Roger Ebert is a jewel beyond price

by eye of einstein

How do they get to be that way?
[Via Roger Ebert's Journal]

How would I feel if I were a brown student at Miller Valley Elementary School in Prescott, Arizona? A mural was created to depict some of the actual students in the school.

Let’s say I was one of the lucky ones. The mural took shape, and as my face became recognizable, I took some kidding from my classmates and a smile from a pretty girl I liked.

My parents even came over one day to have a look and take some photos to e-mail to the family. The mural was shown on TV, and everybody could see that it was me.

[More]

Reading Roger Ebert makes me wish I could be a better writer. He produces wonderful narratives that are not only personal but also illuminating.

While the story that drives this begins with little people, the ideas he touches on are major ones that we are still dealing with. Maybe someday we won’t be dealing with them.

I wish. But people are just not that good. There will always be those that hate and use that hate to hurt others.

Luckily, it is not the worst of us that define a society but the best.

At least I hope so.

Plumbing issues

Well, our sink drain was clogged last night and I could not clear it – checked the trap and tried a plunger. Called in the plumber and it has been a really enlightening wreck of a day.

Snaking it was not completely effective, so he used a water jet, which just sent disgusting water to our UPSTAIRS bathroom. Yep, the guys who built this house tied in the upstairs sinks directly with the downstairs sink.

So, when he stopped the water flow, all the fetid water that had gone upstairs flew out the downstairs drain. Stinky water everywhere. Looks like they have that cleaned up now but 2 hours in we still do not have anything fixed.

The plumbers who built this house just screwed up the plumbing in this area. When we moved in, there was a leak from the upstairs shower because they had simply forgotten to connect 2 pipes. Had to cut through the ceiling underneath and fix.

And do not get me started on the electrical.

Apple Mac’s growing corporate market share threatens Microsoft

Apple Mac’s growing corporate market share threatens Microsoft
[Via MacDailyNews]

“Microsoft isn’t going to disappear, but I think it will begin losing PC market share faster as the tide that’s seen Apple’s growing share among individuals moves to companies,” Jason Kelly writes for Seeking Alpha. “The corporate preference for PCs has long been the argument in favor of Microsoft’s continued dominance.”

[More]

A really nice discussion of how going Mac can help a small business. Think of the productivity increase (along with profits) when 15% of the time that had been used dealing with PC problems can now be put to actually doing the company’s business.

And the comments provide even more examples.

[Updated} Will I be getting a new iPhone?

The WWDC keynote is starting soon. My iPhone is up for renewal. WIll the fourth version be enough for me to upgrade? Will I want to hook myself to ATT for another 2 years or will Verizon swoop in?

I’ll know the answers in a little while. I’m following on Engadget, Macrumors, and ArsTechnica (which has an open stream of comments with pictures.)

[I've been spending most of my time following the ArsTechnica comment feed. It seems to update faster and has pictures, although the Engadget probably has the best photos.]

Two simple videos of a complex world

Both released on June 3. Together, they just about cover the major points of view.

And while each view has its points, I would be very surprised to find someone who really likes both videos, or someone who really hates both videos. That would require realizing that a complex situation can not be condensed into a couple of songs, no matter how much we would like them to.