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Thoughts and things I care to sharelinks for 2007-11-21
- New applications eh? All I read here is that they’ve added games. How does that help me communicate with people? Disappointed.
- The next generation of television is about to take it’s first few breaths of air. Jeff Pulver sees the value in this space and is putting a *lot* of energy into this endevor. This is a must-see effort.
Unloading the dead wood – updating my blogroll
So I’ve finally gone through and cleaned out my blogroll. Gone are the tired old links to past interests, hobbies and blogs I no longer read. Instead, I went through my current reading list – both the “top ten” and the RSS feeds to identify who I really gain value from day in and day out.
These blogs, these thinkers, these writers keep me on my toes and make me think. They influence me, they inspire me, they listen to what I have to add as well. If you’re looking for new ideas in how you approach work, life or leisure, I urge you to check them out. You can find my blogroll at the link at the top of my blog or by clicking here.
Care2Share? Have any great blogs you’d like me and others to know about? Add ’em in a comment below.
links for 2007-11-17
- While Google may be the next Microsoft, I still want to see them gain some spectrum in the upcoming wireless auction.
links for 2007-11-16
- Looking for a quick one-paragraph synopsys of each Server Edition? Bink’s got it.
- Here’s a decent article on Vista SP1 preview.
- Steven Hodson has some great points on social networks over at WinExtra on Thursday. Highly recommended
links for 2007-11-15
- Are you responsible for systems deployment? Check out the latest from Microsoft on the topic, nothing radically new here, but improvements are always welcome.
Riding the Vista Wave – Windows Deployment
That’s what my technical focus is for the next several months. I’ve been working on a Windows automated deployment environment for a client and will also be planning the next steps for them.
With that in mind, and the upcoming release of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 along with Windows Server 2008, managed deployment systems are crucial to their success. Since I’ve gone out on my own as a consultant, I now find the need to build a full “lab” environment at home to be able to explore the latest release of Microsoft’s deployment solutions.
The stage is being set, with Server 2008, Vista, virtualization of servers/workstations/applications, the needs of successfully deploying any and all of these software packages is becoming more important than ever. The next couple of years looks to be a lot of work for organizations as they investigate, plan, and implement the next generation (the Vista wave) of system software and platforms.
So I’ve got to do something that I’ve not done for a number of years. Build a full testing environment of my own for development, prototyping and testing ideas and solutions. Being a part of a larger organization, in previous years, has allowed me to rely on other resources. Most companies have rooms filled with equipment, just for R&D purposes. Because of this I got rid of my home server “farm” that supplied all those testing requirements, web, email, file server, management server, etc…
This time, however, my plan is to go fully virtual, of course. This requires a *lot* of RAM, HD space and use of virtual environments – including virtual networks. It’ll be fun, it’ll be a lot of work – and I think I need one more machine, but we’ll see how it goes.
At any rate, I’ll be posting a bit on deployment technologies over the next few months, but don’t worry. I’ll not be forgetting any personal branding or social media items either – I’m actually interested in leveraging both of these as I work through some of the technology.
Anyone else out there a Windows Deployment architect?
links for 2007-11-14
- Interesting idea of morphing the email into a social app… not sure I agree that it’ll work
- Yes. But realize that Digg is not the end-all of social bookmarking either. It does bode well for MSM efforts though. Many news orgs follow what WSJ does, so this may make a differencein the walled garden arena.
- While I know that some will not like this change, it’s better for the reader and ultimately the publisher. Also cleans up Google ads a bit.
- Charles Cooper raises a good question over on CNET about biofuels. Practically nobody is asking the tough questions about these solutions – they’re not the cleanest or most economical of the “green” solutions on the table to replace petroleum.
- Gotta love Lifehacker.
WordPress 2.3.1 Upgrade
Well, I finally got around to upgrading WordPress to version 2.3. In fact, I waited long enough for 2.3.1 to be released.
Heh, guess I just found the time to “git ‘er dun” as it were.
No other changes have been made, but I’d appreciate it if you drop a comment or an email if you run across anything that simply doesn’t work like it used to, or like it should.
Thank you!
links for 2007-11-07
- Good point on the awards for Web 2.0 startups.
- Check out Microsoft’s latest search product. A freebie download that provides the basic search services needed by the enterprise.
Information Privacy – More Thoughts
I’d posted previously about the idea to license my information to people who want to make money off it. In his post, Why are we giving ourselves away for free, Steven Hodson talked about a similar concern, suggesting that people may start trademarking themselves.
Today, I read a great post by Chip Griffin called Privacy Nuts Hurt Us All. In this post, Chip really makes a good point about how nothing on the Internet is private, nor should be.
The reality is that with more information, our “free” services we love so much can actually make money to continue to operate. With more information, advertisers can show us ads that we might actually click on. With more information, obtrusive banner ads and pop-ups may not even be necessary for many online businesses because their ad campaigns are more effective.
Yes, this means that you’d probably be spending money on their sponsors, but it would likely be because it’s an ad for something your purchasing already.
Where privacy comes into the picture is that all our clicks, views, traffic, etc… is what helps power this focused advertising engine. Claiming that this traffic is “private data” and that it’s use should be regulated is absurd. What about you being observed purchasing a soda from a vending machine on a public street? It’s the same type of data if a company wished to gather it – is that private too?
What I’d love to see though is the ability for me to charge commercial entities a fee for using my personal information to make money. My personal information is my name, address, phone number, email address, religion, race, etc.
Currently I choose to give those away for free because I have no other recourse. There is no way for me to make people pay me for that information. That it is used at all, I really don’t have a problem with. Just remember that nothing on the Internet is private, no matter how much you wish otherwise.
What about you? There is a growing interest in how information is used, do you wish to hinder the use of information, or promote it?
Privacy Nuts Hurt Us All (Chip Griffin: Pardon the Disruption)
Why are we giving ourselves away for free (Steven Hodson: WinExtra)
@MAC_Arms Pay taxes when you make your money, pay taxes when you spend your money, pay taxes when you successfully invest your money, pay taxes when you save enough taxed money to afford a house, pay taxes to live in your house, pay taxes when you sell the house that you paid taxes on to
Yup, taxes are criminal and we need serious reforms. I've always said that if you want to see a tax revolt, make withholdings illegal and have Americans write a tax check every payday. They'll revolt for sure. You don't miss what you never had.
I think it’s safe to say that @GovEvers should stop blocking audits in Wisconsin and open the books…
“Only AMERICAN citizens should vote.”
Sen. @berniemoreno says voter ID and proof of citizenship are simply common sense.
“We’re talking about a very low threshold — identify who you are and prove you’re a U.S. citizen when you register to vote. I think we’re getting closer to
Wrong. Democrats are solely responsible for hours-long airport lines.
They voted to defund TSA three times and won’t even entertain a conversation about reopening it. Why?
They’re using it as leverage to stop enforcing immigration laws.