Gamoe.net

Steve Jobs: The Fruit of his Labor

2011-10-06T04:28:00.002-04:00

It was 1976. My parents were still trying to escape an increasingly totalitarian government in Cuba. I wasn't in the world yet. But two young men with a vision in California founded what was to become my favorite fruit company on April Fool's day that year. Computers were big, heavy and complicated machines occupying large, icy rooms back then. That they could shrink in size and cost so that a regular individual would be able to own one- or even want one- was a rather preposterous thought- especially to IBM.

It was 1985. Apple faced competition from the Commodore 64, the brand new Amiga and the hastily made IBM PC. The Apple II was going strong though, and the Mac was in its second year. There was in-company fighting between the two teams, though. Jobs seemed to revel in the ensuing chaos. There was something rotten at Apple’s core. The company was tearing itself apart. That year Jobs was let go by a man he personally asked to join the company. Jobs was learning a valuable lesson. Meanwhile I was learning my alphabet. The next year Jobs buys the company that is to become Pixar under his leadership.

It was 1994. My parents bought our first computer. Actually, they waited a bit- a new computer from Apple was coming. The first PowerPC-based Mac- the PowerMac 6100/60 became our very first computer. The first thing that surprised me was the "pizza box" design. I was used to seeing the Classic rectangular Macs which resided in my school. It was amazing. The night I figured out how to make it speak, sing and respond to voice commands. I woke my parents up in the middle of the night so they could hear my discoveries. I found John Calhoun’s Glider PRO fun, but I could hardly ever get my paper airplane through a house in one piece. I cut my technological teeth on that machine. I didn't know it then, but Jobs was working on what would eventually become Mac OS X over at NeXT. The Amiga and the Commodore 64 were discontinued that year.

It was 1997. Things weren't going so well at One Infinite Loop for the "beleaguered Apple". But they would soon come full circle. Web browsing options were poor and lacking. I refused to use Microsoft Internet Explorer (or Exploder), but Netscape Communicator was not much better. I used the little German browser iCab for a while. I wanted to get my hands on the Newton eMate 300. I was also eyeing the UMAX SuperMac- an official Macintosh "clone" (licensee, technically) which was quite powerful at the time.

After twelve years, Jobs came back to briefly- Or so thought then CEO Gil Amelio. But Jobs ousted him and adopted the title "iCEO", for intern, then Internet, until finally all pretense was dropped. Jobs was there for the long haul. Among his first actions were killing of the Newton MessagePad platform and the licencees. Apple had to trim the fat and focus- fast. The next year Apple introduced the iMac.

It's 2011. It's been about ten years since the debut of the iPod, and only four short years since the first iPhone- a fact that's easy to forget. The Newton MessagePad may be long gone, but it was only last year that Apple introduced the iPad. The press stopped calling Apple "beleaguered" long ago- Apple has over seventy-five billion is assets. Now it's a status symbol (much to my chagrin sometimes). John Calhoun has just released his latest version of Glider- this time for iOS. And Steve Jobs has died.

I've got to say, I always related more to Woz. But I have to admit that there would have never been an Apple without Jobs. He was the director, producer and editor. Running a company- especially a multi-billion dollar International corporation- isn't easy. Just look at what happened to all those other companies along the way- including the pioneers like Commodore with the 64 and Amiga. It is a testament to Apple's ingenuity that it has not only survived, but thrived against fierce odds- even without being the cheapest or most customer-pandering company out there.

Apple survived and gave us choice- even in a world full of copycats and illegal monopolies. Jobs not only co-founded Apple. He's the man who went back to save it. He lead with passion and resolute vision. That is the delectable fruit of his labor. A fruit from which we have all benefitted. Jobs might not have engineered the hardware or written the innumerable lines of code that go into Apple products- that credit belongs to other awesome people- but he was the only one capable of leading and putting those talents together into what is Apple.

A leader deserves no more praise than the people who make miracles under his leadership, but also no less. Still, some might not see Jobs as a visionary. Yet vision is not just imagining new possibilities, but knowing how to make them happen in the real world. How much darker would the world have been without an Apple, without a Steve Jobs?

To my little nephew, sophisticated portable computing devices with user friendly UIs are just another natural part of the world. He already has an iPod Touch. He knows how to run apps and watch cartoons on it (talk about easy to use!) One day I will tell him the story of Apple- with its characters, including its co-founder and greatest leader, Steve Jobs- and what it means to me.

Rest In Peace, Steve Jobs. You will be missed.

(Mac) OS X Lion Mini Review

2011-07-30T01:27:00.019-04:00

I don't have the time to write-up a more complete review, but below is a "mini" review of (Mac) OS X 10.7 "Lion", based on my experiences with the upgrade since its release. Check out John Siracusa's review for a really in-depth, hardcore review of Lion, inside and out.

Lion's Pride

- OS-level supported Auto-Save

- OS-level supported Document Versions

- OS-level supported Full Screen (finally)

- Window resizing via any window-edge (welcome to twenty years ago, Apple)

- Better, faster full disk encryption

- Resume feature for Apps and login (can be turned off)

- Improved Mail.app layout

- AirDrop: Really simple local file-exchange. This is the same as using Bonjour via iChat to transfer files, but even simpler-to-use in this implementation. Wish it was cross-platform.

- Smarter under-the-hood workings with regard to security and memory.

- Dictionary is improved, now with a British Dictionary and Thesaurus. Access to the Dictionary is more convenient now too, with a definition just popping up on the screen when selecting the "Look Up" command via a right-click.

- Feels like iOS in a good way. It's still a Mac.

Lion's Folly

- "Traffic Light" window widgets are graphically smaller. What made Apple even think to do this?

- Watch out for any old PowerPC apps you have- none will work in Lion.

- Scroll bar arrows are gone. Some may miss these, though there are better ways to scroll.

- Can't reorder sidebar categories in the Finder (Devices stays at the bottom now), though you can still rearrange items within the favorites category.

- The "realistic" Address Book and iCal windows are ridiculous and one of the mysterious detours Apple takes now and then from its minimalist UI practices. iCal has very distracting animations when changing months. Because it's important to see a page suddenly appear and turn on every click.

Though not as much can be done about the animations, there are already several pages devoted to instructions and/or apps which will, in one way or another, diminish or remove the offending faux-skins from these two apps.

Don't expect it in the Mac App Store any time soon, but LionBleacher will "discolor" the apps. MacNix and Simple and Usable boast alchemic procedures for converting leather into aluminum. Apple's Discussion forums are full of complaints about the "ugly" new iCal and Address Book. I expect them to be clicked out of existence soon, in usual Apple-style. Nevertheless, something tells me that Apple will have to rethink its new experimental art.

- "Save As…" command is gone in Apple apps. Versions and Auto-Save are great, but they serve different functions and are in no way suitable replacements for the old, humble "Save As…" command. Leave it to Apple to add useful features to the OS that should have been there ages ago (any-edge resize, full screen, etc.- iOS users don't realize how relatively quickly they got cut-and-paste) but remove an equally useful age-old feature. I know Apple is minimalistic, but this time they've removed *too much*. "Save As…" needs to come back (soon). Until then, I am using the duplicate command in the Finder as a workaround.

- The awkwardly-named "Hide / Show Finder window toolbar & sidebar" control at the top right of the toolbar, which I will simply refer to as "the pill" (no, not that one), is gone. This makes is harder (or impossible) to collapse the toolbar. It is replaced by the full-screen widget, which I find increasingly aesthetically displeasing, in other apps, though not in the Finder where it is merely absent without replacement.

Though hiding the toolbar is still possible via a menu item in many apps, it is not uniform. For example, to hide the toolbar in Preview you hit Command-B, but it's Command-| in Safari. Obviously this feature has taken a back-seat to the full screen feature, which frankly could have just been mapped to the green traffic light "zoom" button, with option-click yielding the old size-toggle behavior. Maybe Apple will hire me next time for these sorts of insights.

Control Different

Mission Control is a mixed bag. If Spaces (or Exposé) is essential to your workflow, you might want to give Mission Control a try before upgrading. I am still getting used to it. It was easier to see and manipulate content using Spaces because the previews were bigger. In Mission Control they appear as smaller, fixed-sized previews atop an "Exposéd" version of the current workspace. Workspaces can be added, but not rearranged. So there is in a way more functionality there, but less control. On the other hand, it is possible to have a different desktop background for each workspace (though not a different dock), which may make them easier to differentiate. App-specific Exposé is still available.

The Aqua interface has been toned down more significantly than in probably any other version of Mac OS X. It has a much more subtle, flatter appearance. The Print dialog seems much cleaner and simpler than before.

Lion or (Snow) Leopard?

Lion is solid upgrade to Snow Leopard, but with some necessary getting used-to and mandatory caveats. You can certainly change many of the controversial settings (like inverse scrolling, though to be sure I've already gotten used to it after giving it a try) that Lion introduces. If Spaces is your thing, you might want to try it out at a store or at a friend's house before you buy. And if you have any old critical PowerPC apps you rely on, you'll need to find a replacement before you make the leap to Lion. But if these aren't big issues for you, it really is a worthy upgrade. And at $30, it's an easy choice to make.

Upgrading Multiple Macs: Clean or Dirty Style

Apple allows you to install Lion on pretty much any Mac you own. But Apple doesn't tell you that the Installer deletes itself once its done upgrading. So you will have to download the entire 3.5 GB again if you want to upgrade another Mac. As such, I suggest backing up the Installer App *before* you install for the first time if you are going to upgrade other Macs, which you can do so by merely copying over and running the Installer in the same manner. I copied the Installer on to an external hard drive and just copied it to my other Mac from the drive to upgrade. No need to wait for another download.

Also, you'll need to backup the installer, extract the disc image within it, and "burn it" to a flash drive or an (gasp!) optical disc if you want to do a "Clean Install". While this is absolutely not necessary, it is something I actually approve of doing on the rare occasion to clean out the digital crud that accumulates throughout the years, like folders left over from old Applications. It also helps as a reminder to reorganize your data if its gotten in a bit of disorder.

I did not do a clean install this time, opting instead for a "quick and dirty" in-place upgrade. This was a lot quicker than past OS upgrades, partially due to the lack of an actual DVD, which takes longer due to the slower access times of optical discs in comparison to hard drives and solid state (flash) drives. But I do have the installer backed up so that I can do a clean install when I have the time for all the extra backing up and data shifting. And in spite of Apple's recovery partition, I feel a lot better having a copy of Lion I can start up with even if my whole hard drive goes caput.

Life without DRM-a

Though Apple may be (rightfully) criticized for other restrictive decisions (iOS, iTunes, etc.), you can be sure that this DRM-free approach is a major point in favor of Mac OS, including Lion. Many who have dealt with Windoze activation realize this. Apple could have easily included DRM in this package. But there's no demeaning activation hassle or any other DRM nonsense in Lion. And that makes me want to buy it even more. At this price, flat out pirating Lion is pretty lame. You even get a free upgrade if you recently bought a Mac.

Sure, Apple's business model is mainly based on selling hardware. But it wasn't too long ago that OS upgrades went for $130 a copy, with a more restrictive license (though this was never enforced). And I believe in paying for things you appreciate and want to see live on (the same goes for Free and Open Source software). My recommendation: Buy this if you care about supporting a quality operating system at a great price.

July 31, 2011: I've edited, added links and more content to this article.

End of the Space Era

2011-07-08T19:32:00.005-04:00

Credit: NASA Kennedy (via Twitter)

The final space shuttle mission launched into space this morning, and I wonder if we will be telling the younger generations about when humanity routinely launched human beings into space and even when we used to go to the moon in the old days. Space travel is expensive, but it is a lot less expensive than war and most other projects going on at the Pentagon and the White House.

NASA's budget is truly minuscule compared to most other major federal programs. Last I checked, it was a mere 1% or so of the budget. Eliminating the shuttle program, or indeed, NASA itself would do very little to resolve other problems we have here on Earth. In fact, NASA's projects have often resulted in spin-off technologies that have made it to both the general public and government consumers, including the Department of Defense.

Yes NASA's budget has been squeezed tighter and tighter with time. The only time politicians have really supported NASA is for political gain- to win some political competition, as in the days of the Soviets and the Space race or to gain favor from their districts because they reap some economical benefit from some NASA project.

These are not necessarily bad reasons. In fact, a lot of people are already losing their jobs as a result of the end of the shuttle program, and it is a very real concern. A lot of small businesses profited from NASA's needs, apart from larger corporations. NASA and the space shuttle program in particular was a large indirect employer for many people, apart from those directly employed by the government agency.

But to maintain a space program, visions must be larger and longer than these reasons alone. Space exploration is an endeavor that is best thought of in terms of decades on the low end and centuries in the larger scheme. A successful space program cannot survive if it is dictated by ever-shifting political pressures and four and five year election cycles.

I fear the public often lacks the patience and vision for such long-term goals, preferring the more immediate satisfaction of a baseball or football stadium instead. These are not bad things. They can be very good for a city or a state. But human progress requires an inclusive, holistic vision that allows for all of these things- sports, entertainment, art, education, help for the poor, space exploration and other worthy human endeavors. These are all things that express and define our humanity. Programs for helping the poor are just as important as the space program, but one cannot come at the cost of another, just as advances in medicine should not come at the cost of art programs. This "one or the other" is a false dichotomy.

Nature provides for individuals who are born basketball players, others who are meant to play the piano or the violin, others who are captivated by science or technology. You cannot turn one into the other. Nature provides for a variety of worthwhile interests in humanity and they must all be represented and advanced if we are truly explore and increase our humanity.

Politicians speak of future NASA projects and new directions, but I am very skeptical. One politician undos what a previous one did, as with the latest plan. Apart from the end of the space shuttle program, other programs continue to be shut down and NASA's budget is shrinking. Now that doesn't necessarily mean its the end of NASA or space exploration in general. In fact, I believe humanity is destined for the stars and that progress will continue regardless.

But the direction and support for that progress will affect what will be available for generations to come. I support private and commercial space projects. But humanity's space programs will lag considerably without government funding, which does not need to be directly tied to the immediate commercial pressures of the day. Together government and commercial funding can build a better space program, but we need both.

Nevertheless, it is the end of an era. This hits me in three different ways. As a human being, I decry the deterioration of humanity's already extremely limited ability to travel to space. As an American, I am ashamed that my country, once a leader in space exploration, needs to ask help from the Russians or Japanese or maybe the Europeans to launch a man into orbit or shuttle him to the International Space Station.

And as a self-described "space enthusiast" who grew up with the awe-inspiring adventures of two Enterprise crews, boldly going where no human had gone before, and a member of The Planetary Society, who would give up almost anything to visit the moon or even set foot on the ISS, or in what is still science fiction- take a tour of Mars- this sends me a clear message that space exploration is not one of society's priorities, in spite of all the sci-fi books, movies and series regularly consumed. Humanity's commitment to aim for the stars is not quite as strong.

My hope is that this is simply a "phase" for humanity. Unfortunately, my life may not be long enough to enjoy a time where humanity truly embraces space exploration. I often feel we could be much more advanced in space technologies if we would have truly pursued it. The long-term practical issues also concern me- This is the only planet we can live on. Our Pale Blue Dot. Without further funding for the space program, we lose out on potential technologies to reach habitable planets even just within the solar system, or to make them more habitable for human beings. The real-life mission to Mars is being pushed further and further into the future. Perhaps at least it will force us to take care of our own planet first, before we trash another.

I reflect upon the final shuttle mission with a certain serious sadness. Nevertheless, I still have hope. I think the space program will go on and maybe a new generation will pick up the cause with greater passion and determination, like those now fully invested. We have seen great technological achievements in our time, and although space is a great and vast challenge for humanity I think we will see increased interest and advances not merely to "beat" a foreign power to space, but to head for the stars for adventure, space and yes... the all-powerful profit. But for now I remove my imaginary hat and take a moment of silence for the passing of an era.

Pine Trail Tweaks: Updating the BIOS using Mac OS X

2011-05-12T10:58:00.000-04:00

Following this introduction, this article explains how to prepare a flash device (such as a flash drive or an SD card) to update the BIOS on an Asus netbook and apply the update.

Now that we have downloaded the BIOS update file, we need to prepare the flash device to format.

