Just when you (and I) thought it would never happen, another Evening Reading post. I hope it’s a trend. We’ll see. Last time I resolved to start doing them again, it went sort of like this.
I care very little about watches. Apple could change that. The best thing about an Apple watch? I would never, ever have to figure out how to set the time (I gave up on the date years ago) on my Citizen Eco-Drive. If Apple makes a watch, I hope it’s prettier than this.
Teens of people still think they own the knewsome@gmail.com email address. Here’s the latest of the many emails I get that are to someone else using that email address. How in the world does Google let this happen?
Hey Tonya,
You recently registered for Facebook. To complete your Facebook registration, follow this link….
Thanks,
The Facebook Team
I kid you not, while I was typing the paragraph above, I got another email addressed to another person who thinks their email address is knewsome@gmail.com. This one is from good ol’ Brother Bailey. He needs some volunteers for some sort of convention. Crazy.
I’ve lived around Bobcats much of my life and have seen maybe three. That might be a good thing. This is one bad boy (or girl).
While I was watching Brian Boyko’s hilarious and somewhat accurate and somewhat over the top bash-fest on Windows 8, a few things kept coming to mind. One, while Windows 8 is clearly frustrating, it’s not as bad as all that. Especially since it is, I believe strongly, a transitional OS, bridging the gap between the former desktop world and the future mobile/touch world. Two, every time he raged about the weather app that kept opening, I thought about the way the stupid Mail app on my iMac does that, popping up and begging for me to set up a mail account. I use Gmail via Google Apps. All I need from the Mail app is for it to go away. Third, I kept imagining Ed Bott beating out a response, that I can’t wait to read. It’s hard enough to carry the Windows banner without all the negative hyperbole.
Nevertheless, Brian makes some good points, and this is a worthwhile way to spend 20 minutes.
Without a doubt, the dual interfaces Microsoft jammed into Windows 8 are non-intuitive. I am sure Windows 8 will look and work much better on a Surface Pro than on a legacy desktop. I also expect computer makers will build hardware- eventually- to take advantage of the touch interface. Most of all, I believe the next version of Windows is the one that really matters. It’s a little hard to tell where the operating system is going in 2012. In other words, will everything really be touch based at some point (I guarantee you Apple is thinking about the same thing). It will be clear by 2014 or so. Microsoft is getting a lot of crap for moving too much cheese. Windows 8 seems to me to be a concerted effort to move cheese in stages. I have a hard time faulting Microsoft for that.
And it’s not like some of the problems aren’t shared by other operating systems.
All the hand wringing about the lack of an installation disk, while accurate, is no different than OS X. I needed to do a clean install of Mountain Lion on an iMac the other day because the computer would not stay in target mode (e.g., serving as a second monitor for my primary iMac). It was doable, but not easy. No problem for a computer geek, but impossible for grandma.
At the end of the day, much of the frustration with Windows 8 revolves around the dual Metro (or whatever we’re supposed to call it) and desktop interfaces. Sure, grandma is going to have some trouble getting around Windows 8, but imagine if Microsoft had decided not to “staple” Metro onto the desktop interface, but instead moved all the cheese and dumped the desktop interface altogether? Sometimes you need to take a long journey in smaller segments.
Windows 8 is a big gamble for Microsoft. It doesn’t look like it’s going swimmingly so far, but the game isn’t over. Apple’s computer (as compared to phone and tablet) business is largely consumer based. Sadly for us Mac users in corporate America, Apple doesn’t have to worry about how an upgrade will go over in a huge office with hundreds or thousands of desktop computers staffed by people who only want to create and manage Word documents and Excel spreadsheets. Microsoft has to worry about exactly that. In three years, Windows 8 will be the operating system that set Microsoft’s course into either the future or the ditch. I’m still thinking the future. Not because it is so wonderful, because it’s not. But because it will pave the way for the next version of Windows. That’s the one that will more clearly define Microsoft’s vision for the operating system of the future. I can tell you unequivocally that if you installed Windows 8 in a large corporate office overnight, there would be panic, bedlam and mutiny the next morning. But here’s the thing, you don’t really have to.
