Becky Quick walks with Bill Gates and Warren Buffett

Mit der Globalisierung der Wirtschaft haben sich auch die Verwaltungsstrukturen der Unternehmen über die Welt verbreitet. Management ist zu einem weltumspannenden Schlagwort geworden und bestimmt die Handlungsweise von Amerika bis Asien.

Organisieren, koordinieren, kommandieren, kontrollieren – die hölzerne, inzwischen weit verbreitete Sprache der Wirtschaftstechnokraten kündet von unfehlbarer Verwaltungseffizienz. Allerorten macht sich der neue Glaubenssatz von Industrialisierung und Verwestlichung breit. Von Stanford bis Tokio, von Madrid bis Dakar, von Athen bis zu den Pariser Vorstädten – überall befindet man sich im “Reich, in dem die Sonne nie untergeht”, im allmächtigen Managementimperium.

„Management“ heißt der kommunikationswirksame Verkaufsschlager der westlichen Industrieländer. Hinter dem Zeitgeist-Konzept verbirgt sich ein uralter, der westlichen Tradition entsprungener Begriff, der sich ursprünglich auf Haus, Familie, Gerätschaften und Haushaltsführung bezog.
Von Ökonomen aufbereitet und mit einer wissenschaftlich-technischen Aura versehen, wurde „Management“ zur Wirtschaftsdoktrin, zu einem Propagandainstrument der neuen Globalisierung eines Marktes ohne Grenzen.

Genau wie die großen religiösen und politischen Imperien ist auch das weltweite Management ein Teil der Geschichte. Wer den Versuch wagt, die Entwicklung der Gesellschaft über einen sehr langen Zeitraum nach dem Muster der Erdgeschichte zu analysieren, wird auf die „geologischen“ Schichten einer Zeitarchitektur stoßen, die den Ist-Zustand der Zivilisationen in sich tragen. Traditionen überlagern sich wie Sedimente, auf deren Oberfläche jeweils eine neue Epoche entsteht, die dessen harrt, was unausweichlich auf den Menschen zukommt.

Jede Form von Modernität ruht daher gewissermaßen auf einer verschütteten Vergangenheit, die sich der Mensch in Mythen oder wissenschaftlichen Deutungen zu erklären versucht. Doch um sich mit der Endlichkeit abzufinden, sie gewissermaßen zu bezähmen, bedarf eine menschliche Gesellschaft der Fähigkeit, die Schattenlinie zu erkennen, die jene Momente markiert, an denen Unumkehrbares geschieht. So gesehen, ist die lange Geschichte einer Zivilisation ein einziges, aus Schriftsedimenten bestehendes Textkompositum, durchzogen von eben dieser Schattenlinie, die eine nie endende Inszenierung der Zeit gestattet, eine Untiefe der Erinnerung, die ihr Spiel mit der Wirklichkeit treibt und dem Unsagbaren huldigt.

Der Film versteht sich als eine Reflexion über den globalisierenden Westen. Er will an der Oberfläche der Sedimentschicht unserer Epoche den Moment entschlüsseln, der eine neue Qualität gegenüber den Brüchen und Übergängen der Vergangenheit darstellt: Wir leben heute in einer Ideenwüste leben, die aus dem Irrglauben geboren wurde, dass die Menschheit – unter der Wirkung der wissenschaftlich-technischen Wirtschaftsallmacht – zu einer dem Glück geweihten und von allen Zwängen befreiten „Post-Menschheit“ mutiert.

Laut diesem neuen Glauben befinden sich die desaktivierten, zu bloßer Folklore verkommenden Zivilisationen auf dem Wege der Selbstvernichtung. Damit erübrigen sich die Analyse des Textkompositums der Gesellschaft und die Suche nach der Schattenlinie, auch ist es nicht mehr nötig, eine Gesellschaft mit ihren unfassbaren Geheimnissen, ihrer Verletzlichkeit begreifen und ihr schöpferisches Potenzial und ihren Umgang mit den ihr eigenen Todestrieben erkennen zu wollen.

Die Arbeitsthese dieses filmischen Essays ist ein Satz, den Jean Paulhan in einer Abhandlung über die kubistische Malerei verwendete: „Entfernt die Bäume, die mir den Blick auf den Wald verstellen.“ Diese Metapher aus dem Pflanzenreich habe ich mir zum Grundsatz gemacht, denn unserer Zeit fehlt es an Erklärungen; ein Defizit, das durch die Fragmentierung und Abschottung des Wissens weiter akzentuiert wird. Doch genau diese Erstarrung hindert uns daran, eine Welt zu begreifen, die aus den Fugen gerät, aber nach wie vor in tief wurzelnden, noch immer wirksamen Traditionen verankert ist. Manche dieser Traditionen sind im Untergang begriffen, andere aber trotzen der Gleichschaltung durch die westlichen Systeme.
In dieser Partie mit unsicherem Ausgang ist das weltweite Management – vom Westen als reines Instrument der Vereinheitlichung mittels wissenschaftlich begründeten Verwaltens konzipiert – ein neuer Einsatz/Trumpf.

Wie bereits frühere Filme des Autors stellt auch „Dominium Mundi – Die Weltherrschaft des Managements“ von Wirtschafts- und Gesellschaftswissenschaftlern, Biologen und anderen zementierte Gewissheiten infrage. Die Methode des Films besteht nicht darin, sein Sujet – die Funktionsweise einer Zivilisation – zu zerpflücken und zu zerstückeln. Vielmehr seziert er es in der Manier des Kubismus: aus allen Perspektiven, von innen und von außen.

Grundansatz und Anliegen des Films ist es, die Fähigkeit zum Widerstand und die Fortdauer des „Materials Mensch“ sowie die immer währenden Widersprüche, die gewaltigen industriellen Umbrüche und die poetischen Rückzugsmöglichkeiten aufzuzeigen, die ein Film greifbar machen kann, wenn er mit der Gründlichkeit einer literarischen Erzählung vorgeht. Formal handelt es sich bei dem Film also nicht um ein Lehrstück, sondern um die Enthüllung miteinander verquickter Fragestellungen, die aus einem ganz einfachen Grunde undurchsichtig und schwer zu umreißen sind: Denn was der Westen vom Westen nicht wahrnimmt, kann auch in unsere Analysen nicht einfließen.

