Update from the Heartland
No.423
18.1.10 – 24.1.10
Blog version: http://heartlandupdate.blogspot.com/
No.423
18.1.10 – 24.1.10
Blog version: http://heartlandupdate.blogspot.com/
To all,
My spouse asked me to include a small side-note on a recent experience we had with an on-line business in hopes that it prevents others from experiencing the same issue:
We had ordered a plant delivery a week-ago Friday night through FTDFloristsOnline and requested that the plant be delivered the next day, Saturday. After receiving confirmation that the order was processed and would be delivered, we were very disappointed to find out that not only was it not delivered on Saturday OR Sunday, it was certainly not delivered until we made few phone calls chasing down the order. Finally, at 6 PM on Monday night, our children received their plant. A very disappointing performance from an on-line company. We sincerely hope your families do not have such an aggravating experience and hope this shared information helps in some manner.
The follow-up news items:
-- After all nine months of debate regarding health care reform [396 & sub], one special election in Massachusetts has apparently thrown the whole process out the window. Massachusetts State Senator Scott Philip Brown was elected to fill the seat of Senator Edward Kennedy, which is turn removed the bare, 60-seat Democratic Party majority in the Senate. The President rightly asked Congress not to attempt any knee-jerk shenanigans to pass health care reform before Brown can be seated. Then, the Speaker proclaimed that the House could not pass the Senate version. The path of compromise that might retain any meat in this legislation is not clear to me. The drama continues.
-- A series of Washington Post articles illuminated the less than professional electronic surveillance [156 & sub] conducted by the FBI.
“FBI broke law for years in phone record searches”
by John Solomon and Carrie Johnson
Washington Post
Published: Tuesday, January 19, 2010; page A01
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/18/AR2010011803982.html
I can understand and even appreciate the motives of the FBI agents in the midst of the War on Islamic Fascism. Unfortunately, FBI agents are law enforcement, which in turn portends the heavy hand of the State. Perhaps we Americans are not capable of comprehending the reasons for an internal intelligence apparatus comparable to the British MI-5 organization. Regardless, given our current law enforcement configuration, we have no choice but to be outraged by the FBI’s flagrant violation of the law.
-- Large after-shocks rattled citizens and complicated recovery / relief efforts in Port-au-Prince, Haiti [422]. Of course, the Press continues to expect instant response and belittles the caution of relief workers. As I consider the calamity and the World’s efforts to help, I am reminded that life is hard despite our wishes to the contrary.
Perhaps we should listen to our children:
“Children Speak for Same-Sex Marriage”
by Sarah Wildman
New York Times
Published: January 20, 2010
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/21/fashion/21kids.html
We can learn from our children.
On Thursday, 21.January.2010, the Supremes issued their ruling in a major campaign financing case – Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission [558 U.S. ____ (2010); no. 08-205]. I have not completed my reading, as it is long and complex. The popular Press has seemed to declare the ruling a setback for democracy, and the President has vowed legislation to “fix” the problem. More to follow.
As noted in Update no. 421, the Prop H8 civil case – Perry v. Schwarzenegger – has begun after the Supremes quashed any attempt for We, the People, to the observe the process in this important case that goes far beyond the immediate topic at hand. The district court judge, affirmed by the 9th Circuit, decided to allow the proceedings to be broadcast via Internet streaming video. The Applicants who brought this case – Hollingsworth v. Perry [558 U.S. ____ (2010)] – are defendant-intervenors in Perry v. Schwarzenegger. The ruling centered upon an internal judicial procedure for changing courtroom rules. The Per Curiam decision stated, “The balance of equities favors applicants. While applicants have demonstrated the threat of harm they face if the trial is broadcast, respondents have not alleged any harm if the trial is not broadcast. The issue, moreover, must be resolved at this stage, for the injury likely cannot be undone once the broadcast takes place.” As I read the Supremes’ wisdom, I noted, “Oh really! They are comparing some unspecified, nebulous “threat” to heterosexual folks, to homosexuals being killed and persistently persecuted at the mercy of homophobic straight folks.” Writing for the dissent, Associate Justice Stephen Gerald Breyer observed, “This Court has no legal authority to address that larger policy question except insofar as it implicates a question of law.” He went onto state, “I can find no basis for the Court's conclusion that, were the transmissions to other courtrooms to take place, the applicants would suffer irreparable harm. Certainly there is no evidence that such harm could arise in this nonjury civil case from the simple fact of transmission itself.” This was a rather sad decision dripping in social politics that had very little to do with the law. Nonetheless, it is what it is; the Supremes have spoken; and, we shall not hear the testimony. Now, we wait patiently for the judge’s trial decision, which will undoubtedly be heard by the 9th Circuit and probably by the Supreme Court as well.
