Well here it is, post number one hundred. I didn’t know if I would get here, and I didn’t think it would take this long. This has been an interesting journey and one that I hope will not come to an end anytime soon. I am enjoying it and hope that you the reader are too.
It is amazing how many topics and entries I have written in my head when I have not been near a computer and how many wonderful ideas and phrases that never quite get put down. Still when I look back on what has been entered I guess I have had a pretty good start.
This has been an exercise in writing, thought processing, opinion expressing, logical presentation, editing, marketing, and just all around sharing. Each of those areas comes with its own set of rules and challenges. I have had good and bad luck with each.
I have found a new appreciation for those that have been able to make a living at this or any of the writing profession. I know that they are able to devote much more time to their occupation than I have and that will make a difference, but there is still the matter of producing on a regular basis, something of substance that you hope a reader will appreciate.
There have been many articles that I think the words are just gushing out only to realize that I have spent hours putting together and then hoping that it makes some kind of sense. You can really invest yourself into an article, and think it a worthy effort only to reread it after time has passed and realize that it just wasn’t as good as it sounded at the time you were writing it. I imagine all writers go through this to some extent. I remember reading a book by Ayn Rand that included a copy of her text with her editing marks to show the changes and process she went through to develop a presentable work.
I have tried to develop my own voice for this blog. It will seem that it may overlap what others have said or done and I think that is a naturally occurring process that happens in everything around us. If I wasn’t for those that went before and those around us now we wouldn’t have examples from which to learn and grow and develop from. It is not necessarily plagiarism when things overlap; it is just the reality that we are all interconnected.
Of course plagiarism does exist and has become an everyday fact of life for far too many. I for one try not to cite the works of another without giving credit where credit is due. I like to give credit whenever possible and appreciate what they have done to further growth through the creative process. If someone gets inspired by something I have said or done and is able to further themselves or others because of it, then my efforts will have gained value. I am all for it.
In fact most of what I have written has been for the edification of myself but with others in mind. I have tried to better myself through a process of self discovery and monologue discussions as well as discussions with others then tried to solidify those thoughts through written words. Those words have then been shared for those that wish to review them providing the reader with advancement in their own process of self discovery. This process of discovery continues on so long as we continue to reflect and are willing to share. This really is a wonderful process if you stop to think about it.
As I have gone through this process of discovery of self and of those around me, and as I have continued to study the works that have gone before as well as those expressed in the here and now, I continually find myself running into others that have had the same thoughts or taken the same actions or found themselves to have the same problems or made the same mistakes or came to the same conclusions as I have, both here and now as well as in times before.
It is my contention that if I learn my lessons vicariously from others that I will save a lot of pain and effort from having to learn them directly. I have found this to be true for many of life's lessons but not all. Some things must be learned by our own efforts. A lesson I must learn for myself however may be a lesson that you can learn vicariously from me and so I share with you as I hope you share with others.
For those that have gone before and for those that are moving forward and are willing to share, I thank you. And for those that are willing to let me share, I thank you as well.
This is Ed Nef with a view from the Farr West.
04 July 2009
Does anybody want to buy my Chevy?
It is lightly used and in fairly good shape, trouble is, with the changes going on I don’t know how much longer I will be able to keep it that way. Does GM now stand for Government Motors? What has happened to this country?
(As I am slow to get this one published and have since noticed that the August issue of Motor Trend as also used the reference to Government Motors. I may be slow but I am not the only one thinking these things.)
I have said that it was a grave mistake for the financial bailout to happen the way it did and that the government should have only stepped in to help smoothly apply the laws already in place for an orderly application of bankruptcy procedures. Those banks and financial institutions that took the money have either regretted it greatly or were most definitely on the verge of collapse and saw this as the only way to continue to draw an overpriced paycheck for a few more months while they polished up their resumes.
So after seeing this happen, why would any other industry be willing to participate in the grand scheme for the government’s takeover of American industry? Two of the Detroit Three has succumbed to the temptress while Ford is trying for a holdout and now the other two no longer resemble anything of their former selves. Ford will go through its own changes and will most likely not resemble its own former self as it tries to reposition for the new automotive world's future but it will at least be trying to maintain a pretense at independence.