Father's & Kids Experience

At a recent Colts Father’s & Kids Experience, I had the pleasure of talking to over 2,000 men and children about the importance of excercise and nutrition.  According to a recent study, our children’s life expectancy is shorter than our (as their parents)!

The steady rise to childhood obesity today has motivated many organizations to increase the activity of children and youth across America.  Gone are the days of waking up and playing outside until the street light comes on.  We are in an era of video games, and internet that captivates the time of our youth.

Even the NFL has gotten into the act with NFL Play 60.  The NFL’s effort to get kids active through simple drills for 60 minutes of activity every day.  Did you know that even Bill Gates doesn’t let his kids watch more than 45 minutes of TV a day!  That’s one episode of Hannah Montana, and half of Jonas’ Brothers and that’s it!

Here are some helpful tips that we gave the dad’s at our All Pro Dad event to get your family up and out of the house:

• Include your kids in your workout! That’s assuming you do workout! If you are not physically active, it’s important to start.  Not only is it a great opportunity for you to stay in shape, but it also allows you to spend time with your children.  You can now create a habit in your household of healthy physical activity that everyone can enjoy.
• Give Activity Rewards instead of Food Rewards! The next time your child gets a good grade on their report card, or does something that makes you proud, reward them with their favorite thing to do outside.  Let them skateboard, go for a family bike ride, or have a fun game of flag football.  This is far better for your family than rewarding them with a fattening burger and milkshake and their favorite restaurant.
• Find out what your child’s favorite game to play outside! Everyone has a favorite thing to do outside.  Ask your kids what they love to do, and make a great memory with them by getting outside and playing with them.

These three simple tips can be the difference between a healthy lifestyle, or being another statistic.

1. This amount of hard drive space is good enough for anyone…

It seems that at some point or another, every technology writer or senior figure has doubted whether anyone would need more than a certain amount of capacity in a system. Bill Gates was known to denounce larger disk sizes. IBM once said that homes would not need computers. Whatever. Digital capacity fuels economies of trade in innovation, and people want it too. That myth needs to stay forgotten for the excitement to continue.

2. You can break a computer.
A lot of people in the 1990s and 2000s – including today – believe/d that computers could be broken very easily. Few still do think this. True, parts are now more durable, but it has always been hard to completely kill a whole Mac or PC. The Internet and Genius Bars have also helped pop this myth into non-existence – nowadays spare parts can be gleaned quite easily according to budget.

3. It’s all expense.
In days gone by, a computer cost more to get and run. Even so, that was untrue to a certain extent then. Now, however, this myth has been cleaned away quite thoroughly. The total cost of ownership of a system (TCO) is now quite low, due to freebie software, and people are more creative with finding uses for old devices in a recession – and they publish their findings. Also, the more you pay, the more years you get. True, there’s no such thing as a free lunch, but in computing, that is good in some cases. Free or costly, expense in computers is a myth – normally.

A ideia inicial de escrever para o Judão era sobre um nerd na Mostra Internacional de Cinema de São Paulo. Mas acontece que há duas coisas: 1) eu não sou nerd e 2) não estava a fim de assistir nada da Mostra. Calma, que essa é uma técnica de prender a sua atenção, afirmando duas coisas que podem polemizar. Então vamos lá.

Eu sou nerd, claro. Mas não do jeito que as pessoas estereotiparam os CDFs. Gosto de Lanterna Verde, X-Men, Star Wars e De Volta para o Futuro. Mas também gosto de Wong Kar-Wai, Pearl Jam e Monet. Tenho toda uma teoria sobre o gostar das coisas, sobre colocar as pessoas em categorias pré-determinadas, mas vou te poupar. O fato é que há algum tempo passei a quebrar certos paradigmas e pude tirar proveito de mais coisas. Não jogo RPG e por isso não sou CDF? Gosto do diretor Jean Paul Civeyrac e por isso sou cabeçudo? Sei pelo menos cinco versões diferentes da morte de Thomas e Martha Wayne, por isso sou nerd? Acho o Nirvana sensacional e isso faz de mim um grunge? Que seja. Pode me colocar a tag que quiser. Vou continuar curtindo cada uma dessas coisas, sem precisar defender uma ideologia específica, baseada em coisas tão banais e divertidas como música, HQ e filmes.

Essa foi a primeira vez em três anos que não trabalhei na Mostra ou em algo relacionado a ela. Por isso não queria assistir a nenhum filme da programação. Era muito agito e só queria assistir um filme em paz. O único que assisti foi Bastardos Inglórios. Em 2007, fiz assessoria do evento, ocasião em que ‘conheci’ o Borbs. Até então, só sabia o nome que assinava os textos do Judão. Por isso, o lobby que fiz, para que a equipe desse estimado site ganhasse credenciais, foi justamente por achar que mereciam.

Ouvi algumas chacotas, mas sempre mantive minha opinião. O motivo: leia o parágrafo anterior. Simplesmente segui a lógica: se eu era leitor do Judão e via filmes da Mostra [não só os blockbusters, mas os 'cabeçudos' também], a probabilidade de existir mais pessoas nessa condição era grande. Nesse ano, uma das pessoas que já trabalhou comigo mandou-me um email, com o release da MTV anunciando a parceria com o Judão. O email: “Você tinha razão. Eles venceram”.

‘Eles’ não, cara-pálida. Nós. E não nós, os nerds, apenas. Pegue Rock Band dos Beatles, por exemplo. São dois mundos que ‘colidem’. Repare na ascensão e reconhecimento de filmes como Spider-Man, X-Men e afins. Até as moças que praticam yoga ‘venceram’, já que há jogos específicos para a prática, no Wii. Acho que o caminho da ‘vitória’ segue lado a lado a trajetória do avanço tecnológico nos últimos anos. Quando o mundo deixou de olhar para Bill Gates como estereótipo de nerd e passou a ter Steve Jobs como seu símbolo, começamos a trilhar a vitória. E pelamor, sem essa de entrar na pendenga Microsoft x Apple e defender seu sistema operacional, dizendo que o verdadeiro geek-nerd-CDF usa é Linux. O Bill Gates só tem cara de bobo e a palavra ‘geek’ sempre foi associada a isso, a alguém meio bobo, meio estranho [assim como 'punk', para arruaceiro].

