In regard to my earlier post, I am going to expound on the world of Open Source. Specifically some of the so-called luminaries in that world. Let's take a look at four of the big names; Linus Torvalds, Richard Stallman, Bruce Perens, and Eric Raymond (to be known as Linus, RMS, Perens & ESR respectively). We'll start in the middle.
RMS: What can be said about him that hasn't already been said? Here's my opinion on him. He's an extremist fruitcake who is a vital part of the whole software industry. He's so far out on his end of the spectrum that he balances things out. While he can be exasperating at times, he is probably the most important person in the Open Source world. Score: B-
Perens: Bruce is very good at starting projects. Often the projects he starts are good ones that could be very beneficial to the world at large. However, I have not seen him actually complete anything. That's not to say he has never completed something, just that I've not seen it. He does have some very good ideas and has been good for the Open Source world on whole, though. Score: C-
ERS: $DEITY don't get me started. Well, I already got myself started so here goes. ESR is very smart (as are all of the people on this rant) and has had some good ideas (The Cathedral and the Bazaar, for one) but he's done almost as much to hurt Open Source as to help it. He doesn't know where to draw the line between an IT/IS professional and a flaming zealot. Honestly, I know a number of people who would be much better "spokesman" that he is. Score: D
Linus: Now we come to the only one of these guys that I have actually met. It was just a short face-to-face after one of the sessions of USENIX back in the mid-90's. Linus is one of the most mellow people I know in this industry. It seems that part of being an uber-techie is having an explosive personality. This doesn't mean Linus has never flamed away. If you look through some of the lists he's on you can find some very chestnut warming posts. But he doesn't let his non-techie life get to mixed up with his techie life. Plus, there are many people who look at him in an almost godlike way. Most people finding themselves in this kind of power situation would be prone to believing the press and assuming godlike attitudes. Linus has been able to keep a level head amongst the adulation for over a decade now. This is an admirable quality. Score: A+
Well, there' my first OPA post. And remember, I am always right!
Showing posts with label Commentary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Commentary. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
Saturday, June 11, 2005
Opinionated pompous ass
Last night I was thinking. I had some time to think as I was up till 3am with "the trots." (I know; TMI) Anyway, I'm thinking about this blog and the open source world and life and all that. It also came to mind my 23 years of working in the IM/IS/IT/whatever industry. I've had time to reflect on my experience in this industry lately because I'm bring my resume out to everywhere I can in order to find some income. Looking at my resume you will see that I've had experience in a fairly good array of fields in the industry. I'm not the greatest or most or best anything but I do have experience in a good range of things, quite a bit that is not reflected in my resume. "School of Life" sorta stuff. Going over all of this I got to thinking about the opinions and insights and commentary I might have on not only the industry but life and cultures and all kinds of things. After all, I have been across the Atlantic ocean some 13 or 15 times (I can't remember which but I know it's an odd number), so I have some experience that many others don't. I've also been around for a decent amount of time, being 42 years of age at the time of this writing. So what does all of this babbling mean? It means I can express myself, here in this venue, all the ideas and opinions and observations I might want to express. So in the coming weeks/months/years I think I'll just let loss and see what happens. But don't worry, I'll still post my comments on the Formula 1 races. Just remember one thing...
I am always right!Always.
Monday, May 16, 2005
Observations on vocal comparisons between the Thai language and Mandarin Chinese as they relate to the English language and English language speakers
(How's that for a long title?)
Over the last few years I have been learning a little Thai and Mandarin. They are both tonal languages and both have certain characters that make sounds not present in the English language. What I am going to talk about is how they compare to the English language. More specifically, how the pronunciation of each compares to the English language speakers ability to form the requisite sounds for each language.
Let's start with the similarities. While both Thai and Mandarin have more letters in their alphabets, many of the sounds they make are very much the same as various English language letters. A randomly selected example might be; W, D, O, T, B. There are equivalent sounds in all three languages for what these letters represent in English. Now, by letter I mean characters. In both the Thai and Mandarin writing systems the characters actually represent words or concepts, especially in Mandarin. A "real world" example of the "same sound" would be my name, Joe. In Thai there are two characters that, when combined, make the sound that is the same as my name. Interestingly, in Thai the character for the "O" sound comes before the one for the "J" sound. But that's getting ahead of myself. The reality is that most of the sounds made by these languages are very similar across the board. However...