1. Insert the flash device into your Mac.

2. Open up the Terminal (In the Utilities folder within the Applications folder on the Mac.).

3. Type "diskutil list" into the Terminal

4. You will see a listing of all the storage devices attached to your Mac. Usually it's easy to identify a flash drive or card by looking at the storage capacity. I used an 8 GB SD card, so it was obvious when I got the following output (It is /dev/disk1). You will get something similar:

/dev/disk0
#: TYPE NAME SIZE IDENTIFIER
0: GUID_partition_scheme *320.1 GB disk0
1: EFI 209.7 MB disk0s1
2: Apple_HFS Macintosh HD 319.7 GB disk0s2
/dev/disk1
#: TYPE NAME SIZE IDENTIFIER
0: FDisk_partition_scheme BIOS *8.2 GB disk1
1: DOS_FAT_32 UNTITLED 8.2 GB disk1s1

The "/dev/disk*" identifiers normally represent physical storage devices attached to your computer. The numbered lines that follow represent the partitions present within those devices. If you're not sure which one your flash device is, just eject it and retype the command and see which one disappears. That's your device! Don't forget to put it back in. It should show up if you run the command again.

5. Type "diskutil umountDisk /dev/disk*", replacing the last character with whatever your own device number is. This will unmount the device. Alternatively, you can unmount it using Disk Utility and clicking on the device and the unmount button.

6. Now we are ready to format the flash device. For some odd reason, the Asus netbook will only accept a BIOS update from a device formatted in the outmoded FAT16 format. Though Disk Utility will gladly format in FAT32, it will not allow us to format in FAT16. No worries. We need not leave the terminal to solve our predicament. Instead we will use a program appropriately named "newfs_msdos". Be very careful in this step, because it will erase all the data on your flash device.

Type "newfs_msdos -F 16 /dev/disk*", substituting for your device number as before. This will format the device in FAT16.

7. Type "disktool -m disk1", again replacing the disk number as appropriate. This will mount the newly reformatted device. Alternatively you can use Disk Utility to mount it, or physically disconnect and reconnect the device to have it remounted.

8. Now take the unzipped BIOS file and rename it "1005P.ROM". Copy it to the newly reformatted device. We are ready to perform the update.

9. Eject the flash device from your Mac and place it into the Asus netbook, turn it on and hold down Alt-F2. This will initiate the BIOS update program.

10. The netbook should find the file and automatically update the BIOS. Be careful not to interrupt the process, otherwise you may get that nice Mesopotamian brick. Simply follow the onscreen instructions at this point. After that you're done!

It should ask you if you want to edit settings or load defaults and continue, either way you should see the new version number in the main BIOS screen. Congratulation, you have updated the BIOS!

I would not have been able to complete this process so promptly nor write this how-to without these sources:

Pine Trail Tweaks: Updating the BIOS

2011-05-12T10:56:00.000-04:00

The BIOS. It's a staple of PCs. Almost every PC has one, though that is changing these days with EFI, and Macs used Open Firmware back in the day. Regardless, its function remains the same- recognizing and handling the various essential components of a computer (the CPU, disc drives, video card and so on)- and helping to boot the Operating System. The BIOS used to be unalterable, destined to stayed the way it shipped. Only later did the BIOS earn the ability of update. Where before either it worked or it didn't, now manufacturers have the ability to issue BIOS updates which correct errors or allow new features or compatibility. This was the case with my Asus 1001P. It is known to have issues with screen brightness, among other things, which the newest BIOS update supposedly mended.

The BIOS was usually updated via a floppy disk. Obviously for a netbook without such an antiquity this is not an option. Therefore, Asus provides an updater program that can be run from within Windows instead. Except that I don't run obsolete operating systems either. Asus does provide a Linux utility for updating the BIOS. Nevertheless, updating the BIOS is a potentially precarious process, as a failed update can magically transmute your machine from a modern twenty-first century technological marvel to a primitive Mesopotamian brick (well not really, but it *can* render your machine inoperable).

There is another way that takes the operating system and all the variables that come with it, out of the immediate equation, and this is how I opted to proceed. We still need to use an OS prior to the actual updating process however, and unfortunately, it can be a little tricky if you're not using the pervasive Windoze OS, so I've documented how to do this entirely under Linux as well as partly under Mac OS X in case the system on your netbook is mangled and you happen to have a Mac around.

The first step no matter what the OS, is to actually download the BIOS update. These are small files, measured in the kilobytes. Go to support.Asus.com and follow the prompts to get to the BIOS file. This link should take you directly to the 1001P support page. As far as I can tell it makes no difference what OS you choose on the site. It will present you with the latest BIOS updates regardless. As of this writing, the latest is "BIOS 1202". Download and unzip the file.

The best way to go about updating the BIOS is by using either a flash drive or an SD card. Most netbooks can boot from either. In the following two articles we will go through the process of preparing such a flash device and ultimately updating the BIOS on an Asus netbook. The first one will explain how to prepare the flash device using Mac OS X and the last one will explain the process using only Linux.

RFID: I Don't Zync So!

2011-01-12T14:48:00.001-05:00

I was considering the Zync card from American Express for their reputation with customer service, warranty protection and the relatively low $25 yearly fee compared to their other charge cards. Before I jumped in, I found that Zync was touted as an ExpressPay card. This is the service that allows you to make wireless, contact-less transactions with the card. That is, you just have to hold up the card instead of physically swiping it through a magnetic card reader. The diminutive integrated radio transceiver microchip embedded in the card which enables this function is called an RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) chip.

It took me a while to find more information on whether ExpressPay was optional or not. The official page for the Zync card doesn't even mention it, and American Express does not make an e-Mail address or web form available for non-cardholders. So I contacted them via telephone and AskAmex, their official customer service contact on Twitter. At first I got contradictory information on whether the chip was optional or not. But the final word was that it was built in, and the card could not be procured without an RFID chip.

I didn't get the card because of this. "Why?," you ask. Well, let's just say that RFID and I don't see eye to eye.

Wrong in Implementation

Now, don't get me wrong, I don't think RFID is all bad. There are legitimately logical uses for RFID. It's the technology behind key fobs and badges which have have long been used in banks, businesses, schools and government to open doors and parking gates. It can be used for store security and inventory tracking.

In fact, probably the first exposure most people had to RFIDs were those square tags in CDs and other products that sound the alarm at the exit if they're not properly deactivated. That's a tiny RFIDs at the (more or less) center. The larger area around it is the antenna. Instead of using internal batteries, RFIDs pick up the energy they need to work via electromagnetic induction, usually from the "reader" (in the case of store merchandise, from the exit gates).

Far from those humble beginnings, more sophisticated RFIDs are now being used to transmit financial information wirelessly, à la "ExpressPay". Is it convenient? Perhaps. But in return for the arguable convenience of not having to physically swipe your card, it opens up a whole slew of security and privacy issues.

One of the issues is the weak encryption being used. It's already been cracked. American Express used to offer some of their cards without RFID chips when they first started using them, but they no longer provide this option. Instead, a representative offered to disable the ExpressPay feature for me. That means that charges made using this wireless method would be refused, which does protect the user on some level from unauthorized purchases.

However, the chip is still active and functional and will gladly transmit all the card holder's personal information to anyone who is listening. The representative assured me that the range at which the information could be read was limited to a few feet, but he has not seen what some talented hackers have been able to do, and the equipment and techniques to do so just keep getting better.

Somebody's Tracking You

Then, there are other implications. The same information that could be used for identity theft can be used to track a card holder's movements. And it's not just stalkers and government agencies who would be interested in that, it's the card issuers themselves! Check out this patent filing from American Express.

The idea here is to use the embedded RFID to track a card holder's movement through say, a grocery store, observe and record what products or category of products an individual looks at (information provided by RFID readers placed at strategic points throughout the store) and for how long. And why all this invasion of privacy? To provide you with targeted and personalized ads, and find more ways to manipulate you into spending more money.

It seems that the primary reason behind putting RFID chips in credit and charge cards is to make charging items an even easier, almost impulse action while gathering more information about you to get you to use your card more often, all in the name of the corporate bottom line.

Cut It Out

The tradeoff may be worthwhile for card issuers, but it's certainly not worthwhile for the customer, which is perhaps why card companies are so quiet about RFID and rarely even refer to them as such. They may tout the dubious benefits of contact-less payments, but they won't give you the important details. Oftentimes a regular card suddenly becomes an RFID card the next time it is issued. Such was the case with my Chase Debit card, which I have since cancelled.

Before cutting up my card however, I took it upon myself to attempt to cut out the RFID chip itself. I pretty much butchered the RFID and no doubt broke it in the process, but more careful carvers will be able to remove a perfectly functioning RFID chip. Below are the before and after pictures of my card. Click on the pictures for the full images.

While American Express calls it "ExpressPay", Chase refers to their RFID "service" as "Blink". Mind you, for all I know the chip here is backwards. I certainly didn't do the best job excising it. But it does give you an idea of how small they are. Astute viewers will notice a small bump visible on the back of the card where the Blink logo resides. It is almost imperceptible to the touch, barely visible and even tougher to photograph. But be warned as far as I know there are even smaller chips which are indeed totally undetectable to the naked eye and touch. Chase's debit card is a little thicker than a regular card, like a thin sandwich. But this is not always the case.

The Customer Decides

To deactivate the chip some people recommend smashing it, cutting it out, using a hole puncher, putting the card in the microwave (which I don't recommend), or an aluminum wallet or sleeve to block the signal. While these may all be acceptable temporary fixes, why should we settle? Admittedly you can do any of these things and just use the magnetic strip as usual. But there may be a time when card issuers drop the magnetic strip altogether in favor of an all-RFID "solution", if they want you to use it bad enough.

The fact is that these products exist for us. We are the customers. And we have the power both individually and collectively to decline, though sadly most of us don't often realize this. Every time you reject or cancel an RFID card you send a message to the card issuer and the industry as a whole. Even better if you let them know why. Eventually it adds up. The product that is rejected by the customer will not be financially successful and will simply drop from the marketplace. We've suffered enough abuse at the hands of the credit card industry. Let's not let them play fast and loose with the security of our personal information. Let's not make it even easier for identity thieves.

Batch Renaming Files (without using the terminal)

2011-01-06T15:52:00.025-05:00

So you have a bunch of pictures on your Mac and you want to add a prefix (like say "My Wild Party-") or a date to all of them, or maybe you've already painstakingly renamed them one by one, but want to change the name now. But there are 600 of them. Isn't there any easier way to rename files and folders on the Mac?

You got a Mac because its easy, and powerful. Sure, the biggest geeks will open up Terminal.app and work all kinds of magic. In fact, this is another option for renaming multiple files. But those of us who either haven't the time to dabble in such sorcery or simply want a more Mac-like way are left to different devices.

Enter Automator. Automator lives in the Applications folder on your Mac. Automator exists to automate those boring, time-consuming, repetitive tasks. That's right, you don't need any additional software. It's all there on your Mac already. Automator is made with non-programmers in mind, so you don't have to know any geeky code just to rename your tons of files.

Once you get the hang of it, you'll be using Automator for many of those repetitive tasks you used to do manually. This is a very simple guide to renaming multiple files, or batch renaming, though you can do a lot more with Automator.

Okay, so let's say you've got all those files to rename. First thing you do is launch Automator. Now since Automator is rather open-ended, from this point on there are a lot of ways of going about things. But for simplicity and sanity's sake, I'm going to list only one set of steps to get where we want to go. But you should be aware that there are lots of options here if you want to play around with it later. For reference, I am utilizing Version 2.1.1 (247.1) of Automator.

1. Once Automator finishes bouncing in your dock it's going to be asking you to choose a template for your workflow. The default template, simply titled "Workflow" is fine.

2. If Automator isn't showing the Library, make sure you hit "Show Library" in the toolbar. Once the Library is showing, you'll want to click on "Files & Folders" with the Finder happy face to the left. Once you do that, make sure you select "Get Selected Finder Items" from the list. Using the search bar will narrow down your search. Drag the selection to the area to the right, or just double click it.

3. Look for "Rename Finder Items" and add that. Now the second and final part of our workflow has been added.

4. Now you can hide the Library or expand the window. The first part of our workflow has no options, but the second part is full of them. In this case we will select "Add Text" and "before name". If you wanted to add the text after, you would of course select "after name".

5. Now we write the prefix we want to include before the file names. In this case I want to name some pics we took back at the Appletalker beach party (we had a blast). I am careful to include a space after the dash, but you can select to include an underscore to be more compatible with the net or not include any separation at all if you don't like.

6. Now you have to actually go to the Finder and find the files you want to rename. They can be anywhere. They can be in a folder with other files you don't want to rename. It doesn't matter, because Automator will only touch the filenames of those files you select. Here I've selected my pics.

7. Now we head back to Automator, being careful not to deselect our pics. They should look grayed-out but selected in the background. Now the moment of truth: Hit the Run button at the top right of the toolbar.

Automator may warn you and ask you to make duplicate files. In my opinion, this is a bit overprotective. You're not actually modifying any other attribute of these files except for their file names, something which we do everyday without any need for warnings. If you're incredibly paranoid, go ahead and do it. But take it from me, there's no need to duplicate files and it's just a waste of time and space. And if you're worried about making a mistake, don't worry, I'll show you how to change the file names afterwards.

Automator should display some log information at the bottom pane after completing the task, unless you have the variable display selected, in which case you get a sad nothing displayed. But it should work either way.

8. Congratulations! Your files have now been successfully renamed! And with no extra software or geeky terminal commands.

9. But what if you change your mind about the name? In this case, I've decided to add the year to the end of the title. No sweat. I just take a character I want to put it next to (in this case, I want to put the year before the dash, so I enter a dash), and then I include a space, the year and the dash together, meaning that Automator will replace the dash with the year with a space before for separation and of course, another dash in its place.

You can choose whatever format suits you best, of course. This can get tricky if you have dashes everywhere, for instance. In this case you may have to write out a longer piece of the file name, or the whole text to amend.

10. The file names have now been amended. You see? No need for worry- even if you make a mistake renaming, you can always correct it later, as long as you take some very basic precautions (I don't mess with the original names usually, but if you need to, you might consider Automator's advise and have it duplicate the files beforehand just in case). By the way, if you ever need to simply remove a section of text just replace it with nothing- no space, just make sure there is nothing in the "replace" field and it'll delete whatever text you inserted in the "replace" field.

Afterword

Now if you were paying attention, you noticed that the "Replace Text in Finder Item Names" action has a specific option for adding dates and times. You can do much more complex things than add the year. You can have every file labeled with its date and time of creation in almost any format. The possibilities are vast. But you don't need another tutorial for that. Go ahead and try it out yourself! Automator brings incredible possibilities to the Mac without the need to write one line of code.

Automator will work with almost any Apple app, like the Finder, as we saw, Safari, iCal or Address Book, among others. Apart from Apple apps, Automator can also work with apps like MS Office and Photoshop. Imagine the possibilities! Good luck and have fun! Just remember to backup your data first!

Note: I also published this article at the Appletalker Scrapbook.

Those Mercurial CFLs

2011-01-05T12:17:00.002-05:00

Florescent light bulbs are more efficient than traditional incandescent light bulbs. This has become a common fact at this point. Switching from incandescents to florescents means lower energy consumption, which undoubtably means lower use of fossil fuels in most cases, lower pollution, less global warming and all that is good for the planet and its human inhabitants. This is of course unless your house is powered by a "non-dirty" source like solar, wind or geothermal energy. But obviously that is not the case for most people.

Thus florescent light bulb manufacturers, governmental bodies and even some environmental groups have taken to advertising these facts. It's printed on the packaging of almost every florescent bulb pack, in government and environmental literature. Most of the push has been for compact florescent lights (CFLs), since they are meant to replace the common and iconic screw-in light bulb most of us grew up with. But what is not nearly as widely known are the dangers of CFLs (and all florescent light bulbs).

You see, all florescent lights, whether the old-style tubes or CFLs, contain mercury. This means you can't just throw out your CFL bulbs with your regular trash. These bulbs need to be recycled, or they'll just end up in landfills where they will eventually seep into and contaminate the land and water with mercury, the most toxic natural non-radioactive element known to man. So while CFLs are being touted as more "Earth-friendly", they may indeed end up posing a significant environmental threat.

If you do use CFLs, never throw them in the trash remember to recycle them. Earth911 has a vast list of recycling centers throughout the U.S. and Canada you can browse through by zip code. Many areas have recycling programs for CFLs and now even stores are accepting CFLs and old electronics for recycling.

Sometimes they Break

But if mercury contamination is an issue with CFLs, what happens when one breaks? As it happens, a broken CFL bulb is a danger to anyone who comes in contact with it. While a broken incandescent can cut you, a broken CFL can give you mercury poisoning in addition. This is a fact that so far I have never seen displayed on any packaging or announced by public health organizations.

In fact, the EPA recently updated their guidelines, with a report which "indicates the tiny amount of vaporized mercury from a single broken bulb is within the safe range for adults", but the official cleaning instructions call for airing out the room and avoiding all contact with the broken CFL, among other steps.

