Musings

Greed

2009-12-06T08:43:00.002Z

It doesn't take a lot of thought to realise that greed is the reason most of the world's problems exist and/or persist. Companies turning allowing unethical activities because it is more profitable than being ethical. The opposition of the well-off to universal healthcare programmes because of the financial costs to themselves. Climate-change deniers in uproar because tackling climate change will affect their bottom line.

My definition of greed includes taking unnecessary short cuts when it would be better to do things properly. For example taking using the car for short journeys when walking or public transport is viable.

This is all harmful, just because of the desire to have things that are not needed.

“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed”. Mahatma Gandhi

It's not about 'the environment'

2008-12-06T17:13:00.005Z

I'm not sure if it was Blue Peter, or at the age of ten, Catriona *****son standing up in morning assembly to read aloud her letter to Margaret Thatcher about her concerns for damage to the Ozone Layer, but I've had an interest in the 'environment' since I was young. The phrase 'The environment' has come to mean more than the sum of its parts - destruction done to the 'environment' - the world around us, the plants, animals, their habitats, and people in far-off places. While many people do their bit to minimize the damage caused, it requires, effort, focus, and an understanding of how our actions are harmful to 'the environment'. Unfortunately many people do not see how damage to the environment affects them so they are less focused and care less.

I may stop saying "I'm doing this to help save 'the environment'", and instead, "I'm doing this to help save people". This may help people to see that damage to 'the environment', means damage to people, and ourselves. A person leaving the office without switching off the computer probably does not think about unnecessary electricity generation increasing the rate of global warming, causing sea levels to rise, coastal regions to recede, forcing residents to move to other regions, leading to poverty, hunger and potentially war - a war that we may need to send some of our own to help resolve. A person buying fish listed on the 'low stock' list and caught by large European fishing trawlers may not know that in doing so, he is helping to destroy the livelihood of local fishermen on the west coast of Africa, who then, in search of survival, head north and try to get into Europe, suffering further hardships, potentially abuse and exploitation, perhaps successfully getting into Europe to the displeasure of many Europeans, to benefit from European benefit systems.

So while we are concerned about the environment, people would show more consideration if the human suffering were more evident. Perhaps we should emphasise the human element more than the somewhat abstract notion of the 'environment'.

Freedom

2008-06-30T21:17:00.007Z

Freedom is an interesting concept. I've been thinking of it recently in terms of need. By ridding oneself of particular needs, one can increase one's level of freedom. A young child is never free because he/she is dependant on his/her guardians for nurture, guidance and protection. Even grown adults of all animal species are never truly free because of the need for sustainance. We are dependant on the world around us for nourishment, warmth and shelter. At the age of twenty, a family friend once told me that her car gave her a lot of freedom. Many years later as a car owner myself, I know that this freedom is neutralised somewhat by the financial and social responsibilities (and limitations) fundamental to owning and running the car.

Possessions and the need for possessions can also be limiting. Moving into my flat with the challenge of accommodating all of my possessions in a space smaller than anticipated has encouraged me to think about freedom in this way. It has not been easy to part with many of my possessions,but I've experienced a great feeling of liberation after the event. My now minimalist style was in full opposition to my lifetime's worth of accumulation, so it was time to make space in order to breathe and see again. Out have gone clothes, books, documents (the important ones scanned and computerised), ornaments, computer bits that I fully intended to make use of but realise that I never will. I am now weary of 'projects' on the horizon that only trick you into hoarding things until one day you realise that it was never going to happen, and you get rid of what you hoarded. I am now actually very weary of the things that come into my home, especially things that people give me. How can I state my motivations without being rude?

Advertisers are an annoyance because they want to create a need for their product. There are certain purchases that I willingly surrender some of my freedom for - such as my mortgage, or paying for fair trade, organic products. I suppose this is because I get other freedoms in return - my own place, and the knowledge that I am minimising my impact on this world. But adverts for consumer products - electronic items, 'designer' clothing, swanky venues - these are lifestyle 'must haves', and they are lost on me. I was a teenager thelast time I saved in earnest for 'designer' clothing. I gave up some financial freedoms for even less freedom - having 'designer' clothes as a teenager meant having to take extra care when wearing it. You had to be fully aware of your surroundings, be careful where you sat and ensured your hands were always clean, as it was expensive and you needed to avoid washing it for as long as possible should it lose its shape or colour. I also nearly got mugged for wearing a 'Versace' T-Shirt. No doubt there are many teenagers and older feeling these restrictions right now. Maybe they don't see them as restrictions.

