An Open Letter To Microsoft Windows

Slashdot directed me to http://www.xyzcomputing.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=140&Itemid=26, which contained the letter below.

An Open Letter To Microsoft Windows


Thursday, 09 September 2004



Dear Microsoft Windows,

In retrospect, this letter should be of no surprise to you. For years now I have stood by you despite the terrible things people have said. We have always managed to work through our serious problems but too many things have been swept under the table. I do not think I can stand (idly) by you any longer.

What's that? No, another service pack will not help, not this time.

I remember when we met, a warm April day, in 1992. For years I had been hearing about you, about your graphical user interface, innovations, and problems in the courtroom... I had seen you here and there, but it was not until that fateful day, April 6, that our relationship became serious. Though you had changed with the times, never like this. I was almost knocked off my feet when I first saw you. Right then I knew it, you had to be mine. Who else could offer me what you could? I wanted, no, I needed, your TrueType font support, your video playback capability, your color screen savers...

As time progressed so did my needs. Our affair took its next serious step on August 24, 1995. At the time I thought our happiness would never end. You brought me places I never thought possible. How could I refuse your Plug-and-Play cabability or your TCP/IP stack? I mean, you gave up your best friend, DOS, so our relationship could progress unhindered. It hurts me to look back at us, two starry-eyed lovers wanting nothing more than each other's company.

Then it almost all came tumbling down. June 25, 1998. What were you thinking? Were you thinking at all? You changed, like in 1995, but not like I thought you would. Still clinging to your DOS kernel, like a small, lost child clutching its teddy bear. Where was the OS I had learned to love? You feebly proffered USB support, DVD playback, and a Quick Launch toolbar, but you were beginning to mix with a bad crowd. With that invasive Internet Explorer. I knew about what happened... You let him access your Explorer. I thought that was something special between us.

Though we had a bit of a falling out afterwards, my love was rekindled after February 17th, 2000. You were once again new- Professional- just like I thought you could one day be. I knew you were once again stable, not like back in 1998, and that you were the only OS for me. I remembered what had drawn me you you in the first place- ease of use, speed, your stunning looks, your compatibility. I remember saying, "I hope things never change because I love you the way you are."

I thought that what we had meant something- your transformation in 2000 seemed to cement that. I know now that I was wrong. By Sept 17 you tried to change for the Millennium. I saw right through you- trying to settle down and fit in better with the 'home-user'. Did you think I would love you more because of a few cosmetic changes? I was not impressed with the full-color icons, fancy skins, or your new media player. I thought what we had was deeper than that. Luckily you gave me a choicer, I did not have to choose the new you, the old version would be fine. I know you meant well but you just shouldn't have done that, especially with the '1998' episode so fresh in my mind.

By October 25, 2001 more changes had come. Everyone told be how great the new you would be. I got so tired of hearing about how up to date, easy to work with, and slick looking you had become. That was all I could take. You changed so much that I didn't even know you any more. I really dug some of your new features but the old you, the you from 2000, could have done all this. So why did you have to change at all? I didn't want to upgrade you or make you into something you were not.

Well, like I wrote, I have reached my limit. Its going to take more than an automatic update to fix our relationship. I just don't feel like I know you anymore. For example, do you know what I found on the computer a few days ago? Spyware! I wonder who let that in...

Windows, I know you will try to change, but I have been hurt too many times. You should know that I have been seeing someone else for a few months now. She is fun, easy going, and will do something for me that you never even considered, share her source code.

I don't know what else to say- we had a good run, but now its over. Pack up your Media Player, your browser, hell, take Minesweeper if you have to. I am sure see each other from time to time but I know one thing, I'll never again have to depend on you.



Yours no longer,
S C

Yahoo! News - AT&T Lowers Price on Internet Calling Service

Yahoo! News - AT&T Lowers Price on Internet Calling Service: "AT&T Lowers Price on Internet Calling Service"

God bless the market economy. If you don't provide a blatantly superior product, don't charge a blatantly exorbitant price!

smugmug - photo sharing at its best. easy to use, unlimited photos, gorgeous galleries.

smugmug - photo sharing at its best. easy to use, unlimited photos, gorgeous galleries.: "System Maintenance in Progress get info about and discuss this maintenance period

We think it's essential that our pages are always lightning fast, no matter how big we get or how fast we grow. Maintenance at smugmug is a rare thing, but necessary so we can continue to serve you better.
When we do maintenenance, we like to do it in the early morning when usage is low. We apologize if this affects you, and we'll try to get done as soon as possible.
Tonight, we're installing new servers and disk arrays. This will probably take a few hours. Thanks for your patience!"

