Windows 8 Can Wait

Where are the settings?- Pic courtesy of Wikipedia

by blogSpotter

Today’s blog entry will serve up two things in need of a “Come to Jesus Meeting” – Microsoft Windows and the Republican Party.  I know, they’re very different and yet somehow similar as lame products appealing to white men in expensive suits.

GRAND OLD FART PARTY

After Obama won a 2^nd term last week, I sensed a lot of bitterness on the part of my GOP friends – believe it or not a couple of good friends vote Republican.    The GOP has strayed so far from its reasonable Eisenhower sensibilities that it’s hardly recognizable these days.   From my liberal vantage point, I find it hard to believe that anyone over 65 would support Romney but support him they did.  The Romney support skewed old and white.   I’ll offer 3 areas of critique which might help to bring the GOP around in 2016:

1. Quit talking about rape, abortion or lady parts.  Ex-Bush advisor  Karen Hughes was right – gag the man who says anything  about rape other than the fact that it’s a horrible crime.    The GOP arguably lost two Senate seats because of candidates speaking too candidly (and archaically),  talking about “legitimate rape” among other things.

2. Open your hearts and minds to the possibility that children of illegals might have a path  to citizenship.  Unless you’re a Native American, you’re likely  descended from an immigrant looking for the same breaks that Hispanics seek – good jobs, stable government and upward mobility.

3. Without conceding an ounce to the idea of supporting bums and derelicts, admit that there is such a thing as legitimate financial need:

• Enfeebled old people
• People with serious maladies and disabilities (that prevent work at a normal job)
• Injured veterans
• Disaster victims
• Crime victims
• Account holders in failed savings banks 

The list could probably be extended.  We as a society should not throw these people out in the cold, nor should we leave their livelihood to the mercy and unpredictability of private charities.   We should extend the compassion which we hope would be extended to us in the same situation. “There but for the grace of God go I”.    I’ll close the topic now, but in general the GOP would do better to realign itself with fiscal conservatism – not anti-gay, anti-Hispanic, anti-woman rhetoric.

WINDOWS 8 OS

What if they upgraded a PC operating system and nobody came?  Well, that sort of happened on October 26^th when Microsoft came out with Windows 8.  I’m speaking as someone who has enjoyed and supported Microsoft products – I’m typing this on a Windows 7 HP Pavilion laptop.   Previous iterations of Windows were widely spaced and gave us “momentous” features:  32-bit processing, long file names, a start menu, desktop gadgets, “Glass” interface resembling Mac OS X. 

Windows 8 offers not even one compelling feature that would make me want it (at least on a lap top or desktop computer).    Extending their tablet “Metro" scheme of bright-colored tiles to the PC is purely confounding and confusing.  It adds an extra layer of complexity to what otherwise looks like Windows 7.  Upgrading to a new PC introduces several hazards:

• File and setting migration
• Backward software compatibility (for old files being processed by new software)
• License issues for previously installed software
• Functionality problems with new/different web settings

Why would an individual risk all of this plus the cost of a new PC just to have pretty colored squares?  I once took training in User Interface design, and it was emphasized that logic and consistency were higher goals than being eye-popping or trendy.  Windows 8 fails that test by a mile;  the Windows chief  officer Steven Sinofsky just left Microsoft last week and one can only wonder if there is some connection -- who knows.   I’m hoping a Windows 9 puts things back where they belong.

So there we have it – a political party and an operating system that risk obsolescence by going off on trajectories or focusing too much in one area.   I’m fighting a cold and need a coffee refill, so will leave my contentiousness here and move on to other chores.       

© 2012 blogSpotter

One Mile High

Bronco Stadium at 55mph- Picture by blogSpotter

by blogSpotter

It's Colorado rocky mountain high

I've seen it rainin' fire in the sky

Friends around the campfire and everybody's high

Rocky mountain high
-- John Denver

Last week I went to Denver, Colorado for my annual vacation. My brother Bryan and friend Eric were my traveling companions as always. Because of our busy schedules and tight budgets, we opted for a city that’s nearby and affordable. I must say I was impressed with this beautiful mountain metropolis.

