http://blogcritics.org/ A sinister cabal of superior bloggers on music, books, film, popular culture, politics, and technology - updated continuously. en Copyright 2005-2007 by the authors Sat, 17 Sep 2005 17:15:35 EDT http://backend.userland.com/rss Blogcritics.org custom software http://blogcritics.org/ Phillip WinnSunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding. Administration0@blogcritics.org Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/09/17/171535.php Andrew HughesPart 1 of the Browser ReviewsBy AnyletterThis must be said before all else. Maxthon is not a true browser. Sure, you think it surfs the web, but it's only pretending. Maxthon is one of the more popular Internet Explorer shells. To sum it all up, Maxthon is a program which adds usability to IE, but relies on IE to browse the internet. Hey, it's free, looks nice, and makes IE usable. What could be wrong with it?Download and install was easy enough. Wait...did it just ask me if I wanted to install Weatherbug as well. Ouch, that's a loss of points right there. Sure it's free, but wonder how many people are using Mathon while being abused by Weatherbug just to make it that way. IO.com describes that WB is malware, and gives advice on its removal. But after refusing to install WB, Maxthon didn't bother me again with it. Instead, each time I opened the program it asked for a donation. Actually, that's a pretty good idea, so if you use it, donate. Keep this sucker free.Now that I've opened the program, there's another problem. It's bulky. In fact, I can only see the toolbar. Check out my screen shot here. Many will agree that this is an insane ammount of screen space wasted on huge Back and Refresh buttons. It has the generic search bar to the left of the bar, good feature if you're a search junkie like I am. Not only does it have tabs, but it has excellent tab management. Although it's not true MDI (Multiple Document Interface), it handles tabs adequately. Another great feature, one that once you've aquainted yourself with it, you'll never go back to anything else, is Mouse Gestures. To go back, instead of hauling your mouse all the way up to the toolbar, just hold the right mouse button down and move the mouse to the left. It's another beautiful function. Upon closing, a dialog box asks if I'd like to save the session or resume upon restart. Sessions are a way to save the last page you were viewing so that when you open the program again it can bring you back to where you left off. Sessions are becoming more and more popular, and most (read IE) browsers are capable of this feature. I'd say browsing is fairly fast, although that's saying IE is fairly fast. Though if you have many tabs open, 10 or more, the program starts to crawl. Again, not really Maxthon's fault, it's how IE operates. Oh, and it has a popup blocker, for those who care :) .The only limit to Maxthon is its reliance on Internet Explorer, yet I doubt that'll change any time soon. Thought the toolbar is initially overwhelming, after some modifications, shown here, it becomes usable and not an eyesore. I'd rate it at three stars out of five, losing the most points on being an IE Shell, because although it's a great program, it is still, essentially, Internet Explorer.Try it for yourself.I'll use it as often as I can throughout the week, and bring you an update after I can get a better feel for it.~Anyletter Sci/Tech36372@blogcritics.org Sat, 17 Sep 2005 17:15:35 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/09/07/182012.php Andrew HughesAlmost two years ago I got a cable modem. With blazing speeds, and much more browsing, I needed to find a browser that would suit me best. So I devised a test of sorts to weed out the weak ones and find that “one". I downloaded some of the better known Internet Explorer shells (a program that modifies IE, but still uses its engine), FireFox (or whatever it was called back then), and Opera. Each program would have two weeks, that way I could get the best feel for each. I started out with FireFox, and even though it was in version .6 I found it relatively fast and stable. My only issue with it was that it took forever to load. I don’t have the fastest computer in the world (5 years next week, actually), and how heavy a program is really weighed heavily in my test. I then tried out the IE shells like Maxthon and Avant Browser. Both were decent, but they looked kind of ugly and unprofessional (and I’m a little shallow when it comes to that sort of thing). With Opera I felt the same way. I figured out how to skin it and became a bit more comfortable with the interface, but nothing really caught my attention. Then one day I was browsing around and accidently hit the right mouse button right