It’s interesting that when the modern large enterprise reorgs progress grind to a halt. It’s not that problems go away. It appears that focus is lost while the deck chairs are rearranged. Hmmm.
What to do in reorg limbo?
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
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Posted by reinkefj
Rant: taxes
Sunday, February 26, 2006Taxes
Mark Twain is attributed as saying “The only thing that is certain is death and taxes”. Smart fellow! Liberty dies when someone discovers taxation. I would like to call everyone’s attention to some “interesting” facets about taxation:
(1) Taxes are ill-defined
Everybody know that the money extorted from us that we send “voluntarly” to various strange places. Washington DC. One or more of the various state capitals (Yes, NY taxes NJ residents!) Posibly multiple counties and local municipalities. And any mob of policiticans that can figure out an entity to futher mug us. In this list, I would include: “income” (whatever that is), sales and use, and others of such ilk. We can quibble among our selves that “fees” can be taxes if the are unavoidable (i.e., DMV) and / or if they just go into the general fund (i.e., taxes on gasoline for the roads that don’t get “dedicated” to road construction). Personally I woudl assert that to be “user fee” regardless of how absurd is a tax UNLESS it can be avoided AND it is unarguably dedicated.
But I would assert that there are other forms of taxation that we lose sight of:
(A) Mislabeled “insurance” — social security, unemployment, disability, etc etc etc ARE taxes. Anything you get from them should be considered “lottery winnings”.
(B) Inflation is a hidden tax on assets. If you put a c note in your wallet in 1970 and left it there til today, it’s puchasing power declined 95%. You have paid a 95$ tax. It has the interesting effect that it escalates other taxes. You pay high real estate taxes on inflated property values. You pay higher estate taxes on the inflated assets in your portfolio when you die.
(C) Regulation is a hidden tax. Every business makes you pay more to cover the added costs. It can also mean certain goods and services are unavailable at any price.
(D) Estate taxes are hidden. You get stuck after your dead. And, everyone talks about inheritences coming to the beneficiary “tax free”. My tush! The estate paid a fortune in taxes and “fees”.
(X) Cost of compliance is a hidden tax.
(Y) The opportunity cost of all this is a hidden tax.
(Z) Note that I don’t consider the state lottery a tax, despite its description as a “tax on the poor” or a “tax on stupidity”.
(2) Only individuals pay taxes.
Companies merely markup their prices to cover the cost of taxes that the company pays. So, the price in the market place is the true economic cost and a large glump of accumulated taxes. The problems is that we can not differentiate the dividing line. So, if anyone says, included the hosts of FTL, that they pay X per cent, then you shoud quibble because no one can know EXACTLY how much they pay.
(I’m tired for now!)
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Posted by reinkefj
Considering the question: eamil, web, or rss
Sunday, February 26, 2006Can jasperjottings be improved by going to a blog?
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Posted by reinkefj
While I shipped my alumni ezine on time … …
Sunday, February 26, 2006… I didn’t correct the date in the message. That’s going to confuse some people. Lot’s of reasons and excuses but it upsets me that I goofed it up. Sigh.
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Posted by reinkefj
Windoze, Installs, Software, Support, and … my gripe.
Saturday, February 25, 2006I don’t know who else to gripe at, so I’ll share my gripe with you. Maybe you can form it up into something rational.
Bought IBM’s ViaVoice for a doc I know who wants to speed up writing a book. (You’ve seen various doctors’ penmanship so I think you can see that part of the problem. They don’t do technology nor keyboarding very much better.)
He’d gotten himself a brand new dell that some one gave him a hand setting up.
So, he knew I did “dictation” so he asked for my help.
Bought the software. Oh excuse me, I “licensed” it.
No problem, I’ve installed my copy before on a succession of machines over the last two years.
Argh. The install hangs! Reboot , restart hang, reboot, restart hang.
Look for some support. IBM did something and now support is Nuance aka ScanSoft.
(That’s not good news. I don’t like their non-support of Paperport. So already I’m in trouble.)
I look around their web site. There’s nothing in the “knowledge base” to shed any light on my problems.
I do find that there is a $10 charge to ask a question M-F 9-5!
