Sunday, July 13, 2008
Make?
A Blog: Automatic cat faucet
So why didn't I think of this? Maybe I'm not really awake when Boo uses our sink for an early morning drink.
So why didn't I think of this? Maybe I'm not really awake when Boo uses our sink for an early morning drink.
Moo?
What’s that noise? Apparently, the single cow that grazes in the pasture just behind us has become lonely overnight. As soon as I turned on a small light, she began to call to me. Quite loudly. Who else could she be calling? No one else is up and about this Sunday AM. Well, I don’t speak ‘cow’ so I will have to do my best to ignore her.
It’s not quite light yet, but I can already see that we’re going to have another gray/brown day of smoke filled skies. The forecast tells us that we have another week of the same conditions ahead of us. We’ve seen this for what? A month? 6 weeks? Longer? This year will be remembered for the ‘summer that wasn’t’.
Do I want to look at the news this morning? Nah! Just a quick glance and that tells me that most of us are still here this morning. No disasters. Maybe I’ll look later.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Rangel
Calls Rent Bargain Legal and Fair - NYTimes.com:
“I didn’t see anything unfair about it,” he said at a news conference he convened at the apartment complex, on 135th Street between Lenox and Fifth Avenues. “I didn’t even know it was a deal.”
I get it...his defense is that he's out of touch with reality. A common enough failing among politicians. Let's give the poor guy a break. He just can't help himself.
“I didn’t see anything unfair about it,” he said at a news conference he convened at the apartment complex, on 135th Street between Lenox and Fifth Avenues. “I didn’t even know it was a deal.”
I get it...his defense is that he's out of touch with reality. A common enough failing among politicians. Let's give the poor guy a break. He just can't help himself.
Wheee!
Sure, it’s a Saturday and I should be sleeping in, but my internal clock tells me to wake up and make the coffee and so I have. Rewarding. And there is already some good news for the day ahead; Wall Street is closed for the weekend. We won’t be trashed, financially, today. Monday, yes – today, no.
Boo, the cat, is in one of her rare moods. Playful as a kitten! She wants me down on the floor with her and so I obey. It also helps my hip pain if I get down and stretch, so I call it cat therapy. And speaking of therapy, as I was; Wiihabilitation is big news in physical therapy circles. I’m going to suggest to the board of directors that the Glenn County Seniors Centers invest in a Wii for the
A Wii and Wii Fit are already part of our plans for the day when we buy a new television. Since we don’t watch television and only use it for movies, it would make sense to buy a fairly large screen and Wii works/looks best with a large screen. For a real treat, you can buy one of those older rear projection screen TV’s (used) pretty cheap. (Craigslist) They have huge screens and since Wii doesn’t use high definition graphics, the picture quality is just fine.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Health Care
Canada O Canada,
Health Care Myths from the Great White North
Well written and informative, from someone who lives here and there and can speak from experience. (What a concept!)
I'm linking this here because I heard the myth repeated the other day.
Health Care Myths from the Great White North
Well written and informative, from someone who lives here and there and can speak from experience. (What a concept!)
I'm linking this here because I heard the myth repeated the other day.
Wrong? I don't think so...
I may be wrong, but I have a feeling that it’s going to be a dangerous time in the months ahead for any incumbent elected official facing a challenge. Anyone, absolutely anyone running on a platform of ‘change’ has the full attention of the electorate. No matter our political preferences; after a week of watching our retirement funds go down the drain and our SSI go into our gas tanks, we want to punish someone! Lots of ‘someones’!
Charlie Rangel -
and the Google News
If true, and I believe it is...the man needs to be removed from office. Gone. Fired. Canned. Booted. He has violated the public trust. And it needs to happen at every level of government. From president to mayor. We really need a full time 'independent prosecutor' for every branch of government. It would be money well spent. We obviously cannot trust our elected officials to police themselves.
(I know, I'm just ranting for the sake of ranting... it feels good for a moment or two.)
If true, and I believe it is...the man needs to be removed from office. Gone. Fired. Canned. Booted. He has violated the public trust. And it needs to happen at every level of government. From president to mayor. We really need a full time 'independent prosecutor' for every branch of government. It would be money well spent. We obviously cannot trust our elected officials to police themselves.
(I know, I'm just ranting for the sake of ranting... it feels good for a moment or two.)