It certainly doesn't sound very safe, and frankly I wouldn't be taking any chances with my health or the health of those in the household. The danger from CFLs is very real, on both a personal and a global scale, and it is something to consider. Even if they don't break often, is it worth the risk?

Tron: Legacy Review

2010-12-18T05:53:00.006-05:00

Below are my impressions of Tron: Legacy. There may be some very minor spoilers, especially if you haven't seen the trailers, but otherwise you can read with confidence, it won't spoil the movie for you.

Music:

All the rage is that Daft Punk made the soundtrack. Then there's the controversy that most of it doesn't sound like traditional Daft Punk. The score of the original Tron was excellent. I'm not sure this one compares quite on the same level. I don't think it can, just because it's not the original, and perhaps the movie doesn't call for it. Nevertheless, it does what it needs to do and we get some funk-tastic beats at key moments. There is even a guest appearance. I can't say I was dissatisfied in the music category.

Visual Design:

The Tron world seems more real. There seems to be more substance. This makes sense to me. With upgraded graphics, and increased sophistication, the computer world takes on a new level of realism, but it is still not quite real. The void- the blackness usually filled up by trees, sky and natural features in our world is still prominent here. Don't get me wrong, the wireframe-like look of the original is still there. It's just that there's a little bit more solid, a little bit more texture. But not a lot.

In fact, I was a tad disappointed not to see more color- there were some nicely colorful scenes in the original. In fact, "solid" colors here were conservative- white mostly, especially Flynn's digital place. But it went with the mood. There is a dark threat looming and feelings running a lifetime, and this time it seems deeper, more emotionally pronounced. And it was probably best for the movie to concentrate on a specific set of visual elements. There were no simulated mountains here.

That said, the most prominent visual elements of the original are there- the recognizers, now depicted in a different capacity than in the original, yet not contradictorily so, the lightcycles, and even the solar sail, with a few new suitable additions.

With the games- the lightcycle, and disc-throwing- the world takes on a decidedly indoor-sports feel, now complete with a Roman arena-like audience. Come to think of it, a lot of these indoor sports- like Raquetball- take on a very disconnected, artificial, even futuristic feel- because they are essentially isolated from the world in their own space/room, and sports clothing often seems particularly "futuristic" in how tight they fit, their fabric and colors. So it is perhaps not surprising that the sporty theme and the Tron environment go together so well.

Story, Action & Dialog:

The dialog certainly pays homage to the original. Many lines are the exact same ones. There also seems to be a bit of a tribute to the genre and the era of the original as well. "Sometimes the only winning move is not to play" is an unmistakable line for anyone who's watched War Games, especially in the context of the computer/sci-fi genre. 80s music is also blaring at certain parts, playing on the nostalgia, and it complements the film well.

The nostalgia is well played, maybe because in some ways, it is not entirely fabricated, but actually very real. It's been 28 years since Tron debuted. It must be something to revisit Tron after so long. I bet there was some real nostalgia going on at least between Jeff Bridges, Bruce Boxleitner, and original Tron director turned producer, Steven Lisberger.

The scenes and situations played out in Legacy are some of the same of the original. But this too is not a bad thing. It's no secret we all wanted to see stunningly upgraded versions of the lightcycle and disc battles. And Legacy provides. And then some. There is a clearly intentional line of continuity and sameness that runs from the original to the new film. Not only in the visual elements, scenes and situations, but even in roles and bloodlines.

Flynn's son takes his rightful place as savior. Dillinger's unscrupulous son takes the place of his father as well. Flynn's adversary makes a similarly worded and passionate speech for the opposite cause. It's reflective and cyclical. And it ties in well to Flynn's newfound love for philosophy and Zen-ness. New people/programs, but the same roles and situations.

Nevertheless, even if you've never seen the original, there is enough backstory present in Legacy to fill you in, though that's not really even necessary to enjoy the film. And even if you don't fully pick up on references to the original, you will easily pick up on the general 80s nostalgia.

However, Disney was not afraid to take the story in a new direction. In spite of the continuity, the similarities and the parallels, the fact is that the story grows and changes. The movie reflects upon itself, mostly through the eyes of Flynn, who's new hippy-attitude makes a lot of sense to me as part of his growth. It also added a lot of character and joy to the movie. These weren't stiff action characters.

It may not be perfect, but at least this movie tried. There was reverence paid to thinking and reflection. A father was concerned for his son, in a way any genuine father would be. And all this amidst lightcycle battles and dogfights. Certainly it's not a philosophy movie, but this is not your typical mindless action flick. There are some touchingly human moments present, though it is not an overwhelmingly emotional movie either.

In spite of all the continuity and parallels between the original and Legacy, one area in which I am decidedly pleased to see Legacy diverse is in lacking a cheesy love story. That's right, there's no love story. This is a father and son tale, though this develops in the moments between the main story. We also see a tale of how things got to where they are now through Flynn's retelling. I enjoyed these interludes within the main story.

Conclusion

This was a very satisfying movie and sequel to what has become a geek classic. I have seen so many disastrous sequels that I am even more grateful for the respect paid to the original, and boldness to take the story in a new direction. It's a worthy sequel and a great movie. Go see it!

End of Line

My Tron Adventure

2010-12-18T05:52:00.005-05:00

The following are just my ramblings on how cool I think Tron is and the pains my gf and I took to actually go see the movie. The followup post is an actual review of Tron: Legacy.

I loved the original Tron movie. There was nothing else quite like it. At least, not anything near mainstream. The visual design, imagination, technological wit and fun that went into that movie was unlike anything before. The combination of live action, traditional animation and CG effects was unprecedented. There have been movies afterward which also capture the imagination with wonderful techno-visuals, but none quite like Tron, where the action takes place mostly inside an imagined computer world- data and programs visualized as people and vehicles.

The computer holds a special fascination, for while cars and bikes may be the technological extension of our locomotive powers, the computer is the closest technological extension of our minds. It is natural to say that "the computer is thinking", though scientists and philosophers might be quick to object. So perhaps it is easy to apply human traits to computers and to the programs they run. After all, most of us have distinct impressions about the programs we use- some "run like crap", while others "are helpful" and yet others are even "elegant". Certainly, the fervent arguments for the "best" operating system or platform has not died down- manifesting itself in such loaded competitions as Mac vs. PC, Android vs. iOS, Debian vs Fedora, and the like.

My gf and I had a heck of a night trying to see Tron on opening night. First we were delayed and got there just in time for the first showing at 12:01 AM, which I had bought tickets for a week prior, on inspiration, partly sparked by a geeky friend of mine who had done the same. Then we couldn't find free parking. I normally don't go to the pricey IMAX theater, so I don't know the area as well. This added to my already fat bill, much to my chagrin.

Of course, by that time there were no good seats left. It was either behind the speaker (why they put a seat there, I don't know- it's not like you can actually see the screen, although *maybe* a small child can) or in the neck-twisting front seats. My gf is good with neck massages, but neither was going to cut it for me after so much time of anticipation and cost. So we asked to change the tickets for another time. The next showing was all booked. So we had to get the 2:30 AM one.

In the meantime, we decided to go grab a bite to eat. We were hungry anyway. We knew there was a Wendy's close by, so we decided to walk. We had quite a time finding it, and when we did it was closed. So we had to walk all the way back and get the car. Of course, the parking garage was a flat fee, so I had to pay to get my car what it would have cost me for the entire night, and then pay that again. To top it off, on the way back to the car, my gf hurt her foot thanks to a combination of uneven pavement, unlucky footing and a heeled shoe. We did get the car though and made it to a Denny's, where strangely some menu items were actually reasonably priced.

I had strategically changed a five dollar bill at the garage to park at the cheaper meters the next time around. It was cheaper, but I found out later I probably didn't even need to feed it. Egh. Then one of our tickets was mysteriously lost. Thankfully, the ticket guy was the same one who changed them for us, and let us through without issue. They were checking tickets again at the door of the theater room, but our receipt sufficed to let us in. I've gotta say, I appreciated how nicely they treated us, because it's not always the norm here, and a problem then might have prevented us from catching the movie at all that night.

The 2:30 AM showing was not as crowed though, and more of a pleasure to attend with ample seating, yet still a sizable audience. And all in all, we had a great time, in spite of all the obstacles in our way. We got out of the movie theater at 5 AM.

Primordial Duties, Rights

2010-11-24T13:46:00.005-05:00

There are some primordial duties & rights we have as human beings that trump any law or government. In fact, they are a basis for healthy government, and the United States Constitution recognizes those rights and duties.

Of what do I speak of? Of the right to privacy. Of the right and duty to our children. Of the right and duty to protect our families and loved ones. Of the right to free expression and protest. Of the right to due process and to be secure against unreasonable searches and seizures. Does anyone doubt that the TSA's little show of authority is not violating these very rights and duties?

Some naively say that we must give away those rights to be secure. But I ask, secure in what? And if this is the case, what are those Constitutionally-recognized rights useful for if the same case can always be argued? After all, the world is a big, scary place and we all need security. The truth is, nobody can offer us full security. And there are trade-offs to be made in a free society. This is a point lots of people have problems with.

Degrees of Liberty

We cannot expect to be 100% secure against terrorists and have our rights left in-tact. Something has to give. We either accept the inherent insecurity of being free, or we trade that freedom for security, an ironic trade-off considering freedom is what we were originally looking for. Does this mean we may not have any security if we are to be free? Of course not. This is where it gets tricky.

People like depict the issue of governance as something ideologically pure, black or white. But the truth is that it is very much a matter or degrees and balance. And government is not something that exists in a vacuum, in isolation from everything else. Governments naturally come from societies (not the other way around) and must respect and respond to those societies and cultural norms, fluid and ever-changing, especially in today's small world.

I cannot argue for other societies and cultures. I can only argue for my own. For example, I find the wearing of burqas to be both a sign of repression (though self-imposed in a free society) and a possible security issue, as it gives wearers more anonymity. In my culture you show your face when you're out and about in the world. Obviously the French government sees burqas as a threat.

However, I find the CCTV cameras in stores, on street lights and in public areas rather concerning, as it tips the balance the other way- especially given today's networking capabilities. The potential for abuse is huge. An individual can be tracked throughout the city on his or her daily route. Tracking government-imposed GPS devices in cars, financial transactions and online activity and putting it all together only compound the issue further. And those carrying out this invasive tracking often do so with little accountability and practically full anonymity.

These are some examples. I do not mean to suggest that there are no cases where camera surveillance should be used. Certainly, there are, but only in limited cases, in my view. And I do not mean to suggest that Muslim women have no right to wear burqas. As a Cuban-American I am sensitive to others' cultural values, and I can understand how shocking and violating it may be to some women who practice this custom to be forced to abandon it based on the biases of the culture she is now in. In fact, I disagree with the French law.

What I am trying to do is establish that the specifics of what is construed as the right balance in security vs. freedom is relative, based on many factors, including culture and even biology. Indeed, had we descended from the canine family, perhaps posterior sniffing would be an accepted and encouraged social norm.

Relative but Fundamental

These are all relative norms, some more than others. But the fundamental framework is the same: Respect and reasonable security. Human beings have always had ways to keep each other in check, even without big government. At the informal level, social pressure keeps most from blatantly violating others rights and physical threats keep most from being security risks. If an individual were to steal a woman's purse in public, said thief would face immediate persecution and physical threats. The consequences worsen with the severity of the crime.

Respect in its most primitive form is simply an often unspoken contract between people to allow each other the freedom to pursue their life goals and do as they please without stepping on each others' toes. This is the golden rule. "Do unto others and you wish to be done onto you." The idea is that you treat others a certain way with the understanding that others will treat you in like manner. A more advanced interpretation will consider that this should be the case even when you are in a dominant position, in no immediate danger of being threatened. Here then, it is no longer a simple matter or survival, but an advanced sense of morality with a consideration for the greater good. Out of this springs the concept of liberties, such freedom of expression and religion.

So while we may argue what the balance between liberty and security, and the cultural norms that surround those, there is no doubt that human beings have a fundamental right to liberties and that our governments must not be disproportionately tipped towards "security", as this effectively negates the purpose of "security" in the first place, which is to allow us our liberties.

Touchy Subjects

Now, I talked about primordial rights and duties. Why did I phrase it this way? Duties and rights go hand in hand. Often they are one in the same. And I believe the Transportation Security Administration has crossed not only a legal boundary, but that line that crosses our very nature as individuals and our duties as mothers and fathers. The right to our persons, to not be touched by others, not to mention groped, is a fundamental one. A child recognized this when he forcefully exclaims "Stop touching me!"

Some cultures are more touch-friendly than others. As a Cuban, that is obvious when dealing with my other American and Asian friends. But in no culture is touching and groping acceptable when it is not welcome from the individual. Surely, touching and hugging is something I welcome from my family and close friends. Groping is something I welcome in intimate settings from close lady friends. But it is not a casual affair and it is not a privilege I give out easily, or worse, that others are free to take. And just because I am a male does not mean I am less entitled not to be touched, though obviously females have more areas considered "intimate" and "off limits" than males.

Some argue that considering the security threat, we waive this basic right away. Again, then what good is it to call this a "right"? We might as well call this a "wish" or perhaps more aptly a "dream" than a "right". And where is the balance? Am I saying that there is NO case where people can be "patted down"? Certainly not. If there is good reason to suspect an individual is truly carrying a weapon with intent, then it may be an option. But this must be an orderly, lawful process, and done in a case-by-case manner, in the most respectful way possible, not as a wholesale practice in the very rude manner so many travelers have encountered.

And individuals should be offered the opportunity to simply leave without facing a fine for opting out of an invasive procedure, unless they have demonstrated to be a threat, substantiated by some evidence. Unfortunately, people are being told they will be fined, or that they simply do not have a right to opt-out. To call this heavy-handed is an understatement. If an individual clearly has an M-16 rifle sticking out of his pants, this would be reason to detain and further inspect said individual. A unsubstantiated suspicion and a request to opt-out of a flight altogether should not be construed as threatening.

Groping Gripes

This is my view on a regular pat down. Current-style "gropings" are another matter altogether. These go beyond touching. Whatever the intent, they are invasive and can legitimately be considered sexual assaults. I simply do not see a need for such gropings. If an individual is considered so suspicious and threatening as to necessitate this aggressive of a search, due process must be invoked and rights read. Otherwise, how is this not unreasonable search and (possible) seizure?

It is a tragedy that so many of us have so readily accepted being treated like criminals without there being one shred of evidence or legitimate suspicion against us. The members of our society who are particularly vulnerable- children, the elderly, and those with medical and psychological conditions are most affected. Already we have heard stories of TSA agents callously pointing out and removing prosthesis. And although the TSA insists that is not their policy, really what else could an invasive groping session end up in? That notwithstanding, merely the experience of going through a groping session is traumatic to any person, but even more so for children and those who have been sexually molested.

The right not to be touched in this manner is fundamental and primordial. We should not, under any circumstance, automatically "give away" this right. The ironic thing is, and one which I really have not dealt with in this article, is that this does not really make us significantly "safer" in any way. But even if it did, the trade-off is not worthwhile, nor is it reasonable to subject everybody and anybody to such a disgusting experience.

But what about the right to our children? Every free state recognizes the rights of parents over their children. Children are not to be subjected to the whims of the state. This is as much a right as a duty. Parents have a primordial duty to protect their children. And this is more powerful than any law or government. Whoever does not recognize the right and duty of a father or a mother to his or her child does not recognize humanity. But the TSA has already taken a child away from his mother. You can threaten a parent with fines, imprisonment, torture or death, but no law is above a parents duty to her child. That is a primordial duty and right. And when a government does nothing to protect this right/duty, and even encourages such a violation, it has become an oppressor.

Scandalous Scans

But all this can be avoided, some say. Just go through the body scan! Well, the fact is even those who go through the scanner must still submit to a groping session. Nonetheless, let us consider the "option" of the these appropriately nicknames "porno" scanners. It's quite simple. It is a violation of privacy. Ever since humans have worn clothing, it has been considered a matter of personal right and dignity to not be exposed to the world.

You're just a prude!, you may contend. Quite the contrary. I think people are far too hung up on what they perceive as physical imperfections, which might as well be called "natural" and I think showing a little skin is not a bad thing. I think nude beaches are a great thing, and I think its a shame communal baths are disappearing in Japan and elsewhere. I think we become more distant from each other the more obstacles we put between us. But like physical intimacy, this must be a choice.

The scans are virtual strip searches, with clear exposure of the genitals and body features. Some people may not have a problem with this. However, it should still be a choice. The TSA knew people would have an issue with others having access to such a photo. That is why they initially said the machines were not capable of storing photos, but of course, they are, and such nude photos of many people have already been stored. If that isn't blatant lying, I don't know what is.

