Friday, September 24, 2004
The Light Side of the Force
If you have seen the original (and wonderful) Stars Wars trilogy, you will remember the classic line "Come over to the Dark Side." Well, I did the opposite. I came over to the Light Side.
My office computer, really a quite respectable machine, is a PC running Windows XP and the usual Microsoft office suite. It is important in terms of compatibility with my office co-workers. I really don't have anything against Gates, Inc. Some of my favorite software is only available in a PC-Windows version. Whenever my computer and/or software run amok, my son Jared (who is also my computer guru) comes along and fixes things. Jared's desktop is a PC running Windows XP.
I go on a lot of trips and Jared decided I needed a small computer for saving all of the digital photos I take when I am on the road. The need for traveling as light as possible for an upcoming trip to Tahiti emphasized this need. After discussing the possibilities, he recommended an Apple iBook. I have now been using a 12 inch iBook for the last few weeks. WOW! I have come over to the light side of the force. How do I know? My PC is black (well, a very dark gray), and the iBook is white. Pretty clear, just like in 1950's westerns when the good guys wore white hats (or Darth Vader in black and Obi-Wan in white).
It was pretty strange at first. Different operating system. No right-click. Different layout. Different software. But as I get used to it, I really do like it. And it fires up so much faster than the Windows machine. In a lot of ways, I like it better. No wonder Mac-addicts are like they are.
So - will I leave PC Windows computers behind? No. I will still do my digital slide shows on SmoothShow, and use some of the other PC-only software that I am quite fond of. But I have seen the light. I sure do like to use the iBook. It will be great for travel, downloading and reviewing photos, and burning them to CD. Jared is spoiling me. He steared me right with excellent advice once again.
If you have seen the original (and wonderful) Stars Wars trilogy, you will remember the classic line "Come over to the Dark Side." Well, I did the opposite. I came over to the Light Side.
My office computer, really a quite respectable machine, is a PC running Windows XP and the usual Microsoft office suite. It is important in terms of compatibility with my office co-workers. I really don't have anything against Gates, Inc. Some of my favorite software is only available in a PC-Windows version. Whenever my computer and/or software run amok, my son Jared (who is also my computer guru) comes along and fixes things. Jared's desktop is a PC running Windows XP.
I go on a lot of trips and Jared decided I needed a small computer for saving all of the digital photos I take when I am on the road. The need for traveling as light as possible for an upcoming trip to Tahiti emphasized this need. After discussing the possibilities, he recommended an Apple iBook. I have now been using a 12 inch iBook for the last few weeks. WOW! I have come over to the light side of the force. How do I know? My PC is black (well, a very dark gray), and the iBook is white. Pretty clear, just like in 1950's westerns when the good guys wore white hats (or Darth Vader in black and Obi-Wan in white).
It was pretty strange at first. Different operating system. No right-click. Different layout. Different software. But as I get used to it, I really do like it. And it fires up so much faster than the Windows machine. In a lot of ways, I like it better. No wonder Mac-addicts are like they are.
So - will I leave PC Windows computers behind? No. I will still do my digital slide shows on SmoothShow, and use some of the other PC-only software that I am quite fond of. But I have seen the light. I sure do like to use the iBook. It will be great for travel, downloading and reviewing photos, and burning them to CD. Jared is spoiling me. He steared me right with excellent advice once again.
Tuesday, September 14, 2004
PROTECT YOURSELF
Using your credit card number or stealing your identity are just two of the ways you can be taken advantage of. Several articles at MSN Money give excellent ways you can protect yourself. Some of the topics are:
22 ways to foil credit card thieves
How to fight spam, junk mail and sales calls
Protect your privacy: 10 simple steps
Is your financial data really safe?
10 ways to stop identity theft cold
Your safe deposit box may not be so safe
Read more here.
Using your credit card number or stealing your identity are just two of the ways you can be taken advantage of. Several articles at MSN Money give excellent ways you can protect yourself. Some of the topics are:
22 ways to foil credit card thieves
How to fight spam, junk mail and sales calls
Protect your privacy: 10 simple steps
Is your financial data really safe?
