I have heard that Windows 7 became generally available today. As I have said elsewhere, no version of Windows is safe to use on the average home computer. Be warned.
I have also heard that it is difficult (impossible) to upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7. Fortunately, I do not have to worry about that. My machine came with Windows 2000 Professional and is too small to run XP, Vista, or 7. I have developed a tool that I call the Windows Upgrade Advisor. It works with any version of Windows, even 3.1! I hope that you find this tool useful.
I heard something on the radio this morning that went something like this:
“Last night I set my bed to Microsoft Sleepnumber 7. Now it’s full of bugs and has no support.”
Lost II
The Microsoft PR machine has swung into gear over the Danger data loss. Now the lost data is for the most part recovered. And the truth comes out that the Microsoft management decided that the technicians did not need to make a backup because it would take too long and the maintenance company (not the hardware vendor) assured them a backup was unnecessary. Of course, everybody knows, “backups are for sissys”. I have been a systems type for about 35 years. I think I know what I am doing. And I always make a backup. And keep it until somebody says. “Yeah, this is working fine”.
My advice: Do Not Trust Anything Microsoft.
Lost
With today’s news, it becomes apparent that Microsoft not only cannot produce an operating system for consumers that is safe and reliable but is also incapable of running a data center. Admittedly, the data center they were running was not Microsoft but rather Oracle based. But sound data center management does not depend on technology. Backup and recovery are religion, not add-ons. Other companies do quite well with Oracle. And Oracle does quite well for other companies. Microsoft lost data for T-Mobile users of Sidekick. If you outsource, be careful of the company that acquires your outsourcer. When you put your eggs in the cloud basket, be careful of who is watching the basket.
Tennessee Travel
A friend at work loaned me the book that I am reading now. A Geologic Trip Across Tennessee by Interstate 40 by Harry L. Moore. This is part of the Outdoor Tennessee Series. This book appears to still be available and if you are a travel, outdoor, hiking, geology, or history buff in the southeast, you might enjoy this book. I happen to like geology and hiking. While I am not fond of driving, I like to know the trerrain I am driving through. If you are travelling through Tennessee and looking out the window, this book will give you a good idea of things to watch for in the landscape and as you look at the ground underneath you.
Cracks in Windows
I have said a number of times to a number of people that “Windows, any flavor, is unsafe for use in a home environment”. I use Windows at work where there are numerous, certified, compensated, experts to deal with the numerous and well-known security problems with Microsoft Windows. These experts along with significant capital investment create a network with sufficient additional protection that my employer can trust that the Windows computers connected to the company network will be safe.
But at home, I only boot Windows when not connected to the Internet. I only use Windows to play games that only run in Windows, most particularly Flight Simulator. This way I can avoid catching some dread virus or trojan. I use Ubuntu now and previously used Debian unstable. Keeping these systems safe is a relatively easy matter with System Update or apt.
Now comes news from New South Wales that one should not use Windows for on-line banking. Hmm.
Bee Bus
I saw a new-ish school bus the other day. In South Carolina, the state taxpayers buy and maintain the buses for the local school districts. The new buses are flush-front (like a city bus), yellow with black letters and accent stripes. And it has strobes and LED lights to make sure you stop when lights are flashing.
The part I like best are the mirrors. Instead of the long flat rear-view mirrors on a tube frame, the mirrors are mounted in a black molded plastic extention that drops down at the end to hold the long mirror and round convex wide-angle mirror. The whole thing has an appearance like bee antennae. The buses are like big yellow and black, wingless bees.
Honduras II
The Secretary of State Hillary Clinton continues to treat the ouster of the strongman Manuel Zelaya for violation of the laws of Honduras as a coup. The courts and congress of Honduras support the ouster. Hugo Chavez and Hillary Clinton, along with the Obama administration support the ousted strongman. Of course the Clintons are lawyers and know how to twist the law to suit needs of the moment. The USA’s meddling in the affairs of other countries has always been annoying to the small countries of the world. Maybe just this once, we could do the right thing and let Honduran law rule Honduras. We could support the President Michelleti until elections are held and his term ends in January of next year.
Nightmare Exam
I dreamt that I had an exam in English 101. These were the questions on the exam:
1. Compare and contrast the poetry forms Limerick and Haiku.
2. What factor is used to convert Iambic Pentameter to customary units? SI?
3. Do the recent changes in attitude of what makes a married couple allow rhymed couplets to be formed from pairs of words that are not homonyms? Discuss.
4. Postulate that either the Epic Poem or the Advertising Jingle is superior. Provide a formal proof.
5. Outline a marketing plan for Beowulf Channel, All Beowulf, all the time.
Trade War
The Steelworkers have persuaded the government to impose a tariff on tires imported from China. This seems to have sparked a trade war that will result in reduced Chinese sales for American companies and higher prices for American consumers.
If the unions wanted to do something useful for their members, they would lobby the government to insure that overseas workers had the right to organize and strike as American workers do.
The unions would then organize and lead the overseas workers to bargain for the pay and benefits that American workers have fought for and won. But the current crop of union leaders are to busy scamming the American workers and the American public to truly benefit anyone but themselves..
Most Pleasant
The last week, the weather has been unbeatable. The air conditioning is off and the windows are open. Mid-eighties days, low sixties at night. Prime sleeping weather.