Which Computer for You?

Well being in the IT world, I quite often get asked the question:

What kind of computer should I get, Mac or Windows (or other)?

The bottom line answer is.... which ever you like or want, but most importantly which ever you are most comfortable with, but really it depends on what you need. I say this since most people know that I don't like Windows, and they know I use Linux, but when they see me with a notebook, I use a MacBookPro (and before that a PowerBook G4) and they know my wife uses Windows. So which is the best platform... which do I recommend.... well all and none! So like I said, it depends on 'you'. What do you want, like, know? But truthfully, what do you need?

What do you want:
Honestly if you know what you want, why are you asking? But that is not my point. If you really want something and are willing to learn something new, then go for it. The bottom line is that no platform is better than the other nor worse. Now in some cases depending on what you do, some platforms have more options that may fit you life style and requirements but all will do what you want (in some manner or another) and all will have some sort of solution.

What do you like:
If you like something, why? is it because it is trendy, is it cool, or do you just want to stand out and be 'different'? I personally like Linux since it is Open Source and I believe in the idea of Open Source (this does not mean I think all should be free, but this post is not about that). So since I have a personal like for the ethics behind Linux, I like it. Now does that mean that I should say that everybody should like Linux or that I think everybody should use Linux, no, just that I like there ethics. At the same time I'm a programmer, so people instantly think that I like Linux for that reason, and again no... I like it cause it is 'free' and because I develop apps for Unix/Linux, honestly, platforms like  HPUX, IBM AIX and SUN Solaris are much better and mature Unix platforms, but again Linux wins in my mind for the open source ethics reasons.
So back to what you like: if you like a platform for whatever reason, than like it and use it, don't switch because of what others think (including me)

What do you know:
What platform do you know the best and which are you more comfortable on? As you've guessed, I know Linux/Unix/Mac, but I actually know Windows pretty well too (well enough for what I use it for). Why I think 'what you know' is important is for 2 reasons: 1. you'll have an easier time figuring out problems if you are comfortable and have personal experience. Come on we've all had problems before... like installing a printer. If you know how to do it on a PC don't think that you can do it on a Mac or Linux box, its not the same on all (its not necessarily hard, but not the same). If want the fewest headaches, use a platform you know. My second reason is selfish.... if you know your system you won't be asking me questions as often.

But the bottom line question should be:
What do you NEED:
Why is this the most important question... because like I said earlier, any platform can you anything you want it to do. Just some will do it easier and some will take more work. Plus the question of what you need help tie in the previous 3 questions. Typically what you need will drive what you want, if will most-likely be based on what you like, if you need it, you've probably been doing it and there for it has been done on a platform that you are comfortable with.

So basically if you've guessed, I'm not a big fan of promoting 'switching'. If you 'want' to switch platforms, do it because you WANT to, not because you think the other platform is more trendy. The number of people I know who have chosen to go Mac or Linux because they want to be different or trendy... ugh... Macs are great, they will do everything you want and typically everything you need, but don't expect every piece of software you use on a Windows computer to be available, especially if you use lots of 3rd party Excel add ons... Similarly, if you like the way tools like iPhoto and some other Mac ONLY tools work, you won't find many of them on Windows (not yet). And if you want to try linux... well Linux is my platform of choice for WORK, not play. I can do basically everything I need to do for work on my Linux computer (with the exception of work with files made for Office, yes OpenOffice works great, but there are some things you need a comercial version of Word for, and yes you can install them via Wine or an emulator, but still not the same). So does this mean that everybody should use Windows, no!, just that for the most part, there are more 'applications' available for Windows, but there are almost just as many for Mac and Linux, you just have to look a bit harder.

So back to the initial topic (not that I've left)... what is the best computer for you? here are some questions to answer:

1. What do you use it most for (email, web surfing, word processing/spreadsheets, movies, music, photos, gaming....)?
2. What tools do you use to do such things?
1. what platforms are they available for?
2. are there alternatives that will work for me?
3. What kind of problems have I had?
1. how hard were they to solve?
   
4. What kind of stuff do I see myself doing in the future?
1. when is that future

So with these basic questions answered, you should know what you do most and what works best with them. If you are thinking about switching, you should also now know if you programs you use are available or if there are alternatives. Also you should know what you feel more comfortable on based on the kind of problems you have and how hard/easy they were to fix. And lastly you should have a basic idea of what kind of stuff you see yourself doing in the future, and on that topic you should look at question 2 again and see what you options are. If you are thinking about getting into gaming, it will really suck if you find out you can't play that one game you really want. One thing you'll also notice over the process is that everything you do is accomplished with the platform you HAVE, so why switch, and again if you really WANT to switch, you will be roughly ready.  But also remember that if you switch, you can always go back (well sort of, if you leave Mac, unless you have Apple hardware, you are not going back with out a cost). My brother decided to switch from Windows to Linux... about a year later, back to Windows he went (that said, I will make this suggestion, if you are a STUDENT, go with windows, most school tech departments won't help you with Linux and most software they give you won't always work for Macs). Based on the above list of questions I also came to suggest to my wife that she should stick with Windows for her MBA program, but I did essentially use that list of questions, and now that she is about to finish her MBA in May, I think she'd agree, that having a Windows laptop has made her education easier to deal with, especially with the software that was provided to her.

