The Book of John & Trevor

Tafiti

2007-08-21T10:33:00.001-07:00

Tafiti. Swahili for 'do research'.

Microsoft has just released Tafiti which is a site that “helps people use the Web for research that spans multiple queries and sessions by helping them visualize, store and share the result. “

Since Search is becoming increasingly specialized, across different user scenarios, vertical subject areas and entry points, Tafiti, which uses Silverlight for visualization, and the Windows Live Search engine, will blow you away in its functionality.

With Tafiti, after you enter a search query, you can do the following:

Drag interesting results to the shelf on the right. Each box on the shelf can be used to save a related set of results. Shelf contents can be saved and shared.
Use the carousel at the bottom left to do different types of searches (image, blog, etc.)
Visualize your results using the Tafiti Tree View.

In a short period before the public release of Tafiti that I have used the product, I am very impressed with several items:

The User Interface. This is the best UI I have seen for search. Your search queries come alive! This is the (new) best use of Siverlight I have seen so far, and it does truly enrich your queries, and stimulates your massaging of the presented data to heretofore-unseen levels.
Saved searches. Somebody bite me! This is a much better way of doing searches.
Relevance of presented data. While preliminary, a comparative, albeit non-scientific search revealed that presented data was par with that other search engine.
Speed. On steroids, for once a good thing.

How cool is that?

Tafiti is at www.tafiti.com

EDIT: Channel 10 has a first look video here. Pretty descriptive.

Technorati Tags: Tafiti, Silverlight, Windows Live Search

The Book of John & Trevor on FeedBurner

2007-08-18T21:19:00.001-07:00

This site is being deprecated in favor of the our new site on Community Server also named The Book Of John & Trevor.

The new site is served by FeedBurner.

The feed link is here.

http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheBookOfJohnandTrevor

FeedBurner link

2007-08-18T21:00:00.003-07:00

AbsoluteVista.com is now served by FeedBurner.

The feed link is here.

http://feeds.feedburner.com/absolutevista-cs

Technorati Tags: AbsoluteVista.com, SmallBizVista.com, Logikworx

del.icio.us Tags: AbsoluteVista.com, SmallBizVista.com, Logikworx

LiveJournal Tags: AbsoluteVista.com, SmallBizVista.com, Logikworx

John only wears jeans!

2007-04-12T12:45:00.001-07:00

John would only wear blue jeans.

Not pants, not shorts, and not any other color but blue!

And not just any pair of jeans, he always wants to wear 'cool' jeans, i.e., jeans with bold designs, logos, and patches.

It was OK with Wifey since she has a lot of patience with him, heck, with everybody. However, on the day when I'm (supposedly) in charge, I run into conflicts with him.

Finally I just come out and ask him why?

"Because I want to be like you!"

Me, I ask?

"Dad, you always wear jeans. And your jeans are 'cool'"

They are?

"You never wear other pants and you don't wear shorts."

I have tried to explain to him that I wear jeans when I work out of UniMatrix Zero-1, but wear dress pants when I leave the house, and I don't wear shorts very often as i only have less than 5-pair. To no avail.

Now I have to wear business-casual pants in the house instead of jeans, and purchase more shorts for the summer.

However, I am NOT dressing business casual with shorts. Ever!

CSI

2007-03-31T08:14:00.001-07:00

I watched CSI: Miami the other day for the 1st time, and what I saw prompted me to watch CSI and CSI: New York to verify that I wasn't dreaming!

Forensic technicians packin' heat?

Are you freakin' kiddin' me?

Just like they are sworn officers of the law?

One name came to mind immediately.

Dennis Fung

Yes, Dennis Fung!

He of the OJ Simpson murder trial.

The guy who botched the forensic evidence. Reportedly.

Can you imagine Dennis Fung, or even the coroner of Los Angeles County talking to former LAPD detective Mark Fuhrman in the same way the CSI droids talk to actual police officers?

Fuhrman, or any sworn police officer, would not, and should not hesitate to shoot those punks immediately!

Couldn't f-ing believe what I was watching!

Jim Allchin's last post at Microsoft

2007-02-01T22:31:00.001-08:00

Full text:

As most of you know, today is my last day as a fulltime employee at Microsoft. It’s been an exciting 16+ years and all I can say is that I have been very fortunate to have had the opportunity to be in this industry and at Microsoft. What an incredible chance to work with such a great set of people. I was also very fortunate to be in an environment that allowed me to work on a team that was able to have such a positive and significant impact on the way people play and work with technology.

What’s truly amazing to me is that we are just at the beginning for what technology will be able to do. The next 50 years are going to be much more exciting than the last 50 (and that’s saying a lot!) when you consider the potential impact technology advances will have on people and businesses.
Lots of people have been asking me what comes next. In the long term, I can tell you honestly that I don’t know. While the term “retire” has been used to describe people at all stages of their lives as they leave a job, for a guy my age it’s a pretty strange term. I’m not exactly the golfing type. I am looking forward to spending time with my family and frankly getting some rest.
While I don’t know what I will be up to in the long term (although charity will be one key focus), I have a pretty good sense of what I will be doing in the near term, so I thought I would share what I think a typical day might look like.
It might go something like this:

7:00 AM: Breakfast with my sons. Ended up doing a product comparison review of the various cereals we had in our pantry. Sugar does beat the natural stuff and my suspicions about the impact of packaging on the post purchase experience were spot on. It turns out the box does matter.
7:40 AM: Kids off to school.
7:45 AM: Went to check email. Only two pieces.
7:46 AM: Checked network connection to see why I am not getting any email. Everything working perfectly.
8:00 AM: Went to clean up the playroom so that it’s organized for when the kids get home. Ended up building an application to sort the Legos using a SQL Server backend and a Windows Presentation Foundation front-end on Windows Vista. Can’t decide whether the primary index of the database should be color or size of the piece. While searching the web discovered that Lego means “I put together” in Latin.
9:30 AM: Spent 45 minutes looking around the house for the big refrigerator with the free soda just like Microsoft – was unable to find it.
10:15 AM: Worked on my Windows logo latch hook rug – another couple days and I’ll finish the red.
11:00 AM: Watched Rachel Ray – god is she engaging. Maybe she should do the launch of the next version of Windows.
11:30 AM: Checked mail again. No messages.
11:31 AM: Turned off Spam filter.
12:00 PM: Went out to lunch with my wife. Was surprised to see so many other people out for lunch during the week. I wonder if they have been buzzing around for all of these years that I have been in building 26.
1:30 PM: Went to check out the Apple store at University Village to see what all of the hype was about. Ended up demoing Windows Vista for all of the employees (and a few customers). All they could say was “Wow.” Ended up leading a group of them over to BestBuy to help them pick out new PCs with Windows Vista pre-loaded. Need to go to the Bellevue store tomorrow.
3:00 PM: Checked email. 150 unread messages. Unfortunately, 149 of them were spam.
3:10 PM: Turned Spam filter back on.
3:15 PM: Went to drive the afternoon carpool run. Spent 20 minutes waiting in line behind other parents whose kids weren’t even outside yet. Need to write paper about Next Generation Carpool Queuing solution (NGCQ) that integrates Windows Live Presence with the driveway scheduler. Must get appointment with school principal when it’s done.
4:00 PM: Home with the boys. Went to the playroom to help them build a train layout. Ended up doing interoperability test to study compatibility issues related to using Thomas trains on Brio track. Turns out while they work, the trains perform better on their native platform. Need to try Brio trains on Thomas track tomorrow.
4:30 PM: After a phone call with my Mom, I decided I needed to configure her account as a standard user for Windows Vista. This gives new meaning to “parental controls”, but a son has to do what a son has to do.
5:00 PM: Dinner with the family. After they finished asking who was this strange man sitting at the dinner table, we had a great conversation about the kids’ day. May have spent too much time asking them “how they would have done things better” and “what do they see as their key areas for growth.”
6:45 PM: Read kids a bedtime story. They seem to be recently interested in “chapter books.” I was amazed by how quickly they feel asleep when I read them one of my favorite classics, “The Theory of Recursive Functions and Effective Computability” by Rogers.
7:30 PM: Checked email. Again. No new email.
7:31 PM: Turned Spam filter off again.
8:00 PM: Went down to my music room to play my guitar. Dozed off on the couch.

Anyway, on a serious note, a few months ago, when I decided to start blogging, a lot of people thought I was crazy. It was certainly an experiment, but in the end it’s been very rewarding for me, and I hope that you’ve enjoyed it as well. I’m about to walk out the door, so clicking “post” on this blog will be my last official act as a Microsoft employee.
I love this company, and I have the utmost confidence that the great people here will continue to bring their creativity, passion, and drive to building world-class software that help our customers do amazing things.
See you on the Internet,
jim

From the Windows Vista Team Blog

Technorati tags: John Obeto, Microsoft, Windows Vista, Jim Allchin, AbsoluteVista.com, The Interlocutor, SmallBizVista.com, Logikworx

Mummy, think, think!

2007-01-30T19:08:00.001-08:00

K asked John about where he saw a toy he wants.

"At the store."

Where?

"In the other (city name)."

Are you sure?

"Yes, Mummy. Don't you remember? Think, mummy, think!"

4

2007-01-28T00:00:00.000-08:00

John III is 4 today!

Praise the Lord!

2007-01-20T14:12:00.000-08:00

Read this.

I miss John, Trevor, & Kehi

2007-01-06T07:37:00.000-08:00

Already!

Velocity Micro HTPC preliminary review

2007-01-04T00:19:00.000-08:00

On December 26, 2006, I received a Velocity Micro HTPC (Home-Theatre PC) for long-term review courtesy of Microsoft and AMD as part of a reach-out (to bloggers) project.

The system has the following specs:

AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000
Dual 400GB SATA RAID-1 Hard Drives
2GB DDR2
Lightscribe DVD RW
AMD Radeon 1950XT 256MB
AMD TV Wonder 650 HD Tuner
Microsoft Wireless Media Center Keyboard
Microsoft Media Center Remote
Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate Edition
2007 Microsoft Office Professional System
HTCP form factor case.

This mini-review covers the following points: unboxing, OOBE, initial thoughts, and initial test impressions.

UNBOXING Unboxing the HTPC was rather easy, and somewhat disconcerting.The system was packaged securely in the box, but the flush-fitting cover over the combo floppy drive/multi-format card reader/front-panel input-output ports was ajar, a definite no-no based on the ease with which such covers break in transit. The inclusion of the 3.5” floppy disk drive, an anachronism in today’s computing, seem so incongruously out of place both in today’s computing, and marred, in my opinion, the elegant and impressive facade of the system.

