I remember back to elementary school. There were kids who were smarter than I was and certainly many that were more athletic than I was. I think that all of us (at least somewhat) wanted to be more like those kids.
But over time, we realized that we couldn't be like those kids. We just didn't have the mental or athletic talent that those kids naturally had.
For most of us, we realized that was OK. We didn't envy those other kids. We just accepted the fact that they would be better at sports than us or get better grades than us. We weren't mad at them because they didn't cheat. We all played by the same rules. They just played better than us.
I think that some of us used them as... I don't want to say "role model"... but we did sort of look up to them and wanted to be as good as them. They were something to aspire to. They made us want to be better than we were. And that's a good thing.
But something happened after I was in school. Somehow those people were to be envied - in a negative way. Kids were taught that these other kids who excelled were "stealing" our success somehow. That these successful kids should hold themselves back to let others "shine". To me that's sort of like letting someone win. That's not helpful to either the "winner" or the "loser".
The "winner" gets a false sense of ability. As one of my college professors put it "The first step in being smart is knowing what you are dumb at." Unless you know your deficiencies, you can't overcome them. If you believe that you are smart, you stop studying/learning/improving and you atrophy.
I see so many walking examples of the Dunning-Kruger effect today that it's scary. People so ignorant that they don't know that they are ignorant. Worse, many of these people think that they are smarter than all the people around them and they get really mad when you point out that they aren't. They are actually holding themselves back from being better.
That's one of the reasons I like programming: It's a very humbling experience. It constantly lets you know that you are not nearly as smart/knowledgeable as you think you are. You don't see too many elites in the programming profession.
Now we get to the problems with the ignorant elites: when they get power, the nearly always F* things all up.
Take the recent flooding in Midland. The dams that failed were privately owned. The elites wanted the dams let the water rise so that the muscles in the lake would thrive. The owners refused because they said that the dams were old and couldn't handle it. The elites (in this case the Tyrant Whitmer and her accomplice Dangerous Dana Nessel) sued with the result that the dams came under the ownership/control of the state - who promptly raised the water levels of the lakes.
The result: the dams failed and flooding ensued. Will the elites take responsibility for their error? Of course not. Failures are always someone else's fault.
So, remember, listen to the people who others call "expert". Those people are outstanding in their field and have real knowledge.
Ignore the ones who call themselves "expert". Those people are out, standing in their field. And like most scarecrows, have no brains.
It's easy to mark the "experts" who are scarecrows. They are always putting down the real experts because they envy the real expert's real knowledge.
Monday, May 25, 2020
Sunday, May 24, 2020
More cleaning
*Sigh*
Well, we had a couple of furry illegal aliens here in the condo. One really liked my walnuts, so he was trapped quickly. But the other was either too smart to get into the food, too stupid to find the bait in the trap, or simply couldn't smell anything. We had to use the sticky trap for him (yuck!).
But all the furry illegal aliens have been deported into the trash can and things are much quieter.
But we had to deal with the "fallout" left by the furry illegal aliens, so we cleaned all the cabinets (and the fridge while we were at it). The good thing is that there wasn't much fallout other than on the counter tops.
But all that was in prep for our new floors (Kitchen, hallway, bathroom) on Wed. And, hopefully, a new fridge in the future.
Well, we had a couple of furry illegal aliens here in the condo. One really liked my walnuts, so he was trapped quickly. But the other was either too smart to get into the food, too stupid to find the bait in the trap, or simply couldn't smell anything. We had to use the sticky trap for him (yuck!).
But all the furry illegal aliens have been deported into the trash can and things are much quieter.
But we had to deal with the "fallout" left by the furry illegal aliens, so we cleaned all the cabinets (and the fridge while we were at it). The good thing is that there wasn't much fallout other than on the counter tops.
But all that was in prep for our new floors (Kitchen, hallway, bathroom) on Wed. And, hopefully, a new fridge in the future.
Friday, May 22, 2020
Computers - and why some failed in the market place.
Light thinking day today, so random thoughts are going through my head.
One of those thoughts is why many early computers failed in the marketplace and I think I have a reason.
When PCs first came out, they were for hobbyists and techies. But when the Triad (TRS-80, Apple II, Commodore PET) came out in the late '70s, computers become consumer items.
Now, for a consumer, a computer is a tool. The value of a tool is measured in how much work it can do for you vs. how much money it cost. That's a big reason why the Apple II was the low seller of the Triad. It was pricey and didn't do much more than the others (other than have pretty colors).
As time went on, vendors differentiated by making their hardware better. But the better hardware came at a cost: incompatibility. If you moved from Vendor 1 to Vendor 2, your software didn't work and you had to repurchase it.
CP/M fixed that to a certain extent. A Z80 CP/M package would work on any other Z80 CP/M system (to a certain extent). I think that's what gave people the thought to see what the full cost of "upgrading" their computer would be.
But when IBM came out with their PC - made from off the shelf components so anyone could create a clone - that changed. Now, if you purchased a PC clone and moved to another PC clone, your software would work (again, mostly).
It's the "mostly" that was the problem for many vendors.
Tandy, for example, came out with the Tandy 2000. It was, hardware-wise, much better than the competition. But it wasn't that compatible.
The Amiga was another example of great hardware, but true cost of moving from your old system to a better, but incompatible, one was just too high.
When I look back at the old computer systems, I see the shift in thinking among consumers. Yes, better hardware is good, but if I have to repurchase all my software (and in many cases, there was no software to purchase for the new computer), the value just isn't there.