(Also, do you notice how they are referred to as the Detroit Three now instead of the American Automakers? This is done to realize the global nature of the auto business and that there are car builders in America that go by the name of Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Mercedes, BMW etc. that were not part of the original elite designation. Do you suppose that these American jobs are somehow not valued the same way as those originating out of Detroit to those in Washington?)
Chrysler is an old hand at bailouts having successfully completed one in the 80s. Trouble is this time there is no Iacocca to come to the rescue. With a lack of real leadership at the helm and a government that isn’t interested in leaving them as an American car company, they were handed over to Fiat with far too much ease. This move makes absolutely no sense other than that Fiat makes small cars that the government thinks can be rebadged as Chryslers, sold in large quantities to the American public and thereby meet the politically correct Al Gore global warming agenda.
When I said they gave away the company, I meant it literally as Fiat just promised some of their current technology and they walked away with controlling interest (at least so far as the government will allow). This will not work any better than the merger Chrysler had with Mercedes and for the same reason but on a larger scale, namely culture clash. If hindsight for a Benz and Dodge combo teaches us anything it should at least provide a flashing red light warning for a K-car Fiat.
The new Government Motors on the other hand is just pathetic and sad. After Obama forced out existing management before the bailout was complete (bloodless coup anyone?) GM announced that they are appointing Edward E Whitacre Jr. to become the new chairman after the bankruptcy is complete. Whitacre’s former position was head of AT&T. While this brings praise from the government officials that thought to select him as well as those he will be working with, my view is somewhat different. If AT&T is any example of the kind of company GM is about to become then I do not want anything to do with them. AT&T under Whitacre’s care had become one of the most bloated, conceited, arrogant and uncaring corporate entities to service the public and private sectors. The level of customer care sank to the lowest of depths under his reign and the only reason I can think of for AT&T to continue to exist is that the behemoth was so big it somehow carried on in spite of itself. Actually, it had so much free cash from earlier years that it bought out any potential competitors or spent them into the ground if they tried to enter their markets.
Come to think of it, GM has done much the same thing only somewhere along the line it lost its profitability and ran out of funds to buy out the competition. It then had to stand on its own merits (and GM did have plenty of merits to play from) but it didn’t trust itself to do so. How and what will Whitacre do when the government pulls back the purse strings and makes GM stand on its own? Unlike AT&T, GM will continue to face competition in the automotive world and they won’t be able to rely solely on new government contracts to keep them afloat.
Actually they might. How many other corporate or service entities are there that are strongly subsidized by taxpayer funding for an overzealous government bent on political manifestation? The arts, National Public Radio, the postal service and of course Amtrak quickly come to mind. But wait, don’t these also have competitors present that attempt to service the customer’s needs and the competitors do so at a profit? Yes, yet the government sponsored entities continue to exist with much taxpayer subsidy thereby satisfying its one true customer which is government self interest. Should we expect anything less from their endorsement of Government Motors?
The thought of all this physically sickens me. As a car loving guy, I hate to see what is going on more than most and fear that we will be tossed into the automotive dark ages like that which followed the first gas crisis that generated fuel mileage and emissions mandates and produced some of the lamest excuses for autos for over two decades. These were government mandates and not consumer driven desires and that led to innovative stagnation. All signs are indicating that this is the path we are once again headed.
Also, I am an American and a taxpayer. This country is founded on principles of fair play for everyone yet with every passing day I see less and less of it and not nearly enough voices standing out against the changes taking place. Liberty, and freedom are words that have somehow lost their true meaning as have capitalism and free markets; the consequences both frighten and infuriate. Wake up America. Return to the values our fathers stood for or we will never be able to know them again in our lifetime. We need to return the white elephant now before it eats us out of house and home. For those that do not understand, we have only begun to pay the price for this folly. If we hurry, maybe we can still cancel the check and get our money back.
So if any of you are in the market for a new car, do you really want to pay for it twice, once as the consumer and once as a taxpayer? I know we do that somewhat anyway but really we should be expecting something for our dollars. I have an idea instead of buying new; does anybody want to buy my slightly used Chevy? I just don’t have the desire to support it anymore.