The differences are where the fun begins. First off, the number of characters in the languages are interesting in their differences. English has 26 letters in our alphabet: 5/6 vowels & 21/20 consonants (that damned "and sometimes Y" thing keeps things from being completely clean). The Thai language has 44 consonants & 24 vowels. Plus some special characters we'll get into shortly. Mandarin has, it is estimated, some 40-50,000 characters! There's a rule of thumb that you need to know a minimum of 3,000 to be able to communicate and 6,000 to read a news paper. But if you are learning the language phonetically it's not as important how many characters there are. You only need to know the sounds. This makes it much easer, as the Pimsleur Approach has shown.
Second, while there are similar sounds there are also unique sounds that are not made in the English language. Sounds, which are often so different, the English speaker is unable to correctly form their mouth, tongue, lips, etc. in order to make the sound. This seems to be more prevalent in Mandarin than in Thai. Because of the complexity of Thai and Mandarin, the slightest variation in the way you hold your lips or position your tongue can mean the difference between communicating and just making strange sounds. This goes both ways, though. There are some sounds in the English language that are difficult for native Thai and Mandarin speakers to make. In both cases, Thai/Mandarin -> English and English -> Thai/Mandarin, the trouble comes partly from the fact that the native speakers mouth/lips/tongue/etc. are not used to the subjectively strange positions they need to be in in order to make the correct sound. As a simple example, there is a sound that is most closely approximated by an native English speaker by saying the "U" while spreading your lips in as wide a smile as possible. This is a learned trait and becomes more pronounced the longer someone has only spoken their native language. Young children up to teens are much more able to adapt themselves to handle the sounds made in both languages. This is why you find that older people tend to have a more pronounced accent to their speech when speaking a non-native language. A person could have their first 20 years immersed in their "native" language then another 30 in their "second" language yet will likely still have an accent that can be heard in their speech.
Finally, and most importantly, there are the tones. Both Thai and Mandarin are tonal languages. This means that the tone used when saying a word or phrase will change the meaning, often quite drastically. Thai has five tones while Mandarin has four. In Thai the tones are mid-level, low falling, high, and raising. In Mandarin the tones are high, rising, falling~raising, and falling. The third tone here starts out high then falls to low and then raises back up. Tones are the most difficult thing that English speakers have to learn. When you start out the tones are imperceptible; they all sound the same. But, with practice and help, they can eventually be heard and even spoken. I can speak some of the phrases in Thai that I have learned with no accent. Sometimes I am mistaken as being fluent in Thai by some native Thai speakers. They quickly learn that I am far from that. But I take it as a compliment.
So what does this all mean? My limited exposure to the two languages leads me to believe that Thai speakers will have an easier time speaking English than those who speak Mandarin. Conversely, it will be easier for English language natives to speak Thai than Mandarin. This is true only when not considering the tones. Factoring the tones in the Thai/Mandarin -> English is much easier than the other way. This is not unique, really. I also happen to know a lot of German plus some Italian & French. From the perspective of being able to be understood, it is much easier to go from pretty much any language to English.
Over the last few years I have been learning a little Thai and Mandarin. They are both tonal languages and both have certain characters that make sounds not present in the English language. What I am going to talk about is how they compare to the English language. More specifically, how the pronunciation of each compares to the English language speakers ability to form the requisite sounds for each language.
Let's start with the similarities. While both Thai and Mandarin have more letters in their alphabets, many of the sounds they make are very much the same as various English language letters. A randomly selected example might be; W, D, O, T, B. There are equivalent sounds in all three languages for what these letters represent in English. Now, by letter I mean characters. In both the Thai and Mandarin writing systems the characters actually represent words or concepts, especially in Mandarin. A "real world" example of the "same sound" would be my name, Joe. In Thai there are two characters that, when combined, make the sound that is the same as my name. Interestingly, in Thai the character for the "O" sound comes before the one for the "J" sound. But that's getting ahead of myself. The reality is that most of the sounds made by these languages are very similar across the board. However...
The differences are where the fun begins. First off, the number of characters in the languages are interesting in their differences. English has 26 letters in our alphabet: 5/6 vowels & 21/20 consonants (that damned "and sometimes Y" thing keeps things from being completely clean). The Thai language has 44 consonants & 24 vowels. Plus some special characters we'll get into shortly. Mandarin has, it is estimated, some 40-50,000 characters! There's a rule of thumb that you need to know a minimum of 3,000 to be able to communicate and 6,000 to read a news paper. But if you are learning the language phonetically it's not as important how many characters there are. You only need to know the sounds. This makes it much easer, as the Pimsleur Approach has shown.
