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Happy Ney Year

Happy New Year everyone, well, not really happy so far.
I feel sorry for all the poor bastards in the Indian ocean. The
death toll is over 124,000 now. Not a good start for the new
year. We still have the same chimp as chief as well, so that
does not bode well. I just hope he gets his ass in gear and
really gets something done. We are still in the hole in respect
to jobs overall, and manufacturing jobs are extremely lacking at
this point. We have the potential to be a great nation, or fail
badly. I hope this year is better than the last.

 

Posted by on January 2, 2005 in General Comments

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Ah, computers, aka money making machines for hucksters

Listening to the radio on the way to work inspired this entry.

I heard ad after ad about ‘geek squad’, Anti-virus software, and the new AOL which protects you from the all the bad guys.    Well, I just makes me chuckle how much money is made off of Mircosoft’s shoddy products.  I know why Linux is unsupported and slow to adopt in PC’s.  None of the software companies want to loose their revenue stream of fixing, essentially, broken products.  My Linux computer just zips along, working and working and working.  If it wasn’t for having to move, my  uptime would be in the the YEARS range.  That’s right, my computer has never crashed, EVER.  It has not locked up, slowed down due to adware, or really changed over time.  I don’t run a server, it is just a desktop machine, and that’s it.  I am connected to the internet 24-7 and I don’t have a single virus, adware, or hacker on board.  I have a modern, non-fragmenting file system.  That’s right kids, I never have to de-frag my hard drives.    I have a journalized file system, a real one, NOW.  Not like WinFS, which may never appear.  How much did the software cost me?  Nothing.  Is it legal? You betcha.  Can I just hand you a copy and not worry about copyright law?  Sure can, in fact they encourage it.  Is it perfect?  No, but it sure is fun to play with.  I do have security updates, which don’t require me to re-boot my machine.  Anything short of replacing the kernel does not require a reboot.  My software is updated often, and quickly as new vulnerabilities are found.    Well, all I can say is enjoy your buggy, slow, virus/ad/spyware ridden computers.

 

Posted by on December 14, 2004 in Linux

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Why are we so busy, and what is it doing to our children?

You see it all over the news, in books, and talking to people.  We are all way too busy in this day and age.  I don’t know we do it to ourselves.  A hundred years ago the American worker fought to have a 40 hour work week, and now we are volunteering for a 60 or 80 hours week.  I understand if you are underpaid, you need to work 2 jobs just to make ends meet, I have been there, but why do we fill our lives with so much?    People work 40 to 50 hours a week, followed by a long commute, the picking up the kids, going to night classes, etc. etc.  In the meantime, we have all forgotten how to make or appreciate home cooked meals and time with our children.  I may be old fashioned, but a parent should be at home for the formative years of a child’s life.

Things that we have lost:

Sitting down to a family meal together to discuss the day’s events.

Helping your children with homework.

Watching your infant become a child, a child becoming an adult.

Our sense of wonder.  When is the last time you looked at the stars or watched the beauty of nature in your own back yard?

Are our busy lifestyles really worth it?  I think we all need to slow down, and really think about what in important.  A little happiness goes a long way.
e all wonder why our children are turning into monsters.  It is because we fill our lives with bullsh*t all the time, and forget what matters.

 

Posted by on November 30, 2004 in Family

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Thanksgiving

We had a very nice Thanksgiving  The turkey turned out great, and everyone was happy.  I hope everyone gave thanks for all the little things that make life great, like a favorite book or piece of music.  I know there a lot of problems in the world, but it could be worse, and it could be better.  Let’s all work to make the world better.  We in the U.S. do very well, but we have to be sure to make sure we don’t loose our place in the world, or ignore the plight of suffering of others in the world.  Do something good this holiday season, no matter what belief system you have.

 

Posted by on November 28, 2004 in Family

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A more hopeful Dave

I am so sick of hearing about a ‘more hopeful America’ or signs of hope in the middle east/Isreal.  Quit hoping and start doing.  Hope gets you nowhere in the end.  Actions are what counts.  Stop talking about doing something, and actually do it.  That is what really irks me the most about Bush.  Big words and no actions.

 

Posted by on November 13, 2004 in Political

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