This is Ed Nef with a view from the Farr West.
(As I am slow to get this one published and have since noticed that the August issue of Motor Trend as also used the reference to Government Motors. I may be slow but I am not the only one thinking these things.)
I have said that it was a grave mistake for the financial bailout to happen the way it did and that the government should have only stepped in to help smoothly apply the laws already in place for an orderly application of bankruptcy procedures. Those banks and financial institutions that took the money have either regretted it greatly or were most definitely on the verge of collapse and saw this as the only way to continue to draw an overpriced paycheck for a few more months while they polished up their resumes.
So after seeing this happen, why would any other industry be willing to participate in the grand scheme for the government’s takeover of American industry? Two of the Detroit Three has succumbed to the temptress while Ford is trying for a holdout and now the other two no longer resemble anything of their former selves. Ford will go through its own changes and will most likely not resemble its own former self as it tries to reposition for the new automotive world's future but it will at least be trying to maintain a pretense at independence.
(Also, do you notice how they are referred to as the Detroit Three now instead of the American Automakers? This is done to realize the global nature of the auto business and that there are car builders in America that go by the name of Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Mercedes, BMW etc. that were not part of the original elite designation. Do you suppose that these American jobs are somehow not valued the same way as those originating out of Detroit to those in Washington?)
Chrysler is an old hand at bailouts having successfully completed one in the 80s. Trouble is this time there is no Iacocca to come to the rescue. With a lack of real leadership at the helm and a government that isn’t interested in leaving them as an American car company, they were handed over to Fiat with far too much ease. This move makes absolutely no sense other than that Fiat makes small cars that the government thinks can be rebadged as Chryslers, sold in large quantities to the American public and thereby meet the politically correct Al Gore global warming agenda.
When I said they gave away the company, I meant it literally as Fiat just promised some of their current technology and they walked away with controlling interest (at least so far as the government will allow). This will not work any better than the merger Chrysler had with Mercedes and for the same reason but on a larger scale, namely culture clash. If hindsight for a Benz and Dodge combo teaches us anything it should at least provide a flashing red light warning for a K-car Fiat.
The new Government Motors on the other hand is just pathetic and sad. After Obama forced out existing management before the bailout was complete (bloodless coup anyone?) GM announced that they are appointing Edward E Whitacre Jr. to become the new chairman after the bankruptcy is complete. Whitacre’s former position was head of AT&T. While this brings praise from the government officials that thought to select him as well as those he will be working with, my view is somewhat different. If AT&T is any example of the kind of company GM is about to become then I do not want anything to do with them. AT&T under Whitacre’s care had become one of the most bloated, conceited, arrogant and uncaring corporate entities to service the public and private sectors. The level of customer care sank to the lowest of depths under his reign and the only reason I can think of for AT&T to continue to exist is that the behemoth was so big it somehow carried on in spite of itself. Actually, it had so much free cash from earlier years that it bought out any potential competitors or spent them into the ground if they tried to enter their markets.
Come to think of it, GM has done much the same thing only somewhere along the line it lost its profitability and ran out of funds to buy out the competition. It then had to stand on its own merits (and GM did have plenty of merits to play from) but it didn’t trust itself to do so. How and what will Whitacre do when the government pulls back the purse strings and makes GM stand on its own? Unlike AT&T, GM will continue to face competition in the automotive world and they won’t be able to rely solely on new government contracts to keep them afloat.
Actually they might. How many other corporate or service entities are there that are strongly subsidized by taxpayer funding for an overzealous government bent on political manifestation? The arts, National Public Radio, the postal service and of course Amtrak quickly come to mind. But wait, don’t these also have competitors present that attempt to service the customer’s needs and the competitors do so at a profit? Yes, yet the government sponsored entities continue to exist with much taxpayer subsidy thereby satisfying its one true customer which is government self interest. Should we expect anything less from their endorsement of Government Motors?
The thought of all this physically sickens me. As a car loving guy, I hate to see what is going on more than most and fear that we will be tossed into the automotive dark ages like that which followed the first gas crisis that generated fuel mileage and emissions mandates and produced some of the lamest excuses for autos for over two decades. These were government mandates and not consumer driven desires and that led to innovative stagnation. All signs are indicating that this is the path we are once again headed.
