Overuse of technology patents could make things stupid[er]
Oct 08, 2001
Okay, now this worries me. It isn’t quite the same issue as micropayments, but the end result could be the same (or worse, if both were implemented and the cost passed on to the web surfer.)
I would really loathe to go surfing on some web site that used a patented technology, only to be told that I’d have to pay to read their site — not because they were charging for their content, but because they were using patented technology. G-r-e-a-t, just positively great.
Basically, what this says is that creators of new Web technologies would be able to patent their creations and then charge royalties for use of said technologies. That could mean that a complete newbie who only wants to post their family photos on the web to let family and friends share the memories could be setting the visitors up for a shock — depending on how the prices would be passed on and how much patented tech is used, a potentially very rude shock. It could suddenly become very important to know what runs your web site.
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Weird looking keyboard, great RSI reduction
Oct 07, 2001
Finally, after six years — the folks who manufacture the keyboard I use have finally gotten an online store. I started using this keyboard in 1995, when I had severe problems with RSI. After about two weeks of adjustment, I could type as quickly on this keyboard as on a regular one, but without feeling pain after 10 minutes (or even 30, as I later found out). It 
also helped the tension in my arms, shoulders, neck, and back — which I didn’t realise that I had. The keyboards are expen$ive, but if you spend a lot of time at the computer, you owe it to yourself to check one of these out. They also sell mice (left-handed mice included).
I originally went looking, though, because I had just purchased my new computer and wanted a keyboard that didn’t have those *&^!#% Windows keys on it. (Update, 2006: the programmable keyboards now have the *&^!#% Windows keys. However…programmable. A little bit of macro-work lets you reclaim your second ALT key.)
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Myth, fear, and habit: they put people in power, they can take people out
Oct 07, 2001
Yep, the bombs have started falling in Afghanistan.
Everything spirals out of control, and often it seems like whatever we do (unless it’s something really fucking huge and pathetically selfish like flying jumbo jets into crowded office buildings or killing people who dress differently because “I’m a patriot”)
On the one hand, Bush told the Taliban, give up bin Laden. Stop harboring him.
OTOH, the Taliban asked to see evidence that bin Laden was the instigator of the 11 September attacks against the U.S., and that they didn’t want to hand him over without seeing that evidence. (This ties into Muslim codes of conduct, which make a host responsible for the safety of his guest, up to and including not allowing third parties to forcibly remove the guest from the host’s protection — I don’t understand all the nuances, but that’s the basic gist. Asking to see the evidence doesn’t seem all that unreasonable.)
And on to the third hand, the U.S. gave the Taliban — what, two weeks? — and was talking with the Taliban through the Pakistani diplomats.
OTOH, the U.S. did state that they would not negotiate. This seems like a rather bullying stance to take, even in light of the horrific attacks that happened in New York and Maryland.
It seems that the only way that I can be is to keep living my life like the kind of person I want to be: dealing honestly and forthrightly, showing civility and courtesy even towards people that I don’t know, and also towards those that I really personally respect much (and that one isn’t easy, I don’t always live up to my own standards.)
But it seems that being the kind of person that I admire, that trying to lead by example, doesn’t do anything but get me branded unpatriotic, seditious, and an arrogant bitch.
Some days, some hours, there doesn’t seem to be a place in this world for people who want to strive for fairness all around, who want to be honourable in all situations, who want to see the guilty punished but ONLY the guilty, and don’t accept the idea of ‘collateral damage’.
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The more things change...
Oct 02, 2001
On 11 September 2001, terrorists flew jumbo jets, full of fuel and passengers, into the World Trade Center towers in New York City, NY, USA. Shortly later, a third plane flew into the Pentagon. A fourth, which had originally been headed for Washington D.C. (possibly the White House) crashed into a field in Pennsylvania.
No one remained unaffected by these events. If you were in the US, the television and radio were full of coverage. You may have wondered, Was this real? Did this really happen? This can’t happen here. Everyone was talking about what had happened, speculating on what the government might do in reprisal, and wondering and fearing what would happen to U.S. society. If you lived in another country, you were perhaps affected less than the secretary from Akron, Ohio or the taxi driver in San Mateo, California — but you saw the news, you heard the reports, you read the newspaper headlines. You, or someone you know, may have donated money, goods, or even blood. (Thanks to everyone who has donated, and remember, the Red Cross always needs blood. Keep donating, if you’re able, even after this latest crisis passes.)
The Internet immediately kicked into high gear. Spammers attempted to take advantage of the tragedy by emailing and phoning people, asking for donations in the name of bogus groups that existed (if at all) solely for the purpose of getting a buck off of other people’s anger, sorrow, pity, and good wishes. News sites were inundated with requests, and some shut down — their hardware unable to handle the load. Blogs carried links to less-well-known, still-working news sites, photo galleries, aid groups and charities. Some blogs shut down temporarily or altogether. Some changed to a more sombre tone. Now, nearly a month after the events, some blogs have returned, perhaps with new names and faces.
The Cynic’s Tea Party is not going away. It’s not going to change. I’m going to keep writing, keep making comments, keep putting out tutorials, keep irritating the hell out of people. But I’m not going to suddenly change my way of writing, or alter what topics I focus on. If this really irks you, then I wish you well, and you’ll be able to find plenty of content on the web that you feel is more to your liking. That’s the glory of the Internet — and all of U.S. (and Canadian) society. We are free to speak our minds. We are free to question. We are free to have our own opinions and our own viewpoints.
And if we allow ourselves to change because of the actions of terroristsbullies, then they’ve already won.
Peace, and keep on keeping on.
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There's a whole world out there, with all kinds of different stuff. And not all of it wants to kill you.
Sep 26, 2001
It’s important, in any war (even one as jingoistically fuelled as the War on Terrorism) to Know Your Enemy. Or, perhaps more importantly, know who isn’t your enemy. You know, so you don’t go around shooting them or calling them names and pissing them off to no end. So if you live in an area with an Arabic-descent population of more than two (which would include just about every urban area in both the US and Canada), it behooves you to learn about turbans. And kaffiyehs.
Relax, it’s easier than setting the clock on your VCR. And unlike that example, if you don’t learn every detail in a few days, you won’t have the numbers
blinking on your forehead to stigmatise you to friends and family and especially that snotty nine-year-old from next door.
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That'll be $130 for the bottled water.
Sep 25, 2001
Starbuck’s really is getting self-aggrandising. Nasty and unthinking, too — a bit thick between the ears all the way up the corporate chain, it would seem. (Thanks to So Blue It’s Black for the link.)
If you’re in Canada and really need that blended drink, go to Blenz (a Canadian company). If you’re in the states, I don’t know where you can go, but find a substitute.
And I find it interesting that a two decades after Ronald Reagan’s famed “War on Drugs”, there are kiosks on nearly every streetcorner in urban areas, dispensing drugs to all and sundry. Now -=there’s=- irony for you.
And I’m a happy little addict.
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