New Template, Work in Progress

No Comments »Wednesday, May 17, 2006, 4:11 pm

In case you’re wondering why various sections of the blog don’t look quite right, this is because I’m in the middle of implementing a new tempate design, but I still haven’t fully formatted all the various Movabletype core template files. I should have the entire process complete by later tonight or early tomorrow. My ultimate goal is to migrate over to Wordpress, but that’s going to take some time to delve into.

In the meantime thanks for visting and mind the wet paint.

Open Source Has Holes Too

No Comments »Wednesday, May 3, 2006, 5:09 pm

What’s this? Open Source isn’t made from galvanized code, impervious to attack? This can’t be! Only Micro$oft software has vulnerabilities, right? Call me sick, but I get smile on my face every time a flaw is discovered in Linux or other notable open source software. It just further validates my long standing belief that “free” software is actually just as bad, if not worse, in terms of security and reliability as any commercial product. Security is an illusion. Every piece of software written by human hand has holes. If you don’t believe me, disable your firewall in Linux and OSX and post your IP address. Then sit back and wait for vandals to have their fun with your supposedly “secure” system.

Yes, Windows may be full of holes, but at the end of the day, so is any other OS developed outside Fortress Redmond. Link

Will Vista’s Delay Really Matter?

No Comments »Friday, Apr 28, 2006, 11:47 pm

I’ve been watching the unfolding drama take shape Microsoft’s announcement that Windows Vista, the company’s next generation consumer and business desktop operating system, will be delayed further beyond its previous timeline. This is delay number 112 if you keep track of them as they go by. Naturally the news sparked off an uproar from angry Window enthusiasts and Microsoft bashers alike; with one side lamenting news while the other cheered. Engadget said it best…”Vista Delay Good For Pundits.” Open source zealots in particular, and even Mac users, see Vista’s delay as the death knell for Microsoft, or at least Windows. So what impact will the delay really have on the PC industry? None. Absolutely none whatsoever. What all the Linux trolls and Mac zealots fail to grasp is that the corporate customers never migrate to new operating systems at the time they roll out, and often delay upgrade cycles altogether until the first service packs are released, or until hardware upgrades require new system purchases. It is utter naivity and outright cluelessness to assume that business customers will make some kind of wholesale switch to a totally different platform because Vista is delayed by a mere few more months.

One the consumer side, mainstream users aren’t waiting with baited breath for Vista’s arrival. Operating systems just aren’t something to get excited about anymore. The days of people camping outside Best Buy, hoping to grab a shrink wrapped copy of Microsoft’s newest OS are over, and they ain’t coming back, as the saying goes.
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Bellagio Open-Face Leather Case For Palm Treo 650

No Comments »Tuesday, Jan 10, 2006, 12:22 am

Leather cases are the most commonly purchased accessory for PDAs and Smartphones. But in a sea of choices it can be difficult to locate the perfect case for your mobile device. Especially given the wide range of prices and styles, which can be quite expensive. Some cases are priced upwards of $100. But for Treo 650 users, there is one excellent choice that won’t break the bank, and still looks like you paid much more. It’s the Bellagio open-face leather case from Fortte; a fantastic product made from high quality leather, and styled to match the Treo form factor…and it fits like a glove.
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My 2006 Predictions

No Comments »Tuesday, Jan 3, 2006, 12:00 am

A new year is here, and that means it’s time for me to brush the cobwebs from my fractured Crystal ball. My predictions from last year are here.

What does this year hold for mobile devices?
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My Thoughts On “FrankenGarnet”

No Comments »Thursday, Dec 29, 2005, 4:22 pm

As a long time Palm user I’ve come to know the Palm OS intimately. It has been my workhorse platform since the Palm III, and I still gladly remain a Palm user in preference to its elegant design and usability. And yet, like most enthusiasts, I have bore witness to a general slide in the once legendary and now mythical stability and reliability the Palm experience was known for. To be fair, crashes are not uncommon to any mobile platform. Even my old Symbian-powered Nokia cell phone would lock up on the odd occasion for no apparent reason other than to frustrate me. PDAs and Smartphones are complex devices running complex code, compared to dumb devices like feature phones. But Palm OS, for all its shortcomings, has had until recent years, a near untarnished reputation for being bulletproof and insanely reliable. That is no longer the case.
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Starship Exeter

No Comments »Tuesday, Dec 6, 2005, 11:17 am

Cyberspace…the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship Exeter. It’s mission…to pick up where the original series left off. To employ amateur actors in various classic Star Trek plot recreations. To boldly go where no campy homemade sci-fi film has gone before! Ok, so it’s not Leanord Nimoy and William Shatner at the helm of the Enterprise, but if you can look beyond the hammy community theater style acting, believe it or not, Starship Exeter is actually quite impressive. In fact, the first piece in the series, entitled “The Tressaurian Intersection”, looks and feels so authentic, visually, it could almost be mistaken for an original Desilu production…I kid you not. The sets are especially impressive. The bridge and starship corridors are exact duplicates of the original sets designed by Matt Jeffries from the early series. The CGI-based U.S.S Exeter looks just like the real McCoy…uh, excuse the pun.

Episodes from the series are available free for download from the studio’s site. Transer them onto your video iPod or PDA for viewing on the go. As I said, the acting is very amateurish…but what do expect from a group of Star Trek enthusiasts with limited acting skills on a low budget?

Link