Once again my birthday has rolled around and now I’m 62. As always, at this time of year, I take extra time to pause and reflect. Time to look at where I am and where I’ve been. A lot has happened and I find myself in a strange position. I have lost everything – wife, marriage, home, job, position, titles and more and yet I’ve never been happier. Strange huh?
I think that in losing everything I truly found God like I haven’t known Him since I was a child. In giving up everything it seems I’ve found myself again. I also learned a lot about myself and about others.
I learned that I’m much tougher than I thought I was. I can sleep on anything, eat any kind of food, live in a hostile environment, and still survive. I learned that people I thought of as friends really weren’t. I learned that my daughters are even more special than I always thought they were. They are, in fact, the BEST! and I will never be able to tell them enough times to suit me.
Long and short of it: I did something wrong. I’ve paid for it, I’m paying for it, and I’ll continue to pay for it. BUT doing one thing wrong does not wipe out all of the good things I’ve done and will continue to do. I’m sorry for what I did, but I will not walk around with my head down. I learned a lot about myself and about others. Here are just a few things I learned:
- Only fools speak loudly and frequently!
- Each man violates himself!
- Only through absence do you gain appreciation
- There is nothing like a hot meal
- I better understand what “wretched” means
So, this year has been a real eye-opener for me in so many ways. I appreciate all the things I had, and lost, but I don’t miss them. I have a new and better relationship with God, which is very important to me. I have an even better relationship with my daughters. So, the year that’s passed has been full of change. In the coming year I’ll be working on business, working on a new business, and most importantly, continuing to work on myself. I will never forget the lessons I’ve learned. My life going forward is going to be all about “serving others” as Jesus talked about in Mark. “He who would be the greatest of all must be the servant of all.” Life, after all, goes on. I’m going to go on with it and see what I can do for others.
Tags: children, commentary, knowledge, life, perspective, philosophy, river
This is a summary of my evaluation of five different distributions of Linux. Each has a benefit.
Tags: butterscotch, linux, Reviews, technology
A few months ago I did a post called Picking A Mobile Platform where I discussed the various mobile platforms, in brief, and my decision to go with Android as my platform of choice.
Well, the more I’m around mobile devices the more I think I made the right choice. Yes the iPhone is a cool tool and it did change the way people look at mobile devices. Yes, they keep fixing the software and next week iOS 4.1 will be out. I don’t know how many of the rest of you have noticed, but suddenly it seems Apple is real anxious to talk about iOS devices. Initially it was just an iPhone and an iPod Touch. Now they are “iOS devices” and much ado is made about the current iOS version.
My personal opinion is that this is happening because Apple is painfully aware that everyone regards Android as an operating system and not just a “phone”. Android phones simply support that operating system. Look at the ever growing diversity of Android devices. Stunning displays, more memory, and tremendous improvements to the operating system.
Seems like users are noticing too because more and more are picking Android. You know, when you come right down to it, there’s only one iPhone model. Oh yeah, different storage capacities, but they all look the same. The beauty of Android, to me, is that Android phones are made by different manufacturers and with very different configurations.
If you want a physical keyboard you can get a Motorola Droid. If you want something slimmer you can get an HTC Incredible and if you want a huge screen you can get a Droid X. Android phones are coming in lots of different styles and models. And you don’t see Google moaning about users trying to “root” their Android devices. That’s part of the beauty of having an “open” approach. The applications in the Android Market also show amazing insight and creativity and you can find things there that have no match on the iPhone.
So, I for one, am glad I’ve decided to stick with Android going forward. I have selection, diversity, openness, and developerd who are excited about the Android platform. That’s something that excites me too.
Tags: Android, commentary, iPhone, mobile, portable, technology
For your viewing pleasure here is a review of three, cool programs that help keep your PC running smoothly.
Tags: butterscotch, computers, Reviews, technology, windows
The mobile market is changing rapidly. Almost every day you turn around and there’s another cool device getting ready for release. Being fortunate enough to have used devices on all the major platform i.e. Windows Mobile, Palm, iPhone, BlackBerry, and Android, I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Relatively early on I simply gave up on Windows Mobile. It was like a nightmare and was as bad as Windows 98. I’m not saying I won’t look at the next Mobile 7 version, but I doubt I’d switch to it. Palm also lost it’s appeal when PDA’s became smartphones.
