At our work holiday party.
Paul's Journal
My Podcast Link
12/16/2008 12:32 #47081
James playing with his iPhoneAt our work holiday party.
12/16/2008 00:43 #47075
Rotating windowsThe KDE desktop for fedora 10 is pretty sweet. You can arbitrarily
rotate windows and all desktop widgets. I think it's the first time
I've seen that.
12/15/2008 23:50 #47074
Roswell park tire dumpCategory: roswell
Remember when I wrote (e:paul,45191) about the nasty shreaded tire mulch at 901 Washington a while back. One of my complaints was that the rubber shreds would wash into the surrounding area and sewer. Well, that is exactly what is happening. They really should have built a better containment wall for that, or better yet not have it.
12/15/2008 10:22 #47065
Wegman's courtesy UmbrellasWegman's now gives out courtesy umbrellas duribg rain storms that you
just leave in your cart when done. I wonder how long that will last.
It's amaIng to see anything still working on a trust based system.
fellyconnelly - 12/16/08 07:35
The umbrellas should have large lettering acrossd them that read:"stolen from wegmans"
The umbrellas should have large lettering acrossd them that read:"stolen from wegmans"
matthew - 12/15/08 13:18
i think they have had this for a while now. Who would want a huge glowing orange umbrella anyways? Walking down the street with that, it would seem pretty obvious you stole it.
i think they have had this for a while now. Who would want a huge glowing orange umbrella anyways? Walking down the street with that, it would seem pretty obvious you stole it.
metalpeter - 12/15/08 13:10
That is a good previous point about that if someone takes it, then it advertises them, but it also shows people once they get there that, that person was a crook, hey they stole it. Maybe since I don't drive I don't get it, but what is the point. Let say you have your cart and you open up the umbrella and get everything back into your car well then it is time to go put the cart away and the umbrella away then once it is put away won't you then get wet going back to the car, granted you will be less wet then you would have been with out it, but I don't get it. Now maybe as to the first point they assume people will take them.
Or maybe they are rigged some way like the carts where (never tested) at quality where if you went past a certain line it triggered breaks on the back wheels maybe, the umbrella has a chip that interfears with GPS or makes the radio pick up the wegmans station or something like that and every so often you here "We Know who you are, Return the Umbrella then sirens".
That is a good previous point about that if someone takes it, then it advertises them, but it also shows people once they get there that, that person was a crook, hey they stole it. Maybe since I don't drive I don't get it, but what is the point. Let say you have your cart and you open up the umbrella and get everything back into your car well then it is time to go put the cart away and the umbrella away then once it is put away won't you then get wet going back to the car, granted you will be less wet then you would have been with out it, but I don't get it. Now maybe as to the first point they assume people will take them.
Or maybe they are rigged some way like the carts where (never tested) at quality where if you went past a certain line it triggered breaks on the back wheels maybe, the umbrella has a chip that interfears with GPS or makes the radio pick up the wegmans station or something like that and every so often you here "We Know who you are, Return the Umbrella then sirens".
theli - 12/15/08 12:51
I'm sure they figure in the loss of stolen umbrellas into the benefit their brand name gets from it. That's even assuming that they do this on a consistent basis.
Yeah, I guess I'm a bit cynical about supermarket chains...
I'm sure they figure in the loss of stolen umbrellas into the benefit their brand name gets from it. That's even assuming that they do this on a consistent basis.
Yeah, I guess I'm a bit cynical about supermarket chains...
12/13/2008 12:24 #47052
Throwing your money "at the windows"Category: government
This is just a continuation of (e:paul,47049) as I am still so angry about this issue.
(e:james), you are right, we need to get some politicians behind this. Even just starting with the city of buffalo, there must be so much in possible savings. The problem is getting information about what they currently are using. We need a tech person on the inside who cares. I think tax payers are not outraged because they do not understand the issue, all it would take is some awareness.
