related reading on a humerous note: a spammer link exchange note.

David Leonhardt, [follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/amabaie ]

President

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SHOW ME THE PROOF!

timbryce — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 10:47:30 +0000

On more than one occasion you have heard me express my skepticism on the beneficial effects of technology on our culture. Proponents obviously claim it has a positive effect, and proudly point at the capacity, speed, and sizzle embedded in such things as computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices, but I’m still not convinced. For example:

We can communicate with anyone on the planet at any time from just about anywhere (and too often we do), yet we haven’t got anything useful to say or say it at the wrong time and place. Further, our command of the English language is slipping, newspapers and magazines are failing, and book publishing is sharply diminishing, thereby indicating a decline in reading.
We can now write beautiful documents, but our grammar and spelling seems to be degenerating. People may know how to send text messages, but have difficulty composing an effective business letter.
Our automobiles now offer abundant luxuries through electronics, but the cost to repair and maintain them has skyrocketed.
We can now purchase items and make travel reservations on-line, thereby displacing this function from trained travel agents and sales clerks with better skills and knowledge to process such things. Inevitably the customer purchases the wrong thing or makes an error in processing the order, which is difficult to correct (and very frustrating).
Technology may give us in edge in warfare; but you first have to have a well trained and determined soldier to pull the trigger.
Computers were supposed to be a boom for office productivity but consider how much time is lost tweaking and rebooting MS Windows alone. Further, computers were supposed to cut down on paper; but sales at the paper mills appears to be doing just fine, as well as robust sales of copiers, printers and cartridges.

If our technology is so good, it would make sense that we would see a noticeable leap in productivity in our country. However, if you study the statistics at the US Department of Labor, output has actually been declining over the last ten years in just about every industrial sector. Those sectors showing an upswing can hardly be described as “dramatic.”

If there is a statistic to show how technology improves productivity. the US Department of Labor certainly doesn’t have it, nor does anyone else for that matter, which is why I continue to say, “Show me the proof!” Frankly, you cannot because there is more to productivity than technology. To me, technology simply represents the tools we use at work and home, and like any tool we can either use it properly or improperly (like shooting ourselves in the foot). Even the finest tool in the wrong hands will produce inferior results. This implies there is more to productivity than the technology itself, that it depends on how the human being uses it. In other words, management is an integral part of the equation, and something that has been sorely lacking in recent times, as indicated by our current recession.

Consider this, number crunching has always been one of the prime benefits of computing. If this is true, then why does it take so long to compile a financial report or budget? After all, everything should be available at the push of a button, right? Unfortunately, corporations and government agencies, operate with poorly designed systems and data bases, thereby the reliability of data is doubtful, thus requiring rechecking.

Productivity should not be measured simply by how fast we perform a given task (efficiency), but the necessity of the task itself should also be examined (effectiveness). After all, there is nothing more unproductive than to build something efficiently that should never have been built at all.

Let me exemplify this another way; the general perception in this country is that America no longer knows how to build automobiles, that the quality is not good. I disagree. Americans know how to build good reliable products as demonstrated by the Americans working in Japanese automotive factories. The difference is in building the right products. Whereas American companies focused on luxury and gas-guzzling cars, the Japanese were busy building economical and fuel-efficient automobiles (as were other countries). Here, it is not a matter of how well we build a product, but is it the right product to build in the first place?

More than anything, technology is a reflection of our standard of living. We have always had technology, we will always have it, and it will constantly change and evolve with us. However, over the last thirty years we have witnessed an explosion in technology that has permeated our society and changed our culture. It was triggered by such things as the Cold War and other military interventions, space exploration, medical research, and global competition in business. Technology came at us so fast and furious that a lot of people had trouble assimilating it, thereby causing a noticeable frustration factor. In all likelihood we probably use only a small fraction of our technology properly (which would be another interesting statistic). For example, how intimate are you with all of the features of your cell phone, computer, TV, digital camera, or even your sprinkler system? Are you using them to their full potential? Probably not.

It has always been my argument that as technology increases, socialization skills decreases. The more we depend on technology to fulfill basic functions like mathematics, communications, spelling, etc., the lazier the human brain becomes. Technology may be fun to use and play with, and can indeed provide tremendous mechanical leverage for humans, but be wary of how it is used and avoid dependencies. Regardless of your pride and prowess with technology, please don’t tell me it improves productivity. The jury is still out.

“I don’t know a thing about computers and I’m the happiest guy on the Earth.”
- Louis Vavoularis, Palm Harbor, FL

Such is my Pet Peeve of the Week.

Keep the Faith!

Note: All trademarks both marked and unmarked belong to their respective companies.

For a listing of Tim’s Pet Peeves, click HERE.

Download Tim’s new eBook (PDF), “Bryce’s Pet Peeve Anthology – Volume I” (free) DOWNLOAD).

