Calvin and Hobbes on the Financial Crisis

Nothing wrong with it, except I saw it earlier in the day before I managed to read this (This came out 5 minutes ago). This is a relatively new story, so there aren’t many comments at the time of the writing. Nothing inherently wrong, but this is only the first news article. However, there isn’t anything interesting for another 8 news articles, until you get to:

Top 10 Things to make Good Games Better!

Also, there’s no point in reading the comments because the whole commenting system is infested with people with bad grammar and spelling who can not articulate an idea further than a sentence. In fact, I counted about 5 comments that actually try to articulate and express an idea properly. I’m not expecting an essay, but reading the comments is kind of like crack. It’s very quick, and gives you very little entertainment.  I admit, there are some good comments. There are fleeting moments of discussion. However, nothing ever really gets discussed more than 4 comments deep. It’s always very superficial and of no real benefit other than a way of killing time. I gained nothing through reading the comments, and I pretty much just block everyone who can’t even use proper English, because I don’t want to deal with it. Just because this is the internet doesn’t mean that you can forgo everything you learned about English. Sure, everyone makes mistakes and we sometimes mistype, but I’m talking about deliberately missing punctuation and not caring at all about spelling. If you want to type like a child, I’m not willing to read it.

You might see this as elitist, that I’m expecting too much from everybody. This is not true. I’m expecting enough, and people supply too little. Digg is no longer part of my life, I will not use it every again. You’re welcome to submit my stories, but I won’t know until I check where the massive influx of traffic came from in my logs. Now, compare Digg to a website like Slashdot. There is no comparison, Slashdot blows Digg right out of the water. The reason is simple. Digg is too popular. What this means is that it is now flooded with the “average” person. There is no niche, you have everything from sports to entertainment to science. It’s a website for everybody, a place where someone can say whatever they want to say, whether it’s right or wrong. Slashdot, on the other hand, targets a demographic that is smart. More specifically, nerds. The first article is about touchscreen netbooks in CES 2009. Touchscreens are cool, that’s something interesting. But more importantly, what about the discussion in slashdot going on about it? The first comment is from a troll, but it is likewise voted by the members as a troll and hidden from view unless specified to be seen. Digg’s system is very easily abused people people who disagree with you. I’ve seen many comments that are worthwhile and raise a valid point that have been voted down on digg. Not a problem on Slashdot.

More importantly, however, is the fact that the discussion is meaningful to the topic at hand. It is both useful and entertaining, and allows me to understand the subject at hand better. It’s not just a matter of something having to be useful. It can be entertaining as well. The next article is about Microsoft billing 1$ an hour for leasing Microsoft Office. The very first comment is a joke. A proper joke, written properly so that I don’t have to reread it just to understand it. Nothing kills a joke worse than having to first interpret what the person is trying to say. Here on Slashdot, I don’t have to deal with the same amount of trash that exists on digg.

Yes, people say useful things on Digg. But why search through a pile of trash when I have slashdot? This is an important point, because in every pile of trash you might find something useful. If you go to digg, you’re spending your time looking through trash. On slashdot, there is no trash. You’re looking at a fridge stocked to the brim full of food. You’re not wading your way through junk to find a half rotten but edible banana. There is no comparison. Digg is the equivilant of channel flipping on TV, trying to find a show that interests you in someway. This is the internet, you shouldn’t have to subject yourself to this. You can schedule your life around the TV, finding shows that you like and think are interesting on different channels. On the internet, it’s even better. Find some blogs that are relevant to your interests. Find a news aggregation website that is relevant to your interests. I use Slashdot as an example, because it’s a website that posts articles that I find interesting, as well as having a smart and intelligent community. Find your own hub. Choose a niche that is relevant to you, and minimize time spent on trash.

Update: I wrote this with one goal in mind and ended up with a different final product. I ussualy try not to let hate get the better of me, but this is what I ended up with.

Ready-fire-aim!

