http://mrpogson.com One man. Closing, all the windows. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:59:13 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://mrpogson.com/2011/09/23/delusions-of-m/ http://mrpogson.com/2011/09/23/delusions-of-m/#comments Fri, 23 Sep 2011 22:56:33 +0000 Robert Pogson http://mrpogson.com/?p=8067 #leftcontainerBox { float:left; position: fixed; top: 60%; left: 70px; } #leftcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; clear:both; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; padding-bottom:2px; } #bottomcontainerBox { width: 50%; padding-top: 1px; } #bottomcontainerBox .buttons { float: left; margin: 4px 4px 4px 4px; } M$ is big and has some inertia but it is well past its prime in terms of shaping markets. The sectors that it locked in solidly, retailers and OEMs of PCs, are still pretty well locked in but the growth has gone. While Moore’s Law has made the price/performance of integrated circuits plummet, there’s just [...]]]> http://mrpogson.com/2011/09/23/delusions-of-m/feed/ 13 http://mrpogson.com/2011/02/01/bundling-the-os-with-the-pc/ http://mrpogson.com/2011/02/01/bundling-the-os-with-the-pc/#comments Tue, 01 Feb 2011 21:33:46 +0000 Robert Pogson http://mrpogson.com/?p=4511 #leftcontainerBox { float:left; position: fixed; top: 60%; left: 70px; } #leftcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; clear:both; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; padding-bottom:2px; } #bottomcontainerBox { width: 50%; padding-top: 1px; } #bottomcontainerBox .buttons { float: left; margin: 4px 4px 4px 4px; } In France there were two rulings that judges should not ignore bundling when the consumer is aware of bundling. One consumer sued the retailer and another sued the OEM. for a refund of the retail price paid for that other OS. In both cases the judge gave the consumers no slack. However, appeals to a [...]]]> http://mrpogson.com/2011/02/01/bundling-the-os-with-the-pc/feed/ 2 http://mrpogson.com/2011/01/04/last-post-from-the-north/ http://mrpogson.com/2011/01/04/last-post-from-the-north/#comments Wed, 05 Jan 2011 03:03:42 +0000 Robert Pogson http://mrpogson.com/?p=4110 #leftcontainerBox { float:left; position: fixed; top: 60%; left: 70px; } #leftcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; clear:both; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; padding-bottom:2px; } #bottomcontainerBox { width: 50%; padding-top: 1px; } #bottomcontainerBox .buttons { float: left; margin: 4px 4px 4px 4px; } This could be my last post from the North. My employer played “musical chairs” with the teacherages and I was “caught out”. No teacherage for me… No shack in the community… I did not bring a tent… The employer will not allow me to camp in my classroom. Finally a decision was made and I [...]]]> http://mrpogson.com/2011/01/04/last-post-from-the-north/feed/ 9 http://mrpogson.com/2010/10/07/some-things-just-must-be-shared/ http://mrpogson.com/2010/10/07/some-things-just-must-be-shared/#comments Thu, 07 Oct 2010 12:33:02 +0000 Robert Pogson http://mrpogson.com/?p=3339 #leftcontainerBox { float:left; position: fixed; top: 60%; left: 70px; } #leftcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; clear:both; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; padding-bottom:2px; } #bottomcontainerBox { width: 50%; padding-top: 1px; } #bottomcontainerBox .buttons { float: left; margin: 4px 4px 4px 4px; } One of the wonderful things about being in the North and being an early riser are some great sunrises. Here is today’s: (click for the full deal) I apologize that this image shows the event past its full glory because it took me a while to find my camera.]]> http://mrpogson.com/2010/10/07/some-things-just-must-be-shared/feed/ 0 http://mrpogson.com/2010/09/21/integrity-of-the-network/ http://mrpogson.com/2010/09/21/integrity-of-the-network/#comments Tue, 21 Sep 2010 12:04:02 +0000 Robert Pogson http://mrpogson.com/?p=2994 #leftcontainerBox { float:left; position: fixed; top: 60%; left: 70px; } #leftcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; clear:both; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; padding-bottom:2px; } #bottomcontainerBox { width: 50%; padding-top: 1px; } #bottomcontainerBox .buttons { float: left; margin: 4px 4px 4px 4px; } I advocate use of thin clients which more or less go out of service with any interruption of the network. That along with lack of access to servers or the Internet are one of life’s problems for IT system administrators. Bigger guys have these problems, in spades. Yesterday, I extended our wireless network to reach [...]]]