I'm not a huge fan of moving. When I was younger, I would move about every 4 years or so. When I was single, it was more about packing a friends truck with the 8 items I owned. The only thing that took more than 3 seconds to "pack" was my bed - and even then I didn't have a "proper" bed frame until I'd been married for two years.
As I got older, and after I got married, we've still managed to move SOMETHING every 3 or 4 years - be it our household or our business. In between, of course, we've helped countless friends and relatives move as well... still, I'm not a huge fan of moving.
Moving can be exciting ("...ooooh, look, there goes that ________ into a million pieces..."), physically demanding ("...damn, even muscles that I didn't know I had hurt!"), and a treasure hunt ("...so THAT's where that damn ________ is!") all at the same time.
I've done it all when it comes to moving - from scouring dumpsters for boxes, to hiring "pack and move" people to do the whole thing. Here's a tip - if you can afford it - then HIRE PEOPLE TO DO THE MOVING, but NOT the packing.
If you do have to move yourself - here's another tip: don't start drinking until ALL the boxes are in your new place (garage counts).
Tip #2: Don't have "just one beer" with lunch - you'll be asleep before you know it.
Even if you can "pop" for someone to do the moving - don't have them pack. NO ONE cares for your useless junk as much as you do. If you want most things in tact after the move - and you don't like filling out 10,000 page claim forms - pack the stuff yourself.
Tip #3: The general rule of packing 2 boxes a day - complete crap. Grab some old newspaper, a 12 pack, packing tape, 3 friends and pack the hell out of everything 48-72 hours in advance, and stay in a hotel until moving day.
Final Tip: Get a dumpster, and throw out 50% of your junk. For the other 50%, as you go from room to room make 3 piles: Keep, Trash, Donate. For everything you put in the "Keep" pile that isn't clothing or dishes, etc. put an "Expiration Date" on there that is 2 years in the future. When you get to your new place, put those boxes in the garage or closet with the "Exipration Date" facing you. If you haven't opened the box by the expiration date, then chances are really good you can just toss the box.
This technique has allowed me to park two cars in my garage in the last two places I've lived. It's worth it just for that!
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Saturday, November 04, 2006
Introducing the ZunePod
OK, so unless you've been under a rock somewhere - you know that Microsoft is about to launch it's own answer to the iPod - called "Zune." It will have an online music store (very original!), where you can download music and videos (yawn!) to a handheld device that's basically identical to a 30GB iPod, at a price basically identical to the 30GB iPod (99 cents more).
To be sure, there are some "cooler" features in Zune: FM Radio, wireless networking (for beaming songs to you friends) and a bigger screen (3 inches versus 2.5). You can get more details from people with nothing more than free time on their hands at Wikipedia.
I'm going to leave the audio and video geeks to debate over which one is better (I don't really care), and the marketplace will also decide which one lives and which one dies - but what I want to talk about is Microsoft's tactics.
It's like Steve Ballmer is Baron Bomburst commanding kidnapped clueless scientists to duplicate Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. And, it's doing with the typical 1990's mantra "embrace and extend" - which in Microsoftland means "copy and kill the inventor."
They did it with DOS. They did it with Windows (copy of then-popular Mac OS). They did it with Excel (remember VisiCalc?). They did it with Explorer. They did it with XBox. They are TRYING to do it with C# (identical to Java), and now they are trying to do it with Zune.
We can only hope and pray that Apple doesn't get cocky and drop the ball (again).
To be sure, there are some "cooler" features in Zune: FM Radio, wireless networking (for beaming songs to you friends) and a bigger screen (3 inches versus 2.5). You can get more details from people with nothing more than free time on their hands at Wikipedia.
I'm going to leave the audio and video geeks to debate over which one is better (I don't really care), and the marketplace will also decide which one lives and which one dies - but what I want to talk about is Microsoft's tactics.
It's like Steve Ballmer is Baron Bomburst commanding kidnapped clueless scientists to duplicate Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. And, it's doing with the typical 1990's mantra "embrace and extend" - which in Microsoftland means "copy and kill the inventor."
They did it with DOS. They did it with Windows (copy of then-popular Mac OS). They did it with Excel (remember VisiCalc?). They did it with Explorer. They did it with XBox. They are TRYING to do it with C# (identical to Java), and now they are trying to do it with Zune.