The City of Buffalo represents a perfect candidate for free and open source change because:
1. It is so poor and our taxes are so high.
2. It is a pure government entitity unlike Roswell where some of the money comes from grants.
3. Its not that big compared to New York State.
4. We have access to policticans who could make it an issue.
Building Future Workers
A interesting way to promote this would be to pick an OS for the city customize the build to its needs. Then release the live CDs on the cities website so that citizens could download the OS for their own computers. It would help people who can't afford to buy windows products and it would also effectively train new city workers in using the software. If you use open office, firefox, etc at home then you won't have a problem using it at work. With all the money that would be saved, you could afford to have more programers customizing Free and Open Source software for the government needs, so they could get what they really want and need.
The Nay-sayser
The worst part of transitioning anything are the government employees who say I am only trained in microsoft tech. Well, you know what, getting a government job should not be the only pre-requisite to keeping a state job - as it seems to be. Especially, in technology. Technology changes and people need to adapt to new technology and more importantly - new budgets. Their lack of willing to learn and train in cost savings alternitves should equate losing their jobs to people who are committed to cost saving technologies.
Its not that hard to learn new technology. If you are a computer server tech, you could definately learn linux - if not capable of that you are in the wrong field.
If you are an administrative assistant, you can learn to type reports on open office
software. It kills me to think how much money is thrown out the window or as I said in the last post "thrown at the windows"
(e:james), you are right, we need to get some politicians behind this. Even just starting with the city of buffalo, there must be so much in possible savings. The problem is getting information about what they currently are using. We need a tech person on the inside who cares. I think tax payers are not outraged because they do not understand the issue, all it would take is some awareness.
The City of Buffalo represents a perfect candidate for free and open source change because:
1. It is so poor and our taxes are so high.
2. It is a pure government entitity unlike Roswell where some of the money comes from grants.
3. Its not that big compared to New York State.
4. We have access to policticans who could make it an issue.
Building Future Workers
A interesting way to promote this would be to pick an OS for the city customize the build to its needs. Then release the live CDs on the cities website so that citizens could download the OS for their own computers. It would help people who can't afford to buy windows products and it would also effectively train new city workers in using the software. If you use open office, firefox, etc at home then you won't have a problem using it at work. With all the money that would be saved, you could afford to have more programers customizing Free and Open Source software for the government needs, so they could get what they really want and need.
The Nay-sayser
The worst part of transitioning anything are the government employees who say I am only trained in microsoft tech. Well, you know what, getting a government job should not be the only pre-requisite to keeping a state job - as it seems to be. Especially, in technology. Technology changes and people need to adapt to new technology and more importantly - new budgets. Their lack of willing to learn and train in cost savings alternitves should equate losing their jobs to people who are committed to cost saving technologies.
Its not that hard to learn new technology. If you are a computer server tech, you could definately learn linux - if not capable of that you are in the wrong field.
If you are an administrative assistant, you can learn to type reports on open office
software. It kills me to think how much money is thrown out the window or as I said in the last post "thrown at the windows"drew - 12/13/08 18:20
I think it would be really cool if Buffalo became the US's first (as far as I know) "open source city." If we did it big and did it right. it could attract some people and maybe even jump start our tech economy. People can program from anywhere, and Buffalo is a pretty cheap/awesome place to live!
I think it would be really cool if Buffalo became the US's first (as far as I know) "open source city." If we did it big and did it right. it could attract some people and maybe even jump start our tech economy. People can program from anywhere, and Buffalo is a pretty cheap/awesome place to live!
heidi - 12/13/08 17:10
I usually work with small scale organizations - 1 to 5 computer users with no IT staff. I encourage people to use OpenOffice but they get frustrated if it doesn't work "right" the first time, and compatibility can still be problematic. Sometimes I just demand that they use Firefox (gently but still a demand) because of the safety issues. (e:Zobar)'s right about municipal software being old - there are still DOS water/sewer/garbage programs being supported. What a nightmare.
