Category: food

NetNewsWire script bleg

I have accumulated a lot of feeds in NetNewsWire but I notice that a lot of them go unread. It would be nice, I thought just now, if NNW could keep track of what feeds get clicked on and/or read and do some housekeeping with the ones that don’t hold even my attention. Perhaps a weekly culling of feeds into a tab a folder to be reviewed, and if unclaimed, unsubscribe.

But NNW Lite doesn’t have an AppleScript dictionary, it appears. Is there another way to do this?

Why does the 82nd Airborne hate America?

A few bad apples?

New Reports Surface About Detainee Abuse:

Two soldiers and an officer with the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division have told a human rights organization of systemic detainee abuse and human rights violations at U.S. bases in Afghanistan and Iraq, recounting beatings, forced physical exertion and psychological torture of prisoners, the group said.

A 30-page report by Human Rights Watch describes an Army captain’s 17-month effort to gain clear understanding of how U.S. soldiers were supposed to treat detainees, and depicts his frustration with what he saw as widespread abuse that the military’s leadership failed to address. The Army officer made clear that he believes low-ranking soldiers have been held responsible for abuse to cover for officers who condoned it.

Or a systemic, routine culture of abuse and humiliation?

Si Monumentum Requiris, Circumspice

The translation of the Latin is from St Paul’s Cathedral, designed by Christopher Wren,and means “If you seek his monument, look around you.” Apologies to Wren, but that’s how I see the task of progressives now and going forward: remind anyone and everyone that the mess we see on the news, in the papers, and all around us is the product of the administration, perhaps the least competent, yet most venal, in US history.
This piece on the truthful triangle is interesting. We caught a glimpse of an unleashed media in the wake of Katrina, as the facts came in faster than they could be spun, as journalists were so caught up in telling the stories they were seeing. It didn’t last but the fact it occurred gives me hope it could happen again.

Salon.com – Daou Report:

Setting aside 2006 congressional prospects and the remote hope for progressives that Bush will be impeached, the grand political battle of the next three years is over Bush’s legacy.

For rightwing bloggers who have fiercely defended one of the most controversial and polarizing presidents in our history, their fortunes will rise or fall with his approval ratings. The blind allegiance to Bush and the furious assault on his detractors will be vindicated if he leaves office with popular support.

Rightwing bloggers will thus do everything in their power to prevent another Katrina triangle, where the confluence of blogs, media, and Democratic leadership exposes the real Bush and shatters the conventional wisdom about his ability to lead. And they will struggle mightily to boost his poll numbers, whether it means ignoring the reality of the Iraq fiasco or the terrifying implications of the bungled federal response to Katrina.

For progressive bloggers who see a president presiding over the collapse of America’s credibility, the urgent work ahead is to cement the post-Katrina impression of Bush as a failed president. Whether or not they succeed depends to a large extent on their ability to compel the media and Democratic establishment to stand with them and speak the truth.

Continue reading “Si Monumentum Requiris, Circumspice”

grinding the ax

John Gilmore explains why sterophiles who buy DRM are suckers:

Cory Doctorow: A reader writes, “In response to ZDNet blogger Dave Berlind’s DRM nightmare blog post about why his $20,000 worth of audiophile gear can’t play the 99-cent songs he’s buying, EFF founder John Gilmore sent an e-mail that says the nightmare won’t stop until all of us to come to our senses and stop buying DRM-encumbered content.

So yeah, the guy is a doofus to play a 99¢ song on his $20,000 audiophile system and expect much. Hello, these are 128k compressed versions of CD quality audio. Others have posted that Apple should also sell lossless or at least very-high quality versions of their wares for those who want them (anyone think the 128k standard wasn’t part of the deal Steve Jobs had to strike with the RIAA cartel?): if they did, I could see someone incorporating the iPod or iTMS tracks into an audiophile rig.

I see the issues with DRM here, certainly, but enough people are finding ways around that (hymn or the the CD passthrough method) to make that a distraction in this case. At the end of the day, someone who’s OK with lossy recordings can’t expect too much. The iPod and iTMS combination wasn’t intended for serious home listeners, the kind who unplug their refrigerator to avoid missing anything. While I am sympathetic to the hassle faced by someone in this position, the milk of human kindness curdles when I remember, this should not have been a surprise.

the switch is not as drastic some people think

The author of a lengthy post on “the switch” let this slip:

Software: Obviously OS X won’t run on x86 gear at the moment so how do we fix this problem?

The comments I would have left, if I felt like registering:

Apple has been running OS X on Intel hardware for five years: surely the fact that Darwin and OS X Server were openly cross-platform indicated the bulk of the work was done?

So, they could show you Tiger on a white box PC at your local Apple Store today — if they wanted to.

As for the lack of a roadmap, it seems likely Apple is privy to more information than any of us: they must have seen something that made switching worth it.


[composed and posted with ecto]

is there an Intel-based mini?

The shop where I perform something like gainful employment needed a Mac for usability testing so they got a mini. The tech guy there is a big fan of white box PCs, and considers Apple hardware too expensive — first thing out of his mouth. Oh, like many, he’ll say good things about the user experience, the quiet fans, and well-designed components, but doesn’t consider that worth paying for.

So I wondered if there was a similar system to a mini, all the same ports and accessories, same form factor, and same or better price. Intel floated a concept system that got a lot of press, but I don’t see a mass-produced system that matches those specs.

Is there such a thing? And if not, how is “product A” too expensive if there is no “product B” to compare to it?

And this was an interesting comment:
Intel shows off concept for Mac mini knock-off – Engadget – www.engadget.com.:

If it wasn’t for companies like Apple, there would be NO innovation in the computing world. 
There’s a world of original ideas in the universe, but the PC world repeatedly chooses to steal Apple’s designs. 

The only reason there’s PC cases in colors other than beige is because Apple created the iMac. The only reason there’s a Windows “XP” is because there was a Mac OS “X”. The only reason you can import and organize music with Windows Media Player is because Apple created iTunes. The only reason there’s a Windows Movie Maker is because Apple created iMovie. The only reason there’s slim lightweight Pentium M class laptops is because Apple created the PowerBook. And now, the only reason Intel is floating this mini PC is because Apple created the Mac mini. 

Apple takes all the creative risks. Thank goodness for the innovations of companies like Apple, Google, and those Linux rebels. Or we’d all be using big beige boxes and Windows 95. (Heck! There wouldn’t even be a Windows 95 if it wasn’t for OS/2 and Geoworks!)