before I hit the left, and suddenly I had gone back one page. To say I was confused is an understatement. But I started to figure out the mouse gestures, and really did like them. Another great feature was how Opera could start up where I had left off, which I don’t think I could live without any more.So it was time to see how each browser stacked up, and I picked Firefox. Yep, and as soon as it opened, and I browsed away from my home page, I found myself trying to use mouse gestures. It didn’t work, and there wasn’t an extension that could take care of gestures well, so I switched back to Opera. And I never looked back.With time I began to understand how truly customizable Opera is, without needing extensions or shell programs. Every feature can be turned on, off, or modified. The skins are getting much better, and the default skin has come a long way. And finally, that Top Ten feature, found in that little drop down box under your address bar, has become one of the most used features.~Anyletter Sci/Tech35675@blogcritics.org Wed, 7 Sep 2005 18:20:12 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/09/07/180559.php Andrew HughesFour houses on my block were for sale last week, all sold by Friday. The apartment company that I currently work for has leased at least 40 apartments since Tuesday of last week. Baton Rouge has grown, and I believe that this will be a great thing. Others disagree. People here in town are worried that we've taken on all of New Orleans' riff raff. Even the local ghetto residents are scared. I, however, take a different view. And let me be frank, but I'm usually a cynical pessimist. Taking on an overwhelming number of refugees, many of whom are here to stay, means nothing but good for Baton Rouge. Now I've been here for over six years, and the local economy has been beyond stagnant. Granted, I'm from New Jersey, so my perception may be skewed, but it seems to me that if it doesn't include getting drunk, going to a movie, or making an ass out of yourself, it isn't fun in Baton Rouge. To say that we need a cultural renewal is an understatement. Yet there was a place, just an hour down the interstate from here, that had some form of culture. Hopefully, we'll get some art in town, perhaps see an opera or two, and a more visible Baton Rouge Symphony. We'll just have to wait and see, but I for one remain hopefull.~Anyletter Culture35673@blogcritics.org Wed, 7 Sep 2005 18:05:59 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/09/07/175540.php Andrew HughesWe're in the middle of a gas crisis here in Baton Rouge, with fewer than ten percent of local gas stations operational. Between 15-20 % of the nation's oil production has gone offline, and will be for months. Our local refinery, Exxon, one of the largest in the country (accounting for about 5% of the nation's oil production), is working under reduced production. However, an executive at the refinery (my father) has confirmed that the plant will resume full production within the week. And this is in Baton Rouge, mind you, where we only sustained wind damage. Consider the refineries located closer to the Gulf. Be prepared to pay more in gas over the next few weeks, though understand that once many of these Gulf Coast refineries resume full production, prices will go down. And there's even better news. Millions of barrels of crude are making their way to the US, sent from Europe, Asia and the Middle East (notably Kuwait). And proving that he should be assasinated, Hugo Chavez, the dictator of Venezuela, has promised to send us a considerable amount of oil. This will not only fix the local gas crisis, but also reduce prices across the nation.By the end of the year, the oil bubble ought to burst. Go ahead and roll your eyes, but I trust what my father and Steve Forbes say, and the days of $1.50 a gallon are nearing once again.~Anyletter Culture35672@blogcritics.org Wed, 7 Sep 2005 17:55:40 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/09/07/174646.php Andrew HughesDue to hurricane Katrina, Baton Rouge (where I live) has grown dramatically. At the moment, population figures are unreliable at best, however I can say on good authority that the population has more than doubled, going from 300,000 to about 700,000. The strain on the local economy is incredible. And the city still grows, a week after the hurricane. Our mayor anticipates the city to grow past 1 million residents, and it appears that most refugees will become permanent citizens of Baton Rouge. These refugees are paying in cash, but that'll dry up soon considering that many of them are now unemployed. But businesses are relocating here, and the much needed economic shot in the arm looks like it's going to be coming soon.