Ubuntu Linux...

I have been test out this install of Linux for the last few days. It is called Ubuntu. So far, i am really impressed with this as i have messed with SUSE linux before, but did not like it. I run an all Windows network and as such have had no need to test this before. I just thought that it would be neat to try.

The first thing that impressed me was how easy it was to install!! It took only 15 minutes to do a complete install and if there were other applications that you want, just do an update and you will get them. The second thing that impressed me was the ability of Ubuntu to open up my widows network! It found both groups, the MS Home and Work Group. Secondly, it was able to open up the shared drives that i have on my network with no problem and to also xfer files from them to the Linux computer. We have a shared printer on our network. All the computers in the house can access it. So, i decided to try to add a printer to the Ubuntu box and it found the printer and installed it. I tried a test page and it worked like a charm. I guess that is why Dell is selling Laptops with Ubuntu installed on them.

The computer that i installed it on is an older computer with a 1ghz Celeron processor and 512mb ram. It has a 20gig and a 60gig set of Hard Drives in it as well. I will keep messing with this over the following months and let everyone know what i think. It is different as you have to use command line stuff alot, but also it has a wide array of software applications that are prepackaged as well. There are several different installs that you can do with it. I did the Desk Top Edition. I also found a Multimedia Package called Ubuntu Studio. I might upgrade this install, I just don't know. I will let everyone know if i do this as the desktop looks very nice.





Well all, that is it for now on my adventures in Linux land. Have a good evening...







This is a great place to go and ask questions about Ubuntu. It is galled the Ubuntu Search Engine.




What is your opinion?

US States Renamed For Countries With Similar GDPs

I thought that was very interesting for everyone to read and look at.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is a convenient way of measuring and comparing the size of national economies. Annual GDP represents the market value of all goods and services produced within a country in a year.

Put differently:
GDP = consumption + investment + government spending + (exports – imports)
Although the economies of countries like China and India are growing at an incredible rate, the US remains the nation with the highest GDP in the world – and by far: US GDP is projected to be $13,22 trillion (or $13.220 billion) in 2007, according to this source. That’s almost as much as the economies of the next four (Japan, Germany, China, UK) combined.

The creator of this map has had the interesting idea to break down that gigantic US GDP into the GDPs of individual states, and compare those to other countries’ GDP. What follows, is this slightly misleading map – misleading, because the economies both of the US states and of the countries they are compared with are not weighted for their respective populations.
Pakistan, for example, has a GDP that’s slightly higher than Israel’s – but Pakistan has a population of about 170 million, while Israel is only 7 million people strong. The US states those economies are compared with (Arkansas and Oregon, respectively) are much closer to each other in population: 2,7 million and 3,4 million.

And yet, wile a per capita GDP might give a good indication of the average wealth of citizens, a ranking of the economies on this map does serve two interesting purposes: it shows the size of US states’ economies relative to each other (California is the biggest, Wyoming the smallest), and it links those sizes with foreign economies (which are therefore also ranked: Mexico’s and Russia’s economies are about equal size, Ireland’s is twice as big as New Zealand’s). Here’s a run-down of the 50 states, plus DC:

1.California, it is often said, would be the world’s sixth- or seventh-largest economy if it was a separate country. Actually, that would be the eighth, according to this map, as France (with a GDP of $2,15 trillion) is #8 on the aforementioned list.
2.Texas’ economy is significantly smaller, exactly half of California’s, as its GDP compares to that of Canada (#10, $1,08 trillion).
3.Florida also does well, with its GDP comparable to Asian tiger South Korea’s (#13 at $786 billion).
4.Illinois – Mexico (GDP #14 at $741 billion)
5.New Jersey – Russia (GDP #15 at $733 billion)
6.Ohio – Australia (GDP #16 at $645 billion)
7.New York – Brazil (GDP #17 at $621 billion)
8.Pennsylvania – Netherlands (GDP #18 at $613 billion)
9.Georgia – Switzerland (GDP #19 at $387 billion)
10.North Carolina – Sweden (GDP #20 at $371 billion)
11.Massachusetts – Belgium (GDP #21 at $368 billion)
12.Washington – Turkey (GDP #22 at $358 billion)
13.Virginia – Austria (GDP #24 at $309 billion)
14.Tennessee – Saudi Arabia (GDP #25 at $286 billion)
15.Missouri – Poland (GDP #26 at $265 billion)
16.Louisiana – Indonesia (GDP #27 at $264 billion)
17.Minnesota – Norway (GDP #28 at $262 billion)
18.Indiana – Denmark (GDP #29 at $256 billion)
19.Connecticut – Greece (GDP #30 at $222 billion)
20.Michigan – Argentina (GDP #31 at $210 billion)
21.Nevada – Ireland (GDP #32 at $203 billion)
22.Wisconsin – South Africa (GDP #33 at $200 billion)
23Arizona – Thailand (GDP #34 at $197 billion)
24.Colorado – Finland (GDP #35 at $196 billion)
25.Alabama – Iran (GDP #36 at $195 billion)
26.Maryland – Hong Kong (#37 at $187 billion GDP)
27.Kentucky – Portugal (GDP #38 at $177 billion)
28.Iowa – Venezuela (GDP #39 at $148 billion)
29.Kansas – Malaysia (GDP #40 at $132 billion)
30.Arkansas – Pakistan (GDP #41 at $124 billion)
31.Oregon – Israel (GDP #42 at $122 billion)
32.South Carolina – Singapore (GDP #43 at $121 billion)
33.Nebraska – Czech Republic (GDP #44 at $119 billion)
34.New Mexico – Hungary (GDP #45 at $113 billion)
35.Mississippi – Chile (GDP #48 at $100 billion)
36.DC – New Zealand (#49 at $99 billion GDP)
37.Oklahoma – Philippines (GDP #50 at $98 billion)
38.West Virginia – Algeria (GDP #51 at $92 billion)
39.Hawaii – Nigeria (GDP #53 at $83 billion)
40.Idaho – Ukraine (GDP #54 at $81 billion)
41.Delaware – Romania (#55 at $79 billion GDP)
42.Utah – Peru (GDP #56 at $76 billion)
43.New Hampshire – Bangladesh (GDP #57 at $69 billion)
44.Maine – Morocco (GDP #59 at $57 billion)
45.Rhode Island – Vietnam (GDP #61 at $48 billion)
46.South Dakota – Croatia (GDP #66 at $37 billion)
47.Montana – Tunisia (GDP #69 at $33 billion)
48.North Dakota – Ecuador (GDP #70 at $32 billion)
49.Alaska – Belarus (GDP #73 at $29 billion)
50.Vermont – Dominican Republic (GDP #81 at $20 billion)
51.Wyoming – Uzbekistan (GDP #101 at $11 billion)

This map was suggested by Morgan via strangemaps@gmail.com, and can be found here. Please note that the GDP data used for this comparison are not necessarily the same as those used in compiling the original map.

What is your opinion?

To Kill An American....

Thanks to LCDC Mike Sieverson for sending this to me.

I wanted to send this to my Blog for all to read...

Written by an Australian Dentist....and too good to
delete....


You probably missed this in the rush of news, but
there was actually a report that someone in Pakistan
had published in a newspaper, an offer of a reward to
anyone who killed an American, any American.
So an Australian dentist wrote an editorial the
following day to let everyone know what an American is.
So they would know when they found one. (Good one,
mate!!!!)


"An American is English, or French, or Italian, Irish,
German, Spanish, Polish, Russian or Greek. An American
may also be Canadian, Mexican, African, Indian,
Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Australian, Iranian, Asian,
or Arab, or Pakistani or Afghan.


An American may also be a Comanche, Choctaw, Cherokee,
Osage, Bl ackfoot, Navaho, Apache, Seminole or one of
the many other tribes known as native Americans.


An American is Christian, or he could be Jewish, or
Buddhist, or Muslim. In fact, there are more Muslims
in America than in Afghanistan . The only difference
is that in America they are free to worship as each of
them chooses.


An American is also free to believe in no religion.
For that he will answer only to God, not to the
government, or to armed thugs claiming to speak for
the government and for God.


An American lives in the most prosperous land in the
history of the world.


The root of that prosperity can be found in the
Declaration of Independence , which recognizes the God
given right of each person to the pursuit of
happiness.


An American is generous. Americans have helped out
just about every other nation in the world in their
time of need, never asking a thing in return .


When Afghanistan was over-run by the Soviet army 20
years ago, Americans came with arms and supplies to
enable the people to win back their country!


As of the morning of September 11, Americans had given
more than any other nation to the poor in Afghanistan
.   Americans welcome the best of everything...the
best products, the best books, the best music, the
best food, the best services. But they also welcome
the least.