Although my aim is to approach these subjects from the perspective of what I have termed "primordial right and duties" (which you can feel free to replace with "inalienable rights", a term just as appropriate), it would be remiss for me say that both the body scans and groping sessions become all the more senseless when you take into consideration that the body scans cannot penetrate the body cavity, a good hiding place for explosives. Are passengers to endure cavity searches then? I would not think it out of the question in the direction we are going. More importantly, neither would have stopped the 9/11 terrorists.

When you factor in the possible health consequences of the radiation these machines emit, then the use of these machines becomes clearly unjustifiable. Then you factor in the cost of these unproven machines, it all just seems insane, unless the aim is really profit-driven in the end, which seems to be the case.

The End?

I don't condone insulting TSA agents or anyone else, for that matter. But I can understand why someone would insult a TSA agent after a traumatic experience, like this woman did (under her breath). It is in essence, a cathartic experience, venting, if you will. And most importantly, I understand the right to free speech, and that we are entitled to free speech even if it isn't nice. The TSA agent could have easily ignored and dismissed the comment. But instead, she proceeded to enact revenge upon this woman.

It is exactly what somebody drunk with power, with little accountability would do. And this is the same type of attitude too many of these agents seem to have when it comes to any kind of questioning, disagreement or even a wrong look. This is wrong. We should be free to question authority and we should not be at the mercy of the whims of some agent. Isn't that what it means to live in a Constitutional democracy?

I have no doubt that all this is at least partly motivated by profits. That is nothing new. But the most disconcerting thing is the dramatic shift that has taken place in how our government treats ordinary, law-abiding citizens. We are supposed to accept that we simply give away our rights when we fly. And there is nothing stopping the government from expanding and implementing this kind of thing at bus terminals, sea ports and even at random traffic checkpoints, all in the name of security. It's not as if it hasn't happened in some places.

Senator Ron Paul said it best- to paraphrase- we have become accustomed to be taken care of, to be fed, and to be fattened up. And now we will be eaten. Will you be a delicious cattle for those who would violate our most primordial rights and duties? Consider your responsibilities to yourself and to all of us.

Resistance is victory

2010-11-23T09:10:00.002-05:00

"We are building up a new world.

Do not sit idly by.

Do not remain neutral.

Do not rely on this broadcast alone.

We are only as strong as our signal.

There is a war going on for your mind.

If you are thinking, you are winning.

Resistance is victory.

Defeat is impossible.

Your weapons are already in hand.

Reach within you and find the means by which to gain your freedom.

Fight with tools.

Your fate, and that of everyone you know Depends on it."

- Flobots, "We Are Winning"

P.S. I may not agree with all their political messages, but I cannot stand by truer words. THINK! AWAKE!

DO NOT BE CATTLE- or you will be treated as such! Be human! Be more human than you ever have been.

P.P.S. Remember Opt-Out day is tomorrow!

Not Content with Blocked Content

2010-11-10T21:44:00.002-05:00

The blocking of video services from the big media content owners- CBS, NBC, Fox, ABC, etc… Has become quite a disagreeable thing for me. Mind you, perhaps more in principle than in practice, as I don't really watch these outlets much, considering the quality of most of the offerings. But it does really bug me in terms of principle.

The idea is that they put out a video stream, but they get to choose what you watch it on. If you're watching it on your computer, that's okay. But if you have a device like say a Roku player, or a Boxee to watch thee video streams on your TV, that's a no-no. Well, they own the content, so they have a right to do whatever they please with it, right? Not so fast…

What if you weren't allowed to record TV shows with your VCR? Goodness knows they tried to stop us from doing just that. I often wonder how that trial would have gone if it had been decided today instead of in 1984. And in some places, where Fair Use did not developed, VCRs never became legal, which have led to other legal issues today.

But what if somehow TV stations of old could have prevented you from watching their content based on the brand, size, features, and location of your TV set? Don't try to watch NBC if your TV is over 13"! Or watch your CBS in the living room, but no soap opera in the bedroom! Or how about Fox hates Zenith TVs, so they'll just ban them altogether (who cares, they're only a minimal percentage of viewers anyway!). How would that sit with you?

But this is directly analogous to what these mega-content owners are doing. Sure, they can't tell if you're in the kitchen or bedroom (yet- it's certainly possible with GPS tech these days), but they know most people have small computer screens and relatively large TV screens, the latter which tend to be in the living room, so they are indirectly targeting these attributes.

And frankly, I don't think they have a right to do that. I think you either let the people access your video stream, or you don't, but discriminating on which device they can get it should not even be within the rights of the content holder. Certainly if CBS, NBC, Fox, ABC, and all these other corporations want to make a pay service, that is their right, and I am not suggesting consumers should have all out free access to their content. But that should be tied to a user's account, not his device. And if they opt to offer it for free, it should be free, no matter what the device.

What I am saying is that content offerings should be platform/device agnostic. You should be able to gain access using any device technically capable, as long as it is being offered for free, or you are paying for it. If not, we will go down a route that truly stifles innovation and gives these already huge corporations more bargaining power than they should have. It means they will have the power to renegotiate with every box maker out there for the "privilege" of carrying their content. This is wrong. Go back and try to imagine again what this would have done to Television those first few decades.

It used to be that books were books, readable by anyone with access to them and videos were videos, viewable by anyone with a VCR. Of course, that changed with DVD to an extend with region coding. Before that it began with video games. I mean, people have gotten raided for selling oooh-evil mod-chips that just allow people to play content from other "regions". Now books are increasingly becoming digital, and we have to worry not only about getting the book, but on what device we are allowed to play it.

This artificial fractioning of devices and platforms only serves to give content-owners more power than they have a right to, and us less power to do what we will with that content which we have legitimately bought or accessed. They are content-owners, and they should be worrying about their content (they could certainly get to work on the general quality of the stuff), not what devices people use to access it. In fact, what they should be doing is insuring that as many devices as possible can indeed access their content.

Content need to be free. Not necessarily free as in beer, but free as in free to play on any device. This does not deny the content-owner of his payment. It only increases it, as VHS tape sales increased profits and created a new market for content owners. But to continue down this path of discriminatory content blocking is to wrongly limit consumers in choice, and the market in further innovation.

Florida Voting 2010: The Amendments

2010-11-01T23:29:00.004-04:00

What & Why

We have the essential right to keep our votes secret. But we also have the right to political expression and to inform others for who and what we voted for and why. Like seemingly every election, this one has its share of confusion, obfuscation and manipulation around the issues and candidates. What follows are my choices on the amendments and why.

The Amendments

Amendment #1- Repeal of Public Financing Requirement: Yes

The idea behind this Amendment was that less-rich candidates could have their campaigns payed for from public money to offset the publicity richer candidates get. This makes sense. However, like a lot of good ideas, it seems this one got corrupted, and in 2005 the Florida Legislature increased spending limits more than 300% from a 1998 limit, which kind of goes against the whole point.

This is is amendment that allowed Marco Rubio to obtain public money for his campaign, which he ten used to pay his credit card bills, which he denied, and then publicly acknowledged and apologized for when it was proven. So no, while I think it's a great idea for the less rich I don't think Florida really has the money to pay for candidates' political campaigns right now, especially when its become so warped from its original purpose. A disappointing "Yes".

Amendment #2- Homestead ad valorem tax credit for deployed military personnel: Yes

I don't support the war(s), but I support our troops. This is basically a property tax break for troops who have been deployed recently. On one hand, you could argue they have no right to special treatment, and no one forced them to join. On the other hand, our troops are our friends, family and neighbors, and some come back so scarred and need so much help I figure a break in any form- especially on property tax, would be helpful to get them back on their feet and integrated back into "normal" civilian life. A carefully weighed "Yes".

Amendment #4- Referenda required for adoption and amendment of local government comprehensive land use plans: Yes

Basically, no representative could just "quietly" rezone a residential or otherwise protected area to do contractors a "favor". All major rezoning issues would have to be voted on by the people first. This sounds like democracy to me. I signed a petition years ago to get this on the ballot, and I am delighted that it finally passed. Hopefully this time scare tactics by development lobbyist are not able to scare voters out of having a voice. A definite "Yes".

Amendment #5- Standards for Legislature to follow in legislative redistricting: Yes
Amendment #6- Standards for Legislature to follow in congressional redistricting: Yes

"Gerrymandering" is the deceptive art of manipulating election outcomes by redrawing districts in favor of a party. Simply put, lawmakers redraw their districts so that they will be more favorable to them, sometimes culminating in very wacky and wild districts which have no relation to the real geography of the area. This sets some rules and standards on that, so that they won't be as easy to manipulate. Of course, they will find a way, but putting a stop to this wackiness and obvious manipulation is a good step in the right direction. A definite "Yes" to both.

Amendment #8- Revision of the class size requirements for public schools: No

Ah, the famous class size requirement. So, they want teachers to be graded on their students' performance, but they don't want to set any reasonable limits on class size to ensure the quality and manageability of the the class. I'll tell you what, I can see that this can be a bit of a pain for schools who are almost compliant, shuffling students around, but that will pass.

On the other hand, now students in really crowded schools will have more of a chance for the education they deserve, and teachers for the opportunity to be teachers with a manageable class size, not just disciplinarians. Funny thing is that this was passed years ago, but our wonderful governor Jeb Bush did everything he could to undermine public education and favor his business partners in private education. And it just took effect this year. They're just playing the same game, and I have no doubt that they would eventually completely eliminate the requirement if they can. I'm putting my foot down. A definite "No".

Florida Voting 2010: The Candidates

2010-11-01T23:26:00.002-04:00

Who & Why

We have the essential right to keep our votes secret. But we also have the right to political expression and to inform others for who and what we voted for and why. Like seemingly every election, this one has its share of confusion, obfuscation and manipulation around the issues and candidates. What follows are my choices on the candidates and why.

Florida Senator: Charlie Crist

I feel he is the more honest man compared to Marco Rubio (the man who used public campaign money to pay his crest cards- see amendment #1) and I like that he had the guts to break away from a very corrupt Republican Party. We need to see more independents like him emerge. I like what he represents.

He doesn't have to stick to the party line now and is free to vote Democrat, Republican or otherwise without being attacked by his party. This is how it should be. However, on the real issues- Most visibly for education, he's favored teachers and students, when they have been under attack by Republicans and Democrats.

Some say he "flip flops". But I think he's just free now to make up his mind and change it depending on the facts. That's not only reasonable, but healthy. We need politicians who respond to changing situations and public feedback. He's earned my vote.

Florida Governor: Alex Sink

I'm not exactly enthralled by Alex Sink. She could use a little more in the way of outgoing personality. But she seems qualified and nothing so far I've seen stands out like a sore thumb about her.

On the other hand, her opponent, Rick Scott is simply crazy. First, he wants to bring the controversial Arizona law to Florida. Although I do think we need to better deal with immigration in general, this seems like a very bad idea. Also, though I don't buy all those negative ads about him, he does seem to have a very spotty history in his public business dealings.

He also seems to be totally ill-informed about education and wants to implement a system similar to the disastrous merit pay for teachers which Crist vetoed. Alex Sink at leasts "get it" that we need to focus on education locally, not just in Tallahassee.

Attorney General: Dan Gelber

This was a near toss-up for me. One of the primary deciding factors for me is that Pam Bondi is in favor of the ill-conceived Arizona law. I suggest you research these two carefully.

Commissioner of Agriculture: Adam Putnam

This is a more important position that most people imagine. I'm going for Adam Putnam because his education and qualifications seem greater for the position than Scott Maddox, who is simply a Political Science & Public Admin Major.

Chief Financial Officer: Loranne Ausley

I'll probably be voting for Loranne Ausley because it seems her priorities lie with keeping Florida's pensions funded and wisely balanced. Jeff Atwater is against the "Obamacare" Public Healthcare, so that will probably be the deciding factor for many people.

Supreme Court Justice: Yes to All

The governor appoints the Supreme Court Justices and we get to "affirm" them by voting yes or no to them staying. Most of us know little about these people. I looked into all of them, and found no particular reason to vote them out. In particular, there is a movement to vote out Labarga and Perry, because these two apparently have a particularly strong reputation in not being swayed by favoritism or "favors". I'd say that's all the more reason to keep 'em.

Florida Voting 2010: Resources

2010-11-01T23:19:00.002-04:00

I like the emphasis on voting. I don't like the emphasis on "just vote". The "Just do it" attitude might work well in sports and marketing slogans, but I believe as voters we need to be responsible in our decisions- decisions which affect all of us!- and one of the worst things you could do is "just vote" without being informed on the issue. But I understand life gets in the way. In fact, I would like to see greater emphasis on informing voters and getting them the time off they need to be informed and vote, but that's for another post altogether.

So if you've been too busy with life, but want to be a responsible voter, I offer you two of the best resources I found invaluable for informing myself on the candidates and amendments.

Resources for Florida Voters

Florida League of Women Voters 2010 Guide: Even if you're not a woman, this is one of the best voting guides I've found out there, and it tries to be objective, in contrast to most stuff out there.

On Redistricting Reform: A very insightful article on Amendments 5 & 6 and "Gerrymandering"

Florida Face to Face: Video interviews with every major candidate

Pine Trail Tweaks: Wireless

2010-08-25T21:49:00.004-04:00

I have nothing but good things to say (and show) about my netbook.

Xubuntu is my choice netbook operating system. It is fast and light yet full-featured enough to for my everyday use. However, not every feature on my Pine Trail netbook works "out of the box". This is no fault of Xubuntu. Unfortunately, some manufacturers change their hardware specifications without releasing the appropriate open software (drivers) to run it or even what those specifications are so others can work on it. These issues should be solved eventually, perhaps in the next major revision of the system, but fortunately for us this is Linux, and we can get it to work right now via a little tinkering.

This is the first of several articles to deal with these technical issues. For reference, I am using Xubuntu 10.04 (also referred to as "Lucid Lynx") on an Asus Eee PC 1001P-MU17-BK.

Wireless

Probably the most critical issue is that with the wireless drivers. After all, what good it a netbook without the 'net? Wireless doesn't work out of the box on these models with Xubuntu (yet). There are two ways I know to go about solving this.

The first method:

Go to support.Asus.com, go through the pop-up menus to select your product, model, etc, and download the Windows XP driver named: Wireless Lan Driver for Win XP (Wlan: NE785H_GE112H)

Then enter this in a terminal window:
sudo apt-get install ndiswrapper-common ndiswrapper-utils-1.9 ndisgtk

This is the way I did it the first time around, so forgive me if I missed some steps. It's been a few months since I did this. The idea here is that you are using Asus' own hardware driver, but "wrapping it" with something Linux can understand and use, since Asus has not released native Linux drivers for this model. Other drivers on the download page may work, but that is the only one I know does work for sure.

If your netbook is not an Asus, the process will probably go similarly, obviously substituting your netbook's manufacturer's site for that of Asus'.

This time around, I went about it a different way, though. Instead of manually downloading the Asus driver and wrapper, I utilized the Backports repository. This should be a more "universal" fix. And it was instructional in two ways. Not only did I solve my wireless issue, but I learned how to enable the Ubuntu Backports repository, which comes in very handy. This page has a good explanation of what Backports are. Turning them on is easy. You do this by typing into your terminal:

sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list

Nano is the default xubuntu text editor and good enough for me, but you can use any one, of course. You must use the "sudo" command at the beginning, otherwise you will not be able to edit the document without root privileges.

Now you should see the repository sources file come up. The Backports repository address is already present in the file. The lines you are looking for are:

# deb http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu lucid partner
# deb-src http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu lucid partner

All you have to do is uncomment it so that it becomes active. That is, simply remove the "#" characters at the beginning of the line. Then hit Ctrl-0 and Enter to save the file.

After you've closed it, start the Synaptic Package Manager. Hit reload and let it update and rebuild the search index. When it's ready, search for the term "wireless". One of the search results should be titled:

linux-backports-modules-wireless-lucid-generic

Mark this for installation and apply. Quit the package manager and reboot for good measure. I've heard crossing your fingers during rebooting also helps. Congratulations! Wireless should now work on your netbook!

A lot of the information here came from this handy thread on the Ubuntu Forums.

iPhone 4 Reception

2010-07-20T06:50:00.004-04:00

Communications Issue

The reception of the iPhone 4 started to chill a bit after its odd reception problems were found. Consumer reports even went as far as not recommending the final iPhone after initially praising the phone in a preliminary review. Basically the iPhone 4 cannot be held in certain ways that cell phones are often prone to be held without suffering significant signal degradation.