Hacking
The smoke was incredible yesterday. Socked in. Remember camping and whenever you got close to the campfire, the smoke always seemed to blow in your direction? Well that was it; thick and filled with ash. And no escape.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Fuel-saving
flight plans -
Sounds good; now if only they could get the FAA to approve GPS for the pilots to use while they are on the ground. From what I've read, the pilots must depend on the tower to tell them where they are while using the taxiways. That GPS unit you have for your car is better than what they have...which is nothing.
Sounds good; now if only they could get the FAA to approve GPS for the pilots to use while they are on the ground. From what I've read, the pilots must depend on the tower to tell them where they are while using the taxiways. That GPS unit you have for your car is better than what they have...which is nothing.
Extravagant Pensions
Are Killing General Motors - Op-Ed - NYTimes.com
Just as they should. Actions should have consequences.
Just as they should. Actions should have consequences.
Bloomberg
All about Karl
What's the matter Karl? Afraid you might have to tell the truth, the whole truth...etc, etc? It never bothered you before...
Would someone please arrest this guy?
What's the matter Karl? Afraid you might have to tell the truth, the whole truth...etc, etc? It never bothered you before...
Would someone please arrest this guy?
Democrats
take Obama shift in stride - Los Angeles Times
I'm not taking it in stride... the man is just another political animal; a bozo. And once again I'm without a candidate. Yes, I'll vote for him because he's not McBush. Sad.
I'm not taking it in stride... the man is just another political animal; a bozo. And once again I'm without a candidate. Yes, I'll vote for him because he's not McBush. Sad.
Keeps on burning
Okay, it looks like I was right; the skies are still very smoky. And I have to wonder what this will cost the taxpayers? Scary! It seems like the fires have been burning forever.
And that makes me wonder about those ‘conservatives’ that see a socialist scheme behind everything. Yes, they are right; firefighters, school teachers, policemen…it’s all socialism!
California
mandates testing every eighth-grader in algebra -- ready or not
Fact. Personality Types determine whether or not you will understand algebra as it is taught to a classroom. Not 'brain power'. Until that is understood, you will have failures...
"I don't think I was prepared. I think they just, like, pushed me into algebra. . . . Math was like a different language I never understood. I felt hopeless."
Exactly. But the 'state' must be served.
Fact. Personality Types determine whether or not you will understand algebra as it is taught to a classroom. Not 'brain power'. Until that is understood, you will have failures...
"I don't think I was prepared. I think they just, like, pushed me into algebra. . . . Math was like a different language I never understood. I felt hopeless."
Exactly. But the 'state' must be served.
Power to the People
According to the weather report, if it weren’t so darn dark outside at this early hour, we would still be seeing smoky skies. And the smoke will be accompanied by more heat. That’s the good news. The bad news is the high winds that are expected tonight and tomorrow.
Okay, back to the subject of eccentricity. What did I mean by that? What’s eccentric? The short answer is that it’s doing the unexpected. For each of us, it will be something different, but no matter what it is, it should make your friends and family say, “That’s not at all like (insert your name here) to do something like that!” It’s no longer being taken for granted. We’re elders…we deserve it.
Think about it. As long as we’re doing the expected, we’ll be unnoticed. Just part of the landscape of life. But when others have to keep their eye on you because “Who knows what (insert your name here) will do next!” now that’s power.
Bumper sticker: Elders Embrace Eccentricity!
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
MotherJones Blog
John McCain Doesn't Know How to Use a Computer (Video)
This should be enough to tell you that a vote for McBush is simply wasted...
This should be enough to tell you that a vote for McBush is simply wasted...
Darn Right!
I filled out the survey on Time Goes By the other day and I remember that one of the questions was something about ‘what did I like most about retirement’. And I didn’t even hesitate; freedom is what I wrote. And upon further contemplation I would add that one of the things I strive for with this new freedom is the freedom to be eccentric. Yes, I think it’s a goal that all elders should pursue. And if enough of us did that, we could redefine ‘eccentricity’. It would become the norm for our age group. Besides, just who are those people that think they can define how we should think and act at any age? I’m eccentric and proud of it!
For Shame
The local news; the News and Review had an article with photos of some of the ugly buildings in
So how about an Ugly Blog for all cities; one that would reveal to the whole world just how ugly it can get? It would be a sort of public ‘shaming’. I like the idea! I think I’ll get my camera…
Gloomy
Okay, the water is on and it’s coming fast this morning. Always good. And I was wandering around the orchard this morning and noted that the stone fruit have all ripened quite early this year. There is a bright orange carpet under the apricot trees as the fruit fell faster than I could pick it. And it’s the same with the Red Haven peaches. All ripe, all at once. We can’t eat them fast enough. The high temperatures are the culprit. So if I get sick from eating too many peaches, I can blame it on ‘Global Warming’ instead of greed.
