Opinions

Last night I was installing a DSL router for a client, one with a nice built-in firewall. The client had previously installed Symantec Norton Personal Firewall, which I deemed unnecessary due to the router's firewall so I started the uninstall process. Twenty-three minutes later the uninstall finished. I had no applications running, everything looking slim and trim in the Windows Task Manager and it still took a mind-numbing twenty-three minutes to finish! Is it just me or are applications looking more and more like pigs at the CPU cycle and RAM feeding troughs?

Symantec used to develop some of the most innovative and useful software for PCs. Norton Utilities saved my bacon more than once back in the MS-DOS days. Now I recommend clients stay away from products developed by companies such as Symantec and McAfee simply because they cause more problems than they prevent. Well developed software exists from companies such as FRISK, you just have to be willing to look beyond shelves at Wal*Mart and Best Buy.

I've been watching an interesting video titled The Money Masters. It's a look back throughout history on how central banks (or rather, a few families) have gained control over entire countries through money. It's particularly interesting to see their struggle against the Russian Czars and the United States early on and evidence for their involvement throughout history's largest wars.

If you are at all interested in economics or the history of central banks this video is food for thought. I haven't had a chance to research the various quotes and information put forth in the video, but it makes sense from a logical perspective. It's also a little scary knowing the power of a few individuals, and makes you question recent wars. If it's true, someone somewhere has a whole lot of blood on their hands.

Google Video has the series available online for free, check it all out here.

This morning Sony announced further details on their PS3 console including a controller that now looks like the older Dual Shock 2 controller, albiet wireless and containing hardware allowing it to detect motion and translating it to the game. Sound familiar? Well, it should. Nintendo had announced a unique motion sensing controller several months ago for their Wii console.

I've had it today and need to vent.

Our school district uses a program from Skyward called PaC, basically a large program that allows you to digitally manage students, finances, report cards, grades, etc. I was originally deemed curator of this massive suite of applications, so I've been maintaining it these past three years. This program is the bane of my existence.

It is:

- Overly complicated. I think Skyward wrote the program and Webster used it, then decided that it defined the word complicated. You cannot possibly imagine how many buttons, options, settings, and absolutely arcane menu layouts this program has. If I have trouble using this how the heck are teachers going to get it!?

- Way too big. For one person to get to know this program it would be a full-time job. Adobe Photoshop is easier to learn than this!

- Expensive. You do not want to know how much taxpayer money went to pay for this monstrosity.

How can this be fixed and Skyward turned into a gem? SIMPLIFY. The developers and managers at Skyward need the K.I.S.S (Keep It Simple Stupid) method branded to their skulls. Get rid of the ridiculous backend and give me something I can completely manage from a web browser. Fix the pathetic excuse for a gradebook, it's way too complicated and confusing. Take a cue from Apple: LESS IS MORE. Also, let me edit grades, classes and settings anytime I want. Locking me out until next year's class creation due to grades being entered is SAD.

I should also mention that I hate being a perpetual beta tester. Our school did not spend massive amounts of $$ to test your program for you. If you have unfinished applications, don't release them or offer them for sale until they are DONE.

About the only thing that is barely decent about Skyward is the financial end of things, it seems to be somewhat stable however still overly confusing and complex. If you are a school district do yourself a favor and look at the myriad of other [better] products for student management that are out there. You will save $$, hassle, overtime, large tech support fees and not having the staff nail you to the cafeteria wall (where I am typing this from) everytime the grades don't print out right.

Several weeks ago I posted about an interesting documentary on 9-11 and why it couldn't have happened the way the government told us it did. It's prudent to remain skeptical in regards to conspiracies, and Michael Green does just that with a great essay on Loose Change. He still feels strongly that there was a conspiracy, however he points out many discrepancies with the Loose Change DVD.

I highly recommend you read Mr. Green's essay and also checkout the entire 9-11 Research website. No aliens or Area 51 to be found, just a good solid look at the evidence.

I was shown this video on another forum I frequent. It's about an eyewitness account on video of the collapse of the World Trade Center buildings. It's interesting because it shows that the official reports for what happened do not explain what the world witnessed on 9-11-2001.

I highly recommend you view the video, it's not a kooky conspiracy theory but a look at what happened and why it happened as the video rolls. It will raise several questions which the video wisely chooses not to speculate on. Take a look at see for yourself in plain english if the planes are really what brought the WC towers down.

'The heart of a fool is in his mouth, but the mouth of a wise man is in his heart.' - Benjamin Franklin

For those of you who follow Slashdot on a regular (or fairly regular) basis and actually read through some of the comments doubtless you come to either two conclusions about the people who congregate there.

1. They are intelligent and make sense. If they make a mistake they are willing to admit it and happily help others who have questions without degrading them. If you find such a person please let me know.

2. They are selfish, condisending, severly lacking in regards to morality and ignorant to the extreme.

I look at them from point number two, especially when it comes to discussions on rather touchy topics such as gay rights, stem cells and the evolution theory vs. creation theory debates. For example, taking stem cells from an umbilical cord rather than working with the highly controversial embryonic stem cells is already proven and crosses no boundaries (potential or otherwise). Seems like research should head in that direction rather than mess with destroying a life, right? Mention that on a Slashdot thread and you will be modded down (usually with a Flamebait descriptor) and berated and dismissed as a right-wing religious nutcase who "doesn't understand true science."

The same goes for creation vs. evolution debates. The VAST majority of Slashdotters are staunch evolutionists, which is perfectly fine. However, mention the alternative theory of creation and you are again berated and dismissed as a religious nutjob "who knows nothing of science." Evolution is a theory, contrary to anything said by anyone who believe it to be absolute fact. Slashdotters love to spin it around and go on tangents about how Evolution isn't theory as the dictionary defines it (say what!?). They also love to point out that Creation isn't even a theory, rather something to be discussed in theology classes! Reminds me of this verse in Psalms:

Ps. 14:1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.

Anyway, if you lean even slightly to the right it's best to stay away from Slashdot unless you enjoy getting yourself angry and yelling at the monitor at the audacity of it all. It's too bad really, since they pride themselves on their "openmindedness." Heh.