Liberte-se das categorias em que te colocaram. Aceite que alguém ‘nerd’ nunca tenha lido Dark Knight, Watchmen ou Akira. Assista comédias românticas com sua guria, para dar risada e vê-la sorrir. Vá para praia sem iPod [ou celular!]. Viaje para algum lugar que não tenha energia elétrica e aprenda a montar uma barraca. Só não faça algo porque alguém esperou que você fizesse. Que a Força esteja com você.

______________________

Texto publicado originalmente no Judão.

Hemos estado en esa posición, te encuentras feliz y contento utilizando tu ordenador cuando sin  previo aviso la Pantalla Azul de la Muerte hace su aparición. Nadie la llamó, ni la invitó,  simplemente decidió aparecer. Como ese chico que nadie soporta pero de alguna manera  siempre aparece en las fiestas. Sí, la vida sería más linda sin pantallas azules, pero si tratamos de  verle el lado positivo, sin esas horrendas pantallas no tendríamos este estupendo post. asi que  dale click a leer el resto de la entrada…

Imaginate ir a una tienda y….

Ver muchas pantallas azules de la muerte quemandote los ojos por dentro, quebrajando tu sueño de comprar una laptop y ver que todas estan asi:

Y sales corriendo de la tienda y te quieres distraer vas a tu juego favorito y….

Lo unico que ves es tu juego favorito siendo comido por la pantalla azul de la muerte noooo..!!!

Estupido juego

Aunque sirven para conseguirla mas barata si te conviene….

es bueno saber que los tecnicos informaticos de las empresas no tienen ninguna clase de experiencia con los Pantallazos azules asi que las empresas venden barato….

y no!! esta no es ninguna de las netbooks de la lista de ayer!!

Aunque son malas, Si sabes repararlas te conviene!

Pero desde que instalaron Windows en el transporte publico, Mejor me voy a pie o jalon…

Imaginense que tuvieramos metro o algun medio de transporte automatico controlado por robots y ver esto, lo mejor seria ponerse a rezar

Mejor a pie, Es mas sano!

O esta otra que por pasar anuncios feos le dio un pantallazo!!!…

Huy!! y yo que estaba viendo el partido!!

Vale mas aqui todavia no son tan modernos….

Imagínense perderse en otro pais querer hacer una llamada para pedir ayuda a alguien y ver esto:

Por eso amo mi celular...

Mejor tener el dinero debajo del colchón o en el marranito porque sino….

¿Qué útil que es la tecnología verdad? Gracias a ella puedes dejar tu dinero en el banco sabiendo que está seguro y cuando quieras puedes pasar a retirarlo. Bueno, no siempre… Espero que en este caso la Pantalla Azul de la Muerte sea para la maquina y no para mi dinero.  ¿¡A quién quiero engañar?, lo guardo en un cochinito debajo de mi cama

Chiva con el sueldo!!

O imaginense el descaro de vender un producto y la muestra este mala, si.. si.. si.. mucho clientes lloveran (je si como no!)

Excelente producto falla muy bien... Me los llevo todos.

Amigos rianse lo que quieran pero quiero que sepan que tarde o temprano les puede pasar y ojala ahi y se acuerden de mi riendome en su cara, Recuerden que todos usamos Windows y a todos nos puede pasar asi que cuidado con lo que hacen (ah y que quede claro que por ver porno no provoca pantallazos azules de la muerte)

Intr-o “melodie” din noul album a lui Mihai Margineanu am auzit o zicala:

Un Barbat de succes este acela care castiga mai mult decat poate nevasta-sa cheltuiasca. Femeia de succes este aia care a gasit barbatul acesta!

Melodie: “Mihai Margineanu – Interludiu Barbat de succes”

Voi ce parere aveti despre acest lucru? Cand am auzit prima data, am stat oleaca si m-am gandit…? Oare exista un asemenea barbat? Un barbat care sa castige mai mult decat poate sa cheltuie nevata sa? Mai bine zis, sunt femei care sa stie sa se opreasca daca au banii pe mana?

Prima data m-am gandit la Monica si Irinel Columbeanu. Dar cred ca nici Irinel nu e un barbat de succesc, pentru ca, daca s-ar pune Monica sa toace toti banii lui Irinel, in 2-3 luni, toata averea lui s-ar transforma in masini scumpe, haine, bijuterii, si multe altele ce isi mai doresc femeie.

A doua oara m-am gandit la Bill Gates, dar nici el nu se poate considera un barbat de succes. Bogdat da, dar de succes mai putin, pentru ca nu s-a inventat femeia care sa se opreasca din a cheltui banii sotului.

Poate prin absurd sa existe o femeie care sa nu-i placa sa cheltuie banii sotului, acel barbat se poate nummi si el “Un barbat de succes”, chiar daca nu are banii lui Columbeanu, Bill Gates sau nu mai stiu care, daca femeia nu vrea sa cheltuie banii, acel barbat este fericit.

Alright, so as we all know, I’ve had the Swine Flu. If you haven’t been keeping up with me on Twitter or at The Gally Blog, then you are missing out because I’m on funny cat. Well, I did neglect to mention that I am on a blogging hiatus since I am studying for the LSAT but I’ve peaked me head in now and again because I just love to write jokes *bike horn*.

Well, after I caught Swine Flu, I spent 1 day at home and I was bored as shit. I spend close to 200$ between shopping online and XBox Live and that’s where this rant is going to start. XBox Live is the shittiest thing on the planet. Now, let me say that I am an XBox enthusiast. I’ve loved everything about the console. Especially the fact that it always had an internal memory. I never got into Playstation but I do see it’s appeal. I loved the Black XBox (“180″ I think it’s being called now) so much with games like Halo and Morrowind that I couldn’t get a PS2. The controller is just weird to me now. And for Christ’s sake, those guys couldn’t switch the colors of the shapes on the controller? Is peachy-orange and baby-pink the best colors they could think of? Xbox uses Yellow, Red, Blue and Green. Box and Circle are almost identical on the Playstation remote and that’s what I always get confused. It’s not a big deal for anyone else apparently, but it seems really stupid to have the filed down version of the other button as virtually the same color.

