Author: Sammy G

Okay folks, I throw this blog out there so that we can compare notes on the best software available for consumer computing use.

Over the last six months, we’ve all been reading about Microsoft’s settlement payments to Novell, Netscape, the EU, and others as a result of unfair competition practices. Basically, MS wants to own the operating system and all the software used on it. So they bundled and bought off competitors to shut down choice.

During this time, I’ve tried to capitalize on a primary benefit of having a PC: I’m not locked in to an integrated hardware and software system, like Macs. Here’s my list of the Microsoft software that I’ve abandoned for more powerful, secure apps. Let us know what you guys are using!

**XP Home/v2002/service pack 2**

Windows Media Player — Winamp, Nero 6 Internet Explorer — Mozilla Firefox MS Word — Notepad MS Publisher — Adobe InDesign MS Access — Filemaker Pro MS Money — Quickbooks Pro MS Draw — Photoshop, Illustrator MS Frontpage — Macromedia Dreamweaver MX

I’m wondering if there’s anything else out there for Word Processing, Spreadsheet, or E-mail?

About one year ago, I started sending all my working files to people in .pdfs. This means I now avoid sending native working files to recipients. It circumvents font and file corruption, as well as cross-platform issues. So, I’m not opposed to using powerful software that nobody else has, because everything is sent in a standard format (.pdf, HTML, etc.)

Thanks!

Predictions for January 1, 2008

1. Military draft. 2. Roe v. Wade overturned. 3. Prayer in schools. 4. English As The National Language. 5. National debt at $9.5 trillion. 6. U.S. National Guard deployment to Iraq continues. 7. Dow and Nasdaq at 5% annual growth.

Yo barnson.org bloggers, technical question about backing up data from a hard drive. I’m wondering if anybody out there has ideas of how to backup 5+GB of data from a personal home desktop without having to spend hours burning 10 CDRs or upping to a server at 30KB/s max.

Removeable drives?

Currently, my business and personal files are all on one box. It’s funny to think how one little box, which I really don’t know that much about, controls my fate. Anyway, every week I backup the hard drive on two separate CD-Rs, label them, and put them in the glove compartment of my car. I do this because if something happens to the house, then the data isn’t in the house. Seems to me that this procedure is kind of lame.

Thanks in advance.

Sammy G

Running ftp command in Windows Explorer, XP.

For some reason I am unable to add and delete files and folders from my domain site. I can alter the content in the html files already existing on the site map, but can’t delete. As a result, there’s bad housecleaning and extra MBage on the domain.

I’m accessing the site with the proper U and P. Anybody else have this problem? Wondering if it’s something to do with Windows.

I tried contacting support at the domain host and they weren’t much help.

A potential downside of Internet Phone: it turns out that 911 calls made from Internet Phones are treated with lower priority than 911 calls made from landline phones.

A St. Paul emergency call center said that because incoming calls from such services as Vonage don’t show address and caller it takes longer to respond. There’s a separate bank that fields these calls, and this bank doesn’t get attended to until the regular-phone 911 calls have been processed.

Back in March, there was a Howard Stern post here at barnson.org in which our gracious blog host, El Matt, wrote:

“I think Howard’s time is just about done. He’s going to join Limbaugh on the dung heap of radio history, and he doesn’t like it.”

Well, according to the news reports, Howard received $100M in salary and bonuses to begin broadcasting his show over Sirius satellite radio airwaves in 2006. Sirius felt this deal was justified because Howard still retains the #1 spot with males 18 to 49. So, Matt, it looks like not only has Howard survived your projection, but he’s still retaining his top ratings.

Because satellite radio is paid for by subscribers, the FCC can’t impose indecency limitations like they can over “traditional” airwaves. Howard stated that his goal is to reduce the value of all Clear Channel radio properties to $0.50.

My thoughts: I think his show is awful. But I’m glad he’s been fighting the FCC for all these years because worse than his programming is the government’s censor control. I’m equally glad that there’s a major media outlet that is free from FCC censorship.

Prediction #1: Given the general makeup of his audience, Howard’s show will not result in the 1 million new subscribers needed to recoup Sirius’s Stern signing cost.

Prediction #2: XM will not retaliate and will stay out of trying to land an equally big talent to match Sirius.

So I was prompted to upgrade my Windows Media Player to version 10. And the new thing isn’t working. Crashes everytime I boot. No problem, I think, uninstall, download the install.exe from microsoft.com, reinstall.

You can’t uninstall WMP. There’s no uninstall function. And then you can’t physically delete from Program Files. I’m sure this thing is spyware.

Anyway, can anybody recommend another XP-friendly free media player for download?

Thanks!

This afternoon I was listening to an “All Things Considered” report on how blogging contributed to the CBS acknowledgement of their goof in reporting the Bush-National Guard story.

NPR was talking to a blogging expert (however that’s defined) because some blog group is claiming responsibility for breaking the source of the mistake to CBS. Anyway, NPR wanted some techie on to rap about the purpose of blogs. This guest talked about how people use blogs as a way to find others who share their opinion.

