Author: Sistertech

The blessing of the devices

We’ve got the blessing of the animals. The blessing of the “plows”. And now the blessing of the tech devices. This makes Sistertech so proud of this British parish.

“It’s the technology that is our daily working tool, and it’s a technology we should bless,” Parrott said.

The short blessing capped Monday’s services at the Christopher Wren-designed building — the official church of the Corporation of the City of London, which runs the capital’s bustling financial district.

Parishioners took out cell phones as Parrott recited a blessing over them and their electronic devices. A few held their phones up in the air as he ran through the prayer.

Psalm of the Day

Psalm 112

A psalm of open source distros.

This psalm is so rich, so full of allusions to the work of so many of Sistertech’s brothers and sisters. Where, oh where, to begin?

1Praise the Lord!
Happy are those who fear the Lord,
who greatly delight in his commandments.

“Fear” gets a bad rap these days. Yes, there’s good fear and bad fear, don’t get me wrong. But I have no problem “fearing” that the tuna salad at the local gas station may be past its prime. Fear is good. It’s a good thing to read the warnings that The One In Charge sets before us, the ones we see every single day as we compute away: “Empty all of the items from the trash? If you choose to empty the trash, all items in it will be permanently lost.” Only among the most jaded does this kind of warning not strike fear into one’s heart. Personally, Sistertech delights in such fearful warnings because her clients usually take them to heart.

2Their descendants will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.
3Wealth and riches are in their houses,
and their righteousness endures for ever.
4They rise in the darkness as a light for the upright;
they are gracious, merciful, and righteous.

While I never worked in the Programming Department, I do see them (or their shades, as the Greeks would say) coding away through the night and into what the rest of us know as daylight. This psalm reminds us to give thanks for the servants of The One In Charge who provide code for us. Truly they are gracious, merciful, and righteous.

They are gracious. None of them necessarily has to provide open source code for us. Yes, there is the employment issue, but let’s face it: these folks code for the sheer happiness it brings them. This happiness multiplies since they know how useful their programming is for the rest of us. This is graciousness personified.

They are merciful. Let me ask you a question. Have you ever once had an open source program that was too difficult to install? I thought not. And don’t even go there about the hours spent on hold for something called “technical support”, hours of waiting that can be reduced to a mere 59 minutes for a fee! Only the merciful programmers ponder such things as they code. It’s so touching, really.  I always get a bit choked up when I think about it.

They are righteous. Have you found a malicious worm hiding in the repositories? Have you gone on orgies of software installations, installing and uninstalling program after program, confident that nary one of those programs would cost you a single penny? Righteous? Righteous! Who among us is more righteous (besides The One In Charge, that is)?

5It is well with those who deal generously and lend,
who conduct their affairs with justice.
6For the righteous will never be moved;
they will be remembered for ever.

See above.

7They are not afraid of evil tidings;
their hearts are firm, secure in the Lord.
8Their hearts are steady, they will not be afraid;
in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.

It’s not so much a smugness (that would be unseemly). No, it’s a confidence one finds in the open source community. This is why their hearts are steady and they are not afraid. Operating systems come and go. Each one promising pleasures beyond one’s wildest dreams. And each time, dear friends, each time we fall for it. It is as though no one of us has remembered each year the promises Lucy made to Charlie Brown. How despicable! How treacherous! The open source programmers will indeed look in triumph, not merely on their immediate foes, but the foes of all who seek justice and openness in the cosmos.

9They have distributed freely, they have given to the poor;
their righteousness endures for ever;

See above.

their horn is exalted in honour.
10The wicked see it and are angry;
they gnash their teeth and melt away;
the desire of the wicked comes to nothing.

There! I’m glad I got that off my chest.

Netbook democracy

I agree completely with Brother Jeff at Coding Horror. I think he’s got the right idea about the democratizing role netbooks do and might play. Sistertech knows that educators are concerned with this very issue. For my two cents, I often think that charity really ought to begin at home. It’s a rather unorthodox statement coming from Sistertech given my ministry. However, when Sistertech thinks about the many thousands, yea, millions of Americans who are digitally illiterate and impoverished, she thinks more resources (human, monetary, and Divine) ought to be sent their way instead of, say, the poor in Kabul.

Now, I’m all for supporting and exporting the West’s computer culture to other lands. Sistertech’s thrilled by the way in which Iranian protesters have utilized the Internet and their smart phones. Clearly, the netbook is one in an array of technologies that can effect genuine change on the ground. And if that should be too lofty a goal, we can assert with great confidence that more access to these technologies bolster among the protesters a more democratic spirit than they could otherwise spread in such a repressive country.

I gather, however, that Tehran has a more and better educated populace than Tupelo. That’s why digital charity ought to begin at home. And while I am a techie, I certainly respect the fact that “phonics” comes before “plugins” in anybody’s dictionary. Neither a laptop nor a netbook in every child’s lap in America will on its own produce a better educated populace.

Here endeth the muted rank.

