2014 archive
The Fat Lady Sings 0
After almost a decade and a half, I’m kicking the Opera browser to the curb.
I saw this coming when the President and founder of Opera was ejected from his company, reportedly over different visions of the future of the Opera browser.
I have seen the vision of the future of the Opera browser with Opera v. 26 for Windows and it is not pretty.
Most of the features that I most liked about Opera–its configurability, the integrated mail and RSS client, the integrated sidebar notes–are gone (though the mail and RSS client has been released as a separate program for Windows and seems to work quite nicely).
Over its history, Opera invented (and did not get much public credit for) many features that users of other browsers now take for granted, such as mouse gestures, the Speed Dial, integrated notes, and tabbed browsing, to mention four that have become second nature to my browsing habit. It’s “vision” seems now to involve gutting the product.
Since the management shake-up, Opera has ignored its Linux users. The most recent release for Linux, v. 12.16, was released nearly a year and a half ago (I guess I should be thankful, as it still retains the functionality that made me a loyal user and proponent of Opera for so long); nevertheless, more and more frequently I’ve encountered bumps along the information superhighway that have required me to open Firefox or Konqueror to view various websites.
I have moved to Seamonkey on the recommendation of one of my fellow LQ members. It also has integrated mail, RSS, newsgroups, and IRC (which I don’t use–I guess I’m not an IRC kind of guy).
Seamonkey is from Mozilla, as are Firefox and Thunderbird, but I find it preferable to either or both.* By installing plugins, I’ve been able to get mouse gestures, speed dial, and notes working in Seamonkey (the “notes” plugins I’ve tested are inferior to Opera’s sidebar notes, but I can live with that).
It’s been a good run, but it’s time for Opera to take its curtain calls, because the fat lady has sung and the Opera is done.
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*In particular, I’ve never liked the Thunderbird interface; I find it klunky (that’s not a criticism; it’s just a matter of taste).
“And the Winner Is . . .” 0
“Tis awards season, and Dan Casey has posted his list of the 2014 Dano Awards winners. A snippet:
The linchpin of McDonnell’s defense was to paint his wife (and former Redskins cheerleader) Maureen as an insecure but covetous social climber and shopaholic who bagged a generous sugar daddy, Jonnie Williams, on election night 2009.
A litany of brand-name luxury ensued, punctuated by a Rolex watch, an Oscar de la Renta gown, a $5,000 bottle of Louis XIII cognac, fancy vacations and a borrowed Ferrari. The booty they scored totaled at least $165,000.
Unfortunately for the ex-governor, the “crazy wife” defense didn’t work and both he and the missus seem headed for federal prison.
League of Extinguished Gentlemen, Reprise 0
Daniel Ruth considers the prospect of yet another Bush whacking on the polity:
Do read the rest. It just gets better.
Did Kim Jong-Un Get a Sony of His Owny? 0
As my two or three regular readers know, I’ve long said that the internet is a public place and that those who forget that do so at their peril.
In addition, there is no such thing as absolute security. If someone wants to break into any ole house, your good security system will send them to your neighbor’s house. If he or she absolutely positively wants to break into your house regardless of the cost, your house is breached.
Before I get to my list of links, I must remind you that Sony has a history of poor security practices and incompetent response to the resulting breaches. They have also attempted to infect their customers’ computers with malware. As regards security, note that “big” and “bumble” both start with “b.”
The last reminder is this: Don’t believe the gee-whiz reportage on network security from the establishment press. For all their good will (and sometimes their lack thereof), most of those folks know nothing about how networks work and are not competent to evaluate the statements of the persons they interview. If some bozo in a three-piece suit were to tell them that Uncle Fester’s phase-lock loop light bulb represented the next breakthrough in physics, they would report it without question.
I’ve rounded up some posts about the Sony kerfuffle from persons who usually know what they are talking about.
Bruce Schneier, preeminent network security expert, says it’s important to know who you are dealing with. A snippet:
To understand any given episode of hacking, you need to understand who your adversary is. I’ve spent decades dealing with Internet hackers (as I do now at my current firm), and I’ve learned to separate opportunistic attacks from targeted ones.
China Hand (I don’t know who he is, but he seems to be a reasonable sort of guy) is skeptical of the North Korean connection; he’s suspects it’s a knee-jerk reaction (more at the link):
I have a suspicion that the United States has an app for that: blame somebody, preferably somebody unpopular, as quickly and categorically as possible.
George Smith thinks that Sony didn’t know when to hold them, didn’t know when to fold them and has composed a ditty in Sony’s honor.
The Galt and the Lamers, Just in Time for Christmas Dept. 0
Ayn Rand reviews children’s movies. A snippet:
A farm animal ceases to be useful and is disposed of humanely. A valuable lesson for children. —Four stars.
Via Balloon Juice.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Another chapter in the hunt for politeness:
When first responders arrived, they found a man dead in the marsh reeds next to the residence from an apparent gunshot wound. Police say the body wasn’t visible from the street.
The Sheriff said their investigation indicated that the suspect had shot the man by accident thinking that he was a deer.
Light Bloggery 0
We have weather, and I’m under it.
Crafting a Reponse 0
Jim Hightower remarks on the beer industry’s response to the growth of “craft beers.” A nugget.
The giants have noticed… and are responding. By making better beer? Don’t be silly. Instead, they’re trying to co-opt the good name of local beer makers and dupe consumers by pretending that the likes of Bud and Miller are “craft” brewers, too. How?
Follow the link to count the ways.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 2
Power-ful politeness, exercising their Second Amendment right to shoot at random stuff because they can.
Mayhap they be afeared of the dreaded mythical EMP.
The Entitlement Society 0
Ultra-entitled: This fellow wants a money-back guarantee for his big game “hunt” of a captive animal.
Torturous Reasoning 0
After a brief allusion to Sony’s The Interview,* Jon Stewart gets to Gitmo.
Via Raw Story.
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*”Artistic integrity” and all that to the side, I can’t get worked up over Sony’s and movie houses’ chickening out of showing The Interview, perhaps because I suspect that that movie is just another steaming pile of Hollywood cow patties. I reckon I should be outraged on principle, but, as Hollywood has neither principles nor integrity, why should I waste mine on them?
Facebook Frolics 0
Friends. Or else.
The most intriquing question, natch, is this: What was that Facebook name?
Facebook Frolics 0
Just how public is a private Facebook page?
(Pretty damn public, actually. “Privacy” and “Facebook” contradict each other. Also, this is yet another case of “the one thing is not like the other,” and saying it is don’t make it so.)
Royal Families 0
Hadley Freeman points at that, as regards the US Presidency, family matters.
Any suggestion that the American political system is democratic is so outdated it has taken on the quality of an ancient myth. Outliers – such as Barack Obama, for one – are the exception, and the norm is dynastic families.
Follow the link for the rest.