All The Presidents Men

Bill Hazelgrove — Wed, 13 May 2009 17:23:10 +0000

The question is will a fair and vigorous press spring up after the newspapers are gone? Will the next Woodward and Bernstein (Washington Post Reporters who uncovered Watergate) be culled from the ranks of bloggers writing about events from other warmed over net news items? Or will that go the way of pulp and belong to an age gone by. Could a Nixon be taken down by an I Reporter. Or would they be stopped at the first meeting with Deep Throat (covert informant) and worry about their safety and consider the fact they are not getting paid. Would they cull through news articles and Freedom of Information documents to find the necessary puzzle pieces that ultimately led to the White House? Or would they just fall back into bed and write another Op Ed piece on their laptop and worry about how many clicks they are getting?
The two young reporters for the Washington Post were idealistic digging journalists in the classic mode who believed a fair and vigorous press was our only hope. Can a Democracy survive without one? Probably. Will we be better for it? No. If we cannot produce another Woodward and Bernstein out of the till of new media then certainly we will not be able to uncover corruption at the highest levels. If journalism is an art form and a craft then we better figure a way to preserver the ragged remains of our newspapers even as they turn into online news content. It is not the method of delivery we are talking about but the way that news will be gathered in the future.

I write for many online sites. I write Op Ed pieces. There are a lot of people doing that now. But for someone to dig behind the veil requires knowledge, resources, will, drive, and someone who has paid for them to do their job. There might be the young zealot trying to make a name for himself in the cyber world, but he will probably be stopped by his own inexperience and the lack of a mentoring journalistic class. Bernstein and Woodward were not hatched in the wilderness, they were young men with the support of a journalistic network of reporters and editors that showed them the way and allowed them to take it one step further.

Bringing a President to his knees is no small thing. Getting rid of our pulpy newspapers should not be confused with getting rid of our best hope for transparency in a democracy.

William Elliott Hazelgrove writes from the attic of Ernest Hemingway. His latest book is Rocket Man.

http://www.billhazelgrove.com

The Bugs Bunny Guide to Linkbuilding

amabaie — Wed, 13 May 2009 11:55:30 +0000

The Bugs Bunny Guide to Linkbuilding

by David Leonhardt

Have you ever been hard at work, doing what you do, and suddenly got struck by the immortal question – “What would Bugs Bunny do?” Me too. All the time. Well, if you are doing link-building, you are in luck, because here is what Bugs Bunny would do:

“What’s up, Doc?”

Bugs Bunny always introduces himself in way that leaves an opening for the other party to offer something useful. Such as a reciprocal link. Be friendly. Be informal. Be in the situation. Nobody pays attention to cut-and-paste link-exchange emails any more. Find a way to make yours both unique and personal.

“Carrots are divine… You get a dozen for a dime, It’s maaaa-gic!”

Link exchanges might be long, hard, boring work, but carrots are a totally different matter. For starters, they are orange. SEO carrots are often called “link bait” or “viral content”. If you have fun putting together useful, cool, different information, you have carrots – and carrots are maaaa-gic.

“I know this defies the law of gravity, but I never studied law!”

You will hear many people tell you how SEO is “supposed” to work and how link-building is supposed to work. But there is no diploma for SEO; like politics, SEO is “the art of the possible”. SEO doesn’t always make sense. But if defying the law of gravity works, run with it (or float with it).

“I knew I shoulda taken that left turn at Albuquerque!”

On the other hand, if your tactics are not working, go back and do things another way. With link-building, a shortcut is not always a shortcut. And any automation – or anything that bears a pattern that could appear to be like automation – means that you definitely turned the wrong way at Albuquerque.

“The rabbit is considered a kind and intelligent creature in Cambodian culture.”

Know your audience. If you are seeking links from real estate agents, you might need different tactics than if you are seeking links from home renovators. If you are seeking links from local websites, foreign websites, national websites…each website owner has a different motivation for possibly giving you a link. Your success rate will be highest if you understand your audience.

“Of course you realize, this means war!”

You may have noticed that Bugs doesn’t pussyfoot around. Link-building is an arms race of sorts. The good news is that you don’t have to be the one with the most weapons. You can win the war with the smartest weapons. Thank carrots (see carrots reference above).

“Oh well, maybe I can shine it up and use it for an ashtray.”

That’s right, everything has a use. So you got a low-quality link. Perhaps the page is PR0. Perhaps there are 150 links on the page. Perhaps your link is at the end, or has no anchor text, or goes to your “contact us” page. A low-quality link is better than none. Shine it up and use it for an ashtray.

“I don’t ask questions. I just have fun!”

If you are having fun, that alone is good. Job satisfaction is so important. Link-building can be frustrating and tiring and stressful. Find ways to make it fun and you’ll win part of the battle just there. Bugs advises that all emails asking for a link begin with “What’s up Doc?” Sounds good to me.

So get back into your rabbit hole and put to use all the fine advice that the world’s most famous rabbit can offer you to make link-building more fun and more successful.

