This is supposed to be a happy month, what with Birthday Reading Week popping up smack dab in the middle of it. Naturally, the cruel vagaries of failing at my primary job of pumping out WORKING software, means having to slog through that task, rather than read. So, I suspect Reading Week is more of a hope for the Fall, than anything near and imminent. At the same time, I HAVE been reading over the last year, despite the dearth of reviews here. Sooooo, in order to return SOME sanity to these proceedings, I think I'm going to try and get a bunch of book reviews off my chest this month. Maybe even one a day, since I can cheat and write a few in any one day and get ahead of the game.
At least it's a concept.
I'm going to start with a freely available book you can download. From the author. You can download Agent to the Stars by John Scalzi from here or go to Amazon and get a hardcopy version of it here. Now, got do one or the other. I could end the review here with that, but let me expand for those of you are hesitant to accept my orders. Silly Earthlings!
Agent to the Stars is a funny first-contact science fiction book. Basically, the first aliens (that this fictional universe knows of) arrive at Earth and hire an agent. Note, not a PR agent, an AGENT. Like in Hollywood Agent. The idea is to book a smooth introduction to humanity, something that might be a tad difficult for the gelatinous mobile tubs of jello that are the Yherajk. They know lots about human culture (ahhh, the unintended side effects with beaming I Love Lucy, All in the Family and Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire into the ether). But they also know they have to get around the obvious xeno-phobia, we, as a species, have perfected (Yes, Arizonans, I'm talking about you).
Carl Lupo and then his top junior agent Tom Stein are introduced to the Yherajk and become their agents. The hi-jinks that ensue are funny and not a little on-the-mark on what to expect if we ever DID get the change to shake hands-to-tendrils with some visitors from a far-off galaxy. We meet real characters, some of whom die and get 're-born,' some who just die and we get births. I cannot believe the editors at the various houses Scalzi submitted this book to said it wouldn't sell.
That's right, Scalzi initially never sold this book. It was his first, a trial if you will, to see if he could write a book. Three months later, basically just writing on weekends (the envy dripping from every keypress of this computer), he had something unique. And the publishing houses wouldn't touch it. Despite the success of Fredric Brown (Martians Go Home), R.A. Lafferty (East of Laughter), Reginald Bretnor (Ferdinand Feghout stories) and, more recently, Spider Robinson (Callahan series), they said there was no market for funny science fiction. Idiots all.
So, Scalzi posted the book and asked for donations. At the time of my download, he'd stopped asking for donations, having pocketed four grand,. Enough for, as he puts it, "a new laptop and plenty of pizza." My bet is that with an actual publishing deal, after he followed up this book with his popular Old Man's War series and a few more years of the odd donation here or there, he's made a comfortable profit for the time spent on his practice novel.
There's mirth and mayhem, heart and pathos in this book. It's a good read however you get and consume it. 'Nuff said.
Saturday, July 03, 2010
Friday, July 02, 2010
HARDWARE: In Replacement Batteries, I Trust
EBook Readers are big business these days. I've given two of them out to the most important women in my life and each one seems happy with her new toy. Me, I'm hoping the replacement battery I installed in my Sony Clie will last a couple of years (and the second one I have squirreled away, a couple of years after that). By that time, I figure there'll be an EBook Reader I'm willing to plunk down money for, for myself.
I wanted an EBook Reader for my mom for awhile. She's the most dedicated reader in the far eastern branch of the family. I tried to get her to use a Palm to read with, but the text was too tiny for her senior citizen sensibilities and even an upgrade to a iPod Touch didn't change that. I held out to see what the iPad would be like, but it came in at 1.5 pounds and that's too much to hold for reading for long periods of time. I looked at the Kindle and wasn't impressed.
Then, I happened onto a deal for a Sony 300 Reader and gave it a whirl. I didn't much care for it myself. For one reason, SPEED. I am so used to the Clie changing pages (well, mini-pages) that I couldn't abide the time the Sony takes to turn pages. It's a function of the e-ink process. It's a wonderful idea, really. The only time you actually USE power in an e-ink reader is to change what it is showing. No power is expended keeping the image there. But, to get two weeks of power, something has to give. It takes time to 'power-up' and then regenerate the page (before going back to sleep again). Soooooo, as a result, pages turn at a turtle's pace. Even slower than you would find turning a page on a real physical book. The amount of text shown was still on the small side and the font choices were a bit limited. Sooooo, no go for Mom. But I had another birthday celebration worthy of the toy.
Patrick's wife Dawna reads almost as much as Mom. She's more paperback-oriented that my mother AND I've seen the contents of her purse. The Sony 300 was actually going to save her space in her carryall. Turned out to be a hit. And I've sold a few Sony's by extension since then as various members of Patrick's family load up on different models. Turns out Dawna's smarter than me. "You get into a rhythm of when to click to turn the page. You don't wait until the end. You turn when you are a few lines from the bottom. By the time you get there, the page will change and you just keep on reading." Guess there's a lot to be said for a woman's patience.
Now, the problem remained my mother's solution. I've been watching the scene and was aware a Canadian-based reader called the Kobo would be coming out from Chapters. It was slightly cheaper and about 20 percent larger than the Sony. Weighed a bit less too. In fact, it was the lightest one in the six-inch size I could find. Soooo, I pre-ordered one, thinking I would keep it if Mom passed on it and hope she didn't. She didn't. Quite happy with it. For awhile.
Being the first on your block to own the latest toy has one downside. Sometimes, the bugs aren't all worked out. And the Kobo had its problems. First, there was a font issue, wherein the Kobo would sometimes display text in a teeny-weeny flyspeck of a font--and no bigger. I found a solution for that and even wrote my own fixer. Later I found better, smarter fixers available elsewhere. But the other problem was a lying, stone-cold lying, light to indicate charge completed status. Lied like a rug and said DONE when, in fact, it was only about 20 percent the way there. Took 27 days of the 31-day warranty period (for return) to conk out completely. My Mom's wasn't the only one, of course. So, the exchange went smoothly at the store down east, despite the device being obtained up here in Brampton. Well, not COMPLETELY smoothly. Took two weeks for the replacement to arrive. The Kobo's have been selling like hotcakes, and Mom wanted a black one, like the one I'd bought her.
Initial foray behind her, she's once again a happy EReader-using dynamo. She's chugging her way through a series of books by Fern Michaels. And that should keep her going through to the end of the year. At that time, she's expected to spend the next year or so reading Nora Roberts to the point of never wanting to read another book by her (she's got more than 250 in the catalog). Come to think of it, Dawna has a predilection for the same material. Hmmmm, maybe she CAN play exchange!
Me, I'm sill going to stick with the Clie. I get about a quarter-page per screen, but I can thumb my way through the book at quite a rate. I can hold the PDA in either hand, which is handy. I like to read laying down and I toss and turn a fair bit. Trying EITHER of the two EReaders my Mom and Dawna owns would be unworkable under those circumstances. PLUS, both of those need light. I like to read in the dark, especially at this time of the year, when having a light source, even one with the CFL's, is just plain TOO DARN HOT. Nothing works like being enveloped in darkness and having a screen-ful of book hanging in mid-air a foot from your face.
I should also point out that the iPad suffers from glare fatigue, according to hard-core readers who have put in the time reading on it. It's like putting a spotlight in front of your face. And, while it's crisp, it IS hard on the eyes over a long-term session. Unlike the e-ink type of readers, the iPad goes about 10-12 hours between charges, rather than two weeks. No, that's a fair sight better than the 5-6 hours I get (now) on the Clie, it's a fair time limit for a reading session. Sure, it's on the short side of a Harry Potter book (the last ones). But it's fine for getting most books done in one sitting. Unfortunately, there's that weight, which makes doing it one-handed a near impossibility.
Which leaves me with my Sony Clie. I've been using it since discovering e-books with a free copy of Jeffery Deaver's The Empty Chair, a Lincoln Rhymes novel. That's the series that made it to the big screen with Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie. I read the book in drips and drabs, in line-ups at the bank and waiting for the kids to tire themselves out at McDonald's Funland. I can't remember what the second book was, but I caught the bug bad and have actually preferred reading it electronically since. What cinched that was a birthday gift a few years back of the Star Trek Captain's Table, a monstrosity of a book that numbered into the four digits of pages and weighed about as much as toaster oven. I got through the first of the books collected there-in and then went and bought the electronic version to save my arms and shoulders from giving out (well, that didn't succeed long-term, oh well).
I can wait for a lighter, possibly less-powerful version of the iPad. I'd prefer something Windows-based because, frankly, I don't trust Steve Jobs' to keep his fingers off MY device. His need to censor everything I can do with an iPad bothers me. And I'm not overly fond of Amazon's already-proven track record to fool around with Kindles without the prior consent of the owners. Nope, I want something Windows (Or Linux) based. As long as it uses EPub format, I'm comfortable that I have enough reading material already to last forever.
As defined by my lifespan.
I wanted an EBook Reader for my mom for awhile. She's the most dedicated reader in the far eastern branch of the family. I tried to get her to use a Palm to read with, but the text was too tiny for her senior citizen sensibilities and even an upgrade to a iPod Touch didn't change that. I held out to see what the iPad would be like, but it came in at 1.5 pounds and that's too much to hold for reading for long periods of time. I looked at the Kindle and wasn't impressed.
Then, I happened onto a deal for a Sony 300 Reader and gave it a whirl. I didn't much care for it myself. For one reason, SPEED. I am so used to the Clie changing pages (well, mini-pages) that I couldn't abide the time the Sony takes to turn pages. It's a function of the e-ink process. It's a wonderful idea, really. The only time you actually USE power in an e-ink reader is to change what it is showing. No power is expended keeping the image there. But, to get two weeks of power, something has to give. It takes time to 'power-up' and then regenerate the page (before going back to sleep again). Soooooo, as a result, pages turn at a turtle's pace. Even slower than you would find turning a page on a real physical book. The amount of text shown was still on the small side and the font choices were a bit limited. Sooooo, no go for Mom. But I had another birthday celebration worthy of the toy.
Patrick's wife Dawna reads almost as much as Mom. She's more paperback-oriented that my mother AND I've seen the contents of her purse. The Sony 300 was actually going to save her space in her carryall. Turned out to be a hit. And I've sold a few Sony's by extension since then as various members of Patrick's family load up on different models. Turns out Dawna's smarter than me. "You get into a rhythm of when to click to turn the page. You don't wait until the end. You turn when you are a few lines from the bottom. By the time you get there, the page will change and you just keep on reading." Guess there's a lot to be said for a woman's patience.
Now, the problem remained my mother's solution. I've been watching the scene and was aware a Canadian-based reader called the Kobo would be coming out from Chapters. It was slightly cheaper and about 20 percent larger than the Sony. Weighed a bit less too. In fact, it was the lightest one in the six-inch size I could find. Soooo, I pre-ordered one, thinking I would keep it if Mom passed on it and hope she didn't. She didn't. Quite happy with it. For awhile.
Being the first on your block to own the latest toy has one downside. Sometimes, the bugs aren't all worked out. And the Kobo had its problems. First, there was a font issue, wherein the Kobo would sometimes display text in a teeny-weeny flyspeck of a font--and no bigger. I found a solution for that and even wrote my own fixer. Later I found better, smarter fixers available elsewhere. But the other problem was a lying, stone-cold lying, light to indicate charge completed status. Lied like a rug and said DONE when, in fact, it was only about 20 percent the way there. Took 27 days of the 31-day warranty period (for return) to conk out completely. My Mom's wasn't the only one, of course. So, the exchange went smoothly at the store down east, despite the device being obtained up here in Brampton. Well, not COMPLETELY smoothly. Took two weeks for the replacement to arrive. The Kobo's have been selling like hotcakes, and Mom wanted a black one, like the one I'd bought her.