Second, while there are similar sounds there are also unique sounds that are not made in the English language. Sounds, which are often so different, the English speaker is unable to correctly form their mouth, tongue, lips, etc. in order to make the sound. This seems to be more prevalent in Mandarin than in Thai. Because of the complexity of Thai and Mandarin, the slightest variation in the way you hold your lips or position your tongue can mean the difference between communicating and just making strange sounds. This goes both ways, though. There are some sounds in the English language that are difficult for native Thai and Mandarin speakers to make. In both cases, Thai/Mandarin -> English and English -> Thai/Mandarin, the trouble comes partly from the fact that the native speakers mouth/lips/tongue/etc. are not used to the subjectively strange positions they need to be in in order to make the correct sound. As a simple example, there is a sound that is most closely approximated by an native English speaker by saying the "U" while spreading your lips in as wide a smile as possible. This is a learned trait and becomes more pronounced the longer someone has only spoken their native language. Young children up to teens are much more able to adapt themselves to handle the sounds made in both languages. This is why you find that older people tend to have a more pronounced accent to their speech when speaking a non-native language. A person could have their first 20 years immersed in their "native" language then another 30 in their "second" language yet will likely still have an accent that can be heard in their speech.
Finally, and most importantly, there are the tones. Both Thai and Mandarin are tonal languages. This means that the tone used when saying a word or phrase will change the meaning, often quite drastically. Thai has five tones while Mandarin has four. In Thai the tones are mid-level, low falling, high, and raising. In Mandarin the tones are high, rising, falling~raising, and falling. The third tone here starts out high then falls to low and then raises back up. Tones are the most difficult thing that English speakers have to learn. When you start out the tones are imperceptible; they all sound the same. But, with practice and help, they can eventually be heard and even spoken. I can speak some of the phrases in Thai that I have learned with no accent. Sometimes I am mistaken as being fluent in Thai by some native Thai speakers. They quickly learn that I am far from that. But I take it as a compliment.
So what does this all mean? My limited exposure to the two languages leads me to believe that Thai speakers will have an easier time speaking English than those who speak Mandarin. Conversely, it will be easier for English language natives to speak Thai than Mandarin. This is true only when not considering the tones. Factoring the tones in the Thai/Mandarin -> English is much easier than the other way. This is not unique, really. I also happen to know a lot of German plus some Italian & French. From the perspective of being able to be understood, it is much easier to go from pretty much any language to English.
Sunday, February 13, 2005
The ups and downs
Ever notice how people tend to use a roller coaster as the metaphor for life's travels? The whole up and down thing is understandable. But life tends to be a lot less forgiving than an amusement part ride. The ups and downs in life are far more intense and have much less warning. Closer to a rocket shot; straight up and straight down.
Right now I'm in the middle of limbo. The job in PA went very well but was a real killer. Nearly 4 weeks in a hotel away from my son... That's far to long a time to be away. Now I'm in wait state while the sales people are working out another gig. I did get my first paycheck from the new job and it was almost enough to catch me up on things. But I need new glasses and had to put down half for them to start making them. Now the glasses are in but I can't pick them up till I get more money in. Heh, as a side note this prescription is bifocal. Damn I'm getting old.
On a good note I have been on two dates since I got back. One was with the Chinese lady friend from way back. The other with a setup through that Together Dating. They both were nice and I hope to see them both again. I'm pretty sure I'll see the former but can only hope about the latter. The funny thing is I have four more "introductions" in my bag. I've setup dates with three of them but still need to touch base with the fourth. Next weekend is going to be very busy.
What else... I'm still hoping to start my plan. It's not going to be easy as it's far more likely I'll spend the days lying on the couch watching TV than trying to re-learn programming. It would be good for me if I did get back into hacking, though. And it is something I really like. The lack or motivation and, more critically, discipline is what's holding me back. I know it. You know it. Everyone knows it. But lazy is more than just a state of mind. It's a way of life. Well, for some of us it is.
Oh, before I forget, I started smoking the Eclipse cigarettes again. The Wellbutrin was working wonderfully but I ran out of the prescription while up in PA and the stress from the training and being away from my son was to much. I need to call the doctor and get it renewed this week.
Anyway, them's the highlights. I'll try and get on here more often but don't hold your breath. Remember, lazy is a way of life.
Right now I'm in the middle of limbo. The job in PA went very well but was a real killer. Nearly 4 weeks in a hotel away from my son... That's far to long a time to be away. Now I'm in wait state while the sales people are working out another gig. I did get my first paycheck from the new job and it was almost enough to catch me up on things. But I need new glasses and had to put down half for them to start making them. Now the glasses are in but I can't pick them up till I get more money in. Heh, as a side note this prescription is bifocal. Damn I'm getting old.
