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New user? Friday, May 14, 2004
Hy-wire has a long way to go
csmonitor.com: How I almost wrecked a $3.5 million car
I hope GM isn't seriously thinking of having these cars use this video game controller-like interface that the concept car has, or a LOT of people will be wrecking this car. They need to get pedals and a steering wheel in it for people to accept it.
Mark donates $535 to WordPress
Mark Pilgrim: Freedom 0
That reminds me of IBM's recent (Linux) commercials. It's probably fair to say that in the long run, the perceived utility of most technology approaches zero, because new technology replaces it.
I support open source, and I contribute to a GPL-licensed product, but I don't have anything against non-Free software. Quite the contrary, I support it actively.
Thursday, May 13, 2004
N.S. may get gas-increase warnings
CP: N.S. may get gas-increase warnings
"The first thing this law will do is stop the surprises," Barry Barnet, the minister responsible for Service Nova Scotia, said in a news release.
Barnet said the oil companies will also be required to say why the increase is necessary.'
I'm not surprised to see these kinds of reactions right now, the price of gas in Canada is creeping up to that magic number, $1.00 a litre, which works out to $2.71 USD a gallon in based on current exchange rates. The average price in the US as of a few days ago was $1.93, ranging from $1.75 in Norfolk to $2.25 in San Diego.
Monday, May 10, 2004
Two face
Whiskey Bar: Donald Rumsfeld's Battle With The Truth
As much as I've always disliked Rumsfeld, I wouldn't pin this scandal on him completely. Yeah, he's responsible, but the person who is ultimately responsible has to be George W. Bush.
I'm also not a fan of John Kerry, but I liked this quote:
MSNBC: The Price of Arrogance
We'll see if those rules apply to the administration as well.
I'm sorry to say I haven't met anyone who is surprised about what's been going on at Abu Ghraib. Camp Delta (Guantanamo Bay) told me the US does not take human rights seriously, and therefore cannot be trusted implicitly. But I'm very encouraged that every American's weblog post I've read regarding Abu Ghraib says this goes against everything they believe America is about, and what happened disgusts them. And I believe most Americans expect America to uphold the morals and ideals they associate with their country and entrust with its leaders. Unfortuantely their leaders have not done a good job of communicating the importance of those standards to those they command.
Unfortunately, America's international reputation in the world is not that of the hall monitor or the kid that helps the little ones get through the crosswalk safely after school, but instead the bully that will give you a wedgie if you don't give him your lunch money.
I'm sure I've pissed off a few regular readers by saying this, but it's the way I see it, a view that has been echoed by many people I've spoken to in person recently.
In November, please tell the current US administration they have failed to act responsibly and failed lead their great country effectively, and elect anyone but them.
Book about file system design by the creator of BeFS
Slashdot: Practical File System Design with the Be File System
I'll have to file this away for a rainy day of light reading. ;-)
KMremoteControl is absolutely wonderful
Thank you D'Arcy Norman! D'Arcy pointed me at a great software package, KMremoteControl, that implements a software KVM for Mac OS X and Windows machines.
I am typing this on the keyboard connected to my Mac OS X system, but I am typing this into Mozilla on Windows 2000 on the PC whose monitor is next to my Mac OS X system's display.
This is a huge improvement for me. I've needed to use Windows on and off recently to do some browser testing. I don't have nearly as much desk space as I used to. I used to have an L-shaped desk and another normal desk for my computers, now I just have this straight desk, 5" wide. I have a 17" studio display for my work G4, my 14" PowerBook G3 and this PC's 19" CRT monitor on the desk. Needless to say, it's cramped and all of the available space on the front of the desk was taken up by all the keyboards and mice. Now I can eliminate the PC keyboard and mouse, and switch between using my PC and Mac by hitting the Control-Escape key sequence. Very convenient.
So far it seems to work seamlessly. When I move the mouse or type there is NO delay whatsoever, it does not feel like using VNC, for example, it feels like the mouse and keyboard are truly connected to the machine.
And it's kind of fun to watch the little hub these computers are hooked up to go nuts when I shake the mouse or type. :-)