Ambrosia

Sistertech, as with all legitimate computer mavens, draws liquid sustenance from coffee. I’m a picky consumer. I have gone without (and had some near misses because of it) when I could not find an acceptable cup of coffee. The latest investment: a Cuisinart Supreme Burr Mill Coffee Bean Grinder.

It shocking, really, but there are other sisters in the community who adore coffee more than I do. Most notably, Sr. St. George. She narrowly escaped a blasphemy charge due to her coffee obsession, but that’s another story altogether. For her most recent birthday we planned a “Coffee Birthday” celebration, natürlich, which consisted of a truly decadent array of presents: a home espresso machine like this one only larger, a delightful Barack O Blend Presidential coffee from Hawaii, a tasty trip to the Blue Bottle kiosk in San Francisco, and Peets gift cards. So as to go over the top we did splurge for a half pound of Peet’s Kona, a favorite of Sr. St. George’s. Worth every bit at $50 lbs. I’m insanely yearning for Peet’s Jamaica Blue Mountain, myself. I can only explain it as a kind of dangerously expensive infatuation at $80 lbs. Fortunately, it’s practically impossible to get. Do tweet Sistertech if you see this magnificent coffee being offered at Peets online. Oh, yes. She received a CD, Music from the Coffee Lands.

And, of course, books galore.

There was I Love Coffee!: Over 100 Easy and Delicious Coffee Drinks by Susan Zimmer, Espresso: Ultimate Coffee, Second Edition by Kenneth Davids, and last, but by no means least, God in a Cup: The Obsessive Quest for the Perfect Coffee by Michaele Wiessman. Those are the only books I recall at the moment. Which reminds me, I really ought to have Sr. St George share her coffee book reviews.

Psalm of the Day

Back on track at last. The psalm of the day (9 January 2010) is taken, appropriately, from the Evening office.

Psalm 131

A Song of Ascents. Of David.

1O Lord, my heart is not lifted up,
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvellous for me.
2But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
my soul is like the weaned child that is with me.

3O Israel, hope in the Lord
from this time on and for evermore.

Given all the news that’s out there — tech news, political news, and yes, sports news — “my eyes are not raised too high” and “I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvellous for me.”

There’s so much out there about which Sisteretch cannot in good conscience even pretend to be competent. It’s important in my line of ministry to be humble enough to say to a client “I’m not sure I’m the one you need for this job.” Or “I’ve done all that I can do. I think you’re going to need someone more familiar with this software.”

On the other hand, Sistertech’s had a couple of occasions lately where she was just bowled over by the brilliance and creativity of certain human beings, such as Pranav Mistry. I cannot begin to explain to others exactly how sixth sense technology works. I fear it is “too great and too marvellous for me.” But I do know that the efforts of such minds, and what seem to be humble minds, offer some small hope for the future.

A little more on Harriet Bedell

A charming bit more on Blessed Harriet may be viewed here (from a  Naples, Florida online journal):

“She took some time off, and was driving down U.S.41 when she saw local Indians selling items out of a chickee hut, and also posing for pictures to make a little money,” Nicolay said.

“She basically threw a fit at what she saw as degrading, so she obtained permission to remain and work with these people.”

Bedell based herself at what was then simply called Everglades, at the time the county seat.

She would buy items such as pottery and baskets from the American Indians with “script” money which was in turn redeemable for essential goods at the local store, Nicolay said.

Evidently Harriet had some spunk!

On a more personal level, Nicolay said, the deaconess had an acid wit.

Having once dined with then-President Truman at the Everglades Rod & Gun Club, she was asked what it was like to sit down with a president.

Her reply, Nicolay said, was: “He was alright for a Baptist.”

Other quirks associated with the deaconess, Nicolay said, were that she never owned a radio or went to a movie.

But she did drive a car, and was something of a “hellion” on the road, Nicolay said.

Another lasting minds-eye image of the woman, she said, was the deaconess nosing about the swamps in a canoe, dressed in a flowing habit and boots.

Nvidia in cars

Too cool. Nvidia hooking up with Audi. Nvidia processors will be in all new Audis starting with the 2012 model year.

Update:

Here’s a fuller treatment of the benefits and risks of in-car computing from the NY Times:

This week at the Consumer Electronics Show, the neon-drenched annual trade show here, these companies are demonstrating the breadth of their ambitions, like 10-inch screens above the gearshift showing high-definition videos, 3-D maps and Web pages.

The first wave of these “infotainment systems,” as the tech and car industries call them, will hit the market this year. While built-in navigation features were once costly options, the new systems are likely to be standard equipment in a wide range of cars before long. They prevent drivers from watching video and using some other functions while the car is moving, but they can still pull up content as varied as restaurant reviews and the covers of music albums with the tap of a finger.

The not news news

I think this development is a good thing. In fact, it ought to make it easier to help my clients, but I still don’t take this to be anything close to news. Intel’s chief Paul Otellini’s keynote address to the CES 2010:

After the era of the mainframe and the PC the industry was now undergoing a third evolution into the age of personal computing, where individuals used multiple, interconnected, personalised, online computing devices.

