Universal Rule

Book Reviews

Monday, March 3, 2003

At home, with children -- Comment()
This week I'll be home taking care of the children. This is real work, in contrast to the things I do at my regular job. Looking after a one-year-old and a three-year-old child is not a light task. I have been doing this now for five days, since Thursday. Even this short period has been both physically and mentally exhausting. Perhaps I only need practise. Of course, I have been doing the same on weekends and evenings. But it is not the same thing when there are two of you sharing the task. I'm admiring the skills and patience of my wife more and more.

Microsoft present and future -- Comment()
Caveat Lector points to a scathing appraisal of Microsoft’s present and future: "This article is a guide to trends that are already in full motion and well known by technology specialists, but are far from obvious to most business managers. I can't tell you what to do about them, without studying your particular business, but it will cast some light on what you should be looking at. [...] Much of this article deals specifically with Microsoft and Microsoft's future. This is inescapable, because Microsoft is a huge part of the information industry - and aspires to being all of it."

-- Comment()
Swedish Study on Open Code: "The Swedish study of the feasibility of free and open source software conducted by Statskontoret, the Swedish Agency for Public Procurement, is now released in English." [GrepLaw]

-- Comment()
Biotech as a Metaphor: "Biotechnology - the problems it faces and the solutions it seeks - also serves as a surrogate for many other fields of study that are dramatically changing. [...] Understanding how the tools of technology solve its difficulties, how they succeed in making sense of the torrent of information we're unleashing, may help us understand how to solve problems in these other areas." [Ralph Poole's Weblog]

-- Comment()
Astroturf Marketing Hits Blogging World: "Dr Pepper hopes to develop a 'blogging network' to hype Raging Cow and 'be part of the in the know crowd,' says its brand-marketing honcho Andrew Springate. Those spreading the news via their blogs won't disclose their flackitude, says Springate, because officially they're not paid Dr Pepper employees; they only get promo items like hats and T shirts." [Dan Gillmor's eJournal]

-- Comment()
Blogger wars? "On Wednesday last week at a meeting unrelated to weblogs, a Microsoft exec let it slip casually (heh) that the next version of FrontPage does blogging. I have my doubts, it's probably the same way word processors in the 80s did outlining, but the hype is already beginning." [thomas n. burg | randgänge]

-- Comment()
Michel de Montaigne. "Don't discuss yourself, for you are bound to lose; if you belittle yourself, you are believed; if you praise yourself, you are disbelieved." [Motivational Quotes of the Day]

Leash the car drivers! -- Comment()
Today appeared my net column titled 'Leash the car drivers!' (in Finnish, Autoilijat kuriin!). This text was written some time ago, and tells how information technology can be used to cure some of the embarrasing Finnish characteristics, for example the bad behaviour of the Finnish car drivers. Combine the digital identity card with a remotely controlled GPS-based car positioning system, and you can solve all kinds of traffic problems, at least in theory.