On a good note I have been on two dates since I got back. One was with the Chinese lady friend from way back. The other with a setup through that Together Dating. They both were nice and I hope to see them both again. I'm pretty sure I'll see the former but can only hope about the latter. The funny thing is I have four more "introductions" in my bag. I've setup dates with three of them but still need to touch base with the fourth. Next weekend is going to be very busy.
What else... I'm still hoping to start my plan. It's not going to be easy as it's far more likely I'll spend the days lying on the couch watching TV than trying to re-learn programming. It would be good for me if I did get back into hacking, though. And it is something I really like. The lack or motivation and, more critically, discipline is what's holding me back. I know it. You know it. Everyone knows it. But lazy is more than just a state of mind. It's a way of life. Well, for some of us it is.
Oh, before I forget, I started smoking the Eclipse cigarettes again. The Wellbutrin was working wonderfully but I ran out of the prescription while up in PA and the stress from the training and being away from my son was to much. I need to call the doctor and get it renewed this week.
Anyway, them's the highlights. I'll try and get on here more often but don't hold your breath. Remember, lazy is a way of life.
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
Life moves way to fast!
It's been a while since I've updated this blog. A lot has happened. Well, one thing has happened but it was a major life-altering thing. I got a job.
It's not just "a job" though. See, I've been working with and using Linux and open source since November 1991. I'm a big advocate of Linux and open source. I've participated in a number of open source projects, written articles and helped with the spreading of Linux whenever I can. This job is like a dream. I will be doing Linux/open source training, Linux/open source consulting and building Linux/open source solutions for companies. Can you believe it? I still can't. Right now I'm in PA doing three weeks of Linux training with the potential of some add-on consulting. It's been a little rough, though. It's been a while since I've done anything more than one day sessions but this first week seems to have gone well.
The one down side is that I'll be away from home for three and a half weeks. That's a long time away from my family, especially my son. That reminds me, I need to call him.
[...]
Ok, just got off the phone with him. He's doing good but misses me. I miss him very much. Thank $DEITY that my mother is there to watch him. If she wasn't I don't know if I could have taken this position. Another reason I wish I had a wife/girlfriend.
On that front, I believe that I'm going to give up looking for a woman. Not necessarily forever but for a while at least. It's to distracting. And it's not likely that I will ever find anyone anyway. Man, you know it's bad when your own mother also doesn't think I'll ever find a woman. Very depressing.
Which reminds me... I have run out of the Wellbutrin. The Doctor has said I need to see him again before continuing the prescription refilled. That's not likely to happen anytime soon as I won't be back for over two more weeks. Unfortunately the lack of the Wellbutrin has meant that I started smoking those damned Eclipse cigarettes.
Oh well, what the hell. Or as Miles says in Risky Business, sometimes you just have to say, "What the fuck."
It's not just "a job" though. See, I've been working with and using Linux and open source since November 1991. I'm a big advocate of Linux and open source. I've participated in a number of open source projects, written articles and helped with the spreading of Linux whenever I can. This job is like a dream. I will be doing Linux/open source training, Linux/open source consulting and building Linux/open source solutions for companies. Can you believe it? I still can't. Right now I'm in PA doing three weeks of Linux training with the potential of some add-on consulting. It's been a little rough, though. It's been a while since I've done anything more than one day sessions but this first week seems to have gone well.
The one down side is that I'll be away from home for three and a half weeks. That's a long time away from my family, especially my son. That reminds me, I need to call him.
[...]
Ok, just got off the phone with him. He's doing good but misses me. I miss him very much. Thank $DEITY that my mother is there to watch him. If she wasn't I don't know if I could have taken this position. Another reason I wish I had a wife/girlfriend.
On that front, I believe that I'm going to give up looking for a woman. Not necessarily forever but for a while at least. It's to distracting. And it's not likely that I will ever find anyone anyway. Man, you know it's bad when your own mother also doesn't think I'll ever find a woman. Very depressing.
Which reminds me... I have run out of the Wellbutrin. The Doctor has said I need to see him again before continuing the prescription refilled. That's not likely to happen anytime soon as I won't be back for over two more weeks. Unfortunately the lack of the Wellbutrin has meant that I started smoking those damned Eclipse cigarettes.
Oh well, what the hell. Or as Miles says in Risky Business, sometimes you just have to say, "What the fuck."
Tuesday, December 14, 2004
Catch up is more than just a condiment
It's been really freaked here lately. Going on a month of unemployment, which means the bills haven't been paid in two months. I'm getting calls and email from everyone wanting money. I have no money and will not be getting more anytime soon. My disability annuity just covers the rent. Life sucks.
