On the left of the green sign is the packaging for the color cube ink and the maintenance cartridge over 4 years to the right of the green sign is the equivalent packaging and waste for a color laser print. Enough said.

Storage space is a premium in an office. In the IT Dept. we generate a lot of waste and recycling plus we have a need to store a lot of products both expendable and durable. A printer that can reduce the burden of this storage usage and the resulting waste that is generated is a good thing.

Yes, I was quoted as saying that recently and I do not take it back.

Here’s the guy I dislike, the CIO of the USA, Vivek Kundra, note that his career starts on 9/11/2001 and that there are no entries previous to that:

Vivek Kundra – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

And of course the article I originally read that detailed some of Mr. Kundra’s failings is “down for maintenance” so I had to find a cached version from Google:

Dvorak allegations againt US CIO and the Kundra bio on the White House website – UPDATED

The government approved and went ahead with this web site for $18M just for “rebuilding”, which might lead you to believe it wasn’t an entirely new website, and it isn’t, so what the heck is the $18M for?

Recovery.gov

And here’s who got the money:

Updated: Hoyer-linked firm wins $18M Recovery.gov contract | Washington Examiner

This is a related site that has “tons” of freely available information on it but I hear a lot of negative things about it (admittedly things I can’t verify since I’m not a researcher):

Data.gov

OK, I’m going back to do some real work.

Someone has it backwards—it is HTML5, CSS, JavaScript, and H.264 (all supported by the iPhone and iPad) that are open and standard, while Adobe’s Flash is closed and proprietary.

Found on Gizmodo, says it with feeling, the way I’ve been feeling about it…

Why is Trudy right?

Until you can load FLASH in a web browser like this, for example:

(open carrot) fla src=”sample_flash.swf” attribute=”auto”…. (close carrot)

WITHOUT the need for a separate browser plugin…

WITHOUT a development cycle separate from all web browsers…

WITHOUT performance requirements separate from the browser itself…

WITHOUT incompatibilities across different hardware, even when the browser software is the same…

WITHOUT the plugin itself being of a closed an proprietary nature…

WITHOUT every browser vendor in existence beholden to the motivation of a single company to develop and optimize it’s source in hopes that a given browser may have a chance of running this plugin in a way that does not break web pages and does not egregiously consume computing resources thereby compromising the overall performance of said web browser…

Until, then, FLASH will remain nothing more than *another program* installed on a computer or mobile device, running in parallel with a browser, separately interpreting and rendering code to be *embedded* within the browser contents.

These are the facts. Now, it doesn’t mean that web developers and designers do not enjoy the creative freedom afforded to them by Adobe Flash-based vector graphics design and audio/video media creation.

Adobe should understand, though, that it’s multimedia solution is not unlike, for example, MS developing a PowerPoint browser plugin for Internet Explorer.

Macromedia developed flash and Adobe bought it – they didn’t stake their business on it. Heck, before flash-video, embedded Flash was mainly a tool for designer presentations, animated buttons and ads.

Adobe has tried very hard to make people think that “swf” and “flv” are web standards like “img” and “href” – they certainly are not. There are no standard cross-platform, cross-browser hooks directly into Flash APIs, beyond the use of javascript variable settings when embedding swf wrappers, which are used to call up flv files and depend on XML files which may or may not be dynamically updated by the embed script.

Layers upon layers of embedding and abstraction – who could EVER expact Flash to be resource friendly.

The truth is that Adobe has to re-invent the wheel every time a new browser comes out or a major upgrade is released or some new hardware platform is developed. Bugs and security vulnerabilities have to be separately maintained. Performance issues have to constantly be monitored and optimized as both it’s host browsers and operating systems get upgraded and evolve.

Let’s take for example the most ubiquitous of Flash implementations – video:

What wrapper file will you use?
-The swf file defines your video “window”. XML file(s) will define parameters.
-Actionscript in the swf wrapper files will hook into javacript variable settings and XML defenitions (or rather the other way around).
-Don’t forget video dimensions!

How will you embed that wrapper file?
-You’ll have to use javascript to call up the swf.
-You need to makes sure you set startup variables correctly for viewing the flv through the swf

Is the browser compatible?
-Chrome, Firefox, IE6,7,8,9, Opera, etc. all need compatible plugins

HTML layout?
-Oooh, make sure you set proper z-indexes
-Make sure you’re not accidentally covering modal windows with that Flash.
-Again, don’t forget video dimensions!
-Also, don’t forget to account for the player tool bar and frame.

Now, how do you embed video with HTML5?

Ex:

(open carrot) source src=”__VIDEO__.MP4″ type=”video/mp4″ (close carrot)

(slight over-simplification, since above is iPhone/iPad compatible. Webkit, whatever…)

Flash is not a true web standarded – it is an embeddable application. It is the aforementioned pitfalls that Apple is trying to avoid by not embracing Flash compatibility.

