I've been reading through the ObamaCare bill.
A couple of things to note:
* It makes homelessness a criminal offense;
* It reduces the amount of health care coverage offered by employers as a fringe benefit;
* It raises insurance premiums for everybody, whilst reducing the amount of coverage;
All that the kenyan citizen that occupies the white house is doing, is replaying the mau-mau revolution in the united states.
Saturday 23 October 2010
Saturday 9 October 2010
eSnips
Once upon a time, roughly five years ago, esnips was worth attempting to use.
But now, as this screenshot shows, it requires one to login, even when one is already logged in.
If you look at the top right hand part of the picture, the sign out link is clearly visible.
Next to it, is an equally clear "My Menu" link.
The login stuff is equally visible on the left hand side.
I call that a fail.
But now, as this screenshot shows, it requires one to login, even when one is already logged in.
If you look at the top right hand part of the picture, the sign out link is clearly visible.
Next to it, is an equally clear "My Menu" link.
The login stuff is equally visible on the left hand side.
I call that a fail.
Thursday 9 September 2010
64 bit video
Flash is A11Y hostile, and as such, web designers who use it should be required to have both arms, both legs, both ears, and both eyes removed before being allowed to design another website.
But there is another problem with flash as well. It is not cross-platform. Flash is stuck in a 32 bit world. A world that died in the previous century. Technology that is more than a decade out of date. The only people that use 32 bit operating systems are people that run virii that masquarade as trojans that masquerade as operating systems.
The image below is of the page at http://labs.adobe.com/downloads/flashplayer10_64bit.html.
Which is why FLOCK, a so-called social browser, fails to cut it as a social experience:
Whilst Minefield almost passes that test:
As does Namoroka:
Epiphany doesn't have any issues:
Galeon displays the same error message as firefox:
It is hardly surprising that Konqueror exhibits the same failure to display flash:
And for those of you who want to torture your ears, listening to what to has to have been one the worst songs to ever come out of Bulawayo, it can be found http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWDAPFU19GI .
But there is another problem with flash as well. It is not cross-platform. Flash is stuck in a 32 bit world. A world that died in the previous century. Technology that is more than a decade out of date. The only people that use 32 bit operating systems are people that run virii that masquarade as trojans that masquerade as operating systems.
The image below is of the page at http://labs.adobe.com/downloads/flashplayer10_64bit.html.
Which is why FLOCK, a so-called social browser, fails to cut it as a social experience:
Whilst Minefield almost passes that test:
As does Namoroka:
Epiphany doesn't have any issues:
Galeon displays the same error message as firefox:
It is hardly surprising that Konqueror exhibits the same failure to display flash:
And for those of you who want to torture your ears, listening to what to has to have been one the worst songs to ever come out of Bulawayo, it can be found http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWDAPFU19GI .
Wednesday 8 September 2010
Thunderbird
Today, I concluded that there is no way that I can accept Thunderbird as having anything that even remotely resembles an email client.
It is, at best, a toy for people who never receive email. A category that I am not in.
A pity, because that means that there are no email clients for Linux that use a GUI.
It is, at best, a toy for people who never receive email. A category that I am not in.
A pity, because that means that there are no email clients for Linux that use a GUI.
Thursday 2 September 2010
Thunderbird bugs
Way back in 2006 I filed a bug report for Thunderbird using the mozilla bugzilla.
Today it was closed due to insufficient information.
What they wanted was a copy of the logs that Thunderbird generates.
Between the fact that I turn Thunderbird logging off, and that my workaround consists of either doing everything sequentially, or using different email clients to retrieve email, I did not have the logs they requested.
I was under the impression that the bug report was closed years ago, as "will not fix". One of the developers told me that the described scenario is outside of the design specifications for Thunderbird. As such, Thunderbird is not a suitable email client for me, and the patch I requested is not suitable for including in Thunderbird.
I am at a complete loss as to how having log files --- any log files --- would help them code the requested patch. Especially since the parameters are provided in the original bug report.
And people wonder why I don't recommend Thunderbird, on the basis that it does not retrieve email.
Today it was closed due to insufficient information.
What they wanted was a copy of the logs that Thunderbird generates.
Between the fact that I turn Thunderbird logging off, and that my workaround consists of either doing everything sequentially, or using different email clients to retrieve email, I did not have the logs they requested.
I was under the impression that the bug report was closed years ago, as "will not fix". One of the developers told me that the described scenario is outside of the design specifications for Thunderbird. As such, Thunderbird is not a suitable email client for me, and the patch I requested is not suitable for including in Thunderbird.
I am at a complete loss as to how having log files --- any log files --- would help them code the requested patch. Especially since the parameters are provided in the original bug report.
And people wonder why I don't recommend Thunderbird, on the basis that it does not retrieve email.
Monday 30 August 2010
Thunderbird 3.1
In installed Thunderbird 3.1 yesterday.
Bad idea. Very bad idea.
The default is to retrieve email via IMAP, not POP3.
Yuck.
The only good thing is that I didn't install it on my main system.
I'm not sure what I'll use, when I migrate to Ubuntu 10.10
Bad idea. Very bad idea.
The default is to retrieve email via IMAP, not POP3.
Yuck.
The only good thing is that I didn't install it on my main system.
I'm not sure what I'll use, when I migrate to Ubuntu 10.10
Tuesday 20 July 2010
Oracle
Between the contents of Harry J Foxwell's presentation on Oracle Solaris, and OpenSolaris, available from http://www.eecis.udel.edu/~bmiller/DE-OSUG/Oracle-Sun.pdf, and the announcement by the OpenSolaris Foundation that it will dissolve if Oracle doesn't nominate a contact person by 15 August (announcement is at http://www.h-online.com/open/news/item/OpenSolaris-governing-board-threatens-dissolution-1037134.html), I've concluded that Oracle has conceded the front office, desktop, and the low end back office to Microsoft.
