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

The cost of producing power at Kemano is about $5 (Canadian) a megawatt hour. The proposed agreement would have seen B.C. Hydro pay an average rate of $71 a megawatt hour. - Ruling Puts Smelter in Limbo the Globe & Mail

If the Nechako water system was the bathwater, yesterday's announcement by the BC Utilities Commission saved the baby. Not approving the Alcan - BC Hydro deal to sell us back our own power destroy's a key part of Gordon Campbell's ridiculous privatization plans that threaten to throw out an incredible resource for this province.

The flooding of the Nechako system to create the Kemano power station included the drilling of a 16 km tunnel the width of a two lane highway through a mountain 50 years ago. In the history of mega-projects the first Kemano project was a giganta-project. It reversed the flows of more than 75% of a major tributary of the Fraser River (which in turn drains an area of 220,000 square kilometres).

Having caused the environmental destruction of 120,000 acres of the Upper Nechako valley and the massive environmental damage that went along with that flooding, some 50 years ago, now is not the time to sign a contract with Alcan to supply that power back to our publicly owned utility BC Hydro. Especially, at these ludicrous prices. BC doesn't need the power as a solid continuation of the PowerSmart campaign could produce a larger amount of available power than this deal ever would. However, if we did need it I think there are two simple and viable options, buy the power directly from Alcan while introducing a tax on the water going through the tunnel or nationalize the power production parts of the Alcan operation at Kemano in the public interest.

I know, these two suggestions will go over as well as my 2002 motion at the UVic Board of Governors to use the board's expropriation powers to produce revenue for the avoidance of a tuition fee increase (this motion didn't receive a seconder). This land, water and power were stolen from the local First Nations and should not continue to be held by a company that is unwilling to commit to the future of British Columbia.

It is the position of the town of Kitimat that the 50+ year old deal that created the Alcan smelter at Kemano prohibits the sale of electricity. I don't think it matters if the deal prohibits it or not, the public interest in this substantial of a land-use decision should put this power in the hands of our provincial power utility, not provide $66 markup on a product we gave the company in the first place. It appears the BC Utilities Commission agrees at least in part, declaring the deal "unenforceable and not in the public interest."

Let's hope the ominous words from the Premier's office today, expressing disappointment with a commission, that can ultimately be replaced by this Government don't result in that outcome. I'm sure the public outcry would be deafening, but I have a feeling the Premier of British Columbia may already be deaf.

Labels: environment, green isn't just a colour it's an imperative, nationalization, public power