Two views on Network Neutrality

Here are two views on Network Neutrality.

First, a funny view that isn't far from the truth, thanks to The Daily Show and the PC guy from the Apple commercials.
[LINK]

Second is a serious article on how the lack of Net Neutrality will affect mobile phones:
[LINK]

If you haven't already contacted you representatives, now would be a good time to let them know that net neutrality must be kept to allow fair competition on the internet.

Apple gives windows the boot

Apple realized that there really was a desire to boot Windows on their machines and have decided to publicly support it. Not only do they help with partitioning, they also provide a complete driver disk.

Did I mention that my next laptop will be a MacBook Pro? Now if only they would hurry up and release a 17" widescreen.

I love Apple's spin on this:

"Macs use an ultra-modern industry standard technology called EFI to handle booting. Sadly, Windows XP, and even the upcoming Vista, are stuck in the 1980s with old-fashioned BIOS."

Don't believe me?

Link to Apple's Site

Treo - 7:30am

0-60 in 4 seconds and gets 50 miles to the gallon?

Link
Gee...I wonder why Ford, GM, Nissan, and Toyota didn't think of this...{extreme sarcasm)

That's right, here is a car that get's 50 miles to the gallon and does 0-60 MPH in 4 seconds. For those who aren't sure, that's right on par with most Italian sports cars. But...did I mention that it get's 50 miles to the gallon?

A gallon of what you ask?
racing fuel? (that is what the previously mentioned Italian car ask for)...
liquid nitrogen?
jet fuel?

No, it does it all while running on Soybean Bio Diesel.

Who built it you ask?
German Engineers?
Rocket Scientist?
Aliens?

No, high school drop-outs, gang members, and someone named "Cheeseborough".

I would comment, but I wouldn't want to manipulate your opinion. (extreme sarcasm, bordering on cynicism)

Treo - 12:50

What has John Dvorak been smoking?

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1925239,00.asp

Will Apple adopt Windows? John thinks yes. I think John needs to lay off the green stuff.

Apple has just spent alot of time and money making a transition that will be great for the company. Because of their decision to use Intel architecture, you will see their market share (and their stock prices) double in the next 2 years. Why?

Because now that I can (or at least will be able to) run windows on a Mac, guess what my next purchase is going to be. That's right...a MacBook Pro. I can run windows, linux, and Mac OSX all on one machine, which gives me the best of all worlds. I can use Final Cut Pro, the Macromedia Suite (which by the way has always had both PC and Mac installs on the same disk), various unix and linux security tools, and ANY other program made for a computer, all without ever putting my new laptop down.

I know there are alot of people who agree with me.

From now on, every time Microsoft has another security scare, there will be a new burst of normal users willing to lay down the cash to switch to Mac's...If the decide they don't like OSX, no biggie, they install Windows, and go back to the familiar life they know.

Blogging Article in American City and County

http://americancityandcounty.com/mag/government_public_discourse/

I'm very curious to get reactions to this from the blogging community.

Let me be frank...

I'm going to be brutally honest for a minute or two. I despise people who play an argument both ways, just to be difficult, for media attention, or because they are complete asses.

Let me set the stage for you.

The Zimbabwe government intentionally destroyed entire towns of homes, which were mostly built out of junk, and made no plans to help people find new housing. Granted...it wasn't the best living conditions, but at least these people had something... The UN estimates that 700,000 people we displaced. The UN then begins to build shelters for these people, and the Zimbabwe government calls the emergency two roomed houses "substandard and a mockery to Africans" and also "below human dignity". So let's compare...NO HOUSING...some housing...and then you tell me which is "substandard".

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051221/wl_nm/zimbabwe_un_dc

Article in GoTriad

If you have a chance, read my article this week in GoTriad:
http://www.gotriad.com/article/articleview/17048/1/17

I would be every interested to know your opinion on it.

Denver Rocks (Pun Intended)

[LINK] (Picture Gallery)

In September I was asked to speak at a conference in Denver. I spoke about blogging to a few hundred government webmasters. I also learned something...there is a reason Greensboro truly is "Blogsboro", we live in a bubble. Everyone had so many questions about blogging, and the concept of a "blogger meet-up" was like candy to a few I talked to.

On the last day of the conference I teamed up with a couple of friends, one of which lived in the area, and we went to the mountains.

When we left Denver we were at 5,200 feet, and it was 86F degrees. We drove to Mt. Evans which tops out above 14,220 which is also the highest paved road in North America. We had to stop at about 13,000 feet because of snow on the road.

We stopped along the way at Bear Creek, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, and Goliath Peak. After hiking at Goliath Peak (12,220 feet) I have a whole new appreciation for low oxygen at high altitude.

By contrast Mount Mitchell in NC has a height of 6,684 feet.
If I ever decide to move across country, Colorado will have my attention.

Treo - 12:30

Hilarious Video

Picked this up from Greensboro is Talking…

And you think you have a bad job...[LINK]

Do not watch this video if foul language offends you, you’ve been warned.

Treo - 6:02

Define Double Speak

"Doublespeak is language deliberately constructed to disguise or distort its actual meaning, often resulting in a "communication bypass". Such language is associated with governmental, military, and corporate institutions. Doublespeak may be in the form of bald euphemisms ("downsizing" for "firing of many employees") or deliberately ambiguous phrases ("wet work" for "assassination"). " - Google

[LINK]
"A Roman Catholic high shool has ordered it's students to remove their online diaries (BLOGS) from the internet, citing a threat from cyber predators."

"Thompson said students aren't being silenced, but rather told they cannot post online writings about school or their personal lives."

What does a catholic high school boarding student have to talk about besides themselves and school?

