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Feb 20 2009

Battlestar Galactica Timeline

For those of you trying to keep track of what’s happened when in the Galactiaverse, check this out:

From Battlestar Wiki:

Battlestar Galactica Timeline: This article attempts to plot the events illustrated or mentioned in the history and prehistory of the Twelve Colonies in the Re-imagined Series.
All dates use the day of the Fall of the Twelve Colonies as the central time marker for all events in the series. Items that occur before the Fall are marked as “BCH”, or “Before Cylon holocaust”. Given the few and somewhat contradictory dates about the Colonials’ ancient history and the exodus from Kobol, that part of the timeline is speculative.

This is a very comprehensive look at the timeline, and has cleared a few things up for me after last week’s revelations. It should make watching the show this week a bit easier to follow.

Feb 9 2009

Microsoft to Charge for Nothing

In a shocking development…

From Slashdot:

Average User Only Runs 2 Apps, So Microsoft Will Charge for More: Barence writes “Microsoft’s decision to limit Windows 7 Starter Edition to running only three concurrent applications could force up the price of netbooks as many manufacturers opt for the more expensive Home Premium.

This is just plain evil. Unix has done (proper) multitasking since the early 1970’s. Running multiple programs is just part of what an operating system is supposed to do, not part of what you charge extra for. This is a desperation move to try and increase their profits as they try and deal with their first layoffs ever.

Feb 2 2009

Why the RIAA Sucks Redux

The RIAA has been getting slammed a bit in court these days… exactly as it deserves. I somehow lost the link to [this great speech](http://archive.salon.com/tech/feature/2000/06/14/love/) by Courtney Love several years ago on how the RIAA operates with respect to the artists.

If you want to get seriously enraged at how your favorite musicians are treated by the RIAA, give it a read. It’s definitely an eye opener.

Jan 30 2009

The Macintosh Software Dating Game

From Mactropolis.com:

The Macintosh Software Dating Game: Circa 1983: I don’t think this video requires much description. It takes place in 1983 at an Apple Event. Featured in this “Software Dating Game” are Fred Gibbons, President of Software Publishing Corporation; Mitch Kapor, President of Lotus Development; and of course Bill Gates, Chairman of Microsoft.

I might have even posted this one before… But I couldn’t resist. Can’t think of a better way to celebrate the end of the week than with a good ‘ol 1983-cheese vintage Jobs/Gibbons/Kapor/Gates video clip.

This comes to you from the [wayback machine](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine), from a time before [Microsoft](http://www.microsoft.com) was the new evil empire, and Jobs and Gates were cordial, if not friendly. The video is kinda hokey, and definitely dated, but fun all the same. Enjoy.

Jan 29 2009

Teachers Need an Open Source Education

From Slashdot:

Teachers Need an Open Source Education: palegray.net writes “Teachers are sorely in need of an education in what open source software is, what it isn’t, and how it can benefit their students. A recent news story at the Reg discussed the case of a Texas teacher who accused those distributing Linux to students of committing criminal acts. A HeliOS blog entry exposes a “higher education” culture of apathy, lies, and fear of open source software. Things have got to improve, and that improvement needs to start with misguided teachers getting their facts straight.”

When my town was building its new high school several years ago, and I was the then IT director at a high tech company, I volunteered to set up the entire network for the school with open source software, saving the school district, and the town, perhaps millions of dollars over the long run. I was turned down. Why? Because their computer maintenance person only new Microsoft software and wouldn’t be able to handle the *nix infrastructure. Huh? How about hiring a qualified person to run the network, and making the decision based on fiscal and educational responsibility?

Jan 28 2009

US House Kills Digital TV Transition Delay

From Slashdot:

US House Kills Proposed Delay For Digital TV Transition: An anonymous reader writes “The Digital TV transition delay bill has failed to pass the United States House of Representatives. By a vote 258 to 168 in favor of changing the date, the bill has failed as two-thirds of the votes are required for it to pass. The delay bill was once perceived as inevitable, [but the House] has now apparently made February 17th the date of transition once again. Now the question remains, will they attempt to pass it again by the deadline?”

Yesss!! Nicely done! We need to just take the pain and move on. There’s no reason to delay.

Jan 28 2009

“Do Not Call” Violators Fined $1.2M

From Slashdot:

"Do Not Call" Violators Fined $1.2M: coondoggie writes "A federal court today spanked two telemarketers with some $1.2 million in civil penalties for violating the Federal Trade Commission’s Do Not Call Rule. According to the FTC, the companies called consumers whose phone numbers were on the Do Not Call Registry without having obtained their express written agreement or having an ‘established business relationship’ with them. One group’s telemarketers also allegedly abandoned many calls, by failing to connect the calls to a sales representative within two seconds after consumers answered, as required by law, the FTC stated. The cases were filed by the Department of Justice on behalf of the FTC."

Yeah baby! These guys have been a huge problem for a very long time. Please stop calling! I signed up for the do not call list as soon as it was available, and the number of calls has dropped. But the fact that I still get ANY, when I’ve made it clear by signing up for the list that I’m not interested at all is criminal, and thankfully, the courts agree with me 🙂

Jan 27 2009

Senate OKs delay of digital TV transition

From CNN.com:

Senate OKs delay of digital TV transition: Overcoming partisan divisions, the Senate on Monday night unanimously voted to delay the digital television transition until June 12

This is a mistake, and is the same reason that we’re still not on the metric system. Everyone is ready, the die is cast, it’s a done deal. We’re only 3 weeks away from completing the transition. Why do politicians do things like this?

Jan 26 2009

Their Favorite Moments

From SCI FI Wire:

Battlestar Stars Remember Their Favorite Moments: Some moments stick with you forever. Big moments, like when we learned Boomer was a Cylon or when the Cylons invaded New Caprica and descended upon what was left of the unprepared human race. And small moments, such as when Roslin called Adama because she didn’t want to get out of bed and they playfully chatted. So many moments that together make up all that SCI FI’s Battlestar Galactica has come to mean to those of us who have followed this astonishing journey.

For those of you out there that are fans, you might find this to be interesting. Most of the favorite moments aren’t what you expect, but they are all interesting.

Jan 26 2009

Join The Fight

From Join The Fight at SciFi:

Battlestar Galactica: Join the Fight: The truce between Humans and Cylons has been broken and now all fighters need to prepare for the ensuing battle. As warriors, you must continue to build up the fleet by outfitting your ships with bigger, better weapons and engines, and also by optimizing your strategic sleuth for a tactical take-down of the other side.

A **Battlestar Galactica** socia gaming experience??? Sounds at least… *interesting*.