Obfuscated Thoughtlessness Inversed

Ok, so it has been a while since my last blog entry. It may be quite a while longer until the next post, as I am now employed, for at least the next couple of weeks.

Other than getting a job, my last week has been very busy installing Mac OS X. Thanks to the extremely useful tips at www.osx86project.org it was a procedure but not impossible. My Dell Dimension 2400 is now running Mac OS X. My only problem with the Broadcomm 440 on-board ethernet. It worked under 10.4.1 but doesn't under 10.4.8. Instead of messing with it excessively, I've just dropped a Realtek card into a PCI slot and that works like a charm.

For your enjoyment I have tried to keep track of some of the software, I have been installing, since I bootstrapped up a clean operating system. Much of this is open source, available for Unix (can you say AIX? cause I know you can say Solaris) also as in Linux (y'know like Ubuntu and Red Hat), but don't forget BSD is/was Unix too (like OpenBSD, my favourite FreeBSD and Mac OS X). Most of this software even runs on Windows, if you have the stomach for it, I have even been doing a little messing around on Vista in the last couple of weeks. You guessed it.. it sucks.

Feel free to add your favourite applications, that you think, I should download in the comments below.

I recommend all these fine pieces of software:

• Firefox with GoogleToolbar
• Adblock for Firefox
• OpenOffice.org Office Suite
• Fink
• aMSN, MSN Messenger or Adium.. I couldn't decide so I installed them all. In the end i will probably add Gaim too
• FlightGear open source flight simulator
• Chicken of the VNC
• Azureus bit torrent client
• GIMP graphics extraordinaire
• VLC for watching video in spite of my new love for Totem
  
• Alarm Clock Pro (I said I have a new job.. now I have to get up).
• SWF & FLV Player - what's that you say? Full Screen Leftytube, yup, watch flash full screen
• Bandwidth Usage Widget
• Google Earth
• Amarok - although it is still compiling, see more words about my love of Amarok here
  
• As usual, I am heavily reliant on web based applications GMail, Docs & Spreadsheets, Google, Blogger and Google Reader.

PS: Dontcha just love that Canada:

The Copyright Board of Canada issued a decision on private copying last Friday that set new levies for fixed recordable media, such as that found in portable MP3 players, and asserted that downloading copyrighted files from peer-to-peer networks does not break Canadian copyright law as long as the copying is done for private usage. - from DRM Watch

Labels: alternatives, anti-microsoft, anti-war, blogosphere, canada, democracy, internal, leftist content creation, link, macosx, nationalization, opinion, osx86, personal story, photoshop, tools, youtube

According, to intensive research done on you the reader only about 50% of you are idiots. Busy beaver stats created by Awstats show that exactly 49.7% of the hits on this blog were from people using Internet Explorer.

Now, I can forgive the 2.9% of you who are using Internet Explorer 7. You are clearly a thinking person, wrong in your ways, but a thinking person who has made a choice is sticking to it like a Liberal voter and upgraded recently to fend off the inevitable attacks from well publicized security holes and breaches.

But those 42% of you using Internet Explorer 6.... what are you thinking? You must just be lazy not as stupid as you appear. Maybe it is your employer. Are they making you use IE 6? Quit. Find a real job.

Luckily, I have a better solution for you Internet Explorer users that will smarten you right up.




It is free and better than smoked wild salmon... what are you waiting for. Don't be one of the idiot majority, be a part of the great minority. Download Firefox today.

Labels: anti-microsoft, internal, opinion

The idea is simple enough. Import your list of contacts from GMail / Yahoo / Hotmail / AOL into MySpace and see who is already a MySpace member.

Too bad it doesn't fucking work.

You give the man your password, wait a while and then boom, crash, down goes the system. 404 errors all over the place and links to who knows where.

Then there is the second and third try where it finally figures out that it should load your address book without sending you into the nethers of cyberspace. First few people are displayed you go to the next bunch and wait for 10 minutes while it moves like mummified molasses.

I'm all about overloading your server, but damn, I run on a free server at home, not a multi-billion dollar News Corp flagship.

Oh, and to top that off you get all these people you added to your addressbook in high school, and no new friends cause everyone you like is obsessed with Myspace as you and has found you already.

Stupid Address Book import....

BTW: The same function on Facebook works great! Now all I need is one to import my friendster "friends" into myspace, that list into hi5 and that into facebook and it will appear to those who are looking that I have friends again.