So which computer is best for you?, don't ask me, ask yourself. Now once you've decided, I will try to help you as best I can ...

Collection of memories from The Historic 56th Inauguration of our 44th President

Well yesterday Lauren and myself along with 2 friends (Jen, a friend of Lauren's from MSB, and Noel, a friend of Lauren's from undergrad at GW) headed over to the Mall to witness history. We left around 7am (which we knew would be late) and headed to Metro. We fortunately live real close to the Crystal City Metro stop which is on both the Blue and Yellow lines, and minutes after we got to the station we were on the Yellow Line bound for L'Enfant station. The ride was pleasantly empty (not being sarcastic, really it was rather empty and that surprised us), but when we exited the train at L'Enfant... well out journey began...

It took us nearly an hour just to exit the station and then we got a few moments of space (since right at the station exit all tourist had to stop and figure out where they were going... being that my friend Edd and I like to head to the Mall on weekends to fly kites, I knew exactly the route we should take to the Mall (thanks Edd). So while everyone milled trying to figure out their directions, off we went... straight into more traffic. The entrance to the Mall near us was closed and the first open entrance was at 14th... so we knew we were starting late and now we were sure that we'd be decently far back, but we knew we wanted to be there and we weren't turning back....

So as we joined the crowd and went with the flow. That said... the crowd was amazing in both size and more importantly, patience. I've never been so amazed with the population of this country than I was in the crowd... no pushing, no mean people, just a common frustration and a willingness to be patient and to be helpful. At some point we all came across a baracade (which we all know meant we should go around...) the crowd calmly allowed those who couldn't make it over the baracade to go sideways around the baracade and those of us who could go over... and this is one memory myself and Noel will probably always remember about that day... Jen quickly was over the baracade, Lauren made it over with minor help by me, and while I was helping Lauren, a young man (10-14 years of age) noticed Noel struggling (we were all overly dressed in boots and coats which made it hard to move in general) to make it over the baracade and without a second thought, the young man simply reached out and gave Noel a hand.

So back to flowing with the crowd... well again like I said we already expected and were joking that we'd be sitting on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, so when we hit a 'road-block' at 14th... we knew it may be worse. That said... as we were waiting for crowd control to guide us across (they were using what looked to be a truck to prevent certaing sides of pedestrian traffic from crossing plus helping emergency vehicles to get across), some one around us decided to simply enter the parking lot of the Ag building and off we went... straight to the Mall.... wow were we happy, right where Noel and I hoped we'd be... between the Capitol and the Washington Monument and then even closer that we'd hoped and with a great view of the jumbotron.

And back to the amazingness of the crowd... now that we were situated... we also found ourselves infront of the area reserved for the disabled and elderly. The National Park Service also arranged for volunteers to be stationed to help. One responsibility make sure that they had a view of the jumbotron... the amazingness of the crowd, anytime the volunteers had to ask someone to move that was blocking the view of the jumbotron, they simply thanked the volunteer and moved on... it was so nice to see that everyone was so nice and friendly and willing to do what they could to make sure everybody had a positive time.

now for some photos... (if the below embedded object doesn't work try the following link:
http://flickr.com/photos/nickc_321/sets/72157612755964163/)



and with special thanks to EWeb Voice Recorder which allowed me to record President Obama's First Inaugural Address. You can download my recording at: http://www.box.net/shared/76690lx2y8. (Wikipedia's transcript: link)

Well a new President is in office...

Pre WebOS and Synergy...wow!

Well I could of simply updated my previous post about the Pre, but I'd rather post a separate post.

Now that I've seen the videos of the Pre Demo [link to VentureBeat]... I'm in a bit more of a WOW stage... again to remind you I've always been a fan of Palm... I only switched to the G1 since I got tired of waiting for Palm to release their new OS and since the G1 was released on my current provider T-Mobile. Now while I still don't think I'll be switching from T-Mobile and my G1 to Sprint and the Pre, I'm really jealous of the Synergy technology... Palm does it again... it produces a product and produces it correct from the start... they don't have to add features we want, they are already there... now whether I need those features....

I don't think the Synergy feature will make any difference for those who use their phones for personal use, but for those of use who like to use our devices as a combination device for personal and work reasons, this is the answer and WOW! Synergy allows you to see all your contacts, calendars, and emails as one without having to actually combine them on your own and without actually mixing them up. If I heard correctly WebOS currently works with Google and Exchange. Also it conviently combines various types of communication, where it be email, chat, or SMS.... and the multitasking abilities they added via their 'Cards' also make life good.

The 'Cards' approach to multitasking is definitely and improvement on current multitasking approaches on small handheld devices. Also considering the fact that Palm's previous OS (the one on current Palms including the Centro) has no multitasking.... the is a giant improvement for Palm. 