But as you scale up from the little shops, it's hard to tell where the line is where your IT staff is good & strong enough to handle switching to opensource, and where your staff will be okay with switching (balancing resistance & time/skill, I guess).
I usually work with small scale organizations - 1 to 5 computer users with no IT staff. I encourage people to use OpenOffice but they get frustrated if it doesn't work "right" the first time, and compatibility can still be problematic. Sometimes I just demand that they use Firefox (gently but still a demand) because of the safety issues. (e:Zobar)'s right about municipal software being old - there are still DOS water/sewer/garbage programs being supported. What a nightmare.
But as you scale up from the little shops, it's hard to tell where the line is where your IT staff is good & strong enough to handle switching to opensource, and where your staff will be okay with switching (balancing resistance & time/skill, I guess).
zobar - 12/13/08 15:59
You'd obviously save a buttload on software licensing fees. You'd save on ongoing server costs too because while the Linux server platform is occasionally arcane, it's generally quite solid and efficient, whereas the Windows server platform is extremely frustrating and seems to be less stable in general.
I think the desktops would require less maintenance but slightly more support. You'd need to increase help staff during the transition of course, but I don't think you'd ever completely get over the unfamiliarity thing.
The real big question is about vertical-market applications that you may have to replace and phase out. My impression is that the majority of ready-to-use municipal-government software is either Windows-based or really old like AS/400. If you can't bring in a Linux replacement app, you need to consult or hire your own developers, which will cost more than the status quo.
- Z
You'd obviously save a buttload on software licensing fees. You'd save on ongoing server costs too because while the Linux server platform is occasionally arcane, it's generally quite solid and efficient, whereas the Windows server platform is extremely frustrating and seems to be less stable in general.
I think the desktops would require less maintenance but slightly more support. You'd need to increase help staff during the transition of course, but I don't think you'd ever completely get over the unfamiliarity thing.
The real big question is about vertical-market applications that you may have to replace and phase out. My impression is that the majority of ready-to-use municipal-government software is either Windows-based or really old like AS/400. If you can't bring in a Linux replacement app, you need to consult or hire your own developers, which will cost more than the status quo.
- Z
gardenmama - 12/13/08 14:17
I am so out of the technology loop - I think I need to explore. My home computer is really old, and at work, though the district provides extensive professional development for teachers, they provide very little (ok, almost none) p.d. for support staff. We all use MS Office products at work and I came in (8 yrs. ago) knowing how to do a lot more with the software than many of my co-worker who had been there for many years. I frequently find myself teaching my co-workers about capabilities of the software and how to use it. Part of the problem for us is there is a huge disparity in people's knowledge of the software and you can't "make" them learn it. Some people will actually say "I don't know how to do that, and I don't want to learn" and the union would protect them because our job descriptions do not really include anything about technology skills (other than must be able to accurately type at 35 words per min. - hell, you can do that with the hunt and peck method). Also, when the district used to offer some support staff training, I wanted to take a 3-course series (one day each) on the MS Office database program (which would have benefitted our office) but my supervisor said she would only be willing to let me go for one day, but that 3 was too much. Well, I ended up not going to any because I knew that just the one would be sufficient to suite my needs.
I am so out of the technology loop - I think I need to explore. My home computer is really old, and at work, though the district provides extensive professional development for teachers, they provide very little (ok, almost none) p.d. for support staff. We all use MS Office products at work and I came in (8 yrs. ago) knowing how to do a lot more with the software than many of my co-worker who had been there for many years. I frequently find myself teaching my co-workers about capabilities of the software and how to use it. Part of the problem for us is there is a huge disparity in people's knowledge of the software and you can't "make" them learn it. Some people will actually say "I don't know how to do that, and I don't want to learn" and the union would protect them because our job descriptions do not really include anything about technology skills (other than must be able to accurately type at 35 words per min. - hell, you can do that with the hunt and peck method). Also, when the district used to offer some support staff training, I wanted to take a 3-course series (one day each) on the MS Office database program (which would have benefitted our office) but my supervisor said she would only be willing to let me go for one day, but that 3 was too much. Well, I ended up not going to any because I knew that just the one would be sufficient to suite my needs.
tinypliny - 12/13/08 13:04
Heh.. OpenOffice is exactly the same as MS Office but with added PDF output features and several customizable options. There is hardly anything to "learn".