And now that I'm back in the house, I can see the eastern horizon and it's solid gray/brown. No blue sky in sight. The sun is an orange spot in the gloom.
Sorry about all of the different fonts lately. It's a Mozilla/Blogger problem...
And now that I'm back in the house, I can see the eastern horizon and it's solid gray/brown. No blue sky in sight. The sun is an orange spot in the gloom.
Sorry about all of the different fonts lately. It's a Mozilla/Blogger problem...
Cool, Clear, Water
What? 115° is the forecast high for our area. And it was 81° at 4 this morning. (I might as well be living in
Enough of that. I’m going to go play in the water this morning; it’s Wednesday and that means it’s time to flood irrigate the orchard. And I can’t help but wonder if flood irrigation will be available next year. I’m almost certain that the big water users will get some, but I have a feeling that those of us with one acre parcels will be shut off if the water supply becomes marginal. Which makes sense, sort of; we’re hobby farmers and don’t depend on an orchard to make a living.
ps. Go to Time Goes By and take the survey...it's a short one.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Ugly
We had to go in to Chico this morning; certainly didn't want to after looking at the sky. The smoke had turned the day into dusk, a brown dusk. And ash was falling everywhere. We stopped at the Plant Barn for a bit and found that they were going to close for the day. Too gloomy for gardening!
We cut our Chico visit short and came back home ...to more of the same. Hack! Cough! We both have headaches and raspy throats, but the good news is that it didn't get quite as hot as expected because of the thick smoke covering the valley. Yippee!
We cut our Chico visit short and came back home ...to more of the same. Hack! Cough! We both have headaches and raspy throats, but the good news is that it didn't get quite as hot as expected because of the thick smoke covering the valley. Yippee!
Fire News
Butte Complex Evacuation Update, 3AM
That was the news at 3... since that time, some houses have been overrun by fire and people are on the roads, trying to get out. Animal rescue is trying to get horses and other livestock out.
That was the news at 3... since that time, some houses have been overrun by fire and people are on the roads, trying to get out. Animal rescue is trying to get horses and other livestock out.
More News
The bad news continues from the fires. Someone on
Darn Wind
Strange things are happening. The wind is blowing once again and the fires are on the move. I’m listening to the scanner and although I’m not always sure of where the speaker is, I’ve been hearing orders for evacuations on the north side of highway 70. (Kirby Creek Road?) I can’t imagine how that would feel if the sheriff were to knock on my door at this early hour and tell me to get out, now. Scary.
And there are bats. We’ve always been glad to know that the bats are living next door in the barn. Well, the barn must have become too hot and yesterday afternoon, we ended up with half a dozen bats sleeping in the breezeway leading to the garage. They would stir every once in a while and swoop down onto the pool surface for a drink. I just checked a few minutes ago and they are gone; out hunting in the cooler morning air. I do like bats, as neighbors. Not as residents. I may have to find a way to discourage them if they show up again. I could try spraying them with water, but in this heat, they may invite their friends over for a cool shower.
Now this; the scanner reports that a house was just overrun by fire on Cirby Creek Road near Trillium Lane and I found this on my map program. It's just 4 miles south of Magalia and 6 miles southwest of Paradise. Not good!
And there are bats. We’ve always been glad to know that the bats are living next door in the barn. Well, the barn must have become too hot and yesterday afternoon, we ended up with half a dozen bats sleeping in the breezeway leading to the garage. They would stir every once in a while and swoop down onto the pool surface for a drink. I just checked a few minutes ago and they are gone; out hunting in the cooler morning air. I do like bats, as neighbors. Not as residents. I may have to find a way to discourage them if they show up again. I could try spraying them with water, but in this heat, they may invite their friends over for a cool shower.
Now this; the scanner reports that a house was just overrun by fire on Cirby Creek Road near Trillium Lane and I found this on my map program. It's just 4 miles south of Magalia and 6 miles southwest of Paradise. Not good!
Monday, July 7, 2008
Doctors
Press Senate to Undo Medicare Cuts - NYTimes.com:
"Mr. Bush and many Republicans oppose the bill because it would finance an increase in doctors’ fees by reducing federal payments to insurance companies that offer private Medicare Advantage plans as an alternative to the traditional government-run Medicare program."
