Revenge of the Shorties

CNN brings us this article on overheated housing markets and lists what it considers to be the 50 most overpriced markets. However, some of the “markets” listed are quite silly. Denver-Aurora? Seattle-Bellevue-Everett is one massive multi-county area, but neighboring Tacoma is another area? And with the number of California communities listed, wouldn’t it be easier to say “#1 Northern California, #2 Southern California” (or reverse order)? I wish I understood the agenda of this list.

CNN also brings us an article on education where they helpfully tell us that kids who don’t understand English well don’t do well on standardized tests. This may result in these kids not getting high school diplomas. From the article:

“Do we want a lot of high school students who don’t have diplomas — and therefore have a lot of limited opportunities after high school — because they are still acquiring English?” [Deborah Short, director of language education and academic development at the Center for Applied Linguistics] said. “We need more of a policy on what to do with these children.”

Here’s what we do with these children: teach them English! The kind of employer who has a problem with the fact that someone does not have a high school diploma has an even bigger problem with the fact that these potential employees don’t read, write and understand English. Failing to teach all children the lingua franca of this nation is condemning them to underclass status. The diploma is by comparison just a bit of paper.

Also from the realm of education, even the American Beverage Association thinks elementary school students shouldn’t have access to all the soda they can drink. Seattle schools have already limited vending machines, and are now dealing with the reduced funding for everything that isn’t critical.

Seattle happens to be hosting a convention for state legislators around our nation, and one thing they are steaming mad about is Real ID. They don’t like the fact that the Feds are telling them what to do. They don’t like that they will have to spend thousands of millions of dollars on it. They don’t like the time, money, and responsibility of obtaining and verifying documents on every driver. They, well they don’t like any of it. One thing pointed out in this version of the story is this: “The new requirements are aimed at stopping illegal immigrants from getting driver’s licenses, thus preventing them from boarding planes or entering protected federal buildings.” Now think about this. We want to prevent illegal immigrants from getting into federal buildings, where they might have legitimate business such as applying for asylum, legalizing their status, or being a witness in a court case.

Finally, a word about Cindy Sheehan. Remember, if you can’t go to Crawford, you can still find a way to support her in your community. There is a vigil tonight, and probably one near you. Saying you think the President is wrong does not mean you “hate America.” As far as I am concerned, the guy who did this hates America.

Security Theatre Acts IX and X

Act IX: Elites and Cattle

The latest thing on the desk of Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Edmund S. “Kip” Hawley sounds like a good deal at first. We won’t have to take our shoes off for the TSA Safety Dance at the airport. That is, unless we set off the metal detectors or the TSA employee thinks we are acting suspicious. Furthermore, buying a one-way ticket or buying on short notice will no longer automatically get your ticket marked for extended screening. Apparently, someone realized out that there are plenty of legit reasons this might happen, and Real Terrorists have figured out that this will single them out.

They are also planning — pending Kip’s approval — on lifting the ban on certain sharp objects, such as scissors, small pocketknives, razor blades, throwing stars, icepicks, and arrows. Now, doesn’t that make you feel better? Not only will you not have your swiss army knife confiscated, you can put your shurikens in your carry on bag. No worries!

The new rules also aim to minimize the number of patdowns, and reducing patdowns is a good thing. Or, more precisely, reducing unnecessary patdowns is a good idea. Some are going to be necessary, but there ought to be a clear protocol that is followed.

The controversial bit is that the recommendations are “certain categories of passengers be exempt from airport security screening, such as members of Congress, airline pilots, Cabinet members, state governors, federal judges, high-ranking military officers and people with top-secret security clearances.” There are many problems with this. First, it assumes that these people are universally trustworthy, universally sane, universally Not A Terrorist. I think this is a big assumption.

The next big problem is identifying these people. Would you know your Congressman if you saw him crossing the street? Me neither. I think I have a good shot at recognizing my Senators and maybe even the top ten most influential Senators. Are we honestly talking about letting people flash a “top sekrit” ID at the TSA guy and passing through security unmolested? I can’t see biometrics solving this problem. I anticipate a great market for fake IDs, and incredibly increased risk of identity theft for the air travel elites.

And that brings us straight to the next big problem, that this creates a small group of elite fliers and a huge mass of normal people lining up like cattle before the magic TSA checkpoint. This system makes the cattle line longer, because the TSA employee who could be helping move the line faster is instead checking the credentials of the elite. This will cause some resentment among the cattle, but they know better than to say anything, lest they be accused of “acting suspicious.” This system is self-entrenching, because the elite no longer know what it is like to be in the cattle line, no longer know what it is like to be singled out for additional security, no longer know what it is like to get a patdown, no longer experience the absurdities of the system — they no longer know what it is like to be a normal, average person — but they certainly have no desire to eliminate this valuable fringe benefit for themselves.