Also, I am an American and a taxpayer. This country is founded on principles of fair play for everyone yet with every passing day I see less and less of it and not nearly enough voices standing out against the changes taking place. Liberty, and freedom are words that have somehow lost their true meaning as have capitalism and free markets; the consequences both frighten and infuriate. Wake up America. Return to the values our fathers stood for or we will never be able to know them again in our lifetime. We need to return the white elephant now before it eats us out of house and home. For those that do not understand, we have only begun to pay the price for this folly. If we hurry, maybe we can still cancel the check and get our money back.
So if any of you are in the market for a new car, do you really want to pay for it twice, once as the consumer and once as a taxpayer? I know we do that somewhat anyway but really we should be expecting something for our dollars. I have an idea instead of buying new; does anybody want to buy my slightly used Chevy? I just don’t have the desire to support it anymore.
This is Ed Nef with a view from the Farr West.
14 June 2009
blue screen update
Well it is well past time to provide an update on the blue screen situation. As I have said before, I have been racking my brain trying to come up with a plausible idea as to why the blue screen crashes were occurring and how best to fix the problem. I figured there must be a software compatibility problem somewhere and it was driving me nuts because every time you turn around each of the programs wanted to update the latest and greatest version that was supposed to correct some bug or security patch a vulnerability.
It is amazing that with all the updating that was taking place you think they might have stumbled on a correction with some of the actual problems that this box had been experiencing such as the windows media center’s inability to record and playback live TV as advertised let alone just watch it in real time.
Also surprising is the fact that most all the software programs and especially Microsoft products like to have you plugged into their networks to report any problem areas you may have and constantly provide feedback with which they can make their products better in every way. That is the sales pitch anyway. It seems that they want you to turn over as much control to them as possible and they will take care of all your software problems for you so you won’t have to worry about a thing. At this stage I have almost given in to it completely as I can’t figure out what they are trying to do half the time anymore and they don’t seem to be willing to tell me, unless it is in code.
So round one was to make sure that I had the latest and greatest versions of any software, updates and patches. This included drivers and anything else I could find that seemed like it needed updating. This took a long time and a lot of effort doing searches and researching items to make sure I was getting the right items for my machine and its configuration. Also not easy is working with “high speed” Qwest internet running at a whopping 1.5 Mb on its good days. This is much better than dial up and I shouldn’t complain but at the price they are charging, both Qwest and I should be ashamed.
So after making as many updates as possible and only seeing the situation get worse I decided that the next step was to start a process of elimination, in other words start taking out some of the updates and see if one of them was the problem. My two biggest suspects where Microsoft Internet Explorer and Adobe Acrobat’s Reader/Flash/Shockwave/whatever else they were dumping on me.
Since I had downloaded IE 8 thinking that I would be starting fresh with a new browser and that it would leave the old problem behind, but noting that the new browser did not function well from day one, it was the first to go. I removed the program and then tried to redo IE 7. I say redo because that is exactly what it became. Many of the settings and previous configurations had been lost. This may have been a good thing because since that time we have not had near the problems with crashing.
Next to go was the Adobe add-ons, though I think I might have lost them from the browser when it went through its changes. I have gotten a lot of update request for the Adobe software but have agreed to very little of it for now. That is my typical position by the way in taking on any new updates. When given the choice between letting the program do a ‘typical’ load or a ‘custom’ load, I will generally pick the custom load and look at each of the elements being added. Most times my picks will match the ‘typical’ load but just as often I will find them trying to insert an additional item that I don’t think I really want or need.
I also downloaded the latest security software from McAfee during this period and again ran a thorough scan of the system finding nothing more than a errant cookie. Besides taking significant time to run its scans and downloads I find it a little more comforting than the “One Care” security solution that comes from Qwest.
The other thing I have done is to update and start using Mozilla’s Firefox a lot more. It is almost the preferred browser at the moment though there are still many sites that seem to function better with IE. I hate having to go to more than one source for technical solutions but that is still a fact of life in this high tech world.