“I believe we are on the cusp of a new era of computing – personal computing,” he told delegates.

“It is an era of many devices per person and will change our lives. We want seamless personal devices that work anywhere and are customised to us, we want to make computing personal.”

Psalm of the Day

Friday, 8 January, 2010

[Almost caught up]

Psalm 96

I take the Psalm for January 8 from the book of Lesser Feasts and Fasts. This day we honor Harriet Bedell.

Reading over the brief particulars of her life, it reminded Sistertech of her own early ministry to those who were traumatized from earlier encounters with personal computers and the scourge of the earth, the DOS operating system. This was in the late 80’s folks and DOS was not the kind of thing one foisted upon the innocent computing neophyte. Blessed Harriet seems to have been attentive to the needs of those to whom she was called. She evidently worked with Native Americans in Florida and did her best (all things considered) to help them use their indigenous skills to meet the challenges of living in the “modern” world.

Blessed Harriet was not the kind of missionary to boot up a PC, run a few DOS commands and leave those whom she was called upon to help staring at the C:\ prompt.  For her example of humility and sensitivity, Sistertech is grateful.

1O sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth.
2Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
tell of his salvation from day to day.
3Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvellous works among all the peoples.

I thank Rob deMallac for declaring to me the glories of Ubuntu lo, these many years ago now. I guess we’re all missionaries of one kind or another.

4For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
he is to be revered above all gods.
5For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.

Theologically, Sistertech has always been curious about this “plural” thing going on here with “gods”. The Documentation is clear about the singularity of The One In Charge. But even in the Doc (for short) gods (plural) are mentioned. Well, it’s above my paid grade so I don’t worry about it much.

What does seem spot on is this distinction between “idols” and The One In Charge. I used to see this worshipping of idols frequently in my house calls. “They guy in the Big Box Store said that <the-program-that-shall-remain-unmentionable> was what we needed to make the phone list for the babysitter.” Really! In my snarkier moods I almost thought these people deserved their idols. I had to go through an attitude adjustment on that one.

Now, I’m not pointing fingers…well, yes, I am pointing just a wee bit. Sistertech is ready to confess her own past dalliance with idols. Year after year, upgrade after upgrade, from Mac to PC, and PC after PC. When I think about idols what really comes to mind are the lower level software programs. The same old idols. Software promises made but hardly ever kept. And yet what did I do? I kept bowing down no matter how feckless the software had proved itself to be. It really gets my computer jumpers twisted up in knots when I think about…now what is it called? It’ll come to me in a…yes. About the money I threw away sacrificing to mere idols.

The Psalmist reminds us “The One in Charge made the heavens”. This isn’t liver chopping folks. It takes a real deity to make the heavens, and in addition, to make them heavenly. But what’s this got to do with computing? It’s clear to anyone who has given it the considerable attention it deserves, that The One In Charge made The Computer. I admit that perhaps I’m deluding myself. It’s hard to tell. Since I’m in winking distance from The One In Charge, it never occurs to me that there are others who are In Charge. Sub-contractors, yes.

6Honour and majesty are before him;
strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

7Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

I might get busted for saying this, but I don’t think The One In Charge is at all unhappy about The Steve. Personally, I wouldn’t be surprised if The Steve and The Linux aren’t all part of The Plan. (The Microsoft may be involved, but not in a nice way. I’m just sayin’.)

A whole new meaning of “ouch”

Good Lord! And I only say that when circumstances call for it. Indeed, these recalls brings us a whole new meaning of “ouch”!

Recall #1: Acer laptops (fortunately, Sistertech has no clients with these models)

Though no injuries have been reported, the recall bulletin states that a short circuit in the laptops internal microphone wire under the palm rest has damaged three machines.

The recall covers several models in the Aspire-series of notebooks, including the Acer AS3410, AS3410T, AS3810T, AS3810TG, AS3810TZ and AS3810TZG. They were all sold between June and October of 2009.

The nice people at Acer request that users “stop using the computers immediately”. Great.

Recall #2: I don’t know whether to laugh or cry about this one.

The second recall involves nearly one million home improvement books published by Oxmoor House.

According to the CPSC, errors in the books can lead do-it-yourselfers to make risky mistakes while installing or repairing their electrical wiring. In fact the errors in diagrams and wiring instructions could cause people to be shocked or create a fire hazard.

Well, The One In Charge knows we’ve all made mistakes. However, given the publishing scope of this “home improvement” advice I think heads are gonna roll.

The recalled books were published under nine different titles including AmeriSpec Home Repair Handbook, Lowe’s Complete Home Improvement and Repair, Lowe’s Complete Home Wiring, Sunset Basic Home Repairs, Sunset Complete Home Wiring, Sunset Complete Patio Book, Sunset Home Repair Handbook, Sunset Water Gardens and Sunset You Can Build – Wiring.

All the books have been sold at bookstores and home improvement stores for years, with some having been in publication for more than three decades. (emphasis mine!)