> http://mrpogson.com/2010/09/21/integrity-of-the-network/feed/ 3 http://mrpogson.com/2010/09/18/mushrooms/ http://mrpogson.com/2010/09/18/mushrooms/#comments Sat, 18 Sep 2010 20:10:51 +0000 Robert Pogson http://mrpogson.com/?p=2958 #leftcontainerBox { float:left; position: fixed; top: 60%; left: 70px; } #leftcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; clear:both; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; padding-bottom:2px; } #bottomcontainerBox { width: 50%; padding-top: 1px; } #bottomcontainerBox .buttons { float: left; margin: 4px 4px 4px 4px; } There has been an attack of mushrooms in my little community. I took a break from my writing to have lunch and look for mushrooms. After slogging around in knee-deep moss for an hour I came out of the bush with only enough lactarius deliciosus and suillus cavipes (hollow-stalked larch bolete) to have a bowl [...]]]> http://mrpogson.com/2010/09/18/mushrooms/feed/ 4 http://mrpogson.com/2010/09/04/aches-and-pains/ http://mrpogson.com/2010/09/04/aches-and-pains/#comments Sun, 05 Sep 2010 00:21:45 +0000 Robert Pogson http://mrpogson.com/?p=2828 #leftcontainerBox { float:left; position: fixed; top: 60%; left: 70px; } #leftcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; clear:both; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; padding-bottom:2px; } #bottomcontainerBox { width: 50%; padding-top: 1px; } #bottomcontainerBox .buttons { float: left; margin: 4px 4px 4px 4px; } I am well past my prime physically. Despite a lot of help bringing in my freight (23 parcels by car, air, and truck) I am exhausted from all the fetching, carrying and unboxing. On top of that, I strained my wrist picking up a 20kg/44lb package and I have done a few house-calls for PCs [...]]]> http://mrpogson.com/2010/09/04/aches-and-pains/feed/ 0 http://mrpogson.com/2010/08/28/silver-linings/ http://mrpogson.com/2010/08/28/silver-linings/#comments Sat, 28 Aug 2010 14:45:08 +0000 Robert Pogson http://mrpogson.com/?p=2784 #leftcontainerBox { float:left; position: fixed; top: 60%; left: 70px; } #leftcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; clear:both; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; padding-bottom:2px; } #bottomcontainerBox { width: 50%; padding-top: 1px; } #bottomcontainerBox .buttons { float: left; margin: 4px 4px 4px 4px; } When I was a child I was told “Every cloud has a silver lining”. It’s true. In the midst of the chaos in my life a cleaning lady approached me before I even reached the school and asked, “Do you fix computers?”. Debian GNU/Linux Squeeze is sliding onto her machine as I type. My web [...]]]> http://mrpogson.com/2010/08/28/silver-linings/feed/ 0 http://mrpogson.com/2010/08/27/travelling-in-the-north/ http://mrpogson.com/2010/08/27/travelling-in-the-north/#comments Fri, 27 Aug 2010 14:43:43 +0000 Robert Pogson http://mrpogson.com/?p=2780 #leftcontainerBox { float:left; position: fixed; top: 60%; left: 70px; } #leftcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; clear:both; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; padding-bottom:2px; } #bottomcontainerBox { width: 50%; padding-top: 1px; } #bottomcontainerBox .buttons { float: left; margin: 4px 4px 4px 4px; } I have just flown up North to teach my last year. As always, travel is risky. When I phoned to confirm my ticket, I was told it had not yet been paid…. I had e-mailed my itinerary weeks ago to a fellow no longer on the payroll (unknown to me…). I phoned, faxed and e-mailed [...]]]> http://mrpogson.com/2010/08/27/travelling-in-the-north/feed/ 0 http://mrpogson.com/2010/08/16/shopping-for-the-north/ http://mrpogson.com/2010/08/16/shopping-for-the-north/#comments Mon, 16 Aug 2010 12:31:41 +0000 Robert Pogson http://mrpogson.com/?p=2645 #leftcontainerBox { float:left; position: fixed; top: 60%; left: 70px; } #leftcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; clear:both; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; padding-bottom:2px; } #bottomcontainerBox { width: 50%; padding-top: 1px; } #bottomcontainerBox .buttons { float: left; margin: 4px 4px 4px 4px; } I have been shopping a bit lately, two trips into Winnipeg to pick up supplies to last a year of teaching in the North. I have two pet suppliers, Dino’s on Notre Dame just west of Isabel, and The Great Canadian Wholesale Club at Route 90 north-bound just north of Ellice Avenue. Dino’s is a [...]]]> http://mrpogson.com/2010/08/16/shopping-for-the-north/feed/ 5