~Anyletter Culture35670@blogcritics.org Wed, 7 Sep 2005 17:46:46 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/05/20/163130.php Andrew HughesMy God, I remember why I could never like Netscape, or AOL for that matter. Always way too dumbed down. My first experience with N8 today was unpleasant, to say the least. Got to the download page, and it reminded me that the End User License Agreement (EULA), was not only important, but that third party software could be, like, cancerous or something. Honestly, I didn't read it, I never read those things. Boring boilerplate, unless it's from Microsoft, then I read the EULA very carefully. Ok now, the "Netscape Browser Installer" is up and running. Great, this again. Why could they never just give me the full file as an executable? Instead, they give me this dinky little 300 kb file that tells their server that my computer wants netscape. Wonderful. Then they want me to use their weather service, and Real...buffering...Player. That ain't gonna fly, I'm very capable of using google and winamp. Thanks anyway. HOLY SHIT! They have a guide book. Everything I need to learn how to block pop ups with Netscape 8! Hot damn, this is the best thing ever. Ugh. Oh sweet jesus, it's like a slow firefox, and the old fox is pretty slow when it comes to launching. Oh boy, this is going to be fun. I need another beer (yes, it's early...)Ok, I'm back. Not only does it feel like Firefox, it pretty much is FF. Built off of 1.0.3, I see. The interface is big, like, Opera 7 big. That's quite a turn off for me, but I realize that there are a lot of people who have been waiting patiently for the day when Netscape came back. Admittedly, it does have a few nice features, but They don't have to be the huge icons on the personal bar. Oh well, I'll browse around with it for a few pages, seems like it blocks pop ups ok. Not sure if it has the pop under bug that FF has, because I can't seem to recreate it on the sites I normally go to. No matter. My suggestion is, as always, Opera, with Firefox at a not so close second. Use Internet Exploerer for Windows updates (unless of course you have a pirated copy of windows, like someone I know...), and use N8 whenever you feel like using Firefox with what looks like the old Netscape. That's pretty much it. Sci/Tech29840@blogcritics.org Fri, 20 May 2005 16:31:30 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/05/19/161027.php Andrew HughesOpera has made the first move of the year in Browser War part II. As many will recall, a few years ago Netscape, Internet Explorer, and several other less influential web browsers enaged in what is now known as the "Browser Wars". From the Guardian, By 1997, you might remember, the internet had finally caught on. At the time, the most popular web browser was Netscape Navigator. It had 72% of the market, compared to Internet Explorer 3's 18%. But then, in the October of that year, came IE4. It was much better than Navigator, and - in an action that would later see Microsoft prosecuted for antitrust violations - came with a business plan that sought to destroy the relatively tiny Netscape. This it did: by the next year, with the launch of Windows 98 and IE coming free and preinstalled, Netscape was in deep trouble. Eventually bought out by AOL, it saw its market share plummet. Today, just over 94% of all web users are working with IE. With the fall of Netscape, and the rise of Firefox (a more appropriate name would have been Phoenix, but that's a whole different story, as FF was originally called this), Internet Explorer has risen as the leader of the pack. But late last year, IE has been challenged. Not just by Firefox, but by Opera. Opera has always been known as that "third browser no one uses". Actually, upon Opera 8's release Tuesday April 19, a Slashdot user mentioned that the release would only affect a few dozen people. In early November, Firefox 1.0 was released to much fanfare. It reached its one millionth download in less than 100 hours, proving that internet users were ready for something new. The security issues in Internet Explorer were finally being exposed as the threat they were, and with IE slow to move in updating (aside from a few "hotfixes"), Microsoft's product was dead in the water. And then Opera did the unexpected, it cleaned up its version 7, added a few more features, and released it as Opera 8. Firefox made headlines when it reached 1 million downloads in 100 hours, Opera barely registered as newsworthy when it reached over 1 million in 96 hours. There are three schools of thought these days when it comes to browsers, and Microsoft has the distinct advantage. Some believe that a browser ought to be packaged with the operating system, as this is the simplest for the