In short, a Do Not Search list is even dumber than a Do Not Fly list.

Act X: Big Brother says it’s a Secure Flight

“Just weeks after congressional investigators found that officials in charge of a new airline passenger-screening system violated a federal privacy law, the Department of Homeland Security is pushing Congress to reduce oversight of the program and to allow it to use commercial databases to screen for terrorists.” Or, “Yeah, we messed up. We broke the law. So you caught us. Now can you stop paying attention, please?” In fact, it turns out that they are destroying millions of records they shouldn’t have, or as some prefer to call it, “evidence.”

Secure Flight wants to gather up information on law abiding American citizens. They would like to aggregate the kind of data the Feds already have on you — tax records, date of birth, etc — with the kind of data the big commercial consumer databases have on you — credit info, what kind of peanut butter you buy with your Shopper’s Savings Club card, what’s on your Amazon wish/recommendations list, how expensive your house is — and probably the data that can be gleaned from an average everyday search engine (yeah, I bet the Feds know I write this stuff). Now, unless you can think of some reason that Terrorists might prefer Skippy over Jif, collecting this level of information is absurd.

However, both houses of Congress have “prohibit[ed] Secure Flight from using commercial databases or using computer software to profile passengers, a reflection of congressional concern over the Transportation Security Administration’s privacy scandals,” thus gutting the entire purpose of Secure Flight, trying to figure out from various data sources and computer models whether someone is likely to be a terrorist before they get to the airport. It leads one to wonder what exactly the point of allowing Secure Flight to continue is.

Ah yes, this is Security Theatre, and all the world’s a stage.

Does Not Compute Part IV: Buying a New Computer Sucks

Today the ShortWoman is proud to present the final installment of her series on the sorry state of personal computing. If you haven’t read Parts I, II, and III yet, just scroll down.

Buying a New Computer Sucks

So here I am, the proud owner of a 3 year old notebook computer. I have certain frustrations with it, and certain frustrations with the software it runs. It is probably time to consider replacing it with something new, but that opens a big kettle of fish that makes the whole place stink.

I have already decided I prefer having a notebook computer. I like being able to take it places. I am willing to accept its limitations.

That means the next big choice is “What operating system do I want to use?” I’ve been a Mac user for over a decade. Although there are certainly reasons to switch to Macs, mostly I use a Mac now because I’ve been using them for a long time. Working on a Mac is easy, primarily because I already know what I am doing. Migrating to a new Mac is about as easy as it gets. So why am I not at the Apple Store trying to decide which PowerBook suits me?

First of all, the PowerBook line has not been upgraded — not so much as a speed boost — since January. iBooks got upgraded last month, but are still relatively speed and feature poor. The fastest thing available is a 1.67 GHz G4. Even iMacs are starting at a 1.8 GHz G5, higher clock speed on a fundamentally faster processor, and that is supposed to be an entry level machine. The fastest PowerBooks are looking like minimum system requirements. It has become clear that a PowerBook update will not be forthcoming until the much ballyhooed Intel Macs arrive. Nobody knows much about these machines and how compatible they are with current software. Theoretically everything should work, but theoretically we were supposed to have G5 PowerBooks by now.

Since the MacTel machines are allegedly “fast,” it seems like a no-brainer to wait for them. But wait, it turns out that the MacTel machines will include some built in Digital Rights Management that may very well limit what users can do with their machines and data they create. This could be a big deal. The official reason for this chip is to prevent piracy of the operating system. After all, there are millions of Intel based PCs out there and Apple understandably does not want rampant downloading of the new operating system and the resultant loss of hardware sales. Besides, part of the reason “plug and play” works as promised on Macintoshes is that Apple very closely controls the hardware specification. Unfortunately, OS X for Intel has already been cracked.

The final thing that makes me wonder if it might not be time to consider a non-Macintosh is the so-called “Apple Tax.” Last Sunday’s CompUSA circular sums up the matter nicely. On one page the following notebook computers are available: an Averatec 1 Ghz Celeron M for $900; an HP Pavillion Athlon 64 3200+ for $850; a Toshiba Pentium M Centrino 1.6 GHZ for $1100; and a PowerBook 1.67 GHZ G4 for $2300. Across the page is an HP 17″ P4 for $1650. Even a nicely equipped Sony Vaio can be had for hundreds less than a comparable PowerBook. Visit any major computer manufacturer’s website and build a notebook with comparable specs to the PowerBook, or compare products at any computer discounter/retailer site; all the Windows machines are substantially less.

