23rd August 2008

I would like to buy an upgrade

My contact with Dell support today left me bewildered. Here is a company that understands the online model of sales. Great techniques to convince a potential buyer that their model really does exist. Fast, free shipping. Quality product. And then, the bump in the road.

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posted in computing, politics | Comments Off on I would like to buy an upgrade | 419 words

10th June 2008

Lies and damned lies

I have always believed in free telephone service. I’ve spent a lifetime pursuing the principle. Some examples of my frugality in the personal telecommunications area would have to include the following,

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posted in economy, technology | Comments Off on Lies and damned lies | 478 words

12th April 2008

Virtual desktops

I’m going to catch up with a small administrative task left over from yesterday, and then we’ll look at some ideas on how the virtual desktop can be shared among varied machines. For the past couple of years, the snowfall levels have kept me watchful – will the tendency to accumulate come to an end, so that we can return to more of a “barefoot in the park” lifestyle. To that end, I’ve been taking photos, and yesterday afternoon should have been one of those freeze-frames. Except that I was at work; my photo today is LATE, but the difference should not be measurable.

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posted in computing | Comments Off on Virtual desktops | 343 words

27th February 2008

No beds available, I guess

Any time we mention health care up here in Canada, there’s a sense of pride that we have a system, an admission that it costs a lot of money and a whispered prayer that someone will find a magic bullet to reduce the whole pyramid scheme to something we can afford. Well, perhaps not a pyramid; think of it as a really big ball carried on the backs of a collected multitude.

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posted in health, Idol | Comments Off on No beds available, I guess | 357 words

6th December 2007

Our own security model

What’s worse than “unpaid overtime”? How about spending it alone, in a classroom. Almost as bad as being kept in at recess, except that this was really after school. Somebody in the house stayed behind to hang up student projects from a very high ceiling, and once again the role of guardian angel fell to me and the kid. After all, since we were already home (where the heart is), we might as well pretend to be the “eye in the sky” for safety’s sake.

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posted in technology | Comments Off on Our own security model | 285 words

26th August 2007

In search of greater precision

I live a life that is free of rules, or rather rulers. Measuring sticks. When the only thing I’m likely to cut during a given day is a piece of very mild cheddar to be shared with my best friend, the idea of precision in the length of the cut is far from ten on the scale. So, when called upon to assist son #2 in the purchase of his first tool for the new career in mechanical engineering, I was surprised.

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posted in technology | Comments Off on In search of greater precision | 420 words

8th August 2007

Incomplete transaction

“Building” the computer you want is good. I’ve done a few over the years, usually on top of the kitchen table (for workspace) or on top of the kitchen stove (for the overhead lighting). Even a combination of the two when the last screw hole seemed to be hiding from me. Saving money also helps in the rationalization of the whole thing. Doing so, online, virtually, has been less of a resounding success.

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posted in computing | Comments Off on Incomplete transaction | 443 words

13th January 2007

Whether it’s nice someplace else

With the rest of the family out of the house for the evening, it was time to try something new. We don’t have a home theatre, which is why the Happy Gang went to the local cinema. I, on the other hand, have a radio which tunes in CBC and the Randy Bachman show. Guess who gets more value for their dollar?

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posted in computing | Comments Off on Whether it’s nice someplace else | 311 words

26th December 2006

Fear of a stampede

I should know better, at my age. There are no real Boxing Day bargains, especially when the prices are published for all to see. For days now, the intrepid shoppers have been planning their strategies, armed with fast cars and cell phones. I am no more than a witness without much money.

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posted in economy, Wx | Comments Off on Fear of a stampede | 515 words

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