As for the job situation, I am getting a boat load of calls from recruiters. My skill set and expertise are quite good. However, they are only looking for full-time employees. As soon as I mention my part-time limitation they all say the same thing.
On the home front, my son is doing both exceptional and abysmal in school. Academically he's running 2 to 3 grades beyond his current one. Emotionally/interpersonally he's 2 to 3 grades below. He lacks discipline and the ability to self monitor his behavior. It's nothing extreme. He's just a bit talkative and, when he gets bored, he wants to occupy himself in loud and boisterous activities. Most of the time trying to get his classmates to join him. I know why he lacks the discipline and there's not much I can do to fix that (I am trying, though). But he is very capable of behaving in the right environment. He had almost no problems when he was in Tae Kwon Do and he's never been a problem when he visits his grandmother. He's generally good for me, too. I think that the school systems in this day and age aren't prepared to handle boys. Girls will, generally, behave fairly well. The boys are, well, why do you think that "boisterous" starts with a "boy" sound? We'll work it out somehow.
Health is, well, I have no idea. The last few weeks I've had a headache that won't go away and some body aches that are above and beyond the FM. Today I was up at 4am with chest pains. They seemed to come and go all day. My left arm was numb and weak. I mean much more so than normal. I almost called 911 on two occasions but didn't. Yes, I know... I'm being a pig-headed, stupid man who won't call the doctor when he's sick. I've done the chest pains/911/ambulance/hospital thing already and it's not something I want to do again. No, it doesn't make any sense. But if I'm still having them tomorrow I will call. That is if I am still alive in the morning. Waking up dead would be a real drag.
I haven't started my grand plan yet. I didn't think that it would be easy to. I'm infamous for wanting to do something but never getting around to actually doing it. There's always a distraction here or there. And I'm very easily distracted. Most of the time it's email or the web so I'm going to setup the other system with something (maybe SUSE or CentOS or most likely FC3) and keep the browser and email apps disabled. I can pop over to my main machine if I need something. I guess I'm just not very enthusiastic about doing C coding. But if I want to get back into it, and do any hacking on open source projects, I'm going to need it. A foundation in C isn't all that bad, really. I should probably move onto Java after that but I don't know if I'll ever get that ambitious. Hell, I have no ambition. That's half my problem.
Let's see, what else... Can't think of anything off-hand. I think if things all the time and say, "I should blog that" but it's been so hectic lately I just don't feel like getting on. I recorded the F1 year in review thing from the Speed Channel and, whenever I get 'round to watching it, I might post something about it.
As for the job situation, I am getting a boat load of calls from recruiters. My skill set and expertise are quite good. However, they are only looking for full-time employees. As soon as I mention my part-time limitation they all say the same thing.
Paraphrase: "We have no part-time positions available but will keep you in mind if something comes open."I'm sure they mean well. It's just that it's very hard to place me. There is one possibility that looks promising but I don't want to say anything as not to jinx it.
On the home front, my son is doing both exceptional and abysmal in school. Academically he's running 2 to 3 grades beyond his current one. Emotionally/interpersonally he's 2 to 3 grades below. He lacks discipline and the ability to self monitor his behavior. It's nothing extreme. He's just a bit talkative and, when he gets bored, he wants to occupy himself in loud and boisterous activities. Most of the time trying to get his classmates to join him. I know why he lacks the discipline and there's not much I can do to fix that (I am trying, though). But he is very capable of behaving in the right environment. He had almost no problems when he was in Tae Kwon Do and he's never been a problem when he visits his grandmother. He's generally good for me, too. I think that the school systems in this day and age aren't prepared to handle boys. Girls will, generally, behave fairly well. The boys are, well, why do you think that "boisterous" starts with a "boy" sound? We'll work it out somehow.
Health is, well, I have no idea. The last few weeks I've had a headache that won't go away and some body aches that are above and beyond the FM. Today I was up at 4am with chest pains. They seemed to come and go all day. My left arm was numb and weak. I mean much more so than normal. I almost called 911 on two occasions but didn't. Yes, I know... I'm being a pig-headed, stupid man who won't call the doctor when he's sick. I've done the chest pains/911/ambulance/hospital thing already and it's not something I want to do again. No, it doesn't make any sense. But if I'm still having them tomorrow I will call. That is if I am still alive in the morning. Waking up dead would be a real drag.