Also included in the shipping package was an accessory box containing the keyboard, remote control unit, the HD antenna, and various cables and connector for the system.

OOBE The system itself is a sturdy, stylish HTPC-format black metal case with virtually nothing on the fascia letting on that this was a PC.

Inserting it into my music rack, it sat easily with the Carver M1.5t, and looked like an updated version of the original Macintosh CD player.

Included with the system was an OEM version of the Microsoft MCE (Media Center Edition) wireless keyboard and wireless MCE remote control unit.

From all perspectives, this is a well-built and well thought-out unit

Initial test impressions For this test, I decided to utilize the Vizio 37” LCD monitor in my office for the 10-foot experience of Windows Vista Ultimate.

The Velocity Micro HTPC booted up and, did not recognize the MCE Keyboard.

Say what now?

How much of a cooling of one’s ardor for this system is that?

Undaunted, I tried to get the device initialized and went online to find a fix. Unable to find one, I got in touch with Michael J. Reyes, CEO of The Hardware Geeks, ( he received a demo unit as well, and had installed his a few days before me) who informed me that 64-bit drivers were the culprit.

I installed a Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000; reconfig’d the test area by bringing the HTPC closer to my desk and using a Viewsonic VX2235WM 22” LCD monitor on my desk.

I fired up the HTPC again and it breezed through the POST and went directly to a pre-defined user account.

I immediately started the Device Manager applet to see if there were any other devices needing drivers but total success.

Since Elements of the Logikworx Standard Business Desktop were installed, all I needed after that were Windows Live Mail Desktop, Windows Live Writer, and Adobe Acrobat. While both Windows Live properties are still in beta, they have become an indispensable part of my desktop.

Apart from the keyboard, everything on the computing part of this system works. And works fluidly.

While almost meaningless, the system has a Windows Performance Index of 5.1.

INITIAL GRIPES Since it was a test of a yet-unreleased product, I sent a preliminary gripe list to Velocity Micro, where they have assured me that my concerns have been forwarded to the right quarters for resolution.

My gripes are:

The unit did not come with a Windows Vista (re-)install DVD, Should anyone have a need to reconfigure the system and reinstall Vista.
The unit did not come with a supplemental driver disk. As a 64-bit box for which a lot of drivers are still unavailable in the wild, your box performs fluidly. However, I want to be able to reconfigure at my leisure.
The unit did not come with an Office 2007 disk
The system, while it came with a series of cables and connectors, left much to be desired as nOObs would undoubtedly have a lot of problems figuring them out.
While system startup is relatively fast,, restart, and shutdown seem to be very, very sloooooooooooow!

Furthermore, packaging could be better, reducing the amount of returns and tech support truck rolls.

Still, for a 64-bit system, the included drivers are a tribute to the thoroughness of Velocity Micro.

INITIAL THOUGHTS This device is fast, and eerily quiet!

It also has all the markings of a potential home run.

However, it remains to be seen if a) my concerns listed are resolved, and b) if the system is introduced at an attractive price point.

The multimedia capabilities of the HTPC have not been used at all, but that would change as testing continues.

So far, the system has not been put through the paces since I am preparing for the annual pilgrimage to Las Vegas for the 2007 International CES. There is also going to be the Windows Vista™ RTM Labs and assorted other events in Las Vegas which I’ll be blogging about as soon I can.

Technorati tags: John Obeto, SmallBizVista.com, AbsoluteVista.com, Vista, Zune, The Interlocutor, Logikworx, Windows Vista, Velocity Micro HTPC

Wesley Autrey, Hero

2007-01-03T15:22:00.000-08:00

Reading this article about Wesley Autrey's saving of a teenager who had fallen onto the subway tracks just as a train was pulling into the station just sent chills through my spine.

Even with his own two daughters waiting on the station!

What a humanity-affirming event for both his daughters and the rescued kid.

In his own words after refusing to be called a hero, “I don’t feel like I did something spectacular; I just saw someone who needed help, I did what I felt was right.”

Mr. Autrey, you are a HERO. In fact you are my first American Hero of 2007.

Please take a bow.

One Love, Bro'.

Technorati tags: John Obeto, Logikworx, SmallBizVista.com, AbsoluteVista.com, The Interlocutor, Wesley Autrey

2007 International CES

2007-01-03T12:29:00.000-08:00

Where I'll be blogging about the Vista RTM labs, the 2007 International CES, the Vanishing Point Game, etc. etc.

The Toshiba Tecra M7 Tablet PC has not arrived yet; despite being ordered on the 19th of December - my rant about Toshiba's (supposed) customer service will have to wait for another day - so I have to use a regular laptop. Urgh!

The Zune is locked and loaded: DISCO, 80's pop, and Ragga/SKA riffs. Movies on the device are The Da Vinci Code, The Inside Man, Snakes on a Plane, The devil Wears Prada, Code 1: The Hades Factor, and Lucky # Sleven.

Needless to say that clients who have a requirement to reach me know exactly how to.

Technorati tags: John Obeto, SmallBizVista.com, CES 2007, Vista RTM Labs, Vista, Windws Server, Windows Vista, AbsoluteVista.com, Logikworx, The Interlocutor, Zune

Happy New Year to all

2007-01-01T00:01:00.000-08:00

Best wishes.

My dad is

2006-12-31T00:01:00.000-08:00

today!

By the Glory of God to whom I eternally give thanks.

Happy Birthday to you, Dad, and congratulations on reaching this milestone.

Praise God for your continued good health.
© 2006, John Obeto II for SmallBizVista.com®

Technorati tags: John Obeto, Logikworx, AbsoluteVista.com, SmallBizVista.com

The Spoils of Christmas 2006

2006-12-28T11:48:00.000-08:00

The very good thing about a Christmas Day birthday is that the gifts keep getting better as your family and friends become, more, well, well-off!

It was a very, very profitable haul this Christmas for yours truly, even by Ferengi standards!

Check this out:

Canon Digital Rebel XTi
Zune in Black: Wifey, retro payment for my Zune
3 mugs for my collection
(Really Big) Shirt
Paciotti Shoes
Toshiba Tecra M7 Core 2 Duo, 2GB Tablet PC
Velocity Micro Media Center box: Microsoft, AMD, Aaron Coldiron, Nick White, The Hive
Sony PSP and 2 games
Fashion shirt
Several sugar-free cakes
Flat-panel sound-sensitive light
Jamaican Rum cake: really alcoholy!
Buzz Lightyear soft shell car for ages 2+
Ca$h

Thanks be to God for his kindness and for allowing peace to rein during this Christmas season.

Props to all who gave, and also offered felicitations, including, but not limited to:

Wifey, I love you always and forever
My kids, John & Trevor
My parents
My big bro', Chris and his wife Janet
My siblings, Gracie, Mary, Greg, Lucille, and their families
The next generation: Chris II, Senami, Brennen, Sessi, Emmanuel.
Taiwo and her family; Dippy, my godson Jack, Jennifer, and Amanda
Isi and her family
'Sosa and my goddaughter, Karyn
Abbey Babayemi and his family
Chuk Ndulue
Mike Reyes and family
Kabyr and his family
Fredricka Sule
Mummy G. O. Inneh

Dream system to review!

2006-12-27T18:33:00.000-08:00

Select community leaders were given either a Ferrari 1000/5000 notebook computer, or a Velocity Micro MCE system for a long-term review.

Velocity Micro MCE or Ferrari?

The choice was hard but...

Velocity Micro MCE Box (picture below) with the following drool-ian specs:

AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+
Dual 400GB SATA RAID-1 Hard Drives
2GB DDR2
Lightscribe DVD RW
AMD Radeon 1950XT 256MB
AMD TV Wonder 650 HD Tuner
Microsoft Wireless Media Center Keyboard
Microsoft Media Center Remote
Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate Edition
2007 Microsoft Office Professional System

Sweet, eh?

And this is before I even turn it on!

As they say in the 'hood,

Holla'!!!

Thanks to Microsoft and AMD.

But.... not all is well.

As usual, the haters are out with their flensing knives.

Totally discounting the haters who got squat, some site owners who received review units are concerned about the perception that they (the site owners) were for sale, or could be bought.

???

A cursory review of the terms of the units is that the computers were for a long-term review of AMD's processors in conjunction with Windows Vista. It is also my understanding that the it is also the site-owners prerogative to give away the system after conclusion of the review.

So what is all the noise about/

The fact that it is from Microsoft?

A community leader who received a Ferrari unit had this very astute observation, "The fact that they can be given away by the site is overlooked since no one wants to give them away".

How true is that?

They would rather bemoan the fact that a unit is given, while daring all to attempt to pry it from their clutching fingers.

Go figure!

Technorati tags: John Obeto, AbsoluteVista.com, SmallBizVista.com, The Interlocutor, Logikworx, Windows Vista, Office 2007, Windows Media Center, AMD, Athlon 64 X2 5000+, Velocity Micro, Acer Ferrari

del.icio.us tags: John Obeto, AbsoluteVista.com, SmallBizVista.com, The Interlocutor, Logikworx, Windows Vista, Office 2007, Windows Media Center, AMD, Athlon 64 X2 5000+, Velocity Micro, Acer Ferrari

What is a zoo-nie?

2006-12-23T11:14:00.000-08:00

At Costco the yesterday, I heard a droid try to help a customer looking at MP3 players.

This is a Zoo-Nie (Zoo-ney?)

I totally cracked up!

Funny enough, the droid steered the customer away from an iPod to the Zune, but ran out of good things to say about Zune other than it was the new thing this Christmas.

I proceeded to help out, starting with the name.

BTW, customer bought the Zune in black.

Technorati tags: John Obeto, AbsoluteVista.com, SmallBizVista.com, The Interlocutor, Logikworx, Zune

O Oh, here come the apologists!

2006-12-10T22:59:00.000-08:00

Reading the LATimes fishwrap today was a revelation.

An article in it on the errors of the anti-doping agencies virtually killing the careers of athletes was the cause.

Mentioned, of course was the current fiasco with Floyd Landis and his alleged doping at the Tour de France.

Isn't it niiice to see all these ~~guys~~ hypocrites come out with their carving knives sharpened?

These are the same morons who, without any proof, have convinced the ~~herd~~ proletariat that Barry Bonds was using steroids. The same assholes that are warning us to wait for proof before accusing Roger Clemens and Lance Armstrong.

BTW, Look at the parallels between Bonds, Armstrong, and Clemens.

All have been accused, but there hasn't been any physical proof.