News from the economic front:
-- Citigroup recently repaid the remaining US$20B in TARP funds [358], although the Treasury Department still owns more than one-fourth of Citi's common stock. Citi reported a loss of US$7.57B, or 33 cents a share, from a previous year loss of US$17.26B, or $3.40 a share – the bank’s losses narrowed following prior-year write-downs as credit losses fell for a second-straight quarter. Revenue dropped 4.3% to US$5.41B. Loan-loss provisions were US$8.2B, down 36% from the prior year.
-- The European Commission cleared U.S. software giant Oracle to take over Sun Microsystems in a US$7.38B deal, ending a long, in-depth antitrust investigation over concerns that Oracle's acquisition of the world's leading open-source database MySQL would hamper competition in the database market.
-- President Obama proposed new rules designed to restrict the size and activities of the U.S.'s biggest banks that take deposits from customers, to be barred from investing on behalf of the bank itself – proprietary trading. The administration appears headed toward returning banking regulations to the Great Depression era. Wall Street did not take kindly to the news.
-- The Labor Department reported that initial claims for unemployment benefits rose by 36,000 to a seasonally adjusted 482,000, indicating economic recovery will be slow and jerky. Wall Street economists had expected a small drop.
Comments and contributions from Update no.422:
“What you hear on the major news channels (not Fox) and from the White House is not what he said.
“I happened to be listening to Rush for the original comments about Haiti and what he said, and continues to say, is that people should contribute generously to the organizations that are providing aid to Haiti, (Red Cross, Salvation Army, religious, private groups, etc) and NOT to the White House which will filter the monies through complex administrative organizations and we have already contributed thru our taxes to the government to the tune of “billions of aid monies”: use the monies you donate to the organizations.
“I would much rather contribute aid to Haiti, or any other disaster, to the religious groups, several in our local area, than to the White House.
I am thinking of switching to Apple in the future also since Sylvia has found it difficult to use MS. Let me know if there is a major difference and why you switched.”
My reply:
I did not hear Limbaugh’s opinion, but I did read the transcript. As always, we can spin it anyway we wish. Sure, the uber-Left is trying to vilify el-Rush-bo just as he works so hard to diminish the President or the Democrats. What I find disgusting in his words is the politicization of the tragedy . . . just as I criticized the uber-Left for their politicization of the Bush administration’s Katrina response. There is a time and a place for politics. The deaths of 100,000, perhaps a quarter million, people is categorically not the time. I listen to both the extreme Left and extreme Right; I can find little rational thought or compassion for mankind. I still condemn Rush Limbaugh’s political parochialism.
Regarding my computer switch, in short, I reached the end of my rope regarding the endless virus attacks and layers upon layers of virus-guards, spam-blockers, spyware, adware, ad nauseum. I could puke. I have been comfortable with the MS Office products (I used MS Word predominately) and Explorer. I am still adjusting to Word for Mac and Safari, but so far, I am impressed and very glad I made the move. There are some really neat features to the Mac. Like I said, the deciding factor for me was all the fruitless security crap with our PCs. Any other Qs, just come back.
. . . a follow-up comment:
“We can't always agree but I think that this is the first time in history that money was to be sent directly to the White House for aid. That seems pretty political, IMHO.”
“Will be interesting to see how the Dems try to ram through a bill before the new Senator is seated.
. . . and my follow-up reply:
I have not seen the details, so I do not know. In principle, I would agree; the opportunity for misuse / abuse and thus poor public perception is just too great. However, I am not willing to vilify the White House cuz el-Rush-bo says so; he has lost nearly all credibility from my perspective. POTUS could solve world hunger, and he have negative things to say . . . just cuz of politics, not rational thought.