Do I wish, for example, that the iPad supported Flash? Sure, just like I want all my computers to open JPEG’s, Word Docs, Excel Spreadsheets, check email, run PowerPoints, etc. etc.

Macromedia developed a great web-compatible multi-media tool. Adobe, you bought it and had your chance to open it up and allow it’s use as a browser-agnostic audio & vector-graphic HTML standard, while still retaining the rights to the Flash development platform. You got greedy, lethargic and stubborn. Check back on this post in a couple years and it will read as either “Good Luck” or “Good Riddance” – only time will tell. Reply

Edited by Stevox at 04/21/10 9:22 PM

Sit back and enjoy the holiday shopping madness from the comfort of home.

The reality is that I become a generalist and even though I have a few things I am definitely an expert at, with most things I know “something” about them but not everything.

Occasionally, I find that it is simpler and quicker to do something myself rather than hire an expert (in this case an electrician) and because I am a generalist this is often what I do. For example the ancient air circulation fan that was in the telco closet of the firm I support simply died. Without this fan there is no true air circulation in the small closet that hosts the main PBX phone switch. I ordered an industrial blower instead of a fan simply because of the small space the fan has to fit. The blower moves a much larger volume of air per minute compared to a slightly larger fan.

So here’s what the sysadmin had to do to complete this Information Technology related project:

1. Research and purchase the replacement parts (purchasing dept.)
2. Cut a piece of wood to serve as a mount for the blower (facilities dept.)
3. Purchase the mounting hardware and electrical cord (facilities dept.)
4. Connect the AC cord to the blower unit safely and maintaining the ground (facilities dept.)
5. Mount the blower to the board and then attach everything to the wall (facilities dept.)
6. Plug in the blower unit to test (IT dept.)

My dad would be proud of the electrical wiring because it was done properly and I maintained the ground connection of the 3-pronged power cord. In fact all of the skills for this project I pretty much learned from my dad (my dad worked for United Air Lines (UAL) for some 36 years as a mechanic before retiring and before that served as an electrician in the US Army).

This is the telco closet with the blower installed near the ceiling in the center. The Tadiran phone switch is the big white thing near the bottom and the iBook serves as the hold music player.

This is a detailed view of the blower mounted on the board now mounted securely to the wall.

During the past few year’s MacWorld Expo shows I’ve spent very little time at the typically huge Apple pavilion because the really interesting and exciting stuff is spread all over the rest of the convention floor.

At the show earlier this year I encountered a host of interesting products and emerging technologies that are taking full advantage of either Mac OS X or the Mac hardware or both. The number of products out there for iPods and iPhones is stagering in it’s breadth and depth and quality. At almost every MacWorld Expo I stumble onto some software that I had heard about but never investigated but after using it hands on I buy it before I leave the show floor. Although I rarely ever buy a new computer at the Expo I was very tempted at the show earlier this year.

I might miss Mr. Jobs giving the keynote a little–maybe more than a little–as it is a little bit like getting to see your favorite actor give a talk about his favorite pet project. Could you imagine Charlton Heston coming out to present the MacBook Air? That would be wild but I don’t know if it would help Apple sell more Macs which, like any well managed company, is why they are in business.

Metadata (meta data, meta-data, or sometimes metainformation) is “data about data”, of any sort in any media. An item of metadata may describe an individual datum, or content item, or a collection of data including multiple content items and hierarchical levels, for example a database schema.

For most small businesses I expect they have no idea what metadata is so the small business owner may assume they don’t need to know (“I don’t know what it is so I must not be using it“). Do you ever provide an electronic copy of a Microsoft Word document to a customer or client? If you answered yes then you have exchanged metadata with your customers or clients. Sounds a little like a one night stand doesn’t it?

Metadata is anything at first glance is NOT visible in an electronic document but it is in most cases easily retrievable. In fact in nearly ALL cases you will find that the tools to manipulate and retrieve metadata are built right into the very software application used to create or edit the electronic document. But what is the purpose of metadata? For an answer to that let’s go back to Wikipedia:

Metadata provides context for data.

Metadata is used to facilitate the understanding, characteristics, and management usage of data. The metadata required for effective data management varies with the type of data and context of use. In a library, where the data is the content of the titles stocked, metadata about a title would typically include a description of the content, the author, the publication date and the physical location.

Some examples of how metadata gets created automatically:

• Tracking changes made in a Word, Word Perfect or similar document. A recipient of the document might be able to review all your previous edits and changes.
• The “properties” or “document info” of a given document. This could include the original software licensee’s name, firm name, author name and so on.
• Newer software systems may allow documents to be “tagged”. These tags are usually more visible but they serve the same purpose as metadata.
• If you are in an office and your computer and software is set up by your internal IT Dept. or by a third party you really should double-check the Microsoft Office Properties for each application. In one instance a contractor had provided my team with a PowerPoint file that listed the author as “Those F—–g Slime Bags from (name of company)”. I suspect they had a disgruntled Help Desk worker or an unpaid vendor.