Windows has it’s own problems, however. The new version is coming out towards then end of next year, and since upgrading an operating system is a pain in the butt which often results in bizarre incompatibilities you never thought of, it might be a good idea to wait. Since a group announced today that they will try to block Vista’s release, it may take longer than expected. And that assumes no additional problems, viruses, or grumbling over it’s “Mac feel.”

One good thing about Windows is that there is an incredible array of software available. I no longer have to worry about cross platform compatibility because I have the dominant platform. No more Mac Ghetto, no more features that I can’t have because I have the wrong operating system. But once you get beyond the dozen or so standard applications, there is actually too much choice. There’s a lot of Windows software out there, multiple products for just about any niche you can think of. Who has the time to sort out what is best for each of the dozens of things you might need to do on your computer? Who has the money to buy and throw away suboptimal solutions?

And then, it is well known that Windows is more susceptible to a variety of malware including viruses, trojans, worms, and spyware. Some infected computers turn into Zombies under the control of nefarious crackers. As much as 80% of the spam you receive may be sent by infected computers. So, as the saying goes, we’re all in this together.

Of course, I also have the option of buying a Windows computer and immediately installing Linux. Leaving aside the question of which distribution, Linux gives me a lot of options and a lot of software being developed all the time, much of it free! It’s hard not to like free. However, Linux is not as easy to use as the other major operating systems. A Linux user must be prepared to delve into the world of command lines. It is sufficiently complicated that Amazon currently offers over 2100 books on Linux.

I’d like to think I’m clever enough to learn sufficient Linux for everyday use, but there is another problem that is not so easily overcome. Linux has even bigger cross platform compatibility issues than the Macintosh. A switch to Linux means no Intuit Quicken, no Adobe Photohop or Illustrator, no Microsoft Office, and no Microsoft Internet Explorer (which you may recall is required for many sites). The solutions to these problems are kludgy at best. Although there are packages which allow Linux users to read and create standard Office files, I am forced to wonder how compatible it really is. After all, the Macintosh version of Office — actually written by Microsoft — is only about 97% compatible.

Getting enough information to make an informed choice can be tough. The fact that Apple only has a dozen models of notebook computers simplifies matters, but things get very sticky in the Windows world. Between the number of manufacturers, the number of models they have, and the brevity of the product cycle, hundreds of things are available at any time. Once you dig into the product specifications, things get even worse. Picking a processor used to be as simple as “how much MHz can I afford”; now there are multiple manufacturers, each offering multiple architectures, multiple chipsets, and seemingly endless variety. This may seem like an unimportant thing that you only need to worry about if you are designing and building computers, but the fact is that many things depend on such minutia, especially if you are considering the Linux route.

Once you have sorted out what is actually in the box, there is the fun of figuring out what it actually costs. Does the listed price reflect rebates, sales, coupons, shipping? Nobody wants a nasty surprise at the register. I would love for states to pass a law saying that the out-the-door price printed in a sales circular must be at least as large as the “after rebates” price.

This, of course, assumes you have already made some decisions about where to buy your new computer. Your local retail computer store does have the advantage of instant gratification: you see it; you buy it; you take it home and play. But such stores cost more. They have a store to light and staff and keep clean. They also have less selection, since there is no way they can carry all of the myriad products available. The local retailer also has The Salesman. This chap may have helpful advice for you, he may also have a vested interest in steering you towards a specific product you don’t need. He may be highly knowledgeable, and he may only know what is on the short list of bullet-point specs, and that he may have wrong.

If you don’t mind waiting and like to get exactly what you want, you can usually buy top line computers directly from the manufacturer. You tell HP/Compaq or Dell or whoever exactly what you want and give them a credit card number. You can usually do this online in your underwear. A few days later, the exact computer you want shows up at your house. Pretty sweet, don’t you think?

Ah, but if you are trying to save money, there is the world of online mail order. You can find some great bargains, but only if you understand exactly what you are ordering. Selection will often be good, although you will not have as many options as ordering from the manufacturer. Many of the available machines will be overstocks, discontinued items, and that sort of thing. It’s like buying at a car dealer’s “end of season blowout;” they are still good, new-in-box computers with warranties, but they are the previous model. Sometimes the difference is nothing more than a particular chip that has been upgraded. Other available items might be “returns,” “floor units,” or “white elephants.” The specifications and warranties — if any! — should be highly scrutinized. The lions share of these are good solid computers, but you need to be aware that there may be problems. Needless to say, be sure you are comfortable with the vendor’s reputation and the shipping charges.