Non-Fiction Writing—Avoiding the I, Oh and You

Author 101 — Mon, 11 May 2009 15:05:40 +0000

When new authors write non-fiction, they will often base their subject matter on personal experiences. One mistake commonly made, is the over use of the word “I” in the beginning of sentences. “I know this because I’ve been there, done that.” Or, “I did it this, or that way.” Over use of “I” can make your work sound self-absorbing; not something you should want to portray to your readers—especially if your plans include a follow-up edition. Try finding other words to begin your sentences, such as, “Having learned my self, I tried it this way, and it seemed to work.”

Another word or “phrase” really, to avoid beginning a sentence with, “Oh, by the way,…” Before you add this to your text, sit back and decide if it is really necessary to make your point. “I went to the grocery store and they don’t have beans. Oh, by the way, they didn’t have rice either.” Instead, how about, “When I went to the grocery store they didn’t have beans or rice.” Play with your sentences and try to hone in on your creativity.

“You should try fishing on the Rouge River.” Sounds a bit like your insisting I do what you ask. How about, “Fishing on the Rouge River is great.” It’s okay to address your reader in a personal manner, but overuse of the same word, such as, “you,” might begin to sound aggressive in tone; try sounding more suggestive rather than forceful.

Over use of any words makes your manuscript sound repetitive and unprofessional. The wonderful thing about this computer age (specifically Thesaurus), is that the dictionary is at our disposal at all times—use it! If you just can’t “find the words,” you certainly should be able to with the help of your writing software.

For more help completing your book project, read A Book Inside, How to Write, Publish, and Sell Your Story

Consider joining a social networking site for writers. They’re free to join and can help yopu with your writing journey. Here are a couple of the best:

How to Write a Book at http://howtowriteabook.ning.com
A Book Inside Forum at http://abookinsideforum.ning.com

Let us now praise excellent men

John Joss — Fri, 08 May 2009 12:31:24 +0000

Major corporations and organizations mount immense IT efforts involving large mainframes and huge networks of servers, communications systems and ‘nodes’ that distribute computing power globally. The software that makes these systems work efficiently and securely is hideously complex. But I understate.

My last employer, before I turned to freelance writing, was a major supplier of systems software to enormous entities with big IT systems addressing the largest imaginable problems. My task: visit key people in those organizations to offer our services.

One of my prospects was General Electric/Nuclear, in Silicon Valley. This G.E. division designed, built and installed, worldwide, nuclear reactors used for electric-power generation. After the necessary sleuthing, I found the man I believed to be the key decision maker. His name was Bill Krehbiel. He was, to oversimplify greatly, in charge of logistics, or what we might call ‘the supply chain.’ It involved hundreds of suppliers, large and small, providing products and services from trivial to momentous, priced from pennies to millions of dollars, on projects that spanned up to 10 years or more in duration, working worldwide. Mind-boggling complexity. But it had to be done.

I dreaded the visit. I pictured a gray-flannel-suited corporate clone, a prisoner of bureaucracy. He would spend an hour or more of my time telling me little or nothing, hiding behind his corporate veneer, fearful for his job tenure, afraid to be candid. He would have to know that the only way an outside supplier, such as my company, could be useful would be if he could spell out, in detail, what he was doing and what he needed. I was sure he would be neither willing nor able to tell me those things. My visit would be a huge waste of time.

Damn, was I wrong! In 30 minutes this brilliant manager (yes, brilliant) outlined his IT situation, his budgets, his schedules. He showed me his detailed organization chart, identified the good guys and the bad guys, by name. He described his successes and his problem areas. He went to great lengths to make sure that I understood exactly what we could do for him. We proposed, bid and executed. This was one of my most satisfactory work experiences. It came down to one brave, capable, candid executive with talent, heart and mind. Would that there were more like him. I knew him to fail only once, facing an intransigent, hopelessly ingrown organization of which he said, despairing: “There are baboon colonies inside that will never be hosed out.”

There was much more to this character, who went on to great successes. He was a committed liver of life. He wanted to see, touch, feel and learn about everything he could (maybe he should have been a writer). He performed in local theatre, collected wine, was an avid jazz enthusiast and an early adopter of British sports cars (in his case, an Austin-Healey 100). He was, basically, a renaissance man. He has taught me more about jazz than I could have imagined. His wit and wisdom are incalculable. His friends, not surprisingly, are remarkable, memorable and decent.

When one meets individuals like Bill, there is only one thing to do, beyond the business environment. Shakespeare said it: “Grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel.” This man and his family became close to me and mine and have remained so ever since. I am grateful for it and for all the intellectual gifts he has showered on me.

May all your meetings turn to joy, as this one did for me. It’s the essence of life.

A Day Without the Internet

Minnette Coleman — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 15:51:31 +0000

In a few weeks I go to visit my mother in a house that hasn’t quite made it to this century. There has always been a phone but its merely a land line. The cell phone my parents had set idle for a year. They charged it once and forgot to take it with them when they left the house. My father’s ancient Smith- Corona, the one he used to type his news stories, is still in the basement and my mother’s electric typewriter is hidden in a closet behind piles of clutter. There is, of course, no Internet connection. They never had or wanted a computer. For me it will be ten days stuck in the dark ages until I can arrange some time with my siblings or friends with a connection to the real world. So I decided to see how it would be to live without the Internet for a day.