I'd be suspicious of any person or company who tries to nurture a need or dependancy on them (Microsoft globally, Nestle baby milk formula in hospitals in developing nations, tobacco companies etc.). What does one give up, and what is received in return? Thankfully, my needs are family, friends, knowledge, stimulation and good health, and I do not want for much else.

Installations

2008-06-09T19:27:00.021Z

This is relevant to you if I have done a fresh software install for you on top of your Microsoft Windows operating system. To save you and the community money, I have installed free software on your computer. It is free as in freedom, as well as price. Free software is an important social issue and you can help the cause and the community by mentioning free (as in freedom) software to others. These are fully featured alternatives to proprietary and often expensive software. You may not have heard of them because they do not have the marketing budget of the proprietary software companies computer users are more accustomed to. Free software focuses on open, standard file formats, so that users are not locked into using particular software applications (compare with Microsoft's Word file format) or operating systems.

Mozilla Firefox
This is a standards-compliant web browser, often touted as faster and more secure than Microsoft Internet Explorer. I prefer this to Internet Explorer for these reasons, and also because it is available on other operating systems such as GNU/Linux, and will also run off a portable device such as a USB key (portableapps).

OpenOffice.org

This is a full office suite and an alternative to Microsoft Office. I've already written about this here. A version that can run off a portable device such as a USB key is available from portable apps.

Sumatra PDF Viewer

Although Adobe created the PDF file format, the file format is an international standard (ISO32000) meaning anybody can create software to read PDFs. Adobe's PDF reader is big, slow, and constantly trying to update itself via an Internet connection. I prefer Sumatra PDF Viewer because it is lightweight, fast, and can be run off a portable device such as a USB key (see portable apps).

PDFCreator
Because the PDF file format is so common, it is useful to be able to create PDFs. PDFCreator is Free and without limitations, and allows you to save any printable file to PDF. Adobe Acrobat costs over 100 pounds, and other 'free' pdf creators come with limitations such as company branding.

7-zip

Microsoft Windows XP's unzipping facility is limited to .zip archives, and former favourite, Winzip, is proprietary software. I prefer 7-zip because it is small, handles numerous archive formats, is fast, cross platform, and can run off a portable device (portableapps).

GIMPGIMP (the GNU Image Manipulation Program) is an alternative to Adobe Photoshop. It is also available as a portableapp.

Inkscape Inkscape is a vector graphics editor and a free alternative to proprietary graphics software such as Adobe Illustrator.

Infrarecorder

Infrarecorder is a Free CD/DVD burning application. It is an alternative to the likes of Nero. It is also possible to have Infrarecorder run off a portable device.

Pidgin

Pidgin is a multi-protocol instant messaging client. This means you can use it for your msn messenger account, your yahoo messenger account and others, at the same time. Have one instant messaging program running, instead of many. This is preferable to the likes of Microsoft's own messenger program for this reason, but also because it is Free, cross platform (is available for Mac OS and GNU/Linux), is available as a portableapp, and does not display any adverts.

VLC media player

VLC media player is small, lightweight, plays many different media file formats, is available for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS and GNU/Linux, and also as a portableapp. Microsoft's Windows Media Player is larger, only runs on Microsoft Windows, and plays a fewer number of media file formats.

Sunbelt Kerio Firewall

This is not Free as in freedom, but is gratis for home users. A firewall stops network intrusions into your computer.

Avast Anti-virus

This is not Free as in freedom, but is gratis for home users. Anti-virus software is necessary on Microsoft Windows computers to protect your data. Well, Avast is kind-of gratis. Avast Anti-virus requires a registration code in order to operate beyond the initial two months. You can get this code by registering your details on their website, or you can go to bugmenot, do a search for 'www.avast.com', and find registration codes posted by others. Keep your personal information to yourself!