Initial foray behind her, she's once again a happy EReader-using dynamo. She's chugging her way through a series of books by Fern Michaels. And that should keep her going through to the end of the year. At that time, she's expected to spend the next year or so reading Nora Roberts to the point of never wanting to read another book by her (she's got more than 250 in the catalog). Come to think of it, Dawna has a predilection for the same material. Hmmmm, maybe she CAN play exchange!
Me, I'm sill going to stick with the Clie. I get about a quarter-page per screen, but I can thumb my way through the book at quite a rate. I can hold the PDA in either hand, which is handy. I like to read laying down and I toss and turn a fair bit. Trying EITHER of the two EReaders my Mom and Dawna owns would be unworkable under those circumstances. PLUS, both of those need light. I like to read in the dark, especially at this time of the year, when having a light source, even one with the CFL's, is just plain TOO DARN HOT. Nothing works like being enveloped in darkness and having a screen-ful of book hanging in mid-air a foot from your face.
I should also point out that the iPad suffers from glare fatigue, according to hard-core readers who have put in the time reading on it. It's like putting a spotlight in front of your face. And, while it's crisp, it IS hard on the eyes over a long-term session. Unlike the e-ink type of readers, the iPad goes about 10-12 hours between charges, rather than two weeks. No, that's a fair sight better than the 5-6 hours I get (now) on the Clie, it's a fair time limit for a reading session. Sure, it's on the short side of a Harry Potter book (the last ones). But it's fine for getting most books done in one sitting. Unfortunately, there's that weight, which makes doing it one-handed a near impossibility.
Which leaves me with my Sony Clie. I've been using it since discovering e-books with a free copy of Jeffery Deaver's The Empty Chair, a Lincoln Rhymes novel. That's the series that made it to the big screen with Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie. I read the book in drips and drabs, in line-ups at the bank and waiting for the kids to tire themselves out at McDonald's Funland. I can't remember what the second book was, but I caught the bug bad and have actually preferred reading it electronically since. What cinched that was a birthday gift a few years back of the Star Trek Captain's Table, a monstrosity of a book that numbered into the four digits of pages and weighed about as much as toaster oven. I got through the first of the books collected there-in and then went and bought the electronic version to save my arms and shoulders from giving out (well, that didn't succeed long-term, oh well).
I can wait for a lighter, possibly less-powerful version of the iPad. I'd prefer something Windows-based because, frankly, I don't trust Steve Jobs' to keep his fingers off MY device. His need to censor everything I can do with an iPad bothers me. And I'm not overly fond of Amazon's already-proven track record to fool around with Kindles without the prior consent of the owners. Nope, I want something Windows (Or Linux) based. As long as it uses EPub format, I'm comfortable that I have enough reading material already to last forever.
As defined by my lifespan.
Friday, June 18, 2010
SPORTS: The Smirk Over the Thugs
The NBA final ended tonight. Finally. At last I wasn't stuck in purgatory hoping for a bad case of food poisoning to overtake both finalists. Not only didn't I have a horse in the race, I had to choose between a thuggish bunch of Celtics and the whiners from the La La Land led by The West Coast Smirk. If ever there was a series I hated to see anybody win, this was it.
Sure, watching Derek Fisher and Lamar Odom win was okay and I could have lived with Ray Allen and Doc Rivers winning too. But Bryant? Artest? Pierce, Wallace, Robinson or (lately, the brutish and whining) Garnett? It's over.
Bring on the draft.
Sure, watching Derek Fisher and Lamar Odom win was okay and I could have lived with Ray Allen and Doc Rivers winning too. But Bryant? Artest? Pierce, Wallace, Robinson or (lately, the brutish and whining) Garnett? It's over.
Bring on the draft.
SPORTS: Eric Lindros and the Hall of Fame
Eric Lindros is a Hall of Fame level hockey player. In my mind he was, for about half a dozen years, the most fearsome force in all of the National Hockey League. Teammates that played on his line played with greatly reduced fear, playing well above their nominal talent levels displayed otherwise. That's why the Legion of Doom line was such a force in the NHL for the length of time they stayed together.
Is Eric Lindros a nice man? It's been years since I had any chance to talk to him. The fact of the matter is that, no, he wasn't nice when I knew him and his reputation since then suggests not a heck of a lot changed. His parents were people who grated on other people. The manner in which they conducted themselves as Lindros changed from being a St. Michael's Buzzer into an OHL player with the Oshawa Legionnaires, having not made a stop in the Soo like he was supposed to, certainly turned people off. His behavior upon being drafted by the Québec Nordiques was similarly not something that people respected. And the babying that went on with him from Bobby Clarke (initially) including naming him captain of Team Canada when he was barely old enough to shave, did not help his reputation.
So I understand where some people come from when they say 'NO! He's not a Hall of Fame player.' Bob McCown made a very very strong argument against his inclusion in the Hall of Fame in his book "The 100 Greatest Hockey Arguments." Certainly the Toronto Sun's Dave Fuller in his his on-line column this past week further emphasized the points that those folks made. But I keep going back to the fact that he was a dominating player. Not just a great player, but a player that made everybody around him better for being braver. At the same time, he was the kind of force that drew your attention throughout that era. Yes, Scott Stevens ended that era, turning the bully into the bullied. Until that point, I'm not sure there's a single offensive player not named Wayne Gretzky in hockey that I would have traded Eric Lindros for. Ultimately that has to be, I believe, the deciding factor in placing him into the Hall of Fame, not whether he was a nice person. (NOT that I'm saying Dave's basing his whole case on that.)
It all comes down to this for me--he was a critical force in the NHL for at least five years. He was a good to very good hockey player for at least five more years. While I respect Dave, a long-time pal from the community newspaper wars (back when I was still a sportswriter full-time) he is wrong on this count. Lindros should be enshrined in the Hall of Fame in the very near future. I also think that some of the more notable exceptions the Dave mentions already outside the hall looking in, should also be included in the next class of Hall of Famers.
I happen to think that Paul Henderson does deserve a spot in the Hall of Fame. I'm a Canadian after all. And I was alive and watching in 1972 when Paul Henderson made me as proud to be Canadian as I have ever been. I've been proud OF Canadians since then, but I'm talking about BEING a Canadian. Henderson represented triumph of the Canadian way of life over Communism. As jingoistic as that sounds, it WAS the way a LOT of people felt at the time.
On the other hand, I'm not so sure about Doug Gilmour who is one of the others mentioned as being at least as deserving as Lindros and who is still not in the Hall of Fame. When it's all said and done maybe Gillmor gets in. Afterall my favorite player of all time is Dick Duff and he is in the Hall of Fame. As much as I loved little number eight of the beloved Montréal Canadiens, the fact is, he wasn't as good a player in his era as Gilmour was in his. But then again, neither was Bob Pulford, so yes, we can pick current players from the Hall of Fame and say Gilmour was better than them. But just as certainly, we can demonstrate that Lindros was too.
Like it or not, like him or not (dunh!), "Eric Lindros, Hall of Fame," is coming to a plaque near you. Soon.
Is Eric Lindros a nice man? It's been years since I had any chance to talk to him. The fact of the matter is that, no, he wasn't nice when I knew him and his reputation since then suggests not a heck of a lot changed. His parents were people who grated on other people. The manner in which they conducted themselves as Lindros changed from being a St. Michael's Buzzer into an OHL player with the Oshawa Legionnaires, having not made a stop in the Soo like he was supposed to, certainly turned people off. His behavior upon being drafted by the Québec Nordiques was similarly not something that people respected. And the babying that went on with him from Bobby Clarke (initially) including naming him captain of Team Canada when he was barely old enough to shave, did not help his reputation.
So I understand where some people come from when they say 'NO! He's not a Hall of Fame player.' Bob McCown made a very very strong argument against his inclusion in the Hall of Fame in his book "The 100 Greatest Hockey Arguments." Certainly the Toronto Sun's Dave Fuller in his his on-line column this past week further emphasized the points that those folks made. But I keep going back to the fact that he was a dominating player. Not just a great player, but a player that made everybody around him better for being braver. At the same time, he was the kind of force that drew your attention throughout that era. Yes, Scott Stevens ended that era, turning the bully into the bullied. Until that point, I'm not sure there's a single offensive player not named Wayne Gretzky in hockey that I would have traded Eric Lindros for. Ultimately that has to be, I believe, the deciding factor in placing him into the Hall of Fame, not whether he was a nice person. (NOT that I'm saying Dave's basing his whole case on that.)
It all comes down to this for me--he was a critical force in the NHL for at least five years. He was a good to very good hockey player for at least five more years. While I respect Dave, a long-time pal from the community newspaper wars (back when I was still a sportswriter full-time) he is wrong on this count. Lindros should be enshrined in the Hall of Fame in the very near future. I also think that some of the more notable exceptions the Dave mentions already outside the hall looking in, should also be included in the next class of Hall of Famers.
I happen to think that Paul Henderson does deserve a spot in the Hall of Fame. I'm a Canadian after all. And I was alive and watching in 1972 when Paul Henderson made me as proud to be Canadian as I have ever been. I've been proud OF Canadians since then, but I'm talking about BEING a Canadian. Henderson represented triumph of the Canadian way of life over Communism. As jingoistic as that sounds, it WAS the way a LOT of people felt at the time.
On the other hand, I'm not so sure about Doug Gilmour who is one of the others mentioned as being at least as deserving as Lindros and who is still not in the Hall of Fame. When it's all said and done maybe Gillmor gets in. Afterall my favorite player of all time is Dick Duff and he is in the Hall of Fame. As much as I loved little number eight of the beloved Montréal Canadiens, the fact is, he wasn't as good a player in his era as Gilmour was in his. But then again, neither was Bob Pulford, so yes, we can pick current players from the Hall of Fame and say Gilmour was better than them. But just as certainly, we can demonstrate that Lindros was too.
Like it or not, like him or not (dunh!), "Eric Lindros, Hall of Fame," is coming to a plaque near you. Soon.
INTERNET: It Pays to Look Through Your Program Folder
I have been put on limited hours computing-wise by the guys in the white coats. Three hours on, three hours off. Hopefully, that gives the shoulder a chance to recover, even while I'm still trying to bounce a much-needed software update out for my biggest client.
But I was cleaning up some detritus from my installed applications list and happened on something I'd forgotten about. I still had Dragon Naturally Speaking installed on the system. And that means I can TALK my way through some text input. Wouldn't dream of doing it with the programming environment where a missing period is bad, bad, bad news (from experience).
No, I can use the program to throw a bunch of text up here in the box Blogger uses for posting. So, the next post represents that attempt. I'd forgotten most of what I had to do to use the dictation software. You have to say things like, "End Sentence. New Paragraph." And it seems better, somehow to intone it like you are a Bank President dictating to your secretary. But, eventually you get the hang of it. I was able to enter about 90 per cent of what I wanted. There was a not-inconsiderable amount of post facto editing. But in all, a whole lot less effort went into it than is normal for a blog of that length. Well, measured by physical effort.
I did a lot of talking. But anybody who knows me knows that's par for the course.
But I was cleaning up some detritus from my installed applications list and happened on something I'd forgotten about. I still had Dragon Naturally Speaking installed on the system. And that means I can TALK my way through some text input. Wouldn't dream of doing it with the programming environment where a missing period is bad, bad, bad news (from experience).
No, I can use the program to throw a bunch of text up here in the box Blogger uses for posting. So, the next post represents that attempt. I'd forgotten most of what I had to do to use the dictation software. You have to say things like, "End Sentence. New Paragraph." And it seems better, somehow to intone it like you are a Bank President dictating to your secretary. But, eventually you get the hang of it. I was able to enter about 90 per cent of what I wanted. There was a not-inconsiderable amount of post facto editing. But in all, a whole lot less effort went into it than is normal for a blog of that length. Well, measured by physical effort.