What did I miss by not being logged on for 24 hours? Not as much as you might imagine. The morning news kept me abreast of the arrest of a single Somoli private, whose age may be 16 or 18. And whose father may or may not reside in Philadelphia. There was overwhelming coverage of anything the president said or did, though there was nothing mentioned about Bo, the new dog at the White House. Miss California wanted everyone to know she though she lost the Miss USA pageant because of political correctness (that made me laugh). And there was the barrage of stories about the little star from ‘Slum Dog Millionaire’ who may or may not have been sold by her father. I didn’t get the news every five seconds from the various sites that bombard me with flashes from the worldwide web but I still knew what was going on.

What did I miss, really? Having more than one email account as many of us do I realized the one for work contained items I had to reply to since I was out of the office the day before. My personal account contained emails suggesting what I needed for male enhancement (obviously spam knows no gender), great hair, younger skin, weight loss and a clean colon. Sites I once visited announced sales of items I would never buy. Some even offered coupons to entice me into their stores. Others had online specials only. Then there were the articles people thought I should read, the jokes some shared and the damnable chain email that promised me baldness as well as incontinence if I didn’t contact 700 people in the first 5 minutes after I opened it.

I don’t think I missed much but I am of the generation that still does long phones calls to friends and reads news actually fit or not printed on paper. It always amazes me when I leave my office with younger colleagues that they immediately pull out their cell phones to check who called, who texted them (and is that the correct form of the verb for a word that once just described content and books?) and what appointment they have. They freak out when the system is down in the office and they have to resort to other means of research besides whats on line or actually call people to respond to their previously sent email queries. There is such a dependency on technology that students can’t add without calculators, people don’t remember phone numbers without electronic phone books and gossip downloaded from everywhere precipitates real news.

Would I have learned the truth about the possible selling of the little girl or just more gossip? Does the local newspaper tell more truth? I am not sure but I do know that one day without the Internet was a little vacation from an often vacuous world, present company excluded. 80 percent of the emails is crap I could do without. The jokes do lighten my day and it is quicker to receive them by email than a phone call. Frequently I will hear from someone who has been missing in action for a while or who just wants to say hello. And sometimes I find out where people are faster on the internet than I would by good old fashioned detective work. (Not necessarily on places like Facebook. It has been suggested that people over a certain age should be on FaceLift Book. ) But I can get rid of unwanted salesmen who put their foot in the door by way of ‘cookies’. And I can contact more than one person at a time with the same message and even get a reply. Its easy, its faster and more people have access to my work.

Its nice to know your mailbox may be filling up and you can empty it when you like or you aren’t killing any trees by replying to everyone you ever met. You are just taking up a little space on the Internet. But sometimes its nice to get away from it and communicate the old fashioned way, face to face, phone to phone, letter to letter. It doesn’t last long- usually ends by the time you realize you don’t have any stamps. I am beginning to wonder how I will live without the Internet for ten days. Will anyone notice that I am missing from action when I don’t reply to their emails? Not to worry. I will have an out of office reply posted. And I bet I will still get more junk than the US Postal Service ever delivered.

Our Google Fame

Bill Hazelgrove — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 18:53:30 +0000

I have a photo in my office of the Wright Brothers historic flight where they hit the air for twelve seconds. That was all it took and they were famous. We live in an age now where millions of people look for that twelve seconds. It seems the Internet and television has put that elusive mountain top of fame and fortune in everyones grasp. We have American Idol, Survivor, Who Wants to be a Millionaire. The promise of course is that for the lucky few this will the yellow brick road to fame and fortune. For some it is, but for many it is not.

Fame is a funny thing. It is as elusive as hell. Even the fame of a stupid act has a very tight window.The woman who had all those babies will find herself alone again. Fame promises nothing. We have the ever vigilant Madonna who has managed to keep fame as a sort of sidecar to her life. At a point it doesn’t matter if fame is tied to any real talent, it becomes self sustaining. But for most people there is the quick silver fame that flashes by and vanishes just as quickly as it came.

We used to think that fame was so out of reach we put it in the category of winning the lottery. But marketers figured out that Americans obsession with celebrity could be used. The internet is the latest vehicle to cash in on our obsession with becoming famous. Google is fame of a sort. If one has a lot of pages associated with your name or posts then this is cyber fame of a personal nature. Our parents could not surf the Internet in the dead of night, looking for references to their name. And what does it mean for us that we now can see these references.? Not much.

I have seen children surfing the net looking for themselves. It is harmless, but we are adults and we are doing the same thing. The great question of the internet is does it matter? If there are millions of references to millions of people does it matter that we can see our name there too? The short answer is not really. Google is encyclopedic and we we are one of the entries. Posting oneself to the top of a Google search engine is no substitute for talent. People covet fame, but they admire talent.