Apple publicly ignored the issue and deleted threads about it on its forums. As I, or any long-time Apple customer and observer will tell you: This is typical behavior for Apple. When they did finally respond Apple just said users were holding the phone wrong. Then a potential breakthrough: Apple acknowledges an issue with signal display and promises a software fix soon. This is a strange acknowledgement: Apple says its formula for calculating signal "bars" on the iPhone is flawed and actually indicates a stronger signal than is actually present. So Apple is saying that the signal is not actually as good as it seems on the iPhone. Hardly a satisfying conclusion.

But that was not the end of it. The reception "holding" issue was real and not fixable by a mere software update, which was apparently a separate issue. The negative publicity snowballed to the point Apple decided to hold a press conference to address the issue. In rare style, Apple actually acknowledged the issue, to a degree. But not without calling out all other smartphone manufacturers on the same issue.

The iPhone 4 antenna had been a source of pride and attention for Jobs/Apple, even garnering presentation time at its debut. Even before, the antenna design had caused debate. It was questioned whether the iPhone 4 was real or not prior to its debut in the whole unfortunate Gizmodo fiasco (which deserves its own article. Gizmodo acted in a very shady way, and Apple/Jobs pushed back when they should have just shrugged it off and owned up to its own employee's mistakes, causing a raid of Jason Chen's home, constitutional questions and a now withdrawn warrant).

Apple's Response

But Apple did acknowledge the issue, and even offered a temporary program till September. This is in stark contrast to a document leaked beforehand showing Apple instructing its customer service reps explicitly not to offer free bumpers to affected customers. Apple will even refund customers not only for bumper purchases, but for purchases of third-part cases for the iPhone.

Apple/Jobs did the right thing acknowledging the issue and giving away free bumpers. Giving refunds for third-party cases is an unexpected gesture that the company did not have to do. Frankly, I think all legitimate gripes from iPhone 4 buyers have been addressed. You get a free bumper or a refund for a case, and if you are still not happy you can return it.

However, Apple has actually admitted that the iPhone 4 is dropping more calls ("less than 1%"). And it looks like all Apple had to do was put a piece of plastic over the antenna or build-in a "bumper" into the iPhone 4 to solve the issue. Consumer Reports says even duck tape will help. I think it's a testament to Steve Job's ego (and sense of aesthetics, I suppose) that he is unwilling to change the design when it is functionality inferior to the previous one. Talk about form over function.

Rotten Apples for Everyone!

And of course, Apple Putting up comparisons to other companies' phones on its website to prove a rather frivolous point (hey look, all these other cell phones have problems too!) is understandably upsetting to said corporations. What if the situation were reversed and Nokia or RIM put up a demo showing an iPhone performing poorly to excuse one of their own product issues? I don't think Apple/Job's response would be a very flattering or understanding one. It seems if Apple can't have its pie, its determined to ruin everyone else's too. Frankly, this move is a little low of Apple.

The iPhone has a particular antenna issue, and though it doesn't affect everybody (maybe not even most users under normal usage), it is as unique to the iPhone as the brilliantly Jobs-approved exposed antenna design. Being different is not always better. Apple is usually both. But this time around, Apple should eat its own pie, bad taste and all, not claim that everybody's pie has rotten apples.

It's true that there has been a lot of negative publicity on the matter, and maybe it has been overblown. Steve Jobs himself seems hurt at the negative media. But the media works both ways and Apple does not complain when it gets sometimes "overblown" praises on its devices and software or the millions in free publicity it gets from Apple fans like me (who have gotten Apple lots of sales without commission), and blogs, forums and product reviews. No, Apple/Jobs thinks they "deserve" that *good* publicity, but cry foul when the media is not so enamored with its latest product, and delete negative forum feedback to boot. Hey, at least nobody is calling Apple beleaguered anymore.

Apple also put put a page with impressive pictures of the insides of Apple's cell phone testing labs and even invited reporters into these rooms, as if to say "Hey, look we really do research and test these things". While impressive, it does nothing to address the antenna issue at (the wrong) hand. Apple has done everything to deflect attention to everything else, by pointing fingers and chugging the subject.

Conclusion

I agree with Consumer Reports' position. Why should they recommend buying a phone that needs an additional accessory to function normally, and one which is not guaranteed to come with the phone for the life of this generation? What is an iPhone 4 user to do after September 30th? Who knows? Apple is certainly not saying. The issue is (relatively) clear and Apple has responded. If you're not happy with Apple's solution, don't get the phone. Consumer Reports definitely does not have to agree that Apple's response is a sufficient solution, and is under no obligation to recommend it, though.

It is good to see Apple admitting that there is an issue at least and offering users a concession in the form of free Apple bumpers and iPhone cases. However, it is disappointing to see Apple pointing fingers, deflecting their responsibility and even decrying the negative media attention. Dragging other companies into this was a new low. One which I hope Apple will not make a habit of. But Apple suffers from Job's inflated ego. How dare the media question *his* design and *his* decisions? I suppose its a small price to pay, but it is not without its consequences.

While I will agree that some people make a sport of trash talking a company or a product no matter what, I disagree with the attitude that says "if you don't like it, don't buy it and shut up". Criticism is essential to making better products, and it is true fans of a better technology who speak and speak loudly about a product's features, failings and shortcomings.

That said, I would gladly get an iPhone 4 if I could get it outside of AT&T without paying a small fortune and being forced into a data plan. To me, *those* are the biggest issues with the iPhone since day one. Were those issues no longer present, I'd just put some duck tape around my new iPhone 4 (provided Apple ran out of bumpers and cases, that is).

Quiet Wall Reflection

2010-06-26T04:54:00.001-04:00

I watched a video of a project involving an iPad being embedded into a kitchen cabinet. Don't get me wrong, this struck me as cool and probably even practical depending on how it is used, but you see, long before the iPad, perhaps inspired by the wonderfully cool and geeky consoles and computer usage on Star Trek I watched as a kid, I used to dream of houses with touch-screen displays built into a wall in just about every room.

But with so many mobile devices already providing all sorts of information and entertainment, I am starting to lean towards the idea that the walls of our homes should instead provide us shelter from the deluge of stimulus-overload coming in through every digital window on our hands, tables, desks, sofas and beds. Let them be quiet and subtle, allowing us pause and reflection.

We need that pause. Life is so more than one continuous stream of stimuli.

SB6 Update

2010-04-18T04:18:00.002-04:00

I am delighted and relieved that Florida SB6 was vetoed. There was not one of my classmates who was for the bill, nor any teacher or anyone who knows anything about how education really works who supported it. The reaction to SB6 was overwhelmingly negative. If you are not in Florida, this legislation would not have directly affected you, however bad legislation anywhere is a threat to everyone. I found it ironic and somewhat disconcerting that a veto was necessary to uphold the overwhelming will of the people. But, I am happy with the outcome nonetheless.

A friend pointed me to a letter (FaceBook link) from Gov. Crist explaining his decision. I think it's a good read and does actually highlight some of the problems with the bill, though the Governor was far nicer than I would have been.

This is not a political blog, although local and global politics will certainly find its way here from time to time. That said there will be more, probably less politically-charged posts coming up. The semester is ending and new updates are on the way for summer. Remember to let me know what you think in the comments. I always like to hear from you, even if it's just those three of you who actually tune-in to Gamoe.net. ;-)

Senate Bill 6 / House Bill 7189 Letter

2010-04-07T07:15:00.003-04:00

Below is an open letter to Florida legislators on Senate Bill 6 / House Bill 7189. I've personally e-Mailed this to all of them, but I would like to share this openly nonetheless. This is a disastrous bill for Florida's public educational system. In a perfect world, this bill would not sound as bad. I mean, paying teachers (or anybody) based on performance sounds great. Unfortunately, the devil is in the details. It always is. What gets to determine performance? Some as yet undeveloped tests, based largely on student performance, again based on another flawed test.

This bill is all about power. Jeb Bush and his friends are up to something. He's just a chip off the old block. And I am sad to say that the Republican party has lost any semblance of principle they had. There are a few principled Republicans who have promised to vote against the bill, but they risk much, as it is a politically dangerous position, and most Republicans are simply going with the party line and voting for this destructive bill.

Here is my letter:

I would like to share my concerns about Senate Bill 6 / House Bill 7189 with you. I am a future educator, currently taking my English BA with a minor in Education, and it is my hope to pursue my passion and become an English high school teacher after my graduation. I feel that teachers (and education in general) are rather undervalued in our society, and are not as well-paid as they should be.

If you ask just about any teacher, who most probably has to stay after class to grade papers and develop lesson plans and often must buy school supplies out of pocket because the school simply will not supply them, they will tell you they do it because it is their passion, and following your passion is a great way to make a living.

However, we *do* need to make a living, and I feel that this bill will result in the significant reduction of pay and benefits to already low-paid teachers. With so many forces against teachers already, putting the pressure squarely on us and basing teacher competence on class performance is a very flawed proposition.

Not considering advanced degrees in salary will mean fewer teachers will have the incentive or means to pursue said degrees, which enhance the education level of our teachers. Consequently, these combined factors will drive good, already established teachers out of the school system, while would-be Florida teachers will either enter other, better paying fields or leave the state altogether. The good teachers will leave, and the quality of Florida education will suffer for it.

Frankly, this is the position I am in. If this bill passes, I will may decide to go into another field or leave altogether to another state which does not penalize teachers for following their passions and realizes the need for quality teachers. With no reasonable job security even if I do my job well, there is little incentive for me to stay.

I respectfully ask that you please vote NO on Senate Bill 6 / House Bill 7189, for my sake, for the sake of education and for the sake of Florida.

The bill will probably get voted on today or tomorrow, so there isn't much time. If you're in Florida, call and e-Mail now, especially these legislators:

Rep. Esteban Bovo
esteban.bovo@myfloridahouse.gov
(850) 487-2197

Rep. Juan Carlos “J.C.” Planas
jc.planas@myfloridahouse.gov
(850) 488-3616

Rep. Juan C. Zapata
juan.zapata@myfloridahouse.gov
(850) 488-9550

Netbook & Accessories in Pictures

2010-03-01T07:10:00.012-05:00

Note: I have separated the text and image portions, as Blogger seems to have formatting issues otherwise. Images immediately follow the text portion of this article. BTW, sorry for the loading time on these images. At least they will have time to load while you read. ;-)

Finish & Texture

One of the reasons I went with the Asus 1001P-MU17 model was for its matte screen and finish. The slightly textured finish is rather nice. The pattern on the case can be seen as squares composed of straight lines or nested squares, depending upon how light shines upon it. This texture continues around the trackpad and keyboard, though not on the bottom (where it would not be much appreciated anyhow).

I have not seen even Apple produce as nice and practical a case finish on a portable. It's unfortunate Asus felt it needed to give the (slightly) higher end version a glossy finish, because I think this beats it hands down.

It seems Asus will be introducing new models at CeBIT with aluminum casings, matte displays and larger trackpads to boot. I'm not sure those will be as cool as the checkerboard design, but its nice to see a matte finish fit into a company's design ethos in a oh-so-glossy obsessed world.

But let me not lead you astray. Although this is a matte finish, and it will not feature fingerprints galore, it will display a hand mark similarly to that on a cold metal finish. Inside however, the screen bevel is a detective's best friend.

Stickers & Accessories

I can do with my new netbook what I can't with my Mac, simply because it's smaller, cheaper and not my primary machine for school and work, meaning I can afford to experiment with it and not worry quite as much about losing it. I'm not used to putting stickers on my Mac, but I felt it was somehow appropriate and needed for my portable Linux box. So of course, I went about decorating it. I got a sticker pack from the Free Software Foundation. Below is what it contained. I also bought another Linux sticker off of Zazzle.

I was a bit disappointed with the uneven distribution of the stickers. It seems the stickers I liked best (the GNU head, and the little GNU/Linux badge) were the least abundant, while the others (like the flamboyant dynamic duo, the now outdated Vista, and the DRM & GPL 3 stickers) were quite plentiful. I suppose your mileage/kilometers will vary. The FSF gives you a sticker count, but for each individual design. Adding the Zazzle Linux sticker (which I cut myself) I bought, I wound up with my current decorated netbook. I figure it's nice to show your GNU/Linux preference. It increases its mindshare for those who are familiar with it, and might introduce it to a few curious.

To finish off my sticker fetish, I sent a self-addressed envelope for my free Ubuntu stickers from the nice guys at System76. I now have an upgraded "Ubuntu key" instead of the displeasing Winodze key my Asus netbook came with (a shame- before Microsoft completely bribed them, they carried a good selection of Linux machines with Home key logos instead. I did not have such a choice, and the Linux models are practically nonexistent).

A cautionary note, though: Paint Stripper is not a good choice to rub off the Windoze logo. It does what it says, and I wound up with a partially unpainted key, requiring spray paint to remedy the situation. Even then the Windoze logo would not come off, and I ended up just rubbing it off with fine sandpaper. Extreme? Yes. Worthwhile? Absolutely. Not the best solution? Definitely. It was worthwhile, but a it could have had a smoother finish (literally) had I been a bit more prudent.

I also bought a case for the Asus from Brenthaven. They cater a lot to the Mac community, and I've been satisfied with two different Mac notebook bag purchases from them before. This case is no exception. Unlike most netbook bags out there, it actually offers some impact protection, and has two pockets, one closed one in the front, open in the back for another item or two. I've found the back pocket is actually practical for carrying a magazine or some school papers. The front pocket is good for a small hard drive, an iPod or some cables. I even managed to fit the power brick/cord in there, with some slight adjusting. Best thing? I got it for under $13.

Netbook + Linux

My Linux distro of choice is xubuntu. It's fast, it's stable, has a low-memory footprint and I find it aesthetically pleasing and more than enough of a desktop environment for my needs. I have included some screen shots of it running on my netbook. The first one is running Firefox in full-screen mode, the second running the Abiword word processor, the third is the xfce desktop.

I've got to say, I think this netbook is wonderful. This and Linux together have rekindled my passion for computing, a topic upon which I will talk about more in later posts. Sure, Apple can make wonderful, worthwhile machines at 1.5, 2 grand a pop. But nothing says the PC has arrived like a $300 machine that can fulfill just about all the everyday computing needs the average user has, and so much more.

Don't get me wrong: I love my Mac, and Apple certainly has a most crucial role in leading design. But I also love the combination that inexpensive, relatively reliable hardware and FOSS offers me in the form of a Linux netbook. That type of mobility, configurability and freedom does not come from the iPhone, iPad or even a regular power-sucking Windoze notebook.

The photos

(Click any for a larger version)

Notations of a Netbook

2010-02-13T03:20:00.003-05:00

I finally decided to bite the bullet and procure a netbook. I have been wanting a netbook since before netbooks arrived. My upgrade from a 13" MacBook Pro to a 15" MacBook Pro intensified and further justified my desire for a low-power, small display, customizable, general-computing device. I found my superiorly-endowed Mac no longer as portable or practical in my private space and as a student in the classroom. It is a fantastic primary computer. But I wanted something less large and power-hungry for true portability.

I waited for the new Intel chips. They came with very moderate gains. I hoped the Intel/MS specs-fixing I wrote about would stop. It has not. I waited for Apple's iPad to be announced. It is actually cheaper than I thought it would be, but not cheaper than a netbook, and nowhere near as customizable or practical for writing, lacking a physical keyboard or stylus. I've been watching since the beginning, and waiting patiently for over a year to grab one. There was no more waiting to be done.

Asus was the first to capitalize on and innovate in the netbook market, practically creating it from the whole OLPC and Intel Classmate affair, and so far I've liked what I've seen of Asus' netbook products. I also have a rather techy friend who's had an Asus netbook for over a year and is rather recommended me one. So I went with Asus. I decided upon a black Asus 1001P-MU17, one of their new "Pine Trail" models.
Specs are as follows:

Intel Atom N450 (1.66 GHz)
1GB RAM (2GB Max)
160GB HDD
10.1-Inch Matte LCD, 1024x600 pixels
6 Cell Battery "for up to 11 hours of battery life"
Windows 7 Starter

Asus offers another model, the 1001P-PU17 for a little over $30 more (if you know where to look) with Bluetooth and a larger hard drive, and the 1005PE model with all that, a different spaced-out (MacBook like) keyboard and an even higher-capacity battery. However, a 160 gigabyte hard drive is more than enough for my netbook needs, Bluetooth is not really a priority, 802.11n is nice, but not a must-have either (not to mention it consumes more power than 802.11b/g) and while I might have easily sprung for an 1005PE for the additional battery life, what definitively turned me away was the completely unreasonably glossy finish and glossy display.