I haven't started my grand plan yet. I didn't think that it would be easy to. I'm infamous for wanting to do something but never getting around to actually doing it. There's always a distraction here or there. And I'm very easily distracted. Most of the time it's email or the web so I'm going to setup the other system with something (maybe SUSE or CentOS or most likely FC3) and keep the browser and email apps disabled. I can pop over to my main machine if I need something. I guess I'm just not very enthusiastic about doing C coding. But if I want to get back into it, and do any hacking on open source projects, I'm going to need it. A foundation in C isn't all that bad, really. I should probably move onto Java after that but I don't know if I'll ever get that ambitious. Hell, I have no ambition. That's half my problem.
Let's see, what else... Can't think of anything off-hand. I think if things all the time and say, "I should blog that" but it's been so hectic lately I just don't feel like getting on. I recorded the F1 year in review thing from the Speed Channel and, whenever I get 'round to watching it, I might post something about it.
Thursday, August 12, 2004
I finally understand Rob Enderle
Rob Enderle is an IT/IS industry analyst. His job is to look at the industry and try to figure out what it's doing and where it's going and to report on that. This way businesses and people can use his reports to help make decisions without having to sift through the mounds of information themselves. Rob Enderle is, to my knowledge, the sole employee and owner of The Enderle Group. From it's web site,
Anyone who is even remotely involved with the Linux community knows that there are many real wackos on the fringes. This is because there are many wackos out there in the general populations and any community will have their portion of the wackos from said general pool. Some of the wackos have attacked and threatened Rob Enderle, even to include his life. On this I strongly disapprove. Rob Enderle is not worth the effort of writing a death threat letter or making a phone call. [And besides, death threats are illegal and not very intelligent things to do]. I knew he'd received a little hate email and snailmail from the wackos but I never really understood how he could keep taking the position on Linux, the SCO Group and Microsoft that he has been under the tremendous flood of sane, calm rational evidence that has come out through groups like Groklaw and others. I mean, if someone were to present you with irrefutable proof of the objective evidence that you were spending all your time defending and supporting a lie you might think twice about continuing your course, wouldn't you? Not Rob Enderle. It only seemed to fuel his fire against the truth. And this is something I couldn't understand.
But just this evening I finally had the chance to read the key note speech that Rob Enderle gave at the SCO Forum August 3, 2004. To be more accurate, I read half of it. I wasn't able to make it all the way through [something that often happens with things he writes or says]. But in it he talks about an event where...
As the old saying goes, he can't see the forest for the trees. While he talks about transcending his bias', his speeches and writings strongly reinforce the fact that he is totally incapable of this. He can't form a coherent thought except that which has himself as the poor victim of this evil Cult of Linux. It has nothing to do with technology or facts or evidence.
I am reminded of a line in the movie The American President. To paraphrase it here... I always thought Rob Enderle spent so much time screaming at the rain because he just didn't get it. But it's not that he doesn't get it. It's that he can't sell it.
The Enderle Group provides an unparalleled look underneath breaking technology events to identify the core reasons that buyers and builders of this technology should care. Enderle Group strives "to bring diverse and challenging views into technology advisory services and consulting".In the Linux and open source community, however, Rob Enderle is someone who is hated and vilified and, more recently for me, become someone who is just to be ignored. Like a gnat buzzing around your head in the summer. Occasionally it buzzes near your ear and you shoo it away. This is what it's like now when Rob Enderle published an editorial or presents a speech. Normally I just see his byline and summarily move on. Why? There's a long list of reasons that could be easily discovered by a good google search. But the bottom line is that he violently hates open source and, specifically, Linux.
Anyone who is even remotely involved with the Linux community knows that there are many real wackos on the fringes. This is because there are many wackos out there in the general populations and any community will have their portion of the wackos from said general pool. Some of the wackos have attacked and threatened Rob Enderle, even to include his life. On this I strongly disapprove. Rob Enderle is not worth the effort of writing a death threat letter or making a phone call. [And besides, death threats are illegal and not very intelligent things to do]. I knew he'd received a little hate email and snailmail from the wackos but I never really understood how he could keep taking the position on Linux, the SCO Group and Microsoft that he has been under the tremendous flood of sane, calm rational evidence that has come out through groups like Groklaw and others. I mean, if someone were to present you with irrefutable proof of the objective evidence that you were spending all your time defending and supporting a lie you might think twice about continuing your course, wouldn't you? Not Rob Enderle. It only seemed to fuel his fire against the truth. And this is something I couldn't understand.
But just this evening I finally had the chance to read the key note speech that Rob Enderle gave at the SCO Forum August 3, 2004. To be more accurate, I read half of it. I wasn't able to make it all the way through [something that often happens with things he writes or says]. But in it he talks about an event where...