Almost all of my smugmug experiences are excellent. This one is no exception.

This comes from the 'customer service' department.

Update Your Registry - FindGift.com

Update Your Registry - FindGift.com
Gmail sponsored link#2. But this one doesn't cost anything. I wonder what their business model is. Since costco.com doesn't have a registry, we might be served well using it. Very flexible. Very excellent.

How awesome is Bora Bora?

A bit of websearching is appropriate, tripadvisor showed up as a 'sponsored link' on a gmail I sent to my fiancé.
But this picture seems to feed what I think I know about it:

The Citrus Tree Nursery at Ty Ty

The Citrus Tree Nursery at Ty Ty

This was a sponsored link in gmail. The FIRST in 300 gmails in my inbox, where I was interested in buying. Google is so frickin' impressive!
-Brett

Google Groups Posting

Google Groups Posting: "I just sent them a message:
What happened to the search keyboard shortcuts? I remembered this from
years ago. Gmail is restoring my efficiency desires, if Google search
did the same, then happy days would be here again.

What would it take "

Maybe I spend too much time worrying about efficiency. But then again, I like to get things done. Please learn gmail keyboard shortcuts. It will simplify your life. If you like them, check out google labs kb shortcuts. It's broken, but if enough people ask, maybe they will re-implement it.

Google Groups Posting

Google Groups Posting: "I just sent them a message:
What happened to the search keyboard shortcuts? I remembered this from
years ago. Gmail is restoring my efficiency desires, if Google search
did the same, then happy days would be here again.

What would it take "

Maybe I spend too much time worrying about efficiency. But then again, I like to get things done. Please learn gmail keyboard shortcuts. It will simplify your life. If you like them, check out google labs kb shortcuts. It's broken, but if enough people ask, maybe they will re-implement it.

Error at Google - All customer service/tech support should learn from this

Error: "Sorry, something didn't work correctly.
If we knew exactly what the problem was, we would tell you instead of giving you this useless error message. Actually, if we knew, we would most likely have fixed it already.
Rest assured. As you read this, alarm bells are ringing at the Googleplex, signifying something has gone horribly wrong in this quadrant. A report will soon be in the hands of our engineering team, detailing the bad thing that happened here. This team will work without rest to address the problem you have brought to their attention.
If, after a decent interval (about 24 hours), you encounter this problem again, please email us at answers-support@google.com. The more specifics you include, the better (e.g., what kind of computer and browser you were using, what page you looked at last, what you clicked on, etc.). Sometimes, even our engineers need a little help. Thanks for using Google Answers. "

Google Search: "brett walker"

Google Search: "brett walker": If I search for "Brett Walker", www.vertabrett.com is site number 621. Today.

Gmail - Flag Football

Gmail - Flag Football
Gmail is awesome right? Sponsored links are nice. But 'Related links are better'. Womack's black socks reference, perhaps combined with flag football, gave me three links, two sponsored, one 'related'.
Two for socks websites. Stupid for me, probably good for Google. But here's where I was surprised. The 'related' link was about the Raiders' performance in the last football game, & how many sacks they would get. Is this because of 'flag football' AND black socks, or just a coincidence that Raider Nation wears mostly BLACK?

Welcome to CampusNut.com -- Article

Welcome to CampusNut.com -- Article: "Shoes and socks should match. White socks go with sneakers and dark dress shoes call for dark dress socks."

Black shoes & tan socks. Laura Hoiby is more sartorial than I.

So much to do

I want to write my senator - or someone like that - about the pentagon.swf video. Very strange. I'm not a conspiracy theorist. I made fun of Matt's retelling the 'we didn't land on the moon' theory. There are well published refutes of that one. What happened to the videos from the Sheraton and the gas station? Ugh. Maybe Slashdot could post it. I think I feel sick.

My fiancé doesn't like it when I fart into her couch. I guess I have to stop now. Damn. Maybe 'lifting' will be enough. I think I feel sick.

My stepmom doesn't like it that I chose against my dad's name. I can't please everyone, but shouldn't one strive to please one's parents? I love my father, I want him to be happy. But you can only please so many people. I think I feel sick.

