Sky Bluesky: Mac Ergo Sum

Making My Move

Thu, 06 Apr 2006 23:23:51 GMT

Hi! How've you been?

It's kinda lonely here out in Salon Blogland. Ever since Salon announced they were closing off the Salon blogs to new subscribers, I and a number of other bloggers have made plans for the end of this little neighborhood.

The Salon blogs have been a tremendous experience for me. I've enjoyed the instant audience that comes with a connection to a large (and intelligent) web magazine like Salon.com. I've been maintaining this blog for nearly two years, and I've enjoyed sharing my life, my left-leaning and often smartass views, and most recently, the arrival of my son. And don't worry, chiquitos, I'm not done yet. The new TMBS is now located at blogger.com. (Change your bookmarks, s'il vous plait.)

And what's going to happen to this blog? Here's what I wrote when I created the new blog:

...what's going to happen is that my former blog is going to essentially waste away. Once the license fee comes due, I won't renew it because it doesn't make sense. Once the blogs were no longer actively promoted by Salon, most of the appeal wore off. Sure, we were still technically part of Salon, but the page views we were once virtually guaranteed were gone. So, like Billy Joel said, I'm moving on. Or moving out. Er ... moving.

The reason I haven't posted here for a while is, well, kinda complicated. Not long after I created the new blog, my computer died. Straight up went and died. You can read all about it here. (P.S. Another shoutout to my brother for being such an unexpected savior.)

I'm not running on an amazingly sleek 1.5 GHz Intel Core Mac Mini. As R says, it's about the size of a hardcover book. An amazing machine. I'll tell you about it someday.

I haven't tried to start up Radio since then, for fear that it wouldn't recognize the new computer and it would freak out, or delete my blog, or call me filthy names in Mandarin. To my great amusement, none of that happened. I still have my entire hard drive saved on an external drive. So I just mounted my old hard drive on the new computer, and opened Radio. Apparently, it assumed I was on the same computer and ran just like normal. Score one for complicated and expensive workarounds.

Anyway, I'll do my best to cross-post on this blog and on the new one until my yearly subscription runs out. If you want to leave comments on any future post, please do it on the new blog and not this one. I'm lonely over there, y'all!

But of course, if you've been waiting here to hear from me, holla at me in the comments.

Extra Special Surprise ... of Doom

Sat, 12 Nov 2005 03:37:26 GMT

Little did I know when I bought My Morning Jacket's latest CD that I was bringing a loaded weapon into the house.

You probably know by now that Sony has a nasty little surprise on thousands of CDs, including many released by imprint label ATO (MMJ's label.) The surprise was "extended copy protection" that loaded itself innocuously onto your computer, making itself nearly invisible by the same cloaking techniques that hackers and virus makers like to use. First of all, I don't like programs that sit like silent spies on my computer, reporting how many times I burn a CD or who knows what else. From here, it's not a far stretch to imagine Sony scanning ALL music files on your computer to verify legitimate ownership, and suing you RIAA-style if they find pirated versions of their music.

But the real kicker is what happens if you try to delete the program. Your CD burner stops working. That's right - people like me paid good money to bring home a CD that just might permanently disable their computer. Thank you very f@#%ing much.

Mark Russinovich (much respect is due) first blew the whistle on this malware on his blog,
dissecting its behavior and cloaking in devastatingly minute detail. From there came the outrage, the mockery, and the inevitable reversal. Or was it? Sony has made it possible to reveal where this little piece of malware was hidden, but as of this post, it's still not safe to actually disable or remove it.

One other unfortunate, but totally predictable, side effect of running silent and invisible programs on a computer is that it opens your computer up to virus attacks. Today the first word broke of a virus that uses Sony's mysterious program to launch itself.

And today the first of many many lawsuits was filed.   Apparently Sony has decided to stop putting XCP on their discs, but the damage has been done.