As to why Oracle wants to waste its two billion dollar acquisition of Sun is anybody's guess.
####
Update: The OpenSolaris Foundation resigned en masse on 23 August 2010.
(http://wiki.genunix.org/wiki/index.php/2010_08_23_OGB_Agenda)
As to why Oracle wants to waste its two billion dollar acquisition of Sun is anybody's guess.
####
Update: The OpenSolaris Foundation resigned en masse on 23 August 2010.
(http://wiki.genunix.org/wiki/index.php/2010_08_23_OGB_Agenda)
Friday 16 April 2010
McAfee: False and Misleading Advertising, or run of the mill scam operation?
I uninstalled Mcafee Security on my laptop today.
My three year subscription to Mcafee Security, that started 8 December 2009, expired on 7 April 2010.
Since the laptop was advertised as having a three year subscription to Mcafee Security, I'm not sure whether to blame McAfee,QVC, Dell, or all three for a written claim that is obviously false. (The software packaging claims three years. When it was being peddled on QVC, it was also claimed that it would be a three year subscription.)
The two big questions are:
* Do I send a courtesy copy to the registered agent for Dell, McAfee, and QVC, of the letter I'll be sending the Pennsylvania Attorney-General, California Attorney-General, and Texas Attorney-General;
* Do I walk down to small claims court, and file a claim for US$175, for three year AV/Security coverage that I purchase from Kaspersky , since MCafee did not honour the three year AV subscription that was included with my laptop, and as such, I have no assurance that they will honour any future subscriptions I purchase. (For the record, this is my second encounter with McAfee not honouring subscriptions for their AV software.)
I sent three emails through their online form, and two emails to the address that sent me notices that my subscription expired/was going to expire, to no avail.
My three year subscription to Mcafee Security, that started 8 December 2009, expired on 7 April 2010.
Since the laptop was advertised as having a three year subscription to Mcafee Security, I'm not sure whether to blame McAfee,QVC, Dell, or all three for a written claim that is obviously false. (The software packaging claims three years. When it was being peddled on QVC, it was also claimed that it would be a three year subscription.)
The two big questions are:
* Do I send a courtesy copy to the registered agent for Dell, McAfee, and QVC, of the letter I'll be sending the Pennsylvania Attorney-General, California Attorney-General, and Texas Attorney-General;
* Do I walk down to small claims court, and file a claim for US$175, for three year AV/Security coverage that I purchase from Kaspersky , since MCafee did not honour the three year AV subscription that was included with my laptop, and as such, I have no assurance that they will honour any future subscriptions I purchase. (For the record, this is my second encounter with McAfee not honouring subscriptions for their AV software.)
I sent three emails through their online form, and two emails to the address that sent me notices that my subscription expired/was going to expire, to no avail.
Monday 29 March 2010
Christian Ethics
Usage of a product is an explicit endorsement of that product and an implicit, if not explicit endorsement of the company that created the product.
As such, is it ethical, and moral for a Christian to use any products from Microsoft?
Microsoft has been convicted of violating two of the Ten Commandments.
Almost as disturbing is Microsoft's announcement that they intend to violate two more of the Ten Commandments.
I'll grant that Contemporary American Christianity and both the Two Commandments of the New Testament, and the Ten Commandments (any of the three sets in the Tanakh, and two sets in the New Testament) are mutually exclusive.
As such, is it ethical, and moral for a Christian to use any products from Microsoft?
Microsoft has been convicted of violating two of the Ten Commandments.
Almost as disturbing is Microsoft's announcement that they intend to violate two more of the Ten Commandments.
I'll grant that Contemporary American Christianity and both the Two Commandments of the New Testament, and the Ten Commandments (any of the three sets in the Tanakh, and two sets in the New Testament) are mutually exclusive.
Sunday 7 March 2010
Why not bend the rules
I wandered far today. Up several hills and dales. Then found a store that sells Sparletta Cream Soda.
I'll ignore the price for now, except to say that a twelve pack of coke costs less than a single can costs.
But the taste is wonderful.
That creamy sensation bubbling though, with an after taste of roses.
I'll ignore the price for now, except to say that a twelve pack of coke costs less than a single can costs.
But the taste is wonderful.
That creamy sensation bubbling though, with an after taste of roses.
Friday 26 February 2010
email clients
I'm still looking for an email client that works.
An email client that can retrieve email, without needing a babysitter.
I've settled for Thunderbird, simply because, with a babysitter, it can retrieve email. That is more than can be said for the other email clients that run on Linux.
Every RFE/bug I submitted was closed "won't fix", because the functionality I was requesting --- which was the ability to retrieve email --- was considered to be something that is not in accordance with their concept of what an email client does.
The Mozilla Foundation seems determined to ensure that Thunderbird remain something other than an email client.
Go to the Thunderbird extensions page, and do a search for extensions that have "Search" as a keyword. "Weave Browser sync", "eBay Auction Search", and "Second Search" are just some Firefox orientated extensions that come up.
An email client that can retrieve email, without needing a babysitter.
I've settled for Thunderbird, simply because, with a babysitter, it can retrieve email. That is more than can be said for the other email clients that run on Linux.
Every RFE/bug I submitted was closed "won't fix", because the functionality I was requesting --- which was the ability to retrieve email --- was considered to be something that is not in accordance with their concept of what an email client does.
The Mozilla Foundation seems determined to ensure that Thunderbird remain something other than an email client.
Go to the Thunderbird extensions page, and do a search for extensions that have "Search" as a keyword. "Weave Browser sync", "eBay Auction Search", and "Second Search" are just some Firefox orientated extensions that come up.
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