So with all this done I have to say, so far so good. I haven’t seen the blue screen in quite some time, but I admit that I still do not push this computer anywhere near where I think the limits ought to be. I still feel like I am treating it with kid gloves. Maybe because I have this need to justify the time and dollars invested, but I still want to get my money’s worth out of this adventure.
The only other side effect of note at this time is the fact that for some reason the computer is closing up and shutting down then restarting at sometime while it sits idle. I know this because I have left some applications open and come back the next day with nothing showing open on the taskbar. This is an important reminder about saving and backing up your work. I have had a pretty good track record and didn’t think these kinds of things would happen to me but it just goes to show that some things really do happen and through no fault of your own. I will probably be a little more sympathetic to other people’s stories now, even if I thought I was before.
This is Ed Nef with a view from the Farr West.
It is amazing that with all the updating that was taking place you think they might have stumbled on a correction with some of the actual problems that this box had been experiencing such as the windows media center’s inability to record and playback live TV as advertised let alone just watch it in real time.
Also surprising is the fact that most all the software programs and especially Microsoft products like to have you plugged into their networks to report any problem areas you may have and constantly provide feedback with which they can make their products better in every way. That is the sales pitch anyway. It seems that they want you to turn over as much control to them as possible and they will take care of all your software problems for you so you won’t have to worry about a thing. At this stage I have almost given in to it completely as I can’t figure out what they are trying to do half the time anymore and they don’t seem to be willing to tell me, unless it is in code.
So round one was to make sure that I had the latest and greatest versions of any software, updates and patches. This included drivers and anything else I could find that seemed like it needed updating. This took a long time and a lot of effort doing searches and researching items to make sure I was getting the right items for my machine and its configuration. Also not easy is working with “high speed” Qwest internet running at a whopping 1.5 Mb on its good days. This is much better than dial up and I shouldn’t complain but at the price they are charging, both Qwest and I should be ashamed.
So after making as many updates as possible and only seeing the situation get worse I decided that the next step was to start a process of elimination, in other words start taking out some of the updates and see if one of them was the problem. My two biggest suspects where Microsoft Internet Explorer and Adobe Acrobat’s Reader/Flash/Shockwave/whatever else they were dumping on me.
Since I had downloaded IE 8 thinking that I would be starting fresh with a new browser and that it would leave the old problem behind, but noting that the new browser did not function well from day one, it was the first to go. I removed the program and then tried to redo IE 7. I say redo because that is exactly what it became. Many of the settings and previous configurations had been lost. This may have been a good thing because since that time we have not had near the problems with crashing.
Next to go was the Adobe add-ons, though I think I might have lost them from the browser when it went through its changes. I have gotten a lot of update request for the Adobe software but have agreed to very little of it for now. That is my typical position by the way in taking on any new updates. When given the choice between letting the program do a ‘typical’ load or a ‘custom’ load, I will generally pick the custom load and look at each of the elements being added. Most times my picks will match the ‘typical’ load but just as often I will find them trying to insert an additional item that I don’t think I really want or need.
I also downloaded the latest security software from McAfee during this period and again ran a thorough scan of the system finding nothing more than a errant cookie. Besides taking significant time to run its scans and downloads I find it a little more comforting than the “One Care” security solution that comes from Qwest.
The other thing I have done is to update and start using Mozilla’s Firefox a lot more. It is almost the preferred browser at the moment though there are still many sites that seem to function better with IE. I hate having to go to more than one source for technical solutions but that is still a fact of life in this high tech world.
So with all this done I have to say, so far so good. I haven’t seen the blue screen in quite some time, but I admit that I still do not push this computer anywhere near where I think the limits ought to be. I still feel like I am treating it with kid gloves. Maybe because I have this need to justify the time and dollars invested, but I still want to get my money’s worth out of this adventure.
The only other side effect of note at this time is the fact that for some reason the computer is closing up and shutting down then restarting at sometime while it sits idle. I know this because I have left some applications open and come back the next day with nothing showing open on the taskbar. This is an important reminder about saving and backing up your work. I have had a pretty good track record and didn’t think these kinds of things would happen to me but it just goes to show that some things really do happen and through no fault of your own. I will probably be a little more sympathetic to other people’s stories now, even if I thought I was before.
This is Ed Nef with a view from the Farr West.
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