Heh.. OpenOffice is exactly the same as MS Office but with added PDF output features and several customizable options. There is hardly anything to "learn".
paul - 12/13/08 12:48
Its a complicated issue. Its just just the tech people being dumb as it might seem. The problem are the vendors. They built software that works on IE6, then they made all their money and don't care about upgrading or helping. Its a viscious cycle. That is why I think the government should be required to only use open source software, so that at least its own tech team could the opportunity to change stuff.
Stuff can be open source and the companies can make money on support, which is fine. Its not like every vendor product would be replace by software managed entirely by internal staff.
I guess in it a way it is the tech support staff's fault because the buy the sofwtare without checking. A good example would be our new web based time tracking system purchased by HRI Albany that only works in IE. We just bought it in 2008. Hwo can there even be web software in 2008 that is not standards compliant enough to work in any modern browser.
Its a complicated issue. Its just just the tech people being dumb as it might seem. The problem are the vendors. They built software that works on IE6, then they made all their money and don't care about upgrading or helping. Its a viscious cycle. That is why I think the government should be required to only use open source software, so that at least its own tech team could the opportunity to change stuff.
Stuff can be open source and the companies can make money on support, which is fine. Its not like every vendor product would be replace by software managed entirely by internal staff.
I guess in it a way it is the tech support staff's fault because the buy the sofwtare without checking. A good example would be our new web based time tracking system purchased by HRI Albany that only works in IE. We just bought it in 2008. Hwo can there even be web software in 2008 that is not standards compliant enough to work in any modern browser.
jenks - 12/13/08 12:39
I haven't used openoffice much, but it seems more than adequate... I installed it on parallels and bootcamp b/c I didn't want to buy another stupid $$$ copy of Office that I will almost never use, but need just in case I have to open a .doc file or whatever.
I sent the tech support people at BGH a while ago an email saying how ridiculous it is that they still use IE6. of course they didn't respond and nothing came of it.
You don't even need to learn new things to upgrade from IE6 to 7. And it's FREE. Frankly I think everyone should use safari/firefox, but if they insist on stupid IE, at least get 7. Apple's mobileme stuff won't even RUN on 6.
I haven't used openoffice much, but it seems more than adequate... I installed it on parallels and bootcamp b/c I didn't want to buy another stupid $$$ copy of Office that I will almost never use, but need just in case I have to open a .doc file or whatever.
I sent the tech support people at BGH a while ago an email saying how ridiculous it is that they still use IE6. of course they didn't respond and nothing came of it.
You don't even need to learn new things to upgrade from IE6 to 7. And it's FREE. Frankly I think everyone should use safari/firefox, but if they insist on stupid IE, at least get 7. Apple's mobileme stuff won't even RUN on 6.
He said he was dressed as some guy from a band I think the stokes or something like that, with out knowing him and how he talks I'm not sure if he was serious or just messing around.
Oh Paul, you always know exactly what I want for christmas.
PS I thought he was dressed as Anthony Michael Hall (in some teenager movie that i haven't been able to identify b/c i'm a pop-culture idiot) for Halloween; I guess he just dresses like that all the time?
:-)
Hey when I was offered them there where rollos in there is there such a thing as fake rollos?
he's a pusherman, tryin' to force rollos on all us innocents.
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2oltUspwAY)
AHA. So it was a fake bag. I KNEW IT. LOL
The cowlick is very fetching.
Where's his faux bag o rollos?