Here is an example of when the automatic update feature that is increasingly being enabled on software and drivers is a headache. Driver stability.
My "new" laptop (I bought it in May), has a built-in 1.3MP WebCam that utilizes the Logitech QuickCam firmware. That’s great because it’s recognized by the Logitech drivers and all the advanced functionality that their software brings. Now the bad thing about it is that the latest Logitech software seems to be less then perfect.
The camera picture will lock up and the camera will "turn off". This sometimes will be accompanied some time later (minutes to hours) with a complete, spectacular system crash, complete with blue screen (yes, it still exists) with dual outputs for both cores since it’s a Core Duo.
Pretty neat – hadn’t seen the dual-core dump, but I’d rather have the camera function like it should. This event simply underscores the necessity of stable drivers for any operating system, and that there are enough possible combinations of hardware that it will become nearly impossible for a hardware company to be able to completely test them all.
I’ll be checking into rolling back to older software to see if that solves the problem. It just shouldn’t happen in the first place though. One more reason I’ll be checking out a MacBook next.
Be careful of what you read about Vista and DRM – it’s not all as bad as some would have you believe. FUD is running thick, and the Geekzone is out to clear some of it up.
Just in case anyone was wondering, I took the weekend off blogging as it turns out. I’ve had a case of blogger’s block for close to two weeks and I simply turned off the laptop sometime on Friday and just didn’t touch it until a few minutes ago.
Has a day or two not trying to think, not trying to write helped? Not sure. I know I needed a little time to do other things and let the mind wander to it’s other corners, if only to just relax. I believe that I get too anxious to do things and it get’s counter productive to what I’m trying to do.
Anyway, I’ll probably get cranking again tomorrow, but am going to try and go and do some other work yet today. Possibly write some more "happiness" quotes – I’m starting to run short on them. 😉
Since I’ve been having a hard time writing things in my genre of topics I usually try to post on here I thought I’d let myself go off in a different direction.
While I’m not a hard-core foodie, I do like to eat good food. I’ve got a few favorite shows on Food Network and a number of things are starting to really bother me more and more.
When did we allow our food preparation to be outsourced to a growing industry of bland, mechanized, "individually sealed for your safety", corporations that get to dictate taste to us?
Why do we feel the need to make it taste the same in Los Angeles as it does in New York?
I’m not faulting any of the companies that cater to our desire and perceived need for quick, easy, meals. They’re just businesses trying to make money and grow market share. Yes, the national chains can offer good coffee, breads, ice cream, noodles, cheesecake, pizza, etc… but what about our cultural heritage that brings so many different regional ideas, experience, tastes, and ingredients to the table.
Alas, the modern interstate has rendered our palates comfortably numb with it’s rolling miles of paved pablum.
One last thing: portion size. WTF!? The food from all fast food, chain restaurants, and so on is soooo mediocre that one wonders why we need to super-size any of it. Even when going to a "sit down" restaurant, the servings are too big. And experts wonder why we have a obesity problem in our country!
I’m ranting here, and for good reason. Most cities have lost what culturally significant foods and dishes that were developed because of their geographic location and the unique combination of nationalities that had settled there. It’s sad to loose these dishes and flavors that have melted into the bland fabric that is American food today.
Don’t know the answer to any of this except to suggest you seek out the local mom & pop restaurants and frequent the ones that have keep to their regional specialties. Encourage them to continue doing what they do best and look for more that keep our regional specialties unique and special.
In addition, don’t forget that the cultural makeup of our country is changing. With larger numbers of various ethnic groups, the idea of food, flavor and ingredients are and will change. This is OK, because this brings fresh ideas and new techniques to our kitchens and our palates. And that is a great thing too.
I’ve been talking with a number of people in differing areas of companies while drumming up consulting or contract gigs, and something is becoming very apparent. While there is a huge amount of misunderstanding regarding social media, there is also a growing interest in online professional networking.
What intrigues me is how the growing interest in social networking can’t address the biggest problem facing these tools in corporate settings. That is, the need to provide a business case that is benefited by these tools and technologies. Fine, sure, yeah, I know that there are many business situations that simply do not require new ways to do their jobs, but there are many other situations that do.
Communication is one of the obvious ones, but I remember a number of individuals who could not look past the continuing arguments of “its a time waster” or “it’s a security hole”. Sure, they can be that – but no worse than email. This problem and these arguments are as old as technology itself. No matter what the new idea/tool/concept is, it requires a new generation to prove it’s worth.
What we need to do to help foster corporate uptake of social media is to provide learning opportunities. This might be by sending articles addressing the professional and productivity aspects to key decision makers. It may also be done by providing “brown bag” lunches with an agenda of exploring online and hosted social tools. One could also use themselves as an example of how to use social media to leverage their personal brand within an organization – I think many of us are already doing that.
At any rate, I’m going to continue to look for those opportunities for companies to leverage new media/social media tools to their advantage.
Have you discovered innovative uses for social media in your organization?