None whatsoever.

However, since the mainstream press, especially those imbeciles at ESPN who have their heads stuck so far up Armstrong's rectum that they can actually peek out his mouth, and like Clemens, they are willing to give them as pass until there is physical proof.

Are you jokin'?

The same standard does not apply to Bonds, since, those crusading ~~reporters~~ dicks in SF read some grand jury papers. As a result, it must be true.

Never mind that if it was, Bonds would be in pokey for lying to a grand jury.

Nah, he should just get out of baseball for baseball's sake.

The worst offender here is Bud 'The Human Asshole' Selig, the head monkey for MLB, who prejudged the whole affair by saying he would not celebrate Bonds' passing of Hammerin' Hanks record, thereby implying that something was amiss.

Listed bud, all insults intended, you're a punk-ass fool, and nobody asked you. Just go away.

Notice that I did not say a word about Landis, which should speak volumes.

He is the only one mentioned in this article who has has a sample come back tainted.

All I know is that before and during the TdF, all I heard about was how he was such a devout Mennonite, and all-round nice guy, and I rooted for him.

I still root for him, because I respect what his branch of Christianity stands for, and their emphasis on service and serving. He, however, should this fiasco be found to be true and he juiced, would have brought great disrepute to a totally undeserving Christian congregation.

Since it is the policy of this blogger not to give further credence to the nonsensical articles I find in fishwraps or glossies, I refuse to insert a hyperlink but only mention the name of the newspaper.

Technorati tags: John Obeto, AbsoluteVista.com, SmallBizVista.com, The Interlocutor, Logikworx

Los Angeles Lakers 106, Spurs 99

2006-12-10T22:12:00.000-08:00

With KB24's 34-point, 8-rebound evening coupled with Lamar Odom's near triple-double (18 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists), the Los Angeles Lakers defeated their first respected opponent of the season, the San Antonio Spurs.

Hopefully, this keeps up as we now go on the road.

The line:

Lakers (14-6) Season Stats | Roster

Starters
Name	Min	Reb	Ast	PF	Pts
K Bryant, G	39	8	1	2	34
L Odom, F	39	11	9	3	18
L Walton, F	34	3	2	1	17
K Brown, C	30	5	3	4	11
S Parker, G	29	3	2	5	10

Bench
Name	Min	Reb	Ast	PF	Pts
A Bynum	18	8	1	2	6
M Evans	17	1	3	2	4
B Cook	14	2	0	0	4
J Farmar	19	1	4	0	2

BTW, I like the fact the I now have two ways to replay the games: my T-Mobile Dash, and Zune! If only the Zune had a flash card slot!

Technorati tags: John Obeto, SmallBizVista.com, AbsoluteVista.com, The Interlocutor, Logikworx, Lakers, Zune, Windows Mobile

Lakers 97, LA Pretenders 88

2006-12-02T22:40:00.000-08:00

It is niiice to see that racist owner's pretend LA NBA basketball team revert to form after the fluke that was the 2005-2006 NBA season.

This is the way it used to be. This is the way it should be. In Los Angeles. It just feels right!

....the Lakers winning...selling out Staples Center...the Pretenders losing....not able to sell out their home games until their betters come to town..

To quote Phil Jackson, "And then, looking at the fans, there's a lot of difference looking at the fans. The Clippers' aren't quite as attractive fans as the Lakers' are."

'Nuff said.

Lakers (11-5)
Season Stats Roster

Starters
Name	Min	Reb	Ast	PF	Pts
K Bryant, G	40	5	3	3	29
L Odom, F	31	8	2	6	18
S Parker, G	34	6	4	2	11
K Brown, C	34	8	1	3	7
L Walton, F	31	5	2	0	5

Bench
Name	Min	Reb	Ast	PF	Pts
V Radmanovic	11	3	0	1	10
A Bynum	12	1	2	3	4
J Farmar	13	1	1	2	4
M Evans	16	0	1	2	4
S Vujacic	9	0	1	1	3
R Turiaf	8	0	0	0	2

Technorati tags: John Obeto, Logikworx, Vista, SmallBizVista.com, AbsoluteVista.com, The Interlocutor, Lakers, Zune

Starved for good coffee in Maumee/Toledo, OH

2006-11-27T11:08:00.000-08:00

It is totally amazing what one takes for granted.

In this case good, ahem, Starbucks coffee.

Come to find out, there is only stand-alone Starbucks location in the Toledo-Maumee area; the next is in Perrysburgh.

What a shame.

Even Red Bluff, California, pop 13580, had a Starbucks!

Get with it, Howie.

But for my nieces and nephew who live there, and my sis-in-law being an excellent, excellent and - free for me - dentist (Midwest Dental, two locations to serve you better), I just might never visit that area again!

What have we learned?:

There are only two stand-alone Starbucks locations in Maumee/Toledo/Perrysburgh, Ohio.
For all your dental work in the areas listed above, Dr. Taiwo Ngo, of Midwest Dental, is the dentist you must see.

Technorati tags: John Obeto, AbsoluteVista.com, SmallBizVista.com, Windows Mobile, Vista, Zune, Dental, Dentist, Taiwo Ngo, Toledo, Maumee, Perrysburgh, Starbucks, coffee

Little or light blogging the next 2 weeks

2006-11-20T09:13:00.000-08:00

I'll be taking off for a Thanksgiving drive through the Midwest.

Technorati tags: John Obeto, The Interlocutor, Windows, Microsoft, Logikworx, SmallBizVista.com, Vista

2006 CRN Industry Hall of Fame Awards

2006-11-14T10:22:00.000-08:00

I am off to the 2006 CRN Hall of Fame Awards Conference, Banquet, and after-awards event in San Jose.

ZUNE!!!

2006-11-14T09:51:00.000-08:00

I eagerly await delivery of my unit.

Zune!!!

Extra! Extra!! Vista RTMs!!!

2006-11-08T11:45:00.000-08:00

Microsoft Windows Vista™ has been released to manufacturing today!

Congratulations, MSFT.

Press Release is here.

Election Day 2006

2006-11-07T09:02:00.000-08:00

Vote, y'all!

NTSB report on Feb 2, 2K5 accident at TEB

2006-11-06T10:14:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, the truth is way stranger than fiction!

Jet runs off runway, and thankfully, no fatalities.

NTSB comes in to investigate and finds:

Jet was loaded to capacity with passengers and crew.
Jet was fully gassed
Jet was overloaded!
Pilots, get this, made no attempt to determine the plane's center of gravity in order to either lighten plane or redistribute weight.
Captain (chief pilot) could not produce a log book of his flight record.
Captain's record is suspect.
1st officer (co-pilot) is foreign national with a tourist visa.
1st officer has not completed certification tests to enable piloting in the US.

And that is just the tip. The ownership and licensure of the aircraft is another comedy of errors as well

more, more, more here

I sincerely hope that criminal penalties are forthcoming!

Who asked you, David Stern?

2006-11-05T17:29:00.000-08:00

In the news was this titbit about NBA commissioner Stern having an opinion about the WADA and Floyd Landis.

Who asked your opinion on drugs, Davey?

Er, do you have an opinion of the armed force you call your players?

Better yet, why don't you fix that annoyance called the NBA Store?

I placed an order at the NBA store for the 3 colors of the new KB24 gear since my KO8E gear would be obsolete.

After a few days, I got an email stating that the stuff for Wifey on the same order had shipped. Rechecked my order to find out why the order was broken: no update.

Three days later, I got another email stating that my order had been canceled, no reason stated. Called the CS phone# but did not have the time to spend all day chasing the order so I hung up and troffed-off an email.

Reply came stating that the items were out of stock until January. Pissed-off at the fact that these clowns running the store didn't have a real-time inventory management system.

Two weeks later, while trying to pay bills online, found out that my ca$h had not been credited to me.

This time, I called with the intention of speaking to a CS droid.

After a mercifully short wait, lady comes on. Very polite so I cannot dump on her. Trip this: when I ask about my refund, she said, "We do not automatically credit you the amount of the cancellation, you have to request it!"

I lost it then!

"Are you freakin' shittin' me?", I shouted!!!

She then informed me that she would hasten the refund back to my credit card.

Despite a log like this in his eye, the self-absorbed Dave keeps coming up with imperious pronouncements like fines on owners, dress codes, the new ~~Coke~~ basketball, and other crap in order to deflect our attention from the real problems.

Daffyd, feel free to perform recto-cranial de-insertion surgery on the staff at your firm's eponymous store, and set things right.

Also, outside the NBA where the those self-made gazilliomaires feel the need to have one of their servants order them around, you are not a macher.

Keep you opinion on everything else to yourself, OK?

Lakers 110, Golden State 98

2006-11-01T23:07:00.000-08:00

Them boys are rollin' along.

The emergence of Ronny Turiaf, and the continued inspired play of Lamar Odom is a pleasure.

Game Stats

Lakers (2-0)
Season Stats | Roster

Starters
Name	Min	Reb	Ast	PF	Pts
L Odom, F	33	9	9	1	22
L Walton, F	29	6	2	2	15
M Evans, G	16	4	1	3	8
S Parker, G	23	4	1	2	6
A Bynum, C	11	4	2	4	5

Bench
Name	Min	Reb	Ast	PF	Pts
R Turiaf	32	9	3	5	23
V Radmanovic	24	5	3	2	11
J Farmar	25	1	4	1	9
B Cook	17	8	1	5	8
S Williams	22	2	3	4	3
S Vujacic	7	3	0	1	0

(Small) Kids & God

2006-10-31T17:42:00.000-08:00

While I was in Da' Basement, I decided, on one of the days I felt better, to try out the pressure washer I purchased to wash the whips eight, nine months ago. (Hey, I got around to it, didn't I?)

After hooking up the hoses and whatnot, I started spraying the cars, and out comes John to help me.

I turned the pressure the least powerful setting, gave him the nozzle and waited for him to either spray the car, or soak me.

What did he do?

He turned the water spray skywards.

"What are you doing?", I asked.

"I'm spraying God. I'm getting His clothes wet!"

Wifey & I looked at each other, I crossed myself - Roman Catholic upbringing, and looked at him in wonder.

Even an atheist wouldn't dare think that!

Kids. They really do love God.

Lakers 114, Phoenix 106

2006-10-31T15:44:00.000-08:00

What a niiiice start to the 2006/2007 NBA season for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Even with KB24 on the bench along with Kwame Brown and Chris Mihm.

Even with Phoenix scoring 41 points in the first quarter on the way to a Lakers deficit of 19 points at that time.