My MacBook Pro has a glossy screen, and it isn't always ideal in some lighting situations. When a dark scene comes up in an image or video, I often wind up looking at a reflection of myself looking back, and sometimes it takes me a little bit to refocus my eyes, making me wonder if it's the best thing for my eyesight, staring as long as I do at computer screens already. So going with a matte display was never a question for me. At least I had an (admittedly cheaper) option.

And the glossy finish is something I've never understood. It seems more appropriate for a piece of art that is rarely moved and touched only to be cleaned, than for a practical piece of portable technology which is constantly being touched, handled and moved form place to place. For stuff like that, I prefer matte and brushed metal finishes over glossy hands-down. Not only does the 1001P have a non-glossy finish, it is lightly textured in a rather aesthetically pleasing way.

I am aware of course, of even greater Atom CPUs Intel has in store for netbooks, and the Flash/HD video accelerators already making their way onto some netbooks. But so far these options seem to compromise far too much on a hardware platform where less is more, and these were never my primary objectives anyway.

And Windoze 7... Don't even get me started! Suffice to say, I don't do windows, and a fresh install of Linux was my first chore for the netbook.

Coming up: Pics of my new netbook and some impressions on running Linux.

Daddy's Adventure

2010-02-10T20:38:00.004-05:00

They call him Daddy. Always on the prowl, a loner, a survivor. There he was minding his own business when a violent rain began to fall all around. "My God!", he said. The drops were so huge and violent that they were threatening to drown him. It was death from above. That's what he got for traveling to this strange land, he thought. He scurried around- to the left, to the right, front, back. But every step he took seemed like a misstep-- He could not escape the violent downpour. He was in a canyon, one wall covered in grass as high as he could see, the others bare and white. Maybe his last day had come. His legs were vibrating in fear.

Just when all seemed lost, a huge mesa of land came down from the sky and floated above him. Was his fate to be crushed to death in lieu of drowning? But it was a giant who held the mesa in his hand. A naked giant. The wall of grass Daddy had seen was actually his hairy legs. The giant boulders above were... "Get on!" he said. Daddy didn't know what to think. This was bizarre. Larger than life. But a chance for one more day was enough to make his decision. He got on and the giant moved him to safety on this mesa, outside the falling of the huge, violent raindrops.

"And what happened next, Daddy?"

"Well, the giant spoke to me in his booming voice."

He said, "Now go... shoo! I need to take a shower!"

"That's quite an incredible story, Mr. Longlegs"

Goodbye Letter

2010-01-29T00:29:00.003-05:00

As promised last week, we continue the subject of Dementia and the value and choice of one's life, with a bit of a twist.

Imagine you are an elderly gentleman, and you have been suffering ongoing and increasing dementia for a while now, with moments of terrible lucidity in between. You make a choice: You do not wish to live like this any longer. And so you decide to take your life, peacefully, non-violently, still with your wits intact enough to carry out your last wish, going out as you choose, not as the illness would have you. You carry this out, but beforehand you write and leave this goodbye letter.

I leave the molecules in my brain and its body to the larger body of nature now rather than later, so that she may make better use of them now. I have ingested a substance to cause my being death quietly and quickly. By the time you read this the organized processes of matter and energy that continued me will be gone, in its place a corpse to be reconstituted into many other worthy forms, per mother nature's policy.

But I would rather fade like this, quickly, quietly, peacefully, and dignified than fester on and on to become more distorted and perverted a form, possessing less and less of my self each day. Indeed, this is a suicide. But it is a suicide out of love, not hate. It is out of dignity, not depravity. It comes from a sense of worth, not worthlessness. It is out of love for myself and you, my family, who have so dearly cared for me so long and brought such joy to my life.

I no longer wish to be a burden unto you. But this is only part of it. If my mental degradation could be reversed or even stopped or slowed to a degree where my advanced age made it irrelevant, I would choose to continue to live out my natural life, as then I could at least offer my presence, my words and my love. But as it is, I would continue to become more burdensome unto you, and act in ways contrary to the will of my self.

I would only continue to be there biologically, a form unable to reflect its substance, the capacity for my will's expression gone, and with it, effectively the person you knew. Why then, should I leave you an defective shell in my place when I will no longer even be there in any substantial way. So that this defective machinery may profane my name and our memories together? This is profoundly unreasonable and not in the spirit of my love and memory. As such, I hope you judge this act as my last of reason, love and good will towards all of you. I love you very much and hope you will remember me as a good man, or at least, as a real man, not the shell of one. Live and die well, familia.

Would you be in some way happy, sad or some mixture of this after reading this letter? Would you convince yourself it was probably the effect of this degenerating condition, or would you have the heart to face it as a free man's last will?

Dementia

2010-01-19T19:10:00.004-05:00

Losing your mind

People often turn dementia into a joke. Even those of advanced age tend to take passing stabs at their diminishing mental capabilities. As the saying goes, sometimes we laugh not to cry. But like most serious things, on one hand we joke about it, but on the other we contemplate the horror and sadness of losing one's mind. The worst part is that often those who experience dementia have moments of lucidity which shine perhaps a most unfortunate light onto their situation.

It is easy to relegate this condition to others, especially those of advanced age, but dementia can occur even to relatively young people, and has many causes and names. Alzheimer's is one of those common names. But it has many names, and it could happen to any of us. I was surprised and dismayed to see President Ronald Reagan succumb and eventually die with this disorder. One would think such an active man with so nimble a mind as his, with the best medical care available, would never had had occasion to develop such a mind-degrading condition. Yet he did.

Some sane tips

There are some life-style choices which could counter dementia to some degree, and are healthy choices regardless. Exercising helps the body get rid of toxins, increases blood flow to the brain, lowers blood pressure, cholesterol and a slew of other things which in some way seems to help prevent dementia from occurring. A healthy diet also seems to combat dementia. And there are other things which you can do to reduce your chances of developing this brain-bashng condition. I for one, have long stopped using aluminum-based deodorants (virtually all anti-prespirants), because aluminum has been circumstantially linked to dementia. In the long run, aluminum may or may not be proven to actually cause dementia, but it is no huge sacrifice for me and I'd rather not run the risk anyway.

Sanity vs. Life

Regardless, like Ronald Reagan, anyone of us could end up with dementia. What would you do if it happened to you? There is a huge stigma against taking one's own life. Most legitimately recognized religions of the world are against it, and it is even illegal in much of the world. But the important question is, would your own personal philosophy allow it?

As an agnostic, though I continue to expand my horizons, I choose to live with what I know. And since the great beyond, the proverbial after-life, and as such, and the consequences of suicide in such a situation, is an unknown to me, I would not personally rule this option out. In fact, I have known of several people in this situation which have expressed that same sentiment. One was a very dear person to me, who was just taken to nursing home one day and I never saw again. His wife, a good soul, lived for years after and quite literally died of loneliness.

However, normally individuals lack the force of will to go against their natural survival instinct, and given the nature of dementia, those affected with it probably also lack the cognitive ability to do so as well. Additionally, there are economic and emotional consequences for loved ones which accompany such action. But most people who have seen a loved one who has lived with dementia for years finally pass away experience a sense of relief. It is a relief that their loved one is now free from such suffering, a horrible condition of living-death.

Most experience a sense of loss and a grieving similar to that experienced after a loved one has passed away long before the physical death of that person, because in a very real sense that person is already gone, the neural circuitry which allowed that human being to form and express complex thoughts and behaviors literally dead. It makes some sense that the highest order and complexity of the human being-- the mind, created by the brain, would start to break down first, whittling that being down to its more basic nature and essence, though the essence that we would consider personhood is gone in the process. We are all destined to be broken down to more basic essences, to become ashes. But oh how horrible a death to die living, to die without personhood.

What would you do?

Next week I will continue this topic, with a slight artistic slant.

Time to Decide

2010-01-01T23:45:00.004-05:00

2009 saw the rebirth and reorganization of Gamoe.net as a blog, surely a momentous occasion for myself and the three two of you who follow this site. It was also the year I went back to school, a decision which was not so much one of "if?", but more of a "when?" and "what?" Although those are certainly important questions, experience has taught me that when it comes to choosing a path in life, making a decision-- no matter what it is-- is always the right course of action. Indecision leads to non-commitment, which leads to inaction, which is lack of movement, stagnation, a lack of progress towards any goal. Goals can be altered and redefined later, but stagnation is the possibly the worst possible condition in life. For a lack of movement is a lack of purpose as well.

Now that is no excuse for bad decision-making. That is a totally different matter altogether. Perhaps setting yourself on a life of crime isn't the best of decisions. Bad decisions can even get you killed. But so will time. And there are other components to movement in life. For example, I would find a life dedicated primarily to profit, or one unconcerned with goodness rather unfulfilling.

But the point is that making an active decision of what path you want to travel, rather than just riding along in a passenger's seat of your life, is up there with the most important and satisfying things in life, because it gives you movement and purpose, which in this case is one and the same. Movement without purpose is well, pointless. What are you moving towards? What do you wish to accomplish? There can be no true, coherent movement without purpose. Consider a person just splashing about in the water and a swimmer making her way across a lake. They might both expend the same amount of energy, but one gets somewhere, the other does not. And purpose without movement is nothing at all. Without movement, purpose cannot be fulfilled. Wishing for world peace is excellent, but if you do nothing to further it, it is merely an idea. Purpose is the direction of movement. Movement is the action of purpose.

The funny thing is, whether you succeed or fail to achieve your goals is actually not as important as the movement itself. Defining goals is essential in providing us with direction. But goals are only markers along the way. After all, some goals may extend beyond one's reach. So what? We all wind up dead anyway. Where you'll be buried is of little importance. What you did and how you lived your life is, on the other hand. This brings up a point about death helping to define us, but that's for some other article. The important thing is to decide, to move, to do. The only true failure is not to move, not to decide.

People often hold off on decisions indefinitely is because they don't want to make the wrong one. They don't want to be locked in to a choice they will regret in the future. Again, good decision-making is important, but that being said, I find that most often simply making a decision-- whichever one-- is better than holding off indefinitely. Even if you change your mind later, you'll probably be in a better position to do so than if you hadn't done anything in the first place.

I have always believed man is only truly happy after his needs are met when he is engaged in fulfilling his potential. When you have something inside your heart, you need to let it out, make it action, express it, develop it. But none of that can happen without a conscious decision. None of that can happen without movement. This seems rather obvious. But somehow, I always missed that part of the equation. And I think a lot of people do. Because of fear, generally. Fear of failing, mostly. And that is why I am writing this and putting up on the first of the year. Apart from being something I want to express, I figure it might serve somebody else as well. Don't be afraid. Decide. Do.

Now the only thing I can't decide is whether we should be saying two-thousand-and-ten or twenty-ten.

Happy 2010 (however you say it)!

Intel and Microsoft "Specs-Fixing"

2009-11-03T04:05:00.005-05:00

Casting my net for a netbook

Lately, I have been in search of a netbook for school and writing. I am primarily a Mac user, but I've found that my 15" MacBook Pro is ill-suited for class use, given the small, rinky-dinky desks tuition fees provide. It's also not ideal for informal recumbent typing, given the large heavy screen.

Unfortunately, Apple gives me no choices in this area. It's either a 13.3 MacBook or up. And I've deemed the smaller 12.1" iBooks of yesteryear far too dated for today, especially after the Intel-switch. Not to mention many iBooks of that era were plagued with video and/or motherboard problems I dare not inhereit. (Although to be fair, a used G3 iBook I bought for $200 from a fellow Mac user a few years ago was probably the most rock-solid and stable Mac I've ever had, not to mention the best in value for the buck).

It's not just the screen size, though. A brand-new MacBook can be had for about $1,000. That is too much for a secondary "writing" notebook. I hope to spend less than half that amount. Apple offers me nothing, as Apple only goes for market segments were thick, juciy profit margins are to be had, and this netbooks do not offer. So, my options are clear. I need to look outside of Apple hardware for a PC netbook. It's disappointing my favorite operating system can't come along for the ride, simply because it does not fit into Apple's business model.

However, I am definitely not stuck to Mac OS X, and I am not desperate enough to try to hack it to run on non-Apple blessed hardware. I wouldn't want to. My first and foremost concern is reliability, and easy updateability for the OS. This is hindered both by Apple's attempts and by the natural consequence of this OS not being optimized for such a platform, which means it lacks many device drivers and other essentials.

Another priority for me is low-power usage. This will be a netbook for writing and doing school work often outside the range of a conveniently located power outlet, after all. Of course, it goes without saying that Windows is not on my list of alternative operating system choices. That will clearly fall to some Linux distribution which I am comfortable with.

A Linux-powered netbook sounds great to me. On the OS front, I get to choose from the plethora (and yes, I do often think there are too many) of Linux distributions out there. There are several netbook-specific ones. There is even a specific Ubuntu distro for the popular Asus Eee PC netbooks. On the hardware front, well-- if there is any consolation from being away from Apple hardware is the enourmous choice before me! No longer confined to Apple specifications, I get to pick from one of the surely at least thousands of configurations available from the myriad of netbook manufacterers out there.

Stifling Specifications

Oh, but what's this?: 10" display, 1024 x 600 resolution and a ~ 1.60 Ghz Intel Atom CPU w/integrated Intel graphics

Those are the overwhelmingly predominant specs for netbooks as of this writing. Some differ slightly, but more often than not this is it, and what is given additionally in one area is cruelly taken away from another. Why? Well, it's the price point, you say. Perhaps, this is just the manufacter "sweet spot" for a $250 - $400 netbook, give or take a few features here and there. Just the free market system at work, right? No, it is not so simple or so innocent an explination.

It turns out niether Intel nor Microsoft are content to merely create and sell thier wares. Instead, they have gone into the business of dictating to those manufacters who actually make something out of that hardware and software what they should be making.

Well, surely if a company makes something it should have some control over where it goes right? I mean, we wouldn't want Intel hardware to make its way to a Chinese missle headed our way (for "scientific reasons", of course!). Or have Microsoft software be the basis of Iran's nuclear facility (for the noble purpose of providing its citizen's with cheap and safe electricity, of course!). Surely we don't. But there is something wrong with this argument.

First off, it is highly unlikely that neither Microsoft nor even Intel would be able to stop thier software or hardware from being used in some secret, nefarious and illicit purpose. So it makes little sense seen from that standpoint. In fact, I would think either company would be more than happy to sell anyone their products as long as there is a big, fat check for them. Which brings me to my next and most important point.

The entire idea behind this "specs-fixing" is maintaing and increasing profitability by artificially manipulating the market. Intel thinks that making netbooks too powerful will cannibalize full-fledged notebook sales. Microsoft is afraid that the proliferation of netbooks will cut into it's profits, as netbooks are not powerful enough to use Windows Vista, which Microsoft can sell for more than Windows XP. Even worse, Microsoft is afraid big, bad open source will come and completely swipe some netbook OS sales away from Microsoft entirely.

So this is a case of Microsoft and Intel protecting their interests in maximum profits by conspiring to artificially limit the netbooks. So what's wrong with this? One should ask what's right in this, if anything. Can anyone think of anything more detrimental to the free market system than some big boy companies dictating and shaping an industry for their own selfish interests? It is clearly unethical. One might wonder if it is not illegal, and if not, why so?

Are there no other options, you ask? Why yes, of course there are. There are always options. But pressure and coercion from business' big/main supplier goes a long way towards eliminating those options. Let me illustrate.

Specifically Daring

Famed Asus dared to make a netbook with a larger 11.6 (the 1101HA), instead of the usual mandatory 10.1" display. Clearly they broke they mold. In fact, Asus was the pioneer of the commercial netbook, taking over what the XO-1 laptop began. So what happened?

It turns out Asus had to go with the slower 1.33 Ghz Intel Atom Z520 instead of the usual ~ 1.60 Ghz N270 or N280 CPU. In a time when most every other general-purpose computer has gone dual-core or better, even the latter is considered slow. This makes the Asus 1101HA even slower. Asus offers the user a way to overclock the CPU, thus making it faster, but this is far from an ideal solution and it is a tacit acknowledgment by Asus that the netbook is too slow-- even for a netbook. Asus is not the only manufacturer affected. Acer and other netbook-making companies have had to make similar concessions to Intel and Microsoft.

Asus started out offering many netbooks with Linux as an alternative to Microsoft Windows. Now none but select models and configurations (usually the low-end ones with just as high or higher price-tags) are offered with Linux. Is it too difficult to imagine Microsoft had something to do with this? Microsoft is known for its aggressive (and often illegal) anticompetitive lock-in strategies. Trouble is, these agreements between public companies remain "secret", so we can only make educated guesses at what stipulations were made. But I think it is safe to say that Linux options has suffered for it, and most customers have been made to pay the Windows tax, which is difficult to avoid, whether they want a Windows netbook or not.