Now that I’ve covered a little bit of what metadata is and why you should learn more about it I guess I should tell you specifically how to control your metadata and why you might want to use it. I think I’ll do that in a followup posting.

I have been thinking about what I would have liked to do and thought my ideas would be both helpful and useful to anyone confronted with a typical non-profit start up dilema: no bucks, no computers, no internet, no technology to communicate with those they wish to serve and those who may want to donate.

So how do you get useful computer technologies into the hands of a freshly started non-profit that may not have significant financial resources available?

To do it right from the start I recommend:

• That you get some donated computers that include a “current” operating system
• Set up a Google Docs account for the staff and volunteers to share
• Include one extra computer to act as a network file server and backup system
• Dig up printers, fax machines, and copiers as necessary

My firm had recently upgraded many of its old computers to newer models so there were several 4-5 year old computers available. All of these computers could run the latest operating system and applications from Apple and third parties. This meant that the non-profit could run any applications that they might need to. Here is a short list of some of the most useful and necessary apps I set them up with:

• Google Docs
• Intuit Quickbooks for Mac
• Filemaker Pro and Filemaker Server with Filemaker Donations
• Open Office for Mac Suite
• Adobe Contribute (for their web site editing)
• Adobe Creative Suite
• Apple Mac OS X (Mail, iCal, Safari, iChat, Text Edit, Address Book and more)
• Omniplan for Project Planning and Management (used for events and long-term fund raising plans)

If you are willing to send a few emails and make a few phone calls you should be able to purchase most of the software at discounts of up to 50% if your non-profit has the appropriate IRS tax status. By using Macs and Mac OS X the non-profit saved the daily hassle and frustration of having to defend against the thousands of computer viruses, trojans, spyware and adware that is out there. Also the Mac OS included applications such as Mail and the Address Book that initially were able to handle the large mailing lists and such the non-profit quickly developed. I later recommended that they switch to an affordable online service for their mailing lists in order to have a better feedback loop with their supporters.

A simple Mac mini with Mac OS X Server and Filemaker Server installed serves up their databases as well as a critical network share. The inexpensive Mac mini combined with an external hard drive is a very affordable and reliable server.

Several of the ISPs providing service at their headquarters location (on an unused floor in the same building as the firm) offered a discounted rate for a non-profit. I have checked around and this is somewhat common in most areas.

Although all the computers used at the non-profit were donated by the firm it wouldn’t have been a problem to reach out to the local community to find other sources for computers. Again it is a matter of having a knowledgeable person who has the time and energy to devote to picking up computers from individuals, businesses and schools.

Before I forget to mention it, what did I do about a web site?

The firm hosts several domains with a hosting provider that offers unlimited domains for a low monthly price. That meant in this case I simply added their domain to our hosting plan and set up an account for them that had administrator access to their domain and email hosting. The senior partner of the firm negotiated a deal with a interactive agency to provide web site design and development at no cost to the non-profit. This is actually version 2.0 of the web site as the initial site was set up by a designer who donated her time as well. Again some legwork, both real and virtual, and good design and services can be found. It is all about being open to opportunities and creative in your approach.

If you are an IT Guy or Gal tasked with setting up a non-profit I feel this process won’t be as hard as you may have first thought. You will be able to get all the gear together in a timely manner at an affordable cost to your non-profit.

And what of the non-profit that was set up by my firm? They have had several successful seminars with notable presenters. The Filemaker Donations solution has helped them track their donors as well as the campaigns conducted to raise funds, the old computers have–mostly–operated flawlessly for the past 2-years, their staff has increased a little bit and they are planning future events and seminars to get their message out.

In the opening day MacIT Administrator session we learned is that starting in 2009 two new ships of the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line will be outfitted with 2905 Apple Mac minis and 2200 Apple TVs. Um, yes that is not a typo. The Mac mini and Apple TVs will be used to drive HDTV displays used throughout the new ships to provide helpful information as well as entertainment. This set up also includes 50 Mac Xserves on the back end serving up all the content. The tech guy from Royal Caribbean says going this route over using a Windows based system is saving them hundreds of thousands of dollars (mostly in licensing fees paid to Microsoft). If you want to know more about this just head over to TUAW.

Need to take a nap? Need to take a high tech nap?

Each Pod has a Mac mini inside that plays ambient music, colored lights that glow across the dome as you nap, and it even controls the temperature of the bed.

This guy drew the picture on the display seen in the photo in about 20 seconds. It is a very good sketch of the guy speaking a few feet away. He drew it directly on the screen on this highly modified (“modded”) MacBook. These modded MacBooks are from Axiotron.

I decided that actually the new MacBook Air is thinner than my iPhone.

I’m going to have to take out a second mortgage to pay for all these gadgets.