I was undamaged (as far as I know) by this nasty thing, because I burned the CD with my Mac so I could play it on my iPod.   This has only strengthened my resolve to never, ever, ever let go of my Mac - so far, it's been the only successful way to avoid almost all of the dumbass DRM software out there.

This also made me think very seriously about downloading every new album directly from iTunes. I don't like their DRM very much, but at least I know what I'm getting.

(Irony here is that ATO is the home to many pro-taping artists such as Gov't Mule, Mike Doughty, and co-founder Dave Matthews. So, the same bands who happily allow fans to tape and share their concerts are cursed with CDs that might destroy their fans' computers. For the record, ATO has disavowed any involvement with the DRM scheme, or any DRM scheme.)

Pop Quiz

Wed, 08 Jun 2005 02:53:31 GMT

Which of these events made the most impact in Mr. Bluesky's life this week?

Michael Jackson's molestation case went to the jury.
Dino Rossi's lawsuit to overturn the Washington gubernatorial election was thrown out, and soon after, Rossi announced he would not appeal the decision.
Apple announced that it would switch to Intel chips, causing an uproar in the Mac community.
Baby Oliver mimicked his dad by making an O with his mouth.

If you guessed #4, congratulations. You're probably a parent, too.

But all right, let's talk about some of this. I can't talk about Michael Jackson without being horrified - a combination of schaudenfraude and nausea - but is there any other such public figure that has been disgraced so utterly before? Fatty Arbuckle is the only person I can think of who fell from such a lofty pedestal. Maybe O.J.

The governor's race lawsuits are over. Washington Democrats are bragging that the judge not only dismissed the case, but punched holes in every single argument. He dismissed the case "with prejudice," meaning that the Republicans set a high burden that they didn't meet on any level. I gotta admit - the Democratic party, hacks that they are, are right. The dismissal was absolute, which probably explains why Dino Rossi tried to take the "magnanimous" route and announce that he was done. But just for a minute, a Washington Republican decided to take the smart route instead of acting like a spoiled brat. It's a start.

And then there's the Apple Intel flap. I guess it's a big deal, and I guess it's gonna cause some compatibility problems for Apple users. There are times when my brother explains tech issues by using magic elves. How does broadband speed work? Magic elves run faster than they do on a phone line. Etc, etc, etc. This is one of those magic elves moments, and I'll just let him be outraged enough for the both of us.

Really, the little O mouth was about as cute as anything I've ever seen.

Steve Jobs Shrinks Everything Down!

Wed, 12 Jan 2005 13:15:09 GMT

Holy cow, have you seen the new mini Mac?

That's about as cool as the new iPod.

I kid. I'm a kidder.

Seriously, though, the new Mac's pretty amazing. Um ... it's small. About the size of two CD cases stacked. Plus FireWire ports. Plus 40 Gb of memory - twice what I have now. Plus, I hope, the new OSX version (codenamed Tiger) when it's released later this year.

I was reading some business analysis that said a lower-priced Mac was a bad idea, because instead of attracting first-time Windows weitchers, the main buyers would Mac users who were downgrading to the cheap model.

Well, here's my scenario. I have owned three Macs in my life. (Four Apple computers, but the first one was an Apple IIe.) Two were hand-me-downs from my brother. One was a refurbished Mac that I bought at Re-PC. I have never owned a new Mac. Now that there's one at an affordable price, I will almost certainly purchase my first new computer sometime within the next year.

Sun, 22 Aug 2004 16:48:57 GMT

Windows: Defective Product

Warning: use of this operating system could lead to viruses, browser hijackings, and other unexpected events. In addition, use of this product could affect pregnant women's ability to browse the Internet.

From the Syracuse Post-Standard:

"Microsoft has a massive patch for some of the many bugs and security holes in Windows XP. If you're using Windows XP, you might want to download the software patch and install it.

But then maybe you shouldn't.

The patch, called SP2 (for "Service Pack 2"), would seem like a good idea. After all, security is a nightmare for Windows users, and anything that boosts security should be a good thing.

But I am urging Windows XP users to be cautious. Microsoft's track record in making fixes that work is less than stellar.