Kubuntu GNU/Linux

If you have asked me, I have also installed Kubuntu GNU/Linux on your computer alongside your Microsoft Windows installation. Kubuntu is a flavour of GNU/Linux popular among beginners because of its ease of use. When you turn on your computer you will be given the option of booting into Microsoft Windows or Kubuntu GNU/Linux. Kubuntu comes with all of the above packages (or equivalents) installed by default. It does not come with an anti-virus program because GNU/Linux is more secure than Microsoft Windows and is not affected by viruses.

Summary

I have installed free software that I think will cover most of your requirements for the use of your computer. If you need anything else, please let me know and I'll help you find another free program. This is 'free' as in freedom, as well as free in cost (with the exception of the firewall and anti-virus, which are free in cost, but are proprietary applications). Technology solutions should be available to all, not just those who can afford to pay for it.

But this software is also 'Free' in that you can distribute it to others without limitation, and you can look at the source code, and improve on it if you wish (which is unlikely as you needed me to install it for you). This is quality software written by people focused on developing feature-rich applications. They are so confident in their work that they happily make their code available for others to scrutinise. Imagine eating a meal and being prohibited from knowing exactly what ingredients were in it. These are software developers and volunteers not distracted by finding ways for the software to get money from you. Have you ever come across programs that run only for a certain time period before deactivation unless you give them money? The Free applications that I have installed for you will not do this.

A focus here has also been on Open Standards and cross-platform capability. You should not be forced to use one software product or operating system because you are tied to it by a particular file format. The world would be a better place if companies didn't try to tie people into their products.

I have spent valuable time setting up this computer for you, and I do not ask anything in return for myself. But I do ask that you help me and the community:

If you like the software that I have installed, mention it to others.
Read my other blog posts, and tell people about this blog.
Donate to the Free Software Foundation, a charity promoting and campaigning for the use of Free Software and Open Standards, to ensure that nobody is excluded from the benefits of technology, and software companies are unable to lock users into their products.

The Paradox of our Age

2008-05-26T11:54:00.005Z

I heard this at the ITF TaeKwon-Do Instructors seminar in Cork, March 2006. It is by Dr. Bob Moorehead.

"The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but
have less; we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller
families; more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense;
more knowledge, but less judgment; more experts, yet more problems; more
medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor.

We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not
better things. We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've
conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We
plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build
more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but
we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion; big men and small character; steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce; fancier houses but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete.

Remember, spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not
going to be around forever. Remember to say a kind word to someone who looks
up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your
side. Remember to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is
the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.
Remember to say "I love you" to your partner and your loved ones, but most
of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep
inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again. Give time to love, give time to speak, and give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."

Things

2008-05-25T00:02:00.017Z

One of the most memorable birthday cards I received had on the cover, "I was looking for something to buy you for your birthday." and on the inside, "But then I remembered that 'things' are not important." It made me realise that I cannot remember the last time that I got excited about receiving gifts. Getting on with 'things' has largely taken over, and a pragmatic attitude has prevailed. The only gifts I enjoy receiving these days are those useful to me such as clothes - as I hate clothes shopping, and new experiences (the best gift I've ever received was a flying lesson in a light aircraft). Anything not useful to me is a mild burden as I have to dispose of it responsibly. I will try to pass these off to family and friends, ebay, Freecycle, or Oxfam, but I would rather not have to do this. This is why when some people insist on buying me something and there is nothing I need, I suggest "anything from Oxfam unwrapped". This satisfies both their need to feel they have spent money on me, and my need to consider those less fortunate. I also have an issue with the use of giftwrap (especially the glossy type) because for me it is unnecessary, wasteful and harmful to the environment. Call me a killjoy if you will.