I have a real friend, she uses hyves.nl.

I don't want any friends at all on Digg.com, Technorati, Windows Live or anywhere else with a social networking component so you won't see me importing stuff there...

Ok, enough of this blogging, time to go drink with real people.. maybe they'll be my real friends and leave comments on this blog after they are good and drunk with me. Maybe I need a Second Life this one is cyber-lame.

Labels: alternatives, anti-microsoft, health, opinion, personal story, tools

Or don't!

This holiday season consider the following free solutions...

These are my favourite picks for free open source/web based applications. It might not make a 10 year old happy finding a step by step instruction sheet on how to access these applications under the tree, but these pieces of software could make your neighbour pretty happy or your co-worker jump for joy. Supposed to buy something for less than $10? Get them one of these.

Number one on my list is the Google Docs & Spreadsheets application. This Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel replacement combines a fully functioning spreadsheet/word processor with a web based interface that'll knock Microsoft's socks off. Office 2007 be damned, these applications work great and from anywhere you have an internet connection. You can find them at: http://docs.google.com/

Number two on my list is the other half of the Google Office suite: GMail and Google Calendar. Google Calendar will track your appointments for you with a web interface that beats Microsoft Outlook's neverendingly slow and oft-broken shitshow of an e-mail program. Want the functionality of a shared calendar? No problem, just create one with your favourite events and share it. No more broken down office e-mail or Yahoo Groups, this shared calendar is accessible to anyone and can be placed on any website. More can be said for these two products though. The interaction between GMail (your super-fast new e-mail program with nearly 3 GB of storage built-in) and Google Calendar allows for one-click addition of appointments that arrive in your e-mail. Need to manage your contacts? No problem, import them into GMail, easy as pie.

Number three is for the die-hard software installationist in all of us. For those of you who can't wrap your head around a web based interface, you can get for free OpenOffice. OpenOffice is already at version 2.0 and going strong. This Office Suite also kicks Microsoft's ass. So much so that many large organizations have been using it on many of their desktops for years. Drop the Microsoft and go for the free stuff already. OpenOffice is a full office suite of software including a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation maker (think Powerpoint), database and calculator.

Ok who has time for a couple more freebies?

How about #4 on my list Scatterchat? This instant messenger built on a Gaim base will have your opposition spending millions trying to decrypt your random chatter with your friends in a continent away. Seriously, if you need military strength encryption for your day to day interactions; this software will do it for you. All you have to worry about now is the guy looking over your shoulder and the person with the keystroke logger. Everyone else will be seeing a lot of gibberish.

Number 5 is Ubuntu. This completely free Linux distro is available at http://www.ubuntu.com. You will find it to be a pleasant and complete replacement for your crappy Windows installation. It is easy to use and best of all, like everything else on this list, free! It can also be used as a server software.. but see my next list choice instead.

We're off to number 6 and that's my favourite server software. FreeBSD. This software has been my fav in serving since FreeBSD version 2. I've also been using it as my on/again off again desktop operating system. Ok stop looking confused. Just go to www.freebsd.org and follow the instructions on installing it on your computer. Next thing you know you will have a working server install with a gui (graphic user interface).

NUMBER 7. Mozilla Firefox. You would be amazed at how many people aren't using this free and excellent piece of software. Don't know what it is? See that's my point exactly. It is a web browser. It is what you should be using to read this. But no, you are still using Internet Explorer for some reason aren't you. Bleh. Burn it to a cd. Wrap it up and give it away. Or drop by their house with some egg nog and install it on their PC for them.

Number 8 has to go to Skype. What you are still paying to make long distance calls in North America. WTF for. Skype is free to install and so are the calls (this is apparently a limited time offer.. but who knows). Download it right now and stop being so stupid. Wait, you aren't being stupid, you already have free North America wide calling, it is your neighbour who has $200 phone bills. Exactly my point. See just because it is free to you, doesn't mean it won't be the best present they get this holiday season. This program works well with old microphones and yellow headphones from 1980's era walkmen, people have sitting in their old boxes of electronics. Have fun digging them out with them or make your old pair a part of the gift.

Numero nueve is VNC. Already purchased a license for Office 2003 and want to use it from the ski hill? This simple program gives you the ability to server your desktop from anywhere to anywhere. Make your computer completely accessible from your office or even from your handheld. Easy to install and dangerously insecure. Check it at http://www.realvnc.com/.