If you’d have asked me 18 months ago I’d have said BlackBerry was my hands down favorite device and OS. It’s solid, it’s dependable, it’s easy-to-use, and the devices have gotten progressively better. Smaller, slimmer, and even the Storm and Storm 2 with touch screens. The biggest problem is not a lot of innovation. A bad Web browser, dated menus, and not a huge array of software available.
About a year ago I got an iPhone so I could do tutorials for butterscotch.com. The iPhone is a delightful gadget. It truly revolutionized the smartphone and phone markets. It is, in my opinion, a “gadget” that appeals to the masses that aren’t highly technical. It’s easy-to-use. It’s also restrictive.
The Apple App Store has conflicting policies. Developers jump through hoops to get their software there. iPhone users are expected to be happy with the device the way it is. Ridiculous. What happened to the sense of adventure. What happened to changing icons, changing keyboards, changing the look and feel to something you wanted? You did buy the iPhone after all.
Six months ago I got the Motorola Droid. It has features and functions that none of the other platforms offer. Because it’s backed by Google the Android OS is updated much more frequently. When I got my Droid the OS was a 2.0 and since then both 2.1 and 2.2 have been released.
The Android platform is open and the encourages development. I’ve found applications in the Android Market that have no competition in the other platforms. Dazzling applications that are truly innovative. And what’s the result? Android has caught iPhone. I predict Android is going to surpass iPhone in most respects.
Oh yes, the much touted iPhone OS 4.0. I watched the presentation. Almost without exception every feature they pointed to as being in iPhone OS 4.0 is something I already have on my “jailbroken” iPhone 3GS. It’s like they looked at a jailbroken phone to see what users wanted – folders, background music, multitasking, and so on, and made OS 4.0 do it. I have no need to upgrade I already have all the cool features.
So, looking at it as a technical person and a consumer I’ve made a conscious decision. My mobile platform is going to be Android! I love the diversity, the open structure, the lack of restrictive policies, and the slew of cool new Android devices coming out. After all, an iPhone, be it 1.0 or 4.0, is still an iPhone. All of the Android phones are new and exciting in different ways. The amount of Android software is increasing daily and getting better and better.
When I buy a device as far as I’m concerned it’s my device, not the company that made it. I don’t care for many of the policies of Apple and I won’t continue to support them. I have all the music on my Droid that I had on my iPhone using doubleTwist.
I’ve made my decision and I’ll be sticking with it. Oh sure I’ll do tutorials on all those other platforms, but when it comes to the smartphone I use it’s going to be Android-based. I guess that’s because I want a “smartphone” that’s really smart, unrestricted, and innovative. Think about it.
Tags: Android, BlackBerry, commentary, comments, dialogues, iPhone, mobile, Random Rants, rants, tech, Windows Mobile
This week we at www.butterscotch.com launched a new show for me. This one is the Sweet Stuff Going Mobile! I’m really stoked about this one because I’m going to be featuring programs for BlackBerry, Android, and iPhone. Since this is the premiere show I’ve put it here for your convenience.
For all of the sweet stuff visit http://www.butterscotch.com/
Tags: Android, butterscotch, commentary, comments, mobile, technology
I’ve been watching the Winter Olympics, just as I watched the summer Olympics. I’ve watched both for many, many years. In recent years, however, I note this tendency of the news media to go to what I consider to be wild extremes.
Michael Phelps was amazing in winning a record number of gold medals in swimming. I watched him do it just as I had watched Mark Spitz before him. Suddenly you start seeing things in the media, like “Is Michael Phelps The Greatest Athlete To Ever Live?” Where do they come up with stuff? He’s a swimmer. Okay, call him the greatest swimmer to ever live, but the greatest athlete? Based on what? Number of medals won? Could he do a Decathlon? Hmm, I’m guessing no. They do ten events, ten sports, ten! They get one medal. That means they aren’t remarkable athletes?
Put Michael Phelps out there with the New Orleans Saints and see how he holds up. Get him in an NBA game, or an NHL hockey game with some of those bruisers. I’m the first to laud his accomplishments at swimming, but let’s not get carried away. To me a term like “worlds greatest athlete” needs to be reserved for someone who excels at every sport, not just one.
Now at the Winter Olympics the media is asking another extreme question. “Is Apolo Anton Ohno The Greatest Winter Olympian Ever?” Please. He’s a speed skater. Not a gymnast and a swimmer and a lacrosse player combined. One of the greatest speed skaters ever? Maybe. But why does the media have to make these ridiculous proclamations? Again, because he has more medals? Yeah, but they aren’t all gold medals. Call him what he is which is a really accomplished speed skater.
