Bad Times for the Entertainment Industry: A Great Day for Bloggers
Let's face it. The entertainment industry is going to suffer on account of the Writer's Strike (Wow! has anyone ever seen so much creativity all in one place!), and now the Broadway Stagehand Strike. I don't really know how much it will suffer at the passing of Norm Mailer (I've over a thousand books in my personal library and not one of his - never read him!) So, what does everyone do now for entertainment?
Browse the Web!
(I reckon a few of them will go out to eat dinner at a fine restaurant too.)
So, I figure it is a great day for bloggers. Folks will have nothing to read for a while (ya, right!) and so they are going to be meandering the dark catacombs and sunny glades of blogger, wordpress, lifejournal, and myspace.
I guess maybe my point is: who cares that the Hollywood writers are on strike? Is the world going to suffer if all those couch potatoes out there have to watch re-runs for a few weeks? I think not. Is the world going to suffer of a hand full of movies are released later than planned? Again: I think not.
I do feel mildly sorry for the Hollywood and/or New York writer: mostly because they have to live in Hollywood and/or New York where the cost of living is 100 times what it is anywhere else in the country. But, in a way, I don't feel sorry for them too: because it was their choice.
And, what I think the Hollywood types don't recognize is that everybody is suffering these days. The economy is going to hell. Costs are going up and people are making less and less money. (I haven't gotten a salary increase in two years now, and I'm busting my butt to make my company profitable.)
So, I guess I change my mind. I don't feel sorry for them.
Enjoy cyberspace!
Cheers!
Basil
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Our Civil Liberties, Police State, and the Proper Government Substitutes for Intelligent Citizens
I've been following the LA Fires in the news, as I suppose so many others have been.
I figure it is probably a terrorist act, now that they are fairly certain that the fires were deliberately set. Will we ever know? Maybe not. Our government doesn't want us to know too much. Might make us panic. Might make us elect someone else. You know.
Anyway, I'm considering the citizens of Souther Cal fairly heroic for their bravery in the midst a very difficult situation. This is their September 11th, and we should honor that.
Meanwhile, in one article:
On The Difficulties People are Finding Getting Back to their Homes
There is this great post by a local resident. I think it both sums up the truth of the situation, the Great American Spirit of individualism that made our country great, and the impoverished ideology our current government has (which is really demoralizing to the country, and threatens the future of our country more than terrorism does). Now, I don't want to read too much into what this guy says, but he has a way with words, and I agree with him 100%:
John E. wrote on Oct 25...
" The topic of 'mandatory' evacuations raises very significant issues regarding civil liberty. Our lawsuit-happy and risk-averse society is in danger of morphing into a nanny state, in which Big Brother knows best and John Q. Public is treated as a buffoon who always knows less than the so-called experts. If I had a wooden-roofed house atop a chaparral-covered slope, I would probably choose to evacuate even before the reverse 9-1-1 call, but if I had a reasonably fire-resistant house at the bottom of a canyon, with 'shelter in place' landscaping and a good water supply with a backup generator for a pump, I might decide to stay. There is no substitute for clear, rational thought, personal responsibility, and risk assessment. "
Bravo, John, and thanks for both your words ans your bravery!
There are also some great words on the page from a feisty Grandmother, Ada.
I hope you folks stay safe and well.
Cheers!
Basil
I've been following the LA Fires in the news, as I suppose so many others have been.
I figure it is probably a terrorist act, now that they are fairly certain that the fires were deliberately set. Will we ever know? Maybe not. Our government doesn't want us to know too much. Might make us panic. Might make us elect someone else. You know.
Anyway, I'm considering the citizens of Souther Cal fairly heroic for their bravery in the midst a very difficult situation. This is their September 11th, and we should honor that.
Meanwhile, in one article:
On The Difficulties People are Finding Getting Back to their Homes
There is this great post by a local resident. I think it both sums up the truth of the situation, the Great American Spirit of individualism that made our country great, and the impoverished ideology our current government has (which is really demoralizing to the country, and threatens the future of our country more than terrorism does). Now, I don't want to read too much into what this guy says, but he has a way with words, and I agree with him 100%:
John E. wrote on Oct 25...
" The topic of 'mandatory' evacuations raises very significant issues regarding civil liberty. Our lawsuit-happy and risk-averse society is in danger of morphing into a nanny state, in which Big Brother knows best and John Q. Public is treated as a buffoon who always knows less than the so-called experts. If I had a wooden-roofed house atop a chaparral-covered slope, I would probably choose to evacuate even before the reverse 9-1-1 call, but if I had a reasonably fire-resistant house at the bottom of a canyon, with 'shelter in place' landscaping and a good water supply with a backup generator for a pump, I might decide to stay. There is no substitute for clear, rational thought, personal responsibility, and risk assessment. "
Bravo, John, and thanks for both your words ans your bravery!
There are also some great words on the page from a feisty Grandmother, Ada.
I hope you folks stay safe and well.
Cheers!
Basil
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Friday, October 05, 2007
Stop Mucking with my %$#@$##@$ Operating System!!!
