Wednesday, January 25, 2006

BlackBerry users 'wiggin' out' over RIM/NTP patent battle. BlackBerry users find RIM's wireless e-mail and voice service so addictive that many call their handhelds "CrackBerries" -- and they're hoping that the patent fight between RIM and NTP won't shut down the popular service. Meanwhile, IT managers are scrambling to find alternatives. [Computerworld News] I have a Blackberry and I have a Trio.  I find the Blackberry difficult to use, hard to delete multiple messages and generally unfriendly.  I have no problems with them turning off the system.  It needs a lot of work. 5:10:15 PM    comment []

Snow pledges austere budget (Reuters). Reuters - Congress will receive a "quite austere" budget proposal next month that tightens the grip on spending, Treasury Secretary John Snow pledged on Wednesday, adding that constraining the budget deficit will be a major priority this year. [Yahoo! News: Top Stories] The United States government is going to tackle the deficit?  Did I really read that right?  I hate to burst Mr. Snow's bubble, but unless there are some serious repeals of legislation, tackling the deficit is little more than a joke. 4:45:20 PM    comment []

Rumsfeld Says Military Not Overextended (AP). AP - Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld on Wednesday disputed reports suggesting that the U.S. military is stretched thin and close to a snapping point from operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, asserting "the force is not broken." [Yahoo! News: Top Stories] Well, Mr. Rumsfeld may not feel the military is over extended, but that only points out that he is so far removed from what the military is really doing. In casual discussions with real members of the military, not only is it broken, but stretched to the point that the senior leaders do not know how they are going to make ends meet, let alone support the myriad missions that they are being tasked to support. It is just another example of how this administration is out of touch, not only with the country, but with reality. 4:41:36 PM    comment []

© Copyright 2006 David Lane.