Yes, with Brown’s election, the next few weeks are going to be very interesting, and probably quite telling. Let’s watch closely.
Another contribution:
“I made the switch long ago in 1988. Once you go MAC, you never go back. Highly recommend you load Fusion for running Windows since it does not take up a partition and the Apple guys I know who work for Apple use it. Fusion licensed the Bootcamp drivers. Works just as well, but you won't use Windows much in a few months.
“Happy New Year Marine. I just got off a Skype Chat with a USMC Company Commander in Afghanistan. Tough job. He's on his 4th tour and getting weary I think.”
My response:
So far so good. I’m still adjusting to the differences. I’ll look into Fusion. I’m in no hurry to complete the transition, so I’ll make sure everything works as I need it, before I release my PC. My big thing is security. I had just had enough of all the damn firewall, virus guard, security programs, et cetera.
I think we can both appreciate the likelihood of burn-out in our warriors. The only thing I can think of one primary answer – expansion of the force to increase the cycle time.
. . . a follow-up comment:
“Agreed on the expansion. We'll shall see what they do.
“After you get used to MAC, you will not use Windows much at all. But when you do, it will be free of all those troubles and will run faster whether you use Bootcamp or Fusion. I only use it for a couple of things anymore. That is why Fusion is so much better because I don't have to partition the disk and always have the space available.
“You'll get the hang of it and will wonder why it took you so long.”
. . . and my follow-up response:
Thx. I’m not there yet, but pedaling as fast as I can. I’ve already abandoned by PC laptop, and the PC desktop will be shutdown once I can transition files and get a few appls running. I need to get a Mac .wmv & .avi player; too many vids in the PC formats. Jeanne will still be using her Sony VAIO laptop, so if I need it for some reason, I can use hers. We also have PC’s at work, so I won’t be able to totally break free. In fact, it was my work & work files that delayed me making the move.
A different contribution:
“Good luck with making the transition! [My husband] uses and has used Apple Mac since day one (colleges tend to use Mac). He has a PowerBook G4 ‘laptop.’ He gets along great with it and he is far from being a computer jock. I, on the other hand, have been on PCs in general for much my history with computers. I think Mac has provided a better product since day one. Transitioning between PC and Mac can be a challenge (e.g, for me, no right and left click on a Mac). I have confidence that you will work it out in short order. It certainly won't be any worse that going from Windows XP to Vista...I still struggle with standard Office application functions in Vista as Microsoft's interpretation of intuitive does not mate with my intuition. Vista for me has been like going into your most frequented grocery store, and finding that they have completely changed their layout and moved everything around...everything you need/want is still there...you just have to LOOK for it (and when you find it, you ask yourself why did they put it there). A majority of the problem with the change lies with what you are used to, and what you have learned to do without even thinking about it for the most part. I usually dread OS upgrades/changes with Microsoft, which can render much of your current software obsolete. That is one thing with going to Mac...you will need all new applications built for Mac (probably new peripherals too - e.g., I always buy printers that are compatible with both PC and Mac). But even as a part-time Mac user trying to figure some things out on it over the years (loading up new applications, establishing connections with devices and network, etc.), I have come to appreciate how simple it is (as compared to a PC) to get the job at hand done. Mac seems to be very proficient at automating and completing tasks successfully with much of what went on being transparent to the user, making it unnecessary for the user to have to dig around in the documentation, consult with online help and blogs, or God forbid, call tech support to figure out what went wrong. Another great feature...[my husband] does not run any anti-virus / anti-anything software, which keeps his computer FAST, and he has never had any problems with corruption. Have patience (you probably won't need too much), and I think you will be happy with your Mac(s).”
My reply:
Thanks for your views of the Mac. I am slowly adjusting. There are still things I can only do on a PC so far. Our middle son is helping me get things configured the way I need them, and the more I explore the better I like it. Yes, precisely, all the anti-virus, anti-spam, anti-spyware, firewall security crap on a PC just got to be too much. It is nice to have a freer, more open environment to work. I probably won’t switch off my home PC for another month or so, but I will get there.
