City of Austin Sticks it to Small Business. Again
I was sitting at my desk not too long ago, front door open to catch the breeze, when I noticed a car pull up outside, bearing the label “Corix Utility Services.” Shortly a mousy little man emerged from the vehicle holding a leaflet. He wore a strange expression, seemed to have trouble expressing himself, and had nervous, darting eyes. I […]
Continue reading→Death of the Hired Man
My first meeting with Steve, some twelve or thirteen years ago, was not exactly auspicious. I was out in my front yard one afternoon when he wandered up and, apropos of nothing, offered his services. He was thin to the point of gaunt, had long and greasy hair framing a haggard-looking face, an unkempt beard of biblical length, and was […]
Continue reading→CNET Joins the Dark Side
CNET, once THE place to go for news, information and good, trustworthy content, is now a tainted brand.
Continue reading→The Road not Traveled
I hadn’t intended to go that way. A series of delays had put me behind schedule and I was overdue back to the shop. So to save a few precious minutes I had planned to turn north on Westgate where it joins Slaughter, and take that lightly traveled road all the way to Stassney or maybe Jones before cutting over. […]
Continue reading→My Brother’s Keeper
For more than twenty years, the house directly across the street from my south Austin home has been a rental. Over the years the standard-issue two-story tract home of maybe 1800 square has seen many tenants, more than I can recall. Most do nothing to get my attention, and they usually don’t stay for more than a single lease. I […]
Continue reading→Black Like Me
The end of summer, by the calendar if not by the thermometer, also means the end of Summer Blockbuster movie season and the return to the theaters of real movies for adults, which means the resumption of Sunday movie matinees for yours truly, the mom, and the lady friend. Yesterday we saw The Butler. The movie is really two stories. […]
Continue reading→Bad Business
Because almost everyone has a computer these days, and because almost every computer breaks sooner or later, my customers tend to be a microcosm of Austin society. I see people of every age, every race, every profession, and every income level. I also see people of every ethical disposition, including, just often enough to be considered anomalous, people who clearly […]
Continue reading→Of Time and Tides
It is maybe 20 minutes after sunrise, dead high tide on the West Passage of Passamaquoddy bay, at the southern edge of the Bay of Fundy. Despite the early hour the air is pleasantly warm, almost balmy, but when the wind blows just right, you can feel the cool breath of the North Atlantic, a short distance away. The air […]
Continue reading→Microsoft Takes a Mulligan with Windows 8.1
With Windows 8, Microsoft pretty much reinvented the wheel. This is not, generally speaking, a good thing.
Continue reading→Love me, Love my Dog
Qui me amat, amet et canem meum “Love me, love my dog also” —Attributed to Julius Caesar Max wasn’t exactly the pick of the litter. He was the litter, the one and only occupant of his mother’s womb, as x-rays confirmed just days before he was born on my living room floor. I was there when he emerged, blind, helpless […]
Continue reading→War and Remembrance
Today is Memorial Day. Officially the day we set aside to remember those who have died in the service of the country in wartime, unofficially the start of the summer season. As with most customs, the practice of Memorial Day has changed over time. Once a genuinely solemn occasion, Memorial Day is now little more than an excuse for backyard […]
Continue reading→New Internet Scam Goes Retro
For several years now we have witnessed a parade of increasingly sophisticated scams involving various types of malicious software. In prior cases the software was typically spread anonymously, rapidly, through thousands of automated servers or through the use of suberfuge. But as the skill and the reach of the attacks has increased, so has the sophistication of the countermeasures deployed […]
Continue reading→On the Delicate Art of Saying “Scram”
A few years back I had a customer–I’ll call her “Jen”–who became a problem. She hadn’t started out a problem. In fact she was a pretty good customer for a good long run. Lots of issues, paid well and on time, gave referrals. The only obvious wrinkle was that she was pretty demanding, borderline neurotic actually, about getting things done […]
Continue reading→A Modest Proposal
This posting will have nothing whatsoever to do with computers other than that it was written on one. It’s been some weeks now since the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown Connecticut. Everybody with a forum has posted their thoughts on this awful tragedy, and so having some thoughts of my own, herewith my two cents. First, there is […]
Continue reading→FBI Virus Wreaking Havoc across US
The warning, delivered under an official-looking Federal Bureau of Investigation logo, goes something like this: Warning: Your PC is blocked for one of the reasons specified below. You have been violating Copyright and Related Rights law (Video, Music, Software) and illegally using or distributing copyright content, thus infringing Article I, Section B, Clause 8, also known as the Copyright of […]
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