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 On this day 226 years ago, the US declared its independence from Great Britain.  Nice to-the-point blogging piece from The Economist. "Blogging has taken off thanks to the development of online tools, such as Blogger and UserLand, which make it simple and cheap to update personal web content instantly." I should write a FAQ about arguing with Microsoft and how not to fall into their trap, as Mitch Wagner does here. Here's the first question that would be in the FAQ. Why is it pointless to argue with Microsoft people? Answer: because they hold you to a higher moral standard than they themselves support. When discussing their transgressions, they argue that they have the right to do that. They overstate your case and rebut that, leaving you stuttering "But I didn't say that." If that doesn't work, they question your objectivity or qualifications, or resort to veiled ad hominems (a quick subject-change). It's very disgusting. I used to fall for it all the time, arguing with them as if they were willing to be convinced, when they want nothing of the sort. They want to confuse you and tire you out until you give up. So I don't argue with them anymore, I just form my opinion, state it, and don't worry if I'm being terribly fair to them, because they clearly don't worry about being fair to anyone else, including me (and you). BTW, last night Scoble presented a counter-argument to my anti-Microsoft DRM rant that's been running for the last few days. I don't want to steal Scoble's thunder, so I'll wait till he writes it up and then I'll point to it. Now that said, Scoble's theory, while very plausible, even probable, still screws individual computer users, and there's probably good reason why MS doesn't talk about their strategy openly, but there you have it, it's never as simple as one might think. I'll let you know when he writes it up. A new installment from Paul Andrews, in which he takes apart Martha Stewart (yes it matters if she cheats) and stands up for patriotism (that's what weblogs are about, exercising the free speech guaranteed by the Constitution, use it or lose it), and recounts a phone conversation we had earlier this week, and says I'm strong like a horse. Don't believe everything you read. ;-> I do sound strong, but still have a long way to go. The doctor says in the first month I'll regain 65 percent of my strength, after two months, 85 percent, and the last 15 percent will take a full year. I believe it. Some days are hard, it feels like I'm moving backwards. But every day I walk a little further and on average feel a little better. One step at a time. And the best part is this -- I'll be back stronger than I was before, Murphy-willing, of course. Last night I went to see Men In Black II with Scoble and Son. I had a great time as usual. The movie wasn't so great (I really liked the original). One word review: plotless. Also, this was the first time I had been exposed to lots of cigarette smoke since quitting almost three weeks ago. Some people have sent emails saying they think I'll be back. Nasty folk, they are, but I don't think so. To me, smoke smells very bad. I hate the way it smells. Uck. Tonight's movie: Minority Report.  Adam Brand says "I got the iRock and it doesn’t work very well. I don’t think its signal strength is powerful enough to override the random FM interference on the channels it supports." Dr Bott carries an FM transmitter for iPods, thanks to Frank Tansey for the link. I wonder which works better? BBC: "Benches in public places in Barrow-in-Furness have been fitted with MP3 audio players. Passers-by simply plug in standard headphones to listen to specially written plays and stories relevant to the benches location." |
 
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