Buying a computer is a frustrating experience. The results will effect what you are able to get done for the next several years, at which point you will be at square one all over again.

Briefly, in closing…

The Homeland Security Secretary says “What’s the problem with giving us all your personal information? We’re just trying to keep you safe!” Meanwhile, I have no idea how giving the TSA a name, date of birth, and address would have stopped this Oklahoma man from trying to take a bomb on an airplane this morning, or what that does for the security of air cargo. For that matter, has anybody given a thought to the thousands of trucks carrying explosives?

Does Not Compute Part III: Browsers Suck Even Worse

Or, “IE Sucks, Firefox Sucks, Krypton Sucks.”

This is the third installation of a series on the state of personal computing. Scroll down for the two previous parts, and be sure to come back later this week for the stunning conclusion.

Back in Part I, I pointed out that there were two web browsers running, and another two that I use fairly frequently. Why so many browsers? Quite simply because I need them.

Firefox is my primary browser. It does tabbed browsing fairly well, and I am a woman who often has 3 or 4 tabs open. I sometimes have a dozen tabs open if I am working on a post, as it allows me to have all my links handy. It gladly opens links from other applications in a new tab. It allows better cookie management than most browsers. It allows me to Google from the toolbar, and plugins are available to let me search different places selected from a pull-down menu. It also blocks pop-up windows, but only most of the time. It is still necessary to check now and then. In fact, just before I wrote that sentence, I discovered a pop-under from University of Phoenix. Sometimes, Firefox will decide that for whatever reason it needs to use 90% of the available processor resources. Then I must hunt down whatever is causing this behavior and make it stop. I could just quit Firefox, but then I lose whatever items I had loaded into tabs. Depending on the information, it can be a pain in the butt to find it again. Other times, the SPOD will appear, and it will be necessary to force quit. In fact, I will have to switch applications to get the operating system’s attention long enough to be allowed to force quit. This happens with enough regularity that I refer to it as “the weekly Firefox crash.”

The second most regularly used browser on my computer is OmniWeb. In fact, I almost always write posts in it. Why? The one truly compelling feature it has is spellchecking in forms. My spelling is okay (OmniWeb insists that ok is not a word and I must mean auk), but it’s nice to be able to correct typos before publishing. Furthermore, browsers being what they are (see title), there is something to be said for working in one and having references in another. I only have one annoyance with OmniWeb, that it has problems if you try to log in to a site you have logged out of. Quitting and restarting makes everything happy. In the end, I’m not sure that these days any web browser is worth $30. After all, the other 3 browsers I use regularly were free. The guys who wrote it are entitled to make a living, but I have to ask myself whether or not there is $30 worth of value over and above Firefox, which is free.

I also am forced to use Microsoft Internet Explorer, or MSIE. I am “forced” to use it because certain sites will not work in anything else. I do not have the option to just “don’t go there,” as I need these sites to get very limited and specific things done. I am not sure whether it is because of some lazy web designer using an obscure IE only feature, but the great irony is that most of the sites that require it are of the “secure login” variety. Irony, because IE is generally considered one of the least secure browsers. Of course, I am using the Macintosh version, which isn’t quite as up-to-date. It is also only about 90% compliant with the things that demand IE. There are times I have to boot a windows machine just to use a site that demands whatever Windows IE security widget is needed. So if you like, consider IE two browsers.

The final browser in regular use on my computer is Safari. When Safari was new, there were a lot of things to like about it. However, all those things are now done better by one of the other browsers. You can search Google from the toolbar, but only Google. It does tabbed browsing, but if you have what it considers too many tabs, it shunts the “extras” into a difficult to access and impossible to close area marked only by an arrow. It has a built in but inferior RSS reader. It too theoretically blocks pop-up windows, but somehow that “gets unchecked” now and then. It is theoretically faster, but at the sacrifice of compatibility. Lots of things just don’t work right in Safari. It also has a propensity for unexplained crashes. Why do I use it at all? Primarily to check compatibility of code; if it works right in Safari, it will work right almost anywhere. The other reason is that it is not possible to export my bookmarks to one of the “standard” browsers in an automagic fashion. As a result, I just check back in when looking for “something interesting I found once.”

There are other browsers, and while I am sure each has advantages, I also am sure that each has its very own flavor of sucking. In fact, the existence of legion browsers is damning evidence that they all suck. Each of them was created to address whatever issues the creators had with one of the big browsers. None of them is good enough to rise from the cyberdebris as a competitor to the big players. Few of them are even good enough that the big players have come knocking on the door to buy whatever unique bit of superior code they might possess. We are stuck with browsers that suck, and no superior answer is poised to come over the horizon.

