Microsoft has announced that Windows XP(tm) will no longer be available for most platforms and users after June 30th. This move makes sense for them, but it's not necessarily beneficial to their customers.
Luckily, there are options. ( Read more... )

Here are some pages I ran across today:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux_adoption - Who's using it, popular reasons
http://www.linux-watch.com/news/NS8124627492.html - Satire: five reasons not to use Linux
http://www-03.ibm.com/servers/eserver/linux/passport.swf - IBM marketing Flash in favor of Linux
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7034828.stm - Russia switches its schools to Linux

LJ's new snapshot feature is pretty neat, isn't it?

http://www.ferryhalim.com/orisinal/g3/cats.htm - Herding cats. A very classy game.

http://articles.tlug.jp/Windows_Is_Free - What can I say? WOW. This is an amazing article. The author makes an incredible number of excellent points. Even if you don't normally follow the links I post, you ought to view this one. It is quite interesting and informative. It's not very technical, so even if you're not technically inclined, you can get something out of it. You might even be able to impress your geek friends by talking about the points raised.

I've been doing some research for class, and here are some of the gems I've encountered.
It's about time I saw someone else saying these things. Most of the points in Nintendo's Wii Is the Best Product Ever are things I've been saying ever since I heard about the features of the Wii, and PS3, and the Xbox360.
That article had links to some others which I couldn't resist reading.
Yeah, I think I was right to avoid MySpace all these years... and for many of the same reasons mentioned here: MySpace, Second Life, and Twitter Are Doomed. I did not, however, predict what is predicted in the article. I just complained about it and stayed away.
Even though I could not care less if you paid me not to care, this article, iPhone to Flop...Then Fly is a pretty good read, and I think he's mostly right in his analysis. I disagree about the keypad issue, though. That will hold them back. Anyway, I don't really care if iPhone does well or poorly, because I'm not into multi-function phones. I want my phone to be a telephone and nothing or very little else. Text messaging is sort of useful, now that we have predictive entry.
Another news item is this one about Blockbuster video choosing Blu-Ray for its high definition rentals. As A Slipped Disc? explains, the war is not over, and since HD-DVD is more closely aligned with the computer world (while Blu-Ray has a good corner of Hollywood), HD-DVD may be the winner in the end. That's where I'd put a wager, if I had to. Computing and recording are more important than Hollywood releases.
Finally, Google is doing things that annoy me. Their maps service is the one thing I do use on their site (except when individual sites use Google for the backend of their site search page, but that doesn't really count. Anyway, this article suggests that Google Is Watching Us! An interesting read.
Well, i should probably get back to my assignment. I have more research to do.

Crimson Dark is an awesome Web comic. Read it from the beginning. Go. Go now. Read it!
http://www.davidcsimon.com/crimsondark/index.php

This is good for a laugh: http://www.slate.com/id/2085668/
i especially like his reply to comments, when he says, "My blog alternates between being the number 1 and number 2 result when you search on the word 'steven.' So Google is guessing on average that more people searching for Steven are looking for me than for Spielberg, Seagal, Soderbergh, etc. I'd like to flatter myself and think this is true, but alas I think it's pretty unlikely."
He makes some great points about the holes in Google's ranking philosophy.


In other news, I got two HO model locomotives out of layaway today and went to a train show. I found some numeral decals I think will work well for my rolling stock. Now, if I can just get the power system sorted out (I'm planning to run custom controls on DC, so it'll be a little bit of work to get everything just so), I'll be good to go. I got some tips today. It's mostly a matter of finding time to build the benches and getting the electronic bits together, but I'm happy to have these new additions to my collection. :)

Essay: On Unix Command Lines and Pianos.
I was inspired in an idea for a comic by this essay. Here's the idea:
A man is talking to a computer user, who is complaining that he can't figure out how to use the command line. The user's problem is largely that he doesn't spell things correctly and hasn't taken the time to study the manual for the programs he's trying to run.
The other man thinks back to when he was young and had a piano teacher. He banged on the keys and complained that he did not make good music. The teacher responds that he has not practiced and read the sheet music.
He tells the user something similar or identical... that he needs to study what he's trying to do and practice hitting the right keys.

Really, when you come right down to it, the type of interface is not important. What's important is the individual program. I've seen (and for years used) many, many command line programs that have had good interfaces and been easy to use. And I've seen countless GUI programs that have had confusing and poorly-designed interfaces. The graphical interface is not inherently more usable, and I think that's something a lot of people forget.

But on top of that, the analogy of a piano (or I might suggest a violin) is a good one for the command line interface. While the interfaces could be made easier to use, doing so to the point that a total novice could sit down and immediately begin doing complicated things would necessarily degrade the flexibility and power of the original model. I truly wouldn't want to be able to sit down at a piano and with the press of one key, play Chopin. It would take away from the meaning of the music if I could. In the same way, doing away with the CLI (as some suggest) would degrade the flexibility and power of the systems I've learned how to use.
I think the author of the linked essay has made some very good points about the trade-offs in trying to make all user interfaces usable to novices.