That really annoys me.
There’s a restocking fee of 20% and a doc who is depending upon my skill, so I am committed.
I spent four hours tinkering with it. Just clear, install, fail, and reboot. After countless times, some error messages and uncountable just plain hanging unresponsively, one install worked!
Now I am not sure that we are out of trouble or that it will work for him, but at least it is installed!
I think we have arrived at a time where brand (i.e., IBM) doesn’t matter, vendor doesn’t matter, promises (implied or explicit) can not be relied upon.
Personally, I am getting off the Windoze express. I’ll be going to Linux as fast as I can. If it isn’t Open Source freeware, then I am not going to buy it. Professionally, I am going to recommend the same thing to any business that will listen.
I’ll pay for service but not for vapor- or abandon- or any other crud-a ware.
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Posted by reinkefj
Very unmotivated
Saturday, February 25, 2006Have to put some time in on the “valley” project.
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Posted by reinkefj
Prepare for winrot!
Friday, February 24, 2006Well luggable is showing signs of winrot. I’ll have to look if there is a formal definition of it, but any windoze user is aware of the phenomina. The system just gets slower. Slower to boot, slower to run, and slower to shut down. The only real solution is a complete wipe of the hard drive, reinstall the pig from scratch or distribution media, reinstall all your software, then reload all your data, and then scramble for what you have missed. Arghhh! I guess I’ll just have to start to prep for the inevitable. Sometimes I think just buying a new machine is easier!
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Posted by reinkefj
Google has Labs, Yahoo has Next!, now Microsoft Research?
Thursday, February 23, 2006http://research.microsoft.com/research/downloads/
There’s just a wealth of “stuff” to try. Free, but beta.
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Posted by reinkefj
Steve Richards has posted a book review of Daniel H. Pink’s book “A Whole New Mind”.
Thursday, February 23, 2006http://steves.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2006/2/19/1772216.html
Steve Richards has posted a book review of Daniel H. Pink’s book “A Whole New Mind”.
It is truly stunning. I’m going to get the book based on this map. While I immediately disagree (I’m a basically disagreeable fellow), I can immediately see the value of a possible “pair-of-dimes” shift. All we really control is our own thinking.
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Posted by reinkefj
Move over Microsoft’s Office Live beta; here’s Google Page Creator!
Thursday, February 23, 2006http://reinkefj.googlepages.com/home
Move over Microsoft’s Office Live beta, and its free page-hosting option, that requires your credit card! (Why do I keeping hearing the line for the Wizard of Oz, “I’ll get you my dear, and your little dog too!”?) Google just offered an easy-to-use web page creator, called logically Google Page Creator, “beta” (whatever that means, since their beta is more stable than some allegedly production quality stuff I run, and 100 MB of storage space.
Note it’s temporarily overwhelmed. But, it’s a winner!
“Thank you for your interest in Google Page Creator! Google Page Creator has experienced extremely strong demand, and, as a result, we have temporarily limited the number of new signups as we increase capacity. In the meantime, please submit your email address and we will notify you as soon as we are ready to add new accounts. Thank you for your patience.”
I can see a lotta uses for it.
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Posted by reinkefj
As if you didn’t have enough reasons to dislike windoze or windough … …
Thursday, February 23, 2006Lockergnome is reporting that:
“Microsoft recently made changes to the license agreement. A new motherboard is now apparently the equal of a new computer, and if you upgrade it you need to purchase a new Windows license. Microsoft’s new policy states: An upgrade of the motherboard is considered to result in a “new personal computer” to which Microsoft OEM operating system software cannot be transferred from another computer. If the motherboard is upgraded or replaced for reasons other than a defect, then a new computer has been created and the license of new operating system software is required.”
This makes me more intent of gitting off the Microsoft upgrade train. If the w95-w98-wme-w2k-wxp drill has taught me anything, then it is that you can NOT put new microsoft operating systems on old hardware.
No, my strategic direction is Linux and Open Source.
It’s cold out here in the real world, but microsoft is just to “expensive” in several dimensions.
