23rd
August
2008
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.
Read the rest of this entry »
posted in computing, politics |
10th
June
2008
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,
Read the rest of this entry »
posted in economy, technology |
12th
April
2008
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.
Read the rest of this entry »
posted in computing |
27th
February
2008
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.
Read the rest of this entry »
posted in health, Idol |
6th
December
2007
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.
Read the rest of this entry »
posted in technology |
26th
August
2007
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.
Read the rest of this entry »
posted in technology |
8th
August
2007
“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.
Read the rest of this entry »
posted in computing |
13th
January
2007
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?
Read the rest of this entry »
posted in computing |
26th
December
2006
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.
Read the rest of this entry »
posted in economy, Wx |