I did a lot of talking. But anybody who knows me knows that's par for the course.
Monday, May 24, 2010
SOFTWARE: Chrome? No.
I mentioned Google Chrome the last time I posted before today. I tried it. Gussied it up with add-ons and then put it away, except for specialized use. I can/should use it for sites like this one, gmail and the various Google Docs stuff. But here I am using Firefox to do my posting anyways.
Chrome is fast, but a lot of that is pre-fetching, which I hear Firefox is catching up with. I shaved micro seconds off my normal bulk loading process and there are things like the FasterChrome add-0n that just works waaaaaay better than a key Firefox add-on AutoPager.
But there are things I need and want in a browser and Chrome doesn't have them. First and foremost is NoScript. Scripts don't run in Firefox until I tell them. And that's a key to survival, surfing the 'net these days. There's MORE likelyhood of a drive-by javascript infection these days than you downloading a virus through email. I simply don't want that worry. Bad enough that a trusted site COULD get infected and get you anyways, but there's only so much paralyzing fear you're allowed before you might as well shut off the computer permanently.
There's other bits and stuff I have gotten used to in Firefox that I don't want to give up. I LIKE my zooming of images and text separately and easily, with site settings remembered if I want. I like the control I have for placing close buttons to the far right of the tab bar, rather than on each individual tab. And there are a whole raft of tiny little useability aids that I'm loathe to lose for the sake of less than a second every now and then.
But NONE of that is the REAL REASON I won't switch. Chrome, BY DESIGN, doesn't support bookmarks as I know them. You can't open a side window with your organized bookmarks where you can drag and drop the current site easily. You CAN drop down a folder icon in your tab bar and cruise to your intended bookmark and open it up. But a drop-down menu and a visibly open-all-the-time bookmark window are two different things. And Chrome can't/won't ever have that most basic of browser needs. EVER.
Sooo, I turned off XMarks synchronization of bookmarks between Firefox and Chrome (and on my various machines) and fine-tuned Chrome to be my Google access machine. For that, I will continue to keep using Chrome.
For my regular browsing otherwise? Firefox. End of discussion.
Chrome is fast, but a lot of that is pre-fetching, which I hear Firefox is catching up with. I shaved micro seconds off my normal bulk loading process and there are things like the FasterChrome add-0n that just works waaaaaay better than a key Firefox add-on AutoPager.
But there are things I need and want in a browser and Chrome doesn't have them. First and foremost is NoScript. Scripts don't run in Firefox until I tell them. And that's a key to survival, surfing the 'net these days. There's MORE likelyhood of a drive-by javascript infection these days than you downloading a virus through email. I simply don't want that worry. Bad enough that a trusted site COULD get infected and get you anyways, but there's only so much paralyzing fear you're allowed before you might as well shut off the computer permanently.
There's other bits and stuff I have gotten used to in Firefox that I don't want to give up. I LIKE my zooming of images and text separately and easily, with site settings remembered if I want. I like the control I have for placing close buttons to the far right of the tab bar, rather than on each individual tab. And there are a whole raft of tiny little useability aids that I'm loathe to lose for the sake of less than a second every now and then.
But NONE of that is the REAL REASON I won't switch. Chrome, BY DESIGN, doesn't support bookmarks as I know them. You can't open a side window with your organized bookmarks where you can drag and drop the current site easily. You CAN drop down a folder icon in your tab bar and cruise to your intended bookmark and open it up. But a drop-down menu and a visibly open-all-the-time bookmark window are two different things. And Chrome can't/won't ever have that most basic of browser needs. EVER.
Sooo, I turned off XMarks synchronization of bookmarks between Firefox and Chrome (and on my various machines) and fine-tuned Chrome to be my Google access machine. For that, I will continue to keep using Chrome.
For my regular browsing otherwise? Firefox. End of discussion.
LIFE: I've Survived the Vermin
I've had a few enquiries and expect maybe the odd visitor given some nice things Bobby Wolff said about me over at the bridgeblogging site. So here's the update.
I'm alive if not thriving. The bursitis has been brought under control by the cortisone shot. The rotator cuff issue remains as it has been for the last few years. The doctor's orders to "Don't do that," seem effective as long as it's conscious movement. Every now and then, I still idiotically reach behind me and then his 'cure' seems waaaaaaaay less effective. But I'm also following instructions to only work three hours straight and then take at least as long to 'recuperate.' Pain is a great motivator.
As far as the critters are concerned, I seem currently to be vermin-free. The bed bugs seem to have been blasted into oblivion. No sign of a single little vampire bug in the weeks since the bomb went off in the bedroom. And the aftermath of their assault on my shoulder has almost completely disappeared. There are still marks there seven weeks later and I wonder if they're permanent. Not exactly the kind of battle scars to make the girls swoon, but I'm long past the stage where that's important.
The raccoon mother and her kits seem to have left the garage for parts unknown. Expensive as all hell to make them go from one side of the garage wall to the other side. Yep, there's a city ordinance that prevents the critter-catcher from moving the raccoon more than a kilometre! In fact, he set up a box with a big circular hole in it just outside the wall of the garage (which is more like a dilapidated wooden shed). He then trapped the raccoon and it's kits. He made the mother watch as he placed the kits in the box and then released the mother. Over the next hour or so, she moved the kits out of the box elsewhere, one by one. According to the guy, the act of manhandling the children made it 'unlikely' that the mother would take up residence here again ... this spring. So far, he's been right.
He also placed grilled fencing over the more obvious ground-level access points. Which were fewer than I thought. The ones in the rafters remain as easy-access as ever, if you're a pile of fur with a really flexible skeleton.
Which brings us to the future. The garage has always been there for two reasons, to store the recyclables and for storage of things by the rest of the family. Dad's wood pile (home of the raccoon this spring), Rick's boat (the raccoon latrine) and Wayne's truck parts. By summer's end, the garage will have been emptied out of those things, making nesting places unavailable next spring for any bandit-masked invaders from finding a comfy home again.
Plus, I will lay in a supply of coyote urine by then.
Yep, you read right. Coyote urine. Apparently available at hunting stores and apparently (no surprise) one of the least favourite scents a raccoon can come across. Definitely NOT a place to be housing babies near. Which is what I want.
But that DOES bring up a question. I know how you harvest milk, eggs, snake venom and all kinds of other animal products. Just how do you collect coyote urine?
Wait! There are some things that better remain mysteries.
I'm alive if not thriving. The bursitis has been brought under control by the cortisone shot. The rotator cuff issue remains as it has been for the last few years. The doctor's orders to "Don't do that," seem effective as long as it's conscious movement. Every now and then, I still idiotically reach behind me and then his 'cure' seems waaaaaaaay less effective. But I'm also following instructions to only work three hours straight and then take at least as long to 'recuperate.' Pain is a great motivator.
As far as the critters are concerned, I seem currently to be vermin-free. The bed bugs seem to have been blasted into oblivion. No sign of a single little vampire bug in the weeks since the bomb went off in the bedroom. And the aftermath of their assault on my shoulder has almost completely disappeared. There are still marks there seven weeks later and I wonder if they're permanent. Not exactly the kind of battle scars to make the girls swoon, but I'm long past the stage where that's important.
The raccoon mother and her kits seem to have left the garage for parts unknown. Expensive as all hell to make them go from one side of the garage wall to the other side. Yep, there's a city ordinance that prevents the critter-catcher from moving the raccoon more than a kilometre! In fact, he set up a box with a big circular hole in it just outside the wall of the garage (which is more like a dilapidated wooden shed). He then trapped the raccoon and it's kits. He made the mother watch as he placed the kits in the box and then released the mother. Over the next hour or so, she moved the kits out of the box elsewhere, one by one. According to the guy, the act of manhandling the children made it 'unlikely' that the mother would take up residence here again ... this spring. So far, he's been right.
He also placed grilled fencing over the more obvious ground-level access points. Which were fewer than I thought. The ones in the rafters remain as easy-access as ever, if you're a pile of fur with a really flexible skeleton.
Which brings us to the future. The garage has always been there for two reasons, to store the recyclables and for storage of things by the rest of the family. Dad's wood pile (home of the raccoon this spring), Rick's boat (the raccoon latrine) and Wayne's truck parts. By summer's end, the garage will have been emptied out of those things, making nesting places unavailable next spring for any bandit-masked invaders from finding a comfy home again.
Plus, I will lay in a supply of coyote urine by then.
Yep, you read right. Coyote urine. Apparently available at hunting stores and apparently (no surprise) one of the least favourite scents a raccoon can come across. Definitely NOT a place to be housing babies near. Which is what I want.
But that DOES bring up a question. I know how you harvest milk, eggs, snake venom and all kinds of other animal products. Just how do you collect coyote urine?
Wait! There are some things that better remain mysteries.
Saturday, May 08, 2010
LIFE: Yes, I Live
Well, any excuse to give Google Chrome a try. I'm not switching over from Firefox, but there are some things that I'm going to switch to Chrome as the web-browser of choice. I'm still sorting it all out. But that's NOT what's been behind the absence of rants and, well more rants here over the last five weeks.
Seems I managed to tear my rotator cuff in my right shoulder. That actually happened a while back. Years ago. But I followed my doctor's orders (When asked how to get rid of the pain caused by reached upwards and backwards, he said, "Don't do that.") until early in March when a bad case of bursitis set it. Seems my little bout of actually working for a living for the last six months (Basically 12-16 hours a day, seven days a week) finally caught up with me. The new orders from the doctor? "Rest." And he gave me the pills to enforce it.
Plus I got to apply cold packs twice a day for 15 minutes. Which left the shoulder area numb. Which made it the perfect feeding site for a half-dozen bed bugs that invaded the premises. Which led to a visit from the fine folks who murder the little bugs for a fee. A BIG fee. But one I paid happily. My mother always used to say, "Don't let the bed bugs bite!" Trust me, she was right.
The visit by the critter-killers resulted in my room looking worse than usual. It ACTUALLY looked like a tornado had struck, rather than just a place where piles of stuff collected dust and no reasonable person would suspect somebody actually slept there. My bed was rent asunder and had to be put back together again, with the covers over both the mattress and bedspring. I was still in my drugged-out blissful/pouting stage, so Patrick came over and repaired the damage and finished the work I paid the exterminators so handsomely to perform. I also got a new frame for the bed, the former wooden one finally being consigned to the scrap heap it should have gone to 3o years ago.
The new metal frame was actually worth the money. I had been missing one of the legs on the bed for about the last two decades, that corner of the bed being held up by computer books (including my Delphi 1.0 manuals). All that time, I've had about a ten degree lean downwards and to the door-side on the bed. When people say they slid out of bed and got going in the morning, they're probably being figurative. Not me. That LITERALLY has been happening to me for most of my adult life. Over the bed-bug-proof cover (aka The Tomb) for the mattress, I put a waterproof latex-like cover, then a hypo-allergenic cover and then a cotton cover. It was about then that I felt a little safe from the predations of a what I long thought was a figment of my mother's imagination. I've stopped reacting to every little sensation that happens as if it is a return of the boogie monsters. Just recently.
Even still, the cluster of 15 bites on my shoulder and upper arm have now almost healed. Almost. I've gone through two tubes of hydro-cortizone and the bumps, once as high as a finger, have retreated to scabbed-over pockmarks. It looks like a bad case of acne. Or so I've been told.
