22 January, 1998

Brittle Fries and Free Source

Thu Jan 22 21:20:09 CST 1998

The snow was falling very prettily as I walked home this evening from buying soap, deodorant and washcloths at Walgreens.

My mind is blank right now. Maybe I should read History. History set me asleep today. Foul portents.

Dinner tonight included chicken tenders and french fries. They've got the funky new lard-enriched fries like at Burger King. I'm not eating fries any more. I mean, I like a fry that's not limp, but not brittle either. Yuck! I prefer limp to brittle but Americans seem good at settling for second best.

Ai!

There was a long line throughout dinner, people waiting on their fried foods. The cook came out and said that they only had two "fry-o-laters" with which to make the chicken and french fries, and so that we should all send email to the powers that be to get them newer, better, or more "fry-o-laters"

Whatever that thing is.

Oh, coolest news of the day: Netscape is releasing their source code!

Means two very important things to me. The first is that we can get the bugs outta Netscape and make it the way we want, adding customizability and porting it among platforms. It also means that Microsoft's competitor is about to enroll tens of thousands of hackers throughout the world in it's effort - people who work for free! If you're gonna give your product away for free, you might as well have the community develop it for free. Linux and FreeBSD demonstrate that this philosophy actually produces a pretty damned fine product.

Or, even looking at things from the point of view of desperation, if the man is gonna run you down, you can do a lot worse than just giving the technology away and thus give the victor a rather hollow victory .. because now even if Netscape will be going out of business, there will still be a competing product out there. Makes me feel right patriotic to the freeware movement.

And grateful to Netscape for giving the community it's hard-won gift in it's totality.

Awards

Thu Jan 22 21:31:09 CST 1998

Well, the first month of the new year is about 2/3 over. I think it's time to present a few awards;

Dickweed of the Month

Chicago-area physicist Richard Seed is the most meritorious, and ballsy dickweed yet to rear his head. Without money, equipment or any doctors to help him, he's announced he's going to clone a human, apparently for the sole purpose of annoying people.

Honorable Mention

The media, for giving Dr. Seed any attention whatever.

Honorable Mention

Saddam Hussein, who can't stop playing games with the UN weapons inspectors. If people are dying in your country because of sanctions, you cooperate with the damned inspectors and get them outta there already, building sympathy for your cause, instead of trying to piss people off all the more and raise suspicion that indeed you do have chemical weapons.

Athlete of the Month

Definitely Michelle Kwan who ripped through whatever it was mom was watching on TV to go to the Olympics. Mom totally digs her, and she's a babe, imho, not only coz she's an ice skater, but she seems pretty damned mature and level-headed for a seventeen year-old.

Durable Good of the Month

Computer equipment! Not only has mom bought a Compaq system with monitor and color scanner, but I just bought a 6.4G harddrive. Grandma's on the Internet with her Mac Classic II and a 14.4k modem, and Uncle's there too, using my Amiga A1200 and a 33.6k modem he bought at MicroCenter.

Potential Dinnermate Most Likely to Cancel at the Last Minute of the Month

Li Chun keeps canceling at the last minute. I think it annoys her more than it annoys me. Monday though ... we've got that one nailed! Well, we'll see ...

Cool Company of the Month

For announcing that they will be freely-distributing their browser and it's source code, Netscape Communications, Inc. is the coolest company so far this year.

Guy I Most Feel Sorry For

Oh, poor old Ted, is caught up in the system he seems so scared of, confused by everything, trying to kill himself with underwear. The only problem, of course, being that he brought it all upon himself. You get what you deserve, but I don't think he deserves the death penalty. He's not a mean old murderer, just a really fucked-up guy.

Cool Dead Guy of the Month

From what I hear, Sonny Bono was a pretty sweet, unique guy. Watch out for those trees!

Well, maybe I can do that semi-regularly. You all will let me know if you have any nominees for the future eh?

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