" See the man with the lonely eyes
Oh Take his hand, you'll be surprised " -- Supertramp

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGI6qQHFlPk

Give a little bit
  Give a little bit of your love to me
  Give a little bit
  I'll give a little bit of my love to you
  There's so much that we need to share
  Send a smile and show you care

  I'll give a little bit
  I'll give a little bit of my love to you
  So give a little bit
  Give a little bit of your time to me

  See the man with the lonely eyes
  Take his hand, you'll be surprised

  Give a little bit
  Give a little bit of your love to me
  I'll give a little bit of my love for you
  Now's the time that we need to share
  So find yourself, we're on our way back home

  Going home
  Don't you need to feel at home?
  Oh yeah, we gotta sing

=======

--Pensive, but trying to stay Positive
/ Looking for work

[Note: This is a cross-post of something I wrote on Google+]

In the past couple of weeks there were some high-profile calls by wealthier people -- Warren Buffet and Matt Damon (the actor), to name two -- to increase taxes on the rich. They *want* to pay more taxes.

My question is this. Why don't you do it yourself?

I mean, set up a 401(c)(3) tax-exempt charity that will accept donations from everyone, rich and not-so-rich alike. Those funds are then taken and distributed as taxes would be.

For example, taxes pay for our schools. There are no shortage of stories where teachers have to provide, out of their own pocket, extra supplies for their classes. Pay for those directly. Pay for school maintenance and repairs. Build buildings. Hell, give bonuses to teachers, administrators and staff as you feel needed. The first $15,000 of a gift to an individual annually is tax-exempt. I don't know one teacher that would refuse a $15k bonus.

A focused, dedicated group of private individuals should easily be able to reduce the needless bureaucracy and do this efficiently.

Don't stop with education. Provide private grants to needy people to subsidize power, heat and food. Build libraries. Set up public wireless networks.

Taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society. But the idea that government is the only one able to provide these types of services is harmful to society.

In 19th-Century French Philosopher Alexis de Tocqueville's book Democracy in America, the author explores what makes America different from Europe. One of the major points is the plethora of "fraternal societies" where individuals join and do what was once the function of only governments in Europe -- actively build and support civil society.

To sum up, it is not necessarily only the government's job to do these things. Fostering the notion that this is the exclusive domain of government is detrimental to a civilized society.

http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ma04/mccain/fraternalorders/page1a.htm

While e-books like the Kindle and Nook have become popular, they are really not much more than a direct translation of paper books to portable, electronic media.

I've been waiting for an e-book that embraces the full multimedia potential of tablet computers. Maybe I've just missed them before, but I believe the standard bearer for something more than just words-on-the-page e-books has just arrived.

"The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore" by former Pixar designer William Joyce is something altogether different.

I've now been using Fedora 15 with the default Gnome 3 interface for about a month, and here are some of my thoughts.

For the past few years I've been a KDE enthusiast. It always struck me as more consistent, better designed and neater both in code and appearance than Gnome.

When KDE 4 came out I took the developers at their word, that it wasn't really on parity with 3.5 and to keep using that if what we prized was completeness. I dabbled with 4.x and didn't switch over until about 4.3.

My "killer apps" on KDE were always K3B, Amarok and the way KIO allowed for seamless network operations in almost every application. I also used KBarcode to print address labels with PostNet barcodes and Kate for most editing, including web development and basic programming.

The problem is, KIOs seems to have been neutered on 4.x and Amarok turned into a steaming pile of shit. I *despise* what they did to it with 4.x. KBarcode didn't make the transition and as things have evolved I just don't burn discs like I used to, so K3B sort of just faded for me.

So, when changing my home PC from Kubuntu I wanted to take a look at Fedora. The main reasons, which I outlined in a previous journal entry, were to move to something closer to what is essentially the industry standard of Red Hat, and to play a bit more with SE Linux.

Gnome vs KDE was a decision after I sat down and evaluated how I used the computer. Looking at what applications I used during the past six months or so, I came up with the following list.

1. Web browser. I spend 90%+ of my time in here. Firefox and Chrome are currently battling it out for my favorite -- Firefox is the reigning champ, but Chrome is looking to dethrone it soon. More in a later journal.