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Posted by reinkefj
One drawback of linkedin
Wednesday, February 22, 2006People don’t keep their update current. When I finish my current effort, I’ll have to do a stat. AND, a monthly keep in touch email. Hmmm.
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Posted by reinkefj
Itemizing the free tools that I like
Tuesday, February 21, 2006It would be useful to inventory the “stuff” that I use. I’d like to have a backup of the distribution. My thought is that this summer I’d liek to rebuild my luggable.
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Posted by reinkefj
401ks are not all gold at the end of the rainbow
Tuesday, February 21, 2006You may wish to ammend your “love fest” with the 401k just slightly. No argument that it is the pension plan of the future. But, it is like catching a falling knife. Some may grab the handle and others the blade.
Contribution to a 401k must be IMHO should be part of an overall financial plan. I would quibble as follows (1) Taxes are theft and don’t overlook that fact. We are getting royally screwed and this small break doesn’t make up for it. (2) Tax deffered money is oh so easy to get in and yet so tough to get out. The 10% penalty and taxes on 401k loans are two “knife blades” that often catch the unaware. (3) 401k choices often carry obscene fees which over a long time can erode the benefit. (I have seen plans with .065 load. It’s a heavy drag to overcome.) (4) 401ks tend to get “left behind” when one changes employers and get “lost” in the shuffle. (5) If your employer forces your 401k into company stock, then think Enron. (6) There is not much help if you have a problem. Look for arbitration clauses. (7) What happens if your employer goes Chapter 7-11? You may lose your 401k. At the very least, that coveted company contribution can be recaptured.
Again. 401k may be your best choice in a rigged game But, eye open for the falling knives.
IMHO FWIW YMMV,
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Posted by reinkefj
Learn to program with a free tutorial and a free interpreter
Sunday, February 19, 2006http://www.ibiblio.org/obp/thinkCSpy/index.htm
How to Think Like a Computer Scientist
Learning with Python
by Allen B. Downey, Jeffrey Elkner and Chris Meyers
http://www.python.org/download/
A (free) Python interpreter
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Posted by reinkefj
Moodle – free courseware management system
Sunday, February 19, 2006This piqued my interest. How about a “course” for turkeys?
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Posted by reinkefj
worked on valley
Sunday, February 19, 2006It’s slow, and I’m not good.
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Posted by reinkefj
Weekly ezines shipped
Sunday, February 19, 2006Alumni and Ramblings shipped,
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Posted by reinkefj
Each night, something happens on the net connection
Sunday, February 19, 2006It recycles my yim. Whatelse does it do? Why?
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Posted by reinkefj
Liberal College (but I repeat myself) insults a MoH winner
Saturday, February 18, 2006http://www.tcsdaily.com/article.aspx?id=021706H
This story just points out what is wrong with the new Amerika. UW is a “state school”. Paid for by federal and other taxzes. Your wealth stolen so that a bunch of young snobs can insult someone who did what the country asked him to do. Makes me ask the question “why”. Why does the federal government have any role in education? Why does any government have any role? Why are state colleges different than a McDonalds?
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Posted by reinkefj
Linux Terminal Server Project (LTSP) is a winner!
Friday, February 17, 2006Linux Terminal Server Project (LTSP) is a winner!
http://www.technologyrescue.com/welcome.html
Obsolete computers anchored by a Linux server is a cost effective winner.
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Posted by reinkefj
Asterix article makes me cautious about experiment
Friday, February 17, 2006http://mobile.newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=06/02/09/1727256&from=rss
Quote:
Asterisk is free software that lets you create a fully functional, easily customizable, private branch exchange (PBX). Businesses like Asterisk because they can save money by using it, and because it is open source, they can add functionality to it easily and inexpensively. Asterisk is also becoming popular with home office users — so much so that it spawned a new project called Asterisk@Home, which released its 1.0 version last year. Now there’s even a version of Asterisk that runs on OpenWrt, a Linux distribution designed to run on your wireless router (see “OpenWrt nears prime time”). I found it to be worthwhile, but I wouldn’t depend on it for my home office.
Now that doesn’t inspire confidence. I’m not that much of a hero to risk failure. Additionally, I really want Asterix for the great PBX features. Maybe I need to go for a big implementation of Asterix on a spare box.