Another comment:
“I too have just made the change (following a lightning strike that destroyed most of my office equipment)! Immediately wasted about ten hours with ISP technicians and three more with Apple technicians trying to get my Macbook Safari to work with the 2Wire modem/router I had just gotten. I have a temporary fix now, I'm told.
“Not so much in response to anything you have posited, but as a frustrating realization regarding international efforts to help the hapless citizens of that forlorn and perpetually poor "state" called Haiti:
“If we were to even offer to take the thousands of FEMA trailers stored at great expense on acres of opportunistic Mississippian's land and load them onto hundreds of idle barges parked along our great river for towing to Haiti during the next calm week in the Caribbean, we'd quickly be accused of trying to poison those poor souls with the formaldehyde that instead will be inhaled by unfortunate end buyers of the units FEMA
is auctioning off by the hundreds for pennies on the dollar.
“Another thing: Am I actually hearing "demands" that the U.S. hurry up and do something, even as we pour hundreds of millions of taxpayer's money from our treasury and more from generous gifts of our citizens into the relief effort?
“Oh well, maybe we are doing the best we can.”
My response:
We were on the AT&T 2Wire system until the move. We are now using Cox Cable services along with the Cisco wireless router connected to the cable. The Macs are on wireless and running great. Nice to not have all that security crap.
No matter what is done, someone is going to be unhappy. What I find abhorrent are the Robertson / Limbaugh comments which are parochialism for religious or political purposes that serves no purpose other than those ego-centric ends that fosters such parochialism; they certainly do not help the suffering folks.
My very best wishes to all. Take care of yourselves and each other.
Cheers,
Cap :-)
My spouse asked me to include a small side-note on a recent experience we had with an on-line business in hopes that it prevents others from experiencing the same issue:
We had ordered a plant delivery a week-ago Friday night through FTDFloristsOnline and requested that the plant be delivered the next day, Saturday. After receiving confirmation that the order was processed and would be delivered, we were very disappointed to find out that not only was it not delivered on Saturday OR Sunday, it was certainly not delivered until we made few phone calls chasing down the order. Finally, at 6 PM on Monday night, our children received their plant. A very disappointing performance from an on-line company. We sincerely hope your families do not have such an aggravating experience and hope this shared information helps in some manner.
The follow-up news items:
-- After all nine months of debate regarding health care reform [396 & sub], one special election in Massachusetts has apparently thrown the whole process out the window. Massachusetts State Senator Scott Philip Brown was elected to fill the seat of Senator Edward Kennedy, which is turn removed the bare, 60-seat Democratic Party majority in the Senate. The President rightly asked Congress not to attempt any knee-jerk shenanigans to pass health care reform before Brown can be seated. Then, the Speaker proclaimed that the House could not pass the Senate version. The path of compromise that might retain any meat in this legislation is not clear to me. The drama continues.
-- A series of Washington Post articles illuminated the less than professional electronic surveillance [156 & sub] conducted by the FBI.
“FBI broke law for years in phone record searches”
by John Solomon and Carrie Johnson
Washington Post
Published: Tuesday, January 19, 2010; page A01
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/18/AR2010011803982.html
I can understand and even appreciate the motives of the FBI agents in the midst of the War on Islamic Fascism. Unfortunately, FBI agents are law enforcement, which in turn portends the heavy hand of the State. Perhaps we Americans are not capable of comprehending the reasons for an internal intelligence apparatus comparable to the British MI-5 organization. Regardless, given our current law enforcement configuration, we have no choice but to be outraged by the FBI’s flagrant violation of the law.
-- Large after-shocks rattled citizens and complicated recovery / relief efforts in Port-au-Prince, Haiti [422]. Of course, the Press continues to expect instant response and belittles the caution of relief workers. As I consider the calamity and the World’s efforts to help, I am reminded that life is hard despite our wishes to the contrary.
Perhaps we should listen to our children:
“Children Speak for Same-Sex Marriage”
by Sarah Wildman
New York Times
Published: January 20, 2010
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/21/fashion/21kids.html
We can learn from our children.
On Thursday, 21.January.2010, the Supremes issued their ruling in a major campaign financing case – Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission [558 U.S. ____ (2010); no. 08-205]. I have not completed my reading, as it is long and complex. The popular Press has seemed to declare the ruling a setback for democracy, and the President has vowed legislation to “fix” the problem. More to follow.
