Archive for January, 2009
Friday, January 23rd, 2009
I was just reading an article on how Windows Vista may have affected Microsoft’s earnings in 2008. The article didn’t blame Vista per se, but it did blame Vista, Windows XP and the sale (or lack thereof) of computers due to the lagging economy. As everyone most likely already knows, most of the sales of computer operating systems are tied to the sales of computers, because the operating systems come installed on the computers. When computers don’t sell, neither do the operating systems.
The article talked about how people were generally dissatisfied with Windows Vista and that may have been taking its toll on computer sales. In other words, people were willing to stick it out with Windows XP and an older computer, until a new operating system is released. They said that many computer users are waiting for the release of Windows 7. This is what I found interesting…
Here is my logic: If people didn’t want Vista in the first place and were willing to keep an older operating system, how is a new operating system going to fix the problem?
As far as I know, there really isn’t all too much of a pull for a new version of Windows. I totally understand the need to come up with new and better products, but a new version of an operating system every few years isn’t really necessary. Especially when so many users out there are perfectly willing to use an older one. Why not build on that one?
Here is a disclaimer: I have absolutely no reason to believe I know what I am talking about when it comes to the inner workings of software. I am merely stating simple observations.
So here is my question: Has anyone taken an in-depth look at Windows 7? From what I can tell, it looks a lot like other versions of Windows, with things arranged differently, along with some new icons. I am sure the developers over at Microsoft would like to slap me for saying that. I wouldn’t mind someone familiar with the system to comment.
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Friday, January 23rd, 2009
I do a lot of reading pretty much every day of my life. I run across so many things and sometimes some of these things are interesting.
I know I have mentioned some ideas for writing good blog posts in the past, but I want to share a great post I found on the topic just a few minutes ago. It’s called, “10 ways to get regular content for your website or blog.”
The article has some pretty good ideas in it to keep the ball rolling on your blog, as well as keeping your readers interested in what you are writing about. As we all know, that is very important.
PS – Actually, I was just reading a few more posts on this blog (Content Writing & Copywriting Blog) and I want to give big kudos (one of my corporate jargon words) to its author. There are tons of great ideas over there.
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Friday, January 23rd, 2009
Internet Population Passes One Billion; Top 15 Countries
The number of people on the Internet surpassed one billion in December, according to comScore. The actual number is probably higher than that (Internet World Stats counted nearly 1.5 billion Web surfers worldwide as of June 30, 2008). In any case, only between 15 and 22 percent of the world’s population is on the Internet. We have a long way to go.
Climate Change Killing America’s Trees at Ever Faster Rates
Trees in western North America are dying at faster and faster rates, and climate change is likely to blame. The mounting deaths could fundamentally transform Western forests because tree reproduction hasn’t increased to offset losses, according to a new study published Thursday in Science.
More Spaceflight Needed To Drive Evolution
There is fierce debate over the direction humanity should take when exploring the solar system. Plans for human exploration of the solar system and beyond often polarize opinions among the public and scientific communities.
Want to Live Longer? Cut the Pollution
Nobody pretends that polluted air isn’t terrible for your health. Clean up the skies over any dirty city and the people who live there will all but certainly become healthier. That, at least, has been popular wisdom, but until now, no one had ever put it to the statistical test. Now someone has and the results are striking.
Mars and Mercury Formed From Planetary Scraps
Mars and Mercury were formed from the scraps of Earth and Venus, according to a radical new theory of rocky planet formation. The model could explain some characteristics of Mars and Mercury that have long puzzled scientists, said Brad Hansen, an astronomer at the University of California, Los Angeles.
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Thursday, January 22nd, 2009
Obama wants to know: Why open source?
President Barack Obama is a smart guy. Where others zig, he zags. It’s perhaps not surprising, then, that he’s been asking around about the benefits of open source, according to Sun Chairman Scott McNealy, who has been asked by President Obama to author a white paper on the benefits the U.S. government can derive from open source.
10 Web Sites That Will Matter in 2009
You’ve probably never heard of many of them, but chances are you’ll be using some of these Web sites by the end of this year.
Obama inauguration marks new chapter for digital media
On March 4, 1901, a lone cameraman in the employ of Thomas A. Edison was dispatched to capture the swearing in of William McKinley. To posterity he delivered a total of 44 seconds of grainy footage showing a white-haired man on the Capitol steps solemnly, if indistinctly, raising his right hand.
Living free with Linux: 2 weeks without Windows
Can a dedicated Windows user make it for two weeks using only Linux? Preston Gralla tried it and lived to tell this tale.
10 Online Learning Tools for Students
Second semester has started and many students went back to college. If you are one of them check out this list of tools, it might help you with your studies. All applications are web based, simple to use and free.
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Thursday, January 22nd, 2009
I was just downstairs filling up the pellet stove, when I heard the sound a British police car makes on the television…I am not even going to try to write the way it sounds here. I turned to Laura and said, “Can you guess the movie I am thinking of right now that has that same noise in it?” She guessed “The Patriot.” She didn’t guess correctly. I have to give her biggity props for guessing so fast though. The movie I was thinking of was “Time Bandits.” The siren was at the end of the movie.
That got me thinking of all the neat movies I used to watch when I was a kid. While downstairs, I thought that I would come back up here and post a few of the trailers on my blog. I found two…the third (Time Bandits) didn’t have a good trailer. The entire movie is on YouTube, but no good trailers.