Hmmm?!?!
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Posted by reinkefj
What I tell every turkey that wanders in.
Friday, February 17, 2006Submitted for the consideration of ALL my favorite turkeys. The ideas below apply to all of you. You are certainly entitled to be like my wife and tell me I am full of myself or Barabara Sriesand. Although, she can say it anyway she pleases and I HAVE to like it. (“Thank you, dear! May I have another deflating?”). You on the other hand have to be nicer to me, since I am “free”. ;-)
===
Sorry for the delay, but I have been incredibly overwhelmed in the past few days. I try to meet a personal target of 24 hour response. Don’t believe everything that XYZXYZXYZ tells you. Especially ANYTHING to do with when I was in high school. I was much smarter, stronger, and nerdier then.
I will send you asap some of my canned stuff. Please take a look at it and see if you like what you see. I’m an “injineer” and I’m kinda blunt. Some people don’t like that. Further, I have been accused of giving “turkeys” whiplash from trying to get them up to speed with my frenetic pace. Some people don’t like that. I tend to pontificate, talk like I’m up on the proverbial Mount, I don’t mean to, and your situation is yours. Not everything I suggest, do you have to adopt as if it came down from the Intelligent Designer of the Universe. I tend to act like an authority figure in my advice. My wife constantly reminds me, when I am “out”, “if you’re so good why ain’t you in?”, and when I am “in”, “if you’re so good, why ain’t you rich?”. So if my head becomes too large, feel free to deflate it.
Having said all that, I’ll tell you that I “help” people for free. I always tell people if someone wants money from you as a seeker, then you have to very very carefully recognize you are being “sold” something. It may be good (like execunet) but most times it’s bad (10k for a career counseling). So I’m “free”. But you get what you pay for. I currently am assisting 8 seekers so bear in mind that I tend to “share” stuff with them as a group. Some people don’t like that. So if you have something you DON’T want shared, please make sure that is obvious.
So with that introduction, Lesson 1 is complete!
See, gotcha. I do tend to try to “teach” (I was an adjunct prof in comp sci for four years) or “pontificate” (I went to lots of years of Catholic school) or “lecture” (I have lots of fables and anecdotes). You job is to filter what is useful to you, grab that, and let all the rest sluice by.
Good Luck,
fjohn
###
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Posted by reinkefj
Government Education (Think of the post office running learning!)
Friday, February 17, 2006We have deluded ourselves into thinking that the Government is our friend. Or, that is the only way. Or the best way to do “stuff”.
To have government run education makes no sense.
The failed Communist empire demonstrated that centralize planning dooms everyone. I could go on at great length about the systematic failure it represents.
Bottom line, as a Catholic with no kids, I object to the whole process. Faith based education can NOT compete when the government gives it away “free”. If I had kids, I probably would have to pay twice to get my kids educated the way I wanted — once for the government schools and once for where I wanted to send them. Since I have no kids, I object to overpaying to educate other people’s — I don’t pay to house, clothe, or entertain them — They are not mine, so why do I have to pay for them.
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Posted by reinkefj
The Karmic Law (What goes around, comes around!)
Friday, February 17, 2006I was an IT exec and some IBM guys were pitching poop. So, I took their techie to lunch and explained from my pov what they should be trying to do. The guy went back to his salesman, and gave him “his” spin on it. Sales guy was skeptical. But, he mentioned it. My boss’s boss jumped on it. They made the sale; the techie guy was feted for his “insight”.
A decade later I was “out” looking to get “in” and who do I run into. The techie. I tell him I was looking.
Shazzam.
I was hired about two weeks later. Talk about “chicken coming home to roost”.
He told me on my first day that he was always impressed with how I related to people who couldn’t help me. I never realized I was doing anything special. I was just trying to help.
“It does come around full circle.”
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Posted by reinkefj
Loyal Order of Turkeys
Friday, February 17, 2006I would be happy to advance your candidacy in the Loyal Order of Turkeys just as soon as I find the Membership Director. ;-)
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Posted by reinkefj
Reinke Faces Life 
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