However, 'D', as in defense, always wins. And a jump-shooting team cam only be relegated to the stands during the NBA finals.

Memo to Phoenix: Feel free to mix in some defense, and post play!

Starters
Name	Min	Reb	Ast	PF	Pts
L Odom, F	44	13	6	3	34
A Bynum, C	24	9	5	2	18
L Walton, F	29	2	3	2	11
S Parker, G	36	6	7	2	9
S Vujacic, G	25	3	3	1	0

Bench
Name	Min	Reb	Ast	PF	Pts
M Evans	29	4	0	3	17
B Cook	15	1	1	1	9
V Radmanovic	20	3	3	4	8
J Farmar	14	2	1	1	6
R Turiaf	3	0	1	0	2

Build 5744 is released

2006-10-06T11:35:00.000-07:00

Windows Vista beta Build 5744 has been released to the TAP community.

Downloading........

Steroids, Bonds, Clemens, etc., etc.

2006-10-02T22:49:00.000-07:00

Can a brotha' buy a break?

How do you think though, that brotha's around the US, even those that really, truly dislike Bonds must feel at this time?

Clemens juiced! (allegedly)

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz......

Pettitte juiced! (allegedly)

Snore.........

Tejeda juiced! (allegedly)

Whatever........

Thankfully there are still principled journalists out there, not alleged baseball 'purists' - rhymes with idiots!

One of those journalists is Bill Plaschke, of the Los Angeles Times.

In today's issue of the paper, Plaschke's column correctly reveals what is happening: that Clemens, Pettitte, Tejeda, et al will escape the type of scrutiny and scorn which is currently heaped on Bonds.

He makes visible heretofore unknown to me facts such as parallels in the careers of Bonds and Clemens, and their return to greatness from seeming declines in their physical beings.

Listening to sports talk radio today, the airwaves were mercifully free of callers tarring either of the stars allegedly juicing with the same brush as Bonds. On one show, the host announced that it would be premature to accuse Clemens since all the evidence wasn’t in.

This, the same moron who had been advocating that owners collude to keep Bonds out of baseball next season.

Wow!

In my post here, I had cursed out all those ‘purists’.

Now I ask if they are racists as well!

Bill Plaschke's column is here.

Schumi Wins at SIC

2006-10-01T14:35:00.000-07:00

At the Shanghai International Circuit today, Michael Schumacher won his seventh race of the 2006 Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile Formula One season.

With this race, the antepenultimate in his career, Michael ties that guy from Renault with 116 points for the season.

As I blogged about here, the season wasn't a sprint, despite the mode of conveyance used, but a marathon.

And who best to win a marathon but the best driver in the world?

Good help is hard to find

2006-09-18T11:29:00.000-07:00

Used to be, you hired someone for a job, they regarded themselves as artisans and created art.

No longer.

More and more do we hear news of people not taking pride in their chosen profession, masquerading as craftsmen when they are just pretenders.

Case in point is Saddam Hussain. For years this yum-yum terrorized an entire subcontinent. (Of course it did matter that the other 'leaders' were sybaritic fraidy-cats as well.) His public exposure as a coward, and subsequent expulsion from the Global Institute of Dictators, Despots, & Tyrants, popularly known as DIRTBAGs, was a direct result of his exposing other dictators as cowards as well. See this post.

Alas, I digress.

In the news this weekend was the snippet of a 51 year-old nurse strangulating her would-be assassin.

Coming home from work, this woman was assaulted by a claw-hammer wielding man she thought was a burglar.

She then proceeds to strangle her assailant to death.

Are you freakin' kiddin' me?

Has this world gone mad?

She did not shoot him to death. She did not stab him to death. She did not bludgeon him to death. She did not asphyxiate him to death with a (conveniently placed) electrical cord/belt/whatever.

She strangled him to death with her bare hands!

If he was just a burglar as initially surmised, he could be forgiven for this lack of conditioning.

Turns out, he was an assassin!

Yes, an assassin! Hired by the woman's estranged husband to whack the broad.

Then the vic kills him? With her bare hands too!

I mean, didn't this guy have pride in his chosen profession? How can he walk the streets after such a debacle?

Oops! I forgot, he's D-I-D, DEAD.

Loser even in the afterlife.

Windows Live Spaces is now Live!

2006-08-03T07:36:00.000-07:00

The design change is like Win3x to Vista Aero. It is that great.

Live Spaces is so easy on the eyes right now that I just might make it my primary blog.

Actually, no. I still cannot edit post time.

Still a very nice upgrade.

Discovery Lands in Florida

2006-07-17T09:52:00.000-07:00

Welcome home, People!

A few minutes ago, the Space Shuttle Discovery made a safe landing at Cape Canaveral, in Florida.

Hello!!!

I cannot be happier!

This has turned out to be a very good weekend for me: my son Trevor getting baptized, having a combined baptismal and late birthday party for him, seeing family members and friends, no more soccer on TV, Michael Schumacher winning at Magny Cours, and now Discovery coming home.

Praise the Lord! Amen!

Virtual PC is now free!

2006-07-12T14:27:00.000-07:00

Microsoft's Virtual PC product, both the currently shipping Virtual PC 2004, and the forthcoming Virtual PC 2007 and later versions, are now, and will be free!

This is a huge, huge announcement.

When the announcement was made on April 3, about the freedom of Virtual Server, I wondered why Virtual PC was not included. At the time, it seemed that Microsoft was still playing defense, trying to emulate EMC's freeing of their VMWare Server product.

Now they seem to be going forward with a lot more verve, and risking failure, a position which seemed to have altogether vanished from Microsoft over the past few years, when risk-aversion seemed to have come to the fore, both in products, and strategy.

Thanks, Microsoft.

About time, as well!

We really need you to be a more daring in moving computing forward. The rise of GOOG and all the other (current) media ~~'Ho's'~~ darlings is entirely due to you having seeded the innovative ensign to them, our ostrich-like fight for you notwithstanding.

Kudos to your Windows Live team for not laying down the innovation colors.

In briefings with members of that team courtesy of The Hive at both privately at CES 2006 and at the Vista Beta Labs, what I can tell you (definitely not under NDA) is that those guys and gals are brimming with extremely brilliant and useful ideas. An indication of this is the amount of Windows Live products that have gone gold in the past few.

Heaven help their competitors when those ideas go gold.

Really.

Download link for Virtual PC 2004 SP1 is here.

Props to Hive member Sidebar Geek for breaking this, and Hive moderator Waggler for headlining it.
Copyright © 2006, John Obeto II for SmallBizVista.com®

Going to da' Basement

2006-07-08T15:24:00.000-07:00

I'm taking a break, aka, going to da basement, from now until July 18 for the baptism of my younger son, Trevor.

Since there will be lots of family members and friends from all over the globe, I decided to use this downtime to finish my detailed and publish Windows Vista Beta II Review.

This is my 2^nd Beta II Review; however, this time I am aided by the Windows Vista^TM Product Guide.

Also slated to be published this month is the latest issue of the SmallBizVista Informer, which will be back after a 3-month hiatus. I hope editing completed by the end of the downtime, and send it out for publishing by July 18^TH.

Many thanks and props to Nick White and the entire crew at The Hive for the copy of the Product Guide.

IE7 Beta 3 Released

2006-06-29T10:38:00.000-07:00

IE7 Beta 3 has been released and can be downloaded here.

Thanks to Hive member/moderator Waggler for this heads-up.
Copyright © 2006, John Obeto II for SmallBizVista.com®

The Founders’ Era at Microsoft Ends

2006-06-15T18:10:00.000-07:00

In an unexpected announcement today, William H Gates III, Chairman and Chief Software Architect, and co-founder of Microsoft, revealed that he was stepping down from the CSA rôle immediately, handing the reins over Ray Ozzie, one of the Chief Technology Officers at Microsoft.

The transition will take two years, with Bill G. stepping away from Microsoft duties in July, 2008 when he becomes plain ol’ Chairman.

To say that this development was unexpected is a titanic understatement. And the fact that the resignee is Bill rather than current CEO Steve Ballmer, must have come as a systemic shock to the Wall Street-types who have been clamoring for Ballmer’s resignation, especially since the announcement of increased CAPEX spending and the subsequent stock slide.

In fact, I had the same conversation a few weeks ago with a client and Microsoft stockholder who wanted to wave Stevie B. bye-bye.

My position, which this resignation validates somewhat, was that Ballmer, and Gates, were doing the right thing in refocusing the company due to the new competitive threat, which was not only Google, per se, but everything built on AJAX, and web-enabled. I mentioned the hiring of Ozzie, and the changes he was bringing to Microsoft by asking for a web-based component of all their products, and, most importantly, the numerous numbers of innovations, most of them under strict NDA, that the Microserfs were trying to bring to market.

Unfortunately, the only innovations we hear about are either the failed ones or their positioning vis-à-vis those of the current media ~~harlot~~ darling, Google.

Well, now the cat is out of the bag.

As expected the media airwaves and blogosphere is abuzz with this news, with everyone and man + dog holding forth their opinions on the subject.

The general reaction has been one of shock; with most shocked that Bill G would retire. As usual, the reaction of the conspiracy theorists in the Hezbollah wing of the open source movement (is there any other wing?) is that this is part of a Grand Design to further Microsoft-ness to the human race.

Since we are charges with bringing you cogent information, we decided to go to the top and ask longtime industry and Microsoft analyst, Mary Jo Foley about what this means.

"I think Microsoft needed to do something to show company watchers that it is preparing itself for the next phase of life for the company. While many folks have been predicting CEO Steve Ballmer would step down, it ended up being Gates who is moving on. I think a Microsoft without Gates is going to be a very different company -- probably more cooperative, less cut-throat and less feared," said Mary Jo Foley, Editor of the Microsoft Watch newsletter and Web site.

True that!

Bill Gates is synonymous with the might of Microsoft and the fear it induces; both in partners and competitors. As a result, there is a feeling that a kindler gentler, Microsoft might emerge with Gates’ resignation.

Indeed, as Michael J. Reyes, CEO of Hardware Geeks informed me, “Some users on our forums seem to think that Microsoft will be better off without Bill Gates at the helm. But I say, Bill gates did a great job at Microsoft no matter if you liked how he did it or not.”

You do not become the Big Kahuna just by playing nice; you have to fight for success. And if you look closely at Microsoft today, even in the midst of all the generally unfounded negative press, the average Microserf is still as committed and passionate about making a difference as the first Microsoft employee I met over sixteen years ago. Which is impressive.