Does Not Compute Part II: Software Sucks

This is part two of a four part series on the current state of personal computing from the standpoint of a savvy but not “power” end-user. Scroll down for Part I: My Computer Sucks. The remaining two parts will be published later this week.

Software Sucks

I considered breaking this post into “Operating Systems Suck” and “Applications Suck,” but the sad truth of the matter is that it is nearly impossible for the end user to determine which of these is the culprit when the SPOD turns (Spinning Pizza Of Doom, OS X’s way of telling you the computer is too busy to care what you want). Adding to this difficulty, a call to technical support will result in finger pointing: the OS manufacturer will blame the application; the guys who made the application will blame the OS. There’s a kernel of truth — pun intended — to both points of view, but mostly because both are at fault.

It can be very difficult to isolate what is going wrong with your computer, partly because it’s a complicated bit of machinery. Because the manufacturers of the hardware and OS don’t really want you mucking about too much, they give you things like the SPOD, which are about as useful as a single light marked PROBLEM to let you know something is amiss. The problem might be that it is loading a file. On the other hand, it might be that a program has hopelessly crashed. Or worse.

Let’s start with the Operating System, because you can’t run a computer without one. There are for all practical purposes 3 major operating systems: Mac OS, Windows, and Linux/Unix. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses. Purists will point out that Mac OS is based on Unix, that Linux is based on Unix, that Mac OS only represents 5% of the market, that “almost everybody” uses Windows, that Linux isn’t really a system designed for personal use, etc. ad nauseum.

No matter which you run, you will find that upgrades and patches are an all-too-regular thing. Because of security issues, it is absolutely imperative that computer users keep up with this stuff, and many upgrades actually fix problems you might be having. However, most of the time, upgrades result in “broke different.”

My last OS upgrade a few months ago, for example, fixed a few under-the-hood type of things that I would not have noticed except for being told it is so. It also gave me something called “Dashboard,” which puts stuff like a calendar, calculator, dictionary, and weather report just a click away. This impresses Mac newbies a great deal. Whatever. It also got me a disk search technology called “Spotlight” which everyone tells me is just wonderful except for what had to be done to the email program to make it work right. This of course means I have an updated Mail.app that I didn’t really need with a new user interface to learn and a new storage system. All to make my email searchable at the operating system level instead of just searching it from within the email application.

It also broke three different applications in fun and exciting ways. In two cases, a fix was immediately downloadable from the software manufacturer (thank goodness for Version Tracker). In the third case — ironically an Apple product — there is no fix. The program works, but some things just don’t work right. The worst part is a nagging feeling that they don’t care.

It also got me “Megahertz Gnomes,” a phenomenon where upgrades make… things….. run…….. slower……….

Applications deserve their fair share of blame too. As far as I am concerned, nothing illustrates this like the single biggest must-have software suite, Microsoft Office. I recently upgraded to Office 2004 for Macintosh, and the best thing I can say is that it is “bigger and badder than ever.”

This behemoth takes up 486 meg of space on my hard drive. The bit I use most, Word 2004, is 19.5 meg alone and has so many features that it actually inhibits my ability to get things done. In fact, 80% of the features are only used by 20% of users. They have officially reached the point where features obliterate other features. The other night I spent well over a minute trying to figure out where they had moved the toolbar that lets you see what font, size, and formatting were in use. But if I were writing, for example, a textbook, there would be handy formatting tools at my fingertips.

I didn’t want to write a textbook. All I wanted to do was write out a recipe.

The other bit of Office that I use on a semi-regular basis is Excel. Over a decade has gone by since its inception, and this version just almost has feature parity with its Windows namesake. It is still slower, still more difficult to use, and just occasionally will decide it doesn’t like something about a spreadsheet made in Windows Excel, but there you are.

Bundled with these two programs are 3 additional programs that I have no use for. I do not use Entourage for my email, and have not for some years. Microsoft still seems to hope I will migrate. Nor do I use MSN Messenger. The last thing in the world I need is another messaging program. Everyone I care to talk to is either on AIM or IRC. And as for PowerPoint, I haven’t the faintest idea what I would use it for. Outlining? I won’t go so far as to join those who call it evil, or say it makes us dumb, but I sure have seen a lot of bad uses of PowerPoint for someone who doesn’t work in a large office environment and doesn’t attend a lot of academic events.

What is this doing on my hard drive again? Oh yeah, it came with the suite and someday I might need it. A nagging voice in the back of my head tells me that “I might need it someday” is how hoarders get started.