Anyway, I digressed. XBox Live is really shitty. I never had it because my dad refused to pay for it for the longest time and I just got a debit card a few years ago when I lived away at college. Then I never set it up here due to laziness and lack of gaming. So for my birthday (in May) my girlfriend bought me 12 months (+1  free month) of XBox Live. I set it up and she told me she spent about 60$. Well, that’s not a bad price (nearly 5$ a month) but the thing is, Playstation 3 doesn’t require any cash! That’s fucking bullshit. Not only does is come with internal memory, rechargeable wireless controllers and a FUCKING blu-ray player but now the online gaming is also free? For the same price! How can this be? Why is Bill Gates just making me blow him? I don’t get it. He can afford it. He could buy Sony just to put them out of business. Does he think Steve Jobs owns Sony? Because that’s where he should focus his anger. Jobs is killing him in every other department. So not only does Microsoft’s computers suck 10x’s more than Mac but now PS3 is destroying XBox in gamer-friendliness and cost.

So the next step of this rant takes me to Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2. It is a great game. They tweaked it a bit but made it even better than the first. Not the best graphics in the world but they upgraded them big time from the first. Plus they let you be Gambit from the X-Men. The only shitty part was the character roster but that is where the ranting comes in…now I knew they had Unlockable characters in the game, like they did in the first. This time they made all my favorites like Thor and Deadpool those guys. Well, they also gave you a code so you could be The Hulk. Ok, good. They take Ironman and Captain America away for half the game, at least they gave you some of the fun guys. Then I heard they had more characters, but you had to buy them in XBox Live. I’m 95% sure I never heard any of my PS3 people ever buying anything off of their internet gaming provider. And if I’m wrong, please tell me. But I just spent another 25$ on 2000 “Microsoft Points” so I could buy Magneto, Carnage, Cable and Psyclocke. That was 900 points. So I saw you could get The Juggernaut  for only 160 points. I got him too. Not a bad deal. I got points to spare. So I even bought my little avatar dude an Assassin’s Creed 2 uniform for 100 points or something like that and Gimp made fun of me for it.

Now, I was mad at all of this because the options for the “Microsoft Points” were 500 points for 5$. Or 1000 points for 10$ or 2000 points for 25$. Isn’t that some bullshit? 1000 wouldn’t have been enough for all 5 characters and I would’ve had some left over while 500 wouldn’t have been enough for just the 4. So I was fucked into buying 25$ worth of points and I STILL have some. Is that not bullshit? You spend 60$ on a game and you have to buy 5 more characters for 25$.

Whatever. That’s my XBox Rant. If they don’t get their shit together with Xbox 540, I might switch sides and I have more allegiance to XBox than I do the Knicks.

Prohibido no usar el móvil en clase…. ¿es una broma?  No, únicamente es asumir que  es un poco absurdo que los institutos tengan WIFI, los alumnos móviles potentes…y…no promover que los utilicen para obtener y ampliar información. Sí, deben ser búsquedas guiadas y útiles.

“Claro que los profesores no les dicen a sus alumnos que llamen o envíen mensajes de texto; lo que les piden es que naveguen por Internet y busquen información sobre lo que están estudiando o lean los blogs de sus maestros, hagan fotos para algunos de los proyectos de clase, realicen cálculos matemáticos o, incluso, tomen notas.”

En California, Schwarzenegger ha decidido aniquilar los libros de texto:

“Desde el comienzo del nuevo año escolar, en agosto, los estudiantes de ciencias y matemáticas en los institutos de California tendrán acceso a textos on line que han aprobado una revisión de estándares académicos. El gobernador sostiene que los libros de texto digitales se pueden adaptar fácilmente, de manera que el aprendizaje se mantiene al ritmo del progreso.”

Por otra parte, los medios de comunicación llevan 3 meses bombardeando con la idea de que el e-book será el regalo estrella de estas navidades.

Entendiendo por e-book su acepción física, es decir, el aparato lector.

Sin embargo, creo sinceramente que se equivocan totalmente con las previsiones por:

- Estamos en un contexto de crisis y el ebook sigue siendo un producto caro (más de 300 euros).

- No hay una oferta adecuada de contenidos. Las editoriales están actuando muy lentamente por lo que es previsible que suceda lo mismo que con la música y el cine: al no existir una oferta legal a una calidad-precio adecuada, los contenidos piratas ocuparán el mercado.

- El próximo año desembarcarán los dos gigantes: Microsoft y Apple. Microsoft apuesta por un modelo con dos pantallas (el courier) y de Apple se rumorea que una sola, pero algo más grande. Ellos sí tienen la fuerza mediática y económica para inundar el mercado.

Se rumorea que este es el diseño final de la Tablet de Apple

Microsoft apuesta en su modelo Courier por la doble pantalla

El vídeo del funcionamiento del Courier es impresionante. Auguro que en septiembre del 2011 todos estaremos con uno de estos dos aparatos en clase.

Por una parte Apple ha ganado las últimas batallas en cuanto a diseño y pantallas táctiles, pero Microsoft sigue siendo el gigante en sistemas operativos y programas ofimáticos.

Ya la ha regado Microsoft, pero al menos ha sido sincero al confirmar lo sospechado, lo intuído y lo sabido por todos los fanáticos del código libre, terrenos en los que estoy entrando a conocer. Microsoft usó una herramienta de código libre para facilitar la instalación de Windows 7 en los netbook,… tampoco es para tirar cohetes, hacer fiestas o irse de parranda, pero claro… hablamos de Microsoft.

Casi todos lo hacen pero si es Microsoft, molesta. Por una parte, puedo entender que unos se molesten por ello, por otro lado… la contestación no hace más que alimentar la noticia, y es que lo peor tal vez no sea eso sino que Microsoft ni siquiera lo sabía. Han usado código libre sin percatarse de ello, aquí van a rodar cabezas.

¿Quién tiene la responsabilidad de ese desliz? Un programador de Microsoft tuvo la buena idea de usar código libre para desarrollar una herramienta de Microsoft sin pensar en las consecuencias… ¿oportunista o actuó sin malicia ni maldad? Seguro, pero trabajar para Redmond acarrea responsabilidades. Así que ahora, no tienen más remedio que liberar esa herramienta para evitar posibles problemas legales; esa herramienta es Windows USB/DVD Tool.