I think there are some things that users should have to simply swallow their pride and study before using.

http://www.boltcity.com/copper/copper_026_signals.htm
The thing about this comic that strikes me most strongly is how it relates to human friendships.
Very often, we look around ourselves and wait and listen, hoping someone will send us some signal. At the same time, others are waiting for us to send signals to them. This is partly human nature, this unwillingness to risk rejection. But it has been exacerbated by the viciousness with which some people have lashed out at those who make clumsy attempts at connections.
Either way, we do tend to listen for signals more than we transmit conscious, friendly signals that others might hear. And so, we sit in our little shacks and listen for signals amid the hiss, but we hear nothing, because everyone else is listening, too.
Let others know you're there, that you want to make contact, that you are listening, too.
Send out some signals.
.- .-. . -.-- --- ..- --- ..- - - .... . .-. . .. .- -- .... . .-. .

Ran across a website today called Worse Than Failure. It chronicles some of the more graceless failures of technology or management. Things that would be better if the technology had simply gone belly up. Things like this, which had me laughing out loud: http://worsethanfailure.com/Comments/Poor-Mr-Gookin.aspx and this one, that simply had me saying "No! No! No!" over and over again: http://worsethanfailure.com/Articles/Mounting_and_Screwing.aspx

I'll take this opportunity to thank all of you who've been praying for me. In spite of being snappy and motivated only in fits, I did manage to get my profile article done Tuesday night. I wasn't very pleased with it, but I did get it done. And I have a rewrite for that article, so maybe I can pull it into better shape the second time around.
I had a very bad day Wednesday. I went to the local city library, and not only did they have no periodicals archives, they didn't know how to access the electronic periodical databases they had. At least, they didn't tell me when I tried to get something.
Really, people! When you take something away because you think you are providing something better, make sure everyone knows how to use it properly so your patrons won't be frustrated and think your building is a waste of real estate.
So, I was so frustrated (I'd wasted an hour I didn't have to waste) I stormed out and forgot my notebook (but it turned out okay, because I had someone go pick it up). After grabbing a quick bite, I headed for Niceville, where a friend of mine is a research librarian who knows what's what and which end of the box goes up was waiting with some articles and a working database system.
But as I was waiting for the turn signal at the corner, an accident happened right in front of me. I only saw the last second of it. Basically knew they were going to collide and hoped they wouldn't, but they did. So, I pulled to the side and called 911. They'd gotten several calls about the accident, and the operator connected me with law enforcement, to whom I explained that I had been waiting for the light and wasn't paying attention, so I didn't know what had happened. They said I didn't need to stay at the site, which is good, because I was shaking and still needed to go do things. But if they had said to, or if I'd known what happened, I would have stayed.
So, after doing some research at a real library, I went to the campus and tried to relax, printed out my profile, and proofed someone else's. I was feeling pretty mellow by this time, which surprised me, but I guess it was your prayers.
This morning, I got up, decided I wasn't going to get anything done at home, and went to class. After class, I sat down, mildly panicked on the back burner, and started piecing together citations and pulling stuff out of my rear end so I'd have something to turn in for my Econ paper. It came out better than I'd hoped, and I had the required length before I realized it. I just wanted something to turn in, figuring with the test grades I have and the expectation of a good final, I didn't need more than a 50% on the paper to earn a passing grade. This being a class not in my major, and my having dropped the minor option in favor of an area of concentration (using existing credits), I no longer have a strong reason to care about this class other than one of three credits I need to fill the 15sh requirement.
Wow, I didn't start out to write this much!

Anyway, on to the addiction.
I think I am getting addicted to this tagging (and social bookmarking) site, del.icio.us. Click the name to see my tags. I've gone overboard with posting my bookmarks and with snagging links posted by others. You could probably spend a whole day just visiting sites linked from there, if you could stand being at your computer for that long.
In any case, I think you might find the site useful for finding interesting links related to a topic of your choice. for instance, you can find procedures for reaching a human on customer support lines, fables about organization, and insight into how car dealerships work so you won't get ripped off when you buy your next car.
God bless you. Have a great weekend. I may not be on much, because I have another major profile due Monday. I need to be sure I do that on Saturday.

This is an amazing speech. I had never thought of this concept, but it makes a TON of sense. Watch it!
How modern Liberals think.

Well, I finally figured out what that website is all about and got myself an account there. Delicious is a bookmark collecting/sharing/tagging site. My bookmarks can be found at http://del.icio.us/skreyola
Hopefully, I will do better at adding to this one than I did to whatever that other bookmark sharing site was I ran across somewhere along the line. Anyway, if you're interested in the sites I visit regularly, check out my list there.

Do any of you have lists there?

I found a cool webcomic and thought I'd give my loyal readers a heads-up.

Emma is the story of a struggling violinist who meets a struggling restaurant owner. It's hard to tell just how their relationship will go, but the storyline is good and the art is exceptional. Please visit the comic and see for yourself.

