The iPod (and other voices) in my head

I am now working on a large university campus and am amazed by the students with iPod buds hanging from their heads.  There’s nothing like carrying your soundtrack along with you! I have to admit that now I feel a bit more comfortable wearing my (non-iPod) mp3 player.  My little secret however is that I am not listening to tunes, but instead another wonderful outcrop of the iPod phenomenon – the podcast.  I can download podcasts from a myriad of places and listen to them at my leisure.

These devices have made me come to realize that there is almost always a tune in my head.  Quite frankly, an mp3 player gets in the way of my internal soundtrack if for no other reason, the shear capacity and fast shuttling that occurs in my inner-iPod.  I wonder if an external device like the iPod will reduce my internal song inventory.  I’ve posted before about how online maps (and autoflush toilets) may be inhibiting our abilities.  (the Luddite inside me?).

LCG

The FUN = (getting there)/X

They say that getting there is half the fun. Can we solve for the other half?  I think getting there and knowing how to get there are inseparable assuming one is not ramblin and is instead the type who Never Did No Wandrin’. Typically that means utilizing MapQuest or Google Maps or one of those fancy GPS navigational appliances.

I was prompted to write this post because of a recent trip to speak at a round table.  I had dutifully printed off my web directions before checking my notes and jumping in the car to make the estimated 2-hour drive.  It wasn’t until I was a quarter way there that I noticed that the printed directions were not in the pile of papers I had grabbed.  Arrgh! What would I do?

I stopped at a station to fill up and used the restroom and noticed the automatic features of virtually everything I used in the restroom.  These devices sensed my needs and responded in kind.  Wow! Some day we will forget how to turn on a faucet or flush a toilet I thought as I walked back out to the car.  As the door opened, I saw the maps in the side of the door and thought to myself “… or how to read a map.”

Yes, the answer was riding along with me.  I could look at the address and find it on a map, which I did and it was quite refreshing while at the same time giving me a better sense of the surrounding area.

LCG

outside the box

I’m quite excited to share a new service called Box.net which allows storage of files on the web along with many other features.  This idea is not new, but the exectution by Box.net is quite easy to use (including a drag-and-drop function).  I became interested in the service when I read that gOS and the Evergreen computer were now integrated with Box.net to allow storage on the net instead of on a local harddrive.

LCG

The grass is always 00FF00er.

Spring! Trees budding, lots of rain, birds singing. Time to turn to yard maintenance as well, which for me isn’t much, but for many is quite the ritual and often an expensive one at that. I wanted to blog about something lawn-related, but wondered how it fit into my technology angle – I think I got it.

I usually walk to work and have noticed a few prime properties whose grass appears eerily green. It seemed strange that the grass was so green so early in the spring, but on closer examination, I realized that the lawn was simply spray-painted green. Hmmmm. A little research and I found that this is a common practice with certain lawn care companies. They add coloring to their chemical spray for cosmetic reasons. No offence to anyone who pays for this type of service or does this for a living, but it really just looks silly.

Sometimes, we see the same thing with technology… spray painting a web site Web2.0, but not having it really be fundamentally changed, ignoring the true, organic nature of web2.0.

LCG

Hotmail not so hot.

Patrons were very upset today because of problems logging into Hotmail. I tried to assure them that it was not anything to do with our computers or network, though many still think we control all aspects of the Internet. (Including being able to tell them their forgotten password.) Turns out the problem was pretty widespread according to this article.

The saga continues with another interesting post from the Register : Steve Balmer lies to my mother.

LCG

Taxing resources

For some, their single annual visit to a public library is to get their necessary tax forms.

In Oklahoma, public libraries have an added burden this year. The Oklahoma Tax Commission is NOT sending any forms to public libraries as they have in the past. Instead they are instructing libraries to point patrons to the website where they can print out the necessary forms. Our policy is to charge for printing, so when we tell patrons that we can help them print out forms, but it will cost them, they are understandably upset This is definitely a cost saver for the OTC, but I would love to channel the anger directed at the lowly librarian for this state decision back to the source of the decision.