I remember when I was like 7 years old, playing Super Mario Bros. 3, and as I ducked down behind the bush in level 3 of World 1 to get the magical warp whistle, I said to my friend, “I wonder what video games will look like in the future.” And he said something like, “I bet they’ll look like real people.” At the time, it really just seemed like a pipe dream; like, when video games looked like that, there would be a robotic chauffeur driving me around in a flying car. But with an unimaginable rapidity, less than 15 years later I’m sitting here playing X-Box 360, and it looks like real people! Who would have thought? Not many.

Gordon Moore

There’s a famous 1980s computer quote, purportedly by Bill Gates (though he aggressively denies it) that “640K ought to be enough for anybody.” Regardless of who it was that foolishly made this comment, they didn’t take into account Gordon Moore’s 1965 prediction which, in so many words, states that computer processing power will double every 18 months. Almost 45 years later now, ‘Moore’s Law‘ holds very closely to the original prediction. Interestingly, the exponential growth in the number of transistors able to fit on a computer chip, from thousands in the ’60s to billions presently, has really been the driving force behind most technological advances and innovations.

We, being those that grew up as part of generation Y, who developed as human beings as the personal computer developed, seem to be analogously adapting to the changes with no problem. Also, our older, generation X counterparts are quite up-to-date with the current technology as well and it seems like they too have not really had any problems with the technological assimilation. I think the main reason is that technology has increasingly become the standard in both school and work: emailing stuff rather than wasting both money and paper on printing, PowerPoint for presentations, using the internet for research, and so on. Similarly, utilizing technology is becoming more and more relevant in our everyday lives: there’s a website for everything, phones are starting to double as computers, and the other day I flashed a bus driver a text-message sent to me from Bolt Bus that counted as my ticket.

It really has had and does have a fascinating affect on our lives.

A couple months ago, I was sitting in my room and a friend, who was looking at his computer, said to me, “Wow, only old people send emails.” I didn’t really get it at first, but after thinking about it, it almost made my head explode. I’ve never heard anyone say that before, but it’s so true! What’s amazing about the comment is that, compared to a couple years ago, it would have sounded so futuristic. But with quickly changing technology, our preferred mediums of communication are changing quickly too. It went from emails to instant messaging to texting and now a huge combination of everything, all available through mobile devices.

It’s really a great sign, however, that ‘old people’ are using email. A large portion of the baby boomer population has historically been very hesitant to use emerging technologies and I think it’s because they are already behind. It was at first as if they didn’t trust it. For instance, my mother used to print out Mapquest directions when she first got her GPS just in case anything went wrong. But she’s learned it’s okay to not only trust technology, but also to take advantage of it because it can make your life significantly easier.

Now, I talk to my mom and dad through emails all the time. I sometimes find my grandfather, a fellow night owl, chatting with me on AIM at 3am. My friend’s parents are my Facebook friends. I had a text message conversation the other day with a friend’s father that was giving me career advice.

I think that, despite those people who still somehow don’t know how to use a computer (who obviously haven’t made any attempt at it), the baby boomer generation is really eager to learn, utilize, and benefit from improving technologies. And, I too, am excited to see what’s to come.

From CNBC (transcript and video) (emphasis added),

“QUESTION:  Hi.  My name is Katrina Gankena, and I was born in Russia.  And I’m a second-year student at Columbia Business School.  My question is for Mr. Gates.  What industry do you think is going to produce the next Bill Gates?  Because that’s the industry I want to get a job in. [LAUGHTER] [APPLAUSE]

GATES:  Industries do have different paces of innovation.  So the IT industry, driven by the magic of software, the magic of the optic fiber, magic of the chip which doubles in power every couple of years, it’s been the industry that has not only been the most exciting, it’s also changed the rules for many other industries.  The idea of information being available, what the online world is like, that’s incredible.  I’ll tell you, there are a few other industries that will compete for being exciting in the decades ahead.  The energy business, some approach will provide cheaper energy that’s environmentally friendly.  And there’s a lot of science, a lot of business.  That’s a global thing.  There will be some great careers there.  Medicine, you know.  We haven’t solved Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s or about 20 diseases of these poor countries, and yet we can be sure that we’re on track to do that.  And so those three industries I think you would do great in.  There’s many others, but those are the ones that have the strongest appeal to me.

BUFFETT:  Find what turns you on.  Find what you have a passion for. If somebody said to me when I was getting out of Columbia, you know, that Bill’s business was going to be the one that would be exciting, you know, I don’t think I’d have done so well.  [LAUGHTER]  But I knew what turned me on.  I had a professor, Ben Graham, I offered to go to work for him for nothing.  He said, “You’re overpriced.”  Nonetheless, I went into the business. [APPLAUSE]  I will guarantee, you will do well at whatever turns you on.  There’s no question about that.  Don’t let anybody else tell you what to do.  You figure out what you are doing. [APPLAUSE]“

This cake makes a startup noise when you cut it.

On 20th November 1985, Microsoft launched Windows 1.0, and at this time, Bill Gates was not spectacularly rich, there was no internet, there was no DVD, there was no Three and thus no point in life. BAD TIMES. But now, good times! Despite the cock up that was Vista.

Information released!

After much speculation (and a few faked screenshots) it appears we finally have word from Google as to what & when.

Google Chrome OS is an open source, lightweight operating system that will initially be targeted at netbooks. Later this year we will open-source its code, and netbooks running Google Chrome OS will be available for consumers in the second half of 2010. Because we’re already talking to partners about the project, and we’ll soon be working with the open source community, we wanted to share our vision now so everyone understands what we are trying to achieve. Source: Googleblog

There can be little doubt that after the success of its search engine and the popularity of its other services that Google pretty much knows its customers.  In my opinion Google has what some other companies do not and that is honest champions/advocates of their services/products.  How many people have you heard complain about Google in the average computing environment?

Ever since the news broke of the Google OS we’ve had many thinkers regarding it.  We see the frightened (Wintrolls in comp.alt.linux.advocacy) the over enthusiastic (the promoters of fake screenshots) and the “lets wait and see”.  Now we get further details.

It is being reported that the Google OS (which is browser based) will offer most of its services online and the user having their data stored on Google servers.  There’s been much debate about this (and surrounding topics) and the Do you trust your data to be stored in the cloud? is probably one of the issues that will come out of this eventual release.