I have to be at Rollin Park at 6:28 tomorrow. We ran hard last Tuesday, I know tomorrow will be tough. What a great workout. I am pretty sure I'll be sick.

I still haven't made time to complete the blog of the engagement/birthday events. Many are ready to listen. And Bobby is probably done converting the video tape to .mpeg. I have lots of excuses.

But I am glad that I left my keys in my girlfriend's car last night. I had to make the $15-in-gas trip to Placentia tonight. I got to fix the crazy IE toolbar problem. Ad-Aware. Spybot. Reboot. Repeat. Done.

May 6, '06 is a long engagement. Can't please everyone.

It feels good to brain dump. I hope everyone can give gmail a try. And I hope gmail adds a few more keyboard shortcuts. And that it copies Amazon's A9's ability to search for text within recently browsed pages. And that other websites follow its practice of sharing known bug fixes and feature requests. And that Jason and I can do the same at work.

For $10.83 I used a backup Driver's license, my registration, including the VIN, to drop by the Chevy dealership with Matt. G. and get a replacement key. Thanks Matt.

My fiancé is thinking it will take a year to fix my house:
1) Garage
2) Kitchen
3) Living Room
4) Bedroom/Bathroom Swap.
5) Painting/Windows/Hardwood
Maybe she's right. Care to make it interesting? Seinfeld

Guess who's a year older?

I've matured so much in the past nine months. You should have seen me before I met her.

Last night was my birthday. Getting older, sure, but I knew how to milk this special day. I've been plotting for months on how I'd surprise my girlfriend of 9 (or 10, depending on how you count) months with the ring I have known she deserves.

As usual, I waited until the last second to complete my preparation. Sometimes procrastination is manageable, sometimes it isn't. There was some frantic last minute activity before our 7pm dinner, but more importantly, before she arrived at my house at 5pm.

I want to write this well, I guess I should get to the plan:
My goal:
Propose in a way that will knock her socks off. Girls plan the wedding from their eighth birthday (their mothers from the day the daughter is born). I have always wanted to make the proposal itself as special as possible.

I have listened to excellent stories, I have read books & webpages, and I have spent hours imagining creative twists. In this case, I built the surprise over most of our relationship. Every time the 'm' word came up, I'd roll my eyes and change the subject. We communicate very well (I work hard on it), so many problems came from having such a strong void in such a close relationship. "Why won't you ever talk about this with me???" LOL.

Step 1:
Pick a day. There are many special days. Christmas. Our 1-year anniversary (Dec. 3). Valentine's Day. Our often discussed, but thus far poorly executed trip to Paris. Those were all obvious. My birthday presented a unique challenge. I would get the gift I always wanted.

Step 2:
Pick a location. Thankfully she took care of this for me. She booked a birthday dinner for two at J'Lo's Madre's using OpenTable.com, Matt's previous employer.

Step 3:
Pick a ring. I wanted to imitate Bobby's technique, but here's where my plan began to encounter some trouble. I love to do things right, I love to make her happy. I struggled with the right thing to do. Ultimately, procrastination led to improvisation, and Mounia's reminder that Sheree's a HUGE fan of Tiffany's provided an excellent opportunity to save the day.
Thursday (2 days before!) I left work early to make it to Tiffany's in Costa Mesa's South Coast Plaza. Deanna Haves quickly helped me get a ring I knew Sheree'd like. Then I raced to Starbuck's. Maria Elena Arenas showed me they aren't the evil empire they are often made out to be. I offered $400-500 for the small table where Sheree and I talked for 3 hours on Dec. 3, 2003, our blind date after three weeks filled with a couple hundred (sic) emails and just two or three phone conversations, only one of which lasted more than 5 minutes. The district manager was contacted by the store manager at Tustin's, and directly by me after a desperate call to corporate (god bless the internet). Marie listened to my story in the message I left on her cell phone. She called early the next morning (Thursday, 2 days before the big day.) "Could I please buy the table? I am not a furniture expert, but $100-200 seems like the going price for what I remember of the table, I'll pay $400" Marie: "I told your story to some coworkers, and we all agree, you can't buy the table." I was crushed. I would like to be a skilled negotiator, but this is my only hope. Before I get out the tears, and plead my case further, Marie gave me the best news, "We'll give it to you. I've told the store manager. Pick it up whenever you like." Yes!! Thank you Starbuck's! Thank you Marie.