This year also has a fun twist on the I.R.S. side. The economic stimulus package requires certain individuals to fill out a tax form even if they aren’t required to normally. This, to get their (reduced amount of) $300.00. Most people will not have to do anything to get the rebate… just file their taxes as normal and the rebate will be issued, but there are special circumstances which require specific action:

The law also allows for payments for select taxpayers who have no tax liability, such as low-income workers or those who receive Social Security benefits or veterans’ disability compensation, pension or survivors’ benefits received from the Department of Veterans Affairs in 2007. These taxpayers will be eligible to receive a payment of $300 ($600 on a joint return) if they had at least $3,000 of qualifying income.

Essentially, these individuals must file a tax return. There is even this nice sample of how to fill out the tax form.

Another growing tax season ritual for the libraries is helping patrons print off their W-2 forms. A large number of employers now offer W-2s online as a “convenience” for their employees. This service is pushed out to the libraries where a large percentage of the working poor have the only Internet access available to them. Likewise, many companies now require job applicants to use web-based methods of applying and many of those people use the public library.

It is interesting to watch this changing role of libraries to adjust our resources to needs like these –  pushed off onto the Internet for convenience.

LCG

Standard practice

NetFlix announced that they will switch exclusively to Blu-Ray technology. .. another indication that the format war is over and that Sony is the victor unlike the last big video format war between VHS and Betamax. Sony lost that war and it is still a matter of debate why the superior Betamax format lost out to VHS. Of course, both formats are irrelevant now. The article linked above suggests one reason for the demise of Betamax was pornography was not available on that format.

The last format war was largely decided by consumers purchasing machines, but this time it was largely decided by the movie studios. In either case consumers lose… those who invest in a particular technology and end up with an expensive door stop. This effect may be mitigated now that BestBuy will pushes blu-ray in stores. Other industries are weighing in as well: This piece is about a line of makeup called Blu-ray for makeup artists dealing with the needs of high definition.

Some pundits laud capitalism’s ability to have a democratic effect allowing for the best products and companies to survive, but what we often have is powerful players and back room negotiations (ohh, mights see this at the Democratic convention as well) like those seen with Microsoft’s wrangling to get OOXML approved as an international. These particular back room shenanigans are being investigated by the EU.

Open, transparent processes would serve the public the best (in politics as well), but that is *not* our standard practice.

Here’s a wiki on how to convert your HD DVDs to Blu-ray.

LCG

Give 1, Get 1 starts November 12.

OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) will begin taking orders for the xo laptop starting on November 12 with a nice twist: You pay for two (around $400), one is shipped to you and the other to a needy child in a third world country.

Another interesting news item: EA donates SimCity to OLPC.

I still have mixed feelings about this project, but am increasingly persuaded that it is a good idea to insure that this technology is available. It is really quite amazing that OLPC has been able to create a durable, functional laptop computer though a bit over the original $100 per mark. One major aspect of this being the dependence on OSS and the creation of a unique OS called sugar. The modified RedHat Linux is really quite amazing. You can try it out yourself by downloading the live ISO. As I mentioned in a previous post the OS is really important on a low-end system, and GNU/Linux does this well. This is the same with the Nigerian decisions to purchase Intel Classmate PCs with Mandriva Linux installed instead of Windows. This, despite some last-minute meddling from Microsoft. Add to the ability to run on low-end resources, the ability to customize the Linux OS depending on the use and you have a uniquely pliable system that can fit many uses.

LCG

$199 Green PC (or is it the Google PC?)

How is Walmart able to sell a $199 PC ? I mentioned this briefly in a previous blog. This is a very low end machine, of course (and you will note the monitor is not included)

Hardware Specifications
1.5GHz, VIA C7®-D Processor, 512MB DDR2 533MHz, SDRAM, 80GB Hard Disk Drive, DVD-ROM/D-RW Optical Drive, VIA UniChrome Pro IGP Graphics, Realtek 6-Channel Audio, (1) 10/100 Ethernet Port, (1) DB 15-Pin VGA Port, (6) USB 2.0 Ports, (1) RJ-11 Port, (1) Headphone/Line-Out Port, (2) Microphone/Line-In Ports, (1) Serial Port, (1) Parallel Port, (1) Keyboard, (1) Mouse, (1) Set of Amplified Stereo Speakers

 

It’s really about the OS

Lower level hardware (though this is a respectable system) does help account for the low price , but a good deal of the savings is in the use of a GNU/Linux OS rather than an MS Windows based OS for two reasons.