It created the problems of XP in the first place, and now Microsoft wants us to think it found a lot of fixes.

I'm not buying.

I believe Microsoft should take full responsibility for the faulty design of Windows and recall every last copy of Windows ever sold. Buyers should get a working, safe, secure operating system in return.

Some say that's just not going to happen. But I can't find anything in the realm of common sense that requires Ford or General Motors or any other automobile manufacturer to act responsibly by recalling defective vehicles while leaving Microsoft free to do as it pleases in its monopoly software market.

Some say I'm crazy to expect such a thing. But this crazy guy isn't letting up. I'd even like to see Microsoft put a warning label on Windows, just like the warning label on packs of cigarettes.

People need to be reminded that Windows is unsafe. There are millions of copies of non-XP versions of Windows in use worldwide, and these unsafe versions - Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows 2000 and Windows NT - are not covered by the latest service pack."

Read on here.

Thu, 19 Aug 2004 14:28:41 GMT

SP2 for You, Round 2

The new Windows Service Pack is delayed yet again.

I'm the unofficial tech support at my job (3-person staff, so someone's gotta do it.) So I've got to install SP2 on seven computers. I'm waiting to see it appear, and trying to collect information on what kind of damage it'll do. Apparently, Microsoft has already identified over 200 applications that will "behave differently" with SP2, mostly because of the firewall it installs. These are not small programs. We're talking about anti-virus software, PageMaker, frickin' Excel. Microsoft Office. Outlook. Eek.

So finally Microsmurf steps up to the plate and produces a major security update, that might make every program we use misbehave. Thank you, Bill.

On the other hand, there's an editorial on the Register that makes a case for Microsoft. (I'm sure the writer and the snarks on the Register are as shocked as I am.) His argument: for years, MSFT has been lax on security problems, opening massive holes for hackers to drive through. Now, they've finally prioritized security above everything, above the functionality of their own programs, and here we are, slagging them for it.

So maybe I'll just stop moaning, like the editorial says. It would have been nice of they had been on the ball in the first place, so they wouldn't be doing this last-minute fix-everything business. It's like one of those teen movies where there's a huge party and the house gets trashed, and then in the last ten minutes there's a superfast, super-crazy cleaning frenzy. And we're supposed to feel better, because didn't they work so hard to fix the damage they did. Never mind that they put the goldfish in the bathtub. Never mind that they shoved all of the empty pizza boxes in the closet, and that the hamsters accidentally got vacuumed up. Hey, they tried, didn't they? That's gotta count for something. Those crazy kids.

Wed, 18 Aug 2004 15:10:35 GMT

Dancing Elephants - Apple vs. Real vs. Consumers

I am not in Apple's camp. I am not in Real's camp. There are no camps. I belong to none of the superpowers of music. I am my own person.

Real's music store just cut their prices in half (49 cents per song) and launched a silly new advertising campaign, calling themselves champions of "Freedom of Choice." And yes, they do have Devo signed up to provide theme songs and Devo-style wackiness. They've launched a corporate website they're calling the Freedom of Choice Blog. And of course, Apple acolytes bombed the "Blog" with anti-Real, pro-Apple comments. You suck. My flag's prettier than yours. My guru can beat up your guru. Blah blah.

Here's my response to the war: I hate all of you. Real's music store is annoying, sloppy to navigate, and doesn't work on Macs. ITunes' Music store is bigger, better, but has bizarre gaps in its music catalog.

There is no freedom of choice because with both services, you do not "own" the songs you buy. You buy a license to use them on certain computers in certain ways, to burn them on some CD's in an approved manner.

Conflict: I have an MP3 player that's not an iPod. I can't play iTunes songs or Real songs on them unless I first burn them to a CD, and them re-import them as MP3's.

Conflict: I can't listen to iTunes songs or Real songs on my car CD player. I can listen to MP3's - see above entry.

Conflict: I can't burn CD's from iTunes program, because the idiots at Apple don't support the CD burner I purchased. So I'm forced to use a third-party program.

