Love it or hate it, every computer comes with an operating system. It needs one. In fact it has an operating system before it even loads one off of the drive - in the old days it was the BIOS, nowadays it's an EFI chip.
Luckily you don't interact with the start-up system for long, unless something goes wrong, so if you hate it, you won't have to even remember it's there when you're doing your nitty gritty tasks. Its only function and purpose is to configure and test your devices and then load the real operating system that you actually use.
Ah, but there's where your choices for the computer really shine. Are you using Windows 7? 8? How about Ubuntu? Ye olde Windows 2000? Oh sheesh that one's old school. I'm sure there are those of us who remember Windows 95 and 98. Now that's real old school. Hehe! But we haven't even gotten to DOS yet. Oh that one was a computer geek's dream back in its day. Except that it frequently crashed, and you had to configure every single game to use the same settings for your sound card, oooooh what fun it was. Windows 3.1 was pretty much the same story!
For the real geeks, there was always Linux. Or even UNIX. Some even used OS/2. The point is, if you had a special need for your computer, chances were there was an operating system that could support it. Some were expensive, and pretty much the only one that was ever free (and almost still is the only one nowadays, at least for the usable ones) was Linux.
So where did all these new operating systems come from? Mac OS, iOS, and .... <drumroll> Android!? Well they were operating systems too, except they were never written for IBM-compatible PC's. But to this day, they are still widely available and used.
I'll tell you the truth. I grew up on Windows. I am no Microsoft fanatic but it's been the bread and butter of my daily tasks since the 90's. There's just one simple truth that no matter what operating system you use, you will have to face: Windows has by far many more applications written for it, than any other operating system, possibly even all of them combined. That doesn't mean that the other operating systems are ignored, unused, forgotten about, or even not worth it. It just means that if you want to get going with your computer quick, and get things done without worrying about a bunch of extra crap, you're probably just going to have to go with Windows. Sure - Linux and Mac OS both have a lot of software written for them too. And they really truly are GREAT operating systems - don't get me wrong. And they can even run Windows programs, with the right components! But when it comes down to the willy nilly of things, Windows is king. Only Windows can run Windows programs like Windows can. And it knows it.
So that was one insanely long intro to get to the point of this post - Google Android.
So recently, I got myself a tablet PC. A Curtis Klu LT7033. The old version, unfortunately, not the D style. What can I say? I paid 15 bucks for the damn thing. And am darn glad I didn't pay a dime more.
It's great for what it is, and what it does. But that's where the Google Android comes in. As I use it, more and more and more, I realize just how much I dislike Android. I really feel like the tablet is out of my control. Okay, that is typical for mobile PC's and phones, but really, I want a device where *I* know what is going on. Notifications? It bugs me CONSTANTLY about updates. The apps even give notifications. And if I don't use the task manager to kill those apps in the background, they'll slow the entire unit to a crawl. Who ever thought that this stuff is what I would want?!?!
That doesn't even bug me as much as what some of the free apps do - they include advertisements in them! Yeah, that's right, I open up my notepad to take notes for school and there's a little bar at the bottom of the screen encouraging me to download a new app. Oh, swell. Yeah, right away, I'll get right on that ...
I'm surprised the damn thing doesn't just pop up advertisements right on the desktop. And if it starts doing that you can bet I will no longer be using it, I'll be giving it to my nephew instead.
I have a lot of gripes about Android - and apps for Android. I am surprised it has such a market following, even going as far as having apps developed exclusively for it. I am not a fan of that at all. It's great for what it does but it is not an intuitive operating system at all, at least not for me.
That's probably why I'll never have a smart phone - or if I do, it'll be nothing more than a phone, for me. Why do I need a bloody smart phone? A phone is used for two things: Checking the time, and calling someone. Text messages? I'm reluctant but I'll do it, occasionally ... Facebook? FORGET IT. I ain't putting that snuff on my phone. There's a time and a place for Facebook and in my pocket during an 8 hour shift isn't it. Yahoo? Skype? Same thing. I *MIGHT* go with Skype simply to .... you guessed it, make calls ... oh, the novelty!
Maybe I wasn't meant for this "mobile and connected" world. I liked computers that came in a big giant box where you could turn it on and it'd tell you exactly what it is doing and you could load whatever games and programs you wanted on it and it didn't nag you or give you any troubles. Sure, you might have to change a few settings, tell it how to use the sound card, but the point is - the computer worked for you. Not the other way around. And the best part, really? If something went wrong I could edit the raw files and fix it, maybe even with enough knowledge of machine code. I guess I am just old fashioned.
Saturday 23 August 2014
Monday 11 August 2014
A Captain's Choice: Being Decisive.