As noted in Update no. 421, the Prop H8 civil case – Perry v. Schwarzenegger – has begun after the Supremes quashed any attempt for We, the People, to the observe the process in this important case that goes far beyond the immediate topic at hand. The district court judge, affirmed by the 9th Circuit, decided to allow the proceedings to be broadcast via Internet streaming video. The Applicants who brought this case – Hollingsworth v. Perry [558 U.S. ____ (2010)] – are defendant-intervenors in Perry v. Schwarzenegger. The ruling centered upon an internal judicial procedure for changing courtroom rules. The Per Curiam decision stated, “The balance of equities favors applicants. While applicants have demonstrated the threat of harm they face if the trial is broadcast, respondents have not alleged any harm if the trial is not broadcast. The issue, moreover, must be resolved at this stage, for the injury likely cannot be undone once the broadcast takes place.” As I read the Supremes’ wisdom, I noted, “Oh really! They are comparing some unspecified, nebulous “threat” to heterosexual folks, to homosexuals being killed and persistently persecuted at the mercy of homophobic straight folks.” Writing for the dissent, Associate Justice Stephen Gerald Breyer observed, “This Court has no legal authority to address that larger policy question except insofar as it implicates a question of law.” He went onto state, “I can find no basis for the Court's conclusion that, were the transmissions to other courtrooms to take place, the applicants would suffer irreparable harm. Certainly there is no evidence that such harm could arise in this nonjury civil case from the simple fact of transmission itself.” This was a rather sad decision dripping in social politics that had very little to do with the law. Nonetheless, it is what it is; the Supremes have spoken; and, we shall not hear the testimony. Now, we wait patiently for the judge’s trial decision, which will undoubtedly be heard by the 9th Circuit and probably by the Supreme Court as well.
News from the economic front:
-- Citigroup recently repaid the remaining US$20B in TARP funds [358], although the Treasury Department still owns more than one-fourth of Citi's common stock. Citi reported a loss of US$7.57B, or 33 cents a share, from a previous year loss of US$17.26B, or $3.40 a share – the bank’s losses narrowed following prior-year write-downs as credit losses fell for a second-straight quarter. Revenue dropped 4.3% to US$5.41B. Loan-loss provisions were US$8.2B, down 36% from the prior year.
-- The European Commission cleared U.S. software giant Oracle to take over Sun Microsystems in a US$7.38B deal, ending a long, in-depth antitrust investigation over concerns that Oracle's acquisition of the world's leading open-source database MySQL would hamper competition in the database market.
-- President Obama proposed new rules designed to restrict the size and activities of the U.S.'s biggest banks that take deposits from customers, to be barred from investing on behalf of the bank itself – proprietary trading. The administration appears headed toward returning banking regulations to the Great Depression era. Wall Street did not take kindly to the news.
-- The Labor Department reported that initial claims for unemployment benefits rose by 36,000 to a seasonally adjusted 482,000, indicating economic recovery will be slow and jerky. Wall Street economists had expected a small drop.
Comments and contributions from Update no.422:
“What you hear on the major news channels (not Fox) and from the White House is not what he said.
“I happened to be listening to Rush for the original comments about Haiti and what he said, and continues to say, is that people should contribute generously to the organizations that are providing aid to Haiti, (Red Cross, Salvation Army, religious, private groups, etc) and NOT to the White House which will filter the monies through complex administrative organizations and we have already contributed thru our taxes to the government to the tune of “billions of aid monies”: use the monies you donate to the organizations.
“I would much rather contribute aid to Haiti, or any other disaster, to the religious groups, several in our local area, than to the White House.
I am thinking of switching to Apple in the future also since Sylvia has found it difficult to use MS. Let me know if there is a major difference and why you switched.”
My reply:
I did not hear Limbaugh’s opinion, but I did read the transcript. As always, we can spin it anyway we wish. Sure, the uber-Left is trying to vilify el-Rush-bo just as he works so hard to diminish the President or the Democrats. What I find disgusting in his words is the politicization of the tragedy . . . just as I criticized the uber-Left for their politicization of the Bush administration’s Katrina response. There is a time and a place for politics. The deaths of 100,000, perhaps a quarter million, people is categorically not the time. I listen to both the extreme Left and extreme Right; I can find little rational thought or compassion for mankind. I still condemn Rush Limbaugh’s political parochialism.