Basically on the OS side of the picture, I'm definitely impressed now that I've watched the video demos. Again I don't think I'll be switching to Sprint, but if it was to be released on T-Mobile, I would definitely have a decision to make.... For now, I don't really think I need the Synergy features.  I've already move most everything to Google (which would actually make a migration to the Pre really simple) and  we don't use Exchange at work (yet). Besides that, I know that there are several apps for the Android that allow it to work with Exchange so till I need Exchange and tried those apps, I don't know how much I would actually Synergy at this time... that doesn't stop me from being impressed... I'd even consider recommending it to Lauren since I'm pretty sure her future job will be using Exchange... I just don't know if Sprint is an available carrier for her. So for corporate (business/work) use, the Pre and WebOS definitely hits a home run in my mind... for personal consumers, I don't know how much difference there really will be for them between Android, the iPhone and now the Pre... I'm curious now though how the BlackBerry Storm will fair.

Tomorrow is Today

Politics... well first off, I'm no fan, but who really is. Second, I'm no Democrat, I may have voted Democrat in the last ... well every Presidential election I've been old enough to vote for, but by no means am I a Democrat nor am I a Republican... yes I was registered as a Democrat in Florida, but only because I got sick of the Republican propoganda you recieve if you are unafilliated (but mostly the fact that they sent me everything in Spanish because of my last name, not caring if I even spoke Spanish, which I do not)... As far as I'm concern, I am an American and will always vote for the American that I feel will serve the country best. I think Obama said it best at the Democratic National Convention: "We are not red states and blue states, we are the United States".

Image via WikipediaToday I am extremely proud to be an American and a citizen of the United States of America! We have taken another step in the direction of equality. I technically speaking am a Hispanic-American (Mexican to be exact) but as far as I'm concerned, I am an American. We as we all are, and as Americans from the United States of America have elected our first minority President with Barack Obama. Barack Obama, President Elect of the United States of America, the 44th President,  the 1st African-American President in the United States of America.

Now I have a question, not to take away from this great victory, but why does it matter that President Obama is an African-American? As Americans we entered the polls as Americans, and we voted for our fellow American. Obama is an American from the United States of America like the rest of us. Born in this country, as were the majority of us all, he will be the 44th President of the United States of America. But why must we label him or myself as minorities? Why is he an African and myself a Hispanic? We were both born here, we were both raised here, and if you ask us both, we will say we are Americans and we all voted for an American.

So we've taken our next step in the road to equality, but when will we take the final step?  When will it matters not where a person's ancestry is from but the fact that they are American. When race, color, sex, religion, ethnicity or any label matters not. November 4th, 2008 we as Americans elected the best American in the country to run the country. We are all Americans. I'm proud of my ancestry, but I'm also proud of my country, the only country I've ever called home and have been a part of. I was born an American in the United States of American, as were my parents and my parents parents. I am an American and I am proud to be an American.

This election is a testament to all who have struggled in the fight for equality and freedom. It is a testament for all those who have struggled for the right to be American. Lets not let it end here. Let us cheer and continue to move forward. Change is here, but there is still work to be done.

I'm proud to be an American. "Tomorrow is Today" and the future looks even brighter. The Future start now.

Google Reader vs Bloglines

Well now that I've been using Google Reader for a decent amount of time, which has included many hours on my Treo 650, and even a trip out of town, I find myself really liking it, and much more than Bloglines of late. Mostly I'm sure that I'm liking it since it is 'new' but since it is newer than Bloglines, it has included many features that lets face it, Bloglines is missing, okay maybe it is not missing, but I sure haven't found them useful.... then again, now that I'm also a big fan of Tumblr and FriendFeed, Google Reader fits in a little better (but again I'm sure that I could figure out the same tricks with Bloglines)... Well I guess I should list the a few of the features that I'm finding GR to be better than BL:

• Sharing: well hmm.... BL has its built in blog and clips, but with GR... it is simply easier... plus the easy intergration with FF just makes it even easier to share.
• Saving for later: well, actually I think BL has this one done better with the beta version. The pinning feature in BL is great, plus articles that have been pinned are always in view with the other articles. GR has its 'Starred' items which I've been using in basically the same manner as 'pinning' but since they are not always in view, well I have to remember to go look at them, but at the same time, the 'starred' tools is a great way to separate articles for later review...
  
• Mobile: Well both the beta of BL and GR have great mobile versions. but I don't know, there is something about the mobile version of GR that is seems more intuitive. Now mind you, I'm on an 'ancient' smart phone (the Treo 650), so if a mobile app works, I'm happy, so first off, I'm just happy that they both work.
  

Now the only aspect that is still up for debate in my mind is the 'order' in which articles are displayed. For a long time I was a fan of the display one feed at a time and in the order I selected (aka the BL method), but now that my list of feeds is well over 100, I'm starting to see the benefit of pure chronological order. I never realized how much 'duplicate' content was out there, but it is nice to be able to read one writers view followed immediately by another's, and in some cases it helps to able to skip articles that you don't need to read multiple times (things like press releases and new products...). Anyways for now I'll be sticking with GR... (I think I posted way back when GR first came out that I didn't like it, but now...)

One last think... FriendFeed... many have mentioned that it could be the end of Google Reader for them... I don't know, but I will say this... I'm no longer tracking many peoples blogs and other feeds now that I'm following them on FF. So in a way, I kind of like the fact that I can separate some things betweem FF and GR (okay I really don't do that, I actually am subscribed to my FF feed in GR)

Tracking/Reading/Watching/Posting....

