It was with great sadness that I read about the death everybodies favorite crocodile hunter, Steve Irwin.
Of course, we always knew this was how Steve would go, at the hands of nature. I always figured it would be a pissed off croc, alas it was some sort of stingray.
We’ll miss you Steve.
Enter Temptation
You know that old saying “Never look a gift horse in the mouth?” Well I was thinking about it this past week… A couple of months ago, when CompUSA’s incompetence got me a brand spankin’ new Quad G5, I was understandably happy… Fast forward to the second week of August. Apple releases the fancy new Mac Pro and I am faced with a dilemna dilemma, keep using the woefully un-upgradable G5, or sell its month old ass and buy a new Mac Pro. I did make a gentleman’s agreement with myself to spend no more than I sold the G5 for, thus making this the most economical path to future upgradability. I’d say I did a pretty decent job of flipping the gift horse.
Enter Fate
Murphy’s Law. I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again, folks, something always has to go wrong. Needless to say, I figured it was a smarter idea to use the money to catch up on bills, then buy the computer when financial aid comes in… Fiscally smart, but boy does it hurt trying to do anything on this ancient Compaq I pulled from the depths of the closet…
Ah well, September 8th, a bit over two weeks until I can order. Not long, yet an eternity at the same time.
I haven’t posted in a while, that’s cause I have all sorts of excuses, and my rat friend, SJ, keeps busting my chops about it, so… yeah… that’s it! ;P
There was a comment placed on the site recently by Json over at Broken Soap Box, he said:
I don’t have a vendetta against Mr. Gates or his empire, but if you’re tired of Windows for whatever reason, take it a step further. Use linux :D After a short learning curve that left patches of hair missing from my head, I’ve been Windows free for quite a while now, and I don’t regret the decision at all…. aside from finding a decent FTP app, that is :D
Alright, I’ll fess up, I too have a linux box hidden in the corner… It’s my trusty pal Ubuntu, whom I try to teach new tricks as often as possible. Seriously, though, when mentioning free software, I was slack in forgetting to mention the grand-daddy of it all- Linux. Whatever the flavor you choose or use, Linux is great (and FREE) OS, although geared moe toward “computer users” than the average Joe Public consumer, each year it becomes friendlier and more accessible to the masses.So thank you Json, you’re quite right, Linux is a great alternative. Although I still think the MS-empire is evil.
If you too would like to indulge in some free OS bliss, give Ubuntu Linux a whirl on a secondary or old box. It’s fun, you might like it…
Here are some more places on the net you might like, but you don’t have to take my word for it… Oh, wait, yes you do…
If you frequent my blog you might have noticed its absence over the past month and a half. What is going on, you ask? It’s a long story, but here it is in a nutshell…
As you might know, I host eight websites. It is both easier and more economical for me to just use my own computer rather than pay monthly for hosting. That all works perfectly until… Well, enter Murphy and his damnable law. Here’s the breakdown.
12 May 2006 :: My poor, poor PowerMac G5 suddenly stops booting. A quick Apple Hardware Test shows the Logic Board to be bad. Call Apple, get a case number, and give the computer to CompUSA.
23 May 2006 :: Hurrah! My big aluminum baby comes home with a shiny new logic board and power management unit. But still doesn’t work. Call Apple, get a case number, and give the computer back to CompUSA.
12 June 2006 :: One month, no computer. CompUSA installed a new processor, but to no avail. Depression sets in.
23 June 2006 :: One month, eleven days, and still no computer. Albeit, CompUSA does have another logic board, processor, and power management unit on order.
21 June 2006 :: I recieve an invitation to a poorly timed interview (just guess where my entire portfolio is…) On the bright side, I was inspired to borrow my buddy Shaun’s Mac Mini and get as many of the sites as I could back up (since the only backup of the databases for the others is on the G5… argh!)
26 June 2006 :: CompUSA gives up and sends the system back to Apple.
29 June 2006 :: Apple gives up and notifies me that they will be replacing my system.
Sometime soon… michael-gerard.com will reappear with all your favorite posts and downloads on a brand spankin’ new PowerMac G5.
So, does this story have a moral? Is it, don’t take your computer to CompUSA? Well, in fairness, it was going to be. But honestly, CompUSA’s incompetence has had wonderful results. My dual 2.5Ghz PowerMac G5 will be replaced with a quad 2.5Ghz G5 with today’s equivalent of all my built-to-order options. But I digress, the moral of this story is that patience pays off. So take that Murphy.
Apparently, according to this CNET News article, 18-24 year old Americans are still hopelessly stupid… This time in geography.
I don’t find it sad that two-thirds can’t find Iraq on a map or that half can’t find New York- I find it downright pitiful and more than a touch shameful. This is the legacy that standardized testing will leave on the populace; people with limited knowledge, taught information simply to pass the FCAT or the SAT so that our government might feel its education policies have been successful, and certainly not educated to think critically or gain a rounded education.
Government isn’t the only culprit in the dumbing down of the populace, parents are as much to blame. Parents that don’t put in the time to help Dick or Jane with their homework, or parents that just don’t put enough emphasis on their children’s schooling. I certainly don’t fault the single mothers working two jobs to make ends meet, or those who acquired sub-standard educations themselves; however, that does not negate the fact that they should understand the importance of education to better their child’s lot in life.
Ultimately, we’ve taken education and the power to educate from the teachers on the front lines and have handed it to government… Old men who want to show statistically that kids are doing better (on a standardized set of skills and questions). Old men with no experience in education, only in law and the political rat race.
Call me crazy, but I don’t want a man who doesn’t read the newspaper and can’t pronounce nuclear setting the standards for my child’s education. Do you?
Clever title, eh? Really, I just wanted to congratulate Apple on beating Dell’s Market Value for the second time this year. At the close of trading today, NASDAQ reports Apple’s market value at $60.7 billion and Dell’s at $59.8 billion. Further proving that I am a fool for not buying some Apple stock when it was cheap and I had the cash.
Apple also ended the day with a higher market value on January 13, 2006… Not bad for a company with 3% market share against the mail-order PC king.
Recently, I’ve been fiddling with the site to get it to display somewhat as it should in Internet Explorer. In the past I’ve said screw that, if Internet Explorer can’t be standards compliant, I’m not going to bother. But I had a bit of free time on my hands and thought I have a go at it. And it was maddening. So I’m here once again in my attempt to push Firefox on the masses… Along with some other software you’ll probably enjoy. The best part is, it’s all free!
That should get you started… Until next time, spread the word, and keep free software alive!
Today, whilst reviewing last month’s statistics, I noticed something funny. I had hits from both FEMA and the Navy. Now the Navy is understandable, surely, when living on a base somewhere, you have much free time, and having free time, I’d want to read my blog too. But FEMA? Come on, you botched the Katrina response (with plenty of help from the administration) and now congress is trying to axe you, yet you still have time to visit my little space on the web? Shouldn’t you be out trying to figure out how to respond to the next natural disaster? I mean with all the hoopla surrounding the 100th anniversary of the San Fransisco earthquake and talk of the next ‘big one’ or the impending onset of Hurricane Season for Gulf Coast residents?
I’d like to offer my completely unsolicited suggestions to FEMA and Congress on how to be better prepared for natural disaster response.
So, if you’re from FEMA, and you find yourself here, please, get back to work. People need you. If you’re here on your lunch break, more power to you, enjoy. But whatever you do, cross the red-tape lines, screw procedure and policy, and start helping those who need it most. We’re counting on you.
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