Some items of interest to regular readers:

“That’s not a snake, it’s a housing bubble deflating!” Job growth may bring enough people back to the job market that unemployment rises. Textbooks are so bad they are discouraging reading. And finally, Big Brother is our friend.

Does Not Compute Part I: My Computer Sucks

I do not often write about technology, however this week will be devoted to a series on computers. We will return to our regular diet of economics, business, world events, and general silliness next week. Over the last few years, I have become increasingly frustrated with not only my computer, but computing and computer performance in general. This is a huge topic. There are multiple journals on computers and computer industry news that publish weekly, and there is no way to cover the state of All Things Computer in one column. As for my own limited musings, I will break things down as follows: My Computer Sucks; Software Sucks; Browsers Suck Even Worse; and Buying a New Computer Sucks.

My Computer Sucks.

I am writing this post on an Apple Titanium PowerBook with an 800 MHz G4 processor, 40 Gig hard drive, and 512 meg of ram. It doubled the speed of the 400 MHz TiBook that I used previously (and which still sits 15 feet away). I am using Mac OS X (pronounced “ten”) version 10.4.1, which was released within the last few months. At this moment, currently launched applications are Finder, Dashboard, iChat, Mail.app, Drop Drawers, Firefox, and Omniweb. Yes, that’s two web browsers, more on that later this week. Applications I have used within the last week or three include Safari, MS Internet Explorer (yes, a third and fourth browser, I said I’d get to that later), Word, Excel (both from Office 2004), Terminal, Quicken 2005, iTunes, iCal, Address Book, Preview, Quicktime, Garage Band, X-Chat Aqua, and a few relatively low tech games (Bejeweled, Mike’s Cards, Snood, BableBlox, Age of Empires II).

As you can see, I do not have the latest greatest computer, I should probably consider a new one, but it’s not like I am trying to calculate the size of the universe or find a cure for cancer or anything of the sort. Truth be told, my computing needs are not all that different from Joe and Jane Average’s needs. I use the internet for pretty standard web browsing, email, instant messaging, and hanging out on a computer oriented IRC (Internet Relay Chat) channel (we call them channels, not chatrooms). Like most people I need to write the occasional document, calculate some figures, balance my checkbook, look at documents (like tax forms) in PDF format. Like most people I like to listen to music, watch film clips, and play games. Oh, and I write music and the posts on this site. Nothing big here.

One serious frustration with my computer is the display. My current resolution is set at maximum, 1280 x 854. I live with many things going on at once — as you can tell from the list of currently running applications — and the extra pixels are darn nice to have. However, sometimes it can be quite difficult to read the screen. A peek at a friend’s Sony Vaio leads me to believe the problem is not a need for new glasses, but rather my screen. It is hollow reassurance that “the reviewers” raved about how much better this monitor was than its predecessor. Current model PowerBooks do not necessarily improve this situation.

As if the readability problem were not bad enough, there is also a really awful glare problem. It is not practical to use this TiBook in bright light. Between that and the somewhat less than optimal WiFi reception, taking it outside to work on a nice day is only theoretically possible.

Another problem is the battery life. I can get maybe 2 hours on battery, if I am careful to clamp down java right away. Theoretically, I can tweak the System Preferences to give me greater battery life, but only at the expense of usability. Foolishly, I thought the idea of a portable computer was that I could leave my desk and still, you know, get things done.

I am aware that some of the problems I experience with my TiBook stem from the fact that Apple made a conscious decision to emphasize style. There is no question about the fact that Apple notebook computers look fantastic. I know multiple people who decided they had to have a TiBook within moments of first seeing one. However, sometimes style trumps utility. For example, because they use a fabulous looking metal (Titanium or Aluminum) case, wireless reception suffers. Greatly. So not only is this not a machine to take wardriving, this is not even a machine to take any meaningful distance away from the wireless base station.

Style trumps utility when it comes to the optical media drive as well. Because the CD/DVD drive is a slot loading unit, it is a pain in the butt to use. If the computer is on a desk, it is hard to get the disk in. If the computer is on a stand, the feet which keep the computer from sliding off get in the way. Non-standard disks are non-usable; there is no way to load a minidisk or an unusually shaped disk. Such disks are often used for promotional materials. Good thing I have access to a PC.

A problem which has actually been fixed in the newer models relates to travel. If you are planning on toting a TiBook, it is important to use a screen and keyboard protector. This will keep the keys from rubbing on the screen during transit. The scuff marks the keys can leave behind are mostly annoying, but as I noted above the screen is hard enough to read in the first place.