MILE HIGH CITY
Denver began as an encampment for gold miners in 1858 -- settled near the South Platte River. First known as Montana City, Denver evolved into the 23rd largest city in the USA, and is now a bustling center for manufacturing, energy and real estate companies. Thinking of a comparison … I once described Seattle as a “gussied up” San Francisco. I likewise would say Denver is a cleaned up Dallas. It shares much of the land-locked, big-city character of Dallas, but Denver has maintained its beautiful Victorian buildings. The city is also remarkably tidy and well zoned. There’s very little tag art or decayed areas like you see all over Dallas. We stayed at the Red Lion Inn on the eastern edge of town – near the site of the old Stapleton Airport (now razed and replaced with upscale housing). Once we figured out the Quebec Avenue-to-Colfax route, the city was highly traversable.

WEDNESDAY OCT 24
Eric and I met up with Bryan at the beautiful but daunting Denver International Airport. The facility is worth a trip all by itself, but might confuse people with all its tram cars and far-flung terminals. We checked into our hotel which resembles a dental college and headed downtown for dinner. A freakish norther blew snow and sleet into Denver for just the 4 days we were there. It didn’t stick to the streets and started to melt on day 3 so we endured. We ate at the Cheesecake Factory that night and went back to the hotel.

THURSDAY OCT 25
We drove to Colorado Springs, which is less than 1 hour from Denver. We visited the Air Force Academy, Garden of the Gods and drove through Manitou Springs. We toured some neighborhoods that Bryan and I recalled from living there in the late 1960’s. We headed back to Denver and met Bryan’s old friend Karl at a place called Racine’s. From here, Karl took us on tour to a couple of nearby pubs. The city is extremely friendly and unpretentious – the people don’t give off any “Dallitude” which is a nice change.

FRIDAY OCT 26
We drove to Boulder which is all of 35 miles north. There we toured the Pearl Street Mall, which was fun. Boulder is so picturesque it looks like a snow-globe city or a Thomas Kincaid painting. I managed to spill a chocolate ice cream all over my jacket and pants -- drat! We had to stop at Super Target on the return trip so I could replace my messed up pants. We explored Colfax avenue upon our return. That evening we ate at Benny’s Tex Mex (a Denver standard) . Bryan returned to the hotel; Eric and I did some more pub hopping.

SATURDAY OCT 27
Saturday, we looked at Golden, CO which is really more a suburb of Denver. Golden has the look and feel of an old saloon town; its main claim to fame is the Coors Brewery.. we walked all around and snapped photos. Didn’t quite have time for a Coors tour. Later that afternoon, we stopped by in Denver to visit Karl (from Racine’s). Karl has a beautiful 1912 bungalow with a 3 car garage and new kitchen. That evening we ate at an Olive Garden in Lakewood CO. Yes we traveled 1000 miles to eat at an Olive Garden! ☺ It was good as always.

SUNDAY OCT 28
We were a little late checking out so we had to catch breakfast at the Village Inn, on the way back out to the airport. The return trip went well for all of us and I look forward to Denver Part II. 

CONCLUSION / ODDS AND ENDS
We ate all our breakfasts at the Stapleton iHop – I didn’t have one meal under 1000 high fat calories. The weather returned to 65 degrees the day we left. We looked at a nearby group of open houses – they’re pricier than Dallas but you get a full basement in Denver. There was a trade show called Feast of Blades at our hotel – some kind of fun geek fest. Goth looking people were selling game board pieces that looked like characters from Star Wars. Someone explained it to me and I still don’t understand what it was. Denver is historic, beautiful and yes – fabulous. It’s almost like getting the charm of Montreal or historic feel of San Francisco only way closer and cheaper. We already have a closer-in hotel picked out for the next visit.

© 2012 blogSpotter