Tuesday, I get the final set of x-rays and ultrasounds to determine whether I will be having surgery or whether I will just be sucking it up. As recently as last week, I was hell-bent on getting some carving done. Now, I'm not so sure. I've off the goof pills as of last Saturday and down to using Advil to handle it all. Course, I've been limiting myself to a couple of three-hour sessions on the computer a day as I continue to try and finish the Project From Hell. There's light at the end of that tunnel. Or so I hope.
So, that's basically why I've been away from this, a pleasure I can't allow myself when computer time is so limited. So limited in fact, I can't even get into the tale of the raccoon that's using my brother's boat stored away in my garage as a latrine. Peeeee ewwwweeeeee!
Please Mommy, can it be 2011 real soon?
Friday, April 02, 2010
BOOKS: Yeah, Sometimes Books Suck
Jo Walton is probably my favourite book reviewer right now. She's steered me to some old or oldish gems that I missed. Without her review, I would never have read Eva by Peter Dickinson, for example. A review of that is forthcoming when I get back into full-fledged blog-posting. Betcha you can figure out the general tone of it already.
Walton is reviewing at TOR.com right now. Back in March, she wrote this interesting post about the reason you DON'T see negative reviews all that much. I agree with much of what she says. But bluntly, she's nice and I'm not.
I've laced into Janet Evanovich for the drop off in quality in her last two Stephanie Plum books. Last year's Finger-Lickin' Fifteen didn't fare all that well with me. And I love Evanovich. But let's face it, the last two Plum books have dropped off badly. Guess it's time for Stephanie to make a choice between Joe and Ranger and see what happens next.
I enjoyed Carrie Asai's first Samurai Girl novel and then hated, REALLY, REALLY hated, the rest of the series. I said why here. And yeah, I went to town on the series. I made it to within 20 pages of finishing the fourth of the six books in the series before I came to my senses and stopped wasting my life. I'll never get back the hours wasted reading those 2.9 books and I needed to at least warn off potential readers.
But generally, the idea with a review is to point somebody to something worth their time. Something they might have overlooked. I know that when I read a book after a good review prompted its purchase (usually as a gift to me from somebody else), it's like winning the lottery. A whole new author to explore and enjoy some more. So that's why I usually put the good ones in the reviews I take my time to write. Maybe I can help somebody else.
On the other hand, I reserve the right to say that a book sucks. No namby-pamby pussy-footing around. Sucks big time. Some books just deserve it.
Just like my occasional posting here.
Walton is reviewing at TOR.com right now. Back in March, she wrote this interesting post about the reason you DON'T see negative reviews all that much. I agree with much of what she says. But bluntly, she's nice and I'm not.
I've laced into Janet Evanovich for the drop off in quality in her last two Stephanie Plum books. Last year's Finger-Lickin' Fifteen didn't fare all that well with me. And I love Evanovich. But let's face it, the last two Plum books have dropped off badly. Guess it's time for Stephanie to make a choice between Joe and Ranger and see what happens next.
I enjoyed Carrie Asai's first Samurai Girl novel and then hated, REALLY, REALLY hated, the rest of the series. I said why here. And yeah, I went to town on the series. I made it to within 20 pages of finishing the fourth of the six books in the series before I came to my senses and stopped wasting my life. I'll never get back the hours wasted reading those 2.9 books and I needed to at least warn off potential readers.
But generally, the idea with a review is to point somebody to something worth their time. Something they might have overlooked. I know that when I read a book after a good review prompted its purchase (usually as a gift to me from somebody else), it's like winning the lottery. A whole new author to explore and enjoy some more. So that's why I usually put the good ones in the reviews I take my time to write. Maybe I can help somebody else.
On the other hand, I reserve the right to say that a book sucks. No namby-pamby pussy-footing around. Sucks big time. Some books just deserve it.
Just like my occasional posting here.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
SOFTWARE: PDFs On Watch List
The best defence against viruses and the like (worms, becoming zombies, etc.) is not being idiotic and believing everything that comes across the transom. If you don't expect it, don't click on it. You will USUALLY be safe if you NEVER disobey that one directive. You'll be percentages safer if you never click on anything, but that probably means you're the type to put plastic all over the coach and STILL forbid the kids and dogs from sitting on it. There's only so much abstinance before crazy town sets in.
At any rate, one of the 'safe' things out there was PDF files. Portable Document Files. Invented by Adobe and just about ruined by Adobe's bloated software to read and create the things. Thankfully, several other companies have stepped in and started offering alternatives to the free Adobe Reader (aka Adobe Acrobat in its youth). For the last two or so years, my alternative of choice has been Foxit Reader. It's fast, small on resouce-chomping and isn't from Adobe, which might be reason enough to use it. It searches through the file quickly, both backward, forward and around the ends. I like it.
But now I am worried. Dider Stevens has found Foxit's rep as a 'secure' alternative to Adobe Reader is flawed. Badly flawed. A nasty person of dubious parentage, can run a program inside of a PDF opened in the latest version(s) of Foxit. The threat is lessoned to some degree by using Adobe thanks to a message system that might or might not let you catch yourself before getting futzed up. A little skill at writing replacement text for Adobe's warning message might let the thing through anyways, but at least there's a chance to stop calamity. Unfortunately, Stevens' article is now out in the wild and the bad guys will be inspecting his example and burrowing through the PDF language in the hopes of figuring out exactly how to deliver harm rather than Stevens' proof of concept.
Which means I must now cast a cautious eye towards everything PDF I collect. And I collect lots of PDF files. Being a roto player means mining various sites and I frequently get the data back in PDF file format. Now, I'll have to reconsider. It's not like the HTML stuff is a whole lot more palatable. But I might just react to the Foxit security hole by switching to PDF-XChange Viewer.
Now, PDF-XChange Viewer has more going on than Foxit. There's a LOT of commenting and marking tools available in the free version (I remain committed to using free software unless there is no alternative to a needed feature of a pro version of anything). But it has one thing that Foxit doesn't have. That's the ability to move a LOT of the command toolbars off to the side and onto the same level as the word menu. What that does is to restore MORE depth to the viewing window. And that means bigger magnification of text. And that's good.
Two months ago, when one of my Samsung 21in screens went a bit wonky and I decided to replace the twin screens with twin 23in monitors, I went from individual monitors displaying 1600x1200 to the individual monitors displaying 2000x1148. That 52 lost pixels in depth are mostly offset by the extra 400 pixels in width. Except in web browsing and in PDF viewing. It's four percent shorter and that means every letter seems a point smaller on the screen. It's noticeable. However, by moving anything that CAN move (and locking them down, don't forget to do that) in PDF-XChange Viewer, I was able to get roughly the same viewing area as I used to get on the old desktop. So, I am in the process of switching over to PDF-XChange Viewer as the default PDF viewer here at the Castle of Confusion.
Plus, it means I probably don't have to worry about PDF security for another while.
At any rate, one of the 'safe' things out there was PDF files. Portable Document Files. Invented by Adobe and just about ruined by Adobe's bloated software to read and create the things. Thankfully, several other companies have stepped in and started offering alternatives to the free Adobe Reader (aka Adobe Acrobat in its youth). For the last two or so years, my alternative of choice has been Foxit Reader. It's fast, small on resouce-chomping and isn't from Adobe, which might be reason enough to use it. It searches through the file quickly, both backward, forward and around the ends. I like it.
But now I am worried. Dider Stevens has found Foxit's rep as a 'secure' alternative to Adobe Reader is flawed. Badly flawed. A nasty person of dubious parentage, can run a program inside of a PDF opened in the latest version(s) of Foxit. The threat is lessoned to some degree by using Adobe thanks to a message system that might or might not let you catch yourself before getting futzed up. A little skill at writing replacement text for Adobe's warning message might let the thing through anyways, but at least there's a chance to stop calamity. Unfortunately, Stevens' article is now out in the wild and the bad guys will be inspecting his example and burrowing through the PDF language in the hopes of figuring out exactly how to deliver harm rather than Stevens' proof of concept.
Which means I must now cast a cautious eye towards everything PDF I collect. And I collect lots of PDF files. Being a roto player means mining various sites and I frequently get the data back in PDF file format. Now, I'll have to reconsider. It's not like the HTML stuff is a whole lot more palatable. But I might just react to the Foxit security hole by switching to PDF-XChange Viewer.
Now, PDF-XChange Viewer has more going on than Foxit. There's a LOT of commenting and marking tools available in the free version (I remain committed to using free software unless there is no alternative to a needed feature of a pro version of anything). But it has one thing that Foxit doesn't have. That's the ability to move a LOT of the command toolbars off to the side and onto the same level as the word menu. What that does is to restore MORE depth to the viewing window. And that means bigger magnification of text. And that's good.
Two months ago, when one of my Samsung 21in screens went a bit wonky and I decided to replace the twin screens with twin 23in monitors, I went from individual monitors displaying 1600x1200 to the individual monitors displaying 2000x1148. That 52 lost pixels in depth are mostly offset by the extra 400 pixels in width. Except in web browsing and in PDF viewing. It's four percent shorter and that means every letter seems a point smaller on the screen. It's noticeable. However, by moving anything that CAN move (and locking them down, don't forget to do that) in PDF-XChange Viewer, I was able to get roughly the same viewing area as I used to get on the old desktop. So, I am in the process of switching over to PDF-XChange Viewer as the default PDF viewer here at the Castle of Confusion.
Plus, it means I probably don't have to worry about PDF security for another while.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
INTERNET: I'm Divorcing TheStar.com
When I was ten, my parents made the decision that they weren't going to get the Toronto Star anymore. I looked forward to reading it every afternoon (Yes, newspapers came in morning and afternoon varieties back in the ancient mists of time). I decided I would subscribe with part of my allowance. Best decision I ever made.
Later, in high school, I got a really good grade for writing a paper called "The Toronto Star - The Best Bargain for 25 Cents," after I visited the printing plant (then downtown) on a school trip. Later, I started making money from the paper as a High School Reporter, phoning in scores from various games at Bramalea Secondary School. After graduating and after my ever-so-short sojourn at Ryerson Polytech, I started hustling the scores to The Star for ALL high schools in Peel region. Did it for the Sun and Globe, too. In fact, for a very brief period of time, getting three bucks times three for each score for each school made me one of the top ten paid non-columnist sports reporters in Toronto. The gig didn't last out a year, but it was fun while it lasted. Later, I covered the Toronto Tornados of the Continental Basketball Association (I was fired from that post) and wrote free-lance stories for the Star's Business section and for the regional inserts.
Through all of it, including the later-reversed firing, I continued to subscribe. My morning STARTED with the Star. I watched the paper wane from a marathon read to a 20-minute peruse. But I still kept getting the paper. Star blood ran through my veins. The decades passed. Unfortunately I frequently had an issue with the ever-changing delivery people. I will not accept a paper thrown on the stoop or shoved into the mail box. The paper must go into the space between the front door and the screen door. No danger of it getting wet or blown away. No danger of it holding the mailbox open to the mercies of the weather. Nope, it has to go into the inside of the door. This of course would require complaining once in a while. Rarely would I need more than one complaint to have the newest delivery person adjust to my conditions.
Then, late last year, the idiot delivering in my area ignored FIVE complaints. I told the dolts managing the idiot that that that was the last straw. CANCEL MY SUBSCRIPTION. For the first time in 43 years, I wasn't getting a daily newspaper delivered to my house. And I was a 15-year veteran of the sports journalism wars. BUT, I had the Internet to fall back on. In fact, I was reading most of what I would read in the morning around 4am every day. I was not happy, but I wasn't unhappy. You can't take the computer into the reading room (well, I could, but I don't). On the other hand, I didn't have to bundle up newspaper for the trash weekly anymore.
