I went to a green consumer event last week and since then a question has been on my mind. Why do small portable consumer electronics still use batteries? Text from DJCline.com
If the devices are getting more and more energy efficient, then the power requirements are getting smaller and smaller. At some point they could be run by old-fashioned spring loaded technology seen in watches and music boxes. I have a radio that operates on the same principle. There are even emergency radios that charge cell phones through a USB port. If your cell phone already had a wind-up charger built into it, the phone would continue to work in the event of a disaster like the earthquake in Haiti. Text from DJCline.com
Batteries create toxic waste and cost money to replace. Wind-up technology uses recyclable materials and is free to anyone who can turn a key. It would be funny if our new toys were powered like our old ones. Text from DJCline.com
Copyright 2010 DJ Cline All rights reserved.
Posted by dj as Commentary at 4:56 PM PST []
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Going Public
I love it when someone puts their money where their mouth is and walks it as they talk it.
I know a woman who worked for years teaching kids in developing countries. She can be cantankerous but I always sent her whatever she needed. She adopted a kid. She figured there were three billion starving kids on the planet and it seemed silly to generate a genetic copy when there were so many kids already who needed a home.
She decided to come home and bought a house in a rundown neighborhood and sent her kid to a local public school. I asked her why. She said he would be fine. She said she believed that everyone had a right to an education and she wanted to support public education.
She did not want to be one of those people who move to essentially segregated suburbs and send the kids to private schools. “I’ve already paid for public school. I can take the money I might have spent on some academy and help more than one child. They pull up the drawbridges and let the rest of the world go to hell. They forget that they are going to live in the same world they think they escaped. Their kids are going to have a rough time of it.”
It is a lot of work. She keeps an eye on her kid’s progress to make sure he is doing well. She is active in the local parent teacher organization. She attends local school board meetings. She raises money and occasionally goes to the state legislature to campaign for more funding. The neighborhood kids are doing well. If you are serious about educating everyone, support public schools and send your own kid to one.
Copyright 2010 DJ Cline All rights reserved.
Posted by dj as Blumbers, Commentary at 4:46 PM PST []
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By Frank M. Robinson
Lurid covers from pulp magazines of the first half of the twentieth century. I liked the science fiction art but there are also excellent examples of western and detective art. Text from DJCline.com.
Copyright 2010 DJ Cline All rights reserved.
Posted by dj as Books, Reviews at 4:32 PM PST []
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Somebody sent me this job posting. I could not believe it. They might want to get some legal advice before posting anything else.
Copyright 2010 DJ Cline All rights reserved.
Posted by dj as Humor at 4:27 PM PST []
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I was at an event in Los Angeles and kept seeing older famous people I thought were dead. They drifted off the public scene and frankly I thought many of them were dead by now. Text from DJCline.com
I’ve been seeing a lot of them, doing public events, trade shows, talk shows, award shows, etc.
I asked a show biz friend what was going on. He said many of them lost all their savings in the crash. They thought that putting your money in major Wall Street funds or California real estate would be a safe bet. Not all celebrities burn out on the steps of rehab. Many of them managed their finances and went into a comfortable retirement. Some got burned by Bernie Madoff. Some lost it all and are looking for work. Text from DJCline.com
The result are rock stars coming out with one last album, sitcom idols doing tell-all autobiographies and lots of appearances on late night talk shows. Many are still funny and the years have added character to their characters. If you wonder why they are selling pet food it’s because they don’t want to wind up eating it. Text from DJCline.com
Copyright 2010 DJ Cline All rights reserved.
Posted by dj as Commentary at 4:57 PM PST []
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On February 1, 2010 in Mountain View at Symantec, the SDForum Security SIG presented “Strategic Considerations in Incident Response” by IOActive Director of Services Glenn Kaleta. He is a former Military Intelligence Officer in the US Army Reserve, a graduate of the FBI Network Intrusion Investigation Course, an expert in computer forensics, incident response, fraud risk assessment and investigations management. He has investigated everything from murder and armed robbery to highly sophisticated fraud, financial misconduct and network intrusion schemes involving the use of proprietary applications and technology.
You find out how strong flexible and resourceful your organization is when it faces a crisis. The plans you make are not as important the process you put in place to respond to an incident with talent, leadership and execution. Incidents like physical threat or theft can be dealt with using standard security measures. New strategies and responses are needed with corporate presence online to reduce damage to the financial, legal, operational, political and reputation assets of your company.