One time I was watching Star Trek Voyager episode "Nightingale" (s7.e8) and I remember a scene that was in Voyager's mess hall while she was on the planet for repairs. Ensign Kim had just taken an assignment as the captain of an alien ship - an assignment he really wanted because he had envisioned being the captain, himself. The thing that stuck out to me in this scene, and what made it so memorable, was when Neelix asked Kim whether he wanted plomeek soup or eggplant parmesan. When Kim said "either is fine," Neelix gave Kim a very firm lesson in decisiveness as a captain and basically told Kim that the response was unacceptable now that he shouldered such an important responsibility. Well, why is this relevant to anything? What was just a line in a TV show is actually a very important life lesson - and it's actually a very true thing what Neelix said to Kim, even if it was just a TV show.
I have noticed in a social setting a lot of times people look to me to make choices. Perhaps because I'm one of the few who do. There are others, though, who do it far more than me, and said people will follow their lead much sooner than mine. But when those people are gone, I am often looked to.
And this comes my biggest flaw as a leader: My lack of decisiveness. I like to defer to others, myself. I have a habit of it. I am a follower who leads others to follow another leader. I'm the sergeant, but never the captain or the general. It's a very poor choice for a captain to let others take the lead.
It's a hard habit to break, though. Throughout the early stages of my life I've been reprimanded for being "too bossy" - it's made me fear taking the mantle ever again, even though now I realize that back then I had done it for purely selfish reasons. Now I am suffering the consequences of not being "bossy" enough - even if the decisions I make are often for the benefit of others. And even worse, when I am "boss" I often leave very little of the pie for myself - in fact I will often divvy out the rewards at my own exclusion so that everyone benefits except me. But it doesn't feel right taking a bigger slice of the pie just because you are captain. And sometimes it doesn't feel right taking any of the pie at all - even if you did earn it.
Is my guilty conscience the reason why I do not lead a major social group? Why, when the few times I do step up to the plate, I always come short of my own expectations? I took on a major position in one of my MMO guilds once, only to resign because I was unhappy with my own performance. (In essence, I really fired myself)
It's something to ponder - and it's a very important concept that I think should be shared with others - particularly those who are or will be leaders of any team, small group, or even a major group. You cannot forget the most important rule of being larger than life: and that is, to actually be larger than life. Sure you are just a human being, but the people you lead never see you that way, until you screw it up by asking them what they want right after they've already asked you. You're the leader - you're supposed to know what they want. And if you guess incorrectly then they will tell you - that's when you can correct it. Self-confidence is not optional. You must make the choice, you must be the one to make the choice, and you must make it - right now - and with minimal time spent deciding.
What it comes down to is the most important job as a leader is to make choices for other people. It's not about power. It's not even about responsibility. It's about being a smart figurehead.
I have noticed in a social setting a lot of times people look to me to make choices. Perhaps because I'm one of the few who do. There are others, though, who do it far more than me, and said people will follow their lead much sooner than mine. But when those people are gone, I am often looked to.
And this comes my biggest flaw as a leader: My lack of decisiveness. I like to defer to others, myself. I have a habit of it. I am a follower who leads others to follow another leader. I'm the sergeant, but never the captain or the general. It's a very poor choice for a captain to let others take the lead.
It's a hard habit to break, though. Throughout the early stages of my life I've been reprimanded for being "too bossy" - it's made me fear taking the mantle ever again, even though now I realize that back then I had done it for purely selfish reasons. Now I am suffering the consequences of not being "bossy" enough - even if the decisions I make are often for the benefit of others. And even worse, when I am "boss" I often leave very little of the pie for myself - in fact I will often divvy out the rewards at my own exclusion so that everyone benefits except me. But it doesn't feel right taking a bigger slice of the pie just because you are captain. And sometimes it doesn't feel right taking any of the pie at all - even if you did earn it.
Is my guilty conscience the reason why I do not lead a major social group? Why, when the few times I do step up to the plate, I always come short of my own expectations? I took on a major position in one of my MMO guilds once, only to resign because I was unhappy with my own performance. (In essence, I really fired myself)
It's something to ponder - and it's a very important concept that I think should be shared with others - particularly those who are or will be leaders of any team, small group, or even a major group. You cannot forget the most important rule of being larger than life: and that is, to actually be larger than life. Sure you are just a human being, but the people you lead never see you that way, until you screw it up by asking them what they want right after they've already asked you. You're the leader - you're supposed to know what they want. And if you guess incorrectly then they will tell you - that's when you can correct it. Self-confidence is not optional. You must make the choice, you must be the one to make the choice, and you must make it - right now - and with minimal time spent deciding.
What it comes down to is the most important job as a leader is to make choices for other people. It's not about power. It's not even about responsibility. It's about being a smart figurehead.
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