Some manufacturers have chosen the less travelled route, and gone with a different chipset. That is, they still use Intel CPUs, but not in an Intel motherboard. Such is the case of the Nvidia Ion platform, one which promised a considerable boost in graphics capabilities for a netbook-category computer. This opens up more possibilities for high definition video playback and gaming on netbooks.

It also competes with Intel's own integrated graphics and chipset interests. So Intel slapped Nvidia with a lawsuit, pertaining to its licensing of Intel technology necessary to make Nvidia's Ion work with Intel's Atom CPU. Although Nvidia's ION 2 is still slated to debut this year, the Intel lawsuit has essentially put the entire Nvidia Ion platform's future in question.

The Net Effect

It is clear to me that Intel and Microsoft have both conspired to shape and limit the netbook segment to cater to their own business interests. Now, the technology landscape is always changing, and already new netbook models with larger displays and faster processors have been announced. Intel and Microsoft have both modified their "requirements" to allow for some of these. With the debut of Windows 7, for instance, Microsoft is a little more lax on its requirements, as most netbooks can run it. And Intel plans to release beefier Atom processors next year.

Neither Intel nor Microsoft can stop the progress of technology nor the evolution of the free market system, which can ultimately make old market segments obsolete and sprout new ones. But that is not to say that they cannot slow it down, nor that we the end users do not suffer, nor that injustice has not been done unto many as a consequence.

Some manufacturers have gone the most radical route and bypasses Intel altogether, fitting their netbooks with CPUs from AMD or VIA. But these are the exceptions, and they have their own drawbacks, naturally. It is possible that in time these may force Intel and Microsoft to drop their anti-competitive lock-in strategies. But both have considerable influence on the market, and it will not occur overnight.

Ask yourselves why we should allow these two mega-corporations to dictate products to the rest of the industry. Intel and Microsoft should not be entitled to control and dictate the end products that manufacturers build based upon the demands of the end users and natural market conditions. This does nothing more than stifle creativity, limit choices and create artificial gaps where niche segments would have healthily existed. Personally, I'm waiting a bit more to get my netbook. It seems my choices are a bit limited these days.

XOXO XO-1

2009-08-26T20:30:00.007-04:00

Introduction

I became enthusiastic and optimistic with One Laptop Per Child and the XO Laptop headed by Nicholas Negroponte of MIT ever since I first heard of the project back in 2005. How could I not be? It had a noble goal, it was tangible, and it had some very bright people behind it.

It also appealed to me in several very particular and important ways. First off, it was an education project. I have always felt strongly about education, and I believe it to be essential for ending poverty and social injustice and indeed, for freedom itself. In fact, this is as much a tool of emancipation as one of education. It also involved technology, a whole new platform in fact, with an original Graphical User Interface called Sugar.

Now I love technology, especially liberating ones, especially for kids (the next generation of humanity), and especially with new GUIs. I love the lost science-art called interface design, and this seems to progress (and sometimes seemingly regress) so slowly that it is wonderful when something new comes along-- not to mention it is based on Linux and wholesomely Open Source. It is not difficult to see why one would be so enthusiastic about this project from the get-go.

No-Distribution Models

However, even from the beginning I saw some potential pitfalls. I tried to see them as obstacles to be overcome, but they were troubling. First and foremost, the entire project relied on the wisdom and capital of the very governments which had failed their people.

To be fair, not all social and economical follies can be blamed on governments, but often the ways in which governments carry out (or neglect) their duties are directly or indirectly responsible for the current state of affairs in a nation. So going up to corrupt and/or broke governments and asking them to pay to change the status-quo always seemed foolhardy to me at best. OLPC needed to appeal directly to the people, not governments, in most cases.

Curiously, the countries where OLPC actually had a good chance of achieving their goal by appealing to governments directly, is where they did not even try. Negroponte had this idea that developed countries should not get first dibbs on XO laptops (or maybe even at all). I found this attitude very perplexing. It seems OLPC not only wanted to change the world (which is good), but simply rejected the processes by which the world works today (which is bad).

The idea seems to be that the XO should spread top-down on a nation-level (from the governments in developing nations to their people), but then down-top on a world-wide level (from developing nations to developed nations). This makes no sense at all, and it not how the world works (nor how it should), especially when it comes to technology.

It's as if there was some kind of bias against developed countries. The idea that the XO was not for the U.S.A. or any other developed country was one I never subscribed to. There are lots of poor areas in developed countries which would benefit from this project, and perhaps more importantly, there are lots of economically prosperous and rich areas in those countries which could both benefit from the XO and financially support the project as well.

That is what stimulated me to launch xoforall.com (now XOforall.info). I felt it needed to be said. I cannot absolutely say that it had nothing to do for my own personal want of an XO, however it was the overall success of the project which I was primarily concerned with. By having rich countries buying XO laptops, they would be both gaining from the project, and funding it for poorer countries.

Also, having rich nations adopt these machines would make make their adoption in poorer areas that much less difficult. Touting an unproven educational laptop in a poor country is a lot harder than selling a proven solution from a developed nation. One can be idealistic, and pragmatic, too. The XO should be for everybody and should not be limited to certain markets but be allowed to propagate everywhere-- especially where there is money to be had.

To be fair, OLPC has made XO laptops available in the U.S. and worldwide via the Give 1 Get 1 program, but it is very limited and certainly not the kind of regular availability needed.

On a side note, I never liked the "$100 laptop" moniker, not only because it seemed unlikely from the start, but because it emphasized the cost of the laptop instead of its educational value and noble purpose. I was not alone in this opinion, and apparently not far from the truth, as OLPC finally came around and dropped this unfortunate moniker.

XO Porn

Another issue which become increasingly apparent was the education factor. Although I loved the tech behind it, OLPC was always clear in that "It's an education project, not a laptop project", which I agree is essential. And yet, it became clear that the primary objective of Negroponte and friends was simply to get this laptop into kids' hands. And I vehemently disagree with that.
The XO cannot exist on its own. Without proper guidance from teachers well-versed in the applying and troubleshooting the technologies involved the project would fail, or become something else entirely. To allow such a situation would be contrary to any responsible educational goal. A technology is only as good as its user's wisdom.

Pornography was reportedly found on some children's XO laptops in Nigeria. Now these things happen, unfortunately. By no means will I judge OLPC by an isolated incident. However, it does illustrate the fact that use of the XO laptops needs to be supervised and guided by judicious adults, not simply "handed to the kids".

One of the most intriguing features of the XO laptop is the ability to create an instantaneous ad-hoc "mesh" network with all the other XO laptops within range. Now, an ordinary laptop can do this with the proper software settings. But the XO laptop was designed to do this by default and in a very intuitive way, with a very cool looking Sugar interface for it.

In this way, children can communicate and share information with others in range. If there are enough XO laptops in the area, the mesh network will use the XO laptops in between two distant and otherwise disconnected regions to patch all of them together, creating a huge, interactive network. I always thought this was a marvelous idea.

The XO laptops can also share an Internet connection in the same manner, using the same network, as long as at least one of the XO laptops is receiving an Internet connection. While the former means a regional community sharing together in new ways, the latter means unleashing the full force of the world onto the children.

Perhaps I am radical in my outlook, but I do not believe that children are benefitted nor prepared for unfiltered and unfettered access to the Internet.The XO laptops are normally fitted with very specific software, which would be capable of limiting the types of information accessible to the user. But an open web browser is as much a potential Pandora's box as a tool of enlightenment.

I do not believe children should not be permitted Internet access, but only that they be allowed it under the supervision and guidance of a judicious adult. Not everything is conducive to the goals of education and healthy development, and many things are counter them.

My entire point is that XO laptops should not be simply dropped into children's' hands for them to figure out, but that there needs to be some type of infrastructure around that, even if it's just one teacher with a few deputized adults in training, and limiting Internet access to the classroom.

To their credit, OLPC did promise to place filters on the XO laptops, which should restrict access to some of the more obvious sources of rubbish, but that is only a crude and partial solution to a problem that needs live people to take care of it.

Open & Not-So-Open Source

One of the shining lights of the project was the decision to use primarily Open Source software. This was very important, because I saw it as a protection against the XO becoming a "Trojan Horse" for Microsoft and software marketing. Instead of a learning tool, I feared the XO would become a marketing tool for Microsoft and other software venders peddling their wares. This would be truly insulting and diminishing to the project and its intended beneficiaries.

So when Steve Jobs offered Negroponte Mac OS X on every XO laptop for free in 2005, it made me merry to entertain the possibility, but I completely understood and agreed with Negroponte's reasons for refusing. Imagine my horror when Negroponte and Microsoft announced they would be shipping Windows XP as an option on the XO laptops in 2008. In fact Walter Bender, the guy in charge of software on the XO left OLPC apparently over a related issue and founded the independent Sugar Labs non-profit foundation, since it seems they no longer shared the same vision.

Negroponte has expressed doubt over the practicality of a wholly Open-Source-based machine, and I do indeed recognize it as a challenge, as merely the act of playing a DVD requires non-free software (the XO laptops don't have DVD drives, but you get the idea). However, a bit of a "dirty" system with some proprietary or non-free software is immensely preferable to a fundamentally non-free one with some Open-Source parts. In this case, Mac OS X would have been preferable.

Letting Go

I admit it was at this point that I finally started letting go of my emotional attachment and great hopes for OLPC. It had been too much. And throughout it all we had Negroponte saying and doing exactly the wrong things, and core people expressing doubt and dissatisfaction and leaving the project. I feel that OLPC is not the grand project it was sold to me as. Every project, especially one this ambitious has its growing pains. This is to be expected. But when it starts to violate its own founding principles, something is awry.

As such, I lost the fervent interest I once had in OLPC and the XO laptop. I never actually got to have one, believe it or not. Woz is a fan, even if he wasn't entirely successful in making it his primary PC. But that possibility is becoming more and more a reality for many people via netbooks. I plan on getting one sometime next year, if all goes well. I expect to run Sugar on it.

At least that's a sure contribution OLPC has made. I don't think we'd be seeing the kind of emerging netbook market out there if the XO hadn't sparked interest in this class of devices which Intel ridiculed as a "toy", but then went on to create it's own version and become the largest seller of netbook CPUs.

OLPC has certainly shaken things up, and I expect it will continue to do so. I just think it's lost focus of its mission, or maybe it never did figure out how exactly to do that. Maybe a new XO laptop or a change in OLPC administration will recapture my passion again. We'll see. For now, I wish them the best of luck, and I hope they really do manage to do good, in whatever form, wherever it may be. The world needs as much good as it can get right now. I just wish it had been more focused this time.

Not All Lost

As such, I experienced an unexpected excitement followed by some sadness when I spotted a huge billboard advertising the XO Give 1 Get 1 program while cruising through the city. It reminded me of all it could be, yet sadly, was not. But it also reminded me that in spite of OLPC's blunders, there are many bright, good people outside the project as well, working to do good with what has come of it.

There are now several groups bringing the XO laptops to U.S. classrooms, and Sugar Labs has put out an excellent portable version of "Sugar on a Stick- Strawberry". Moreover, Wayan Vota's OLPC News has become an excellent community resource for those who not only wish to follow the official project, but follow and organize innovative XO-related projects outside OLPC.

So while I stopped updating xoforall.info, it is in part because it's objectives have been met. And though I have frankly lost faith in Negroponte's ability to steer OLPC in the right direction, much good has already indirectly come from the project, and new people continue to do good things for education and technology thanks to the movement OLPC began.

Note: Many thanks to Wayan Vota, who has published this article with permission as a series of smaller ones on One Laptop Per Child News.

When is a coup not a coup?

2009-07-07T20:26:00.002-04:00

Let me paint for you a picture. President Nixon's involvement in the Watergate scandal is discovered. An investigation begins. Nixon's administrations tries to stall and halt the process. The Supreme Court gets involved, and tells Nixon he must turn over incriminating audio tape recordings The Impeachment process begins. Nixon tries to change the U.S. Constitution to remain in power. The Supreme Court rules against him again, but Nixon does not waiver. Nixon is Impeached, but refuses to step down. Eventually, Nixon is convicted and is removed by force from the Oval Office.

Of course, this is not how it happened. Nixon wisely resigned, and no military force was necessary. Less than a year later, President Gerald Ford gave Richard Nixon a full pardon, and Nixon never got to face the full consequences of his actions. Though, one could say, the disgrace of being forced to publicly resign and the stigma that carried with it throughout the rest of his life was a punishment in itself.

But, had Nixon tried to change the U.S. Constitution and simply refused to step down, would we have looked badly on those who would have ordered and physically removed him? Would we have called it a coup?

Then let me give you some facts for your consideration. President Manuel Zelaya tried to hold a referendum to change Honduras' constitution in order to stay in power longer. He was not happy with what must have seemed like a very limited four-year term as president. So, he did what all democratic, freedom-loving presidents do. He asked for a referendum. Except the Honduran Constitution specifically prohibits the extension of presidential terms. The Honduran Supreme Court upheld the constitution and warned Zelaya that what he was trying to so was unconstitutional and illegal.

Honduras has had 16 constitutions since it's independence from Spain in 1821. Zelaya is not the first president to try to change the terms of his presidency after the fact. It seems a common concern for Honduran presidents to want to stay longer than prescribed by their constitution. In 1982, the current Constitution was written in no uncertain terms, to specifically disallow modification of the length of the presidential term. Even then, the first president under the 1982 Constitution tried to rid himself of this irritating limitation. He failed.

So it should be no surprise that when Zelaya attempted an illegal referendum against the Constitution and a Supreme Court ruling he was stopped and arrested. Honduras' Congress voted and swore in Roberto Micheletti, a member of Zelaya's own Liberal Party, to serve as president until January, when a new President is elected by the people.

And yet one would think a totally different set of circumstance existed judging by the cries of world leaders and news reports of a military "coup".

It is no surprise people like Fidel Castro and Chazez support Zelaya's thirst for unconstitutional power. Castro got rid of all restrictions on presidential terms after the communist revolution succeeded in 1959, and even did away with the power to declare anything illegal on the basis of it being anti-constitutional. He remained with the title of "President" until becoming ill and giving the position up to his brother last year. Castro was supported by the Soviet Union.

After being elected in 1999, Chavez managed to expand his presidential term by rewriting the Venezuelan Constitution shortly after via a referendum. In 2007, he proposed getting rid of presidential term limits altogether, and though his new referendums have failed, he remains in office past the time allowed in his own rewritten 1999 constitution and vows to put forth forth another referendum. Chavez was supported by Castro.

What would the world think if Obama decided to change what the U.S. Constitution specifically prohibits, against Supreme Court ruling, with a referendum? Honduras is a troubled country, but at least it has upheld the Constitution and maintained the rule of law in this case. This should be celebrated as a triumph for democracy by those "democratic" countries of the world. Instead it is denounced as a military "coup".

Any reasonable person equipped with the facts must conclude that in fact, it was Zelaya who was attempting a "coup", operating as a rogue, against his country's constitution, against the government, his people and his own party, attempting to illegally extend his time in power with the help of his communist friends.

No, this has been no coup in Honduras. This was the prevention of a coup. It has been the lawful arrest of an aspiring dictator, and the restoration of the presidency to a member of same party under Congressional vote for the time until normal elections are held again in January. The facts speak for themselves, no matter how many seek to distort them.

I do not know how this will end. But if Zelaya or anybody else does succeeds in modifying the Honduran Constitution and presidency term limits, it will be a travesty for democracy. This is not to say that Honduras does not have other problems, but let us give credit where credit is due, and respect a people for trying to follow their own rules and Constitution. Let us not fall prey to apparently popular Communist propaganda.

Stylophone

2009-07-06T06:00:00.003-04:00

As silly as it sounds, I have been wanting a Stylophone for a while now. Some might denigrate the device by calling it a "cheap toy". Indeed, it probably classifies as that as well. But it can also be a musical instrument.

Music is in the heart. Anyone who's ever seen a street musician carry a beat with plastic buckets, pipes and an assortment of other random objects not normally characterized as musical instruments knows this. So what's not to love about a cheap little syn

thesizer capable of a range of tones that actually has a keyboard?

For those not in the know, the Dubreq Stylophone came into existence sometime during 1967, and thereafter took off as a commercial success, chiefly in Britain, where it was invented. Some time later Dubreq went belly up and ceased production. In 2007, the company, risen from the ashes by inventor's son, started selling a slightly updated version of the Stylophone.

There are more advanced portable options available. One of my favorite "tech instruments" to hear is the Korg Kaossilator. It's a very cool little device, with more/different functionality. I may buy one some day. The same company makes the more complete DS-10 synthesizer software for the DS. But those will both cost you over $100, counting the hardware and software. The Stylophone can be had for under $20.