2. Text editing. From text notes to HTML, XML, CSS, Javascript and Perl. Kate is an excellent text editor, and I'd need to find a suitable replacement.

3. File manipulation. Moving files around, mostly different network and internet locations. Konqueror is king in this. Dolphin, the current KDE file browser, sucks. Did I not mention that in my critique of KDE 4 above? No? Then I'll say it again here to make up for it. Dolphin SUCKS!

And...that is about it. Really. You see, a lot of the stuff I used to use stand-alone programs for, like Gramps for genealogy records and Amarok for playing music, I now do thru a web browser.

At the beginning of the year I moved all my media files -- movies and music -- off of my home machine to a server in my basement. Everything is streamed from there and for that, good-old XMMS beats the pants off of Amarok. I have both MP3 and FLAC copies of most of my music, so streaming it is simple.

So, what it boils down to from the OS perspective is that I need decent file manipulation and proper handling of multiple desktops and open applications.

Gnome 3's weaknesses, such as their implementation of dynamic desktops with no keyboard shortcuts, can be remedied with Gnome Shell extensions.

So far, Gedit has been acceptable. It just takes getting used to as it does things slightly differently than Kate, but not so much so that I've been unable to work.

http://www.brighthub.com/hubfolio/matthew-casperson/blog/archive/2011/05/25/efficient-application-switching-with-gnome-3.aspx

This is why I'm more interested in Google ChromeOS than things like Fedora, Ubuntu, KDE and Gnome. So much of what I do has moved into the cloud and web browser, that the underlying OS just needs to focus on speedily getting me online. But -- and here is Chrome's weakness -- be able to actually do some useful work offline. Right now, even with a good connection, some things just have too much latency to comfortably do via the Internet all the time. Text editing and web development is one of them.

So, to conclude, Gnome 3 is fine for me but has started to fade into irrelevance as everything I do moves to "the cloud".

[Note: "The Cloud" doesn't necessarily mean Google, Amazon or the like. It also includes my file/LAMP server in the basement that is accessible from anywhere -- if you have the magic keys. The point is my data has migrated off of my local system, which is devolving into a glorified Internet terminal.

I now have a Google+ account and have invites to send. If anyone wants an invite, give me the e-mail address you want the invite sent to.

I am a KDE person. I've tried Fluxbox, Gnome 1 & 2, XFCE and half-a-dozen other desktops but have always come back to KDE. I like the way it works, and that I can customize it to work the way *I* want to.

So far, I had avoided Gnome 3 for two reasons.

The first is QT impresses me. It is clean, efficient, functional, professional and essentially a world-class framework. GTK and Gnome always struck me as an ad-hoc, sloppy mess of baling wire and duct tape group of code. Gnome was "we can make it work" to QT's "we can make it work and do it right". Your opinion may vary.

The second reason is found in documents like this one. Folks, if I wanted some pretentious asshole to tell me "we know better than you" and "you will work this way because we have decided it is the way you will work", I would have just bought a Mac and been done with it.

Now I'm the first to admit that frequently I am that pretentious asshole saying they know better and you should listen to what I say because I'm right and you're wrong. Actually, I get paid fairly well for doing just that. But there is a difference. I always say "this is the right way, you *SHOULD* do it that way" but leave the choice up to you. I don't tell people "you *WILL* do it this way, you have no choice".

It is the difference between how I treat my 20-something year-old children and the 3-year old. Gnome treats me like the 3-year old and I resent it. And they're wrong about some things, which is the unforgivable sin.

Still, I hadn't actually tried it for myself so when I decided I needed to reload my main machine from scratch, I opted to go with the default version of Fedora and not the KDE version and give it a fair shake.

[Sidebar: Why reload from scratch? Because I had the 64-bit version of Kubuntu on my main desktop and needed the Citrix Receiver to work properly. Citrix doesn't do native 64-bit and while it'll work with the 32-bit compatibility libraries loaded, plus some extra files extracted by hand from packages hosted elsewhere. It is a royal pain to actually set up and I was tired of messing around with it. Besides, all I have is 4 Gb of RAM so a pure 64-bit machine really brought me no benefits.]

