Published by Robert Pogson March 7th, 2010
in technology.
Trust is a word M$ does not understand. Steve Ballmer has stated that he is going all in to provide cloud services and to integrate them into that other OS. No one trusts M$. Venturing into the cloud requires trust. The only sector that is close to trusting M$ is business and they trust M$ like a rattlesnake. You are doomed if you trust a rattlesnake not to strike. It’s what they do. They will strike eventually if you stay within range. Best to leave them alone.
Business trusts M$ so much they passed on Vista and they are not rushing to “7″. When is business going to get into bed with M$ in the cloud? Maybe “8″ or “9″, after many have migrated to more open systems? Not likely. Gartner predicts that business will escape via thin clients in the next few years. They’re leaving you, Steve. It’s a couple of years before GNU/Linux is popular on the desktop and thin clients are already mature technology. Neither needs that other OS, or M$.
Sure, some will stick with that other OS when they venture into the cloud but it will not be because they trust M$.
- Robert Pogson
Published by Robert Pogson March 7th, 2010
in Teaching.
Winter roads are different here. Not only do we have to contend with ice and snow, we have a lot of water and mud that matters. There are no all-weather roads here. Improvised roads are constructed each winter on ice and portages. It is worth the effort because of the relatively high cost of air freight compared with trucking. At the same time, ordinary folk get an opportunity to drive into Winnipeg for shopping, visiting and fun.
The heavy trucks require several feet of ice to support their weight. To thicken the ice, snowcover is cleared in a wide strip, about 200 feet across. On the portages sometimes driving is restricted to lower temperatures so that quagmires are frozen. Most of this week, the road will be officially closed because of warm temperatures. The next week it closes for good. “Official closure” has important legal consequences. If you total you rig while closed, you have no insurance. I knew a guy who wrecked a new pick-up when it rolled on a portage.He travelled one day after official closure and had no insurance.
I thought I would go for a walk on the ice in the cool of the morning to take these pictures. I saw only a few vehicles on the road and the ice was in excellent shape, no signs of break-up although it has had some puddles. There is a picture of a rig that brought in sewer pipes. There is a picture showing the cracks in the ices. Some appear to be quite superficial. Others go down a foot or more. When the ice is thinning there will be a longitudinal crack under the path of the big trucks. They have to drive slowly to avoid making waves.
Cottage by the Lake Near the Winter Road
- Robert Pogson
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