I could live with the Internet Star. And I knew it was only a matter of time before the decision to switch would have been forced upon me anyways. I got out of the newspaper game just ahead of the unionization of the paper I worked for. I wouldn't have handled that well (I worked waaaay more than 40 hours a week and didn't take a vacation at one point for a 30-month stretch, things not possible in a union-interfering world). The newspaper business I grew up in doesn't exist anymore. It was dying even back then. It's been bruited about that 2020 will largely be a newspaper-free year.
But an unfunny thing happened on the way to the future. The Star decided to redo its web-site. And myopic designers and COMMITTEES (aka groups of people who don't actually USE what they are making) managed to mangle my reading experience. Why? Because the designing dufuses doing this re-design decided merely to transport the hard-copy reading experience to the screen. Function defines form. I 'think' that comes from Marshall McLuhan, but I certainly could be wrong. That said, the same design that works on the screen doesn't work on a big broadsheet paper. And, more importantly, vice versa. And yet, that was EXACTLY what the re-design accomplished. Ignore function, retain form. The reason? Impossible to figure out.
The reading experience at www.thestar.com has deteriorated incredibly with this 'beta' design that is, in fact, the final product. The reason is INSERTS, sidebars that add information to the story you are reading. These inserts are supposed to add bite-sized informational morsels. In the paper, you can glance at them and read them in a second or two while between paragraphs. Or you can read them after perusing the whole story. Not much effort beyond shifting your eyes. Works well on the printed page.
On the screen .... not so much. Look I run high-end graphics on my computer. I can see a WHOLE lot of the length of any screen page. I even have AutoPager set up in Firefox and a very easy-to-use scroll wheel. But reading the Star story is arduous at best. First, the story stars in a minuscule-width column on the left to allow for a picture on the right. Then it snakes back to the right to allow for an OBLIGATORY INSERT, which means a more than a minuscule, but not much more, width column of story text. Finally, at the end of the insert, we get the the full width of the column to fill with story.
And let me say something here. I trundle through this, including having to scroll BACK UP to read the insert, because the quality of the writing in The Star has never wavered. It's the best written. It's the most complete. It's the most informed. (of the major Toronto dailies).
But today, the straw broke my back. In particular, the feature on Tom Tango, written by Robert Cribb. Well done. Informative. News to me, and I follow the Blue Jays again, these days. And a pain in the posterior to read. The reason? The insert went on for four screens on my 2000x1148 screen with very, very minimized headers in Firefox. I work hard, very hard, to maximize the amount of the page I can actually see at any given time.
Enough. I've complained TO the idiots (maybe the same group that foisted Buzz on we Google Mail users). I get back a platitude expressing thanks for my opinion. Nothing to address my complaints. I have friends amongst the writers and I've sent them begging requests and screeds to address the fools. And they have. And they universally report back to me the most incredible of all statements. "Every time I mention some of these problems to our web editors, I'm told there is no problem. They're quite happy with this, believe it or not," emailed back one of my old workmates who now has a prominent column. If that is the case, and I believe my guy, then Cyril Kornbluth's "Marching Morons" has become less science fiction and more fact.
The Star, to the best of my investigation, is the ONLY newspaper that uses this 'template.' EVERY other site I have visited runs the notes-kind of sidebar where it needs to be in a web-site. At the END of the story. EVERY other site allows me to read the story in the fewest key-clicks/scrolls as possible. They understand ticking off viewers is NOT the way to keep their eyeballs. And eyeballs is how you sell advertising. You know, the money-making machine BEHIND the continued jobs everybody has, writers and web-designers alike.
Also, finding stories on The Star's sports front page is pretty easy. There's ten, I think. Big headlines, easy to find by-lines. Now, if you want something that happened a few hours ago and is no longer among the top ten stories time-wise, well good bleepin' luck. You'll be clicking yourself into apoplexy or using the search box and hoping you get the keywords right that they index on. The Toronto Sun, nowhere near the quality of writing of The Star, gets it right. Show the headlines and then include that MORE at the bottom of the time-sorted list of stories. Sure, the tabloid newspaper's stories often only run a few paragraphs, but you can get the news if you are interested in something that isn't one of the BIG stories of the moments. In effect, The Sun is more of a newspaper while The Star has become a wretched artistic exercise in making me work.
No more. As of today, I will be reading the columnists I currently read. I mean, Doug Smith is the hardest working sports reporter in Canada. I'm not going to kick him out of my life just because his employers are myopic and totally ignorant of the mess their minions are creating for them. But for news, no more. The Sun and the TV will suffice.
After 44 years, this love affair is over.
Later, in high school, I got a really good grade for writing a paper called "The Toronto Star - The Best Bargain for 25 Cents," after I visited the printing plant (then downtown) on a school trip. Later, I started making money from the paper as a High School Reporter, phoning in scores from various games at Bramalea Secondary School. After graduating and after my ever-so-short sojourn at Ryerson Polytech, I started hustling the scores to The Star for ALL high schools in Peel region. Did it for the Sun and Globe, too. In fact, for a very brief period of time, getting three bucks times three for each score for each school made me one of the top ten paid non-columnist sports reporters in Toronto. The gig didn't last out a year, but it was fun while it lasted. Later, I covered the Toronto Tornados of the Continental Basketball Association (I was fired from that post) and wrote free-lance stories for the Star's Business section and for the regional inserts.
Through all of it, including the later-reversed firing, I continued to subscribe. My morning STARTED with the Star. I watched the paper wane from a marathon read to a 20-minute peruse. But I still kept getting the paper. Star blood ran through my veins. The decades passed. Unfortunately I frequently had an issue with the ever-changing delivery people. I will not accept a paper thrown on the stoop or shoved into the mail box. The paper must go into the space between the front door and the screen door. No danger of it getting wet or blown away. No danger of it holding the mailbox open to the mercies of the weather. Nope, it has to go into the inside of the door. This of course would require complaining once in a while. Rarely would I need more than one complaint to have the newest delivery person adjust to my conditions.
Then, late last year, the idiot delivering in my area ignored FIVE complaints. I told the dolts managing the idiot that that that was the last straw. CANCEL MY SUBSCRIPTION. For the first time in 43 years, I wasn't getting a daily newspaper delivered to my house. And I was a 15-year veteran of the sports journalism wars. BUT, I had the Internet to fall back on. In fact, I was reading most of what I would read in the morning around 4am every day. I was not happy, but I wasn't unhappy. You can't take the computer into the reading room (well, I could, but I don't). On the other hand, I didn't have to bundle up newspaper for the trash weekly anymore.
I could live with the Internet Star. And I knew it was only a matter of time before the decision to switch would have been forced upon me anyways. I got out of the newspaper game just ahead of the unionization of the paper I worked for. I wouldn't have handled that well (I worked waaaay more than 40 hours a week and didn't take a vacation at one point for a 30-month stretch, things not possible in a union-interfering world). The newspaper business I grew up in doesn't exist anymore. It was dying even back then. It's been bruited about that 2020 will largely be a newspaper-free year.
But an unfunny thing happened on the way to the future. The Star decided to redo its web-site. And myopic designers and COMMITTEES (aka groups of people who don't actually USE what they are making) managed to mangle my reading experience. Why? Because the designing dufuses doing this re-design decided merely to transport the hard-copy reading experience to the screen. Function defines form. I 'think' that comes from Marshall McLuhan, but I certainly could be wrong. That said, the same design that works on the screen doesn't work on a big broadsheet paper. And, more importantly, vice versa. And yet, that was EXACTLY what the re-design accomplished. Ignore function, retain form. The reason? Impossible to figure out.
The reading experience at www.thestar.com has deteriorated incredibly with this 'beta' design that is, in fact, the final product. The reason is INSERTS, sidebars that add information to the story you are reading. These inserts are supposed to add bite-sized informational morsels. In the paper, you can glance at them and read them in a second or two while between paragraphs. Or you can read them after perusing the whole story. Not much effort beyond shifting your eyes. Works well on the printed page.
On the screen .... not so much. Look I run high-end graphics on my computer. I can see a WHOLE lot of the length of any screen page. I even have AutoPager set up in Firefox and a very easy-to-use scroll wheel. But reading the Star story is arduous at best. First, the story stars in a minuscule-width column on the left to allow for a picture on the right. Then it snakes back to the right to allow for an OBLIGATORY INSERT, which means a more than a minuscule, but not much more, width column of story text. Finally, at the end of the insert, we get the the full width of the column to fill with story.
And let me say something here. I trundle through this, including having to scroll BACK UP to read the insert, because the quality of the writing in The Star has never wavered. It's the best written. It's the most complete. It's the most informed. (of the major Toronto dailies).
But today, the straw broke my back. In particular, the feature on Tom Tango, written by Robert Cribb. Well done. Informative. News to me, and I follow the Blue Jays again, these days. And a pain in the posterior to read. The reason? The insert went on for four screens on my 2000x1148 screen with very, very minimized headers in Firefox. I work hard, very hard, to maximize the amount of the page I can actually see at any given time.
Enough. I've complained TO the idiots (maybe the same group that foisted Buzz on we Google Mail users). I get back a platitude expressing thanks for my opinion. Nothing to address my complaints. I have friends amongst the writers and I've sent them begging requests and screeds to address the fools. And they have. And they universally report back to me the most incredible of all statements. "Every time I mention some of these problems to our web editors, I'm told there is no problem. They're quite happy with this, believe it or not," emailed back one of my old workmates who now has a prominent column. If that is the case, and I believe my guy, then Cyril Kornbluth's "Marching Morons" has become less science fiction and more fact.
The Star, to the best of my investigation, is the ONLY newspaper that uses this 'template.' EVERY other site I have visited runs the notes-kind of sidebar where it needs to be in a web-site. At the END of the story. EVERY other site allows me to read the story in the fewest key-clicks/scrolls as possible. They understand ticking off viewers is NOT the way to keep their eyeballs. And eyeballs is how you sell advertising. You know, the money-making machine BEHIND the continued jobs everybody has, writers and web-designers alike.
Also, finding stories on The Star's sports front page is pretty easy. There's ten, I think. Big headlines, easy to find by-lines. Now, if you want something that happened a few hours ago and is no longer among the top ten stories time-wise, well good bleepin' luck. You'll be clicking yourself into apoplexy or using the search box and hoping you get the keywords right that they index on. The Toronto Sun, nowhere near the quality of writing of The Star, gets it right. Show the headlines and then include that MORE at the bottom of the time-sorted list of stories. Sure, the tabloid newspaper's stories often only run a few paragraphs, but you can get the news if you are interested in something that isn't one of the BIG stories of the moments. In effect, The Sun is more of a newspaper while The Star has become a wretched artistic exercise in making me work.
No more. As of today, I will be reading the columnists I currently read. I mean, Doug Smith is the hardest working sports reporter in Canada. I'm not going to kick him out of my life just because his employers are myopic and totally ignorant of the mess their minions are creating for them. But for news, no more. The Sun and the TV will suffice.
After 44 years, this love affair is over.
Friday, March 19, 2010
HARDWARE: One LESS Thing Against the iPad
When the iPad was announced (officially), I was mostly not interested. Part of the issues I had with the device was its lack of support for Adobe Flash. In fact, if I remember correctly, in the list of things I didn't like about the iPad, Flash was mentioned multiple times. I thought it was important, if only for YouTube's sake.
Turns out, I was wrong. YouTube and HTML5 will make Flash a non-issue. In fact, if it helps make Adobe a non-issue, given my dislike for the company in general, that will be a good idea. But where I was really wrong was the technical reason Steve Jobs had for banishing Flash from all iDevices for all time. It just WON'T WORK ON THEM. Ever.