Well first off this post is spurred on by my observations of the blogosphere at FriendFeed. First off friend feed is great, I don't remember if it was a Jeremy Zawodny post or a Steven Rubel post that first tipped me off to FF or what, but whatever I started using it and since at the time I was looking for the best way to aggregate all my various web personas into a single feed/source, well it fit the bill. Anyways... as I always do on this blog, I'm digressing from my purpose of posting....

Lately on FriendFeed and since Twitter has been going up and down... not a day goes by when something comes across my eyes discussing how FF will be the end of Twitter or end of this or that... or how basically one 'micro-blogging' site/engine will be the end of another.... Anyways... at the same time I've also just recently started using Google Reader (I've been with Bloglines ever since I can remember, but lately it has gotten 'stale', I've flipped back and forth between both the basic version and the beta version... both are good, but they simply have not kept up with my 'requirements' which aren't much), and while discussing Bloglines/Google reader may seem like another digression, its not... what I want to bring up in this post, is that everything has its purpose..... Twitter, blogging, readers, FriendFeed, SocialThing, social networks sites, and even bookmark sharing tools and photo sharing tools, they all have their nitch and do solve a need.

Twitter: started as a 'status' microblog for many of us. Many of us sync our facebook, plaxo, and other statuses using Twitter. Lately many of use have started using it for posting and sharing links and news or short quick comments about what is on our mind.
Blogging tools: whether it be Wordpress, Blogger, Typepad or any number of blogging tools, this is where we tend to post our long comments... commentary, summary of events in our lifes, and our storys.
Photo sharing: sites like Flickr or Picasa, photobucket... I know there are others... explanation needed, don't think so
Bookmarking tools: sites like Del.icio.us, Ma.gnolia.com, Digg, StumbleUpon, Reddit, etc., I don't know about you, but I use a number of them and each for its own reason. I use tend to use Digg for sharing 'news', Mag.nolia (and before Del.icio.us) for sharing links thatI find useful, and lately GoogleReaders 'sharred' links for stories that I don't know where else to post.
Aggregation tools: sites like FriendFeed or Tumblr or Plaxo Pulse... well here goes the meat of my post, but for this section, of the post, they are aggregation tools!!!!! (sorry those '!' should be for later)

Well let me get to the point... like I stated earlier, I keep seeing post about how FriendFeed will kill sights like Twitter or Digg and how it is replacing sites like GoogleReader... well all I can say is how and why? Yes FriendFeed provides tools like many of these sites do, and in many ways almost better in some cases, but what is and was the primary purpose of FriendFeed?, aggregation. Okay maybe I'm being closed-minded, but similar to Plaxo, I love their Contact management, but why they created Pulse... don't ask me (I do like it, I just don't directly use it, I use it much in the way I started using FriendFeed). The funnier part is that I see all these comments about how FriendFeed is going to kill x web service/app, but then I see these commenters continue to use them. Twitter still seems to be by far the latest source or information connected to FriendFeed, FriendFeed direct post themselves are still only the 4th most common, behind blogs and google reader. So killing off these others... I don't see this happening (with Twitter's down times... they might just do this themselves, but FriendFeed will not be the cause).

So anyways the way I see it... sites like Twitter, blogs, and the various types of sharing tools (bookmarks, photos, news...) are for posting and sharing. Sites like FriendFeed, Google Reader, Bloglines those are for Reading/Watching. And then since I like the service I must put in a plug, sites like SocialThing are for tracking. Now by putting FriendFeed in a category like GoogleReader, one would have to ask me, why use both... well I'm new to GoogleReader, but I'm really liking its abilty to share (so for me, it might actually kill of Digg in my book, not Ma.gnolia (but only since I like separating bookmarks I'll use again from news and stories I want to share), and while you can comment on a share in Google Reader, I don't see a way to 'discuss', and this is the area where I think FriendFeed will grow to dominate the web, Discussion. Most blogs have a comment section, Digg has its too, and some blogs use Disqus, but I've never witness actual conversation like I have on FriendFeed. So this is why I separate Reader for FriendFeed, conversation. So maybe the term discussion is not correct for FriendFeed, the proper word is 'conversation'.

Summary (again): Twitter, blogs, and sharing tools are for POSTING, Google Reader and Bloglines are for reading, SocialThing is for Tracking, and FriendFeed is for conversation, the fact that SocialThing adds aggregation to the party, simple increases the conversation. So live on everybody, and everybody, enjoy.

commentary on the election....

Image via WikipediaFirst off, I must say that I am not an expert in this area, or for that matter ever want to be, the following thoughts are just that my thoughts. These particular thoughts happen to mostly be related to my listening experience on NPR yesterday while spending many hours riding in beltway traffic.

So let me start, first off, Congratulations to Barack Obama. Regardless of the fact that I didn't vote for you, you deserve every congratulations you get, as does anyone who finished a long race and wins. Hillary you put up a good fight and regardless of the primary results, I think you would of made a great president.

Now comes to the true 'commentary' of this post. Now if you asked me why I voted for Hillary, it had nothing to do with race/color/sex or any minority factor. I voted for her based on her experience level, that and I felt I at least knew what she stood for. At the time of the Virginia primaries, I had heard nothing about Obama's policies and positions other than the fact that he didn't vote for the war... well of course not, he wasn't in office, and I don't care that he says he wouldn't have, because almost everybody in office did. Hindsight is 20/20.... So purely my vote was based on experience level. So where do I vote from here.....

