skoda.net

The impending replacement of my main computer has me planning out what things to load and what things to leave behind and as I look at the list of things that I want to put on my machine I wonder if I’m starting to fall behind technically or if I’m simply so used to specific programs that I don’t need to adapt to the newer-better-faster application.

The things that are tops on the list: vim, TeTeX, nmh and WindowMaker.

It struck me as odd that I’d be putting these things on a Macbook Pro that already has Xcode, iWork, Mail and a GUI, but I’m so used to being able to fire off a quick email from the command line or using one of the LaTeX templates for reports, memos, lab handouts, quizzes, exams or articles.

In many ways I’m an early adopter but there are a few core programs that I cling to in the same way that a child clings to a worn out blanket. I wonder if I shouldn’t use this opportunity to break from my dependence on very old programs…

After listening to The Instance #145 and doing a little browsing, it seems that Blizzard is issuing some strangely unBlizzard-like take down notices.  Mod writers are being asked not to ask for money, iPhone application developers are being told to cease and desist and a German web comic was told to take down a comic.

I’ll miss the Character app for iPhone. It was really sweet and worked much better than trying to use the Armory from mobile Safari. The link to the iPhone Character’s App notice is here: 

http://rudip.com/2009/04/farewell-and-thank-for-all-the-fish/

Is this the end of Blizzard as we know it? Is the Activision culture finally taking hold and changing the company? What does this mean to WoW and Blizzard?
I don’t know. I hope not. I like what Blizzard has done and I haven’t played anything from Activision since Pitfall (Yep, I’m that old.)

Here is a link to a slashdot report about a Fortune 15 company asking employees to sign a social media usage agreement.  The agreement seeks to ensure good behavior on the part of the employee, according to the report.

http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/05/12/1818245

Two main ideas come to mind: 1. Hire the right people and you don’t have to worry about their off work employment. 2. Deal with corporate issues correctly and take care of your employees and then they won’t have cause to dog your company out on facebook or twitter.