Emma

The Christmas Price Index - See how the cost of the gifts in the song has changed over the years. This is a cute page.
If you have about 75 grand, you can give your true love the 12 days of Christmas for real this year. (Price without repetitions is substantially lower, of course, hehe.)
Enjoy it!

Stolen from welfy:
"Finnish artists Tellervo Kalleinen and Oliver Kochta-Kalleinen collected the pet peeves and angst-ridden pleas of people in Helsinki and then composed this choral work around the list of complaints."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATXV3DzKv68&mode
Take a look. It's pretty, and you just might relate to some of the lyrics. The music when they're talking about ringtones is eerily familiar, and the part with the guy on the loudspeaker is very funny. Give it a listen. :)

I found this while looking at some old entries:
"Perhaps God was telling me that if I want to tell His stories and speak His message, I can't get upset when I hear no response.
Besides, just because I don't see something doesn't mean it's not there."
I think that's right, and I think I need to work on being more self-sufficient in my writing habits. I want to write, but I struggle with writing because it often seems as though no one is waiting for me to finish. I need to work on that.

3 days!

http://crave.cnet.co.uk/peripherals/0,39029462,49283728,00.htm?r=2 - USB NiMH battery
http://physorg.com/news80654153.html - Virtual News Anchor
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-6130266.html - Government Technology
http://www.mobilityguru.com/2006/10/24/how_to_speed_up_your_snail-slow_notebook_computer/ - Speeding up slow cpu hardware

Go here right now: http://npc.comicgenesis.com/d/20061108.html - An excellent point about christianity and society.

I had a weird dream this morning.
I was travelling to my grandmother's house, and I stopped over somewhere to visit some people, I can't remember whom. As I was walking toward their house from down the street, I was met by these large cat/dog -like animals. Seeing that they were mean, I decided the best way to get past them was to make myself look bigger.
I'm six feet tall, so this shouldn't be difficult, but I'm also fairly thin and don't have hair to puff up, but I waved my arms and made growling noises, and they seemed to fear me, and they gave me a wide berth.
But when I'd passed them and didn't pursue them, one of them became bold and approached me. My growling was not working, and the increase in my pace was cueing them that I feared them more than they me. Two of them bit me before I could make it into a door. There, a strange couple who remind me of the T___s was both unsympathetic to the situation outside and sympathetic to my injuries.
They forced on me some sort of viscous liquid in a bag, which I was supposed to apply somehow.
I saw out the window that some people had leashed the large animals and were walking them, so I decided to make my escape. But one normal size cat wouldn't stop pestering me. I was a little bit helpless because I couldn't bring myself to hurt a cat, but it was approaching with the same viciousness as the larger beasts.
Then my alarm went off, which is just as well, because I couldn't get back to my vehicle.

Some time back, I asked for questions you wanted me to cover in my journal. I'm going to answer another one now. Sorry it took so long.
4. Is George W. Bush a good Christian?

A lot of people are very happy or very upset with President Bush. In truth, I am not in any position to judge the quality of President Bush's relationship with Jesus Christ. I don't see his daily walk, so I'm not really in a position to judge his fruit, either.
I think he has done some good things while in office, and I think he has presided over some things that shouldn't have been done. But I can't say one way or the other whether President Bush is a good Christian or not. All I can do is give him the benefit of the doubt, as I do for all people I don't know who claim to be Christians.
I don't think President Bush has done anything that would make me think he was lying about his faith.
That being said, I should mention that Jesus said there is no one good, not one, except God.

I am still in the midst of a lip bloom. The one corner is still somewhat active, and a new spot emerged, but the other spot and the other corner seem to be recovered.

I'm having trouble catching up on sleep. It gets harder every night to stop talking to my girlfriend. We have grown close very quickly. I believe this is because we have not spent the first few weeks of our relationship posturing and hiding behind masks. We've been very open and honest with each other. I was not the one who first articulated this. She did. One of the things I love about her is that she is insightful. She's able to keep up with me intellectually. That isn't to say that I didn't expect her to be able to.
I try to be humble, but let's face it. I'm not an ordinary man with average intelligence. Finding people who play at my level is not an everyday occurance for me. That's part of the reason my friend list is so small. My friends are uncommon people.
My heart yearns to be closer to my girlfriend. And that yearning gets stronger with each passing day. From this point, one of two things must happen. Either I will marry this wonderful woman, or we will part ways for the rest of our lives. We are so closely matched that there is no way I could be friends with her while married to another woman. This is new for me. I could be friends with all of my ex-girlfriends and former romantic interests. Some of them are still my friends. Our relationships are such that being friends is not dangerous.
I deeply love my princess. And I wish I didn't need sleep to be healthy. We start to say our goodnights, and then we're off on another discussion. Last night, I started my goodnight at least three times. Two wills within my breast war over when the night will end.

I'm quite surprised that no one has commented on my essay about roles. I thought it would generate a firestorm.

If there is anything you'd like me to discuss in detail in my journal, leave me a comment.

Melody Hound - A search engine for music.

In my opinion, Scientology is a cult you should avoid. Following the preceding link will help you learn more.