At the same time the media runs down people like Lindsey Vonn because she hasn’t won 5 or 6 gold medals. Well, as I recall, she never said she was going to, the media did. For a person who was injured going into the Olympics I think she’s done pretty well even though she’s not in contention for world’s greatest athlete. 
For myself I wish the media would just report the news and get out of the speculation business. A guy who swims really good isn’t the world’s greatest athlete any more than a guy who skates really well is the world’s greatest winter Olympian. They are people who did well at the sport they practiced at since they were kids. Nothing more, nothing less.
Tags: commentary, comments, dialogues, media, people, random, Random Rants, rants
Microsoft announced what it’s now calling Windows Phone 7. It used to be called Windows Mobile, Windows CE, Pocket PC, and maybe a few things I’m missing. Based on the hype, Windows Phone 7, has a wide range of improvements. It’s supposed to work well with touch-screens and non-touch screens. It supports Xbox and Zune, but no surprise there. Microsoft is also taking more control on the hardware side of things with all Windows Phone 7 devices.
The way it’s described it sounds quite nice, but I have to ask myself, “Is it too little too late?” The iPhone is obviously a huge success. RIM and the BlackBerry are doing better than ever. Ahh, and Android is starting to storm the market and already a large number of applications exist for it.
At this point I’ve used Palm, Windows, BlackBerry, iPhone, and Android devices. I can’t speak to Windows Phone 7, but my previous experiences with Windows CE, Pocket PC, and Windows Mobile were a lot like my experiences with Windows itself. Crashes, lockups, and rebooting. Things I’ve almost never experienced with any of the other mobile operating systems.
So, I have to wonder if Microsoft hasn’t missed the boat on mobile devices. It’s created a huge hole for itself to dig out of if that’s even possible. Add to that the fact that they don’t plan on rolling out Windows Phone 7 devices until the holiday season of 2010 and to me it just makes the hole deeper.
Perhaps Windows Phone 7 will be the pleasant surprise that Windows 7 has been. I have to think, though, that even if it is, it may not be enough for Microsoft to bridge the ever-widening gap. The iPhone keeps updating, the BlackBerry just keeps getting better, and Android phones are starting to make their presence known in the market place. It will be interesting to watch and see what happens.
Tags: commentary, comments, dialogues, mobile, perspective, technology, windows
Software Should Respect The User!
The computer is a machine. Without an operating system it’s just a bunch of parts. The operating system, be it Windows, Mac, Linux, or something else, gives the computer a foundation to start working from. Software is designed to work on a specific operating system. Software does some amazing things. The operating systems do some amazing things. My biggest gripe is that they don’t respect the user. They act selfish, and stupid!
Software can tell what time it is, how long it’s been since you moved the mouse, how long it’s been since you touched a key. Yep, software can be smart that way. Because it is it aggravates me even more when it’s down-right rude!
I come to my computer to type a letter. I open the word processor and begin to type. Now the computer may not “know” in the human sense, but it detects activity. There are key presses on the keyboard, there are mouse movements. It may also note network activity as I access the Internet to get some information. So, the computer senses that the computer is being used. So, then why does it pick that time to pop stuff up in front of my face? Time to check for this, OK? Time to upgrade that, OK? NO it’s not okay because I am using the computer.
Why does it seem that the needs of the computer, or the software, outweigh the needs of the people who use them? Can’t the computer tell me when I’m not busy? Can’t I agree, as I can in many cases, to have the software automatically update itself? I know I don’t have the computer that’s on board the Starship Enterprise, but for crying out loud, it knows I’m at the computer. Automate the fraking software updates. Automate all of it. Design the software so it does not pop crap up in front of me when I, the human who purchased all this stuff, is trying to actually use it. Is the level of fragmentation on my disk drive more important than my letter? No.
I can plug in an external hard drive and Windows will come back and tell me the name of the company that made it, the model number, the amount of space it has, and if it’s been formatted. So, if it’s so clever, why does it have to interrupt me with piddly stuff? Asimov should have built some clause into the Laws of Robotics that said “the machine does not interrupt the human.”
Now I’m seeing posts about Windows 8 and what it should be. Well, I for one would be perfectly happy if it had only one, new feature. What’s that? The ability to respect the computer user and prevent all these silly interruptions. That would, in my opinion, be a major step forward. That would be refreshing. To be able to work on my computer for an hour or two and not have the operating system or some program pop something up in front of my face.
Tags: commentary, comments, computers, dialogues, linux, mac, rant, technology, windows