Consider your capabilities. How has your organization learned from previous incidents? Were the lessons incorporated in current practice? Can your organization deal with a malware infection, data breach or internal incident related to fraud or misconduct? Are your people trained on what to look for and how to respond? Have they practiced together? Rather than weekend rafting trip for team building, maybe you should plan a cyber attack and see how everybody handles the situation. Who is in charge when that call comes at three in the morning? Identify the key leaders and clearly state their responsibilities. No matter what happens, do they have the presence of mind to keep evidence of the incident for forensic investigation afterwards?
Consider your risk. Can you afford to be knocked offline and put out of business? Are you prepared for constantly changing threats from inside and outside your organization? Kaleta had some very instructive stories about common surprises and what to do about them. All of them had similar components. Every incident response requires identifying, quarantining, investigating, eradicating and preventing the next incident. Any changes should be implemented within thirty days or the lessons learned will be lost.
One obvious vulnerable spot are vendors. While you may have checked out your people, what about your cleaning staff or tech support? How thorough are the background checks of your vendors and are they willing to supply you proof? If an incident happens do you have legal recourse in the country where it occurred? Asking awkward questions now will avoid awkward situations later.
I would like to thank Ross Oliver for his help with the presentation. SDForum Security SIG people are great when things don’t go according to plan.
Copyright 2010 DJ Cline All rights reserved.
Posted by dj as Events, Reviews at 1:30 PM PST []
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Many people are having trouble selling their homes online. I think some of it may be the pictures they use. Here are some more examples people send to me.
Gym Equipment
If you have this much exercise equipment in your house you need to watch fewer late night informercials and get out of the house.
Ikea Shelves
If you don’t like all these shelves from Ikea, you can take them down with a single hex wrench. Or an Axenswingen.
Cast Iron Bed
They stopped making these kinds of beds because cowboys kept getting their spurs caught in the grill work.
1929 kitchen
I don’t know how this kitchen escaped remodeling. I think even the cockroaches would be depressed by it.
Long Driveway
This driveway is so long you have to pack a lunch to check your mail.
Skating Window
This is not the sort of place you can roller skate unless you are also wearing a parachute.
Copyright 2010 DJ Cline All rights reserved.
Posted by dj as Humor at 12:36 PM PST []
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Hard to believe it has been fifteen years since my first website. I wonder what the next fifteen years will bring.
The irresistible desire to simplify our lives that has been dragged down by the complexity of information technology. I think the appeal of social networking sites is that people can have an online presence and yet do not have to worry about running a website. Of course they give up privacy and intellectual property but they gain visibility and time. Text from DJCline.com
After seeing the new Apple iPad, I think the day of a computer “for the rest of us” is near. Every minute we waste fiddling with a computer keeps us from doing what really should be doing. I chose the Macintosh because I wanted to spend years creating and not coding. The result is that I became productive, prolific and profitable. Text from DJCline.com
The day will come when running your own website will be as quaint as making your own clothes. We will become the HAM radio operators in a world of cell phones. Text from DJCline.com
Copyright 2010 DJ Cline All rights reserved.
Posted by dj as Blumbers, Commentary at 4:50 PM PST []
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Many years ago there was a book called “The Prophet” by Kahil Gilbran. It was so serious and ponderous that wonderful parody came out called “The Profit” by Kehlog Albran published by Price/Stern/Sloan in 1973. It is out of print but I highly recommend it. Below are some excerpts:
“I have seen the future and it is just like the present, only longer.”
“The crowds gathered at the foot of the Valley.
Thousands pushed their way through.
The ominous rumbling was heard for miles.
Is he down yet, a merchant selfishly cried.
Where can I see him, an old woman shrieked.
I have waited for him for over one hundred years, a withered man murmured.
The crowd hushed in unison as a glimpse of a figure appeared in the clouded distance.
He is here, they whispered.
He looked almost young yet his age was impossible to guess.
He was not tall, yet he had many tall ways.
As they stared, he sat upon a rock.
Quietly folding his arms, he began to speak:
I am here.
I am tired.
But I will answer your questions.
Bring me food, drink, and don’t forget a little gold.
A little silver for an answer.
A drachma for a doubt, a penny for a thought.
For I am The Profit and what I have learned has cost me ten lifetimes.
What you are about to learn has cost you two dollars and fifty cents.”
NOTE: The book cost $2.50. Ha ha.
Copyright 2010 DJ Cline All rights reserved.
Posted by dj as Books, Humor, Reviews at 6:18 PM PST []
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J.D. Salinger is dead at the age of 91. He was driving a 2009 Toyota Camry through a field of rye when the accelerator stuck and he plunged off a cliff.