Corporate America likes Windows 7, and is not moving away from desktops any time soon. You can be sure Microsoft knows this. The typical large company upgrade path often skips versions (think Vista, for example). It’s the next version of Windows that really matters. That’s where Microsoft needs to pull everything together into an operating system that works intuitively on tablets and desktops, with fingers and mice.
Is is guaranteed? No, it’s not. Microsoft could panic over its passion for the tablet market at the expense of the corporate desktop-oriented market. But I don’t think that’s going to happen.
Appearances and hilarious videos the the contrary.
As the local tech nerd, I get asked fairly often what tech I use, locally and when on the road. The list changes with time, and here is the list as of the end of 2012.
Desktop Computer
I use a 2011 iMac as my desktop, where most of my computing is done. I have a second 2011 iMac that doubles as both a backup drive and a second monitor, when I need to Command F2 my way into some dual monitor goodness. I looked at the new iMacs, but there’s nothing compelling enough about them to force me to upgrade. I also like having the built-in DVD drive. DVDs are sort of like the police. You don’t think much about them until you need them, and when you need them you usually need them badly.
I absolutely love my magic trackpad. I like having a number pad, so I use the usb Apple keyboard in lieu of the wireless one. I still find the Apple keyboards a little small.
Hey, there’s my cuz and my favorite game of all time, in the same video
I started out on a Mac, went to Windows for many years, then ended up back on a Mac. With the arrival of Lion/Mountain Lion, I can say this without reservation: there is simply no reason for the typical computer user to use anything other than a Mac. They are not perfect (I just had to do a clean OS install on my second iMac to fix a target mode issue I was having), but they are as close to perfect as a computer can be.
Laptop
I use a 2011 13 inch MacBook Air as my only laptop. I was afraid 13 inches would seem too small, but it doesn’t. It’s light, fast and powerful. Cassidy has a newish MacBook Pro, and while it’s nice, there’s nothing it can do that my little Air can’t. I may upgrade in a year or two, but again there’s nothing about my laptop that feels old.
Tablets
I have a next to last generation iPad that I use for general tablet stuff and a new iPad Mini that serves as my bedside Kindle replacement. I find that I don’t use the full size iPad very often when at home. I use it more when on the road. I use the iPad Mini every night to play Words with Friends and Draw Something, and to read a little. It never leaves my bedside, but it is indispensable.
Yes, I tried an Android tablet. It sucked. Sorry. The amazing part was how bad Gmail was on it. I’m sure they have gotten better, but the fact that you never know when and if your device will be upgraded and to what, is a deal stopper for me. I also tried a Surface RT. It’s not really useable in its current state, but as I noted in the earlier post, the Surface Pro is going to be a player in the tablet space.
Phone
I use an iPhone 5 every day, all day long. It’s the first phone-like device that has felt like a pocket computer to me. I can’t really say why. It just does.
Cameras
I use my iPhone 5 for lots of day to day stuff, but make no mistake- its camera is not on par with most dedicated cameras. I get a lot of blur. I have a Canon EOS 60D, which I should use a lot more than I do. It takes phenomenal photos and videos, but it is big. Big, I tell you. For videos, I still use my trusty Sony HDR-CX360V. It works great with iMovie and takes good video.
Scanning
I use a Fujitsu ScanSnap S1500M. But the Mac software is not even close to as good as the Windows version. So I’m still looking for a good scanning platform. I tried iDocument, but didn’t like it. I think we are still waiting on the killer Mac scanning solution.
Software
I use a ton of software on a regular basis. Here’s a run down of the stuff I use the most.
Documents: Office for Mac. Google Docs is better than it used to be, but not good enough for business use. I’ve never used the Apple apps, nor has anyone else I trade documents with regularly.
