December 2004

The big evil company

December 21, 2004

News.com reports that Apple has been granted subpoenas in its efforts to determine the identity of the person or persons who leaked information about its upcoming product Asteroid. So we learn for certain that these are upcoming releases, or they would not be "Trade Secrets."

It seems that Apple has the absolute right to pursue and attempt to stop the leaks of proprietary information. Many would probably argue quite aptly that Apple has even the responsibility to do so in order to protect its corporate information. All of that being said, it's a sad day. Not unexpected, just sad. I'll diverge into my story here.

I've been looking for a device just like Asteroid. I probably would have purchased one by now. But I have a pretty good idea that the company that came up with the best interface (so far) for an MP3 player, the company who above all else has great designs is coming out with just what I need. So, instead of plunking down the greenbacks for another company's gear I'm waiting for Apple to release their gear. This pre-announcement is making them more money, not less. Are we to believe Apple thinks nobody outside Cupertino thinks they're working on things like this?

It's somewhat ironic that Microsoft blogger Robert Scoble wrote to Bill Gates last weekend about how to do development of the iPod killer out in the open.

We the Media

December 20, 2004

This summer at Apple's World Wide Developer's Conference I took a look at a proof of Dan Gillmore's book We the Media. Tonight I started reading it. It is very good. It is wonderful that Gillmore and O'Reilly have chosen to release the book under a Creative Commons License. I'll have lots more to say about it as I read further. So far Gillmore's observation that "a shallow citizenry can be turned into a dangerous mob more easily than an informed one," is one of my favorite quotes.

Flaw found in Google's new desktop search

December 20, 2004

News comes today of a security problem with Google Desktop. The somewhat funny part for me is I asked a somewhat prominent blogger about this when it first came out.In spite of the years of blather by this person about open community, sharing experiences, etc. they basically said it was so simple that I was stupid to suggest such a thing. Part of the lesson here is to be very wary of people who repeatedly ask for help and when that help is offered can't be bothered to even reply with an acknowledgment of the offer (also something that has happened several times with this blogger).

The little details

December 19, 2004

With the help of a great article at MacDevCenter I got my source control moved to Subversion this weekend. Having gotten it all working I was really bummed when I got home and it didn't work. A few painful hours later I remembered that you must also remember to open up the port on the firewall when you're running a webserver on a non-standard port. Duh!

Regal cinemas at Sunset Station

December 18, 2004

This is pretty annoying. We're waiting to see National Treasure at a Regql Cinemas theater. More than thirty minutes before the show the TV type ads have begun. I won't be back here.

It would also be nice to have a mobile blogging platform with spell check!

The little things

December 17, 2004

There are so many thing that we forget from one day to the next to be thankful for. How about the thousands of times today your heart contracted and sent blood through your body?

Last night just after the start of an exam a gentleman came into the school looking for a bankruptcy seminar. The seminar, often held on Thursday evenings is not being held because of the semester break. So here's a very frustrated person who is looking for a clinic on how to file for bankruptcy around the holidays and even the clinic doesn't go right. There are so many things that we each have to be thankful for. Even someone so down on their luck has a lot going for them.

In the commercial age the corporate oligarchy would have us focus on the things that are supposed to make life good instead of the people and shared experiences that truly make it memorable.

Update on enameco.com

December 15, 2004

I wrote last week about how terrible the service from enameco.com had been. I thought I'd follow up (now that my important domains are out of their reach) that they never sent any follow up email, phone calls etc. Be very careful using them as I believe, and it is my opinion only, that they are likely not doing well as a company. Any time you start following a string of disconnected phone numbers one has to wonder if the company is long for this world.

Sandy Valley CAC meeting, December 14, 2004

December 15, 2004

The Sandy Valley Citizens Advisory Council met last evening in the community center on Quartz Avenue. The standing-room only crowd of seventy plus people was there to hear from the Clark County Fire Department about building codes for new and existing businesses.

A great deal of concern has been raised by the holding up of the business license for Trails End. The store on Quartz has been open since June when its new operators took over the lease. The previous incarnation of a store in the same location closed in October 2003 and the building was vacant for seven months. When the new owners applied for a business license they were informed they'd have to put a sprinkler system in the building in order to bring it up to current code.

Deputy Fire Marshal Joe Noble spoke at the meeting and committed to the residents of the town that he would get responses to them on several issues brought up at the meeting concerning present and past applications. Noble also explained that the uniform fire protection code requires a fire hydrant with fire-flow or alternatives that provide the same protection. Since Sandy Valley does not have a water purveyor and the cost of the system necessary to meet the fire-flow standard would require a 180,000 gallon water tank it is deemed impractical. Instead new construction for general commercial occupancy will likely be accepted with sprinklers and a sufficient water tank to supply them (closer to a 20,000 tank).

Pages