So I caved finally and joined Facebook. While I like the functionality of it, I think it’s a little scary that one company is privy to that much information about people’s pasts and relationships. They know where you went to school, who you associated with, whom you still want to be in touch with, what… Continue reading Facebook is a little crazy…
Category: Computers
Moving Beyond DRM in Music
In the tired illegal downloading debate, there are few things the different sides can agree on. Is it stealing? Is it moral? Does it actually affect sales? Does it hurt the artists? One thing I think everyone can agree on (including the RIAA) is the need for a new distribution model. DRM (Digital Rights Management)… Continue reading Moving Beyond DRM in Music
Are you sure the music you’re downloading isn’t hurting the musicians?
I’m reading a book now called Hip Hop Matters by S. Craig Watkins. I came across a certain part about Master P that got me thinking. I don’t really want to retype that passage, so I copied and pasted a similar blurb from this online article: Master P: Hip-Hop Mogul Reveals – interview with the… Continue reading Are you sure the music you’re downloading isn’t hurting the musicians?
Social Peer Pressuring
I remember when a whole bunch of my friends signed up for Xanga. They were blogging like crazy, leaving comments on each others’ Xanga blogs and having a jolly old time. Well, they all encouraged me to read their Xanga blogs, but I couldn’t comment on their blogs without a Xanga account. So I created… Continue reading Social Peer Pressuring
ReactOS could be good… much, much later
Many hopeful migrants to desktop Linux expect Linux to be a cost-free version Windows without problems. It’s with that expectation that many of these potential convertees run back to Windows at the first sign of trouble… or just culture shock. Well, there is a free version of Windows called ReactOS. It’s done in partnership with… Continue reading ReactOS could be good… much, much later
Open Source for Non-Programmers
On a Linux forum, when you get into discussions of the benefits of open source over proprietary software, inevitably someone will say something to the effect of If you don’t like it, you can change it—that’s the beauty of open source. While that may be the beauty of open source for programmers, how does that… Continue reading Open Source for Non-Programmers
Selling Keyboard Shortcuts
I taught an Excel class yesterday to some of my co-workers. Usually they think all my memorized keyboard shortcuts are just too crazy, but I managed to convince them during the class of the benefit of keyboard shortcuts. Here are a few things that helped: When I told them the keyboard shortcuts, I explained them… Continue reading Selling Keyboard Shortcuts
Does anti-malware do anything?
I’ve often heard it said on Linux forums that it can’t hurt to run Linux anti-virus just in case a Linux virus does get released into “the wild.” I also see that almost all Windows users I know run anti-virus and/or anti-spyware programs. Am I naive in asking “Why?” On the Linux front, yes, a… Continue reading Does anti-malware do anything?
Positive outcomes from migration ordeal
If you’ve been following my last few posts, you know my wife and I have had quite a time of it switching my parents-in-law to something other than Windows. We were originally thinking Mac, but even Ubuntu doesn’t give them everything they need. In the end, because of one website my mother-in-law uses a lot,… Continue reading Positive outcomes from migration ordeal
Final Resolution: Back to XP for the in-laws
Thanks to all who tried to help. My wife and I finally got IEs4Linux installed on the Mac Mini, to no avail. Even though IE itself worked, the website my mother-in-law uses was a no-go. The worst part—even though the site does work with IEs4Linux on Ubuntu, it doesn’t have all the features she wants… Continue reading Final Resolution: Back to XP for the in-laws