average user. Others believe that a secure browser with "limitless" exstensibility is the way to go, a completely personalized web experience. And some, like me, prefer a browser that is preconfigured with many of those "extensions", and is a full internet suite (meaning that it includes a mail client, a chat client, among other features). There are drawbacks to all three, and obviously the consumer must decide which is worth their time and/or money. Internet Explorer, being fully integrated into Windows has many security problems, and the fixes are coming too few, too late. We might have a beta test version of IE7, but it's uncertain what will be fixed, especially as it seems Microsoft is focusing more on aesthetic improvements, rather than security and usability improvements. Tabbed browsing is going to be nice, but honestly, what does it help? And, will it only be cosmetic like Firefox's, with all the resource hungry faults? No way to say until this summer. If you're using XP, that is. XP service pack 2, actually. There may be a version for Windows 2000, but don't bet on it. Now if you want to upgrade Internet Explorer, you will have to purchase a new Operating System. At $200 a pop, is it really worth it?Firefox is, to be quite honest, much better than Internet Explorer. Unfortunately, it doesn't do much more than Internet Exploerer. Of course, there are extensions, which are kind of interesting. The problems I've had with extensions, though, are more than I'd rather write about. As they are not written by the Firefox development team (at least, not the majority), you have a severe quality problem. Granted, since it's all free, the fact that it exists is a bit of an anomoly in and of itself. Now, I'm not one to knock Open Source, though I do dislike some of the Open Source zealots, and I do believe that Firefox is one of the highest standard Open Source projects ever. But there are flaws. More and more people are complaining that spyware is now able to infect Firefox, although I'm sure the developers are going to fix it within reasonable time. But give it a try, over at www.getfirefox.com , it may not be the best (in my opinion), but I do use is from time to time. I can't criticize a product without fully using it, that's just dishonest.Then you have us "full internet suite" types. Now, if you were to look at my browser, you'd see what is entirely important to me. I have a clock next to my address bar, because to me, that is a very logical place, and I'm terrible with time, especially when I'm on the computer. I don't like wearing a watch while I type, and having to look all the way down to the right corner of my monitor every few minutes is very disruptive. Also, when it comes to email, my main means of correspondence, you'll see that I have all the tools I need to use email right next to the clock. With the click of a button, I can check my mail, or send an email. I don't like animated pictures, or flash, so I have them disabled, yet whenever I come to a site which I'll need one or both of these features (Fark.com's photoshop contests, for example), I can hit F12, pull up a menu, and turn them on. And the security is to die for. I don't have spyware problems, I have never gotten an email virus, and it is always obvious when I'm on a secure page. And, finally, I like what my friends call "brain surgeon" mode. All of my pages come up at 90% zoom. And here's the innovative part, it doesn't just zoom text, but all the images also. A feature to die for. It's worth $40, it has everything Firefox has (through extensions) already implemented and fully integrated. I'd say give it a try, you might be glad you did. Even if their "mascot" is a bit silly. Sci/Tech29764@blogcritics.org Thu, 19 May 2005 16:10:27 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/03/14/113544.php Andrew HughesIn response to Michael Higgins at Chocolate and Gold Coins I do realize that the tax proposal is a bit flawed. Throughout the week I've personally deconstructed the plan, and was hoping that others would help in finding some of its problems. It is all too much a reality that while the budgetary controls could be passed along to the tax payer, the federal government would pull rank and do with the money as it wishes. Unfortunately, there is no realistic way to control the budget (which i will get to in the next post). Another idea I'd had was to prorate government spending based on the efficiency figures provided by the Office of Budget and Management. Unfortunatly, if we were to give more money to the least efficient programs, the tax payers' dollars would be wasted. If spending on the most efficient programs increased, while the least efficient were short changed, the roles would be reversed