At this time in history - a point that will not just be a sidebar in future history books, there are signs that, as far as we have come, we have a long way to go.
Listening to the callers and "conservative" talk show hosts I realize that we have been divided so savagely, that I don't know how it can be healed. In the age of information, the flood of mis-information is so great, and people are so willing to believe what they want to believe, that the truth is still hostage.
I have hope, but it will take another generation.
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
My House - Is a Very Fine House
I was always wondering where I could put the combined wealth of knowledge I have accumulated during the course of owning a house - well here is the perfect venue.
Maybe nobody reads it, maybe no one will ever head my pleas, but here goes:
1. If you are going to buy a house, try to look at it in the fall - especially when leaves fall off. Raking leaves can be a big expense, either monetarily or in time. (It seems like all the leaves in the neighborhood blow to my property!)
2. Never have a perfectly flat driveway if you live in an area of snow or freezing rain. Also, if you pick one with a flat drive or walkway, make sure it is on the south or west side. Nothing more interesting that to shovel snow in the morning, have in melt and then freeze in the afternoon (no sun) and come home to an ice rink.
cmz - 5 min
Maybe nobody reads it, maybe no one will ever head my pleas, but here goes:
1. If you are going to buy a house, try to look at it in the fall - especially when leaves fall off. Raking leaves can be a big expense, either monetarily or in time. (It seems like all the leaves in the neighborhood blow to my property!)
2. Never have a perfectly flat driveway if you live in an area of snow or freezing rain. Also, if you pick one with a flat drive or walkway, make sure it is on the south or west side. Nothing more interesting that to shovel snow in the morning, have in melt and then freeze in the afternoon (no sun) and come home to an ice rink.
cmz - 5 min
Saturday, October 04, 2008
Deja Vu all over again
After listening to the reviews of the VP presidential debate, I wondered where I heard it before - right -the presidential debates of 2000. The bar was set so low for now President Bush that any show of competence was seen as a win. hmmmmm.
ChrisZ
5 min
ChrisZ
5 min
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Pay not attention to the man behind the curtain!
During the last several Presidential terms, there has been some crisis or another near the end of their term.
This is because the country rode a wave of success that was an illusion, and it had to crash eventually.
President Reagan rode the buildup in the defense industry. It is fairly well accepted that we beat the Soviet Union by outspending them. At some time it had to come to an end, and in this case the loser was President Bush (I) who paid the price when the economy could not sustain the spending.
President Clinton rode the Internet bubble. I remember sitting with the CFO of the company I was with and we were watching the stock market (and our 401K's) go through the roof, and thinking "what is wrong with this picture?" We we found out. Besides Tyco and Enron, many companies were built up with paper profits and speculation. When it started to crash, President Bush (II) and maybe Al Gore had to take the fall - at least President Bush could claim to be of the other party and thereby dodge some of the blame.
Now President Bush has been riding the housing boom. We don't know who is ultimately to blame, but I am going to go out on a limb and say that at the least, the current administration was stuck between a rock and a hard place. If they pushed for regulation, they would be going against the tide of less government regulation. If they didn't push for regulation, they knew the house of cards would come down, could they just not have it on their watch. My feeling is that we will find they took the middle road. They talked a good game in order to cover themselves, but at the same time did nothing to push for changes.
The next president is going to have to convince people to lower their expectations, to return to a simpler life, to put value in actions rather than possessions, so we can dig ourselves out of this mess.
ChrisZ
10 min
This is because the country rode a wave of success that was an illusion, and it had to crash eventually.
President Reagan rode the buildup in the defense industry. It is fairly well accepted that we beat the Soviet Union by outspending them. At some time it had to come to an end, and in this case the loser was President Bush (I) who paid the price when the economy could not sustain the spending.
President Clinton rode the Internet bubble. I remember sitting with the CFO of the company I was with and we were watching the stock market (and our 401K's) go through the roof, and thinking "what is wrong with this picture?" We we found out. Besides Tyco and Enron, many companies were built up with paper profits and speculation. When it started to crash, President Bush (II) and maybe Al Gore had to take the fall - at least President Bush could claim to be of the other party and thereby dodge some of the blame.
Now President Bush has been riding the housing boom. We don't know who is ultimately to blame, but I am going to go out on a limb and say that at the least, the current administration was stuck between a rock and a hard place. If they pushed for regulation, they would be going against the tide of less government regulation. If they didn't push for regulation, they knew the house of cards would come down, could they just not have it on their watch. My feeling is that we will find they took the middle road. They talked a good game in order to cover themselves, but at the same time did nothing to push for changes.