He left several unpublished novels, all of which will be used to torture high school literature students for centuries.
Copyright 2010 DJ Cline All rights reserved.
Posted by dj as Humor at 11:16 AM PST []
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They called him Nick The Neck. I called him Mr. Wrong. Text from DJCline.com
He was a guy I knew many years ago. He worked out and developed quite a neck. Today you would suspect he was using steroids. While he was not particularly likeable, I found him to be a great barometer because he was always wrong in the long run about everything. It did not matter what it was, sports, politics or the stock market. Nick always lived in the present and thought things would remain the same. He fought the future and always lost. Text from DJCline.com
I thought of him as I looked at Apple stock this week. You see, Nick hated Apple Macintosh computers. It was an irrational, inexplicable position. He did not like Steve Jobs and became furious at the idea that he would return to Apple and save the company. As unlikely as he thought it was, that was exactly what happened. Text from DJCline.com
My people check his web presence every so often to see how disastrous his life became. I wonder what his life would have been like if he had bought Apple stock instead. Listen to people who disagree with you, it makes you check your judgment. Learn from their mistakes and you will make fewer of your own. Text from DJCline.com
Copyright 2010 DJ Cline All rights reserved.
Posted by dj as Commentary at 4:06 PM PST []
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On January 20, 2010 at the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco, Apple’s Steve Jobs released a new tablet computer called the iPad that will be available in two months. Made of recyclable plastic and aluminum, it weighs 1.5 pounds and is half an inch thick with a ten inch LED display, full-size touch-screen keyboard, accelerometer, compass, speaker, microphone, thirty pin connector, ten hour battery but no camera. To me it is a laptop without a physical keyboard behaving like a big iPhone. Text from DJCline.com
The iPad comes in six versions, ranging from a Wi-Fi only 16GB version for $499 to a combined Wi-Fi and 3G version with 64 GB for $829. Apple makes the fast 1 GHz processor A4 chip itself. This is a departure from going outside to buy the old Motorola or Intel chips. Text from DJCline.com
It looks like it is meant to be mainly a media consumption device for the web, games, newspapers, magazines, movies, music and TV. You will be able to download from the AppStore, iTunes or the new iBook Store in the ePub format. Apple cut deals for content with Penguin, Macmillan, Simon & Schuster, Harper Collins and Hachette. You touch a picture of the book to open it. Tap on it to turn the page. You can change the font size for those who have trouble seeing.Text from DJCline.com
You can create your own content. The new version of their office suite iWorks may make creating slide shows and spreadsheets more fun or at least less tedious. Each iWorks app will cost $9.99 at the AppStore. Text from DJCline.com
The iPad comes unlocked using new GSM micro SIMs. If you want 3G they have deal with AT&T but don’t need a contract and can bail at any time. You can go with an unlimited plan of $29.99 per month or $14.99 for 250 MB per month. WiFi at an AT&T hotspot will be free. Text from DJCline.com
I know people who are going to love being able to see bigger Google Maps when they are out and about.Text from DJCline.com
Accessories include a cover for it as well as a physical keyboard that acts as a docking port.
Do I need an iPad? No. Do I want one? Yes.
Copyright 2010 DJ Cline All rights reserved.