Another style over substance issue which has only sort-of been fixed is the power supply. The original TiBook came with a power supply that, well, looked like a UFO. It had a slot around it, horizontally, for cable that went to the computer. The cable that went to the wall socket was wrapped around the saucer vertically for travel. Not only was this inconvenient, but made airport screeners nervous. Furthermore, it was difficult to find an appropriate place to put it because of its unusual size and shape. Since then, Apple has moved to a small power supply, about 3.5″ square by 1″ high. Little tabs fold out to hold the wire that goes to the computer, but the one that goes to the wall still has to be haphazardly wrapped around the unit, poised to come apart in the least convenient possible way when you open your laptop bag. Another unfortunate detail is that it is almost exactly the same shape, size, and color as an iPod power supply or an AirPort Express. It could be a little confusing to sort out which white block is which. At least it has flat edges.

Be sure to come back in a day or two to read Part Two, Software Sucks.

Concise Encyclopedia of Dotcom Business Blunders

Google has become so large a brand that it has turned into a common verb. They are now a publicly traded company with an $81 thousand million market capitalization (number of shares total times price at which they sell). Here we are in the year 2005. Surely any internet company that has survived to this day has learned from the mistakes of the heady internet bubble days. Right?

Wrong.

Google does not appear to have learned a darn thing from the failed and floundering businesses that preceded it. Nor do they appear interested in the lesson. After all, they are Google and their corporate motto is “Don’t be evil.” Let’s look at some of the foolishness.

They tried to take Wall Street’s money without playing by Wall Street’s rules. Perhaps you remember that, when Google went public, they auctioned the shares. This was an attempt to get the highest price possible; if there was to be a big first day pop, they wanted the money to go into their own pockets, not the broker’s pockets. In the end, they had to settle for a little less money up front. The shares have risen quite a way since then. Google thought they had a way to prevent Wall Street from making a killing on their shares the way they had on such companies as TheGlobe.com. The truth is that shares do not trade without Wall Street.

They tried to publicly release information about their business without actually saying anything. The earnings statement filed with the SEC was sufficiently complicated that it was the next day before CNBC’s Joe Kernen felt comfortable he had an accurate earnings per share number to announce. Playing the cards close to your chest is one thing when you are privately held. It is another thing altogether when you are publicly traded. This is part of the reason Google traded down on the news. The other part is that when you announce that your profits quadrupled over the previous quarter, it’s really hard to continue that trend.

And I haven’t even gotten to today’s stupidity. Parts of the online community have been up in arms over the last sentence of this article. I’ll start there.

They are capriciously withholding information from certain news outlets. Why? It seems that last week, C|net Googled the Google CEO and published the results. They were demonstrating that search engines are a powerful tool for finding information about people as well as companies. Since I was employed as a research analyst during the internet boom, I know this only too well. There are two problems with Google’s reaction to the article. First, it’s childish. “You did something I don’t like so I’m not talking to you” was a strategy most of us left behind in High School if not before. It’s just not something you do in the business world. Even if the policy is to not say anything to certain people, you don’t make that policy public. The second problem is legal in nature. SEC Regulation FD (Fair Disclosure) says that publicly traded companies cannot “selectively disclose” information. The regulation was designed to prevent management from giving insider information to selected analysts and not telling the public. If Google chooses to not let C|net in on information disseminated to other news sources they may be in big trouble.

Focusing on this one line, however, masks a potentially serious ongoing labor issue. Google has stepped up hiring lately, adding to the job creation numbers (what a shame that nationwide 100,000 people a month are still getting laid off). Google has some unusual fringe benefits according to C|net: “Tasty victuals–free breakfast, lunch and dinner–are only one of the many perks the company offers its burgeoning number of employees. Others include a staff doctor, dry cleaning pickup and delivery, onsite car wash and oil change, gym, personal trainers, tuition reimbursement, proximity parking for pregnant employees and nursing rooms for mothers.”

At some point, they are going to have to give up the dotcom era luxuries. It is one thing to have an executive dining room, or even a company cafeteria. It is quite another to commit to serving every employee ” Ahi Tuna & Avocado Poke, Calypso Rice Salad, Roasted Pork Loin and Hazelnut Shortcakes with Plum Compote” three times a day. There will come a quarter when, to please stockholders, they will have to cut such extravagance in order to focus on the bottom line.

When that day comes, they will have a few thousand unhappy geeks on payroll.

All that Meat and No Potatoes

Ok, I am going to say this one more time. Nutritious food does not naturally grow in bar form.