I’m glad that on barnson.org, we have different opinions, and we use the forum as a way to discuss our differences. It would be lame if we all thought the same. It’s good to know that we can have a place to discuss our different social, cinema, and political views, even if the majority of you are psycho, right-wing Republican nutcases.

Also, I offer that “All Things Considered” is the best news programming in the world.

Sammy G

John Ashcroft called P2P file-sharing “stealing”, and then he went out and got himself a federal posse that kicked the doors down of some unsuspecting “stealers”. It looks like Ashcroft also had the press standing by. I guess all this “stealing” is going to land some of us in jail?

I’ll wait for comments before I add my opinion.

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Attorney General John Ashcroft, Assistant Attorney General Christopher A. Wray, and U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Kenneth L. Wainstein today announced the first federal enforcement action taken against criminal copyright piracy on peer-to-peer networks. Early this morning, federal agents executed six search warrants at five residences and one Internet service provider in Texas, New York, and Wisconsin, as part of an investigation into the illegal distribution of copyrighted movies, software, games, and music over peer-to-peer networks. Agents seized computers, software, and computer-related equipment in the searches.

“Today’s actions send an important message to those who steal over the Internet. When online thieves illegally distribute copyrighted programs and products, they put the livelihoods of millions of hard-working Americans at risk and damage our economy,” said Attorney General John Ashcroft. “The execution of today’s warrants disrupted an extensive peer-to-peer network suspected of enabling users to traffic illegally in music, films, software and published works. The Department of Justice is committed to enforcing intellectual property laws, and we will pursue those who steal copyrighted materials even when they try to hide behind the false anonymity of peer-to-peer networks.”

“Today’s enforcement action is the latest step in our ongoing effort to combat piracy occurring on the Internet,” said Christopher A. Wray, Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division. “This is the first federal law enforcement action against criminal copyright infringement using peer-to-peer networks and shows that we are committed to combating piracy, regardless of the medium used to commit these illegal acts.”

“Today we are sending a clear message that federal law enforcement takes piracy seriously,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Wainstein. “It is illegal to trade in copyright-protected materials on the Internet. This is theft, plain and simple. If you are engaged in this behavior, you are on notice that you are not as anonymous as you may think.”

The search warrants executed today are the result of Operation Digital Gridlock, a joint investigation conducted by the FBI, the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, and the Justice Department’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section. This operation targeted illegal file sharing of copyrighted materials over five Direct Connect peer-to-peer networks that belonged to a group known as The Underground Network. According to search warrant affidavits unsealed today, these networks required users to share a minimum of one to 100 gigabytes of computer files with other users on the network. Upon becoming a member of one of these peer-to-peer networks, each user could then download shared files from the hard drives of all other members on the network. Theft through the illegal reproduction and distribution of movies, software, games, and music is estimated to cost U.S. industries $19 billion worldwide each year.

Now that I’m a proud new homeowner (really, home-dweller as Shani bought the house), you are all going to have to endure my tales of first-time owner/dweller. Just be thankful you’re not getting the tale of why I was hunched over in my living room at midnight trying to remove purple candlewax from the hardwood floors by flashlight, using a cheap plastic knife.

Before moving into the new house, it was decided that my responsibility would be divided between the inside of the house and the outside of the house. I’m not a landscaping or gardening pro by any means, but I have years of lawn-mowing experience, which is more than my years of staring at failed light bulbs and saying, “Do we get a plumber to fix this thing? Or what?” It was easy to make me overseer of all things exterior.

A week ago we moved into the new house. I circled the premises and created a list of tasks that needed to be accomplished immediately. This list included:

1) Buy a couple gallons of Diet Coke 2) Call Mom and ask her what to do

Then I went inside and set up a huge downstairs entertainment system that included surround sound. Meanwhile, my Mom decided to come out from DC and make her inaugural visit to Minnesota (not unlike current VP Cheney, who came here yesterday for the first time). Mom has been given advanced photos and blueprints. She’s already calling local nurseries. She will undoubtedly reconstruct the entire aesthetic.

Meanwhile, a visit the local hardware store occurred yesterday. I purchased a lawn mower and ladder. The reason for the first is obvious. The second purchase was because I noticed that, from standing on the ground in the front yard, I was able to stare up 13 feet and actually see the roof gutters overflowing with twigs & stuff. In my estimation, given their demographic and disposition, the previous owners avoided climbing onto the roof and removing the crud from the gutters. This means that the gutters had been accumulating swill for the past 5 years.

With the help of my trust inside-house partner, I scaled the ladder and peered into the gutter.

Let’s just say that it was the combination of every episode of the Discovery channel. Except there no were sharks. At least, I didn’t come across any sharks up there. Larvae, grime, mushrooms, small green plants, branches, decaying leaves, spiders, webs, cocoons, ants, and other assorted nature lovelies grimed up to the brim of the 5-inch gutters. Too bad I forgot to pick up some gardening gloves at the hardware store.

Nasty. But 2 hours and a couple showers later, I was a content man, knowing that the gutters were clean.

Finally: HOME DEPOT UPDATE: I have been in the house for eight days and still have not had to make a trip to Home Depot.

EDIT by matthew: Fixed a couple of half-quotes that were Microsoft “smart” half-quotes. Those are borked in any browser but Internet Explorer.