Posted by dj as Events, Reviews at 11:30 AM PST []
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On January 26, 2010 at Pillsbury Winthrop in Palo Alto, SDForum held the Quarterly Venture Breakfast Series in collaboration with PWC. Allison Leopold Tilley of Pillsbury Winthrop moderated panelists Steve Bengston of PricewaterhouseCoopers, Winston Fu of USVP, Ryan Sweeney of Accel Partners and Ann Winblad of Hummer Winblad Venture Partners. Text from DJCline.com
The changes over the past decade from the dotcom bust simply accelerated over the past year. From 2002 through 2008, U.S. venture investing stabilized between $22-30 billion annually. In 2009, VC investing was about 18 billion. Steve Bengston believes that too much money in a boom market inevitable cycles through to a bust that is fifty percent off the peak. He thinks 2010 will be as flat as 2009. Of course, less money invested means less coming out in exits. In 2000, most exits were IPOs. By 2010 most were mergers and acquisitions. With IPOs, fewer people want to be CEOs responsible for signing Sarbanes Oxley forms that could put them in jail. Mergers and acquisitions are safer but don’t pay off as well. Text from DJCline.com
For VCs and their startups, the first part of 2009 was a period of shaking out and locking down from the collapse of 2008. Allison Leopold Tilley said the tourists left the industry. As new government policies took hold in the second half of 2009, deals cautiously came out of hiding. Lots of VCs, limited partners (LPs) and angels have been badly shaken and are just keeping the lights on. Even more established VCs with deeper pockets are looking for capital efficiency for early stages and wanting serious revenue in later stages in the seven to nine year cycles. Ten years ago you might have seen a different VC involved in each round. Now you will see a VC stick with a company through C series. If you want to know if a potential VC is serious ask them when was their last big deal. If they can’t tell you, keep moving. Text from DJCline.com
IPOs and and M&As are not the only options. VCs like to hear a plan for a profitable independent company. The downturn is forcing lots of companies to take stock and rethink how they do business. Now is great time for a startup that can disrupt existing structures. Startups that become standalone game changers like Apple or Google are ultimately the most profitable investments. Ann Winblad said a good company is bought not sold. Go to meetings with developer communities and look for opportunities. Is there a large new market? Why is no one in it yet? Text from DJCline.com
Ryan Sweeney sees an economic recovery in 2010 from enterprises but not consumers. Winston Fu sees promise in green ideas that demonstrate dramatic efficiencies for limited investment. Look for an increase in IPOs as sign of recovery. New companies mean new jobs. Text from DJCline.com
The room was packed with entrepreneurs. They were advised to do their homework, get a good law firm, a good accounting firm, a good VC and most importantly, a good idea. Text from DJCline.com
Copyright 2010 DJ Cline All rights reserved.
Posted by dj as Events, Reviews at 4:23 PM PST []
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An Anthology Of Classic Science Fiction
Edited By Robert Hoskins
Science fiction that borders on steampunk. Fascinating. I wonder if Star Wars will look and sound as awkward as some of this? Be prepared for some major political incorrectness. The Jack London piece is most disturbing. Text from DJCline.com
Copyright 2010 DJ Cline All rights reserved.
Posted by dj as Books, Reviews at 4:01 PM PST []
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Time Slot Versus Good Content
How bad is the economy? Even Conan O’Brien lost his job.
I don’t think he’s hurting much, though I do wonder about all of his staff who moved across the country. Are they now stranded and jobless in Los Angeles? I hope they got a similar deal.
I think NBC choosing Jay Leno over Conan O’Brien shows how out of touch the network executives are. They picked Jay Leno over David Letterman because Jay’s humor was safe and not too “weird” for mainstream audiences. They made the same mistake with O’Brien. They kind of missed the point that mainstream audiences disappeared with cable and the internet.You have to grab individual viewers not broad demographics.
They also seem unable to disengage from the obsession with time slots. Thirty years after the time shifting of VCRs, DVRs, downloads and YouTube, they still think it is important WHEN a show appears. It is more important that the show is entertaining. Johnny Carson succeeded because audiences back then had few choices. I doubt even he would be able to compete with the content now available. If you aren’t funny I’m not watching.
I did enjoy watching it all blow up in the executives faces. It is well documented how Jay Leno manipulated the situation to force David Letterman out of NBC. I guess Jay thought Dave would disappear. Instead, Dave outlasted him. If he wasn’t good at what he did, he would not be on the air. The sad part is that Jay did it again and management fell for it. At any sane company Jay would lose his job. Instead executives say his show was “well received.” Whenever I hear that phrase it is a sign of a dysfunctional organization betting on the wrong horse.
The good news is that Conan made his ejection as slow and embarrassing for them as possible. Sadly, his reputation and competency was ironically brought into question by the spin doctor who forced him out. Now Conan has to fight to prove himself to the public again. That last week was a great example of what NBC will miss out on.
What next? Well he could go to another network and fight for that ever shrinking audience. I wonder if he has considered just doing the whole show on the web. He is already an established brand. Forget the networks. Sell your ads on your site. Sell it on iTunes. Reduce your overhead. Don’t worry about network executives or local affiliates. Just be funny and online anytime you want.
At the end of the movie Oceans 13, George Clooney tells the bad guy why he will prevail. It’s because he is more fun to be around. “We know the same people, and they like me better.” We like Conan better.
Copyright 2010 DJ Cline All rights reserved.
Posted by dj as Blumbers, Commentary at 4:50 PM PST []
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Illustrated Atlas Of Native American History: Traces The Movements Of North America’s Native Peoples From Prehistoric Times To The Present Day
Edited By Lorraine B. Myers, Richard Carlson, John S. Bowman, Glenn O. Myers, Samuel Willard Crompton, Barry Pritzker, Luoise Minks, Robin Varnum, Rosamund Dauer, Anne Elliot Crompton And Winslow Eliot Text from DJCline.com.