Production is perhaps (I am not an economist) inextricably linked to economic progress, but also to the burden on the environment, which is a reason I favour second hand or buying nothing at all. I am not too proud - I grew up with hand-me-downs, and once you get accustomed to that, and a childhood going to jumble sales and car boot sales, a whole new world of opportunities is opened. Oxfam, the place you'd never want to admit going to as a schoolkid is now one of my favourite places for second hand books. Another is Green Metropolis - an online book shop. I will be looking to borrow books from the local library in the future as my bookshelves are already cluttered. I have used Freecycle to aquire items or to give them away, and ebay used to be a favourite source. When buying new, being thrifty meant the avid use of pound shops and discount stores, but we are now learning that this is false economy. It is less wasteful and better value to buy more expensive, good quality products that will last when looked after, than to buy cheap items usually produced in factories and sweatshops in the Far East. While Freecycle is one of the greatest community projects I have come across in recent years, I have greatly admire the members of the San Francisco Compact who have pledged to cause less harm to the planet and their wallets by not buying anything new for a year, instead relying on borrowing or buying used (with exceptions, including food and medicine). These are people for whom having new 'things' are not as important as community and having respect and consideration for the world and those around. I too am working towards a simple and minimalistic style as I try to reduce my clutter and have a less complicated life. But there are people who whose raison d'etre is to get people to spend money on 'nice' new 'things'.

In my experience, most salespeople try to get you to buy things you do not need, and this is why salesperson does not rank highly on my list of desirable careers. I think people have the ability to judge when they need something, and to go out and get it. When I tried on a jacket in Ciro Citterio a few years ago, a salesman said, "That's only thirty pounds. At that price, you can afford to buy another one." I was in my teens, just before going to university. How did he know what I could or could not afford? We even get this today in adverts for sale stock - "Now ONLY £40", as if forty pounds is a trivial amount to anybody watching/reading that advert. I had dealings with a an estate agent a few years ago when looking to buy a flat. We wanted the damp to be investigated, but he was piling on the pressure to close the deal, highlighting the long chain that had built up and was 'soon to collapse'. When I told him I was no longer interested in the property he asked me, "Do you really want to ruin the dreams of the current owners, who want to move onto their next property?" Unfortunately for Willesden Green he is still working in the area, having set up his own agency (on Walm Lane).

For me, the role of the commodity salesperson is deeply unsatisfying because it is so inward-looking, and encourages the production of new 'things'. I have great admiration for those involved in charities, healthcare and education because they deal with people, and the improvement of peoples lives. I work in neither healthcare nor education, but I do try to make positive contributions to community and society. I think it is a duty of everybody in society with the time and resources to do so, because however indirectly this may be, the suffering of others does affect those more fortunate.

Okay, we do need some 'things', and the work of salespeople may be crucial to the economy, but I think we could reduce their volume a bit and listen more to other voices seeking our attention. Having particular possessions does not matter. Having an interest in the world around, friends, family and the struggles of those less fortunate would make this a better place.

Petitions for open digital standards

2008-05-19T20:57:00.005Z

Here are two campaigns asking for the adoption of open digital standards to safeguard current and future access to information. This is about not being tied into any one software vendor, e.g. Microsoft. Please sign if you agree:

To anyone who will listen

2008-05-15T21:05:00.006Z

I am a member of the Free Software Foundation, a charity which promotes the use of free (as in freedom, as well as cost) software - software you are free to modify, and share, for the benefit of everybody. This with an emphasis on Open Standards and Open file formats, so that people are not 'locked-in' to a particular vendor. We don't believe information technology should be exclusive to those who can afford to pay for software with restrictive licensing terms. An introduction to the Free Software movement is available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_software

'Open Source' is a software development methodology where the source code is available for anybody to read (and contribute to). The focus is on making good quality software for distribution by word-of-mouth and reputation, not on spending money on marketing.

An Open Source (and therefore free-of-charge) alternative to Microsoft Office is OpenOffice: http://www.openoffice.org/ .

An Open Source alternative to Microsoft Windows is Linux. I use Ubuntu Linux: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu_(operating_system)

Open Source is being adopted by developing nations and council authorities who recognise the potential cost savings, and the importance of freedom from vendor lock-in.

India's Kerala state adopts Open source: http://news.zdnet.co.uk/software/0,1000000121,39287786,00.htm

Bristol City Council saves over £1million by moving to Open Standards:
http://ec.europa.eu/idabc/en/document/7409/469

Some software companies (one in particular), through marketing, vendor lock-in (with secret file formats that no other software can fully know about), unethical lobbying and intimidation (the threat of legal action) of rivals are doing their best to dominate the consumer software world. Free and Open Source software is an alternative to this, and can benefit us all. Money spent on proprietary software in schools could instead be spent on sports equipment, music equipment, teaching staff, etc. I make a similar point about youth clubs, charities and hospitals.