A fast computer with pretty graphics that can do none of the things that I need it to is just a paper weight taking up desk space. Ya, I know that in a year, if enough people purchase this new computer system, the software will be there. But I need it to do something today not tomorrow. So the market doesn't buy and the new computer fails in the market place.
Think about this. My TRS-80 Model 4P wasn't discontinued until 1981. Z80. Only 128K memory (max), 2 floppy drives (max), IBM clones having taken over the market already. But many people had made big investments in TRSDOS (and the like) software for themselves and the cost of moving to a powerful IBM clone was too high.
One of those thoughts is why many early computers failed in the marketplace and I think I have a reason.
When PCs first came out, they were for hobbyists and techies. But when the Triad (TRS-80, Apple II, Commodore PET) came out in the late '70s, computers become consumer items.
Now, for a consumer, a computer is a tool. The value of a tool is measured in how much work it can do for you vs. how much money it cost. That's a big reason why the Apple II was the low seller of the Triad. It was pricey and didn't do much more than the others (other than have pretty colors).
As time went on, vendors differentiated by making their hardware better. But the better hardware came at a cost: incompatibility. If you moved from Vendor 1 to Vendor 2, your software didn't work and you had to repurchase it.
CP/M fixed that to a certain extent. A Z80 CP/M package would work on any other Z80 CP/M system (to a certain extent). I think that's what gave people the thought to see what the full cost of "upgrading" their computer would be.
But when IBM came out with their PC - made from off the shelf components so anyone could create a clone - that changed. Now, if you purchased a PC clone and moved to another PC clone, your software would work (again, mostly).
It's the "mostly" that was the problem for many vendors.
Tandy, for example, came out with the Tandy 2000. It was, hardware-wise, much better than the competition. But it wasn't that compatible.
The Amiga was another example of great hardware, but true cost of moving from your old system to a better, but incompatible, one was just too high.
When I look back at the old computer systems, I see the shift in thinking among consumers. Yes, better hardware is good, but if I have to repurchase all my software (and in many cases, there was no software to purchase for the new computer), the value just isn't there.
A fast computer with pretty graphics that can do none of the things that I need it to is just a paper weight taking up desk space. Ya, I know that in a year, if enough people purchase this new computer system, the software will be there. But I need it to do something today not tomorrow. So the market doesn't buy and the new computer fails in the market place.
Think about this. My TRS-80 Model 4P wasn't discontinued until 1981. Z80. Only 128K memory (max), 2 floppy drives (max), IBM clones having taken over the market already. But many people had made big investments in TRSDOS (and the like) software for themselves and the cost of moving to a powerful IBM clone was too high.
Tuesday, May 12, 2020
Rebounding from the depths of madness
Just kidding. I'm coping well while under house arrest by the Evil Tyrant Whit-less.
The new desk has arrived and now have more space. I have the C-64 set up more or less permanently. But the Composite to VGA adapter that I have leaves a "rainbow" at the top of the screen. Nothing that stops me from doing anything, but it's just bothersome. I've tried others adapters and they do the same thing. So it could be my C-64. But other people said that they had the same issue and tracked it back to the adapter. So it's spend more $$$ on a better adapter or leave it. I think I'll leave it for now.
Since I had room, I was finally able to test out my Hakko FR-301 desoldering tool that Dawn got me for my birthday. Really nice. This will come in handy when I get some time to replace the battery in my Tandy 1400LT and in future projects.
New laptop today! Woo Hoo! Just waiting for the friendly neighborhood UPS guy to stop by. Signature required (which is a good thing).
Exercise is going good. The weather has been good and we've been able to get out for walks. I've also been doing light weights in the dance/exercise room. I'm in a good routine now. The only thing we have to "fix" is that we are eating out on the weekends too much.
The projects that require lots of time and desk space are still building up. I have my power switch for my TRS-80 4P. But I have to do a big disassembly to get that installed. I already alluded to my 1400LT battery replacement. I also want to start moving on the new alarm clock.
We have a Sonos speaker in the bedroom. But we really only use it as an alarm clock. I want to create an internet alarm clock that runs off our internal server and doesn't have the security issues a Siri/Alexa-enabled speaker might have.
The new desk has arrived and now have more space. I have the C-64 set up more or less permanently. But the Composite to VGA adapter that I have leaves a "rainbow" at the top of the screen. Nothing that stops me from doing anything, but it's just bothersome. I've tried others adapters and they do the same thing. So it could be my C-64. But other people said that they had the same issue and tracked it back to the adapter. So it's spend more $$$ on a better adapter or leave it. I think I'll leave it for now.
Since I had room, I was finally able to test out my Hakko FR-301 desoldering tool that Dawn got me for my birthday. Really nice. This will come in handy when I get some time to replace the battery in my Tandy 1400LT and in future projects.
New laptop today! Woo Hoo! Just waiting for the friendly neighborhood UPS guy to stop by. Signature required (which is a good thing).
Exercise is going good. The weather has been good and we've been able to get out for walks. I've also been doing light weights in the dance/exercise room. I'm in a good routine now. The only thing we have to "fix" is that we are eating out on the weekends too much.
The projects that require lots of time and desk space are still building up. I have my power switch for my TRS-80 4P. But I have to do a big disassembly to get that installed. I already alluded to my 1400LT battery replacement. I also want to start moving on the new alarm clock.
We have a Sonos speaker in the bedroom. But we really only use it as an alarm clock. I want to create an internet alarm clock that runs off our internal server and doesn't have the security issues a Siri/Alexa-enabled speaker might have.
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