Speed, simplicity and security are the key aspects of Google Chrome OS. We’re designing the OS to be fast and lightweight, to start up and get you onto the web in a few seconds. The user interface is minimal to stay out of your way, and most of the user experience takes place on the web. Source: Googleblog

Users of Chrome OS will reportedly not have to worry about updating their software and having other advantages, one being a 7 second boot time (allegedly) IMO there really is much to look forward to when the finished product hits the shelves.  The OS itself is apparently going to be free, with Google working with manufacturers to further provide a better integration between their software and hardware.

Chrome OS is reported to be its own Windowing system on top on a Linux kernel and I think shows yet again that worth of Linux and its community.  I have documented my use of Chromium since its early builds and I must say that the layout (providing it resembles the OS) is intuitive, friendly and quick.

Google also made this statement:

We hear a lot from our users and their message is clear — computers need to get better.

and in my opinion its a shame Microsoft didn’t listen to that message (IMO).

The Chrome OS is aimed at Netbooks and whilst we are on the subject of Netbooks earlier in the year Windows 7 for the netbook, hardly got the glowing praise with Tomshardware.com noting that Windows 7 took 2.5 hours off your battery life and benchmark tests between 7 and XP showed XP outperforming 7 in most tests.  Is that what Microsoft wants to hear when its trying to get in with 7 on the netbook?

So whilst there has been more information released it still leaves many questions unanswered.  Will Chrome support Silverlight? (or does anyone care?) What about drivers for existing and new hardware?  Is Google considering its OS for anything other than Netbooks?

Lets remember what Mr Ballmer CEO of Microsoft had to say about Google (allegedly)

Google’s not a real company. It’s a house of cards.

Source: Techcrunch

Try not to be too hard on him though.  His “teacher” (IMO) Bill Gates said in the 90’s:

The Internet? We are not interested in it

and another alleged comment that Bill Gates made (which may ring some bells with Windows users)

If you can’t make it good, at least make it look good.

Source: http://www.quotesandsayings.com/quotes/bill-gates/ (and theres many more Gates crackers there too)

Microsoft scared?

To ask if Microsoft is scared is wrong.  Microsoft is not a person.  Detractors to Linux make many claims, they would like you to believe its a hobbyist platform.  They would like you to believe its difficult to use.  They would like you to believe that it won’t be compatible with your hardware.  I would put money on similar being said about Chrome OS.

I think Google’s move to produce this software shows an attitude change in the average computer user.  We no longer need to rely on Microsoft to get jobs done in my opinion and there are many alternatives to Microsoft products, either proprietary or indeed FOSS.

The BBC seem to think the Chrome OS will have an impact on the market:

….could dramatically change the market for operating systems, especially for Microsoft…

It certainly will be interesting next year.  Bring on Chrome OS!

Sources

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8369611.stm

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/introducing-google-chrome-os.html

http://technologizer.com/2009/11/19/chrome-os/

Goblin – bytes4free@googlemail.com

The Huntington West Virginia, Hearld Dispatch published this article: Mark Caserta: Planned Parenthood fulfilling founder’s vision
November 19, 2009 @ 12:00 AM

When Margaret Sanger, famous birth control activist, founded Planned Parenthood in 1916, her vision for society was not unlike another notable historical figure of the past who believed in the self-direction of human evolution.
Adolph Hitler.

A controversial eugenicist, Margaret Sanger believed, “The most merciful thing that a large family does to one of its infant members is to kill it.”
The following quote appeared in the introduction to Margaret Sanger’s 1922 book, “The Pivot of Civilization”:

“We want fewer and better children who can be reared up to their full possibilities in unencumbered homes, and we cannot make the social life and the world-peace we are determined to make, with the ill-bred, ill-trained swarms of inferior citizens that you inflict upon us.”

In her book, Sanger went on to refer to blacks, immigrants and indigents as “… human weeds,’ reckless breeders,’ and ’spawning … human beings who never should have been born.”

Sanger’s vision has in large part come to fruition with the institution of Planned Parenthood.

According to its recently released annual report for 2007-2008, the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA), the largest abortion provider in the United States, was responsible for performing 305,310 abortions in 2007, an increase from 289,750 the previous year, coinciding with an increase in government funding, from $337 million to $350 million.

Sanger, who was officially endorsed by the American Eugenic Society (AES) in 1932, was also recognized “under the radar” by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at a Planned Parenthood function.

“The 20th century reproductive rights movement, really embodied in the life and leadership of Margaret Sanger, was one of the most transformational in the entire history of the human race,” Clinton stated upon receiving an award from the organization that Sanger founded.
Clinton dubiously acknowledged she was in “awe” of Sanger.

Others stand in “awe” of creation.

In September, a former director of a Planned Parenthood clinic in Texas, Abby Johnson, quit her job after watching an ultrasound of an abortion in which she witnessed a fetus “crumple” as it was vacuumed out of a patient’s uterus.

“When I was working at Planned Parenthood, I was extremely pro-choice,” Johnson told FoxNews.com. But after seeing the procedure for the first time on an ultrasound monitor she said, “I would say there was a definite conversion in my heart … a spiritual conversion.”

In an interview with World Net Daily, Johnson revealed it became all about the numbers at her workplace.

“Every meeting that we had was, “We don’t have enough money … we’ve got to keep these abortions coming,” she said.

Since the clinic offered surgical abortions only every other Saturday, they sought to increase the availability of abortions by offering RU-486 chemical abortions throughout the week, according to Johnson.

RU-486 chemical abortions kill the lining of the uterus, cutting off oxygen and nutrients, resulting in the death of the unborn baby.

In Sanger’s dream of ridding society of “human weeds” and “reckless breeders,” Planned Parenthood, no doubt, has helped facilitate the murder of some beautifully created children with the potential to become real champions in life.

Mark Caserta is a Cabell County resident and a regular contributor to The Herald- Dispatch editorial page.
http://www.herald-dispatch.com/opinions/x459219203/Planned-Parenthood-fulfilling-founders-vision
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

To Mark and the Dispatch I say -HERE HERE !!!!!!!!!!!

I would like to add that they recommend a powerful documentary about the racist roots of abortion and the eugenic connections of Planned Parenthood , called Maafa21. ( Clip Below)

This video really is all good, good spots, good riding and good music not much to fault and to think dan was only just added to the premium team…crazy.