I got myself into a lot of hot water by doing something I knew was wrong to prevent a crime from being committed. I am both an ex-auditor and an ex-sheriff and took the related vows very seriously and still, for the most part, live by them. By all accounts I would have lost my job and probably had to change careers again if it weren't for Bill Gates personally coming to my defense and pointing out that what I did probably kept a lot of folks out of jail. He didn't have to do that and, to this day I doubt he even remembers he did, but I remember.Between this and the death threats he's gotten, plus his strangely described "eye opening experiences" at IBM [like this is only prevalent in IBM and no other mid- to large size companies. Or political parties, I might add], one can see that his vision of the world is so distorted by these events that he couldn't accurately analyze a bowl of fruit let alone an industry as complex and fast moving as IT/IS. Back before Linux and open source hit the consciousness of the world outside the community, he'd already made up his mind that they were bad and evil things to be destroyed no matter the cost! He is doubtless spending long days and nights feverishly working over any information that comes out positive about Linux and negative for the SCO Group or Microsoft in order to twist it around. See, it's become personal.
As the old saying goes, he can't see the forest for the trees. While he talks about transcending his bias', his speeches and writings strongly reinforce the fact that he is totally incapable of this. He can't form a coherent thought except that which has himself as the poor victim of this evil Cult of Linux. It has nothing to do with technology or facts or evidence.
I am reminded of a line in the movie The American President. To paraphrase it here... I always thought Rob Enderle spent so much time screaming at the rain because he just didn't get it. But it's not that he doesn't get it. It's that he can't sell it.
Wednesday, July 21, 2004
Music lost in a box
Many years ago, actually 22 years to be specific, I picked up an inexpensive (not cheap) electric guitar and started playing. Things evolved and within 5 years me, my two brothers and my sister had our own band and were playing gigs on Army bases and in German clubs. We were a variety rock band, playing anything from Journey and Pat Benatar to the Scorpions and Black Sabbath. We had also gone into the studio and cut a tape of 10 original songs. We weren't The Next Big Thing<tm> but we weren't bad. Once moving to the States in '88 I didn't have much time to play, but I always figured I'd just pick it back up when life settled down. Well, life never settled down. Marriage, serious career, baby boy... Then in the mid-90's I got Fibromyalgia and playing the guitar became a permanent part of my past.
Fast forward a couplea years and I'm with my brother in a music store. He's working hard to get back into playing, he's a drummer and plays guitar, and trying to work on being a singer. While at the store with him I saw a nice blues harmonica. It hit me, I could play this. So I got one, in the key of G, and started to mess around with it. Mostly I did blues riffs and wild ass improv solos. It was fun and I like it. I'm not worried about being good or anything, just want to keep music in my life. After a while I got more harps; A, C, D and E. Five harmonicas and about $45 each. But it was well worth it.
In the summer of 2003 I moved from the apartment I was in into a house. When the movers came I had done absolutely nothing to get ready. I was pretty much in bed for the days preceding and the day of the move. With the help of my mom they packed everything up and moved me. Lots of stuff ended up randomly packed with lots of other stuff. I still haven't emptied all the boxes but, as you probably guessed, I can't find the harmonicas. That's $225 worth of musical instruments sitting somewhere in a box. Knowing my luck they are in the garage getting all rusted and corroded. Spent a couple of hours today digging through the boxed in there looking for some sign of them. No luck.
Lately I have been thinking of buying one or two again. If I get a G and an E (and maybe a C) I should be covered for the most part if there ever comes a chance to play with my brother or anyone else. Maybe I'll swing by there tomorrow and see what they have in stock.
Fast forward a couplea years and I'm with my brother in a music store. He's working hard to get back into playing, he's a drummer and plays guitar, and trying to work on being a singer. While at the store with him I saw a nice blues harmonica. It hit me, I could play this. So I got one, in the key of G, and started to mess around with it. Mostly I did blues riffs and wild ass improv solos. It was fun and I like it. I'm not worried about being good or anything, just want to keep music in my life. After a while I got more harps; A, C, D and E. Five harmonicas and about $45 each. But it was well worth it.
In the summer of 2003 I moved from the apartment I was in into a house. When the movers came I had done absolutely nothing to get ready. I was pretty much in bed for the days preceding and the day of the move. With the help of my mom they packed everything up and moved me. Lots of stuff ended up randomly packed with lots of other stuff. I still haven't emptied all the boxes but, as you probably guessed, I can't find the harmonicas. That's $225 worth of musical instruments sitting somewhere in a box. Knowing my luck they are in the garage getting all rusted and corroded. Spent a couple of hours today digging through the boxed in there looking for some sign of them. No luck.