Photos: Instagram (with uploads to Flickr, which is my primary online photo repository); iPhoto, which is reason enough to switch to a Mac. Photoshop, to make logos and whatnot.
Videos: iMovie, even more than Final Cut Pro, which is supposedly so much more powerful; YouTube has become my only online repository.
Music: Spotify mostly. Google Music would be great but for the 20,000 song limit. iTunes still sucks, just not as much. VLC is awesome for playing local files. I listen to Newsome.fm on the web.
Blogging: The WordPress web app, and sometimes the iPhone one. I had to abandon Live Writer when I deleted Parallels. I use BBEdit when doing html.
FTP: I don’t use it much now that I’ve moved to WordPress.Com, but FileZilla is the best FTP app I’ve found.
Cloud: Dropbox (you and I each get free space if you sign up via this link) and Box. I dumped SugarSync in favor of a local backup via a Time Capsule. I dumped Google Drive as too kludgy. In fact, I really dislike Google Drive. I use, but don’t really understand, iCloud. Apple has not done a good job explaining how awesome it is, if it is.
That’s what I use. Do you have better ideas? I’m all ears.
Back in the day, I used to do the RanchoCasts, podcasts featuring me talking about various tech related topics and playing good music. On Christmas Eve 2005, I did one featuring Christmas songs.
Here, for musical and nostalgia purposes, is that RanchoCast from 12/24/05.
It consists of nine mostly off the beaten path Christmas songs.
I just found a post-apocalyptic movie (good ones are among my favorite genres) I haven’t seen. The title refers to the number of survivors of an atomic bomb disaster that wipes out the rest of the human race. According to Robert Osborne of Turner Classic Movies, this film is the first to depict the aftermath of such a catastrophe.
Christmas weekend is here, and it’s finally starting to feel like Christmas.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the Newsome family. Here’s a video holiday greeting I made last year, with the best Christmas rock and roll song ever.
Punchbowl Full of Joy – Sonny Columbus and the Del Fuegos.
Pretty good week. The floor counts are wrong. Fitbit is great at tracking sleep, very good at tracking steps and miles, and terrible at tracking stairs. In no way. shape or form did I have a 50 floor day this week. Or ever.
Like everyone else I have been heartbroken by the senseless murder of children and those who teach and nurture (and protect) them. That goes without saying. What needs to be said is a few things about the way people are, not unexpectedly, using this tragedy as a springboard to rattle on about whatever social or political issue they feel strongly about. Can’t we just be sad for a little while?
First, a word about politics.
I am so completely uninterested in politics that it defies description. Other than Wake Forest basketball, there’s literally nothing that bores me more. Mostly because politics is a game, played by plutocrats for the benefit of other plutocrats and nobody really cares what the rest of us think. Again, sort of like Wake Forest basketball. I am also uninterested in labels, though if I were awarded a political one, it would be decidedly left of most of the people I know in the real world. They lean (or in some cases tumble wildly) to the right, while I lean, in many respects, the other way.
But I may be about to jeopardize my membership in the liberal knee jerk reaction club.
Because IT’S NOT AS SIMPLE AS JUST MAGICALLY TAKING OUR GUNS AWAY.
And because NOT EVERYONE WHO OWNS AND WANTS TO KEEP A GUN IS AN NRA NUTCASE.
But maybe it’s OK because IT’S ALSO NOT AS SIMPLE AS PUTTING THE GOD YOU HAPPEN TO PRAY TO AND THE RELIGIOUS RITUALS YOU OBSERVE “BACK IN SCHOOLS,” and stuffing them down everyone’s throat. You know what: anyone can pray any time they want, anywhere they want. I pray all the time (to what or whom is a mysterious and complex topic for another day, maybe). But I rarely feel compelled to pray out loud in public and I would never, ever force others to pray with me.