So I finally went about ordering one. It's worth the entertainment value alone. And I find myself coming up with fun little ditties, playing pre-written songs (the booklet that comes with it has Silent Night and The Londonberry Air), and trying play my favorite tunes on it by ear. And it's catchy-- My girlfriend likes playing on it too, and we have a lot of fun alternatively trying to play something and getting it wrong until we eventually get some part right.

There is a Stylophone blog with a collection of popular tunes for the instrument which are rather fun to try to play. The Stylophone even has its own band.

Below is my Stylophone (click here for a larger version).

In the first photo, you see the keyboard and the stylus, attached by an electrical cord, which completes a circuit when it is placed on a key, producing the sound. There is also a button which allows the player to switch between an oscillating (vibrato) or continual sound when the keys are played. The front border of the device sports a switch with three positions which changes the sound of the device, going from low to high-pitch from left to right.

(Click here for a larger version)

In the second photo is the bottom of the device, where the battery case, and a control to tune the device (which makes it capable of a broader range of sound, used in conjunction with the three-way switch on the front border) lives.

I doubt the Stylophone will turn me into a musical mastermind, but it's good fun, and I think it makes a great gift for the occasional musician. And I think it's a great toy for a kid too. One that might just provide that initial inspiration for the next musical genius. At least, for $20 you can't go wrong!

Technorati Blog Claim

2009-07-04T08:43:00.001-04:00

This post is part of the process of registering Gamoe.net on Technorati.

uxvag69hjw

Vaccine Abortion

2009-06-30T21:29:00.008-04:00

My Vaccination Vexation

Like most people of my generation in the United States, I was vaccinated against Hepatitis B, Meningitis, Measles, Mumps, Rubella, and a suite of other diseases when I was but a child. Those records followed me all the way to high school, as they are required by most schools. They were not required at my college. But somewhere between then and now they got lost. And now, my university, a public institution, is compelled by state law to ask for them.

It's a bit of an annoyance, really. Do they really believe I could have gotten through the public school system without getting the required vaccinations? Of course not, they don't think at all. It is simply a requirement imposed upon the university, and ultimately, on me. But it is a bit irritating, after all. The specific vaccine in question was the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) combination vaccine.

I am for vaccinations, and I do believe they have done a lot of good in preventing the spread of these dangerous diseases. However, I am not a fan of needles poking me, nor do I take injections casually. But having no proof on hand, I was left with only two viable choices: Take the required shots again, or have an antibody titer done to test for the presence of the antibodies to these diseases in my blood.

I preferred to have an antibody titer done, but after inquiring, the cost of this was way over that of the cost of taking the shots at the university. So I sat in the university health clinic, reading over the papers for the MMR vaccine, reassuring me of its safety, ending strangely in warnings about "permanent brain damage". I wasn't feeling very reassured, for some reason.

Still, I was ready to take the vaccine-- after all, I had taken it already years ago as a child, and suffered no such ills (I think). Then I was told it would cost twice as much as I had thought. It turns out the MMR shot is $60 (which I am told is very reasonable), however two shots need to be administered, so the final cost ends up being $120, twice the amount I had understood.

This was close enough to the cost of the antibody titer to cause me to leave the clinic that day and re-evaluate my options. The MMR shots need to be taken at least 28 days apart, which would delay my semester registration slightly, while the results of an antibody titer would be in much more quickly. At this point, it was a practical issue of cost and time for me. What I did not expect was for the MMR vaccination to become a moral issue for me.

An Additional Ingredient

During my search for information on the MMR vaccine, I found that in addition to a rather unsavory list of ingredients, it includes Human Fetal Diploid Cells, which are cells derived from aborted babies. Color me shocked. This was news to me. And I suspect most people who have received the vaccine are as in the dark about this as I was.

I am no doctor, but the following is my understanding of why this is so. Viruses can't propagate on their own; they need a host to do so. Some viruses can be successfully grown in animal embryos, but not all of them. This includes some of those in the MMR vaccine. Thus, the only way to successfully replicate these viruses is on an otherwise healthy, aborted human fetus. According to the CDC, and other sources, the cells used to make the MMR vaccine today come from one of two unborn babies aborted in the 1960's.

Suddenly, this begs for moral consideration.

On the positive side, no new aborted babies have been used since then to make the vaccine, and many lives have been saved via vaccination. On the other hand, the vaccine benefited from, and in fact would have been impossible without, an abortion. This is of serious significance for those who oppose abortion. I would categorize myself as pro-life, but it is not my intension to discuss the issue of abortion in this article. Instead, I intend to point out that it is actually a serious issue to consider.

It is always a mistake to blindly trust authority and to take vaccinations lightly. It is your duty to educate yourself, and know to the best of your ability, what is going inside your body, where it comes from, and what the health and moral ramifications are. I am not advocating a position either for or against the MMR vaccine based on this information. But I do think it's a matter which requires consideration, and even personal reflection.

Alternatives

Objecting to the use of cells from an aborted fetus does not rule out all vaccinations. Other vaccines which were once exclusively made this way are now available from alternative sources and methods of production. Such an alternative to the MMR vaccine, to the best knowledge of this author, is not yet available. But this may be a possibility in the not-to-distant future if enough people demand it.

I have yet to decide either way. I try to avoid coming to rash, emotionally charged conclusions, or ones with no consideration for moral consequences. But there is a third option I hadn't considered originally. It's a vaccine waiver for religious exemption. Since I belong to no formal religion, or have any particular belief against vaccinations in general, I hadn't considered this before learning what I now know. But it is an option, even if you are not religious, for anyone who has a moral objection to vaccination.

There is a notable caveat to this option. This is an excerpt from the waiver available at my university:

"I also understand that I may be excluded from attending classes or other activities for the duration of a vaccine preventable disease outbreak which can last up to 21 days after the last case is detected.

I agree that I shall be completely responsible for any costs associated with my exclusion from classes or university activities, including inability to receive a refund of tuition and fees due to medical withdrawal or course drop."

Though I do not know if any university in the U.S. has ever exercised this power, it is certainly a caveat to remember. One would hope such a situation never comes to pass in the first place, of course.

Everything considered, I think an antibody titer is more likely in my immediate future.

Strange the discovery a missing medical record can lead to, no?

Below are some links I found useful:

This article was updated on July 2, 2009.

Go Skateboarding!

2009-06-20T05:54:00.001-04:00

June 21st is Go Skateboarding Day.

I gave skateboarding a try a little over a year ago. No, I wasn't a kid or a teenager anymore. I am no gifted skateboarder. But the experience was entirely worthwhile. Though I admire the talent of those trick-master skateboarders, I realized that would not be me, and I made it not my aim to be. Instead, I took simply to learning to ride the board, to roll, to accelerate, decelerate, change the direction the board by balancing my body, and stop without eating it (this is the most challenging part).

I bought my skateboard at a skateboarding shop at the local mall. At first, I practiced at a shopping center parking lot in my area, late at night, after all the businesses were closed. After a few unsuccessful attempts at merely getting on this wicked piece of wood with wheels I had just shelled out good money for, I saw the security guard approaching me in his little cart. I was ready to be told the wrongs of my way and to go elsewhere.

It turned out the guard was a pretty nice fellow. Apparently, my "skills" were so horrid, this man thought I had had a few too many drinks! We struck up a nice conversation, and I was warned only not to hit any cars. I also had some cops come by and watch me rather intensely and conspicuously for a while for a few days. But they eventually left me alone, perhaps realizing some overzealous skateboarder-wanna-be was no great danger to public safety. Thank goodness, as I had no desire to fuel the skateboarders vs. cops stereotype, especially not at my age.

Since then, I have been able to get a handle on most of the basics of riding a skateboard. There is no doubt, there can be much improvement, and there are basic things, like changing direction swiftly, which I have yet to handle well. But skateboarding has given me joy I do not often experience. The simple act of riding a skateboard up and down a hill is one of uninhibited, childlike delight. The simple act of eating the concrete after that is one of sobering pain.

But even in this there is a valuable lesson. Skateboarding has taught me that pain is often the product of fear, and the hesitation of non-commitment. It reminds me to appreciate and live in the moment more often. It apprises me that sometimes an expeditious decision is essential. It even got me to thinking about the ongoing social perceptions and issues with skateboarding and skateboarders in general, which I find interestingly challenging, but I digress, as that is another article in itself!

Skateboarding has a very creative and individualistic element to it. It is an art backed up and ruled by hard science. It has much to teach and offer. Merely the art on the boards themselves is another entire dimension to the culture created by this experience. Painting my own board was yet another part of the fun for me.

I'd never claim to be a "serious" skateboarder. I'm just not that great, nor do I ride nearly enough to profess such seriousness. But I certainly do have a feel for it, and I have even earned my skateboarding scars. And though limitedly, I enjoy it a great deal. I'd like to get a longboard at some point in the future, as riding is what I prefer.

Unfortunately, Go Skateboarding Day and Father's Day coincide this year. If you're really lucky you can give dad a new skateboard and combine the two. Otherwise, you can pick up your board and ride up and down the block one time or two, which are my great plans. Though some areas will have some big events anyway. In any case, whether this weekend, or another, take my advise and just:

Go Skateboarding!

The History of Gamoe.net

2009-05-25T07:34:00.002-04:00

Introduction

When I started this website in late 2000, MySpace and FaceBook were not yet around and everyone who wanted to say something had his own website on Geocities, Angelfire, or some other such free service, or on the web space provided by his ISP.

My intent was to make a personal site about me, and the things I loved, to share with the world. Indeed, I did do this and had various sections on the sites categorized by content, including tributes to people I admire and entire section dedicated to hyperlinks (as was often customary back in the day).

My first real web site dedicated fully to one topic was the Apple II Beginner's Guide, which I actually made before starting this website, when I myself was on my ISP's web space, and then improved upon it later. This unintentionally became the focal point of my website, as the links and search term and page hit stats made abundantly clear to me.

Web sites were beginning to become much more sophisticated and I started testing out CMSs and other database driven systems. Since the beginning I had wanted to keep some kind of blog on my site, and it was apparent to me I needed a better system than directly editing HTML pages and re-uploading them. The Apple II section was still the most popular, though.

Apple2Guide.net

As such, I finally reworked the Apple II Beginner's Guide into a wiki, running on MediaWiki software in late 2005 and spun it out into it's own website with it's own domain name, Apple2Guide.net in early 2006. I had registered the domain years before, and I figured it was time to use it.

To me, this was the most logical way to proceed-- there are much older, more knowledgeable people that could add and expand on more topics on the website, while my contribution would be an initial body of work, a platform onto which to add more knowledge, and management of the site.

After announcing Apple2Guide.net, many Apple II fans came and really contributed to the site. I find an open source copyright (or copyleft) license best for open collaborations like these, and I put the content of Apple2Guide.net such a license. This allowed contributors to pull something from Wikipedia (which they had sometimes written themselves) or another copyleft source and add to it. I encouraged contributors to do so, but not to to make a direct copy and paste, which, in my view, was contrary to purposes and spirit of the site.

Apple2Guide.net got many original contributions from sources familiar and still working with Apple IIs, both in text and photographs. We also got some re-worked, corrected and expanded content originally from Wikipedia.

Not long after though, naysayers came out and labeled the site obsolete in light of the mighty Wikipedia. Their logic went somewhat like this: Wikipedia exists, so surely every other wiki is redundant and/or obsolete.

This logic is unsound, of course. Well distributed systems fare much better more often, and it is unwise to charge one site with virtually every piece of general information. Besides, I believe smaller sites are better at fostering communities and solving their own problems more quickly and efficiently.

However, my application of copyleft, though vital, was a double-edged sword, and the indirect cause of it's undoing. I found that practically all the original, distinguishing content of the site was being quickly exported and integrated into Wikipedia. It was fair; It's a two-way street. But it was still disheartening to see, especially in the way it was being done by many: out of spite.

Still, I had a good amount of supporters, who were not just willing to cheer me on and contribute content-wise, but even willing to pay to help the site. Once I accidentally deleted the database, and a few came together to send me the money I needed to ask my host to recover the backup for me. The site even got to be listed on none other than Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak's site, Woz.org as a "favorite link", with a 5-star rating, among many other sites in the Apple II community.

Pulling the Plug

So it was with some shame that I finally, though not intentionally, pulled the plug on Apple2Guide.net after an unsuccessful and delayed wiki upgrade. I realized that I did not posses the motivation or commitment to maintaining the site, especially considering my considerable frustration with database driven web apps, which are difficult to back and restore, in my experience.

Nevertheless, I feel that the loss of the site was not a great loss for the Apple II community. There are other, and much more comprehensive Apple II databases, with longer roots. And though the Apple II will always be dear to my heart as my first and in some ways, most pleasant experience with a computer, and certainly something to preserve in knowledge, emulation and museums, I feel it is most certainly a dead-end for me, not something I want to personally charge myself with any longer, as I look towards the future and life demands more of me.

That said, I have not totally ruled out a revival of Apple2Guide.net. In fact, though I am not personally interested in managing the site anymore, I would like to "pass the torch" as it goes, to anyone interested. I would hand over the domain, and I would try once again to rebuild the database. I do still have the last database backup. I sent an e-Mail about this a long while back to what I thought would be an interested party, back never got back a reply, so the offer is still available to anyone who is genuinely interested and capable.

The rest of Gamoe.net

The site really started back in 1999, living on my ISP's included web space, but did not earn its own domain name until late 2000. In 2003 Gamoe.net was registered and became the primary domain name of the site. As is evident, the Apple II guide, in whichever incarnation, became the unintended focal point of the site. But it was always my intention to enhance the site with additional original (and hopefully valuable) content.

For most of its life Gamoe.net had a Tribute section with memorial pages to people I admire who had passed on. This also included a tribute to those fallen in the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center attacks, which I wrote and uploaded that day and the really tragic loss of the Columbia shuttle crew.

Gamoe.net also started out with a hyperlinks section which I named "Neat 'Net Links", for sites of friends and good content. I also experimented with a few different things, probably most notably, MacGUI, a little website with software listings and links to GUI enhancement apps for the Mac and reviews, whenever possible.

That count of course, does not include the less than successful trial runs of several other web sites, including Blogyzine, a "magazine blog" I could never get enough people involved, a forum for the self described "A Thinker's Group", as well as a local city-based forum I hoped would connect people (it did not, as practically nobody signed up), and XOforall.com (now named XOforall.info) which I was even interviewed about, a site about the One Laptop Per Child initiative, a project which I followed with great enthusiasm, but in my opinion has gone very wrong.

Gamoe.net Today

That brings us back to today. If you've actually read from the beginning up to here, congratulations. Gamoe.net has been with me in some form or another for about ten years now, so it is obviously of some importance to me, especially when I consider all the hours I've put into it or thinking about it over the years. Hey, even if you skimmed a little, I still appreciate it.

Thing is, these days the personal website is somewhat dated. Social networking tools have outmoded the entire concept. Sites like MySpace and FaceBook, in spite of all the privacy and security risks, make connecting with other people much easier, even with those not as technically inclined. It's much more probable that busy family and friends will sign up for a social networking site and add you as a friend than all make their own websites, upload and install the proper software and link to you and each other.

Of course, as a more technically inclined person, one could put up a blog and manage to keep people in touch with tools like Twitter, RSS and site APIs. But I've found that I've no desire in dealing with online database management for fun. Constant updates to patch vulnerabilities and backup issues are beyond what I wish to deal with on a regular basis merely to express myself through words (and images occasionally), as I am doing right now.

In fact, it is one of the issues I have come about with websites. A website is suppose to be an informational service, created for the purpose of expression. Yet, it becomes at once a technical tool, such that every time you wish to enhance your capabilities for expression (upgrades, etc.), it becomes a more complicated tool which may begin to hamper your time and ability for expression.

I like technical challenges, and I like writing and expressing myself, but I do not wish my capability of expression to become dependent and potentially hampered by the technical. TV producers don't have to know how cameras work, camera manufacturers don't need to worry about directing a film. Writers need not know how to produce paper and pencils. Paper and pencil makers need not worry about writing novels. Am I getting across clearly enough?

Which is why today, coincidentally Memorial day here in the U.S., I am re-working Gamoe.net as a blog on Blogger.com. The technical side is still there, of course, but I need not worry about it. I can read about and study it without fear of deleting a database or finishing an upgrade on time.

I am hoping it will work out. I generally like Google, and I believe I do need to refocus the site. I make no promises. This might be the most boring blog you've ever ran into. But maybe not. We'll see. To old friends and new visitors: Welcome to the new Gamoe.net.