One might see Google fame as the final evolution of democracy. Everyone can be famous for a little bit. I could put up fifty posts signed by my Golden Retriever Bach and he would have his share of Google fame. But I would limit his time on the internet to about twelve seconds. That’s enough for any dog.

http://www.billhazelgrove.com

William Hazelgrove is a novelist who writes from Ernest Hemingway’s attic. His latest novel is Rocket Man.

Website hell

John Joss — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:54:52 +0000

The Internet’s enormity makes it a subject too large for a dozen books, or a hundred. It’s still only a communications channel, regardless of the magical properties ascribed incorrectly to this digital phenomenon. In terms of conveying information, it’s no better and no worse than any other medium—print, video, phone, etc.—except insofar as it might be more efficient. It often isn’t. Websites test our understanding and patience. Many websites fail the test for effectiveness, logic and ease of use. For writers of website material—you, perhaps?—the task is particularly challenging.

Recall the five-second ‘rule’ of retaining reader attention. It’s even tougher on the Internet. Users scan websites and data in a fraction of that time. Time, for most busy people, is money and cannot be wasted. As the velocity of our affairs accelerates, this becomes more and more important. As young people migrate by the tens of millions from the printed word to the displayed digit, it might be appropriate to remind them that their gadgets are not free and should be compared in actual cost with all other media.

How challenging is this time issue? A Canadian study cited fractions of a second before users click away. Smack them between the eyes instantly or they are gone and you’re floating off into cyberspace . . . byeeee. The Internet is too big. There’s too much stuff. Use minimal ideas and words. Cut and slice, pare and prune. You only want the visitor to say/think/feel: “I need more [from your site].” They’ll dig, but only if they want more from you.

Keep the home page simple. Make it one visual ‘bite.’ The need for scrolling clutters the message and forces users to remember where they have been. Use minimal graphics, simple ‘tree’ logic users ‘get’ rapidly—they will dig if they are interested and you give them a good reason, and will drill down endlessly in critical missions.]

The ‘paper vs. screen’ conflict kills. The paper page is typically vertical or ‘portrait,’ the computer screen horizontal or ‘landscape.’ Use full screen width, e.g. with photos or illustrations on the side(s), not just the vertical center. This delivers 30-40% more data, more clearly, using the screen’s nature. Print formats generate ‘portrait’ 8-1/2” X 11” printed pages automatically, when programmed properly.

The Internet is young and boisterous, innately technical, dominated by tecchies who are disinterested in real-world human behavior and are rarely writers. Remind your website designers, who don’t seem to comprehend that download time is wasted user time, that forcing marvelous mega-pixel moving images into a site (e.g. an opening video) may be clever computing but drives users nuts. In context, some brilliant graphics designers already consider text just a graphic block with no inherent meaning. Minimal or no graphics, except on user demand, is the right solution, via ‘Want graphic?’ option. Or ‘Skip intro?’ They work well. Watching elaborate videos load by incremental percentage is excruciating.

Well, you are perhaps saying, designers use images in collateral—brochures, annual reports and such. Why are websites different? Here’s why: in print, you get instant images—they have negligible latency (they pop into your eye right now and don’t have to be ‘painted’ slowly). To busy Internet users a five-second graphic download is like watching grass grow or paint dry.

QED

Simulators

John Joss — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 12:53:42 +0000

Let’s pretend? These days simulators can reproduce almost anything, synthetically. The results can be useful for training, for entertainment and for many other purposes.

Used in aviation, simulators help pilots become proficient at much lower cost than flying, and with much less risk. Simulators have been created to help operators understand the correct way to operate discrete systems of many kinds, especially when the value and/or criticality of the real thing is high—weapons systems, submarine controls, guiding supertankers. Simulators can mimic almost every imaginable system used to control human activity, for example administering medical care to a simulated body. The only serious danger in these simulators is loss of face through operator error or falling while entering or leaving the device. But they can convince you, and make you sweat!

One of the earliest simulators was the Link Trainer, to train pilots in ‘blind’ (i.e. guided by instruments) flying. Hundreds of thousands of pilots trained in them during WWII. Some flight simulators run on PCs, useful for grasping basic functions and procedures. Some let users ‘fly’ entertainingly, like computer games. Others simulate driving or riding a motorcycle, seen at arcades (pale imitations—to this pilot, driver and motorcycle rider they are worthless). Then there’s the six-axis ‘box:’ spectators sit in it to see/feel racing of various kinds, and some are brilliantly executed.

Simulators games are obvious. Training/updating a pilot, they increment simulated ‘problems’ until the pupil breaks (he or she will, guaranteed, when the problems escalate from single/simple to multiple/serious—i.e. fatal in real life).

My best simulator experiences have been in military aircraft and the Space Shuttle. The refinement of fighter simulators has enabled trainees to fly and fight in domes that simulate the sky and earth. These devices can present G forces via six-axis motion, even seat-cushion inflation. These physiological cues are subtle yet convincing to the brain; pilots learn to suppress the problems they induce (a perturbed vestibular system, for example, that induce PIOs or Pilot Induced Oscillations). Pilots may not fly the real airplane for 24 hours after ‘flying’ a simulator for just this reason.

