Multi-tier Greed

A new, alarming trend is beginning to emerge from the ISP providers of high-speed connections. Comcast has started a new multi-tier scheme concerning what a user can do with an internet connection. For now, they have blocked the use of bittorrent connections to seed ISOs. Customers fear that Comcast and other ISPs will begin tacking on fees for the use of the internet to do special activities, such as bittorrents, downloading music and video, VoIP, etc. I think this is outrageous! Greed is again driving companies to abuse their resources against the public's best interest. If you wish to voice your opinion on the matter, visit the link above or the Save the Internet website. Let your voice be heard now -- tomorrow it may be too late!

How much is too much?

How much is too much? No, I am not talking about near-sighted attorneys suing the Red Cross. I am thinking in terms of screen space or "real estate." LCD screens rock and have become very reliable and economical. I have two 19" monitors at work and a 22" monitor at home. Recent studies, however, indicate that too much monitor real estate can actually decrease a person's productivity. And I completely agree with that. In today's super-charged environments of mandatory multi-tasking, how many things can we try to focus on before we lose focus (and our minds)?

Johnson and Johnson VS Red Cross

There has to be a limit. Really, now -- there has to be a limit to how stupid some attorneys are. But maybe not, if you consider the legal action that Johnson & Johnson has taken against the American Red Cross. At issue: the use of the red cross symbol. Guess what products I will no longer buy? This is what I call shooting yourself in the foot -- or a lose-lose situation.

Microsoft Embraces Open Source?

For as long as I can remember, the theory that Bill Gates and the original Microsoft team did not exactly "invent" DOS has been thrown back and forth. I have always thought that MS-DOS was a rip-off from UNIX. I also have been convinced that Gates and Microsoft ripped off IBM in the original deal that caused IBM to lose considerable market share. Now, a court has found evidence that some of these theories may be correct; please see the article listed below for more details. It definitely makes me feel even better about supporting GNU/Linux and other Open Source efforts. Now Microsoft wants some of their software classified as Open Source -- a move that, believe me, is not motivated by altruism. What is really behind Microsoft's embrace of the Open Source philosophy? Perhaps a way to circumvent licensing issues? Or maybe a new strategy to sneak into even more areas of software development under the false pretense of the Open Source initiatives? I am sure it will not be long for details to emerge.