Posted 12/23/2008 at 03:24:19pm

Absolutely not.  This needs to stay private enterprise (I know people like to disparage the free market system right now but it works for the US and several other countries – it’s cyclical just like everything else and will come back around).  If the Federal government gets into the data transfer biz do you honestly think that all of the other things you whine about concerning government interference with first amendment rights would vaporize with the advent of socialized Internet?  Please.  As far as creating public works programs to create jobs – this wouldn't get off the ground until the recession is behind us.  Public works programs in response to current market problems have NEVER gotten off the ground and employed people until after the economic problems have passed.  The Federal government will get its fingers into all aspects of this.  Look at what’s happened to the banks that have taken the bailout money – they answer to Uncle Sam as he required that as part of the bailout agreement.  Same thing with the auto industry.  The term Car Czar ring any bells?  This will be a Federal employee (politician) running the show.  Not a good idea.

Is it embarrassing to be last on the list for a technology that was invented here?  Sure, but it’s not the first time.  We got our backsides handed to us in the ’70 by Japanese auto makers (and by that I mean mass-produced automobiles).  I love American cars (and drive one) but the reality is that Toyota and Honda out-build US companies at almost every turn.

I, for one, become nervous when I think about a national network developed, built, maintained and MONITORED by the federal government (FBI, NSA, etc.).  No thank you.

Posted 10/27/2008 at 04:36:04pm

Scoff at will – but I’m one of the, evidently few, folks that generally likes Vista.  Of the irritations/complaints I do have is with the search function.  I hate it passionately.  It sucks balls to no end.  The updated version four sucks just as badly.  I would love to see this retooled prior to Vista SP2 or Win v.7

Posted 10/22/2008 at 01:24:58pm

The cheapest HDMI cable they have is $30!  The markup is insane.  If you want the over-priced Monster version it's $70.  For an HDMI cable.  That's just sick. 

(short)Circuit City's being good or evil, I'm not going to call it - the only thing that resonates is that it's too bad that folks have to lose jobs, heaven knows there's enough of that going around already.

Posted 10/12/2008 at 09:02:00pm

I'll give it a shot.  Thanks for the tip.

Posted 10/12/2008 at 12:15:54am

With allmusicconverter you can convert anything you've purchased to MP3 files.  Yes it costs $20 but the ability to convert the suck-ass RAX or AAC (or any number of other formats) you've got a license for is totally worth the $20.  Without having to burn songs to CD then rip them back and waste (yes I know how inexpensive blanks are but that's not the point - I'm tired of wasting blanks so that I can back shi@@y DRM music to then rip them back to digital).  It's worth it to me anyway.

Posted 07/01/2008 at 01:13:00pm

I'm not sure about that, you could be right you could be right I suppose.  It seems awfully strange that every time the EC wants to be pissy about something or an EU member state needs money they try tapping US companies for cash.  Microsoft, Intel, Cisco, etc.  Deep pockets ripe for the picking.

eBay bought paypal in, oh, 2002 or so.  They dumped billpay and scooped up paypal.

Posted 07/01/2008 at 10:50:14am

I’m tired of EU member states (and the EU’s EC) abuse of power.  In this case the use of power to shake down US business.  Again.  It’s blackmail pure and simple.  France is whining (again) so some business here is forced to pay up?  Sickening.  As noted in a previous post: you don’t hold a newspaper responsible for printing a classified someone paid to have printed.  I also cannot see clear to holding eBay culpable for the misdeeds of sellers. 

Do you have any idea what kind of fees they’d have to charge so that they could employ enough people to scan every new post?  I don’t but given that there are an estimated five million new items posted daily on eBay I’m betting the fee hike would be steep.  I don’t disagree that the fees eBay and PayPal (By the way: closely wed the business to PayPal?  PayPal IS an eBay business.) charge are a tad onerous, but I see it simply as: don’t use eBay.  Use Craigslist – no fees to sell stuff.