Regarding my computer switch, in short, I reached the end of my rope regarding the endless virus attacks and layers upon layers of virus-guards, spam-blockers, spyware, adware, ad nauseum. I could puke. I have been comfortable with the MS Office products (I used MS Word predominately) and Explorer. I am still adjusting to Word for Mac and Safari, but so far, I am impressed and very glad I made the move. There are some really neat features to the Mac. Like I said, the deciding factor for me was all the fruitless security crap with our PCs. Any other Qs, just come back.
. . . a follow-up comment:
“We can't always agree but I think that this is the first time in history that money was to be sent directly to the White House for aid. That seems pretty political, IMHO.”
“Will be interesting to see how the Dems try to ram through a bill before the new Senator is seated.
. . . and my follow-up reply:
I have not seen the details, so I do not know. In principle, I would agree; the opportunity for misuse / abuse and thus poor public perception is just too great. However, I am not willing to vilify the White House cuz el-Rush-bo says so; he has lost nearly all credibility from my perspective. POTUS could solve world hunger, and he have negative things to say . . . just cuz of politics, not rational thought.
Yes, with Brown’s election, the next few weeks are going to be very interesting, and probably quite telling. Let’s watch closely.
Another contribution:
“I made the switch long ago in 1988. Once you go MAC, you never go back. Highly recommend you load Fusion for running Windows since it does not take up a partition and the Apple guys I know who work for Apple use it. Fusion licensed the Bootcamp drivers. Works just as well, but you won't use Windows much in a few months.
“Happy New Year Marine. I just got off a Skype Chat with a USMC Company Commander in Afghanistan. Tough job. He's on his 4th tour and getting weary I think.”
My response:
So far so good. I’m still adjusting to the differences. I’ll look into Fusion. I’m in no hurry to complete the transition, so I’ll make sure everything works as I need it, before I release my PC. My big thing is security. I had just had enough of all the damn firewall, virus guard, security programs, et cetera.
I think we can both appreciate the likelihood of burn-out in our warriors. The only thing I can think of one primary answer – expansion of the force to increase the cycle time.
. . . a follow-up comment:
“Agreed on the expansion. We'll shall see what they do.
“After you get used to MAC, you will not use Windows much at all. But when you do, it will be free of all those troubles and will run faster whether you use Bootcamp or Fusion. I only use it for a couple of things anymore. That is why Fusion is so much better because I don't have to partition the disk and always have the space available.
“You'll get the hang of it and will wonder why it took you so long.”
. . . and my follow-up response:
Thx. I’m not there yet, but pedaling as fast as I can. I’ve already abandoned by PC laptop, and the PC desktop will be shutdown once I can transition files and get a few appls running. I need to get a Mac .wmv & .avi player; too many vids in the PC formats. Jeanne will still be using her Sony VAIO laptop, so if I need it for some reason, I can use hers. We also have PC’s at work, so I won’t be able to totally break free. In fact, it was my work & work files that delayed me making the move.
A different contribution:
“Good luck with making the transition! [My husband] uses and has used Apple Mac since day one (colleges tend to use Mac). He has a PowerBook G4 ‘laptop.’ He gets along great with it and he is far from being a computer jock. I, on the other hand, have been on PCs in general for much my history with computers. I think Mac has provided a better product since day one. Transitioning between PC and Mac can be a challenge (e.g, for me, no right and left click on a Mac). I have confidence that you will work it out in short order. It certainly won't be any worse that going from Windows XP to Vista...I still struggle with standard Office application functions in Vista as Microsoft's interpretation of intuitive does not mate with my intuition. Vista for me has been like going into your most frequented grocery store, and finding that they have completely changed their layout and moved everything around...everything you need/want is still there...you just have to LOOK for it (and when you find it, you ask yourself why did they put it there). A majority of the problem with the change lies with what you are used to, and what you have learned to do without even thinking about it for the most part. I usually dread OS upgrades/changes with Microsoft, which can render much of your current software obsolete. That is one thing with going to Mac...you will need all new applications built for Mac (probably new peripherals too - e.g., I always buy printers that are compatible with both PC and Mac). But even as a part-time Mac user trying to figure some things out on it over the years (loading up new applications, establishing connections with devices and network, etc.), I have come to appreciate how simple it is (as compared to a PC) to get the job at hand done. Mac seems to be very proficient at automating and completing tasks successfully with much of what went on being transparent to the user, making it unnecessary for the user to have to dig around in the documentation, consult with online help and blogs, or God forbid, call tech support to figure out what went wrong. Another great feature...[my husband] does not run any anti-virus / anti-anything software, which keeps his computer FAST, and he has never had any problems with corruption. Have patience (you probably won't need too much), and I think you will be happy with your Mac(s).”
