Scott Bradford: Off on a Tangent

Mac OS X 10.6 ‘Snow Leopard’

Posted

Apple released the latest version of their flagship operating system on Friday. Mac OS X (the X means 10, and the name is properly pronounced Mac OS Ten) was released in 2001 as the successor to the ‘classic’ Mac OS that had run Apple computers since 1984. OS X was a groundbreaking, modern system when it came out and was a breath of fresh air compared to the somewhat unreliable Mac OS 9 and its predecessors. OS X is a Unix-based platform which shares the strengths of BSD Unix, the NeXTstep operating system, and the ‘classic’ Mac OS. The just-released Mac OS X 10.6 ‘Snow Leopard’ is the seventh major release of the operating system since its introduction.

With the exception of Mac OS 10.1, which was a free upgrade for early adopters (like me) who had been running 10.0, these upgrades have usually retailed for about $130 (and shipped free on all new Macs). 10.6, however, is being sold for a surprisingly inexpensive $30. The version number is really a misnomer (which I’ve ranted about before), since these are ‘major’ updates akin to going from Windows 2000 to Windows XP.

I’ve been through them all. I switched in 2001, and my first Mac (a Power Mac G4) ran Mac OS X 10.0.4. I’ve been through 10.0, 10.1, 10.2 ‘Jaguar’, 10.3 ‘Panther’, 10.4 ‘Tiger’, 10.5 ‘Leopard’, and now 10.6 ‘Snow Leopard’. The operating system has continued to progress nicely through each iteration, with a few snags here and there, and I still think Mac OS X is the best put-together operating system available.

Read more . . .

Cats Getting Ready for Shipment

Posted

package-catsMelissa opened a package she got the other day and left the box and packing material out (presumably to be cleaned up later). The cats, for some reason, thought this would all make a wonderful place to lay down for an afternoon rest. Mei Mei took some of the packing paper, flattened it out, and parked there. Vincent just hopped into the box and rearranged it into a comfy bed.

Go figure. They seem to like the box and packaging paper better than the nice cat bed(s) we’ve bought for them over the years.

Anyway, I asked Vincent what address he wanted to be shipped to and he didn’t answer. He did cute himself up for the picture though.

Best Buy In-Store Pickup: 0 for 2

Posted

Way back in January 2007, I wrote about a poor experience I had with Best Buy’s in-store pickup. I really like the idea of in-store pickup. In theory (and as-advertised) it works like this: you go to Best Buy’s web site, put the stuff you want in your electronic cart, say you want in-store pickup, place the order and pay for it online, then go pick up the merchandise at the store.

This is a ‘best of both worlds’ kind of thing. You get the convenience of online shopping, but you don’t have to wait days for stuff to ship to you.

After my sour experience in 2007, I figured it was time to give Best Buy in-store pickup another shot. At lunch time, I ordered the Alien quadrilogy, some earbuds (the ones that came with my iPod are giving out on me), and the just-released Mac OS X 10.6 ‘Snow Leopard’ upgrade. I’ve ordered from BestBuy.com before so this all went very smoothly, and I selected in-store pickup at the Bailey’s Crossroads (Falls Church, VA) store.

Read more . . .

The Media Honeymoon Ends

Posted

The Washington Post is probably best editorially characterized as center-left. More often than not, the Post backs Democratic Party candidates and Democratic Party causes. It is telling, then, that the Post’s editorial board today called for President Barack Obama (D) and the Democratic leadership in Congress to drop its universal health care plans and focus instead on fixing the federal budget.

Why? The newly revised deficit estimates from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), coming in-line with independent estimates from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and other analysts, have skyrocketed to an estimated 9 trillion dollars over the next decade. Like many Americans, the Post editorial board has tired of Obama’s continued claims that he ‘inherited’ massive deficits from President George W. Bush (R). While the statement is true on its face, the fact is that the Obama administration has continued and accelerated Bush’s reckless end-of-term spending. It is time for Obama to stop pointing fingers and start proposing solutions.

As the Post aptly puts it:

Still, the Bush administration’s irresponsibility notwithstanding, it is time to stop crying “we inherited it.” The Obama administration needs its own clear, credible plan for restoring fiscal sustainability once the worst of the recession has run its course. Unless it can at least limit the growth in debt to the growth of the economy, investors will gradually lose faith in Treasury obligations, increasing the government’s borrowing costs—and turning a deficit crunch into a deficit spiral. In the worst case, unchecked debt could trigger a return to the double-digit inflation and interest rates of the late 1970s, only this time with massive U.S. obligations to foreign lenders such as China and Japan.

It’s nice to see even ‘liberal’ media outlets starting to awaken to the realities around us. The reckless bailout insanity initiated in the waning days of the Bush administration, then continued under Obama, is lining us up for economic collapse, not recovery. The last thing we need to be talking about now is huge new federal spending programs (which are a questionable idea even in the best of times).

Senator Kennedy Dead at 77

Posted

Senator Edward ‘Ted’ Kennedy (D-MA) has died at the age of 77. Kennedy, who has served in the U.S. Senate since 1962 and was the second-most senior member of the body, was diagnosed last year with terminal brain cancer.

The youngest brother of President John F. Kennedy (D) and Senator Robert F. Kennedy (D-NY), both of whom were assassinated in the 1960s, Ted Kennedy has been a polarizing political figure receiving both praise and derision from political opponents and observers. He has been alternately lambasted as one of the Senate’s most liberal members and praised for reaching across the aisle and his extraordinary effectiveness as a legislator. For example, Kennedy set the tone of the highly politicized 1987 confirmation hearings of Robert Bork, who had been nominated by President Ronald Reagan (R) to the U.S. Supreme Court, and political ideology—which was traditionally off-limits during confirmation hearings—became a standard topic of debate. However, Kennedy was also instrumental in passing the bipartisan ‘No Child Left Behind’ act, which he developed working closely with President George W. Bush (R) in 2001.

Kennedy has also been both praised and criticized as one of the most prominent Catholic politicians in the United States. He has been a vocal proponent of many ‘Catholic’ causes, including availability of health care, education, civil rights, and disabled rights, but has also been criticized for his support of abortion rights in sharp opposition to one of the most fundamental Catholic moral teachings.

Under current Massachusetts law, Kennedy’s replacement will be selected by special election. Shortly before his death, Senator Kennedy wrote a letter to the Massachusetts legislature recommending the law be changed to permit the governor to make a temporary appointment. It is unclear at this time if the law will be changed per Kennedy’s request. Known as the ‘Lion of the Senate’, Kennedy is well respected by many members of both political parties. He is survived by his wife Victoria, ex-wife Joan, and five children.

Scott Bradford is a writer and technologist who has been putting his opinions online since 1995. He believes in three inviolable human rights: life, liberty, and property. He is a Catholic Christian who worships the trinitarian God described in the Nicene Creed. Scott is a husband, nerd, pet lover, and AMC/Jeep enthusiast with a B.S. degree in public administration from George Mason University.