We can only hope and pray that Apple doesn't get cocky and drop the ball (again).
Friday, November 03, 2006
Hacking The Vote
Now that we're only a few days away from the mid-term elections here in the US, I've been thinking about the voting process - and the effects of technology - and what it could mean for the upcoming election.
Then I found out about a documentary that HBO is going to air called "Hacking Democracy" - that takes a look at Diebold (the manufacturer of the majority of e-voting machines). From some of the reviews on the net (I haven't seen it myself) - I take it that it's not a very... ummm... flattering story.
That brings up another point: There is no standardized "platform" for voting. There are a bunch of companies and they all have their own security, software, and hardware. They all market to different states and even counties.
Who the hell is going to do on-site tech support for technically challenged voters? If you've ever voted (and those of you over 18 in the US had BETTER vote!) - you know that most of the volunteers in polling places are older than dirt and have the tech savvy of a 3 year old. It's the blind leading the blind.
Whenever you have crappy technology (the Diebold voting system was hacked with a $100 card from the Internet in 60 seconds), a lack of adequate tech support, lack of standards, no accountability, and a tight race - that can mean only one thing.
Lawyers. Lots of em.
Even though the election is on Tuesday, I predict that 90% of all the races won't be decided for a couple of weeks until all the lawyers are done with their cluster f***king.
In the end it will come down to a judge to decide who wins a race, and not the people that are supposed to be represented - and that sucks.
Thought for today: If you're a geek and your local voting place is all-electronic - take the day off and help out!
Then I found out about a documentary that HBO is going to air called "Hacking Democracy" - that takes a look at Diebold (the manufacturer of the majority of e-voting machines). From some of the reviews on the net (I haven't seen it myself) - I take it that it's not a very... ummm... flattering story.
That brings up another point: There is no standardized "platform" for voting. There are a bunch of companies and they all have their own security, software, and hardware. They all market to different states and even counties.
Who the hell is going to do on-site tech support for technically challenged voters? If you've ever voted (and those of you over 18 in the US had BETTER vote!) - you know that most of the volunteers in polling places are older than dirt and have the tech savvy of a 3 year old. It's the blind leading the blind.
Whenever you have crappy technology (the Diebold voting system was hacked with a $100 card from the Internet in 60 seconds), a lack of adequate tech support, lack of standards, no accountability, and a tight race - that can mean only one thing.
Lawyers. Lots of em.
Even though the election is on Tuesday, I predict that 90% of all the races won't be decided for a couple of weeks until all the lawyers are done with their cluster f***king.
In the end it will come down to a judge to decide who wins a race, and not the people that are supposed to be represented - and that sucks.
Thought for today: If you're a geek and your local voting place is all-electronic - take the day off and help out!
Thursday, November 02, 2006
IBM in Smack Down With Microsoft
IBM has announced that it's going to release a tool that will help people use SOA (Service Oriented Architecture) products easily. Oh yeah, and they're also working with their partner, Mainstay, to make a tool to convert from Visual Basic 6 to Java.
No, really, they did!
IBM. "Big Blue." The mainframe guys. You know - Lotus Notes, first personal computer - those guys.
Sounds like they're going into the "easy" realm? SOA for the rest of us? Ummmm... dunno, it's not out yet (due by end of 2006 - or so they say). BUT, if the name is any indication of the "easy" part - it's NOT going to be easy: the name is "Lotus Expeditor".
Really. Not Kidding.
A) Lotus = dead spreadsheet that they tried to turn into a "platform" in the early 90's - before something we like to call "the Internet"
B) ex‧pe‧dit‧erspan> Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[ek-spi-dahy-ter
No, really, they did!
IBM. "Big Blue." The mainframe guys. You know - Lotus Notes, first personal computer - those guys.
Sounds like they're going into the "easy" realm? SOA for the rest of us? Ummmm... dunno, it's not out yet (due by end of 2006 - or so they say). BUT, if the name is any indication of the "easy" part - it's NOT going to be easy: the name is "Lotus Expeditor".
Really. Not Kidding.
A) Lotus = dead spreadsheet that they tried to turn into a "platform" in the early 90's - before something we like to call "the Internet"
B) ex‧pe‧dit‧erspan> Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[ek-spi-dahy-ter
spɪˌdaɪ
