When I wrote my take on used-book sales, I originally included a question, then took it out because it turned into a sidebar. But it’s a valid question.
Would I rather be a full-time author? Read more
A penny-book author’s take on secondhand sales, physical and digital
There was talk on Slashdot on Friday about reselling digital media, and typical sky-is-falling predictions saying that secondhand sales will drive down prices and drive artists out of business. “Look!” some say. “There are used books on Amazon that sell for a penny!”
Yes there are. My book was one of those, until Windows 95 became old enough that retro computing enthusiasts became interested in it. Now when I want to buy a copy, I have to compete with those hipsters. But you know what? Copies of my book selling for a penny never bothered me. I’ll tell you why.
A not-quite-heir to the Model M
So today I came across the story of a new Cooler Master keyboard, which claims to be very IBM Model M-like, but with modern styling and conveniences.
The verdict is that this keyboard is even stiffer than the Model M, which raises a question that not many are asking. Maybe I’m showing my age and everyone else is too young. But to me, the obvious question is how the Cooler Master CM Storm and its Cherry MX green key switches compare to the Model M’s predecessor, the IBM Model F? Read more
Remember: Daylight Savings Time starts this weekend
Remember, in most parts of the United States this weekend marks spring-forward time, which means Monday will be the worst Monday of the year since you’ll still be adjusting to a new sleep schedule.
Due to my oddball work schedule, I have Friday off, so I’m actually going to start trying to adjust a couple of days early.
Personally, I wish we would just pick one clock or the other and observe it year-round, but since nobody asked me, I’m going to see what I can do to make the adjustment easier on myself, besides drinking twice as much coffee until I’m used to it.
My Zinio adventures
My Classic Toy Trains subscription lapsed. I decided I wanted to subscribe to the digital edition and see if I liked the paper reduction enough to live with the DRM restrictions. I can always switch back to paper next year, right?
So I went to Zinio.com and tried to subscribe, and had nothing but problems getting them to take my money.
How to pick a decent password
Although I write about passwords about 8 times a week, it seems, it occurs to me that I haven’t–at least not recently, that I can find–written about how to make up a halfway decent password.
So, here’s how to make a decent–I won’t say great–password.
My youngest son learns the word “blankie”
I have two sons. My youngest has been talking for a few months now, and learns a few new words every day. One day this past week, he learned the word “blankie.” It’s probably the most innocent word in the whole English language, but it’s the end of an era to me.
Let me explain.
Java’s been updated again. For the fifth time this year.
Seriously, Java and Flash and Acrobat have been updated so many times this year, you could almost make a drinking game out of it. Java is on update number five for the year, and it’s only the first week of March.
Of course, if you uninstalled Java, you don’t have to worry about 0-day vulnerabilities or the patches that come afterward to prevent them. If you installed Secunia PST, you don’t have to worry about the updates; they come down automatically. The ideal thing is to do both.
Avoiding Craigslist rental scams
The Consumerist posted five warning signs that a Craigslist rental listing is probably a scam. As a landlord looking on from that side of it, I generally agree with it. Here’s a landlord’s take on avoiding Craigslist rental scams.
Read more
Mimic Systems Spartan: Apple II emulator for the C-64
The Mimic Systems Spartan was an elusive bit of C-64 hardware that made it Apple II+ compatible. It’s one of the more interesting Apple II clones of the 1980s. People thought of it as an Apple II+ emulator for the Commodore 64, though it wasn’t emulation in a modern sense.
Mimic Systems took out full-page ads in all of the Commodore magazines, starting in late 1984, promoting the product heavily.
The problem with it was that you couldn’t buy one, at least not in 1984 or 85. The Spartan finally appeared in 1986, and at that point, not many people wanted one anymore. So Spartans are exceedingly rare today.
But it actually seemed like a decent idea. In 1984, that is.