Category: observations

Yesterday, we held a coronation of our current president, granting him the powers of a king, to make war at his discretion against the enemy of his choosing.

The Seattle Times: Nation & World

The House and Senate voted overwhelmingly to grant President Bush the power to attack Iraq unilaterally, remove Saddam Hussein from power and abolish that country’s nuclear, chemical and biological weapons programs.

At the same time, the Nobel Committee anointed former President Jimmy Carter as a secular saint for his tireless work since leaving office to improve the lives of millions in the developing world and averting war in the developed world.

ajc.com | News | Carter wins Nobel Peace Prize

Jimmy Carter, sometimes described as the greatest ex-president in American history, has won the Nobel Peace Prize.

They couldn’t be more different. One born of privilege, using his name and family connections to enrich himself and those around him, the other raised on a farm in an agricultural state, serving in the Navy, and then advancing his views and himself through local and state politics to achieve the presidency.

For his tireless efforts, Carter has been lauded by the international community and the UN, but vilified at home. I would submit he follows his heart and the example of another historical figure who endures lasting fame but in his time was also vilified and in the end, crucified.

It’s too early to tell how George W. Bush will be regarded by history, but if his father’s example is anything to go by, he’ll be seated with such luminaries as Polk, Pierce, and Fillmore.

The notion that the President is a latter-day JFK with Saddam’s Iraq as his Cuban Missile Crisis neglects to mention two important facts: a) JFK had proof that there were missiles and b) the proximity of Cuba represented a real threat. Bush fils has suspicion, supposition, and hope. There may be weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, but finding them and neutralizing them is a task that requires more sophistication than your average Saturday afternoon western movie.

Segway | Comparisons | Save Time

Using Segway HT instead of walking increases the area you can cover 50-fold — whether you’re working or running errands.

The city bought some of these and I saw one in use by a meter reader today: I stopped to ask if it was as fun as it looked, and he allowed that it was.

The look on the faces of the three elementary schoolboys as they saw it coming was priceless: a flying saucer or jetpack couldn’t have unhinged their jaws more completely.
Continue reading “My first Segway sighting”

So while I installed MovableType 2.5 without any problem, I decided to tackle the long-overdue installation of mod_perl.

This kind of message is always exciting . . . . .


************* WARNING *************

Apache headers found in unexpected location: ``/usr/local/include'', suggestions:
*) Remove via ``rpm -e apache''
*) Remove by hand
*) Complain to your os vendor about their poor layout choice
*) Complain to your sysadmin about their poor layout choice


************* WARNING *************
Enter `q' to stop search
Please tell me where I can find your apache src
[../apache_x.x/src] /usr/ports/www/apache13/work/apache_1.3.27
Configuring for Apache, Version 1.3.27
+ using installation path layout: Apache (config.layout)
configure:Error: invalid option '-file'
can't open /Makefile No such file or directory at Makefile.PL line 668, line 1.

Continue reading “fun with mod_perl”

Music Industry in Global Fight on Web Copies

The people responsible for KaZaA, the file-trading software network, are trying to stay one step ahead of the entertainment industry’s lawyers. Two of it’s principals are being sought in Europe, and no one will admit to having a copy of the source code. It’s an interesting twist in the bits vs atoms debate.

The Sharman case may well raise again the unsettled question of whether Internet companies should be forced to adhere to the laws of every country whose citizens have access to their Web sites.

Some copyright experts object to that notion, on pragmatic grounds and because they say it contradicts the Jeffersonian principle that governments derive their powers from the consent of the governed. But the alternative, for a company to be bound only by the laws of the country where it is headquartered, could lead to a race to incorporate in countries whose laws are the most lax.

Well, of course: why are most corporations registered in Delaware? Why are most merchant ships registered in places like Liberia? It’s not like software developers are the first to want to minimize the friction of business laws.

On the other hand, do I think people should be able to give away copies of copyrighted works? No, I don’t. But at the same time, I would like to see the industries who claim injury here to innovate, instead of litigating (I hope Microsoft hasn’t copyrighted that phrase from the browser wars). Here’s a brand-new distribution channel that offers all kinds of possibilities to generate revenue and capture mindshare, but they don’t want to take advantage of it. They’re still thinking in atoms, not bits.

CNN.com – Has rock & roll become irrelevant? – Oct. 3, 2002

No, I don’t think so, but the industries that have both fostered its growth and stifled its creativity have made themselves irrelevant.

In a development that can only be described as farcical in its labyrinthine logic, Clear Channel (the nation’s foremost owner of radio stations) announced that it would be dealing exclusively with a pre-selected set of indie promoters, who will pay the corporation for the rights to their internal research while being paid by the labels. If you’re wondering how that differs from payola — or indeed, why Clear Channel and other radio operators can’t just hire programmers who are smart enough to pick hit singles on their own, sans all this shady promotional influence — well, you won’t find an answer here.

This article has the first use of the word narrowcasting I have seen in a while. In the early days of the Internet, it was tossed around pretty frequently: there would be customized broadcasts and one-to-one interaction between media entities and consumers. The weblog is evidence that it’s possible, but not necessarily viable. Internet radio stations (like Radio Paradise) offer a varied playlist, much more diverse and interesting than commercial radio stations offer. The fact that these stations exist demonstrates a need that commercial radio and perhaps the labels themselves won’t address.

If the Internet broadcasters take to satellite transmission (as Radio Paradise hopes to do), it will be interesting to see if some guy sharing his record collection can do a more entertaining job that professional program directors. The premise of the Tom Petty song featured in the article above is that conservative program directors and large broadcasters have made the DJ who knew his music an artifact. Now his every move is planned for him, every song, every announcement, every segue. No more sharing that great sound he found over the weekend or on a trip: it doesn’t fit the format.

Atlanta scenes: intown living

I can always just take a walk down Memory Lane here: my old work mate Phil is in town for a couple of days, and he’s collected a few nice images of the best parts of the old stomping grounds.

Forbes ASAP, Magazine of New Market, Shuts Down

“There is no market for a dedicated new-economy publication,” said Monie Begley, spokeswoman for Forbes.

One per cent bugs cause half of Microsoft errors : HindustanTimes.com

“About 20 per cent of the bugs cause 80 per cent of all errors, and – this is stunning to me – one per cent of bugs cause half of all errors.”

from Steve Ballmer’s comments on some recent analysis of customer-reported bugs. Contrast this with a tidbit from David Pogue NYTimes column for today:

I agree enthusiastically that software writers (and hardware guys) should never release a product until they observe a bunch of “slightly less capable than average users” wrestle with the product for the first time. Programmers should be bound and gagged, with their eyes and ears taped open, behind at least 15 users from their targeted user pools, just to watch these “zeta testers” grapple with the product for the first time, fresh out of the box.

Weblog Entry – 10/01/2002: “Mac OS X Digital Rights Panel”

[ . . . . ] VP of MPAA said, basic challenge is how to we turn “a personal computer into a trusted entertainment appliance.”

Tim [O’Reilly]: They’re looking for the users to trust it or the studios to trust it? (Laughter.)

This has been my question about this issue, especially MSFT’s involvement with it: a company with their track record for reliability and security using the word “trust” as an advective for one of its initiatives is ludicrous. I think the only DRM issue they’re concerned with is their own license revenue, hence the activation stuff with Windows XP. Treat your customers as potential thieves and see if they notice.

Seen here