Shewbox.org

Why is it so hard to get video to play reliably in Linux? I download some old TV shows to watch and they end up getting way out of sync after a while.

If you are at a restaurant late, and everyone else leaves and you are the only one still there and the staff is resetting the place up for lunch the next day, wouldn’t you think you might feel just a LITTLE bit like you should probably leave? I know I am a server and I get paid to serve you food and all, but once you finish eating and your server is just sitting there reading a book waiting for you to go home so he can go home too, maybe that’s your clue to GO AWAY!

I want a nice big snow. None of this half inch and then melts in the afternoon crap. I want several inches of snow within a nice cold week so I can enjoy the wintery weather besides just being cold as hell when I ride my scooter to work. If I had to move from Miami back here, then why not get something nice in return?

Why do I get the feeling this is the start of something bad? And I still can’t figure out why the Japanese can buy a 100mbit fiber connection and we can’t seem to manage to sell 10 meg pipes without reverting to this type of thing. Somebody please fill me in? Please?

Having to try giving pills to Meow instead of a liquid (for her upper respiratory infection) is no fun. I always wrap her in this big green towel so she can’t get away as we attempt to pry open her mouth and shove a pill down her throat. It’s really not as terrible as it sounds, honest, but regardless it isn’t a whole heap o’ fun for her or us.

I miss not being in school (again)

Hamid brought in some sort of newer Palm device his boss at Super 8 is selling today.  It has a nice large screen and seems somewhat easy to navigate.  I couldn’t help but wonder though, who uses Palms any more?  They have been replaced by Blackberries and even Palm phones, and I don’t think that those that used to use Palms ten years ago have much use for them anymore.

It also got me thinking about mobile computing platforms in general.  I remember being completely obsessed with computers since we got our 286 so many years ago.  When we upgraded to a 486 when I was in 9th grade, I remember getting up early in the morning just to play around on it.  (and this was shortly before we bought internet access with our 14.4 modem)  The thing that was so great about playing with computers was that, even though we did use Windows, a proprietary system, there were many things about it that were open.  Now that so many people use smart phones so much, it makes me wonder if such an open system will ever be implemented on cell phones.  I really can’t do much of anything on my cell phone because the system is so incredibly locked down for the sole monetary benefit of the Sprint corporation.  I have a micro sd card filled with music, but I can’t use any of those .mp3s as ring tones because Sprint wants me to purchase ring tones from them.  I can’t change anything about my phone for that matter, and I don’t know of any cell phone that is even remotely open for hacking.  I have heard about phones with Linux on them from time to time but I have yet to see one in the wild.

It seems to me that the reason the internet and computing in general have been the success that have been is because they were built on open systems that allowed anyone the ability to do anything.  No one group or individual became extraordinarily rich solely on the success of the technology, but very many people have become rich by using the openness on which the system was built.   Compare this with my data plan on my cell phone.  If I were to even attempt to access this open network from my locked down Sprint phone, I would get charged something like $.10 per kilobyte!  And since I don’t want to pay extra for a package that includes unlimited text messages, I get to pay $.15 per text message, even if one were sent to me without my consent!  I don’t want to simply bitch about the insane pricing for sending digital messages on a closed system (although this obviously is insane), but it makes me wonder what interesting new technologies could be built if only people were given the chance to do so.   Perhaps in the short term the few big carries who are left would suffer for opening up their networks and unlocking their phones.  But in the long term, couldn’t an open system allow creativity to flow and new technologies to emerge?  Do I sound too much like a freedom loving hippie for wanting such things, or could such an open system actually encourage more people to make money based on new technologies that could emerge?  Is Google’s venturing into this space a reason to hope that this might happen?  Could open cell phones begin to emerge?  Or am I dreaming impossible dreams?

In the meantime I’ll just have to settle for using my phone for phone calls.  I’m not giving any of my hard earned money to Sprint just so I can view a really slow, user unfriendly version of the internet.  Keep trying to rip me off Spring, and I’ll be more than happy to keep my money to myself.

This piece suddenly started repeating itself in my head this morning. I wonder though, was it Wendy Carlos yet when this was done or was it Walter?

[audio:carlos.mp3]

Well not completely it isn’t, but it was 3f this morning, with a wind chill of around -13 so I suppose maybe it would be worth mentioning? But then again, probably not since everyone else around the country had exceptionally low temperatures today. It’s just that when you have to get to work either by riding a little Honda scooter or taking the bus, these types of things weigh more importantly in your mind than they would if you just got in your car as normal. Since my car was stolen in Miami a month and a half ago, I’ve really noticed how disconnected I can get from my environment when I drive places. Even when it is 3 outside, I just have to let my car idle for a bit longer and then I have a somewhat warm car to get into. It shelters you from your environment and encourages you to forget about the world around as you travel. Get in your car, adjust the temperature so it is comfortable, turn on some enjoyable music and forget about the passing scenery.

Things are completely different when I am on my scooter. The temperature of course is the first thing you notice, no matter if it is freezing cold or really hot. I also am very aware of the weather forecast if I am going to be taking it to work. Will it rain later today? There is nothing fun about being stuck at work and the only way home is to drive your little scooter back home in the pouring rain. Will it be too cold? Too windy? Is the road in good condition or are there slippery spots? A tiny ice patch may not be a big deal in a car, but on two narrow tires you have to be aware of these things. So when I’m driving my scooter I notice every little detail and pot hole in the road. Whereas I just stay between the lines in the car, I pay special attention to larger holes or puddles and the like when I’m on my scooter because hitting these things can be anywhere from unpleasant to dangerous.

So while I do wish I still had my car (and who would want to have lost $13k?), I guess I can say that I appreciate the weather a bit more than I did because it can make a big impact on how I get from point A to point B.