Commentary for June 6th, 2003.
The future of computing.
Right now I am plunking at my Zaurus, writing on my free time a work, thinking about how far computers have come. I am not even thirty yet, but I have seen the evolution of computers from eight bit machines with 64K of RAM, to the beasts you can get now that are 3000 times faster, with 4000 times more memory. Yet, the irony is that today’s machines don’t do all that much more productive work that than the computers of my childhood. We still use most of our computing time to create paper, documents, play games, and a few other basic tasks.I think the computer industry needs to step back and re-evaluate what people really need.
Cheap, reliable, easy to use computers to do the mundane tasks that computers have always done with a few of the extras needed to make the computer more fun.A case in point are my in-laws. My wife and I build our own computers, so when they needed a computer, we built them one. Sadly, we actually lost money just in the parts, not to mention providing lifetime technical support. It cost too much for us to build, and the ‘lowest’ machine you can build now is till about 10 times more computer than they will ever need.We need a $200, easy to use computer. They don’t make it.Why?
1) There is little profit in selling a $200 computer (Just ask Handspring and e-machines about that).
2) The cost of Windows licensing with useful applications is much more than the computer is worth.
The closest thing we have to the perfect machine are the Linux loaded machines at Walmart. It avoids the problems of licensing, and any low markup or loss can easily be absorbed by Walmart.
Can they make 200 computers and make a profit? Sure they can, if they put older, but more robust parts inside. Who needs 2Ghz to write an e-mail? Build a 800Mhz machine, with integrated everything, and you can do it. If I had the capital, I would do it right now, a computer for the masses. Everyone deserves a computer of their own, and they should not have to rely on the questionable handouts from a company that shall remain nameless. It won’t solve world hunger, but it will go a long way to computing equality.
That is all,
David N.
Lies, Damn Lies, and George W.
Looking at the various news sites on the internet, and the daily newspaper, it is becoming pretty self evident that the Teflon administration may have gotten a stain. The oft touted ‘weapons of mass destruction’ in Iraq are nothing more than a marketing ploy.
To be honest, I thought it was all a big lie from the beginning. The very fuzzy satellite photos, obviously hand draw and doctored photos of unmanned aerial vehicles and weapons trucks didn’t convince me and they didn’t convince the UN. Working in the aerospace industry, I know how hard it is to create an unmanned vehicle that can travel any appreciable distance, no less half a world away. It was less than a year go that the United States could build a vehicle capable of this! How do they expect the Iraqis, who must be at least 30-50 years behind us, aerospace technologically speaking, be able to construct something that could come close to harming the United States. It was a farce then, it is a farce now. The satellite photos shown to us could of been anything. They looked like a worn down truck depot to me. At least with the Cuban missile crisis, it LOOKED LIKE they were building missile emplacements.
Now, to the meat of the problem: They can’t find A SINGLE WEAPON DESCRIBED TO BE AN IMMEDIATE THREAT TO THE UNITED STATES!
No one, single gram of anthrax, not a single vial of smallpox, not an ounce of Sarin. Nothing, nada, ZERO. What does this mean? For a country that was supposedly overflowing with these weapons, and just rearing to attack the U.S. it seems a little odd we have found nothing. There are 2 possibilities:
1) We have not found the small quantities they still have, and intelligence was wrong in assessing the capabilities of Iraq or…
2) There never were any of these ‘weapons of mass destruction’ still in Iraq. This indicates either a severe failure of American intelligence, or LIES were told to us by the administration.
If we were lied to, that means we attacked a sovereign nation, without provocation, and killed thousands of people with no justification. It is an impeachable offense, and can be tried under international law. It makes the U.S. no better than Germany in 1938 or Japan in 1941.
It only adds to my disgust of this administration if it true. I hope it is not, but it doesn’t look good now.
Posted by admin on June 9, 2003 in General Comments, Political
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