It is a simple thing, but it makes me really mad. The Federal Government should step in and STOP Microsoft from arbitrarily making changes to the O/S that affect ordinary behavior. It is not so much the fact that they make changes to the O/S - that part I accept. If there is a security vulnerability, then by all means, upload it to my computer with the regular updates so that my computer will function the way it is supposed to (safely). But what is not acceptable is for Microsoft to upload changes to my operating system without me knowing about it, and then try to pass them off under the cover of security updates.
It is simply unethical, Bill, never mind where it is legal or not. I can assure you, Mr. Gates, that you have reserved seats at the fireside show in HELL, because you have no conscience about what your company does to everyone's computer!!!
Here is my case in point. I well know, after many years of using MS operating systems, what I want out of an operating system. Sure, there are ideas I've had for making the O/S better. For example, when I drag and drop a file because I want to make a copy of it: why not allow me to specify at that time how I'd like the copy renamed - or better still, give me access to a registry key I can change so that my files are renamed in a certain manner when I drag and drop. Maybe even using a regular expression.
Okay, but that aside. What I do not want. What I cannot accept. What is ABSOLUTELY unacceptable to me, is when you Morons (yes, the M in Microsoft, I'm sure, is for Morons) change my operating system without asking me, without telling me about it, without anything, AND try to pass this off as a security update!!!! It is altogether unethical, and it should be illegal.
So, here is my problem. For years (it seems like centuries) when you drag and drop a file to make a copy of it, it makes a copy with the numeration of what (nth) copy it is of that file. For example, I drag File.doc once, and I get "Copy of File.doc" - I drag it twice and I get "Copy (2) of File.doc" and so on. If I drag "Copy (2) of File.doc" I get "Copy of Copy (2) of File.doc" - If I drag and drop that I get "Copy (2) of Copy (2) of File.doc"
At least, that's how it has always been. Now all of a sudden some genius at Microsoft has decided that that's dumb, and so now when I drag and drop "Copy (2) of File.doc" I get instead "Copy (3) of File.doc".
Well, that's a great idea. And we would all agree it's a great idea. Sure, you can put that in VISTA and if we are all so inclined to purchase VISTA we can switch to the new methodology. But it will be a conscious choice.
But the problem is, that's not how it worked before. That's now how it has always worked. And, I find that you ba$tar6$ changing my operating system on me without my permission, without asking me, without informing me, to be wholly unacceptable.
I have my operating system turned on in such a way as to download updates, and then prompt me to install them. But this does not permit you folks to change the way my operating system functions. I am expecting patches. Patches are something that fixes something that is broken. They are not something that completely changes the behavior.
Okay, well, I've said enough.
Grrrrrrr.....
Back to work now.
~ Basil
It is a simple thing, but it makes me really mad. The Federal Government should step in and STOP Microsoft from arbitrarily making changes to the O/S that affect ordinary behavior. It is not so much the fact that they make changes to the O/S - that part I accept. If there is a security vulnerability, then by all means, upload it to my computer with the regular updates so that my computer will function the way it is supposed to (safely). But what is not acceptable is for Microsoft to upload changes to my operating system without me knowing about it, and then try to pass them off under the cover of security updates.
It is simply unethical, Bill, never mind where it is legal or not. I can assure you, Mr. Gates, that you have reserved seats at the fireside show in HELL, because you have no conscience about what your company does to everyone's computer!!!
Here is my case in point. I well know, after many years of using MS operating systems, what I want out of an operating system. Sure, there are ideas I've had for making the O/S better. For example, when I drag and drop a file because I want to make a copy of it: why not allow me to specify at that time how I'd like the copy renamed - or better still, give me access to a registry key I can change so that my files are renamed in a certain manner when I drag and drop. Maybe even using a regular expression.
Okay, but that aside. What I do not want. What I cannot accept. What is ABSOLUTELY unacceptable to me, is when you Morons (yes, the M in Microsoft, I'm sure, is for Morons) change my operating system without asking me, without telling me about it, without anything, AND try to pass this off as a security update!!!! It is altogether unethical, and it should be illegal.
So, here is my problem. For years (it seems like centuries) when you drag and drop a file to make a copy of it, it makes a copy with the numeration of what (nth) copy it is of that file. For example, I drag File.doc once, and I get "Copy of File.doc" - I drag it twice and I get "Copy (2) of File.doc" and so on. If I drag "Copy (2) of File.doc" I get "Copy of Copy (2) of File.doc" - If I drag and drop that I get "Copy (2) of Copy (2) of File.doc"
At least, that's how it has always been. Now all of a sudden some genius at Microsoft has decided that that's dumb, and so now when I drag and drop "Copy (2) of File.doc" I get instead "Copy (3) of File.doc".
Well, that's a great idea. And we would all agree it's a great idea. Sure, you can put that in VISTA and if we are all so inclined to purchase VISTA we can switch to the new methodology. But it will be a conscious choice.
But the problem is, that's not how it worked before. That's now how it has always worked. And, I find that you ba$tar6$ changing my operating system on me without my permission, without asking me, without informing me, to be wholly unacceptable.
