this is my take on how to setup Windows 8 in a manner that makes sense to me. I am not normal. I do not have normal needs and drives. When it comes to computers, I approach them as a programmer/developer — not as a consumer. Continue reading
A post I read today reminded me of something my father told me as a kid. Basically: “never do anything you wouldn’t want to see on the front page of the newspaper.”
I know, how quaint, they had newspapers back in the olden days. I suppose in current vernacular it would be “never do anything you wouldn’t want to see on the home page of youtube.”
Admittedly a video clip of one sitting on the john in the midst of a cataclysmic flu episode is not something you (or anyone else) should want to see on youtube. Embarrassment is one thing, getting caught “cooking the books” or making heated remarks that include graphic details of bodily harm is another.
Posting anything to the internet is like getting a tattoo. It may be with you for a long long time, there is no guarantee that it can be removed ever, and there is no place you can put that tattoo that will be invisible to everyone — folks you’d rather not see it could easily end up with access.
Case in point, the post I mentioned at the start of this blog: “Privacy issue: Google Docs seems to not delete but only hide documents when the trash is emptied“.
In the post it was demonstrated that a deleted google document was still available — for anyone to read. Thing is: this document started life as a private document. It was deleted, trashed, and the trash dumped. Still the document is hanging around. That is the not so good news. But, the really bad news is: anyone (in spite of so called privacy issues) can see the so-called deleted document.
This is not a slam against google. It just serves as a wake up call. Anything that goes over the internet is at risk of being tucked away in dusty corners of the internet. Email drafts saved before you even hit the send button could be available. You could be put to task for an email you wrote that was not even sent, and was in fact later extensively revised. The internet is like one huge, massive cloud storage device. If you live in this world, and use any of the new technologies, you can’t escape it. But, you can learn to be more discreet.
Yes, fight for privacy anywhere you can. Use care when setting your account privacy rules. And, be aware that in spite of your best efforts you may not be able to protect your documents the way you wish. Thus, be careful what you allow onto the cloud. It could easily come back to haunt you.
To illustrate a point, I’d like to represent one’s inner world as a pond. For me when I think of a pond I am reminded of Henry David Thoreau’s Walden Pond. Off the topic at hand, but if you have never encountered the book you may want to give a few portions of it a read.
In any case, we started with the notion of using a pond to represent one’s inner world.
So, moving forward, I’d like to observe that more than a few folks have noticed (and mentioned) the presence of ripples, waves, and darn near tsunamis mucking about on their little pond.
The general presumption is that: “if my pond is unsettled it must be something happening with me.” That is not necessarily the case. There are a variety of potential sources of “winds” that can disturb the surface of your pond: Continue reading
Few of us experience our greatest joy — for fear of annihilation.
Later we may be able to deal with it. But, not then when it is offered.
We aren’t brave enough or experienced when it’s offered.
Yep, just like they say in all those movies on the topic of relationships, ya gotta be a good listener. What they don’t tell you is that you should be listening to yourself.
I’m not suggesting to ignore others. I’m simply saying it’s about time that you started paying attention and listen to what you are saying. Start doing this and you will be in for quite a shock.
Just in case it isn’t totally clear, “listen to yourself” is not an euphemism for take your own advice, or be your own boss. I mean actually listen to what you are saying. And not just listen; listen with the same intensity to detail that Sherlock Holmes would bring to it. Continue reading
Below are eight clown types. These are notes I made in 1980 on an old Altair computer — one of the very first personal computers. We had to flip switches on the front panel to input binary code to boot the computer.
I don’t recall where precisely I found the inspiration/source for this material those 30 some years ago. But here they are for your edification. Continue reading
I am not a drummer. I like drumming. I have fun drumming. I even have a close friend that is a drummer. But, I don’t happen to be a drummer.
I drum by inspiration. In fact, the friend mentioned above is one of my PUPs (Parallel Universe Personaes) that knows how to drum. Once upon a time folks would talk about coming under the influence of the Muse — being struck by inspiration. Using the language of parallel universes this can be understood as tapping into one’s PUP from some universe or other. Continue reading
The power of radio as a media for theatrical presentation is its lack of suffocating detail. Naturally a radio show will include creaking doors and the thump, thump, thump of foot falls to help establish atmosphere and indicate movement in the space. But these details are just broad strokes. There remains plenty of room for each audience member to supplement the sparse setting with details drawn from the greatest special effects generator ever developed — the human brain. Continue reading