The device is pretty neat, there’s no denying that. It’s unfortunate that apple has decided to completely lock down the iPhone into AT&T. In fact, this is what kept me from getting the first iPhone. That, and the fact that it’s usually better to wait for the second generation of new hardware. Apparently, Apple has wizened up, and you are now forced to sign the contract in the store. This makes things a bit more complicated then. With the first iPhone, you were allowed the possibility of enabling it through iTunes. Or, you could not activate it at all, and instead you could unlock it. Yet there is always the problem of being left with an iBrick. With the 3g iPhone, Apple has agreed to a wide array of different contract prices with countries in Europe. For example, in Belgium you get a completely unlocked iPhone, with which you can use with whatever carrier you like. The price is rather steep considering the exchange rates (it costs almost $1000 for the 16gb version!), so if you’re desperate and looking for an unlocked iPhone now, Europe is the way to go.  However, there are plans of selling unlocked iPhones by the end of the year in America. The price will be much higher without a contract, at $599/$699 depending on the model. It will be pay as you go, but I do not know if that means it will work with every carrier. I’ve been unable to find more information about pay as you go iPhones being sold in America, maybe my google fu isn’t up to scratch. Unfortunately for apple, I’m not buying their iPhone just yet, and most likely neither should you (although this could depend on the circumstances).

Python is a language that has risen in popularity these last few years. I have heard about it before, and just recently I decided I wanted to learn it. First of all, I know no other language other than visual basic. However, I don’t want to be forced to use a language that is locked into windows, although I know there are ways to get visual basic working using Mono. However it is not the disadvantages of visual basic that compel me to learn python, rather the advantages of python. I honestly don’t know enough about visual basic to say why it sucks, but the fact that it’s from Microsoft was reason enough for me look and see what better cross-platform alternatives there are. Python is also easy to use. It has an easy to read syntax, meaning that it is easy to maintain it. If you write something in python, you can come back to your code in six months and easily figure out what you’re trying to do. However, if you use a language like C++, it can be difficult to understand your own code at first. Of course, having a clean syntax also helps as you’re coding. It helps make everything clear, and instead of focusing on the language, you focus on the logic. Most important for me is that I can learn it without it being too complicated. It’s going to be a little side project of mine. I don’t want to waste a lot of time learning things in c/c++ that I could already be doing in python. Perhaps at a later point, I will learn c++. At this point in time, I would rather learn more about programming theory, such as objects and whatnot. Python makes it easy to learn all of this. If you also wish to learn about programming, I would imagine python to be a great starting point for everyone. There is a book about python that will be released on the 25 of September, called Beginning Python: from Novice to Professional, Second edition. I have read some of the author’s articles online, as well as the first chapter in his first book. It does not over complicate things with unnecessary terminology meant for professionals, but instead focuses on being clear to understand without overloading on complicated matters. I have read some of the his articles online and it it seems clear without taking things too fast. Thus, I will try to get my hands on a copy of the book when it releases. I will begin learning python in approximately a month and a half (no, not because I’m lazy).

Enso

Enso launcher is product made by Humanized. Humanized bases all their products on having a “humanized” interface. Everything they do is done to make everything as efficient and humanized as possible. I think their philosophy is best explained on their about page. Enso itself is a very neat product. It’s visually appealing, and uses a nice pallet of colors. It’s very slick, and I can see a lot of thought was put into this aspect. It uses the caps lock key to toggle input, which you must hold down. It can be a bit hard at times to do this, especially if you’re a touch typist, but it works well enough. You can change it to other predefined keys. However, you will not be able to use the defined key for its normal use, it’s sole purpose is for the Enso launcher. You are told to try it, that even though it’s new, you’ll get used to it. I’ve been using this for a two weeks, and it’s still a bit awkward, but I can use it to a degree that is sufficient enough for me to use it without much thinking. It’s different, that’s for sure, and whether or not it’s better seems more like what you’re comfortable with, rather than hard data. This is my personal opinion, as I’m sure a study could show that one is better than the other, but I don’t think that will happen any time soon.

The way you use Enso launcher, is that you press and hold caps lock to type a command. The most common commands are:

open: open an executable

go: Change to another open window

learn as open: Highlight something, use this command, and put in whatever you want the program to learn. For example, highlighting “www.techsmartly.com”, using the command, and typing in techsmartly will make the program learn that the command “open techsmartly” will open this website. If you still don’t quite understand it, think of it as binding a key in the console if you’re a gamer.

open with: Like the open command, but you say which program you want to open the file with.