Please let me know if you need any information, have any software requirements, or need a demonstration. And please let others know! Here's a site that lists Open Source alternatives to commercial software: http://www.osalt.com/.

Tesco Computers

2008-05-11T23:01:00.010Z

I was searching for details of the Tesco Computers for schools programme when I came across this attack on the programme by Mark Conroy: http://markconroy.wordpress.com/2008/04/17/open-letter-oppose-tesco%e2%80%99s-%e2%80%98computers-for-schools%e2%80%99-voucher-scheme/ It seems Tesco customers need to spend hundreds of thousands of pounds/euro to earn enough vouchers to qualify even for one computer. Participating schools are encouraged by Tesco to display posters highlighting this generous and philanthropic program. It looks like free advertising for a market bully. I agree with avoiding Tesco, and keeping advertising out of education: http://www.commercialfreeeducation.com/.

Equipment-for-schools programmes such as Tesco's, and Sainsbury's 'Active Kids' makes me wonder if there really is a shortage of such equipment in schools, and if so, why. Is the government not providing enough funding for these areas? Is funding spent inappropriately, e.g. on proprietary software 'solutions' such as those provided by Microsoft? If so, I wish the causes of the problem were addressed, instead of us spending more money in supermarkets.

Portable Apps

2008-05-11T21:21:00.007Z

I've long bemoaned having to use Microsoft Windows because of the tools I grew accustomed to on GNU/Linux. My attitude has changed somewhat due to the more common use of Microsoft Windows (specifically in places of work), and the growing availability of free and Open Source applications on that platform. The ability to run the same application on multiple platforms reduces the learning curve inherent in using differing applications that achieve the same end. Free and Open Source applications such as Firefox and OpenOffice.org are now available in Portable Apps format, which will run off portable devices such as memory cards and USB keys, on the Microsoft Windows Operating System. This means the ability to carry certain programs around with you, and use them on whichever Microsoft Windows computer you sit at.

The official site for Portable Apps is http://portableapps.com, where portable versions of popular free and Open Source applications, including the Portable Apps suite, are available for download. The Portable Apps suite, when installed with portable apps, acts like the Microsoft Windows start menu, and looks like this:

If more people were aware of the Portable Apps project (and indeed, free and Open Source software) the benefit to society would be huge. School and University students who opt to use OpenOffice.org for their studies would not be hindered by their school/university IT systems that favour expensive proprietary office suites such as Microsoft Office.

Any executable program (i.e. a program that does not need to be installed onto the computer to work) can be integrated into the Portable Apps suite. There are lists of such programs on the Internet, one of which is portable freeware: http://www.portablefreeware.com/. Not all the applications on portablefreeware.com are Open Source, but they are all free. If they save you and your community money, then kudos to you.

Installing OpenOffice.org

2008-05-11T14:15:00.005Z

OpenOffice.org (full name) is a free, fully featured office productivity suite, and is a viable alternative to Microsoft Office. It can read and write to Microsoft Office file formats (Word, Excel etc.), and its default file formats include the Open Document Format (odt) which is an International Standard. Its source code is also freely available. If you run the GNU/Linux Operating System, it was probably installed by default. Here is a guide to obtaining and installing it for users of the Microsoft Windows series of operating systems.

For Windows 2000 and subsequent versions, you need to be logged in as Administrater.
Go to OpenOffice.org (http://www.openoffice.org) and select the option to download the installer for Microsoft Windows. On the way, OpenOffice.org will invite you to donate money to the project. If you do not wish to donate money, just download the file. The file will end in .exe.
Double click on the .exe to start the installation process. Accept the conditions displayed during install (these are not limiting conditions - these are to ensure the freedom and openness of the application, e.g. you are free to give copies of this program to others).
When asked if you want to use OpenOffice.org as the default application for Microsoft Word, Excel and Access files, select no if you already have Microsoft Office and intend to use it alongside OpenOffice.org (or if you are just trying out OpenOffice.org). If you intend to use only OpenOffice.org, select yes.

You will now have OpenOffice.org installed on your Microsoft Windows operating system.