I have never been a fan of “diet” plans whose “plan” is for you to give them money for the rest of your life. Did you ever notice that the skinny girl who used to be fat in the diet shake ad mentions that she still drinks her lunch every day? Or that the big weight loss club wants you to be a member for ever and oh yes don’t forget to buy their frozen entrees? These plans make that guy who lost weight eating fresh sandwiches seem like a genius; it’s the only sustainable plan, and he’s also the only one who seems to keep the weight off. And note: all these plans involve you giving them money; only the sandwich guy’s plan can be done without paying someone. You can figure out how to make a sandwich at home, right?

In the beginning, the Atkins Diet was about eating plenty of protein, adequate fat, minimal carbohydrates, and no refined sugar. In the practical realm, this meant plenty of meat, dairy products, legumes, nuts, and non-strarchy veggies — anyone who says no veggies are allowed does not know what they are talking about — but no junk food. It helped people be honest with themselves and say “I am on a diet, therefore I cannot have cookies and cake and candy.” The protein helped people keep from feeling hungry all the time. People lost a lot of weight doing this. Because little pre-processed food met these dietary criteria, people ended up eating relatively unprocessed foods: cheese instead of Cheez-Whiz; roasted nuts instead of Chex Mix; steamed veggies instead of “vegetable mix with creamy sauce”; hamburger without bun instead of Hamburger Helper.

There are two basic problems with this. For the dieter, the problem is that food must be thought about and prepared. Dinner was more complicated than sticking a frozen pre-cooked meat-wad in the microwave. On the go food was an even bigger issue, given our hectic daily lives and the fact that many low-carb foods require refrigeration. Just about the only diet friendly item you could keep in your desk drawer was a package of nuts. Never mind that this “problem” actually kept you from eating calories you probably didn’t need.

The other problem was even more serious, at least to the big food conglomerates. There were entire aisles of the grocery store that low-carb people weren’t even going down! Entire categories of food they weren’t buying! This could negatively impact profits.

Atkins Nutritionals is the company founded by Dr. Atkins in 1989 as essentially his promotional arm. Around this same time, according to the site’s timeline, they started selling vitamins. By this time, Atkins himself had already been writing books on diet and nutrition for well over a decade. By the turn of the millennium, they were selling meal replacement bars. At present, they sell meal replacement bars, low carb “candy” bars (never mind that dieters shouldn’t be eating candy), quick breakfast foods (apparently a hard boiled egg or a hunk of cheese or some lunch-meat is too complicated), supplements, and “quick cuisine” (mostly baking mixes). They also have “partnerships” with such companies as TGI Friday’s and eDiets.com.

They solved the “no pre-prepared foods” problem themselves. And one must assume they made some money doing it.

Made. Past tense.

Due to a combination of reduced popularity of the diet and increased competition, Atkins Nutritionals filed for bankruptcy. This is a debt restructuring type of bankruptcy, and contrary to what the LA Times says, not a going away forever type of bankruptcy. According to the company, they will adjust their focus and continue onward.

The bottom line is that they misread their market, over-expanded, and tried to sell stuff people did not want or need. It’s one thing to have one of those bars in your desk in case you just can’t get away for lunch. It’s another thing for that to be a regular meal.

With a handful of exceptions, diet food is not about making you skinny, it’s about making some company rich.

A few things in closing: what some real diplomats have to say about Bolton, a bad idea with a great tagline (unless you like libertarianism turning to anarchy, in which case enjoy!), consumer spending rising faster than consumer incomes although some of the rise was thanks to GM’s employee price for everyone promotion, and finally Medicaid now covers a third of the population, meaning a single payer health care system is a lot closer than anybody thought.

Shorties 3D

It turns out that the very people who thought they were getting a big tax break from President Bush’s tax break on dividend income are getting socked with Alternative Minimum Tax instead. Ooops.

Journalists and people with actual degrees in economics sitting in high places like the Boston Fed are noticing what I have told you for well over a year, that the official unemployment number does not tell you the whole story, and there are millions more people out of work — honest, hard working people who would like to have an honest, decent paying job — that don’t show up in the official statistics.

The cost of the War in Iraq, both to the United States and to Iraq. Randi Rhodes will gladly explain to you how all rhodes — I mean roads — lead to Iraq. Bolton, Rove, Plame, Downing Street, the Sixteen Words; it all intersects at one point, the desire to invade Iraq. Support our troops: pray for peace or enlist.

A moment of silence for James Doohan, the man who played “Scotty” on the original Star Trek. He passed away this morning.

And finally, in case you should ever need to ship a hippo, the United States Postal Service has some tips for you.