TechProsaic

I write about great software, Internet technology, cool gadgets, and The Next Big Thing.

September 24th, 2006

Cool launcher utility for Windows: RocketDock

Windows

RocketDock-Right.png

RocketDock
is a smoothly animated, alpha-blended application launcher that is similar to ObjectDock. RocketDock renders quickly like MobyDock, has the visual sharpness of Y’z Dock, and the stability that neither seem to possess.”

I like it. Very straightforward and elegant.

September 23rd, 2006

New Psi download graphic

Jabber Psi

A loyal Psi user asked for a button he could use on his site to link to the Psi download page. I had a copy of the new Psi icon that Jason Kim whipped up, so I put something together. If you want to put something like this on your site, the HTML code is below the image.

Click here to download Psi!

<a href="http://psi-im.org/download"
  title="Click here to download Psi!">
<img src="http://psi-im.org/media/download-psi.png"/></a>

September 11th, 2006

Powerful words

Here I go with my once-yearly political blog post. I’m afraid that if I did them more often I’d scare everyone away.

Please read how my friend Peter lays out the facts (as he sees them) about the peaceful religion of Islam. He’s done a lot more research on the matter than I have.

one small voice

I know that it is claimed that many Muslims are moderates, not radicals; but at the same time I see no evidence of this so-called moderate Muslim majority rising up in protest against their extremist, terrorist, jihadist brethren, because in their hearts they know that the Koran condones and excuses and encourages all believers to slay the unbelievers wherever they may be found.

The one thing that I cannot understand about those who disagree with this position, or otherwise condone terrorists, jihadists, and totalitarians everywhere, or the “peace at any price” crowd is this:

How can you imagine that people who intentionally murder in the name of their religion can ever, EVER, be right?

To me amd my moral code, such as it is, that is the definition of wrong and evil and anathema to humanity. I’m no sociologist, but it seems to me that the cultures who have grown in wisdom and intelligence (not to malign STR/DEX/CHA & THACO) over the thousands of years of humankind have some things in common:

  • they share information openly
  • they encourage freedom
  • they value all peoples as (more or less) equal
  • they value life above death

Conversely, with Islam you have this malignant theocracy which preaches the opposite to all of this–common sense. It seems to me that followers of such a religion are forever doomed to remain in stasis. They are out of touch with time. They refuse to learn the lesson that the world constantly changes all around you and it cannot be stopped. They will forever remain warlike while the rest of humanity rises above it as an adult would look back on their teenage years as a quaint period of immaturity in the human condition.

Some people have their political correctness blinders on. They contradict themselves in everything they say. They want a to have a false sense of equality by having the government compel others to feel the same way they do. They want to include all races, all cultures, all religions, all everything, all is equal, all is welcome, no exceptions. Well what if one of those religions walks in the front door of a nation built upon this policy? What if everyone wants to include everyone else in this groupthink– everyone in the world but this one guy with a bomb strapped to his chest?

I think the vast majority of Americans reading this will understand in the very core of their beings when I say there must always be checks and balances. Always. I don’t mean that as a reference to our three branches of government, but that is one good example. What I mean is that while evil exists, good must remain vigilant. You cannot have a world where everyone stands in the middle in a mythical utopia of commonality. I like dancing around it but I’ll come out and say this. You may not like George Bush and his position, and by extension the foreign policies of the entire United States. That’s pretty short-sighted my friend. I won’t force you to share my opinion (no man should), but I think you need to leave a dusty corner in the back of your mind open to the possibility that Mr. Bush might have this one right. It doesn’t even metter that you don’t want to rise up to the threats that can be seen around you if you look for them. We just happen to be in the most favorable position to be able to do something about this, so we do.

I hope that in some years, likely after I’m gone, that Man can look back on society that came before him and say,

“Wow. They thought they were special. They thought they were in an enlightened electronic age of information. They were little children! Look at the temper tantrums they threw over the stupidest little things! I read about this group that spanned a 1,400 year period yet they remained solidily in the Middle Ages! I am so glad that the rise of Western Civilization finally overcame the menace of radical Islam.”

N.B.: Do not think this means I drink anyone’s kool-aid, especially any political party like the Democrats or the Republicans, and demagogues like Sean Hannity. You would be very wrong in that assumption.

September 6th, 2006

Server maintenance

Jabber Psi

The server upon which the Psi website (and this blog) sits will be down for maintenance at times tonight between 8pm and 3am EDT (UTC-4). Sorry for the inconvenience.

## Update @ 0921 ##

Just wanted to let you all know that my partner-admin is a jerk. He went ahead and did the maintenance _this_ morning. “Because he was up”, he said.

So anyway…nevermind! Apparently the maintenance went well. Server might even be faster now.

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