The national symbol of America , The Statue of Liberty
, welcomes your tired and your poor, the wretched
refuse of your teeming shores, the homeless, tempest
tossed. These in fact are the people who built America
.


Some of them were working in the Twin Towers the
morning of September 11, 2001 earning a better life
for their families. It's been told that the World
Trade Center victims were from at least 30 different
countries, cultures, and first languages, including
those that aided and abetted the terrorists.
So you can try to kill an American if you must. Hitler
did. So did General Tojo, and Stalin, and
Mao Tse-Tung, and other blood-thirsty tyrants in the
world. But, in doing so you would just be killing
yourself.  Because Americans are not a particular
people from a particular place. They are the
embodiment of the human spirit of freedom. Everyone
who holds to that spirit, everywhere, is an American.

 

My Gary Fisher Wahoo Bike...

So after having my Wahoo for over 6 months, I really like it. It is not for the casual rider. The bike geometry is very different from the Schwinn bike I used to ride. If a person purchases a Gary Fisher bike, they really have to want to ride. The bike has a very sharp front end and as I like to say, it is in attack mode or attack stance. The front tire and fork is very sharp compared to other bikes. The forks are adjustable and I like to keep them very loose to absorb impacts better.

The gear changers are very responsive and tight. With just a little motion, the gears will change. The seat I bought (Bontranger) in conjunction with a good pair of padded shorts helps keep my butt from getting too sore on extended rides. I changed the pedals to a pair of Crank Brothers 5050 this weekend and I really love them. The Lizard Skin I bought really helped make the ride very quiet because it padded the chain from hitting the frame. There are a few more things I would like to get for my bike, but that will happen in time.


So all in all, I would say that I am very happy with my bike and that I am glad that I bought a Gary Fisher bike. I did try several other kinds of bikes; Trek and Specialized were the other two bikes I tried. They just did not feel as good to me as the Gary Fisher did.



What is your opinion?

Moutain Biking and Health Benefits...

Last year about November I went to the doctor for a physical. He did all the blood work and all that stuff. My results came back good. My blood pressure is about 127/80 and my Triglycerides are about 189 which are in the good range. He said that I needed to loose some weight. At that time, I was about 185-190 and I am 5'8'' He suggested that I ride my bike more and that it would help. I said ok. I was going to try to anyway as I like to do it.

A few weeks ago, I realized that my pants were fitting very loose. They are a 34 waste. So after noticing that, I got on the scales after I took a shower and was amazed. I weighed 172!! I got on them on Sunday night and I was 169. I am on the first belt hole and all my 34 stuff fits me very loose. So with out even trying to loose weight, I have done it. I do not diet!! I eat what I want to and also at work I walk an incredible amount because of the size of the Fab that I work in. I walk an average of 10,000 steps a shift! So you see the reason that I do not diet. I am a very finicky eater! I only like cretin things.

I would like to ride about 12-15 miles a week, but my work schedule is very demanding at this time so that is not possible. I did however ride over this weekend a total of 16 miles! Riding on a trail is not like riding on the road or surface streets. Trail riding is much more demanding because of the terrain. I am very proud of what I have accomplished with my mountain bike ridding. It is great fun and I reap some good benefits from it! Don't get me wrong, I do get sore in my legs and my lower back from riding, and I have had a few wrecks, but it is all worth it.

What is your opinion?

Patent Bending Ding-a-ling!

This sounds like BIG BUSINESS to me...

The ITC blows up the cell-phone market.

Paging U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab: Please call us on your cell phone. And better do it fast because cell phones may soon be harder to come by thanks to one of the dumber rulings ever by the U.S. International Trade Commission.

By a 4-2 vote on Thursday, the ITC decided to ban the import of any new cell phone model produced with certain microchips made by Qualcomm. ITC Chairman David Pearson dissented on grounds that the ban was antithetical to the public good, which is certainly true. But the import ban is effective immediately, and this means that President Bush, through Ms. Schwab, has just 60 days to set the ruling aside before it becomes permanent. There's an overwhelming case for doing so.

The ITC's power to ban foreign-made, patent-infringing products goes back to the infamous Smoot-Hawley Tariff of 1930--which ought to be a hint that this is a bad idea. The fear was that American intellectual property would be stolen by foreign firms, which would use U.S. patents to produce goods overseas without paying royalties and then ship those products to the U.S. The law was never intended to substitute for domestic patent-infringement suits in federal courts between two American companies, which is the story here.