A different take on Bill’s stepping down can be found in this statement by Larry Richman, Public Relations Officer of both Pro-Networks.org and VistaMaNiA.org, touching on another part of Gates’ character: “I have wanted him to do this for a long time. His foundation not only is the largest philanthropic organization in the world, but he has given away more money than all the great philanthropists combined. His money does so much to help the poor, hungry, sick, uneducated -- I've wondered why he doesn't put all of his own physical and political energy towards that as well. To me, Microsoft is small beans compared to what he could do if he puts his day-to-day efforts towards what he is now putting his considerable wealth towards. I am thrilled by this decision. I applaud him and wish others would follow his example. Bravo, Bill, bravo.”

Wow!

Actually, double WOW!

Totally lost in today’s news is this facet of Bill Gates: his philanthropy, and Larry is right to point it out.

Chief O. Asuelimen, Chairman and Managing Director of DAGMA/Remix Group Limited, in Nigeria, echoed Larry’s sentiments “While we have placed, in conjunction with Logikworx a lot of computer systems that utilize Microsoft software, my respect for Bill Gates comes entirely from his foundation. Every time we specify Microsoft software, I can still see, in my mind's eye, photographs of his father visiting the sick and impoverished throughout Africa, and I respect and pray for him a little bit more.”

I will attempt to contact more community leaders, influencers, users, and friends over the next few days in order to get a pulse on this development.

Larry Richman and Michael J. Reyes are also members of The Hive, a community of community leaders.

Ray Ozzie will Replace Bill G. as Chief Software Architect

2006-06-15T14:37:00.000-07:00

A very good omen.

Hey, if Bill G. calls you the 'Best Software Programmer in the World', despite the fact that you were then working for Manzi, followed by IBM - in their minds his chief competitor, he (Bill G.) purchases your company, and then hands you the reins for making gut-wrenching decisions to move his baby forward, I don't expect anything less!

And from the start, it was a good purchase, and a very brilliant hire.

Kudos guys.

Bill Gates is leaving Microsoft in 2008!!!

2006-06-15T14:17:00.000-07:00

What a surprise.

I got the call from Michael Reyes, CEO of Hardware Geeks, asking me if I had heard the news.

I thought he was making a bad joke, but then again, Mike sounded down.

Flicking on the boob-tube, I went to Bloomberg and received the blow: it WAS true!

Bill G is leaving MSFT in 08!

I am still stunned!

Michaels newsflash is here, and Im sure you can catch a glimpse everywhere for the next few, with dissections in the blogosphere and other insiders telling us bullshit as news.

On The Wheels of Steel - Week ending June 17 2006

2006-06-15T13:28:00.000-07:00

This week, I have DJ Jimi Ds Naijamix Select VIII

Sacha - Show me love; Biglo - Delicious; Azadus - Madam; Lord of the Ajasa - Ajasa; Madmelon & Mountain Black - Danfo Driver; El Dee - African Chiquito; Trybessmen ft D.Art Alade - Youngman; DBanj - Tongbolo; JJC - Ewajo; Mr Solek - Your Number; El Dee - Do tie; 2 Face - Keep on Rocking; The Last Two - Keshin Kalaye; Magic System - 1er Gaou; DBanj - Ika O Da; Awilo - Karolina; Omahane Pozo - Miana Mekoye; Eduboy - Gwam Gwam Gwam

DJ Jimi D is a Bad A$$ MixMaster! He can be found at the Afrigroove website or reached at jimi@afrigroove.com.

KB24 is #3?

2006-06-14T09:26:00.000-07:00

The prognosticators at Dime magazine have declared, in their Top 10 NBA players, that ~~Ko8e~~ ~~KB8~~ KB24, aka Kobe Bryant, is the 3rd best player in the league, behind D-Wade #1, and Dirk at #2.

What? Are you kidding me?

Normally this would elicit a vitriolic response from Johnny O, but this time, I will contain me-self.

Why?

Because the same Madamme Cleos at Dime magazine foresaw the New Jersey Nets winning the NBA championship this year.

Yeah, New Jersey!

'Nuff said!

Schumi Comes in 2nd at Silverstone

2006-06-11T07:33:00.000-07:00

While this is over 1000% better than the debacle last season, just WTF is wrong with Jean Todt and the entire Ferrari team?

Renault?

In the past, OK. But not right now!

If Ferrari cannot leverage the current regulations and Schumi, once Michael's skills start to deteriorate, they are fucked.

Heck, most renaults are sold with 4-cyls, and when you think of the Ferrari road engines, from the legendary flat-12s in the Berlinetta Boxers from the days of yore, to the current offerings, the V8 in the F430, and the 612HP V12 in the new 599 GTB, the question again is, "Renault?"

Alonso wins pole for Silverstone

2006-06-10T18:57:00.000-07:00

For this weekend's British Grand Prix, Alonso wins the pole while Schumi and Massa fall to third and fourth respectively

Google co-founder in stable condition after concience removal

2006-06-09T14:02:00.000-07:00

This article in Silicon Valley's Good Morning Silicon Valley blog says best what was on my mind over Serge's admission.

My Favorite Hedonist

2006-06-08T12:19:00.000-07:00

My favorite Hedonist, Paul Allen, of Vulcan Ventures, has his yachts described in this article.

From the article:

....Paul Allen, for example, owns a $200 million 416-foot yacht called the Octopus. It carries a ten-man submarine, two helicopters, and a crew of 60.

[...]

The kicker to this is that Allen actually has two other yachts: the Tatoosh which at 301 feet is the 15th-largest in the worldand the 198-foot Meduse. Alas, the Meduse can carry only one helicopter. To show you how far out of hand things have gotten, the Tatoosh was the third-largest private yacht in the world just three years ago...

I just love this guy! He should be appointed the Federal Secretary of Enjoyment & Leisure Services.

BTW, Allen is also co-founder of Microsoft.

John III Starts Preschool Today

2006-06-05T08:42:00.000-07:00

For the 1st time.

Off to John's Preschool I go.

Applied Digital CEO: Immigrants Should wear RFID Tags

2006-06-01T14:09:00.000-07:00

Just when you think it is safe to go back into the water, comes a bit of stupid, moronic drivel, this one coming from the pie-hole of the CEO of Applied Digital, Scott Silverman.

In a particularly frightening statement, this idiot states that, "if foreigners were tagged using Applied Digital RFID implants at the border, the technology could verify their identities in the workplace."

The mind boggles!

Can you imagine anything this horrid?

When I, as an American, go abroad, do I want to be tagged?

Hell Fu*king NO!!!

Not by a despotic government! And definitely not by a government in a heavily-industrialized - read that as NATO - country.

I mean, WTF is next?

Tagging criminals?

Tagging schoolkids? Sorry, some bonehead school district in California already tried that.

Tagging babies at birth instead of names? Vic & Rosa, here is THX1139? or 7-of-9?

Or the best two yet:

Tagging by ethnic group?

Tagging by criminality potential, a la Minority Report?

Where does this stop, Scott?

As a Black man, and a member of a global ethnic minority, developments like this are downright scary!

Goes to show, just because you run a relevant company, does not mean you have any common sense, moral, or decency values.

Scott Silverman, take a bow. Officially, IMO, you ARE an A$$hole!

Segway ‘Centaur’

2006-05-31T22:31:00.000-07:00

A search on the ‘Net found what I was looking for: the 4-wheeled Segway, the Centaur in the November 7, 2004 issue of Popular Science.

Nice, Nice.

Of course there isn’t any new info about it since the November 7, 2004 article. It is now called the Concept Centaur on the Segway website at Segway.com.

Here is a link to a video on it; Windows Media format, of course! And a slideshow .

I’ll probably have to convince Wifey of my (immediate) need for the Segway

Off-Point: Segway mulls Offering Purchase Financing

2006-05-31T15:17:00.000-07:00

Since I started losing weight, this is welcome news.

I have wanted one for a while but the weight limits were a problem, since it was not built for ‘Big Guys’.

And I had seen a quad in either Popular Mechanics or Popular Science, which seemed like the cat’s meow!

I could imagine me-self showing up at Starbucks and parking the quad, leaving a couple of wheels popping a wheelie while I sip my plain coffee, Splenda® only, fat-free cream. (Quite a fall from an upside-down double-white chocolate moca, with whipped cream, isn’t it? Then again, I’m happy to be alive and WILL beat this diabetes thing!)

It would make the entry cost so little as to pass muster with She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed.

If only she can get past her fear of my killing myself….

Greek & Turkis Planes Collide

2006-05-29T08:50:00.000-07:00

In this newsbite from the beeb, two F-16 fighters, one Turkish, the other Greek collided over the Aegean Sea, with the Greek pilot losing his life. The Turk ejected safely and was rescued.

But for the Greek loosing his life, this stupid game would be funny.

The report startlingly reveals that this kind of low-level skirmishes have been occurring for a while, which begs the question, "Why is this the first fatal incident?" I mean, WTF???

For the Greeks and Turks, this IS your tax monies at work! Enjoy.

Desmond Dekker, R.I.P.

2006-05-29T00:50:00.000-07:00

Reggae great, Desmond Dekker died in London this past weekend.

Singer of that wonderful 1968 hit, The Israelites, Dekker was 64 and survived by a son and daughter.

Among his other hits were the stark 007 (Shanty Town), and Rude Boy Train.

He will be missed.

715!

2006-05-28T23:37:00.000-07:00

What a milestone!

Here's hoping that quite a few 'baseball purists' have freaking fatal heart attacks.

To all who wanted Barry to 'just retire' at the start of this season, "May your souls rot in hell"!

Mutha'fu*kers!!!

Now that he has surpassed the 'Bambino', what are you going to do?

So much has been made of Bonds getting to 715 that today a few words seem necessary from Yours Truly.

To all that say it won't be celebrated, fine!

No problem. I don't remember any celebration when McGuire passed Ruth's 60-homer single season mark on his way to breaking Roger Maris' record.

And this would not have been a problem if Bonds was a Tiger Woods/Michael Jordan-type media harlot.

He's Bonds, well aware of his place in time, in (baseball) history.

Long after the 'purists' are gone we'll remember Bonds, not some hack for a fishwrap insert newspaper name here.

Then there are hypocrites like Tommy Lasorda, who says he does not want to have anything to do with it. Err, Tommy, it is now 15.01. Take a bow. Your fifteen minutes are over. Go bye-bye. Did you not have a certain closer that is now deflated?

The steriod thing?

A canard!

Thrown, a la that thrown around about (The Los Angeles Lakers') #24(8) to justify their personal dislike for his 'arrogance'.