within the next few fiscal years. To top it all off, government efficiency is a very relative term.The story Mr. Higgins provides, while probably untrue, seems like something a Louisiana politician (Huey P. Long comes to mind)would do. While the figures he suggests (40% defense, 40 social spending, with 20 left to the government's discretion) hold some value, the difference of one percent could be very effective (what's the latest budget number? $2.6T). The only real reform we can look forward to, however, is the paring of the tax code itself. Of course, all the loopholes that many have been taking advantage of will be closed immediately, so we're probably going to wind up paying more. But we'll be saving at H&R Block (and for us do it ourselfers, well we get screwed). Ah, the life of a tax paying American. Isn't it wonderful.Also found here Politics26713@blogcritics.org Mon, 14 Mar 2005 11:35:44 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/03/14/110334.php Andrew HughesSomething to consider today...if you smoke you're paying higher costs for your life insurance, correct? Social Science & Medicine estimates that for a person in their twenties, a smoker's life expectancy is 7 years lower than that of a non-smoker. It makes sense for the insurance companies to charge them higher rates. Other factors include drug abuse, and high risk activities (pilot, etc.). What isn't a factor is homosexuality. Perhaps here is the best place to put the usual disclaimers, one of my best friends is gay, he in fact introduced me and my girlfriend a year and a half ago, and I really owe him for it. He lives with his boyfriend, and we hang out as often as possible (they live in Houston, I in Baton Rouge). According to the Omega Journal of Death and Dying, a homosexual has a lower expectancy anywhere from 20 to 30 years, as compared to a non-smoking straight person. So why is a gay person paying less for life insurance than a smoker? Yes, in this day and age, it is very politically incorrect to ask such a question as "are you gay?" Especially in regards to any form of insurance. But doesn't it make sense that if you engage in a high risk activity, and life insurance companies base their rates on life expectancy as it relates to those activities, to ask such a question? And doesn't this mean that you and I are subsidizing lower insurance rates for homosexuals because the companies are keeping their rates down (even though it does cost them more to insure a homosexual rather than a straight). I, for one, will factor the "are you gay" question into my decision when choosing a life insurance provider, as everyone should pay their fair share.Anyletter Culture26712@blogcritics.org Mon, 14 Mar 2005 11:03:34 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/03/12/172708.php Andrew HughesTake a look at our modern American military, taking form over the last 50 years. All are highly trained professionals, especially in combat and peacekeeping. Peacekeeping. Hmmm, maybe we need to focus on this one. Our men and women who serve no longer need to focus so much on combat as they once did, and instead need to branch more and more into an international police force. This may go against conventional wisdom, but the truth is, we are the world's police, making sure that human rights violations are minimal (if we weren't stretched so thin, we could aid Darfur), and that dictators lose power as soon as possible. Used to be the United Nations worked as a police force, as well as a forum for diplomacy. These days, however, the UN has become a rogue nation in and of itself, controled by the power hungry and egotistical. We're losing more soldiers after the war in Iraq was declared won than during combat. This isn't due so much to an increase in insurgents (although undeniably part of the promblem), but the soldiers inability to cope with a national police force mentality. Our job in Iraq has gone from deposing a dictator, to quelling regional conflicts, not something the military is proficient in. The Armed Services would do well to recruit more Police Officers, people who understand complex yet localized conflicts. Rule of law must become the norm in Iraq, and the US Military was trained to bring down the status quo, not to enforce the status quo's replacement. I'd feel much safer if we brought the most of the troops home from Iraq, and in their place sent both the LAPD and NYPD. I'm not sure why the military hasn't begun developing police programs, they're almost a necessity in this new era in defense. Will we ever see any change? Probably not. But it would be nice if the Defence Department would at least give some thought of change.Anyletter Politics26653@blogcritics.org Sat, 12 Mar 2005 17:27:08 EST