1. The price would increase 50% (or more) with a Windows OS license.
2. Windows XP would barely run on this low-end system and forget about Windows Vista – it would crawl. It is the OS that really makes this system possible:

 

This $199 PC manufactured by Everex utilizes the gOS (pictured above). (You can even download it yourself and try it .) This is a customized OS based on Ubuntu which uses the enlightenment windows manager. This creates an OS that is lean, fast and designed to run without using a great deal of resources. And speaking of resources, this computer uses less of them from (from the Everex site):

Green

Imagine a computer that averages just 2 Watts of power consumption and operates at a whisper quiet 28dB.

Wow, a Green PC that saves you some green.

Another noteworthy mention is that for this price you also get most of the productivity tools (word processor, spreadsheet, presentation, image editing software etc.) you would have to pay extra for, plus you do not have the added expense of anti-virus and anti-spyware software (nor the time spent fighting these nasty threats.) Check out the user reviews on the Walmart site for some interesting comments.

Update: here’s a great review of gOS .

I downloaded the live iso and played with it a bit and it is definitely Google-centric with links to virtually every Google web-based service out there. It really is quite smooth. I was really impressed that it was as fast as it was running from the cd. This is definitely a very easy interface, one well suited for someone unfamiliar with computers because it is so clear and easy to use.

One comment about the size of the case should be attributed:

Even at the low end, however, image is everything. The gPC is built using tiny components, but put inside a full-size case because research indicates that Wal-Mart shoppers are so unsophisticated they equate physical size with capability.

This from a wired blog.

LCG

March of the penguins.

I’ve been interested in OSS and GNU/Linux for many years and wondered (as well as read) often “Is this the year for Linux?” I do think there is a tipping point and we may be quite near it, a quiet momentum that will tip the balance from a proprietary to an OSS world.

I’ve been running dual booting systems for several years now, but Ubuntu has become my preferred OS. I have no desire to switch to Vista. In fact, it seems Vista may be a force contributing to the tipping point. Rupert Goodwins of ZD net UK writes quite nicely about his preference of Ubuntu to Windows:

So here’s the funny thing. I’ve used Windows since 1.0. I’ve lived through the bad times of Windows/386 and ME, and the good times of NT 3.51 and 2K. I know XP if not backwards, then with a degree of familiarity that only middle-aged co-dependents can afford each other. Along the way, I’ve dallied with many other operating systems on many other platforms – but never with Unix and only lately with Linux.

Then how come I’m so much more at home with Ubuntu than Vista? It boils down to one abiding impression: Ubuntu goes out of its way to get out of your way, even if it doesn’t succeed all the time. Vista goes out of its way to be Vista and enforce the Vista way. You must conform regardless of the implications.

But, the real change will come with the mass marketing of GNU/Linux machines. Dell has already started selling systems, and HP and Lenovo(IBM) are following this lead. In fact, HP is a big player in the OSS movement* winning the hearts and dollars of many in OSS movement by providing Linux drivers for their hardware. And here is a fulcrum point of the tipping – hardware support. We live in a world where hardware is made to work with Window and does so with proprietary drivers. When this changes, acceptance of GNU/Linux will grow. Again, new incarnations of Windows which don’t support hardware (esp. the case with Vista) adds weight. Linux actually supports more devices than any other OS and many of those were reverse engineered by those in the community. Big OEM like Dell will force manufacturers to write drivers for Linux.

Recent news:

The release of the eeePC from Asus (a sub $400 mini laptop running GNU/Linux)

Walmart will start selling a a $198.00 desktop from Everex running GNU/Linux.

Google may announce on Monday a linux based mobile phone.

*IBM is also a big player in the OSS movement and has contributed greatly.
LCG