Arrogance it is when a Black man asserts confidence.

Since we're on 'The Black Thing', how many homers would Ruth have hit if people of color were allowed in the Bigs back then? Would he not have faced a more balanced competitive field as the players of today do?

I'm tired of these a$$wipes walking of the halcyon days of yore as if back then all players were saints!

For goodness freaking sakes, remember the Black Sox Scandal?

Now the same ~~purists~~ bastards want to deify the members of the team, with the crap that, "Enough time had gone by.."

There's an 'X' marked on my A$$, mutha's. Feel free to kiss it.

Barry is at 715.

Die already.

Congrats, Barry.

PS. Unless he IS a better person in his personal life, I still would not ask him to be a dinner guest, based on the news we hear about him.
Copyright © 2006, John Obeto II for SmallBizVista.com®

MSN Spaces

2006-05-25T09:12:00.000-07:00

Don't look now, but MSN Spaces has been a sleeper hit.

Actually, it has shot to the top of the charts, becoming the largest blogging service worldwide, according to comScore Media Metrix.

101 unique visitors in April? Wow!

Global Piracy

2006-05-23T19:05:00.000-07:00

In this article, Ars Technica rightly takes the BSA piracy numbers to task.

Personally, I have always wondered about these numbers that seemed to be SWAGs, and bandied around by law-enforcement types and legislators just before they reduce our rights furtther.

I mean, if that was the case, everyone in LDCs must be software/media pirates!

Puh-leeeeeeeeeese!!!

Just how do you extrapolate an order of magnitude?

Shills! (Not that there is anything wrong with being a shill.)

KEY:
SWAG: Stupid Wild A$$ Guess - A tern invented by military intelligence.
LDC: Less-Developed Country - PC name for the 3rd World.

test - tbojat

2006-05-23T15:29:00.000-07:00

3.26pm

Microsoft's Pay-As-You-Go PC Program

2006-05-22T15:18:00.000-07:00

This hearkens back to numerous posts I have made virtually everywhere about Microsoft's need to seed the emerging markets with Windows, in order to make it truly ubiquitous.

And it IS a very good IDEA.

If it catches on, forget about the immediate, attendant PC sales! This will not only increase the affordability, in the markets that can barely afford it now, but are getting industrialized, of PCs using Microsoft software several orders of magnitude, it provides a 'soft' lock-in: familiarity with the program would make it a greater de facto standard than it is now.

Looking forward 10 years, what do you think the newly gentrified populace would be using?

This program, in many ways would definitely slow down the adoption of open source in most LDCs as their leaders realize that it 1) lowers the entry cost of computing for the masses, and 2) allows the people to use the leading-edge programs used in industrialized nations, as opposed to a copycat second-class (though definitely not second-rate) open source poor cousin.

I have always thought that a way of getting Microsoft software into the hands of the proletariat - I wanted it to be as close to free as fiscally possible - was the way to go, but this program, offering a unified software/hardware solution is even better.

Shameless Plug!

2006-05-22T14:39:00.000-07:00

A quote from Yours Truly to Mary Jo Foley, of Microsoft Watch, made it into this week's issue of eWeek, both print and online.

I read my first issue of PC Week, the predecessor magazine to eWeek back in 1986 and I 've had a subscription since 1987. Now, I'm in it!

I have admired her for years, and Mary Jo's Microsoft Watch site introduced me to some valuable sites such as Daily Rotation which allows me to aggregate news without an RSS feedreader wherever I am - talk about mobility, etc,. So you can imagine my pleasure at meeting her a couple of weeks ago at the Microsoft Windows Vista Beta II Labs in Seattle, Washington.

Nice,nice!

Antoine Walker

2006-05-19T13:54:00.000-07:00

In a post here, just after KO8E's 81-point coming-out party, I excoriated Antoine Walker for stating that he would have clotheslined Ko8e in order to stop him from getting to 81.

Well, I now ~~stand~~ sit before you munching on a platter of crow.

Listening to Antoine talk a few minutes ago on a Sports Talk Radio interview - the show name I won't mention because the host is an abominable swine, and I was scanning stations to listen to until I got the snippet, he waxed eloquently about all of his team members and of the playoffs. (For me, as a Los Angeles Lakers fan, the season IS over.) The host decided to ask him a question, "If you were starting a team right now and have the 1st pick of the draft of any player in the NBA, who would you choose?

Walker's answer?

KO8E Bryant!

I was stunned! So was the oafish host, who asked the question again! Walker replied that Bryant was the best player in the league while the (really) Big Shaq was the most dominant.

As a result, I an having this crow feast.

Goes to show, when some of these clowns deinsert their feet from their mouths, they are sometimes capable of coherrent utterances!

What a moron!

2006-05-18T22:40:00.000-07:00

David Pogue must be a moron!

Over the past several, I get tired of his constant Microsft bashing.

Every review of his is a referendum on Microsoft, Windows, etc.

I can't burst open the NYTimes fishwrap without some stupid rant disguised as a review form that idiot.

The latest: the Treo 700p. The best part about it is the Palm OS?

Homie, shake yourself!

Dell to use AMD Chips

2006-05-18T16:30:00.000-07:00

That thud was my jaw hitting the floor.

More on this as I get it.

Samsung 16GB Flash Drive

2006-05-18T12:31:00.000-07:00

Gizmodo is reporting that the Samsung 16GB solid-state announced last year is being setup for ordering by a certain web site for $1999.00.

Yes, $1999.00!

WTF???

If, as expected, 8GB USB drive become available later this year for $175 to $200 MSRP, just what is the point of a doubling of the capacity for 5x the price?

Unbelievable.
Copyright © 2006, John Obeto II for SmallBizVista.com®

Vista Minimum Hardware Requirements

2006-05-18T12:21:00.000-07:00

Microsoft today released the minimum hardware requirement specifications for the upcoming Windows Vista operating system.

From the press release, found here:

To qualify as Capable or Premium Ready, PCs must meet or exceed the following requirements:

	Windows Vista Capable	Windows Vista Premium Ready
Processor:	Modern processor (at least 800 MHz)¹	1 GHz 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64)¹
System Memory:	512 MB	1 GB
GPU:	DirectX^® 9 capable (Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM) support recommended)	Runs Windows Aero²
Graphics Memory:	- -	128 MB
HDD:	- -	40 GB
HDD Free Space:	- -	15 GB
Optical Drive:	- -	DVD-ROM drive³
Audio:	- -	Audio output capability
Internet:	- -	Internet access capability

Simultaneously, there is a beta release of the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor, the details of which can be found here. This software attempts to determine the suitability of your system for an upgrade to Vista.

While there are no surprises here, the question remains, "Will OEMs follow through?"

And that is a very poignant question.

Right now, even Tier-1 OEMs tease ~~suckers~~ customers with door-buster systems with the absolute minimum specs required to run XP, leaving the ~~cattle~~ purchasers bereft of the entire XP experience.

For which they are free to blame Microsoft.

Contrast that with the Mac experience where you have an entire system built to provide a total experience, an experience totally deserving of it's price premium relative to PCs.

I hope Microsoft finds a way, due to both antitrust/legal decrees, and commercial considerations, to enforce certain rigid hardware, and default security state requirements of OEMs as necessary to obtain both Vista-capable and Vista Premium certifications. I mean, who needs the craplets OEMs install on both consumer and business PCs? Who???
Copyright © 2006, John Obeto II for SmallBizVista.com®

1000 Posts

2006-05-18T10:19:00.000-07:00

Hive member PhotoStory just pointed out that I had made my 1000th post to The Hive.

The Hive is a community of community leaders from all over the world and serves as a repository for some of the broadest ranges of views on computing, especially Microsoft- and Windows-centric computing.

I'm surprised. That it is only 1000! In actuality, while 1000 is a lot and I hope it won't take me as long to get to 2000, I expect to spend more time there.

Really though, I have found it to be a refreshing departure from some of the more vitriolic virtual cafes; /.

And I am not only proud to be a member, but count that membership as a priviledge. The knowledge I have gleaned has beought me back from the purely fiscal side of the IT business back into a melding of hands-on technology and financial matters. As it pertains to my target audience, the small and medium business.

My thanks to management of The Hive, especially Aaron Coldiron, Manager of the Windows Communities, Nick White, who manages The Hive, and all the moderators, Terri, Waggler, and friends - Michael-HWG, Hidden_Hunter, fyiguy, to mention a few -I have made over the length of my membership there.

Windows Media Player 11 beta & URGE Released

2006-05-17T10:47:00.000-07:00

URGE, the new online music service offering from a Microsoft/MTV collaboration was released to the public today, along with the attendent Windows Media Player 11 beta.

I am in the process of applying for the 14-day trial in order to browse the playlist (for songs from the 1980s).

I also hope that music videos are included; that would be an excellent valueadd.
Copyright © 2006, John Obeto II for SmallBizVista.com®

Vista beta Build 5381 Preview Report Released

2006-05-16T13:52:00.000-07:00

My Vista 5381.1 Preview Report has been released on the internal Logikworx website.

A more detailed review will be released next week, along with my Vista Beta II Lab report.
Copyright © 2006, John Obeto II for SmallBizVista.com®

The Right Legacy.

2006-05-16T10:37:00.000-07:00

Give props where props are due.

Mr. President, props to you for the immigration reform speech yesterday.

Long after his 2nd term ends, President Bush will be remembered, and applauded for his courage and vision in finally tackling this problem.

The ostriches would like to send the people home.

To where?

Do they seriously think that Mexico, assuming 50% of all illegals are from there, can absorb 6 milliom people? Even over a period of several months or years?

Or have they looked at the financial costs, both direct and indirect, of sending them back? Using $5000 as a baseline, you have a $60 billion invoice for the relocation costs directly.

$60 direct costs.

When the repatriation is complete, let us now look at the indirect costs.

What do we do about the jobs that the illegals did that American citizens do not want to do?

Oh, I remember: mobilize everyone on welfare and send them to the farms.

Puh-leeese!!!

This solution is a big win for businesses.

Expression Web Designer CTP1

2006-05-15T11:38:00.000-07:00

Microsoft has released the Expression Web Designer CTP 1.

After using the product for the past couple of weeks as part of a private beta, I can tell you unequivocably that this is a very capable product.

I likes, I likes!

Goin' Back Home

2006-05-12T07:26:00.000-07:00

Well, it is finally over!

Going back to NoCal to edit my reports and blog threads and post them.

Windows Live Messenger 8 (beta)

2006-05-11T13:49:00.000-07:00

Now public, WLM8 beta really changes things.