Based on my listening experience yesterday on NPR, there are basically 3 options:

1. vote for Obama
2. vote for McCain
3. vote for nobody and stay home

well for me the 3rd options has no merit and shouldn't even be listed, the reason this country works is because of out democratic process, besides since I didn't vote for Bush and cast a ballot against him, I have the right complain all I want about him, for those who stayed home and complain.... well what did you do to help prevent his 're-election'... nothing you stayed home. So yes I will be voting, but for who? The commentators on NPR Diane Rehm's show mentioned that the biggest factors that will be guiding those of us Hillary supporters will be the party or the experience level.
Well for me, well I'm not a Republican, but I'm not a Democrat, and the only reason I registered Democrat in Florida is becuase I got tired of receiving Republican propoganda in 2 languages, and yes I called it propoganda. But for me I have no true party affiliation, I look at the views and look at policies of the two parties and I'm a mixed set. There are policies that I agree with on both sides and ones that I am so utterly against on both sides that they totally drive me away, but as since the way the US political system has only produced 2 real parties, well I'm basically forced to choose between the two. Back on the policy/issues topic has anyone ever noticed that when it comes down to it, there are only a few real differences between the two parties, things like abortion and gay marriage and such, and in all cases, there are people in both parties on both sides. So what I'm getting at, is that I have no 'party' allegence so I won't be using that as a factor, I may be anti-Bush-Republican, but I'm not a card carrying anti-Republican.
Now for experience, well if you go based on experience alone, then I've got to vote for McCain... but that said, would I want to? While I think there are things about McCain that I like, there are also things I don't like. And as for Obama's 'lack' of experience, well I think most of the experience you need to be in office, is learned in office, which is probably the primary factor I think I had for voting for Hillary as I did for Gore in 2000, they were basically in the office and have learned what they needed to learn. This of course leads me to a story I heard yesterday driving home about Washington-insiders. I don't know who the commentator was, but I agree, I don't care how far outside and away you are from the 'insiders', this is Washington, when you are the president, or any elected official, you've got to work with the insiders, it is called politics for a reason. So this kind of negates the need for tons of experience, mostly being willing to work with the right people, and yes some of those people are corrupt, so again I say the RIGHT people.
So.... between McCain and Obama.... honestly at this point I'm not rulling either out, I'll be waiting for the head to head debates and who they choose as running mates, and no, I'm not saying that I won't vote for Obama if he doesn't select Hillary, but it would be the quickest way for him to secure my vote, but I'm sure there are many well qualified candidates out there.

well that concludes the first rambling of my mind, and now to the second, yes I know this is becoming a very long post.

The second topic relates directly to the 'history' that has been made by Obama winning the election. I leave this to the second part of this post because I don't see it as such a big thing. The fact that he is 'black' or African-American or what ever PC term you want to though at it to me doesn't matter. The fact that he is a minority doesn't matter. Why do I say this... well I'm of a 'younger' generation. I didn't live during any of the civil rights movements. I didn't need to march on anything. I am fortunate to be born after the fact. And this said, I tihnk it is utterly sad and embarrishing that this is such a big momentus occasion in our history. If we are all part of the same society and of the human race, why do we even have terms like 'minority'? Anyways also while listening to NPR, they had 2 commentators on (I'm assuming both African-American but I missed their introductions due to paying attention to traffic and the fact that the show was pre-empted by a weather alert, we were under a tornado warning), one a historian and the other I think a policatal writer. The neat part was there discussion on the generation issue, not the race issue, which is the reason I even wanted to mention this issue. It is a generation factor that it is history. Those from the Civil Rights movement era are praising the accomplishment, those from younger generations mostly just think it is cool. Now I say this as a 'white' guy, but it was really interesting to here a set of soundbites collected from African-Americans, there you could definitely see the generation gap. The 'older' ones were definite looking at it from the accomplishment view point, why most of the 'younger' ones almost sounded like it was a revolution. Anyways... I just hope that now after one of the greatest political races in history, politics and other areas will finally start to level off and we will become a single 'human' race in this country.

So, I guess thank you if you actually read this entire post.... I know it was long and for the most part a pointless barfing of thoughts on paper (well digital) but isn't that one of the great parts about blogs, we can put out thoughts out there for comments and stabs.... we'll see if this gets any.

Wind Data gripes

Well first let me start off by saying, any and all wind data is helpful....

I've been working with HRD going on 12 years now, and for most of that time (like the last 11) one of my main tasks has been data collections. This include collecting information about particular stations as well as the data itself. Every year before the start of hurricane season (June 1st for the Atlantic) I go through all my reference tables and check and add any new stations that have come online since the previous year (usually I do this a couple times a year, but always right before the season starts). So this year like all the past years, there are a number of new stations. First yay!, second.... ugh... Why I say 'ugh' well 1 it means that I now have to research new stations and collect information for them, and 2 it reminds me of how many stations, well how do I put it... are installed by ... (this is a family safe blog), but I have to hope that the installer has no formal meteorological training.