Native Americans have been pushed all over the map. To keep track you need this atlas.
The North American Indian
By Edward S. Curtis
A classic. This is kind of a family album of sorts. If you ever resented having your pcture taken, remember it might be the only picture that exists of you for future generations. Smile. Text from DJCline.com.
Jeff Davis’s Own
Cavalry, Comanches And The Battle For The Texas Frontier
By James R. Arnold
Many Civil War Confederate generals got their experience fighting Indians in 1850s Texas. I don’t know how to feel about a book about killing one group of people so you can expand the base for enslaving another. A complex tale. Text from DJCline.com.
Northwest Coast Indian Art: An Analysis Of Form
By Bill Holm
Loved every page. These tribes would have made great circuit designers. Text from DJCline.com.
Looking At Indian Art Of The Northwest Coast
By Hilary Stewart
A rather dry look at art from a very wet place. Still recommended. Text from DJCline.com.
Chiefly Feasts
Edited By Aldona Jonaitis Text from DJCline.com
Stunning photographs of authentic pieces. A great coffee table book. Text from DJCline.com.
A Guide To Navajo Rugs
By Susan Lamb
Find a Navajo. Buy a rug. Repeat. Warning! Authentic Navajo rugs do not have pictures of dogs playing poker. Also there is no such style as Shiprock Shag. Text from DJCline.com.
Navajo And Hopi Dyes
By Nonabah G. Bryan
If you want to green with your clothes this is a place to start. You will find that a lot of the colors are not colorfast. You might do more damage if you have your organically died clothes have to be dry cleaned. I learned lots about color. Text from DJCline.com.
Working With The Wool: How To Weave A Navajo Rug
By Noel Bennett And Tiana Bighorse
This takes great patience that I no longer have. Besides it itches. Text from DJCline.com.
Weaving Of The Southwest
By Marian Rodee
If you have the time and want to learn to weave, start with this book. Text from DJCline.com.
On The Edge Of Magic: Petroglyphs And Rock Painting Of The Ancient Southwest
By Salvatore ManciniForeword By Eugenia Parry Janis
Introduction By Polly Schaafsma
A kind of spooky book about petroglyphs. Heed their advice. Text from DJCline.com.
North American Indian Designs: For Artists And Craftspeople
By Eva Wilson
No dramatic breakthroughs here. Seen it. Text from DJCline.com.
Indian Designs For Quilt Patterns
By David And Jean Villasenor
A slim book with few examples. My quilt expert says the designs are complicated. Text from DJCline.com.
Indian Designs For Jewelry
By Connie Asch
You could use these designs for than just jewelry. Some are not practical but jewelry does not have to be. Text from DJCline.com.
Copyright 2010 DJ Cline All rights reserved.
Posted by dj as Commentary at 11:17 PM PST []
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On January 20, 2009 at the Microsoft in Mountain View, SDForum and Austrade held the fourth annual “Australian Innovation – A Shoot Out”. The keynote speaker was Dan’l Lewin of Microsoft. Mark Anderson of Strategic News Service moderated judges Allison Leopold Tilley of Pillsbury, Deborah Magid of IBM Venture Capital Group, Prashant Shah of Hummer Winblad and Chris Shipley of Guidewire. The six Australian State finalists presented were: Text from DJCline.com
Digisensory (www.digisensory.com), DigiSensory combine smart imaging devices with their web-based real-time distributed intelligence system to deliver an end-to-end security and surveillance solution.
Intelliguard (www.intelliguardit.net), a provider of DDoS protection for online enterprises and Internet service providers.
Mid-Comp International (www.midcomp.com.au), a supply chain management infrastructure provider.
MultiTrode (www.multitrode.com), a specialist in lift station control and monitoring for water and wastewater facilities around the world.
Solar Gem (www.solar-gem.asia), a creator of affordable off-grid energy based on clean solar technologies.
Synengco (www.synengco.com), a provider of technology that helps companies assess and reduce their greenhouse gas and other emissions.
Zarloc (www.rosterwithross.com), creator of the ROSS web-based employee scheduling software that brings sophisticated workforce management software to the small business owner.
There was also a drawing for a free trip for two to Australia. Text from DJCline.com
Copyright 2010 DJ Cline All rights reserved.
Posted by dj as Events, Reviews at 4:59 PM PST []
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