Shared Folders, Windows Live Contacts, Windows Live ID, offline messages, Windows Live Mobile - utilizing SMS for transport of messages to cellphones, VoiceMail, free PC to-PC-VOIP, and $0.02 (2 cents) per minute international or PC-to-landline calls, MSN messenger phones from Uniden, etc., and a host of others.

Shared Folders: this feature allows you to create, as the name implies, a folder shared between two or more contacts, letting contacts share both files, and nested folders. A particularly brilliant aspect of Shared Folders is the ability to add contents to it offline, with the items getting synchronized whenever the target contact comes back online. This direct sync absolute negates the need for an FTP directory for most casual uses.
Windows Live Contacts. IM contact contact management outside the IM client. How cool is that? Just going to MSN Spaces and having the entire browser page to perform contact management is virtually a God-send.
Windows Live ID. This is Passport(tm) all grown up. Addressing privacy concerns, and using WS*, Windows Live ID makes the management of my several MSN & hotmail accounts a snap. Upon signon, you get access to all. Nice, nice.
Offline messages. About time! You are now able to send messages to your contacts at any time, whether they are online or not. When they come online, the messages are they forwarded to them. So you don't lose your thought, or rant.
Windows Live Mobile - utilizing SMS for transport of messages to cellphones. I love this added functionality of WLMsg 8. It keeps my contacts tethered to me at all times; remember the old saw about life in the former CCCP? "In Russia, you don't have to find a party to go to, the Party would always find you." I can always send information to a contact I cannot find online, when I have their cellphone number. Please note that this functionality is limited to cellphones that have SMS capabilities; then again, which modern cellphone does not?
VoiceMail. Aaah, voicemail. What else can I say.
Free PC to-PC-VOIP, and $0.02 (2 cents) per minute international or PC-to-landline calls: In partnership with Verizon, Windows Live MSG8 lets you add voice to your IM communications. The free PC-to-PC functionality extends globally.
MSN messenger phones from Uniden, etc., and a host of others. These phones decouple you from the PC. Think of it as a roaming IM.

Furthermore, add-in capabilities for WLM8 was announced yesterday. I cannot wait to see what the horde of developers out there come up with. Remember that all the Express Editions of Visual Studio programs are now free!

Origami

2006-05-11T12:40:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Aaron Coldiron of Microsoft, I have some pictures of a sweet ~~UMPC~~ Origami device. Yes, I have decided not to call it 'Humpiq',

This special edition copy is from TabletKiosk.

Don't you just love the case?

Try not to drool on your keyboard!

Actually, drool!!!
Copyright © 2006, John Obeto II for SmallBizVista.com®

Brain is bursting!

2006-05-10T23:39:00.000-07:00

Firemen setting fires!

2006-05-10T12:13:00.000-07:00

What the fu*k is this with firemen everywhere setting fires?

Redding, CA. Milan, New York. SoCal!

Sheeez!

Vista Beta II Lab

2006-05-10T10:16:00.000-07:00

Dateline: Redmond, Washington.

Courtesy of The Hive.

Introduction of Nick White, manager of The Hive - by Nick White.

Prior to now, Nick ran the developer program for Embedded Devices for Microsoft and now works the consumer-facing Microsoft Windows Featured Communities and The Hive.

By virture of our site, SmallBizVista.com, being both a technology influencer, and a sponsor of The Hive, I am in attendance at this lab, the second in the series and the second I have attended.
Copyright © 2006, John Obeto II for SmallBizVista.com®

HALO 3

2006-05-09T17:27:00.000-07:00

Now, this is why I got the Xbox 360 and HDTV!

Windows Vista Beta II Lab

2006-05-09T10:17:00.000-07:00

Off to Redmond.

It is the time for the Microsoft Windows Vista Beta II Lab, to be held on the Microsoft campus in Redmond, Washington.

Yours truly was invited (again) and will be reporting (for SmallBizVista.com) and blogging from there on topics that are not under NDA.

PS3 Specs & Prices Announced

2006-05-09T00:27:00.000-07:00

...and the basic system, to cost $499 will be without WiFi, a memory card reader, and HDMI output, among other things.

Sony, Sony, Sony!

Schumacher Wins Grand Prix of Europe

2006-05-09T00:24:00.000-07:00

Well, the best driver in the world has done it again.

Unlike last year where he was hobbled by a slow chassis and fu*ked up tires, Michael Schumacher won last Sunday's FIA Formula 1 Grand prix of Europe, run at the Nürburgring.
Hopefully, this signifies a turn-around for Schumi and Ferrari.

SGI files for Chapter 11

2006-05-08T19:16:00.000-07:00

Sad, sad day!

There was a time, when you wanted the very best in visualization computing, you called SGI, then known as Silicon Graphics, Inc. Deskside supercomputing? SGI!

They had the finest, sexiest systems around, with cool names like Iris, Indigo, etc.

However, management were Myopians. And missed the boat.

They've floundered since.

What a shame!
Copyright © 2006, John Obeto II for SmallBizVista.com®

Now I have DSL!

2006-05-08T14:37:00.000-07:00

Yippie.

I now have my DSL connected, albeit at a slow speed.

I must give props to Jason, of the at&t support team for getting me through my most effortless and lowest stress DSL setup routine.

When I asked, as I have on other occassions, to manually set up the DSL modem, his words were, "OK". Just totally cool. An very nice to boot.

Coupled with Margaret the other day, I must confess that at&t is starting to convince me that they mean it when you either call customer service or tech support.

Thanks, Jason.

NBA MVP award is a callous joke!

2006-05-08T13:41:00.000-07:00

Don't look now, but the NBA MVP award has now become a popularity contest.

Steve Nash, my ass!

Happy Birthday, Kehinde!

2006-05-07T16:43:00.000-07:00

My wife, Kehi, is 40 *%^$# years old today.

Of course, since she is a twin, her clone, Taiwo, is also 40 *%^$# years old today.

Baby, I love you always. And forever!

Happy birthday to both of you.

Season Over!

2006-05-06T20:34:00.000-07:00

What a drubbing!

What makes it worse is that it is by that effiminate team from Phoenix!

A big shame.

We'll be back.

Lakers for Life!

Barry Scheck & Peter Neufeld

2006-05-06T11:05:00.000-07:00

Why don't these guys have a Nobel Prize?

Why?

As founders of the Innocence Project at the Benjamin N Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University in New York, Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld have been directly involved in getting the wrongful convictions of 179 inmates reversed.

Trip this: a majority of those were on death row!

Death Row!!!

Sickens me to think that there might have been innocents wrongfully executed by the actions of bad cops, DAs, etc. A total shame as these bad apples are probably only a fractional percentage of good, honest police officers and district attorneys.

Still, 179 is a lot, especially since the crimes are extremely violent, with the wrongful convictions allowing the real perps to go free. To commit more crimes.

Therefore, my prize for Humanity goes to Barry C. Scheck & Peter J. Neufeld.

God bless you guys.

Windows Live QnA

2006-05-05T20:39:00.000-07:00

Another day, another Windows Live product!

Introducing.......

Windows Live QnA (beta)

In January of this year, we were privately briefed under a very strict NDA about what would eventually be called Windows Live QnA, a product akin to Yahoo! Answers! but aiming to mightily surpass it.

Now that the NDA has been lifted, more info from the team behind it:

This new Windows Live Search vertical offering will help consumers simply find what they need, from anywhere by providing a place for people to ask any question, get credible answers and vote on the quality of the responses on any given topic from a large community of helpful people, not just experts. This service will allow consumers to tap into the power of the online community by facilitating a melting pot of human knowledge that isn't easily accessible or available on the Internet today.

Topics will range from business, health, arts, sports, technology and more.

[...]

Key features include:

* In a one-to-many system, consumers may pose questions to the Windows Live QnA community, thereby creating a store of human knowledge containing facts, opinions and experiences on topics ranging from business, health, arts, sports, technology and more.

* People then can rate answers and reputation-based scoring is available so you and others know which sources are most reputable.

* Questions are tagged so others can easily find similar or related questions and answers to learn from

· The ability to mark and remove inappropriate content

Ultimately, QnA will be deeply integrated with Windows Live Search, providing a rich, integrated searching service - enabling you to search and find answers on the Web, or from experts on a given topic as part of a vertical search experience.

A Tale of Two at&t Support Reps

2006-05-03T10:50:00.000-07:00

In my post about AOL found here, I promised to tell my experience with a support representative at at&t who put the service in customer service.

When I tried to change my phone and DSL service to my new address, I was told I could only get the $17.99/month Pro package if I signed up online; also, my new number had to be working before I could perform the order.

Wha??? Yes, believe that! OK, I said and upon getting my family ensconced at mi casa, I went to wifey's clinic to order DSL.

Hello!!!! Screeching stop! System couldn't find my new phone number and tried to upgrade my former number. Fortunately, there was a customer service number to call and I did just that. Support serf couldn't help me and offered to escalate my problem to a specialist. "Do that", said I, and was given the phone number to the specialist I was being connected to.

Specialist came on the line and intro'd herself as Margaret. Cool, calm, and helpful; totally unlike the initial order-taker.

Unfortunately, I got disconnected. Called the number the support serf had given me. Got to a support droid masquerading as a specialist. Totally unhelpful. Told me I had to wait for a week to ten days before I could order DSL from at&t. Did not want to take any of my info to look into my account. Just as I was about to tell her how to perform recto-cranial de-insertion surgery on herself before screaming at her to copulate with herself, my cellphone rang. It was Margaret the at&t Specialist.

Thankfully, she had looked at my account details, retrieved my alternate contact info, and took it on herself to initiate the callback to finish the order. Contrary to her idiotic colleague, and I use the word colleague in the loosest sense, I did NOT have to wait for a week to ten days. My DSL should be active on Monday, May 8, albeit at 756Kbps to 1.5Mbps. I thanked her profusely for her assistance.

Her willingness to engage customers at such a high level is very commendable.

One company, two representatives, two levels of assistance. I am upset that I don't recall the name of the droid who was totally unhelpful.

Specialist Margaret, props to you.

Honorable mention in the customer service space: PG&E for the use of technology in alleviating customer frustration due to long wait-on-hold times. The technology: callback. The call management system offers to call you back without your losing you place in line. Great idea.

7th Level of Hell

2006-05-02T23:53:00.000-07:00

Whoever is in charge of usability for AOL deserves to be banished to the 7th Level of (AO)Hell immediately.

Moving this week, I tried to get the morons at SBC, 'scuuuuuuuuze me, at&t, to transfer my old number and service to my new address.