These are the most frequently used commands for the average user. There’s also a tutorial video that explains everything much more in depth if you install it, so don’t worry if you don’t understand.

The main reason I prefer the beta 2.0 version over version 1, is that it learns what you use. This is a feature that was sorely lacking in the first version. This is why, despite missing many useful features, I much prefer version 2.0. Also, the way commands are typed in is different. in the original, you typed “open Firefox”, and it would open it. Now, you type “o”, let go of caps lock, and a little box shows up. Then you can type “fi” and enter, and then Firefox opens up. Despite being more complicated on paper, it is much easier to actually do. It requires fewer keystrokes. It’s only a bit difficult to learn if you’re used to the old stay. It’s quite intuitive, since after all it is the philosophy behind all Humanized products.

Like every program, it has its downfalls. First of all, no copy and paste. It’s still not implemented, so you’re going to have to type everything out. Luckily there’s that learning algorithm to help you. Another problem is that you can’t scroll further down the list of suggestions other than what is already listed. Lastly, you can’t type anything that’s incredibly long. Most importantly though, is that it seems to crash quite a bit. I’ve had it crash several times, but luckily it starts again. It also opens up a web page where you can explain what you were doing when it crashed, and it sends info about what was happening. You’re able to see all the info that’s being sent, so there are no worries there(hopefully).  These are several glaring problems that I’ve had with this program. It is not enough to render it unusable, and it is still a beta. There is also no linux version, for all your linux fans and users out there. However, a Linux version is in the pipe works, although I’m unsure if it’s for the first enso launcher or the the second version of the enso launcher.

It’s a great little app, and I use it quite a bit.

Launchy

Launchy is, just like Enso, a launcher. Like Enso launcher, it’s main goal is to speed up your computer usage. However, less focus is put on the interface itself. The end purpose is the same, but everything else is different. Launchy has a lot more options than Enso. You simply type the name of what you want, and it finds it for you. You do not have all the commands given in Enso launcher, meaning it is only what it is, a launcher. However, it doesn’t only have to launch what i has already indexed. Unlike Enso launcher, you can tell Launchy to index a certain folder, so that everything inside can be launched as long as you know the name. You can write the name of a song, and it will open it. However, you need to know the actual filename, not the anme of the song.

You can’t go to another window in Launchy. Enso is very powerful if you know how to use it. Launchy is also powerful if you know how to use it. However, they are powerful in different areas. Enso can also have more commands if you know how to code. Launchy has a lot more customization, as well as the ability to index everything. It is also quite simple of you like to use default everything (putting all your videos in my videos, music in my music, etc). If you like to tweak and customize to your liking, you can also do that. With enso, you can’t do so. You can’t make it index anything else, and the amount of options is quite flimsy. You can change the skin in launcher, but you can’t do so with enso. Fortunately, Enso does most things “just right”. It has that feelings that disillusioned mac users think about OSX. Of course, following in traditional Mac footsteps, if you don’t like the way it does things, tough (bring on the hate mail!).

A small footnote in today’s ever increasing processing power; launchy has a smaller memory footprint. Enso takes up about 33 megabytes of ram, while Launchy takes up only 12. This is while it’s idle. For those that have very little computer resources, like some of my friends, launchy may be the best choice if there is some indecision between the two.

Which one?

Both are great launchers. Both are free, so can try both and see what you like. I personally prefer Enso launcher, but some people may prefer Launchy. It depends on how you wish to use it, as well as a myriad of other factors. Although I would recommend people to try enso if asked, the real answer would be to try both, that way you can’t be wrong. I’ve since stopped launchy from starting up automatically, and I use only Enso Launcher now, but there’s no risk in trying both, or maybe others as well. Remember, the keyboard is almost always faster than the mouse.

For those that don’t use windows

Unfortunately, Launchy and Enso launcher are not out for another other than windows. For linux, you can choose between Katapult, and gnome do. For Mac, you have Quicksilver.

Linux is an operating system that originated from a man called Linus Torvald. He based Linux off of UNIX, the same operating system that OSX is based on, except it’s not as bad as OSX. It started in 1991. A commercial operating system called MINIX, based on UNIX, was being sold. Linus wanted to create a similar operating system, but one that was free. This led him to create the Linux kernel, together with everything from the GNU project. He released GNU/Linux on 17 December 1991. Oddly enough, Linus was working on Linux when he was in a university as well. However, he did not drop out. Now what about Linux would be so great as to merit such a long and boring intro? There are too many reasons, so I will just give a very brief summary.