Step 4:
Pick a ruse. Robert (né Radoslaw) Osada taught me the old Polish tradition of treating friends to gifts on one's birthday. Distract her with presents and build a crescendo of romance & history, & drop the ring at the best time. I am not Polish, but it would work well.

Step 5:
Get her Dad's permission. This was tricky. I did not have his cell phone number. If I call the house, I could get Danny or Betty, and all I need is Randy. The fewer people who know, the better. I surreptitiously sneak his mobile # from Sheree's cell. I knew I would propose on a Saturday, so I should try to call Friday, right? Not if I want it to be a surprise. I trust as few of my best friends as I can with this surprise information, so I was not going to give her a clue by letting her family have 24 hours to talk to her. They talk every day, and even if they want to keep a secret, Sheree's pretty smart when I am trying to hide something, and she's known them for a couple decades!

Step 6:
Prepare the gifts. Again, procrastination led to improvisation.

Gift 1-CD with some excellent love songs. I had never made her one, and she stopped making them for me after about six in the first month. My bad. Title: Happy Birthday to me! I finished this at about 4:16pm.

Gift 2-450+ scrunchies; no more frantic searches before volleyball. I picked these up at Sav On at about 4:30pm.

Gift 3-A scrapbook with a brief walk down memory lane. Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow were the page titles. A picture of a blue box with a white ribbon towards the end. That page would be flashed for a second right before the ring was presented. Kinko's finished this at about 5:25pm.

Gift 4-A couple of books I hijacked from the hospital before the donation was complete. I planned to show her these after she said yes. Pretty coincidental (foreboding?) that I got the books four days before I proposed. Barry wrapped these for me at about 6:05pm.

Saturday was a rush! Making the scrapbook, and getting it printed at Kinko's. A $60 trip to Sav On got some white wrapping paper, some white gift bags, and red tissue paper. And the scrapbook used for Gift 3.

She called at 6:02pm. "I'm at the 605!". I was sweating. Barry finished while I got dressed in the nice Geoffrey Beene (sp?) blue shirt Autum bought me in '00, and in the black suit and black shoes Christina helped me buy from the Mens Wearhouse in November '03.

Everything was perfect when she arrived.

Dinner went pretty well. Check out the video linked to from my website. Too bad it did not catch the moment where I asked for the heater to be turned on. She had my coat, as she was a bit cold. I should have known it was because she had the cold soup and plenty of ice water. When I asked, "should we turn on the heater", "NO." was the answer. Chivalrous Brett said, sometimes no means yes. "Please turn on the heater" "No, I'm okay" "Yes, the heater. Just a bit. Low, please. Thank you." Five minutes later: "Please turn off the heater. We're fine now. thank you again." Very embarrassing. I just didn't want her to be cold when I broke the surprise. Kind of funny looking back. But not then.

Oh. She said yes. Celebration.

Gmail - [Living, Loving, Learning] 9/7/2004 08:48:44 PM


Rich to me
Hide options 1:01pm (1 hour ago)

From: Rich
Date: Thu, 9 Sep 2004 13:01:22 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [Living, Loving, Learning] 9/7/2004 08:48:44 PM
Reply | Reply to all | Forward | Print | Add sender to contacts list | Trash this message | Show original
Hi, I would love to be invited to get a gmail invite! That would be cool.

Thanks!

Rich

--
Posted by Rich to Living, Loving, Learning at 9/7/2004 08:48:44 PM "

This funny guy would get a gmail invite if he knew that I don't have his email address!

DynDNS.org -- Dynamic DNS(sm) -- Clients

Duh. Use this site to setup homeip.net's DynamicDNS service.

I have 17 free Gmail invites. I'll probably use two of them to invite myself. That leaves 15 for my friends and for casual acquaintances who find this site. Leave a comment, and you'll get one of 'em.
-Brett

The Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "Another possible explanation for the answer of 42 is that in the phrase 'answer to life the universe and everything' there are exactly 42 characters including spaces. Also, in the question and answer 'What do you get if you multiply six by nine? Forty-two' contains 42 letters (excluding the hyphen and question mark).
Additionally, 42 is 101010 in binary and the * as an ASCII character."

I love the internet! Google search, 'answer to life the universe and everything'. I'm quivering with excitement!!!