My reply:
Thanks for your views of the Mac. I am slowly adjusting. There are still things I can only do on a PC so far. Our middle son is helping me get things configured the way I need them, and the more I explore the better I like it. Yes, precisely, all the anti-virus, anti-spam, anti-spyware, firewall security crap on a PC just got to be too much. It is nice to have a freer, more open environment to work. I probably won’t switch off my home PC for another month or so, but I will get there.
Another comment:
“I too have just made the change (following a lightning strike that destroyed most of my office equipment)! Immediately wasted about ten hours with ISP technicians and three more with Apple technicians trying to get my Macbook Safari to work with the 2Wire modem/router I had just gotten. I have a temporary fix now, I'm told.
“Not so much in response to anything you have posited, but as a frustrating realization regarding international efforts to help the hapless citizens of that forlorn and perpetually poor "state" called Haiti:
“If we were to even offer to take the thousands of FEMA trailers stored at great expense on acres of opportunistic Mississippian's land and load them onto hundreds of idle barges parked along our great river for towing to Haiti during the next calm week in the Caribbean, we'd quickly be accused of trying to poison those poor souls with the formaldehyde that instead will be inhaled by unfortunate end buyers of the units FEMA
is auctioning off by the hundreds for pennies on the dollar.
“Another thing: Am I actually hearing "demands" that the U.S. hurry up and do something, even as we pour hundreds of millions of taxpayer's money from our treasury and more from generous gifts of our citizens into the relief effort?
“Oh well, maybe we are doing the best we can.”
My response:
We were on the AT&T 2Wire system until the move. We are now using Cox Cable services along with the Cisco wireless router connected to the cable. The Macs are on wireless and running great. Nice to not have all that security crap.
No matter what is done, someone is going to be unhappy. What I find abhorrent are the Robertson / Limbaugh comments which are parochialism for religious or political purposes that serves no purpose other than those ego-centric ends that fosters such parochialism; they certainly do not help the suffering folks.
My very best wishes to all. Take care of yourselves and each other.
Cheers,
Cap :-)
2 comments:
You said "removed the bare, 60-seat Democratic Party majority in the Senate" where you should have said "super majority." Democrats still have a comfortable majority; they just can't pass legislation the Republicans oppose without the threat of a filibuster.
I have already expressed my opinion of the Senate health care bill.
I have no difficulty finding outrage at the FBI's disregard of the law. Their mission is law enforcement, not vigilantism.
You have read my opinion of the Supreme Court decision regarding corporate campaign contributions. I have neither the ability nor the time to perform in-depth legal analysis; besides, I find the published quotes from the various Justices illuminating enough.
I cannot help you with anything relating to Macintosh. If and when I escape MicroSoft, I'll be headed to some version of Linux or possibly another FOSS system.
Calvin,
Touché. Spot on! You are of course precisely correct. The Democrats lost their “super majority” (needed to overcome a filibuster) and still maintain a healthy majority in both the Senate and House. Now, they must compromise.
Yes, your opinion regarding health care reform has been well stated.
There are a myriad of reasons to be angry with the FBI’s conduct in those surveillance tasks.
I am still reading the long ruling from the Supremes on campaign financing. I am fascinated by the words, concepts and interpretation of the law. I need their words directly, rather than filtered by the Press. Nonetheless, so far, the Press coverage has been accurate and appropriate, so no need to read the case unless you wish.
So far, I am glad I made the switch to Mac.
Keep the comments & opinions coming.
Cheers,
Cap
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