10 ways to stop identity theft cold
Your safe deposit box may not be so safe
Read more here.
Tuesday, September 07, 2004
EVIL
Relatives mourn for Inna Kasumova, 16, a hostage killed in Russia's school siege, during her funeral in the town of Beslan, on September 7, 2004. (Photo (c) Grigory Dukor/Reuters)
Putting children at risk in the pursuit of a political or religious goal is a terrible evil. Good people of all faiths should rise up and denounce extremists of any sort, no matter who they are or where they are from.
Several years ago, I made two pilgrimmages to a small town in southern New Mexico to visit with Clyde Tombaugh who discovered the planet Pluto. He told me about the process of comparing hundreds of photos of the night sky in hopes of finding an as yet undiscovered planet in our solar system. He took me out in his back yard to show me the home made telescope that he used to do work that ultimately landed the job which resulted in the discovery.
During our second visit, I asked him what science had to say to religion. "God is bigger and more wonderful than you can possibly imagine" he answered.
"What does religon have to say to science?" I asked. He stunned me with his answer. "Absolutely nothing!" He went on: "Scientists don't kill each other over differences of beliefs."
He didn't need to explain. Recent news had reports from several places around the world where radical adherents of a variety of different religions were persecuting, oppressing, or killing people of different religions. Tombaugh's answer hurt at some primal level.
For centuries, a variety of folks have advocated the end of organized religion since it leads to bigotry, violence, and death. In too many cases, that has been true. Still, it could be argued that a great many good things have been accomplished throughout huistory because of wonderful spiritual motives by people in many of the world's great religons. No religion should be judged by the violent minority whose actions stray so far from the teachings of the founder of their religion.
Events in Russia show how far radical political or religious extremists will go in the pursuit of their cause. Other events in other places around the world show what happens when people are taught to hate other people who are different. Good people of faith should not only pray for an end to such violence and hate, but work to eradicate such evil. It can be found not very far from any one of us.
The deliberate killing of children is a monstrous evil, no matter the stated cause.
Relatives mourn for Inna Kasumova, 16, a hostage killed in Russia's school siege, during her funeral in the town of Beslan, on September 7, 2004. (Photo (c) Grigory Dukor/Reuters)
Putting children at risk in the pursuit of a political or religious goal is a terrible evil. Good people of all faiths should rise up and denounce extremists of any sort, no matter who they are or where they are from.
Several years ago, I made two pilgrimmages to a small town in southern New Mexico to visit with Clyde Tombaugh who discovered the planet Pluto. He told me about the process of comparing hundreds of photos of the night sky in hopes of finding an as yet undiscovered planet in our solar system. He took me out in his back yard to show me the home made telescope that he used to do work that ultimately landed the job which resulted in the discovery.
During our second visit, I asked him what science had to say to religion. "God is bigger and more wonderful than you can possibly imagine" he answered.
"What does religon have to say to science?" I asked. He stunned me with his answer. "Absolutely nothing!" He went on: "Scientists don't kill each other over differences of beliefs."
He didn't need to explain. Recent news had reports from several places around the world where radical adherents of a variety of different religions were persecuting, oppressing, or killing people of different religions. Tombaugh's answer hurt at some primal level.
For centuries, a variety of folks have advocated the end of organized religion since it leads to bigotry, violence, and death. In too many cases, that has been true. Still, it could be argued that a great many good things have been accomplished throughout huistory because of wonderful spiritual motives by people in many of the world's great religons. No religion should be judged by the violent minority whose actions stray so far from the teachings of the founder of their religion.
Events in Russia show how far radical political or religious extremists will go in the pursuit of their cause. Other events in other places around the world show what happens when people are taught to hate other people who are different. Good people of faith should not only pray for an end to such violence and hate, but work to eradicate such evil. It can be found not very far from any one of us.
The deliberate killing of children is a monstrous evil, no matter the stated cause.