Number ten is an oldie but a goodie. WinAmp is the perfect MP3 player for those of you still wedded to the idea of running Windows (hint, you don't need Microsoft for any of the above.. just this one). Get it at http://www.winamp.com/ and start burning those CD's to a library.

I'll leave it at that. Please remember that some of these open source solutions are built by people like you and me for free. Contribute what you can!

Once again the list is:

1. Google Docs
2. GMail and Google Calendar
3. OpenOffice.org
4. Scatterchat
5. Ubuntu
6. FreeBSD
7. Mozilla Firefox
8. Skype
   
9. RealVNC
10. WinAmp
    

PS: These applications have the potential to save your boss's business thousands of dollars. Need help convincing your boss? Drop me a line.

Labels: anti-microsoft, green isn't just a colour it's an imperative, tools

With the sudden announcement of Bob Gates as the new secretary of defense and Bush's own family connections to the intelligence community (daddy Bush was the CIA director before becoming Vice-President and then President). Is it that improbable that Bill Gates might be a relative (likely distant) of Bill Gates of Microsoft Corp?

Is it possible that Microsoft's early financial dominance could be because of spying? Did someone slip their cousin some source code?

I'm sure there is someone out there that can rule out a family connection; that is if there isn't one. I know I don't have the research capacity.

But, I do love to wonder whether billionaires can keep themselves from influencing politics closely. More than that it will be interesting to know whether they had access to the corridors of power long before the money started to flow to them.

What we do know is Robert Gates's appointment is going to be rushed through congress in apparent defiance of the will of the American electorate. Defying the electorate probably isn't anything new for this veteran of the CIA, given his involvement with the Contra in Nicaragua. I wonder what the recently re-elected Ortega thinks of the Gates appointment?

It is worth noting that the departure of Rumsfeld (see prior post) from Ford's administration roughly coincided with daddy Bush's appointment as Director of Central Intelligence in the mid-1970's.

• Billy Gates
• Bobby Gates
• Daddy Bush
• José Daniel Ortega Saavedra

Labels: alternatives, anti-microsoft, spy-watch

I know, there are more blog posts in the world about why people hate windows than there are blogs (and we all know there are too many of those).

But.. given my previous post about how I love Pico..

Let's look at screen shot of what happens when I install a simple text based email reader on my windows box.. yup you guessed it, that's a Not Responding in the corner. I locked up my windows box with a text email client. Bleh.

Labels: anti-microsoft, tools

Pico (text editor) is my favourite. I like it better than wordpad, notepad, word, openoffice, wordperfect, emacs and pretty much anything else you can put word process with.

Ok.. this post isn't really about why I love Pico. This is just a post saying that I do love Pico.

I'm a simple person, with simple desires and yet, I am the master of these simple things. Let's tell the truth.. I'm blowing my own horn here but, I'm good at Pico. I even like Pine.

I'm going to go compile them on my windows box...

I know I need a real job.

Labels: anti-microsoft, opinion, tools

I'm always amazed when people tell me they have problems with Spam or they don't know what Skype is, or they have never heard of myspace.com/friendster/orkut/hyves/hi-5 or they can't join a union.

So for those of you who are having trouble with any of the above here are my simple tips:

1. Spam: Use Gmail and forward your old accounts e-mail there. Let Gmail ditch your spam for you. You don't have to change your e-mail address. In fact you can forward all your e-mail addresses and even send as if it came from them. E-mail me at morganstewart@gmail.com for more deets.

2. Skype: is free phoning. Go get it, NOW: Skype. You don't need to know anything more than that. If you do.. RTFM.

3. Just search for me on these crappy social networking sites.. you'll find me... or someone else. myspace.com/friendster/orkut/hyves/hi-5

4. A recent Australian survey motivated the ACTU (Canada's CLC equivalent) to set-up a one stop join a union shop. In Australia just call: 1300 4 UNION or go to: http://www.actu.asn.au/work_rights/tools_resources/JoinAUnion.html In Canada it can be more complicated.. but try: CanadianLabour.ca or check the white pages for your local Labour Council. Even try asking some union member you know..
Don't give up.. if you want to be in a union -- keep asking until you are.

Labels: anti-microsoft, tools