But again I must say, all data is greatly appreciated. But when you install an anemometer on the roof of a building or house or near a tree, wall or anything that can change the flow of air to the anemometer... well lets just say that you basically make your data almost useless. When anemometers are installed they should be in clean air, that means a safe distance from any upwind obstacles. And no the roof is not a good place, unless you are going to install a tower tall enough to avoid the affects the roof actually cause, especially roof with a good steep angle. Depending on the location, winds can have increased values or in many cases where they are partially blocked, very low poor values. Also if you are wonder what a good height is... where the National Hurricane Center defines a surface wind at 10 meters, so if you can get you anemometer up 10 meters even better.

Now before all you amateur meteorologist start sending me hate mail... well let me state that the only reason I've writing this post is because these sites that I'm complaining about are installed by public sector groups, not private citizens. In most cases, I have no access to private data collected by home owners and amateur meteorologist, I only have access to data on the international feeds. So now do you see why I'm so frustrated with the installations....

All I ask is that you think before you install. And yes there are standards... take a look at http://www.ofcm.gov/siting/text/a-cover.htm if you are serious about this kind of thing.

But again, for all you out there providing wind data. THANKS! and yes I do mean it... any data is better than no data.

Wired: Garbage In, Garden Out: Inside the High Tech Trash Disassembly Line

Wired: Garbage In, Garden Out: Inside the High Tech Trash Disassembly Line

Now here is a concept... why we try to separate the two entities is beyond me... it is all 'trash' some is just more useful than others... actually it is all re-usable. Maybe the term shouldn't be recycle and refuse centers... maybe is should be 'waste reuse centers' or something... anyways I like this plant... it separates recyclable material (materials that can be reprocessed and used again) and then makes use of other materials in what ever way it can, in particular energy generation, and not only for themselves but the neighboring grid. Now I know the price tag is pretty big, but somehow I just think that we'd see the benefit long before we saw the cost.

So anyone want to take bets on if we will ever see a plant like this in the US?

Yahoo Mail acting up: Error Code 5

I've been a Yahoo! Mail customer for years... probably as long as they actually had an email product.... Heck a few years ago, I even decided it was time to upgrade to Yahoo! Mail Plus.... again in support of a great product. But recently, coincidentally around the same time that Microsoft announce they buy out bid for Yahoo, my mail has been acting like shit. If I'm lucky, I can actually access my email 1 a week without getting this stupid 'Error Code 5' crap. If I could actually access my email I'd post a copy of the responses I've received when I've contacted them.

This is actually the full message I see when I try to long into my mail:

You've stumbled upon a temporary problem we're having with Yahoo! Mail. Usually this problem gets resolved quickly, without you doing a thing. In fact it may be taken care of now.

• Try pressing the Reload or Refresh button on your browser, or logging out then back into your Yahoo! account. Hopefully that will take care of things.

If that doesn't fix the problem, please be patient while we sort it out and try again shortly. The fact that you're reading this page means we've been automatically notified of the issue, and chances are we're working on it now.

• If you think you've been more than patient and tried the tricks above, feel free to contact Customer Care about Error Code 5.

Thanks,

The Yahoo! Mail Team

Sorry for the inconvenience.

You know temporary issues only last for a short time, and they should be happening every day for weeks at a time. From what I remember of the responses I've received from my contacting customer support, basically they said that it is typically caused because of an external reader issue, and that basically I must be accessing the email from either 2 computers or the Web and a client at the same time... okay then what is the point of offering POP access for plus members??? I use the POP support to check my email from my PalmOS Treo. Anyways... just to humor them, I disabled mail from my phone about a week and a half ago (mind you, I've been using a mail client on my phone for over 6months...), and the problem still remains..... well Yahoo! get your act together or I'm out of here.... you are quickly loosing a customer that has supported you for years....

Comments on: Ask The Readers: Best First Programming Language to Learn?

I was just commenting on the following post at LifeHacker:
Ask The Readers: Best First Programming Language to Learn?

So you can either scroll down and find my comment or just read it here:

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You name it, and I've probably coded in it. That all said every language has its pluses and minuses, it all depends on what you want to do.

Now if you are just simply looking to learn how to program I recommend Python. Python has lots of power like most languages, but at the same time has a real-time interpreter that allows you to see results as you type them. Check out [python.org] they have some good links and good tutorials to get you started.

Now if you are looking for a more generic programming experience try a language like C, don't worry about C++ unless you really want to learn object-oriented programming and then I'd recommend Java. On the Java topic, Java is also great if you want to get into windowed programing (not Windows the OS, but application with GUI).

Now the three (4 if you include C++) I've listed are the 3 I primarily use since I develop for multiple operating systems at a time, so if you only care about a specific OS then, look at languages designed for that systems: VB or .Net possbily for Windows, or maybe AppleScript for Mac, etc. Also if you are looking to get into web programming start with something like JavaScipt and HTML.

Another thing, just because a language is a 'scripting language' does not mean it is not a programming language.

And again decide what you initial goal is first, there is no reason to learn VB if you never plan on working on a Windows computer, like-wise for AppleScript, and C++ won't help you much for web page programming. So as soon as you decide on your first project, then decide on a language. And after you learn one language, all the rest for the most part is just learning new syntax. That said, all programming is, is learning syntax.

