OpsanBlog

When Nature and Digital Collide

In an interesting story of a a digital ‘nature’, a pigeon with a memory card delivered 4GB of content computer-to-computer faster than the local ADSL company could move the file.

Granted, this doesn’t scale .. the total distance was about 50 miles. How do you calculate the cost-per-megabyte in pigeon feed? Still, an interesting demonstration of selecting the right way to send a bit of content by considering all the conditions.

For years (Wikipedia quotes a 1996 source in Sneakernet): “Never underestimate the bandwidth of a station wagon full of tapes hurtling down the highway” as a means to define ultimate data transfer rates. Rumored to have started with a floppy disk in a St. Bernard’s pouch, it has evolved over the years to include DVDs loaded in 747s.

MSNBC: “Pigeon beats Internet firm in data transfer race”.

Install Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 from USB

Kudos and thanks to Vishal for “A Bootable USB: Utility to Create Bootable USB Drive to Install Windows Vista, Server 2008 and 7”. This is a great post for the geeky at heart (that would include me). I want to make sure I can find it again (and again), as I tinker with systems.

If you’re not feeling particular geeky, you can download a program from CNET Downloads that does the work for you. Navigate to “Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool – Download.com”.

The History of Microsoft on Channel 9

A kudos and many thanks to Channel 9 for posting a series of “The History of Microsoft” articles.

For those of discovered them previously, please let this article serve as a reference for all the years’ summaries.

If you haven’t seen them, start at the top, and click away!

• The History of Microsoft – 1975
• The History of Microsoft – 1976
• The History of Microsoft – 1977
• The History of Microsoft – 1978
• The History of Microsoft – 1979
• The History of Microsoft – 1980
• The History of Microsoft – 1981
• The History of Microsoft – 1982
• The History of Microsoft – 1983
• The History of Microsoft – 1984
• The History of Microsoft – 1985
• The History of Microsoft – 1986
• The History of Microsoft – 1987
• The History of Microsoft – 1988
• The History of Microsoft – 1989
• The History of Microsoft – 1990
• The History of Microsoft – 1991
• The History of Microsoft – 1992
• The History of Microsoft – 1993
• The History of Microsoft – 1994
• The History of Microsoft – 1995
• The History of Microsoft – 1996
• The History of Microsoft – 1997
• The History of Microsoft – 1998
• The History of Microsoft – 1999

Unhappily, the series is ending at 1999; near as I can tell, there’s 10 more years of history to cover. Let’s hope they get renewed for another season.

Mobility in the guise of a Pink Slip ..

.. and I don’t mean wearing one. Although, in some organizations ..

Wired takes a high-level view of the 10,000-odd jobs lost in the Valley this past year. They’re citing (likely correctly), that being set in motion .. one way or another, is a good thing for you, and for the industry.

Some thoughts:

• The tech industry is famous / infamous for mobility .. if you don’t like what you’re doing .. or for whom you’re doing it, you start knocking on doors. With the critical mass of technical people and jobs and the California lifestyle, people and positions move .. like, well you know what through a goose. If you’re good, you’re employed.
• With the highly-portable 401-K and IRA-rollover lifestyle, dough you accumulate (granted, it’s YOUR dough, to begin with), travels with you.

Despite these enablers, mobility has been cowed (or, at least startled) by widely-held financial issues. Even with the critical mass advantage (dodging the need to move cross-country, or even take a different train to change jobs), people aren’t all that keen on risking their lifestyles or their homes to move.

I think mobility (even if in a self-defensive mode) is good for people. But: how is this perceived for the industry? Some more thoughts:

• Three words: innovation, innovation and innovation. Ideas flow from place to place .. problems are solved in previously-unaddressed manners when big thinkers get in motion and join other companies.
• Three more words: connections, connections and networking. To paraphrase the old saw: “the more you know, the more you know what you don’t know”, as the more (people) you know, the more you know.
  • Do you seriously think that employees of competitive companies don’t talk to one another?
  • Haven’t you heard of the “Table NDA”?

Times change, projects change, people change .. being on ‘terms’ with everyone (with a smattering of being a ‘people’ person) and aware of ‘everything’ keeps you employed. Keeping you employed means you are contributing to the

Thanks to Wired for posting “Laid Off? It’s Good for You and Good for the Tech Industry”.

On the plus side, Baseline presents a report : “Tech Job Losses Lessening”, suggesting the bloodbath of the last few quarters may be near over.

Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Public-Funded Special Education

Near and dear in my heart; my Hunter (a very special boy) attends a very special school. The school is quite effective, and I’m pleased with the results, but it doesn’t come cheap.

This, after his K-through-5 years in our local public school system, in which he was simply not challenged enough for his intellect .. he was bringing assignments home that his younger sister was completing easily. After numerous attempts to get him moved into peer-level mainstream classes in various subjects, we gave up on the public school district for him and enrolled him in APL.

From the article:

Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the nation’s special education students are entitled to a "free and appropriate public education." Federal law calls for school districts to reimburse students or their families for education costs when public schools do not have services that address or fulfill the students’ needs.

…

The court ruled 6-3 in favor of a teenage boy from Oregon whose parents sought to force their local public school district to pay the $5,200 a month it cost to send their son to a private school.

Granted, there isn’t a program against which I can seek reimbursement .. at the moment, all I can do is call my attorney; not a pleasant (or rapid resolution) prospect.

New York Times:”Court Affirms Reimbursement for Special Education”.