Conflict: I burn my CD's at work, because of the above-mentioned problem. But I can't burn Apple songs and Real songs onto the same CD. So if I buy five songs from Real, and five songs from Apple, I need to waste two CD's to burn them, so I can listen to them on my other data sources.

Conflict: Apple and Real songs still don't work on each other's platrorms (Real songs don't play in iTunes, and vice versa.)

Freedom of choice? These are closed systems designed to lock music fans into one system or another. The problem is, we don't play that way. I get my music from EMusic, from buying CD's, from free MP3's online, and from downloading from several sources. I refuse to limit my choices to one system unless it's infinitely large, infinitely portable, and doesn't treat me like I'm a robot.

So the only reason I care about the Real fire sale is so I can buy more music for cheap. But I will do the same thing I always do: I will burn the songs onto CD's, rip them into MP3's, and then take them wherever I want. Am I stealing music? No. I own the songs. The flaws in technology force me to go outside the system to use my music the way I want.

I am not a member of the Real or the Apple camp, because neither of them respects me as a consumer: only as an ATM, a marketing stat, not even a blip on their demographic radar. And anyone who puts themselves in their camp has allowed them to be bought as an unpaid walking, talking, blogging billboard. I refuse to sacrifice my dignity so I can make a corporation happy.

Sat, 07 Aug 2004 04:03:17 GMT

On Spam: Wasting time on the Internet (3/25/98)

By Bill Gates

Wasting somebody else's time strikes me as the height of rudeness. We have only so many hours, and none to waste.

That's what makes electronic junk mail and e-mail hoaxes so maddening. The "free" distribution of unwelcome or misleading messages to thousands of people is an annoying and sometimes destructive use of the Internet's unprecedented efficiency.

Few tools in history have been as powerful as the Internet. Although still in its infancy, the Internet is beginning to transform the world by making communication and publishing fantastically inexpensive and accessible. But like any powerful tool, it is subject to misuse and abuse.

The incremental cost of sending a message on the Internet is essentially zero. This has wonderful implications. Unfortunately, it has led to junk mail being sent to tens of thousands of people--wasting an enormous amount of their collective time--at almost no cost to the senders.

The burden is borne by the recipients, who must wade through unwanted commercial messages and by the Internet companies that handle this "spam"-- the name the Internet community has attached to junk e-mail.

Editor's note: the words are actually Bill Gates'. See the full entry here.
The writer is forced to use Windows XP at work, but happily uses Mac OSX Panther at home.

Tune in next week to hear about my work computer crashing, thanks to the new SP2 update!

Tue, 27 Jul 2004 15:06:57 GMT

iTunes Conquers Cell Phones, RealPlayer Conquers iTunes

Two new stories about iTunes this morning. Motorola will be loading iTunes into new cell phones, so you can rock and roll with even yet another portable device.

The big news for me, though, was RealPlayer cracking iTunes technology (again): now they're reporting that Real-encoded songs (from their music store - everyone's got one) will play on iPods. Basically, it converts the digital rights management scheme to one that works on iPods.

I'm going to go off the script here. I think this is great news for music consumers like me, and all of you. Probably there'll be lawsuits and threats aplenty. But the more choices we have for buying and playing OUR music, the better the world looks.

A few weks ago, I was in the mood for Public Enemy. the iTunes Music store has only two albums, and neither of the ones I was looking for. So I looked on the Real Store. They had six, including the ones I wanted.

But then I had to figure out how to take them with me. I could burn the six Real songs onto a CD, but not with the iTunes store songs. And vice versa. I ended up wasting two CD's with about 20 minutes of tunes each on them. And then, because I have a non-iPod music player, I had to rip both of the CD's onto my computer as MP3's so I could take my new songs to the gym.

This is just stupid, and the kind of frustration that drives people to Kazaa and the erstwhile Napster (not the new, corporate-friendly one). So if I can criss-cross platforms, that's good news for me.