I have my operating system turned on in such a way as to download updates, and then prompt me to install them. But this does not permit you folks to change the way my operating system functions. I am expecting patches. Patches are something that fixes something that is broken. They are not something that completely changes the behavior.
Okay, well, I've said enough.
Grrrrrrr.....
Back to work now.
~ Basil
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Freedom of Speech in the U.S.A.?
One statement I remember saying while we sat around the campfire on a cool summer night by the sea: The U.S. is going in the wrong direction when it comes to protecting freedoms, and Russia is going in the right direction.
By this I was trying to emphasize the fact that the freedoms are multiplying in the Russian Federation after the dissolving of the Soviet Union a little over 15 years ago. Whereas in our society, the government is cracking down on far more than 15 years ago, restricting the rights of it's citizens, and censuring them. The government has been given (or rather, I should say "has taken" since nobody actually gave the U.S. government this authority, and hence, I ask, is it any longer a democratic republic?) unprecedented authority to investigate, track, basically spy on its own citizens without the due process of law guaranteed by the constitution. The government and large corporations have formed their own special censorship in order to control the messages that are fed to our people.
Well, this news story points out another problem for freedom in the U.S.A.
Dan Rather has filed a 70 million dollar lawsuit against CBS because he was used as a scapegoat and fired for CBS to come out showing a more favorable view of the White House. About this he says: "Somebody, sometime has got to take a stand and say democracy cannot survive, much less thrive with the level of big corporate and big government interference and intimidation in news..."
God Bless Dan Rather!
God Save America!
~ Basil
One statement I remember saying while we sat around the campfire on a cool summer night by the sea: The U.S. is going in the wrong direction when it comes to protecting freedoms, and Russia is going in the right direction.
By this I was trying to emphasize the fact that the freedoms are multiplying in the Russian Federation after the dissolving of the Soviet Union a little over 15 years ago. Whereas in our society, the government is cracking down on far more than 15 years ago, restricting the rights of it's citizens, and censuring them. The government has been given (or rather, I should say "has taken" since nobody actually gave the U.S. government this authority, and hence, I ask, is it any longer a democratic republic?) unprecedented authority to investigate, track, basically spy on its own citizens without the due process of law guaranteed by the constitution. The government and large corporations have formed their own special censorship in order to control the messages that are fed to our people.
Well, this news story points out another problem for freedom in the U.S.A.
Dan Rather has filed a 70 million dollar lawsuit against CBS because he was used as a scapegoat and fired for CBS to come out showing a more favorable view of the White House. About this he says: "Somebody, sometime has got to take a stand and say democracy cannot survive, much less thrive with the level of big corporate and big government interference and intimidation in news..."
God Bless Dan Rather!
God Save America!
~ Basil
Autumn is Here
You can tell autumn is here...
... not by the yellow, orange, red tinge to the leafy trees
... not by the dew on the grass in the morning
... not by the misty breath you have when you go outside late at night
But by the fact that the air conditioning has finally clicked in at work. The office will actually be comfortable now for the first time since May, and this comfort level will last about 2 to 3 weeks, at which time shorts and t-shirts are exchanged for jeans and sweaters.
Cheers!
Basil
You can tell autumn is here...
... not by the yellow, orange, red tinge to the leafy trees
... not by the dew on the grass in the morning
... not by the misty breath you have when you go outside late at night
But by the fact that the air conditioning has finally clicked in at work. The office will actually be comfortable now for the first time since May, and this comfort level will last about 2 to 3 weeks, at which time shorts and t-shirts are exchanged for jeans and sweaters.
Cheers!
Basil
Friday, September 14, 2007
А сейчас слов от нашега спонсора....
Today's Pop, Folk, and Rock Music is brought to you by:
The Voshnesensky-Davidiva Monastery!
I was listening to my regular dose of Russian pop music today on this new radio station I discovered: Music Radio 101 FM, when I noticed there were four endorsements in the bottom of my Windows Media Player: (1) Rambler's Top 100 (they are basically one of the two Russian equivalents of yahoo) (2) Mail.ru toplist (they aren't as big as rambler, etc, (3) The Windows Media Player 8, and (4)The Voshnesensky-Davidiva Monastery.
I clicked on the The Voshnesensky-Davidiva Monastery banner, and sure enough, it takes you right to here.
There's probably some great Orthodox resources available from their page, along with several Russian Orthodox webrings.
Regards!
Basil
Today's Pop, Folk, and Rock Music is brought to you by:
The Voshnesensky-Davidiva Monastery!
I was listening to my regular dose of Russian pop music today on this new radio station I discovered: Music Radio 101 FM, when I noticed there were four endorsements in the bottom of my Windows Media Player: (1) Rambler's Top 100 (they are basically one of the two Russian equivalents of yahoo) (2) Mail.ru toplist (they aren't as big as rambler, etc, (3) The Windows Media Player 8, and (4)The Voshnesensky-Davidiva Monastery.
I clicked on the The Voshnesensky-Davidiva Monastery banner, and sure enough, it takes you right to here.
There's probably some great Orthodox resources available from their page, along with several Russian Orthodox webrings.
Regards!
Basil
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