Most of all have FUN! Coding can get tricking, be patient you can learn the basics quick but it will take a long time to be an expert so don't start over your head, there is a reason why most books start with the 'Hello World' program...

Browser Support for HTML 5

I get a kick out of all this talk about the new draft of HTML5. Wired posted an interesting article about Browser support for HTML5, it give the lead to Opera. Well the truth of the matter is, 'who cares', by the time HTML5 is finalized all Browsers will support it and the bulk of web developers will still be programing in HTML4 and all its addons and server-side services. The only reason I say this is because for the most part, most web users will still be using older browsers in the beginning that either don't fully support all the aspects of HTML5 or any at all. I have flash backs to the reason I quit developing web pages in the first place. When I was learning to develop web pages it was back in 1996/1997, back when HTML4 was released. Back then you not only had to deal with the new tags of HTML4 but also with completely different implementations between browsers and back them it was before Microsoft was playing 'nice' and they had their own set of tags. It was also the same time that Java was growing popularity and the whole write-once-run-anywhere idea was so appealing that the ideal of having to develop static pages with browser dependent tags was just crazy talk in my mind. Thankfully over the years the web has begun to standardize and it has become much easier for developers to reach broader audiences. Anyways... I'm partially diverging from topic.

My bigger question is not for which browsers will be made ready first but more in which developers will be ready first. I can easily see where many of the big names like Google, Yahoo, Microsoft and others it that level will be ready, but what about the other what 90% of developers and pages (no the 90% is not factual, but when you think of the size and makeup of the web... the big boys are really just search engines for the rest of us little guys out there). So my guess is by the time the bulk of developers make the move to HTML5, one it will only be after the version is finalized, and two, it will be after the browsers are ready to support it, so ... does it matter who is first? I know to the browser developers it does, but to the users? I personally think what ever browser is considered the safest will be the browser most flock to and stay with.

Anyways... enough random blabbing.... just mostly thoughts in my head that really don't matter. And besides the point... I'm really looking forward to HTML5 and I can't wait till it is finalized. I'm in the process of re-teaching myself web programming, stating with Web-services and AJAX. So my hope is that my self-education keeps in pace with the finalization of HTML5 so that I'm ready as soon as it is released.

HTML 5 Support by Browser: Opera Continues to Lead the Pack | Compiler from Wired.com

Whether or not to upgrade to a beta

The next release of Ubuntu (Hardy Heron) is scheduled for release April 24th, but if you are really daring, you can upgrade from either 6.06 LTS or 7.10 straight to the beta version now out. Now here is the dilemma... I scanned the new features, and yes they look good, but here is the issue, I've got an older-ish system with a new-ish NVidia card (not a top notch state of the art card but much newer that the system as a whole) powering my widescreen LCD monitor. Every time there is any kind of change to the kernel, I run into issues. I know that I've got to recompile the kernel with the NVidia drivers and all, but it doesn't always work... quite often I just try not to reboot in fear that the update will krap out. anyways... but I also like living and playing on the edge with tech... so my instinct is to say screw it and go for it with the upgrade... but today is my birthday and it would really suck if I killed my system today... so maybe tomorrow....

HardyUpgrades - Community Ubuntu Documentation

If you are curious enough to try out the latest beta and via the upgrade, let me know how it all goes....

Microsoft jumps on the open bandwagon

According to a wordy press release issued by the company, the Redmond giant will begin embracing an open attitude by publishing documentation for all of its "high-volume product" APIs free of charge, will detail patents it holds and applications that cover its protocols... at first thought "is it April first already"... but then again, they could be having the tech version of a mid-life crises.. they already have the sports cars.... so the next this to do is to jump in bed with open source... oh wait they did that too with the agreement/deal with Novell... I think the truth is that they are finally realizing there image problem after the fall out with the Yahoo announcement... the blogosphere exploded with dislike and distrust for Microsoft. Heck I'm one of them, I've already started migrating some of my services away from Yahoo. The other problem is that they are loosing developers to web apps since developers are tired of having to fight for information. In todays developer environment, if the docs aren't open and available... we'll look elsewhere for a solution... and solution there are and they are out there....

read more | digg story

Coincidental timing

Mixx To Cluster Related Stories - Digg Should Have Done This

The above link is for a story posted at TechCrunch about Mixx adding a feature that yesterday I complained didn't exist in Digg. So I guess I'm not the person who had this complaint.

Well anyways... I took a swing by Mixx to take a look. While yes they now have the option to mark related stories, they are missing the main feature that is why I've stayed away from StumbleUpon and Reddit. The feature I like from Digg is the 'Blog this' feature. Basically rather than have to post to a share site and then post to my blog, I can choose to post from with in Digg. Now yes there could be improvements made to the blogging client, but it is there. Maybe they all have this feature, I just haven't been able to find it. Oh well I guess no app is perfect....

Digg and story duplication...

