Bing can't defend it's makers!?

Microsoft's new "decision engine," Bing, apparently hasn't drunk the Kool-Aid. If you ask it, "which is better pc or mac?" you'll get mostly responses that say the Mac is better. I tried switching the search terms to see if order was important, and got mostly the same output.

If you want to have some fun, ask it "is steve ballmer an idiot?" You'll be surprised at the responses!

Current Ralink Driver Solves PowerMac G4 Kernel Panics

I have two PowerMac G4's in our house, both dual 1ghz machines that work well.  But finding a decent 802.11g wireless adapter has been challenging.  I've bought two different ones, a Belkin MIMO USB wireless G+ adapter and an Addlogix MA-WL USB adapter.  Both were advertised as Mac compatible, came with their own install disks, and both drivers caused kernel panics in both Macs.  What to do?

Doing some research, I realized that both adapters use the Ralink chipset.  After some trial and error, I found that this driver works for both of the adapters and stopped the kernel panics.  Be sure to uninstall the driver that came with the adapter(s) before installing this new version.

Why Apple Might Be Screwed (or Why Psystar May Have A Case)

Anyone who knows me (or this blog) knows I'm a "dyed-in-the-wool" Apple fan.  Yes, I drank the Kool-Aid, it didn't kill me, and I actually LIKE grape Kool-Aid.

That being said, I've been thinking on the Psystar v. Apple case and wonder if they might not have a real case.  Yes, I realize that Apple doesn't sell hardware without an OS, that they sell "systems" of hardware combined with the OS to "make it go."  But they DO sell the OS by itself, without any hardware.

But...does anyone remember back in the 90's when Microsoft released Windows 98?  And they said that they Internet Explorer browser was "part of the OS" and couldn't be removed without damaging the OS?  There were legal challenges both here and in Europe.  Microsoft was forced to open it's API to third party developers.

And recently, in Europe, Microsoft was forced to provide Windows without bundling Windows Media Player.

So, Apple's "bundled system" argument may not fly, the EULA not withstanding.  I've always thought that, as users, we should try to break the EULA stranglehold anyway.  Once I buy an OS or other piece of software, what business is it of the manufacturer what I do with it?  As long as I know that I'm using it in an unapproved way, and don't sue them if it destroys my system or data, who cares?

I'm anxious for the real arguments to begin in the case, and settle this once and for all.

Battlestar Galactica

Just finished watching the series finale of "Battlestar Galactica" and I have to say, "Fantastic!"  No, wait, that should be, "Fan-frakin'-tastic!"  It summed up all the plot points (I didn't think they could), was faithful to the characters, and echoed the best part of the original series.  All in all, it was a very satisfying finish to the best science fiction show ever put on the air.

--SPOILER ALERT--

That being said, here's my favorite parts of the final show:

• We got to see some original Cylons from the first series mixed in with the new ones.
  
• They stayed faithful to the death and resurrection of Starbuck.
  
• They tied modern religion into the story, which sci-fi often forgets (often on purpose).
  
• It explained the Number Six that Baltar kept seeing.
  
• Brother Cavill killed himself (YAY!).
  
• Laura died peacefully.
  
• Tori finally paid for what she did to Calley.
  
• The Opera House dream finally made sense.
  

And if you pay attention, there's a scene at the very end with Ronald Moore reading a magazine.  Very well done on everyone's part.  "So say we all!"

Leopard Has Some Sharp Claws!

Though I never posted anything when it happened, I've stepped up to a new (to me) PowerMac G4 with dual 1ghz processors. It's orders of magnitude faster than my old 466mhz PM, and today I brought the new machine into the 21st century with a copy of Mac OS X Leopard.

First impressions are that Leopard is very snazzy and has a lot of features that I have wished for (including Time Machine and Spaces). Only one glitch, which was that Leopard's version of Mail choked on my old Mail settings and it looked like all my emails were gone. I had to remove all the non-folder items from ~/Library/Mail and then re-launch Mail and it suddenly figured things out and rebuilt all the mbox files. Since I had some pretty elaborate mail rules, I saved that file on the desktop and then put it back into the Mail folder. After re-opening Mail my rules were all back, safe and sound!
How cool is Time Machine? Once it does a full backup, it continues to do hourly backups as you work. And the interface for TM is outrageously cool.

I also have to say that the whole system seems more responsive, even with a TM backup running. Windows zip into place when you switch desktops with Spaces, the Dock doesn't seem to lag like it did in Tiger when something was going on in the background. And the design of all the windows is finally consistent!  Hallelujah! 

All around I'd say that what I spent on Leopard was worth it.

Hurry! 3rd Gen iPod Nanos at the Apple Store! Cheap!

I got an early Christmas present this week.  The Apple Store is currently showing refurbished 3rd generation iPod Nanos for $79 (4 GB) and $99 (8 GB).  The unit I bought was shipped from China via Fed Ex and arrived within 2 days.  The unit is pristine, clean and, well, gorgeous.  

My previous Nano was a 2GB 1st gen. version, and I've enjoyed it for the last 2 years.  It, too, came refurbed from the Apple Store and I paid $99 for it then, about 1/2 the price of a new one.  I highly recommend those on a budget shop the Apple Store's refurbished items, they're covered with a warrantly and work every bit as well as the brand-shiny-new ones.

A New Beginning For America

As I write this, Senator John McCain is concluding his concession speech.  Having gone to the polls at 6 AM today and standing in line for 30 minutes, I am proud to be able to say that I took part in electing Senator Barak Obama the new President of the United States.  Watching the crowds of young people celebrating on television, I was struck with their engagement and participation in this historic process.

Forty-five years ago the Reverend King had a dream - today it became a reality.  As a baby boomer myself, there was almost something surreal about standing in the line at the polls, iPod in hand, listening to the Grateful Dead as I prepared to vote for Barak Obama.  It seems that despite the cynicism of the Bush years, we have, in fact, changed the world, just as we always said we would.

There are times in history when all the right things come together, and Mr. Obama's candidacy at a time when we were, as a nation, hungry for change was a perfect alignment of circumstance, desire, and the right man for the job.  Today the world sees what we have always known in our hearts:  That we are able to live up to the grand words and ideas that this country was founded upon.  We are not just blowhards who mouth the words of democracy only when it suits our purpose; we believe, and we act on that belief.

At a time when I was beginning to feel ashamed of what America had become there comes this, a shining moment of clarity that says more loudly than any one of us could, "Be proud, stand tall.  You are an American."

The President-Elect has a tall job ahead of him.  But I know for sure he can count on our help.  We just proved it.