[Sidebar: Why Fedora when I was running Kubuntu before? Because everything at work, and every other place I've ever worked, is Red Hat on the servers with some Fedora thrown in on development boxes. I also am doing a bit of work with SE Linux and support for that in Fedora/RHEL is superior to Ubuntu.]

So, for the last two weeks I've been running the default install of Fedora 15, with Gnome 3 and so far, it is pretty nice. I've just now gotten around to reading the FAQ on Fedora's website, so it answered some of my questions about how to fix certain pet peeves.

Most of the differences are just that, different. After two weeks of use, I've gotten used to the changes and for the most part they work fine for me. Some are better, some aren't. There is very little that rises to the level of "deal breaker".

[Rest of Rant Removed]

I had a nice rant against Gnome 3 going there, all of which revolved around various "pretentious asshole -- you WILL do it OUR way" items. However, after much digging, I found out that while the main developers still seem to believe Gnome is Mini-Me to Steve Jobs' Dr. Evil, things are greatly mitigated by various Gnome Shell Extensions.

My only real remaining complaint is that the entire thing seems designed around a smaller-screen, touch-based interface. The problem for me is I have a 22", 1920x1080 resolution screen and not a tablet. At least give me the OPTION to configure things to work better on a big screen.

That and their mangling of workspaces. But I need to see if there is a shell extension to make it do what I want before I return to my rant.

The result so far is that I can easily work with Gnome 3 and the applications it has without having to revert to KDE.

Last weekend I received an invite for Google Music Beta. This is Google's cloud music service, which allows you to stream your music to any PC or Android device.

It is Google's spin on the same thing Amazon, Apple and (believe it or not) Best Buy is doing. Oh, and credit where credit is due. MP3Tunes has been doing this for OVER 5 YEARS ALREADY! Welcome to the party, boys.

I do use the Amazon cloud locker, and bought the $0.99 Lady Gaga album just to get the "free" 20 Gb of storage space. It seamlessly integrates with Amazon's MP3 sales bits, so I can just purchase a song and in it goes. Very simple.

I'd like to try Google's version, but I can't. You see, in order to load music into it you have to use their music loader program. That program is only available for Windows or Mac, not Linux. No, for some bizarre there is no web form option like on Amazon to upload music.

No, it doesn't work on ChromeOS, either. Oh, I can play some of their free music that they loaded in, but can't upload any of my music using my CR-48. WTF?

Left hand, meet right hand. Both of you team up and yank the idiot who decided on not supporting your own OS' head out of his arse.

Online Education

I'm not all that impressed with online BS grads knowledge, but unfortunately that could be because most of them don't offer real degrees ala my last entry.

Most of the CS-style degrees seem to be more along the lines of certificate-mill collections where people memorize, regurgitate and advance.

What I really question, though, is the online MS degrees.

A Masters? Really? Only one year (9 months, really) after receiving your Bachelors? And while working full-time? That could explain why your thesis reads more like a freshman term paper.

I've met a couple people who I could believe it, but they had 10+ years experience in the field and were already published before getting their online MS.

A Master's should *MEAN* something, damn it!

Higher Education is an interesting one lately on the job applications.

After going thru everything, and interviewing people, I have come to the conclusion that most Bachelor Degrees are totally fucking useless. They have become the high-school degree for the 21st Century. General basic education in the field, but probably can't think for oneself.

There are degrees that matter. An actual ENGINEERING degree, or one in Math, Physics, Chemistry, Biology or the like. Something that makes you THINK, and you can't pass by just memorizing and regurgitating.

Computer Science means something. Computer Information Systems, Information Technology, Management of Information Systems, Information Systems, and all the like DON'T MEAN SHIT.

I take it back. It means you couldn't handle a CompSci degree.

If you have one of the above, great. It gets you by HR and looked at, but other than an entry-level position, they don't add anything to your cachet. They rank right up there with the 20-year old BS in History for me.

That being said, the older the degree in the Computer field, the less it means. Things change so fast, make sure you keep up on your continuing education.

That also means that EXPERIENCE TRUMPS EDUCATION for me. I'll hire the person with 10-years hands-on experience and no degree long before the person with the Masters and no practical experience.

No, I'm not looking for a job. I'm going thru resumes and job applications for a position that I'm responsible for screening.