The patent holder in this instance is California-based Broadcom, which has sued Qualcomm for infringement. Broadcom owns several patents relevant to the production of certain cell phones sold by Sprint, Verizon, Alltel, as well as T-Mobile and AT&T. In other words, pretty much every large cell phone operator in the country sells at least some phones that contain the allegedly infringing chips.

The ITC tried to soften the blow of its ruling by grandfathering existing models and applying the ban only to future models. This was presumably a nod to the extraordinary breadth of the ban: Nobody, including Broadcom, actually makes competing chips in the U.S., so an import ban is tantamount to a total ban. However, anyone who's shopped recently for a cell phone knows that the future arrives fast in that industry, with new models coming all the time.

The ITC ban is in effect a bar to innovation by these U.S. companies--a fact recognized both by Chairman Pearson in his dissent, and by the administrative law judge who originally heard the case and refused to issue a broad ban in October 2006. Moreover, Broadcom is already suing Qualcomm in federal court over these very same patents. There is thus no need for the ITC to muscle in, except to expand its own bureaucratic turf in the patent field. The ITC's separate process was created only as a way to deal with patent infringers who were beyond the reach of U.S. courts.

This case is part of a larger legal patent quagmire that now has Congress entering with its own reform proposals. Uh, oh. So far, the proposals are a jumble of good and bad ideas, and that's before the boys on Capitol Hill start mulching in earnest. Everyone from Big Pharma to federal judges and small inventors is up in arms about something in the House and Senate twin bills. The only people not howling seem to be the lawyers, who no doubt assume that any big reform will require years of litigation and millions of billable hours before anyone is sure what in the name of invention it really means.

Our own sense is that the patent system needs two things above all: better patents and less litigation, and the two are related. The U.S. Patent Office needs to raise its standard of patent quality, so that patent-holders and potential licensees both know that any patent is likely to be valid and upheld by the courts. Better patents also mean less costly litigation, because a patent that is both of high quality and clear purpose is much less likely to go to trial than one that is dubious, or too broad, or of uncertain application.

Better patents depend most of all on a Patent Office that gives its examiners the right incentives--which means rewarding them for issuing quality patents rather than disposing of patent cases. The courts can help too, and recently they have been. Last month's Supreme Court decision in KSR v. Teleflex put down a marker on the "obviousness" of inventions that ought to be relevant to patent examiners who are considering whether to grant an application.

If Congress really wants to help, it could start by refusing to let companies like Broadcom use the ITC as a legal backstop at the same time they're suing in federal court. In the meantime, let's hope Ms. Schwab uses her power to overrule the ITC in this case and save American cell phone companies and consumers from needless harm.


What is your opinion?

What is Net Neutrality?

I just made my voice heard on the net neutrality issue. IF you value the Internet, you should also.

"Net neutrality" is an issue that will shape the future of the Internet.

Save The Internet.

NetCompetition.org

Network neutrality is the principle that Internet users should be in control of what content they view and what applications they use on the Internet. The Internet has operated according to this neutrality principle since its earliest days. Indeed, it is this neutrality that has allowed many companies, including Google, to launch, grow, and innovate. Fundamentally, net neutrality is about equal access to the Internet. In our view, the broadband carriers should not be permitted to use their market power to discriminate against competing applications or content. Just as telephone companies are not permitted to tell consumers who they can call or what they can say, broadband carriers should not be allowed to use their market power to control activity online. Today, the neutrality of the Internet is at stake as the broadband carriers want Congress's permission to determine what content gets to you first and fastest. Put simply, this would fundamentally alter the openness of the Internet.

What is the Current Status of Net Neutrality?

Net neutrality is a major issue as the U.S. considers new telecommunications laws. The U.S. House of Representatives passed its telecommunications bill, H.R. 5252, in May, without adequate net neutrality protections. Now the fight has moved to U.S. Senate. On June 28, the Senate Commerce Committee passed its own telecom bill, S. 2686. While an amendment to the bill that would have added meaningful net neutrality safeguards failed 11-11, this tie vote marks a significant political victory and gives the effort new momentum. The debate now shifts to the full Senate, where advocates will be working to get strong net neutrality language is any bill that the Senate considers.

What is your opinion?