P.s. im away from my computer s i have to work on some stupid little netbook running windows, so dont blame me for poor posts. BLAME  BILL GATES!

Fa tant de temps que no teniu notícies nostres que potser alguns us pensàveu que ens havíem perdut. El que passa és que em costa molt posar-me a escriure, però quan m’hi poso…; o sigui que prepareu-vos.
La darrera crònica va ser des de l’illa de La Palma, just abans d’encetar les festes de Nadal. D’allà varem navegar cap a La Gomera, per fer-la servir (a imitació
d’en Colon) de punt de partida per a la singladura atlàntica. Aquesta illa va resultar una altre bona sorpresa: paisatges esplèndids i variats, amb un parc
natural ( Garajonay) que sembla que estiguis a una pel·lícula d’aquestes del Senyor dels Anells; una gent amable i tranquil·la que es marquen cantades a manera de Jam Session canària i, què mes es pot demanar, bones especialitats culinàries (coneixeu l’almogrote?).
Després de preparar be el Talula, el dia 9 ens varem aprestar a fer el sal cap a l’Àfrica Tropical i salparem amb bon vent. Amb un Talula que cada cop coneixem millor  una supermarinera que cada cop domina mes el tema, anàvem follats, esparracant l’aigua, però a 90 milles al sud de La Gomera varem descobrir que les sentines tenien mes aigua de la aconsellable; com que no teníem clar per on entrava, varem decidir ser prudents i girar cua cap el nord. Un cop a la Gomera dedicarem uns dies a localitzar  l’entrada d’aigua i a fer el que varem poder per
tenir-la controlada fins que es podes solucionar del tot ;  tot seguit varem tornar ràpidament a salpar: s’acostava una borrasca pel nord que, si ens atrapava, ens podria donar problemes.
La travessa fins a Senegal, que va durar 7 dies,

va tenir una mica de tot, incloent un parell de dies de Harmattan (vent del desert) que ens va deixar el Talula i a nosaltres amb pols i fang fins els plecs de l’estòmac. Varem arribar a Dakar la

vigília de la festa de l’anyell (crec que en diuen Tabasquin; son musulmans) que, empalmada amb el cap de setmana i amb no se quines altres festes (cosa en la que semblen força experts), va constituir un pont que ens va tenir la ciutat paralitzada 5 dies. Un cop acabades les festivitats varem poder fer les gestions burocràtiques
(formalitats d’entrada i sol·licitud de visat per Gàmbia) i de supervivència (compres i reaprovisionaments) necessàries. Mentrestant varem estar-nos fondejats a la platja de Gorée, una platja amb molta porqueria, fet del que, malauradament, no ens em varem adonar fins massa tard, es a dir, fins
després d’haver fet el primer dia un bany “reparador” i, creiem nosaltres,” higienitzant”.

Aquest és el lloc típic on fondegen els velers visitants i està davant del CVD (Centre de vela de Dakar) que son unes petites instal·lacions que ofereixen alguns serveis i actuen de centre social als navegants que estan de pas (en la seva major part francesos, doncs és una zona francòfona i els angloparlants ni s’hi acosten; és curiós el pànic que tenen els monolingües d’anar a llocs on no es parli el seu idioma); de vaixells espanyols, en aquell moment, tampoc n’hi havia cap altre; si que varem conèixer a un xicot valencià, en José, qui anava “d’equipier” a un vaixell francès i que fa 17 anys que està viatjant; al veure la nostra senyera va desenpolsar el seu valencià i, barrejant-lo amb paraules franceses i malaies, ens va saludar efusivament).
El 27 de gener sortíem cap a Gàmbia, i l’endemà ja estàvem fondejats a Banjul, la capital (concretament en un lloc que es diu “half die” en record d’una epidèmia de  Pesta que es va emportar per davant a la meitat de la població; des de llavors el  lloc deu haver millorat una mica, però no lo suficient com per impedir que sigui una de les ciutats mes cutres i insalubres per on he passat). Aquí teníem que formalitzar l’entrada en el país i demanar permís per anar riu Gàmbia amunt; varem haver d’enfrontar-nos amb la enervant i gratuïta burocràcia africana, fent provisió de tota la paciència disponible; i, tot i que al final ja l’havíem esgotada, varem ser afortunats: en dos matins feiners teníem resolts tots els tràmits, cosa que no poden dir molts altres.
La idea era remuntar el riu Gàmbia fins a una ciutat que es diu Georgetown, a uns 300 km riu amunt, i a això ens varem llançar un cop resoltes les formalitats oficials. La navegació pel riu és prou singular: els paràmetres bàsics son les marees i la profunditat  i els has de tenir al cap sempre; les primeres et poden
donar una corrent a favor o en contra de varis nusos, la segona, a la que et descuides ( i ens va passar un parell de vegades ) toques fons, experiència gens
agradable en un vaixell, especialment si no saps cap on has de tirar per trobar mes profunditat i, per acabar-ho d’arrodonir, la marea comença a baixar.

L’excursió riu amunt i riu avall va durar unes tres setmanes, durant les quals veiérem molts, molts d’ocells, alguns al·lucinants, uns quants hipopòtams
(de lluny i una mica acollonits, encara que amb la satisfacció d’haver-los trobat nosaltres mateixos en missió exploratòria), molts mones, de molts models i
en infinitat de postures, postes de sol de pel·lícula, centenars de kilòmetres  de manglars, a voltes impenetrables , desenes de pobles miserables amb
mercats pràcticament buits, i milions de criatures corrent darrera nostra cada cop que tocàvem terra cridant Tubabs!! Tubabs!! (blancs, blancs!!), alguns
d’ells amb cares i plors que denotaven que estaven tenint l’ensurt de la seva vida. La gent és molt amable i sempre disposada a ajudar (al menys al turista), però, en general, amb una passivitat i manca d’iniciativa notables; un exemple : el riu està ple de petits molls de fusta, tots construïts en temps dels anglesos, en benefici propi, per ajudar a l’explotació del país, no us penseu, però que en qualsevol cas resultarien molt útils a una població que viu en gran part de la pesca i per qui el riu és la principal via de comunicació; doncs be, la meva sensació és que des de la independència ningú s’havia molestat en clavar un clau, pel que la majoria estaven inservibles. Una curiositat colonial: el pa a Gàmbia, antiga colònia anglesa, és molt millor que a la veïna Senegal, antiga colònia francesa.
El cas és que a Georgetown, varem fer amistat amb un parell de vaixells, un anglès, l’Ospray, una rèplica del mític Spray d’en Joshua Slocum, i un francès, el
Betsy. Tots tres varem fer el descens del riu i amb el Betsy acordarem fer plegats la travessa del Atlàntic fins a Brasil. Amb aquesta intenció salparem el 19 de
Febrer en direcció de l’illa de Santiago, Cap Verde, ja que aquest semblava una millor plataforma des de la que iniciar la singladura transoceànica. Després de 3
dies de navegació varem fondejar a Praia, capital de Cap Verde, i us puc jurar que, després de Gàmbia, era com arribar a Suïssa: mercats “plens” de tot, burocràcia “eficient”, carreteres pavimentades, bancs que funcionen; a l’altre extrem, malgrat la gent també és amable, és nota una mica mes de picaresca per
explotar al turista.

