Author Archives: ghw

if you thought microsoft was evil before

Posted on by
Reply

Lawrence Lessig draws our attention to a lawsuit that Microsoft has filed against a Brazilian government official, Sergio Amadeu, for daring to criticize them. Lessig writes, “Microsoft characterizes Amadeuís statements as ‘beyond being absurd and criminal’ and as evincing an ‘excess in freedom of speech and freedom of thought.'”

Yes, if there’s anything America stands for, it’s freedom of speech and freedom of thought within the proper boundaries as defined by coporate America. Pop quiz: Which is worse for Microsoft’s image?

  1. Someone who publicly criticizes Microsoft.
  2. Microsoft filing a criminal defamation action against someone who publicly criticizes them.

In conclusion, if there’s anyone still wondering why I’ve switched to Apple…

revisiting the task list

Posted on by
2

Okay, checking in:

  • The tattoo is done;
  • I bought the 12″ laptop, but I got the PowerBook rather than the iBook;
  • I bought my plane ticket to England; booked my accommodations in Manchester, London, and Lyon (still need to buy plane ticket from London to Lyon); applied for a reader’s card at the British Library; and registered for SHARP 2004;
  • I have Drupal and MediaWiki running on my laptop, and I’m learning the ins and outs; sometime before summer is over I should have both running online;
  • I’ve talked over the Lit Out Loud / Poetry Blam idea with a colleague or two, who seem enthusiastic about it; by the end of summer something should be online and running;
  • I submitted my part of the budget for the Honors Program; we’ve reserved a space for the honors conference next year; and I went to an orientation program regarding Academic Service Learning;
  • Reading: The Methodist Conference in America; Rethinking Media Change: the Aesthetics of Transition; re-reading Britons: Forging the Nation, 1707-1837.

Geez, that seems like a lot. Why does it feel like I’m spinning my wheels? So much more to do, still.

openoffice on the mac

Posted on by
5

Yes, I love my PowerBook. But I have a directory full of OpenOffice Writer files (currently transferring wirelessly from my Win2k machine) that I want to be able to read and edit on my new machine. However, I can’t get the program to run yet. *sigh*

There are a bunch of pages out there on the web dealing with this issue, but I can’t seem to resolve it. My next step is to see if it’s possible to batch-process all the files into something like *.rtf or *.doc.

iraq and 9/11: for the record

Posted on by
1

“9/11 Panel Finds No Iraqi Collaboration,” By Dan Eggen (WaPo):

There is “no credible evidence” that Saddam Hussein’s government in Iraq collaborated with the al Qaeda terrorist network on any attacks on the United States, including the Sept. 11, 2001 hijackings, according to a new staff report released this morning by the commission investigating the hijacking plot.

Although Osama bin Laden briefly explored the idea of forging ties with Iraq in the mid-1990s, the terrorist leader was hostile to Hussein’s secular government, and Iraq never responded to requests for help in providing training camps or weapons, the panel’s report says.

The findings come in the wake of statements Monday by Vice President Cheney that Iraq had “long-established ties” with al Qaeda, and comments by President Bush yesterday backing up that assertion.

I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: the Bush administration is stupid, incompetent, or dishonest. Or some combination of the three.

you’re losing me

Posted on by
Reply

bush_cheney.jpg

Ever since I met you, you’ve been doing me wrong.
But now I’m getting myself together. Now my heart is strong.
You’re telling me don’t do this. You’re telling me don’t do that.
But now it’s my time, baby, to show you where it’s at.

Your promises are getting weak. Your lies are getting thin.
But now I’m gonna play your game and show you how to win.
You do me wrong, and then you smile in my face.
But someone else is gonna take your place.

You’re losing me.

Your cheating and lying got the best of me.
Now I’m gonna get the best of you.

You’re losing me.

–Ann Sexton, “You’re Losing Me”