| | According to Apple's built-in dictionary, the word integrity means: "the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moraluprightness." I also like this definition: "Integrity is doing the right thing when no one is looking." Over the past four and a half years, I've given this word a lot of thought. Exactly how does one live a life of integrity? As with everything else, you try as hard as you can. Then try even harder.
If you follow me on Twitter, you may have seen this tweet recently: "Finally legit on Windows Vista Home Premium. Nothing pirated now: music, video, software... 100% clean. Booyah!" This was a major milestone for me. I've been working toward this for a while and decided to push through and finish the job. As the tweet says, I have no pirated media or software on my computers.
I made the decision a couple of years ago to forego having all of the latest and greatest media as a part of living a more honest and respectable life. It was an easy way for me to demonstrate that I place a high value on doing the right thing. It started with the erasing 60GB+ of music, and 20GB of movies and video. I set aside the few releases that had been purchased through the iTunes Store, but everything else had to go. I rebuilt my collection by ripping music from CDs I own, and combining that with music purchased digitally. Then came software. Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Suite, and a lot more, all gone. Replaced with free/cheap alternatives such as iWork, GiMP, and iLife.
Downloading movies and music, or even software isn't viewed the same way as stealing a physical CD. Why is that? You wouldn't walk out of a Virgin Megastore with a hand full of DVDs under your jacket "for the plane ride" would you? The fact that no one notices when you torrent them doesn't make it OK (see the definition of integrity above).
It is getting easier to play by the rules when it comes to digital media. And if you play, it will get even easier. Check out iTunes Plus, Amazon's MP3 store, the Zune Store, and eMusic for legal DRM free downloadable music. None of them are free (as in beer), no. See Hulu, Netflix, TV.com, and each of the TV network's web sites for streaming TV shows and movies. Try Last.fm and Pandora for free streaming radio stations built just for you.
Why not consider something free instead? There are lots of office suites, and several free or inexpensive image editing apps too. If you're making money using pirated software, then go buy it now, or "may the fleas of a thousand camels infest your armpits."
If price is the reason you pirate media, stay tuned, we'll get to your financial issues soon enough. | | |
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| | | Posted in: iPhone by Michael on 12/07/08. | If you're looking for the best iPhone weather app, look no further than The Weather Channel. This app is far easier to use, and from what I've seen more accurate than my previous favorite Weatherbug.
The Weather Channel provides an hourly forecast, a 36 hour forecast, as well as the traditional 10 day forecast.
Choosing a new location is a click away, and you don't have to add the new locations as favorites just to see the weather.
My favorite feature however is the weather map. You can choose to see precipitation, cloud cover, both, and many other overlays.
Having the weather in your hand is convenient if you're someone that travels frequently or just plays outside a lot. Having this app in your pocket is empowering.
Be prepared, download The Weather Channel now. It is free. | | |
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| | | Posted in: Ideas by Michael on 12/07/08. | I wrote this as an email to a good friend of mine shortly after I returned from a 3 week family road road trip. I've tweaked it for public consumption, but for the most part remains the same.
We traveled through 13 states (4,500 miles) to see family and just spend some time together. It was an eye opener. I saw more of the country than many people will in their lifetimes. It was particularly interesting because of the current economy of course, the impact of which was more evident on the southern leg of our trip.
When I was about 7, I lived in a small town on the Mississippi called Helena, Arkansas. I've been back many times since, and have watched it decline from the prosperous farming town it once was, to a town with a 24 hour curfew in a certain section.
I've spent many an hour thinking through the reasons for this decline, and what follows are my thoughts. It is a long read, but I wanted to get these thoughts out here. I offer thoughts on a potential first step to solution at the end.
If you have comments or thoughts, please leave them. I'd love to open a dialog on this and see what others are thinking.
My thoughts on why small town economies are depressed - in no particular order.
Walmart - Money spent at Walmart goes to Bentonville, AR, and doesn't circulate locally. Within the township, any number of shops existed where Walmart now thrives - from drug stores, to hardware, electronics, and grocery stores. Each of those businesses employed people, which provided real money for the economy. Even the trucking infrastructure is privately operated.
In larger areas, Walmart is just one of many common big box stores. They don't displace smaller shops where smaller shops have never existed - think suburbia and sprawl. But in small towns they're simply devastating.
Farming subsidies - I don't know the exact history of this yet, but based on what I do know, the local farmers have essentially shut down operations instead choosing to take hand-outs from the government. They used to provide jobs and revenue - again for the local community. Sure, the farmers are OK, but the workers are not.
Welfare - Much like metro communities, welfare has become a way of life - instead of being the help that was needed in crisis. Children that are born to a family receiving welfare are more likely to continue to rely on welfare as they become adults. It is what they know, and are provided little incentive to change it.
Apathy - "This is the way it has always been, and I can't change it, so be it. We get along." Simple things like trash along the roads, to collapsing structures, to seeing people do the wrong thing while silently standing in fear - all contribute to an unremarkable living experience.
Dignity - The vast majority of these people are good, hard working people that simply have nothing to do and nowhere to work. Churches help maintain a positive social structure. They have family and I think ultimately want better for them. But given the struggling economy and the reality of their current situations, they struggle with their pride and dignity - many do things they're not proud of.
Casinos - People go to these places for entertainment, but how many are hoping to win big to solve their financial problems? Even people that don't work will find a way in to these places in hopes of winning big. Money spent in the casinos doesn't stay in the community, it goes to a corporate office in another state. Sure there are jobs, but there aren't nearly enough to support a town of 14,000. Some of the revenue also goes to the state, but the state clearly isn't investing it back in to the communities from which it originated.