1 opening for a Computer Security Specialist with Digital Forensics experience, 96 applications.

In reviewing all of these I've learned a great deal and see a bunch of stuff people do wrong. There are plenty of "how to write a resume/apply for a job" sites out there, so I might as well add my $0.02.

This all represents MY PERSONAL OPINION after reviewing almost 100 applications, resumes and supporting documentation.

This is the first in a series, in no particular order. If I wrote it as one journal entry, it would be many pages long.

Here goes...

In a job that is mid- to senior-level professional, please, PLEASE don't bother to apply if you aren't qualified.

Mid- to senior-level professional doesn't just apply to you as a PERSON, but to you as a person IN THE PARTICULAR PROFESSION.

In looking for the position above, I have applications who have 20 years experience as Electrical Engineers, Project Managers and DBAs. No actual experience in Computer Security or Forensics, mind you. A few classes on MS Office or Web Design, maybe.

You. Are. Not. Qualified. Not even close. YOU may be mid- to senior- level professional, but you're an entry-level amateur in the field.

I can forgive the Network Administrators who think setting ACLs in a Cisco router or once setting up a PIX/ASA qualifies, but "securing web pages by proper HTML/CSS design" DOES NOT CUT IT!

Even if you've been unemployed and are getting desperate (and none of my above examples are), don't do it. Your name will stick in the reviewer's head, but NOT in a good way.

A brief update on my experience with Google's CR-48 ChromeBook.

No, no Citrix or offline Docs/GMail yet.

The wake/sleep speed is fantastic. Open the lid and work. Close the lid and go. Very nice. Too bad I have to wait for the WiFi to re-associate to actually start doing anything. :-)

USB flash drives are supported, but USB CD/DVD drives are NOT!

The IronKey is a hardware-encrypted USB flash drive. The first partition on it shows up as a CD drive, which contains the interfaces for entering the password. Well, with no CD/DVD support on the CR-48 the IronKey just doesn't work. This sucks.

No TrueCrypt support, either. I'd want that for the SD-Card slot.

I want my encrypted drives, damn it!

My youngest son, at age 2 years and 10 months, has just discovered the game of Brockian Ultra Cricket. That is, he'll grab a plastic or foam baseball bat, whack one of the other family members, then run away saying "sorry sorry sorry sorry" and laughing.

The older I get, the more I appreciate that Douglas Adams was a genius and the humor in his novels was incidental.

This is funny:

Have you heard the one about a homeowner foreclosing on a bank?

Well, it has happened in Florida and involves a North Carolina based bank.

Instead of Bank of America foreclosing on some Florida homeowner, the homeowners had sheriff's deputies foreclose on the bank.

http://www.digtriad.com/news/watercooler/article/178031/176/Florida-Homeowner-Forecloses-On-Bank-Of-America

As one of their "early adopters" I received an offer today for an early purchase of the Samsung Chromebook. Buy today, delivery around Wednesday the 8th -- a full week before public availability.

I'm sticking with my free Google version right now, but am hopeful that I'll see an update that makes the offline version of Google Apps and the Citrix connector available soon.

I am holding off in writing a full review of the Chromebook until after mid-June.

Google just disabled offline mode for GMail under Chrome. It should come back, along with an offline mode for Docs around June 15th.

Also, the Citrix receiver isn't yet publicly available, and that is a big deal for businesses. That should also be out around June 15th.

So, right now, without an Internet connection, the CR-48 does a good job in holding papers down, but not much more.

HOWEVER, there is a potential show-stopper. I mean 1-2-3 strikes you're out, shower and leave the ballpark -- you aren't even playing the same game as the rest of us.

I'm talking about printing. It seems ChromeOS prints only thru Google Cloud Print. You're options are connect a PC or Mac to the printer and run Chrome-the-browser on it, or by a "cloud aware" printer.

Our office has a couple HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS in high speed, high volume printers. In an office full of economists and lawyers who seem to measure their self-worth in dead-tree weight, that ain't gonna fly.

A single-proxy in the office that acts as the print server would be acceptable. Hooking a PC to each Richo/Savin/Xerox machine and printing thru "teh clouds" will not work. This is a major, major issue for business.

I need to see what Google's answer for this is. Next week I'll call my rep over there and ask.