Computers and Networking for the Home Owner and Micro Businesses - by Sid Plait: Recent Comments

Comment on Consumers now can air their (legitimate) issues regarding treatment by corporations!

Sid Plait — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 10:26:58 GMT

For those of you who have seen this comment before, I apologize. I have reposted it because the post it went with was not emailed to my readers, and I reposted THAT. Therefore, I needed to re-add this comment.

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THIS is what the social aspects of the Internet are all about, and THIS is why I have had such a strong interest in the Internet since I found out about it back in the early 80s (when it was ARPAnet).

We are watching the Internet change the world, and it is giving power to so many who never could grasp it before - power to bring their music, poetry, or prose to the masses, power to speak their minds, power to use their skills to make money when there was no chance of doing that on their own, and, as long as they play by just a few rules, no one can block them.

There are good and bad aspects of the issues I mention here, and it's not clear yet how (if at all) this can be managed by anyone or any organization.

I have been told I am an idealist, and I know that's right. I prefer to look at the benefits of the Internet for making the world a better place, while doing the best I can, through this blog, speaking engagements, and everyday conversations, at providing information to individuals that can help them (you) avoid the detriments.

Examples of those who have used the Internet for the positive include Perpetuum Jazzile (look 'em up) for their music; Fred, the unemployed guy in some tiny town in Pennsylvania that wrote the $.99 app you installed on your phone last week; and Dave Carroll. I get a kick out of knowing these people exist and have figured out how to be more powerful than they could have been before the Internet.

Oh, yeah. I forgot to mention my brother, Phil Plait, the Bad Astronomer, who fights the good fight for critical thinking through his web site, Bad Astronomy (http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/). Check him out. Check them all out.

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Just so you know, the link for Dave Carroll, which takes you to the Wikipedia section about his band, Sons of Maxwell, is correct.

Comment on While listening to Iron Butterfly (who?) one day, (in the merry, merry month of... January??)

Polly — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 02:35:26 GMT

It was just the songs I disliked-- too silly. And, as I said, my younger brother liked them, so that was a strike already. You are right about IGDV being the only IB worth listening to. What a waste of talent.

Comment on While listening to Iron Butterfly (who?) one day, (in the merry, merry month of... January??)

Sid Plait — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:11:49 GMT

Even if you aren't a fan, you can "get" that he was a talented man. Any idea why you didn't like his stuff? (just curious.)

I knew that I would find others who heard the organ piece as it was intended, I just never found that in anyone I asked. It's too bad IB wasn't able to compose more stuff that was clever. To me, most of the rest of their stuff was just noise. The Moody Blues were able to build on the success of their breakout song, and I still love every theme album in its entirety.

Thanks for reading, Polly, and thanks for commenting. It's rare these days!

Comment on While listening to Iron Butterfly (who?) one day, (in the merry, merry month of... January??)

Polly — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 02:21:47 GMT

I get these things:
> LOVED IGDV when I was a teen. hearing it def takes me back
> NOT an Allan Sherman fan, altho I get that he was a creative talnet (probably b/c my younger brother LOVED him)
> Yes, knew about GRYMG in IGDV
> Always thought the jerry mendelbaum version was funny; get the first line and the play on "dismay"
> reminds me of choir in high school where the basses always sang the Hallelujah Chorus as "and Quiche Lorraine forever and ever..."
> get the tech tie-in with the propensity of language to be interpreted variously in an online environment, where there is no inflection, facial expression, etc and where typos abound
> I read this post at least 3 times, so maybe that in itself is mission accomplished

Comment on Another electronic e-cycle event in Atlanta

jack siegel — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 21:53:47 GMT

I am on the Board with Keep Cobb Beautiful and found mention of this event via a facebook connection. If you would like some free mentions and wider distribution for your next recycling event please send dates to kcb.cobbcounty.0rg or contact me and I;ll see what I can do to help. Hope your event was successful.

Comment on Theft on the Internet Reaches New Lows (or is it "Highs"?)!

Sid Plait — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 17:00:13 GMT

Jann, I won't be doing a recycling event in N.O., as much as I like the city (and the food). I only do them in my service area. While it would be nice if you shipped me the PCs you have, you can google "electronic recycling New Orleans" and find a place more local and convenient to you. As for the shoes, go to soles4soles.org to find out how to donate them in your area.

Thanks for posting, though, and good luck!

As an aside to anyone reading this, I suppose using a lower-case "google" is proper when using it as a noun, just like "kleenex" as a generic term for tissue paper. Comments, anyone?

Comment on Theft on the Internet Reaches New Lows (or is it "Highs"?)!

Jann — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 15:48:55 GMT

Hi Sid,
Will you do a recycle event in the New Orleans area. Or can I ship an old IBM processor and Phillips CD player to Georgia in January?? and some shoes?
Thanks

Jann

Comment on Even a consultant can get attacked

Sid Plait — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 21:01:54 GMT

I had heard that people living on the underside of the planet are a bit daft, and now I know that at least one is!

Ivan, you have knowledge that most people don't about how to care for your computing environment, as do I. Yes, you've been lucky to some extent, but my guess is you are also careful. I also guess you don't use Internet Explorer, you keep Windows, Adobe, and Java up to date, and perform other little tasks you likely don't even think about any more that add to your safety.

I am also careful, but I have been invaded a couple of times over the years. This one I still haven't researched, so I don't know how I got it. I'll look at it this weekend and see what's out there about this bug. I'll post when I find anything relevant.

Comment on Even a consultant can get attacked

Ivan3Man_At_Large — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 14:44:30 GMT

I've been using computers – all three of them Windows-based machines – for over ten years now and I've never had any virus or serious malware issues, not even once; I think that is because I've always maintained very tight security on my computers – but then again, maybe I've just been lucky! ;-)

Anyway, I'm seriously thinking of getting myself a cheap computer from eBay for the sole purpose of deliberately letting it get infected with a virus and/or malware just for some laughs – and also to get some useful experience in sorting out the problem of a corrupted computer!

Comment on Theft on the Internet Reaches New Lows (or is it "Highs"?)!

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