Here are the trailers to The Dark Crystal and The Neverending Story.
have you seen these movies? Aren’t they the coolest?
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Wednesday, January 21st, 2009
Did you hear about this story? If not, you can read it here.
Apparently, a woman stopped in the road to let a cow walk by. Instead of walking by, the cow decided to knock the woman off her bike and step on her legs.
Isn’t that terrible? Can you imagine standing on the side of the street and witnessing something like that? Personally, I steer clear of cows.
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Wednesday, January 21st, 2009
After I returned the humidifier yesterday, I had planned on picking up a little shop vac. I clean the pellet stove pretty regularly and am currently using the regular house vacuum cleaner to suck up all the stray ashes. I don’t think that’s a great idea, since ash is probably the world’s dirtiest thing. Well, ink is pretty dirty too. Okay, they are both dirty and both are fairly easy to make a serious mess with.
I walked around the Depot and couldn’t seem to locate the vacuum cleaners. I stopped to ask a guy who worked over near the floor tiles and he led me to a wall of various vacuums. I thanked him, walked over to the wall and took a look at what was available. Hmmm…I didn’t see any shop vacs.
I knew they were in the store, but figured that they were hidden over with the regular tools somewhere. After all, shop vacs aren’t really all that pretty and kind of deserve to be with the tools. They are more of a tool than a household appliance.
As I was making my way back to find what I was looking for, I came across a neatly situated aisle of air compressors. Now, I’ll tell you that I actually had two things on my list; a shop vac and an air compressor. I was going to get the shop vac because that would cost around $50, which is what the humidifier cost. My purchase would just cancel out the return. Simple algebra really.
I was going to walk right by the air compressors in an attempt to locate a Home Depot worker. I needed to find the shop vacs. I did almost get past the compressors, really I did. Then, I saw a little sign that said, “NEW LOWER PRICE – Was $149 – Now $89.99.” Wow, $89.99 didn’t really seem too bad for a nifty little Husky 6 gallon, 1.5 Hp, 135psi portable air compressor. I was forced to stop. I himmed and hawwed for a while and decided that it was in my best interest to get one of these cute little air compressors. I mean, there were about six of them in inventory and I knew that people were going to be running down the aisles soon to get one for themselves. I had to get one before they were all out.
I picked the box that I wanted. I usually go for the one way in the back because it’s not picked over by all the looky lous. I like a fresh box. I did notice that the package came with the compressor, an air hose and an attachment connector. I would need one of those joining connectors and a tire filler upper piece if I was going to be able to use the machine. I walked over and got the extra items. They were only a few bucks. I decided not to get the kit because that was around $20 and I didn’t feel that I needed all those extra pieces. I am a simple man with simple needs.
So, here are a few pics. Tell me what you think of her.
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Husky portable air compressor – 6 gallon, 1.5 hp, 135 max psi
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Husky air compressor control panel
Did anyone notice my new license plate? Thank you Photoshop.
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Tuesday, January 20th, 2009
Well, I returned the humidifier today. I knew it wouldn’t last. You know the one I am talking about…it’s over here.
So, with this return, I officially give up on humidifiers. No longer will I buy any more plastic/electronic junk. I am fed up with the products people are trying to sell these days. Half of the junk I buy, I have to return. It’s just not made like it used to be. Boy, I never thought I would sound like an old man.
Why did I return it? Well, I’ll tell you. It kept turning off. At times, if would run fine and give off all sorts of moisture into the air. It really worked great and I was a happy camper. At other times though, I would check on the humidifier after a while and find it off. Maybe there was some sort of sensor or something that was turning it off. Who knows…who cares. It’s Home Depot’s problem now, not mine.
It’s funny; as I was packing the humidifier up today in its box, there was a red stop sign shaped piece of paper. It read, “Don’t return this to the store you purchased it from. We can help. Please call our support line…blah, blah, blah.” Are they serious? Does this company really think I am going to spend time trying to troubleshoot some humidifier that’s less than a week old? Don’t think so fellers. Peace.
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Monday, January 19th, 2009
Hi there,
I just wanted to let you know that I have been jotting down ideas for some pretty great blog posts. The only problem is, I believe these are going to be those “long” ones. You know, the ones that take 6 hours to write.
I am fully aware of the winter slowdown with blogging. Trust me, it’s eating me up. I want to write just as much as you want to read (I hope). Unfortunately, these things take time. If they are going to be anywhere near worth reading, I need to get all psyched up for it.
Thank you for understanding and word to Big Bird,
Jay G.
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Sunday, January 18th, 2009
Since my last tennis post, my forehand has been getting better. It still doesn’t feel right though. It kind of feels like I switched hands and am now trying to learn lefty. I have to admit, I don’t think I’ll ever get it.
I have decided to go back to my natural “open stance forehand.” This is the way I have been playing for years, before attempting to learn this sideways stance forehand that I am having all sorts of trouble with.
I thought it might be a good idea to show you both tennis strokes here, so you know what I’m talking about.
First, take a look at this traditional forehand tennis stroke. Notice how the body turns and the left foot comes forward.
Now, take a look at what’s more natural for me. This is the open stance forehand. Notice how the body stays open and the right foot guides the body.
Now that’s what I’m talkin’ bout.
Just to let you know, tennis is one of those games where old habits die hard. There are a lot of new players using a more extreme Western grip and open stance forehand and getting tremendous results with them. The pros don’t like to teach that way of playing for some reason.
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