What's more, why are they not teaching these students how to deal with online advances, what information is unsafe to give out, and how to keep themselves from becoming a victim? That is what these students need to know, not only for now, while they are in school, but also for the future. The same principles apply to dealing with spammers, phishing, and scammers all of which every online American deals with on a daily basis. Why not educate rather than regulate these students, and help them prepare for their own future.

Are they going to also ban instant messaging, chat rooms, message boards, and email? All of these have come under fire in the past for exposing minors to unwelcome advances.

Treo - 5:33

Christine Todd Whitman

Sandy Carmany discusses a session, chaired by Christine Todd Whitman, that she attended at the recent NCLM conference.

The points that Sandy recaps, could not be more correct. I was at the conference, I only wish I could have attended that session.

I also learned that I am a RINO.

(At time of writting the NCLM site was unavailable.)

Converge South

I'm blogging live from Converge South. Currently Stewart Pittman is talking about how blogging has changed journalism, specifically as how it related to Hurricane Katrina.

The entire team which put this conference together should be highly commended. Classes all seem to be well attended, and people are really involved in watching the discussions.

Most of the attendees in this class are Journalism students here at NC A&T, and it excites me that these future journalist are truly understanding the power of blogs...something that most media outlets are still coming to terms with.

Treo - 11:45

Google your blog

[LINK] That's right, Google finally has fully integrated Blog searching. Now go play.

10:10 PM

Michael Moore...I shouldn't even give him this attention

[LINK] Michael Moore has "A letter to all who voted for George W. Bush..." on his blog which just left me sitting in awe.

I don't understand how anyone can actually look at this guy with admiration. Before I go to far though, I have to admit he and I agree on one concept:

"When men who never served in the military and have never seen young men die in battle send our young people off to war, do you think they know how to conduct a war?" I've been saying this for a long time.

However, we also have a lot of major disagreements:

"You have voted for politicians for the past 25 years whose main goal has been to de-fund the federal government."
I never voted for Clinton, who raped the military of good people, cut their money to the bone, and then pushed military equipment off the end of an aircraft carrier because it "wasn't needed". I wonder how many people who are currently serving in Iraq agree with that decision. Don't argue the whole "we shouldn't be in Iraq" thing, because like it or not, countries go to war, and sooner or later all of that was going to be needed.

Mr. Moore goes on to droan yet again about how Bush didn't do enough to repair the levees and rescue the people of New Orleans.
My recommendation would be for Mr. Moore to go to: http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/is700.asp and complete course IS00700. It's a free course and if you pass the test you get a nice (read "very small") certificate saying that you understand the National Incident Management System. With that understanding Mr. Moore might understand why the argument of "it's all Bush's fault" doesn't fly. The responsibility falls to the local municipality first(mayor), then the New Orleans director of Homeland Security (appointed by the governor), then the Governor, and then finally the feds.

Also, please tell me why the Louisiana National Guard requested 700 buses when there were 569 buses available to Mayor Nagin. These buses were eventually flooded, and never used.

Just for the record, assuming that buses still carry 40 adults like they did when I was in school those 569 buses could have carried 23,329 people to safety, without overcrowding a single bus. (If anything their capacity has increased.)

I voted for Bush because he was better than the crap the Democratic party offered. I didn't like voting for Bush and if it wasn't for the fact that I knew it would be a close race, would have voted independent, just to protest.

CC Michael Moore
7:15pm

Giving Blood - Follow Up

Ok, so maybe the nurse wasn't as good as I thought.

Thursday night I had to call the United Healthcare Nurses line (something I've never done before) because my arm was swelling and in quite a bit of pain. The pain was extending from my wrist to my shoulder and was significant enough to keep me awake.

From what I can tell the nurse pushed the needle in either to far, or caught the very side of my vein. Either way, I bled out into my arm and now have a bruise that extends around half of my arm, and about 12 along the length. My elbow is still pretty sore.

I've given blood quite a few times, and this is the first time I've ever had a problem. I guess it was just my turn.

Giving blood...post #2

Giving blood...post #2

I'm still bored so if they will let me I'm going to blog from the chair.

If I was honest my biggest fear isn't the blood or the needle, it's my body freaking out for no reason. I really can't think of anything worse than passing out. I've never passed out while giving blood before, so it really is a ridiculous worry, but go figure.

Scarborough Fair is playing on the staticky radio, a good song to be so mellow/depressing. Oldies go right along with the doctors office theme.

Someone just passed out in the chair. I smile for reasons only known to me, and the reader of this.

In the chair now, I've got good veins...and here comes the needle...good nurse...

There was a girl here who had to endure the stick twice bacause they couldn't find the vein the first time. Dedication is putting up with that twice without complaint.

Out of the chair and no passing out. I made it through again.

Giving blood...

Giving blood...

So I'm waiting in line to give blood and have nothing better to do than blog. The Red Cross should really consider providing magazines for the wait...I mean everyone has that slightly-panick-stricken look on their face, just like the waiting room of the doctors office. They might as well finish off the effect with three year old magazines.

Of course one major difference is the musical chairs we are currently playing as each person moves to get into "the chair".

No matter how many times I give blood, I am always intrigued by the slight edge I feel as my turn approaches. I'm not afraid of needles, but there is something very unnatural about sticking one into a major artery.

With that said, if you haven't made an appointment yet to give blood, do so. There are a lot of people who need a pint more than you do.

7:15pm

Trying a new blogging utility

Trying a new blogging utility

I just found a great new blogging utility for my Treo. U*Blog works with any of the major blog hosting companies and if you have a Treo, it shouldn not be missed!