Heaven's to betsy, no! Those insurance companies pay the bills! The Senator's bills.
"Mr. Bush and many Republicans oppose the bill because it would finance an increase in doctors’ fees by reducing federal payments to insurance companies that offer private Medicare Advantage plans as an alternative to the traditional government-run Medicare program."
Heaven's to betsy, no! Those insurance companies pay the bills! The Senator's bills.
From Michael Winship
What Patriotism Is, and Is Not:
Regarding Senator Obama..."’I'll admit that I probably don't follow all of the election news like maybe I should,’ Peterman said. ‘I haven't read his books or studied up more than a little bit. But it's hard to ignore what you hear when everybody you know is saying it. These are good people, smart people, so can they really all be wrong?’” Oh, yes they can! Frightening!
and then this..."Phil Donohue said 'This is not the country my mother and father raised me to pledge allegiance to'" Something to think about.
Regarding Senator Obama..."’I'll admit that I probably don't follow all of the election news like maybe I should,’ Peterman said. ‘I haven't read his books or studied up more than a little bit. But it's hard to ignore what you hear when everybody you know is saying it. These are good people, smart people, so can they really all be wrong?’” Oh, yes they can! Frightening!
and then this..."Phil Donohue said 'This is not the country my mother and father raised me to pledge allegiance to'" Something to think about.
Stinky
I’m looking out the study window and there’s a very distinct brown and smoky haze to be seen this morning. You have to look straight up to see any blue sky. Dirty air and high temperatures. It stinks! Literally. That is not a good prescription. Headaches and a persistent cough are the most frequent complaints and everyone seems to be affected.
There was some discussion last night at church about opening the social hall for those who might be affected by the heat this week. Water and cool air would be provided for the hottest part of the day. Good idea, but… those most at risk are the ones that can’t get away from their environment. The elders who no longer drive and have no social contacts to tell them that relief is available. The elders that are trying to scrimp and save on their meager Social Security allotments and have to decide on air conditioning or food. Those are the ones that will die. Who are they and where are they?
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Bush and Logic:
Olympic boycott would insult Chinese - CNN.com
Read this and then tell me why we shouldn't resume some sort of diplomatic dialog with Cuba? See? It defies logic!
Read this and then tell me why we shouldn't resume some sort of diplomatic dialog with Cuba? See? It defies logic!
Nothing but talk
The heat is back. I have the window open here in the study and the outside temp is right around 70° even at this early hour. And I’m listening to the scanner; it’s almost all fire chatter these days. The good news is that at this hour, all is pretty much quiet on the fire lines. Most of the talk is about shifting crews/equipment and planning for the day ahead. Yes, the sky is smoky once more.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
It's Time
This mornings Time Goes By is quite good. Ronni pays a visit to a lot of things that interest me. There is a video by a couple of Gen X’ers that defies description. They are funny! And health care/nursing homes; another hot topic for me.
About 6 weeks ago, a friend of ours suffered a compression fracture of the spine and was admitted to the local hospital. After some corrective surgery, (glue job) she was released to a care facility for rehab therapy. After a couple of weeks there, Medicare insisted that she be moved to a less expensive rehab hospital. Now another two weeks have gone by and she is anxious to go home. She feels good and she looks good. But they have insisted on keeping her for another week. This, coincidentally, just happens to be the amount of time left on her Medicare eligibility for that hospital. Could there be some relationship?
Grrr!
As long as I’m being cranky this morning, I should include something about yesterday’s demonstrators at
Gone
Lots of news about Jesse Helms. Now that he is gone, everyone wants to idolize him. All forgetting that he was a 'very large pig at the public trough' and certainly an embarrassment to millions of citizens. I'm sure he was nice guy to have around the house, but to have him in the Senate for all of those years was a crime.
Stupid
This is not a happy morning. We were awakened about 1 this morning by an immense amount of illegal fireworks going off at a neighbor’s house. We’re talking about a noise that had us flying out of bed! The bedroom was illuminated by the almost constant flash of sky charges going off with a bang. There had been a party there and although I did hear the music now and then, it wasn’t enough to get excited about. It wasn’t pleasant, but I figured it was only once a year and I presumed that they would have had their fireworks over and done with by 10. So I didn’t worry about letting the cat out at that time. That was the wrong move. She has disappeared this morning.