I ‘spun’ the F-14 Tomcat simulator at NAS Miramar from 65,000 to 15,000 feet (not possible in the actual aircraft) before ‘recovery.’ In the NCLT (Night Carrier Landing Trainer), one can ‘take a catapult launch’ from the deck, ‘pull up’ to the inverted to fly over the carrier, then ‘trap’ (trap a deck wire). Definitely not possible in the aircraft. In the Space Shuttle sim I flew a simulated RTLS (Return To Launch Site) evolution after ‘serious engine failure,’ in which (among other interesting experiences) I ‘flew’ backwards in space at Mach 10. The problem: no kinesthetic feedback, and no ‘feel’ to the controls. But the vibrating rumble of launch rockets was impressive, flat on one’s back.

Consider TACTS/ACMI (Tactical Air Combat Training System/Air Combat Maneuvering Instrumentation), not a simulator. Flight inputs from fighters training on ranges are sent to ground receivers; the computer records the data and shows pilots in debrief how well or badly they did. It shows views from the cockpit, in a 360-degree sphere around the aircraft, from above (“God’s eye”) at many magnifications, down to the horizontal, blue (‘friendly’) and red (‘enemy’) aircraft, and terrain. Authentic recreation of an air-combat knife fight can be humiliating but is excellent learning (the system even draws a coffin around aircraft ‘killed’). At MCAS Yuma, a sign outside proclaimed: “The bullshit stops here.” Correct. You can’t fool TACTS/ACMI.

The founding of Intel Corporation

John Joss — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 08:00:38 +0000

The founding of Intel Corporation

One of the biggest investments by Silicon Valley venture capitalist Arthur Rock, in 1968, was in Intel Corporation. You think his risk was low? Think again. Intel has become a global technology juggernaut but it’s only obvious with 20/20 hindsight. Intel was once a crawling baby, its survival in doubt from week to month.

When Intel was founded by Bob Noyce and a handful of peers, particularly Gordon Moore (of ‘Moore’s Law’) and Federico Faggin, success was long odds. Despite Bob’s reputation and his colleagues’ skills, skeptics predicted failure. The chip industry, especially Fairchild Semiconductor from which Noyce and many of his colleagues came, had shown notable lack of promise, especially in making money. Without profit, no enterprise can endure regardless of the power and significance of the work.

Noyce wrote his plan on a manual typewriter on half a page. He knew whom he would show it to and how much money he needed. He still had to have someone review and support it. Few people looking at business plans give that time. Art Rock was a friend so Noyce was ahead at the start. We should all be so lucky.

What happened after Rock chipped in his bucks? As a friend of Noyce from the old Fairchild days, I visited in 1969 to ask him what Intel was doing. He had just broken his leg skiing so I wrote the usual insults and obscenities on his cast. Intel’s activities were not yet public, a year after founding. Noyce took out a photomicrograph (blown-up photo) of a huge, complex semiconductor chip and tossed it onto his desk. He sat back, smiling like a proud father. That’s exactly what he was.

“What the hell is that thing, Bob,” I asked, amazed.

Bob smiled: “Don’t tell anyone yet. It’s a 1,024-bit, read-and-write, random-access memory. Call it a RAM, for short-Random Access Memory.”

“What can you do with it?” Bob listed 20 mainstream uses from computing to communications. He planned to release it as Intel’s ’1103′ the following year.

“Can you actually make a chip that big and complex?”

“If we can, we’ll be heroes. If we can’t, Art Rock will never speak to me again.” Intel could. Noyce became a hero. Rock won hundreds of millions of dollars and helped create one of the world’s most successful technology companies.

Why does this matter? Because Noyce’s original idea was typed on an old portable on a sheet of paper displayed in the Intel Museum in Santa Clara today. Many typos and grammatical flaws. It didn’t matter. He had the stuff. Though it seems technically mundane with 40 years’ hindsight, it was radical at the time.

Few remember, but Noyce was actually second with his 1103. First: Bob Lloyd, out of IBM/Colorado, with his ’6001,’ at Advanced Memory Systems, AMS. Noyce won the market wars, AMS faded into acquisition and Bob Lloyd went away to build a second successful career in power supplies.

As a whimsical postscript to Noyce’s comments about Art Rock, I was at the reception for a local startup and spied Rock-I had not seen him in ages. I asked Art if he’d heard my Noyce story, never told before. He said he hadn’t, but that it was ‘very Bob Noyce’ (true). I turned away and was confronted by a group of Valley heavy hitters. One spoke, menacingly: “What did you say to Art?”

“I wanted to verify an Intel founding story of Bob Noyce’s. Why do you want to know?”

“What exactly did you tell him, verbatim?” I repeated the story, then I repeated my question: “Why do you ask?”

“Well, you see, Art . . . smiled.”

Rock doesn’t do that often.

You guessed.

Cyberland

Bill Hazelgrove — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 18:52:57 +0000

Editors Roundup: Today we have the continuing series on becoming a writer and thoughts on the first amendement and another chapter in a continuing book online. Enjoy.