It is the most secure OS on the market. It has almost no viruses. In fact, there probably is no need for an anti virus. Since people find problems, fix them, and submit the solution, exploits are quickly fixed. Don’t ever use an anti virus on Linux. It simply isn’t worth it. Even when Linux gets more popular, and more people (attempt to) create viruses, Trojans, or worms, there are more people that will also fix all of those exploits. This makes the developers have to do less work, and makes Linux more secure.

Linux also turns out to be one of the most reliable operating systems around. There are some servers that have been up for more than 5 years, and have never been shut down due to crashes. Linux runs programs in a different way, where they aren’t tied to the system. The system is 1 layer, and applications are another. When the application crashes, or something goes wrong, it is much easier to get out of such a situation. I’ve had windows fail to load when a file became corrupt due to turning off the power when my games froze, or some other application. It is possible to recover from almost every situation without leaning over to touch that power button.

Different distributions are what make Linux so much better. Don’t like how red hat handles certain things? Then you might want to check out Slackware. Oh, it doesn’t have a good package management system? Maybe try Ubuntu, or Kubuntu, or maybe Fedora, or even Opensuse. You want something that feels more like windows? Trying to get someone to switch to Linux? Try Linespire, or Freespire! But maybe Mandriva suits your tastes more, especially since it has such an easy way of installing. Now what if you’re stuck with windows? Use DSL, a distribution of Linux that is only 49.5 mB. It is possible to run Linux inside of windows using only a pen drive.

Lastly, Linux is completely free. No money has to be exchanged. You don’t need to buy a separate copy for every computer. Even software can all be free. For Photoshop you have gimp. For Microsoft office there is OpenOffice. A lot of money could be saved if we didn’t spend so much on commercial products when there are just as good products that you can get for free. I never believed in the saying “you get what you pay for”.

Linux is used everywhere. It’s just too hard to pretend it doesn’t exist. Phones are using it. Big businesses, as well as small ones. Computer used for work, gaming, or surfing. More and more schools are using it. It’s not a fad, an inferior OS, or just a little piece of dirt on the sidelines. It’s something much better than windows. That resource hogging Aero that was in Vista was in Linux long before. In fact, Linux can do better things than Aero. In short, Linux is in general, a better operating system.

First youtube poop

Second youtube poop

Hope you enjoy it…if you like that sort of thing. If you’re wondering when I’ll stop posting about youtube poops and stop being weird, don’t worry, there are normal articles in the pipe line. I am however a little busy, and have been for the past week.

Now you may be wondering what I’m talking about right now. Actually, I don’t quite know myself exactly what makes a youtube poop (ytp) a youtube poop. What I do know, is that they can be quite funny for those who like that style of humor. What it is, is a remix of sorts, originally done to CD-i  videos. I think the best way to know what a youtube poop is, is to watch one yourself.

My favorite ytp’s are:

These are some of my favorite’s and I think they demonstrate what it is quite well. Not everyone likes youtube poops thought, however they’re now one of my favorite forms of entertainment. There are also different styles and things that you can do with ytp’s. There are more experimental forms, which can involve things like blowing your ears out with lots of distorted and crazy sound.

Youtube poop’s aren’t only limited to CD-i. The original ones are, but pretty much everything can be turned into a youtube poop. Along the more popular ones are the Super Mario Bros. show, which is more than 15 years old, as well as shows from Sonic the Hedgehog. My preference for youtube poops is anything funny, but I always like to watch poops of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. I’ve seen some pretty funny poops based off that show.

Youtube poops are not for everyone. You may just dismiss it as some crazy thing that some people like to watch and like, similar like Hillary Clinton supporters(yes I did just go there). It’s one of the funnier things that I have seen, and it’s relatively unknown. If you wish to start watching poops, and need a foothold for where to start, I would recommend two of my favorite poopers.

Youtube user MTB710

Youtube user Krobo Productions

Happy watching, and hopefully I’ll be able to get my youtube poop encoded properly!