(Later) OK, she’s back and hiding out under the desk. She came to the back door covered in spider webs, so I assume she was hiding out in the barn next door. Now, where did they get those fireworks? We’re talking about mortars, exploding a few hundred feet above the ground. Right next to 10 acres of dry pasture. And why were they setting them off on the 5th of July? And judging from the party noises, I can only hope that their ‘guests’ were stopped by the
There is also a small herd of dairy cattle across the road from us and I could hear them bellowing when I stepped outside last night. I imagine that rancher isn’t happy about the fireworks either. Did I say ‘idiots’? Yes!
Friday, July 4, 2008
California
neglected to save for a fiery day
Assemblyman Roger Niello, R-Fair Oaks (Sacramento County), said he is willing to consider a new fee but would limit it to properties in fire-prone areas.
"I think to tax homeowner policies in San Francisco to pay for wildfires elsewhere in the state would be questionable policy."
It's because we all live in this world, together! You idiot! (My taxes help to pay his salary...and he lives in fair Oaks.)
Chomskybot -
-As explained by Wikipedia
You probably wondered how those memos from your boss were created...this explains it.
You probably wondered how those memos from your boss were created...this explains it.
Agriprocessors
Supervisors Arrested On Charges of Aiding Illegal Immigrants - WSJ.com
The rest of the story? Do we really believe that these three men acted independently? They had no supervision? Oh, please! Wake me up when one of the 'suits' is arrested.
The rest of the story? Do we really believe that these three men acted independently? They had no supervision? Oh, please! Wake me up when one of the 'suits' is arrested.
I'm in the dark, but -
It’s a beautiful morning. I love it! I might as well have that stated and on the record before I read the news and the weather report. There’s always a chance it could all go downhill from here and I want it duly noted that I was ‘positive’ today.
Some have observed that I might be too cynical and they act as if that were a bad thing. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Cynicism is a positive force. Cynics want a change in the status quo and change is always positive! Even when we don’t like it, it forces us to think; to react and that’s a good thing. The status quo is so static; boring! It sucks energy from us. It’s a negative. Think about it; even returning to the ‘good old days’ is a change! Now should I file these thoughts of mine under Philosophy 101 or Physics 101?
Some have observed that I might be too cynical and they act as if that were a bad thing. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Cynicism is a positive force. Cynics want a change in the status quo and change is always positive! Even when we don’t like it, it forces us to think; to react and that’s a good thing. The status quo is so static; boring! It sucks energy from us. It’s a negative. Think about it; even returning to the ‘good old days’ is a change! Now should I file these thoughts of mine under Philosophy 101 or Physics 101?
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Dancing!
My sister sent me these links to Matt’s dance epic…and the outtakes. And what did I learn? That if ‘they’ would leave us all alone, we’re pretty much the same all over the world. And we should all act like children now and then. But, I must admit the crowd in
Worker protection
The price of a tomato | Economist.com
You might think that Americans would be embarrassed by this story...but you would be wrong.
"a picker would have to fill 15 32-pound buckets an hour to earn Florida’s minimum wage of $6.79—a tall order in the broiling sun." That's 480 pounds an hour or 3,840 per day. Close to two tons.
You might think that Americans would be embarrassed by this story...but you would be wrong.
"a picker would have to fill 15 32-pound buckets an hour to earn Florida’s minimum wage of $6.79—a tall order in the broiling sun." That's 480 pounds an hour or 3,840 per day. Close to two tons.
Pre-Fourth
the campaign news: lots of fireworks, little meat - Los Angeles Times
This is it. Perfectly stated. I won't waste my time with any other comments today. And, neither one is welcome at my BBQ. I have standards, you know!
This is it. Perfectly stated. I won't waste my time with any other comments today. And, neither one is welcome at my BBQ. I have standards, you know!
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Republican
Offenders
Shouldn't there be a website where we can enter our Zip Code and then they can tell us if we have one of these offenders living nearby? No? They should!
Shouldn't there be a website where we can enter our Zip Code and then they can tell us if we have one of these offenders living nearby? No? They should!
Nelson Mandela
From 2002: The U.S.A. Is A Threat To World Peace
This is the reason Mr. Mandela's name stayed on the US list of terrorists...
This is the reason Mr. Mandela's name stayed on the US list of terrorists...
The campaign comment
that will not die - Los Angeles Times
Well, let's settle it once and for all. Was the comment true? Yes. Next question.
Well, let's settle it once and for all. Was the comment true? Yes. Next question.