Cyberland

Once upon a time you wrote a book and then you put it out there and did some readings, some media, then hoped for the best. Those days are long gone. The cyber author is a twenty-four-seven author. You have to always be blogging, twittering, facebooking, texting, writing, skyping, inquiring, answering, expanding, linking, digging, buzzing, posting, releasing, and it never never stops. You could chain yourself to your computer twenty-four-seven and still never get it all done. Basically you are spitting into the wind. There are now a million hotdog stands and you have to make your stand different. It is not that the world will come to an end if you don’t promote your book it is the nagging feeling that after all this time and effort you really should give it your best shot. Besides, EVERYONE ELSE IS DOING IT. This more than anything else puts the bags under your eyes, burns your retinas, and makes you wish for a world before a cathode ray ever burned upon the land. Computers are empowerment but they are also slave drivers. It is the stock you just cant check enough, the email that will never cease to tantalize–why my life could change with one email! It might, but it probably wont. It doesn’t matter. It is that possibility over the far horizon that pulls us back to the screen. A funny thing is that if you put a computer in a field, then it just becomes a piece of plastic: a glorified communicator in the Star Trek mode. The reality is that the cyber landscape has nothing to do with the physical world. It may codify, initiate, create, but eventually some human with some thing will have to work on the bits and bytes or it is worthless. Someone will have to deliver your groceries, deliver your car, publish your book. Without the person on the far end then the computer is just a sophisticated game playing you the user. If you really break it down the cyber world is television for creatures who get bored very quickly. Hmm..the office, home is boring…I wonder what the rest of the world is doing in CYBERLAND. The sad question is certainly one we all deal with when we emerge from our homes or offices and see a beautiful sunset or a frozen pond or the peace of a sunrise–what did I miss while I was away?

http://www.billhazelgrove.com

INFORMATION REQUIREMENTS

timbryce — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 11:37:57 +0000

As many of you know, I have been active in the Information Technology (IT) industry for a long time now. It’s a strange business and, frankly, sometimes I wish I had never gotten involved with it. Nonetheless, there are a lot of problems associated with IT, such as computer performance, capacity planning, security, networking, disaster recovery, but probably the biggest problem is requirements definition. In other words, accurately defining the information needs of the end-user. The industry is actually quite good at designing and writing software, developing data bases, and acquiring hardware, but after all these years they still have trouble understanding what the user needs to run his or her part of the business. Consequently, the wrong solution is inevitably delivered to the user, thereby causing a lot of wasted time and money reworking the solution to fit the need.

I am reminded of the story of an IT Director at a Midwest shoe manufacturing company who received a call from a Sales Manager asking for some help on a pressing problem. The IT Director sent over one of his programmers to meet with the Sales Manager and discuss the problem. Basically, the manager wanted a printout of all shoe sales sorted by model, volume, type, color, etc. The programmer immediately knew how to access the necessary data and sorted it accordingly thereby producing a voluminous printout (three feet high) which he dutifully delivered to the user.

The IT Director stopped by the Sales Manager’s office a few days later to inquire if the programmer had adequately serviced the user. The sales manager afforded the programmer accolades on his performance and proudly pointed at the impressively thick printout sitting on his desk. The IT Director then asked how the manager used the printout. He explained he took it home over the weekend, slowly sifted through the data, and built a report from it showing sales trends.

“Did you explain to the programmer you were going to do this?” asked the IT Director.

“No,” replied the Sales Manager.

“Are you aware we could have produced the report for you and saved you a lot of time and effort?”

“No.”

This is a classic example of the blind leading the blind. The user did not know how to adequately describe the business problem, and the programmer asked the wrong questions. Remarkably, both the Sales Manager and programmer were delighted with the results. The IT Director simply shook his head in disbelief.

This is a typical scenario played out every day in the corporate world. Both sides feel frustration, the user and the systems people. The end user typically asks, “Why can’t they give me what I want?” And the systems people claim, “The user doesn’t know what he wants.” I contend the user does know what he or she wants from a business point-of-view, but stumbles through technical jargon. Then again, the user shouldn’t have to learn the jargon of the systems world. This would be analogous to forcing the user to learn construction engineering concepts when specifying a skyscraper, something that takes architects years to learn.

Instead, the systems people have to listen to the user (as architects do) and carefully interpret what he needs. A review of the information requirements should be performed with the user, in common terms the user understands, for if the requirements are wrong, then everything that follows will be wrong.

To properly interpret information requirements, the systems people should say something to the effect, “Assuming I give you the information you want, in the form you want it, what will you do with it? What actions and/or decisions will you make with it?” Only when the systems people can truly walk in the moccasins of the user, do they have the right to build a system for them.

Years ago, the Monty Python comedy troupe did a skit where the Pope was arguing with the Renaissance artist Michelangelo over the development of his famous painting, “The Last Supper.” In the skit, the artist misinterpreted the Pope’s requirements and originally produced a painting which included a scene featuring Jello, a kangaroo, a Mariachi Band, 28 disciples, and three Christs. The Pope, of course, was not satisfied with this and forced Michelangelo to change the painting, over the artist’s protests. The Pope closes by saying, “I may not know much about art, but I know what I like.”