Could these Mensas do it? NO! I had to cancel my prior account and start a new one! Adding insult to injury is the fact that my DSL service is interrupted. (No, I don't want cable broadband; those cableco clowns have never heard about the phrase, price normalization. As it relates to cable broadband versus DSL in all [forms].) Was that enough? No. To rub salt in the wound, my new home is so far from the CSO, I can only receive the lowest tier of DSL service.

Am I pissed? Yes. While I am thankful I have broadband, the speed is so slow as to be called pseudo-DSL. Still, it IS better than dial-up.

Sorry, I digressed; I will have another post about a wonderfully knowledgeable and helpful at&t support specialist who helped sort out my DSL problem.

....Back to AOL.

Since I couldn't have a broadband internet connection at the mi casa until, hopefully, Monday, May 8th, I decided to take the low road and procure one of those AOL coasters and do a temporary signup for the next week.

What an experience!

Inserting the disk into a temp XP boot partition on my test rig made me (remember &) regret using AOL again.

The AOL install program asks just one question, paraphrased as, "Do you want to try AOL?", then proceeds to install a myriad number of worthless and useless programs on your system: AOL deskbar, REAL player basic, Quicktime, are the most annoying. It insinuates itself deeply into your startup processes. Tell me: do you at any time in your life, need AOL to be started when your system boots up? Do you?

To crown it all, you cannot remove the program without it leaving insidious artifacts of itself all over your system.

Can you fu*king believe this?

Can't wait for my DSL to kick in!
Copyright © 2006, John Obeto II for SmallBizVista.com®

How 'bout them Lakers?

2006-04-30T20:02:00.000-07:00

Better yet, how about that Insane KO8E?

Wow!

Excellent, excellent game. Especially if you're a Lakers Fan.

$3.69 For Gasoline??? Part II

2006-04-27T07:56:00.000-07:00

In today's issue of the Los Angeles Times - yes, I still read it instead of the SFO and SAC papers, a story about the obscene profits of the oil companies has this quote:

On Wednesday, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) invoked the harshest image yet. "I think they have the least PR sensitivity of any group outside of satanic cults," he said.

Wow!

Makes my post here seem positively tame.

Exit Two Icons: McNealy & Kumar

2006-04-25T20:33:00.000-07:00

This almost slipped my commentary, but yesterday was a watershed moment for two icons of computing and the Dot-Com era: Sanjay Kumar of Computer Associates, now known as CA, and Scott McNealy of Sun Microsystems

Sanjay Kumar
Sanjay Kumar was one of those guys I looked at back then and wondered where I went wrong. A year older than I am, Kumar had archieved a lot in a relatively short time. Impressive, and he was soft-spoken - compared to his predecessor, Charles Wang. He also did not seem to have the ego of other CEOs of the dotcom era. It came as a sad surprise that he was actively involved in a scheme to prop up the fortunes, and stock price of Computer Associates.

Yesterday, he pled guilty to obstruction of justice and securities fraud charges. A shame.

Scott McNealy
"The Dot in Dot Com", "The Network Is The Computer". Anytime I think of the nascent days of the Internet, I cannot help but remember those slogans describing Sun. At the time, Sun could do no wrong, the SPARC CPU (and its derivatives) were untouchable, and it had initiatives up the wazoo.

Let's go WayBack: Kim Polese & Java, SPARC, Sun Workstations, Solaris OS, etc., etc. This company was the Dot-Com in dotcom.

At the helm of all this was Scott McNealy, the intelligent, Ivy League-educated, boyish CEO with the acerbic wit and caustic tongue, master of the soundbite.

Unfortunately, he fell prey to three things: hubris, a fiixation on all things Microsoft, and the lack of a (business plan) parachute.

Hubris. When you are on top, all of a sudden, your success, for some, seem to have been ordained by a divine power; heck, some think that they have become divine! With so many things going so well for so long, we started to see the signs of hubris in product, and product announcements coming from Sun, all aimed not at keeping the company on top, but gravy-training* Java, and keeping Microsoft away. The most infamous of these failed initiatives was the Java Terminal, or Javinal, which, as its lack of success would soon reveal, rhymes with urinal. This led to:

A fixation on all things Microsoft. At this point in time, with the explosion of Java, and all the Java-based projects, and, of course, hubris, came an obsession with Microsoft. A real burning obsession. There were lots of consortia and coalitions formed to battle the MSFT threat, the most (in)famous of them being the NOISE (Novell, Oracle, IBM, Sun and Everyone else)coalition, which, unable to compete on their own merits, ran, tail between their collective legs, to the Justice Department's anti-trust division for relief. Unfortunately for McNealy, this preoccupation combined with hubris led to his taking his eye off the ball and running into the Internet meltdown juggernaut without both a clue and a strategy to cope, leading to:

The lack of Plan B. Every successful corporation should either have a strategy in place, or be developing on to combat the ills when fortunes change. By all indications, Sun did NOT, as reflected in the stock price dropping and staying there since the meltdown.

No Plan B! This from a Harvard business major.

Instead, homeboy kept on spewing forth meaningless platitudes for the past several years, ducking poignant questions about the unhealthiness of the stock known as SUNW. All the while forgetting that the sloganizing was no longer working.

What a shame as well. But for all three issues, he COULD have made a difference. Now he will be relegated to an anecdotal afterthought in history.

He won't be missed.

His story should serve as a warning to the incoming CEO, whose admirable intelligence and relative youth would serve him well.

IMO.

* Gravy-Train: The art of hanging to the (often financial) coat tails of a successful person, or product.

The trademarks used above remain the properties of their respective owners.

More pictures from Trev's school party

2006-04-25T16:53:00.000-07:00

Rhonda, of Ronda's Lil Rascals daycare, has these photos from Trevor's party.

News Flash: Major Airlines can't count on customer loyalty.

2006-04-25T14:20:00.000-07:00

You think?

Reading this article on MSNBC.com made me howl in pain.

Do you mean there is an airline exec in this country who wants loyal customers?

Ticket change fee, blackout dates for redemption of frequent flier miles, no food, fee for curbside check-in, fee for blanket, fee for headphone rental, fee for pillows, fee for this, fee for that!

These guys take their cues from banks, and are worried about customer loyalty???

Riiiiight!

Steve Forbes on Immigration

2006-04-25T14:02:00.000-07:00

While I don't always agree with Steve Forbes on political issues where, but for his flat tax proposal, I believe he is totally outside the locus of his intellectual prowess, and that he is blithely regurtigating the right-wing neo-con rants of the Republican Party. When he focusses on business, and bussiness issues, Steve Forbes is in his métier, and it shows.

In his Fact & Comment column in the April 24, 2006 issue of his eponymous magazine magazine, FORBES, Steve is at the top of his game, displaying his acute and intimate business knowledge as he brilliantly dissects immigration issues in this article labeled Sensible, Effective Immigration Answers.

From the column, highlighted by yours truly for emphasis:

[...]

To pretend that we don't need most of these folks to work in agriculture, construction and various service jobs, such as nannying the kids of working couples, is preposterous....

[...]

The Senate Judiciary Committee has passed a reform bill. Under this proposal, illegals, in order to gain legal status, would have to register with the government, pay a fine, pay off any back taxes owed and, if they wanted to stay, learn English. This way they could earn permanent residency and perhaps, ultimately, citizenship. The whole process would take 11 years....

One critical problem is that the normal immigration channels are dysfunctional. Folks who try to play by the rules too often end up in a protracted bureaucratic nightmare with the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS). Therefore, the Senate approach must be coupled with a genuine overhaul of the USCIS, including a streamlined visa process. Currently a USCIS office in one part of the country will treat a case very differently from the way an office in another part of the country would. Horror stories of people's files being lost abound. That these things happen in high-tech America is preposterous and intolerable.

Our visa program for visitors could also use an electronic prod, since applications can take months to process. This is especially damaging to our efforts to attract high-caliber foreign students. In fact, foreign-born students in high-tech disciplines should have green cards embossed on their diplomas: If--when they graduate--they have a job offer, they should automatically get to stay.

Removing caps on the H-1B program that permits crucial scientists and engineers to come here for six years is imperative. The quota is now set at a ridiculously low 65,000. Let market forces dictate the number. At a time of rising pressure from India, China and central and eastern Europe, we can use all the bright, ambitious talent we can attract.

Instituting a guest worker program--in which people would come for specific jobs for a specific period of time and then go home--would help enormously in alleviating a future influx of illegals. The Senate panel's version of such a program would allow some 400,000 foreigners to come here each year to work. Realistically, after several years--and assuming they have a clear record--these workers should be able to apply for a green card.

[...]

Very insightful, isn't it?

I disagree totally and explicitly with in on the 11-year processing period to citizenship. However he in on point on the others.

Copyright © 2006, John Obeto II for SmallBizVista.com®

$3.69 For Gasoline???

2006-04-25T10:54:00.000-07:00

This is really ridiculous!!!

In RB, California, today, I just purchased premium gasoline - 91 octane - for my rig at $3.69 a gallon.

$3.69 a gallon for gas!

Are you fucking kiddin' me?

$3.69?

You can tell how happy I am!
Copyright © 2006, John Obeto II for SmallBizVista.com®

Schumacher wins at Imola

2006-04-23T15:04:00.000-07:00

Michael Schumacher proved that he is the King of San Marino, winning the 2006 FIA Formula 1 Grand Prix race today at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, in Imola.

Driving his Ferrari 248 F1 and with a two-stop strategy, Schumi held of Fernando Alonso to win the race.

Hopefully, this late first win for Ferrari will signal the end of the nightmare that was the 2005 FIA Formula season, and herald in a victory-laden 2006.

After passing the late, great Ayrton Senna for number of pole positions this past weekend, Schumacher notched his 85th Formula 1 Grand Prix win, also a record.

He had passed Juan Manuel Fangio for total number of world titles, a while back, with a total of seven.

Digital cameras with unique noise fingerprints!

2006-04-23T06:42:00.000-07:00

This story from Boing Boing has got to have privacy advocates hoppin' freaked out!

... Like actual fingerprints, the digital "noise" in original images is stochastic in nature - that is, it contains random variables - which are inevitably created during the manufacturing process of the camera and its sensors. This virtually ensures that the noise imposed on the digital images from any particular camera will be consistent from one image to the next, even while it is distinctly different.

In preliminary tests, Fridrich's lab analyzed 2,700 pictures taken by nine digital cameras and with 100 percent accuracy linked individual images with the camera that took them.

Wow!

First laser printers, now cameras!

Hard to stay anonymous in the digital age.