Business, Culture, Writing, and Other Stuff
I've been thinking a while about the case of Google Books massive scanning project. It reminds me of the Harvester machines from Terminator Salvation. Google was hell-bent on acquiring books and it eventually became a battle between publishers and the Google Harvester. Publishers at least had the funds to hire attorneys and the ramifications of [...]
Image by seiuhealthcare775nw via Flickr Fair warning: the following is a rant. No, I'm not flying a plane into a building. At worst I may kill this mosquito buzzing around my desk or break a pencil or two. However, there is a churning in my gut that feels different than most afternoons after lunch. I've [...]
Since I have a real job, I can't spend all of my time reading documents from other professions in a lame attempt to know everything. For example, as much as I search WebMD, I don't feel comfortable writing my friends' Hydrocodone prescriptions anymore. I didn't go to school for eight years and then suffer more [...]
I finished A Quiet Flame by Philip Kerr the other day. I can't get enough of Bernie Gunther and his hard boiled cynicism. In this fifth book of the series, he winds up in Argentina in 1950. It was a fascinating read as Kerr knows his history well and expertly mixes it into his narrative. [...]
Why is everyone surprised when the banking bailout turns into a catastrophic failure? The AP is shocked, shocked I tell you that executives are still holding on to their jobs after the bailout (see AP: 9 in 10 execs at bailout banks remain on job). What did the AP think was going to happen to [...]
So the new Obama administration comes in and is bewildered by the lack of modern computers in the White House . Their reaction was naive at best. Many of the staffers who were complaining probably never heard of TEMPEST. And what's the deal with whining to the press that they don't have Macintoshes? (see Staff [...]
What's up with the President becoming the "president"? I had this sneaky feeling that something had changed since second grade, when they wheeled a TV into my classroom and had to let it warm up for 30 minutes so I could see Carter's inauguration. I was told then if it's the President of the United [...]
If you've been following me for any length of time, you know I have conservative leanings, especially when it comes to national defense issues. Call me crazy, but when somebody says they want to kill you, they might mean it. Another thing is that I come from a family who owns a small business. Over [...]
I'm watching the Obama acceptance speech. I'm am convinced beyond any doubt that anybody will accept anything as long as it's in a nice package. He said something about those who didn't vote for him: "I hear your voices." I'm not sure I can articulate my disappointment in our culture. The only voices he's heard [...]
Long Way From Home by The Heavy