What convinced me of that was a link in Jeff Duntemann's Contrapositive Diary pointing to THIS entry from Daniel Dilger, who does a blog called RoughlyDrafted Magazine. Boiling down the issue, it's because Flash is very mouse-specific, very single-pointer location specific. Given the multi-touch interface on the Apple hardware, Flash would go ballistic. Even if Flash can be updated/changed to accommodate multi-touch, the fact is that it has always been a solution that barely worked and had no opposition. It's resource-consuming (read battery draining) and buggy. But we've all put up with it because it was, more or less, the only choice we had.
Now, HTML5 is coming onto the scene. It's not controlled (read patented) by one company and Jobs likes that, probably more than any other 'feature' of the would-be Flash killer. YouTube, Hulu and the ilk will be offering HTML5 alongside Flash well before iPad v2.0 comes out.
The real question is, will there even be a Flash to worry about by iPad v3.0?
Turns out, I was wrong. YouTube and HTML5 will make Flash a non-issue. In fact, if it helps make Adobe a non-issue, given my dislike for the company in general, that will be a good idea. But where I was really wrong was the technical reason Steve Jobs had for banishing Flash from all iDevices for all time. It just WON'T WORK ON THEM. Ever.
What convinced me of that was a link in Jeff Duntemann's Contrapositive Diary pointing to THIS entry from Daniel Dilger, who does a blog called RoughlyDrafted Magazine. Boiling down the issue, it's because Flash is very mouse-specific, very single-pointer location specific. Given the multi-touch interface on the Apple hardware, Flash would go ballistic. Even if Flash can be updated/changed to accommodate multi-touch, the fact is that it has always been a solution that barely worked and had no opposition. It's resource-consuming (read battery draining) and buggy. But we've all put up with it because it was, more or less, the only choice we had.
Now, HTML5 is coming onto the scene. It's not controlled (read patented) by one company and Jobs likes that, probably more than any other 'feature' of the would-be Flash killer. YouTube, Hulu and the ilk will be offering HTML5 alongside Flash well before iPad v2.0 comes out.
The real question is, will there even be a Flash to worry about by iPad v3.0?
SPORTS: The Best Since Not As Good
Just heard it again. A broadcaster on the tube said, "West Virginia's second seed is the school's best since it was a fifth seed in ..."
Drives me absolutely up the wall. Who CARES when West Virginia was a fifth seed? When was the last time the Mountaineers were a second seed? Or a first seed? Or is this the best ranking West Virginia's EVER had going into an NCAA tournament? I don't think so. WVU once had the wondrous Jerry West leading the charge and you have to think the selection committee was as impressed by him, as the Basketball Hall of Fame voters eventually were. But I digress.
First, statements like the one made by the announcer (who matters not), are true but are intellectually lazy. It's like the researcher said, "Well, I've looked far enough back. Time to call it a day (minute?) and just say it's the best since ..." Secondly, it's LESS impressive than it can be. If, for example, the last time West Virginia was second or better seeded was back in West's day, then it's been a HALF-CENTURY, or close to it, since people were this gaga about the Mountaineers. That's a heck of a lot more impressive than a fifth seed some (small) number of years ago.
Occasionally, these lazy historical comparatives are even bordering on the actual wrong side of accuracy. You've ALL heard announcers intone some current mark is the best since ... well the exact same mark. But sometimes those historical milestones occurred in less games or more games, less time or more time. And the same numbers don't reflect accurate relationships.
Me, when I hear the word 'since,' I want the number from the history to be better. Not the same. Not sort of the same, but better. Or worst (New Jersey Nets in the race with the sad sack Philadelphia Seventy-Sixers for the most futile NBA season of the modern era) That way I can evaluate the best/worst SINCE evaluation without wanting to reach through the TV screen and shake the announcer to the point he takes it out on the researcher.
The lazy researcher.
Drives me absolutely up the wall. Who CARES when West Virginia was a fifth seed? When was the last time the Mountaineers were a second seed? Or a first seed? Or is this the best ranking West Virginia's EVER had going into an NCAA tournament? I don't think so. WVU once had the wondrous Jerry West leading the charge and you have to think the selection committee was as impressed by him, as the Basketball Hall of Fame voters eventually were. But I digress.
First, statements like the one made by the announcer (who matters not), are true but are intellectually lazy. It's like the researcher said, "Well, I've looked far enough back. Time to call it a day (minute?) and just say it's the best since ..." Secondly, it's LESS impressive than it can be. If, for example, the last time West Virginia was second or better seeded was back in West's day, then it's been a HALF-CENTURY, or close to it, since people were this gaga about the Mountaineers. That's a heck of a lot more impressive than a fifth seed some (small) number of years ago.
Occasionally, these lazy historical comparatives are even bordering on the actual wrong side of accuracy. You've ALL heard announcers intone some current mark is the best since ... well the exact same mark. But sometimes those historical milestones occurred in less games or more games, less time or more time. And the same numbers don't reflect accurate relationships.
Me, when I hear the word 'since,' I want the number from the history to be better. Not the same. Not sort of the same, but better. Or worst (New Jersey Nets in the race with the sad sack Philadelphia Seventy-Sixers for the most futile NBA season of the modern era) That way I can evaluate the best/worst SINCE evaluation without wanting to reach through the TV screen and shake the announcer to the point he takes it out on the researcher.
The lazy researcher.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
SPORTS: You've Heard It Before, ROCK, CHALK JAYHAWK!
Rising my head above water for a nonce, it's time to get my March Madness picks made publicly, in order to bask in the afterglow of 'Told Ya So!'
Yes, I am wearing my Kansas Jayhawks Championship Tee-shirt as I proudly name this year's version of the Jayhawks as the national champion. I think I have something like eighty poolsheets going (some of them progressive, being made before each round) and Kansas wears the crown in, ohhhh, about 76 of them. That's despite arguably the most stacked region to tiptoe through, including the only two teams that have bested Kansas this year. Gotta admire the sense of humour demonstrated by the selection committee. I don't think it's much possible that Tennessee will earn a rematch, but it's not beyond the realm of possibility to see Oklahoma State make the regional final. Realistically, it'll be either Ohio State or Georgetown who will see Kansas cut the region nets for souvenirs. I actually like Georgetown here because I'm a big Greg Monroe fan.
Now, who will play Kansas in the final. I'm betting it won't be Kentucky, who has a minefield of chances to slip up before the big Monday night in Indy. In my voluminous pool sheets, I have Kentucky losing in the second round a couple of times, in the third round a bunch of times, in the fourth round a bunch more times, in the semi-finals a few times and not a all a couple of times. The Wildcats are a wild mix of talent and youthful inexperience. And somehow, that means I think Bobby Knight gets a laugh at John Calipari's expense.
Let's face it, when you have two of the top four picks in this summer's NBA draft, at least two other first round talents and a guy off the bench who might go in the draft too, you know Kentucky has championship level talent. But there is something to ponder. In anointing John Wall player of the year before we ever saw the best of Ohio State's Evan Turner, we also glossed over the warts on Kentucky. This is a team that runs and guns and depends on the other wonder frosh, Demarcus Cousins, and late lottery pick Patrick Patterson, to play volleyball with the offensive rebounds. But in their losses, and the near losses to a non-tourney team like Mississippi State, the formula for beating Kentucky became all too clear. They don't shoot threes all that well, are so-so at the charity stripe and don't retain focus all that well on defence when the other team stalls (the truer way of saying, patience on offence).
Remember that humour I mention the selection committee showed earlier. Well, they must all be Bobby Knight fan club members. Cuz look at this route to the title. After the opening round practice slash game for Kentucky, the Wildcats will likely get Texas, merely the top-ranked team in the country two months ago. If the Longhorns suddenly get serious and focus, it will be a heck of a game and no guarantees who wins. Assuming Kentucky does in Texas, next in line is Wisconsin, the defensive-minded demons coached by Bo Ryan. Well THAT's not going to be fun. Wisconsin doesn't make many mistakes. The Badgers will air the ball out and they've got the three-point threats and interior offence to make that work. Then on defence, the Badgers will pack the paint and dare Wall and company to hoist up shots (and make a few). Oh, and if Kentucky falls behind and has to foul Wisconsin, the Badgers will make their free throws. Kentucky doesn't get any breaks just getting by Wisconsin, as West Virginia will be MORE than happy to take a shot at ending Wall's collegiate career. The Mountaineers have their own potential draftees in Da'Sean Butler and Devin Ebanks and they might be playing the best ball in the best league in the country right now. Plus, coach Bob Huggins has that number two seed to fire up his club. Knowing the formula will make Huggins' game plan simple.
But let's say Kentucky walks the walk through the minefield. Come Final Four Saturday, who will Kentucky see wearing blue and white too? Yep, the Duke Blue Devils. Let's see how THEY fit the formula. Outside shooting? Check. Interior presence? Check, and the two Plumlee Brothers are in a race for most improved players from season start to season finish. Ability to work the clock? Check. Well-coached defensive schemes that will off-set the frontcourt Kentucky strongmen? Check. Experience? Check, what with most all the players having multiple NCAA's experience while the Wildcats are so young, if you add up ALL the years of experience their top six players have, it doesn't hit double-digits. And that doesn't include anything but a cup of coffee for Patterson as far as March Madness goes. Although getting that far will obviate another Kentucky peculiarity (the team didn't play all that many good teams, especially away from the friendly confines of Rupp Arena) so there will be some decent wins on their resume by then.
Give them the win over Duke (I'm actually betting mostly that West Virginia does them in, first), the Wildcats are met finally by an even more talented team in Kansas. I think Sherron Collins neutralizes Wall, the bigger Wildcats discover why Cole Aldrich is the best true collegiate center in the country and there is no shining moment for the bluegrass boys.
So, go ahead and pick where you think Kentucky loses, if at all. As I mentioned I think West Virginia gets them and then does in Duke in the national semi-final. A glorious season comes up short in losing to Kansas in the final, but that's what's going to happen.
The other Final Four participant? Syracuse, who really only needs to get by a second-round tripwire in Gonzaga. And that's only because of injury concerns. Syracuse has been the most cohesive unit in the country over the season and there just isn't anybody in their bracket who will give them the heebie jeebies. In fact, I think BYU might be their regional final opponent two weekends from now.
All in all, I'm expecting a rash of favourites winning. Sure, I've got some variety in my various sheets. Afterall, why repeat the same picks more than once, when a perfect sheet can be worth a million bucks. For the usual nine-eight mismatches (the nines win 54 per cent of the time), I like Northern Iowa and Louisville. The five-twelve to watch is UTEP beating a good Butler team, since there has to be one of those, or the tournament isn't complete. But that's the only one that appeals. A LOT of OTHER people like Utah State and especially Cornell to continue that odd five-twelve thing. But I don't. Texas A&M is good and Cornell has a bad match-up in their model, Temple. It'll be close in both games but the higher seeds will win. I like Saint Mary's to give the ten's a win and that's about it early. I didn't mention upset darlings Sienna, who have a badly wounded Purdue in a four-thirteen that a LOT of people are jumping all over, including me, until I looked at it more intently.
First, pre-Robbie Hummel injury, Purdue was a one-seed in the making. Sure, when another injury Saturday led to the Boilermakers finally giving up the ghost and getting pasted in the Big Ten semis, it appeared a four-seed might have been too high. I mean, come on, ELEVEN POINTS in the first half!! But as good as Hummel is/was, as problematical as a hobbling Lew Jackson will be, this is still a very talented and well-coached team. Yes, Sienna's good and has been to the second round as a double-digit seed the last two years. But the Saints have their OWN injury problems right now. And with that factor to take into account, I'm calling for Purdue over Sienna almost right across my boards. But I have them losing to Texas A&M right after that.