Lately I have been thinking of buying one or two again. If I get a G and an E (and maybe a C) I should be covered for the most part if there ever comes a chance to play with my brother or anyone else. Maybe I'll swing by there tomorrow and see what they have in stock.
Wednesday, July 14, 2004
Insomnia sucks
I'm sitting here at oh-dark-thirty in a small room with the only light visible coming from my monitor. My son has been happily sleeping for at least 4 hours but I've been wandering around the house looking for something to do.
So here I am. Tired as hell as I didn't get to sleep last night till after 0245. I did make it into work today, thank $DEITY. The new meds I got from the doctor on Monday seem to be helping, though I was quite "stoned" all day. Hopefully that will be a minor side effect that will go away after taking it for a while.
I seem to be ready to pass out so I'm off to bed now. I won't get to sleep in much at all as my son will undoubtedly wake me up around 0800 to make him breakfast. I think I'll make pepperoni and eggs tomorrow. It's incredibly good breakfast food. Just throw a bunch of pepperoni slices in a frying pan and cook them for a little bit. Then throw some scrambled eggs in, cook and serve with toast. Mmmm.... Gettin' hungry just thinking about it.
- I did a little email answering as well as deleting the 1800+ spam email messages caught by my anti-spam tools
- Watched a bit of the Tonight Show. Leno had Sharon Stone on and was just drooling all over himself. But then again so was I... Halle Berry will be on tomorrow night so much more drooling is to be expected.
- Had a small dip of Skoal. Since I was drooling I might as well make use of all that extra saliva.
- Came back to the computer and fiddled around some more
- Decided to write this entry
So here I am. Tired as hell as I didn't get to sleep last night till after 0245. I did make it into work today, thank $DEITY. The new meds I got from the doctor on Monday seem to be helping, though I was quite "stoned" all day. Hopefully that will be a minor side effect that will go away after taking it for a while.
I seem to be ready to pass out so I'm off to bed now. I won't get to sleep in much at all as my son will undoubtedly wake me up around 0800 to make him breakfast. I think I'll make pepperoni and eggs tomorrow. It's incredibly good breakfast food. Just throw a bunch of pepperoni slices in a frying pan and cook them for a little bit. Then throw some scrambled eggs in, cook and serve with toast. Mmmm.... Gettin' hungry just thinking about it.
Monday, May 31, 2004
I hate long weekends when I don't have my son
I had an article about the European GP race at the Nurburgring on Sunday but it wasn't to be. During my eloquent and insightful wright-up the browser crashed. Oh well, such is life.
The Ex and I alternate weekends with our son throughout the year with me having him during the week while school is in then she gets him during the week in the summer. We keep switching weekends throughout the whole year. I do get to have two consecutive weeks with him during the summer. Major holidays, Like Christmas, New Years, Easter and Thanksgiving are alternated yearly. Minor holidays, like today, he just stays with the one of us that would normally have him then. By explaining all of this I'm leading up to the fact that there are two or three weeks left of school. With the snowday's they've had this winter I'm not sure when his last day will be. I believe it's the weekend of June 19-20. That's fine by me as I want to get every moment I can to be with him.
The only other thing of interest this weekend has been my insomnia. It's extremely rare that I can't sleep but I didn't sleep a wink Friday night nor Saturday night. I got about 4 or 5 hours last night but I am running on fumes. It's already nearly two hours past when I wanted to go to bed. All the meds are kicking in and I feel like I'm underwater. Everything is slow and I can't focus my eyes on anything. It's very much like being underwater.
This means I have to call an end to this entry. I can't see the screen or the keyboard.
The Ex and I alternate weekends with our son throughout the year with me having him during the week while school is in then she gets him during the week in the summer. We keep switching weekends throughout the whole year. I do get to have two consecutive weeks with him during the summer. Major holidays, Like Christmas, New Years, Easter and Thanksgiving are alternated yearly. Minor holidays, like today, he just stays with the one of us that would normally have him then. By explaining all of this I'm leading up to the fact that there are two or three weeks left of school. With the snowday's they've had this winter I'm not sure when his last day will be. I believe it's the weekend of June 19-20. That's fine by me as I want to get every moment I can to be with him.
The only other thing of interest this weekend has been my insomnia. It's extremely rare that I can't sleep but I didn't sleep a wink Friday night nor Saturday night. I got about 4 or 5 hours last night but I am running on fumes. It's already nearly two hours past when I wanted to go to bed. All the meds are kicking in and I feel like I'm underwater. Everything is slow and I can't focus my eyes on anything. It's very much like being underwater.
This means I have to call an end to this entry. I can't see the screen or the keyboard.
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