I don't know what is more surprising ...

I don't know what is more surprising, the fact that there is a US Presidential candidate who uses MySpace, Google Groups, Cafepress, and Meetup, or the fact that his MySpace page is one of the first I've ever seen that is decently assembled and isn't totally unusable!!!

Meet Like Minds | Gravel 2008

I usually try really hard to stay out of US politics, and politics in general but I have to admit that this guy has a nice website and I like what he's saying on it. All he needs now in a facebook account!

M.

Get to the point Paul!

The Hacker's Guide to Investors:

"Investors greatly prefer it if you don't need them. What excites them, both consciously and unconsciously, is the sort of startup that approaches them saying 'the train's leaving the station; are you in or out?' not the one saying 'please can we have some money to start a company?'"

This is yet another long winded, wisdom laden essay from Mr. Graham. It's definitely worth skimming.

JenJen & MikeMike: The Dangers of Phishing

JenJen & MikeMike: The Dangers of Phishing

Python vs. Ruby

Python up, Ruby down: If that runtime don't work, then its bound to drizzown: "I am not making any claims of Python having greater productivity than Ruby in the development cycle. I am claiming two things, though:

1. Python was very productive, despite having never used it before, and
2. The end result actually fucking worked

That last one is kind of big with me."

Google enhances the manageability and reliability of MySQL

Google Code - Updates: Google releases patches that enhance the manageability and reliability of MySQL: "We would love for the some of these changes to be merged with the official MySQL release, but until then we felt strongly that anyone should have access to them, thus we have released the changes with a GPL license for the MySQL community to use and review.

...

• SemiSyncReplication - block commit on a master until at least one slave acknowledges receipt of all replication events.
• MirroredBinlogs - maintain a copy of the master's binlog on a slave
• TransactionalReplication - make InnoDB and slave replication state consistent during crash recovery
• UserTableMonitoring - monitor and report database activity per account and table
• InnodbAsyncIo - support multiple background IO threads for InnoDB
• FastMasterPromotion - promote a slave to a master without restart"

Microsoft's Channel 9 sounds like propaganda and it probably is!

Wired 15.04: Operation Channel 9:

"What Pryor had done to set off this uproar was outfit a team of five people, himself included, with camcorders and turn them loose on the company to interview engineers about their jobs and their products. Then he posted the clips - unvetted and largely unedited - to a Web site that anyone, inside or outside the company, could see and comment on.

...

Microsoft urgently wants the world to know about Channel 9, and the company has been actively peddling the tale of how big, bad, mean Microsoft let bottom-up communications recast its image.

But its efforts to be transparent go only so far. Someone at Microsoft unintentionally emailed me the confidential dossier the company keeps on reporters writing stories about it (presumably a common practice among big corporations). My file ran to 5,500 words and included all the angles I had been pursuing (along with suggested responses to my questions), the people outside the company they thought I had talked to, detailed background on Wired and how it has covered Microsoft, and notes on me and my interviewing style. "We need to reinforce with Fred that these efforts [Channels 9 and 10] are a natural extension of the company's DNA," the file reads. "Microsoft has been using a wide variety of communications mechanisms to reach out to developers since the days of yore (to read entire memo click here). This is simply the latest manifestation of those efforts." The irony is thick. While working with me on a story about its newfound openness, Microsoft and its PR agency were furiously scurrying behind the scenes to control the message. One thing about transparency is clear: It's harder than it looks."

Ten Conversation Tips

Ben Stein How Not to Ruin Your Life

How to Have a Business Conversation

Michael S. Dell - Chairman of the Board

Michael S. Dell - runs Ubuntu at home.

Canonical Launches Latest Ubuntu Desktop 7.04 | Ubuntu

Canonical Launches Latest Ubuntu Desktop 7.04 | Ubuntu

About Ubuntu 7.04 Desktop Edition

The latest version of Ubuntu includes the following new features:

Windows migration tool: The new migration tool recognizes Internet Explorer bookmarks, Firefox favorites, desktop wallpaper, AOL IM and Yahoo IM contacts, and imports them all into Ubuntu during installation. This offers easier and faster migration for new users of Ubuntu and individuals wanting to run a dual-boot system.

Simpler multimedia: A new guided wizard for automatically installing multimedia codecs not shipped with Ubuntu gives users a safe and easy way to view music and videos.

Plug and play network sharing with Avahi: This new feature allows users to automatically discover and join a wireless network to share music, find printers and more.

Best of the open source world: Ubuntu 7.04 supports the Linux 2.6.20 kernel, the recent GNOME 2.18 desktop environment, and thousands of additional applications.

Ubuntu's already outstanding support for thin clients is further enhanced with advanced sound support from PulseAudio sound server and Jetpipe, a printing architecture for thin clients.

Ubuntu continues to impress me as a desktop distribution.

Name that tune?!

midomi: "Search with your Voice

Search for music by singing or humming part of a song. All you need is a microphone."

This is too cool! i wish I'd thought of it!

Savenetradio.org

Savenetradio.org

The future of Internet radio is in immediate danger. The Copyright Royalty Board in Washington, DC has more than tripled the royalty rates for webcasters and left unchanged they will kill Internet radio. These exorbitant rates go into effect on May 15 (retroactive to Jan 1, 2006!). Without Congressional action the majority of webcasters will go bankrupt and silent on this date.

Disclaimer: I haven't bothered reading into this too much, but I cannot understand how this is a reasonable move!? As users of the 'net, we all need to work hard to protect our freedoms. This include online Radio.

Virginia vs. Iraq vs. The World

The "Virginia Tech Massacre" just highlights the problem of American (and Canadian) media.

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/04/17/cole-virginia/

Quotes

as seen on bash.org: i like computers better than chicks cuz they will willingly accept my 3.5" floppy

Straight out of Neuromancer

Discovery Channel :: News - Technology :: Newton, Einstein Go Digital: "We want to preserve more than a person's factual knowledge. We want to preserve their mannerisms and personality so you feel that you are talking with a real person,"

Steorn Orbo: the thermodynamics defying energy product is named - Engadget

Steorn Orbo: the thermodynamics defying energy product is named - Engadget

Everyone, quick! Invest your monies!

Keven Bacon spammed me?!

Six Degrees

Sometimes, Wired is weird...

Wired 15.04: Mixed Feelings: "See with your tongue. Navigate with your skin. Fly by the seat of your pants (literally). How researchers can tap the plasticity of the brain to hack our 5 senses — and build a few new ones."

Blue collar work in a White collar job

Flip a Web Site Fixer-upper

One of my favorite cable television networks has a show called "Flip that House." The concept is as simple as the work is hard. You buy a house that needs work, do the work, and sell it for a profit. We can do the same thing with web sites, without getting our hands dirty, or risking as much of our precious capital resources.