So that's the scoop three weeks in advance. It's Kansas over West Virgina for the title and Syracuse and Duke joining West Virgina one win short of a dream come true.
Yes, I am wearing my Kansas Jayhawks Championship Tee-shirt as I proudly name this year's version of the Jayhawks as the national champion. I think I have something like eighty poolsheets going (some of them progressive, being made before each round) and Kansas wears the crown in, ohhhh, about 76 of them. That's despite arguably the most stacked region to tiptoe through, including the only two teams that have bested Kansas this year. Gotta admire the sense of humour demonstrated by the selection committee. I don't think it's much possible that Tennessee will earn a rematch, but it's not beyond the realm of possibility to see Oklahoma State make the regional final. Realistically, it'll be either Ohio State or Georgetown who will see Kansas cut the region nets for souvenirs. I actually like Georgetown here because I'm a big Greg Monroe fan.
Now, who will play Kansas in the final. I'm betting it won't be Kentucky, who has a minefield of chances to slip up before the big Monday night in Indy. In my voluminous pool sheets, I have Kentucky losing in the second round a couple of times, in the third round a bunch of times, in the fourth round a bunch more times, in the semi-finals a few times and not a all a couple of times. The Wildcats are a wild mix of talent and youthful inexperience. And somehow, that means I think Bobby Knight gets a laugh at John Calipari's expense.
Let's face it, when you have two of the top four picks in this summer's NBA draft, at least two other first round talents and a guy off the bench who might go in the draft too, you know Kentucky has championship level talent. But there is something to ponder. In anointing John Wall player of the year before we ever saw the best of Ohio State's Evan Turner, we also glossed over the warts on Kentucky. This is a team that runs and guns and depends on the other wonder frosh, Demarcus Cousins, and late lottery pick Patrick Patterson, to play volleyball with the offensive rebounds. But in their losses, and the near losses to a non-tourney team like Mississippi State, the formula for beating Kentucky became all too clear. They don't shoot threes all that well, are so-so at the charity stripe and don't retain focus all that well on defence when the other team stalls (the truer way of saying, patience on offence).
Remember that humour I mention the selection committee showed earlier. Well, they must all be Bobby Knight fan club members. Cuz look at this route to the title. After the opening round practice slash game for Kentucky, the Wildcats will likely get Texas, merely the top-ranked team in the country two months ago. If the Longhorns suddenly get serious and focus, it will be a heck of a game and no guarantees who wins. Assuming Kentucky does in Texas, next in line is Wisconsin, the defensive-minded demons coached by Bo Ryan. Well THAT's not going to be fun. Wisconsin doesn't make many mistakes. The Badgers will air the ball out and they've got the three-point threats and interior offence to make that work. Then on defence, the Badgers will pack the paint and dare Wall and company to hoist up shots (and make a few). Oh, and if Kentucky falls behind and has to foul Wisconsin, the Badgers will make their free throws. Kentucky doesn't get any breaks just getting by Wisconsin, as West Virginia will be MORE than happy to take a shot at ending Wall's collegiate career. The Mountaineers have their own potential draftees in Da'Sean Butler and Devin Ebanks and they might be playing the best ball in the best league in the country right now. Plus, coach Bob Huggins has that number two seed to fire up his club. Knowing the formula will make Huggins' game plan simple.
But let's say Kentucky walks the walk through the minefield. Come Final Four Saturday, who will Kentucky see wearing blue and white too? Yep, the Duke Blue Devils. Let's see how THEY fit the formula. Outside shooting? Check. Interior presence? Check, and the two Plumlee Brothers are in a race for most improved players from season start to season finish. Ability to work the clock? Check. Well-coached defensive schemes that will off-set the frontcourt Kentucky strongmen? Check. Experience? Check, what with most all the players having multiple NCAA's experience while the Wildcats are so young, if you add up ALL the years of experience their top six players have, it doesn't hit double-digits. And that doesn't include anything but a cup of coffee for Patterson as far as March Madness goes. Although getting that far will obviate another Kentucky peculiarity (the team didn't play all that many good teams, especially away from the friendly confines of Rupp Arena) so there will be some decent wins on their resume by then.
Give them the win over Duke (I'm actually betting mostly that West Virginia does them in, first), the Wildcats are met finally by an even more talented team in Kansas. I think Sherron Collins neutralizes Wall, the bigger Wildcats discover why Cole Aldrich is the best true collegiate center in the country and there is no shining moment for the bluegrass boys.
So, go ahead and pick where you think Kentucky loses, if at all. As I mentioned I think West Virginia gets them and then does in Duke in the national semi-final. A glorious season comes up short in losing to Kansas in the final, but that's what's going to happen.
The other Final Four participant? Syracuse, who really only needs to get by a second-round tripwire in Gonzaga. And that's only because of injury concerns. Syracuse has been the most cohesive unit in the country over the season and there just isn't anybody in their bracket who will give them the heebie jeebies. In fact, I think BYU might be their regional final opponent two weekends from now.
All in all, I'm expecting a rash of favourites winning. Sure, I've got some variety in my various sheets. Afterall, why repeat the same picks more than once, when a perfect sheet can be worth a million bucks. For the usual nine-eight mismatches (the nines win 54 per cent of the time), I like Northern Iowa and Louisville. The five-twelve to watch is UTEP beating a good Butler team, since there has to be one of those, or the tournament isn't complete. But that's the only one that appeals. A LOT of OTHER people like Utah State and especially Cornell to continue that odd five-twelve thing. But I don't. Texas A&M is good and Cornell has a bad match-up in their model, Temple. It'll be close in both games but the higher seeds will win. I like Saint Mary's to give the ten's a win and that's about it early. I didn't mention upset darlings Sienna, who have a badly wounded Purdue in a four-thirteen that a LOT of people are jumping all over, including me, until I looked at it more intently.
First, pre-Robbie Hummel injury, Purdue was a one-seed in the making. Sure, when another injury Saturday led to the Boilermakers finally giving up the ghost and getting pasted in the Big Ten semis, it appeared a four-seed might have been too high. I mean, come on, ELEVEN POINTS in the first half!! But as good as Hummel is/was, as problematical as a hobbling Lew Jackson will be, this is still a very talented and well-coached team. Yes, Sienna's good and has been to the second round as a double-digit seed the last two years. But the Saints have their OWN injury problems right now. And with that factor to take into account, I'm calling for Purdue over Sienna almost right across my boards. But I have them losing to Texas A&M right after that.
So that's the scoop three weeks in advance. It's Kansas over West Virgina for the title and Syracuse and Duke joining West Virgina one win short of a dream come true.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
LIFE: Please and Thank You
I was reading Jeffrey Toobin's fine piece on American Supreme Court Justive John Paul Stevens in The New Yorker (You can read it on line here), when I came across Toobin's detailing of one of Stevens' habits. "Stevens tends to weigh in at oral argument at around the halfway point, and he does something that none of his colleagues do: he asks permission. 'May I ask you a question?' or 'May I ask you this?' "
My thoughts immediately turned back to the first boss I ever had. Ken Giles. The legendary, hall of famer Sports Editor of the Brampton Guardian (and of the Bramalea Guardian, which is where I started my sports writing career while in Grade Ten at Bramalea Secondary School). In the decade and a half that he was my boss, he NEVER, EVER told me to do anything! Not once. EVERY single command was put into the form of a question. Would you ... Can you ... Always a question that I never, of course, ever declined. But it was a matter of civility to a most civilized man. And he'd say please a lot too. And this from a man who the town named an arena after. And it's the Ken Giles Arena, NOT the Ken Giles Memorial Arena.
It shaped my professional life. I assumed all bosses behaved similarly. Heck, even the Boss's boss, tended to behave similarly. Robert King, the publisher through much of my Guardian years, also believed in the principle of not barking out commands. I can be forgiven if I thought business worked that way.
It doesn't, of course.
As a result, these two men are undoubtedly responsible for my inability to hang onto a job for much of the last three decades. Just kidding! I'm hardcore unemployable. Which is why I work for myself and only get into verbal battles with myself these days. But my professional upbringing has had an effect on how I do handle my interactions with fellow workers (the bosses still have 'issues' with me). As bellicose as I am, and trust me, I am, I try to say please and make the request a form of question. And I strain to remember to say thank you, even when, theoretically, I'm thanking them for doing their job. I don't always succeed.
Afterall, I'm not Ken Giles.
My thoughts immediately turned back to the first boss I ever had. Ken Giles. The legendary, hall of famer Sports Editor of the Brampton Guardian (and of the Bramalea Guardian, which is where I started my sports writing career while in Grade Ten at Bramalea Secondary School). In the decade and a half that he was my boss, he NEVER, EVER told me to do anything! Not once. EVERY single command was put into the form of a question. Would you ... Can you ... Always a question that I never, of course, ever declined. But it was a matter of civility to a most civilized man. And he'd say please a lot too. And this from a man who the town named an arena after. And it's the Ken Giles Arena, NOT the Ken Giles Memorial Arena.
It shaped my professional life. I assumed all bosses behaved similarly. Heck, even the Boss's boss, tended to behave similarly. Robert King, the publisher through much of my Guardian years, also believed in the principle of not barking out commands. I can be forgiven if I thought business worked that way.
It doesn't, of course.
As a result, these two men are undoubtedly responsible for my inability to hang onto a job for much of the last three decades. Just kidding! I'm hardcore unemployable. Which is why I work for myself and only get into verbal battles with myself these days. But my professional upbringing has had an effect on how I do handle my interactions with fellow workers (the bosses still have 'issues' with me). As bellicose as I am, and trust me, I am, I try to say please and make the request a form of question. And I strain to remember to say thank you, even when, theoretically, I'm thanking them for doing their job. I don't always succeed.
Afterall, I'm not Ken Giles.
Monday, March 15, 2010
BOOKS/MOVIES: Two of My Favourite Ladies
Kristine Katherine Rusch writes the great Retrieval Artist science fiction mysteries. She also writes a blog that is part personal journal and part an on-going book called, The Freelancer's Survival Guide. Stay for the personal anecdotes, but come for the Guide if you have the slightest urge to go out on your own, as a writer or what have you.
Sunday's entry was on Risk and mentioned Sandra Bullock prominently. I have been remiss in not expressing public congratulations to Sandy for her win last Sunday at the Oscars. I've seen The Blind Side and enjoyed it a lot. But then I'm pre-disposed to liking movies starring Bullock, having worked with her in the misty ancient ages of last century. It was only the once and only for the briefest of times. But I became a life-long fan and haven't felt the poorer for it. Heck, I even like a few of her bombs (and there have been a few). You could make the case that the statute was a lifetime achievement award because every single crew person on her movies loves her, but karma's not always a bitch. Nice women don't always finish last, Mr. Durocher. Occasionally they win the big prize.
Okay, I've digressed a bit. No apologies. Now, back to KK Rusch.
I've been unemployed now for closing in on 30 years. I haven't gotten rich, to the eternal unhappiness of some related minds. But I have been secure enough to turn down big-paying jobs. Twice, I've kicked away six-figure jobs because I didn't like working with the people I would have had to work with. I've fired clients for wasting my time. And the only time I ever regretted it was the time it took me away from Laura. Oh, and the original first quitting, that of my position as Assistant Sports Editor at the Brampton Guardian newspaper caused me a few wistful thoughts. But otherwise, I've been okay with being unemployed and underemployed.
And KK does a good job of revealing how okay she is currently with having turned down a high-paying gig because of working conditions and because she would have been ON somebody's payroll, in effect. And subject to their whims. Rather than give up her independence, she opted to turn down the gig with not much more than a passing thought or two. That's when you KNOW you've become a freelancer. And that realization is like winning an award. It's called freedom.