The next president is going to have to convince people to lower their expectations, to return to a simpler life, to put value in actions rather than possessions, so we can dig ourselves out of this mess.
ChrisZ
10 min
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Trust but verify
This was supposedly the mantra of Ronald Reagan. Not a bad one to apply to the Internet.
Everyone assumes that if something is on the Internet it is true. Far from it.
When someone wrote a book, there was at least a process that they had to go through, and this separated the serious person verses the joker. Today, anyone with a computer and a blog can set off a firestorm before anyone else can confirm or deny the accusation.
Rather than take things you see as fact, maybe the new mantra, at least as it relates to the Internet, is "look and research".
ChrisZ
5min
Everyone assumes that if something is on the Internet it is true. Far from it.
When someone wrote a book, there was at least a process that they had to go through, and this separated the serious person verses the joker. Today, anyone with a computer and a blog can set off a firestorm before anyone else can confirm or deny the accusation.
Rather than take things you see as fact, maybe the new mantra, at least as it relates to the Internet, is "look and research".
ChrisZ
5min
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Ground rules
7. Nothing radical happens overnight.
8. No one person is to be congratulated or blamed. (similar to #2)
1 min
8. No one person is to be congratulated or blamed. (similar to #2)
1 min
Monday, June 02, 2008
They just don't get it
>>Ramping up its efforts to build search market share, Microsoft signed a deal to embed a Live Search toolbar on all Hewlett-Packard consumer PCs in North America starting next year.
In addition, Live Search will be the default search engine on browsers on the computers, the companies said. Both features will be included in HP PCs in January 2009.<<
From:
Microsoft, HP Do Search Deal for PCs
>>Some Microsoft competitors have cried foul at previous efforts by the software giant to tie its search platform into its browser. Two years ago when Microsoft launched IE7 in beta, it set Live Search as the default search provider in a toolbar in the browser, although users can hit a drop-down menu to change the search provider to a handful of other companies. At the time, Google complained to the European Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice that the default setting removes choice for users. Google has a similar setup in Mozilla's Firefox browser, which comes with Google as the default search bar. The DOJ found that Microsoft makes it easy enough for users and computer makers to change the default setting. <<
The problem is not that it is easy to change the default setting - it is that it is the default setting at all! Imagine a car that would only run on a particular brand of gas until you took it somewhere and had the default changed. Most people do not have the ability or the patience to change the default - they will just leave it as it is. Way back when, you had a choice of three or more browsers when you bought a computer - now it is handed to you and you are told to use it.
Sorry, but they just don't get it.
6 min
In addition, Live Search will be the default search engine on browsers on the computers, the companies said. Both features will be included in HP PCs in January 2009.<<
From:
Microsoft, HP Do Search Deal for PCs
>>Some Microsoft competitors have cried foul at previous efforts by the software giant to tie its search platform into its browser. Two years ago when Microsoft launched IE7 in beta, it set Live Search as the default search provider in a toolbar in the browser, although users can hit a drop-down menu to change the search provider to a handful of other companies. At the time, Google complained to the European Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice that the default setting removes choice for users. Google has a similar setup in Mozilla's Firefox browser, which comes with Google as the default search bar. The DOJ found that Microsoft makes it easy enough for users and computer makers to change the default setting. <<
The problem is not that it is easy to change the default setting - it is that it is the default setting at all! Imagine a car that would only run on a particular brand of gas until you took it somewhere and had the default changed. Most people do not have the ability or the patience to change the default - they will just leave it as it is. Way back when, you had a choice of three or more browsers when you bought a computer - now it is handed to you and you are told to use it.
Sorry, but they just don't get it.
6 min
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Next Blog
I am very dissapointed that Google has no way of qualifying content on their blogs. While I do not fall into the catagory of all web content should be restrictive, I do feel that you should be warned if content is for adult eyes only.
In that I have removed the "Next Blog" feature from some of my blogs, especially the ones that I do for other people or organizations. This way they don't accidentally click on something they don't want to see.
I have left it active on this page but will be putting in a warning. I hope Google and Blogger see this and make some changes soon.
ChrisZ
4 min
In that I have removed the "Next Blog" feature from some of my blogs, especially the ones that I do for other people or organizations. This way they don't accidentally click on something they don't want to see.
I have left it active on this page but will be putting in a warning. I hope Google and Blogger see this and make some changes soon.
ChrisZ
4 min
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