Drugs - Of course there are drugs. Drugs are the way a select set of people are hoping to survive or maybe even better. Drugs are escapism at the core, but the damage it causes to a small community is devastating. From increased budgetary considerations (law enforcement, etc.), to violence, crime, unsanitary conditions, etc.
Consumerism - As we drove through Mississippi, it was interesting to see a pimped out car in front of a building with a collapsing roof. I believe that advertising and lifestyle, while not problems unique to these communities, contributes more here. Kids want to make money to buy things that give them a certain appearance. I've been there and done that and get it, but I no longer have that desire. I wonder how one can discourage that in a younger generation. How can you teach the 4 year olds in the town to spend responsibly? How can you show a high schooler that earning money to support his family is a far better thing than having that pair of $150 shoes?
While these are huge issues to tackle, I believe that as a part of a grand plan they can all be addressed.
Imagine a scenario where a message is sent to the Obama volunteers of one of these towns. The message simply directs the recipients to post flyers inviting everyone that reads the flyer to a general town meeting (we even provide the flyers). The meeting's organizers are simply listening to the needs and desires of those that show up. You know by the fact that these people are in the room, that they are there to affect change. Real change. You'll also know exactly what they need - and while it may not be possible to address everything, you will know what the hot items are.
City leaders would be invited, but are not encouraged to come. My view on this is that the leadership of these towns are the very people that are responsible for the current conditions. The casinos possibly paying leadership under the table, Walmart affecting the town by proxy, etc. Even if it isn't true, it will be the perception of the people that may want to come. Eventually the two can come together.
We could provide a simple set of directives for those that show up... go out on a weekend and pick up the trash along a main road. Find a few structures that need to be dismantled in order to clean up a street. Provide some really basic stuff to see if, and how they respond. We'd build a real community - not based on the boundaries of a township, but based on participation, pride and the genuine sense of accomplishment.
This is the way you free yourself from debt, or lose weight. One small step at a time. Anything that fixes the problem quickly will fail as it doesn't fix the problem... it fixes the result of the problem.
It turns out that while we lived in Helena, my father Bob tried to convince the cities that this was coming. The city governments were more concerned about maintaining their power than providing the residents with a plan for the future. I knew he was involved in "The Great Debate" but I never knew what it truly meant.
What do you think? | | |
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| | | Posted in: Ideas by Michael on 11/19/08. | In order to help survive poor business decisions made over the last 40 years, the big auto makers are seeking a federal bailout to the tune of $25 billion. I simply don't believe that it is the place of government to bail out failing companies. If a failing company is to survive, it is the job of that company to adapt to their market, or simply die.
I understand the implications of allowing these companies to fail.
The parts makers would have to tighten up their operations, or file for protection themselves. The workers would be forced to see what the UAW and their strong arm tactics have led to. The already terrible economy in Detroit would likely collapse, and the resulting unrest could lead to some nasty, unforeseen chaos.
There are lots of reasons these companies are failing of course. From the terrible decision by all three to allow the UAW to enslave them, to the ever changing needs of their customers. The skyrocketing price of fuel and the continued uncertainty in that market (the price is perfectly reasonable now, but I'll leave that for another post) have led consumers to conserve, and to buy cars that have better fuel efficiency. Some even argue that Detroit has made great cars over the last 20 years and their customers don't feel the need to upgrade. Ok, whatever.
Now for the solution. If you follow the path, the failure of Detroit can really be linked to the escalating costs of fuel and the public's general distain and contempt for big oil. Therefore, I think the big oil companies should step up to the plate and take responsibility for their mess.
Last quarter, Exxon-Mobile had a net profit of $14.83 billion. Royal Dutch Shell had a net profit of $8.44 billion, and BP's was $8.04 billion. Combined, those three alone had profits of $31.31 billion - in ONE QUARTER.
What are the market caps of GM and Ford? GM's market cap was $1.89 billion, and Ford's was $4.01 billion, as of this post. That means that any one of those companies could outright buy an auto maker (or both for that matter) with a single quarter's profits. Think about that for a second.
In summary, those three oil companies, just a few of those responsible for the chaos in Detroit, could bail out the US auto industry with a single quarter's profits.
Thanks to Mike Malloy for planting the seed for this post. | | |
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| | | | I believe the days of operating system dependence have finally come to an end, and I'm ready to test it. I know, this is a little strange coming from me, but I think everyone should hear it (and Digg it!).
A new era of technological independence is upon us - either of the two major operating systems will do the job just fine. I left Linux out of of the equation for one reason, and one reason only. iPod/iPhone integration just isn't simple enough for *most* users. It just doesn't get better than iTunes for that, so blame Apple.
Some things may work better with one or the other. And I'm not talking about obvious specialty markets (gaming, platform specific application development, etc.), but the things that matter to the average user. The web, email, office applications, chat, media applications, etc.
Admittedly, I'm a power user, and have been primarily a Mac user since 1987. I've been using computers since 1983 beginning with the RadioShack MC10. I've seen a lot of changes in the computer industry (I actually learned a bit of Cobol, I have used punch cards LOL, and I'm only 40 years old ;-) and I think now is by far the coolest time in the history of technology.
So how am I going to test this theory? I'm prepared to switch full time to Windows Vista Home Premium - for at least 30 days.
I really want to help the average user figure out how to live with either operating system, equally. So if you're on the fence, in either direction, subscribe to the RSS feed
I'm using IntenseDebate for comments, so by all means sign up for an account and comment away. The comments are threaded. :) | | |
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