This same expression can be paraphrased by the end user to describe the problem in requirements definition, “I may not know much about Information Technology, but I know what I need to run the business.”

Defining information requirements is the single most difficult task for systems people to perform and, even after all these years, it remains the weakest link in the chain.

“An elegant solution to the wrong problem solves nothing.” – Bryce’s Law

Such is my Pet Peeve of the Week.

Note: All trademarks both marked and unmarked belong to their respective companies.

For a listing of Tim’s Pet Peeves, click HERE.

Should I Copyright My Work?

Author 101 — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 03:53:18 +0000

Should I Copyright My Work?

By Carol Denbow

One of the most commonly asked questions of new authors is “Should I copyright my work?” Authors are concerned their work might be stolen by some smuck (sorry, couldn’t think of a better descriptive word) who reprints their work and claims authorship for it. Well, the truth is, it could be. But whether filing a legal copyright will make a difference; that’s uncertain.

Since the 1976 Copyright Act, the need to file a legal copyright has changed. The new copyright act states, “Copyright protection now subsists from the time the work is created in fixed form. The copyright in the work of authorship immediately becomes the property of the author who created the work. Only the author or those deriving their rights through the author can rightfully claim copyright.”[1]

If you find that someone has reprinted your work under their name, the process of claiming copyright follows about the same path whether you have legally or assumedly copyrighted your work. The first step to take is to contact the U.S Copyright office and report the infringement. Also contact Writer Beware (listed below).

For legitimate authors, a rule of thumb is never copy more than three words in sequence of another persons work. If you want to use someone else’s work word-for-word as part of your book, such as a quote or research document, you will need written permission from that person (See Vol. 6).

If you loose sleep worrying that someone will steal your work, by all means, file a legal copyright. The journey to becoming a published author can be stressful enough without this additional concern.

If you’re concerned about the total protection of your work, or feel better with the guarantee of registered copyright, visit the U.S. Copyright office online to learn more about the copyright process.

[1] U.S. Copyright Office, “Copyright Office Basics,” Who Can Claim Copyright, www.copyright.gov, Washington, DC, 2006

Suggested Reading:

U.S. Copyright, www.copyright.gov

Writer Beware, http://www.sfwa.org/beware/

Carol Denbow is the author of five books including, A Book Inside, How to Write, Publish, and Sell Your Story. Available through Amazon.com or wherever fine books are sold.

[1] U.S. Copyright Office, “Copyright Office Basics,” Who Can Claim Copyright, www.copyright.gov, Washington, DC, 2006

Twitter: apt name

John Joss — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 13:59:21 +0000

If we are to believe the slavering electronic and print media, who are fawning over it wherever one turns, we are supposed to bow down and adore the Internet’s latest thrill, the new ‘social medium’ dubbed Twitter. Its goal: make a profound (?) statement in a 140-letter public post about what one is ‘doing.’ When I was growing up in England, being “all a-twitter” meant confused, gibbering uncontrollably. How apt.
Robert Louis Stevenson wrote that “90% of human behavior can be intuited.” He was right. Almost everything we do, most of the time, is staggeringly banal. Our time spent on significant, world-changing (even our own world) events represents a stunningly small percentage of our waking hours, no matter how exalted our rank. If we recount what we are doing, continually, we are narcissistic, self-important or self-aggrandizing liars. For the most part, we need not know what others are doing, nor do they need to know what we’re up to, unless we are directly involved in serious activities (a familial, professional, social or sexual relationship that is, in actuality, no one else’s business). It takes more than a text message to establish understanding, respect or trust. If we have a significant undertaking going on, we phone or email. Better yet, we write a letter or meet. The rest is silence. Or should be.
Articles in various media tout the numerous ‘followings’ that celebrities are acquiring when they ‘Twitter.’ Individuals who ‘twitter’ claim that they make important contacts through the exchanges that result from their activity. Really? Help me understand how a 140-letter message from someone I hardly know can improve my life. Explain to me how thumbing a cell-phone keyboard raises the IQ—this can get you killed if you do it while driving, and it’s forbidden by law in the saner regions of Planet Earth.
If you want to know what this is all about, get a decent definition. Turn to your reliable Oxford English Dictionary, which defines twitter perfectly: ‘(To) chatter, especially in an idle or trivial manner.’ The OED may be quaint, but it’s accurate.
How trivial? Let me quote the ‘twitter’ of a supposed celebrity, who won an Oscar recently for writing a screenplay (yes). Two of her contributions (I researched this, reluctantly): ‘I’m doing good at quitting smoking’ and (vs. her photo) ‘Did my own makeup.’ The woman can’t even twitter grammatically. And she wants us to hang on her every word and respect her?
I confess that I don’t care what she is doing, or any other celebrity. If she, or anyone else, cares about what I am doing, I would be surprised.
I rest my case.