Bill Becomes an Elder?
Speaking of computers, as I was yesterday about this time; this week’s cover story of the Economist focuses on
What are Microsoft’s plans for the future? The story never gets around to any specifics. Apparently, the company is so large and cumbersome that it takes a concerted effort by planners just to get through the day. And the next.
Part of the story deals with ‘cloud computing’ and some more vague plans by MS to do something with it. But, cloud computing has been around for awhile and nothing has ever come from it. Imagine what could happen if Microsoft actually focused on it? Shazam!
But, as I was saying yesterday, everyone is playing it safe. No one is working on the new ‘killer app’. In fact, anything new coming along will probably come from somewhere outside the borders of the
And there was a great story about
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Mandela
off U.S. terrorism watch lists - CNN.com
Read this and then tell me how much safer you feel. Just knowing that our government agencies stay current on world affairs is a real blessing!
Read this and then tell me how much safer you feel. Just knowing that our government agencies stay current on world affairs is a real blessing!
Yes I am -
I'm Voting Republican
I know, I know...I was trying to stay neutral and listen to all of the arguments, both pro and con, before making the decision. This video helped me make that decision. Thank you, Republican Party.
I know, I know...I was trying to stay neutral and listen to all of the arguments, both pro and con, before making the decision. This video helped me make that decision. Thank you, Republican Party.
On the Road
New Bag Helps Laptop Pass Airport Security - NYTimes.com
I simply can't help myself! The first thought that came into my cynical mind was...who has invested in 'Pathfinder' recently? Someone, anyone at all, from TSA/Homeland Security?
I simply can't help myself! The first thought that came into my cynical mind was...who has invested in 'Pathfinder' recently? Someone, anyone at all, from TSA/Homeland Security?
Random
Another thought. Here is what I’m afraid of. That the internet will end up just like television. “A vast wasteland”. Television had so much promise! But…I think you had to know both worlds to realize that; the world without television and the world with it. Which means only those of us within a certain generation can remember the promise. And realize it has been broken.
Nicholas Negroponte -
- Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Speaking of software and users, this is the guy we should be listening to...the guy that Microsoft and Apple should listen to. I read his book, Being Digital when it first came out and it changed how I viewed the world...completely.
Speaking of software and users, this is the guy we should be listening to...the guy that Microsoft and Apple should listen to. I read his book, Being Digital when it first came out and it changed how I viewed the world...completely.
Can't get no satisfaction...
Okay, I’m awake and stumbling about the house. I have my coffee in hand and the cat is back from her nightly exile in the garage. She is currently patting down her bed space under the desk and wasn’t the least bit interested in a couple of rounds of ‘cat wrestling’. Oh, well. She would have lost anyway.
According to the headlines, ‘patriotism’ or its lack thereof, has become the subject du jour for the candidates. One can only hope that some maturity will prevail and they can move on to more worthy subjects. Subjects that actually matter.
And I was reading, as I usually do, the daily post from Times Goes By and the subject (computers) was one that I had been thinking about as I sipped my coffee and waited for my computer to load Firefox. And waited. Some more.
I have an older computer; it happens. But what irritates me is the fact that we really haven’t made any great progress in computer technology during the past 5 years. The same 5 years that has passed since I bought this computer. If I were to buy a new one today, it would be, essentially, the same as the old one. Even the operating system would be the same. What’s with that?
Apple or a pc, it wouldn’t make any difference. Neither one of the OS camps has done anything to move the technology forward.
Crabby Old Lady was writing about her frustration with the new Firefox and I am sympathetic. Oh, I like Firefox 3.0; when compared to IE7. But that doesn’t mean that I really ‘like’ it. It doesn’t work the way I want it to, but I have to change and not the software. It should be the other way around.
And that reminds me of my previous life; as an intermediary between users and programmers. The company I worked for developed their own software because they wanted software that fit the user’s needs. Made sense. And since I had a lengthy career background as a ‘user’ and I also had a recent career as a programmer, I was selected to present the users needs to the software developers. I was the translator.
It was an eye opening experience. Programmers/developers don’t like users. Most of my requests were greeted with laughter and derision. And it was universal; all of the programmers I met, both in and out of our own company, had the same attitude. So you can imagine how prevalent that attitude is when you put hundreds of programmers together; in corporations such as Microsoft and Apple. And so, after 3 years of working with our developers, we ended up with software that satisfied no one. Yet, the original goal was to satisfy the USER!
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