As I'm sure you all can see, I'm becoming a regular user of Digg. Not to find new stories but to share stories I read about and to post them to my blog. I know I could simply link and blog news articles to my blog using the standard 'BlogThis!' feature, but I feel with Digg, I can share with a larger audience. One of the features I like about Digg is that I can then also see who else is reading and sharing the same stories. This all said anytime you post a story, it first checks if anyone else has posted the same story and if not... it lets you post it and then it asks you to verify that it is not a duplicate. Now here is my 'issue' do you say it is 'original' since the particular story is not yet posted or do you say it is duplicate since a very similar story is already posted. Better yet, if you know a story was provided by the AP/BBC/Reuters/etc... but you read it on your local post or source, is it original or duplicate.... I guess this is one feature I'd like to see Digg incorporate... story 'grouping'. Basically while a story may be 'original' since the particular link has yet to be posted but if it is the basically the same as another story, group them. I see this having two affects... 1: users will be able to find others that have dugg similar stories (or the same under a different name) and 2: help users find other news/information sources based on those that are 'grouped' to story they just read. Now this all said, I don't think that Digg should combine Digg scores, I think the count at a particular source is valuable information, I just want to see other stories in my 'group'.

Gripes about Blogger

While I don't suspect I'll ever migrate from Blogger (unless they really mess things up), I do have a few gripes. Actually these gripes are not about Blogger but about Google Authentication. For a company that promotes openness and standards, it would be nice if they worked with existing standard instead of pushing their own. I say this mostly because I'm tired of not being able to authenticate and post from services like Del.icio.us(of course I've migrated from them) and Ma.gnolia, or 'claim' my blog on Bloglines. Google is very bent on being almost like a microsoft of the web where users will have to either use only Google services or all services will have to conform to Googles standards. Well if standards already exist, Google why don't you follow them. Or at least develop the bridge so that others can seamlessly connect to you like they would others using Standards. Now that said, I do seem many services working to join the same standards as Google, but in the meantime.... Anyways... enough of my complaining.... otherwise... keep up the good work.

Yahoo exploring alliance with News Corp.

Yahoo exploring alliance with News Corp.
Business Week is reporting possible talks with NewCorp to 'save' Yahoo... well I don't which I'd rather have... Microsoft or Murdoch... either way... some how I see myself departing from Yahoo.

Migrate from Del.icio.us to Ma.gnolia

With one of two possibilities being the most likely outcomes of Yahoo, a. they become part of Microsoft, or b. they struggle around a while on their own and then become part of Microsoft, I knew I needed to migrate away from my Yahoo services. While as I mentioned in an earlier post, I basically new where I was moving my Flickr to Picasa and eventually my mail to Gmail. But I had no idea at the time what to do with my Del.icio.us bookmarks until now. I had read about other options, but most all seemed more to me like Digg or Reddit and while many use del.icio.us this way, I use it purely as a way to share bookmarks of useful sites and keep track of sites that I use on occasion but don't need in my local bookmarks. Now I don't know how I stumbled upon this (and no, no reference to StumbleUpon, I tried it and didn't like it), but I came across this post. Here is a helpful hint on how to ditch del.icio.us and move to Ma.gnolia in advance of a possible Microsoft take over of Yahoo....

read more | digg story

More Yahoo Commentary

Well I know ... Yahoo + Microsoft or Microsoft + Yahoo === ????

I'm no Microsoft fan, but I'm starting to see reason in Microsoft's attempt from a tech point of view... I've been trying to read almost every article I see appear in my Bloglines feed reader about the possibilities. I was surprised to see how much work they've been doing together... I guess it shouldn't surprise me... they announce the intercommunication between Yahoo Messenger and MSN a few years ago (even though it only started working recently), Most of Yahoo's mobile development has been related to WiMob. And I was surprised how much work they've done with integrating ActiveX. So yes, I can seen why Microsoft is interested... Yahoo has done all the work for them, well at least from a web front.

But here is the flip side... we keep hearing about the 'Yahoo' side, but we don't here much from what Microsoft has to offer but a Name and $$$. So I can see why Microsoft is interested, but why would Yahoo. I know they are struggling against the Open Juggernaut Google. And yes Google on the web is probably equivalent to Microsoft on the desktop.. the difference is that they are openly public, free, and nice. Google is more than happy to share and to the public, well that makes them look like the good guys... but that is not the point of this post.

So yes, what does Yahoo have to gain.... but what does Yahoo have to lose... well basically there existence... If they merge/are acquired my Microsoft, it is only a matter of time before they and shadowed and the name forgotten, if they stay solo, where they could just fade out of existence... So what to do... well I think the bigger fear on both sides is the extras Yahoo has... Sites like Del.icio.us and Flickr among I'm assuming others, but those are the only two I use. While yes they are owned by Yahoo, and yes your Yahoo ID can be used and linked together, for the most part... they are totally separate entities. I like it that way.. I'm a Yahoo/MyYahoo/YahooMail/Y!Messenger user, and a Flickr and Del.icio.us user, but other than my knowledge... they really aren't connected and I like that... but now what happens if yahoo merges or disappears... will we loose them too?

So anyways... Again I'm seeing make issues with the marriage, not from a parent point but from the children... some how I don't see this as another Brady Bunch... just a bunch of disgruntled children.... I guess only time will tell.... that all said, while I'll be keeping all my accounts with Yahoo... I'll probably start slowly moving my world to Google (the open-friendly-juggernaut), so expect my mail, and flickr to move to Gmail and Picasa... still not sure what to do about Del.icio.us...