ditching Blogger

I am ditching blogger. Please visit my new/migrated blog at thisfix.com/blog.

adventures of a mac mini user

I recently purchased a mac mini with the sole pupose of developing in xCode and possibly creating an iPhone app or two. Being a Windows user since the Macintosh Plus, I have been quite amazed at the user interface of OSX, ease of application installations, and quick startup and shutdown times.

The shift was long in coming for me but when I found a refurbished Mac Mini for sale at the apple store, there weren't enough excuses _not_ to pick one up.  For someone like me with spare PCs and spare PC parts lying all around my house, the footprint made a huge influence on my purchasing decision.

I am open to suggestions from all my Mac using friends and collueges on what widgets/applications to use and will try to post my findings here.

AS3 Event Calender

inspired by Tom King from mobilemind.net, i have created a google calender for some of the major Flash/Flex/Air events mostly for my own use.

politics in media

saw this today on the new york times site and thought i would blog on it:
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/01/blogtalk-debates-and-elections/
i have not yet decided who i am going to vote for in the primary elections but debates often give me a sense of the candidates character as well as their stance on some issues. it would be nice to decide for myself instead of a studio limiting the information i receive.
-just a rant at the current democracy/corpratocracy i find in the united states today.

interesting read

i was given the book: confessions of an economic hitman by john perkins, to read some time ago by a family member and it sat on my shelf without much thought until my wife picked it up and gave it a go. we discussed some of the issues this book brings to light and some of the feelings associated with them. i found myself questioning my own views of the united states' foreign policies and the sometimes seemingly altruistic motives yet other times just plain wrong. so consequently i am now giving this book more attention in order to shed some light in my own mind on those motives and begin the process of forming an educated opinion on them.
of course, i also don't want my wife to know more about these things than i do, i at least have to be able to discuss the book with her right?
i am just a few chapters in and will post what i find when i am finished.

Al Gore speaks to congress

i found this to be an interesting listen (second video):
http://www.21st-century-citizen.com/2007/07/20/the-top-5-global-warming-videos-on-youtube/
i am beginning to change a perception of al gore. i also found it interesting the way in which he spoke to congress. it was careful and clear (at least more than what i had previously thought al gore was capable of).

farming subsidies

ever wonder where your tax dollars go?
a nice database of where farming subsidies go:
http://farm.ewg.org/farm/region.php?fips=00000
apparently corn is the most subsidized. no wonder there is high fructose corn syrup in most everything