As I've said, these two ladies produce work I enjoy. Thanks and congratulations, ladies. Keep it up.
Sunday's entry was on Risk and mentioned Sandra Bullock prominently. I have been remiss in not expressing public congratulations to Sandy for her win last Sunday at the Oscars. I've seen The Blind Side and enjoyed it a lot. But then I'm pre-disposed to liking movies starring Bullock, having worked with her in the misty ancient ages of last century. It was only the once and only for the briefest of times. But I became a life-long fan and haven't felt the poorer for it. Heck, I even like a few of her bombs (and there have been a few). You could make the case that the statute was a lifetime achievement award because every single crew person on her movies loves her, but karma's not always a bitch. Nice women don't always finish last, Mr. Durocher. Occasionally they win the big prize.
Okay, I've digressed a bit. No apologies. Now, back to KK Rusch.
I've been unemployed now for closing in on 30 years. I haven't gotten rich, to the eternal unhappiness of some related minds. But I have been secure enough to turn down big-paying jobs. Twice, I've kicked away six-figure jobs because I didn't like working with the people I would have had to work with. I've fired clients for wasting my time. And the only time I ever regretted it was the time it took me away from Laura. Oh, and the original first quitting, that of my position as Assistant Sports Editor at the Brampton Guardian newspaper caused me a few wistful thoughts. But otherwise, I've been okay with being unemployed and underemployed.
And KK does a good job of revealing how okay she is currently with having turned down a high-paying gig because of working conditions and because she would have been ON somebody's payroll, in effect. And subject to their whims. Rather than give up her independence, she opted to turn down the gig with not much more than a passing thought or two. That's when you KNOW you've become a freelancer. And that realization is like winning an award. It's called freedom.
As I've said, these two ladies produce work I enjoy. Thanks and congratulations, ladies. Keep it up.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
BLOGGING: Other Changes I Discovered
There are some other changes to the blog I've just discovered. Comments will be a little less spam-filled. Yeah, there's been a LOT of crap from Anonymous ignoramuses. Ignoramusii? At any rate, you have to be identifiable and you have to answer one of those word picture thingies to post a comment. Given the dearth of actual real life comment, that won't be too much of an imposition.
BLOGGING: No, I'm NOT Dead
Earlier this year, I got phone calls wondering if I was dead. No, NOT because of inactivity in this blog, but because news of bridge player Gary Mugford's passing was going around. It was true. But it was the OTHER Gary Mugford who had recently died. A better man than I, Gary R. Mugford was a man who saved lives as a fireman and who happened to play a pretty good game of bridge. I met him at a tournament in Jordan and we actually did play in a Canadian Nationals one year as a lark. He will be sadly missed.
This blog has suffered from the recent spate of work-related tasks. In addition to my eons-long programming project at the main customer, we had to virtually re-do the whole network after a virus attack hit their network hard in early February. We had to replace 85 per cent of the network. And by we, I mean Patrick did most of it and I configured software after the fact. That was three weeks of 16-hour workdays with not much time for programming. Or for watching the Olympics. We were doing the last of the physical installs right about the time Sidney Crosby scored the winning goal in the Game That Mattered. Thus, this old sports reporter was one of the few Canadians not watching the gold medal game. Of course, I wouldn't have anyways. I vowed not to watch any Canadian team with that oaf Dany Heatley wearing the national colours and I was true to my word. And I WAS available to watch all but that gold medal game and chose not to. Good for Sid the Kid, Luongo and the rest, bad for that bozo who, I guess, will get his comeuppance come playoff time.
At any rate, I was stirred to make this quick (for me) post because of changes here at Blogger. I was, more or less, asked to 'freshen' up my site design. I did the least amount possible. But here it is. I DO like that I was able to switch the guides to the left. I think it's idiotic to place menus on the right due to differences in user screen dimensions. And the column now stretches to accommodate the width you have. In MOST cases, that should mean more text per line, more text per screen and less scrolling. Don't like the colours all that much, but fiddling around with things will have to wait. Otherwise, I don't hate the changes.
When will this blog pick up again? Don't know. I'm decompressing this week. Well three days. Then it's March Madness. But the programming project that will never end beckons with a new beta test target of the end of the month (training in it has to be finished by the end of April). Another client has been really, really great at putting off an update cuz both he and I hate the idiots forcing the update. And the old POS software is due for an upgrade, part of which is already written.
What's that Chinese curse? May you live in interesting times! Well....
This blog has suffered from the recent spate of work-related tasks. In addition to my eons-long programming project at the main customer, we had to virtually re-do the whole network after a virus attack hit their network hard in early February. We had to replace 85 per cent of the network. And by we, I mean Patrick did most of it and I configured software after the fact. That was three weeks of 16-hour workdays with not much time for programming. Or for watching the Olympics. We were doing the last of the physical installs right about the time Sidney Crosby scored the winning goal in the Game That Mattered. Thus, this old sports reporter was one of the few Canadians not watching the gold medal game. Of course, I wouldn't have anyways. I vowed not to watch any Canadian team with that oaf Dany Heatley wearing the national colours and I was true to my word. And I WAS available to watch all but that gold medal game and chose not to. Good for Sid the Kid, Luongo and the rest, bad for that bozo who, I guess, will get his comeuppance come playoff time.
At any rate, I was stirred to make this quick (for me) post because of changes here at Blogger. I was, more or less, asked to 'freshen' up my site design. I did the least amount possible. But here it is. I DO like that I was able to switch the guides to the left. I think it's idiotic to place menus on the right due to differences in user screen dimensions. And the column now stretches to accommodate the width you have. In MOST cases, that should mean more text per line, more text per screen and less scrolling. Don't like the colours all that much, but fiddling around with things will have to wait. Otherwise, I don't hate the changes.
When will this blog pick up again? Don't know. I'm decompressing this week. Well three days. Then it's March Madness. But the programming project that will never end beckons with a new beta test target of the end of the month (training in it has to be finished by the end of April). Another client has been really, really great at putting off an update cuz both he and I hate the idiots forcing the update. And the old POS software is due for an upgrade, part of which is already written.
What's that Chinese curse? May you live in interesting times! Well....
Thursday, February 18, 2010
SOFTWARE: More Buzz on Buzz
Okay, Google is getting it. Up one side and down the other side. And the company seems to be getting that the world, minus its own indentured employees, does not want Buzz. So, they've taken one more step in making it possible to make Buzz go away.
Now, when you click the Turn Buzz Off link at the very bottom of your GMail page, it gives you the ability to DISABLE Buzz, which is different than turning it off. GMail has been, bluntly, a little bit slow to respond of late. And as it turns out, although I'd turned Buzz off, that was just the Buzz display! So, I turned Buzz back on (the only choice now showing at the bottom) and then immediately turned it back off. THIS time, I got the brand new option to disable the sucker. Which I did. Ignored the various warnings and okayed the deletion forever of my Buzz info.
I feel less exposed than ever. And this for a guy who rants about all kinds of things here in this blog, which, by the way, wasn't hampered in any way by the decision to turn Buzz off permanently.
At least that's so, if your reading this.
Now, when you click the Turn Buzz Off link at the very bottom of your GMail page, it gives you the ability to DISABLE Buzz, which is different than turning it off. GMail has been, bluntly, a little bit slow to respond of late. And as it turns out, although I'd turned Buzz off, that was just the Buzz display! So, I turned Buzz back on (the only choice now showing at the bottom) and then immediately turned it back off. THIS time, I got the brand new option to disable the sucker. Which I did. Ignored the various warnings and okayed the deletion forever of my Buzz info.
I feel less exposed than ever. And this for a guy who rants about all kinds of things here in this blog, which, by the way, wasn't hampered in any way by the decision to turn Buzz off permanently.
At least that's so, if your reading this.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
SOFTWARE: Where IS That Bloat Coming From?
I'm paranoid. Proud to admit it. And one of the things bothering me lately was why my nightly backups of my C: Drive were so big. As it turns out, the guilty culprit was ZoneAlarm. It had created a debugging log that was eight GIGS in size. Not megabytes, GIGABYTES!
The fact of the matter is that I try to keep C: clean and tight. Nothing gets installed by choice on C:\. That doesn't mean that it doesn't grow like a weed, even running Crap Cleaner once a week. Every set of Microsoft Updates requires creating rollback points (which you MIGHT have had to use this past Tuesday when the Clumsy Empire managed to foul up many XP installations). There are temp files aplenty that don't seem all that temporary and print files and registry changes and ... well, it's all a Sisyphean task when you really think about it. But try I must.
Once I identified the culprit, while testing out Space Sniffer (freeware, here), I had to head back to the 'net to find out what the tvdebug.log file was. And I found information here, courtesy of WhitPhil of Whitby ON (good Canadian city). You can check it out, but here is the gist of the solution:
Then, when things have been righted, you know what to do. The only difference is that after deleting the ZoneAlarm-created TVdebug.log monster, you can just copy over the ersatz copy you made, renaming it in the process. No more notepad.
See there IS a method to my madness!
[PS] Oh, and the savings in my backups for having gotten rid of the file? Just 110 megs. Apparently the TVdebug.log file compresses down a lot. A LOT of lot! Not much in the scheme of things, but one that lets me put my C:\ backup on two DVDs, not two and a bit (read as THREE) DVDs.
The fact of the matter is that I try to keep C: clean and tight. Nothing gets installed by choice on C:\. That doesn't mean that it doesn't grow like a weed, even running Crap Cleaner once a week. Every set of Microsoft Updates requires creating rollback points (which you MIGHT have had to use this past Tuesday when the Clumsy Empire managed to foul up many XP installations). There are temp files aplenty that don't seem all that temporary and print files and registry changes and ... well, it's all a Sisyphean task when you really think about it. But try I must.
Once I identified the culprit, while testing out Space Sniffer (freeware, here), I had to head back to the 'net to find out what the tvdebug.log file was. And I found information here, courtesy of WhitPhil of Whitby ON (good Canadian city). You can check it out, but here is the gist of the solution:
- While holding down the Control and Shift keys together, right click on the ZA icon in your system tray.
- Choose Set Debug Level.
- Select OFF in the Debug Categories section and press OK.
- Now right click on the Zone Alarm icon and choose to shut it down.
- Now, use your File Explorer to go to C:\Windows\Internet Logs and locate the TVdebug.log on your computer.
- For a second, be amazed at how big the file is. Now, amazement over, delete it!
- Run Notepad.exe (you can use the Start|Run menu selection to type in notepad and hit enter)
- Write a few lines describing what this is and save the file to C:\Windows\Internet Logs as TVdebug.log
- Make a copy of the file by right clicking on it and selecting copy.
- Paste that copy into the folder by right clicking and choosing paste. (Paranoid, remember?)
- Select both files using whatever method you prefer.
- Right click and choose Properties.
- Click ON the box that says Read-Only and press OK.
- Now, go back to your start menu and restart ZoneAlarm. (actually, it's actually best you start the computer at this point, but it MIGHT work just restarting ZoneAlarm).
- And finally, because you are supposed to be as paranoid as I am, follow steps 1 and 2 to see if the debug level is, indeed, set to off. Click Cancel to get out of that window, happy in the knowledge you have saved your C:\ drive from bloat beyond belief.
Then, when things have been righted, you know what to do. The only difference is that after deleting the ZoneAlarm-created TVdebug.log monster, you can just copy over the ersatz copy you made, renaming it in the process. No more notepad.
See there IS a method to my madness!
[PS] Oh, and the savings in my backups for having gotten rid of the file? Just 110 megs. Apparently the TVdebug.log file compresses down a lot. A LOT of lot! Not much in the scheme of things, but one that lets me put my C:\ backup on two DVDs, not two and a bit (read as THREE) DVDs.
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