Now about this mental health business. The sympathy I feel for a mentally ill person is an atom in a universe of universes when compared to the sadness and rage I would feel if children were harmed by said person. Let me be blunt. If I start to lose my mind and there is even a slight chance I am going to hurt some babies, then whoever is responsible for me should lock me up and throw away the key. Err on the side of the babies. Sure, we need better mental health services in this country. But we need to keep people from killing children more. A lot more.
What we don’t need is more people shouting solutions from one impractical end of the spectrum to others at the other impractical end of the spectrum.
Taking guns away might be great in theory. Sort of like taking alcohol away. Or nuclear bombs. Or Keisha. But it doesn’t work in practice because some Nucky Thompson or another will fill the demand. Only thing is that only the people who live around the edges of the law will know how to get the illegal goods. Think about it this way. Marijuana is illegal most places. While that may keep some yuppie kids from lighting up, it doesn’t do much to keep committed smokers from finding weed whenever they need it. It also creates a shady industry of suppliers and dealers who get rich off of inflated prices.
There is no doubt that making all the guns disappear would reduce violence. Zero doubt. There is serious doubt, however, about whether you could- in the real world (e.g., outside of Facebook)- actually make enough of the right kind of guns disappear to make a difference. And whether doing so can be reconciled with the rights of legitimate gun owners who have legitimate reasons to legally own a gun. In other words, it’s complicated. There is a balance to be considered. A middle ground.
No one ever wants to talk about the middle.
I have guns (and a CHL for crying out loud). I absolutely do not want anyone to take them away. On the other hand, I don’t have, don’t want and don’t need a machine gun. I think Ted Nugent is an idiot and I think the NRA is the lunatic fringe. Ban automatic weapons. I could care less. That might stop some killing. But most killing isn’t done with machine guns. It’s done with handguns, shotguns, bombs, cars, pit bulls and whatnot.
And about this God thing. I completely believe in God. Yet I cringe almost every time people who purport to speak for religion open their mouth or touch their keyboard. Because too many times people are using religion to go on some digital crusade against someone God would tell you to love and be compassionate towards. Stated simply, lots of people all over the place are wrongfully using religion as a means to launder hate.
So let’s recap.
One, you can’t have my guns.
Two, stuffing your version of God down people’s throats will make things worse, not better.
Three, help those who have mental issues, but first and foremost help others to not get killed by them.
Four, people need to stop giving the lunatic fringe all the attention and rediscover the silent middle.
Finally, it’s OK to be sad without immediately attacking someone who doesn’t share your beliefs.
For many, many years, I have operated and used The Home Place as a custom internet start page. Back in the very early days of the web, it actually got a little press, as being cutting edge.
click for larger image
Not so much anymore, but I still use it, as do various family members and friends. As I noted the other day, however, things are changing around here. I’m moving Newsome.Org to WordPress.Com (the hosting company; I’ve been using the WordPress blogging platform for a long time). This will save me a lot of money. I like money.
The move makes it impossible to keep The Home Place at Newsome.Org. Without too much nerdity, the reason is because WordPress.Com does not allow you to have custom named web pages in a custom location in your web directory. So, I have set up The Home Place at another location.
If your company, like mine, annoyingly blocks cloud services- in this case Dropbox- and I know you, email me and I’ll send you a zip file with the web page files in it. You can unzip them onto your computer, and set your home page (via Options or Preferences in your browser) as the local (e.g., on your computer) jknstart.html file. I have to do that at work, and it works fine.
Sorry for the inconvenience.
Update: OK, so none of that worked well. In fact, it sucked. So The Home Place is back, new and improved. It does have a new web address:
While I was watching Brian Boyko’s hilarious and somewhat accurate and somewhat over the top 
I have a next to last generation iPad that I use for general tablet stuff and a new iPad Mini that serves as my bedside Kindle replacement. I find that I don’t use the full size iPad very often when at home. I use it more when on the road. I use the iPad Mini every night to play Words with Friends and Draw Something, and to read a little. It never leaves my bedside, but it is indispensable.
Newsome.Org 