Després d’una setmaneta de gaudir de la Suïssa africana, l’u de març, amb els dipòsits plens d’aigua, els tancs de gasoil, les xarxes de verdura i fruita
fresca, i els collons per corbata, vam salpar en direcció a Salvador de Bahia, Brasil, d’on ens separaven  4.000 quilòmetres i una zona intertropical.
Menys mal que teníem un “routier”, L’Oriol, qui aniria enviant consells i ànims des de terra, via ràdio.
També teníem la tranquil·litat de fer la travessa junts amb el Betsy (malgrat això és mes psicològic que real, doncs les diferències entre els vaixells fan que, al cap d’unes hores, ja us heu perdut de vista; però sempre queda el contacte via ràdio). La nostra intenció inicial era fer sud cap els 23º oest per mirar de creuar per allà la zona intertropical (“azote de navegantes”: la franja que separa els dos
hemisferis, sempre encapotada i amb una xafogor notable,  que, tenint els vents alisis del NE empenyent pel nord i els alisis del SE empenyent pel sud, fa que sigui una zona de calmes, separades per sobtats xàfecs amb força vent i abundant aparell elèctric). A la sortida teníem un bon alisi, però al cap de unes hores ens varem quedar “surant” sense vent, premonició de les calmes tropicals. Mica a mica varem anar guanyant oest i, canviant d’estratègia, ens varem dirigir cap els 28º, on finalment entrarem a la zona intertropical. Allí varem “disfrutar” de dos dies de calmes, interromputs per dos xàfecs diaris, amb castanyetes de fins a 40 nusos (afortunadament, curts). Quan finalment varem entrar a l’Atlàntic Sud
ens hi esperava un bon vent que, poc mes o menys, ens va acompanyar fins a les proximitats de Bahia, on arribarem, fets caldo, la matinada del  18 de març: 17
dies de travessa, 40 hores a motor i 2100 milles nàutiques fetes.
“Sonria que voçe esta en Bahia”, és el moto de Salvador i, efectivament, tot et fa somriure: una marina on, després de 3 mesos de fondejar, poder atracar el Talula, gent molt amable i festiva parlant en Brasileitro (quasi res!), que no t’entenen si
parles en anglès, però si si ho fas en castellà (al fi i a la cap, soms tots Gallegos aquí), preus barats, escots a dojo, funcionaris amables que, fins i tot, et diuen on hi ha bons restaurants, descendents, reals o ficticis, d’espanyols a cada cantonada, que es deleixen per parlar amb tu i donar-te consells, un barri (Pelourinho) amb una arquitectura colonial i acolorida que és una delícia, un sol radiant tots i cadascun dels dies…. Aquesta és la part bona; mica a mica vas descobrint la no tant bona: molta misèria, rapousinhos que viuen al carrer i que van tirant a base de demanar als turistes, zones perilloses, on es millor no acostar-s’hi quan es fa de nit, un atracament en plena zona turística (que nomes em va
costar la cadena i medalla de la meva mare, sense valor econòmic, però amb un valor sentimental molt gran: feia mes de 30 anys que anàvem plegats);
temporades amb pluges tropicals 10 cops al dia, una humitat del 80%, un tràfic de bojos, amb uns conductors d’autobusos que estan en constant carrera entre ells, ….Després de l’arribada eufòrica, tot això, juntament amb unes males notícies de casa, va ser com una galleda d’aigua freda. Però ja ens hem assecat i canviat i tornem a gaudir de Bahia, ara amb una mica mes d’objectivitat que al principi.
Som al Centro Nautico da Bahia i, entre molts vaixells francesos, també, i per primer cop des de les Canaries, ens hem integrat entre una petita comunitat
de navegants ibèrics: hem arribat a ser 7 vaixells espanyols. Després de força temps hem pogut tenir converses en castellà, i encara que menys, també en
català. Entre aquesta comunitat d’espanyols hi ha alguns personatges ben curiosos: navegants solitaris “a la força” (que fan el possible per estar sempre
acompanyats),

navegants solitaris “pirats”, com un gallec (aquest cop de veritat,) que va marxar de Vigo dient-li a la dona que anava a fer un tomb amb el vaixell i que navega sense major ni botavara i omplint tots els obencs de petites veles (!?),

una ex nòvia d’en Julio Iglesias que aborreix les seves cançons, un periodista que xerra molt i no escolta mai, una noia que cada dia li roben alguna cosa (algunes les
recupera), etc..
Ara, quan ja portem un mes d’estància aquí, ens disposem a viatjar i a conèixer una mica mes de Brasil que Bahia; començarem navegant unes setmanetes per la
Bahia de todos os Santos, que és una pasada d’illetes amb palmeretes, platjes blanques, cachoeiras, (que es com en diuen aquí als salts d’aigua),… tot dit sense
ànim de fer enveja. Però això ja us ho explicaré mes endavant.
Fins llavors, una abraçada a tots.

PD: després de descobrir que el Word de Windows XP te un corrector acceptable de català, no puc mensy de, malgrat la meva tendència natural, donar les gràcies
al senyor Bill Gates, per una vegada i sense que serveixi, de cap manera, com a precedent.