Archive for November, 2008
Happy Thanksgiving!
Nov 26th
I just wanted to take this time to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!
Whether you spend your day watching or attending parades, stuffing or eating a turkey, or just sitting in front of the television with your friends and family enjoying a football game, take a moment to give thanks for all that we have.
Only 28 more days until Christmas!
President 2.0? Interesting article…
Nov 24th
How Will Obama Now Use the Internet Army He Built?
http://www.newsweek.com/id/170347
Obama harnessed the grass-roots power of the Web to get elected. How will he use that power now?
This is a good little article. I think this issue deserves some attention because a lot of people who helped elect Obama expect to continue to be involved. But I can also understand the fine line that now must be walked by former campaign managers and staffers who now find themselves working for the president-elect.
The rules have certainly changed. Things like transparency and data-retention are serious issues that are complex but need to be addressed.
If I were Obama, I wouldn’t give up my Blackberry. I would certainly be very judicious about how I used it though. It’ll be most interesting to see how he will be able to use the small army of volunteers and “Facebook followers” that have been built up over the past two years. You see, it’s great that President-elect Obama uses technology to establish a two-way communication between the governed and the government, but he also doesn’t want to create a fundamental gap between the “haves” and the “have-nots.” Believe it or not, there are still people who don’t spend their days YouTubing.
There is a lot of potential here. But the right balance has to be struck, and that little ballet will be entertaining to watch.
Playing with Linux (again)
Nov 16th
Well, I’ve set up an older computer I have at home in order to play with a more stable Linux box. I’ve always loaded/reloaded different Linux flavors over and over again, just long enough to get the desktop looking how I wanted, and then, boom, I’d reload it with something else.
Well, I’ve got this one a little bit operational. I’ve installed Ubuntu 8.10, added Apache2, MySQL, and PHP. (Otherwise known as a LAMP setup.)
I’ve thrown a couple of installations of the latest beta of Wordpress up there on two virtual http servers just to play with internally. I’m supposed to help Russ redesign the Shinnston Community Band website and I thought using Wordpress would be perfect. Now, I can design away and change as much as I want without worrying about messing anything up. When I get something that looks like it might work, I can open up the firewall and let Russ take a peek.
On another front, I finished reading “On The Edge: The Spectacular Rise and Fall of Commodore” tonight. I really enjoyed that book. It amazes me how much the history of the personal computer industry has been “rewritten” basically to exclude Commodore. It seems like everyone wants to focus on Apple and IBM (and PC clones) and decide, firmly crooked, that that is where the industry started. Hmmm. It just must seem so romantic that Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak invented the whole personal computer industry right from their garage! I don’t know…
Another thing fascinating regarding that book: The cast of characters involved in making Commodore what it was. That must have been an amazing place to work, in a very interesting period to work. If you are at all interested in the history of the personal computer (maybe you even owned a Commodore 64) I definitely recommend reading that book. Very educational.
NBC’s Today – “High-tech keys to election victory”
Nov 6th
I was keenly aware of this online battle:
I really believe that the way the Obama camp immersed itself with technology was a key to victory. They did an outstanding job with facebook and MySpace profiles, with their MyBO portal, their personalized e-mail and text message distribution. We all know that Barack didn’t personally pound out a text message at 12:52am on November 5th, but there is still a certain amount of satisfaction from receiving a “thank you” from a candidate mere minutes after watching his acceptance speech.
What will be truly interesting to me is: Where does this go from here? They’ve spent 21 months compiling a massive list of supporters with e-mail addresses and phone numbers… well what happens next?
I don’t think it ended on election night. In fact, the last e-mail I received from the campaign states “I’ll be in touch soon about what comes next.” So I do believe there’s more to come.
But for how long? Once he steps into the oval office, a whole new set of rules will apply. And since we haven’t exactly had a “high-tech” president yet, we really don’t know how text messages and e-mails can be used to govern. But it will at least be interesting to watch.
Eyewitness To History
Nov 5th
Wow. This has been an amazing race. I think CBS should really re-consider the title of that show, because we just witnessed The Amazing Race.
I just watched John McCain’s concession speech, and he was absolutely first class all the way. Senator McCain is a true American Hero, and his service to his country should never be forgotten.
I don’t really know what to say. I’ve been following this election for months, I’ve been an avid Obama supporter, and really knew that Obama had an uphill battle here in West Virginia. West Virginia is a conundrum. We like to elect democratic governors, senators, representatives… but not presidents. At least not since Bill Clinton. I think there are some obvious reasons for this that are better left unsaid.
I’m glad that the lies did not prevail. I’m ecstatic that, as far as the Internet goes, good overcame evil. Those horrible, liable, e-mails did not find victory. Thank God. Technology can be used for good and evil, and I really had my doubts this time. I could see, from my social networking stances, all the good that was going on within the Obama supporters. And I could also see (still can) all that was being done to tear all that good work down. The only comment I really have about all that is: We are defined by what we reap, as well as what we sow.
My hope going forward is that Obama can truly unite this country. I hope that he can work with the republican right, and truly be a “uniter not a divider.” You know, that thing that was promised eight years ago.
“We are and always will be the United States of America.”
Well said. Obama’s whole speech was terrific. We are at another turning point in history tonight. We’ve got to somehow put all the bickering and partisanship behind us. And I’ve got to change too.
I know we’ve all invested a lot in these past few months, but now we’ve got to ask ourselves “What can I do now?” I somehow don’t think that this grassroots network that President-elect Obama and his team have created will be dispensed with overnight. I really believe that this President understands how to use the Internet and other emerging technologies to keep connected with the people. And I am looking forward to the next four years. Finally.
I can only think of one way to sum up what we’ve seen this evening, and it’s a classic:
There been times that I thought I couldn’t last for long
But now I think I’m able to carry on
It’s been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will
One Day to Change the World
Nov 3rd
“I just want to tell you both good luck. We’re all counting on you.”
Sorry. I couldn’t help it. That’s one of my favorite lines from Airplane! But it seems very appropriate now. Of course I’m talking to Barack Obama and Joe Biden, and we are all counting on them the Change the World.
Be sure to go out and vote tomorrow! Hey, like they say, if you don’t vote, you can’t complain!
Having fun with Wii Music
Nov 2nd
Wii Music is one of those games that people are either going to love or hate. I’ve only played it just a little bit today since I’ve managed to mangle up my shoulder, but I think I will really enjoy it once I am healed up.
The game is a great introduction to music for children because it focuses on keeping rhythm and musical experimentation. And I think when I get some friends over it will be a fun party game.
When starting out you have a very limited selection of songs (think “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”) but after watching my kids play through, now I understand why they start you out so simply.
The basic controls of the game are simple. You just mimic playing the musical instrument your Mii is holding. Watch this sample video:
I’m looking forward to playing a little bit by myself to try to improve (practice, man, practice!) but the real fun of the game comes when everyone performs together as a group. After your performance, you have the opportunity to save your collaboration as a video which can be watched and even overdubbed at a later time. Apparently, creating new videos will open up more songs and more video locations, but I haven’t played enough to see that happen.
Anyway, I think this will be a fun game overall. But what I’m really looking forward to is having a few friends over, and having us all work on a grand performance.
Obama’s American Stories, American Solutions
Nov 1st
If you didn’t get to see the whole thing the other night, here is Barack Obama’s complete ‘infomercial:’
